damned_institute | Day 66: Game Room (Fourth Shift)

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Day 66: Game Room (Fourth Shift)

The game room, huh... In normal, everyday life, it wouldn't have sounded too terrible, but as things were, it seemed like more of an annoyance. Games were fine, but priorities.... On the other hand, Kyousuke seemed to have hit a block in figuring out the clues to the the illness, and just thinking without getting anywhere wasn't very productive, either. At this point, it may have been best to push it aside and come back to it fresh. He had his reservations about it, especially since the end of the day was rapidly approaching, but... Frustration wasn't going to get him any closer.

He poked around what games were there with resignation, still half wondering what he was even doing and trying not feel guilty for needing a break. After a while he came across an electronic device marked "Game Boy Color" and picked it up out of curiosity. He'd heard of those before... If he was right, this thing was older than he was, by quite a bit. Flicking it on confirmed his suspicions; the sound and graphics from it spoke for themselves.

Shrugging, he took it a random seat, wincing at the pain in his ribs as he sat down. He guessed it wouldn't kill him to mess around with this thing for a little while.

[Lloyd!]

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Sechs gave out a great big yawn, ignoring the nurse's admonishments for him to cover his mouth. He didn't care; he was feeling a bit better for once today. His talk with Aigis certainly helped him wake up from his afternoon stupor. He felt a bit more energetic too as he walked into the games room. That little "power nap" of his really seemed to have done the trick for him. He may still be sick, but he was at least back up on his feet and feeling ready for the night that would soon be upon them.

He didn't care much for the "games" this room offered, all of which were boring, primitive and inexcusably devoid of any battles. But a quick scan of the place brought Sechs' attention to a face he was just starting to get to know.

"Hey! Link!" He approached the blond youth with a wolfish smirk, his head tilted as he carelessly rubbed the sleep out of his eye. "I see you're still in one piece so far! Did ya hear about the new clue last night?"

The sound of another voice snapped X out of his thoughts, leading him to lift his head and face his new companion with a bit of surprise in his eyes.

...Well. He hadn't expected anyone to answer him.

But he was right, regardless.

Landel...

His messages with Zero earlier weighed heavily on his mind, the diagrams seared into his subconscious with the intensity of a blowtorch.

What was he trying to do? Why would he do this?

Did he really think he'd be able to get away with this? Take innocents and use them as his damn guinea pigs (why else would they be implanted with those...things?)?! These were people kidnapped from their homes, forced in here like cattle and treated like invalids, for reasons that X was unsure of.

"It all seems so senseless. What's Landel's game in this?"

X paused, letting out a small, humorless laugh.

"Of course, everyone's probably asked that question a thousand times already. Still...there has to be some way out of this place."

Gabe's chest ached with sorrow and grief and horror. He hadn't quite understand how emotions could affect the human body like this. He'd known, he just hadn't understood. Even though he was still hugging Murphy pretty tightly, he managed to do so just a little bit more. How was it possible for people to endure such things? He'd always wondered, and now that he'd failed so badly at that himself, he could only wonder more.

But one thing, right now, which seemed crystal clear to the Archangel was that this was Murphy's second chance. If he was meant to have died, and yet hadn't--well, if he had it was quite likely he wouldn't have gotten the 'rest' he wanted. And the Lord didn't generally bring people back to life directly except in special circumstances.

Second chances, however ... Even second chances in another universe ...

What do I say? Gabriel asked the air desperately, hoping somewhere in his heart that someone was listening. What did he say that hadn't been mis-used until it was ridden into the ground and had lost all meaning?

The truth. The truth as best as he knew it, as best as he could explain it.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm any kind of expert," he said quietly. He wasn't. He knew more than most, but expert? No one was an expert at God. Gabriel was His closest companion and even the Archangel didn't understand Him most of the time. "But the way it looks to me, you're getting a second chance. What you do from here on out is up to you. And you can choose to do anything."

Because it was ordained, from the very beginning, that every man and woman would have the right to choose. No matter what Murphy had done in the past, he still had that right, no matter what kind of societal or circumstantial limitations had been imposed on him by others or even himself.

... Mana? Kyousuke had never heard that term used in the real world before. Maybe it was some quirk of wherever Lloyd came from, since apparently, the universe was a lot bigger than he thought. That was beside the point, though, so he didn't bother asking about it.

Lloyd's expression more or less mirrored how Kyousuke felt about this monster situation, and he tried unsuccessfully not to grimace. "... Yeah. But he was fine in the morning, so there's still some hope." For now, at least. But that also didn't change that as much as he was trying to help fix things, it felt like taking swings in the dark.

He crossed his arms as considered whether he could have simply passed out. Maybe... He hadn't been in the best state either night he'd been here, come to think of it. The first he'd somehow drained all his power, and the second, he'd lost a lot of blood. But something about that didn't feel right...

"I don't think so," he thought aloud. "I could still talk to people normally." Both times, even, and he would have thought it would be more obvious if he was going to keel over in the middle of a conversation. "It was more like things suddenly cut out."

Whatever that meant. Maybe there was something wrong... Either way, this wasn't normal.

Games? Who ever played games like this anymore? This whole building was so technologically challenged it was ridiculous. Unfortunately, Karkat was learning quickly that arguing with the nurses would get him absolutely nowhere.

Not that this would stop him from trying, of course. He had to argue with someone about this mess.

The woman eventually found him something she referred to as a 'gameboy' which bore some resemblance to devices he had in his own world. ...But only on the surface, really. The device was ancient, with graphics that were hardly any more detailed than what he could scratch out himself with the graphite stick he'd been using on the bulletin board earlier.

Sitting by himself was just asking for one of the other patients to come up and mess with him, so he found someone to sit by first instead. He wasn't looking any more thrilled by the situation, so perhaps they at least had that in common.

There was the doctor and then there were the nurses, talking to them all with cheery falsetto voices, and it was all in all very difficult not to raise much of a fuss. Ishida-kun had warned her about the needles, about the futility of it, but still, the temptation was there. If she could, she would -- she'd lead a hostile takeover, tie her hair up into a ponytail and rip her pillowcase into a headband that she'd wear over her forehead. She's stand on top of a table and scream at the top of her lungs, viva la revolution. Instead, she was herded into the room without any fanfare, no guns blazing, no warhorse beneath her seat.

It was with great restraint that she didn't attempt to hop onto a table, anyway.

The first thing she noticed was Ishida-kun (or his old haircut, rather), sitting in front of a television further into the room. It wasn't too much of a surprise, given that she'd been looking for him, ready to tell him that it was a lot to take in but that it was okay, we're going to be okay, and more than prepared to insist that she was going to heal his shoulder and eye tonight.

It took her fifteen steps into the room and a casual glance to side later for her initial plan to go flying out the window.

"Oh!" Orihime's voice was as close to reverent as it could get. "Is this-! It is, isn't it??" She stood at the side of the table, holding up the Monopoly box as if it were some prized jewel, an ancient relic, excited yet oddly dainty in the way her fingers were carefully carrying the box, arms reaching out before her.

Needless to say, her volume was not very conducive to solitaire.

"Ah, um..." Tentatively, she regarded the girl playing cards on the table -- with her indoor voice, this time. "Were you looking for someone to play with you?"

Catching Lingormr's look, Kratos set the deck down on the table and pushed it carefully to the side. He wasn't in the mood for games, and the cards had not been taken by choice; hopefully, some of that would be made clear.

"I see. Thank you for telling me." He hadn't been aware that Soma was one of the ones affected by the virus, although he'd had his suspicions thanks to her bulletin posts. It was good to hear that she had been able to deal with it on time, a second spot of pleasant news in the midst of an otherwise frustrating day. "Castiel is in the same boat. He underwent an operation last night as well, although I use the term 'operation' loosely." More like a purposefully botched execution.

"Is the device still in your possession? I assume it was much the same as the one I extracted: a metallic butterfly of sorts, with the wings tucked in."

With how crummy he'd felt all day, not to mention the serious conversations he'd had, Sora had almost forgotten that Mr. Facilier had asked to meet with him today. It was a good thing that Facilier himself was more on top of it, since he'd made sure to find him.

Sora paused the game and glanced up from it to great the man, smiling briefly. It was clear from the worn-out look on his face and the fact that he just wasn't as bright as usual that something was wrong. But Mr. Facilier had already seen him while sick, and Sora hadn't gone to any efforts to make it a secret.

"Hi, Mr. Facilier," he greeted as he scooted over and made space for the man. "I don't feel as bad today, but... that's probably only because of what happened last night." He would have taken the bad symptoms if it meant he didn't have to change, but he hadn't been so lucky.

"How about you?" he asked. "How are you feeling?" Everyone had been so worried about him, but Sora wasn't about to forget that the people around him might be having a tough time, too. Facilier looked pretty content and he seemed to be uninjured, but you could never be sure until you asked.

"How could they take their pleasure from watching us suffer, if they allowed us to convalesce in bed?" Tolten sighed and looked down at the floor, remembering the arguments and heated words that had been exchanged the other night in the X-Ray room.

Oh gods, now how he wished he'd been stronger!

"I'm aware of the cure," he said, quietly. "Thank you, Lady Peries."

So much for that notion. All business, then. Probably for the best.

He nodded. "Hopefully he is doing as well as Soma, then." He ought to be annoyed that Castiel had been cured, but he found he still rather had hopes for the man. He'd rather see to the death of those he had no care for.

"I'm... uncertain. I hid it in my closet last night, but did not have the chance to check this morning before breakfast. I don't know if it's the sort of thing they'd let us keep hold of." He nodded. "But yes, that was precisely what I extracted from her."

Soma frowned as she put the last rook in its place. "I know, but they're doing a terrible job of trying to pass this off as a mental institute. They could try harder, at the very least."

Mentioning the cure seemed to concern him somewhat--not that she could have blamed him in the slightest. Soma nodded slightly.

"It works, if that's what you're wondering," she said after a moment, gesturing to her abdomen with a slight twitch of her finger. "It's not pleasant, but it works."

It was meant to happen sooner or later, with or without the insistence of those irritating nurses. Scar spared a look at the fool he was to put up with for the remainder of this afternoon. Some human boy who was holding a device the king wasn't even going to bother identifying.

Not even a hello, was it? Hnn.

"Why, you look absolutely thrilled to be here as well," he commented dryly, leaving the implications of his own excitement (or lack thereof) unspoken. Though the former lion wasn't particularly enthusiastic about interacting with some boy, he was also quite bored. Certainly, the stranger could serve as entertainment until he was allowed to leave.

Well, that had been slightly amusing. In all honesty, however, the interaction was placed out of his mind. Albedo's focus was for his brother, and this shift would be the last chance to see him before tonight. They needed to speak. Of what, Albedo couldn't put into such simple words, but he had a perfect need to--

See Nigredo. To make sure he was all right.

The white-haired Variant was desposited in front of a board game, and he instantly sent for his brother. {Nigredo. Do you want to see me?} An open-ended question all the same.

His gaze dropped down to the game, and he idly spun it with a finger to face him. 'Sorry'. The boy raised an eyebrow. Unlikely.

[ for the brofriend. ]

Straight and to the point. She really shouldn't have expected any different. It probably had to do with him being a robot or something-- and wasn't that still a little hard to swallow? Leanne couldn't really say she knew a lot about how they were supposed to work, but they probably didn't work like everyone else did, did they? Maybe they were supposed to act that way, after all. (And for a moment, just for a moment, she had a ridiculous mental image of Zephyr as a robot... before deciding her illness was probably getting to her again.)

Leanne shrugged and set the cards back down on her lap. What could she possibly say to that then? Was he expecting something to have happened during the day? "Not really. And I haven't heard a lot about everyone did last night yet." She hesitated, biting her lip. In truth, she hadn't even bothered to find out much of it yet, hadn't she? She'd been too busy worrying about her own encounter the night before, and about ensuring Tsubaki was safe. "I haven't asked a lot about it yet."

Time passed in its unfettered pace, and Nigredo recalled the details. He could form the happenings in perfect sequential order--every thought, observation, experience known to capacity. Known as torture, due to obvious circumstances. His head pounded with an unnatural rhythm while nausea graced every waking moment. Living degenerated into a chore, a machination to overcome.

