Day 66: Sun Room (4th shift)

[gald_digger]

Anise was glad that Barnaby had gotten back to her. Now she could meet him and hopefully learn something about the weird illness they had.

She didn’t want to look like a mess in front of the man, though, so she first made a stop in the washroom by the Sun Room to clean herself up a bit. She washed her hands and face, and fixed her pigtails, which had been looking a bit messy. There was no hiding the large rash that covered her hand and arm, even with a long-sleeved shirt, but she made herself look as presentable as possible.

With that finished, she returned to the Sun Room and stood where she was sure she’d be seen. Once she met up with Barnaby, they could probably take off to a more secluded part of the room for their talk. As cheerful and pleasant as she had been on the bulletin, this probably wasn’t going to be a very fun conversation.

[for Barnaby!]

Comments

[idolism]

_[Aigis!]

Normally, the day creeping along into the last few activity shifts was a good thing--nightshift was the best opportunity to get to one's business, and there were only a few hours to go before sunset. But with the infection stirring up all sorts of anxieties within the prisoner population... well, there was ample reason for trepidation.

Once the moon rose, more could transform. More could die. And who knew what kind of lunacy a bunch of scared prisoners could get up to in the mean time?

The noble ventured into the Sun Room, the bulletin board his priority; any updates or new information he saw, he filed away for future reference. The main issue was, however, that Aidou just wasn't in a very good position to unravel the twisted web Landel had spun around his infection experiment. With more information, he didn't doubt he could figure out what Landel had done, but it went without saying that Landel wouldn't simply reveal those details. Neither could he go hunting for answers inside someone's stomach like some knife-happy people had already done.

He didn't like waiting for new variables to emerge, but he didn't have much of a choice.

[no_dont_go]

Once again, the intercom sounded for a shift change and Aigis was still not willing to leave the Sun Room. Her stomach still hurt on occasion, and she had failed to eat any of her lunch beyond a few nibbles. It felt like it was getting worse.

Still, Aigis didn't allow herself to lounge all day. She very firmly insisted her feet carry her to the bulletin board to check on the notes. Nothing new to see there. But there was at least someone familiar she could talk to nearby, making her light excursion worth the effort.

"Afternoon, Aidou-san," Aigis greeted him, not even trying to suppress a shudder brought on by a sudden case of chills. She wrapped her arms about herself, hoping to rub a little warmth back into her body.

[idolism]

Aidou looked over at the sound of a girl's weary voice. It was certainly depressing, that most of his company that day was suffering from an injury or affliction brought on by the hospital. First Sasuke, and now Aigis?

Oh well, perhaps it was for the best he saw Aigis before the day was done...

"That's not resting," he said, picking up the thread from their last conversation. Beneath the wry observation, Aidou couldn't help a twang of guilt, a vestige of his earlier discussion with Sasuke. Aigis had been the right, hadn't she? While she'd been noting the strangeness of the boy's lateness, Sasuke had been enduring another experiment. Aidou had noted it, too, but neither of them had been able to do anything, not when time slipped so easily through their fingers.

He didn't really want to dredge up the whole story, but with her standing there he thought he owed it to her to at least say something about the boy's condition.

"Sasuke's around, by the way," he added after a pause, hand on his hip.

[no_dont_go]

She hummed, understanding that he would likely never take her for resting unless she was lying in a bed. Which meant he probably didn't want to see her. No matter. Her nurse, while worried for her, also thought it better if she got some activity out of the day. Better than her wasting a whole afternoon asleep, in Aigis' opinion. Not that she'd been able to do much so far today.

She moved onto the next subject quickly, hoping he would drop the resting part. It wasn't likely going to happen today.

"I am..." She paused. What sentiment did she wish to get across? "... I am glad he did not fall to the institutes lies." Until she knew some people were honestly returned home if they went missing, Aigis would continue to hope they stayed. Better than thinking they were not who they truly knew themselves to be.

[idolism]

He turned his attention back to the bulletin, expression still and flat. Like the calm before a storm. "No, just to other things," he replied with an edge of bitterness. It wasn't the lies and the illusions that plagued Sasuke. Rather, it was steel and blood, and the knowledge that the Institute had once again carved its name into his body.

But that was neither here nor there. Sasuke could choose to confide the whole story if he chose.

"Anyway, I've been thinking about this latest experiment of Landel's," the vampire continued, glancing back to Aigis. "The infection and the transformations. It seems that for those who had a device in their stomachs, removing it improved their condition. If that's indeed the case, the idea of surgery as a solution might need to be taken more seriously." Not that Aidou hadn't been taking it seriously to begin with, but he also had a healthy amount of skepticism, too. "In your case, I have the skill and the knowledge to accomplish such a thing. Of that, I never had any doubt. But..."

He sighed and lifted his hands in a small shrug.

"There would be too much blood involved, simply put. Honestly, at this point I would do it tonight if I could, but that would be a foolish thing for a vampire to attempt. I felt I should tell you that."

Aigis had never asked for his help, not in that way, but he still felt the urge to explain the circumstances. It wasn't like he enjoyed seeing the sick prisoners living in pain and fear.

[no_dont_go]

"Mnn." Even if he hadn't been brainwashed, it was likely other things had happened to Sasuke. And it wasn't bound to be anything good. Aigis was not very imaginative, but she knew the dangers this place posed. It wasn't hard to guess what might have kept him away.

Aigis perked up at mentions of the infection. Now that was an interesting tidbit. "So, others have actually tried the surgery..." She shouldn't have been surprised. She had been interested in the idea, and there were several more people here far more impetuous than herself.

The offer to handle the surgery himself, though retracted immediately, was somewhat surprising. Aigis glanced up at Aidou's eyes, her gaze softening. "I understand, Aidou-san. And... I greatly appreciate that you would offer, even if it is not possible with your nature."

She never would have thought to ask Aidou of all people to help with a surgery. It was just absurd, but... still, he had offered. He was honestly much too kind. A kinder soul than she would ever had imagined.

"You needn't worry about tonight, though. I shall likely be staying in my room..." She felt it best to tell him her plans, since he had shown her enough kindness to worry about her. Aigis didn't think she would have the energy to do much in the night, let alone find a way to extract the device in her stomach.

"How are you doing? Have you been able to eat lately?" The question was an earnest one. He had preyed on the patients before but she hadn't heard of any recent surprise attacks. Surely he had a source of blood somewhere...

[idolism]

"According to the bulletin, yes," he answered. Talking about the details of the surgeries was certainly less discomforting than discussing his capability or incapability of performing one for Aigis.

It was exactly what Landel wanted--emotion, extreme measures, panicked thinking. All because a handful of experimentation victims twinged one's sympathies. The oldest trick in the book, that. Playing on sympathy.

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, acknowledging her thanks silently. "Staying in might be best if the symptoms are progressing," he said in response to her explanation. "I can check in on you again early on." Naturally, Aigis saw fit to turn the subject back onto him with little to no preamble, however. Although the question was an innocuous one, it still made him feel somewhat ill-at-ease, as if he himself were another sick prisoner that needed checking on because of his "condition."

To some, maybe he was. Landel's didn't exactly offer a dignified environment for vampires to thrive.

"I'm as fine as ever." He suspected some of his discomfort extended out of the fact that he hadn't been eating; he knew telling as much to Aigis would likely only get her into a tizzy. "Don't worry, I haven't been rampaging in the halls."