Nightshift 31; Courtyard

[small_fortune]

[From here]Climbing up the wall was about as dignified as he'd expected, although it could still have been worse. The garden trowel as a climbing tool actually did help a little, and while he would regret the entire decision to go on this insane mission by morning, for now his muscles weren't aching too badly as he made his way to the top. He did

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[officer_leon]

Leon waited until the others were over the top, keeping a wary eye on the rest of the rec field. His own climb up the wall was a bit less graceful than he'd expected; he'd failed to factor the fact that he was carrying a baseball bat into his equation. Still, he clambered over the wall and stood beside the others, clearly waiting for Rangiku to lead them on.

[fuyunohanabi]

Rangiku grapsed Mark's hand when he neared the top of the wall, helping the man to haul himself up the last couple of feet and onto the top of the wall which was, thankfully, broad enough to stand on without too much trouble, even for a human. Once again, Rangiku had to feel grateful for being a shinigami. Heights lost their terror when you were capable of jumping from roof to roof in the human world.

She waited until Leon was up at the top before turning and looking down at the ground again, checking one last time for anything nasty which might be lurking around. Seeing nothing, she crouched and lowered herself quickly to the ground, dropping almost silently down onto the grass at the other side.

[small_fortune]

The drop to the ground was as controlled as he could manage, and he didn't bruise himself, although he did land with a soft 'oomph.' Not far now, although what they'd find inside the cafeteria was another question. Then kitchen, then freezer, then sumi-e...ing. And why had no maps of the lower levels been distributed yet, anyhow? Too incomplete? Or considered too dangerous to encourage the 'general' population towards? Or perhaps just retaining what knowledge they had and any possible advantages over the other groups' progress.

He paused by the door, expecting one of the others to knock it open. Mark thought he could kick one of the lightly-locked doors down on his own if he had to, but he hadn't had the need yet, and didn't want to waste any more spare energy after the little climb.

[officer_leon]

Leon followed the other two to the ground, landing in a crouch. He instinctively glanced around before straightening up. He followed Mark to the door, and tried the handle. Locked, but it didn't look sturdy. He could probably kick it in. "Want me to knock, or do you have a key?" he asked Rangiku, a faint smirk passing over his face.

[stray_shinigami]

[from here]

Renji dropped silently to the ground from the wall. Hopefully there wouldn't be anything nasty in the courtyard this time around. He paused to listen.

[transgenix]

[ Coming from here.]

Landing on the ground beside Renji and Thursday, Max too hesitated and searched the familiar layout of the Courtyard with her enhanced vision, making sure there was nothing threatening lurking in the darkness.

"Looks clear, but I'd advise not lingering," she murmured to her two companions in a hushed voice.

[jurisfictional]

Thursday caught her breath, watching her surroundings warily. Perhaps she wasn't as good at the whole stealth thing as her teammates, but that didn't mean she couldn't be alert all the same.

"Let's go, then," she murmured, glancing toward the cafeteria.

[stray_shinigami]

The door was already open, which was convenient. "We're going to run it," Renji said. "Max, bring up the rear." He trusted her to catch Thursday if there was a problem with her leg. Mostly, he just didn't trust his own healing job when he was already tired.

Without further comment, he took off, running through the door, into the cafeteria.

[to here]

[roger_hug]

(coming from here.)

Brigdet looked around. The courtyard was empty. Odd. He turned back to Kagura and held out a hand for Roger. "Thank you for holding him Miss Sohma," he said softly.

[kagurazuki]

Kagura winced at the loud noises as Bridget kicked down the door. She was half afraid that something would jump out and rush them, but it finally gave, letting in the cool night air. She walked outside, only to hug her arms even tighter against her chest. It was chilly! Like late fall, though that just didn't seem right.

She passed the bear back to Bridget, wishing she could hold him a bit longer. "He's a nice bear," she replied, "I don't mind at all."

Their breath lingered in the air in hazy white puffs, not as cold as winter, but enough to make her wish for home. "So... so we just have to make it over the fence... and then... and then maybe we can get away? Find some help?"

[roger_hug]

Bridget tilted his head and smiled, hands on Roger as he pressed the bear back into her arms. "He is a very good bear. I'm sure he'd be happy to protect you tonight." She looked like she needed to hold on to something safe more than he did.

And he trusted her not to hurt his best friend. "Let's try to get over the fence. Can you climb okay?"

[kagurazuki]

"A-are you sure?" she asked, surprised by Bridget's sudden show of trust. She wasn't certain she deserved it, but she would do her best not to let him down. "Thank you," she added after a moment, letting her chin rest on Roger's furry head as she pulled him back.

She nodded, following now with more enthusiasm. It might be a little hard with Roger with her, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't have a problem carrying herself and the stuffed bear over the fence, especially if it meant freedom! "I'll do my best," she assured him, her smile more genuine now.

[offduty]

[from here]

Reno dropped down to the courtyard ground and stopped, waiting for Signum. He didn't turn around, keeping his eyes on his surroundings instead, but he listened for the sound of her landing nearby.

So far, so good.

[blazing_general]

Signum followed him down, bats back in hand, and started towards the cafeteria door, skirting the wall to avoid coming too close to the pond. Things she couldn't see and couldn't set on fire were the kind she least liked to fight, and the murky waters potentially conferred both advantages to any attackers lurking beneath.

[offduty]

Reno followed Signum's movements, keeping an equal distance from the wall. Things leaping out of the water? Yeah, not too high on his list of stuff to encounter right now.

"You been down there before?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet.

[blazing_general]

"No," Signum shook her head. It wasn't easy to detect in a single syllable, but she was frustrated with having to give the answer. She was supposed to have been down there days ago. "Some groups have, but I don't have any detailed information."

But she wasn't going to fail this time. Once they were safely past the pond she moved onto the path and headed directly for the door to the cafeteria. Only a few rooms away...

[himetsuru]

[from here]

Falis drew in a deep breath as she left the building for the night air. There was a small hint of blood in the air, but nothing further to indicate there may be a vampire nearby. The bounty hunter stayed alert as she waited for Namine.

[angels_inflight]

Naminé wasted no time in following, as that little confrontation had actually scared her somewhat. Luckily, Signum and Reno decided to part ways then, so a fight was avoided. For now, anyway. She wasn't sure if they were going to take it to Dayshift, as some people foolishly did.

The air felt cool against her skin, and Naminé smiled. It had been awhile since she had been outside, so this was rather refreshing.

"Is it safe out?" Outside also usually meant monsters, so her happiness was a little short-lived.

[himetsuru]

"As far as I can tell," Falis replied. "I can smell a bit of blood, but that could be from many things."

The bounty hunter glanced over at Namine. "You like the outdoors, eh?"

[angels_inflight]

Blood? Naminé couldn't smell anything, but she remained wary. After all, she wasn't the battle-hardened warrior.

"Yes, actually... Back where I came from, I wasn't allowed outside much. Here, it's sort of the same, so I enjoy it whenever I get the chance," She explained, breathing in some more of the night air.