Darkness rarely bothered Philip. In his childhood, it had - as it had done for many youths - occasionally frightened him, and given ample opportunity for an inventive mind to conjure all variations of vicious creatures lying in wait beneath its cloak of pitch black. But adulthood had at least provided a more balanced perspective, and these sorts of wild flights of fancies, while not entirely absent from someone who had not turned his back on the infinite canvas of imagination, were met more often by an excited thrill than paralyzing fear. Experience had taught Philip that darkness could be a friend, a useful ally to be rallied to his aid when he was in need of cover. (It did as well to hide him as it might hide others). There had been many occasions in his recent past that had relied heavily upon shadows, dancing in and out of ones cast by tall buildings, hard corners, and lamp-less rooms. It was all for the best that he had grown accustomed to such things when his current residence lacked electricity entirely, and he was used to nights that plunged him into blinding obscurity once the sun crept beyond the horizon.
Philip likely would not have noticed any difference that evening had he not been a restless sort, driven by a gnawing hunger not sated by the half of a sandwich and bag of chips he'd stolen from a local gas station, and wandered beyond his apartment door. It was then that he noticed the hallway lights were absent, and his senses flared to greater life as he perked up alert and listening at the threshold. His eyes adjusted, though it remained difficult to see anything with only the anemic glow of starlight from his own unshielded windows trickling into the corridor. But it was enough to gather that this blackout extended beyond a burnt out bulb. Pausing only long enough to orient himself, Philip set out to explore the building, giving into a burst of curiosity.
It was fair to say Philip possessed a certain knack for navigating the maze of unlit halls and stairwells even without a flashlight. His need to always know the exact positioning of a quick escape had meant careful study of his surroundings, and his memory was especially sound in recalling the particular layout of his home building. He made good use of employing touch and hearing, though it was not to say he never stumbled once, but it was an impressive if not a typically useless skill to have. Philip observed nothing out of the ordinary on his way down the steps, and at last found himself by the lobby, which was a comforting location to be as it was ground level and had a particularly easy means of accessing freedom if anything was amiss. The more sizable windows were also a benefit, though the usual lighting outside had also fallen too darkness, but there was still the softer, silvery glow of distant moonlight, and the far off glow of neighboring buildings. Philip felt his brow furrow in unspoken questioning. Was the power failure limited to Pax alone?
Yet, he found at least he had company there as he was not the only one to arrive in the lobby, another man by the wall, holding a flashlight. That would have been a useful thing to own, Philip supposed, and yet, he didn't entirely begrudge his lack of one. A bright glowing light also made you entirely too noticeable. An easy smile slid to his lips as he made his approach, which was perhaps at first glance a little too open and trusting a gesture for a perfect stranger in the middle of unconventional circumstances, but Philip was careful to stop just shy of arms reach. In the back of his mind, he'd already judged the distance and direction to the exit doors.
"Say, do you know how long these lights have been out?" Philip asked as though he were commenting on nothing odder than an unexpected rainfall. "That elevator here has always been a finicky rascal, but you know, the rest of this place has always run fairly smooth." He'd have to take a proper look at that elevator one day, but Philip was prone to forget it, when he wasn't particularly partial to small, enclosed spaces that didn't offer much liberty on choosing exactly when you could get out.