damned_institute | Day 24: Recreational Field

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Day 24: Recreational Field

The second thing Riku noticed was that this Landels had the smell of a room that'd been drenched in bleach. Possibly one that had marinated in it for a longer period than it should have. Still, what it smelled like (aside from darkness) wasn't important in this instance, it was the facade the building had taken. A fairly solid one, in the way of Mental Institutions. .. Not that Riku visited them often, but if he had, he imagined this to be the approximate appearance they'd hold.

Along these lines, at least. Perhaps more elaborate, add more ~~curtains~~ variation so as to not drive patients insane.

.. Because that's what really mattered when you were being called 'Billy Zane' and being told your life was a lie. Interior design. No; sometimes Riku had to wonder if living with Maleficent had done irreversible damage to his brain. His hair might be part of that, that he could cut though.

When he came out to the field and realized that he ~~couldn't stand around and look pretty~~ was expected to do more than stand still, he just stared at his nurse. She, being the strange woman that she was, stared back. This caused a staring contest that lasted for two minutes before she tossed a ball at his head.

He caught it, but it forced him to blink. Thankfully this wasn't a real contest, otherwise Riku's manly pride would be at stake. Only not, seeing how she cheated with that cheap shot.

Not that it mattered, he had a feeling that once the other patients started arriving, he'd obtain his few answers.

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Elena smiled absently, flexing the glove in her hand. It was kind of stiff. "Not Earth, though that's where my boyfriend comes from." It felt so weird, just flinging the term around like that! "I'm from the city of Midgar, on a planet called Gaia. I kind of doubt you've heard of it."

But hope springs eternal, right?

No, he hadn't heard of it. Obi-Wan felt a little frustrated by that. Despite how vast the Republic truly was, there were still so many planets he was unfamiliar with. It just proved how small his home really was in the grand scheme of things - a rather humbling thought, to say the least.

"I can't say I'm familiar with a place called Gaia," Obi-Wan admitted. "But you say your boyfriend is Earthian? Does that mean your Gaia has interplanetary relations with Earth?" It would be just one out of a string of contradictions in Earth's strange history. Did this planet have space travel or not?

"No one is," Elena said ruefully, "Unless they're from there. And, ah...no." Suddenly, she was blushing furiously and looking at the ground. Even though it felt like she'd been here forever, she'd only known Tamaki for a little more than a week, and here she was, calling him her boyfriend. It was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. "Wait...yeah--no...what? Tamaki is from Earth, but I met him here. I know that my world has only attempted to go to outer space once, and that attempt failed. Tamaki hasn't mentioned anything about space travel on his end, either."

So, apparently this Gaia hadn't managed space travel, either. Still, judging by the way Elena talked about the sport's equipment at Landel's, he wouldn't be surprised if both worlds had some similarities.

When he heard the girl explain her stituation, he couldn't help but think the idea of getting into close relationships with other prisoners was rather careless. After all, it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt or killed, and, even if everyone involved did survive the ordeal, what would happen if they came from two different, isolated worlds? Still, he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. Some people simply needed other people, and he couldn't quite blame them for it.

"I see," he said instead, filing away the name "Tamaki" for future reference. "Before coming here, I'd never heard of planets that hadn't discovered how to successfully travel through space, so this is all quite interesting to me." He briefly paused, managing a small smile. "By the way, I don't think I got your name."

Elena gave up on the idea of keeping up the pretense that she was actually doing something as soon as she realized that very few others were engaged in any sort of physical activity...besides working their mouths. Well, that was perfect. She hadn't felt like doing much anyway.

Taking off the glove and dumping it unceremoniously on the ground, the girl stretched out on the grass and looked up at the sky.

"When the rocket--the space attempt that failed, that is--was being built, a lot of people were really excited. Tons of science fiction nerds who believed in alien life thought the damn thing would somehow validate their existence if they found something out there, despite the fact that the rocket was only a prototype and not designed to go very far. And then the rocket failed, and no one ended up going into space. There was a huge media circus about it for a while and then...it just sort of died down, and people sort of forgot about it." Elena laughed, but didn't look at the guy. "I guess what I'm saying is this: before I came here, I'd never even heard of space travel being possible. So this is new for both of us. And I'm Elena, by the way. What's your name?"

When the girl dumped the glove on the ground and stretched out onto the grass, Obi-Wan glanced around to make sure none of the nurses objected. When no one seemed to get upset, the Jedi settled down beside her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to just lounge around outside before. It made him miss the beautiful gardens back at the Jedi Temple.

