damned_institute | Day 60: Arts and Crafts (Third Shift)

Entry tags:

Day 60: Arts and Crafts (Third Shift)

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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.

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.

When she gave the green light, Claude settled down in the chair next to her with a grin. "Thanks." As surreal as it felt to talk to a younger version of his mother, he could appreciate the fact she seemed to be in good spirits. Maybe that meant nothing horrible had happened since the night she'd been sent on that mission. He could only hope, at least.

"And I haven't been up to a whole lot," he admitted. Which...well, wasn't entirely true, so he clarified. "My hand's a lot better, but it's been hard to get stuff done the past couple of nights." His mother would probably be able to get an idea of why without him having to spell it out. Last night alone had been hectic enough, and that was without taking into account the drug trials from the night before, and Okita's apparent death the night before that. Of course, there was no way he was going to tell Mom about that. She'd only worry, and she probably had enough on her plate to deal with.

His gaze followed her hands as she began to sketch something out on paper, but Claude didn't let his curiosity derail the conversation just yet. "What about you?" he asked.

"I understand." His hand injury had required quite a fancy bandage the last time she had seen him. It wasn't hard to tell that would have been quite a handicap on him even without the increase of institute creatures from the night before. "At least it looks like you'll have better luck tonight, given the nice recovery."

Ilia hesitated a moment, taking another bite of her sandwich to stall for time. Talking with Anise about her excursion last night had not produced the result she had expected. She didn't want to distress anyone else, but lying didn't seem like the right route either.

Swallowing, Ilia decided to just be honest. Claude was older than Anise. He could probably handle her news objectively. "Oh, I did a lot of legwork yesterday. Made it to that basement. Getting that sword and shield was a piece of cake!"

That last statement was said with a little more enthusiasm than necessary, but she wanted Claude to understand that she hadn't been in any danger. Well, technically she had been in relatively grave danger twice, but she and the kids had come out relatively unscathed thanks to their experience. There was no need for him to worry needlessly about what had already come to pass after all.

"Better luck tonight" entirely depended on what happened in the institute and whether that ferryman would cooperate with them, but Claude decided not to point that out. "I sure hope so," he muttered before taking a bite of his sandwich.

There was a pause as they chewed on their food. But then Mom finally answered his question, and her words felt like a punch to the gut. Claude nearly choked on his lunch, the color draining from his face as he just stared at Ilia with wide-eyed shock.

Getting that sword and shield was a...

"Piece of cake?" he blurted a little louder than he'd intended. "Y-you already got both?!"

The sudden paling of her companion caused Ilia to abandon her art project completely for the time being. Claude looked almost like he was in pain from what she had said.

"Yeah..." Ilia's tone became guarded and she set down her sandwich. "Is that a problem?"

She had hoped to avoid this kind of situation with Claude, but it looked like there was no helping it. Ilia was growing frustrated again. Why did everyone seem to blanch when she was actually making good progress here? Was it really all that bad?

"Claude, what is really bothering you about this?"

One of Claude's hands tightened into a fist. "The basement is a dangerous place," he insisted. Of course, he knew his mother, and realized this wasn't necessarily a deterrent for someone as brave and adventurous as herself. Shaking his head, he continued. "Look, I know you're perfectly capable of taking of yourself -- trust me, I get it. But you don't understand! There's--it's--!"

But the words stuck in his throat, no matter how much he tried to form them on his lips. Powerless, he lowered his gaze, fighting to suppress the sudden wave of frustration that engulfed him every time he tried to warn someone about the perils waiting for them in the coliseum. Except, this time felt worse because this woman was his family, and she didn't even know it.

"Dammit," he hissed, running a hand through his hair. "The institute won't let me talk about it. It won't let anyone talk about it to someone who doesn't know. But I promise you I'm not exaggerating when I say it's horrible. Don't go down there, please."

