Day 48: Courtyard [Fourth Shift]

[gald_digger]

So much for a relaxing shower. Anise couldn't possibly relax around someone with a voice like that! This was beyond weird. How could a girl who didn't have any relation to Sync have the exact same voice as him?

And what made it even weirder was that this wasn't even the first time Anise had encountered something like that. There was a boy, who also had tattoos like hers, who sounded just like Luke. What was his name? It was so long ago, Anise couldn't remember. Maybe she'd know it if she heard it again, but...

That gave her an idea. She wasn't using her journal for much besides cooking notes, recipes, and a few room numbers, right? Maybe from now on, whenever she saw or heard something really strange or suspicious, she'd write it down. Then, if it happened again or she learned more about it, she could look back to the entry and add the details. She'd call it... 'Anise's Mystery Diary.' That sounded kind of cool!

During the lunch shift, Anise worked on putting as many memories as possible to paper. The radio man, the rumored third floor, the ruins she found last night, things like that. By the time fourth shift rolled around, she wasn't quite done yet. It was getting harder to think of more things to write about, even though she was sure there were hundreds of mysteries in the institute. Maybe she'd feel more inspired if she took her writing outside.

"Oh, Dolores!" A nurse came to stop her as she was walking out the door. "If you're going outside, you should put on a coat! We wouldn't want you catching a cold." Even though Anise disliked being assisted by the nurses, she cooperated as the woman helped her into the coat, quickly putting Tokunaga back in its place on her back when they were finished. It did look kind of cold out, so there was no point in arguing.

Outside, Anise found herself a bench to sit on while she wrote some more in her journal. Occasionally she'd pause and fidget with the pen for a bit, or doodle some stars and other shapes into the corner of the page she was on, unsure of what to write next.

[free!]

Comments

[gothamsfuture.livejournal.com]

Terry's nurse seemed to think he'd be overly grateful to get outside, so much that she hadn't appreciated the sarcasm of his response. But what did she expect, really? The last thing he wanted to do was spend the rest of his afternoon freezing, even if it did mean getting out of the building. Unfortunately, his nurse firmly believed that fresh air was the new cure for insane delusions, or so someone would think if they heard the way she rattled on about it.

Once he was in the greatly-restricted outdoors, Terry had been left to his own devices; thank goodness for small miracles. Since it looked like the only other person around was occupied, Terry decided to get something good out of the opportunity that had been forced upon him. While he'd been fortunate enough to get hold of a map early on (especially since it didn't look like they were being posted anymore), that only helped him plan out routes. It didn't give him an idea of obstacles, or even actual distance. Kurt had mentioned wanting to go to the basement on the bulletin, and Terry knew from the layout that going through the Courtyard was one of the ways to get there. So he began to walk around the perimeter, getting as close to the wall as the orderlies would let him before growling like good little guard dogs. If he got a feel for this area, then maybe they could avoid the Sun Room and whatever fun Landel saw fit to leave for them that night. Not that it meant they'd have a clear path by going outdoors, but the Courtyard at least offered some form of shielding by means of trees. Maybe if something bad did come after them, they could pitch it into the lake somehow.

Too bad they hadn't met Peter that way. Terry grinned at the mental image of a soaking wet Spidey, even if common sense told him things probably wouldn't have ended up that way.

[Free]

[alwayscomesback.livejournal.com]

Lunch had been good, especially since it had been wonderfully devoid of psychopaths and their talk of power through fire. At least Sokka didn't have to think that Zuko would try something like that anymore, but in this place? Well, he wasn't going to take his chances. The next guy he met could end up being just as crazy as this place told them they were! Like the guy walking around the courtyard. Definitely suspicious, or as suspicious as anyone would be just walking. But again, Sokka wasn't going to take his chances!

Unfortunately though, his nurse was paying too much attention to her patient's interests and patted him on the back. "Are you in the mood for a walk? Why don't you go join Mr. McGinnis over there? He looks like he could use some company."

"Huh?" Sokka's head turned back with a surprised blink. "But...!"

"No buts now, go on," she said, giving a soft nudge and waving her hand as though to shoo him over.

