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?]

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[mirrorimage]

Nina had been reading the bulletin board herself when someone hobbled up beside her. Glancing over to see the person who had just approached the board, her heart immediately went out to him when she noticed the extent of his injuries. Another person who's been hurt here. It made her sick and angry to think about, and even more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery behind this place.

The postings on the bulletin board might very well help with that, if anyone had anything useful to share. For now, though, Nina could put her attention on the person actually next to her.

She gave the Once-ler a tiny smile when her eye caught his. "Hey," she offered, voice gentle.

[fallenbeanpole]

The Once-ler hadn't noticed the woman at first, and it wasn't until she spoke up that he realized he wasn't the only one reading the board. He didn't recognize her, although that was hardly surprising since he had only just arrived the night before.

"Hey," he responded. There was a moment's pause as the man considered how to continue.

"Seeing what people have to say as well?" he finally asked, gesturing at the board. It was as good a topic as any, seeing as they were both standing before it. "Sounds like there's a bug going around."

He knew Soma was sick, but from the notes on the board it seemed it was more widespread.

[mirrorimage]

"Yeah." Nina nodded when he gestured toward the board. Her eyes flittered over the postings on the board, taking in each one. Some of them meant nothing to her, as she lacked the context to properly understand their significance. Others were more interesting, more intruiging, and more frustrating. "I hope it doesn't spread too much."

Her mouth creased into a frown when she noticed a post that had been removed, the others beneath it carefully re-arranged on the board. What had been on it before it was removed? There was no way to know for sure, although the other posts around its former place offered some hint.

Nina hadn't fully taken her attention from The Once-Ler, though. "You're new here, aren't you?" she said. It would be embarrassing if she was wrong but somehow she didn't think she was. "Forgive me. You just look kind of overwhelmed, that's all." It was a feeling Nina could sympathize with.