Day 68: Recreational Field (Second Shift)

[dividedby]

Despite Zero's earlier fit of (mostly internal) anger, it felt good to get some food in his stomach after going without since yesterday's lunch. He felt even better about how he had managed to avoid a certain former blue robot's attention for an entire shift - though he figured his luck was bound to run out very quickly as far as that was concerned. There were only so many people in this place and it wasn't like he was allowed to roam anywhere he wanted. Still, he would continue trying to awkwardly avoid his friend for as long as possible. Maybe he wasn't ill anymore and maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but...until he figured out how to start a conversation with someone he'd literally taken a chunk out of the night before... How to apologize, and how to scold him for blatantly ignoring Zero's warnings...

(Either way, he wouldn't let it keep him from checking the bulletin board...even if there didn't seem to be much on there this morning. Hmm. Unusual.)

Otherwise... It seemed he was expected to go outside today. 'Vent some frustrations', the head lunatic said. Hmph. Good job being completely unsubtle. There was that flash of anger again - but by now, his ability to control said anger was becoming strong enough to prevent it from bothering him for more than a few minutes. That was good; he didn't need to waste his energy being too easily upset over words. Words couldn't make him bleed like half of the things that happened at night did. What he should be doing was taking advantage of the situation he had. The field would give him space to flex his muscles, help him train himself physically, prepare for whatever tonight might throw at him... Yes, that was what he needed to do. Train. And all he truly needed to worry about while doing that was not stressing his bandaged right arm, which needed to heal quickly more than anything.

Right. Once he managed to separate himself from his nurse (who was still worrying and fussing over his continued silence toward her) and once he'd scanned his surroundings to make sure that one particular face was nowhere to be seen, Zero began to wander across the grass, contemplating how he should go about this training. Maybe start with a light run around the field, to test his stamina....that sounded good.

[Harpuia and X!]

Comments

[doctor_voodoo]

The very moment Doctor Facilier jolted awake out of his bed, he knew something catastrophically wrong had happened. The panic he felt was all too familiar, far too akin to the moment when he had been so close to killing off La Bouff but was thwarted by Naveen's second escape. Even though he did not instantly recall what the problem was, he knew full well that his plans had hit a very big bump on the road, and he sure as hell was feeling it through his entire being. Something was terrible wrong, but what?

As he emerged from his bed and got to his feet, Facilier remembered: word of a second cure to Landel's virus had begun to spread. Something about Saint John's Wart, a plant that was sure to be available within the institute grounds. Facilier's bargain with the Head Doctor was now in jeopardy! Yet...

Why was he just in bed a moment ago? Being the professional schemer and business man that he was, Facilier would never be caught sleeping in a situation as this! He had started the effort to pluck out the rumors that had sprouted on the bulletin like weeds, but he was also on his way to the greenhouse to intersect any patients in search of the cure. Surely he would have succeeded in convincing others that eating Saint John's Wart raw would just make them sicker! ...Right?

It was then as a nurse arrived to escort Facilier out of the room that he recalled the rest of the day... or at least, the day before. He immediately recognized the nurse to be the same one who stopped him halfway in his tirade towards the greenhouse. She had been a no-good busybody who harassed him with her concerns for his "welfare". Apparently, she thought Facilier was "a little stressed" (which to him was a monumental understatement!) and insisted on having him return to the Sun Room to calm down. Unable to break his good image upon the nurse's impressions of him, Facilier had no choice but to follow her and it was then that his memory turned blank. Had he blacked out after? Was he sedated? He couldn't recall..

As he was taken out to the Recreational Field, his nurse explained to him that he had "fainted" from stress. The Bokor reeled from this unbelievable revelation. Witch Doctors like him do not faint! The nerve of these people! Facilier was a man who had been shaped and sharpened by the terrors of dark shadow magic, nightmares which would bring even the bravest of people to their knees crying! How dare they slander him like this! He did not faint!

Yet the nurse insisted on her story and Facilier had no choice but to keep up his pleasant appearance and thank the kind 'ol bat for her interference. Behind his amiable smile, Facilier refused to take the nurse's explanations. There had to be another reason for this terrible loss of valuable time...

Once left to his own devices, the disgruntled Bokor skulked off towards the far corner of the field. By the time he reached a solitary spot, Facilier was already in the midst of furious pondering. Grumbling curses beneath his breath, Facilier angrily wringed his hands behind his back and hatefully glowered at his feet, his shoulders hunched forward as he sulked. How could this have happened?

