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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I...um, I, I guess so...?" The man's voice was unsettingly similar to that of the captain of the 12th, and the way he lurked like that wasn't too far off, either. It was more than enough to make Hanatarou uncomfortable, even if he wasn't actually doing anything.

The healer cautiously pushed himself up into a slightly less sprawled position, discovering that it was almost impossible to find a way to sit and comfortably look at the stranger, but it seemed somehow rude to just ignore him. And, well, rather difficult as well, since he was quite obviously there. "Ah. I'm s-sorry, was this, is this your place?" he asked, wondering if somehow he'd managed to intrude into someone else's claimed territory.

"You know the routine, I see. You get bullied a lot at home." It wasn't a question, and Farfarello didn't try to pretend it was--this kid was like a book, easy to read. Timid and with Issues, how delightful! It was like a special present just for Farfarello. Schuldig might even enjoy this one, too, if the issues went deep enough. Maybe too easy for him, though.

...oh, dear. Hanatarou might wonder how this person knew about that, except it seemed like everyone knew about it. Back home it was almost like he had a giant flashing target on his back for every practical joke and prank a shinigami wanted to pull, and up until now he'd almost hoped it had disappeared when he came here.

Of course, the fact that he wasn't looking around for someone to save him was rather telling; he didn't ever expect anyone to actually do so. He just slid back a little farther, pressing against the arm of the couch, and managed a somethat uncertain smile. "I'm not sure what...er. I'll just, um, let you sit down here..."

Farfarello sat, more than a little too close, as though he had just been waiting for an invitation. Reaching out to touch the boy's hair, he smiled wickedly. "You know why, don't you? Because you make it so very easy."

Although Hanatarou had meant the invitation to sit to mean more like, 'you sit here and I'll go far away very quickly I'm sorry and thank you' the other had obviously not taken it that way. And was now sitting close enough that it would be a little awkward to extract himself from the situation, especially considering his, ah, lack of coordination in such matters.

He cringed at the touch, shoulders hunching a little, but he didn't dare duck away entirely. Trying to get away always seemed to encourage the bullies even more...although the visible wince probably didn't help, either. "U-um, I'm, er. I don't know wh-what you mean?" Or what he wanted, really. Hopefully just to see him squirm a little; that he was used to, and could deal with.

"I mean this." Farfarello wound the lock of hair around his finger, playing with it idly. From a distance, it would look almost friendly, intimate. "The cringing and flinching and stuttering. Your fear is so terribly obvious. You haven't even tried to defend yourself."

Defend himself? Hanatarou only looked mildly baffled at that, as though the idea hadn't even occurred to him. It wasn't as if the stranger was hurting anyone. Being creepy and enjoying making him cringe, yes, but that was pretty much par for the course, and the shinigami just hoped he'd get bored and go away soon.

"Um, s-sir," and Hanatarou inwardly winced a little as the stutter came out on its own, "Was there s-something you, um, needed?" Besides playing with his hair, that is. That was just weird.

"I was bored. Now I'm entertained. I think I've got what I want right here." Farfarello gave the boy a lazy smile, wondering just what his life had been like to make him so very timid. He had the instinctive flinch of a victim of chronic abuse, but without any of the anger or defensiveness that often came as part of that package. Interesting.

The idea of spending the shift in the Arts and Crafts room, even if it came with whatever kind of disaster could occur when he was in the presence of glue and glitter and scissors, was somehow very appealing to Hanatarou right about now. It probably would've been best if he'd not balked at hanging out with the "other children," no matter how much younger they actually were, because then this person wouldn't have been there.

That smile the man gave him wasn't exactly the same kind as former captain Ichimaru's, but despite the difference in style it still conveyed rather the same level of threat to the diminuitive shinigami. At least he was fairly certain that there wouldn't be any actual physical violence in the middle of the day, with all the hovering staff members in the room. Would there?

"I'm, um. Er." Hanatarou gulped quietly, peering up at the stranger through his untidy bangs before hesitantly continuing, "I'm n-not sure how I could be entertaining. I'm just. Ah. M-me." It was true, he didn't understand why it was so amusing, even if he had long ago resigned himself to the fact that people found it so.

"You're very entertaining." Farfarello set to tidying the boy's hair, putting it into some sort of order. What a mess. The chaotic mop certainly didn't do anything to dispel his aura of weakness. "It's very rare to encounter someone so very meek. I wonder, is your spine really made of bone like everyone else's?"

Now this? This was weirder. First the guy was all creepy and scary (and, well, still was) and now he was trying to fix Hanatarou's hair? Like he actually cared what it looked like?

The healer winced a little and sighed, but didn't bother trying to duck away or anything. There wasn't really much point in it; again, it didn't hurt him, and maybe it would get this person to go away faster if he didn't argue. "M-most people don't, ah, pay me any attention," he replied, with a hesitant sort of smile, his tone almost a suggestion.

Day 37: Sun Room

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject