Day 65: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

[unpriest]

Seishin didn't have the opportunity to visit the arts and crafts room before, but handicraft wasn't something the former priest had ever been particularly skilled at. He would have been content with remaining in the library, but the nurse insisted that he'd pursue a more social activity than something so isolating as reading a book. Pushing one's own ideas of what was good for them onto others was not something limited to just Sotoba, he guessed, and in the end Seishin had little choice but to quietly follow along.

The room was still empty when Seishin entered, leaving him with little else to do but eying the materials with relative uncertainty.

[Dr. Facilier]

Comments

[nobleman]

While Ilia said that this Rose was fine, the fact that she was thirteen made that hard to believe. Guy wasn't about to underestimate anyone just because they were young, of course. Anise was only fourteen, after all, and she handled herself just fine in most situations. But if Anise had been the one to die in the coliseum that night, Guy definitely would have worried for her.

"Don't... dwell on that. We don't get to choose who fights, not really." There was the blood-spilling that was done at the beginning, but there was no way to know what that meant at the time. If Guy had been able to tell them, then he could have at least imparted that information, but there was no point in getting hung up on what could have been.

"I'll definitely try to track her down at some point," he said with a nod. The bulletin would be the best way to go about that. It might have to wait until he'd gotten Claude and Anise's situation under control, but then again, there was only ever so much to be done during the day.

[avengingfists]

It was true there was no way of knowing or choosing, but still! Ilia wasn't the kind to let her past bog her down. She had seen too much of that being in the army, and just being Ronyx's subordinate, but she couldn't help but think about it. The cruelty of Landel knew no boundaries.

"I appreciate it, Guy." She couldn't express it physically with a pat on the back or a squeeze of his hand, but she could try to smile. He was such a sweet man.

"I'm glad Claude and Anise have you around to take care of them." She chuckled, gaining a bit more of her good humor back. "I guess it might sound a little weird, but I kind of feel like they're my kids and I need to protect them from this place."

[nobleman]

It was good to see that Ilia seemed capable of moving on even after what had happened. While Guy wished that it had never had to take place, worrying about it now would be pointless. Besides, with some of the patients set to turn into monsters, getting caught up on the past would be a mistake.

When Ilia mentioned that she saw Anise and Claude almost as her children, Guy had to fight not to falter or let anything show in his expression. The fact that the statement was truer than Ilia could ever know was not a secret that he was allowed to reveal at this point. No, that was something that Claude would have to tell Ilia himself, and Guy had to wonder when that day would come.

"I don't think it sounds weird. Obviously they mean a lot to me, too, and I can promise you that I'll keep them safe however I can." His words held more weight considering the illness both of them had, but Guy couldn't make that clear to Ilia right now. Still, he hoped that the sentiment came across well enough despite that. He meant it.

[avengingfists]

His words gave Ilia heart, and quickly she found herself returning to her usual confidence. "I'm counting on you." She chuckled. "No pressure."

After all they had been through at least one thing could be certain. The worst had been experienced. Death of a friend before your own helpless eyes. They could carry on with the rest of the trials as though they were a cake-walk. Probably.

"I guess you guys are making progress, though? You seemed to be, last time I checked."

[nobleman]

In a way, it felt good to be relied on, and to know that Ilia trusted him. Granted, she wasn't aware that she was basically putting her son's life into his hands, but Guy still appreciated it. He offered a smile, wanting to make it clear that there were no hard feelings even after his little episode earlier.

"Progress? Well..." It was true that they had been for a while, as much as getting through random trials in the caverns counted as progress, but the past few nights they'd obviously had to switch their focus.

Before he could say much more, though, the intercom went off, meaning it was time for dinner. Which also took them one step closer to nightshift. Guy drew in a breath and stood up. "Well, looks like we'll get another chance now," he said, finishing his sentence in a different way than expected. At least he'd dodged a bullet there.

"Good luck tonight, all right?" He didn't know what Ilia was up to, but hopefully she'd take extra caution now that she knew what this place was capable of. "And sorry again about earlier." He gave her a sheepish look before moving away to meet with his nurse.

[avengingfists]

It sounded from Guy's hesitancy that progress wasn't at its best. Ilia smiled, her eyes full of empathy. "Just gotta do what you can."

She sighed and stood along with him, pushing her chair back under the table. There was still one issue she had meant to breach, or at least subtly prod at, that she hadn't managed to get across to Guy with. But maybe next time she'd see what he thought about Claude.

"Hey, same. Stay safe." That was the best she could hope for him and their friends. She waved off his apology. "No, it's quite alright. Have a good night." And with that, she also moved to follow her nurse back to her room for the night.