damned_institute | Day 44: Arts and Crafts Room, 4th Shift

The day had been slow for L so far, slower than he required: the events of the previous night were traumatic, but they did not outweigh his need for information and a useful way in which to apply whatever he might learn.

When the nurse shepherded him from the cafeteria, through the Sun Room, and over towards the door of the Arts and Crafts Room, he experienced a small internal wince: this was the room where it had happened the night before. Unpleasant, yes, but likely to be irrelevant in terms of my own welfare, except in terms of what I can learn from it, he reminded himself.

He had the impression that he could avoid the room if he wanted to, but there were several convincing reasons to push past his reluctance: his meeting with Lunge was necessary, the opportunity to see the room in more usual circumstances might be valuable, and he did not want the staff to see that he had been affected. He wasn't sure how they were tied to the events of the previous night, but the buzz of information around the Institute suggested some kind of strong connection.

As he stepped into the room, feet feeling imprisoned in the slippers that the staff kept insisting that he wear, he avoided the area where he had collapsed. Instead, he turned to the right and proceeded as far into the room as he could, then left, then took a seat in the back corner.

If the nurses pressed him to be more creative, he would take up painting. However, he expected to express his creativity in other ways.

[For Lunge.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, this man, despite how stern he might look, was certainly a better conversationalist than Grell's scary red-armed roommate. At least he spoke some; and that was a decided improvement over Mr. GrumpyBear. Then again, Kurogane wasn't one to interfere or even ask about Grell's activities, so in the end, things worked out for the best. Picking up one of the glitter pens, Grell turned it over in his hands curiously, keeping his gaze lowered.

"...I apologize if I'm bothering you during your recreational time, sir." Not that he seemed to be particularly enjoying it. Maybe he didn't like glitter? But who didn't like it? It was such a lovely thing. Usually. Unless in the wrong hands like those people on the bulletin board. Grell pulled at the cap, the corners of his mouth turning down in the effort. How odd. Was the cap stuck? "It's so rare they let us do as we please... It's a bit refreshing, don't you think? To be able to--AAAGHH!"

As Grell pulled harder, the cap suddenly dislodged, shooting across the table at his most unfortunate companion.

Normally, Tenzen wouldn't have any problem dodging the incoming cap. He was, after all, a ninja. One with more than 200 years of experience at that. An incoming cap wouldn't have posed a problem for one of the Chosen Ten. Such an idea would have been laughable normally.

Normally.

But this place - as infuriating as it was - had somehow weakened him. His strength, his speed and his reflexes had all been drained somehow. Not to mention he hadn't exactly expected anything of the sort. Despite his attempt to intercept the incoming object it was almost inevitable that it connected with his forehead before dropping down on the table.

There was a pause. A long, silent pause. The ninja glared at the cap before shifting his gaze towards the man sitting across him.

Of course, the cap could hardly do any damage. Or at least no physical damage, but it certainly didn't do any wonders for Tenzen's mood. Not being able to dodge this certainly rubbed matters in, did it not? Not to mention these things generally did not please him.

"Do try to mind your clumsiness," he said coldly, picking up the cap and holding it out to the other man. It appeared to be the man's own foolishness, so there was no sense in creating a fuss and attracting the attention of those infuriating women a small distance away. So Tenzen swallowed, but he wasn't going to allow his guard down again. For all he knew, it could be very well the glitter spilling next time. And the last thing the ninja wanted was for him to be covered in something sparkly.

Oh, Lord, he was going to die. The stern ones were always the ones who ended up stepping on his head or throwing him out the office window after he messed up. Normally, being defenestrated wouldn't bother him, but as a mortal? That sort of thing killed people! Well, they were on the first floor and there were no windows, so the only thing he had to worry about was the possibility of this stranger turning out to have a sadistic streak like Will and--

Grell flinched when the cap hit the table and turned away, hiding his head in his hands. If anything, he'd spare his face the wrath of either being punched or thrown haphazardly across the room. For a few tense seconds, Grell waited for the pain to hit and then...

