Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway
Once again the doors had opened. Cloud believed most of what Yuffie had told him, but it was still unreal the way this place operated. They were clearly being tested, mocked, or both with the nightly routine, yet they didn't have many other options but to take the chances they were given
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Up, down, up, down. Side, side, touch toes, up, reach for the sky. Or the dark ceiling. Everything was dark in here; he was afraid he'd bump into something if he didn't watch out.
Oh, yes! Hadn't there been a portable lamp underneath his pillow? He'd discovered it the other day... Ah, here it was! Okay. The light was on... He continued to exercise, squatting slowly so he could feel the maximum burn. Up, down, up.
He paused for a second, worrying mid-stretch. What if he'd given Claude the wrong room number? Then Claude would never be able to find him...! He'd be running around the wrong hallway, or even around the wrong side of the institute!! Oh, no!
The light source in his hand, Ashton peeked outside his door, shining it up and down the hallway.
"...Claude?"
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Once Claude had gotten close enough to where his friend was peering out from his room, he greeted him with an enthusiastic whisper. "Ashton! It's me!" He hoped he hadn't kept him waiting too long. Gosh, though -- it sure was a lucky thing that he had the same hallway as Luke. Funny, how things worked out like that sometimes.
Ashton looked like he was in good health, which was a relief. Not that anything should have happened to him since lunchtime, but this place had a way with being dangerous at the most unexpected times. The only thing that was off was that Ashton no longer had his outfit from Expel even though it was nighttime. It made Claude feel a little guilty for wearing his own Federation uniform, but he guess it couldn't be helped.
"Is your roommate still here?" he asked. Up until now it hadn't occurred to him that maybe the person Claude roomed with would also be in need of traveling companions, though it was also possible he'd managed to find someone else to explore with. Still, he figured it would be polite to check first.
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The question about his roommate caused him to shake his head. "Oh, Axel? He already went out. I hope he'll be all right..." Ashton bit his lip for a moment, thinking about the redhead. Would he really be okay?... Well, the man looked versed enough in the ways of the world to at least escape if he had to. Ashton had stuck around him long enough to tell that he had been through a battle or two in his time. Maybe it was the eyes. The eyes of a fighter. Was that even possible? Did Ashton have the eyes of a fighter? ...
Hmm, now he wanted a mirror...
Oddly enough, Claude looked... normal. He was wearing the same strange, alien clothing that he'd always worn back on Expel, and he looked so comfortable in it. Rather envious, Ashton felt that he had to comment on it. "That outfit... gosh, that sure brings back memories. How lucky that you were able to find it!"
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When his friend dropped his roommate's name, he was stunned into silence. So it was Axel after all! Who would have thought! Of course, it might been weird to suddenly spring the fact that he and Axel used to be roommates on poor Ashton. All the other stuff was probably hard enough to swallow as it was. As strong as his urge to blurt everything out was, Claude managed to hold his tongue. For now, at least.
"O-oh, okay," he answered after a brief pause. "Well, I'm sure he'll be fine if he felt confident enough to go out on his own." Either that, or he was just incredibly dumb, but Claude had already gotten a chance to see how Axel responded under pressure. Yeah, a guy like that would be just fine out there.
When Ashton called more attention to his uniform, Claude glanced down at his shirt. It was strange how it'd been repaired since ripping it the other night. Claude didn't really understand how it'd been done, much less why their captors would bother with a detail like that. Oh, well. Like he could really find it in himself to complain about it.
"I know, right?" He remembered how he'd felt, slipping on those clothes for the first time since he'd arrived here. Having another choice besides that stupid smiley face shirt was almost...well, liberating, in a way. Even on Expel he'd never been able to bring himself to buy another outfit, so getting the chance to wear his old clothes here had been a nice breath of fresh air, to say the least.
"I found it in my closet, actually," Claude added as he looked up at Ashton again. "Did you ever check in yours?"
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The curiosity wasn't going to kill him; he already knew that being curious could be a wellspring for bad luck.
Anyway, he addressed it: "He didn't know there were monsters here before I told him, but he didn't seem to care that much beyond being surprised. It's strange having to tell people about this place... I don't really know that much myself, you see, and I've already had to tell two whole people." He sighed. "I'm just not good at explaining."
Hoping Claude didn't mind if he inspected his shirt a little bit, he stepped a little closer and pointed the light source at him. Yes, this was the exact same outfit he'd had - same stitching and everything.
"Really? It was in plain sight? In your closet?" Ashton's face lit up, and he nearly dropped his lamp in the process of gaping. He hadn't checked there, no. "I better look!"
He opened the closet on his side of the room tentatively, peering inside, and - ... Oh! This was it! The same fabric with the same relaxing feel to it... Even the soft fur around the neck. Oh, goodness gracious sakes alive! Here it was!
"Lucky for me! Look, Claude!" He wondered if there was something similar waiting for Axel in his own closet.
Ashton went about putting his favorite headband on, beaming all the while. It was as if he'd just discovered a barrel under the bed.
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It would be like old times.
The thought was a comforting one, to say the least. Old times meant fighting side-by-side in victorious battles, or drinking ice-cold tea in weird cafes, or making preparations before starting out on a new journey. But Claude knew few of those things would be found here. This was Ashton, his dear friend, but their time together now was different from before. Claude suspected it always would be, yet simply having Ashton here with him was enough to ease his mind.
"That's great, Ashton!" he said brightly. "If you're going to wander around the place, may as well do it in style, right?" At any rate, it was a heck of a lot better than the uniforms they were supposed to wear, that was for sure.
"Why don't you go ahead and put it on?" Claude suggested. "I could turn the other way while you change."
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While the grey clothing Ashton had been wearing wasn't uncomfortable, Ashton much preferred the breezier feel of his own outfit.
"Okay, it's fine now," Ashton said, moving over to the desk chair to pull on his boots, certainly feeling nostalgic himself. When was the last time they'd fought side-by-side? The last battle...? Had it really been that long?
Even though this place felt a little like a jail that kept drawing him back no matter if he escaped, there were little bits of happiness that seemed to be scattered throughout. His outfit... his friends. Celine and Welch weren't around to bug him, but that meant he could relax a bit, right?
In full Anchors regalia, he finally stood up, taking extra care to make sure the headband was covering up the scar and the shaved spot on the back of his head. He didn't want Claude to take notice, after all. It didn't look like he had yet, which was a relief.
"It didn't look like they gave me my weapons, though," Ashton said, looking quite a bit more secure in his clothes. "Is there a way to fix that here? I could improvise..."
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He patiently waited until his friend gave the okay, and then faced him once again. The outfit was just as Claude remembered -- so unmistakably Ashton's that it actually brought a smile to his face. "Hey, you look good," he told him.
The shaved spot on the back of Ashton's head wasn't such a surprise, considering he'd had it before he disappeared the first time. Claude wondered when would be a good time to bring it up, but for now he figured it was probably better to let Ashton get a better handle on Landel's itself. There was no reason to bombard him with a ton of information at once, right?
He had to push that aside once Ashton brought up weapons. "Um, yeah, about that..." Claude scratched the side of his cheek as he considered how to word what he was about to say. "You actually had a pair of swords made for you before you disappeared last. One of them vanished along with you, but I managed to hold onto the other one. I figured since it wasn't getting much use you'd be okay if I let someone else borrow it for awhile. Now that you're here again, though, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted me to ask for it back..."
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Good? He looked.. good? He couldn't help but shrug sheepishly. Claude hadn't said anything like that before, but Ashton could definitely agree. He did look good. "Ah, thanks," he said, nodding. "It feels like a little piece of home, which is really nice to have. I'm sure it's the same for you."
Ashton cocked his head to the side as Claude explained the situation of weapons. It brought up a few questions. Swords made for him? One could do that here? He'd heard that 'powers' and 'magic' couldn't be used very well here, but that didn't mean that one couldn't blacksmith or alchemize raw materials, right?
Finally, after rubbing his chin for a second, he shook his head. "Well, there was obviously a reason for me to give them to you, so... why not let that person keep it? As long as I can see how it's doing from time to time. I would be a little bit of a failure with only one sword, I'm afraid..."
Then, after a pause, he added, "But, in return, you'll definitely have to tell me how to make more swords. Or if I could find something else to use in the meantime."
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When his friend told him Guy could keep the sword, Claude's face lit up. "Really? That's generous of you, Ashton!" He had a feeling that he was going to be fine with it, but he was still glad he checked. "I'll tell my friend Guy that you're okay with him letting use it. I'm sure he'll be appreciative."
As far as helping him out with his weapon situation went, Claude felt like that went without saying. That was the most important thing. After all, a swordsman's weapon was basically his life, especially when he relied on it so much to keep himself and others safe. There was no way he was going to let Ashton go weaponless, not when he finally had him back.
"And don't you worry," he told him with a grin, "we're gonna get you set up in no time." He turned toward the door. "Come on, I'll tell you about it while we find you something to use for awhile." And with that, he led the way outside.
((To here.))
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