Day 66: Game Room (Fourth Shift)

[knightspirit]

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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[faeth]

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?"

[showmeyourwreath]

As Flora cut the deck, she looked about the room and the people already in it and still coming. Her eyes flew open when she spotted children around. Immediately, she recalled what she'd read on the bulletin. It wasn't hard to believe that there could be more than two here, but she didn't want to. Didn't want to think that anyone would want to take kids, here. But here they were. A pair of them looked like they were twins, and her heart fell into her stomach when she thought of her own little sister here.

She was starting to run out of words to describe Landel.

Her thought were startled out of her and she jumped a little in her seat at a sudden outburst. Flora's mind ran on auto-pilot, registering a question being asked of her. One she felt compelled to answer as she sat ramrod straight at attention. "Yes? I-I guess so?" She felt as though she were in school again, but without the right answer for her professors. That almost never happened. How awkward.

She shook her head and relaxed. She was being silly.

Still, the other girl's behaviour was infectious, and she found herself leaning forward to inspect the box again, with a larger curiosity this time around. Just what had Flora picked up? It seemed just like an ordinary game to her, but maybe it was something beloved and popular to humans. She didn't know.

Flora stared at the other girl for a moment, before suddenly raising a hand to her mouth and laughing, bright and good-natured, at her eagerness and self-awareness. It was endearing, really. She gestured to the seat next to her with a welcoming smile. "Yes, I'd like that, if you're interested. Please, have a seat." She liked her already and didn't know her name, yet.

Well, then. It seemed that she had another game to prepare for, instead. She was happy for it, it looked like she'd be in good company. Flora set the stack of cards in her hand down (it was a wonder that she hadn't dropped them when she was surprised), and held her hand over them for a moment, willing them to pile themselves up, before she remembered. Oh, right. No magic. Well, it wasn't a big deal, right now. She could pick up a deck of cards. Which is exactly what she began to do, gathering all her little piles into one, neat stack. "I didn't realize I picked up a treasure of a game."

[faeth]

Silly, indeed.

She was a beautiful girl, she'd thought as she first approached -- long hair, a lovely smile and a pretty laugh. Melodious almost, and it struck Orihime that it was one of the few, rare times she'd heard anyone laugh in this place, and the first time anyone has genuinely tried.

(Herself included.)

It was comforting in a way. In another, it roused the strangest sense of self-consciousness, of a fidgeting, prepossessing notion to relax and not let the large number of people trapped within the asylum become something that still got to her. It worked somewhat, when her present company smiled at her, as easy as they seemed to come, and offered her a seat. Orihime took it gladly with a matching smile and an eager thank you, scooting herself into the table without delay and pulling the game box open before them. They were all sitting ducks, there were monsters after sunset, but for now there was Monopoly and it was enough.

"Oh, yes, or at least I think so," she clarified as she set the game board down onto the table, "Tatsu-- a friend of mine played it with me once. Or we tried to. Instead, I took all of the money out of the box and ran outside with it, so we played another game called 'cops and robbers.' I don't think she was very happy with the fact that I tried to steal Monopoly money to fund a movement against the oppressive capitalist government and-"

... A poignant pause.

"Ah," she remarked, albeit lamely, turning to the other girl with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself in the first place, um... my name is Inoue Orihime... Thank you for the opportunity to ah... Monopoly with you."

[showmeyourwreath]

What lovely hair. The colour reminded her of Bloom's at first glance, but it was different at the second, onwards. A lot more grounded and warm. It reminded her of Autumn. It was funny that a time of calm and settling for most things green didn't suit this girl's antics so far, but Flora felt strangely comforted, all the same. What didn't suit had no bearing on how endearing she was.

Flora shook her head, chuckling a bit, reaching out to touch Inoue's arm. She really hadn't understood all of that, but the self-consciousness was clear, and she'd have none of it. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm Flora. It's very nice to meet you! And thank you for the pleasure of your lovely company." She smiled, the compliment coming easy to her. It was very true after all.

She opened the box, and took the board out all the while searching for rules or an explanation. "And I hope your movement was at least a little successful." That certainly was some improvisation.

[faeth]

It was a little shocking, to say the least. A simple brush of her arm was all it was, but the sentiment behind it, the soothing and the comfort, reminded her of home.

(Because back home, Tatsuki-chan would rub her head and smile at her, and that alone would have been enough for Orihime to know that everything would be alright.)

"The pleasure is all mine, Flora-san," she replied, much calmer then and mellowed out by the other girl's kindness. If it was possible to sense goodness in another person, then she was sure she found it in Flora's smile, in the easy way that she brightened up the entire room with a few words and a playful comment.

"Oh, the movement was very successful," Orihime explained while the other girl helped set up the game board. Meanwhile, she pulled the cards out of the box and set them in their respective places; the money was organized and lined up, too. "Tatsuki-chan and I took down an entire corporation. No longer did we have to worry about landing on Boardwalk!"

Within seconds, the board was laid out and perfect on the table. Orihime held out her hand towards Flora, silver pieces in the center of her palm. "I recommend the car, since it seems it'd move more quickly. I never really understood the other ones," she said, rambling. "Like the hat or the thimble. Unless they flew, I suppose... But I guess that's not the point of the game."

[showmeyourwreath]

Flora only continued to smile, glad to see that she was doing her at least a little good. She withdrew her hand and laced it with her other, resting her chin on top and winking. "Don't hog all the pleasure, this is supposed to be a mutual thing, after all." She giggled a little. And there was the honourific again. Was she from Japan, too? "And aren't you two the revolutionaries. Hopefully, answering a call to arms against such corruption won't be necessary, this time around."

Flora delicately picked up the little silver piece and appraised it with only the utmost of seriousness (of course~). "I will take the car then, since it comes recommended. How very selfless of you to offer an advantage like that. If I win, I hope you won't be upset." She gave a teasing smirk. With her being entirely new to this game, that wasn't likely, but she was a fast learner. Who could say?

Really, though, she was almost too sweet for words. Flora found herself in much better spirits, and they just kept rising.

She hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure about the thimble, but if the car is for moving faster, maybe the hat is for moving in style?" She picked up the other piece with free hand, turning it about a little. "It's quite a charming one, wouldn't you say?"

[faeth]

She couldn't really help the feeling when it came unbidden as it did; warmth set in her, familiar and inviting, and Orihime took it all within herself and grinned, beaming brightly at the other girl. "Oh, oops-- a mutual pleasure it is, then." Because it was, uncannily so, because Flora-san had acted so natural where many others had failed before her -- after all, it was an impressive feat, to keep up with Orihime's special brand of imagination.

"We'll make a deal. A promise if you would," she explained as Flora took a piece from her hand, more than a little charmed at the way her game partner inspected the silver car with an earnest sort of severity. "If you would commit to swear by ethical business practices, then I don't see why we'd be unable to work around each other. But if you do win and run me into bankruptcy, then yes, no hard feelings." Generally speaking, the first and last time she played board games with friends, they set up the boards as separate entities. Soon, the Monopoly society was struck by hail that looked suspiciously like Go pieces; Rakuten was overrun by the mice from Mouse Trap.

Needless to say, she was probably just as inexperienced in the ways of official Monopoly.

But Flora-san had asked a question. "Hmmm," she hummed in response, tapping her finger on the edge of her lip. "Well, it's a top hat. If it is for moving in style, then it's classy, to be sure...

"Eh, hmmmmmmm," Orihime continued, checking the pieces in her palm and finally settling on the dog which she then placed on the board.

... Followed by a: "Do you think the hat would fit him?"