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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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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