"You mean you literally cannot talk about it?" That was surprising but not completely unreasonable given the power this place held over them. If whatever power that reigned over this place could swipe them up from anywhere in the institute and deposit them in their beds as soon as dawn hit, then keeping them quite about specific topics would be as acceptable as rain in spring. And now Ilia felt a little bad about pushing Anise that morning. The girl might have wanted to explain more about the situation but with the block in place it just wasn't possible for her.

"I understand it's dangerous and you're worried, Claude, but..." Ilia bit her bottom lip. Now she felt stupid and reckless, like some beginning trainee at boot camp. And what was worse, she had gotten children involved.

"I kind of... actually, I kind of led a few kids along with me." Ilia ground out the words through her teeth. They were pretty painful to say, but she wasn't going to lie about it to Claude. "And when I say 'kids,' I mean they're like thirteen or something. I though that since the basement was the only clue people had to escaping this place that it wouldn't be a problem having them tag along. I mean, that would mean they would escape quicker, right?"

"If I leave their group now, I can't guarantee they won't try to go further on their own and I can't just abandon them." Dammit. What was she going to do now?

"Kids?" Claude echoed, his fist clenched against his knee. Come to think of it, one of the reasons his mother had gone through with the assassination mission had been to protect a young girl, right? He couldn't exactly blame her for sticking with two children who wanted to explore the basement. And judging by how capable they must have been to help his mom win both the sword and shield without getting left in the dust, it was very well possible they'd decide to go on their own if she backed out now.

It also meant that, if a coliseum battle did take place, his mother would likely be the one to sacrifice herself for the sake of the young civilians with her.

The thought made his eyes sting with unshed tears. Damn, he couldn't just stand back and let her do this, could he?

But what else could he do short of physically blocking their path every night? She had a point about the basement being their only clue so far, and Claude couldn't exactly say it was a dead end as long as he had the caverns to explore. If, by some miracle, they did discover an escape, he couldn't keep it to himself, either.

"And, no, I...really can't talk about it," he clarified, his voice a little tighter than normal.

In the end, he was at a loss for what else to say. Gaze drifting toward the table, Claude lapsed into a heavy silence.

Edited 2011-12-21 00:46 (UTC)

"Yeah," she admitted, knowing that wouldn't make it any easier on Claude to accept. She forced a smile and a laugh. "Well, running head-first into danger is kinda what I do. Captain, that is, Captain Kenny, always had this policy of nothing ventured, nothing gained."

She didn't expect her ambitious endeavor to wind up nearly as dangerous as she thought. Rose and Gamzee were capable and strong. They were just progressing to the next level, working to find a way out of this place.

"I'm sorry, Claude. I just can't..." She sighed again, shaking her head. "Backing out isn't an option at this point."

She reached over and attempted to pat the back of his hand. She wanted to give him at least a little comfort if she could. "Tell you what. I promised Anise already that I would post a message on the bulletin before I go to breakfast tomorrow. You'll see. I'll be fine."

Even though his mother was only trying to help him feel better, the reminder of Dad only made Claude's chest ache all the more. She had no idea that he'd already come and gone through this place, having met an unknown fate like so many others who'd disappeared before him. What was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to keep her from going away too?

In light of all the uncertainty, her assurances felt hollow to Claude. She had no way of knowing whether she'd be able to post a message tomorrow if she made it to the coliseum. But Claude couldn't outright tell her that, either.

Instead, he sighed and gave a small nod. "I'll...be keeping an eye out for it, then."

He didn't seem fully convinced yet, but Ilia couldn't blame him. He understood this place better than she did. He knew the real dangers even if he couldn't talk about them. It must really hurt.

She gave his hand a small squeeze then pulled back. She took a bite of her sandwich and forced it down, though it had lost its flavor a bit due to drop in the mood. Claude also wasn't eating, but that just wouldn't do.

"Eat, Claude. You need your strength," she said encouragingly. It felt natural to encourage him in the smallest of ways. She didn't want to come across as pushy, just logical, though there was definitely something... deeper than that. Ilia couldn't quite place it, but something different was definitely there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 60: Arts and Crafts (Third 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

no subject