Day 65: Sun Room

[fallenbeanpole]

His nurse had whisked him away from breakfast as soon as the intercom’s voice faded.  Surprisingly, she didn’t take him to the shower rooms, instead bringing him to the Sun Room (as she called it), explaining that since this was his first day he would be allowed to skip the showers.  Besides, it would be good to let his injuries heal a little more.

 

He’d passed through this room on the way to breakfast, but hadn’t really paid much attention to it the first time.  Now that he was standing here, the Once-ler understood why it was called the Sun Room.

 

Despite the fact that it was cloudy outside, there was still far more natural light coming in through the ceiling windows than he had seen in a long time.  The Once-ler stood still for a few moments, simply staring up.  It seemed almost like a dream, really.  The valley never got brighter than twilight, even at noon.  There was too much smog in the air to let any more light through.

 

After a few minutes, he shook his head.  Anybody who saw him just standing in the middle of the room would probably have questions about it, and he did not relish the thought of explaining himself to a stranger.  He glanced around the room itself, spotting the bulletin board Soma had talked about during breakfast.  The Once-ler decided that was a good place to start, and hobbled on over to get a closer look.

 

[For Nina, I believe?]

Comments

[unpriest]

[From here]

His hair was still damp when Seishin left the showers, but the former priest couldn't help but to experience a sense of relief as he headed into the sun room. Still, he guessed public showers were always better than no showers at all.

The only familiar face in the Sun room was that of his roommate, but the man appeared to be in a rather foul mood. It would be best not to needlessly bother him, he supposed, as the man didn't appear to be the talkative sort. Instead, Seishin ended up taking a look at the bulletin board.

[Ilia.]

[avengingfists]

[from here]

Ilia took a moment to stop by the bulletin and reply to S.T. about the bar, then gazed around for a conversation partner. Surprising, a friend from previous nightly escapades was standing nearby, also examining the board.

Moving out of the way for other patients, Ilia took a spot beside the bespectacled man. "Seishin. It's been a while. You've been well, I hope?"

[unpriest]

The small frown that had appeared on Seishin's features as he read the messages upon the bulletin disappeared at the sound of his name. Blinking, he turned his head and recognized the woman who stood beside him.

"Silvestri-san, good morning," he greeted, offering a small smile. "I've been relatively well, yes." He was aware that he was not entirely telling the truth -- though he was physically better than most, there were still things that troubled him. The events that had transpired yesterday still didn't sit well with him. But, the former priest wasn't one to bother others with his problems even under better circumstances, and with the illness people had more pressing concerns.

"I hope you've been doing well, yourself?" At the very least, she did not appear to be ill.

[avengingfists]

At least he seemed cheerful. Ilia smiled back, but it turned into a frown as she glanced to the bulletin board again.

"I've been fine. It's everyone else who's..." She gestured vaguely with her hand. It was a troubling matter, to be sure. But not one she was personally involved with. At least, not to the same extent, though maybe she had just been too focused lately to notice.

"So, I was thinking... About the basement." Ilia moved her gaze back up to Seishin's, knowing he probably retained the same awful memories as before.

[unpriest]

"Yes, it's terrible," Seishin said grimly as he returned his gaze towards the bulletin board. The messages told him that the illness was only becoming worse, though at least there was a discussion about the hint in the X-Ray room. Hopefully, someone would be able to come up with a solution before the situation would escalate. He didn't wish to see a repeat of the situation in Sotoba...

"...The basement?" he echoed, returning his gaze to the woman. Indeed, the basement hadn't brought him any pleasant memories. Still, there was a reason Silvestri-san brought it up, so he silently waited for her to elaborate.

[avengingfists]

As long as the rest of the patient body worked together, things could actually escalate pretty rapidly. But Ilia knew that people here did tend to run in packs. Friends would rely on friends. They seemed to at least have some idea on how to fix things, and as long as there was communication then the message would get across.

"Yeah. See, there was actually one more door that we haven't tried yet." She shrugged a shoulder, indicating that they should probably move to a more secluded spot in the Sun Room. "Not sure if you're up for it, but... It might lead somewhere profitable. And I don't mean in currency."

[unpriest]

One more door, was it? The look on his face, though subtle, betrayed his uncertainty. Still, he understood Silvestri-san's gesture all too well, he glanced around the Sun Room for a more secluded area, before gesturing to an empty couch in the corner.

Somewhere profitable...could that possibly be a piece of information? He had joined the expedition in the hopes of finding something... something that could possibly help him in discovering what had happened to Sunako. He had wanted to protect her, had wanted to give her that miracle she had cried for in the basement. But, after yesterday, the former priest wasn't quite sure if there would be anything left...

Was there even a way of finding out? He didn't know. He supposed he wouldn't know before trying, but was he willing to make any more sacrifices for the sake of a sense of direction? Seishin had seen enough of the basement, or the institute itself, that 'somewhere profitable' did not come for free...

"It will be dangerous," he said quietly, "And I won't be much help in that regard."

[avengingfists]

Seated away from the others gave Ilia more of a chance to relax. She sat forward in her seat, placing her elbows upon her knees then resting her chin on twined fingers.

"No doubt it'll be dangerous," she agreed. She wasn't going to sugar coat anything here. It wouldn't be fair to Seishin to drag him along on promises of ease when that would hardly be the truth.

"I won't ask you to fight if you'd rather not. I wouldn't mind an extra pair of eyes, though." Ilia sighed, thinking about her less cautious teammate. "Especially if you can watch out for Rose. She's one who likes to jump right into the action. It's troubling." And endearing, but Ilia left that unspoken.

[unpriest]

Even if Silvestri-san had made such promises, Seishin would've known they were empty. He had been here for only a little more than a week, but he had already learned that was the way the institute worked; the slightest ray of hope came with a heavy price. But the prospect of progress was an alluring temptress, allowing the head doctor to draw patients to promising locations as though they were mice who had lost their ability to resist the cheese on a mouse trap.

Seishin sat down on the couch beside the woman, folding his hands on his lap as he did most of the time. Still, if the others still wished to go...

"I think I'll be able to do as much," he answered, remembering far too well how the teens had gone ahead to the door that required the blood sacrifice, which ultimately led to tragedy. He hadn't seen the troll ever since the incident in the coliseum, and he had to wonder how Gamzee-kun was doing.

[avengingfists]

"Thanks," Ilia said with outward relief, managing a smile. "I really appreciate it."

She shook her head, then moved to lean back in the couch while stretching her arms high above her head. Now that she had gotten that question out of the way, she almost felt like she could take a nap here. But she didn't want to be rude to her companion, and Seishin probably needed a bit of reassurance as it was.

"Rose and I can handle all the fighting." She stretched her arms out again, this time in front of her. "She's already recovered a lot since the fight. I'm sure she's itching for a little action."

The cocked her head to the side, half-smirking at Seishin. "But I think she'll know better when it comes to playing it safe this time."

[unpriest]

Leaving the fighting to Silvestri-san and Rose-chan did not quite sit well with him, but Seishin knew he would only serve to get in the way. He had little choice but to remain on the sidelines would such a thing occur if he wanted to avoid being a liability. Still, Silvestri-san appeared relieved that he would join them.

Perhaps...Seishin would be able to find a clue, after all. Something that would lead him to Sunako, now matter how bleak her fate appeared to be.

He smiled wryly at Silvestri-san's comment. "I suppose she will."

[avengingfists]

Ilia felt something change. Even if it wasn't physical, Ilia had a way of reading people. She turned a bit more towards Seishin, her brow furrowing.

"You're awfully quiet today." She chuckled. "Well, moreso than usual anyway. Something on your mind?"

[unpriest]

"It's..." It's nothing, he wanted to say, but Seishin knew it would not have been a convincing lie. Maintaining a facade in front of the villagers in Sotoba had been natural for him, but the other patients here were not the villagers. Simply by being here, had all of them not been abandoned? Had not all of them been thrust into the hands of a raging madman?

Moreover; after the incident in the coliseum... It did not really seem fair to lie to Silvestri-san, even though she wouldn't be able to do anything to ease his worries. He inhaled, hesitating for another brief moment before finally speaking.

"I've... been worried about someone back home. Her fate is only turning bleaker with the passage of time, which is something I had already realized," the former priest admitted, a frown appearing on his features. He did not look at Silvestri-san as he spoke, instead glancing at the carpet in front of him.

"Yesterday, however, a visitor had come for me. It was...someone else, someone I knew quite well, but he responded differently than I would have expected considering the circumstances. I'm...not quite sure what it means for the person I mentioned earlier, or for me. It's been bothering me ever since."

[avengingfists]

Ilia's brows knit together. She could empathize with worrying about the people they left back home. She certainly wondered how the others in her party were doing trying to tackle Asmodeus without her to back them up. Seishin's problem seemed more medical in nature by the way he described it.

"It's understandable to worry." No shame in that. She did scowl a bit at the mention of visitors, though.

"I've never had one, but I can't imagine that would be pleasant." Ilia bit her lip, thinking about the letter she had recieved from Elaine's counterpart to Ilia's Millie. Fake relationships and fake lives, though the tone of the letter had been unmistakable. "You can't let what they say fool you, though. It's all part of Landel's imaginary plot here."

[unpriest]

"I know that..." Seishin answered quietly. He knew as much, he knew that the head doctor enjoyed toying with the rats running around in his maze. Yet, there was more to it than just that.

If Toshio would casually visit him like this, what did it mean for Sunako? Was she...dead? Either of them would have been killed upon sight. It hardly explained why only he had turned up here, and if Sunako had been left behind...

"But the identity of the man who visited me was unmistakable," he continued, still frowning at the carpet. "It's...complicated, I guess."

[avengingfists]

"So, he was a lot like the person you know from home? Are you sure it had to have been the same person?"

Ilia leaned closer to Seishin, almost putting her arm around his shoulder but refraining. He looked rather small on the couch, though he was a small man to begin with. She leveled his gaze on him, even if he didn't glance her way.

"Listen. Landel is a master at illusions and mind games. You can't let what he says distract you too much, okay, Seishin?" She shook her head. "I know that's easier said than done, but try not to let it affect you while you're here. Once we get out... we can worry about other problems." Like getting home. And finding loved ones.

[unpriest]

"He was too alike to be anyone else." Toshio... They had been childhood friends until not too long ago. Though their feelings had began to bypass one another, Seishin knew him quite well. The man from yesterday had not demanded an explanation for his actions as Seishin would have expected him to, yet it was impossible to see him as anyone else.

But Silvestri-san was right, however. In the short time Seishin had been here, he had come to know what the head doctor was like. The circumstances surrounded the issue bothered him, but he couldn't be certain about anything. Not as long as he was here.

Sunako had needed him. Seishin had gone to her side to die, but for her sake he had decided to temporarily live on. Like anything else, the former priest could not know what had happened to her. Until he acquired as much certainty, he should keep trying for her sake. Sunako, who was abandoned by God and who had but a lonely and barren wasteland ahead of her, deserved at least as much.

"You're... right," he said eventually, glancing back at Silvestri-san. "I won't know what has happened as long as I'm here, I guess."

He offered the woman a small smile. "Thank you, Silvestri-san."

[avengingfists]

Seishin was still pretty sure about the guy, but at least he seemed to understand that little could be done for the time being. Ilia relaxed, giving Seishin and bracing squeeze on his forearm.

"We'll get out of here, and you'll be able to find your friend and get to the bottom of the situation. I'll help out however I can." He had to know he wasn't alone in this. They weren't exactly close, but Ilia wasn't the type to leave someone in need hanging.