damned_institute | Day 65: Men's Showers

.... .... .... ....Alright.

Alright. He could admit it now, as he staggered around like a drunkard barely aware of what was going on around him. Trying to pick a fight with the nurses had been a pretty stupid idea.

Even so, it had proven a few things to him. It seemed that the daytime staff (or at the very least, his nurse) believed firmly in the idea that this was a hospital for the mentally ill, even when someone was yelling in their faces about it. Either that, or they were just very good at lying. (Or maybe they were brainwashed themselves?) In any case, it became a bit more difficult for Zero to determine how much certain members of Landel's staff were his enemies. They were all his enemies in some shape or form, doubtlessly, but perhaps some of them were more innocent than others...perhaps some were not fully to blame for their actions.

There was another thing he'd learned: even during the day, the staff were nothing to take lightly. It was not easy to fight them, for they had power in numbers, physical strength, and drugs. The latter was the reason why his nurse was having to lead him into the showers by hand to give him assistance with bathing himself right now. Unlike what he'd assumed when the nurse injected him with the stuff, it seemed to be something that calmed one down to the point of disorientation, not something that made one ready to jump with support at Landel's every word. Thankfully.

That didn't make him feel any better, though. Even if the medicine wasn't part of what made him into a brainwashed slave last night, it still forced him to obey the nurses' every command, which was really no different in the end.

Still powerless. Still a prisoner. And now it was even worse, as he couldn't even walk without holding his nurse's hand for support in case his legs suddenly gave out. Now he had to spend the rest of the day right next to her. He couldn't even dress himself properly once the shower was done. Yet, the medicine gave him a sort of listless apathy about it all. He knew he should care, but actually caring...just didn't seem worth it.

Then again, it's hard to care when you hardly feel like you exist to begin with.

[To here.]

Scar had fought with his nurse tooth and nail to not be taken to the showers, but no amount of bickering would persuade her. Scar was in no position to make physical threats, but it wasn't like he was about to attack a woman, either. So here he was, being escorted (more like helped, but Scar wasn't about to admit to that) into the shower. The water soaked through his bandages quickly, and the soap that seeped through stung his unhealed wounds.

And the Ishbalan was well aware that he and Lingormr were two of the only three people in here, yet. He pointedly ignored the bastard, glaring at the shower wall rather than his current company. He was desperate to lash out at him, as well. But Scar would have to wait, lest he made another fool of himself. He wasn't good at waiting. His hands shook, he was so tightly wound and angry. It had been bad enough, what had happened last night, but now Scar had to face being stripped down naked, his bandages and rash fully exposed in front of Lingormr.

Scar got out of the damn shower as quickly as his nurse would let him. It was awful, standing there and having his bandages redone for him. Being helped back into his clothing, all thanks to the asshole standing only several feet away.

[To the Sun Room]

Edited 2012-07-23 15:21 (UTC)

This was...

Amazing!

As the water touched his naked skin, all thoughts of last night seemed to melt away. His leg was forgotten, X leaning against the back of the shower as he simultaneously stared down at himself and those around him, trying to figure out exactly what was supposed to be done in here.

This was a sanitation room, right? At least, that was what his Nurse had said when he'd asked her what the room was used for. But how exactly did you sanitize yourself? Was it with the blocks of something and those sponges?

...It couldn't be too hard.

.....So said X after fifteen minutes, simply staring down at his body and watching with awe at the bubbles that formed against his human muscles and other extremities. When the bubbles washed away, he just lathered more on.

Minutes more passed of this, until all of him was washed. Six times over, punctuated by the sounds of his surprise and fascination with each scrub. Was this how humans did things every day?! This felt so good! Why didn't Reploids get to have hygienic routines like this; the stress from missions would have been greatly reduced, and then there would have been a far improved mood.

At least, that was what X had thought as he (reluctantly) extricated himself from the shower, hiding his naked body from prying eyes as he toweled off.

[To Here!]

Edited 2012-07-23 15:36 (UTC)

Ugh, it was shower time again? Yep. And it was still as awkward and uncomfortable as ever? Double yep. Siiigh. The quicker Byrne went through this, the better. Remember: in and out, no looking at anyone, pretend you're the only one in there and no one is looking at you. Focusing on that tended to help somewhat the last time.

Or you know. He could just not care. But the likelihood of that happening any time soon was very, very slim.

At least this time around he managed to get here earlier than mostly everyone else, so he could get this over with without having to deal with a huge crowd of...well. (Then again, crowds offered the option of hiding; it was easy to stick out when it was only you and a few other guys.)

But to be honest, beyond having to spend some time naked in a room full of strangers, he was having a relatively okay morning so far. Not that he was happy to be back in this place despite last night's efforts to escape, but it could be worse, right?

Speaking of last night, though, where was Badd? Byrne couldn't seem to spot the older detective anywhere. Not at breakfast, and not here in the showers. Maybe he's out in the Sun Room already? An even better reason to hurry up. Byrne spent barely any time getting washed up, and within a few minutes, he was already headed out.

[To here.]

Though Seishin did not exactly mind the opportunity for a shower, he felt a bit uncomfortable with the fact that they were public. Thus, after undressing himself he moved into the shower room a little awkwardly, quickly heading for an empty shower stall while making sure not to look at anyone else. It brought back memories of PE during younger, more carefree days in school, and he couldn't help but to feel a little embarrassed standing naked between other equally naked men like this.

The former priest showered quickly, leaving for the sun room before anyone could occupy the stall next to him.

[To here]

Edited 2012-07-23 18:11 (UTC)

As bothered as Guy had been to hear that Leanne was yet another person who'd fallen ill, he was glad that he'd caught her early in the morning and delivered the information that he and his friends had found. What was sticking in his mind at the moment was that knowing about a cure was all well and good, but it wouldn't do much unless they were able to enact it somehow.

The idea of having to slice open Claude or Anise's stomach and fish around for whatever was doing this to them was harrowing. While Guy knew how to do plenty of things, he was no surgeon. In fact, it was Jade who probably would have been able to handle something like this, but there hadn't been a sign of him in weeks.

Which meant putting it in someone else's hands. There were a number of problems with that idea, but it was the only choice they had.

While a shower sounded good at the moment, Guy's mind was too full of concerns to really appreciate it. He couldn't take the time to enjoy himself when he had two sick friends to deal with, and so after undressing he quickly washed down his body and ran shampoo through his hair, not sending a second glance to any of the other patients in the room with him.

There was no chance of finding Anise at the moment since the children had been separated, but he was hoping that he could track down Claude. Guy quickly changed back into his uniform and then moved out into the Sun Room.

[To here.]

Edited 2012-07-23 18:44 (UTC)

As it turned out, Ryuuzaki hadn't known much more than Harvey about the supposed cure, even though he was the sick one. That was bound to come and bite him in the ass at some point, but there was no way in which that was Harvey's problem.

In fact, he was impressed by how little his so-called social circle had been affected by Landel's newest scheme. Then again, maybe that was because a good chunk of his friends had left this place before it even started. The only person he could think of who might be sick was Lana, and he hadn't seen her since the bus crash debacle.

For now, he had to tackle with getting himself showered, which shouldn't have been as much of a production as it unfortunately was. At least at this point he had gotten used to the routine, much like with eating, and was able to wash off the majority of his body without aggravating his wounds.

A nurse helped him wrap back up and then sent him on his way, and he was glad to see that had been one of the more painless shower experiences thus far.

[To here.]

Edited 2012-07-23 18:54 (UTC)

His discussion with Lust hadn't led anywhere, but that wasn't much of a surprise. She had been a distraction, something that only lasted as long as the morning did. And now Castiel would have to focus on his own plight, which meant trying to locate someone who could extract items from a human body without killing the person in turn.

Which was why, before he allowed his nurse to take him to the showers, he stopped by the bulletin board and placed up a brief note asking for the sort of aid he would need in order to save himself. If not, if he was too late, then what would he do? Kratos had agreed to do what was necessary in that situation, but there was no guarantee the man would be around to help with that unless they specifically met up in the subsequent nights.

It was something to consider, and it would be a good idea to track the man down and ask him at some point.

For now, though, his note had been posted and he could only wait for the responses to come in. If anyone replied at all, but many of the people here were altruistic, which was his one chance at getting through this alive. In the meantime, he was interested in cleansing himself. It wasn't something he'd ever had to do before his time here, but he found that it could be enjoyable, especially now that he wasn't feeling well.

The warm water pounding against his skin was the only relief he'd received for his symptoms since this had started, and so for once Castiel lingered, enjoying it for however long they would let him.

[Closed.]

Gren hadn't exactly slept through breakfast. But he had refused to come out of his room, and might still have been there had his nurse not found some assistance to drag him out and escort him down the halls to the shower.

