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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"I'm going to M46. After that there's a group of new prisoners I want to look after for the night." Rein frowned. She couldn't mean... "You are staying with Tamaki, aren't you?"

She was doing these things because Raine had become part of a group that would allow her to maximize her ability to help other prisoners without placing herself in danger. She did not want to hear that Raine didn't intend to stick with them tonight.

"I'm not certain--I know they'd be glad for my help, but I might be needed elsewhere. I'd... prefer to avoid being idle, too." She could only instruct Tamaki and the rest for so long before they'd need a break. For Raine, daytime was all the break she could stand.

"What are your plans with the new group?" Whatever was intended, she could guess it wouldn't be boring. She did prefer to stay with Reinforce if possible, as well--although the last thing she intended to do was travel alone, either way. If she did go to M35 and ended up too idle, she could go back to her book.

"Having at least one magic-user on hand at the station makes sense. If people about it, there's a good chance of serious cases finding their way there." She'd supported having wandering healers as well, but she thought the best should stay where their location was known to those who needed them.

"No real plans. They're new and want to help people, so I'm making sure they live long enough to adjust to the conditions here." She could think of no better use for her effort than safeguarding those who would in the future safeguard them all. And people like Statesman especially she wanted to see succeed here.

"It is unlikely they'll have another healer," Raine admitted, reluctantly. "I'm just so used to being on the road that it's hard to stay in one spot, even if the alternative is only going through a single building." She'd spent weeks or months running from the Imperial Research Academy, traveled a fair amount to look at archaeological sites, and then set out to accompany Colette on what was supposed to be her last journey, and instead seen it turn into something else entirely. Besides even that, the Church of Martel advocated journeys of discovery.

She wasn't just trying to run away from her problems. Really.

Rein frowned to hear that explanation. It was too... frivolous. Nothing they'd done before or were used to mattered here. She liked Raine, and even if she hadn't she was sure that her role as a supporter of humanity meant she should respect the choices of others, not try to coerce them.

But could she not yet instruct, as had always been her calling? Raine was not bound by duty, but surely she was of a good and kind heart. An ethical appeal...

"It isn't. Now that the name of the group has been spread further, it's even more likely that more like that boy from last night in need of magical aid will arrive. You're needed."

"True." She was losing her appetite again...

To get them off the topic, she asked, "Who were you referring to at the meeting?" She did wonder about Reinforce's past (a lot) but wasn't certain how much her friend wanted to say.

"Yagami Hayate. My last master. The one who saved me from myself and gave me my name and my soul." She couldn't help but smile wistfully, just to speak the girl's name. Reinforce was what she was.

If there was one thing that allowed her to be strong here it was her confidence that Hayate would become strong without her, endure her loss and and become a magnificent person and mage and... whatever else.

That was to say, more magnificent than she already was. Reinforce was what she was.

Masters? Raine didn't like hearing that one. Reinforce was a magical construct, an artifact, and it sounded like she hadn't always had true consciousness--but she was still a person, and Raine's friend.

Yes, her own friend Sheena was the master of a number of Summon Spirits, and she certainly never mistreated them, nor did they seem to mind having a master, but... still.

"Did you... have a pact with her?" It was the way Sheena became master of the summons, although Reinforce really didn't seem like any sort of elemental. Still, it was all Raine knew of anything like this--and after the insane amount of coincidences between her world and Valyn's, this might be the same as well.

"Pact?" She thought not, but it would be better to get a precise explanation of the term.

"It's how a friend of mine becomes master of the Summon Spirits she has," Raine explained, considering how to put this... and not quite realizing she was going a little off-topic again. "It's a kind of vow of fealty; if a summoner asks a Summon Spirit to form a pact with them, and they're not bound by any current pacts, then if the spirit finds the summoner worthy they make a pact with them, therefore lending their power and presence when requested." She paused, realizing a slight problem with that hypothesis--she gathered Reinforce was far too strong for the same requirement to apply. "The way it works where I'm from is challenging the summoner to a fight; if the elemental is defeated, then they make a pact. If the summoner loses... they're usually killed.

"Despite this, they are extremely dedicated. All the Summon Spirits I've seen so far said they already had a pact with Mithos, a hero of our worlds. They entered into another with Sheena willingly enough when told he died long ago--the legends of him date back to over four thousand years ago--but even after so long without contact, they remained loyal to him." That part sounded accurate, at least. Raine was interested to know more about the person Rein spoke of so fondly.

Rein shook her head. "I'm not a summon." Those existed in her world, but they were something very different from her.

"There's no method to become my master. I'm born to them by chance and stay with them their whole lives." Which were from that point usually not longer than a few months, for reasons she very much didn't want to discuss, even with Raine.

"So there isn't much of a story to the way you met her?" Considering how many of her allies Raine had faced in serious battle, before getting to know them or after a betrayal, she wouldn't have been terribly surprised to hear much the same from Reinforce. When Sheena had mentioned that her people considered "may you have an exciting life" to be a curse, Raine had understood immediately...

They had a while, and they did generally talk at dinner more than any other time of the day. This was interesting, and obviously an important part of Reinforce's life; Raine wanted to hear more.

"Well, she wasn't trained as a mage, so she could only barely hear me and for a long time she thought I was just an ordinary book. But she took good care of me anyway." Which was a large part of the reason Rein had liked her so much from the beginning.

But other than that, no, there couldn't be much of a story. She just appeared alongside them...

Raine smiled. "I see. When our house burned down recently, I think Genis and I were more upset about the lost books than anything else." Well, aside from the reason their house had burned down...

It was strange to think of it, really. Considering everything that had happened, she'd nearly forgotten, especially since she hadn't been back to Iselia since it happened. It meant she and Genis might not have a home there anymore, but--with everything that had happened even before she'd been taken here, she'd had other things on her mind.

Which was one of the reasons she liked Raine. She nodded solemnly in agreement. "It's terrible to lose them..."

Though, truth be told, she was happy to have the conversation drift onto Raine and away from her. "Is he very similar to you?" She hadn't heard all that much about Genis. Raine's concern for him hadn't put her in a reminiscing mood.

She nodded, looking wistful already. She missed her little brother so much. "I taught him to read on my own textbooks; he's always been very advanced as well. He's twelve, but doing the same work as his best friend... who's seventeen." And at this rate, Genis would graduate before Lloyd did.

"He doesn't deal as well with the prejudice against half-elves as I'd have hoped, though. He has friends, almost all human, but we've had more than a few talks about not reacting to racism by becoming closed-minded himself. He grew up claiming to be a full elf as well, because--I couldn't stand the thought of him having to run from the only place he's ever called home, as well." Like any parent, she just wanted the best for him. Even if having to raise a child from the tender age of eleven meant she'd made her fair share of mistakes.

"He's not much older than Hayate, then..." Or rather, Rein reminded herself, Hayate as she remembered her. In Signum's timeframe her master had already grown up.

"I wouldn't worry. He sounds like a fine young man." Of course, she was biased. The book thing again...

"He's twelve, and yes, very capable for his age, especially in magic. Kratos said that as far as he knows, Genis is all right, and he remembers a point further along than I do." And judging from everything she'd heard, he didn't even know she was gone...

She looked up and tried to smile. "I know I shouldn't worry--he's with friends, and being taken care of. But... I've been his only family since just after he was born. It's hard not to." She was the closest to a mother he'd ever known, and she knew he'd be going crazy with worry if he knew what was going on.

She did smile slightly as she realized that he'd be glad to know she wasn't having to attempt cooking or laundry, at least...

Rein nodded. "I can understand." She'd left Hayate of her own will, certainly, but she would never want her to be without the Knights. Family was important.

"But if we're brought from different times we might be able to return to any time we like as well. He might never miss you." Time travel was an area that remained beyond her expertise, of course, but if they were truly individually selected and... transported from their worlds of origin, not just copied over, it seemed sensible that the process might be reversed. She wouldn't bet anything on it, but the possibility was there.

Though she'd have more than just time travel to consider if such an opportunity were presented.

"That would be nice... if I still remember what was happening by the time I get back," Raine replied, a little dryly. "Although considering the situation we were in, Genis won't question nearly getting strangled in a hug. Even if Colette and Lloyd might."

It was an idea to hold onto. Too much hope could hurt, but if she didn't have any--there wasn't much point to going on. And she didn't ever intend on giving up if she could help it.

At this point, she would miss the friends she'd made here when they all returned home, though...

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Day 27: Intercom, Evening

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