damned_institute | Day 55: Intercom, Evening

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Day 55: Intercom, Evening

Snow doubled in number as the day transitioned into the evening hours. Unfortunately, none of the patients were allowed the time to enjoy the weather changes. They were instead greeted by the telltale jingle of the intercom, signaling their cue to return indoors.

Once again, they heard the voice of a familiar female. She sounded unchanged from her previous announcements, her intonation as clear and as flat as ever.

"Attention all subjects and personnel. All subjects are to return to their assigned rooms for their evening meal. Lights Out will commence shortly after."

The woman paused, seemingly for effect.

"All personnel: you are to report to your stations. Thank you."

The intercom clicked off.

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Speaking with Edgar had definitely been a nice way to end the day, even if they had been forced to discuss Natalia's likely disappearance. While it was good that Anise and Tear weren't willing to give up on her so easily, Guy still knew that it wasn't looking good for the princess. All he could see it as at this point was one more person they would need to save before they left, seeing how they would already be going after Luke, Ion, Jade, and the emperor. Perhaps even Asch.

It was a cold way to think of it, but he did intend to save them all. However, if he continued to dwell on what each of them was doing and what they thought of who they were, he'd never get anywhere. He'd be too buried in worry and guilt at that point.

So long as Anise's memories stayed right where they were, he'd be fine. It was good that they had Tear with them as well, though the fact that she'd already gone missing once made Guy wonder if that would last. He hoped so, of course, but this place had a penchant for being cruel and he doubted that would change now that soldiers were running it.

When he headed back into his room, Guy removed his beret and ran a hand through his hair. It was only once he was sitting down in front of the delicious smelling fish (and Okita had been served the same!) that he noticed something on the hat. It was a gold pin in the shape of a sword and shield. What was the meaning of that?

He pondered over it as he started to eat, savoring the taste of the food that he knew he was now lucky to have. Had he gotten the pin because he'd somehow proved himself to be an impressive fighter? He wasn't sure if there was one particular event that would have made that clear, though...

So this was the way the Institute would be run now, was it? Okita walked alongside the guard assigned to him, hands behind him as they went. They were divided by rank in all things - treatment, food, service - and Okita had a feeling it would extend to a lot more in the future. He wasn't unaccustomed to the military lifestyle or playing the political game, but he disliked what it meant for the children like Goku.

"You don't have to keep asking for the other meals, you know," the soldier said as they stopped by his door. "You're given the previous menu for a reason."

Okita just smiled and bowed to him. "It was nice speaking with you."

The soldier sighed and ushered Okita into his room, shutting the door behind him. With the door shut, the swordsman took off the odd foreign hat and took a few steps forward, seeing Guy at his desk, already eating. The sight of his roommate brightened his spirits and Okita smiled at him, tilting his head to the side. "Hello, Guy-san."

Without waiting for the answer, Okita moved to his seat, noting the metal box on his bed. He'd have to check that out later. Now that he was sitting, he split his attention between his roommate and the meal. The fish was far more appetizing than the gruel earlier, even if Okita was somewhat used to that as well. "Did you have a nice day today?"

Even with everything that had changed, there was a lot that had still stayed the same. Okita showing up and greeting him at dinnertime was one thing that Guy could hardly imagine changing. Then again, it was getting used to things like that that could cause problems if they went away. He knew that there was always that chance, and yet even imagining it was enough to bring his spirits down. It was better to just hope for the best, impractical as it might be.

"Hello, Okita," he said as he took another bite of his fish, hoping to get finished with his meal quickly so that he could go ahead and take inventory. He was trying to be composed; ripping the room apart looking for a sword that might not be there would be foolish, so he was just going to take his time and focus on getting fed first.

He noticed the odd box on Okita's bed when he followed his roommate's gaze, but he had no idea what it was for or why it was there. Okita didn't say anything about it, so he'd leave it alone for now. His roommate had a tendency to be secretive, so there was no reason to cause friction.

"My day had its ups and downs, but I guess that's how it always is. What do you think of the new uniform?" he asked with a small smile. He thought it was more comfortable personally, though it had some unfortunate connotations. And he was still wondering about that pin. Did Okita have one on his hat too?

Ups and downs seemed to be the norm here. Okita's own day had been a mixture of that, mostly because of his failure last night. He'd expected Hijikata to scold him or for someone to say something, but when no reprimand had come, he'd taken to berating himself for his oversight. The only good thing to come out of the night was that no one (besides the soldier) had been hurt. The new situation meant a new strategy. They would need a bigger force and someone able to deal with guns if they ever wanted to go back... But the delays that would cause left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"What do you think of the new uniform?"

Guy's question shook him from his thoughts and Okita made a face, pulling at the tucked in shirt. "It's so tight! The Western pants catch around the knees and make it hard to move." And he still didn't entirely understand the buttons and 'zipper' thing, let alone why anyone would want to spend so much time tying laces on shoes. "But I like the color." Blue was nice. The black wasn't quite to his liking, but he could deal. "What do you think about it?"

It was interesting how their thoughts on the uniform -- at least in how it felt -- could be so different. Guy also thought the color was nice enough (certainly better than the gray), though he personally felt that warm colors suited him better. That wasn't something he could complain about when it was a standard outfit meant for everyone, but...

"I actually like how it fits, personally. I find it easier to move in and more comfortable." It was clearly a cultural difference, though (Guy didn't know what Western referred to, but clearly a region of Earth), so it wasn't as if Guy saw Okita's view as weird or anything like that. And even if he did feel that way about the uniform, that wasn't going to stop him from changing into his own outfit once he was done eating -- provided it was still here.

"The only problem is that it's labeling us as soldiers when most of us aren't." He was well-trained as a fighter, yes, but there was a big difference between that and someone who was part of a military force. Maybe Okita wouldn't mind it so much, but others certainly would. Guy felt some trepidation over it, at the least. Then there was the whole issue of ranking, but that was luckily something that he didn't need to worry about around his roommate. He could eat his fish guilt-free, and he was taking advantage of that.

Okita was a bit surprised when Guy admitted to liking the clothes, but then he remembered what his friend had shown him last night with such gusto. Looking at their clothes now, they were very similar and his surprise melted away into a friendly laugh. This uniform probably felt more like home to him than the gray shirt and pants from before. Those had caught at his knees, too, but these seemed to be so much tighter somehow. "I see. I'm glad then."

At least one of them was happy about the change.

Or...mostly.

Okita still wasn't sure if Guy was a soldier like he was, but the way he spoke was interesting. He was concerned about those here who weren't fighters and might find issue with their new clothes. Okita felt the same for the children here, but from his experience he'd seen that most people in the Institute - if not soldiers - at least knew how to fight. There were few people here who couldn't at least survive the night and Okita had no misconceptions that the children here stayed alive by sitting in their rooms every night.

Picking up his fork and taking a few bites of fish, Okita slid his gaze over to his roommate. "You voiced a similar concern yesterday as well. It's very kind of you, to think so much about the other patients."

It was a shame that Okita found the change in clothing to be a downgrade, but Guy could only hope that his roommate would get used to it. Then again, Okita also had something he could change into, didn't he? That meant that he only had to endure the uncomfortable wear during the day. "At least it won't trip you up at night," he pointed out aloud.

He went back to eating after that and was in the middle of a bite of salmon when Okita made another comment. It was something his roommate did often, where he remarked on how some small statement or action of Guy's was so admirable. Guy didn't really see it that way, but maybe Okita came from a place where people weren't so considerate.

"Thinking about them doesn't actually help anything, though," he pointed out with a sigh. "There's not much I can do to change things." And even if someone got into a confrontation with a soldier, him jumping in would only make things worse. He was reasonable enough to know that.

"In any case, it looks like we're all going to have to get used to this." There was no telling how long this military rule would last, but they might as well prepare for the long haul.

He laughed when Guy pointed out how silly his complaints were and Okita nodded, leaning back in his chair as he took a few more bites of his food. "Yes, that's true."

And a good thing, too. Tonight, he would need his mobility more than ever. Guy would be unhappy to know that Okita was going where he had gone, but the swordsman's curiosity and the drive to push forward was too strong. He noticed day by day that more people were burrowing beneath the Institute and that meant there was something down there his group needed to see, too. He would just have to keep the dangers in mind, and leave people like the one who killed Guy out of it. Or maybe he'd take him down there with him and break the kid's neck to finally get revenge. It was a pleasant thought, if a futile one.

