Day 46: Sun Room

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that...

After that, Zach had jumped in front of him like some kind of martyr, like the exact opposite of everything Sylar stood for, to take the next hit for him. It got pretty fuzzy after that, so night must have ended right around then.

The man let out a pained grunt as he straightened himself up in bed. For some reason, he got the feeling that he'd slept in. There was no way for him to really tell without a window in the room, but he just knew. The fact that Sam's bed looked long since vacated was another clue.

Sam, but was he Sam again? Had the brainwashing worn off, as he and Roland had hoped, or was he going to have to go through this nightmare for even longer? He didn't know how long he could handle "Zach" and "Harrison" before he started going batty himself.

Pulling himself out of bed, Peter lifted his shirt and saw that he was tightly bandaged. The scratch most likely wasn't nearly as bad as the bite that "Zach" had received, but it still smarted. He let his shirt fall and then had to deal with a nurse chiding him for sleeping through the morning announcements. Not that Peter really cared at the moment. He was too busy thinking about last night and the fact that in a way, he now owed something to Sylar. Except it hadn't been Sylar. That was something he was sure of now.

Lost in his thoughts, Peter reached the Sun Room right as the rest of the patient populace was trickling in from breakfast. Sighing to himself, he headed over to the bulletin board and then saw a note written in familiar yet unpleasant handwriting. Holding his pen in a vice grip, Peter scribbled out a reply and then stalked over to an armchair and fell into it with a huff.

While Sylar was maddeningly frustrating, there was one good thing about the fact that he was himself again. It meant that Nathan was too.

[For Spock!]

Comments

i make the best typos

[timeseal.livejournal.com]

Actually, Lelouch's confused reaction was starting to throw Rolo off. He was still shaky, trying to keep his emotions in check and replacing it with a nice, calm demeanor. So, he started to get worried that he still gave his brother the wrong impression, and now he was starting to get uncomfortable. Damnit, the last thing he wanted to make things even more awkward between them. To be honest, Rolo just wanted some time to himself to just think this through.

But, he didn't want to waste Lelouch's time. Even knowing the painful truth - no, Rolo still couldn't bring himself to hate his brother. There had to be a reason behind this, but the notion of actually asking escaped Rolo as he just struggled to keep himself afloat.

"I know about the monsters, I ... ran into one two nights ago." So, he really did see a "ghost" in the hallways. The conversation he had yesterday with that man (as Spike, but it still counted for something as the other man wasn't brainwashed) also supported this fact. Monsters... he wondered how Lelouch was able to navigate safely in the halls. If he even was.

The other things, about experimentation and 'counseling', were sort of beyond his comprehension. Rolo almost wanted to ask if it was similar to what they went through yesterday, but remembering that... it hurt too much. The brunet threw those thoughts to the side for the moment as he tried to concentrate on what his brother was telling him. The important things.

"... Yeah, just one. Where can we get weapons? And... do you have anyone looking after you at night?" Concern was shown on Rolo's face, because he was genuinely worried. His brother was a strategist and a leader, but when it came to raw physical work, he left that to his subordinates. And, was Suzaku the one who was looking after his brother now?

No, Rolo couldn't quite trust him yet, but there wasn't much he could do. Suzaku... Rolo didn't care too much for the other man, knowing only that he sold Lelouch out before and he didn't know what made Lelouch think he wouldn't do it again. Despite that, Lelouch had refused Rolo's (multiple) offers to kill him. So it wasn't like he could even...

totes

[kingside]

Still no signs of impending violence. Lelouch wouldn't get it. Why would Rolo, an assassin from the Geass Order, not leap at the chance to kill him after what he'd confessed? Had he completely forgotten what Lelouch had yelled at him only two days ago? He'd been using him this entire time, didn't he realize that? Didn't that matter to him? It didn't seem like it did, shakiness aside. Lelouch was fairly certain that the emotion Rolo was so intent on hiding from him wasn't murderous rage, at any rate, which meant... what did that mean, exactly? Rolo couldn't have forgiven him for all of that, could he? Especially after finding out Lelouch had lied to him before-- and of course the question of why he had lied in the first place was one he couldn't answer just yet. What had happened to make him do something like that?

He eventually set the matter aside for later thought, deciding to simply focus on this conversation for now. The nurses had to immune to Rolo's Geass, at least, and he doubted that its range was still large enough to enclose Suzaku within its space. With as many potential witnesses as there were, too-- no, he couldn't see Rolo caring about that. There was no mission here, and Lelouch had certainly said enough to merit some sort of attack. With there still being a distinct lack of violent intent from Rolo, it was therefore... all right, that was enough. He'd figure it out later.

