Day 27: Intercom, Evening

[damned-intercom.livejournal.com]

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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[gald_digger]

Eating as she listened to Ami speak, Anise finished the pot pie and again turned her attention to the corn. The idea occurred to her to pry the kernels off with her fork, but the buttery vegetable proved too slippery, sliding across the plate when she attempted this. Grr.

Her attention was snapped away from the food at the word 'brainwashed,' but before she could ask about that, she found herself more interested in Ami's second bit of information. "Healers? Really? Like, Seventh Fonists? I ran into one before, but it didn't seem like she could use any artes..." Even though the colonel had told her Cyrille was a Seventh Fonist, that girl hadn't been good for anything but flirting with His Majesty!

--Oh, and hitting that monster with a table. Anise had to give the girl a little credit.

At any rate, if there were people here with working healing artes, this was great news! M35, was it? She'd have to tell the colonel.

As for what Anise had learned... "Nothing too concrete," she admitted after a long pause. "I tried to find out about the memory loss that, uh, a lot of patients suffer from. Everyone's convinced that we traveled in time or something." She threw up her right hand in a gesture resembling a one-armed shrug. "But it doesn't sound like there's proof either way." What a waste of time.

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

Ami noticed Anise's difficulty with her corn due to her injury, and got up to assist her, blushing slightly in embarrasment as she did so. "Here, let me help..." Ami picked up Anise's fork and pushed the prongs into the side of the corn cob and then handed the fork and cob back to Anise, smiling shyly at her.

She sat back down at her own desk again. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what Seventh Fonists are..." Ami trailed off, brow furrowing in slight confusion. "I'm guessing they can heal with magic or something similar? Though in here, their powers would be significantly weakened, but you might have some luck."

Ami wasn't really too surprised with what Anise said regarding time travel. "Yes, it sounds like a lot of us have been taken from different places and times. I met one of my friends in here who has been taken from a different time from myself. But what I'd like to know is how and more specifically why we've been brought here." Ami's mind went back to something Logan had said to her the previous day. "Someone mentioned that perhaps the person, or company, behind it is trying to create super soldiers, although I'm not so sure that's the reason."

[gald_digger]

"H-hey, I don't need--"

But Ami had finished before Anise could voice the rest of that protest, and all she could do was reluctantly accept the help.

She didn't know what Seventh Fonists were? Every seven-year-old knew that stuff. "Yeah, it is something similar. I was under the impression that trying to use artes here was way more trouble than it's worth." After all, even that stronger-than-any-monster colonel had lost consciousness from using techniques he could normally pull off in his sleep! If that genius among geniuses couldn't cast a decent arte, Anise didn't think anyone could. Sighing, and speaking more to herself than to Ami, she added quietly, "Maybe I should try it, too..."

Anise gnawed at the corn for a bit, but decided after eating half of it that it was too much trouble to finish. She set it down, pushed the tray aside, and pulled the journal and maps to the center of the table. Ripping some pages from the journal, she placed them over the maps and began to trace. "The how is what I'd like to know. If we could find that out, we might have a chance at doing something about it. Right now, we're just running around in the dark!"

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

Ami noted the slightly sarcastic tone in Anise's voice, and reddened, looking down at her half eaten meal.

She continued to pick at her food, listening to Anise. "True, it would be nice to know how we got here so that we could reverse it and all go home," Ami said quietly. "Maybe it's all just a sick game for the people running this place." She glanced up to see Anise tracing something. "What are you drawing, if you don't mind me asking?"

[gald_digger]

"A map!" Anise grinned. "A friend of mine asked for a copy."

She continued tracing for a few more seconds before looking up again. "Oh! Are you going to be leaving as soon as the doors unlock tonight?" If it turned out she was going to stick around a bit, then Ami was probably going to be surprised to see the whole Abyssman crew piling into their room for their meeting that night.

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

"A map?" Ami had been sketching out a very rough draft of a map, but had nothing close to a decent floorplan. No doubt the one Anise had was much more comprehensive. "Would you mind if took down a copy of it?"

Ami decided to abandon her rapidly cooling dinner and pushed it away from her. Anxiety over the coming night had dampened her appetite. "I'll be heading out pretty shortly after the doors open as I'm meeting up with some people..." she trailed off. "Will you be okay tonight?" Ami asked, concerned.

[gald_digger]

"Okay! Just a second." Anise took a few moments to finish jotting down the last few details before standing and bringing a pair of maps to Ami. She presented it with a bright smile, as though handing over a trophy. Then, instead of returning to her desk, she went to the closet on her side of the room and began rummaging in there.

"I was just wondering because I'll be staying here for a little while," she poked her head back out of the closet to say. She carried an armful of small items, which she dumped onto her own desk: plastic scissors, black thread, and a rounded needle. She had borrowed them from the Arts and Crafts room earlier that day. Also among the objects were two large buttons, torn from the coat the institution had provided her with. The last item to be taken to the desk before she finished with the closet was a yellow felt doll that wasn't quite a cat and wasn't quite a bear. It didn't quite have a face, either, what with the lack of eyes or a nose.

Anise sat back down at the desk, and fiddled with her tools before giving a proper answer to Ami. "I'll be fine! I'll have a handsome man--or two--around to protect me." She sighed, as though rendered breathless with adoration for her "knights." That wasn't to say that the man she traveled with last night wasn't positively dashing, but a soldier couldn't exactly depend on an emperor for protection.

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

Ami smiled at Anise as she took the set of maps from her. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." She took the maps over to her desk and began copying them on to sheets of paper from her journal.

She listened to Anise as she copied. Obviously the girl was hoping Ami would leave before her friends showed up. That was fine with Ami - since she was heading out anyway, it wouldn't be a problem.

"I'm glad you have people coming to meet up with you," she said, hiding a smile at Anise's obvious adoration of whoever it was she was meeting. It reminded her of Minako-chan. An empty feeling hit her, as if something was missing. I wish the other senshi were here, she thought dejectedly. At least I have Usagi, but I feel so helpless stuck in this place...

Ami swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and concentrated on completing her copying. Standing and smiling back at Anise, Ami handed back the maps. Just as she was handing them over, the intercom clicked on, and a shiver went down Ami's spine as Dr Landel's voice came over the speaker. She listened, almost afraid of what she would hear. A lower level? Accessed from the kitchen? Ami had a sudden sense of foreboding. "Well, guess that's my cue," she said with a grimace. She began tearing strips off her bedding and wrapped them in a larger piece which she tied around her waist. To the makeshift bag she added the six paper mache balls and five balloons. Picking up her torch and the maps, Ami gave Anise a half smile and waved as she walked out the door and into the night.