"Damnit, Landel!" Facilier thought furiously to himself as he paced on the spot through the grass, "First you put me in the same room with an infected prisoner who nearly killed me, and now this?! You want me to slaughter your precious little sheep, don't you?! Why put me through this dangerous maze with the rest of them rats of yours?"

Facilier realized that his plot to fulfill his deed with Landel had taken substantial damage. If he had missed a whole day and night while word of this herbal cure made the rounds, this could spell disaster for his mission. He had to relay the information to that unpleasant Lingormr fellow, something which made Facilier cringe with disgust and dread. Last thing he needed was to be humiliated even further in front of that loathsome grease-head! The Bokor had to think of a pretty good back-story to explain to his partner (or more like rival) in crime...

[For the beautiful beast Rock Lee! xD]

[ever_loyal_dog]

Soushi hadn't managed to make much of a dent in his breakfast. It was hard not to keep glancing at the door, idly hoping that someone he knew might walk through it. It wasn't that he couldn't get along by himself. He was familiar with being alone and the cold empty loneliness that accompanied it. But knowing how it felt to be loved and cared for and wanted made things all the more difficult to accept.

He gave his nurse a polite smile and a nod and followed her to the next room. His expression became puzzled, however, when they began to divide the patients into girl and boy factions before leading them outside.

The field was still fairly empty when he reached it, and the nurse offered him a variety of activities to fill the time. The shed full of sports equipment was familiar enough, though as he went in to pick up a ball, the doorway did nothing so interesting as before. It worked just as it ought to have.

He tossed the battered hide of the baseball up and down a few times as he walked back; at the very least it gave his hands something to do. Any sort of distraction was welcome to keep him from thinking of his master or the walls that closed them in on every side.

[Free!]

[stop_the_rain]

It was easier to believe that last night had been vivid hallucinations during the day. Everything was fine. 'Cal' decided not to mention anything to his nurse. He didn't want any setbacks or anything like that, and he had probably imagined it all anyway. Dreamed it, really vividly, and gotten confused...

But the memories kept creeping back into his mind. They made him twitch.

"I'm not crazy," he muttered under his breath as he was hustled out into the field. Maybe a few laps around it would do him good. Drive away the last of the funny feelings from last night.

But he couldn't drive away one thing, one thing that had been said last night. "They gave you something, didn't they?

Of course they did. They were doctors and he was a sick man so they gave him what he needed to get better. Right? Why didn't everything quite right today? Like he was experiencing the world through glass, or some haze?

I'm not crazy, I'm just sick.

[Free!]

[redcladidealist]

It was chilly outside when Lloyd's nurse led him out, and the clouds overhead seemed to promise that it would stay that way even as the day progressed. Grateful for the sweatshirt the nurse had made him wear when he got up, Lloyd stood at the edge of the recreational field just taking the new area in. Two white frames with netting stood at opposite ends of the lush, green lawn, which he could guess had something to do with the "soccer" ball that Landel had mentioned - maybe someone kicking a ball was supposed to kick them into the nets? - but he had no idea what the rules were supposed to be.

"Why don't you go play?" his nurse suggested with a smile. "You used to love soccer."

Lloyd shot a look at her, brows furrowing in frustration and denial. "No, I didn't," he said. "I don't even know what soccer is."

The nurse just patted his shoulder in response, half sympathetically, half with pity. "I know it seems that way to you right now, but the memories are there, deep down." She left her hand there for only a moment before she nudged him forward. "At least give it a try. Even if you've forgotten, fun is still fun, right? Besides, your body might remember even if your mind's misplaced some things. Isn't it worth a shot?"

The teen made a sound deep in the back of his throat, and he barely, just barely, resisted pushing her hand away. She was nice, and it was hard to really get angry with her when it seemed like she just meant well, but she kept getting everything wrong. "I keep telling you, I haven't forgotten anything! I'm not who you think I am!"

"Isn't it possible," the nurse responded gently, "that maybe you're not who you think you are? Memories are funny things, Mr. Clarke. I know you're telling me what your memories say is true, but if your memories were changed, how would you know?"

