Night 50: Main Hallway, 2-East
[From here]
Unfortunately, the staircase door was more than eager to announce Tifa's presence onto the second floor.
So much for the element of surprise...
Hopefully nothing big was lumbering around close enough to have heard the loud creak and the click that followed, despite her painstaking efforts to close it as slowly as possible. Keeping her back to the door, she quickly shined her flashlight all around the hallway to make sure it was safe. The yellow light didn't pick up anything, not even another patient. That seemed very strange. This was the first time she was alone, and the quiet was the most uncomfortable. There was always someone walking around, making small talk with a partner, or simply flashing a light down one of the halls... Well, being squeamish over silence wasn't the solution to her worries.
No time like the present.
Her feet fell across the tile at an angle, which kept the sound of her sneakers to a minimum. It made it awkward to walk briskly, but there was nothing running after her, so there was no rush. Eventually her flashlight began to pick up the glint of doorknobs. The first door opened up to a large room with washing machines, so that was out. The next one held nothing of import for her, at least tonight, so she continued. The next three were tough suckers; they wouldn't budge even after a few kicks to the frame. "Hmmm..." This wasn't boding well.
Well, all she could do was just keep trying. Thankfully, the third on the left opened and looked very promising. It was already giving after one kick, however; it opened outward instead of inward. Kind of a problem when all you can do is kick.
What to do?
It didn't take long to figure out a solution. Taking out her materia, the brunette willed a burst of ice over the doorknob. It took a lot more mental willpower than she remembered, as she pinched her eyes shut in concentration. The windy aura eventually died down and what was left was a chunk of ice surrounding the lever. Tifa lifted her leg up and slammed it down across the doorknob, easily cracking lock and all off on the floor.
[To here]
Unfortunately, the staircase door was more than eager to announce Tifa's presence onto the second floor.
So much for the element of surprise...
Hopefully nothing big was lumbering around close enough to have heard the loud creak and the click that followed, despite her painstaking efforts to close it as slowly as possible. Keeping her back to the door, she quickly shined her flashlight all around the hallway to make sure it was safe. The yellow light didn't pick up anything, not even another patient. That seemed very strange. This was the first time she was alone, and the quiet was the most uncomfortable. There was always someone walking around, making small talk with a partner, or simply flashing a light down one of the halls... Well, being squeamish over silence wasn't the solution to her worries.
No time like the present.
Her feet fell across the tile at an angle, which kept the sound of her sneakers to a minimum. It made it awkward to walk briskly, but there was nothing running after her, so there was no rush. Eventually her flashlight began to pick up the glint of doorknobs. The first door opened up to a large room with washing machines, so that was out. The next one held nothing of import for her, at least tonight, so she continued. The next three were tough suckers; they wouldn't budge even after a few kicks to the frame. "Hmmm..." This wasn't boding well.
Well, all she could do was just keep trying. Thankfully, the third on the left opened and looked very promising. It was already giving after one kick, however; it opened outward instead of inward. Kind of a problem when all you can do is kick.
What to do?
It didn't take long to figure out a solution. Taking out her materia, the brunette willed a burst of ice over the doorknob. It took a lot more mental willpower than she remembered, as she pinched her eyes shut in concentration. The windy aura eventually died down and what was left was a chunk of ice surrounding the lever. Tifa lifted her leg up and slammed it down across the doorknob, easily cracking lock and all off on the floor.
[To here]