As he listened to the other prisoner speak, he couldn't help but absently pick up the discarded glove from earlier, slowly turning it around in his hands. It was easy to imagine how Gaia must have been brimming with excitement at the prospect of sending something into space. For a civilization that had been limited to its own planet since the beginning of time, it would have been a major accomplishment. Obi-Wan wasn't sure what was more disappointing - the fact the rocket failed, or that people seemed to forget about the issue once the failure occurred.

It was still baffling to think there were still so many worlds out there that didn't even know how to travel through space, though. And it was disheartening to know that he was apparently on one such planet.

"I guess what I'm saying is this: before I came here, I'd never even heard of space travel being possible," the girl said. "So this is new for both of us. And I'm Elena, by the way. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, Elena," the Jedi replied. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I suppose you're right about this being new experience." He gave a wry smile. "Then again, waking up in a fake mental institute isn't exactly an everyday occurrence, either."

Rolling onto her stomach, Elena propped herself up off the grass with her elbows and looked up at the guy she was with. If she kept at that exact angle, his head would block the sunlight and she wouldn't have to squint as much, which was always a bonus. Now that she could see him clearly, she realized that he was closer to her age than she'd originally thought. He was still much older than she was, of course, but the gap wasn't quite as wide. He looked about her sister's age.

"Touché. Got me there." She grinned. "So, Obi-Wan Kenobi, do you want the full title, or is there something shorter I can call you? 'Cause that's a bit of a mouthful, you know. I tend to draw the line at four syllables."

Glancing over at Elena, Obi-Wan couldn't help but note the way her blonde hair framed her face and how the sun shined off of it when her head was tilted a certain way. In fact, she bore a very vague resemblance to his old friend Siri Tachi, if Siri hadn't have decided to grow her hair out.

Thinking of her made him feel a little homesick in spite of himself. He certainly was no stranger to being away from home, but this was certainly the first time he'd been out of his own universe or dimension. The very political and cultural structures he was used to simply didn't exist here. It didn't help that no one knew of a way to get back.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't spoken with Siri years. Not that he really had a chance to speak with a lot of his friends as of late, but he didn't like to think about the circumstances around his and Siri's last mission together. So, the thought of her was fleeting and brief, and he made himself focus on more relevant and useful things.

"Oh, no need to use the full name," the Jedi laughed a little. "Actually, I think you may be in luck. 'Obi-Wan' seems to be just below that four syllable limit. Will that suffice?"

Fresh air. Valyn was actually glad to have it. The day so far had been... strange. He still didn't understand why he'd been to see the doctor, or why the doctor had been so keen to discuss his family. It wasn't as though his family was here - and with luck, he'd never see any of them save for Shadow ever again. Or Shana, he supposed she counted as family as well.

There was no hunting here, and no dueling either. The young lord was desperate for some sort of activity or entertainment. Pulling back his long hair into a loose knot at the base of his skull, Valyn stretched his legs and began a steady jog around the field. He could at least stretch his legs.

As he so often did, when trying to take his mind off of things, Valyn's attention wandered. He was too busy thinking on the coming night - it seemed his activities were dictated by Renji - on earlier, speaking with Lady Raine, on home....

He didn't notice the young human girl laying down in the grass (or the man near her) until he nearly tripped over her feet!

"Ah, my apologies, milady," he said, immediately, inclining his head to both her and her male companion.

Contrary to popular belief, Elena was, in fact, not flirting with Obi-Wan. She was taken! Tamaki had already claimed her for his own, and she was perfectly fine with it.

She was just engaging in a little playful banter, and that was that!

Keep telling yourself that, Elena.

"Obi-Wan, the--huh?" Blinking, the girl looked up at the ~~gorgeous blond~~ guy who had nearly run into her. Milady?! What was he, one of Tamaki's friends that she'd never met or something?

"Oh, it's okay. But...uh...please don't call me that. Makes me feel weird."

Obi-Wan was a little startled when one of the prisoners nearly tripped over Elena. Fortunately, no one seemed to be hurt, however, and he slightly inclined his head towards the newcomer in greeting.

The Jedi had certainly seen him around before, so it was obvious he hadn't been brought in with the latest batch of patients. (It was really disheartening just how many new faces he was seeing today.) This prisoner looked to be close to his own age, though he seemed a bit taller than himself. Obi-Wan also couldn't help but notice the way he carried himself with an air of dignity that was rare in a place like this.

Setting down the baseball glove in his lap, Obi-Wan calmly watched the exchange with a mildly curious gaze.

"Ah, of course. I'll keep that in mind." Valyn nodded. How was he supposed to address women, then? Very few seemed to appreciate the title of lady, but it was the only one he knew. Or rather, the only one he knew that carried any modicum of respect.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you both, I should have been paying more attention. I'm afraid my mind was wandering. Are you alright?" His mind wandering wasn't an excuse, but it was the only explanation he could offer.

She didn't look injured. Or very bothered by the incident. But he still felt like a donkey, blundering into her like that!

Elena just sort of shrugged it off. "Hey, it's cool. No harm no foul, you know?" Actually, Valyn didn't know. The pampered Elven Lord had probably never actually heard that particular colloquialism, but Elena was blissfully unaware of that fact.

At least he didn't appear to be a new patient. She'd seen him around before, talking to River and Renji and a handful of others. Well, that was heartening. No "Welcome to Landel's" speech for him either.

"Anyway, introductions are probably in order. I'm Elena, and this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. What's your name?"

"A pleasure to meet you both, Elena, Obi-Wan Kenobi" Valyn said, reaching back and untying his hair. He wasn't entirely certain what the young woman had just said, but her tone was friendly enough. "My name is Valyn." No need for titles or anything of that sort here. He was honestly somewhat glad to shed them, at least now and again.

"I didn't mean to stumble into your conversation," he went on, not wanting to be rude. His nerves were still on edge from earlier, though it didn't show through in his tone or posture. "I seem to have turned into a blundering dolt today." A small laugh, as was appropriate. Ancestors, this place was starting to get to him. The longer he was here, the more tightly he held himself. He never had to hold himself like this back home!

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He'd been doing so near the end, hadn't he? Ah well, there was nothing to be done for it.

"Pleased to meet you, Valyn," Obi-Wan said. He watched as the other prisoner untied his hair, and he couldn't help but notice the unusual shape of his ears. It was a trait he hadn't seen on many of the others here (though there were a few), and he was fairly certainly it wasn't something found among Earthians.

"I didn't mean to stumble into your conversation," Valyn continued. "I seem to have turned into a blundering dolt today."

The Jedi gave him a polite smile. "It's quite all right. You didn't do anything wrong. It's pretty difficult to get proper exercise out here as it is." Hopefully, his talk with Wilson had accomplished something in that regard, although Obi-Wan knew he shouldn't allow himself to be too optimistic. It was likely he was going to have to resort to doing simple stretches every night if he could.

He briefly paused, regarding the other man curiously. "Where is it that you come from, if you don't mind my asking?"

Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who was fascinated by Valyn's ears. Those weren't...normal. She didn't even realize that she was staring until he spoke again and she realized that she was probably supposed to answer.

"N-nice to meet you," the girl faltered. "And it's okay, everyone spaces out once in a while." Like she was doing right now.

"I'm afraid where I come from doesn't have a name," Valyn said, used to giving that answer. "My world doesn't have countries the way other worlds seem to, and the land itself..." he shrugged. They'd never given it a name.

He noticed the girl staring and self-consciously touched a hand to one of his ears. Why was it mostly young women who were so fascinated by them? He wasn't used to garnering that sort of attention - humans often stared, but not in curiosity.

"Regardless, I'm the only one here from that particular place." Since they seemed to be including him in their conversation, he dropped gracefully to sit on the ground, his legs crossed beneath him. "Yes, I'm afraid my mind was on other things." He gave her a charming smile, though it didn't quite touch his eyes.

How odd it must be, to live in a place that doesn't even have a name, much less different countries or states! Obi-Wan couldn't even imagine living in a place that wasn't divided by borders. Such a world seemed so much simpler than the one he came from. But, like the mysterious Earth, he was certain Valyn's home had its own share of problems. All societies did. It was one of the few constants in the universe, it seemed.

He doubted Valyn's people had discovered space travel, so he didn't even bother asking about that.

"That's very interesting," Obi-Wan said instead. "Quite different from most places, I'd say."

When Valyn mentioned his mind being on other things, the Jedi gave a small nod. "Yes, it seems this place is good at giving people plenty to think about." Obi-Wan frowned a little, his eyebrows faintly furrowing. "Still, I suppose it's a good thing no one you know has been taken."

A world without countries wasn't so odd. Gaia had territories--specific areas with regional and ethnic differences--but the surrender of Wutai after the war had made Shin-Ra's power basically universal. Now they were just semi-sovereign areas united by Shin-Ra Electric Power Company's overreaching influence.

