Day 65: 3rd Shift: Courtyard

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

It was chilly out in the courtyard, making Lloyd glad for the odd but relatively warm clothing he'd found himself in when he woke up. He could have stay inside the building, he knows. His nurse had told him he had a choice of several rooms he could eat his lunch in, if he wanted. The cold felt good, though, and the tree he was sitting against felt solid and comfortable. He still felt lost, but trying to get straight answers from the nurse was frustrating. The man had retreated to let him eat in peace, promising to come back when Lloyd was finished and he'd had a chance to "clear his head." The teen was just fine with that.

Lunch itself was actually pretty good. He'd gotten a chicken sandwich, and his spirits lifted a little when he saw that there was a brownie with it. It had taken him a minute to figure out the box with juice inside, having never encountered anything like that before, but after that it was easy to just settle down and enjoy his food.

Well, for the most part. Worry for his Dad still ate at him, and he had no idea where any of his friends were. He still felt a little off, too, like some intangible part of him was missing or weakened, but he chalked that up to leftover side effects of whatever it was Yuan had done to him. He was confident that would disappear soon enough, once he finished recovering. He already felt well enough that as soon as he was done eating, he was determined to leave. If his doctor had his things, he'd ask for them first, and maybe he could talk to some of the other people here, see if they knew anything that could help, but one way or another, he needed to find his friends and make sure his Dad was all right.


[To here.]

Comments

[impudentsongbird]

Gabriel put considerable thought into this, gazing into the water as he did. It sounded something like a person's name, but he didn't recognise it; if it was the name of a place, he didn't know it either.

"I must confess," he said, drawing his attention from the pond to Barnaby with a slight frown, "I haven't. Is that where you're from?"

That couldn't be right. Even if it was a small town, Gabriel ought to at least have heard of it, especially if there were people there who were of the blood.

[baniichan]

While he couldn't say he was surprised to learn Gabe hadn't heard of it, Barnaby had still thought it worth asking. After all, the man claimed to be a traveler, and Stern Bild was a huge tourist destination, especially with Hero TV's soaring popularity.

"Yes," he confirmed with a small nod. "My partner and I both come from Stern Bild, actually, but neither of us have met anyone here who's heard of it. I'm not sure why that is."

Of course, finding someone who knew of the place wouldn't exactly change much. But at least it could offer some potential clues on why there seemed to be so many discrepancies regarding what people knew about the outside world.

[impudentsongbird]

"How strange," Gabriel murmured, his disquiet plain on his face. A place, then. He wasn't entirely surprised others may not have heard of it, but even if it was a hidden place like Taubolt, Gabriel certainly ought to have. Wherever had Lucifer found this man, then? It wasn't a good sign.

He blinked again and offered Barnaby a smile that wasn't exactly delighted, given the circumstances, but was pleased for Barnaby in a fashion. "Oh, you're not here alone? Good. Well ..." He raised his hands ruefully. Not so good for Barnaby's partner, in a way, though at least they would know where Barnaby was and be able to watch after him. "Hardship is easier to bear if it's with others, at least. Even easier when it's with friends."

[baniichan]

Strange was probably putting it mildly, but Barnaby had learned to expect it at this point. That was why he didn't look as put out by Gabe's ignorance as he could have.

Instead, he found himself a little puzzled over how this man seemed happy to know Barnaby wasn't alone. They had just met, so there was no reason for Gabe to feel at all invested in Barnaby's well-being. Of course, some people were just like that. It didn't work out like that all of the time, but it did happen.

Quite frankly, it was the sort of thing that made Barnaby uncomfortable.

Still, he knew when to raise his hackles, and now wasn't the time. Barnaby stole a small glance before staring out over the pond, angling his face in such a way that the sun glinted off the lenses of his glasses and obscured his eyes.

He didn't necessarily agree that hardship was easier to bear with others. Often times other people managed to bring along their own brand of heartache and suffering. It was only when both parties fully trusted one another that Barnaby believed it was worth weathering the storm with someone else.

"Well, he is my partner," Barnaby answered, as if that summed up his feelings on the subject. Then, in an effort to conceal the small flutter of shyness in the pit of his stomach, he moved toward a more practical observation. "I'm not sure how common it is for patients to wake up here with people they can trust, but I suppose I'm fortunate in that regard."

[impudentsongbird]

It was a more than adequate summation, as far as Gabe was concerned, enough to make his smile take a turn into proper radiance. "It's good to hear. Whatever their motives for capturing you both at once, it's something you can use to your advantage as well."

And why not? Gabriel had seen how well Lucifer could use a person's loved ones against them. Yet, in the end, it had been the very same thing which had lost Lucifer the bet.

"What's his name?" asked the Archangel, and he grinned. "I doubt I've met him yet, but at least if I do I'll know who he is."

[baniichan]

While it was hard to imagine finding any sort of easy advantage in a place like this, much less having one handed to them, Barnaby knew that he'd be utterly lost without Kotetsu here. As angry at him as he'd been when he first arrived, just seeing his face had been enough to put some of his world right again. It wasn't enough to fix what Barnaby was starting to realize was a fragmented mind, but it was certainly a better anchor in reality than the unpredictable nature of the institute.

The question wasn't so unexpected, especially if Gabe was new and trying to network with other patients. Thankfully, Barnaby was prepared to answer despite the odd circumstances surrounding Kotetsu's identity.

"He goes by the alias Wild Tiger," Barnaby said as he began to neatly tuck his half-eaten food back into the paper sack. "Due to his occupation back home, he generally doesn't give his real name out to people. If you run into him, though, you'll probably know it." He'd never say so to someone he'd just met, but subtlety wasn't one of Kotetsu's stronger points.

[impudentsongbird]

Names were never chosen without reason, and this one so very clearly had reasons that Gabriel had to laugh. Not in a mocking way, not in the least; in fact, he sounded downright delighted. "I'll definitely be able to remember that one. I'd be interested to know why he chose it!"

Maybe Gabe could figure it out on his own. Or maybe it would become obvious if or when he did meet the man. Judging by Barnaby's final comment, the Archangel suspected the name was a reference to his partner's personality, and if so, Gabe was looking forward to the potential meeting.

It seemed as though Barnaby might be ready to move elsewhere, so Gabriel followed the man's lead and put his unopened juicebox back in his bag. "Is there anywhere you'd like me to take you, or would you prefer to wheel yourself?"

[baniichan]

Barnaby didn't know the full story behind Kotetsu's alias, but he did remember hearing that it matched with the Japanese kanji in his first name. Since it had such a personal connection to his civilian identity, he wasn't sure whether he'd share that kind of information with Gabe. Still, Barnaby managed a polite smile. "Perhaps you can ask him someday."

As meddlesome as Kotetsu could be, he wouldn't be surprised if the two crossed paths at some point. Just one conversation with Gabe demonstrated his unusual nature. If he continued to sit around outside with his feet bare, for example, it was only a matter of time before Kotetsu swooped in and warned him about catching a cold. That was simply the kind of man he was, and so perhaps it was inevitable that they would speak.

Of course, it was impossible to say for certain. Barnaby could do a lot of things, but reading the future wasn't one of them.

He hadn't expected the other patient to follow his lead and pack up his food. Barnaby regarded the man with faintly raised eyebrows. "No, I'm all right," he told him. It was bad enough that his nurse insisted on wheeling him around. The last thing he needed was for other patients to feel like they had to look after him too.

"The shift will probably end soon," he added as he stared back out over the clear pond. Although the water was aesthetically pleasing to look at, the dead grass and empty trees served to remind him of the winter season. He hated this time of year. His only consolation was that he didn't have to look at any Christmas decorations. The lack of snow didn't go unappreciated, either. Even so, the cold air that stung at his nostrils carried the stench of unpleasant memories.

Then, as if on cue, the intercom sounded, and the nurses began to approach the patients scattered throughout the courtyard. The noise seemed to break Barnaby out of his momentary trance, and his gaze shifted onto Gabe again. He wasn't sure what to say to him.

"If you ever find out where the water drains, I'd like to know," he finally said in a neutral tone. Then, after a brief pause, he continued. "In the meantime, try to stay aware of your surroundings. It's dangerous here, especially at night." While there was little else Barnaby could do for him without stretching himself thin, he wanted to warn newcomers as best as he could. After all, passing information along could certainly help reduce casualties in the long run.

[impudentsongbird]

“You didn’t manage to finish dinner,” Gabriel said, surveying the other man with concern. “Are you sure you’ll be alright with that much? The evenings don’t sound easy.” And although Gabriel wasn’t used to needing food to keep his energy up, it was something he was familiar with on behalf of others.

That sounded like an opening to him—not exactly an invitation, but a chance to meet Barnaby again. That would be nice; the man had been helpful, and Gabriel wanted to see how well he was healing after the evening’s ‘entertainment’. The Archangel grinned. “You can come help me look for it sometime. There may not be any fish, but we might find some frogs instead.” Then he let his expression fall to seriousness. “Don’t worry about me. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to handle my brother’s … games. But if you need the extra help, feel free to leave me a note on the bulletin board, okay? We none of us have to face this alone.”