At the cold warning, Grell parted his arms and peeked out at the stranger. He was holding the cap out to him. And he wasn't trying to strangle him. Well, small wonders still existed. Grell slowly lowered his arms and then cautiously reached out, taking the cap from the man's outstretched hand carefully. Then, just as carefully, he put it down next to the dropped pen and seemed to deflate. "I-I-I'm terribly sorry, sir! I didn't-- Ah...are you-- Are you alright?"

Compared to dealing with Oboro-sama and her sometimes infuriatingly un-ninja-like and clumsy actions, getting hit by some stray harmless object was nothing. Once again, the matter did not please him. Yes, he was annoyed. But this 'incident' had little to do with anything, so it simply was not worth it. Not to mention he would not get very far with those infuriating women up ahead.

Tenzen simply crossed his arms as the other patient apologized. Thankfully, the container filled with sparkly material had been placed down, as the ninja hardly trusted the clumsy man across him to be able to not spill it towards him.

"I am unharmed," he said. "Such objects cannot hope to injure me."

Such confidence! If they guy didn't look like he could bore a hole through a demon's head with his gaze, he might even be somewhat attractive. Unfortunately for him, he had a gaze like the basilisk, making him rather frightening to look at. But then...that had an appeal all of its own, right? Maybe. His personality had yet to be seen beyond 'gets hit in the forehead' and 'I am not amused.'

"O-oh...I see..." Grell said quietly, picking up the glittery pen to trace a few marks around the page. How lucky for him! It was red. Beautiful red marks traced across the white, swirling and sparkling like blood spilled on porcelain skin in the moonlight. Moving the pen in slightly more controlled strokes, he began drawing roses, each petal carefully etched in glittery splendor. Alright, it was childish, but he couldn't ignore that it was pretty. Raising his eyes slightly, he glanced at the other man and then tried his best at a smile. It came out more like he was seasick though. "Um, might I ask your name, sir? Er, I mean, uh... I'm Grell Sutcliffe, formerly employed butler to the Burnett household. ...now might I ask it?"

When the other man picked up the glittery container, Tenzen just managed to avoid moving away entirely in the hopes of avoiding any possible spilling into his direction. Thankfully, the klutz managed to avoid repeating his mistakes and simply began drawing roses on the sheet of paper, saving Tenzen from the fate of turning out sparkly.

These sorts of materials where dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. In the case Oboro-sama might ever appear here, Tenzen made a mental note to keep her far away from the glitter. She spilled tea on people by tripping over her own feet, after all.

"I am Yakushiji Tenzen," he answered to the introduction.

Ooh, nervous was he? Well, if he was going to expect a spill, then the actress had to respond, right? There was no reason to disappoint when he seemed so...ready for it. Perhaps Grell would get to see better dodging skills than he did with the cap. Of course, that had really been an accident, but there was no reason why he couldn't have fun now.

The rose was nearly finished and Grell reached up, adjusting his glasses, as Yakushiji Tenzen introduced himself. Japanese name - an old one, too. Quite old. Maybe that was what the headache was from? Wait, old people didn't time travel. Hrgh. Grell hated not knowing, but as he pulled his hand away from his glasses, he smiled nervously at Tenzen anyway. He could feel something wet on his cheek and rubbed the back of his hand at it, knowing that he probably just made the glitter smudge worse. "I-It's a pleasure, Mr. ...er, Yaku-- Yakushe-- ...Yakushiji? Did I pronounce that correctly?

At least Sutcliffe-san here saw fit to spill the glitter on himself, even though rubbing it only made the smudge worse. That did not mean Tenzen would be letting his guard down, however, so he kept his eyes on the container of sparkles even when the other man made attempts to pronounce his name correctly.

"Yes, Yakushiji," Tenzen repeated, this time more slowly. His family name was not that hard to pronounce, but he supposed a klutz would have some difficulty nonetheless

Though, even a klutz could be of use sometimes. "How long have you been here, Sutcliffe-san?" he asked matter-of-fact-ly.

Day 44: Arts and Crafts Room, 4th Shift

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject