damned_institute | Day 37: Sun Room

Joe had read some of the larger notes stuck up on the bulletin board when the announcement came on the intercom. All things considered, this Landel guy didn't even seem so bad. Even if these people were held here against their will, he was certainly nice about it.

Apparently, the new patients - including Joe - were to hang around in the Sun Room or go to Arts and Crafts with the kids. Well, there was plenty of information on the board, including maps and descriptions of monsters, for Joe to prepare for the nighttime, when he could seriously get going on fighting his way out. He could look for where the boss would probably be waiting, or where his V-watch might be, and figure out how to fight the monsters. In fact, he had plenty of time to work all that out... but this the first time he'd had to really relax since he got his powers. So it couldn't possibly hurt to enjoy the calm period, could it?

The red-head stepped back from the board, and hopped back onto a comfy-looking couch to digest in the sunlight. He reached up to pull his cap down, and sighed when he realized it wasn't there. "Oh well, nothing's perfect. I still wouldn't call this hell."

[free!]

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Shito didn't react much to the girl's surprise and stuttering, and frankly didn't care much if it was feigned or real. Instead he zeroed in on the part that was important to him, explaining slowly, "Moving your mouth like that when you read. Are you dim?" Oddly enough, his voice and body language didn't seem to be particularly mocking or even terribly annoyed, despite his earlier words. It was more as though he was simply making a statement of fact, and asking what he felt was a perfectly reasonable question.

Clearly, tact was not something practiced by all the residents in this place. As far as Ayumu could tell, the young man addressing her looked fairly normal except for the unusual eye color, though judging from what she had found on the board that wasn't always a sign he was. He certainly wasn't afraid to speak his mind, though.

In response to his question, she only blinked and ducked her head a little, shyly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a problem." After a second she glanced up at him again through her lashes. "I'm afraid I don't read very well, but I was trying to find information on these "clubs." Someone told me that it would be a good idea to join one, for protection."

Sigh. Well, at least she was polite, not like some of the girls here. "If it's a problem with your eyes, you should eat lots of Vitamin A. Carrots are traditional, but there's also lots in spinach and sweet potatoes. Blueberries and other fruits high in antioxidants are also good for overall health." Really, girls were so bad at taking care of their bodies sometimes.

"But in any case, you shouldn't be so obvious about it--it makes you stand out." Shito shrugged, glancing at the board briefly himself. "And if you want to join a club, go ahead. It's the quickest way to find people to travel with if you don't know anyone, I guess."

Ayumu blinked a little at the unexpected advice on her diet, mildly bemused even in reality by that. It was a rather odd topic, wasn't it, especially for someone he'd just barely met? Well, perhaps he was just a little bit socially awkward and trying to be helpful. Still, though, probably best that she just let that part go without comment.

"Is standing out a bad thing?" she asked instead, looking worried. "I, ah, just found myself here and I'm afraid I don't know much about what's going on, except that I've been warned it's dangerous and...well, I don't know anything about fighting."

Oh. Right. It was a newbie day. No wonder this woman was so clueless. Shito sighed a little, but she was polite at least so he could be somewhat patient with her. Still, it was weird not to know why standing out could be bad in any new or unknown situation. "I'm Tachibana Shito. And standing out can be bad, especially if it's for a weakness like bad eyesight or trouble reading." Really, that was just simple logic! "There are plenty of bad people here who would want to take advantage of a weaker person."

"Oh - I guess I could see how that would be true," Ayumu replied, her eyes growing wide for a moment. She studied Shito a little warily for a moment, as though belatedly trying to decide if he was safe, before finally offering an almost shy smile and bow. "My name is Sen. Pleased to meet you, Tachibana-han."

The young man seemed at least somewhat helpful, if not so much as the pair she'd met the night before. And even though he was offering advice on the oddest things. "It's just all so overwhelming - one minute I was home in Kyoto and then suddenly here and...well, I think you can understand."

Shito had already pegged the woman--Sen, was it?--as a native of western Japan, just from the -han, and she confirmed it only a moment later. But of more interest was the fact that her inflections, the way she used words, were not modern. In fact, they reminded him of the way Ferryman had spoken, the first time they'd met. That put her somewhere in the mid-late 19th century. So it wasn't her eyes that were bad, but probably she had been lower-class and wasn't very literate. "Mm. It must be especially disorienting for you."

Especially for her? Because...why? Because she was female, or some other reason? Ayumu mentally reviewed what little she'd said already, warily wondering just what that comment was supposed to mean. It could, she supposed, mean that he was from a different time, like Robin last night, but how would he know just from looking at her?

None of her thoughts showed outwardly, however; she merely nodded as though grateful for the sympathy, her smile turning less shy and more friendly. "I've had a few people warn me about this place, but the others were mostly concerned about nighttime." Ayumu glanced briefly toward the myriad of discussions posted on the board and shook her head a little. "I must admit, I'm a little worried. I've not needed to protect myself before..."

Day 37: Sun Room

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