Nightshift 32: Stairs by Nurse Station 1-B

[quickdrawbkiddo]

[from here]Carefully, Beatrix lead the way up the stairs, one hand trailing lightly along the wall just to ensure she was keeping an adequate distance from it. She wasn't using the flashlight and she didn't think she needed it, having walked this path with Rena the night before, but she would not begrudge her apprentice light if she needed it.

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[fuyunohanabi]

[From here]

Rangiku stepped quietly into the stairwell, ready to draw her sword at a moment's notice if it should be needed, the words of a spell on the tip of her tongue. Stairs were always good places for an ambush because they were closed in and things coming from above had the advantage of height. She paused at the bottom, waiting for Gin to follow her.

[traitors_smile]

She didn't have to wait long. Gin was only a couple of steps behind her, taking the back since she'd gone for the lead, least for the time being. It didn't seem to matter much who was in front and who was behind, so he hardly noticed the change. He'd yet to have been attacked on the stairs, but that didn't make him any less cautious as the climbed up to the second level. He knew some of the others might have an advantage, but he supposed his delay with Toushirou hadn't been too terrible. If it hadn't happened, he'd have headed straight for the basement, more likely than not.

[[to here]]

[demon_beast]

[From here]

These stairs were quieter, thankfully, without the scent of anger and hunger and demon that Heat always smelled of. It was a longer route, but probably quicker. She couldn't just ignore her comrade after all, even if he were a traitor. She climbed the stairs quickly and headed out into the corridor.

[demon_beast]

[To here]

[constellates]

[from here]

Pushing her way inside, Alkaid noticed that there were a bunch of stairs in the way. This clearly wasn't the direction to get to the front door, but she was kind of curious as to what would happen at the top. Maybe weapons, which she was suddenly starting to feel like she needed? Even though she hadn't exactly seen any monsters, but whatever.

Everything here was musty, silent. Kind of creepy. Her voice hushed, as if something might suddenly lunge out of the shadows, she whispered back to the newly-met man behind her. "Hey. You wanna try these creepy stairs? I got nothin'..."

[cigarettes_plz]

"Adventure? You sound like an after school special. I'd rather be at home taking a crap." Badou continued to whine behind her. He seemed to be in a permanently butthurt mood over his smokes.

The fact that they were patients couldn't bother the staff very much if they disappeared at night and left all the doors wide open for god only knew what to prance in and out at leisure. Didn't they keep psychopaths and insurance brokers in places like this? This was starting to look more and more like the place Haine had described and Badou wanted out. Or maybe... At least a small part of him was recklessly curious

[constellates]

"And you sound like a hopeless addict. At least you know where your real body is, bozo." Alkaid was annoyed. But she reminded herself that at least if she was in this body, she could use it to her advantage. Her normal body wasn't good for anything like this, and if there really were monsters or something dumb like that, this (well-endowed) frame was used to running like hell. And she was pretty sure there weren't going to be light-blue battle areas in this place, either, so no need for escape items. Hopefully.

"Shut up! We're not lost," the girl spat, letting go of her whisper. "We're observing our surroundings. And you are not using me as a tank 'cause I'm going to run like hell."

For some reason or another, Alkaid didn't really feel like letting this guy go too far ahead of her, so she quickened her pace up the stairs, still trailing slightly behind him.

Nothing at the top of the stairs, though, so she pushed through the door.

[to here]

[inb4crazy]

"Well in all fairness, Rena, this old man is ready to accept just about anything 'strange' at this point," Mion told her friend, giving her a grin. If they were about to face down some horrible wyvern sounding creature, might as well lighten the mood a little beforehand, right? "Well, except maybe Kei-chan suddenly being good at club activities once we get home anyway."

Arlene's plan seemed pretty straightforward. Of course, any good plan could fall apart if the circumstances gave way, but something just told Mion everything would go just as planned. And then they could stab monsters as opposted to waving shiny lights at them.

... Speaking of shiny lights, it was... dark. Not that that was a problem, though, oh no. Mion trusted Rena and Arlene in their directions, but her gut told her if they were expecting monsters - some of which she knew firsthand hated light, that . But at the same time, Mion argued with herself, a light would ultimately give them away to anything they might come across, and if it didn't happen to have a

[kaerutokoro]

Despite herself, Rena let out a tiny giggle at the prospect. Poor Keiichi, always their source of humor (regardless of his presence). She felt a little sad the boy wasn't around, but it was probably for the best. He didn't belong here.

Her laughter, however, was cut short as Arlene laid out the scenario. It was simple, organized in a way yesterday's lacked. Top it off, Rena knew the basic layout. Making it to the kitchen shouldn't be an issue, not tonight.

"Sounds good," she whispered.

Unlike Arlene, Rena failed to pick up what was headed. Consequently, she shot a curious look at the woman mid-step, wondering what was going on. The order had been...odd, to say the least.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

"Thank you," Beatrix replied to Mion, so quiet the girls may have imagined they heard the words instead of them actually being said.

[to here]

[heavens_too_far]

[From here.]

They'd gone some distance before Dias slowed to let Ashton match his pace; with his longer legs, it wasn't hard for the mercenary to keep ahead if he wanted to. "How are you holding up?" he asked, glancing over at his friend. Truthfully, with how quickly wounds seemed to heal here, it was easy to forget the ordeal Ashton had gone through not long ago - and Dias certainly didn't know how much of an effect someone cutting into one's head would have on a person, or how long of a recovery period such a thing needed. And Ashton wasn't the type to complain regardless of how much or how little he was suffering, which made it all the easier to dismiss what had happened as being over with...but it had occurred to Dias that he'd just been assuming Ashton was fine when he really didn't have any idea.

[part1of3]

"Maybe that's so," he'd responded softly back in the hallway, half to himself.

At that point he was distracted by Dias' light touch. Ashton was to the point at which he'd do things - affectionate things - without really expecting anything in return. So on those times when those light touches did come in return, Ashton felt an odd sense of excitement. Lightning, even. If he'd been alone, he might have giggled to himself. But he wasn't alone.

Which was nice...

He snapped back into thought when they got into the stairwell, distracted by Dias' low voice once more. How was he holding up? ..Well, not great, but Dias really didn't like it when he lied to him. "Uhhh." He swallowed slightly, climbing a few more stairs. "I have a little bit of a headache," he confessed, half-mumbling. He didn't let Dias see his face as he pushed out into the hallway on the second floor.

[to here]