damned_institute | Day 37: Sun Room

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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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"I see," she murmured with a nod. "Yes, from what I've read on the bulletin board over there, this place isn't the pleasant facility it appears to be right now, is it?"

And now they'd come to her original intent: learning more about her situation. Normally, she'd prefer observation or finding things out for herself, but with the orderlies restricting movement, no one was doing anything interesting, so talking seemed the best way to alleviate both boredom and ignorance.

"Well, I do have a few questions..." she started.

But what to ask first? She supposed the first thing to address was that which "M.E." had not.

"I normally have certain abilities, but since waking up here, have found myself unable to use them," she explained. "And since I see no sparks flying or other supernatural powers defying our captors, I can only assume it's the same for others. However, posts on the board imply that some people still do have their power. Can you explain this imbalance for me?"

((Sorry about the delay; I hope you don't mind backthreading?))

Ah, that was a question that Adelheid had himself wondered since he'd gotten there. Some people had powers, some people didn't. Sometimes he himself had powers, and sometimes... not so. It was maddening to think about, and yet he had to; the only explanation he'd come up with was that of human whim, as there wasn't any rhyme or reason as to why some powers were suppressed and others were not.

"Before I explain anything, let me say that I myself have some powers; ki energy, and also a knowledge of alchemy. I've learned a few things since I've been here... firstly, during the day, it doesn't seem like any powers work any longer." At least, not anymore. Adelheid had once been able to use those powers in broad daylight, but now there was nothing that he could do. A pity, that. "It's at night that those who can utilize their powers are able to do so."

"Still, there are still restrictions. As you point out, if I or others like me had our full power, then we could level this building to the ground. But even at night, I'm restricted, as is everyone here, so far as I'm aware. Some to a greater extent than others, but everyone is restricted." A pause, and then a disgusted sneer as he added, "From what I've seen, this restriction seems to be at the whim of the Head Doctor. At one time he kept us from using anything, even at night."

((It's fine; holidays will of course be busy))

"I'll have to see if any of my restrictions lift at night then," noted Yukari. She didn't have a whole lot of hope in this respect though; even given just a small portion of her power would be enough, if applied right, to solve this puzzle. It was likely she'd be highly restricted or have no powers at all, even at night.

What more interested her was the apparent change over time in these restrictions.

"So the Head Doctor lifted the restrictions a little? I suppose it was too boring otherwise, hmm?" she suggested. "Some of the posts on the bulletin also implied that one couldn't leave the building at night, but that it's now possible to do so. He seems to be giving us more leeway as time goes on."

The whimsical nature of it all supported Yukari's theory that this was a game; more powerful players were more restricted so as to even the playing field. So be it; games that were too easy were no fun anyway.

"So how do we play?" she continued. "That is... I know people are trying different things to escape or find the doctor... but what sort of efforts exactly are being made?"

((No kidding. @_@ ))

"Be careful about that. You might want to practice only where you're safe or if you have someone with you... even relatively easy powers can be quite draining here." And he sincerely hoped that Yukari wouldn't be trying her biggest and best at the very start, but it'd be rather rude to say that outright, wouldn't it?

As for the question? Adelheid shook his head, frowning a bit as he did so. "The opposite, actually; once I was able to use my powers in daylight, but now I'm not able to. As for leaving the building... I can't be entirely certain, but I believe a radio personality, 'Jill,' was the reason the barrier that kept us in here was removed. Of course, now Dr. Landel has adapted, but at the start, he was quite upset."

It was weird that Yukari was seeing all of this as a game, though. Perhaps she hadn't seen the monsters yet, or perhaps she came from a world where such things were common. Regardless, he knew that he had to try his best to disabuse her of that notion as soon as possible. Taking the Institute lightly would likely be the death of her, quite literally. "Survival is the first and most important part, of course. Everyone's trying to find better ways to do so... I and other alchemists provide weapons, for example, to make sure that people with combat expertise can fight. As for other plans, there are the various clubs; all of them are trying to explore as deeply into the Institute as possible, as well as traveling outside in an attempt to find a way back home. I can't say how successful their efforts have been, however."

"I'll probably try in my room first then; the bulletin said non-combatants should remain there, so they must be safe, right?" Yukari really had very little intention to test in such a boring environment. Sure, maybe she'd check to see if she could do anything at all, but one couldn't expect to test one's limits in a safe environment, could they? Besides, where was the fun in that?

"So he's upset at our progress? How childish," she observed. "Is his hold really so tenuous that changes like that seem like a threat to him? You'd think someone running something like this would be interested to see how we deal with the problems he set out. Maybe it's because it's an outside force?" She thought about it for a moment; true, if Yukari were running this sort of game and someone from outside it came and starting poking holes in it, she'd be upset to. "Speaking of which... who's this 'Jill' you mentioned? We get radio channels here?"

"Well, survival's always important," replied Yukari to his explanation. The other parts were interesting too; if she really had no powers, she might have to look into obtaining a weapon. As for exploration... based on the Head Doctor's reaction, he hadn't expected people to go outside, so there was a good chance he hadn't prepared any exhibits out there. So, inside it was. "I'm more interested in this building than the outside. What sort of places are there to explore in here?"

"So far as I know, they're safe, yes. I haven't heard of anyone attacked in their room, at least." Which was a bit odd, but Adelheid hadn't had the time to think about it. It simply was, so far as he was concerned.

As for the observations? Adelheid shrugged again, not sure what to think. The Head Doctor was a bit of a difficulty; he thought he knew what was going on in Dr. Landel's brain, but it seemed almost too obvious to be the truth. "It seems that way, but he might be trying to trick us. Regardless, I can't say I know exactly who 'Jill' is; just that she seems to be on our side, she works for someone else, and she has quite a bit of technological expertise. ...and yes, there should be a radio beneath your pillow in your room. If you keep it turned on you might be able to hear her tonight."

Yukari was definitely full of questions, and yet, Adelheid seemed more than willing to provide answers. No questions in return, no demands for payment, no exasperation... just answers given to the best of his knowledge. He never could deny a woman when she needed his help. "Inside of the Institute... I think most of the places in the second floor have been explored, so the only place I can think of remaining would be the basement. Still, if you're hoping to find some kind of possession that was taken from you, there's the patient's possession storage, and there's a pharmacy and laboratory as well, on the second floor. It really depends on what you hope to find."

She did recall "M.E." mentioning something about the radio at night. Or was that another post? It didn't really matter; either way, she stored that little tidbit as something to do when night fell.

"Do you think clothes are included in patient possessions?" she asked. "These grays are just so boring, and it'd be nice to get some of my own outfits." Both the pharmacy and laboratory sounded boring; as a youkai, it was only natural to hold no interest in something like science, right? So cold, so calculated, so defined. Yukari liked rules she could bend, not ones that refused to bend. "Do you know what's in the basement? Or is it completely unexplored?"

"I don't believe that clothes are included, but... I do know that some people have just woken up and found clothes that they normally wore in their closets. I can't say why that might be, but that's all I know." To be honest, Adelheid was rather upset that he'd never gotten his own outfit... it was hard to get in the right frame of mind when he had to wear those gray outfits. Ugh.

As for the basement? Adelheid gnawed his lip, trying to think. He hadn't paid much attention to that part, as he hadn't been able to go down there himself, not yet anyway. "Hm... I know that there have been some people that have gone down there, and one person said that going to the south would result in death... or something like that. My apologies, I've been so busy I haven't been able to keep track of everything." What was weird was that he honestly did sound apologetic, as though he really was sorry that he couldn't completely answer Yukari's questions.

"It's no problem," she said, smiling at his apology. "You've been very helpful."

She'd have to remember his name; he seemed competent and friendly enough to be worth ~~exploiting~~ befriending.

Yukari opened her mouth, about to ask some more mundane questions, such as, "What do you do for fun around" (she suspected his answer would be, "Nothing"), but before she could get so much as a word out, she was interrupted by the Head Doctor coming on on the intercom, announcing the end of the shift and the move into lunch.

"Well, thank you for you help," she said with a smile. "Is it okay if I come to you again if I have any other problems, Adelheid?"

Well that was something, at least. Adelheid inclined his head at her words, and smiled a little as she asked one last question. He'd forgotten to ask any of his own, but... perhaps next time they met, he could ask. For now, he just hoped that she'd stay safe. She seemed a nice enough woman, he'd feel terrible if something happened. "Of course," he affirmed, "if there's anything I can do, just let me know. It's been a pleasure."

"For me as well," she replied with a smile. The same smile was then directed at the nurse who came to direct her to lunch.

"Time for lunch, Violet. Did you have a nice conversation with Mr. Haushofer?"

"Indeed I did," replied Yukari, getting up and following the woman. She waved as she gave one last look over her shoulder at the man. "See you later, then," she called.

Not a bad start to an interesting day.

((Awesome! First completed thread at Damned!))

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Day 37: Sun Room

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