That... Lloyd's mouth opened, then closed again, the question striking a disturbing cord. How would he know? If Colette had lots her memories for good, how would she have known? He would have done everything he could to tell her what she'd lost, to help her regain her identity. He would have told her over and over her name, her past, what she'd liked, things they'd done...

You used to love soccer.

...just like what his nurse was doing right now. His breath caught in his throat. NO. He shoved the thought back. I haven't forgotten. I haven't. His gut told him he had every memory he'd earned - but how could he prove that? How could he prove that to her...

...and to himself?

Something twisted in his stomach when he realized he'd even entertained that doubt. He shook his head harshly, alarmed and disturbed. "I'm Lloyd," he insisted. "I'm Lloyd, and you're wrong! I know who I am!" He pulled away, not giving her a chance to argue back.

Thankfully, she let him go with little more than a sigh.

[For Guy.]

[his_legacy]

Link shuffled out to the recreational field with drooping shoulders and a dejected look on his face. He hadn't wanted to have to do that. To post on the message board about someone's death. It had been a decision between leaving someone worrying and letting them know the truth, and Link had just chosen the lesser of two evils.

But now it felt so much more real. He had never had the best sense of togetherness with others, wasn't used to working in a group, so to speak. But people were dying. And he wasn't the only one hurt because of it. Sora's friends, that man Scar's friends... There was another death mentioned, too. A person called the Scarecrow.

He certainly didn't feel much like... What had Tsurugi called it? Socker? Whatever. Link sat by the edge of the field and picked at the grass. Perhaps there was a sort of temple nearby. Even a small forest shrine would do. The least he could do was pray for them.

[Mopey hero is mopey, but he's free if somebody feels like cheering him up!]

[asteroidbelt]

He had the chance to pick up his journal when the nurse brought him back to the room for coat and shoes, but what with the intercom instructions, he didn't want her suspecting that he didn't intend to 'engage with' anyone. He wasn't sure she even cared about that, but he didn't think it was prudent to try her.

Out at the recreational field, Ryusei glanced around once before deciding he didn't want to move today. Maybe oversleeping this morning was what was throwing him off; he felt tired and lethargic today for some reason. Maybe it was the staying up last night; he certainly didn't remember going back to his room, much less back to his bed. It was consistent with what Ryuugamine had said about getting them back to their rooms every morning, but Ryusei always stopped before he could follow that line of reasoning anywhere—he didn't want to think too hard about things he couldn't quite remember.

Even so, even after he'd strolled to a spot against the wall where he could sit, he found his gaze straying to the walls every few seconds. He could maybe scale them if— No, he couldn't try that in the daytime. He'd be stopped and more importantly, it'd delay his release. His thoughts kept coming back to the idea that getting released might not be possible (the doctors liked to experiment, Ryuugamine had said), but he was aware that he just making excuses; even if it was true, he couldn't proceed without confirming it first. He had to be patient. Even if he had to sit quietly and stare at the walls and clutch his hands with the effort the entire time he was out here.

[free]

[fullmetalheart]

Due to the fight Ed put up when a nurse arrived to collect him from his room that morning, Ed had missed breakfast and had been sedated to keep him quiet and out of trouble. He also missed part of the current shift but once he was functional again, he was escorted out by the nurse and a new orderly to replace the first one to make sure he continued to behave once the sedative completely wore off.

When the nurse encouraged him to go talk to some of the other patients, he just gave her an apathetic stare and wandered off to an area away from the main group. He knew that he should talk to others to find out what was going on along with looking for a way out, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. He couldn't even make himself resent being sedated in the first place.

When he found a spot he considered suitable, he sat on the cold ground to watch the other patients with detached curiosity, ignoring the nurse's commands of 'Get off the ground David, it's too cold' and the like.

[Baby brother!]

[behind_my_smile]

Fai had a little trouble waking up that morning but the nurse had been pretty adamant about shooing her new charge out to the eating area and then to the recreational field. He had tried to engage her in cheerful banter but she seemed preoccupied with other things to really respond much.

Fai had hoped to get a little more information out of her but she didn't seem like budging. He did learn what his new name apparently was and that was interesting enough. He smiled and waved her off as he entered the recreational area, intent on exploring a little bit since it was actually daytime now.

Strolling through the area, Fai put his hands behind his head as he walked, humming softly as he wandered around and looked at all the faces that were entering the space. He really had no plans to engage in anything too physical.

[Free!]