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

[knightspirit]

Couldn't this guy just get to the point...? A yes or no would have been easy enough. But Kyousuke restrained himself from snapping, listening with a certain air of impatience as the man meandered to his answer. From the sound of it, the prospects of using him weren't so good.

"... I see," he responded in mild disappointment. ... It figured. He guessed that would be a little too convenient. In another sense, it was also relieving; maybe if they didn't someone qualified it would force them to find a safer way. But that was probably nothing but wishful thinking.

He didn't seem to know why he was asking, either... He wondered how widespread this knowledge was. It seemed like the sort of thing that would travel around, but who knew. Word of mouth wasn't always very reliable.

"Not exactly," he answered, furrowing his brow. "Have you heard about the sickness going around? ... Apparently, the clue they found to cure it isn't very pleasant."

Hopefully, the man already knew about the first part. Kyousuke could explain if asked, but it was something he'd really rather avoid; he could almost feel sick himself if he thought too hard about it.

[timedork]

That got the Doctor's attention. There had been something over the intercom last night—a message drowning out Landel—about a way for those who were sick to help themselves, but... He hadn't gone there himself and, thanks to the nurse's intervention, hadn't had the chance to see if anything had been posted to the bulletin about what might have been found there.

"I've heard a bit about the sickness, but not about the clue," he said, scooting forward so that he was sitting at the edge of the chair's seat. It sounded like the boy had probably heard it from someone else—but whether that 'someone else' had shared... Well, there was only one way to find out. He stared intently at the dark-haired boy. "Do you know what it was?"

Even if he didn't, just knowing that someone did was important information. If the boy couldn't tell him anything, he could try to find that person, or persons, and ask about it directly.

[knightspirit]

It looked like they were on the same page, at least. Not having to explain the sickness was something of a relief, but then, it wasn't like the clue was any better. Most of the explanation could be left to the imagination, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing, in this case.

"A drawing of a stomach with a butterfly inside it," he replied plainly, fighting the urge to grimace. He knew exactly what sort of mental image that gave him, and apparently he wasn't the only one, as far as he'd been able to infer. But even so, he tried to scrutinize the man's reaction to this as closely as he could. ... It was possible he'd have a different interpretation. Kyousuke wasn't going to hold his breath, but he didn't want to dismiss the possibility, either.

[timedork]

"A stomach with a butterfly?" the Doctor repeated. He wasn't sure what he was expecting from the clue, but... Well, it hadn't been that. Somehow, he'd thought it would be something more straightforward, for the boy to have been asking about surgery so immediately.

"So you think it means there's something—a butterfly, or something represented by a butterfly; perhaps a parasite—in the stomach of those infected?" he said—thinking out loud more than actually asking a question. "Or there's something that needs to be put it to cure it. Or—well, there's also the thought that it's more figurative than that. 'Butterflies in the stomach': nervousness; anxiety; excitement; danger..."

If the clue was meant to be taken figuratively, there were far too many interpretations... And had the drawing been meant to indicate the cure or the cause? Applying that fluttery feeling of butterflies in the stomach to the sickness (or the cure to the sickness) seemed like a bit of a stretch, unless that feeling was a warning. Don't panic, perhaps?

[knightspirit]

This guy... really talked a lot, and once again, Kyouske wished he could just find a point. But it was less annoying than it might normally be, if only for the fact there were several things mentioned he hadn't even considered. Parts of it made sense, and others seemed a little too good to be true.

"Butterflies in the stomach...." he repeated slowly. It was difficult to equate something so horrible with something so innocuous. That didn't make it unworthy of thinking about, but still...

"They found it in the x-ray room, and I saw someone mention a knife. They think that might be part of it too." It fell in line with what he had originally pictured when the clue was mentioned to him: the stomach as chrysalis, and something forcing its way out. Everything was nothing but pure conjecture, and he didn't like operating on assumptions, but even then, there was one detail in all of this that was really bothering him. "I'm not sure if they saw anything else or not. But apparently, it was enough to make people think this is what needs to be done."

He paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. How did he put this...? "You... wouldn't normally just jump to the conclusion most likely to kill you, would you?" He certainly knew he didn't want to believe that automatically, and he didn't even have any direct involvement. So, if people were really resigning themselves to something like this, that in itself spoke measures. Even if he blamed it on fear and hasty conclusions, there was no reason to fight something with something that could end just as badly or worse unless you absolutely certain of it.

He grit his teeth. He hadn't really pressed Sora much on the issue, because he hadn't seemed in the state to be interrogated, and he was sure he'd had the sense to think about what this really meant for him, but now, he really wished that he had.

[timedork]

The x-ray room... Well, if whoever had investigated the clue had been ill—or had an ill mate with them—then there was the possibility that something may have shown up if they had made use of the equipment there. If they could make use of the equipment there. Evidently he'd have to find someone who knew more.

But in the meantime—the boy's question was a bit alarming. "Well... no. Not exactly; not usually—I wouldn't jump to the most deadly conclusion, but it is always a possibility; that can't be ignored. You can't just assume that you'll be safe. Not here; not anywhere."

He wished he had something more positive to tell the boy—but short of lying, he just couldn't.

...Well, except for...

"But... The 'clue' is meant to hint at a cure," the Doctor added suddenly, his now-chipper tone a sharp contrast to his earlier one. "So even in the worst case scenario, it shouldn't kill anyone—well, unless death is the only answer. But death is never the only answer."

[knightspirit]

The boy sighed, leaning back and listening quietly, or pretending to. A lot of it got filtered out as useless noise; he was too preoccupied with everything to pay much attention. To think that he'd ever have to worry about things like this... Underneath the outrage, it was a strange and uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't quite sure what to do with.

... Handle it like usual, he guessed. It wasn't like there was much of a choice.

But the sudden change in tone cut through, and he regarded the man with a raised eyebrow a moment, before snorting.

"That's never an answer at all," he responded plainly. It was possible there were people here who thought differently, but he'd never allow it.