Day 55: Courtyard [4th Shift]

[gald_digger]

Talking with friends usually put Anise in a better mood, but the subjects that she, Guy, and Tear covered at lunch were so heavy that Anise couldn't help but feel weighed down afterward. It was hard to think and talk about the terrible things that came about from her lies. She wasn't going to cry, not now, but she felt like she needed a little space.

Fortunately, children were going out to the Courtyard today, and that sounded like a good, wide area where she could get a little alone time. The fresh air could help her mood, too.

When Anise reached the door, however, a blast of cold air rushed in at her, and all she could see outside was a blinding veil of whiteness. For a moment, she simply stared at the sight. She never saw much for snow at Landel's, but here it had already covered everything in just one day!

"You might need this," a soldier said, presenting a black jacket to her. The color and style really didn't suit Anise, but it looked expensive. She slipped it on, and while it wasn't as feminine as she liked her clothes to be, the lining actually had a nice feel to it. On the left breast, she noticed a name embroidered over it. It wasn't her name, but it was still kind of impressive that they personalized these things.

Outside, snow had settled onto every surface, like a big fluffy blanket over the ground. Anise walked along the path for a bit, creating a single set of footprints in the otherwise smooth surface. Once she was a fair distance from the doors, she diverged from the path (which was barely visible to begin with) and walked to the edge of the pond, watching the falling snowflakes disappear into the water.

It was a pretty sight, but it wasn't enough to completely take her mind off of Ion. Before long, Anise found herself wondering if it was snowing where Ion was, too. Maybe he was really far away, though...

[waiting for her boyfriends ♥]

Comments

[lighthearted]

It seemed that Sora's luck with the club had only been increasing as the day had gone by. First shift had been a no, second a maybe, and third a yes! While Rapunzel hadn't agreed to come along for tonight, she was planning to try it out next time, which was more than enough for Sora. The boy knew that there was no guarantee that she would stick with the club for good, but he tended to set his hopes pretty high.

What was more worrisome was the fact that a few of his normal club members were injured. Both Kratos and Neku had hinted at that being the case, which meant that there would probably only be two groups going out tonight. Sora wanted everyone to rest up, though, since he realized he was at least partially responsible for putting them in danger.

All of those heavier thoughts were suddenly forgotten when Sora was given a jacket (it wasn't something he would have picked out to wear personally, especially since it reminded him of the Organization coat, but it was at least comfortable) and then led outside. As he'd suspected from earlier in the day, it really was snowing outside!

Even though he'd grown up on an island for almost his whole life, Sora didn't have a problem with the snow. In fact, it was even more exciting because he'd only been introduced to it recently. Memories of the Land of Dragons and Christmastown quickly cycled through his head as he raced forward, his boots digging into the layer of snow on the ground.

The soldier who had brought him outside didn't seem to take issue with him playing in the snow, and so soon enough he was attempting to make a snowball. Which wasn't very easy without gloves, it turned out, but his escort ended up lending him a pair. They were black and leather, which also wasn't his style, but Sora pulled them on nonetheless. He knew that chucking snowballs at people probably wouldn't be allowed, but that wasn't going to stop him from making them just for the fun of it.

[For Roxas.]

[rischiarare.livejournal.com]

Roxas's stomach was empty and hurt and was currently grumbling at him despite all he tried to do to assure it. The smells of the cafeteria trailed after him, the pleasant greasy smell of chicken rubbing in his face. Maybe it was dumb that he hadn't eaten that pink stuff, but he was still pretty sure he didn't want to put it in his mouth. Sure, the Nobody's experience with food was pretty limited to what Landel's had served (and the occasional Fried Nomura nights in the Organization), he still didn't want to eat something that looked like slime and was the color of Marluxia's hair.

That thought made him shudder.

