damned_institute | Day 59: Sun Room (4th Shift)

Entry tags:

Day 59: Sun Room (4th Shift)

After an intercom broadcast like that, Kurogane felt somewhat better about the little information he'd gotten from Harrington the previous night. The man only sounded competent when he needed to but was an idiot otherwise. Unfortunately that was furthered proof of the General not employing the brightest of staff members, making another option for information closed to them.

Kurogane was again some steps ahead of his escort when he reached the Sun Room and ignored the soldier further as the ninja headed to look over the bulletin. Last time he'd missed something, and he wasn't about to have that happen a second time. With some searching he located Tsubaki's messages to others he didn't know but found nothing either written by the magician or addressed to him. That being the case, he left the board without any of his own writing and sought out a chair over a couch. If he didn't leave open a space by him, he had a better chance of being left alone. Or so he believed.

[free ~~bird!~~ bear]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

After lunch Badou made a b-line for the sun room. There was still no sign of Alle, but that was fine. In a few hours he could check his room. He was probably asleep. There was no reason to get all worked up about it just yet. Both Badou himself and Alkaid had disappeared for upwards of a week before they showed up again, so this was... nothing to get worked up about. Everything was a-ok. Fretting over it wasn't actually gonna help somehow anyway.

A cigarette would make this all a lot easier to swallow. Though his headache had dissipated some time before the previous shift, a combination of withdrawal and paranoia were playing Beethoven's ninth symphony on nerves already wound too tight. He was tense and irritable and anxious to get get on with nightshift. At least he was early enough to snag a whole couch for himself.

He sprawled across the entirety of it just in case the pillow fort crew got any ideas, and raised one knee enough to prop his journal up against it. On the bright side, Renamon seemed to be making some progress, and with any luck at least one of his problems would be solved tonight. He just had to keep pushing forward. If he spent too long thinking about the what ifs and maybes, he wouldn't even be able to help himself anymore.

The page he'd meant to add information to remained blank. Badou tapped it restlessly with the end of his pen, unfocused. "You'd better be takin' care of yourselves out there."

[For the other crankypants~]

Edited 2011-10-15 20:06 (UTC)

Daemon wandered into the sunroom after lunch, his hands tucked casually in the pockets of his uniform. This was closer to what he normally wore at home, rather than the institute's former outfit, but it was still something to get used to. Just like everything else. Besides, the stiff uniform was much less comfortable than what he was accustomed to from home. At least the bright side was that the demented smiley was gone.

The pillow fort was still growing and he bit back a laugh as he spotted it. it had taken up a large portion of the room now and the Sunroom was barely recognizable. Which was fine. He was glad that others were finding ways of amusing themselves during the day here.

A faint smile still lingering on his lips, he was strolling towards the windows when the couch on his left spoke to him in an oddly accented voice. Wait, correction, there was a person just out of sight over the back of the couch, apparently talking to himself.

The sight made Daemon pause, one dark brow winging upwards as he peered down at the man. There was something vaguely familiar of him, but Daemon couldn't put a name with the face.

"Who should?" he couldn't help but ask, wondering who the man thought he'd been talking to.

Badou was going to take this as further proof that he could never catch a break. Heine got plenty of uninterrupted talking-to-yourself-like-a-crazy-person time, and the first time he tried it around here someone actually heard him. Maybe he just wasn't intimidating enough or something. He'd get some wannabe punk haircut and glue paper spikes to his regulation boots next time he got the chance.

"Mind your own damn business," He muttered. "Can't a man talk to himself in the privacy of his own couch?"

He'd planted his ass in it and that was as good as any flag or private pillow fort, right? Mostly he was just dodging around any real explanation. He didn't recognize the voice, so he had no obligation to play nice, but he sat up a little anyway. There was something vaguely familiar about this guy, aside from being ridiculously good-looking. (Landel had a fetish. He was convinced.)

"I've seen you somewhere before." Whether that was around here or on the cover of some raunchy bodice-ripper he couldn't quite tell.

