damned_institute | Day 48: Courtyard

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Day 48: Courtyard

"I could tell you some stories," Yuffie suggested brightly, "of unquestionable legality." Illegality, that was. Petty little things like the law didn't usually mean very much to her, except for the times when she had to uphold it. Always fun for the breaking, though, the law, and messy for the clean-up. Just the way she liked it.

Her nurse looked like she wanted to rub her temples. With sandpaper. "No, thank you," she said instead. "Why don't you run along, now?" Please!, was the unspoken request. Before I spontaneously combust. Or commit various acts of violence that would have me arrested, or placed in a loony bin. Like this one. Yuffie had quite a bit of fun filling in the blanks other people left. Sometimes she did it outloud, just to see the reaction; sometimes she kept it to herself. It really, really depended.

"Don't mind if I do!"

She took off, bolting out into the Courtyard. The weather was dour, overcast and threatening rain, but Yuffie didn't care. She'd refused a coat on principle, and had found herself bargaining: Fine, fine, Plucky had conced she could go without a coat, but unless she had at least a sweatshirt on, there'd be no outside-time for her. She ran a little ways down the dirt path, then toppled herself into a series of cartwheels. Straighten, run. Cartwheel. Straighten, run, just for the sheer sake of movement, and the whip of the wind. She laughed a little giddily, checking her gait down to a jog. Gawd, Leviathan, she'd needed this. Right from the get-go, she'd needed this. Every day she spent cooped up in side, the more nervous energy she had.

Nanaki had helped, she realized. Sort of. He'd…helped. In a way. His presence and everything that was wrong with it weighed on her, for sure, but he was still Nanaki. He didn't deserve to be here, didn't deserve to be stuck in a body that he hated and couldn't use, but all the same, she found herself glad to have him.

Yuffie started to hum, as she jogged leisurely around the Courtyard. A cheery little tune, one of her favorites; no, it was her favorite. A Wutaian walking song, with the roughly translated title of Pathway After the Rain. The pace stayed even but the tune picked up, and she found herself half-singing snatches of the lyrics to herself. It felt like ages since she'd last said anything in her native tongue, at least outloud; she wrote in it all the time.

[The Doctor]

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Lord but he was sore. Battling with that nasty scar-faced loser in the shed had been the last thing Grell had wanted - especially since it interrupted his night and pretty much made his effort all for naught. At least he'd been allowed to sleep in, which made his injuries a little less painful and his temper a lot less likely to explode. Seeing how he was starting to feel less and less like cooperating with the disguise he'd chosen now that Sebastian and that little brat were gone, it was a good thing he'd been allowed some time for his head to cool.

Now, as he was led out into the courtyard bundled up in winter clothes, Grell found that he was better able to slip into the timid role. He couldn't see Sylar out here, nor did he spot anyone else he knew with enough reason to be-- Ah, no, there was Sheena. The hotheaded ninja girl would likely bust his face open if he didn't act like he was 'supposed' to act. How annoying. With a sigh that could sound defeated as much as annoyed, Grell started across the grass, arms crossed over his chest in a further attempt to get warm.

It failed spectacularly, but it did allow him to spy a rather charming man sitting alone on a bench. The way his eyes watched the crowd - an almost unearthly orange color - was like a man observing a work force. They were cold, but not entirely disinterested and they did well to accent his beautifully tanned skin and the almost platinum silver hair. Grell lowered his head slightly, scuffing his shoe across the ground and allowed the motion to hide a smile. Today's target? Acquired.

As naturally as he could, Grell made his way toward the stranger, occasionally letting his shoe catch on the ground. Clumsy, distracted, cold - it all equaled up to him eventually tripping and practically falling into the stranger's lap. "Ah! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!" Appropriate amounts of worry and fear mixed in gave Grell a chance to see his face a little closer. Definitely a looker. Lucky him~ "I didn't harm you, did I? Oh, blast me! I'm so, so sorry!"

During Xemnas' observations of those wandering about within the courtyard, he had noticed the stranger approach. A femine man with red hair and a pair of glasses was the one attempting to clumsily close in on the distance between them, and it only appeared to be a matter of time before the man would trip over his own feet and fall face flat upon the grass.

Or, as it soon turned out to be, fall into his lap.

Almost immediately came the string of apologies. The Superior merely stared at the stranger that lay sprawled upon his lap, raised silver eyebrows the only sort of indication. The lack of his essence made it impossible to experience anger, surprise or any other emotion considered appropriate for the sudden invasion of personal space. Within this hollow nonexistent shell, there was nothing, nothing but the faintest memory of how to feel. After all, he did not have the heart to provide them.

"You could begin with removing yourself from my lap," he stated calmly. For a man to end up in his lap like this...it was certainly not something that occurred everyday.

Now that was an interesting reaction. Most people would be rather put out to find someone falling into their laps (even if said person was a gorgeous lady like he was), but there was nothing - not even the slightest trace of irritation. Even Will would have scolded him or pushed him away and that man was cold. As emotional as a dead fish sometimes. Which really only made it all the more interesting to poke and prod and try to elicit some romantic feeling out of him-- and goodness, but Grell was getting distracted.

Returning his attention to the man who's lap he had all but faceplanted into, the god scrambled and stood up, going through the motions of making sure he hadn't hurt the stranger. "I hope I didn't break anything? Are you alright?" Such a curious creature. Something about him even felt familiar, but Grell couldn't place what. And did it matter? Lord in Heaven, this man had beautiful eyes. "I... ah... My name is Sutcliffe. Grell Sutcliffe. I'm terribly sorry if I hurt you, sir."

Xemnas watched the man as he did what he had been told and removed himself from his lap before standing up, ~~blissfully~~ unaware of any sort of fascination directed to the Superior's eyes.

"I am unharmed," he said with a small nod. "However, I suggest not allowing it to happen again." Though he spoke as calmly as he did previously, there was a certain air of authority in his voice that was unmistakable.

Though he was incapable of experiencing emotion unlike those that were still part of an existence, it hardly meant such acts of clumsiness in front of his nose were particularly pleasing. Despite being a hollow shell, the Nobody still retained the memory of displeasure.

Damn, the ploy to get the stranger's name hadn't worked. So much for subtlety. And again with the strange calmness, this time tinged with an air of command which caused Grell to shrink back slightly as if he'd been reprimanded. He had been, in a way, but without the usual physical punishment that usually came with it. Will's chidings always came with a boot to the head, so this was a welcome change (mostly. He did like it when Will paid attention to him, after all).

"R-right, I shall do my best, sir." Now what? Mind racing, Grell shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the next, cautiously risking glances at the silver-haired stranger. Something was so familiar about him! It was bugging him and until Grell could figure it out, he wouldn't be able to leave this man alone.

Now that he wanted to do so anyway. He was ever so handsome and his voice was like silk. What he wouldn't give to hear him yell. "Ah...might I get your name? In case something were to happen later due to my clumsiness, I should like to know how to contact you and properly apologize or compensate you."

Xemnas raised an eyebrow at the question. Desiring a name on itself was a strange piece of information to ask, even if the name belonged to one that no longer held an essence. A name provided an identity, a sense of self. It was only natural to share it so others, too, were able to identify, so that one could exist.

But for those that teetered upon the edge of the in-between, such was only a mere fallacy. Perhaps that was the reason why the Superior rarely provided his own name, or perhaps it was because he did not always consider it relevant.

"So it is the name of a shell that you desire," he spoke, his lips twisting into what was an echo of a smile, perhaps because of a memory of amusement. "Very well, I am Xemnas."

[Sorry for being a bit slow here. DX]

The oddities continued to pile up on one another and Grell found himself staring at the stranger with genuine curiosity. There was definitely something inhuman about him if the headache that was steadily growing was any indication. A headache that seemed so familiar and yet he couldn't place his finger on it. The sensation of knowing and yet not knowing was annoying, but he couldn't let it show in front of such a pretty man like this. Beautiful and stoic - just what he ordered.

"Name of a sh-shell?" Whatever could that mean? Oh, Lord, Grell hoped he wasn't one of those animals turned human things. What a disappointment that would be. As much as Grell loved a good, stoic man, he didn't love them quite as much when they were someone's lapcat. A bit hard to carry on the relationship then. "Mr. Xemnas? A p-pleas-- Um... honor to meet you, sir. My name is Grell Sutcliffe, former butler to the Burnett estate." He paused and his eyes searched Xemnas' face for a moment. There was definitely something off about him. "Pardon me, sir, but might I inquire as to the meaning of your previous statement? What do you mean by a shell?"

How remarkable it was that this clumsy man happened to be a former butler. Xemnas studied him for a moment, orange eyes lingering upon the man before he broke his gaze and glanced around the field once more. More patients had wandered within this area, yet they remained under strict supervision. This facility contained many, yet most of them still retained an existence.

"You are a curious one," he commented, and after a moment he returned his gaze to the man with whom he was conversing. Indeed, a curious one. "I refer to that which defines a shell. After all, a shell is nothing but an exterior, an outer layer."

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Day 48: Courtyard

hope you don't mind? ; ; <3

Of course not! And brb died laughing <3

I seem to like bothering your stoic boys

You must be collecting them

Gotta catch 'em all! Eventually he'll get his man-harem. :(

And QUITE the awesome man-harem too, by the looks of things...

damn straight. if he's going to have a man-harem, they better be awesome and hot

I wouldn't expect any less