damned_institute | Day 27: Intercom, Evening

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Day 27: Intercom, Evening

The intercom gave its cheery jingle just before the Head Doctor's equally buoyant voice rang through the halls.

"Ah, and finally, our day is coming to a close! Rooms and roommates have been reassigned with care, though what great partnership can start without a good meal? Ah, yes, after the nurses escort all of our patients, new and old, back to their proper rooms, everyone will have the chance to enjoy a savory chicken pot pie, full of peas, carrots, potatoes, and of course, chicken. On the side, we'll have buttery corn on the cob and green beans, and to drink, you may choose from the regular slew of water, milk, or assorted juices, which your nurse will bring to you.

"I believe that's all for now! Phew, long day, huh? I know I'll be happy to get some sleep, and thank you to all our vigilant doctors and nurses, although Dr. House seems to have gone AWOL... Hmm... Well, in any case, have a good dinner, everyone!"

The intercom clicked off again as the nurses began organizing the patients for the small trek back to their rooms.

[ OOC: Remember, room threads go in response to THIS post, and please put your respective room number in the subject line of your first post. Thanks! ]

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Arietta didn't like this place one bit. It was big and scary, and she couldn't find her friends anywhere! She had to find someway to get outside. They would be there. They had to be.

Her anger had mostly dissipated, replaced with a dull panic for her situation. She still had no idea where she was or why she was here. In the past, Van had always gotten her out of places like this. He would come for her now, right? He needed her. He did! She was one of the god generals! She was needed for something still, Even if she wasn't needed by Ion.

The first thing Arietta noticed as she was led back into her room was the presence of another person. She bristled at once, but by then the nurse had already left, closing the door behind her. Arietta raised her hands in front of her, now aware of the absence of the doll she usually used to hide herself in these situations.

Rinali was just about to eat the corn the nurses had provided her when the nurses brought in another girl. She was expecting another girl, as the room had two beds, but she wasn't expecting a pink haired girl, seemingly younger than her but with a very unwelcoming look about her. By the girl's posture, Rinali couldn't quite tell if she was going to attack her or not. Deciding it best to be careful, she planted her feet firmly on the floor, ready to jump to the ready if need be.

On the other hand, she reasoned, this girl was probably like she had been earlier today before Allen had explained things to her. She still didn't feel entirely comfortable being alone with someone she couldn't trust -- after all, Allen had mentioned there were Akuma about, and she didn't remember seeing her at lunch when he was pointing out which Akuma to avoid -- but she would rather give this girl the benefit of the doubt before rushing into any conclusions.

"Hi," she said, smiling and doing her best to mean it. "I'm Rinali. It seems we're going to be roommates here until we can escape." She didn't want to ask any questions until she knew for sure that the girl wasn't going to attack.

Arietta furrowed her brows, listening to what the other girl said. "Escape..." she repeated quietly. They had to escape from here? But Arietta couldn't find any of her friends. She couldn't find them in this place. How would she get out without them? She put her arms down, though she still maintained a good distance between herself and the other girl.

What did she mean by roommates? Did they have to share a room together? Arietta didn't like that either. It was nothing personal against the other girl, but she wasn't used to sleeping in the same room as others. Other people, at least.

She didn't offer her name right away, and when she did it came out quick and terse, "Arietta." She shut her mouth right afterward, having nothing more to say the girl she would be sharing the room with.

Rinali relaxed as she lowered her arms. Arietta didn't seem as hostile, although there was still a very unfriendly air about her. She wasn't sure what the cause for unfriendliness was, but she didn't want the poor girl to feel uncomfortable in her own room.

"Hi Arietta," she greeted, all the while keeping her smile. "I'm glad to meet you. Are you new here, too?"

She didn't get up yet. If Arietta wanted her space, Rinali was going to let her have it.

Arietta nodded slowly in response to Rinali's question. "I don't know how I got here. But I'm going to leave very soon," she said this last sentence forcefully. She didn't want to stay here long at all, when she still had things to take care of. Since she was still alive, she had to challenge Anise to another fight. She had to avenge Ion. She wouldn't lose this time.

At this time Arietta took notice of the smell of food in the room. She looked over to one of the desks and saw that an untouched meal awaited her. But she didn't take a step just yet; that would bring her closer to the other girl.

However, her hunger soon got the better of her, and she went cautiously up to the tray, picked it up, and retreated quickly back to a corner of the room.

The girl's rough attitude was disheartening, but Rinali wasn't so easily defeated. She remained where she was seated, watching Arietta with a friendly and open expression on her face. "I don't think any of us are planning on staying here long," she answered. "My friend Allen warned me that the door to our room will be opening once night comes, and there are monsters that roam the halls. Be careful."

She didn't think that the girl would want or be interested in going along with her...and it wasn't her operation. It was the plan of these not-Akuma that they were helping with. They wouldn't appreciate another person with them. She would have offered to bring the girl along otherwise.

Arietta's eyes widened at the mention of monsters. Her friends were often called monsters by mean people who couldn't understand them. Maybe these monsters were her friends! Then they had come to rescue her!

Her heart leapt a little and she quickly tore through her food and ran to the door. She tugged at the handle once, before realizing it was still locked. Just as quickly as it had leapt up her heart sank, and she looked apprehensively at the closed door.

"When," she asked Rinali urgently, looking back at the girl, "When will it open?"

Rinali would have expected a lot of reactions from Arietta. Hiding in a corner in terror, disbelief, or even the same reserved demeanor the girl had been showing previously all would have been perfectly acceptable reactions. Her apparent desperation to escape into the halls, however, left Rinali with a profound sense of confusion.

"I...don't know," she answered earnestly. "This is my first night here, too. Allen just said it happened at night."

Arietta frowned again as she looked back at the door. She was a bit angry that Rinali couldn't tell her more, but at least she had told Arietta the most important thing: that her friends could be out there.

"Then I'll wait." She hovered around the door then, like some kind of guard dog. She intended to leave the second the door opened. She had to go and find her friends, the few remaining from her liger family especially. The possibility that these monsters might not be her friends crossed her mind a few times, but she was sure that at the very least she would be able to communicate with them to find out where her real friends were.

Rinali blinked a few more times, obviously confused. "You're not planning on going out there by yourself, are you?" she asked in mild disbelief. "Everyone's warning it's not a good idea to go alone. There are creatures that look like friends but aren't...it's easy to be fooled if you're by yourself."

She couldn't understand this girl's behaviors, and as long as Arietta chose to remain unfriendly, there wasn't a lot she could do to comprehend them.

The door still hadn't opened. That meant Arietta was pretty much stuck listening to this girl. She didn't have time for this! She had to leave, now!

"I can take care of myself," she snapped, "I have before." That wasn't entirely true. She had always had someone, whether it was Mommy or Ion or her friends. Here, she didn't have anyone at all.

But her friends could be out there! That was why she had to go! It was obvious that Rinali was just another one of them, those mean people who couldn't understand her friends. "Everyone calls my friends monsters! They even killed Mommy because she was a monster! The monsters here could be my friends!" Her voice had risen over the course of her outburst, and she was visibly shaking by the time she was done. Her friends were definitely out there, and she was going to find them.

"So can I," Rinali answered, feeling the weight of the lie as she said it. It wasn't exactly a lie. She could take care of herself, but there had always been someone there for her. Komui, mostly. She needed her friends, she knew. That was just the way things were.

"I have a friend where I came from," she snapped back, "They called him a monster too. But I'm going to trust my friends, who've told me that the things out there aren't misunderstood. They work for this place that holds us captive, whoever they are!"

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Her roommate's anger was contageous. "I don't like this any more than you do. Maybe I can keep an eye out for your friends, though. What do they look like?"

The monsters worked for this place? Arietta's friends would only help her. Maybe they weren't Arietta's friends after all, but she wouldn't know unless she got out there and looked. It was the only help she had to hold onto right now.

Looking considerably depressed now, rather than angry, Arietta was able to answer Rinali with some decency. "One of my friends is a liger, with yellow fur and stripes and a big bushy tail." Describing it was a little awkward. Arietta wasn't used to such things.

"Then there's Sync and Largo. Sync has green hair but he always wears a mask so you can't see his face. Largo is really big and strong, and he kinda looks like a liger. Van is also really strong. I guess then there's Dist, Legretta, and Asch but I don't know them well enough to be friends with them." That was probably the most Arietta had said to the other girl all night.

Rinali frowned slightly. She didn't like it that Arietta looked so depressed, but it was still better than blind desperation. The fact that she was willing to give some details about her friends and string together more than just short and curt answers was also a good sign. If they were going to be here for a few days longer, it wouldn't hurt to make a few friends along the way, and she certainly didn't want to be stuck in the same room every night with someone she couldn't get along with.

She listened to Arietta's descriptions of her friends very carefully, taking note of everything she could. Most of their descriptions weren't very helpful or useful. A 'really strong person' could be one of any number of people here, she imagined. Of course, several of her descriptions didn't seem to mean anything she recognized.

"What's a liger?" she asked once Arietta had finished with her descriptions.

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Day 27: Intercom, Evening

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