Day 37: Sun Room (4th Shift)

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

There were still too many things on Armand's mind for him to truly relax. The morning with Alec had been a help. And seeing that TK was going to be well helped him know that it was time to work out something else, but what? He'd already, without success again, tried to reach one of the club leaders about his sole idea of something new and different. Maybe it was hopeless.

There was no way he was going to play with paper and glue like a small child, and he glared at the nurse as best he could until she gave up on the idea. There was a free chair in the Sun Room--in fact, there were many free chairs--where he settled down to see what the new patients looked like. Prisoners, not patients. He felt bad that he had to remind himself. Even if he was crazy, he wasn't going to give in to Dr. Landel's game, not today. He nibbled on an overgrown cuticle and kept an eye on the room. No dozing today.

[for Citan]

Comments

[showtime-matsu.livejournal.com]

"Huh?" Matsuda gave Hanatarou a thoughtful look, as if trying to place the face. He didn't seem all that familiar, but in a place like this he probably wouldn't stand out too much.

"Yeah, I do. He's a friend, and we're getting together with another guy to start a band." Matsuda paused, then some small bit of realization spread over his face. "Did he talk to you about being in the band?"

[mitase.livejournal.com]

"Um. Yes...?" Hanatarou shrank back against the couch cushions, a little worried that maybe Matsuda wouldn't like the idea of him joining the band. After all, they'd never met or anything before, and he only had Demyx's word that the others would like him, which only meant so much when compared with the last, oh, decades of experience.

Of course, most of the people he'd met here seemed a little more likely to want to get along with him than those back in Soul Society. It was probably just because they hadn't ever heard of the 4th Division, so they didn't know just what it meant or how weak and useless he really was.

He absently continued petting the kitten for lack of anything else to do with his hands, and to hopefully keep from seeming too nervous. "He, ah, asked me about it at lunch. And told me your name."

[showtime-matsu.livejournal.com]

It looked like Demyx had beaten him to another one, but they were getting a good little group together, thanks to that.

"Man, he's fast. That's good, though!" Matsuda took a seat next to the kid and smiled again. He was sure polite, even if apparently really nervous. He'd fit right in with the rest of the Nobodies, and they'd show everyone that they were capable. Of what, exactly, was still up for debate. "Well, what do you think? You up for it? Anyone Demyx invites into the band has to be cool, right, ah...?" The detective trailed off and rubbed his chin. "Oh yeah, I don't think I got your name."

[mitase.livejournal.com]

All right, clearly something was wrong here - that was the second person today who'd referred to him as "cool" and that just couldn't be happening. Maybe in different worlds that word meant something else?

"Ah! I'm s-sorry, um. I'm Yamada Hanatarou, it's nice to meet you." He bowed his head politely, careful not to move too much, lest he dislodge the kitten. He maybe could have added his rank and whatnot to the introduction, but it didn't really seem necessary. Nobody except other shinigami seemed to have heard of the Gotei 13, so it probably would end up with yet another explanation, and he'd had enough of that with Grell that morning.

"I thought it was, um, very nice of him to invite me," the healer continued, managing to look a bit less timid as Matsuda was being so nice and friendly. "Although I don't know if I can play anything that would really...um...be band...like."

[showtime-matsu.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Hanatarou," he replied, bowing his head in return. The kid really was pretty cool when he started to lighten up, so Demyx had made a good choice. Matsuda would have to remember to tell him that later.

"And hey, don't worry about it," he said, waving it off. "Me and the other guy in the band, Ginji, can't play anything either. Demyx said he'd teach us. I was hoping to get us all together tomorrow night, anyway, so we can all get to know each other better and kinda figure out exactly how we're gonna get practice in while we're here. You think you'll be available for it?"

[mitase.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Um." Hanatarou paused to consider that for a moment, glancing toward the bulletin board as though he might see something in large letters that would answer the question for him. "It's...it, er, depends on what Hitsugaya-taichou says. If he has something he wants me to do."

He'd asked for last night off, though, and...well, if he'd been along with the group upstairs last night things might have been different. And tonight he definitely wasn't going to have an assignment, so - actually, he didn't exactly know how these group assignments worked here. He hadn't been here that long, after all.

The shinigami shrugged a little uncomfortably and glanced down at the kitten again. "I can ask, at least." For the band, it would be worth even being glared at.

[showtime-matsu.livejournal.com]

Without really thinking about the fact that it might spook him, Matsuda reached over and patted Hanatarou on the back. "Sure thing. If he won't let you, it's not that big of a problem."

After all, a job came first, even in a place like this. For now, the band was just kinda a side thing, since he still had his own responsibilities. If your boss was alive again, it meant you were working for him again, right?

"We can always find some other time to meet up," he assured the kid, nodding.