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damned_institute2011-06-22 02:13 am
bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2011-06-22 02:13 am
Day 57: Sun Room
It figured that night would end before Rita and Taura could progress any further. Rita wasn't particularly disappointed to wake up abruptly, as they had reached a dead end. Really, the institute was doing them a favor by bringing them back to the starting point, where they could regroup.
What she didn't appreciate was the loss of valuable time, and the fact that her equipment had been confiscated once again. Rita didn't have time to mess around... which was precisely why the cheery voice broadcast over the intercom only served to grate on her nerves more than usual. In fact... how was the Head Doctor even giving that announcement? She doubted he'd managed to take the institute back in such a short amount of time, though the broadcast itself was suspicious for a number of reasons. Even though she could clearly hear the man's voice, it didn't necessarily mean that he was there. She had to look at things critically.
Still, it seemed almost as if everything had returned to normal... with a few exceptions. The different staff was one, and her lack of possessions was another. It didn't seem like the staff was expecting to fool the patients into thinking this was the same old institute, so why...?
Even as she went about preparing for the day and walking to her first destination, Rita kept her most pressing questions in mind, coming up with multiple hypotheses to explain what was happening. Since she didn't expect that the Chapel would hold anything of interest to her, Rita opted for the Sun Room instead. She was interested in seeing the bulletin board, for one.
When she entered the Sun Room, Rita brought a pen and her journal with her. If no one approached her, she would at least have a chance to document her discoveries from the previous night. First, however, she checked the bulletin board, only to find it completely empty. That confirmed a few suspicions of hers. Content to see evidence supporting her ideas about the strange occurrences, Rita sat down on a couch, opened her journal, and began to write.
[Free!]
What she didn't appreciate was the loss of valuable time, and the fact that her equipment had been confiscated once again. Rita didn't have time to mess around... which was precisely why the cheery voice broadcast over the intercom only served to grate on her nerves more than usual. In fact... how was the Head Doctor even giving that announcement? She doubted he'd managed to take the institute back in such a short amount of time, though the broadcast itself was suspicious for a number of reasons. Even though she could clearly hear the man's voice, it didn't necessarily mean that he was there. She had to look at things critically.
Still, it seemed almost as if everything had returned to normal... with a few exceptions. The different staff was one, and her lack of possessions was another. It didn't seem like the staff was expecting to fool the patients into thinking this was the same old institute, so why...?
Even as she went about preparing for the day and walking to her first destination, Rita kept her most pressing questions in mind, coming up with multiple hypotheses to explain what was happening. Since she didn't expect that the Chapel would hold anything of interest to her, Rita opted for the Sun Room instead. She was interested in seeing the bulletin board, for one.
When she entered the Sun Room, Rita brought a pen and her journal with her. If no one approached her, she would at least have a chance to document her discoveries from the previous night. First, however, she checked the bulletin board, only to find it completely empty. That confirmed a few suspicions of hers. Content to see evidence supporting her ideas about the strange occurrences, Rita sat down on a couch, opened her journal, and began to write.
[Free!]
no subject
Seeing as how it was morning, Lelouch had fully intended to stride straight through the Sun Room and to the cafeteria when he arrived, but upon noticing the fact that no one else seemed to be of similar mind and the nurses and orderlies were clearly stationed around the room with the intent of keeping them inside...
He frowned, eyes resting on the doors. Had there been some change in schedule? He'd slept through most of the Head Doctor's announcement and so couldn't be sure, but-- no, other people had been exiting their rooms, too, and he sincerely doubted that many people could have slept through breakfast. Therefore... what? Could it really just be a change in schedule? The only other day that began with the patients free to visit the Sun Room was... but it couldn't be Sunday already. He'd missed a single night, not four entire days.
He gave the room one last sweeping glance, then headed for the bulletin board. He should have thought to pick up his journal before leaving his room, but-- well, whatever. He would make do with what was available to him.
[Free and very disoriented.]
ffff sorry >_>;;
There was nothing else so interesting on the bulletin board as the man beside her, unfortunately and her blue eyes eventually slid to his solemn face. Patients were constantly coming and going, but the second child was certain he was a familiar fixture in the institute. Or had been, it was hard to tell. A name escaped her, though, and that wasn't good.
"You know, they finally scientifically proved that your face will stick that way if you keep it up..."
No worries. ♥
He let out a quiet sigh and turned back to the board, mind already wandering. Four days. Nunnally may simply have been unable to respond to the board right now, but there was also Suzaku to consider. Could both of them be in the chapel just then? And if they weren't? "If it bothers you that much, you can look away, can't you? I'd hate to inflict my malformed visage on anyone who didn't deserve it."
sorry for the wait! Got a little swamped at work
This one was filed away in the same folder as that robo-boy Brainy while she decided whether to remain civil or not.
"Clearly not a morning person I see." Already her decision was being made for her. "Or is that just rookie bravado?" Attitude won out. No surprise there. Asuka just hoped it got her somewhere other than being ignored. She didn't liked to be less than she was, hopefully he didn't either. "Well, that won't last long," the pilot added with a helpful shrug.
No worries. RL has been hectic here, too.
Lelouch sent her a sidelong glance, then refocused on the board. From what she'd said so far, he could only assume her aim was to deliberately annoy him. Scaring him was another option, but he found the notion too ludicrous to contemplate for any extended period of time. He could no longer claim to be an authority here after the time he'd lost, but he was willing to bet he'd seen and experienced at least as much as this girl had.
"I appreciate your concern, but it isn't needed. Although..." He looked at her again, and this time, his gaze was speculative. At the very least... "Would it be possible for you to tell me more about this General Aquilar? I seem to have chosen a very inconvenient time to wake up."
He paused. There was one detail he was forgetting, wasn't there? "My name is Lelouch. And you are...?"
no subject
"You sure picked the wrong time to come back." Or wake up as it were. "I'm Asuka. Asuka Langley Soryu! Charmed, huh?" Asuka stood a little straighter following their introductions. He was much taller than her, obviously older, and she needed all the presence necessary to keep his attention on a child.
"Of course I can," she answered, more than happy to bathe the ignorant in her knowledge. "I was there, after all, when the Head Doctor got ousted." It had been such a golden moment at the time. But knowing what she knew now, Asuka wished they had thought of starting their own mutiny instead of just standing there like a bunch of slack-jawed country bumpkins. "There's hardly any pretense anymore that this is a medical facility. Even the 'nurses' aren't really what they seem." They didn't even look the part! Swapping uniforms did no hide their military precision or their obviously muscled bodies. They weren't even nice, and that was nursing 101.
"The nights are the same, though half the monsters have guns now!" Yeah, Asuka was still bitter about getting shot at! "And Aguilar doesn't even bother with concealment--Hell, he's given names to the experiments over the intercom." Unfortunately, it was hard to remember what it had been. A random string of numbers was all she could recollect.
"Whatever they are warping us for, Aguilar is a lot less tight-lipped about it. And this charade--" She motioned to the nurses who were all magically reinstated today. "--who the heck even knows..."
no subject
"Could you be a little more specific about this charade? I have my suspicions, but confirmation couldn't hurt." The sudden change in staff, the nurses not being what they seemed, the lack of pretense-- the pieces were falling together, but for someone who hadn't been there, it was difficult to fully process. Lelouch could take it more or less in stride, but...
He let out a quiet sigh and began massaging his temples. Did he really need confirmation? "Forget it. The fact that soldiers are masquerading as nurses does raise a few questions. Presumably, they're putting on the act for someone's benefit, and as it's obviously not for the patients, the only other possibility would be the visitors. It is Sunday, after all." A fact that he was still struggling with. What did it say about him that he could accept a sudden military takeover but not that four days had passed?
"What has Aguilar revealed thus far?"
no subject
"Well, that's kind of debatable. I don't think any of these idiots know what they are doing, so revealing seems to be an accidental practice around here! The Head Doctor seemed the most in-the-know, but now that he's gone--
"Well, whatever. That's a whole different argument. All I know is that Landel did something or opened something from outside the institute with Marc--Oh, that was a juicy night! Were you around for that?--The military seemed pretty pissed about it. They don't want to even tread on whatever he unlocked, so--" Asuka shrugged again. "--a lot of questions, and very few answers. You know, the usual..."
no subject
Still, that didn't mean she wasn't useful. "Can you remember precisely what was said either when the Head Doctor was removed or he unlocked whatever it was last night? And what other changes have there been since Aguilar took over?" He was also tempted to ask about the monsters with guns she had brought up before (as if they weren't nightmarish enough), but he'd overwhelmed people with questions before and didn't want to do that now.
Asuka the Arrogant Infodumper
"What he said? He said what everyone would say when a man is dethroned. The higher ups weren't happy with the way he ran things, so they booted him. I don't think he s--Oh, he said something about all verse, or altverse, like, it wouldn't stay without him. Sounds like a word made for a sci-fi novel.
"And I was never clear on what he unlocked. Apparently, it's dangerous and Aguilar doesn't seem willing to protect us from it. Who knows! They're both mad, this could all be nothing but paranoia. Dictators always go crazy when power's on the line...." Asuka took a moment to breathe before she went on. Seriously, she better get something out of this in the long run.
"A lot has changed. If you want every single detail, you'll have to find someone else, because I'd rather keep my voice intact. Basically, our food has been replaced, the nurses are gone, and everyone is ranked now, just like the military. Some people get privileges, even." Which pissed her off to no end! She was an important figure in the history of the world, why didn't she get any compensation? This place was just so stupid!
I have lost my ability to tl;dr halp.
"I appreciate the summary, then. You've been very helpful." To anyone who didn't are about details that actually mattered. "I think that was all I needed to know right away, unless you have something else you wanted to add? More details about the gun-wielding monsters, perhaps?" He could at least give her a chance to redeem herself.
LOL sokay, Asuka deflates all :/
"I don't think so--Not for free anyway." General information was fine; he would learn about it inevitably on the board, but few had seen the nurse's replacements. No need to say more without an I.O.U. "All I will say is that you will need a few expendable people in your group to distract them for a chance to get close enough to do any good."
no subject
He let out an internal sigh. For a second or two, he was almost tempted to use Geass, but for something so insignificant... even if he hadn't made that promise to Nunnally, it would have been a waste. He would just have to let it go.
"Very well. Thank you again, Ms. Soryu, and do let me know if you ever change your mind."
no subject
"It won't matter. I won't be the one to break first." She planted herself upright on both feet and moved to leave him alone. "Have fun tonight." The eva pilot hoped Lelouch got shot right in the butt. That'd teach him!