It was actually kind of depressing to think about.

But a world without a name? That was new.

Elena blushed a little when Valyn touched his ears. She hadn't meant to make him self-conscious! "S-sorry. I'm not a total creep, I swear! It's just that...your ears look cool. I've never seen anything like that. Does everyone in your world have pointy ears?"

The girl rolled back onto her back and watched the sky a bit. "It's good that you don't have anyone from your world...but doesn't it get lonely? No matter how well you explain it, you can't really talk to anyone about your favorite foods, or music, or current events back home...it can be a little obnoxious, having people from home here, but at least I can share my homesickness with them..." She looked at him and smiled. "But they're mostly just obnoxious."

"From what I understand, my world is like very few others. I only knew of two other worlds before I came here, anyway." Valyn shrugged. He supposed he could have explained that his own kind wasn't native, but he was rather sick of explaining that.

"No, it's quite alright that no one else from my own home is here. It's for the best, really. I can't say I ever discussed those things anyway, so it really isn't something that bothers me any. And I seem to attracted something of a permanent friend here, anyway. And I'm not very homesick." Renji had made it very clear he wasn't going to leave Valyn alone. And that was alright, really. Renji as uncouth and loud and boorish, but... he was alright. And while Valyn did miss Shadow so much it hurt, he didn't miss that world.

"Ah, no, not everyone in my world has pointed ears. I'm an Elven Lord, it's a trait of our kind. Ah... did you want to touch them?" He decided it best to ask, before he found himself being fondled by another strange girl.

Obi-Wan would have been very interested to visit a world like Valyn's, if only because it sounded like such a rarity when compared to all the other planets out there. Still, he wasn't sorry more of his people weren't trapped here. The fewer prisoners Martin Landel had in his grasp, the better, as far as the Jedi was concerned.

A small part of him knew less prisoners meant fewer people for Qui-Gon to try to save.

He couldn't say he was as fascinated by Valyn's ears as Elena was. Then again, it probably made sense, considering the kind of world Elena came from. Obi-Wan had seen many different kinds of beings during his life, so the idea of a person with pointed ears wasn't all that particularly exciting or unusual for him. He'd seen much stranger things in his life, after all.

Still, it was interesting to make a mental note of this Elven race. He'd have to write it down in his journal later and keep an eye out for more of these Elven people.

"Tell me, Valyn," Obi-Wan said after a moment. "How long have you been here at Landel's?"

Elena blinked, first at Valyn's ears, and then at Valyn himself. What an odd question.

"D'you...do you want me to touch them...?" Hey, maybe it was just some sort of weird good luck ritual from his world, like rubbing a bald guy on the head, or collecting dyed Moogle feet (which usually didn't come from actual Moogles, thank goodness).

"Only a few days," Valyn admitted, when asked how long he'd been there. "I think this is my third day? Maybe my fourth, for some reason it's hard to tell." But then again, he'd never paid much attention to the passing of days. The combination of his rather routine life and longevity - knowing you had centuries upon centuries to live tended to dull one to little things like days - had led him to never truly pay much attention.

"I understand there are those who've been here much longer, though." A frightening prospect. Though really, Valyn found himself unable to grip the fervor to escape that most people seemed to have. Other than the nights, it wasn't really a bad life. Better than the lives of most slaves, certainly. And the only difference between life at Landel's and life in his father's manor were the levels of comfort and his place in the heirarchy.

"Ah? Oh, I suppose I don't care. It's only that most people who express an interest touch them, and I'd like a bit of warning. It's very strange to me, to meet humans who've never even heard of an elven lord, let alone seen one." He flashed another charming smile at the girl - she seemed younger than the other women he'd met. But just as brash and bold. Only Lady Raine had demonstrated the decorum and composure Valyn was most used to in women.

"I haven't heard of anyone who's been here longer than a month," Obi-Wan admitted. "It's a little troubling." He didn't like thinking about it, but he knew it was an important detail. He found it hard to believe this facility had started only a month ago. The fact a lot of patients went in and out of here so quickly hinted at something very, very sinister. Whether this was a long-term establishment or not, it was obvious that prisoners weren't kept here for too long.

Obi-Wan only hoped he could find a way out before too many people disappeared. Including himself.

The Jedi couldn't help but be faintly amused by Elena's curiosity, and he watched her exchange with Valyn with a small smile. He supposed it was better to react to new things with genuine interest than hostility, like a lot of other beings from various cultures seemed to.

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Day 24: Recreational Field

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