Night 48: F21-F30 Hallway

[fourstonewalls]

When the intercom finished another deliberately vague note, Lana was already standing at her door, flashlight in hand and scalpel securely in her coat pocket. She'd neglected to find out exactly how the doors worked at night, but the general idea was clear. Some time soon, they would open, and she had to be ready the moment they did

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[scientist_skye]

Agatha had already left the room; the two girls had agreed to split up for the night, which essentially amounted to Agatha going off to find tools while Ema stayed put. Still, curiosity got the better of her after awhile, and Ema peeked out into the hallway to see what was going on. She wouldn't wander too far, since Agatha and Lana both made it clear that she shouldn't, but she could at least investigate a little... right?

However, Lana was standing outside her doorway. That was both unexpected and threw a wrench into the whole plan. "Oh, hi Lana."

[fourstonewalls]

Ema's roommate had ducked past Lana, but it was several more minutes -- a surprisingly long time, given Ema's curiosity -- before Ema's head poked through the doorway. Perhaps she had listened, if not to Lana, then to someone else's warnings.

Or...how badly had she been hurt, last night? Not physically, but mentally? A draft of cold air seemed to slither into her lungs, coiling in her chest. She had to swallow before she could speak. Ema had been dawdling, again. That was all. And now that she'd finished, Lana could send them both on their separate ways. Ema, to bed, and Lana to resume her investigation, such as it was.

"I believe we discussed this already. Do I need to repeat myself?" Lana looked at Ema, then past the door and back into the room, in a gesture the near-darkness couldn't obscure.

[scientist_skye]

Ema followed her sister's gaze into her own room. The implication of the gesture was crystal-clear: go to bed before something happens to you. After the previous night, going to bed and staying there was a tempting idea. However, there were things she wanted to know, and she wouldn't get a chance to go looking for answers with the nurses breathing down her neck during the day. For starters, where did Mr. Edgeworth go? What did the doctor mean, "CM-US trials and Special Counseling"? What about this Jill person--was she the radio person from last night? These questions needed answers, and the only way Ema knew how to get answers was to investigate. Scientifically, of course

[fourstonewalls]

"Far enough," Lana snapped, but it was pro forma. Not really worth the try, and she broke eye contact, averting her eyes from any answering eyerolls, incipient temper tantrums, or hurt looks. Though there hadn't been quite the usual force behind Ema's whine in the first place.

Ah. It hadn't been a lack of curiosity that had slowed Ema down. It had been fear. Because asking her to wait in the dark for you worked so well last time, Lana.

Ema's argument had been a series of wild stabs in the dark alright, we're stopping this metaphor right here, but Ema had hit a nerve with the very first one. It was one thing if Ema stormed back into the room and stayed put; it was altogether another to abandon her.

Standing in the hallway and comparing notes had never looked so attractive.

"Did someone mention our things being on the premises?" That hadn't come up in any of Lana's conversations. Perhaps because picking up an out-of-state prosecutor's badge and a second flashlight weren't at the top of her to-do list. She wasn't

[scientist_skye]

Lana snapped at her, which Ema expected, but the rebuke was soon followed with an inquiry. Did... did that mean that Lana was going to let Ema go with her? Ema couldn't help but be cheered a little at the possibility; a chance to work with Lana and show off her scientific investigation skills was something she would have never dreamed of having at home. Even if it didn't make up for the overwhelming negativity that was the Institute, Ema was extremely grateful for the opportunity.

"Yeah. Agatha--my roommate--learned that her first day here. Apparently, our possessions are upstairs somewhere. That was where we were headed when..." Ema trailed off and hoped her sister would catch her drift. She wasn't terribly keen on going over the details of last night. "It's not the best intelligence, but it's all we have." Well, that and Agatha's lead for getting tools, but she'd kept Ema in the dark about it.

[fourstonewalls]

When they were attacked. Filling in the blanks wasn't difficult; the gaps were only because Ema obviously didn't want to talk about it. That was fine with Lana. She didn't want to talk about it either. Not when talking about it meant acknowledging that they were both trapped here, and there was very little Lana could do to assure safety for either of them

[scientist_skye]

Lana was going to let Ema come along with her! It was almost like Christmas. Ema was going to get to put her scientific investigation skills to use and prove her worth to her sister all in one shot! More importantly, the sisters were going to spend time together. Such bonding moments were rare these days, and Ema was ecstatic, even with Lana's restrictions. If anything, Ema was further assured by them; Lana had managed to kick over an oil drum filled with water, after all. Rat monsters have nothing on that kind of power.

"I understand. Let me just grab my things." Without waiting for an 'okay,' Ema ducked back into her room to grab her journal and radio. She left her flashlight where it sat on Agatha's desk, since there wasn't any point in bringing it. Tying everything into a t-shirt as she had the night before, Ema went back to her sister. "Ready."

[fourstonewalls]

There was a voice in the back of Lana's head, whispering to itself as Ema downright bounced off to collect her things. It was a voice she had tried very hard to drown out these last few years. There was too much silence here. Too little work, despite the open-ended investigation that was Martin Landel's Insititute. Too much room to think, and apprehensions became words.

This is the way it should be.

No. No no no no no. It was too late; far too late, by Ema's account. The best thing she could do for her sister was accept her fate gracefully, and keep her safe to walk out of the courtroom freed of Lana's mistake

[scientist_skye]

Ema fell into step behind her sister without a word of argument. Lana's lack of verbal communication didn't faze her in the slightest; part of being professional in the field was keeping the chatter down, after all. Of course Lana would get straight down to business, and Ema followed suit to keep from seeming unable or incompetent. The last thing Ema wanted was to somehow disappoint her sister further and be left behind the following evening.

The question seemed to come out of nowhere. Lana must have noticed that Ema had failed to bring her flash light. "Yeah." She was quiet for a few moments until she realized that Lana would probably want more information than a simple confirmation of the question. "I used it to beat back one of the rats last night, and then I tried to bash its heads in and missed. It's in pieces on Agatha's desk right now." There was a long silence as Ema realized just how brutal that really sounded. "They were attacking, I didn't have a choice..."

[fourstonewalls]

"You..." should be more careful with your equipment, Officer, was what she'd started to say. But Ema had no police academy training to begin with; to say she'd allowed her training to desert her was wholly incorrect. Instead, she snapped back over her shoulder. "When we get home, you're enrolling in the women's self-defense class down at the precinct." Lana couldn't protect her forever. A few more months, at best.

[continued here]