Nightshift 60: M-A Block Hallway
[from here]As much as Sangamon might deny it, Landel's words were echoing around in his head. He'd met the type a dozen times before. Utterly self-centered. Sociopaths, except they'd learned how to fake enough human interest to work their way into a CEO's office instead of a jail cell
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Gren stepped out of his room and down the hall, noting that things were relatively quiet as he went. Moving into the next hall, he started to consider his options. Should he move upstairs again? He'd experienced nothing but frustration on that path, and the memory of what he and Byrne had encountered up there made him hesitant to try again. Perhaps he should try to find a better weapon? The shovel would only hold up for so long, after all, and while it could be replaced, something a bit sharper might have been in order.
His internal musing was broken by the sound of a voice near by, seemingly asking a question, though who the intended recipient was, he couldn't say.
"Looking for something?" he asked, turning towards the blond who'd been the source of the interruption. He wasn't the most knowledgeable person around, but he could probably give directions if needed.
[ooc: Sorry this took so long!]
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Tolten was startled when he heard someone directly respond to him. The young king's eyes flicked about the hallway with rapid movements until they lit upon the source of the response.
"Ah..." he began, speaking before he'd even bothered to compose a response. Was he looking for something? Well, technically. But not very specifically. Goodness, he really was something of a featherhead, wasn't he?
"Anyone else out on their own, I suppose," Tolten finished after a lengthy pause. "I'm afraid I'm not terribly good at planning out my courses in advance...."
At least he could easily own up to his own failings. And perhaps luck was with him, because the other man who was speaking didn't seem to have anyone hanging about with him. Of course, he could be on his way to meet someone as most were, but...
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"That makes two of us, I guess," he replied with a laugh. "I was just trying to decide where to go myself. I wouldn't mind the company, if that's what you're looking for." It was probably safer to go with someone else, anyway. There were a lot of nasty things lurking around, and while he was decent in a fight, having backup never hurt.
"I'm Gren, by the way." Best get the introductions done with right away.
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This he was good at. Perhaps it really was a pitiable thing, to be a king who preferred to follow than to lead, but he could not change his nature. He was a knight and sometimes that was the only thing he was entirely certain of in this place.
And he thought it most fortuitous that he had encountered Gren, also alone and preferring company. He truly hated pointless wandering, and doing so alone. Even armed.
And...perhaps they'd become friends. It was easier here, to make friends, than it ever had been at home.
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He'd been in the institute awhile now, but a lot of his attempts to gather information had resulted in frustration. There was probably just as much to be gained by random wandering as there was in moving with some purpose in mind.
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He just didn't have a good head for directions.
"As for supplies...I have been trying to acquire a knife for a friend, but...ah...as far as I know, all routes to something like that lead outside. I...don't do well outside. Yet."
Already the urgency of his condition was pressing upon him, but what could he do? Besides simply push the thought away and grip his length of pipe tighter. Gods, what a pathetic ally he was! He hardly knew the layout and he was a liability outside the walls of the building.
"I'm a skilled fighter, however," he added, not wanting Gren to decide perhaps he'd be better off without Tolten along after all. And surely there was plenty to explore inside! That was a perfectly amenable course of action - simply wandering about in search of nothing quite set or known. He was used to that"I've been ( ... )
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"A knife? We could try the kitchen, but I'm not sure they leave those lying around in there." If they did, he imagined the patients would be much better armed than they were currently.
"Yeah? Good to know. I used to be in the army, myself." Whether that meant anything to someone who claimed to be trained as a knight, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to worry about the details now.
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He nodded a little at that information. "I didn't think they'd keep them in such an obvious place. No luck getting in upstairs?" Things could get plenty tricky up there. He knew that from experience.
At the mention of Landel and the third floor, he shook his head a little. "As much as I'd like to show him just what I think of him, that sounds like an assault that would need better weapons and a lot of planning. Someone would have managed it by now if it were easy to pull off."
It was tempting, though. He hadn't for one moment forgotten what had been done to him in that locked room, and the idea of showing the man in charge just how he felt about being used as a guinea pig was a tantalizing one.
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Hopefully Locke had simply gone on his own, without having to worry about that thing. Unless he'd not looked at the bulletin and hadn't realized why it had happened. Oh dear. That was a possibility....
But not one Tolten could worry about much now.
"The belief is that tonight, he won't be fully guarded. I don't know honestly how much I believe that - I knew nothing of the man before today - but I have heard it multiple times today." He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back as best he could. "I know so very little, even after nearly a week. But wherever you so desire to go, I will gladly follow."
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"I don't know if he's really the sort of man to leave himself that vulnerable," he replied. It was possible--with the military gone so suddenly, Landel might not have had time to rally his own troops... so to speak. But Gren doubted it would be that easy.
"We could try heading up, in case someone does find a way to get to him. They could need reinforcements." And if not, well. There were other things up there to be investigated, he was sure.
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"If nothing else, we can explore the upper regions of the building."
Information was valuable. And really, if nothing else, it was good to know firsthand something as simple as the building's layout. At least he had learned to plan ahead, and plan for contingency or hypotheticals.
"What's the easiest way to reach the second floor?"
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...and that train of thought threatened to go dark places, so he shoved it aside and concentrated on what they needed to do.
"The fastest way up I know of is to head out to the main hall and take the stairs up. Things are more secured up there, but some of the locks can be broken without too much effort." That much, at least, he'd managed to learn. And maybe with luck, there wouldn't be anything nasty lurking around to get in their way.
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Tolten didn't think before he spoke, simply because it was something he'd been wondering himself for some time. The people he had asked hadn't known one way or another. And beyond that, breakable locks!
"My friend, you have answered a question I've had little luck answering for some time! And other locks...well, not that it does us any good now, but my dear friend is something of an expert in getting passed locks!"
Oh, he'd have to remember this to tell Locke tomorrow! Perhaps he'd even have a chance to mark the locks himself, for later investigating! It truly was wonderful to finally encounter someone who knew things!
"Ah, the hall to the Sun Room?" he asked as he turned, wanting to be certain.
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