Day 60: Arts and Crafts (Third Shift)

[lighthearted]

Sora wasn't quite sure what to make of his talk with Doctor Facilier. The man hadn't revealed much about himself even as he'd asked all those questions, so it was hard to form an opinion. Sora could only hope that he had proved himself to be more than just a kid over the course of their conversation, though if not, then that was the doctor's loss, right? Sora figured that he was a pretty good resource in this place after having been stuck here for so long.

As for the note that he'd put up for the club, it had gotten a lot of responses already, which he was glad about. It meant that his friends were all safe and sound, and more than that, they wanted to keep working with him. He'd even gotten a few new people to sign up, counting Renji and the other person who had apparently been recruited by Soma. So while they had missed an important opening last night, Sora wasn't going to let that get him down.

Oddly enough, there was a slight change for today, which was that they weren't going to be eating lunch in the cafeteria. Sora stared down at the bagged lunch that was put into his hands. They were usually only given something like this when they went out to Doyleton, but...

If it meant that they would get to go somewhere else for the shift, then Sora wasn't about to complain. The problem was that he'd already been to these rooms so many times that nothing really struck him as exciting. They'd gone to the Game Room just yesterday, though, so in the end he picked out Arts and Crafts.

Figuring that he should get his meal out of the way first, Sora took a seat at a table and started to dig through his lunch. "Hey, grilled cheese!" Nothing to complain about there. Sora unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It felt weird to be eating in here, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

[For Woody.]

Comments

[complicatedliar]

For the sake of curiosity, Loki had decided to explore the arts and crafts room. It was everything he had expected to be, which was to say a sad waste. Safety scissors and non-toxic paste and wax sticks with which to color. Still, it was best to fully catalog what resources might be around. Yes, for the life of him he couldn't figure out a useful purpose for dried macaroni and glitter shaped like stars, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future. Things occurred to him at the oddest moments.

After thoroughly poking through the various drawers and cabinets to make a mental inventory, Loki acquired a dry-erase board and a few markers, then took it to a table so he could try to organize his thoughts as he ate lunch.

So perhaps the contents of the room weren't a complete waste. He found he did like the dry erase board, quite a bit. He nibbled on his chicken sandwich and sketched out his thoughts. He wrote in a combination of old runes and arcane symbols that he used for his personal writings, which he had little concern anyone would be able to read.

[Tsubaki]

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

A… free range shift? That’s a bit strange to come out of the blue like that, she thought to herself as she accepted her bagged lunch, having chosen a chicken sandwich by default. Or maybe she was over thinking things. The Institute was acting strangely enough, with the episode last night, and the military leaving so suddenly, and then to have the Head Doctor back… Just about anything could happen next. An unexpected chance to visit the other activity rooms wasn’t too out there, in retrospect.

Although spending third shift outside sounded like a nice plan, Tsubaki was more interested in seeing if she could track down some of her friends than getting fresh air. Exercise was always a possibility after she ate, if there was time. So Tsubaki took her lunch and informed her nurse (it already felt like forever since she’d seen the woman) that she was going to walk around and see where she wanted to sit first. After a survey of the designated activity areas, eventually Tsubaki ended up in the Arts and Crafts room, still alone. Sora and Ilia were there with other people, though, and she waved at them from afar so as not to interrupt their conversations.

It wasn’t often that she was in this room. The origami lessons were still a fond memory for her, even so; she had thought about trying more origami shapes on and off since then. Maybe now was a good time to collect some paper? Actually, she half-expected to see Rapunzel in this area, given the girl’s penchant for art…

Tsubaki’s slowness to find a seat was probably what drew the staff’s attention, because before she could actually do anything, a kindly-looking nurse came up to her, a smile on her face. “Hello, dear. Looking for something to do?”

“Um…”

“Maybe you’d like to help get a new patient settled in?” continued the nurse quietly, in a conspiratorial vein. Tsubaki sensed it was nothing more than a friendly suggestion, but it occurred to her then that there were only two people in the room left by themselves: herself, and the man the nurse gestured to with her eyes. “It could be fun, right, meeting someone new?”

Right… now that the usual staff was back, so was their belief that the patients were sick and that they had a responsibility to keep them healthy. Encouraging people to socialize was something the hospital staff had always done. Some people might have called it “meddling,” but Tsubaki didn’t take offense at the good intentions behind their suggestions...

“Well, I guess… I guess I could introduce myself…”

What was the harm? It wasn’t like she had something pressing to do.

At her compliance, the nurse smiled and moved off again, back to supervising the room. Tsubaki was left to approach Loki’s table, a questioning expression on her face. “Um…” She wasn’t exactly shy about meeting new people, but the stranger was already occupied and she didn’t want to be a bother if she was interrupting something important. “Do you mind some company? It’s all right if you’re busy…”

[complicatedliar]

Loki looked up sharply from the white board, though his expression went from suspicion to calm and friendly in an instant. "Of course not, please sit. A lady should not be left without a conversational companion for a meal."

He moved the white board out of the way, then used a napkin to erase what he'd been writing on it. He set the board and the markers aside.

It hadn't been anything all that interesting yet. He needed more information. And of course, the way to get more information was to talk with people. The room had filled up quite a bit without him noticing. He'd been lost a bit too deeply in thought, it seemed.

Since he was still playing the part of the courteous and courtly young man, he stood and directed a polite and precise bow at her. He'd already caught on to the fact that this was not a common greeting, but the mortals seemed to find it charming enough so far, and it went with the persona. "My name is Lingormr. And yours, lady?"

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

The gut reaction didn’t go unnoticed, but Tsubaki smiled anyway since she had been the one to intrude out of the blue. “If you’re sure it’s all right,” she said. And being referred to as a lady yet! That was very polite of him to say; she hoped his invitation wasn’t just an extension of that politeness, covering up the fact that she was causing a disruption.

She waited while he cleaned his activity up before preparing to introduce herself. “I--”

However, he was already standing up, beating her to the punch with a bow of his own. Although repeating his name didn’t sound like it would be too bad, she wasn’t at all sure how the letters went together. How did you spell that? She might have been hearing him speak in Japanese, but chances were higher that he was from somewhere else like so many prisoners were.

Whatever the case, she got a sense that Lingormr wasn’t without etiquette by a long shot; she didn’t want her introduction to come off as rude by comparison, so she made sure her bow was deep, holding her lunch bag in front of her with both hands. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Tsubaki, Nakatsukasa Tsubaki. Thank you for letting me sit here.”

[complicatedliar]

"I'm certain it's fine. The table does not belong to me," Loki said, adding a charming smile. He noted the differences in how she bowed - different culture, obviously - and the curious way she stated her name. Since normally in an introduction people tended to repeat their first name rather than family name... "Please, lady Nakatsukasa, sit." If his logic was wrong, he had little doubt she'd correct him, and then he could easily play the part of the confused man outside of his time. He smiled, waiting for her to sit before he did as well.

"I trust your day is well?" It was only polite to ask. Really, he more wanted to see if she would volunteer something that would tell him which way to direct the conversation to best effect. He could always begin asking questions, but he hated to seem overly eager.

[age-of-kings.livejournal.com]

Part of Tolten wanted, upon hearing he had a choice, to hole himself up in the music room. But he was still a bit wary of the strange instruments. And anyway, it would be a noisy room. The young king needed to think and he needed to think diligently.

He had gathered what information on last night's horrors that seemed to be had. And so now what? He couldn't not venture outside. And he wasn't about to spend his nights running for his life. Not when he knew damn well he had another option, that didn't involve running or smashing his pipe into some death bird's diseased maw.

But it wasn't really all that simple. And he didn't even have someone here he could speak to for advice! Certainly there were fine young men he counted as his friends, but this? This was...highly personal. And regarding a subject of some confusion and distress, at least to him. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with him. Other than a sheltered life and a lack of anything even remotely resembling romantic interaction with another person. If he were brutally honest with himself, the closest he had ever come to intimacy was staring sideways out of his eyes at Her Majesty's...displays.

At least he knew he hadn't disinterest in the whole business.

"This is my luck," he muttered to himself as his nurse left him in the Arts and Crafts room. He gathered up a goodly amount of his usual supplies of glitter, colored plates, paper and glue and set down with them once more. The young king muttered and mumbled under his breath as he tried to gather his thoughts.

'Terribly sorry I still can't get you a knife even though I promised' is a horrible note to have to write someone...

[For Mikado!]

[ofthemotions]

Given the choice, Mikado didn't have much thought on the matter. The woman who questioned him (a different kind of headache than the military men, that was being made clear whenever she called for him with a wrong name and a syrupy voice) tilted her head to consider, and then decided for him with a happy gleam in her eyes. He recognized that look as something close to the kind Masaomi gave before unleashing a plan, and Mikado gave up the fight before it began.

Though perhaps he should have fought harder. This room was.... The place he had met that man. The one who refused to identify himself as anything other than Claire Stanfield-- Okay, no, that was incorrect. He also identified as Vino, the Rail Tracer.... Mikado sighed heavily in memory, his headache growing larger. This place was just like Ikebukuro, in a way. There wasn't anyone here that could be defined as normal. He had learned that very, very well the past few days.

He wandered further into the room, keeping an eye out for that man. Luckily, it didn't seem like he was in here, but Mikado was distracted by another. Extremely light skin and hair. The boy hadn't seen anything like that before. Kida's attempts to be blond failed in comparison. He stared a moment, then blinked, catching his own rudeness. If he didn't saying something now, it would seem awkward. So he just had to say something. Clever or witty. "...." Anything, really. "...."

His mind kept to blank and he floundered. "Ah..." He looked frantically down at what the other was doing for inspiration. "Were you going to make a card for someone?"

...To wince a moment after. No, Mikado, this man was not five and was likely just trying to keep himself entertained. It... probably would have been better to stay silent, in the end.

[age-of-kings.livejournal.com]

What was it about this room?

Twice now Tolten had found himself suffering his own pet phobia of being looked at while he went about his notes. And not simply looked at, but the focus of someone's attention. He knew no harm was likely meant, but he hated the feel of eyes on him. It haunted him still from when he was small.

But the silence that had threatened to grow awkward when Tolten first realized he was being scrutinized was broken. And the young man who's attention he'd caught looked the very model of harmless. He was probably only looking for a kind someone to pass the hours with. Tolten understood that all too well.

"Ah...something like that," he responded, flushing slightly. He felt a bit silly, still. As though he were woefully out of fashion or out of date. So many people here had customs so unlike his own, and he worried he was making social blunder after social blunder without even realizing it!

"I...like to make things."

[ofthemotions]

The reaction to Mikado's social fail... Was something familiar. The boy frowned a beat as he attempted to place it, then blinked as he realized that this man... Acted like....

He wasn't going to think about that. He would start feeling more like an idiot then he already was. Focus on what was at hand instead. Which was to say.... Being more or less correct in a scenario Mikado wouldn't have guessed. His head tilted in surprise, and then he realized that he was now trapped on this subject. Mikado wasn't really a crafts type other than what had been made when younger, and.... Ah. Mentally rambling now. That was a good sign. He inwardly grimaced, and stepped closer to the table the other was sitting at. "O-oh? Really? That's, uh, commendable, actually. A lot of people don't make things for themselves anymore and rely on buying everything."

...That was a decent enough continuance, right? It seemed like it, at least. Mikado started in realization of a rudeness, then bowed halfway to the golden haired man. "Ah! I'm Ryuugamine Mikado. Sorry for, um. Interrupting you."

[age-of-kings.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, it's alright."

Tolten shook his head and set down the paper in his hands, immediately attempting to put the other man at ease. It was the bow! Why on earth was he bowing? Was it simply common where he came from? He wasn't acting as though he'd recognized Tolten for what he was....

"You aren't interrupting at all, really. To be perfectly honest I wasn't even paying much attention to what I was doing." His mind had been drifting, and not towards anything at all productive.

"And it's...well...it's not like that, really." He couldn't help but feel distressed inwardly. He hardly made anything for himself. He couldn't even cook for himself! Someone else did nearly everything for him. Of course he supposed he could take pride in the fact that he had never been greedy or gluttonous. He hadn't ever been one to throw money away on frivolous things, regardless of his wealthy state. He hardly bought anything, really, other than what he needed to get by.

But that was hardly here nor there. The young king forced his mind back on track, and the conversation at hand.

"Just small tokens for friends," he explained. "And I'm Tolten. Forgive me for not mentioning that first..."

Well, half of the time he was remembering to offer his name before becoming embroiled in conversation. That was...better than never.

[pullstrung.livejournal.com]

As much as he couldn't help but worry over how Jesse would adjust to this horrifying place, the nurses hadn't given Woody much of a chance to stick by him. Still, Woody had tried to use the opportunity to search for Buzz -- any sign of him at all, even -- but he'd come up empty-handed. He could understand losing track of each other after Woody blacked out for so many days (yet another thing he didn't like to think about, actually), but this was starting to worry him. Buzz's roommate had said he was still around, but then why hadn't they seen each other since then?

By the time third shift rolled around, his nurse decided to intervene again. "Oh come on, Mr. Wheeler," she gently urged as she grabbed his arm. "Let's go find you someone to talk to."

As they approached the Arts and Crafts room, Woody tried to worm his way out of her grasp. "Listen, I get what you're trying to do, really, but I--" A familiar head of hair caught his attention, though, and Woody recognized him as that kid he'd talked to before. Sora, right? With how crazy life here had gotten over the past week or so, seeing the boy alive and well was a relief.

"--I found someone, actually," he suddenly assured the nurse as he delicately pried his arm from her fingers, "so I'm fine."

The nurse's expression turned skeptical, but she didn't try to argue. Instead, she pressed his sack lunch into his hands. "All right, but make sure to eat this, okay? I don't like how you just picked at your tray during breakfast."

It was weird, having this strange woman mother over him, of all people, but Woody managed to wave her off. With that done, he approached the empty seat by Sora.

"Hey, uh--" Leaning one hand against the back of the vacant chair, he struggled with what to say for a moment. "Haven't talked to you in awhile. It's good to see you're all right, though." At least, he looked all right, and he was eating. That was always a good sign.

[lighthearted]

Sora was about halfway through his sandwich when he heard someone walking up to him, and when he turned in his seat he saw none other than Woody standing there. His eyes widened in response, since he hadn't seen much of the man since the day that Aguilar had showed up. That felt like so long ago now! Sora was pretty relieved to see that Woody, who had only been nice to him thus far, was still here.

"Yeah, it's been a while!" he agreed after he'd swallowed his bite of food. He glanced up at the man and then gestured for him to sit. "Go ahead and sit down!"

Sora couldn't help but remember how he had tried to get Woody to join Arts and Crafts. He'd never heard an answer from him after that, which probably meant that he wasn't interested, but he was still curious to know what he had been up to since then. "So, how've you been?"

Though as he thought back on their last conversation, Sora realized that he also had some good news for Woody. "Oh, and by the way -- remember how I told you about my friend before? Well, he's back now!" He hadn't expected Riku to show up again so soon, but he was definitely glad that it had turned out that way.

[pullstrung.livejournal.com]

Once Sora extended the invitation, Woody pulled out the chair and sat down beside him. "Thanks," he warmly said. "And I'm, y'know...alive, so I guess I can't complain." Well, he could complain, and part of him definitely wanted to vent about what had happened last night, but he refrained for now. To be honest, with how crazy some of the patients here were, he didn't really like the idea of going out of his comfort zone and sitting by actual people. But Sora was a good kid, even if Woody felt like he took too much responsibility onto himself. Running that club of his sounded like a lot of work, for one thing. For another, he still didn't like the idea of someone so young getting into fights at night.

That was why he was glad to hear he'd found the friend who'd gone missing before. Woody cracked a smile at the news. "Hey, no kidding? That's great!" He glanced away, his expression falling for a moment when he thought of how he still hadn't been able to talk to Buzz since his last conversation with Sora. That gnawed at him, and he couldn't do anything to shake the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

But Woody didn't want to trouble Sora with all that right then. Instead, he pulled his grilled cheese sandwich from his bag and began to carefully unwrap it. "So, how's that, uh...Arts and Crafts thing going, anyway?" he asked.

[lighthearted]

"It is! I just hope that he sticks around for good this time!" Or at least until all of them were able to escape as a team. Sora didn't know if the memory loss and brainwashing did any permanent damage, but it still bothered him that Riku had been put through it so many times. It couldn't be good. Not that he wanted to create problems that weren't there, but he couldn't help worrying a little.

What he wanted to tell himself was that the institute kept trying to convince Riku that he was someone else and that Riku kept breaking through and figuring it out. Sora was sure that his friend was strong enough to keep doing that no matter how many times they tried.

As it turned out, Woody did end up asking about the club. Sora straightened in his seat a little, wondering if the man was interested in joining after all. "It's going pretty well! I've got a few dedicated members and I've had a few more people join in the past few days, so that's nice!" Not that the number of members mattered so much, but Sora couldn't help but feel validated by it anyway. If someone joined it meant that they thought it was a good idea, right?

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Free time? Not that Claude was going to complain, but it seemed odd to have the schedule change like that the day after Martin Landel supposedly came back. Granted, he wasn't going to complain, exactly, though he couldn't help but wonder about the reasons.

At any rate, after selecting a chicken sandwich and asking to go to the Arts and Crafts room for the time being, Claude found himself in a decent enough mood. His irritation over their shortened time in the caverns had ebbed, and now he was mostly trying to find a familiar face to chat with. He'd caught sight of Anise and Guy during breakfast, which meant the two of them were at least all right.

Although, now that he thought about it, Claude was a bit anxious to find his mother. Knowing how formidable she could be in battle, he didn't doubt that she was all right. But some of the things Guy had told her during yesterday's conversation still concerned him.

With that in mind, he paused near the door and glanced around the room in search for her. If Claude didn't find her soon, he'd likely ask if he could drift from area to area until he did.

[For Ilia!]

[avengingfists.livejournal.com]

Ilia was still feeling a bit disturbed about Anise's hesitation about her going to the basement when lunch was called. Perhaps Rose, Gamzee and herself had just been lucky and encountered the easy stuff so far. But if it was true that the basement was the next step in escaping Landel's, then it had to be braved.

There was also still the possibility that whoever had first gotten the information about the basement had either lied or been lied to when it came to the whole escaping business, but there really was no other way to find out except going yourself. And that was that. Ilia wasn't the type to sit around and wait for others to find out first when she was more than qualified to see things through firsthand. That said, she did feel a little guilty pulling Rose and Gamzee into this. However, there was definitely a strength in both of those children and a determination that made Ilia fairly certain they would have eventually found the basement and gone in guns blazing. If anything, her being with them at least added another layer of protection to their team.

Guilt-free, Ilia picked up a sack lunch of grilled cheeses and scurried to a room she had visited only a day or so prior. Arts and Crafts was as mundane as any activity could get, but Ilia had always liked the arts along with the sciences. The room had a very 'art supply' scent to it, but she knew after eating enough of that pink goop that her food would taste just as well here as anywhere. Sitting at one of the work tables, Ilia used one hand to hold her still-warm sandwich and the other to move a piece of paper before her. What to draw now? Ilia was better at drawing portraits than landscapes or tinkering with abstract concepts. Still, she needed a subject or nothing would get accomplished.

Taking a bite of her sandwich Ilia sat back and thought, her eyes gazing off as she considered a number of possibilities.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, Claude didn't have to look for long. He eventually saw his mother settle down at one of the tables, her eyes apparently lost in thought as she began to eat her lunch. Seeing her in person made some of the tension in his stomach dissipate, but he was still anxious to learn what she'd been up to.