Instead of being offended, Daemon bit back a smirk, leaning on the back of the couch and peering down at the man instead. "I suppose he can, but then the staff really will think you're crazy," he pointed out with faint amusement, looking almost cheerful about the fact that the man had snarled at him.

At the statement, he inclined his head in agreement. "You looked familiar as well. I've been here a while, we might have passed one another before, although I don't think we've officially met. Daemon Sadi."

Badou flopped back into his previous position, tucked the notebook away and laced his fingers behind his head. He grinned at the comment. "What are they gonna do, throw me in an asylum?"

Since he wasn't getting anything done today after all, he wasn't altogether opposed to company. It was rare enough to see a familiar face. Besides, the last male supermodel he'd met turned out the be a terrorist who flew giant robots and took out zombies with his bare hands, so he wasn't in the business of underestimating anyone around here.

"Yeah, that's probably it. Badou Nails." He nodded once in greeting. "So, how long is a while?"

"I suppose it is a little late for that, isn't it?" Daemon agreed, laughing. He remained leaned against the back of the sofa, arms crossed as he slouched with casual grace, comfortable for the moment. "They could make you wear the smiley again?"

He actually did recognize the name. "I think I saw notes from you a few times on the board," he commented, trying to think of a particular instance and failing at the moment. "And the answer to that is a little complicated. I had about three weeks, but then I slept through some following ones somehow. No doubt with some assistance. When I woke up again, several weeks had passed. Not a whole lot of familiar faces left around, either. Probably why yours caught my eye."

Badou snorted. Though he wasn't sure which one he preferred, at least the uniform wasn't constantly happy to see him. "Hey, if they wanted sanity they'd let me keep my goddamn cigarettes. And, you know, change the monster diet to dry kibbles instead of the most delicious-looking part of my ass."

He didn't ask for much. He could have added a few other things, but they'd shift the tone of the conversation to something he really didn't want to deal with right then. And speaking of things he didn't want to deal with...

"Uh. You might have." Badou replied, shifting a little. Most of the notes he actually signed earlier on in his stay here involved taunting gay robots about their sex lives and generally trolling anyone who might be entertaining. "Damn, I thought you were here for my good looks and charm."

"I lost about a week too," He admitted, after a moment. "Woke up again a couple of days ago. This place has a petty high turnover rate, but I guess if we came back you never know who else is gonna show up again."

He had to admit, he felt for the guy. A few weeks was practically a lifetime around here, and there was no guarantee that being 'released' was any better than being tortured. They were damned either way, pretty much. At least being awake meant they could keep an eye on each other.

"Yeah, that would be the biggest complaint in the change of power I've heard," Daemon chuckled dryly, glancing about the room. He was certainly fed up with whatever those in charge were passing off as 'nutritious' now. "I'd almost wish Landel back for a chance at real food I didn't have to gag down." Then again, at least they were still being fed.

Another laugh at Badou's quip and Daemon paused, giving the man a thorough once-over with intent golden eyes, just to play along. "Well. That's certainly helping me stay," he commented, voice thick with amusement. It was all in play, and he realized after he said it, Badou might take that the wrong way, but it was a little late now, so he waited to see how the man would react with it out there. Something told him this one could give as well as he got and it had been a while since Daemon had had entertaining banter.

"I lost about four," he admitted, turning serious again, his expression a brief grimace. "At least that's what someone on the board told me. Javert. He'd been here a while as well, recalled the day I last remembered and gave the the time in between I'd missed. Hell of a nap."

Badou sighed almost wistfully. "Ain't that the truth. I thought everyone stopped eating pink chalk in kindergarten." Which was as close as he could come to determining the flavour of their current menu. "I remember when the biggest complaint was the lack of tea and fish."

Landel had even put up a suggestions box once, and Badou had no doubt it was full of many creative variations of Go fuck yourself and then get us some goddamn tea. Green will suffice.

