Day 44: Arts and Crafts Room, 4th Shift

[ryuuzaki]

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.]

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[screwthegods]

Homura sat when Tenpou invited him to, without going through the futile effort of trying to clear the chair first. He had the benefit of clothes to change into for the night, after all. Besides, given his roommate's reaction to Homura undressing, having glitter on his pants could prove interesting.

"They do tend to be fairly restrictive." Homura watched Tenpou pocket the glitter, but didn't comment on it for obvious reasons. He would've asked why, if it weren't for the gensui's attempt at stealth. The genius wore the facade of a fool, and he was someone who even Homura couldn't predict. "That particularly holds true if someone fights them, or another patient. You might have seen it already, but they carry sedatives on them, and will use them without hesitation."

There was a certain risk in telling Tenpou, in case he wished to test the effectiveness of either the staff or the drugs. While he couldn't stop the man, Homura also remained aware of how late in the day it was. "The effects of the drugs can last well into night, if a patient is sedated late enough. With how little time there can be, it's better to avoid it if possible."

Discussing the nurses was little more than a tangent, however, and Homura evenly met Tenpou's gaze then. He knew what the elder god had noticed first about him; the beam of a flashlight in darkness would have made that obvious even if Homura hadn't lived with the stigma for so long. "You've noticed that I'm a heresy. I was the one appointed as Toushin Taishi after Nataku--and after your rebellion."

He paused then, knowing he'd opened a door with his words. If Tenpou was from a time before the four stood against Heaven, or if he had been taken from his own death: either way, he might ask about the aftermath. If his friends had survived, and what had become of them. Homura would provide the answers, of course, if they were asked. He didn't know if Tenpou and Kenren had a chance to talk yet, however, and the gensui might choose to save the questions for his closest friend.

[subtlethreat.livejournal.com]

Tenpou listened to Homura speak, head still bent down over his paper. It was fairly liberally coated with glitter at this point, and he was merely using it as an excuse to sift through the excess with his fingers, hopefully without being admonished by the staff for misusing the materials. His facial expression was concealed, dark hair forming a curtain around his face as he listened to the words of the man seated before him.

"I don't borrow trouble where it's avoidable," Tenpou said at last. "It wastes time and energy that could be more practically applied elsewhere. I have found being compliant with the staff to be far more useful for my needs than being combative. A short-term gain is only good for that: the short term. It's better to consider the bigger picture."

He raised his head again, his expression still that gentle, friendly smile, although his eyes were hard and warning. That of a seasoned field marshal and tactician. "Nataku...he was good friends with Goku. So conflicted, torn between duty, family, friendship...it was really quite sad to see him self-destruct under the burden of that indecision. But then, the duty of a Toushin Taishi has always been to carry the burden others don't wish to taint themselves with. But I don't have to explain that to you, of all people."

That seemed to be all he had to say on the subject. No more questions about the rebellion of himself and his friends - he could probably surmise how that had ended on his own, and if he couldn't, it really was something he'd feel more comfortable speaking to Kenren about - or about Homura's own situation. It was impolite to probe for details. Homura would offer them if he felt comfortable. And if he didn't...Tenpou was adept at getting information, when he wanted it. When he needed it. And all information was potentially useful information. Besides, he had already given him one invaluable piece of information: of Homura was the Toushin Taishi after Nataku, then Goku wasn't. Either Goku had died, or he had made it to Earth.

He reached over, taking a sheet of the red construction paper, and began to liberally apply the glue again, this time preparing a tube of red glitter for his "artwork".