damned_institute | Day 29: Courtyard

Visitors. The thought was rather frightening, especially to a man who knew firsthand that this place could bring back the dead. But Homura wasn't one of the ones called, so for the moment at least, he had escaped the torture. It left him in a strange position, however. It was rare that the demi-god had no plans during the day, and for now he decided to take advantage of it. Homura was certainly no stranger to keeping his own company, after all.

He'd been hoping to see flowers when he came into the Courtyard. Since he was alone, Homura thought he might indulge himself in remembering more of the past. But there was nothing there but sharply cold air, though thankfully not so bad as that room he'd found with Hijikata. It was an almost enjoyable chill this way, sharp contrast to the constant perfected weather of Heaven.

Had he really spent so long here, that the seasons had begun to change? Homura didn't think so, but time had a way of becoming tricky in prison. In the end, any amount of time was too long, and needed no further definition.

But still. Flowers would have been nice.

The idea of visitors hadn't pleased the small captain. He knew exactly who Martin Landel would have brought to toy with his mind, and he didn't want to have to deal with that. Thankfully his name hadn't been called during this shift.

He walked out into the courtyard and skimmed those who had already gathered here. He would have liked to have just taken a nap during this free shift, but there was still too much work to be done. It had been a while since he had gotten the opportunity to just rest under a tree for a while...instead there was always work to be done.

Like right now.

He spotted Homura and approached him in the typical quiet manner that all the shinigami captains seemed to use. "Homura," he said as he approached. "We need to talk." Need was definitely the right word for this case. If he had any other choice, he would have left the god alone, but what Kenshin had told him needed to be addressed. If other groups were forming with the same goals, they should be united.

The courtyard was still fairly empty when Sai was led out to it. He didn't know why his nurse continually insisted that it didn't look like he received enough fresh air and sunshine. He'd had plenty of that back in Konoha. He supposed it had something to do with the pale complexion, he supposed. He had done a fair amount of work at night. At least she hadn't rubbed him down with suntan lotion this time around. The oil had kept rubbing off on everything before.

Gin's figure was somewhat familiar to him as he caught sight of it across the lawn. It was mostly for that reason that he found himself gravitating in that direction. They'd only talked once before (and hadn't it been under similar circumstances?) but Sai recognized him as a possible ally of Sasukes, and he might be worth addressing again in the off chance that they spoken since he'd been separated from the Uchiha.

If nothing else, they shared a similar smile. "Ichimaru-san," he said in greeting as he approached.

Ah, so much for free time. Still, Hitsugaya certainly would make a pleasant diversion. Homura was well aware that the little shinigami lost no love for him, and those were often the best types to toy with. The boy's seriousness was met with a grin, smugness meant to cover the thoughts that the demi-god quickly pushed to the back of his mind.

Homura had made no connection with Hitsugaya, and felt no need to share certain things with him. It was as simple as that.

"It must be something rather pressing, if you're seeking me out." Homura moved a hand to his hip, looking down at the Captain. "Yes?"

[[not at all ^^]]

Gin's smile widened slightly as the boy approached. It was friendly, or ought to seem as such. He recalled their meeting a few days back easily, his memory sharp. It had to be. "Sai-kun," he returned, nodding as the youth approached.

"You seem t'be doin' alright for y'self," he commented. The last time they'd met, Sai had been new; hadn't believed much of what he'd said. Perhaps now his opinion had changed a bit.

So much like Ichimaru. So smug and self-important. He hated that, but there was no reason to let that show. He was, as often as one person could be, a rational man, and this was a rational discussion. Still, he'd be straight and to the point.

"I understand you've formed a group, a 'history club,' from what Himura-san informed me. I'd like to know what you're planning with this club? Are you intending to keep it just your small team, or were you thinking of expanding?"