"No, it doesn't," he agreed as Guy seemed reluctant to take a compliment for what it was. Simply thinking did little to change anything, but it was the first step toward awareness and consideration for others. It was something Okita, despite seeming friendly and open, rarely did for anyone not of his group. Oh, he thought of the Choushu rebels and how difficult it must be for them to die for their cause, but that wouldn't stop him from killing them all the same. He could stop it, but he simply didn't want to. They had to die in order for his group to live and so, while he burned incense for their souls, he continued to slaughter their comrades. "But I'm sure people don't worry about it as much as we think they do."

And eventually, perhaps, Landel would come back and Okita would get another stab at him and at achieving Homura's plan. Clothes were clothes and in a place where the higher-ups still insisted upon calling them by their fake names, a little mistaken identity as far as one's uniform went was a minor inconvenience at most.

Whether others worried or not wasn't Guy's business when it came down to it. All he could focus on were his own thoughts and concerns, though he generally knew what to prioritize. He couldn't change what other people did or how they thought about things, nor did he generally want to. Van was an exception, but Van had also been trying to destroy an entire world. Generally, people weren't that bloodthirsty or ambitious.

How about Landel, though? Or Aguilar? What was their ultimate goal? They had no way of knowing what it was that they were being trained for, what they were eventually expected to do, and that made it even more unsettling.

For now, though, they were just confined to this one building and whatever surrounded it. For what came after that, they would just have to wait and see, though Guy wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to find out. It could turn out to be even worse than what they'd been put through thus far.

"Maybe you're right," he said with a shrug as he polished off his plate of food. There was one thing that was important in this place, after all, and that was weapons. While Guy was anxious that he'd find his sword had been taken when Okita was right there to see it, he needed to know, and so he stood from his seat and started to search.

Interestingly enough, there was a metal box much like the one on Okita's bed hiding under his, and with a frown Guy knelt down to pull it out. It was labeled with the same number on his dog tags -- could it be? Cautiously, he started to open it.

Guy finished his meal and got up suddenly, catching Okita's attention. Normally they talked until the intercom came on, but it seemed Guy was in a restless mood tonight. It wasn't until he began searching the room that Okita realized why and began to wonder himself. The things he normally left in his desk and around the room were conspicuously missing. Rather than get up and hinder the effort, however, Okita watched as Guy went through the room.

Just as he finished his meal, Guy pulled a metal box not unlike the one on his bed out from under his bed frame. As he started to open it, Okita leaned over in his seat, trying to get a better look at what was going to come of it. "Anything interesting?"

The first thing Guy spotted was his orange tunic and black leggings, folded up neatly with the white dress shirt underneath. It seemed that his clothing was all still in place, then. Under that was the set of maps that he'd copied from Anise, along with some other knicks and knacks he'd picked up during his time here. All in all, he didn't think there was anything that was unaccounted for.

Except for the sword, of course, but when Guy ducked his head under the bed to look once more, he realized that it had been left out of the box -- probably for the simple reason that it couldn't fit. He grabbed it by the hilt to pull it out and saw that it had a tag on it, also labeled with his ID number. It was like the military had done inventory on all of their things during the day.

But why, and why return it? Were they being evaluated? Were the ones who'd collected the most items going to be considered more "valuable"?

However, Okita was asking a question, so Guy would puzzle through it later. "It's just all my things," he explained. "A friend of mine told me today that all of his stuff was gone this morning, but it looks like it's been returned to us." And he realized it would be foolish to question why. He had the sword. That was what mattered.

From his position at the desk, Okita couldn't quite see what Guy was rummaging through. It sounded like fabric, maybe some paper, but apparently that hadn't been what he was looking for. When Guy ducked his head down again, Okita sat up a little straighter in his seat, trying to peer over him to see what was in the box. Unfortunately, Guy sat up too quickly and Okita was forced to relax again, pretending to be more interested in his food than in snooping into his roommate's things.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Guy pull his sword out from under the bed and he noticed it had a tag on it. Even Guy took a moment to inspect the piece of paper and so Okita finally brought his attention back to what his roommate was doing. Soon enough he had an answer and a strange one at that.

"Your things?" In a box? And gone in the morning? Okita hadn't noticed when he'd been pushed out of the room so abruptly this morning, but now he was curious as well. Would the military always be taking their things? And what would happen to them if they didn't get them back? "Well... I suppose it's good that you have them then--"

Okita stopped when he heard the intercom overhead turn on, ready to listen to whatever strange speech they'd be having tonight. Instead, it seemed the new head of the Institute was content with silence. Tilting his head up to look at the speaker, he finished the last of his food and murmured, "How strange...."

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Day 55: Intercom, Evening

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