damned_institute | Day 32: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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Day 32: Sun Room (4th Shift)

It was rare that Homura's nurse try to persuade him to a scheduled activity, but then, it was rare that Homura didn't go. But the demi-god had plans, and the poor woman had little other choice but to leave in a huff as he once again settled himself near the bulletin board in the Sun Room.

His conversation with Kenren the previous shift had left the demi-god with a lingering sense of anxiety. Perhaps it was something only those from his own world could do, but none the less, he was all the more ready for night to begin now. Goals and memories, the truth of his past and the possibility of the future: all thoughts lingering on the forefront of his mind, more than enough motivation to move forward.

Impatience was something of a rush for an immortal, he'd discovered. Homura liked the feeling, the excitement even before he had arrived in this prison. And now while he waited, he savored it again, a yearning that shone so much brighter than the boredom of Heaven.

[Waiting for History Club Q&A time.]

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The part about trying to stand up to the brainwashed prisoners struck the doll as pretty risky, in and of itself, having tried to do so with a group of three once already. That would be something to keep an eye on.

"So that's why a lot of people have been collecting metal," Ren said thoughtfully, touching his chin. "I've heard of alchemy, though not at that level." Even though he'd had his suspicions, it made sense once laid out in front of him: unrefined metal could go into weaponry, even the crappy kind. And when come kind of weapon was sometimes needed just to get from hall to hall at night, Ren had no place frowning on that kind of ability, but just considering the ease and potential those guys must have when not having any powers repressed was...

He shook his head a bit, clearing his thoughts and considering another question. "Does your group have a lot of returning volunteers?"

Ren's response in regards to the alchemy was a common one, and it made Roy wonder why it had developed so much in Amestris while it remained more primitive and hardly believable in the worlds of most of the people he encountered here.

Then again, with so many different worlds, it was to be expected that they would develop in varying ways just due to chance. Still, it was interesting to think about.

At the next question, Roy paused before giving a small nod. "Not a lot, but there a few loyal members, though it's to be expected that sometimes they need to take a night off for their own purposes." Speaking of which, he hadn't heard from Hughes all day. Roy knew better than to get too worried, though - he and Hughes were some of the people who had lasted the longest in this place, so he didn't see why his friend would disappear all of a sudden.

Ren nodded too. So there was a good chance the Cooking Club had more comers-and-goers than the Arts and Crafts, who seemed to retain the same basic leadership structure. He couldn’t say that all three groups worked utterly smoothly, just from a bit of experience and foresight, but it wasn’t worth criticizing a game plan that could generally be more productive than the same number of people working solo.

“I think I’ve got the basics. Thanks for talking with me.” Especially later in the day, when everyone was counting down the few short hours until sunset and making plans. And although he had an interest in getting to know the specifics of the impromptu organizations growing in the prisoner population, the servant never forgot the broad picture. It was why he continued by adding, “Looks like a fair number of people have gotten down to the basement already, but I’ve got a good map of the first few areas if you need it--it got passed on to Abarai Renji in Arts and Crafts. I’ve got a knack for mapping places out, locked doors or not, so I can lend a hand for that stuff if there‘re still unexplored areas.”

Generally speaking, Ren thought was in everyone’s best interests to make use of what helpful abilities could make things easier and simpler, and he didn’t have much of a problem lending himself out to anyone who needed him. And even with his second sight, there were still a lot of places that refused to let him through, so he didn’t think of it as the best asset. Every little bit helped, though. No harm in passing it along.

While it sounded like there were already some maps circling around, Roy had never gotten his hands on one for one reason or another. While he wasn't entirely sure what Ren was implying, it sounded to him like he might have more information than some of the others who were offering up copies of maps.

"That would be a big help," he replied with a small smile. "I've never gotten around to getting myself a copy, and it sounds as if you're well-informed. I've done a good amount of exploring myself, but I'll admit that I don't know where all the doors lead." He doubted that anyone did, really.

"So, do you not ally yourself with any group in particular, then?" Roy wasn't sure if Ren had just been looking for information for the sake of it, or if he was actually interested in joining. It sounded like he would prefer to just provide information without actually volunteering, though Roy had to wonder why he would be so generous. Then again, some people were just like that.

"Sure, I can drop copies off sometime--probably not today, but tonight or tomorrow if you’ve got a preference," replied Ren, thinking that with a little time he could put together the different second floor maps floating around, adding in any blank spots he could fix.

And with any luck, there wouldn’t be any fatalities between now and then, either.

He cocked his head, demeanour clearly saying he didn’t mean any offense to Roy or his group regarding his answer about alliances. "I’d prefer working with everyone on the same level, but sometimes it’s hard for bodies of people not to get secretive or suspicious with each other," the servant confessed. Having seen the ugliest side of humanity, Ren could still say he was pretty realistic about how people could get under pressure. Although he wasn’t big on the idea of explaining exactly who or what he was, at least not as openly as some of the others, Ren wanted to help more than he would have had this been home.

"I’d rather stay out of it and try to help where I can."

"I'll be staying in my room and working on some things tonight, so you could drop it off then if that's enough time to get it all in order. My room number's M1... I think I've seen you around that hallway, so hopefully it's not too far for you." It was odd how he would see different patients around and then ended up meeting them for some reason or another. It was even stranger to think that there were a good amount of patients that he would never meet, mainly because they would be gone before a reason for them to talk ever presented itself.

While Roy didn't think there was much bad blood between the groups (though he knew very little about the History Club's opinion), he could understand why someone might want to stay neutral and help where they could. He also knew that some people didn't exactly like to be ordered around.

"I do appreciate the help, though I'm not sure what I can do in return." He didn't think Ren had ever asked for a weapon, which was strange enough itself. Maybe he had powers and didn't need one? It was something to think about, at least.

“No, not far at all. I can get them there, no problem.”

He was only at the end of the hall, which made things easier. It shouldn’t take too long to finish that stuff up (dinner was a quiet affair these days), and it wasn’t as though he would be in a rush to meet anyone after that. Ojou hadn’t gotten in contact with him, so Ren figured she was doing her own thing again.

Waving his hand dismissively, the servant smiled. “It’s okay, it’s my pleasure.” He had no need to add his name to the list of people expecting a weapon from these… alchemists, no matter the circumstances. It wasn’t in him to use one, not after being one.

While it was surprising for someone to make such an offer without any sort of price, Roy knew that he had done the same thing himself for quite a few people; he remembered the shocked looks of those he had made weapons for when he'd told them they didn't need to give him anything in return.

Still, it wasn't something he expected from others, and yet he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he smiled to Ren and nodded. "Thank you very much, then. I promise I'll do my best to make sure those maps go to good use. And if it ever turns out that you do need anything, please let me know."

He'd been lucky to avoid any major trouble so far, not enough that he'd needed to burden others by being unable to take care of himself, and Ren hoped it'd stay that way for a while. A few favours, trades, that sort of thing was normal, but Ren would rather not get into deep beyond that. It wasn't the idea of relying on others that bothered him, just being idle and ineffectual enough that he'd need to.

"That's great. It'd be nice to get them out to the newest prisoners, considering how out of sorts they must be," said Ren. Not to mention that the best scenario would be everyone having an up-to-date copy, though new areas popping up made that hard. He got up, giving a polite bow. "And I will, thanks. I won't keep you, then."

Looked like dinner was coming up on them fast, anyway.

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Day 32: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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