damned_institute | Day 40: Greenhouse [Fourth Shift]

Entry tags:

Day 40: Greenhouse [Fourth Shift]

Most days, fish and chips (and a cold beer or three) was pretty goddamned high on S.T.'s list of perfect expense-account lunches. Today, the idea of picking at greasy hunks of unidentified bottom-feeder odds-and-ends (politely known as scrod, to the delight of teenagers all across the Northeast) didn't appeal.

He begged off and collapsed into his bed, after using his damp shirt as an excuse to surreptiously check the contents of his closet. Bingo. His nurse watched his little show, unimpressed but (more importantly) unsuspicious. Not that his hairy chest was much of a catch today, pale and sweating from fever. At least she didn't tuck him in.

The intercom woke up up right on schedule, and pulling the sheets back over his head almost won. But a handful of unanswered missives and a vague sense of duty dragged him out to the bulletin, and from there it was easier to stagger over to the greenhouse.

It was warm inside -- a deep, humid warmth that actually penetrated to the aches in more joints and muscles than he could remember the names of. Like a sauna, without the hassle of finding someplace to look that wasn't a mound of pasty middle-management cellulite. Or a sweat lodge, without the opposite hassle of being conscious that he was the only white guy in the room. In fact, besides the nurses in holding patterns, he was the only person in the room.

He located a tray of tomato seedlings going rootbound in their tiny six-packs, and a potting bench whose location was a quick-and-dirty approximation of equidistantly far from anything blooming. He assured his nurse he knew what he was doing, and after a couple of successful repottings, gently sliding the little seedlings out and loosening the tangled roots, she seemed to agree and backed off. It was, by far, the most fucking theraputic thing he'd found in this hellhole so far, and he let himself sink into the rhythm of the task.

[Free!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lunch hadn't been too bad, really. Sure, it had been a bit uncomfortable for a bit, but Cross had had his reasons for asking, so Junior was more than willing to forgive him. When his nurse came to get him, though, he knew he had to find Nigredo. They had several things to discuss, most of which would probably be unpleasant. So long as they could do it without Albedo seeing them, then hopefully it wouldn't end the same way breakfast had the previous morning.

Except the redhead couldn't spot his younger brother in the Sun Room when his nurse took him through, so he let her lead him on to the greenhouse, to try and look for him there. Junior held onto the trowel that she handed him, and once she was gone started looking around for any sign of his brother. Still nothing. Sighing, he took a seat off to the side, near the entrance, waiting to see if the youngest would show up.

If there existed any regret on Nigredo's end, the boy did not show it. On the contrary, he appeared as though completely apathetic toward his actions. Where he came from was simple, wasn't it? He had heard enough from Albedo so he left. That was all. A premature end to their conversation didn't mean much else.

The nurse in charge of his care led him to the greenhouse, which--if not for lunch and a pressing need to talk to Rubedo--Nigredo might have enjoyed thoroughly. He liked plants, even enjoyed working with them. Not that he had actual experience... (The best he had was that time he unearthed several petunias and left them to rot on the nicest of the foyer's cushions.) Simply being in their presence reminded him of all the idle times in the Institute-Not-Landel's.

Unfortunately, that would have to wait. As soon as he spotted the redhead, Nigredo excused himself from the nurse and walked over. For one who had just spoken to Albedo, the child appeared focused. "Hello," he greeted.

Edited 2009-04-10 06:08 (UTC)

Junior was almost relieved when he saw Nigredo show up, looking no worse for the wear than before he'd spoken with Albedo. Physically, at least. His twin sure did like messing with peoples' heads, but Nigredo was strong. Even if he couldn't handle it, there was no way he'd show it to Junior; that was where the redhead had messed up before. Albedo wasn't the only one he needed to make things up to.

"Hey. You look like you're doing okay." He gave his brother a wave, then paused, considering just what to say next. Idle talk wasn't what they'd needed to meet for, as nice as it would be. Nigredo would have almost fifteen more years' worth of that (plus another, what, foot and a half in height?); while it would've been nice to have some extra memories of that, he had some explaining to do right now. The only real question was where to start.

"...Was Sora the one you heard it from?" he finally asked.

"As do you," commented Nigredo, who then sat down at the opposite end of the bench. He did not sound particularly invested in the fact, but seeing Rubedo well came as a form of comfort. Aside from the usual horrors of injury or trauma, it meant certain information had yet to be disclosed.

A sudden, unexplained flutter from one end of the link caused the child to pause. His brow furrowed once in what could have been worry, only to smooth out a moment later. "Yes. Sora." He shook his head, looking unexpectedly distracted.

"Don't worry. I didn't give away your real name," he added. "I figured you had a reason for keeping it quiet; I just wish you had warned me beforehand." Before Nigredo, say, used his own and possibly messed up whatever cover the redhead hoped to establish.

He lifted a head to offer Rubedo a certain look, one Nigredo used whenever he caught on. To what was left up for discretion.

Nigredo sure sounded...as detached as ever with that first comment. But it was just like his brother, so Junior paid more attention to the rest of what he had to say.

"Ah...right, that. Sorry, it just kinda slipped my mind." He shrugged. "I don't mind if he knows. I had a reason for using that name when I got here, but not so much anymore." Even if she was still here, it wasn't like MOMO hadn't heard him be called 'Rubedo' before. It was just something he was used to going by, since they had had to keep their real names quiet back home for other reasons. But if Nigredo hadn't mentioned it, it probably meant Sora was wondering. He'd need to talk to the kid tomorrow, and apologize for any confusion.

Nigredo always seemed to be several steps ahead of him, if that look was any indication. It meant that sometime, Junior would probably also need to explain just how far ahead he really was. Sometime in the future, maybe sometime soon, but not now. Not yet, out here around other people.

Then he got an idea, an awful idea. The redhead got a wonderful, awful idea. "I was planning on just going by Rubedo again, but I guess it would be kind of a convenient name to have if someone from back home who knows about U.R.T.V.s shows up." He gave his brother a sly grin. Even if he wasn't going to explain the future just yet, it didn't mean he couldn't get a head start on making certain things happen. "Should we call you Gaignun?"

As straightforward as the explanation seemed, Nigredo only grew more discontent. The one logical reason for choosing an alias was to protect themselves from the U.R.T.V. project and its reputation. According to the many notes and patient gossip, however, they were in a world beyond the Galaxy Federation Government's reach. Why would a name like Rubedo matter to anyone beside themselves?

Whatever. Rubedo's name was Rubedo's business. Nigredo had no intention of probing further. "Still. I'd rather not be the one to tell him," he replied, "especially since he's your friend." The boy smiled, or more accurately, quirked one corner of his lips. It felt a little bland, even for a stoic such as himself. "And you better talk to him soon. Sora seemed pretty taken aback that his own brother didn't know." He probably figured this out already, but a reminder couldn't hurt.

When the suggestion for a new name was posed, the child blinked. He turned to the elder with one eyebrow shot up toward the sky. His expression? Incredulous. The shock wasn't quite on par with what he felt when the cat was set on fire, but nevertheless, Nigredo had to wonder. What, exactly, had possessed Rubedo to come up such a thing?

"You want to name me after the cat?" he asked, completely deadpan.

"I know, I know! I was already planning on it," he replied, then glanced over at Nigredo. "And just because he's my friend doesn't mean he can't be yours, too." Besides, Sora seemed like the kind of kid who got along with just about everyone. It wasn't like he'd be picky or anything.

"And why not?" he asked, frowning. No, it was not a pout. "It'd be cool! Besides, it can't hurt to be prepared, right?"

That was true, Nigredo supposed, although he didn't think he had implied the opposite. "Probably." He looked over at nothing in particular. "I wouldn't mind talking to him again, at least. Sora was nice." Friendly and nonjudgmental. Easy to converse with. Their interaction might have fallen to heavy topics, but then again, it had been like that throughout his entire stay. Another chance would be good.

The younger leaned back into the bench, sighing, before crossing his arms in quiet displeasure. "I don't know... Gaignun?" Nigredo chuckled at the frowning redhead. "I liked the guy, too, but don't you think naming someone after a pet kind of reeks of fixation? Unless you're doing it to make fun of me, in which case I don't approve." He wasn't being entirely serious; in fact, there was something in his tone that hinted agreement. Little brother was taking the elder's words to heart.

Nigredo finally shrugged. "But you're right," he admitted, again solemn. "Preparation can't hurt, and there is nothing else to use. It might help me out, actually. I can communicate over the bulletin without codes." He hesitated momentarily. The shift would sound terribly misplaced without the context, but hopefully, his brother wouldn't question it.

"Rubedo," he started, "I think it might be best for me to keep my distance for awhile."

"I'm not suggesting it to--!" he started to object, but broke off. It sounded like Nigredo was willing to go along with it, at any rate. Awesome. If nothing else, he seemed okay with going by Gaignun. The redhead didn't really get why his brother had brought up the bulletin, but it was probably...

Something he was going to mention. And did. And it looked like this day could get a lot worse. Junior blinked, trying to figure out if he'd heard the younger boy correctly. He'd just gotten his brother (both of his brothers, even) back. Now he was going to lose Nigredo all over again? Dammit! It wasn't like he was going to be gone for good, or even like he was doing the same thing as last time all over again, but having his brother right there and not being able to talk to him.

