babermetrics | IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

Don't be foolish, Kuwata-kun. Come with me.

[ She takes a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself. Even though it was just a shot, the force with which the nurse jabbed it into Kyouko's leg hurts and it takes a moment to get her bearings. She can feel whatever it is rushing through her blood, as she's sure whatever effect that particular syringe had is going to overcome her fairly soon.

But Kyouko manages to regain her balance, already in the doorway. ]

We can find another place, let's go. [ After all, if Leon stays in there much longer there's no doubt he's gonna get struck with a needle again himself. ]

[No doubt at all. He's already struggling with the nurse; Leon's strong, especially in his arms (comes with the territory), but this thing's not human, and it's really hard to pin someone against a wall and avoid them jabbing a needle at you. He's managing, but every second he manages is a minor miracle.

Of course Kirigiri's right. He risks taking his eyes off the nurse for half a second to look at her in the dark, eyes wide and illuminated by the light spilling in from the hallway.]

Yeah--outta the doorway!

[He lets the nurse go and flings himself towards the door, struggling to slip through it in the confusion of the moment before the nurse catches up to them again. Go go go!]

[ She runs to the nearest room, and for once ViViD seems to work in her favor as there aren't any patients in the room. After waiting for Leon to make it inside, she slams the door shut just before the nurse can come in, locking it. The nurse bangs on the door a few times threateningly, but she gives up when the door doesn't open.

Kyouko leans up against the wall, closing her eyes. Whatever effect is going to come along with that syringe is no doubt going to start soon. ]

[He leans up against the door, just to make extra sure it can't be shoved open from the outside. Not that there aren't other ways to get through a door . . . he knows that as well as anyone. But it feels a little more secure to hold it closed, even if it's not really making any practical difference, and he can hear the nurse wander off when she's not immediately successful getting it open.

Finally he's got a moment to catch his breath, and look Kirigiri over from where he's leaning a few feet away from her. His eyebrows crease with worry; that jab had looked pretty painful, and who the hell knew what would happen to her after being injected?]

. . . Shit. I couldn't help it! You okay? I saw her get you. Didn't she put anything in it? You don't feel like, hic! Like that? That was still brutal!

[But his hiccups are starting to wear off, he's noticing. That's something, at least.]

[ She shakes her head. While it does smart a little, Kyouko can ignore that pain. What she can't ignore, though, is the urge to hug Leon. Without warning, she grabs onto Leon, wrapping her arms around his upper arms awkwardly.

She really hates CERES. ]

Do not move.

[

Hic!

He doesn't move.

It's a struggle, though. He has to actively fight his arms going around her; after his startled hiccup, he makes a low, confused sound in the back of his throat, eyes going wide. What the hell's going on here? Honestly, his first thought is that she's trying to protect him from something. It's the kind of thing you'd say if someone had a wasp in their hair, or maybe if they were being snuck up on from behind by an alien nurse . . .

But there's nothing there, his back is to the door, and this isn't even a little bit how you'd shoo a wasp away! He stands still, as ordered, but after a couple of seconds tick by, this isn't feeling any less. Hug-like.

OH MMMMMAN GETTING HUGGED BY KIRIGIRI GETTING HUGGED BY KIRIGIRI

Finally:]

--Aaaare you sure?!

Yes, I am. [ And if you do anything, Leon, she is not responsible for her actions. ]

It must be that shot the nurse gave me... [ And she still can't bring herself to let go. ]

We just need to wait for it to wear off. [ Which, really, is easier said than done especially for someone who doesn't give out hugs every day. ]

Ooookaaay . . .

[THIS IS TORTURE.

He blinks down at her, trying to get a look at her expression--but true to his word, he doesn't move. It takes a lot of self-control. Sometimes he has that, when it's important! He has a strong feeling it's important right now.

But he can't help but ask, after a few silent, tense moments.]

. . . D'you not like bein' held or what? Is it just me?

[ Kyouko's expression is flat, as she's doing her best to hide just how embarrassing this is for her. She likes to be in control, and having it taken away like this is humiliating. ]

It isn't you.

[That makes him feel a little better . . . but he's not sure what to say to it, either. So she doesn't like being touched. He doesn't pick up on her humiliation, but he does figure she's got to be pretty uncomfortable right now if she's being forced to do something she hates.

It's a good thing he's never followed any of his urges along those lines before, then. And while that's kind of unfortunate and kind of embarrassing, it's also kind of less awkward a topic than asking someone why they don't like hugs, or whatever, plus they're stuck here for a while . . . and Leon's not good at silences.]

That's too bad . . . I mean, not that it ain't just me. It'd be too bad if it was just me too, y'know? It's too bad either way. 'Cuz I've been thinking for a while it'd be nice to hold you. Heh, I don't mean that in a creepy way or anythin', just so you know!

[ Finally the urge is gone, and she can let herself step away. She can't help but feel embarrassed—not because she hugged Leon, but because whatever that nurse gave her made her do it. At least it wasn't someone she'd just met. ]

...Is that so? [ She lets out a small sigh. ] I apologize. Whatever the nurse had in that syringe gave me an uncontrollable urge to hug you.

[By now, Leon's hiccups have also faded; he'd been so caught up in the moment of Kirigiri hugging him that he hadn't even noticed. An isolated, stray hiccup pips out of his mouth after she steps away. If that last one hadn't happened, he might have forgotten the hiccups entirely . . .

He'd assumed as much, though, about the syringe, and nods.]

Yeah, I figured. What kinda messed up medicine do they keep around this place if it's all like this? What're they tryin' to get outta this, huh?

[But his tone isn't nearly as angry as it usually is about CERES's crap, and he's still kind of smiling, too.]

Aaaanyway, it's definitely not like that's somethin' you need to apologize for. I wasn't kiddin' about what I said.

[ She lets out a sigh, glancing at him sideways. While she does wonder what he means by saying it'd be nice to hold her, she's not going to push it unless he does. ]

Still, I appreciate that you listened to me. I'm grateful it was you rather than someone I don't know.

It ain't like I didn't want to!

[Maybe he should have lied about that. Oh well. He keeps leaning against the wall, more relaxed now; it's a relief to not be hiding in that closet or under any weird effects anymore, and he's going to take advantage of the breather while they've got one.

Plus, he just got hugged by Kirigiri. Score.]

Truuust me! But I know you'd punish me if I tried anythin'. Besides, there's no fun in anythin' if the girl doesn't want it. That's getting into creepy territory!

[ She chuckles. He was right about that punishment part. ]

I know, Kuwata-kun. I wasn't afraid. [ Still, she appreciates it. ]

I was simply embarrassed. [ She might as well return his honesty with her own. ]

Hey, there's way worse fates in the world than hugging me.

[But he's not offended, for once, and his tone is light; he's smiling as he pushes away from the wall to check out the door.]

You think we oughta try it? But there's way worse fates than bein' stuck in the closet with you, too. . . . Actually, I can't think of any better ones, 'specially when you're in a hospital. It can only go downhill from this!

I believe it's worth a shot. Even if one of us were to get hit with another needle, I don't think we should worry.

[ And she's going to ignore that stuck in the closet bit. ]

[But it's important. Okay, it's not important right now. There are better times to flirt with Kirigiri. Probably Leon should make a point of setting one of those times aside, when no one is trapped in a closet, or almost dying in ViViD, or having horrible shared nightmares, or any other sort of crisis at all. Note to self.

He creeps up to the door and turns the knob, trying to be silent about it. He doesn't push the door open yet, though.]

You ready to make a run for it? Or a walk for it? Whatever!

[ No need to worry, Leon. There's plenty of time for that after they get out of this level. There aren't any guarantees he'll be more successful though. ]

Of course I am. [ She moves over to Leon's side, opening the door just a tiny, barely noticeable amount. The coast seems clear for now. ] Let's go.

[He flashes her a quick grin--right, later, gotta set some time aside later!--and opens the door the rest of the way to scoot out into the hallway, wordlessly. Back into the fray it is.]

[ She soon joins him in the hall, slowly closing the door behind her so it only makes a quiet click as it closes.

The hall is still clear, and Kyouko looks for another room they could go into. It may take a while, but if they're careful, they can find a way out... She spots what looks like another supply closet further on down the hall, and points to it making sure Leon knows their destination.

Without waiting for a response, she starts to quietly make her way down the hallway. ]

[He only nods, wordlessly, and follows her. It's a good thing she's here. He's pretty torn between running for it (fast, but really damn obvious), sneaking around (subtle, but obvious if you get caught at it, and slower) and just walking normally like he's not doing anything suspicious (probably a good choice, but what would he do if he got stopped? He's still in scrubs, dressed up like a doctor!). It's hard to resist the urge to run, which feels the most tempting, but since Kirigiri's not doing that, it's easier to keep a lid on that.

What are they going to do in there? He's curious, but now's not the time to ask. For the moment, he just follows along with her as casually as he can manage, though he's clearly wary, keeping an eye out for any nurses or anything else approaching them again.]

[ The moment they make it to the supply closet, Kyouko hears footsteps coming from the other hall and headed towards them. She quickly pulls open the door, grabbing Leon's arm and pulling him into the closet before quietly shutting the door. ]

We have to figure out a plan before we go any further. We have to know where we're going first.

[Sneaky. Leon feels a little bit like one of those first person stealth games in the arcade right now. (He's never been very good at those; there's so much patience involved! It's a lot easier in real life when it actually matters. . . . And when you don't have an inventory of guns.)

He leans against this wall too, much in the same spot he did in the last closet, and keeps his eyes on the door.]

Uhhh, crap--we're in ViViD, right? So they ain't gonna let us out that easy. It's not like we can just find a door that says exit and go through it and be outside! I think, anyway. Sooooo . . .

[This is too much thinking for one day.]

We've just gotta get somewhere where they wouldn't think to look! Or maybe somewhere they wouldn't wanna look?

[ She leans against the door, crossing her arms as she thinks. ]

That's possible. Still, I wonder if there is some sort of objective we must complete before we can finish this level.

[ But maybe there isn't even an objective? ]

Unless we only need to spend a certain amount of time here.

IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

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