damned_institute | Day 27: Library

Libraries, he'd found, were rarely as dull as people made them out to be. Though he felt no magic in these tomes, they were still full of useful information. Maybe some of them could tell him a little bit more about this world he'd landed himself in.

For that matter, why hadn't he run into any of the others yet? They'd all been fairly close together when they'd left Rekord, but he hadn't seen a trace of any of them. He was able to communicate easily with the people here though, which led him to believe Mokona was within a mile or so. Unless the ones running this little game had some other way to let all these other-worldly people communicate amongst themselves. In which case, the others could be very far away indeed.

The library had that wonderful smell of old books, and Fai traced his fingers along the shelves, skimming titles and pulling books that struck his fancy. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The War of the Worlds, and with a smile, he found Bram Stoker's Dracula as well. Raven had been telling the truth then, in spite of his own lies. Ought to be a good start. He sat leisurely at one of the tables and began flipping through his selections.

[waiting for Tamaki~]

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"If you can't sense your -- " Chevaliers was French, he remembered then, language lessons having been a long time ago. Knights? " -- Chevaliers, and I haven't sensed them, then they aren't in the building." Of course, with so many people, so much blood from the patients, it was possible he was wrong.

"But I don't know for sure. You could use the bulletin board in the room outside of this one. People use it for getting in touch with people they know." Kain hadn't gotten to see it in any great detail for himself yet. His nurse tended to move fast and seemed to expect him to do the same.

For a moment, she just cocked her head at the comment about the bulletin board.

Perplexed, she said, "I can't," as thought it should be obvious.

Kain looked at her then smiled, truer than the last, though it was still faint. That made things a bit difficult.

"I'll keep an eye on it, then, and maybe tomorrow write something for you. We can go over the basics of how to write, if you want." Both were completely honest offers. He couldn't imagine not being able to read, write, or both.

Now this was true familiarity - a thing that was like a Chevalier completing menial tasks on her behalf. Diva was not a creature who was left to her own devices for any amount of time - she was coddled, pampered, and every detail of her existence carefully orchestrated. Stepping out of that cage any further, by learning to communicate for herself, was not something the head of her Chevaliers desired by any means.

Though, Solomon tried sometimes. That wasn't to say he succeeded.

"Then do it now!" This one giving it attention for her, she understood. The rest of it... "That's boring, you can just do it."

Kain glanced to the door to the sun room, then to the nurses. Somehow he didn't think they'd let him just wander out. It was tempting to try anyways -- he really wanted to look at the board and get a better feel of the patients.

But something stopped him, some inkling that the sun was setting, that night was approaching. "I think the shift is almost over. I won't have enough time. First thing tomorrow, or tonight if I get a chance. Any names in particular?"

This was like a game! They'd hate having their names all lumped together, but they had left her alone in such a place... They would accept it and smile for her.

Still... Diva gave an exaggerated narrowing of the eyes, and said, "I won't know what you'll write, so you could put something completely different." There was nothing upsetting in the thought, because even warning humans about her did anything, but it was the thought that mattered.

She looked to the nurses too, although where Kain saw a potential threat, Diva saw food. And petty annoyances like that Joel and his Zoo.

Hadn't someone said something...

"Tonight a man wants to find me. You can look for a dress while I'm away." Maybe if he was good, she would make the man a Chevalier and have him entertain her while the others were gone... But that reminded her. She looked back at Kain. "You can get the other one to help you too."

"I could, but I won't. I don't have any reason to," he said, easy and honest. "Besides, you could always ask the nurse to read it for you. They're good for that much."

Looking a little bemused, he gave a slow nod. "I can try to find a dress." The chances of actually finding one were slim to none, but he'd keep his eyes open. Hopefully the man that wanted to find Diva would be able to handle her.

"Other one?"

How docile, like a little lamb. Although she had never seen a lamb in person, that was beside the point.

"The other one," she repeated, kicking at a bookshelf listlessly. It gave a faint rattle. "The sweet one. Do you have a twin too?"

At this point Kain was finding it easier to just go with it. His thoughts on Diva were kept safe behind an agreeable facade.

"No, I don't have a twin," he said slowly, and then his eyes focused on the door. "Does he or she feel like me?"

No, he didn't have a twin. Couldn't be a twin. It wasn't a taste as strong as a sibling taste; not like that boy, and the older boy brother.

Hm.

"No," Diva sing-songed, following the line of the bookcase she'd abused, and turning the corner. Her voice carried back: "He's different from you; he tastes better. He must eat sweets. You're not brothers... but still family, so close enough. Are you going to give him a hug? He must be upset if his heartbeat's in a sad little flutter like it is."

She expected not to be followed, as she'd tried to plant the seed as well as she could.

Hanabusa. It couldn't be anyone else but him. Anything else Diva said was forgotten, ignored; Hanabusa was here, in the next room, and there was only one door separating them. One door --

--Until the intercom clicked on, and he swallowed an angry curse, managed to keep the snarl from his lips, and submitted to being led out. He'd find Hanabusa during the night shift. He had to.

Day 27: Library

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