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!]

Comments

[lighthearted]

Having managed to get through conversation without spilling his plans for the night to Tsubaki or Lingormr, Sora entered the Game Room with a sense of relief. He and Kratos could handle things tonight and then he could tell everyone what he'd done after the fact. Concern from his friends gave him strength, but that didn't mean that he needed to get them all involved in his problems.

While Sora still felt pretty sick, it wasn't to the point that he was unable to enjoy himself, which was why he'd elected to come to the Game Room in the first place. He spotted Tsurugi and waved at the other boy, doing his best not to think about what the two of them would be up to tonight.

As for fun, his default thing to do in this room was play one of those Game Boys, and so Sora went searching through the shelves and was lucky enough to find one not in use. He plopped down into an armchair and powered it on. It looked like today he'd be playing something called "Donkey Kong."

[For Facilier.]

[his_legacy]

The boss on the intercom had said to have the patients come into the game room, so he figured he ought to simply stay here. He had already spent a good deal of time in the Sun Room, and felt no need to spend time lounging. He gave Sora a nod and a smile as he entered- He could speak with his roommate at dinner.

Link had already taken a good look around the room, so he settled into one of the chairs and kept a keen eye on the door for someone he recognized.

[Sechs!]

[envy_the_sinners]

As much as Scar would have preferred to relax in the Sun Room once again, he figured he ought to at least take a look around the rest of the institute. If he was going to stay awake during the day, he ought to take what little advantage of the time that he could.

He cut through the Sun Room, lumbering into the so-called 'game room.' It was hardly different from the Sun Room, save for the board games scattered about. As expected, the doctors had been careful to keep nothing of use lying about during the day.

Grumbling quietly, he settled into one of the chairs, trying and (still) failing to ease his aching head and the cramps in his stomach. He had spoken with Frank about setting out together tonight... Scar's best bet would be to make his way to the X-Ray Room, considering that he now had no way of performing the surgery.

[The happiest little robot~]

[redcladidealist]

[Tsurugi]

He would have preferred to talk to Guy longer, but when lunch ended Lloyd wasn't given much choice in the matter. Still, he tucked away what he'd learned from the blond, promising to bring it up with Claude the next time he saw his roommate. He followed his nurse - he still hadn't learned the man's name, and grumpily he decided not to ask. The nurse still insisted on calling him Nigel, despite Lloyd's repeated reminders that that wasn't his name. If he wasn't going to acknowledge Lloyd's real name, then Lloyd wasn't about to ask after his.

Not entirely certain what to expect from this "game room" he was being led to, he looked around when they arrived, trying to get a feel for what it was.

"Why don't you join one of the other patients for a game?" his nurse suggested, nudging him forward and away from the door to keep them from blocking the entrance. "You might enjoy yourself."

Under normal circumstances, the suggestion would definitely have held some appeal. Lloyd enjoyed games, even ones that other people might think were too childish for his age. It didn't matter to him what other people thought was "appropriate." Fun was fun! That was all that was important! But in a building where he and so many others were being held prisoner, when people were sick and hurt, when his own arm and ribs were bandaged from an attack the night before, it was hard to think about having fun.

Before he could voice any of these thoughts out loud, though, his eyes landed on a somewhat familiar face in the crowed. That was the boy he'd met yesterday, the one who'd tried to warn him. If Tsurugi hadn't warned him...

Without a second though, Lloyd started forward, leaving his nurse behind as he made his way to the younger boy's side. "Hey," he said, stopping a couple feet away. "Uh... Tsurugi, right?" He hoped he wasn't tripping over the other boy's name.

[repelling]

Lunch ended and with it, Uryuu found, went his headache. His numerous unsatisfied questions threatened to stir it once more, but whatever remained from his groggy stirring the night before, and from his face being half bashed in with a baseball bat, had finally gone. Eating a solid meal probably helped.