"Hi," he brightly greeted as he approached her seat. While part of him nearly just grabbed a chair and plopped down next to her, he had to remind himself that, from her perspective, she really didn't know him that well. Granted, she'd trusted him enough to tell him about the mission the military had forced her into, and Claude definitely appreciated that, but he still didn't want to encroach on her time in case she'd planned to meet someone this shift.

"Um, is it all right if I sit here?" he asked after a brief pause.

[avengingfists.livejournal.com]

Ilia's reverie was interrupted by the younger blonde's happy greeting and she looked up at him with a smile. A warm feeling washed over her as she gazed up at him, like she had just been graced with the presence of an old friend. He had become her friend, definitely. Maybe that was all there was to it. "Claude! Oh, feel free!"

She allowed Claude to take a moment to seat himself before speaking again. "It's good to see you. You look well." Better than he had the last time they had met. His hand was out of its binding and looked almost good as new already! This place sure did have a strange way of showing it cared; beating them down then healing them up. Last night's tumble with the ogres had left Ilia a bit battered, but her bruises were quite hidden by her clothing and her aches were pretty much nonexistent already.

"So, what have you been up to recently?" Talking about current happenings and plans always seemed to be the best way to open any conversation here, since so much could happen in so little time. It had only been a two days since she had last met with Claude but it felt like it had been years.

For a moment Ilia's eyes focused on Claude's brilliant blue ones. They triggered something within her and she was finally inspired by a subject for her art project. Captain. Glancing down a moment, Ilia idly began drawing perspective lines for the small portrait.

[gald_digger]

Anise left the Sun Room with a heavy feeling in her stomach. The thought of Ilia going through what she and her friends did in the Coliseum... It was almost too much to bear. Despite the growing anxiety in her mind, however, the day had to go on.

When handed a lunch bag and told to do whatever she liked, Anise decided to go for the Arts and Crafts Room. Maybe doing something fun would help her calm down. It wasn't until she sat down at a table and looked over to the shelves of supplies that she realized she wasn't in any mental shape to be doing anything fun or creative at the moment.

She spotted Claude standing around in the room, but she didn't move to approach him. Honestly, she didn't know what she wanted to do with herself just then. Maybe eating lunch would be a good start. The girl emptied the contents of her bag in front of her, and started with her chicken sandwich. As she ate, she occasionally glanced around the room with a small frown. She was vaguely hoping that she might be struck with inspiration - for a way to pass the time, or for a way to deal with the problem she was facing... but nothing came to her.

[for Badd!]

[tasteoftruth.livejournal.com]

He was going to murder that man. He'd do it right in front of everyone so they could all see what a complete and utter depraved bastard Byrne Faraday was--and they could shoot Badd afterwards, if they felt like it, because he barely cared anymore. How dare take advantage of how much Badd cared for him?

He'd...ugh. Badd picked up his sack lunch and stalked into the arts and crafts room, looking for some place he could hide himself from his homicidal urges. He needed a lollipop.

Badd caught sight of Anise and almost immediately the top layers of his rage were chipped away.

"You doing all right, kid?" he asked, coming up next to her. As all right as could be expected in a place like this. He was still very amazed that she had endured here longer than he had.

[gald_digger]

Unfortunately for Anise, all efforts to get her mind off of Ilia went out the window just as the woman herself walked in the door, then took a seat at a different table. Anise watched, uneasy, as Claude went to join her. She was too far to hear what they were saying, but... maybe Claude was going to help dissuade her, too. Maybe he could do it...

She was so engrossed in staring and straining her ears to eavesdrop that the sound of a voice beside her nearly made her jump. "Oh!" Turning to look at the source, she saw it was that Badd guy from the other day. "It's you!"

With the question he asked, Anise supposed he might have seen her troubled look. Not wanting to make the man worry, she quickly put on a bright (mostly fake) smile. "Um, yeah! I'm totally, completely fine! Never better. How about you? -- Oh, do you want to sit down?"

[savagestray.livejournal.com]

Heine wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten to the little round table full of crayons and brightly colored paper. He remembered getting body-slammed by about three of the large nurse-things, but that's where things started to get fuzzy. He was sure he'd been pissed off about something. But what it was or why, he couldn't quite connect.