So much for not taking any chances. Oh well, at least the nurses were nice enough and would keep him from getting deep fried by anyone. Hopefully. Eying the nurse to see if she was watching (she was), Sokka slowly went to the black haired guy. Once close enough he awkwardly lifted a hand and simply said, "Hi." Careful. He could still do that much at least!

[lighthearted]

After having to speak to two Nobodies (both of who had confused him just a bit), Sora had been glad to have a relaxed lunch. To go from that out into the courtyard was even better, although there were two things that made it a little less exciting. First was the knowledge that he and his friends were supposed to have made it here last night and yet hadn't, and second was the bad weather. Sora would take warm sunshine over this cold gloominess any day.

He still made sure to take the sweatshirt that a nurse provided him, though. The last thing he needed to do now was get a cold. He pulled it over his head as he wandered into the courtyard, pausing for a moment so that he didn't run into something while trying to get it on.

So, it looked like both Riku and Kairi were all right, since he'd spotted them at lunch. But one had been talking to Roxas and the other to Axel, so he could only hope that those conversations had gone well. Maybe he'd run into one of them here, and he could find out for himself. He needed to figure out what they were doing tonight, too.

It seemed that he was one of the first people to make it out here, though, and so Sora wandered over to the pond in the meantime. The water looked murky with the sky so overcast, but the boy still remembered that time when he'd dived in looking for some sort of prize. That hadn't end well, had it? Looking back on it, though... It was a funny memory. Sora grinned to himself.

[Nekuuuuuuu! Let us know if you want to join.]

[composers-proxy.livejournal.com]

Neku wasn't thrilled to be out in the cold again, but at least this time his hair wasn't wet. He'd thought he'd calmed down after talking with Sheena, but lunch just left him feeling like he'd been hit with a bucket of cold water. As if it wasn't bad enough watching one of his friends die last night, now he didn't even know if he could trust Hanekoma. Forget trying to explain it to Leonard too. He had enough trouble without trying to figure out different planes of existence. So did Neku for that matter, he thought dryly.

Glancing around, there were few people he actually wanted to talk to. He didn't know a single one except Sora, who seemed to be smiling and off in his own little world in spite of the dismal weather and awful circumstances they were in. How could he stay so happy anyway? Some kind of medication? The way he was staring into the water and almost laughing to himself was enough to make Neku second guess his decision to walk over.

Instead of offering a greeting, he neared Sora and tried to peer over his shoulder, just in case there was something in the water worth looking into. Nope. At least there was nothing he could make out in the cloudy pond water. Big surprise. His mouth formed a flat line and he let out a sigh.

"Hey."

[chainsaw-royal.livejournal.com]

Once again, Hime found herself being forced out into the cold with nothing but the meager jacket from her room to protect her. Truly inconvenient.

Well, she had at least managed a quick note on the bulletin board before being evacuated, so she had that much. Now there was not much else to do besides wait for nightfall.

Walking across the grass, she inspected the gardening shed from a healthy distance away. She was once again struck with the irony of how hard the had worked to sneak there way over to it two nights ago, but now she could walk up to it so easily now. Still, the nurses were unlikely to let her look inside, much less take anything she found, so there was no point in garnering their attention by going near it. Still, she stared over at it unwaveringly, planning the best course of action for reaching it if that should become the plan tonight.

[Free]

[host-club-honey.livejournal.com]

While he'd wanted to see if he could find Takashi, the nurses told him that his "older" friend had to go to showers first. He tried to explain that he was actually older, despite his size, but they wouldn't hear of it and quickly bundled him up to go outside. Not that it was terrible to get to run around outdoors, but he hadn't seen his cousin for a while and it seemed like the nurses were dead set on keeping them apart.

With a sigh, he dragged along the stuffed pink bunny, relatively free of stains despite his time here. It looked like most of the others outside were already talking with someone, but Honey didn't mind meeting new people. Besides, it looked like there was a girl all by herself a fair way away from the gardening shed. Maybe she was lonely?

"Good afternoon!" he greeted her with enthusiasm, a friendly smile on his face. "I'm Honey, what's your name?"

[hasnomeaning]

And here, another activity. Another place to go prearranged. Here again, Ayanami followed wordlessly, a shadow to the nurse in front of her, footsteps tapping lightly on the material of the floor. Questions were starting to form in her mind, questions without answers that she could easily see. Ikari did not know why they were here. And there was nothing to give her that information.

She kept walking when the nurse led her outside, steps lax and sure as she moved past the paths and benches before reaching the pool of water moving sluggishly before her. There was something entrancing in the liquid, something familiar in the movements. Her head tilted the smallest degree; she watched it without registering comprehension. It remained water, and as such, it remained something of dull comfort.

[for someone similar~]

[moral-liberty.livejournal.com]

Kaworu hardly said a word to his nurse as she led him out to the courtyard. If she seemed concerned, Kaworu took little notice. His mind felt as though it were spread too wide, and yet lacked the room for all of the thoughts Shinji had inadvertently put there. Seeing Shinji elated him, but the pain in his heart only increased each time Kaworu saw him. Shinji as reconnecting with life, which could never be painless.

The Lilim reacted to him with confusion and discomfort, even Shinji who spoke to him about his heart readily and offered him smiles. Their pleasant murmurs amongst one another seemed alien. It was something he only managed to experience periodically, and the circumstances changed so rapidly between personalities that he couldn't predict them. It was something beautiful about Lilim, but it put Kaworu outside of them. Shinji was his only connection; what else was worth living for? What value did Kaworu hold to himself?

He didn't feel as though he was really there at all as he walked through the door. Outside, he felt the cold as it bled through the openings in his coat, and that finally led him back to the present. The ground beneath his feet was hard, and the girl in front of him was real. He noticed her almost too late, but he knew he was not mistaken. A conversation flashed through his mind. A comparison, a denial. And then a face, watching him impassively as he died. Someone like him. The only one.

"I hadn't expected I would see you again," he confessed, as he came to stand next to her. He watched her as intently as she watched the pond. "Rei Ayanami."

[mitase.livejournal.com]

The nurse fussed over him even more than usual this time, taking a few minutes to look him over and check his forehead for fever before deciding that he could be "allowed" to go outside. Hanatarou could've told her that he wasn't sick, if she'd bothered to ask -- he felt just fine, physically, and could probably do a better job of diagnosing himself than she could if there was something wrong. He just silently nodded a little when appropriate in her chatter as she bundled him up in a warmer long-sleeved shirt and coat before shooing him out the door.

Once outside, though, he didn't really want to do anything...it wasn't the greenhouse, where he had plants to tend to, and there wasn't much in the area but benches and trees. Well, there were some flowerbeds, but he doubted the nurses would want to let him play around in the dirt. Not after she'd made such a fuss about him going outside in the first place in the supposed bad weather. After an aimless rambling circuit around the path the shinigami finally flopped gracelessly onto one of the benches and sat, staring blankly at the ground in front of his toes.

There hadn't been anyone else expressing interest on the bulletin the last time he checked, and so far he only had a small handful of people who were interested. At least one of them was Nataku, though -- if nobody else showed up, he likely would, so if nothing else the two of them could go out. Right? If...he wasn't just going to drag a friend into danger without good reason and probably cause more trouble than he was worth.

Hanatarou huddled farther into the coat, shoulders slumping as he breathed a faint sigh. He really shouldn't worry about this until tonight. Until he saw how many people actually showed up, and what they wanted to do. But he couldn't just stop thinking about it.

[for Euphie]

[euphemise.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine! I'm really fine," Euphemia said, nodding. "I know I wasn't feeling so well, but I'm bundled up now, and I won't get sick again. I promise," she said, reassuring her nurse before stepping out into the courtyard, stretching her hands above her head. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out for, but it had been a while. She would have to try and catch everyone before dinner.

When she walked outside, she didn't see anyone she knew, but that didn't particularly bother her - until she saw someone huddled up in their coat far more than was good for them. She didn't know him, but it wasn't her nature to let someone look that sad without at least trying to do something about it.

She walked over, asking, "Is this seat taken? You looked like you could use a friend. I'm Euphie."

[whos-da-man.livejournal.com]

Stuffing his hands in his pocket, Junpei strolled along the edge of the pond, kicking at rocks on the ground. Man, what was he going to be up to tonight? He sincerely hoped this was not a night Evangeline decided to use that vampire-thing of hers to rope him into carrying her purse or something. Though, with as much as he didn't want to be by himself, he might be willing to put up with her eviller-than-thou attitude. Why did she have to be, like, twelve anyways? It'd be so much better if she was--

Oh no, he so did not think that. Not at all. Stupid vampire.

Picking up a rock, he skipped it across the water with a huff.

[Aigis!]

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

The abrupt change between shifts was beginning to feel normal to Aigis now that she had been in Landel's for a full 24 hour cycle. But the change in scenery was quite new, this time to a small courtyard Aigis hadn't even realized existed. She was sure there were plenty of new places in Landel's she had yet to see. Hopefully she would be out the institute long before she was made to visit every location.

She glanced around the dreary, cold courtyard. Nurse Cathy had left her alone just as soon as she walked her out the door, "so Angela would be given full authority in picking her friend for the shift." If it hadn't sounded almost rude, Aigis may have felt a bit glad to have some time free of her nurse.

Aigis thought she might just wander alone for a time. Her cranium was bursting with new data and ideas she wanted to review. But that one boy throwing rocks across the water caught her eye. At first she thought she may have simply imagined the resemblance, but just a few steps closer...

"J-junpei-san!" Aigis gasped, another strangely human trait--she wasn't human, she wasn't human--surfacing. Minato had said Junpei and Yukari were also captives, but Aigis had almost forgotten. She wished she could stop feeling so relieved to see them, knowing full-well what danger this placed posed to them all.

[oneman-onekill.livejournal.com]

Niikura fingered the coat he'd been stuffed into as he wandered along the courtyard, taking in the place now that he wasn't running through it trying to bash someone's head in. They'd cleaned the place up remarkably fast; he didn't see any burn marks anywhere or any signs of a struggle. For a second it made him question whether he'd even fought Usopp here last night, but then he recalled the burns and how real those were, and the thought was forgotten.

He sat down on a bench and glanced at the nearby shed. Something important had been in there last night, although they'd never found it. It was too bad he couldn't rush in there now to take a look; he figured he'd end up like Morgan had this morning if he tried something daredevil like that.

The teen sighed and scratched the back of his head. So...what was he supposed to do out here?

[free]

[donetakinorders.livejournal.com]

[is okay?]

Apparently the nurses were determined to make sure Raphael spent more time talking to people or something, as no sooner had lunch finished and they were hurrying him outside and over to a bored looking guy sitting on a bench.

"Roy, this is Jinguuji. He's a little new here, so try and be nice to him!" The undertone of 'or else' was obvious enough Raph didn't bother to hide his eye roll before glaring at her until she left with a final warning that they'd be 'keeping and eye on them both' from close by.

"Well that's a great way to start somethin'," he commented to his new 'friend'. "So what's your real name?"

[byname-bynature.livejournal.com]

It was cold, and Artemis found that he hated the cold even more than he had when he was in Russia. Fairies hated the cold, and the fact that Artemis was even more irritable than usual meant that something in the magic was making him adverse to eat meat and hate the cold. But, cold or not, Artemis wanted to be outside. And even though his nurse was protesting that the ground was cold, Artemis still wanted to sit on the ground against a tree.

He put his palms against the ground and tried to force the magic out and back into the ground, but Artemis couldn't feel any difference. Honestly, he wasn't surprised. He'd never been able to conjure a single spark during the day, why should now be any different?

Though he did feel more relaxed while outside. He'd been feeling strangely... uneasy around the artificial furnishings of the Institute and he had little time to be outdoors. Well. Outdoors and not worried about being carried off by a virgin-eating giant bird.

He folded his hands on his ribcage and closed his eyes. It was quiet for now, and he felt better outdoors. Happier, at least.

[Free!]

[adorkabledragon.livejournal.com]

Keman found that he liked the cold less and less as time went on. His nurse had bundled him up in a coat and boots, but after five minutes outside he already wanted to go back in and get warm. Apparently that wasn't exactly on menu, though, because his nurse said he needed "fresh air and sunlight."

But how was he supposed to get sunlight when all he could see was clouds?

He sat, hunched over and arms folded, and regarded the sky with a practiced eye. After a lifetime of flying, he could tell that it wasn't a matter of if it was going to storm later, but when. He longed to be up there. He wanted to feel the rain against his skin. He wanted lightning and wind and wings. He wanted to fly.

But instead he was sitting on the grass, cold and miserable, wearing skin that was far too thin.

Groaning, Keman flopped on his back.

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/836076.html)]]

Once finished with his shower, the nurses let him go outside again. Even if the weather was poor, at least the cold made him feel like he was still alive. Though about now, he didn't have much direction. His goals had always felt so clear-cut. And while they hadn't changed all that much, the people around him made it a lot more difficult to keep it in perspective. It wasn't his intention to hurt anyone, but somehow he managed it, no matter what decisions he made or measures he took to prevent it.

He still felt weak, and after just a little walking, decided to take a seat on one of the benches, making sure it was one further away than the one he'd met Yue at earlier. Much of their conversation still stuck in his mind and he couldn't help feeling as though they were waiting on him to say something or do something to reach out to them. Just thinking about it was enough to make him want to shy away. He couldn't get them involved any more than they were. He couldn't let himself trust them or he'd never be able to continue. Besides that, none of them knew the real him. They didn't know the things he'd already done, what he was responsible for... and if they ever found out, he was sure things would be much different from the way they were now.

[Chise]

[lastlovesong]

"Ah...ah...ACHOO!" Going outside with a headache was probably a bad idea. Chise knew that there was a high chance of catching a cold, but the nurses insisted that she needed a 'mandatory' breath of fresh air. At least they gave her an old coat to keep herself warm.

As she walked along the dirt path, Chise spotted a familiar figure sitting on a bench not too far from where she was. It was Fai! It was possible that he knew where Kurogane disappeared to two nights ago. She called out his name and waved to get his attention as she ran towards him, and abruptly tripped over the flower beds a few seconds later.

[itstaichoutoyou.livejournal.com]

Hitsugaya hadn't noticed it earlier, probably due to painkillers, but his leg was beginning to itch a little. It took less than his iron-will to resist scratching his injury. His nurse was convinced he needed crutches, but he shooed her away. Where was her concern when he woke up this morning?

The fresh air felt good against his thinly clothed body. The patient uniform doing little to shield him from the elements. He looked around and saw a nearby bench, but it was occupied. Hopefully, the brunette wouldn't mind company. She looked preoccupied in her journal, but he couldn't just sit down if she was waiting for someone. "Do you mind if I sit?"

[gald_digger]

At the sound of a voice nearby, Anise suddenly slammed the notebook shut, becoming conscious of some of the names she'd written in there. It would be pretty awkward if one of those people she named as suspicious ended up reading it over her shoulder, or something.

But fortunately, the kid who approached her turned out to be a complete stranger who was just looking for a place to sit. (Or maybe looking for a cute girl to sit next to?) If it was a stranger, then Anise supposed she didn't mind so much if he caught any glimpses of what she was writing. It'd be better if he took the seat next to her than if it was left open and someone related to one of her 'mysteries' came along instead.

Okay, that settled it! Anise looked up at the kid with an inviting grin. "Not at all! Go ahead." She then opened the notebook once again, searching through the pages for the one she was last looking at. It looked like she had ten entries written down so far, but she could probably do a lot more than that if she just gave it some more thought.

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

While she kept hoping that one of these days, things would be more than strictly business, having lunch with Sasuke hadn't been all bad. At least here she got to spend time with him, instead of chasing him down or trying to wrest him away from Orochimaru's grasp, or... well, needless to say, things were complicated. And still no sign of Naruto, who Jiraiya had supposedly seen last night. If he was around, why wasn't he answering the bulletins?

Sakura took her journal and the notes she'd stashed inside and took them outside. It was cold, and she huddled into her coat, but at least they were outside. Maybe she should get to practicing or warm ups or something. Setting the coat aside and her journal on top of it, she started walking through some basic movements.

[Ninja meet transforming robo-ninja?]

[stillandstrike.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/836076.html?thread=67164140#t67164140). Ninja-time!]

Prowl headed back outside after his shower, wishing he could go back a little longer. Or again tomorrow. Perhaps even tonight, although that would be unwise with monsters around.

