Day 57: Game Room (Fourth Shift)

[freewill]

After his conversation with Gabriel, Castiel hadn't felt up to speaking with anyone, and so given a choice, he'd picked the library. Finding a quiet spot toward the back of the room to sit on his own and -- not read, but think -- was how he'd spent the third shift. There was no easy way to accept all that he'd been told, both of his brother's brainwashing and the fact that he'd died before arriving at this place. It implied that he might have been revived as well (which he was at least used to by this point), but it also meant so much more.

They might have no chance of fixing things after all.

Trying to come to terms with that would likely take longer than the duration of a shift, but Castiel wasn't given that much time. As the announcement came on again, Landel's voice still taunting them as if he were a ghost, a soldier found Castiel in his hiding place and informed him that he'd need to move on. He had no idea why soldiers would have any interest in his socialization, but it seemed pointless to argue.

Castiel moved on into the Game Room, as it wasn't as crowded as the Sun Room and seemed to have some items of interest in it. In particular, he was drawn to one of the packs of cards, recalling how Dean had a fondness for the game. There was no pool table to be found, which was something he related to the Winchesters even more, but that wasn't so surprising.

It was odd, how it almost felt like the two weren't here even though they were. The Sam and Dean he interacted with in this place were like echos in comparison to the brothers he'd come to know.

[For Nigredo.]

Comments

[falseblack]

The day progressed to a weightless calm--more manageable in light of clarifying conversation. Less misery was an occasional plus in life, but in conjunction with tranquility, it was virtually nonexistent. Talking with Albedo, therefore, and reaching an understanding were more or less miracles. Miracles with benefits, even, as the constriction in his chest seemed to have all but worsened in the course of minutes, leaving the variant with room to breathe.

It was pleasant not to think of acceptance for the time being.

Nigredo was currently separate from his brother, albeit through no fault of their own. An "orderly" had taken the younger away to have his injuries redressed and made the mistake of depositing him in the wrong room. When corrected on the situation, the man brushed him off, saying he'd spent enough time with family, and pointed toward the sole occupant in room.

"You'll disturb the movie. Go entertain Collins."

Being told to humor someone else set off a nerve in Nigredo's mind, but given that he would be caught sneaking out in a wheelchair, the U.R.T.V. figured he was better off staying. Apology and explanation were thrown over the link to Albedo, and with some reservation, he rolled over to the adult named Collins. The man seemed to be taken with a deck of cards. Did he not know what to do?

"Those are better with multiple people," commented Nigredo in a dull voice. Might as well fulfill his part.

[freewill]

While Castiel was clutching the deck of cards, his mind was not only on them, but contending with so many other subjects. He had far too much to sift through in his mind, although he was similarly bothered by the fact that he couldn't act. He put equal weight on consideration and action, but lately there had been too much of the former and not enough of the latter.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way he could undo his brother's death. That was that.

He was interrupted before long by a comment regarding the cards from a child who looked to be confined to a wheelchair. Castiel stiffened for a number of reasons. First, he was not accustomed to dealing with children and hardly knew how to; second, he was shocked to see one so young who was also so injured.

"I realize that," he responded, though his tone was not as gentle as it should have been. He did not know how to coddle, and so he didn't. "I wasn't intending to play." He set the cards back down on the table to make his point.

It was impossible not to ask, however. Whether it was due to concern or curiosity was hard to say. "What happened to you?"

[falseblack]

Either the man was in a terrible mood, or communication was far from his strong suit. Regardless, Nigredo hardly minded the tone of voice. It was better than being sweet-talked. The scientists in the former institute as well as some of the patients and staff in the current had that tendency. One less person treating him like an innocent child was more refreshing than not.

Nigredo had not expected, however, the question about his condition. Granted, he wasn't used to being stuck in a chair for a straightforward cut in his leg. The distant past certainly had a way for using drastic measures for relatively mild injuries. Then again, they had yet to discover nanomachines.

He sighed internally and went to address the man. "I received a moderate cut on my calf," he stated. "It hurt to walk so they put me in this." There was a momentary pause. "It really isn't as bad as it looks."

[freewill]

A leg injury. Seeing how frail humans were (this was something Castiel had been learning firsthand while confined to this place), it made sense that they would have to resort to using a wheeled device to get around if one of those limbs was compromised. It was surprising to see someone so young who could handle pain and speak about it calmly, but Castiel preferred an adult-like child to any other sort.

He'd gotten some idea of the human aging process during his time on Earth, at least enough to know that the boy was out of the ordinary.

He nodded, not having much else to say on the subject, and then gave another glance around the room. The boy must have come here for some reason, and it certainly hadn't been to speak with Castiel. "Did you wish to play something? I can retrieve it for you." He realized that the wheelchair could be moved around by its owner, but it looked like a difficult task -- to move one's entire weight with only one's arms. Perhaps he could be of some help, seeing how all he had been doing beforehand was brooding.

[falseblack]

[I'm sorry this took so long!]

The man neither poked nor prodded for details, a trait most adults were prone to do when a child dismissed an injury. Granted, that was what the scientists did back in the other institute, and they tended to have their job-related reasons. Here, people were less intrusive about health, likely because everyone seemed prone to the dangerous side of mortality.

(Even for immortal brothers, it seemed.)

The assistance the man posed was a bit odd, however, and Nigredo almost waved it off as well. It wasn't like he had come here to play a game. As he thought further, however, the child realized he hadn't a single clue on the types of games that were available. There were those cards, of course, and he recognized the setups for chess and checkers. Nothing else, though. "It's okay," he replied. "I don't recognize most of the things in this room anyway."

And yet, Nigredo was curious. "I have to ask, though. How do you play games with boxes?" He paused, suddenly noting how stupid that question sounded. "I'm more used to them being on terminals and consoles."

[freewill]

It seemed that they had something in common, then. Castiel found it hard to believe that a child would know nothing about these games, but he supposed that upbringings could differ and this boy had already been established as far from the typical.

When a question was posed to him, Castiel gave an uncertain glance around the room, realizing that he didn't have an answer. He knew nothing about games played in boxes or ones played on terminals, and so this was an area where his lack of Earth knowledge would be extremely obvious.

Lying was not something he could do well, nor did he like to, and so he told the truth (or some form of it) nonetheless. "I'm not familiar with most forms of games," he admitted. "I am aware of card playing, shooting pool, and darts, but that is the extent of my understanding on the subject."

More than that, those seemed to be games geared toward adults, the sort that were played in bars where anyone under twenty-one was not even granted admission.

[falseblack]

A man who was unfamiliar with most forms of games insinuated a man from an atypical background. Of course, he could have simply found no use for that particular brand of entertainment throughout his life, but the fact that his knowledge was limited to three types hinted at something else. Even Sakura, whose existence lacked solidity in the real world, could speak of things that were considered "normal" for humans.

Coupled with the varying types of people found in the hospital, Nigredo figured he shouldn't consider an adult who couldn't fill in his lack of information to be entirely rare. "I see," he said, pondering on the answer. "I guess it's not that important. Though, what's 'shooting pool'?" The mental image of a firearm aimed at a swimming pool was likely not the correct one. He would do well to ask for clarification as opposed to letting assumptions get in the way.

Beyond that, however, the boy was acutely aware of how little he knew in general. Specialized subjects were still specialized, and they had done nothing for Nigredo in most situations. Ignorance became something glaringly obvious. He needed to fix this as soon as possible--before he became stuck in a room with a stranger a second time.

[freewill]

Was there a better term for pool? That was what Sam and Dean had always called it, and yet Castiel recalled there being another name. He sifted through his memories for the term, but it wasn't coming to him easily. It was hard to tell if becoming more human had made his memory duller or if it was simply something that he hadn't bothered to file away as carefully, but it likely didn't matter.

"It's a game played on something called a pool table, which is long and flat with a green felt cover." He spread his arms out to give the child some idea of the size. It felt bizarre to be discussing something so completely trivial considering what he had already been through this day, and yet he had moved past the more serious topic -- the boy's injury -- earlier on.

"Round colored balls are set on the table and sticks are used to try and hit them into holes that are positioned around the edge of the table. Whoever gets all of their balls in first is the winner." Castiel had seen it played one-on-one or with teams, and there was always some sort of bet involved. That last part didn't need to be explained to the boy, though, as gambling was a sin and should not be discussed around someone so young, mature or not.

[avengingfists.livejournal.com]

Ilia left the movie room behind, feeling a little something strange tickling at her mind. Something about what she had seen in there had thrown her for a little bit of a loop, and she wasn't sure what to think. Not the movie itself. That had a very clear message, one she had come to expect from this place. No, it was the little bit she had caught when watching Claude and Guy that put her in a contemplative mood. There was just... something there. But she didn't know what to think of it yet. Well, it wasn't really her business, but their relationship wasn't the first to pique her curiosity.

She chose a room at random when the movie was over, still a little thoughtful on what she had seen the previous shift. This room looked pretty comfortable, though. The game room. She hadn't been in this one before, but its purpose was easy enough to recognize. She had no need for boardgames if there was no partner here to play, so she grabbed a Bicycle deck and found a comfortable seat. She began shuffling the deck. Even if no one else showed up for a few hands of spades, she could keep herself occupied with a nice game of solitaire.

[unpriest]

[Mind one brooding sort of guy? 8D]

After his fruitless search in the library, Seishin wasn't quite certain where to go next. The other rooms likely didn't have much to offer in regards to easing his worries, so it probably did not really matter where he went.

He ended up selecting a room at random, not having any interest in watching the movie played in the lounge. The former priest soon noticed that he had ended up in what could only be a game room, though he couldn't have felt more uncertain as he wandered by the tables. Seishin had never really taken the interest in playing games, though it hadn't stopped Toshio to talk him into playing a few card games back when they were still teenagers. Unsurprisingly, he had always dramatically lost at them.

Funny, how much he kept thinking of his former friend. A lot had happened since then. Their friendship had fallen apart, though he had to wonder how much of a fragile illusion it had been to begin with. It might have cracked eventually, regardless of what he had done. Of what Toshio had done. Sunako... had understood.

But he had apparently failed her. What should he do?

He sat down in one of the chairs, unfortunately too deep in thought to notice the young woman seated nearby.

[fourstonewalls]

They hadn't come to fetch her and subject her to another round of watching a dead woman pretend to be someone else. Lana didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Instead, she wandered out of the library of her own accord, only to hear the unmistakable sound of an electric keyboard set to pipe organ bleeding out into the main room. She stepped into the nearest other door as quickly as she'd left the first.

She hadn't come in here to play games. If she'd wanted that, she could as easily have gone over to the music room. No, she'd leave things as they stood on the bulletin board, an uneasy truce.

Still, she might look less like a startled rabbit if she found something to do. She'd never been one for video games, so she'd need to wait for someone else to arrive. She stood by the small stack of board games. The games available hadn't changed since she'd been in here last, but she didn't really have a preference. She just wanted a few minutes without more ghosts from her past, present, and future popping up, and for once, it seemed like she might manage it.

[free! including castmates, whatever Lana might prefer.]