"For the most part," Sai answered, returning the nod. He stepped up beside the other man, falling into the same pace. It wasn't a very brisk pace, he noticed. "What injuries I've received since arriving have healed by now." And he hadn't even gotten any the previous night, thanks to the temporary return of his abilities. The difference in level of power hadn't even felt as great until he'd woken again the next morning. He didn't need to become so comfortable.

"I haven't spoken to you in some time," he went on, getting right to the point. "Are you and Sasuke-kun still allies?"

So that was what the fuss was about. And just what did Hitsugaya care what Homura had planned? The demi-god thought it rather obvious himself, what the goal would be in the end. But it was pleasing to see the boy asking questions, at least.

"Afraid I'll steal some of your members?" Homura knew that was hardly the case, but the temptation to fluster Hitsugaya was simply too strong. "If I find others who are useful, I'll use them. Though I believe the pair I talked to earlier are more interested in what your group has to offer."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow slightly, resisting the urge to call him a moron for thinking he would be that jealous. Homura wasn't one of his soldiers, and it wouldn't help anything. "If you start to grow, let me know. I'm trying to get the larger groups to work together. Even as it stands, there's no reason for us to be working against one another when we all want the same thing."

"Who did you speak with?" he asked regarding the two who might be interested in his organization. It didn't hurt to have more troops.

"Best t'keep it that way," he advised. Not that either of them had a lot of control over it. But if he'd done well enough to stay as healthy as he was, then he was probably on the right track. A little like Cloud in that regard at least.

"Can't say I really heard much from him since last we talked," Gin admitted. He remembered the conversation he'd had with the two boys easily. Not much had changed for him since, unfortunately. At least, not much that would change any sort of unspoken alliance they might have. "So unless somethin's changed on his end, I'd figure we're still doin' alright, ne?"

It was Homura's turn to raise an eyebrow at the Captain beside him. Did he really think the demi-god so foolish? "I've no intention of standing in your way. I still plan to get whatever information from you there is to be had. It will save me time, after all."

He'd just said it, hadn't he? If there were people who were useful, they would be used. The sentiment ran deeper, of course, but Homura doubted Histugaya would be interested.

"Enma Ai and Ren. A set, as one spoke of them." Turning his gaze to the distance, Homura looked over the plants that surrounded them. How many more days before they flowered again? "They're more interested in information than confrontation and battle. Since those I've gathered are definitely fighters, I pointed them towards you."

Hitsugaya nodded slightly, wondering if Homura had understood exactly what he'd been saying. "What I meant was there's little point to be doing the same work twice if we can avoid it. Open communication is important. If you find something out, I'd like to learn about it just as I'm giving you what we discover." Quid Pro Quo and all of that.

Hitsugaya couldn't help but notice Homura's attention switch from their conversation to the fauna around them. The plants had long stopped blooming...or had they ever? It was hard to tell in this place, but it was clear that it was no longer summer, and had not come to spring. He liked that, for Fall was a mere prelude to winter, and snow on the ground would be a calming sight. Whatever reason Homura had for glancing at the vegitation, he didn't seem interested in sharing, and Hitsugaya had no interest in prying.

"Understood," he said, wondering when his division had become a babysitting service. He could likely blame Renji for that. As gruff as he was, he seemed to have a soft spot for children, which meant that they picked up a lot of people who weren't capable of fighting.

The Courtyard was the closest thing to anywhere familiar that Valyn had found in this place. It reminded him of the gardens back home, if less elegant and expansive. It was still a relaxing, pretty place.

And ancestors knew he needed to relax. His nerves were up again, as they tended to be when he was faced once more with how completely hopeless their situation was.

And he couldn't make Shadow understand. It frustrated him that his cousin couldn't seem to grasp that it was impossible to compare this place and these adversaries to anything they knew. Oh, Valyn knew he'd done the same in the beginning, and that Shadow would realize, but...

He shouldn't have to learn the way I did.

At least it took his mind off of Shana. That was something he had no desire to deal with any time soon. Sighing, the young elven lord stretched out on a bench and folded his hands behind his head.