Somewhat more composed now, he turned his attention to what Rolo was saying. Under different circumstances, he might have taken this opportunity to drill the boy on what he'd seen, where he'd seen it, how many people he'd been with, and so on, but right now... no, even later, they wouldn't be the best questions to ask. Trying to determine how Rolo figured into his plans now was just too confusing, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to even think of this past encounter as another moment where Rolo could have died but didn't. It did bring up the notion of using the fake as monster bait, but it faded fairly quickly.

"The Activities Shed in the Recreational Field has some bats," he said aloud, trying to distract himself. "There are also knives in the kitchen, which is just past the cafeteria. There's a staff kitchen upstairs which might also have one, but both locations tend to be difficult to reach at night. The same could be said of the shed; the Recreational Field tends to house some of the institute's more formidable guards. Where we are now, the Sun Room, is similar, as is the area on the second floor directly above us." He nodded towards it. "The Courtyard and Entry Room, too. I wouldn't be surprised if the Greenhouse and the patio on the second floor were the same, but I haven't received as many reports about those areas." It had been awhile since he'd glanced over the monster report, though, so he wasn't entirely certain, but...

"You should acquire a map as soon as possible and familiarize yourself with the institute's layout," he continued, glancing away from Rolo to the board. "I'd recommend asking for one on there, but you'll have to be fairly discreet. The nurses are watching it much more closely now than they used to." That was yet another thing he had to deal with soon, but with how much shit seemed to be happening lately, he wasn't sure when he'd be able to get around to it. He had to at least make a start today, though. He couldn't afford anymore delays.

"And yes, I have someone looking after me." He didn't mention who, but it was fairly obvious anyway with how he'd brought up Suzaku's name earlier in the conversation. Far less obvious was why the hell Rolo looked so worried about it. Did he want to make sure that Suzaku didn't kill Lelouch before he had the chance? Probably not, but it was worth considering. Then again-- but why would he care about Lelouch now? Had he simply done that good a job of turning him to his side? Or was it... did Rolo still think of him as a brother, after everything?

[timeseal.livejournal.com]

The way Rolo kept nodding his head, it was like he put his body on autopilot and was only listening to Lelouch on the surface. Facts were filed away, almost by habit: Knives in the cafeteria, the bats were an option again, and some grounding on where exactly they were; Rolo figured he was correct in assuming that this room was the center of the Institute, but he quickly let that thought slip away. No, even though he tried really hard to listen to the useful information his brother was giving him...

Rolo just wished he could somehow rewind this moment and never ask that stupid question. What was he trying to prove? He let himself doubt his brother and now he was paying the price for it. Somehow, Rolo wondered if that was the reason why Lelouch hated him, but he wasn't going to ask anymore. Rolo tried to reason that it was because it was a stupid line of questioning that wouldn't change his feelings, but in truth, maybe he was just trying to shield his heart from further damage.

He just... didn't know what to do with this information. Rolo always thought it didn't matter if his brother was lying or not, but was that because he knew it wouldn't matter to him after his sacrifice? Now that he was actually presented with the truth, it stung him much harder than he wanted to admit.

"... I knew about the baseball bats," Rolo mumbled, glancing off to the side as he remembered what exactly happened with that bat. The knives was useful information (did it have anything to do with Shirley? His brother mentioned her name, and he didn't last time, but he was praised for that, wasn't he?), and so was the fact that there were maps apparently circulating. Asking for one might be tough, but he could figure something out (Maybe it was the job he did at the Geass Directorate. Someone did shoot him off the Siegfried before he could fulfill his brother's commands). And, there were other questions to ask, so.

Questions that would have to wait, though. The nurses had already started to escort patients out and it took Rolo awhile to realize that one had already reached them, trying to encourage "Brendan" and "Spike" to get moving and possibly continue their conversation at the cafeteria. Rolo already knew no such thing was going to happen, so he just clicked his tongue in annoyance. There went his chance...

"Alright..." Rolo seemed a bit unconvinced about the "help" that Lelouch had regarding nightshift, but he'd have to check that himself personally. His brother was smart, at the very least, but Rolo was honestly more bothered by the fact that the person looking after him had to be the one that sold him out. Better than a complete stranger, Rolo guessed. At least Suzaku was an enemy he knew. "I'll be here if you need me for anything."

That was the one thing Rolo could at least reassure himself of. No matter what, he would help Lelouch. Letting his brother know that he was always here for him was the one thing that Rolo could still do for him, even if he... appeared to have completely and utterly failed at everything else, it seemed like.