He had been kidding about the good looks and charm bit and he figured that was pretty obvious, but he'd only just met Daemon and he wasn't entirely sure whether he was serious or just playing along. He shifted a little under the intensity of that gaze and moved his hands from behind his head to rest against his stomach instead. Still, he wasn't gonna be the first to bow out.

"Oh Mr. Sadi," He did his best bodice-ripper heroine impression, fluttering eyelashes and everything. "Stop, I'm gonna swoon right off the couch."

Four weeks, shit. Badou grimaced. "Hell of a thing to wake up to. I'm guessing someone filled you in on the details of the coup already?"

Daemon couldn't help but laugh at that. Tea and fish, oh yes, he remembered hearing complaints about that. Both Renji and Ren had talked about their country's food frequently. "Are you from Japan?" he asked in wry amusement, glancing down in interest once more.

When Badou carried on the game, humor lit Daemon's gaze and he gave the man a slow, sensual smile. It had been a while since he'd met someone who could dish it back and Badou's reply had a laugh tickling at the back of his throat, desperate to get out. "I've been told I have that effect. At least we can be mutually charming."

There. He actually managed to get that out with a straight face. Of course, that didn't last long and a chuckle escaped him anyway, unable to hold it back any longer.

At the serious question, he managed a nod. "Most of it, I think. Or at least most of what there is to know among us. I actually spoke to one of the soldiers last night, he was up in the Chapel. Despite the coup, Landel's still got some power here. Aguilar's not very happy about it."

Badou shook his head at the question. "Nah, Germany. I'm not interested in tea leaves unless I can roll 'em up and smoke 'em - which is a bad idea and don't even ask how I know." He certainly hadn't tried it at some sad point in his life.

More importantly, it occurred to him that he couldn't quite place Daemon either. The golden eyes and striking features were unusual, but he'd chalked it up to good old fetish-driven science without giving it any real thought. Admittedly, he was curious now. The novelty of other worlds never really wore off. "Mind if I ask where you're from?"

He got that Daemon was joking; the laughter was casual even if the smile really wasn't, and that made it possible to play along. He laughed at the comment. Yeah, he could believe that Romeo here had actually made some poor girl swoon. "If I'm charming, you, man," He waved hand vaguely in Damon's direction. "You're practically a public menace."

As for last night... he'd been otherwise occupied, but it was interesting to hear about the more hands-on approach the new management seemed to be taking. He wondered if this soldier was the person Renamon had contacted as well. "Yeah, he wouldn't be. With any luck it'll turn into something that works to our advantage."

He had never heard of Germany, but thought it must be from Ren and Renji's world, if Badou recognized Japan. How many Japans could there be? When Badou asked him in return, Daemon chuckled and gave a one-shouldered shrug. "No where you've probably heard of. There's no Japan or Germany in my world, although I've learned of them here. There's only three Realms where I come from. The Light Realm, the Dark Realm, and Hell. I was in the Dark Realm - Kaeleer - when I was brought here."

It was there he missed, the place he now considered home. He had no intention of ever stepping foot in Terrielle again if he could help it, and he hoped it was a very long time before he officially crossed into his father's Realm as a resident. He wondered, if he died here, would he pass back home once more? Would he see his father? Lucivar? Jaenelle? Or would he just become a whisper in the Darkness, no matter how much power might be left to him? Would they ever know what became of him?

The thought was depressing and he brusquely pulled himself away from that trail, not liking where it led. Being able to fixate on the playful banter was much better and worked as a wonderful distraction. He chuckled over Badou's statement, looking outright pleased as well as amused.

"I've been called worse," he smiled, the expression sharp, but his eyes still bright with humor. "It's gained me a bit of a reputation back home." His charm, yes, although his other skills were more well known. Badou was probably better off not knowing about that, however...

"We can hope," he added in response about the power struggle between Landel and Aguilar. "Things sound a little tense overhead today. It'll be interesting to see who tries what tonight."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 59: Sun Room (4th Shift)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject