damned_institute | Day 31: Sun Room (Fourth Shift)

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Day 31: Sun Room (Fourth Shift)

Though perhaps not entirely as successful as he wanted it to be, Homura walked away from lunch feeling satisfied with his efforts. Roland and Fai both had shown interest in the goal, and that was enough for the moment. Homura could be patient, had already been for five hundred years, and felt no harm in waiting another five hundred if he had to. He would have his goals realized, no matter what obstacles he faced, be they from the prison or those trapped within.

But now was time for business of a different sort, and the demi-god made his way to the Sun Room, near the common board. He made sure he could be seen from the entrance to the cafeteria, knowing that one stranger and one member of his own group both wanted to meet with him. It worked out well enough, especially given that the stated purpose of the History Club was simple.

Revenge and escape.

For now, Homura had no intention of revealing that it'd grown more complicated than that.

[Waiting for L and Junior]

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Argilla returned the smile, much more able to act the part of a human now that she wasn't quite so desperate for flesh and the data it contained. She didn't have any plans tonight so she might see if she could kill something again, or even scavenge something, although the idea wasn't as appealing as hunting her own food.

"It was enough to keep me going. Better than trying to eat my roommate." She quite liked Nami after all. The other woman had been very understanding.

"Of course." He knew that, of course; intellectually, only a small amount of usable data was required for the demons to keep going. But that still did little to mitigate the insatiable hunger they all felt... and Argilla had been going without for longer than Roland had. Still, it wasn't like he could escort her tonight.

"Well, then... on to business. I have a bit of a confession to make, I'm afraid." Roland adjusted his glasses, then quietly whispered, "I'm testing the waters of a different group, Arts and Crafts. I've told their leader about my condition, but not yours or Heat's. My hope is that we can find something like a 'Tribe' to ally with, in case other patients find out the truth and decide that we're too big a threat. That's the best-case scenario. Worst is that they try to kill me tonight. If that happens... don't trust them. Try a man named Homura, and tell him that I sent you. If there's another option, it's him."

A pause, and then a tiny smile. "...I suppose all of this is just a long-winded and round-about way of saying that you should stay safe and let me take the risks. You and Nami seem to have hit it off; there's no reason to jeopardize that now."

Argilla leaned closer so that she could hear him clearly without him having to speak up, but kept the movement nonchalant, adept at hiding her intentions when it came to things as serious as this. She was good at hiding at waiting. She was a sniper after all.

She gave him an incredulous look. "You told them?" It seemed odd for Roland to take a risk like that and she didn't like him putting only himself in danger. They were meant to be a tribe! And she didn't like the idea of another tribe either. She was Embryon! She growled softly, baring her teeth. "If they try to kill you, I'm not going to let them ge you without a fight," she said seriously. She wasn't as cool headed as Gale was and he wasn't here to pull her back from helping the other memebers of her Tribe. But Homura, huh? She'd have to remember that name. If he was someone they could work with.

She snorted at his words. "We're Embryon. We don't let other people take the risks for us."

"...I remember what you told me earlier, Argilla. About the colors of the Embryon." He smiled softly as he looked at her, liking what she said even if he couldn't agree. Comrades, a tribe... Argilla embodied such things, in a way. Roland just hoped he was doing the right thing. "Victory. We can't do this alone, and I'm not suggesting we join them in entirety. But we need the allies. The three of us alone aren't enough; it's a simple numbers game."

He sighed then, tapping his chin as he added, "Besides, Hitsugaya seems honorable enough, and he didn't try to kill me when he had the chance. It's better for him to know now than to have it all spiral out of control. And I refuse to lose you again, Argilla. You've died for me once already... isn't that enough times?"

Orange. Victory. She felt kind of odd without a single bit or Embryon colour on her, even if the grey wasn't anything unusual. "Allies huh? I guess we worked with the Maribell and the Wolves back in the Junkyard. Just feels weird without Gale here to advise." Or Serph here to give them their orders.

"Honour is important," Argilla agreed. "And you died for all of us," she replied quietly."

"I know, I would prefer for the entire group to be here if it was possible. But in their absence, we'll have to do what we can." Which was a pain. Gale was a brilliant strategist, and Serph was the most powerful demon Roland had ever laid eyes on. Even Cielo added something to the group, with his flight and his upbeat personality. To be without was a hassle, but hopefully one they could work around. "And that means finding allies who will let us do as we need to."

He was just glad that Argilla seemed to understand where he was coming from. Heat would have laughed in his face and disagreed with the plan entirely. That meant Roland would have to keep some of the particulars from the more volatile AI for now. There were so many variables to keep track of... "Better one than all of us. It's not too different a situation here, really; if I go then at least you and Heat will know what not to do. Still. If you don't have anything else to do tonight, then I do have one request for you."

"I think they might prefer to be here too, but we seem to be in the minority in this place. Must be nice to come from a world where you can take all of the vegetation and the sun for granted." Maybe she was just a little jealous. "But I know that allies would be helpful." Anyone who would allow them to help and then ignore the messy facts of their lives would be helpful.

"I wonder if they managed," Argilla said quietly, only letting herself think about it now. Gale and Cielo and Sera. They're been the only ones left. "If you go, I'm not letting things rest like that. What request?"

"Nirvana... used to be like this." Roland offered a weak smile to Argilla, feeling guilty. It was because of men like him that the world had been destroyed, that God had gone mad and blighted the world with Cuvier Syndrome. She'd never gotten to see the beach or the sun as it used to be. And while this world was okay, the Institute was not his home. They'd have to get free, somehow.

But it was still gratifying to know that Argilla cared about him. He'd have to make sure that nothing went wrong; he didn't want her to die for him again, not when she'd gotten her life back so soon. "My request... well, it's possible that the Institute might force me to transform. If that happens, I'd like for you to take my place with Hitsugaya, if possible. Better than him thinking that I stood him up, perhaps."

"I always imagined it would be like this," Argilla admitted. "It was..." she paused, searching for the right word. Disappointing seemed so woefully inadequate. "It was painful when we woke up in the city and saw what it was like." Just as full of demons and death as the Junkyard had been.

She frowned slightly at his request. She didn't like the thought of Roland being manipulated like that. "I guess I have the most chance if we have to fight Indra, but how do you expect me to know if you've been taken? And you'll have to point this Hitsugaya out to me."

"It might never go back, to be honest. With most of the vegetation dead and gone, and with no seed stores... the environment may never recover." It was a melancholy thought. His home world may never be lush and green again; for all the science and power man had thought they'd wrested from God, He'd just turned around and slapped them down into a prehistoric age. Just in time for the asuras to get caught in the crossfire.

...now there were only three, and Fred was all alone. Though he didn't want to admit it, that thought tethered him where he was. He wanted Greg alive, but Fred needed his own life as well. So what course could he take?

"My room's M40; if I'm not taken, I'll leave a note behind so you won't have to worry about it. If I am, then... I don't expect you to fight against Indra. Just to explain the situation with Hitsugaya. And above all, not to reveal who you really are." He looked at Argilla with a concerned, conflicted look on his face. He knew that she could generally handle herself, but like the other members of Embryon- save Gale- she was rash and impulsive. If she took on Indra, she'd be eaten, it was that simple. And he didn't want to risk her identity becoming obvious, even if she went with Hitsugaya. On the other hand, if he stood the shinigami up, then the chances for an alliance would plummet.

A difficult decision to make. That was the reason he didn't describe the shinigami. Not yet. Not until he'd made up his mind on all those small particulars.

Argilla's face fell slightly at Roland's admission. It might never become the Nirvana it should have been? "Then what kind of world is Fred gonna' live in?" she asked. What was the point if, even if they saved the world, there wasn't going to be much change?

"M40, right," she said with a nod. She could check that at least. She returned Roland's look firmly. "What am I supposed to say about how I know then? That I've been checking up on you?"

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Day 31: Sun Room (Fourth Shift)

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