"What!? You're kidding me...right?" he asked. He didn't even really need to, but at the same time, he couldn't just stay quiet for something like that. There was no way in hell. "Why?"

For all his foresight, Nigredo had not anticipated the shock in the red-haired variant's response. Surprise, certainly. Disappointment, maybe. What came out of Rubedo, however, was several notches above both in terms of severity. Odd. It wasn't as though he was suggesting anything drastic...

"Did you forget?" Slowly, the boy canted a head to one side, locking eyes with Rubedo. "Albedo attacked me yesterday. Probably for being with you," he explained. The reason was speculation on his part--likely baseless when reality came into play. Given the unpredictable nature U-DO's taint had on a mind, the middle brother could have jumped him for a variety of reasons (or none, depending). Still, the hasty explanation was a thousand times better than pointing out those other factors. "I don't want to aggravate the situation more than I have to. We don't want to draw too much attention, right? I should be fine being alone for a couple of days."

He needed the break anyway.

The boy let out a labored breath. This was becoming increasingly frustrating to justify. Therefore, he settled on probing for the elder's thoughts. "Are you okay?" asked Nigredo after a brief pause, the strain subsiding in his voice. "I’m sorry I keep forcing everything on you."

"Yeah, but..." Junior trailed off. 'But' nothing. Nigredo was right. It didn't mean he wanted to accept it, but he couldn't deny that it probably would help. He could make peace with his twin and try to convince him that it was okay to talk to other people. The situation was different from the Yuriev Institute, and they couldn't just close themselves off. But if they did that, Nigredo would still be separated from them, which Junior knew (now) that he didn't want.

Then Nigredo tried to change the topic, and ended up saying something that only served to remind the redhead more of why he didn't want to let his brother keep his distance. Just don't ask me to kill you this time.

"I'm fine," he insisted, probably a bit too strongly. "You don't force everything on me." Besides, he'd get back at Nigredo for it in the future, when he made him do all the paperwork. "Fine, I get why you want to do this. Just...be careful, okay? You better not go missing on me." Not that Junior could really do anything to him, if he did vanish, but he didn't want to lose anyone else to this place. "And I reserve the right to call you Gaignun on the bulletin, if you don't want Albedo to know."

Well, Rubedo finally got the idea, despite seeming a bit 'firm' in his response. Then again, this was Rubedo. Expecting him to take it in stride was hoping for the uncharacteristic. Nigredo should just be glad he didn't have to be 'persuasive'; this was very important to him.

"I don't intend to," he assured, "and feel free. It would be kind of pointless if we kept in touch on a public board without a cover." He sounded fairly even and unfettered, as though the boy was engaged in a business transaction, not someone along the edge of disappointment. Talking to this brother made hiding himself much less of a chore.

"Actually, you don't mind if I call you Junior, then?" Nigredo pulled his eyes away from Rubedo to stare blankly out into the garden. "Where did you get this name anyway?" Probably out of a book, he wagered.

[alsdfjasd grammar fail]

Edited 2009-04-14 16:55 (UTC)

Junior let out a sigh. At least Nigredo planned on keeping in touch. That was good, and the redhead had even managed to get him to accept his future nickname. Sorta. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, and they could get through this without too much more trouble.

...Yeah, and the U.M.N. columns would come back all of a sudden. Trouble followed the U.R.T.V.s everywhere, it seemed like, even about something as simple as a name.

The question threw Junior off a bit, but he took it in stride. "Nah, I don't mind. I've got my cover, you've got yours." Not that he could give too much of a reason for that cover, but thankfully it didn't take too long to come up with an excuse. "And, uh...that's what they call me here. Kinda. It sounds a lot better than George, I think." Okay, so it wasn't a complete lie, and it wasn't like he wasn't ever going to tell him the truth. Just not yet.

[Does that mean you'll buy me that pony? :D]

Really? That was nowhere near expected. "...Hmm." Nigredo paused to absorb the implications while looking positively suspicious. The view wasn't aimed at his brother so much as the institute. There existed, after all, new facts for consideration. Here, he was Nigel, Albedo was Alan, and Rubedo was George. Or George Junior. So very close to a naming scheme, to the point where the boy had to wonder if it meant anything.

Eventually, he tossed the possibility aside. Probably not. It wasn't enough of a coincidence.

The intercom chimed in before he could raise another point, spelling the end of their conversation. He rose from his seat, quietly, and began to brush off his pants. "I'll see you later." He trailed off, almost earnestly, and stepped back, intending to retreat back to his nurse.

Suddenly, hanging around his brother just didn't seem as nice.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 40: Greenhouse [Fourth Shift]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject