Day 60: Music Room (Fourth Shift)

[norainu]

It wasn't often that Renji felt less like punching people in general as his day wore on. This was a new experience for him. A not unwelcome one, if he was being honest. And the fact that he felt less like punching Fai? Kind of mind-blowing. The sort of thing Zen masters would probably use as a kouan to reach an all-new level of non-punching enlightenment.

So he was back from the dead, almost everyone he'd known was gone, and yet bizarrely his day felt like it was looking up. Kind of. Renji wasn't sure what to make of this. Maybe his grumpy meter was just nearing empty. That was as good an explanation as the next, considering how this place made him feel.

Whatever the reason, he ended up in the music room. And he remembered oh yeah. He'd always kind of hated this damn shift. He grabbed a little book of music and a drum and retreated quickly to the far end of the room. He put the drum down in front of him just so he looked like he was doing something and opened the book. But he had no idea how to read music, and really, he was more interested in the ongoing puzzle of what the hell had happened in the last four weeks.

And brooding. Of course. There was always brooding to be done.

[Okay Tolten, let me lay it out for you. When there's a mommy and a daddy... or sometimes a daddy and a dadddy. Or, hell, sometimes a mommy and a mommy if you buy the right kind of wood cuts (and a third mommy if you go to just the right shop)... but anyway when they love each other very much, or at least a suitably large amount of money changes hands, there are some things that happen...]

Comments

[gald_digger]

Anise wasn't quite back in high spirits when the fourth shift rolled around. And how could she be? No amount of positive thinking could make it easier to face the thought of a friend facing certain death, and for Anise to know it was coming, yet she still couldn't do anything to stop it...

Maybe another distraction was in order.

The girl entered the music room: a place that was bound to get noisy enough to drown out some of the thoughts nagging at her within her mind.

Actually, Anise had always wanted to learn some kind of musical talent, but never had the time or money. It seemed to be a common hobby for noblewomen, though. Maybe rich guys were really into girls who could perform music. All the more reason for Anise to give it a try! After looking over the various instruments, she selected a flute, which seemed small and cute enough to suit her.

Bringing that and a beginner's book over to a chair and stand, she sat down and began her lessons. She carefully matched her fingers to the book's illustrations, blew gently, and... there! Her first note! She repeated the process with a few other notes, then began to practice a short tune suggested by the book.

C D E. C D E.

She fumbled at the last note, then tried again.

C D E. C D E. C D E D. D E C.

Well, that wasn't so hard. Maybe it wouldn't be so long until she was playing like a pro!

[free! and please handwave any failings in the player's musical knowledge]

[promisedawhale.livejournal.com]

Ah the music room. The place had always been his favorite of the institute, ever since he'd first entered and found the piano awaiting him. Since that time he'd stolen that very piano and stuffed it into a closet, only to have another appear the next day as though the event had never happened. He still had thoughts of a repeat performance, if only to have a better way of cheering up his roommate the next time Michelangelo needed a song, but for the moment, he was content just to be in the room.

He saw that the piano was free as he entered, and he was just about to reach it when he heard the sounds of someone playing a member of the wind family. Not particularly well - a beginner's sound by all means - but enough effort to garner his attention. When he found the source was a young woman, Brook couldn't help but smile. It was always nice to see such a young person trying out music, even with such a simple song.

"Not bad at all," he exclaimed suddenly, compelled to leave the piano for another time so that he could turn to compliment the young miss. "Is it your first time playing?"

[age-of-kings.livejournal.com]

"Oh, bless the great ancestor!"

Tolten didn't mean to speak out loud, but he was thankful to where his rather kind nurse brought him. Perhaps this time he could actually....

Yes. He was one of the first ones here, he would actually be able to get his hands on an instrument. He saw Anise and smiled and inclined his head in her direction, but the young king was not deterred from heading straight to the instruments. All of the instruments were on the small side, and not complex in the least, but there had to be something with strings....

Or close enough. Whatever it was it wasn't quite a harp and not quite a lyre. But it had strings and fit in his hand, that was enough. He settled into a seat not terribly far from a crimson haired man not-playing a drum. Must have had an unpleasant night, though who hadn't? Tolten frowned with his fingers over the strings - not nearly enough - and settled on something light and pretty. Who needed dirges or laments sung when they were living them? Something spring-ish and sprightly was best, the sort of thing they played at spring gathering festivals. It wasn't terribly complex, but it had been months since Tolten played. Something simple to focus his mind and put him at ease to begin with.

At least here was something he was skilled at!

[I am dying over here, btw.]

[norainu]

It never ceased to amaze him that there were people who actually tried to play the instruments. And it was even more amazing that some of them didn't suck horribly. Like the guy that had taken a seat pretty near him. The kid seemed to actually know how to play, which Renji could appreciate. He was no great connoisseur of music, but it was nice when someone didn't keep hitting sour notes or whatever.

After a minute Renji gave the kid a nod, just as a sort of thank you for not raping his ears. The music was completely unfamiliar to him, but it wasn't bad. And hey, at least it was good that someone was kind of enjoying himself.

[hes-deadjim.livejournal.com]

The conversation with Spock ended up somewhat illuminating if unsettling. Spock admitted in one breath that a forced mind meld was a terrible thing, or as close as Spock got to using the word "terrible". In the next breath, he admitted there were possible times when it was perfectly okay to use it. McCoy heard him perfectly fine, needs of the many, all other avenues failed, intellectually he knew Spock had a point. Everything else in him shouted that it never was acceptable.

So he had that other Spock, the one who had no problems forcing his way into another's mind, and now this Spock going on about maybe here being a logical reason to use it. Like hell there was.

Lord. McCoy wanted to believe his Spock wasn't capable of doing the same. much less arguing in its favor, but if pig's had wings, Spock would never sit permanently on the fence. The doctor wandered the room, touching the instruments and devices before moving on. Something to give his hands and mind something to do before he went back to the conversation. He hadn't even gotten around to apologizing to Spock yet.

He looked to the door. Where the devil was Jim and Uhura?

[doneinthree]

Kirk trekked in from the courtyard, straight through the cafeteria (a quick search, mostly empty) and into the Sun Room, where he realized that free choice days meant it was going to take extra work to track down his second crew member. He tried not to focus too hard on the fact that "second" also meant "last" in this case, or what a sad count that was for a captain's crew. Whatever. Two was plenty. It wasn't as if they'd be operating a starship any time soon, right? "Hilarious," Kirk muttered, then made himself smile anyway, because they hadn't taken that away from him yet.

Anyway, there was nothing to do but try all the rooms. He turned for the first on his right, and made a circuit along the doors in the Sun Room. Bathroom, Arts & Crafts, Library — he was almost certain this would be the one, but nope. At the doorway of the Game Room, Kirk considered it might be more productive to just ask a nurse where Bones might be, but in some obscure way that felt too much like admitting defeat.

It was for inane reasons like these that people thought he was too hardheaded, he knew. Good.

And as luck would have it, the next room on his list also held said mislaid doctor. Kirk's smile widened into a grin as he headed for Bones. "What are you doing here?" He picked up a nearby pair of cymbals — flimsy brass, child-sized, edges too blunt to make an effective weapon — and struck them together to produce a surprisingly pure-sounding clang. "I would've thought the noise would aggravate your head."

[toxicspiderman]

There were lots of noises more irritating than a teenaged girl learning how to play a flute. Like anything by Whitney Houston. Still, she'd either figured out volume or didn't have the lung capacity for eardrum rupture, so a set of headphones would drown her out.

He claimed a couch and a Walkman and something with spiky letters and a half-naked girl with big tits and bigger hair, which looked promising. Except that either classical musicians had finally realized it was the twentieth -- or twenty-first -- century, and that sex could sell string quartets as well as it sold hack guitarists with three power chords to their name and a pretty face.

Whatever. He pulled out the headphones and started flipping through the albums. If he actually cared about music, he could have charted the fashion against the occurrence of certain key songwriting phrases, like love and ass and power and come up with a unified theory of the next two decades in America. But that sounded like work, and not his field. Instead he just flipped through them, looking for something that would blow his mind out of this place for a few minutes.

[free!]

[threepwood]

Despite the regime change and the return of the nurses insisting the patients relax and recuperate, Guybrush couldn't settle down. His back ached from the cuts across it, the bandages around his torso keeping it stiff, the stitching on the wounds pulling at his skin when he moved too much; however, most prominent was his blood boiling and his mind turning, the night's events having played in his head all day.

Inspector Javert was dead. Really dead. Not "comedically fell off a cliff to make a triumphant, last-minute return" dead. There was no chance he'd reappear with a few scrapes or a wound that wasn't as fatal as it looked. He was far too dead for that, and as much as Guybrush thought about asking the Voodoo Doctor about bringing him back as a zombie, he knew that would require ingredients he didn't have, a skill with putting together bodies he wasn't sure he wanted to learn, a stomach he wasn't born with to endure using said skill, and a lack of morality even the Mighty Pirate™ didn't possess. Javert may have been an officer of the law, but he had an undeniable amount of respect for the late inspector. Tarnishing that would be below even his standards.

Having spent most of his day pacing around the Sun Room, Guybrush was fully prepared to head to the Music Room when the announcements said so; however, his nurse stopped him at the door. "Now now, Mr. Moriarty. Don't you think you should stay out here and relax?"

"Relax?" Guybrush asked incredulously. "I've been out here all day! Do you see me relaxing yet?"

"No, but I know how worked up you can get when you're in the Music Room. Don't you remember that argument you had in there?"

Guybrush blinked, vaguely recalling that event. "Barely?"

"I do, and I think it'd be best if you try to calm down out here for now. I'm only considering what's best for your health." She paused. "But... I suppose you have been pacing a lot out here today. Perhaps sitting down to one of the keyboards would help you relax. Or maybe you should try making friends with Mr. Quincy over there? I'll bet can help you find a tune to calm your nerves if you just ask."

With that, she turned him around and sent him into the Music Room. He pushed an irritable snort through him, giving his nurse a dirty look as he headed in, only to start pacing around the same way he'd been doing all day long. After receiving a sore glare from his nurse, he did wind up near the aforementioned Mr. Quincy.

"Got anything that calms the nerves and makes me not want to rebel against the nurses?" he asked.

[lighthearted]

Even though the schedule for their shifts seemed to be the same from week to week, it wasn't like Sora kept track. For that reason he was glad that he didn't end up picking a room for the free choice shift only to end up going there later on in the day. Instead, he was escorted from Arts and Crafts into the Music Room, which was fine by him.

These days when he came here he was almost always reminded of that day when he'd tried to get a band going with Scott, Venom, Roxas, and the others. It hadn't really worked out as well as they'd hoped and Sora had never heard another mention of it, but he couldn't help but be curious. If he ever ran into Scott again he'd have to ask about it.

he couldn't help but smile when he caught sight of Renji speaking with someone, though he decided to leave the man alone. He'd already taken up enough of his time at breakfast this morning, but he was still marveling over the fact that he was really back. Instead of going up to Renji, though, Sora started to wander around, wondering if he should listen to some music on those "CD players" or if he should give a try at playing an instrument.

He should probably spare people's ears, though.

[For Chipp.]

oh my god i'm so sorry for being late LOL

[zanuff]

"Do you understand, Robert?"

"I'm not Robert! Stop calling me that!"

After his misadventures with the weird rainbow-haired Gear girl in the rec field, Chipp had spent the majority of his afternoon being yelled at by one of the zombie nurses about how to behave properly in front of other patients and how he has to be aware that being bigger then most of the other patients meant he could easily hurt them. Naturally, her whole speech went over the ninja's head for many reasons: 1) He wasn't trying to hurt the Gear girl, who could probably level half the Institute with her powers and 2) She didn't know anything about Japan and that was unforgivable! How could she not know about Japan?!

There was also the fact that Chipp, thanks to Venom, had the idea in his head that the nurse was a zombie and was constantly trying to shuffle away from her lest she decide to eat his flesh. This resulting in a strange walk to the Music Room after Chipp had mostly calmed down, though the nurse didn't let him go without more stern warnings.

"Remember, Robert, you're a lot bigger then the other patients and you can hurt them easily, even if you don't mean to. Please be careful next time."

"Are you saying I'm an asshole who goes around hurting people for fun?" Chipp scowled, watching the nurse wander to the corner with a wary eye on him. Shit, this was so damn annoying. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone... besides, that girl was a Gear, wasn't she? It would have taken a hell of a lot more then just pushing her on the ground to hurt her. Why wasn't she getting this lecture? ... Come to think of it, why was a Gear still hanging around here when the military left already?

If it weren't for the fact that Chipp spotted Sora hanging out in the corner, he might have spent the whole shift brooding and looking for the Gear girl for Round 2. Instead, he quickly made his way to where the smaller boy was, feeling great relief that Sora made it out alright last night. Well, he didn't exactly make it out, but still.

"Hey, Sora!" He waved, wasting no time in catching the boy's attention. "Glad to see you're alright."

[dualistic]

Having caught up with Scott and Sangamon, Harvey realized that the only person he hadn't talked to since the coliseum was Peter. There was probably a good reason for that. If anyone had reason to avoid the rest of them, it was that kid. Still, he'd apparently gotten into a fight with Scott if nothing else, and Harvey was sure that Peter had met up with Jones by now, so...

Well, he wasn't going to take it personally or anything. He and Peter weren't exactly close. Not that he was close to Scott or Sangamon, either, but --

And Depth Charge wasn't even on his radar.

It wasn't worth dwelling on and he'd been keeping an eye out for Scott's bulletin note so that they could figure out their next move. There wasn't much else he could do, so he went ahead and let the nurses herd him into the next room. Which happened to be one of his least favorite. The sound of a flute being played badly hit him first, but it was soon followed by the notes of a string instrument and then a tune on the piano.

It wouldn't have been so bad if one person had been playing an instrument well, but the combination of everything echoing through the room was tantamount to torture. Harvey started to move toward a corner of the room, holding his good ear with one hand.

[For Ema.]

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

The cacophony of the 'music' had Ema similarly retreating for the far corner of the Music Room. After taking advantage of the free-roaming lunch to curl up and eat by herself, Ema's nurse had decided that social activity was not optional this afternoon. While the opportunity to be alone and sort through her own thoughts and emotions had been nice (and needed, after the events of last night and the words of comfort she'd received int he morning), she wasn't entirely sure if the punishment that followed made the solitude worth it. After all, the noise was unpleasant to the average ear; with her enhanced hearing, it was practically unbearable.

She could feel a headache coming on. Even putting her hands over her ears wasn't enough to block the noise out.

In her retreat further into the room, Ema realized she wasn't alone in her displeasure at the entertainment offered; Mr. Dent was there and trying to block the noise out as well, from the look of it. She felt for him, only being able to cover one ear. With a strained smile, she greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Dent!"

A pause.

"Do you think maybe we can talk the nurses into letting us back into the Sun Room?"

[freewill]

For once during his time in this place, Castiel had been able to form a plan and carry it out. It was only in its beginning stages, but that didn't defeat the fact that he had written out a description of what he had experienced last night and passed it on to someone else. Kratos had mentioned that he would do what he could to keep sharing it with others, and in theory if that continued, then the information would be properly disseminated.

Castiel was holding his journal in the crook of his arm as he entered the Music Room. The humans here were showing different levels of talent, though all of them had capabilities beyond his own. Angels did not spend time learning how to create music, although their voices could be known to be melodic at times.

Their singing, if it could be called that, was far different from anything produced on Earth, though Castiel knew a few hymns. Now was hardly the time for that, though. If anything, he would prefer to find someone else who would be interested in reading his account of what he had witnessed. Thus far, there was no one here who he recognized, and he wasn't certain that he wanted to walk up to someone at random and assume that they would be trustworthy.

For that reason he turned back toward the door, keeping an eye out for anyone he knew, even if they'd only spoken once. It would be just as well if Sam or Dean walked through, of course.

[For Renamon.]

[diamondstorm]

She was informed that as she normally defaulted to the sun room when given an option, she wouldn't be given one today. To this, Renamon only firmly and quietly began to miss the military. At the very least, one was spoken to if they were more than a child. The Digimon moved into the room she was presented with, and looked around dryly. If this shift could at least be useful, then it would not be considered a waste.

So it was that she caught the appearance of the angel--or man, possibly. Renamon had half-thought if Castiel believed he was Michael, then he would be gone the next day--seeing him here, then, made her wonder which persona he was currently using. She approached him to discern this, stopped in front of him to bow her head. Her normal greeting consisted of the person's name, but as she couldn't know which he was using she would have to speak otherwise. "Afternoon," she said quietly, watching him. "How are you doing?"

[nobleman]

Guy wasn't sure that he had done much to help Luke's spirits when it came to this place, but he also wasn't going to let himself worry too much about him. So long as Luke was healthy and able to put one foot in front of the other, he was probably going to be fine.

The good thing was that because they weren't on Auldrant, it wasn't as if Luke felt like it was his destiny to sacrifice himself for some greater good. At least, Guy hoped not. His power as a replica wouldn't have much effect on anything here, which meant that all he had to rely on was his own determination and his skill with a sword.

Thus far, Guy had been getting by with those two things. It wasn't always easy, but Luke being here added one more person to their ranks.

Guy would have been happy to spend the rest of the day at his friend's side, but the staff wasn't going to stand for that. In the end, he was distracted by the fact that they were going to the Music Room next. Seeing how this was probably his favorite place to go after the Game Room, it wasn't long before he was getting sucked into the electronics that were on display.

[For Sai.]

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

Sai allowed his nurse to lead him into the music room. Honestly, he didn't really care where he was sent now that he'd gotten speaking with Sakura out of the way. It might still be worth it to approach Sasuke, but some part of him was avoiding that particular conversation. He knew he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The nurse was going on about how he needed to talk with other patients more, but he wasn't really listening. She would lead him to someone as usual and he'd spend the rest of the shift either sitting quietly or conversing with that person. That was how it went in situations like this one and he was fine with it.

Then he recognized a familiar blond and used that as an excuse to avoid awkward conversations with someone completely new. The woman was just pleased that he'd come to a decision on his own. He made his way over carefully, easing himself into a chair once he was close enough. "Good afternoon, Guy-san."

[hasnomeaning]

Nothing had given itself to change. And yet everything had. In the interterm of time’s passing, life had continued to move. As she had known it would. For she was but an outside participant, an observer in place to bear witness to the rotations of the earth. There was little more to categorize it as. She could not think of anything else.

It had even shifted backwards in her period of oblivion traced to nothingness. The military had dispersed and the hospital had regained itself, and she was left to wonder if the military had been dreamed. Except that Ayanami did not dream, not as others did, and for that she was left with the complete and total truth of the matter. Things had changed, and she did not know if she could define them as better or worse.

She had not expected to be told others thought she had been released. She had not expected to lose three days and counting, to have slept as if she were dead. She had not expected to have woken with few recognized in her surroundings, and more to the point--

Rei Ayanami did not expect that she would regain consciousness to find that three she knew were gone.

No, it was not yet known. Not yet a guaranteed fact, but it existed just the same. Ikari was gone. The Second as well. And Kaworu Nagisa. All three gone without a trace, and she knew it for she had watched and waited, and none had appeared. She knew it because the faltering connection held between her and the supposed Fifth had vanished, and Ikari….

Ikari was not here. This, Rei knew well.

So it was that she found herself alone. Even in solitude, there lacked a degree of change, and even in this place, things remained the same. The scar on her neck, the memories of the two entry plugs used in ways they shouldn’t have been. No. Nothing had changed, but. She found herself alone, and it was new to her. Still, it was not something that she should find as strange. She had existed in solitude, and this was but the same.

Except for the fact that she had known bonds, and now they were gone from her.

Should she hold a hopelessness within her for that fact? There had been little show of progress before, and yet, that was due to her and not to them. Would she be able to adjust that herself? The military had been a comfort, a way to allow her to move within bounds rather than freely. Would she be able to place herself anew and push forward in this? Or was it that she should merely give in, allow everything to happen as it would? A possibility yet undenied. It still existed as an option, if in the end, there was nothing to succeed in.

She would be replaced. It was a comfort and a curse. If she failed, here, or at NERV, she would simply be replaced. And her presence would be forgotten, the space left unmissed, and things would move as if she had never been.

There was peace in that, but it was also quietly questioned. Would she be forgotten by that girl as well? Would Aigis forget her face in Rei passed into time and memory? Or would Ayanami be missed, and held as something to be remembered?

It was a fluttering thing, the fact of hope. Strange and shifting, she held a hand to her chest and considered.

[ hay gurlfriend ]

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

[hei yurself~]

Aigis had little knowledge of music. The closest she had really come to understanding it had been her knowledge that Minato had liked music. He always had his headphones on his person even if they were not placed over his ears. Curious, she opted to go with the institute's planned activity rather than seeking to lose herself in the passage of time in the sun room.

She took a moment to get her barrings and was wondering where she ought to start browsing when a familiar face caught her eye. Rei.

No, she should be gone now. She was gone before, taken away by the institute if the one who had responded to her note was to be believed. She didn't doubt that response. Rei had not been seen for several days now, and she had failed to leave a trace of herself on the bulletin. The only conclusion that Aigis could come to was that her friend had been returned to her.

"Ayanami-san..." Aigis' greeting was almost breathless in delight. She reached out, wanting to take her friend's hand, but not sure if that was permissible she drew it back before she quite reached Rei's side.

Aigis hovered maybe a bit closer than the acceptable norm, but human interactions were still somewhat foreign to her. Especially when something threw her off and made her forget her manners. Finally, she smiled, satisfied. "You have returned."

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

Compared to his first meeting with Renji, last shift had been downright pleasant. While it'd been a little awkward at first, eventually the conversation had gotten friendly and relaxed and he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it.

I think I get why she liked you so much.

The comment was a kind word and a cold memory all at once. Rukia wasn't here. Or rather, she could be here, but they'd no way of knowing where or how to reach her. Was she sleeping in one of those glass tubes like Sakura? Or had she gone "home" to the life this place created for her?

Yuuhi followed his nurse along once the shift had ended, thoughts heavy as usual. He wasn't sure what to make of things, but if the doctor was suggesting they go to the music room, he would go there. It was the closest he could hope to get to finding an answer about the princess' whereabouts. Renji was already there, surprisingly, and while he wasn't sure if the man was watching or not, he threw a smile and a wave in that direction and found his own seat. The piano was taken and he wasn't sure he wanted to subject anyone to his attempts at anything else. An empty chair was good enough.

[Tsubaki!]

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_{[Finallyyyy.]}

One of the skills that went with ninja training was being able to track a target; even if Tsubaki wasn’t the most skilled fighter in her own right, she could at least do that. Seeing Fai’s tall form headed into the Music Room was encouragement enough to keep her skills sharp.

As far as Tsubaki had ascertained, Fai wasn’t an antagonistic person, but he did seem to avoid close company at times. Everything she and Fai had been through together did complicate things, and it remained to be seen if he would welcome her company after yesterday’s communication meltdown. Even so, she was determined to give talking a shot. And hopefully it wouldn’t end with him walking away too soon. Maybe Kurogane and Fai’s earlier conversation had helped smooth things over? She could be optimistic.

Coming up behind his chair, Tsubaki folded her hands behind her back and leaned over into his field of vision. “Hello, Fai-san. Is this a bad time?"

[a_sin_for_him]

Good god, were they children?

Lust scowled slightly as she found herself ushered into the 'music room'. She had never been a child herself, and at the moment she was glad. She would have preferred to be left in the library. Not that it offered anything of great use, only subtle confusion and an unpleasant inkling that Guy had been correct after all.

Having no interest in the making of music whatsoever, Lust removed herself to the quieter side of the room. The woman who hovered about her had mentioned listening to recordings, and she assumed those were the devices with headphones. They were, however, not entirely what she was familiar with.

"How odd," she muttered, plucking one of the cheap looking little machines to peer down at it. She sat, her body inclined in interest and her hair falling over her shoulders and around her face. It wasn't as interesting as books, but it was something.

[For L!]

[ryuuzaki]

It had been easy for L to spend half the day sitting in a chair in the Sun Room; to get up only to acquire a bagged lunch, then to immediately return and fold himself back into the armchair. The availability of waffles and the general lack of hallucinations and gore had made eating a hearty breakfast less a decision than an inevitability. But afterward, he'd read the bulletin board.

The weight of the sinking feeling that came with reading the news of Javert's death surprised him. Maybe it shouldn't have... he'd had a similar experience two days earlier when the same news had been delivered about Jones, someone he knew a little better. However, Javert had been invaluable in terms of information, whereas Jones seemed like more of a man of action. Getting out of this place would require as much of both elements as they could muster, applied with infinite care, but the restoration of a seemingly dead person to life was, in L's experience of the Institute, more of the exception than the rule. It seemed unlikely that Javert would be coming back.

His thoughts raced on, so much that he was almost indifferent to the changes in lunch. He might have been indifferent anyway: most of the dishes that had been served at mid-day since his abduction didn't appeal to him, and before Aguilar's brief ascent, he had supplemented them with large portions of fruit salad. He might have been displeased at the removal of that option if he hadn't been preoccupied with other concerns, but as it was, most of the lunch appealed to him, and the grilled cheese sandwich had been edible.

Every day, he kept an eye out for certain people, to confirm their presence and condition, and today, someone aside from Javert was missing: Lunge. It added to L's discomfiture. Of the men he'd gathered a week and a half earlier to try to form some kind of coordinated effort, only Jones and Lunge (who had missed the meeting due to a sleep study) remained. It was becoming difficult to find useful allies at Landel's, and more difficult to keep them.

He understood that he had wasted a good part of the day in preoccupation and brooding and disappointment, and that not much of the afternoon was left. Until Lunge's status was no longer an open question, it would be hard to arrange an attempt at the basement with Edgar Figaro (even on the best of days, L had serious doubts about that plan, combined with a growing conviction that it would be necessary to pursue it whether it sounded like a bad idea or not). And given his allies' propensity for vanishing, he couldn't afford to withdraw too much from others, even if the tendency to do so came naturally to him. Bad news was bad news, but wallowing in it, and in self-pity or even in what he could recognize as a a detached, impersonal form of grief, wouldn't improve anyone's situation. He had been doing too much of it lately; it was the way the place wore on him, and now that the situation had become less extreme, he knew that he might fall into it almost as a kind of defeat-motivated inertia, unless he struggled against it. He couldn't be content merely existing in this situation; he had to work against it as actively as he could stand to.

I'm only human... it's natural to react to losses and setbacks in this way. But nothing will improve much unless we work towards it, even if the task is slow and grinding. These internal pep talks, too, were becoming a near-daily experience. They were cheesy when he had to use them to motivate subordinate investigators, but under the circumstances, they were now one of his few resources.

After Landel's announcement, he made a decisive nod, then unfolded his lanky body from the chair and allowed the nurse to escort him to the music room. It tended to be noisy there in a way that he found irritating, but the irritation might be a good premise for a conversation with someone who was similarly affected.

Once he was in the room, he took one of the personal CD players and a Bach CD, then sank into the nearest available seat, next to an attractive dark-haired woman. He had noticed her earlier--she was the kind of woman many men would notice--but had never spoken to her before, and wasn't sure who she was. She said something just as he sat.

"Odd?" He echoed her in a falling tone.

[purgatio]

There existed an aspect nearly unknown to Albedo as the shift changed. The aspect of something being-- too good to be true. Wasn't that the phrase? The impression pushed and leaned on him, until he smiled farewells and blinked promises, and tread a bit away from his baby brother. Moved to a room different, to wander along the methods of music, verse and song. There was nothing of an overwhelm. It was not that Albedo needed the time to himself. It was only just that for the first time, it seemed that Nigredo was wholly believing him. That he was willing to take Albedo at his word and affections.

That for the first time, Albedo had the experience of a returned love, given in full.

It was not something unwanted, and yet, he could not help but draw contrasts where he shouldn't. To pick and pull at memories of Rubedo, and wonder if his twin ever loved him the way that Nigredo was showing. Complete reciprocation of feelings without the aspect of nerves worrying over when attention would shift or slide away. Given as such, Albedo could only wonder if Rubedo....

Given as such, Albedo shouldn't direct his thoughts there. The mind was too loud, and if he cut the connection between them now, little brother would be concerned. That was the reason. (This is what he told himself.) It would be folly to step that way. To ask for a disintegration of the mental state so fully when he was already teetering.

Last night had done wonders. Quaint and quite alike. And had served to point out a few things Albedo wouldn't have otherwise realized.

Like possibly, how delicate his frayed mind was becoming without external force.

[free]

[mateswithnobody.livejournal.com]

Music. Not her thing, though apparently some people didn't understand that! And by some people she meant the nurse that had returned to ruin her stay by making her be more social than she really wanted to be.

"All I wanted was to check the board, was that really so much to ask?!" she huffed as the nurse fled, hopefully in fear after leaving Donna in the Music Room. Looking around the space, Donna took her time to calm down and at least think a little on how she should word it the next time she wanted to check out the bulletin. "Going to go yell at aliens" is probably what had bunched the nurse's panties.

"Guess I'll have to make nice with someone in here then..." she eventually decided, brushing her hair back and looking for a nurse that she could do just the opposite of that to. Instead of landing on a woman in white though, Donna's attention fell to another form of white that looked distantly familiar. White hair on a young boy... yeah, she'd seen that. Back when her roommate's name had been Meche and she'd almost gotten shot with a gun.

It had been a few weeks since then, but she still remembered the little brat. Albie, or... whatever name it was that she'd gotten the nickname of "Albie" for. It really had been a while, though not long enough for Donna to have forgotten that she owed the little boy a follow up. He'd been completely rude to her and her roommate, brainwashed though she'd been, and she'd never even gotten around to a reprimand. Still, for as long as it had been... well, she could give him a little slack at first. He was pretty young after all, and had been there as long as she had to boot.

"Hey Albie," she called, going over to him somewhat casually, "Hope your attitude's improved since last time. You remember me?"

[rainboompow]

The nurse had taken her straight back inside after "that incident", as she called it.

Rainbow Dash was still grumbling at the totally lost escape opportunity, no thanks to Nutty Japan (as she'd taken to calling him in her head). Sure, part of her was a little regretful; maybe the guy really would have had something useful to say about walking in a human body. It wasn't wrong to offer someone help when they needed it, after all. And if Rainbow had known that resisting so much would just cost her more time in the end, maybe she would have slowed down and let him explain stuff. Still, more than the regret, Rainbow just felt frustrated, both at him and at herself. She shouldn't be having this much trouble with things, bizarre new body or not. She was Rainbow Dash! The coolest, most awesome flyer in Equestria! She was better than this!

So why did it feel so hollow to think that as she stared down at the grey-clad human legs attached to her body?

The nurse wheeled her into some music room just as the next announcement came on. Whoever the man on the speaker was, he didn't sound like Discord, but Rainbow knew better than to let that throw her. That stupid draconowhatever had managed to trick her into thinking one cloud stood in for all of Cloudsdale; he had to be some kind of master illusionist. Anything and everything here could maybe be one of his tricks, voices included. (Though, weirdly enough, she couldn't see Nutty Japan's specific brand of crazy as being something Discord would come up with, and that bothered her a little.)

She was set up by a wall, and this time the nurse watched from the other side of the room rather than leaving Rainbow completely to her own devices. She had been warned about getting into more fights, lest she get sedated, too. And based on what Rainbow knew about sedation from local Ponyville doctor types, she knew that would slow her down the most out of anything in a place like this. So for now, she was forced to just sit. ...With a recorder in her lap (suggested by the nurse). Awesome.

"How do you even play this thing?" she wondered aloud, unable to help lifting the thing up in her open palms and then staring down the skinny hole in the mouthpiece as if the thing were a very shoddy telescope.

[Hakkai]

[vinesofregret]

Hakkai could claim many talents to his name, but music was not chief among them. Still, though, it was an opportunity to see more of this place without being attacked by anything (hopefully), and this morning had showed him that the Sun Room was not a particularly interesting place. He regretted not doing more exploring during lunch, but when it came down to it, he had been hungry - no doubt his body trying to make up for last night's exertions, he supposed. And, well, there was nothing wrong with keeping one's energy up.

The Music Room, he had to admit, was a little more impressive-looking than some of the other rooms he'd seen. His observations were interrupted (unintentionally, as it seemed the question had been half-rhetorical) by the young woman in the wheelchair seated not far from him. Her hair certainly put Gojyo's to shame - though she looked like she might be a bit young for his friend's attentions. He gave her a polite smile.

"Aah, you blow through the mouthpiece, and cover the holes with your fingers to make different notes. If I may?" He held out a hand for the recorder - an actual demonstration was probably a better explanation.

[revolutionise]

Utena had been surprised at the free shift, but definitely had not been opposed to it. Any excuse to head outside was a good one in her books, and so she had taken her lunch (and a short run) in the Courtyard. The air had been chilly, but the sun shining down on her had more than made up for that. It just kept getting truer: you had to appreciate the little things at Landel's. It was the only way to keep positive sometimes.

The only thing she wondered about was how the others from the night before were. She still hadn't gotten a word in with any of them today, at least not in person. If the four of them were going to move on with this whole basement thing, Utena wanted to get to know them all better, especially the two guys, whom she barely knew at all compared to Aigis. And so, with that in mind, Utena headed into the Music Room the next shift despite not really knowing what she would even do in there. She was mostly hoping that with most patients in one room for the shift, she would bump into one of the guys or Aigis and be able to chat with them.

In the meanwhile, Utena spotted Anise and a taller man across the room, and she gave her roommate a smile and wave on her way over to the electronics shelves. Now that she thought about it, she was really curious to know what the other girl had gotten up to in all the chaos the previous night. Guess I'll find out at dinner, she thought, picking out a walkman and a random jazz tape to listen to. With those things in hand, Utena found a spot on one of the red couches and started setting the thing up.

[Sechs]

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

For lunch, Sechs took his meal outside to the recreational field; he wasn't up to being bothered by more cats in the Sun Room while he ate! His choice of location wasn't the best however, it may have been sunny, but the chilliness wasn't something Sechs was too familiar with or fond of. He was too used to the dry, hot wastelands surrounding the Scrapyard, and he found himself appreciating the warmth of the indoors once the fourth shift came around. Keeping the drug in his back quiet by staying away from the cold was an added bonus too.

But after being herded around by a nurse, Sechs was disgruntled to find that the music room he was left in didn't offer any of the sort of music he liked! His song was of total annihilation! His music was all about explosions, destruction, and oblivion! His instruments were blades, bullets, fists and plasma balls! Not these wimpy drums, annoying whistles and ancient CDs!

This was boring!

With nurses breathing down his neck and orderlies close by in case Sechs tried to make his own "music" through destructive means, the Replica was forced to restlessly pace about the room. Not in the least distracted by what the music room offered, Sechs' mind wandered over his memories of last night. He never got the chance to find the other three patients he explored the basement with. He began scouring the room for any familiar faces, hoping to find one who could keep him from getting unbearably bored...

Sechs search didn't go on for too long when he spotted a head of noticeable pink hair sitting at one of the red couches. It was Utena! With some of his frustration melting away, Sechs made a bee-line for the girl. Finally, someone from the mission to the basement he could talk to!

Yet just as he stepped up to the side of the couch, Sechs suddenly felt real awkward once he recalled his furious outburst at Utena when his power faded the night before. He had been so close to killing her! Even though their conflict was resolved, that memory alone was enough to make the Replica hesitate somewhat. All he could do was go by the usual greeting he had for those he had nearly killed in the past...

"Uh, hey..."

[lovecraftcomplex]

It was a shame there were no violins among the instrument pile. Rose was a master of many talents and student of many subjects. The violin was merely one amongst her interests, but it was also the only relevant one. The headphones were no more tempting; they were basic, outdated things, and there was no way to upgrade them.

Instead, she contemplated one of the portraits on the wall. Anything could be a clue, even the most mundane of displays. Or it could merely be the decorations of an unimaginative mind, handed the description Music Room and a meager budget. They weren't very good portraits, after all.

[Alle]

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been an interesting meeting. Badou's partner was certainly... Badou's partner. It kind of suited him, he supposed. And made him feel awkward at the same time because Badou had people here, sort-of-family, and maybe he should have been with them last night, not with Allelujah while he got them both torn up by giant monstrous birds.

Ah, what was the point in thinking about it? He wasn't anyone's keeper.

He wasn't sure why the nurse hustled him into the music room (perhaps she feared more glittery shenanigans), encouraging him to try something despite his never having touched an instrument in his life.

He did spot a familiar face though, and headed over.

"I don't think they'll come alive if you stare at them for longer," he said with a small smile.

[OOC: Allelujah has his hair pushed back so you can see both eyes now - one's gold, the other grey-blue]

[dispersive]

"I'm not that big on music," he told the nurse as she led him into the aptly named Music Room, seemingly deaf to his subtle complaint. That was fine with Luke; he enjoyed the more blunt route anyway. "Can't I sit outside with the other patients? I don't know how to use any of this." Waving his hand across the room and the patients who tried their not-so-deft hands at playing, he square off against the taller woman with a stubborn frown.

"Listening to music or trying to play an instrument can be very soothing and rewarding."

"Well, it looks really frustrating, actually."

The redhead was impressed the nurse's smile remained perfectly cemented, but her eyes lost a bit of their unconditional warmth. "Well, we won't know til we try, hmmm?"

Sighing in resignation, the replica allowed himself to be escorted across the room where his babysitter found him a second-hand recorder and beginner's guide with children's songs. She eventually gave him some breathing room, but not until he played at least one note and it sounded terrible, like a wounded animal. Luke was pretty much done with that. The piece of hole-punched plastic was set aside against his thigh as he looked around.

He noticed Anise right off the bat, who was doing her best at another instrument. Unfortunately, she was talking to someone Luke didn't recognize and he knew better than to just butt into someone's conversation. He had seen her this morning anyway; it wasn't like he had anything new or important to say since the end of breakfast and the beginning of this pain in the butt.

With nothing else to do than gripe to himself, Luke reluctantly picked the recorder back up and tried again, seriously this time. His first attempt was about a girl with a pet sheep. Huh.

[Claude]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Claude's stomach churned as his nurse led him into the music room. When she commented on how pale he looked, he managed to wave her off with a weak smile. Inside, though, he had no idea what to do. With no way to warn Mom of what to expect, and no way to convince her to stay out of the coliseum, he was powerless to stop her, short of physically blocking her way into the basement.

And he knew his mother well enough to realize that even that wouldn't be enough to keep her out. If anything, she'd probably become more determined to investigate the area. And what was he supposed to do? Block her way into the basement every night?

Maybe she'd eventually see reason, though. Maybe, at least, she'd delay going down there in order to try to collect more information. Maybe she'd--

"Thomas, why don't you go take a seat with Milo over there?" his nurse gently suggested, cutting into his thoughts and pushing him forward with a firm hand. Claude's gaze settled on a familiar head of red hair, and he sighed. Well, if he was going to get assigned to someone for the shift, there were definitely worse people than Luke. Granted, this would be their third or fourth introduction (it was kind of bad when he was starting to lose track), which could be awkward, but he'd at least done this enough to know what to expect.

"Um, hey," he greeted as he approached the other man. Offering a smile, Claude figured it might be good to focus on some common ground. "Kind of annoying, right? The way the nurses baby us during the day, I mean."

[doctor-voodoo.livejournal.com]

Facilier's mood barely got any better as the day went on. To be given a mere lunch bag like some little school boy didn't exactly do wonders for his suffering ego! The announcement for the evening shift left Facilier with mixed thoughts regarding the man who made the message over the speakers. This Landel man held a tremendous amount of authority over the place, yet the way he spoke left Facilier wondering if his captor was but an eccentric fool with too much power for his own good...

The witch doctor tried to ask his nurse for more information on Mr. Landel (Facilier wasn't sure about calling him Doctor Landel just yet...) but she gave him useless scraps of details which he had already heard before as she lead him to the music room. The staff here were either tight-lipped about the owner of the institute or Facilier had just asked the wrong person, again...

Yet Facilier wasn't allowed a chance to fume over his frustrating lack of knowledge about Landel when his nurse guided him towards one of the couches in the room. Being quite the musical man himself, Facilier was a little intrigued by the idea of going to a room dedicated to such an art, but he was disappointed by the lackluster selection of instruments he saw as he was coaxed into sitting down by the nurse. The woman had told him to stay put as she gathered some music for him, but Facilier was too busy scowling at the pathetic collection of recorders, drums and strange little pianos that weren't made of wood. Compared to New Orleans, this "institute" had no idea what real music was!

"Here you go Sam! I heard you really enjoy Jazz, so I picked out a CD of some nice songs you can listen to!" said the nurse as she handed Facilier a thin, glass container. The confused Bokor could only blink at the strange object as the nurse took out an even more bizarre item he had never seen before. "And here's a Walkman for you to play it on! I found you some good earphones too!" she happily explained as she placed the aforementioned items in Facilier's other hand. "I'm sure this will help you relax a little!"

Before Facilier could even string together a question in his head, the nurse was already gone to help another patient, leaving him dumbfounded on the couch with some "music" and a "music player" in his possession.

"A See Dee...?" Facilier murmured to himself as he gazed at the little square container. What in the world was that?! Beneath its shiny exterior was a picture displaying the words: "The Best of Classical Jazz". The confounded doctor blinked comically at the title; how in the world was Jazz "Classical"?!

The object in his other hand got him visibly puzzling to himself as well. "And a Walk-Man...?" he mumbled, observing the small, round device in his hand. It was made of a light material, possibly some form of plastic which Facilier never seen before, and it was decorated with a variety of buttons. He saw the words "Walkman" and "Sony" printed on its top, but it didn't explain how it played music. Why was it even called a "Walk-Man" in the first place? It wasn't walking, nor was it a man! Was this some sort of silly joke?!

Grumbling to himself, Facilier placed the strange "Walkman" on his lap, along with the earphones which happened to be the only device he recognized, but was stunned by just how small and light they were. He inspected the "See Dee" first, prying the thin container open with his nimble fingers. Inside was another surprise he had not expected: A phonograph record! Or at least, it was what Facilier thought he was holding in his hands as he held up the tiny disk with a look of awe in his eyes.

It was such a strange little thing! So small and light in comparison to the records he had back home! And was it made of glass even? Or perhaps some sort of mirror that not only cast reflections but strands of colors as well? It was quite uncanny, but in a rather pleasant way...

Now if he could just figure out how to play this "See Dee" on the "Walk-Man"...

[unpriest]

[I'm a bit slow, but if you don't mind?]

Seishin would have been satisfied had he been left in the library with a book, but the same nurse from earlier would have none of it. Before he knew it, he was wandering through the music room, a little uncertain what to do. The former priest hardly had any musical talent whatsoever, and he didn't quite wish to bother anyone by trying anything with the various instruments. Where the library had possessed the peaceful silence that he enjoyed, the music room unsurprisingly held none of that.

Opting to just sit down somewhere, he located a seat near a tall man inspecting a...CD? He hadn't intended to bother the stranger for no particular reason, however, but the novelist couldn't help but to grow a little curious when the man looked so puzzled over the portable player.

"Ah...pardon me," Seishin began quietly, casting a worried glance at both the CD and the portable player. "Is...everything alright?"

[stylebythemile]

From what she'd seen, Sonia had to say she preferred being treated this way to being ordered around like a SWATbot. But when it came down to it, she was still a prisoner here. And she wasn't sure what she hated more: that Landel and the new guards had the nerve to act like nothing was wrong, or that they kept calling her "Sophie". Renamon had told her the food was better when Landel was in charge, though; that, Sonia could agree with. Hopefully she'd never see another bowl of that pink stuff again.

Soon after she finished her lunch, she excused herself for a moment to get away from her escort. She was still thinking about what she'd read on the message board earlier. Were there really other people here with powers?

That was what she'd been getting from the notes, anyway. She should have figured that was the reason they'd brought her here. Not because of her dedication to the resistance, or her royal lineage, or the part she was meant to play in overthrowing Robotnik--though all of those things must have had some role in their decision.

Maybe everyone here had some kind of special ability. An ability that was unique to them! (...Could there really be people here who were meant to be immortal?)

That still didn't explain why Sonic and Manic weren't here. All she could think of was that it might have something to do with the pendant. After all, she was the only one who had been physically affected by it.

But after last night, what Sonia had been worried about since the minute she woke up here was sitting at the front of her mind, and now that she was finally alone with her thoughts, it was starting to get to her. Had Aguilar, or-- whatever had brought her here left any clues behind for Sonic and Manic? Or would it have seemed to them that...

What if they thought she'd disappeared? Unless someone told them she was here, they wouldn't think she was in another dimension. Would they? She put her hand where her medallion was meant to be and watched in a mirror as her new eyes filled with tears.

As she wiped them from her face, more came down, and she shook her head. No! She couldn't give up! She had to find a way out of here. She had to help these people! She wouldn't let Mother down. After another moment, her tears were gone, and she left the restroom to walk in silence with the woman.

"What will it be, Sophie?"

She wasn't going to tell her again that that wasn't her name, not when she knew the woman would ignore her, but she scowled anyway.

"What about the music room?"

"Huh?" Her entire face softened in surprise. This place had a music room? She'd never noticed it before; something she felt like hitting herself over once she saw how close it was to the message board.

Sonia went in and looked around, in awe of the amount of equipment they had here. They also had sheet music, and even instruction manuals! Feeling a grin coming on for the first time that day, the princess got in front of the keyboard to play a few warm-up scales. She had barely started, though, when she hit a few wrong notes. Oh yeah... she thought, wiggling her fingers in front of her. These new hands might take a while to get used to. Maybe she should play a bit slower. When she did, things went a lot smoother. With the sound of music around her, she could already feel her mind clearing. One side of her mouth curved into a small smile while she concentrated on her finger placement.

[The Scarecrow!]

[scarefaux]

Though he still had a lot on his mind, the Scarecrow had to admit he was feeling better after his conversation with Sergeant Carter. Despite that they'd faced a lot of awful things together— in fact, just about every time they'd run into each other, they found something amiss— the man knew how to bring a smile to his face, even if it was one in thin hope. He'd take that over no hope at all.

The Scarecrow's nurse noticed his brightened mood, and decided to help matters by not giving him the option of moping about in the Sun Room for the shift. She led him to the Music Room, leaving him at the entrance and encouraging him to go in. Of all the rooms in the Institute, he'd often thought that particular room was a bit closer to home than the rest. It wasn't that he recognized the instruments, or even knew how to play one himself; however, the sound of songs sometimes emanating from the space made him feel as though he were back in Oz, ready to spring off his pole and onto the Yellow Brick Road with a jaunty tune.

And it seemed as though the glum atmosphere the military had brought with them had been lifted even further as there was indeed someone playing one of the oblong instruments. He recognized neither the device nor the tune, but just the sound of simple music was enough to draw his attention. He headed over, only to see a familiar face.

"How do you do, Sonia?" he greeted. "I wasn't aware you liked music!" Then again, he'd only seen her a few times, and there wasn't much of a chance at either to discuss happier topics. He ought not have been surprised.