As he reached for the lunch they'd given him- wow he was really fuckin' hungry- he noticed for the first time the brace around his wrist and hand. The hell was that doing there? For a few minutes he stared at the thing in silent annoyed disbelief. He didn't get hurt. He didn't need bandages. But the thing was on him. And it kind of did hurt when he tried to move his hand.

Thinking was a pain in the ass, he decided, managing to grip the juice box anyway and get the straw in his mouth after two failed attempts. This was not right. Juice boxes should not be this difficult. He set the thing down, only spilling a few drops, and proceeded to stare it down, growling out a mean string of curses as he glared pointedly at the happy apple on the box's cardboard exterior.

"..think-yer-a-tough-little-shit-doncha-stupid-fuckin-apple-bitch-your-mo-"

[Badou and Allelujah!]

[strayfag]

Badou's nurse was getting irritated with him and Badou, whose heart was was normally vast and deep as a thousand oceans, gave not a single fuck. He'd slept through second shift, so it was important to stretch his legs by having her take him to every available room for five minutes at a time. It was really a matter of looking after his health, which she was responsible for, and wasn't she glad she'd done all those semesters in nursing now?

Like the champion he was, he'd worn out her tolerance entirely by the time she started leading him to arts & crafts, but there was still no sign of Heine or Alle. The tense silence from his nurse gave him plenty of uninterrupted time to look, but when he finally caught sight of a familiar face in the hallway, relief flashed briefly before he called out.

"Alle," Badou reached for his arm, fully intending to drag him along on his trip to the arts & crafts room. "Got a minute?"

He'd wanted to talk to Alle about last night anyway. Once inside, however, he spotted his darling partner-tan, so of course he had to skip over so they could embrace lovingly, even if Heine was busy staring soulfully into his juice box and whispering endearments.

"You can meet my..." Wait. Wait, what the hell Heine. Apple bitch? "My partner."

"Bro," He added, addressing Heine. "I'm putting the juice in time out, ok, stop talking to it." He scooted the box away a little with the back of his hand. "Guess you're too drugged up for introductions. Why'd you go and get your stupid ass sedated first thing in the morning? And what'd you do to your arm?"

It was more surprising considering the power restoration last night. Sure, Badou was sporting a bandage across half his face and more wrapped halfway up each of his arms, but he wasn't the guy with the magical spine and healing powers.

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

"A-ah, Badou?" Allelujah could easily have broken Badou's grip on his arm if he'd wanted to, but really, the surprise of being grabbed and dargged by his friend was enough to keep him from fighting it. Not wanting to get sedated probably helped too, and so he allowed Badou to guide him towards the arts and crafts room.

Badou took them over towards a white-haired man who looked to be having a staring match with a box of fruit juice. Really, what had the juice ever done to him?

He looked completely out of it.

"Pleased to meet you," Allelujah said awkwardly, not entirely sure what to make of this meeting.

[savagestray.livejournal.com]

Heine was just about to rip the juice box's paper stupid-ass mascot into as many pieces as he could manage when it started moving away. Once again, his body seemed to fail him as his hand wasn't fast enough to crush the little shit before he made his escape. He turned, recognizing the box's savior immediately. Fuckin' traitor.

The man's words registered in a vague sort of way. Why he'd been sedated, he definitely knew that one. For biting one of the male nurses and breaking the other one's face. Yeah, that was probably it. Why did Badou have to talk so fast?

"Nothing," he insisted firmly, managing a rather painful one-finger-salute with said broken hand. Piece of shit body needed to get its fuckin' act together. "S'fine, see?"

He looked the other person over, managing to at least keep his eyes focused. What the hell did they want him to do? Stand up and dance? He looked a little quizzically from one to the other. It wasn't the first time the other had him meet new people. And despite the medication he cared about as much then as he did now. Though he did want to ask why the fuck Badou looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a wild toaster oven- They were probably in league with the juice boxes... - but all he could manage was a mostly coherent, "whadja do dipshiiiii...t?"