by zapdragon555 » 06/18/2021 7:36 PM
The metal door shut behind him, and Jigen felt a brief sense of claustrophobia overrun him far worse than in the tunnel. This place smelled like a damn hospital, which was reasonable given it was some sort of area where science was done, but it rubbed him wrong all the same. Already the other three thieves had fanned out, looking around, and Jigen noticed Goemon's dark eyes focused securely on an enormous gaping hole in the wall. Instinctively Jigen reached for his gun once more, taking it out of his jacket and holding it at his side.
"Whaddya suppose did that?" Jigen whispered. Goemon shrugged a shoulder, his hand resting at the hilt of his sword, calm but ready. Fujiko seemed to be peering into a dark room full of glittering lights, tall mechanical servers that looked to be responsible for supporting some high-powered machinery. Lupin, on the other hand, was already moving towards a pair of larger doors that looked to lead further into the structure, a roguish tilt to his brow and smile that told Jigen he wasn't about to ask, or think, before acting. "Lup," he whispered harshly, stepping over to him quickly. "Be smart. Don't go touchin' anything willy-nilly."
It was eerie. The place didn't look abandoned, and other than that huge hole in the wall, everything looked properly in its place. Like every scientist in the room had just up and left all at once, with the composure to set down their coffee mugs. Jigen rushed forward and put a hand on Lupin's arm, gripping tightly and staring at him from beneath the brim of his hat. "You hear me?" he grumbled, the gruff of his voice silencing with a soft breath as Lupin's hand came up to eclipse his own and hold over it, gently.
"Do you have my back?" Lupin asked softly, not looking over his shoulder. Jigen was silent for a few moments, eyes darting back to Fujiko, who seemed to finally be peeling herself away from the server room, and to Goemon, who still looked to be staring down that ruined hallway. Finally he looked back to Lupin, who had turned in the meantime to fix Jigen with a level stare and an unreadable smile.
Always. "Yeah. Whatever, sure," Jigen muttered, flexing his fingers out from under Lupin's hand and rubbing his knuckles on the front of his suit jacket, almost flustered if he wasn't so on-edge already. Lupin seemed satisfied with it, throwing open the doors and stepping into a small interim room that Jigen followed him into, and instantly the two of them were sealed off, a hissing air rising all around them. "The fuck—?!"
"Relax. I think I've seen one of these things before. Decontamination or whatchamacallit. You remember that time we had to pose as surgeons?" Lupin chirped, ever the chipper thing, and Jigen's brow furrowed as he cast his memory back as far as he could reach.
"Nnno. I do not," he admitted, wrinkling his nose at the antiseptic smell that had begun to coat him quite thoroughly. At last the hissing ceased, and the vapor inside the room settled, and the door ahead of them shucked open, allowing them into a rather normal-looking room full of various abandoned equipment, papers, and mugs. Jigen stayed a small distance behind Lupin, eyeing everything a bit more discerningly than Lupin looked to be, but then, Jigen could never tell. Behind him, he heard the sound of the decontamination room activating once more. Maybe Fujiko or Goemon decided to follow.
But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair
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