damned_institute | Day 62: Courtyard (4th shift)

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Day 62: Courtyard (4th shift)

This was shaping up to be an emotionally draining day. Seeing Ilia at her weakest was heartbreaking, and trying to be strong enough to support her had taken a lot out of Anise. She just hoped it was enough...

But then there was another issue: keeping track of her Auldrantian friends. Returning to the bulletin, Anise found that Tear had replied, which was a relief... but there was still no word from Luke or Guy. It was too early to say if anything bad had happened, but Anise was worried. Guy in particular was always totally reliable, so what could be keeping him from answering?

Anise waited near the entrance to the showers, watching the people who went in, hoping to see a familiar face. Time passed, and most patients filed in... but there was still no sign of Luke or Guy.

Disheartened, Anise made for the courtyard alone. She walked for a while, and eventually decided to sit down on a bench. There, she pulled Tokunaga in front of herself and clutched the doll tightly against her chest. Between her worries about her friends and the various aches and pains in her body, Anise felt awful all over.

[free!]

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[from here and for Badou]

Surprisingly, when she moved to settle back in the sun room, she was stopped. It was nicely pointed out that she hadn't participated in any activities of late, and even this morning she had passed on going outside. Wouldn't she like to, inferred politely with the traces of a command, go outside now at least?

The answer was a settled no, but as she had no holding on the movements that went on during the day, she'd rather not fight a losing battle. She acquiesced gruffly, and was led outside. There was a smaller girl in sight, familiar, but at the moment, Renamon wasn't too pleasant of company. Outside? Really. She would have at least attempted to dry her hair more.

Badou never forgot a date (entirely), but through years of hard work and determination he'd developed a sort of talent for being late most of the time. This was no exception. He'd walked back in with Alle to make sure he was alright, grabbed a quick shower, and skimmed the bulletin board over for any messages about sickness. Maybe tomorrow he'd post a question, but he had a vague sort of hope that it was just a normal bug for once.

His nurse was surprisingly obliging when he asked to find Renamon, and he realized why about two seconds after being shoved outside again. It was too bad for the nurse if she thought being damp and cold would make him more miserable; she'd obviously never lived in Berlin or run out of cigarettes for the better part of a week.

There weren't a lot of other people braving the courtyard so he spotted Renamon easily and jogged over. His eye flicked quickly from head to toe, automatically checking for new injuries. "Hey. Lookin' for some company?"

A voice hailing her was instantly pegged as obnoxious; when the owner made himself obvious, though, she relaxed instantly.

...Then remember the night before, and surprised herself by chuckling. The answer to his question, then, became simple. "I'm not sure," she gave with dry humor. "Will I be in danger of that company misfiring again?"

The answer was, that, of course, she would prefer to spend time with Badou. Especially as she needed to get his opinion on the note in her possession. There was no rule, however, that she had to make that easy on him.

Badou laughed despite himself because, well, yeah. That had been pretty lame. Renamon got at least one free shot in when it came to riding his ass about it.

He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Not when it counts, I promise. I can usually handle a pair just fine."

He leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest so he could tuck his hands into the crooks of his elbows to keep them warm. He was accustomed to the cold, yeah, but that didn't mean he was a huge fan of it. He flashed her a grin. "So how'd your night go?"

Renamon's response came as an eyebrow raise. "I'll withhold judgment until I see otherwise, I'm afraid. First impressions and all." The light banter was comfortable, and a part of her relaxed at the easy comfort of it. His question, though, made her incline her head in acknowledgement. "The town replenishes the same as the institute--down to the exact placements."

What that meant went unsaid. If necessary, they had a way to procure firearms. "I have a way to get back there, so if you need anything further." This was said with another brief nod, and when her head lifted again, her bright eyes were intent on him. "I do, however, have something I want you to look over," she went on. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolding it carefully, before holding it out.

He thought about asking whether she'd gone with company after all, but she didn't look much worse for the wear so he let it slide without comment. He had to keep telling himself he wasn't her mother, and what she did here wasn't any of his damn business when she could so clearly look after herself, and had done it for longer than him.

"That's good news if it stays that way." Which was an understatement to say the least. "I might take you up on the next trip in."

He nodded and took the sheet of paper from her with a curious glance, his expression turning uncommonly serious as he read, the corner of his lip raising slightly in a silent snarl as he read the last lines. "Like that justifies a damn thing..." Badou muttered. He skimmed the note again just to make sure he hadn't missed anything before he looked up at Renamon again, expression gaurded. "You trust the person who wrote this?"

[ Want some bothering? ]

The day passed uneventful, otherwise. The silence given in the shifts was a near kindness, none of the... many... congenial people here coming up to her, or even any that she knew. It was a welcome reprieve, and when she was sent outside for the shift, she thought nothing of it. Only two people, so far, were in the area, and Ayanami briefly remembered meeting Kaworu Nagisa here. In this place-- Right over there, near the water.

But the pilots were gone, human or otherwise, and she had her own motivations to give way to. The smaller of the women was one familiar, one she had not been in contact with since she returned. She would see how Anise was doing. If she was well, there was nothing to spare further thought to.

Rei moved near quietly, stopping some distance away. "Hello, Anise."

Anise remained mostly still, save for a few shudders due to the cold air. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she looked up from her doll.

Wait, wasn't that...!?

Her eyes grew wide, and her grip around the doll tightened. "Rei!?" she cried, incredulous. "I thought you were gone!" That was usually what it meant when a roommate disappeared and got replaced. While Anise was happy to see the girl in one piece, it was a pretty big surprise to see her standing there like nothing happened.

...The reaction was surprising. Riku, who had assumed the same as Anise, merely was nonchalant on the matter. Anise instead was acting as if Rei had returned from the dead. Perhaps, in a way, she had. Enough people seemed startled to find her still here, instead of elsewhere. Wherever the Second claimed to have gone. Where Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa had went to. It was still true, the possibility that they had went no where. That instead they were dead.

A thought ill-placed, and not for present company. Rei only bowed her head, before raising it to look at the girl. "I didn't leave," she replied evenly. This, at least, perhaps, she should explain to the one she shared a room with for close to two weeks. "For three days I was unconscious. And when I woke, everything was changed." The military gone--and the other pilots as well. Ayanami woke alone, with more fear muffled than had been before. It was a new place she was at, and one she didn't find assurance in.

She didn't leave? Anise tilted her head as she listened to Rei explain. “So you were here all along...?” Having figured that anyone who vanished for a few days was probably “released,” Anise never would have guessed that. What if some of her other friends who'd “disappeared” were still around, somewhere in the institute? Maybe in the Medical Wing...

“But, wow, three days? Were you sick or something? Are you okay now?” Anise could imagine how jarring it had to be to completely miss three days, especially when a lot had happened in those days. But what concerned her more was the question of why and how the blackout happened in the first place. What if it happened to Anise or her friends next?

That she knew of, at the least. Little had been said, but from what Rei could determine, she hadn't left. Only slept, for a time period unnatural, to wake up to knowing less, perhaps, than she had before. Ayanami gave a nod to Anise's first question, then considered the remaining ones. "I wasn't sick," she started softly, and again dropped to silence for a beat. Anise and herself had not been friends, but Rei had asked her about the experimentation while they had shared a room. Had made an agreement actually, for Anise's information in exchange for Rei's help if asked.

So where she would tend to silence, Ayanami instead deigned herself to explain. "I think it might have to do with the experiments I had asked you about," she finally said. "There was a group of four from my world, and two had already been experimented on. Both shared a similarity with myself, though I was not taken. But when I woke, all of my comrades were gone. It seemed," she said quietly, words trailing from her. "A strange irregularity. Another I had spoken with said those who experiment sometimes tend towards ones from the same world." Guy's percentages were not as large as Rei's, but the fact that another group existed was still a weight on that thoughtform. "It's a possibility."

Said evenly, without emotion. As if there was nothing strange about the thought. As if Rei was not slipping into a kind of paranoia because of it.

The experiments... It felt like a long time ago now, but Anise remembered Rei mentioning them before, and asking that she bring any new information to her. So Rei thought that could be the cause?

"I guess it's possible..." Anise murmured, tracing her fingers over the seams of her doll as she thought. "But you don't remember being experimented on or anything?" So maybe it wasn't due to experiments, but either way, it really did sound like Rei and her friends had been specifically targeted. Anise felt really bad for her. Waking up to find all her friends were gone... If that happened to Anise, she just didn't know how she could cope.

"I haven't heard anything about those in a while, actually," she continued, looking thoughtful. "It happened to a few people I know, but most of that was weeks ago." She'd been hoping that no news was good news, but maybe not if Rei was right about what happened.

There was a beat, and then Rei answered, watching Anise expressionlessly. "I don't remember anything," she gave truthfully. "And I keep losing more time." Even today, last night, she was missing more than she could view with a detached eye. It was too much to bear, if given form. Too many outcomes and possibilities to consider that Rei did not want to stand.

Her eyes fluttered down to the ground uncharacteristically, breaking the unnatural eye contact. So there was nothing new. No leads or anything of the sort, and so she was, again, left without a strand of information to touch and cling to, to point her again in a different way. "I see," she allowed. She had not wholly expected something, but it remained. Still there was no need for any disillusionment. She had come over to speak with Anise, and that goal had been accomplished. "...Have you been well?"

Losing time... Anise's gaze fell to her knees. It was always hard to tell what Rei was thinking or feeling, but Anise could imagine how she'd feel in her shoes. It was like the staff were just toying with her - more than they usually did, even. "Sounds like you've had it rough," she said, her tone sympathetic. It probably just came out sounding like a massive understatement, though. Anise just didn't know what else to say.

She looked back up at the other girl when asked how she was. "I... well, I can't say I've been doing great or anything, but... I guess I'm doing about as well as I can in a place like this." She gave a weak smile.

...Had she? Had it rough. Ayanami's eyes drifted back up to Anise. She was curious. Was this a heavier weight than others had carried? It was something to wonder, but in the end, had no bearing on her movements. The sympathy given was... Somewhat uncomfortable. Perhaps Anise was only making conversation, however. Rei blinked once. "...Perhaps that is true. Others have likely suffered more than I."

The answer given to Ayanami was something that could be more accepted, and Rei nodded, taking it as fact. At the least, Anise looked well. Her condition seemed stable. "That's good," Rei murmured. She was glad, in her own way, that Anise was well.

It was hard to tell whether Rei appreciated the sympathy or not. "Well, maybe," Anise half-agreed with her, "but it doesn't change what you've been through, right?" Maybe Rei was just trying to put things into perspective, but Anise didn't want her to feel like her own suffering didn't matter.

While Rei wasn't a very expressive person, it looked like she was genuinely glad Anise was staying safe, which was encouraging. Anise had considered returning the question, but Rei's description of recent events already gave her a good idea of how she was doing: probably not great.

"Um... you said your friends from home are gone, but... do you have anyone else here? I mean, someone to watch your back?" It was important to have allies at the institute, and if Rei had lost a bunch, Anise was a little worried.

No, it did not change the facts, but it rendered them mildly obsolete. She was not one to hold her misfortunes to herself and contemplate them, so Anise's thoughts on that were slightly obscure to the pilot. But there was nothing to discuss on the subject, so she only agreed. "...It doesn't," she gave quietly, thoughts her own.

The inquiry asked seemed more of one that Rei should have gave to Anise, to make sure the other had ones who would look after her if she needed. Ayanami held no bond to Anise, but there was nothing idle in her that wanted her harmed.

But instead, the query was offered to her, and it seemed to almost confuse her. Rei paused, eyes slipping downward in thought. Someone to watch her back. It seemed almost obsolete. What need did she have for one to act as such? And still, she had thought-- "One, perhaps. I have one other."

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Day 62: Courtyard (4th shift)

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