The Head Doctor's cheek remained consistent, he noted while listening to the shift change announcement. Loath to do as suggested by the man, yet disinclined to not wash his hands after eating, Uryuu stopped at the bathroom. Then at the bulletin board, observing no further notice from Kratos-san. After looking around for Inoue-san, he moved next into the Game Room, curious as to who had proceeded there, and if anything in it had changed.

As if by magnetism, his eyes fell to the televisions. He forced himself to properly scan the room, seeing that some of those already present had busied themselves with what looked like Game Boys. Bulky, older models. Sora-san sat with one and Uryuu didn't bother nodding, thinking him not bound to notice. Instead... he found himself taking one step, then another, toward the chairs in front of the televisions.

Uryuu knew he should continue to jot notes in his journal. Ought to solidify his plans for tonight and make certain that Inoue-san understood. Only, she seemed to understand. It felt wrong to indulge in such frivolity when... Only, there he was, kneeling in front of the machines. He'd blame it on playing as Gerard. Sure.

Though he'd neither owned nor ever had the chance to play either one, Uryuu recognized the Nintendo and its successor, the Super Nintendo. "How retro," he murmured, dangerously close to cheerful as he sifted through the small stack of games. After a minute, he selected for the Super Nintendo and switched it on, taking a controller with him to one of the chairs positioned in front.

Retro, yet so new to him. The screen loaded in pastels and he obediently pressed 'B' until presented with the character selection screen. Were there any pluses or minuses? Did any car or character have particular attributes? Uryuu pursed his lips, moving the selector among them. It made sense to choose Mario, right? Super Mario Kart.

[ swimming pool-san ]

[forsworn]

His nurse was very adamant about him heading to the game room because apparently, he needed more variety in his life. "You can't stay in the sun room all day, Kurtis. You need to move around a bit!"

As if that was reasonable justification for anything.

Kratos had initially chosen to stand off to the side by the door, arms crossed, while he tried to figure out exactly what he could do, but eventually, his nurse lost her patience and shoved a deck of cards into his hands before sending him off to find a seat. He neatly avoided the one already occupied by his son - he wasn't ready to face Lloyd again yet, and it looked like he was wrapped up in talking to someone else anyway - and ended up at an otherwise empty table.

He still had no idea what he was going to do; he did know one game, but unfortunately, it required two people. What was he even...Kratos flipped a few of the cards over in his hand as he glanced around, wondering if he was really going to have to do this for an entire shift.

[for Loki]

[impudentsongbird]

There had been no ingredients suitable for smoothies in the greenhouse, but the visit there had been more than worth the effort due to the herbs he'd found. There were only so many leaves he'd been able to pick, and he didn't know if he'd get any opportunity to use them even in tea, but at least there was the option.

Besides, it meant Gabriel had been able to meet Lee in person, and that had most certainly been worth it! It was nice to see someone else with genuine hope and enthusiasm, even if Gabe couldn't blame others for finding it difficult.

Those herbs were now in his pockets as he walked ahead of Rachel, scanning the game-room with a furrow in his brow. He'd just had the chance to see the note on the bulletin board. A glance around told him Murphy wasn't present yet, but Gabe hadn't been in the game-room before, so he spent a few minutes taking a wander around.

When he found the cards he had to stop and pick them up, smiling nostalgically as he fanned them out with the practice of an expert. The Archangel couldn't help but wonder what was happening back home. Had his Master been asking Rafe or Michael to play? Or was He just visiting the casinos? It had been months since Gabe had played with Him at all, even as a dealer, thanks to Lucifer's harassment and the need for the Lord to take cover. The Archangel missed it with an unexpectedly sharp clench in his chest.

Gabe took a deep slow breath, let it out equally slowly, and then took the cards over to a table. There he sat, shuffling, cutting and fanning the cards like a pro while he wondered what to play and kept an eye out for Murphy, making sure to keep rosary around his neck on display so the man would know who he was.

[for Murphy!]

[survives]

During her stay at the Institute, Leanne hadn't yet had much of a chance to take a good look at the game room. Sure, she'd heard nurses mention it before, as an alternative to staying in the Sun Room, but she hadn't paid them much mind, usually more interested in staying near the Bulletin Board.

It was simple curiosity that brought her there this time, however. It wasn't like she felt any less tired, any less exhausted, than the day before, but she felt somewhat cheered after the morning she'd had, a little more like she could face anything that came her way.

Which was how Leanne found herself leaning back on a chair, having settled on a deck of cards, one of the only things in the room that was actually familiar to her. She couldn't say she knew what that weird console hooked up to the television was supposed to do, besides being something like an interactive movie from what she could tell, but this, at least, was familiar.

[Zero!]

[longlivetheking]

Scar's lunch hadn't consisted of much more than picking off the moderately edible parts of the so-called 'sandwiches' on a bench in the courtyard, which had suited the former lion just fine. It was before long, however, when the former lion was ushered back inside into what was the game room.

Unfortunately, games were hardly different from any other activity Landel chose to bother them with during the day. Other than the fact that he had no idea how most of them worked, he was no longer some dimwitted cub. He dropped into the first chair he could find, barely paying any interest to the items arrayed in front of him. Instead, boredom was written all over his face.

[Free!]

[age_of_kings]

Gods, he felt miserable. The nausea had passed, but he was burning up and everything ached. And the scratches from last night still ached. But he had to hold on to hope. They'd gotten through last night! And they could get through another.

And it would give them time to figure out how to reverse this. Without killing Locke in the process.

This was, of course, assuming nothing further happened to him.

He sunk into a chair in the game room, wanting to do nothing but curl up and sleep.

[free]

[showmeyourwreath]

It was hard not to be angry at the intercom annoucement. The nerve of that man! How could he have this done to everyone, and then just pretend it was a cold going around? He knew what he was doing, and was probably getting a laugh out of it at everyone's expense. It was disgusting, and left such a bad taste in her mouth.

Flora reached into her pockets, feeling the herbs there. The texture of the plants did something to reassure and calm her, a little. They were something she knew and was glad to see here, but more importantly, they meant she was on her way to meeting one of her goals: helping others. The hardest part hadn't happened, yet, but it was one less thing she had to worry about, now.

She wanted to go back to the Sun Room, she didn't feel up to playing any games, but her nurse insisted that she "really get a better feel for the place." It was her first day, after all! There didn't seem to be any point in arguing, so Flora relented and followed. Well, if that was where they had to be, it meant others would be there. She could learn something that she hadn't yet, maybe.

Feeling a little better about it, Flora entered the room and sat down one of the chairs. She carefully opened the pages of her journal--she put more herbs in both the front and back of it--and made a notes and little diagrams of what she saw outside and where before shutting and getting up, again. Might as well have a look around, while she was here.

She poked around boxes all sorts, until she came upon a pack of cards. Finally! Something that she recognized. It was a little strange and funny how she could find a deck of cards on Earth, if this was Earth. Guess they had them, too. Who knew? Curiosity got the better of her, though, and she picked up a box that said "Monopoly" and brought it back with her, as well. She took the board out and unfolded it. There didn't seem to be any electronics in it at all, and the pieces didn't do much of anything. They had board games back home, but she'd never seen or heard of anything like these, before. There were a few that didn't look like all the little house pieces, though. Hmm, looked like she'd have to play this with others. She couldn't make heads or tails out of most of this, though. Maybe Bloom or Roxy knew something about it. Earth had strange games, but maybe they were fun. Some of the pieces were really charming, too.

Flora put the game back in its and got the cards, dealing a game of solitaire for herself. For now, she'd stick to what she knew while she thought about how much she didn't.

_{[For the awesome girl-robot :D]}

[purgatio]

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. ]

[fallenbeanpole]

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]