Day 38: Sun Room

[paper-murdock.livejournal.com]

Matt had to bite his tongue hard to keep from insisting he would be perfectly comfortable in the library, really, and could he please stop being led around like freaking cattle? As the nurse drew him into the empty Sun Room, the answer to that seemed to be a resounding 'No'.

Great.

He was given the usual talk of 'be nice', 'maybe someone will come back and you'll have someone to talk to' and the strangely sincere 'we're getting a few books in braille, they just haven't arrived yet'. He was sure he believed that one, but it would be nice to not be singled out for a change.

Reminded him of grammar school actually.

What a coincidence, he hadn't been fond of grammar school either. Settling back on the seat he'd found himself in, the Daredevil closed his eyes and debated on the merits of a nap as he listened to the occasional person stop by and scribble something down before leaving. A message board or something? He'd have to ask someone about that.

(Free to any and all!)

Comments

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand looked around the Sun Room. They couldn't very well play tag or hide and seek right here. The nurses, if not the other patients, would come down on them like the wrath of God for causing a ruckus. The Sun Room didn't have board games or cards. He leaned a bit harder against TK's arm and thought.

"Well, I can think of one. It was something Margot taught me on a rainy day when we were little. It's a guessing game. I imagine something and you guess what it is." He closed his eyes and then nodded to himself.

"I have something in mind." He poked his friend's arm, very gently. "Now you ask me questions, and I can't bluff, now can I? You get twenty questions to guess what I'm thinking."

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

TK fidgeted slightly, running a hand through his hair. "...I'm guessing I can't just ask 'What is it?', then?" This was an odd idea, but he'd try it at least once.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand blushed slightly. "No, you're not supposed to ask that. However, if you did, even though it's against the rules, I'd have to answer, so it wouldn't be any fun." He thought a moment more. "I think they're supposed to be 'yes' or 'no' questions, though that can be very hard. You can use half your questions just trying to find out what color something is."

"Do you want to play?" he asked, almost wistful. "I can think of something else." Throughout all this he hadn't moved further away since the contact along their sides was comforting. Nor would he point that out unless asked about it directly.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

"Oh." It was a stupid question to ask anyway. "I, uh... I'm not really sure I see the point of it. If there is one." And they didn't have all that much common ground for topics in a game like that anyway...

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"There is a variation or similar game where you only use things that can be seen from where you are. It teaches people how to think. All games teach something." It surprised Armand that young clone soldiers didn't play, not even athletic games.

"Games are more for fun than learning even if you can use them to learn something. I don't know if I want to be quiet."

He suddenly felt scared again. He was afraid of his own thoughts and what he might say now.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

TK followed the concept, but... it still seemed a very roundabout way of teaching something that could just be taught directly.

Or rather, he followed what Armand was talking about right up until the last sentence. "...Why?" Now he was confused again. Maybe he'd missed something.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"I'm afraid of my thoughts," Armand answered simply and directly. Then he bit his lip and looked away, horribly embarrassed at having said that. "Can't you humor me? So little about being here is even bearable, much less fun. I don't want it quiet, but I don't want to talk about anything important. I'm afraid of what I might say."

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

TK just felt even more confused by the reaction he got. "Okay. We can try." It wasn't like there was anything else to do, or anything else he could think to do that would cheer up Armand.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"You don't want to, though, do you?" Armand asked. He didn't want to push his friend. Friends don't take advantage of one another like that. "I'm sorry," he said suddenly, and drew up his knees again to bury his face against them. Not crying, but worried and embarrassed.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

"I'm totally open to the idea, it's just completely new and strange. That's all." By the Emperor, he really had no idea how to go about this properly at all. He put his arms around Armand again in an attempt to comfort the other man, unsure of what else to do.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Raising his head, Armand glanced back at TK. He was more suspicious than he cared to admit about what the man was saying. But TK wasn't prone to lying, even to comfort someone. Armand realized he was confusing him. He bit back another apology, and slowly nodded. He looked around the room. There wasn't much to choose from for the second variation of the game.

"I've picked something then," he said softly. He didn't uncurl, but leaned against his friend again.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

"Okay..." TK was still confused about Armand's mood swings and really did feel incredibly silly over this whole idea, but... "Is it animate?" Starting off with narrowing it down made sense...

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand's eyes widened. "I don't know. What does animate mean?"

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is starting out well... "It means something that can move, like a living being."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"Oh well, then no, it's not." He smiled apologetically. "Next question?"

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

Okay, that narrowed it down to a... huge number of couches and chairs. And a few tables, and the bulletin. "Is it a piece of furniture used for sitting on?" He was trying to do this in the most systematic way possible.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand almost laughed. The objects to choose from in the Sun Room were sparse, but he kept forgetting (because of his naivety) that TK was almost frighteningly intelligent. At least by his standards. And well-trained.

"Yes," he said, smiling. "It is." That didn't leave much to choose between.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

Okay... There were only couches and chairs in here, so... "Is it a couch?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"You're too smart for me. Yes!" He giggled, then hugged the arm closest to him. "I think we're nearly out of morning."

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

TK smiled. That hadn't been so hard. He returned the hug as well as he could with one arm. "It's just systematic thinking. I'm fairly good at that, at least."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"Not everyone is, which is why it's a good game to play for children." He knew they weren't children. "Thank you. I feel a bit better now."

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

TK smiled slightly. "Always happy to help." And he was.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"And I'm happy you're my friend. You do know how much I respect and like you, don't you?" Armand kept his voice quiet. Of course, he was telling the truth, but for some reason he didn't want to broadcast it to the entire room.