Though his stomach pains weren't completely forgotten as his soldier helped shove him into a big black coat (his hat still didn't fall off), they certainly were when the door outside opened and he was greeted with his first eyeful of -

Snow, he thought. Snow. He had never seen it before, but he knew exactly what it was. Even in the memories that were disconnected from himself, Roxas didn't recall ever seeing it. It was like a big white sheet had been dumped over everything and the air smelled cold. He shuddered visibly this time from the effect of the frigid air hitting his wet hair. Roxas had seen ice - he'd been in the Organization with Vexen - but snow was not exactly something Vexen had ever made. Besides, Number IV had kind of hated everything (for people with no hearts, Nobodies were good at disliking things) and he hadn't spent time with Roxas when he could help it.

The Nobody's first few steps were cautious as he wasn't sure what to expect. The snow looked fluffy, but he couldn't be entirely sure... until his whole foot sank into it and wet the end of his pants. It looked like a powder but it clumped together when he crouched to press his fingers into a pile of it. Luckily, his escort at least had the niceness to grant Roxas a pair of gloves which blocked most of the cold. He actually liked them; it was almost like he was in his Organization outfit during the day, a luxury he hadn't been granted for a while.

When Roxas stood back up, he examined the entire courtyard. The snow seemed to be never-ending, blurring everything together in a sea of white. The patients stood out particularly well in their dark coats, so it was no surprise that one really caught Roxas's attention. Once he took a few more steps and became confident enough to do so without slipping or something, Roxas ran over to Sora with a big wave.

"Hey Sora!" Roxas noticed the balled snow in Sora's hands and tilted his head curiously at it. "What are you doing?"

[lighthearted]

When Sora heard the sounds of someone running through the snow to come meet him, he quickly glanced up, expecting to see Kairi or Tsubaki or Scott. Instead, it turned out to be Roxas, who was just as welcome as any of the other names who had popped into his head. Maybe even more so, seeing how they were -- in a way -- one and the same. He grinned by way of greeting, waving at the boy with his free hand while the other clutched onto the small snowball.

He couldn't help noticing the name that was stitched into Roxas' coat, though. It said "K. Lawrence," which was the same last name that he had. The institute really was acting as if they were brothers, weren't they?

Then again, it wasn't like the relationship between a Nobody and their original was something that would be easy for most to understand. It wasn't something that Sora could put into words, either; the feeling he got when he was around his Other wasn't something that could be defined. It was just that it was simply right, for them to be together.

It wasn't like he was going to get all hung up on that, though. Roxas had asked a question, after all, and the other boy actually looked pretty excited about the snow. That was no surprise, if they were as similar as everyone said they were.

"Oh, I'm just trying to make a snowball!" he explained, opening his hand to show the small, round clump of snow that he'd gathered there. "Though I guess there's not too much I can do with it now..." The soldiers had been nice to him, but there was probably no way they'd let him get away with tossing a snowball at his so-called brother, even if it was just part of a game.

[hasnomeaning]

The day had certainly been more eventful than she would have liked. There were things necessary to have happened, and knowledge that certainly needed to be learned, but Ayanami felt as if she had experienced enough in the last twenty-four hours. Her cool resolve was weakened, and her natural stoicism was lacking. She allowed herself to be led outside, and then merely moved to a bench nearby. After lightly brushing off some of the snow, she sat, the placed a hand against her face.

That was it, then. Another nightly happening. Another who had pressed against her mind. She did not know if she liked Byrne Faraday or wanted nothing more to do with him. It was not yet in her to decide. All she knew at the moment was emotional exhaustion; something entirely foreign and completely unwanted.

[Aigis~]

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

After being bundled in a coat, Aigis was led with the other younger patients out into the snowy courtyard. She had been curious about the snow before (How did it feel to touch snow with this sensitive skin?) but not as excited about experiencing cold again. She did have the warm thoughts and words imparted to her from Carter to dwell on though. Maybe they would keep her from freezing.

Her feet making small imprints in the fresh snow, she meandered through the courtyard for a few minutes in hopes of seeing Junpei. Her discussion with both Minato and Yukari had not led to good feelings in that regard. It was starting to seem like he may have been released but she didn't want to believe it. If only he would appear to set her mind at ease... She spotted Rei after a moment of searching and she switched gears, moving over to be with the other girl. She would look for Junpei later. Certainly he was fine or so she tried to assure herself.

"Ayanami-san." She approached with a smile that faded when she noticed Rei's distracted profile. She came to a stop near the bench, bending a little to try to gain a clearer view of the other girl's face. "You look unwell. Have you been in pain?"

It had been a while since she had last met up with Rei. The last time she had felt like she was flying. It had been a good day up until she realized Heat had disappeared. No, wait. There had been another time. She had seen Rei another time but when had that been? She distinctly remembered glimpsing her face in the dark but...

[hasnomeaning]

The fact of a familiar voice of one not an Eva pilot was almost unknown, and yet Rei recognized Aigis instantly. There was something in Ayanami that accepted the other, and she was not upset by the intrusion as she would note otherwise. Her hand dropped like dead weight, and she tilted her head to look at the other. Was there a point to simplifying here? "Not pain," she gave quietly. "I am only adjusting to something unwanted."

More truthful than she would otherwise be. Whether or not it would happen again, it remained as such. An Angel, something that masqueraded as one, and Byrne Faraday. Three, now, had entered her mind, forced their emotions on her, giving the sensation that was becoming known--to accept that will, to give in to becoming another.

She was herself. Only herself. This was a permanent fact, unmoving, and yet, she felt her body lightly shaking.

[godforsaken]

Being one of the very few to actually score a normal meal for lunch, the God-General had been in a good mood since the beginning of the shift.

Yet what could be better than watching others around him suffer? Sync had a feeling the answer was right in front of him from the moment he stepped out into the Courtyard. Casting an idle glance at the snow covered ground, one of the soldiers appeared next to him with a jacket, offering it to the teen with no real finesse. He took it without a word, slipping it around his arms and pulling it close before making his way further from the building.

With no real path in mind Sync continued further, idly following the pond's edge until he saw someone standing nearby. At first he'd planned to walk around them, but it didn't take long for him to realize that it was someone he knew. In fact, it was one of the people he wanted to see in the first place. Not having recognized her at first, Sync soon began to make his way over.

For all he cared he hadn't bothered Anise enough during his stay, and with the girl seemingly alone this was a good opportunity to take advantage of. Not caring if she saw him and tried to walk away, the God-General picked up his pace.

"What? Didn't get anyone to like you enough to keep you company?"

[gald_digger]

And just like that, the beauty and tranquility of the outdoors was ruined.

At the sound of the familiar voice, Anise turned her head sharply, scowling when she saw the God-General approaching. She hadn't seen him in so long that she was beginning to hope he'd disappeared, and this was the time he picked to show up? Getting harassed by Sync was the last thing Anise needed right now.

"None of your business!" she snapped. Though Sync had a knack for bringing out the worst in Anise, stress and hunger caused her knee-jerk response to his presence to come out even more hostile than usual, as far as the sharpness of her tone went. However, she knew that showing that kind of emotion around Sync would only encourage him, so the next thing she did was try to calm herself down.

Once the initial surprise wore off, Anise crossed her arms and regarded Sync with a hateful glare. "What do you want?" she asked after a pause. It was probably just the same thing he always wanted: to be a huge creep. Still, she had to wonder if there was some reason he decided to approach her after being so scarce for the last week or so. It was either that, or today just happened to be Anise's unlucky day.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1060497.html?thread=76724369#t76724369).))

Claude walked across the courtyard with a purpose, his boots crunching in the fresh snow. He couldn't help but think back on all those times Sync had sought him out on purpose for his own sick entertainment. That boy had even gone as far as messing up his lunch while he'd been blind. As if he hadn't gotten enough kicks from murdering Guy! If it weren't for the guards, Claude would have gladly tried socking him in the face every time they passed each other between shifts. The realization that Sync probably went out of his way to taunt the others didn't help ebb that feeling much. Instead, it made his blood boil so hot that he scarcely noticed the chilled air anymore.

While he could have caused a scene by yelling at him, Claude instead stopped at the girl's side, his eyes narrowing at the monster who'd caused them all so much grief in the basement.

"You'd better not be bothering Anise," he said in a low tone.

[lookitmemama.livejournal.com]

Lunch had been more than uneventful, it had been disgusting. Asuka was not pleased that she was not high enough of rank to get better food. Complying completely with the soldiers wasn't doing her any favors either. Silence was her only reward. Sure, she wasn't being forced to starve or do humiliating exercises, but a little recognition wouldn't kill them.

"Excuse me," Asuka stopped in front of the doors to the courtyard, glancing to her guard for appeal. "May I get a coat?" The idea of freezing her budding figure off didn't sound all that inspiring. Thankfully, the soldier gave her no trouble and dutifully fetched a jacket for her. The man opened the door to let the redhead step out into the chilly weather, leaving her to wrinkle her nose. It wasn't the cold so much as the slush and snow that would dampen her clothing.

There was nowhere dry enough to sit down comfortably, so Asuka stood, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the motley crew around her with bored eyes. The only thing she cared about was finding Shinji, wonder girl, or that putrid angel to figure out if any of them had rings. She still needed to do something about that "relationship" also. Every day they were together, the more that doofus was getting mentally polluted by Kaworu. Wonder boy had enough of that without an outside influence accelerating damage.

[sdatislife.livejournal.com]

Lunch had been a bit of a blur - he'd met someone new, he remembered that much - but he'd finally been allowed to find his way out into the courtyard. With a coat, of course. He curled his arms around himself with a small shiver. He felt oddly numb - but he always felt like this. As if nothing was really worth the effort. As if no matter what he did, others would always see him as worthless; a boy leading a pointless existence. Kaworu assured Shinji that he loved him and for a brief time this morning, he'd felt a bit happier.

That feeling was gone. Everything felt dull, colorless, hopeless again. He put his head back and closed his eyes, waiting. Maybe he could finally sleep tonight. Maybe he wouldn't have to wander the hallways in search of something, some strange, nebulous objective.

It was a pointless little hope, but one that kept him moving.

He almost didn't spot Asuka - he hadn't seen much of her in the last few days. So when he did see her, he managed to jerk himself out of his daze to nod at her. "H-hey... Asuka..."

She probably hated him. For what he'd done back home. For what he'd done here. He'd failed her, failed everyone.

[lookitmemama.livejournal.com]

A feeble and hesitant voice. A few names came to mind, but only one of them was locked in the institute with her. "Oh, hello, Shinji," Asuka greeted civilly. She wasn't in the mood for smiling, but none of the rancorous hatred that her friend feared was there. The usual hate and resentment was there of course, that never went away. But for now, she needed things from Shinji, and the usual carrot and stick method would work well. It always did.

"You almost fill out that uniform..." The second child teased harmlessly. Since Junpei had left, she had no one to pick on. And Kaworu only made her more furious than a good beating was worth. Almost. "So, were you lucky enough to get food today, or was it jumping jacks for you?"

[boyking]

[from here]

By now, Sam had managed to sort out that the soldiers escorting him were...pretty decent. Not friendly, but professional, at least, which was honestly kind of a nice change from the nurses. On the surface, anyway. He had no idea what could actually be going on with the soldiers beneath all of this, if anything. Was there someone the General reported to? A hunch said there was, but he had nothing solid to go on. For all he knew, the General could be the end of the line.

He sighed and stepped outside into the crisp, cold air. The snow crunched beneath his boots. Okay, having actual boots were a nice change, he'd also admit that. It was...ridiculous, he knew, but it made him feel more, he wasn't sure how to put it. Prepared, he guessed. When you grew up learning to look over your shoulder for anything pouncing out of the dark, it was a little hard to shake that lesson.

Locating a bench, Sam brushed off the snow coating it and sat down. Two weeks ago, he'd have considered the snow a sign of where they might be. Narrowing it down, kind of. Not so much anymore. He figured the best it said was that if this was the so-called "altverse" that Landel was so desperate to keep together, it maintained a regular weather system for whatever reason. Four-season climate, in other words. Why was that?

He frowned, thoughtful.

...Which was right about when a clump of snow from the branch above decided to fall right on his head.

Great.

[for Battler]

[dreadofthegrave]

After talking to Klavier, Battler was feeling a bit better. The conversation had definitely started out strange, but at least now, he felt like he had a better handle on how he was supposed to approach things here. He wasn't sure that he was ever going to be completely okay with it, but at least now he had a way to think about the supposed gap in his memories without constantly questioning himself or the people around him. If he kept doing something like that, then he definitely wasn't going to get anywhere at all. More than that, he was starting to feel like he might actually have some people that could help put him the right direction if he asked for it. It was still just a possibility, just a vague feeling he wasn't really sure that he'd act upon yet, but the fact it was there at all made a pretty huge difference.

Normally, a shower would have improved things even more, but in this case, it didn't have much of an effect. That the showers were communal didn't really surprise him given the environment, and it wasn't like he'd never done that sort of thing before. All you really had to was keep your back turned to everyone else and there wasn't much of a problem. But despite the warm water and the opportunity to get clean, his empty stomach stopped him from relaxing.

.... He'd already missed three meals, hadn't he? His stomach was starting hurt because of that, to where he almost regretted that he couldn't get himself to eat whatever it was they'd been serving. Well, at least he might be able to get something decent for dinner. There'd been real food when he woke up the previous night, right....? Of course, as far as he could make out from what people were saying about the shift in power, that might not be a guarantee, either. It was kind of sad, but the thought was enough to make his mood go a little sour again. It wasn't like he was stupid enough to let himself starve, but going from something prepared by a seasoned chef and Ronove's tea and cookies to something probably not even fit for human consumption was a pretty extreme transition. If that was all they got, even getting himself to eat properly might be something of a problem.

Because of that, he didn't take any time to enjoy himself, instead cleaning off and drying relatively quickly. Instead of staying inside, he decided to finally make his way out into the Courtyard, quietly shrugging his into the coat that was provided. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had to admit that it was actually kind of cool, but the embroidery of a name that wasn't his own quickly dispelled the thought. It was one thing to be called by something else, but between this and the dogtags, they weren't exactly being very subtle, were they...? And even if it was only a name, being forced into another identity was anything but pleasant.

Once outside, however, it wasn't half bad. It may have been cold, but it was kind of pretty between the trees and the pond and the layer of powdery white. It wasn't like it never snowed where he came from, but it never came until much later in the year, let alone stuck like this, so it felt like something of a luxury. Though probably not so much for the guy who now had a giant clump of it on his head.

Battler couldn't help but laugh at the sight, though whether it was out of genuine amusement of just an attempt at keeping his own spirits up, it was hard to say. "Tough break," he offered cordially.

[boyking]

Even without Dean here, Sam could hear his brother making fun of him. He sighed and shook the snow off, hoping the soldiers wouldn't give him crap for temporarily removing the hat. He was sure there was a 2b) except in cases of inadvertent falling substances in their rulebook somewhere. He was also kinda hoping no one had seen—

Never mind. That answered that. Figured. Still, this was miles above that one time they'd been working a case involving a spirit and the woman's bathroom, and while they were in there investigating, a...well. Yeah.

Anyway.

He flashed a smile and let out an awkward but friendly chuckle. "Hey, man, knowing this place, I think I should just be glad the snow wasn't gonna eat me."

Had he seen that face before? He thought be might've, but he wasn't too sure. While the peek of red hair would've normally made the guy easy to remember, the saturation of colors around here made that shade of red look average. He guessed it wasn't that important, though.

"Uh." Sam looked up the tree briefly to make sure there was no other snow anvil waiting (there wasn't), then dried his hand on his pants and held it out. "Right. I'm Sam."

It was probably an especially good idea to give a name in this case, or the man was going to walk off forever knowing Sam only as "the guy who ended up with snow on his head."

[purgatio]

If he slept, he couldn't recall. Even in the quiet of his room in comparison to the cafeteria, his head still pounded. The anxiety within him had quelled, yet still, the interaction with his sibling had made his headache worse. The limitations here were annoying at best--insufferable at worst. Which... was starting to be what was going on currently, as the black bordering his vision could attest. How entirely obnoxious.

When prompted, going back outside was entirely wanted. The cold air would do good, more than earlier, lacking the connection of an active link. It wasn't as if he resented the communication--highly the opposite, really, but it hadn't helped in the slightest and he understood that. Until something abated, headache or fever or whatnot, Albedo didn't have the mind to think of anything. To that end, he crept to a bench and leaned back on it. His face was too warm, cheeks flushed brightly, and his head throbbed unforgivingly. Albedo rolled his head to the side, eying the light dusting of snow on the ground. He narrowed his eyes at it for a moment, then shifted, reaching down to cup as much as he could. The boy leaned his head back, then pressed the snow against his forehead.

...Strange, to be certain. But a complete relief.

[Ritsuka~♥]

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

The end of the day brought about an increase in his hearing. His meal still sat uneasily in his stomach, not because the food itself was unpleasant, but because of the circumstances in which he gained the reward. Mere continued existence was enough to warrant breaking the patient body apart into ranks that determined their treatment. The stratification made him ill. That anyone could be better than another person simply by existing went against everything Ritsuka believed in, everything he tried to teach to Soubi when he was still here.

Out in the cold, Ritsuka pulled his jacket closer around him and stared up at the gray sky. The snow was falling a little harder now, but it was still just dusting the ground. Just enough to crunch under his feet, although the sound was far away. Ritsuka took a few steps forward, eyes up at the Heavens and then stopped, closing his eyes. The cold was biting, but it made him feel alive again. It brought about an immediacy to life in this one moment, the need to find warmth and survive, so that his mind didn't wander back to the empty space left by friends. Miku was gone again. Soubi. Alfons. Tamaki. Hikaru and Kaoru... So many hadn't survived; or rather, they'd chosen the other path while he remained behind.

With a sigh, Ritsuka lowered his head and adjusted the beret before it fell off. He turned away from his thoughts and the sky and found a familiar face in his sights. A familiar face that was using the snow as some sort of ice pack for his forehead. Was Albedo alright? Memories of the other night, the strange distance he'd suddenly put between himself and the others, flooded back and Ritsuka frowned. His feet moved on their own and soon he was standing next to his friend, unable to hide the worry on his face. "Albedo... Are you okay?"

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

This was a freaking odd day, to be sure. Uniforms, cleaning, fun-awkward conversation, fun-awkward person.... Hell, she didn't know what was going on anymore, and she decided, she would just go with the process. Today could do whatever it wanted to. She wasn't going to argue at all anymore. Stand everybody together and tell 'em to salute the sun? Sure. Like she cared. Hell. She might just sleep tonight and just hope that tomorrow would make a little more sense. Sounded like a good plan, actually. She could use the rest.

The only really sucky thing about today? No sun out to shine and be perky. Nope. Dreary day with snow, even. But seriously? Senna didn't even mind all that much. Snow wasn't something she could say that 'she' had experienced. No, she really had never seen it firsthand. Sure, she knew what it was, could whine about it all people liked, but Senna as Senna had never been able to really....

There was a quiet corner near the building. She stood there, hands clasped behind her back, and stared at the sky with something like quiet joy. After a moment, she closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. A snowflake touched down and instantly melted. It was just water, but it tasted like cold sunshine. She might... maybe like snow.

[Nigredo]

[falseblack]

Headaches were born from extended use, Nigredo recalled, but as a child who lived alongside head trauma, he didn't view it as a nuisance. Perhaps he held the wrong sort of view. Deadened pain led only to deaden senses; he shouldn't be so used to this. Nigredo could not even be bothered to sleep off the dredges in his free time.

No, he had come outside instead, idly counting the passing snowflakes as he walked along the path. By fifteen hundred, the boy caught the sight of a familiar figure by the building, in the midst of something he couldn't quite understand. Something weird. If Nigredo had not already promised a meeting with her, he might have been content to pass her by with the image burned in his mind. As it was, however, he approached quietly.

The child came about an arm's length before stopping. As opposed to offering a greeting like a good child, he simply watched.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1060817.html?thread=76724177#t76724177)))

The snow-blanketed courtyard was a rare sight, though Claude couldn't help but wonder whether they'd see more of that in the coming weeks. (Weeks? Were they still going to be trapped here several weeks from now? There was no way to know for certain.)

It sure was a good thing their uniforms came with warmer clothing, he thought to himself. Actually, these outfits were much nicer in quality that what Landel had them wear, although they definitely weren't as comfortable. It was temping to just undo his shirt or take off his beret, but Claude had a feeling the soldiers would get on his case about it, especially on the first day.

Instead, he focused on finding Anise, and his gaze swept over the area. It didn't take long to find the girl, and only a split second more to realize she was already talking to someone. Claude's instinct was to leave her to it, but one look at the other patient's face made him stiffen for a moment.

Sync.

He wasn't sure what pissed him off more -- the fact that bastard was still hanging around while perfectly good people like his own father had disappeared, or that he had the gall to harass Anise in broad daylight. Did he honestly think no one would see?

Scowling, Claude marched across the snow toward the two of them.

((To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1060497.html?thread=76699281)))

[cannotlogout.livejournal.com]

By the time last shift rolled around, Tsukasa was having a hard time holding back tears. It was horrible! The soldiers had been pushing him around all day, not even acknowledging him. They'd not let him eat at breakfast or lunch and his stomach was growling, and they hadn't let him sit down all day and lunch had been the worst. They'd watching him as he jumped and jumped until he was aching and practically screamed every time he'd tried to stop or speak or ask for just a glass of water.

Suddenly, the hospital set-up didn't seem so bad. At least he'd been able to eat.

Even when he went outside, he needed the fresh air, they warned him that he wasn't allowed to sit down. They were watching him too, following him around at a distance. Eventually he crouched down, not enough to be called sitting, but enough that it was almost a rest. He rubbed at his sore eyes, hating the wetness that he felt there. Damn it, he couldn't be crying. He was... he was Tsukasa. He'd faced Morganna and woken Aura and...

He wasn't crying. Really.

[Free]

[prodigalson]

Edward only wished he could turn down the coat labeled with a "C. Fontaine" stitched onto the breast just so he could feel more of the air once he walked outside. If it was going to freeze the moisture still in his hair, he couldn't really tell; all he could feel was the wind and the actual texture of the snow when it fell onto his skin but not the temperature itself.

Even if his mood had remained terrible throughout the day, it was impossible for him to walk out into the white flakes and not smile. But today was... relatively okay. Stefan had been fed without him being harmed. Bella was alive. God, am I serious about that? She was wounded, but tonight he was going to be sure nothing happened to her. Nothing but him. He would help her rest and relax and look over her injuries to assess the damage, but either way... it would be nice. Just the two of them together, like the night before last.

Besides that, his - what? Social experiment? - had gone well. Wally didn't distrust him, though that might have only been luck on his end for trying it on someone who was entirely too trusting in general. He was a potential ally, so Edward could not complain of having good luck. That would be absurd.

And now it was snowing, reminding him of Forks - and of Bella, who he couldn't see out here. Not that he blamed her; she was probably huddled up inside, doing anything possible to avoid coming out into this.

Edward spread his one arm out, clenching the one trapped in the sling so the fall backwards into a particular heap of snow wouldn't jostle it. The fluff caught him, falling into his face while refusing to melt against his skin.

[For Venom.]

[anemptydecapo]

[From here]

It hadn't really mattered in his mind if he had already spent much of his morning in this snow--the assassin's mind was already made up. Unlike in the morning, however, his jacket remained on. Considering all that needed to be done, it might have been preferable to attempt meditation when he was sure not to be bothered.

After having left the shower, the cold of the outside was much more noticeable, even with the added layer of clothing providing warmth. It clung to his skin, leaving the feeling of pins and needles against the unexposed part of his face. It hardened his already thick hair, obscuring his vision more than normal. Cautiously, the Guild Head swept the bangs from his eyes with one hand, then lowered the cap on his head with the other. It didn't nearly hide himself as well, but in the battle of seeing against staying hidden...

Still, the weather was nice (a word he felt he hadn't even thought of in a very long time). He could never hate the snow, colorless and cold as it was. It brought to mind a childish sort of imagination, thoughts of what adventures could be had in that snowy mist, not that he was ever allowed to explore the winter season as a child. But he had always admired it, even if it had to be restrained or from a distance. To be honest, a part of him never stopped wondering what it would be like to indulge the need to... To do what? It wasn't playing. Even as a child, that was too childish for him.

Maybe it was to just enjoy it.

As much as it was a notion he'd never admit, in the very least he wasn't alone in it. At the sight of the vampire laying prone in the drift, for all the world looking like a discarded corpse, Venom trudged his way over to him. He stood above the other man, expression decidedly unimpressed and mind unusually peaceful. "Am I disturbing something?"

[autophoenix.livejournal.com]

Lunch with Peter had been frustrating. Okay, no, frustrating hadn't even begun to cover it. Honestly, for the first time, she was glad for the age separation because otherwise she might honestly get to the point of tearing her hair out or punching him when he was already injured. Which, speaking of his injury … she'd probably need to begrudgingly make her way to the bulletin board to ask him if he needed help with that or something.

For now, though, she was just going to stick to fuming and brooding in her bad mood. She had every reason to be mad, though. Even if mostly she was mad because he was right and she was kind of blaming herself. It was a lie to say she was only mad at Peter -- she was mad at herself for not realizing that Peter wasn't Peter at all. But, what else was she supposed to expect? It had his face. It walked like him, it talked like him, it said what she'd expect him to say. It was --

It wasn't fair for her to keep holding it against herself, but she couldn't help it. It hurt to realize that she wasn't as infallible as she thought and that there were weak points in the one safe bond she had in this place. Not that Bella and Pete weren't safe, but … it was different with them. Very different. And with Peter acting like she was either psychotic or somehow missed the doppelganger being stitched up at the joints like some kind of freaky Landel-ian monster, it had only fed her fury.

And now she was supposed to just sit around outside doing nothing. Hang out. Mingle. Was mingling really encouraged by the lifeless soldiers that were ready to slam nightsticks or whatever into their faces at the first sign of dissent? There was a soldier at the doors ready to offer her a jacket -- black, and looking like it was baggy enough that it probably wouldn't be sufficiently warm to her. She reached up to begrudgingly and with no small amount of attitude snatch it from him, anyway.

Walking out into the blustering cold, she reached up to close a hand around the dog tags around her neck. Emma De Luca. D Class. She had memorized what was written on it during her time in the sun room earlier, but now instead of a clue all she could see it as was another brick in the wall of how bad this day sucked. The surprising light-heartedness of her time hanging around Stefan at lunch seemed so far away now.

Moody and determined to get some more time to herself to sort out the previous night and the mess she'd woken up to, she found herself a pillar and leaned against it, stuffing the dog tags into her uniform shirt and then cramming her hands into her jacket pockets. She didn't want to mingle. She wanted to figure out if there had been some sign, some tell that she'd missed last night with Peter's doppelganger that she'd missed, that might have somehow given him away. Self-flagellation until she could figure out a way to convince herself that there was no way she could have known.

Yeah. That might take some time.

[ primed for a catfight with a failbot ]

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

Brainiac 5 frowned at the jacket, not liking it any more than the uniform he was forced to wear, but accepted it regardless. It was, after all, cold outside and he knew he could do with the extra layer despite how much he disliked the clothing. He pulled it on carefully, ignoring the false name written on it - though really, it was interesting that they still used that when their new overseer was less concerned with hiding the true motives of this place - and looked around the courtyard. He was hoping that he could see someone he knew, like Peter or the Doctor, or maybe Aximili again, but he stopped when he spotted a familiar blonde girl not too far from where he was standing.

He was most of the way over to her, a determined frown in place, before he was entirely aware of what he was doing.

"Excuse me, Claire?" he said once he was close enough. He was fairly sure that would be her name, but then he supposed it was possible that Peter knew several blonde, suspiciously attractive girls. In which case he may need to find out exactly how many there were, so this wouldn't be a wasted conversation either way.

"You are the Claire who knows Peter, correct?"