He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be anywhere at all, wished for nothingness over the constant replay of the night before, darkness and death mixed in inexorably with memories of Titan into one immobilizing hell inside his head. He kept forgetting where he was, that he wasn't in prison, just someplace awfully like it. He hadn't taken his medication either, palming the pills until they weren't watching and then kicking them under the bed. He didn't even care that the showers weren't empty and that anyone who wanted to could see him. What did it matter?

He hunched in the shower, one hand on the tile, letting the freezing water pummel him, as though, if he were cold enough, he'd stop feeling those cold hands on him, trying to pull him down.

[For Hakkai]

Edited 2012-07-24 01:56 (UTC)

He was never exactly sure whether he considered shower time here a blessing or an eternal source of anxiety. The public showers reminded him far too much of prisons and made him want to spend as little time as possible in them. He valued his privacy and didn't much like the strange feeling of inferiority public showers seemed to imply. Like they were all sheep. They didn't earn the right to their own shower time; just shove everyone in together and let them all hose off at once. He didn't like it.

On the other hand, it was always a relief to finally get a shower in. Some nice warm water hitting him was often invigorating, and he found the very act of ignoring the people around him gave him a strange, rare sense of peace... even if just for a few moments. In a strange way, it was also kind of nice to be worried about something as silly as modesty. When one's near-constant stress came from struggling to survive? Yes, it was a welcome change.

And so Klavier took his shower in a quiet, almost meditative state. He took the time to clear his mind entirely of his worries. For these few moments, he wouldn't wonder about what was going on or how to fix things. He wouldn't worry about how others were doing or fear for those already taken or mourn those gone. No, he wouldn't think about any of it. He only closed his eyes and listened to the steady sound of water hitting the floor and hitting the top of his head, blocking out all else.

It was refusing to take moments like this for granted that had helped him maintain his sanity for as long as he had.

[to here]

"No! I already told ya! No bandage, no shower!"

"Mr. Sasaki! We need to clean that rash off anyways--"

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD OUT LOUD--"

"Cody! Keep your voice down! There's no need to have such a fuss! We'll get you a new bandage for your arm as soon as you're done! Please don't force me to call for an orderly--"

"FINE! GEEZE!"

Grumbling and growling, Sechs ripped off the roll of gauze from his arm (which to the nurse's displeasure, was covered in crumbs and syrup from breakfast) and proceeded to his usual shameless stripping before stomping over to a solitary shower in the farthest corner of the bathroom. Having only one shower to his side helped him conceal his infected arm. Now if he could just be left in peace without anyone bugging him about it...

With the hot water splashing down his shoulders, Sechs found himself forgetting his rush to finish and allowed the warmth to ease the poisonous chill in his spine. Showering was one of the few times Sechs could actually enjoy real relief from the drug that had been injected into his back weeks ago. It got the cruel symptoms of the inner parasite to truly stop, turning something as boring as showering into luxurious therapy for the android. A great sigh escaped the Replica and he allowed his eyes to close, keeping his back to the water as he slightly dozed off.

[Free!]

Although he was relieved to talk to Anise in person during breakfast, Claude didn't feel too upbeat about their options. The thought of letting someone cut one of them open made his skin crawl. He didn't exactly consider himself the squeamish type, either, so that was saying a lot. Was anyone here even capable of helping them with that?

You're assuming that's the answer in the first place, he reminded himself as he stepped under ones of the shower heads. As Claude washed his body, he caught sight of the heraldic crest he'd been given awhile back. If only he'd managed to harness his healing power, maybe he could have used it during all of this. At the very least, those injured patients from last night might not have suffered as much as they had.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Claude decided to finish his shower as quickly as possible. Normally he liked to enjoy soaking under the stream of water, but this wasn't the time to twiddle his thumbs.

Once he was finished, he quickly toweled off, got dressed, and headed for the Sun Room.

((To here.))

Facilier blinked, wondering why he wasn't hosted by Landel himself in that nice comfy leather couch. Yet despite all the blinking he did, he was still back in his bedroom, lying on his back with his eyes glaring up at the plain white ceiling.

It would seem their meeting had been ended by the usual mysterious "blackout" phases experienced at the end of the night. That didn't mean Facilier forgot all that had happened back up in Landel's lofty office. It was as though they had spoken mere moments ago. Facilier could still feel the stingy brew of excitement and anxiety coursing through his veins like a bubbly potion. He knew what had to be done.

First off, Facilier's little "commission" from Landel would have to wait, as a nurse entered the room to escort him to the showers. Facilier kept a pleasant mask and demeanor with the nurse, but frustration burned inside his chest. He desired breakfast and some alone time with the bulletin board, but the nurse insisted he got washed off first.

So with his well-exercised patience to keep his anger in check, Facilier entered the bathroom with as much dignity a gentleman such as himself could have in a public shower: with his nose held up, his eyes heavily lidded and a towel held tightly around his narrow hips. A romp in a public shower during a particularly drunken Mardi Gras may cross his mind, but this was far from New Orleans to be any sort of party! A few minutes later of washing and ignoring everyone around him, the Shadow man toweled up and promptly escorted himself out of the showers, head still held high.

[To here.]

Edited 2012-07-24 06:56 (UTC)

For someone who normally enjoyed the showers because of all the new sensations they presented to a non-human like himself, the Scarecrow wasn't looking forward to this one. First was because his conversation with Sangamon hadn't settled him, what little he'd had of his meal shifting uncomfortably in his stomach; second was the strange rash that was hidden under the bandages, one he wasn't sure he wanted to see. His curiosity got the better of him as the nurse unwrapped his arm. His wounds from previous encounters had healed as best they could, or so he hoped- it was honestly hard to tell with the strange texture that crawled up his limb, having spread much farther in the passing days. He couldn't help but scratch at it as he wandered into the showers.

With the hot water only seeming make make him feel worse— he hadn't thought his legs could feel more unsteady, but they certainly did— he hurried through his shower like never before, in and out in record time.

[To here.]

Unlike certain people, Barnaby wasn't accustomed to bathing with others at all. He had, at least, enough experience with the institute to understand that it was something he'd have to do from time to time. That was why he had already prepared himself for the worst when his nurse informed that a shower chair was waiting for him to use in order to compensate for his injured legs.

Wonderful, he thought to himself as he gave empty smile to the nurse. Now everyone could see the extent of his wounds, as well as the rash creeping across his pale skin. Considering what some people knew about the state of his internal organs, how blind he was without his glasses, and the fact he was completely cut off from his abilities during the day, it was a terrible combination.

To make matters worse, the nurses had separated him from Kotetsu during the shuffle. While he knew he could handle himself if necessary, he still felt better having his partner serve as an extra barrier between him and whoever might approach. Barnaby had no doubt Kotetsu would return to his side before the shift was over, of course, but it also meant he'd have to grin and bear the circumstances until then.

Once the nurses had gotten him settled, Barnaby draped a washcloth across his lap and reached for the soap dispenser, which was mercifully positioned close enough for him to reach. Then, his face and body composed with well-practiced grace and poise, he began to wash himself. He started with his neck like always, and tried to savor how nice it felt to wash away the dirt and grime that liked to build up there.

If he kept whatever routines he could, then at least he was able to stay in control of something.

Edited 2012-07-24 19:48 (UTC)

Breakfast had been quiet: no surprises, no visitors—not that there would have been, but yesterday had still loomed heavily over his mind as he ate, as he headed towards the showers after the announcement, and as he scrubbed himself clean.

Maybe he should ask around on the bulletin about other experiences with the visitors before. If Brainiac 5 wasn't who he once was, then the others... More importantly, how had they done it? 'Brainwashing' was too general of a term, but there were ways to complete erase a life and replace it with another. There were ways to come back from that.

The Doctor finished with his shower quickly, dressing a little more slowly before heading back out to the sun room.

[here]

After one look around the room without a sign of Locke, Edgar hurried through his shower with little fanfare. With the signs of the infection becoming more and more evident in some of the patients around him, he wanted to be sure his friend was one of the recovering rather than the suffering. He'd been sick in the days before, growing worse. As optimistic as Edgar liked to be, he was far more a realist- he knew that if there was any validity to Landel's words that he ought to be on his toes regarding Locke's health. Ryuuzaki's, too.

He sighed, wringing the excess water from his long hair. He wouldn't put it past a madman like Landel to instigate a witch hunt with a false sickness. After all, for all they knew there may have been no transformation coming, no true reason for fear; however, it was unfortunate that it was just as likely— more so, the more Edgar thought about it— he would actually taint his playthings, turning them into monsters and setting them on one another. He was no stranger to experimentation, after all. He certainly liked to watch his rats run in their maze.

Finished, Edgar threw on his clothes and headed for the Sun Room, hoping he'd find Locke there.

[To here.]

Edited 2012-07-27 09:49 (UTC)

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