West Wing, Hall 2-A

[see_my_back]

[[from here]]

At least Raphael managed to keep his trap shut for a whole flight of stairs and part of the hallway before he went shooting his mouth off again.  Seriously?  He thought to ask where they were going now?!  Hadn't he paid any attention at all to the bulletin?  She expected that kind of behavior from Naruto, but this guy was ridiculous.

Comments

[quarter_english]

[From here.]

L began to walk down the corridor.

"When we reach the end of this hall, we go through the doors, then to the left, then through another door on the same wall. I believe we will be outside, briefly, which means that we will be exposed between those two doors. It might be best to move quickly."

He decided to ignore Dr. Jones's paranoia of a few nights earlier, and shot the beam of his torch down the long expanse of flooring to the door in question.

[slipperymagic]

"You're well prepared tonight," Howl observed with feigned surprise, though the note of friendliness was real. He followed the light down the hall with his eyes, which almost glowed alongside his hair, catching and reflecting the manufactured light. Howl had to suppress a sudden shiver. He felt like eyes were on him, although it was only his imagination (or so he hoped). Still, between tall, golden Howl and shorter, ashen Ryuuzaki, it was easy to guess which of them was a more obvious target.

"What manner of exposure are you expecting?" he asked at a low volume as his long legs carried him down the hall. He spared only a short glance at Ryuuzaki, his opposite for all intents and purposes, before returning his attention to the looming darkness.

[quarter_english]

"I studied the map to be sure. As to exposure... I don't know, but it is better to be ready for it -- people have reported encounters with small flying reptiles, and a large snake. Then, there is the matter of the... situation... that shattered the roof of the Sun Room the other night."

He added, at an awkward interval, " -- Something could come out of one of these rooms, too."

This was said with a degree of nonchalance unusual for a man who was walking along past the doors in question; he was alert to any movement, but had decided that it would be better to move as quickly as possible. "I don't think my associate had much difficulty getting to where we are going, but that appears to mean nothing here. Something interesting happened last night, Howell -- "

[slipperymagic]

"I'd say, Daniel," Howl interjected with a slight huff. "Well - I wasn't with you that night, but I'm presuming that you were as out of touch then as you were that morning." Howl was still feeling out of sorts from yesterday. It had passed like a dream, and Howl had not been personally impacted, but everyone around him had seemed stubbornly lost. They all peered at him like he was a madman, and as though he might even be dangerous.

His anxiety, and what might have even been concern, came out only as indignant irritation. It wasn't Ryuuzaki's fault, and Howl couldn't truly hold him responsible, but it had shaken him to the core all the same. He deserved to be at least a bit irritated! In the end, there was no one to blame, except for maybe himself. He took a bit of the shame over his cowardice and added it to the pile of things he'd feel sorry for himself about at a more convenient time.

Nerves aside, he was curious, and so he continued: "Is that what you mean by interesting, or is there some other gem that our new home has presented

[quarter_english]

Well, there it is.

L's first outward response to being addressed as 'Daniel' was to heave a deep sigh, sounding as if he was matching Howell in irritation -- not entirely at Howell, but also at the Institute, Landel, and, to some extent, himself. Although the worst and most reckless of his fury had subsided, if for no better reason than his suspicion that he would be unable to do anything about it for some time, he was still angry. Something had been done to him, and worse, he had not been strong enough to resist it; he had not even anticipated it.

"Yes," he admitted, in a tone that was both softer and more crisp. "Yes, that is a safe assumption; however, it wasn't the interesting element."

At this point, they were nearing the door at the end of the corridor. He paused outside of it. "Since you've mentioned it, though... what did you make of Laurier's story? I'm curious."

[To here.]