At least he could rest some.

"I see." If Sasuke and Gin hadn't spoken since their last meeting, then chances were good that the older man didn't know the Uchiha was blind now anymore than Sai had before they met on the bus the evening before. It was probably best that he didn't mention it either, as that was a weakness best not shared unless it became obvious. "He's still here, at least. I spoke with him just yesterday."

Gin's words about keeping healthy made him recall more of their conversation a few days ago. His smile faded back into the usual stoic and he crossed his arms in a similar fashion as the other man. "I must admit that I may owe you a bit of an apology for being disbelieving when we talked last."

"Sounds like he's doin' better n' a lot then. Heard we got a lotta disappearances the last couple days," he said mildly. Surely Sai realized that in itself was a double edged sword. He had to wonder how many really were disappearances and how many had just managed to slip from Landel's radar during their last field trip. The sudden change in numbers couldn't all be coincidence. That or some of the weaker ones had some trouble last night. So the missing ones were either much better off, or they were dead.

Gin raised a curious brow at Sai's apology. "Ara," he feigned surprise. "Tha's right, you were havin' a bit of a tough time with it when y'first got here, mm. Well now tha's jus' fine, we all go through that a lil' when we first get here, ne?"

At the word 'snacks', Hanyuu had almost been certain that she would opt to stay in the cafeteria following the brunch. Unfortunately, she quickly discovered that her idea of snacks differed from the hospital staff. She had immediately thought of sweets: cookies, muffins, or, she could hope, cream puffs. But, no such luck. Thus, after a little more thinking, she found herself in the Courtyard.

It seemed to be a little chilly, but now that she knew Rika was alive and well (or at least as well as one could be while confined here), she wasn't as unsettled with the cooler weather.

Taking a deep breath, the former spirit took a seat on a bench near the pond. It was difficult to believe that something so serene could be part of the hospital, but Hanyuu couldn't deny being somewhat grateful. For the moment, perhaps she could try to forget about the terrors this place had to offer.

"It's not easy to believe," the ninja answered, attempting embarrassment. "I still find myself questioning things." The matter of missing people was something he was, unfortunately, starting to become more well acquainted with, and this drew a real frown from him when Gin made it known that it was happening to a larger number of people.

"My two teammates, as well as another member of my village, have gone missing recently. I wasn't aware the actual number was noticeably large." He could only hope that they had somehow escaped, but this seemed doubtful. It was... discouraging.

The choice of rooms to waste the rest of his day in didn't really make much of a difference to Albel. They were all equally boring, were filled with scum and all he would do was sitting around and wait for the stupid shift to end. He had eventually picked the courtyard, though he didn't really know why.

He finally plopped down on some bench and proceeded to look bored. At least he hadn't been dragged to this visitor shift, and it would hopefully stay that way. The Elicoorian had no desire to see that old coot again, especially not here. Thinking about the hassle last week was enough to aggravate him.

Visitors. Normally, whenever the Head Doctor was talking, Masaru ground his teeth in frustration and paid little attention, but that word had caught his interest. He didn't know how it worked, but at the very least nobody seemed to be visiting him. The idea of his friends and family showing up in a place like this was definitely unsettling

He opted to go to the courtyard, which was quickly becoming one of his favorite spots. Few guys seemed to be around, too, which was a plus. Constantly being around so many people could get to be a pain in the ass pretty fast. Not that he minded meeting people, but a little space would be nice.

Masaru settled himself in the shade of one of the trees like he had the first day. It brought back memories of getting sedated for punching an orderly in the face. He was unsure whether to smirk or scowl at the incident, but in the the end, the smirk won out.

They sure did like to use cheap tricks here. It had pissed the boy off at first, but in the end, that just made it more of a challenge. He'd just have to step up his game some, that was all. No matter what happened here, he'd stand firmly on his on two feet without taking a step back. That was what a man did!

Diva was learning the routine. Normally, there was no such thing as a 'routine' for the girl, and indeed, nurses watched her carefully whenever she passed, having fought like a wild thing every time her mood did not suit nurse intervention. And her mood rarely suited anyone's intervention.

Today, however, she was a little sleepy and a little subdued.

Wandering out into the courtyard, almost purposefully, she lost her slippers somewhere in the cold grass. Ripping off the bandage at her collar, she threw that away too. No blue roses, she noticed. No red ones. Not even a pink.

Her hand found her breast, and the Chiropteran began to sing.

It wasn't necessarily bad that Sai was questioning things here, he did it himself often enough. People seemed to forget that there was much more to most things than their simple outside appearance. He didn't comment though, it was a lesson the boy would learn on his own if he hadn't already. He seemed cautious enough.

"Dunno any exact numbers," Gin replied, shrugging his shoulders, and shifting his arms with a stretch before folding them behind his back. He knew the ryoka had been missing but had come back for a short time only to disappear again. Whether that was because he was undergoing some kind of experiments that extended into the day or just because they couldn't decide if he was worth the trouble of keeping, Gin couldn't be sure.

"But tha's really too bad, isn' it?" he tried to make his voice sound sympathetic, but he wasn't quite positive that it didn't sound trite or sarcastic. "Guess it's possible they escaped th' other day, ne? Big open place like that."

It was growing colder. Lust found herself outside, frowning at the cold. She wore a heavy shirt, but she missed the warmth. Something in it called to her. Besides, it meant that another season was gone. Another season in this place.

She had not been particularly honest with Edward. Escaping had somehow become something she didn't care about one way or another. For the most part, she was left alone. They had done what they would with her. Now? She had the things she'd desired, and there were worse places to be trapped.

But there was still the matter of Scar's brother. He had shown no interest, only anger. Why? She couldn't begin to figure the man out.

Where was he, anyway? She hadn't seen him in some time now....

Sai looked thoughtful, or as thoughtful as he ever looked. "That's an optimistic way of looking at it." If escape was so easy in that town, then why would they have been brought there? And if one were to escape, where exactly would one go? Then there was the matter of him not even remembering how he'd come to arrive there in the first place, despite the fact that others had remembered coming on a bus like the one they'd left in.

Changing the subject rather abruptly, and perhaps deep down because he needed to discuss it, Sai said "My abilities and items were returned to me last night, but some of my senses were lost." He didn't mean senses in the terms of physical feeling, either.

He was still feeling slightly off-put with the fact that out of all of the runes that could possibly be here – it was that foolish Night rune that was present. Granted it was better than having the annoyance Pesmerga bothering him, at least he didn’t have to worry about being stalked. That left him much to his own devices even despite the small alliance he’d made with that rusted sword.

The announcement of ‘visitors’ didn’t stir any interest within the knight’s mind. Ignoring the call, his nurse ushered him out towards the courtyard. He went along with little-to-no complaint, and found his eyes squinting slightly as the brightness of the area assaulted his gaze. Finding himself a bench, Yuber went about ignoring the rest of the world as he relaxed back into the seat and closed his eyes as his head tilted back.

There wasn’t much that could be done during the daylight either way – so there was little point in doing anything and expelling needless energy.

No visitors for her today, though that probably was for the better. She still had yet to grasp the ideas behind it all. So after the nice little brunch and chat with Jade the nurse escorted Tear to the courtyard. Apparently she was looking rather pale and the nurse decided she needed some air. Tear always looked like that. Oh well.

She didn't feel like pacing or wandering around so she took a seat on a bench and decided to enjoy the scenery. Though really she was much more occupied with trying to figure out her next move. The clinic seemed like a wise choice but that would leave her busy and out of the reach from her comrades.

Hmn, decisions, decisions. At least she had a decent amount of time to think about it all. Or at least until another nurse dragged her away to another activity.

Day 29: Courtyard

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