Day 61: Recreation Field (Shift 2)

[complicatedliar]

Loki wasn't entirely thrilled about returning to the recreation field, though he supposed it would be nicer during the day. And without the annoying presence of Riku. Some fresh air would likely do him good; that was what Sif and Thor had always claimed right before they dragged him out of the library.

He wasn't entirely certain if that was a pleasant thought or not. It was still far too mixed up and painful.

He was allowed to go back to his room and pull out every bit of warm clothing he had, bundling up as much as he could. As he followed the nurse out into the field, he also wondered if this meant he would miss out on the greenhouse, since he'd arranged to meet Soma after lunch. That had priority, of course, but he did find plants interesting. At least it was good to know there were activities they were forced to participate in during the day that weren't as horrifically painful as, say, what the music room would indicate.

Good to know that as prisons went, it wasn't all just torture, torture, torture. Some variation was good for the mind.

He wandered along the crunchy, dead grass, for now steering clear of the few other patients. The air felt much better during the day, smelled much better to him as well as he sniffed at it. even if it was cold enough to make his nose hurt. It reminded him uncomfortably of Jotunheim, and...

But at least here, there was sunlight. He wasn't trapped in that dark place as sometimes was in his nightmares.

Loki stopped about halfway down the field, tilting his head back to take in the thin sunlight, his eyes slipping shut.

[Here, angel angel angel... :D Castiel!]

Comments

[norainu]

Talking with Allelujah had been interesting. Renji liked the kid, who seemed pretty un-kid-like about certain things. But that probably came from growing up in a lab, which Renji didn't even have the capacity to imagine. He figured it had to be something like growing up on the streets, in that it had been brutal and unpleasant and a lot of other negative adjectives, the kind of thing that turned you into either a survivor or a corpse.

So he had a place in his heart for people like that, to be sure.

The nurse suggested he go get his coat, which turned out to be a good idea, and he even thanked her for it. Since he was trying to turn over a new leaf, kind of. Or maybe not. He wasn't sure what the hell he was doing at this point, if he was being honest with himself.

The cold didn't really bother him. He just huddled in his jacket and enjoyed walking around a little, wandering aimlessly across the field.

[Free to a good home!]

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar had ignored the nurse's suggestion of getting his coat, just glaring at her from behind while she led him away from breakfast and out to a field of some sort. He could ignore a little cold. It couldn't be that bad.

Well, it actually was pretty bad. Shivering slightly, Scar tried to collect his thoughts. All of Lust's nonsense about fake lives and a madman head doctor... It sounded like some over-elaborate joke. She had mentioned leading him to some sort of supply closet that night. And to his 'records'. What would that entail? He should consider himself lucky that she was here. And being oddly helpful, almost to the point of friendly.

Scar shook his head. None of this made sense, and that was that. He spotted a man with... flamboyantly red hair wandering the field on his own. Lust said that there were good people here? Let's test that. Scar approached the man, the thoughtful frown still on his face.

"So what, they dump us out in the frigid weather and let us stand around?"

[Not sure if Scar constitutes as a 'good home' but...]

[bitpartgod]

It was still kind of cold and cloudy out, admittedly, but one quick stop at his room for warmer clothing later and Kibitoshin was perfectly happy to be out and about on the field. His nurse had even been kind enough to find something to tie his hair back with when he'd hinted, casually, that maybe it wasn't very practical if he was going to be exercising- though it had taken a little effort to wrestle it all back off of his shoulders You certainly didn't see that from their soldier escorts. They'd probably have given him a buzz-cut instead.

He took a little jog towards the center of the field, enjoying the crispness of the morning air. He'd actually eaten something, too, so he had plenty of energy to start him off, though if he was going to do any serious exercise he'd have to warm up. His human body was a lot more fragile, after all; where he might have been able to leap into a fight at a moment's notice, here he had to take care not to strain or sprain anything by being too hasty.

The Kaioshin rolled his shoulders back a few times before working on his legs, lowering himself so that he could stretch his calf muscles- ah, yes, there they went! Now that felt good! He found himself giving a little sigh of satisfaction as he held the pose for a few seconds longer before switching legs and, after that, positions. Okay, so the nurses wouldn't let him practise fighting, but he could work on his agility and general stamina out here for sure. Maybe he could even run a training session of some sort if he managed to figure it all out properly.

[GOKU]

[monkeyboy]

"Am I goin' outside?" Goku asked for the third time as his nurse tried to bundle him up.

"Yes, we are and the sooner you sit still, the sooner we can go outside." She only had one arm in the boy's little jacket so far. For his odd shape and size, it fit him perfectly, once she finally got it on that was. "Now, it's cold so be careful and don't start any fights, alright? I mean it!"

All Goku could think was how confusing this woman made him feel. Fighting was what he knew, it was what he was! She may as well ask him to stop eating! "Well... What am I s'posed to do?"

"There's plenty to do! You can talk with your friends, play nicely--"

"That's boooring!" He complained as he was lead outside in his new puffy coat with a terrible disposition. At least he could touch grass again, even if it was feeble at best.

"Well find a way to make it fun, then. Now, off you go! Be nice!" She reminded him one last time before setting him free. Goku immediately ran for the middle of the field, smoothly missing any long legs that tried to trip him.

Squatting down on the field, he opened his stubby little hands and pressed them to the earth, brushing his palms back and forth across the silky stocks of grass until something more interesting caught his eye. It came in the form of a friend named Kibitoshin who looked ready to start his own fight by the looks of it.

Back on his short legs, he quickly ate up the distance despite his terrible gait. "Hey, what're you doin'? Are you trainin'?!"

[kings_thief]

Once again, Locke found himself just going along with whatever the nurses told him to do, mainly due to the fact his mind was somewhere else entirely; namely, breakfast. The conversation...all of it, kept running through his mind in that way when you're certain you did something or thought something important but now can't figure out what it was. He wouldn't change any of what he had said, but it almost felt as if there had been something else in the exchange that he'd been unaware of at the time. Of course, now he couldn't pick out whatever it was and it was a little maddening.

One thing that did come back to him was what Tolten had said about reclaiming his throne and the thought of how time here worked. He'd pushed it aside at the time, but now that he was left to his own thoughts, he found himself going back to the possibilities. Edgar had said that he hadn't lived through the events that Locke had, finding their friends and ending Kefka's rule, and yet Locke could remember his friend being there. The possibility that Edgar had gone through these events and then returned home with no memory of them...Would that mean Locke wouldn't remember any of this either? It just all seemed too impossible and made the thief wish he hadn't considered it at all.

It did do one thing though, it gave him some confidence that, even if Locke couldn't keep an eye on his friend all the time, Edgar would be fine. He had to be to go home and take down Kefka. That was the thought Locke would hold onto, at least.

A slight pang in his stomach, finally, pulled him from his thoughts and reminded him he hadn't actually eaten today. That seemed to be happening a lot recently. A slightly morbid smirk touched his lips and he sighed. "This place'll get me with starvation before it gets me with monsters."

[BFF Edgar~?]

[girlsandgadgets]

The chilly air outside, while it sent other patients to their rooms to find warmer garments, was a blessing for Edgar; ever since his infusion, the cold had become an oddity for him. On one hand, it sent pangs through his skin, a sharp dissonance between his surface temperature and that of the world around him. On the other side of the coin, the cold helped quell that fire that burned constantly in his chest. While it helped, he was certain it was Landel's presence and whatever power it was he had over the patients that did the most to soothe his condition. To be indebted to such a monster was not something Edgar liked, but he grudgingly accepted it. He'd learn to use it to his advantage, eventually.

Spotting Locke as soon as he'd crossed the threshold, Edgar made a beeline for him. It had been some time— too long, given the nature of disappearances at Landel's— since he'd spoken to his friend. There was the night with Terra to discuss, as well as any progress he may have made in his own endeavors in uncovering the secrets of the institute. "They change the meals back to something edible, and you still starve yourself. You'll never be happy, will you?"

[freewill]

Speaking with Aigis had been as good of a way to start off the day as any. Castiel realized that she was someone (or something, depending on how technical he wished to be) like Renamon, who was always easy to speak to.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the rest of his day was going to be quite as relaxed as that. Normally Castiel wouldn't have wanted the chance to rest, but with the variety of injuries that he had and the amount of pain that he was in, even rising from his chair in the cafeteria and moving out to the field was a struggle.

A stop was made on the way to retrieve a coat for him. Normally he wouldn't have thought such a thing was necessary, but he realized how susceptible he was to things like temperature now. Putting the coat on only added to the pain, though, and he felt oddly fatigued by the time that he made it outside.

Even with the added garment, it was bitterly cold out. Castiel wondered why they would force them outside in these conditions, especially as most patients didn't look particularly thrilled with the situation. His face was stinging not just from the cut there (now he realized why it had been important to place gauze over it), but also from the cold.

"Now, now, Mr. Collins, don't just stand there! Walk around a little, get your blood flowing!" The nurse was eager and she seemed genuine, but all Castiel wanted to do was sit down and rest his body.

"Here, I'm sure Mr. Laufson would be more than happy to take a stroll with you." Before he knew it, he was being led to another patient. While he did his best not to limp, it was impossible to walk with complete normalcy.

The nurse left them alone then, forcing him to produce some sort of greeting. In this case, it was always best to default to what was easiest. "Hello."

[complicatedliar]

The cold had never bothered Loki as such, though now he fully understood why. Rather, it had always left him feeling as if something vital was draining away from him.

And he understood why that was as well, now.

Loki regarded the new patient that had been brought to him by the nurse. He said nothing until the woman had walked away. "Goodness, but they are trying desperately to help me make friends. I suppose that's sweet, only I'd like to think I'm not quite that pathetic." There was no mistaking the dry note in his tone. A moment later he bowed politely enough. "I'm Lingormr. And... you're injured. Should you really be walking about?"

[pinkman]

After that breakfast, he was shaken, and the piercing sounds on the intercom hadn't helped. It happened sooner rather than later -- Jesse felt an old itch and found himself yearning for familiar release, addict-style. On the way to the Recreational Field, he played with the idea of scribbling out a cry for help on the bulletin bored (something like looking for product, anyone dealing?) but he wondered how hard they would come down on him if they caught him.

There had to be someone in this shithole who was bypassing the rules and utilizing traditional coping methods. The safest way to do it would be to ask around, but where to start? He'd asked that kid yesterday but got nowhere. Woody and Mack were giving him the impression that this was a place where good, or even just relatively harmless and blameless, people were brought to be punished. A glance around the field made him wonder if anyone was approachable when it came asking for a source, and he hesitated.

Jesse dug his fists into his coat pockets and wandered aimlessly along the outskirts of the field. He felt sick. He'd never wanted a toke more. Maybe he could convince the staff that he needed it for medical reasons.

[free]

[thesadist]

Daemon wandered out onto the recreational field, tugging his coat a bit tighter around him, since he was surprised they were being sent out-of-doors in this weather at all. Then again, this was proving to be a bit colder climate than most he was used to, so he would have to make the best of it. He spotted a few familiar faces, but left them for the time being, taking a few minutes to stretch his legs and take in some fresh air.

That's when he spotted the young man hunched in his coat wandering towards him, looking distracted and on edge. He slowed as he neared, a thoughtful look flickering across his face as he strolled on towards him, but when they were just barely more than an arm's length away, he paused, stopping with hands tucked in his coat pockets as he regarded the young man.

"Pardon the interruption, but are you alright?"

[Hope you don't mind the company?] :D

[ofthemotions]

He found himself in a bit of a daze still. What kind of technology existed for that to happen? For a wound, small as it was, to transfer unquestionably to another person? It seemed crazy, and added to Tear's description of planets, and Tolten's of other worlds, Mikado had the brief inkling that he was the one going crazy instead. He didn't even realize when he was led outside, the burst of cold air shaking his senses.

...It was fine, though. Wasn't it? He had achieved what he would set out to do, met and spoken with Tear, and now he would follow through with the rest. Whatever had happened.... Half of him thought it would be best just not to think about it, to place that statue to the side, to ignore the fact that Tear admitted herself as an alien, and just continue. But, really... Should he just ignore things like that? Tolten and Tear couldn't prove their points but what had happened in the chapel was proven. Perfectly and unmistakably, and it was exciting, wasn't it? Things like this, they never happened in real life, and why not enjoy what--

The grin that had formed at those thoughts stopped unconsciously. Except it seemed that people were actually dying in this place. Enough to be almost common. So even if Mikado could enjoy the irregularities that were present here, the fact of life being snuffed out like that wasn't something that he could just accept and forget. Tear's apparent nonchalance at another's death was horrifying, and Mikado honestly did not want to evolve in that way.

Thoughts becoming increasingly muddled, the boy stood off to the side in thought, rubbing one of his hands unconsciously as he stared at it.

[Izaya!]

[propheteer]

Izaya had been sorely tempted to stay indoors to watch those gathered in the sun room instead of braving the cold, but it didn't seem to be very often that they were given an opportunity to go outdoors (during the day). That, combined with the fact that the men and women were to have separate activities this morning, is why he'd agreed to be taken outside.

Once he'd been left alone, he took the opportunity to look around—he spotted Castiel right away, and watched as a few of the men took the opportunity to stretch their legs and yet others shivered... After a moment he caught sight of Mikado with a smile on his face—a smile which fell a moment later.

He hadn't yet had an opportunity to speak to Tolten (come to think of it, he still needed to arrange that meeting—he would do so just as soon as he was back indoors), and so he could not yet make his payment to Mikado for the name. Even so, there was no reason he had to repay Mikado right away...

Izaya moved along the edges of the field as Mikado started rubbing one of his hands. He wondered briefly about the reason for the action—a habit? Trying to warm it? If it was warming, weren't there more effective methods...? Ah, how intriguing...

He came to a stop close enough to touch Mikado. "Something on your mind?"

[unpriest]

After breakfast, the nurse allowed Seishin a brief visit to his room for warmer clothing before he was escorted to the recreational field. Despite the fact that he would have been satisfied with staying inside, she kept insisting that the fresh air would do him some good.

The fresh air was indeed welcome, but he didn't really have the urge to partake in any activities. Instead, the former priest kept to the side of the field, watching the other patients.

[Free!]

[earthling]

Breakfast with Anise had been pretty pleasant. It was nice to see the girl could bounce back from last night with some of her characteristic teasing, even if Claude himself hadn't started to see much of it until not too long ago.

But now it was 2nd shift, which meant he had the option to go outside. Claude figured a bit of fresh air couldn't hurt, even though the nurse warned it would be cold enough for him to need a coat. After slipping his arms through the sleeves and tucking it around his shoulders, Claude stepped out onto the recreational field and stared out onto the grass, and the wall keeping them caged in.

Claude could see his breath in front of his fate, he noted with a slight frown. Man, the nurse hadn't been kidding when she said it was chilly. Not that he hadn't been in the snow before (some areas on Energy Nede had been colder than this), but now he was starting to wonder whether he wanted to spend the whole shift out here.

[For Guy!]

[nobleman]

Meeting someone new did a good job of taking Guy's mind off of things, although he had to admit that at the moment, he wasn't really avoiding that much. Things had leveled out recently, and right now his only real concern (other than the regular worries about when and how they would all escape) was Natalia's absence. It wasn't just him, either. The others had noticed, and apparently Luke hadn't had a chance to meet her here in the first place.

If the princess really was gone this time, Guy hoped that she was with Jade and the emperor somewhere. That was the best option for her fate, even if all three were brainwashed in some way.

That wasn't something he could stay hung up on, though, since he had no way of knowing. In the end, his nurse and her insistence to get him outside distracted him, mainly because he had to take care that she didn't get too close to him. She offered him a coat before he went out onto the field, which he took very gingerly before he shrugged into it.

While it wasn't snowing, it was still very cold outside. Most of the other patients looked like they were huddling for warmth, and Guy couldn't blame them. His gaze settled on Claude, who also had a slightly uncertain look on his face. Guy didn't hesitate in heading over.

"Seems like we should be bundled up more, doesn't it?" he said by way of greeting. He hadn't ever dressed that heavily while traveling in cold areas back home, but he'd also been spending a lot of that time fighting monsters, which got his blood flowing. They weren't exactly running laps here, though maybe that was what the nurses were trying to encourage them to do.

[oneman_onekill]

Oh man...it was cold. He was wearing all of his winter clothes, and yet, Niikura was still shivering and desperately rubbing his arms for warmth. Then again, at least it wasn't raining like it had been that other night. That had been miserable, and he never wanted to go through that experience ever again. Running in a rain storm while being chased by a gigantic, virgin-seeking bird of death: fun. His shoulder even ached from the memory of it.

Well. Time to see if he could get the blood flowing, see if that would help things any. He stretched for a bit just to get his arms and legs limbered up before setting out on a jog around the outer edge of the field. With the clouds graying up the sky and his breath spiraling up in plumes all around him, he figured he looked kind of like a ghost, except ghosts didn't have bulky winter coats usually. Still a cool image to think about, though.

(Heh, cool...he was terrible.)

[for Kotetsu]

[oyaji]

Kotetsu stood by the Sun Room double doors that led out to the recreational field with a bitter expression on his dark face. Okay, yes, he had made the complaint that he hoped everyone got outside time, but he hadn't meant like right now, especially in this weather.

"It's cold," he said, just in case the woman behind him (with her foot practically up his ass to push him outside) hadn't noticed.

"It's a little nippy, but that's why we gave you the coat. Honestly, Mr. Kaburagi, you should be setting an example for these kids instead of complaining."

"Kids are springy! I am old, too old to be outside in the cold. My bones are aching just looking outside."

The nurse sighed, but wasn't swayed a bit. "Then you better find a way to warm them up, hmmm? Out you go." His grumbling was ignored as he passed the threshold and instantly shuddered when a gust of wind hit him. most of the patients (all of them male for some reason) were huddled in groups, about as thrilled as he was to be out here.

There was no going back now, so he had to find a way to make the most of it. Exercise was the easiest way to get warmed up, but since retirement he hadn't exactly been keeping up with his training. It was probably going to be a slow and sore process.

He noticed a few men had the same idea. One in particular was jogging laps around the white-lined field by himself and Kotetsu figured everyone needed a exercise buddy. It made the whole ordeal a little less intolerable.

Without taking the time to stretch, he waited for the kid to round a corner, then smoothly inserted himself. His long strides were shortened to match the stranger's. "Hey, you mind? Makes it easier for me to run when I've got a buddy!"

[purgatio]

The night ended without Albedo having a chance to reply. And what would he have even said, mm? Nigredo had flickered through emotions near as rapidly as Albedo could, and while that gave itself as impressive, it also came as a bit concerning. For the first time, despite leanings, Albedo understood that he was responsible for another person. That that girl had been utterly right. He hadn't actually understood this. Even with the acknowledgment of Nigredo's delicacy. Of his will to live only if he was cared about and kept. With all of that, for some reason, Albedo still considered Nigredo as something durable. His own person. Perhaps because for the majority of their lives, Nigredo had been reserved and calm, strong in silence and emotionally shielded. Albedo had clung to him. The difference, while stunning, was still accepted.

It was only in that moment. In Nigredo saying that his actions would not be made for himself, despite his wants, that Albedo understood. And never before had he been glad for the morning cutting them off. The boy had to think. And was only too willing to be led outside into the cold to absorb the chill and balance his mind. Again, again-- Even a week in that place had aligned something within him to yearn for colder places. It set a part of him at ease, even as memory claimed otherwise. Ah, well. It didn't really matter anymore, did it. That place, and the institute before it, were long gone.

This was only what was. Albedo was in the position of the stronger brother, and he had a little brother who was looking to him for his movements. Albedo would be the first to claim that as faulty--it was too well know that his mentality and momentum were not those normally approved, however-- There still held questions. Answers. Conduct. The boy moved casually around the field, lost in his own musings. There existed the solitary, lonely question that needed to be asked.

[for the brofriend.]

[atrabilis]

Nothing solidified itself as complete as the passing of time, and Nigredo awoke to a mind's stability and a response left unsaid. There existed parts fragmented and pieces skewed out of alignment, but nothing registered as missing. Fractured without loss. When Nigredo awoke, he did not know if that was good, or if it was another face to call death. Rubedo might love them, but that hardly changed the fact of shifts and stagnation. Albedo might grant him acceptance, but that did not take away the wrong Nigredo had committed.

Forgiveness, it seemed, was complicated. Suddenly, the want for murder read as contrite, his desires painted as ridiculous. He had wanted death so badly and had overlooked something else in its entirety.

As settled as he was, the U.R.T.V. could not say how things would go. At this stage, however, there was only the need to try. Except the moment he had stepped out into the field and caught sight of his brother, Nigredo was uncertain. Did not know what needed to be said. Thus, he stayed at the outskirts, eyes unknowingly fixed on Albedo, torn between actions and words.

[stellarregions]

The cold sting to the air as Gren walked out to the rec field was strangely comforting--something familiar, if not exactly welcomed. The sky was clearer than it ever was on Callisto, though, with a sun peaking through the clouds that seemed so impossibly close when he shielded one hand over his eyes to look up at it. He'd never been to Earth himself--there had been no point to visiting the devastated world from which all those able and willing had already fled--and occasionally the thought that he was, at least theoretically, standing there now, pre-devestation, hit him, leaving him with a strange feeling he couldn't quite place.

He might even have enjoyed the possibility, had he not been trapped. The thought was exhilarating, but the reality made it little different than his time spent in the military prison. After a moment, he lowered his hand, cupping them before his face and blowing into them to warm his fingers a little as he blinked away the sun's afterimage, vaguely aware that staring up at the sun like that would probably make people think he really was crazy.

[Free]

[heroesdontshave]

You know, it'd been so long that he completely forgot how the ladies here acted. On the plus side, they weren't soldiers, they didn't have guns, and they weren't barking orders at him and yelling and stuff. But on the not plus side, they were still annoying and pushy in their own special way. The lady who liked dragging him around was pushing a coat into his hands and talking about going outside for some "fresh air and exercise." Something about his baffled expression must have pushed her into being really insistent about getting him outside quickly before he could think to protest cause before he knew it, he found himself being led out there. It still rubbed him the wrong way and all, but you know what? After the soldiers, he felt less like complaining about it. So he just went along with it.

It had been a while since he'd been outside, and the last time he hadn't been able to make out much since it had been snowing. Since that wasn't the case anymore, Snow had figured it would have been warmer. But nope. As soon as he stepped outside, he realized why it was the lady had gone and insisted on the coat. MAN. It was really cold! Unbelievably so. Or at least it felt that way to him. It was definitely a long ways away from anything anyone in Bohdum experienced. And since it wasn't snowing, the cold felt kind of pointless. Why would they want it to be this cold for no reason? He wondered if it was maybe some kind of weird punishment. Or maybe it was another type of "training." Who knew?

Kind of annoying when you thought of it that way. But if you ignored that bit, it was kind of an interesting experience anyway. It was still fun watching his breath billow up in front of his face every time he exhaled. Even now, he found himself purposely taking longer breaths just for the sake of watching it. ...Heh.

It was brighter and clearer outside this time, too, so Snow could actually see the sky now. ...Weird to think that he could look up and not see any hints of ground beyond the clouds. It was like the blue just kept on going and going. Otherwise, it... kind of looked similar to Cocoon. Similar enough. Speaking of which, maybe he could figure out exactly where he was now that there weren't clouds in the way.

He held a hand up to block the light in the sky from hitting his eyes (who knew what it was called here) as he scanned the sky. If rumors were right, he should have been able to see Cocoon up in the sky somewhere. And if he could figure out where it was, at least he'd know which way was home.

[free]

[terriblehaiku]

It was cold as Hijikata was ushered outside by his less than congenial nurse escort--the sort of cold that rarely greeted him back home and made him long for the luxury of burrowing under the covers until the day warmed itself to a more reasonable temperature. That, unfortunately, wasn't an option here, and while the clothing they had handed out seemed to be doing an adequate job of warding off the worst of the chill, it did nothing to improve his general distaste of the whole situation.

Things were casual today, without the imposed discipline of his last trip to the field. No one calling out names that didn't belong to them, no one demanding they run laps... although, he noted wryly, it would have been a good way to keep warm. Just a scattering of patients either talking or looking rather aimless. Out of habit, he reached towards the kimono sleeve that wasn't there, looking for an equally absent pipe. Scowling to himself, he shoved his hands into his pockets instead, and began looking around for any familiar faces. The one he wanted, in particular, wasn't there, and he sighed to himself. Perhaps it was for the best. Souji didn't need to be out in weather like this, and he needed to learn not to be so anxious whenever the younger man was out of his sight. It was, unfortunately, easier said than done.

[Okita]

[notachick]

When he woke up slightly groggy and then was told he'd missed breakfast, Okita was a little disappointed. Breakfast was usually when he checked in with Hijikata about what had happened the day before and had begun to be part of his routine here. However, when he thought back on what had happened last night (which, sadly, was not much to be sure) he supposed it wasn't much of a loss. And when he heard what the breakfast had been? He actually felt better for having missed it. He hated pulling the bits of pork meat out of his meals all the time and missing just one such occasion was enough to compensate for one lost meal.

Even better, he was being told he could go outside if he wanted. So, after a few unnecessary and frankly quite boring cautionary notices by the staff, Okita was bundled up into a coat and sent on his way. The thought of being outside - a rare thing indeed around here - was so exhilarating that he practically ran out the door-

Only to instantly regret it.

The gods only knew how cold it was out here and Okita froze when the frigid air struck him. Edo, even in the north, never got this cold and Kyoto, despite being in a sunken valley, never felt this cold either. Hunching down near the wall by the door, Okita surveyed the area and saw a few familiar faces, and one very familiar outline from behind. With a grin, he puffed himself up to keep warm and started walking across the field. It wasn't until he came within range that he broke into a run, throwing himself at Hijikata's back as he called out, "Hiji~kata~san~!"

[savagestray]

Breakfast had been pretty pointless. No sign of his partner, no sign of Lily, and while the conversation had been heavy, it'd hardly been memorable. Either luck would hold for Lingormr or he'd end up just like all the rest. Heine wasn't about to hold his breath.

When the nurse showed up to take him to the next area, he made sure to stay well out of her way and just out of arm's reach. It wasn't until she pushed open the door to the recreational field that Heine had to shield his eyes for a moment. Even though the sun wasn't shining its brightest, it was still sunnier than he ever saw it back in the city. There were no flowers, but the grass was actually real. An entire field of it. No wonder Lily had been so excited to talk to him about it.

He didn't miss the high wall around them or the way the staff watched any patient who strayed too close. An illusion of freedom was all that this was. Heine settled his back against the wall of the building and looked out on the field, arms crossed.

[Ritsuka]

[inamatus]

Ugh. Ritsuka wasn't sure what had hit him the past day or so, but whatever it was, he didn't want to experience it again. Finally awake and aware of his surroundings again, he was led from his room and directly out onto the recreational field. It was weird seeing the sun out again after it had squirreled itself away behind the clouds for so long, and he had to raise a hand to shield his eyes against it. From here, he could see the sun was still halfway hidden behind patchy cloud coverage, which would explain why it was still so cold out. Thankfully, the jacket provided helped keep some of the edge off, but this was still colder than Tokyo ever got even in the worst months.

And it seemed most of the patient body agreed. While some were out trying to enjoy this small allowance of "fresh" air minus the sky-diving monsters that came package deal with the night, others were huddled against the building as if they might leech some warmth from its walls. The phantom feeling of his now missing ears flicking back against his head was enough of a sign for him and Ritsuka went to join the others by the wall. Moving around would probably be of help, but he was still sleepy and the cold might actually wake him up.

Moving next to a taller white-haired guy, Ritsuka fell back against the building with a soft whump and sighed. His breath steamed in the air and he stretched his arms out in front of him, muttering to himself, "Why do they put us out here with nothing to do..."

[sixth_attack]

Like many past mornings in Landel's institute, this one was far from being happy or hopeful for Sechs. The Replica could have sworn that he had been all suited up and ready to face the night before! He was supposed to meet Utena and the others for another visit to the basement, but once he woke that morning, no memories of such an expedition could be recalled. It was like he had blacked out just as he had left through the door...

So it was back to the usual morning routine of hearing Landel's loathed voice over the speakers, to being led out to the cafeteria by the daily escort of orderlies, and eating breakfast in sour silence. What a waste! How could he have missed a whole night like that?! Had Landel decided to end the night far too soon, or was it purely a failure on Sechs' part?

Either way, the only thing considered somewhat redeemable in Sechs' eyes was the message he received from a fellow droid. Somebody by the name of Zero...

Despite the chilly weather, Sechs insisted on being led out to the recreational field after breakfast. If he was going to meet another battle droid, the outdoors would make a good place for such first impressions. Being physically active wasn't discouraged outside as it was in the building after all, and Sechs had steam to let out through some solitary exercise while he waited for Zero to meet him.

Rubbing his arms against the light chill, Sechs shuffled through the grass until he found a quiet spot near the far corner of the field. He wasted no time on warming up, and it wasn't long before he had an imaginary image of Landel's face in front of him to practice his punches at.

[For Zero~]

[dividedby]

Zero's morning was actually going pretty decently so far, aside from a somewhat interesting end-of-breakfast intercom broadcast. Hopefully the same would be true for his time in the so-called Recreational Field, a place he'd heard of but never been to until now. His overly cheerful nurse spent the entire walk over there explaining all of the healthy, fun, and exciting activities he could do in the field, like 'soccer' and 'volleyball' and other weird terms he'd never heard of before. No, he was not about to ask what they were. He was learning fairly quickly that it was better to just let the chatty woman talk to herself, as any sort of response would give her an excuse to keep going on and on about the most trivial things. (Then again, sometimes she took awkward silence as an excuse for talking, too...so perhaps it was a no-win situation.)

Once he was (finally) released from her company at the Recreational Field... Well, for one, the cold made him thankful that the nurse had him go fetch warmer clothing from his room before coming here, as it didn't take long for the cold to start making him feel somewhat unpleasant. Also, for all the nurse's talk about it being so exciting, the field itself felt empty with most of its occupants walking around aimlessly. If standing around uselessly was what was expected of him here, then he'd much rather go to the Courtyard to do that. At least that looked more interesting than this empty field.

Not everyone was walking around, though; Zero noticed a few prisoners who were getting exercise by stretching or running. Actually...exercise was a good idea. In fact, thinking about it now, this could be the perfect place to fully test the limits of this body. There was plenty of space to run and gauge his speed and stamina, and while he was at it, he could find out what kinds of combat maneuvers he was still capable of performing, too. There, no need to let a shift out here go to waste after all.

But of course, all of that could wait until after he'd found Sechs, an android he'd been interested in meeting with since the first day he'd come here. Recent events in the Institute kept Zero from remembering to set up this meeting beforehand, but later was better than never, he supposed. After all the humans he'd met in the Institute so far, getting to talk to someone who was in more or less the same situation as him was going to be a bit of a relief, if all went well. ...And if he could find him out here, for that matter.

Fortunately, the search for Sechs didn't last long. A prisoner who was warming up in a corner of the field looked like he fit the description given - tall, with dark spiky hair. The fact that the man was exercising was also a clue. Sechs had told him that he was a battle android, so it made sense that he would want to help keep his human body in top condition. Zero approached the man, confident that he'd found the right person. "You're Sechs?"

[vulpinisms]

Their next destination, according to the intercom's announcement, was the recreational field. There were two other things of note in the head doctor's announcement: the institute seemed to have received more funding, not that Kurama could know what that would bode for him, and there was a greenhouse shift. On his way out of the cafeteria, he'd taken a glance at the schedule posted on the bulletin board and confirmed his inference that there would be a switch later on the in the day. The men would get to go to the greenhouse, while the women would head for the recreational field.

That was good. He'd be able to check out what the greenhouse had to offer in terms of weapons without having to make the trip on his own. He wondered if he'd be able to hide a few seeds into his pocket or hair when they weren't looking.

In any case, that would be something to worry about later. The route to the recreational field was a familiar one -- he'd taken it last night. His nurse, a different one from earlier that morning, didn't try and talk to him too much, so Kurama found himself left alone soon enough. The air was cold, but at the standard-issue coats did the trick.

There were a few people doing warm-ups and exercises, but other than that, most people were standing around or walking leisurely. The nurse had told him to leave his journal in the room, as the point of going out was to get some exercise, she'd said. Not wanting to do anything antagonize her, he'd left it on his desk, so he wouldn't be able to catch up on notes right now.

Perhaps he would just take a walk around the field. He'd be getting his exercise so the supervising nurses couldn't write something down in his record and he'd also have the time to think.

[Guybrush]

[threepwood]

With breakfast refusing to settle in his stomach, Guybrush allowed his nurse to drag him to the recreational field, her insistence that fresh air was good for him far less annoying than the concerns grating his own mind. He had to admit she was right that the outdoors would take his mind off things- namely off anything that wasn't the painfully low temperature. He shook the moment he stepped out of the doors, regretting his stubborn decision to forgo his coat. At least he had burning fury somewhere in him to keep him warm.

Said fury didn't do as great a job as initially expected: two minutes after being hauled outside, he was back at the door asking to go in. With a stern look, his nurse dismissed him again, reminding him that he'd done nothing but pace all day in the Sun Room the day before, and that being cooped up inside wasn't doing him any good, as evidenced by his behavior. Never happy to receive the threat of, "You'd best do this or we'll have a chat with the doctors," Guybrush rolled his eyes, heading back toward the field. There were several other patients ambling around- the pirate himself ended up just a few feet behind a shock of walking red hair.

Guybrush spent his first minute walking staring quietly at the ground; it wasn't long before his eyes trailed upward to the figure in front of him, fixating themselves for a moment on that hair. Initially, the red had simply reminded him of Elaine; eventually, it crossed his mind that the women were supposed to be off elsewhere— the greenhouse, if the minimal amount of listening he'd done while his nurse was chattering away had any merit— and that this one was either lost or a man with extremely effeminate hair. And given some of the people Guybrush had met at Landel's already? He wasn't entirely ready to cross off the second option as a possibility just yet.

[vinesofregret]

Outside. When Hakkai stopped to think about it, it made sense that there was something outside the building, though he hadn't seen it himself. But his thoughts had been turned inward so much lately, it had come as a surprise when the intercom announcement mentioned the recreation field. But his conversation with Rainbow over breakfast had lifted his mood a little, and so he let himself be lead outside without much of a fuss.

It was clear and cold, the kind of cold that came in the depths of winter, and made him wish for the warm comfort of a cozy kitchen to work in while snow fell outside. It did, however, serve to take his mind off of last night, as he wondered what exactly they were supposed to do right now, and whether they were in danger of freezing to death out here - not terribly likely, but still worth considering.

[Firo!]

[immortale]

It was just as cold out today as it had been in town, an observation which nearly made Firo turn around on the spot and request to go back inside. But it had also been nearly a week since he'd last been outside... Tolerating the cold was a small price to pay for some fresh air.

He started across the field, contemplating a run—it would warm him up and give him some good exercise after having stayed in last night... When he spotted a face he hadn't seen in a couple of days, however, he decided to put any plans of exercise on hold.

He'd checked up on Hakkai on the bulletin board before, but the fact of the matter was that he'd met the other man on Hakkai's first night. Firo felt somewhat responsible for making sure he was alright—at least until he'd had a few more days to adjust. He made a sharp turn, heading for the other man.

"Hakkai?" he called out once he was closer.

[tightsofmight]

What a glorious start to his day that had been.

He was feeling all kinds of queasy over snapping at the Doctor. It just. Came out like that. He was pissed about Brainy leaving and the Doctor had never not made things worse. Even though he'd been able to pull the reins and stop being a dillhole for two minutes, the wounded face the man had gave him kept popping back up. Truly, the best way to find out your friend was dead or missing was to have some punk kid snarl it at you over english muffins like it was your fault. Better than Folger's in your cup.

Apologies would be needed someday. Not now. Peter winced in the strained light as he stepped out onto the field, immediately shivering and clutching at his coat as the events of breakfast slunk through his mind all over again. Yeah. He needed a bit to cool down. Get his head back on his shoulders before he tried talking to the Doctor again. Otherwise he'd just snap and it would be a merry go round of hissy fits and attitude and the Doctor standing there wondering what the hell he had done wrong.

Bottom line was - he needed someone who wouldn't tick him off this shift. Someone he actually liked. Get the good mood mojo going. Rather than risk his luck on a stranger, he scanned the field until a head of carrot orange hair was square in his sights.

Perfect.

"Badou!" he called, marching on over. "Hey, Badou!"

[For the aforementioned beanpole.]

[strayfag]

After he'd gotten past the actually getting out of bed part, Badou's morning had kicked off pretty well, and his night seemed to be shaping up to be pretty damn bitchin' if it all worked out. It was still kinda hard to believe that Renamon was just going to hand him a gun but... it was a nice thought. He'd never thought he would really miss having a weapon until now.

And anyway, just about anything would be a lot more productive than spending the last night safely comatose in a puddle of his own drool. Despite the cold, Badou went out to the Rec Field for second shift, meaning to hang around and get some air while his lily white ass wasn't in danger of a frecklepocalypse.

He leaned back against a tree somewhere out of the way and started to pick familiar faces out of the crowd. It was something that had become a habit by now, and he had a feeling sooner or later it would be harder to kick than cigarettes.

Heine talking to little girls, check. Okita... and that was Daemon over there. No sign of Alle. No sign of - Badou!

Badou flashed a grin that was mostly teeth. "Hey Snowflake." He tried to ruffle Peter's hair as he got close, mostly because he was an asshole. "What's up with you?"