Thus, when Albedo called to him from another room, Nigredo dallied long enough to recover from his latest spell, to swallow the bile close to his throat. {Sorry,} he prefaced, hand pressed against stomach. {Of course. Give me a moment.}

A "moment" proved to be a beat longer than wanted, but eventually, the boy traversed from the Sun Room to the space in front of his brother. Green eyes immediately narrowed in on the box in Albedo's grasp, but it was the person he questioned. "What's up?"

With a small noise of surprise and a soft breath of relief, Lloyd sank down into a chair next to Tsurugi's. "He's all right?" No, that wasn't the right question to ask. He couldn't be all right, not after that. "I mean, that doesn't fix what happened, but you're right. At least there's still a chance." That was better than he'd been expecting.

He let his mind drift over to the other topic now, mulling over what the younger boy had just said. It didn't make much sense to him. How could someone's awareness be cut off like that if they didn't pass out?

"Was there anyone around you who could've knocked you out?" That was the only other thing he could think of.

The delay proved more than the calm he was holding could endure. When Nigredo finally approached, it was an act of will alone that allowed him not to leap up and guide Nigredo to a seat. Instead he only asked, "Sit down?" {Rest? Please.}

They had come far from the time they had entered this place-- A bit over a month ago? Was that all it had been? Some days it felt like years, and today more than all. Albedo would kill for Nigredo, had killed for him, and would happily do so again. Again and again, it seemed. This place wanted Nigredo's death or Albedo's victims, and so the boy would pile the bodies high.

Violet flashed in his eyes, but he wasn't aware of it. "Nigredo, do you love me?"

Link smiled genuinely as Sechs approached him.

"I would say the same to you." He was much more upbeat than when Link had first met him. Clearly, the words had paid off. Of course, Link did not attribute only his attempt at help to Sechs' improved demeanor, but it certainly could not have hurt.

"I was actually the first to see it, I believe..." He had sprinted off for it first thing, and had been the one to break the lock on the door.

"You wouldn't happen to know what it means, would you? Any idea at all?" Link was, for once, at a complete loss. The painting and its title had meant nothing to him, and the leaves were vague at best. Yes, there were trees outside. That information was useless.

There existed an aspect behind Albedo's eyes, a truth unsaid. When they flashed violet, Nigredo gave way to concern. Between this, the desperation, and a question of love, he wondered how things had accumulated up to this point. Wondered how the once reliable child had become such a liability.

And how Albedo could stand it. Stand the fact of bearing this troublesome burden.

Nigredo eased into a seat as requested, eyes fixed on the elder. "Yeah," he gave easily. "I do." A pause. "Albedo, are you alright?"

A confirmation and a question. Even as he inhaled in relief, the exhale was a cackled laugh, unhealthy at the edges, and he shoved a hand through his bangs harshly. The action reeked of exhaustion, and if Nigredo looked closely, the signs of it were obvious around Albedo's eyes. The boy was tired, but his body was still highly strung. Still bound to movement while there was still risk.

He was tired.

He smiled weakly at his brother, then reached a hand across the table, palm up, for Nigredo to take. "To be reduced to a common soldier yet again... I didn't realize. She asked for the head of Jokanaan on a platter, and I've done so and yet she's still not satisfied." There was a shuddered inhale, rough. "I don't know what to do," he admitted, a beat too late to be considered part of his rambling. "I don't know what choice to make."

He could not miss the fatigue, the forced restlessness underneath, and Nigredo felt his innards curl up in shame. For at this moment, it seemed Albedo was worse off than he, and the younger had done nothing to lessen that state. To offer relief when it did not exist elsewhere.

For a moment, he faltered. He fell back to habit and quietly took Albedo's hand as intent formed in the back of his mind. There was little to make of the reference given, but Nigredo had an idea of what Albedo meant. Of what should be done.

"You don't have to make a choice, you know," he said carefully. "You don't have to do anything." For anyone, even for little brothers. "That should be my responsibility."

At the response, it seemed the weariness slipped away. Or at least backtracked, to leave room on the boy's expression for a serious kind of humor; a warning. But warning it was, only for show. Albedo would deny Nigredo nothing, least of all himself. "Your responsibility," was the repeat. "Are you pulling away from me already?"

He watched his brother closely, underneath the sheen of fever and weak form. He watched for the difference between truth and a lie, and he would not look away. "I spoke incorrectly," he amended. "We have to make a choice. And I'm not sure which to choose."

It was a misstep. A form of unintended rejection. Regret followed without fail, and Nigredo looked at the conjoined hands before him. "No," he said, misery slipping into his form. "I'm being ridiculous. Forgive me."

But that did little for their circumstance, and like Albedo, Nigredo could not be certain. In truth, he was as lost as the other. None of this came as simple. If he was himself only weeks prior, the choice would be obvious, but here--

"There is a cure," Nigredo suddenly spoke. The bulletin had given that much away. "Is that something we would do?"

He must have been talking with Soma for longer than he thought, as his nurse steered him into the Game Room while informing him that no matter how good it was, he couldn't spend all his time reading. The Once-ler responded an eye-roll and dry agreement; the only reading he'd done had been the titles on the spines of the books.

The man would have liked to continue his conversation with Soma, as her nurse had also brought her to the Game Room, but she was parked by another patient. His own nurse directed him to a different table, adding that he 'should let his young friend socialize with others as well.' That had caught him off guard.

Friends? He didn't know if he and Soma were friends. True, he liked her, but at least part of that had to do with her being the first person he'd met here, in addition to being the first person he'd interacted with in a year. He grabbed a pack of cards and began shuffling idly.

He'd only known her for two days. That was hardly enough time to become friends. Or was it? The Once-ler hadn't exactly been a social butterfly as a child. Of course, there were the animals of the Truffula valley, but that was different. They had acted more like pets that roamed free.

And what of the Lorax? a small voice in his mind asked. The man frowned. What about him? They had not gotten off on the right foot, that was for sure. But they had come around, and the Once-ler had eventually considered the guardian to be his friend. And it had stung much more harshly than he had let on when the Lorax claimed they were only acquaintances.

The Once-ler bit his lower lip. If there ever had been friendship there, it was gone now. He'd seen to that. The man's shoulders slumped as he recalled the last he'd seen of the forest guardian, the disappointment and sorrow on that mustached face burned into his memory.

But he was trying to repair what he had destroyed. Or he had been, until he'd been dragged here. Several cards slipped from his hands as the Once-ler's face paled. The seed. The last Truffula seed. It was still in his Lurkim, unguarded, easy enough for anyone to pick up (if they got past the traps). That thought alone scared him, but an even worse one took its place. What if Landel had taken the seed as well, knowing its value to the Once-ler? What could he possibly want with it? Would he run tests? Dissect it?!

The last two days had been such an upheaval that the Once-ler hadn't even given a thought to the precious seed. Now it was like the floodgates had opened, and he could think of nothing else. More cards slipped from his hands as he stopped shuffling, staring off into space. Outwardly he managed to remain fairly calm, only a hint of worry on his face. But inwardly, he was terrified. If anything happened to that seed....

He would have truly lost everything.

[for the formerly dead skeletal detective who has been rather rudely brought back to life by Landel]

Albedo's fingers tightened around his brother's, eyes seeking out Nigredo's own. "There's nothing to forgive," he said truthfully. "There's nothing wrong." It's okay, Albedo had said, a week and a half past. He had promised that things would be okay from that point on.

Being caught in his own lie made his stomach roll unsteadily. {...I should be the one apologizing to you.}

For not protecting him. For not taking care of him as he should.

Nigredo noted the things on the board, and Albedo nodded once, lips thin. "There's a stated cure. There's a difference." Here, Albedo's paranoia would work in their favor. "Before anything, you or I would need to speak to one of those 'cured' to discern if they're telling the truth. I told you, I'm not the only one with my task. It could be a ruse." That said... "If it's not... It still depends. From the things given, it'd would be a stomach operation, and searching for something the size of a pinprick." He watched Nigredo warily, fear present. "...I don't know if I can risk you to something like that."

Edited 2012-09-28 04:38 (UTC)

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Day 66: Game Room (Fourth Shift)

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...good enough for me!!!

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