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 Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 6:36 am
And here the little missy was! Check it out, she's dressed all the way to the nines! Even with a special touch! "Ooooh, oh boy. All dressed up and ready to go, eh?" So sweet of her! If her dearly beloved was here, perhaps he might have been struck dumb. Or perhaps he was already dumb before walking in. But she wouldn't know that! "My, someone would have been really happy today. And maybe a bit bananas about it too. What a pity!" He shook his head, still smiling. "Ever saw her that happy before?" he asked, turning momentarily to the manager. "With a sunny smile, ridiculous amounts of blush, and a demeanor so sappy that it positively oozes infatuation?" All while squeezing his arms (or substitutes) together for emphasis, with a scrunched-up face for the level of disgust.
But she had better things to do than stand there and talk about herself, right? With feigned reluctance, he slid off the counter. Oh, someone was being straight to the point too. Good for her, he could waste less of everyone's time. But for maximum effect, why not? "No big deal," he laughed. "I'm just here on a social visit. The good doctor did inform me that he was due here right on the second for a particular event." Meeting in a coffeeshop, how tacky. But oh well, that was the sappiness that humans had so much, and apparently it spread to non-humans as well! "Shame, he could not make it in time. Something popped up at the last moment." From that widening grin, clearly a huge something. And a something that the lack of a phone managed to prevent any news of it happening from reaching her ears.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 4:10 am
Truth be told, commenting on the visible effects of Amarante's smitten state of mind was in all likelihood one of the least vulgar things the robot in question had said about her. So between looking down to see the quiet confusion on one face and looking up to see the obvious disgust upon the other, Mira decided to placate neither of them and simply state it as she saw it. "Maybe a moment's glance or two. She's not one to expose her vulnerabilities so easily, I think." Which lead Amarante to sulk and avert her eye, of course. While the observation wasn't necessarily wrong its intended recipient was unlikely to take it any bit seriously considering the glaring exception at hand. Any lingering distaste would be understandable, considering that the person before her had both violated her privacy and rendered her defenseless in quick succession. But along with earthborn passion and inhuman cruelty came what was inbetween; the quiet survivor that had learned to suffer through without so much as tears. The vivaciousness that he despised was more uncommon than he might have surmised.
Just why he'd deigned to appear at all was beyond her understanding but she wasted no time in interpreting the facts of the matter. Past tense... 'pity'... hmm. "So where am I going, then? There?" So strange-sounding; automatic and resigned words expressed through shallow breaths. Any number of many dizzying thoughts grazed her attention, but the determining factor on which she'd decided to take action was that their promise wouldn't be broken so easily. So the matters of where and why were of little significance. She'd have to find him, regardless of how the situation unfolded before her. Attempting to soothe herself with superficial assurances only made it worse, as any thought she could have over him being difficult to kill was quickly smothered by the fact that the way in which he could be killed was incredibly commonplace. So in the end perhaps the robot had acquired what he'd sought after all; the sight of that despised person's face as the many morbid possibilities presented hit her, subtly contorting with fear as the whole of it sank in and weighed down upon her.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 6:44 am
Ooooh, she was the guarded little one, eh? Well then, he was going to have to enjoy every minute of dismantling that shield. Like how he'd enjoy ripping everyone involved a new one. So how far can she go to fulfill her requirement today? This was going quite well, but surprisingly as expected. He was getting better at this, it seems.
See, one drop and her mind's already running her emotions wild! He did not even need to play his trump card. "Oh, do you want to? Then maybe I'll bring you there. That is, if you don't mind more people coming after your tail than you already got." Security on both ends were taking no chances, definitely not after that incident. So letting one more person to worry about into the building was going to net her more than just an extended stay or an instantaneous boot! "Or, you could always continue on your event today. Just without him. Maybe bring someone else along? You wouldn't miss him." He was replaceable after all. Simply an organism easily wrecked, replicated, regrown. But that inhuman curiosity at a person's limits had yet to be satiated! "Your choice. Would you like to come along, or would you like to go? Choose wisely." Time to take a chance, because why not? He could afford it anyway. Some semblance of free will should help. Like he could not already guess which one she was going to pick, it was all too obvious!
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 11:32 pm
"I'll come with you." Not the least bit of hesitation, though he'd likely expected that of her. Did he really have to come with? She was in no position to complain though it seemed unlikely that he'd be helping anyway. It all seemed to have much more to do with the odd combination of leering and schadenfreude he had going on, really. Thinking of it, it was entirely too much like another unpleasant man, right down to the gritty and unseemly details. They were both similar and dissimilar enough to steel herself against the upcoming ordeal. The threat of increased opposition was hardly a bother to her anyway. "I'm a little out of practice, but it shouldn't be a problem." More of an observation to herself than meant as any sort of assurance, but still. What was a year of leave compared to many a year of unscrupulous activity she'd accumulated previously?
And again with trying to undermine both her feelings for a person she considered irreplaceable as well as the person himself. Just what did that guy actually consider as precious anyway? Though her brow furrowed some it was definitely no time to argue with him. It wasn't as if his usual barbs would stop once he'd gotten a visible reaction out of her. No, the entirety of it seemed to be pretty close to whatever happened to resemble fun for him so it was probably in her best interest to not react to every single remark. He'd surely dig deeper and get under her skin in time. Any amount of humiliation would be fine as long as her objective was achieved. "I'm fine as is. We can leave any time." Redressing would just be a waste of time as far as she was concerned.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 6:35 am
"Ahahaha! Oh, that's rich. Really. You're going to risk what, your life? Just to look for him? Oh, you're really something, heheh." Yup, just as expected! But he turned on his heel and marched to the door, and this time he slams it wide. "Well then, lady! I'll be escorting your boss somewhere for a while, but no promises that she'll be back in one piece!" More than likely she would, but there's no harm in riling someone uninvolved too, right? And it was not like he would be taking responsibility, after all. Since for all accounts except maybe hers and the manager's, he was never officially at the hospital or the coffeehouse. So he could say all he wanted without repercussions, right?
Now, steady up that cannon, set the coordinates in the destination module, and the pavement outside the coffeehouse lights up with a blue circle. Purposely placed horizontally on the ground when its other end led out from a wall, too! Just to see if she did not stumble into the bushes on exit. "Watch your step, ma'am! Gravity isn't necessarily your friend!" he called, dropping right through with one precisely placed step, and then he's in the hospital's front yard, grinning and waving through the portal, then taking a few steps back so she would not have to start yanking on his tie if she did indeed fall over.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 11:50 pm
"I've oaths to bear," she countered, words lacking any sense of pride. There were tasks she felt driven to fulfill at any cost. Nothing particularly noble about that, especially considering what motivation she had outside of the promises she'd made. Someone else seemed to disagree with both her underestimation of her intentions and how she was being treated, quietly expressing disapproval from above. "Hmph." A quick glance upwards and a peaceful smile was enough to express her wishes at the silent irritation that was brewing up there. 'Stay here.' Imposing further upon her already surly host wouldn't help matters. And the idea of having two very precious people caught in the same dangerous situation? No, that wouldn't do at all. Her ears strained to and eventually heard a frustrated sigh as the younger Miss Irazoki resigned herself to being left behind.
Mira was mostly mystified by the quip from the strange robot, wondering if she should say what was really on her mind regarding what had been said. Well, he was leaving, so... why not? "Errm, well. We're quite used to putting her pieces back together, if that helps?" Her bewilderment was clear as she had not only spoken it but had a puzzled expression to match as well. Maybe that guy would profess to being the better of most anyone if given the chance, but having a kind heart wasn't something Mira could see as detrimental to her monstrous and shady boss. And what to do, now that they were leaving. "Ehh, come again... ?" Did they really want that? Was it okay to be impolite to such a person, even so? So much confusion!
Rolling a shrug off of one shoulder was all Amarante could really offer Mira, following the oddly enthused automaton as he made his way outside. Of course she'd have to clumsily fall to her destination rather than sauntering through a doorway of her own making as she was accustomed to doing. They hadn't even arrived yet and he was already doing the most to make things troublesome for her. The movements she ended up making were far from graceful but she'd still ended up upon her feet as any cat would. Just barely, her torso upon her legs in more of a crouched position than anything else. "Inconvenient," she muttered, unable to avoid voicing at least some disapproval over the awkwardly-placed portals as she stood up and dusted herself off. "All set," she affirmed, voice suddenly free of the irritation she'd expressed all of a moment previously. Already quite focused upon the task at hand; already prepared to do whatever was necessary.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 6:16 am
Oddly enough, the front yard was quiet save for the noise of their movements. Even then, the very air seemed to swallow the sounds before they could go very far. Not a wind to rustle the trees and bushes, the front gate hung open at a forlorn angle, and the road up to the lobby had strange tyre tracks all over. Not a problem for the android however, as he skips up to the front door, letting the chilly indoor air escape with the automatic whoosh. Unlike the last time Amarante had visited, the part of the lobby that was visible through the glass doors was completely dark and completely deserted. Certainly a nice touch for the creepiness factor, but definitely not for someone already averse to entering.
"Don't mind the mess! Or the lights." Someone sure was enjoying being her tour guide. "But you'd already know that, right? And anyway," he pointed into the darkness that was the lobby. "You also already know how to get to him from here, right? It's exactly as you'd expect. Here, ladies first." Such a faux-affable gentleman, he stepped back from the door and bowed respectfully, grinning like a madman all the while.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 2:02 pm
A sour expression was likely just what her unwelcome host had wanted, but she couldn't help it. He was too creepy in the way he was going about things; all too willing to lead her to what seemed more and more likely to be a scene beyond even her most grisly nightmares. After all, a helpful robot would've relayed the details of the situation right away. Torture bot, on the other hand, likely had a steep emotional price in mind for his scant information. But given the situation she had no choice otherwise. Wasting no time she dragged herself inside, silently cursing her luck all the while.
Any remaining light would reflect off of her disguised eyes as she continued, showing a presence of tapetum lucidum in said inhuman eyes. An annoyed pinching feeling rattled around in her stomach, due to having to do exactly as she'd dreaded months before. But what the catty tsundere had viewed with trepidation was merely an obstacle to the tepid survivor's objective. To her benefit, as heightened night vision didn't make it any less unsettling to be plodding through a place where even the walls seemed to teem with restless darkness. Though anything scrabbling about that kept out of her line of sight and off of her person was welcome to do so as far as she was concerned. What a day to wear such brittle heels, though, with each step she took practically ringing out to announce her presence in the area. Though it seemed unlikely that she'd be able to make it to his room without some sort of interference she soldiered on, numbed steps carrying a tense but outwardly calm body further in to the building.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 11:24 pm
Good, she went in. And did not once look back? Well, okay, all the better. He took a step backwards back outside and aimed his cannon at his feet, winking mischievously at her darkening figure. "Good luck," he muttered, a second before a blue circle opened below his feet, gravity kicked in, and all the portals collapsed in on themselves. Not a trace of him left to be seen, or even found then. But everything else was already set in motion, it was a simple matter of watch and wait.
The lobby alone was quiet, but in the truly deserted fashion. Yes, the counter was still there, with a bell to call for help, but said help behind the counter seemed to be lacking. Lacking in life that is, if the fellow's eerily still sleeping posture was to be believed. The cheery yellow paint on the walls were at least bright enough to remain just barely visible, and a stark contrast for the cracks that ran along their lengths. Somebody surely was not joking around when it came to structural damage!
But from here, the corridors led two ways. The sign helpfully taped to the stairwell door noted that the lifts were not in use, albeit in a printed sort of handwritten font. And as expected from a hygienic facility, there was a glaring lack of fingerprints under the tape.
But the extra presence in the hospital was noticed fast, if not instantaneous. Sure, it was devoid of people, but cameras? Certainly not, when one near the ceiling swiveled around to gaze lazily at her, its tired red light pulsing wearily. Whoever it was watching her on the other end was keen to keep up the job until the very end, huh. Persistence of another kind, but persistence anyway.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 4:45 am
Whether she had actually heard his departure or not, a quick whirl around of her person confirmed that she was indeed alone. It almost felt comforting, to be left in a creepy hospital with an enhanced eldritch ambiance. Well, in comparison to being in a creepy hospital with an unhinged robot man breathing down her neck. One less thing to be unnerved by, certainly. Turning her attention back to just what lied in front of her, her eye managed to pick out what seemed to be the form of what had been a person not all that long ago. No more than a corpse now, in all likelihood. Nothing much for cursory vital signs, anyway. Maybe the onset of decay if she'd bothered to actually investigate? A moment's worth of sympathy was all that would be offered, if an emotionless stare could even be considered that. Her priority lied elsewhere.
Her eye was especially round as it caught the light of the camera. Bother. What to do. Would whoever monitored the captured image find it unsettling to be the subject of that unblinking and unmoving gaze? It wasn't long before she'd decided to leave it be, adjusting her bag's strap into a crossbody position as she continued on. Leave a camera be, and its operator was bound to have her countered at every corner. Take a camera out, and often brute force was released as a result. So bothersome. It probably wouldn't make a difference if she downplayed her inclination towards violence, but it was worth a try. Her intentions didn't necessarily require it, but... she certainly wouldn't hesitate, either. Still better to not add to the damage and to try to downplay her presence in such a place, if that were even possible.
It didn't mean that she'd end up deterred from her mission, however, as with timid steps it almost started to feel like a replay of a path she'd taken before. Didn't it? That fear was certainly familiar even if decidedly different due to the circumstances at hand. Wasn't it? Doubts were ultimately drowned out by an anxiety that continued to intensify with every step further taken that was left without the least bit of a resolution. There, there, she had to get there, at any cost. Already the brave face she bore was beginning to show cracks as she began to fall prey to her own worry. Movements became automated as some of her sense was lost in pursuit of her own terror, hearing the clatter of motion resulting from her person but not necessarily associating herself as the origin of said sounds. Didn't matter, where was he, if he couldn't be found, nothing mattered. Her grasping, frantic thoughts pulled her along; eye rolling about unnaturally as it covered the area with darting movements and rapid blinking; obsessed with falling upon that doorway once more. If only to go through it and find him safely sleeping as before. If only.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 7:16 am
Her face was recorded. Remembered, from somewhere deeper within the maze of yellow. A familiar sight, but then even the familiar sights could not be trusted nowadays. The camera watched her go down the hallway, turn that corner and aha! Here's a sight that her eye would recognize, even if the journey was strangely shorter than she might have remembered it to be! Or maybe it was just the fear mixed with a path already taken before. The long hallway, the mess of cardboard boxes stacked alongside one wall was still there from her last visit, the reinforced metal doors still emanated that chilly aura, and a sign was dropped onto the floor in front of it, tape long unstickied by condensation. Oops. 'Out on rounds', it read, or at least what one might assume it to be read as, if they could make head or tail of this illegible cursive. Which should not be a problem for her, should it? It was easily comparable to the various post-its and notepapers from that folder he brought along on his last visit. The door itself was shut, and not a sound came from behind it. Except maybe the quiet whirr of the camera watching it. And her.
But the cameras were not the only thing watching her, were they? The trouble was deciding whether her little escapade should be treated as an obstacle course, a trial or a wonderland descent. Well, only one way to find out, if her first and foremost priority was looking for the surgeon, might as well aid her on that if she's a friendly, right? But the sound of metal grating across the floor echoing from behind her was hardly friendly. Creak, creak, screech. Neither were the red lights, flickering on and off, casting the shadow of a shambling figure onto the hallway wall. Already? So soon?
Funny how the hospital seemed both more dead and alive the moment someone else walks in.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 4:00 am
The enraptured feeling that was triggered by the familiar sight of that room was quickly quashed by what she could decipher from the note she'd found. "Haa~" That frustrated sigh sounded even more exasperated than usual as she dropped the note and she stared at the door with some irritation. "Are you, really?" More just continuing to vent than actually asking. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. What sort of person with any semblance of sanity would take that robot's words at face value anyway? Stupid, stupid. Better to be sure though, as she insisted at scratching and pleading at the door anyway. "Is anyone there?"
Which made the approaching commotion all the more jarring. Quickly turning at the waist, her hands were at the ready though still empty. "Who?" As if she weren't the invader in this case. And scary, so scary! It was enough to be in a creepy hospital. And the flashing lights tampering with her already limited vision weren't helping either. But the approach of what seemed like multiple unknowns on top of that? She wasn't running but she was clearly affected, face full of fearful determination as she refused to move. Standing her ground though declining the opportunity to make a first strike. Wasn't much, but it was something!
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 7:56 am
Creak. Screech. She was not moving? Strange, but the source of that sound was even stranger. Uncalled for. Unaccounted for. The shambling figure rounded the corner, revealing the source of lights to be various dots and lines all over the figure's arms, legs and head, and perhaps under the semblance of thin clothes as well. Though, the most prominent of lights turned out to be the large one on the middle of (its?) forehead and two slightly below it, lighting the path forwards and towards her.
It stopped, the red spotlight freezing just a few steps away from her feet, its (eyes?) unblinking.
A foot drags closer. And another. And it picks up the pace, this time with its intent quite readable, arms held up like some sort of rusty zombie, long (antennae? ears?) jerking wildly with each screeching of metallic joints. Closer, closer, closer....
Stop.
Just a few paces away from being able to grab her. And the it puts a hand back down to eye level.
"Oh. Hi! It's you again."
Huh, unlike the android who had just dropped her off, that voice was smooth and hardly guttural for something of that appearance. Familiar, even.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 5:16 am
Seemed that the voice was a satisfactory level of friendly, as the tense body of Amarante soon let down its guard momentarily in the form of doubling over for a moment with her hands over her knees. "Ahh~ You scared me, you know?" Some exasperation was probably to be expected. Just what exactly was approaching her anyhow? Wait. She'd heard the word 'again,' hadn't she? And the scant bit of privacy they'd carved out there previously really only had all of one intruder, so... "Are you perhaps..." How to question the identity of someone that had been unceremoniously removed from the room before saying much of anything, if she was assuming correctly. "From that day?" Not her best effort, but not bad considering she'd only been kept from fleeing from whoever'd approached her through her own seemingly boundless determination. Said determination extended further as after all of a moment's hesitation she was attempting to enlist aid from an entity whose motives and even name were unknown to her. "Can you help me find him? Have you seen him?" Definitely maintaining her persistence but lacking any sense of demand. She was poorly suited for what she'd tasked herself with, obviously being accustomed to straightforward missions that amounted to 'us versus them.' Since there was the possibility of any attackers being his colleagues she'd have to take the hits and figure things out afterwards instead. The condition was unavoidable despite the toll it was taking on her nerves. Apparently he was worth the trouble though, as there was no chance she'd be leaving without at least seeing him first. Obviously frightened and quite disoriented, but not lacking when the element of sheer nerve was involved!
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 8:31 pm
"Ahahaha.... Yeah. That's the one." The (ghost?)'s hand stiffly scratched at its head, in a bad semblance of an embarrassed reaction. "Sorry about all that! Had to make sure it wasn't... well, you know." Yanno, she might not no? "I did see him, actually. But I don't know if he's gone somewhere else yet." The figure shrugged. Well, if she wanted to make use of his info, she was more than welcome to.
With the preliminary observations passed, the figure's lights finally died out with a fizz. "Just great. Sorry, looks like neither of us are getting any more light. Oh well! I can still lead you there though, but be careful where you step, ok?" The figure collapsed to the floor with a noisy clatter, leaving a barely visible blue wisp floating where its head once was. Ah, it really was the little food thief!
The wisp zips back down the hallway in the blink of an eye, and then a ding ding ding ding! sounded from the lobby. Ding ding ding! Ding ding! Ding ding ding!
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