When he woke up again, Ritsuka felt the uncomfortable absence of his ears and tail like always, but also felt a strange familiarity in his costume. Sitting up, he found himself clothed in gray again - the smiley face staring dead-eyed at the world before him as if nothing had ever changed. It was the uniform he had first woken up in and, as the intercom chimed on and an equally familiar voice began to speak, for a few moments Ritsuka thought that perhaps the Head Doctor had regained control and they would be going back to their old routine.

Then there was a burst of static and Ritsuka realized it was all a recording. Another lie to support the veneer of institutionalization that seemed to be important to keep up for some reason. Ritsuka sighed and slid out of bed, wondering if the visitors would be that stupid to believe all that, or if it was simply that they didn't care enough to see. After all, who believed the crazy when they spoke of military take-overs and nightmares coming to life? It was the perfect cover.

He headed to the Sun Room with his new guard (now dressed as an orderly) and as soon as he entered, his eyes fell on one person almost instantly. Ritsuka hadn't spoken to him much, but seeing Nigredo in a wheelchair was enough to rouse his sympathies and, even if the other boy might find it bothersome, he was drawn toward him. What had caused such a severe injury that he'd be left in such a state? And worse...what if it was his roommate like Albedo had feared? Was Nigredo really letting his roommate hurt him this badly?

When he drew close, Ritsuka tried not to frown more than he usually did and stopped a few feet away. "Nigredo....? What happened?"