He stood on the path and looked about, eyes stopping instantly when he spotted some curiously familiar movements. He approached slowly and stood at a respectful distance. The Pink-haired Ninja?

"Could I join you?" He'd never liked company, besides Yoketron. But he'd found out later that it could be enjoyable when Jazz joined him.

[giftofstars.livejournal.com]

After seeing the cat and meeting Javert in the Sun Room, Sakura wondered what other kinds of people she could meet here. Luckily, all the other patients she had meet seemed relatively friendly with the exception of Kurogane and Javert, yet both of them turned out to be pretty nice people underneath their harsh exteriors. Perhaps she was just lucky in terms of who she had met or maybe everyone was just united under the common ground that no one wanted to be here. Either way, Sakura found the idea rather comforting - the idea that she could go to almost anyone here and relate almost instantly based on their common experiences here.

For this shift, Sakura decided to head out to the courtyard. Although she didn't want to get rained on, it seemed like the rain had momentarily stopped so she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. She didn't mind her shoes getting a little muddy, so it couldn't hurt.

As the young brown-haired girl walked outward, she lifted her head up and looked toward the sky. It really had been a week since she had arrived, hadn't it? This was where it had essentially begun - where she had met Yue and where everything had begun spiraling out of the control. If it wasn't for Yue and her brother, she wouldn't have been able to survive even just one night. Stretching a bit, Sakura let out a sigh. When would they find their way home?

[for alchemical decomposition Nigredo]

[falseblack]

His headache had steadily grown throughout the day, and by mid-afternoon, the pain had become quite monstrous. The source was obvious; use of the link often had unintended side effects, and while they were never this severe, they held the expectant qualities. Combined with the cold, Nigredo should really have stayed indoors and slept until evening. He had an entire night to take care of various miscellaneous tasks. Rest could prove worthwhile.

Instead, despite chilly weather and a concentration of patients, he took to the outdoors. The child was given a coat and a sturdy pair of shoes for the venture, which he put on with little fuss. He never experienced true cold climates--even the simulations of snowy weather proved lacking in authenticity. A walk under muggy skies seemed exhilarating for a simple activity, enough to distract Nigredo from present woes.

But not, it seemed, for the past. In close proximity stood a girl of brown hair, appearing too much like a phantom for the boy to ignore. He stepped forward, eyes widening. "Sakura?"

[timeseal.livejournal.com]

Going out to the Courtyard wasn't his idea; after Rolo had refused to go to the cafeteria to eat, and after his nurse made a big show of finding out if he was sick or not, she insisted that he go out into the Courtyard for some "fresh air", to cool his mind or something.

Apparently, she was trying to make him sick as Rolo started to violently shiver the minute she threw him out there, even with the coat she gave him for this occasion. It did little to warm him up and Rolo couldn't even find a place to sit down and shiver in peace, since it had been raining and everything was wet. He glared at the building, wishing with all his might that his Geass would come back. If he had that... None of this should have been a problem, but now it all was.

Sighing, Rolo found a wall away from everyone and settled for leaning against it, still shivering as the cold seemed to seep through the coat and into his skin. Tonight, he had to find Lelouch. Finding the chemical storage yielded an empty victory, as he had no idea if such a discovery would prove useful to his brother. It was useful to Rolo himself, but...

The problem was that he couldn't ever find Lelouch alone anymore, and now with her in the way... He'd have to do it at night. He did know Lelouch's room number, as the only good thing about that strange day where he thought he was 'Spike' was that he and 'Brendan' exchanged room numbers, so as long as he was quick, he should be able to catch his brother. He thought about leaving a bulletin board note, but that meant... certain people would know what he was up to. And the thought made Rolo glower even more, his irritated expression eventually fading to one of blankness as he just tried to keep himself from freezing to death.

[ FOR HIS OTHER HUSBANDO, UGUUU ANGE >3< ]

[finalwitch.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/837742.html?thread=67248494#t67248494). AND HI, BB. 8)]

When asked, Ange once again chose the Courtyard. The decision remained apart from any actual desires; she simply wanted to be out in the cold again. Granted, it did nothing for wet hair--worse for hair bobbles--but the young woman did not particularly care for comfort. Like she would ever get comfortable again with a dead brother afoot.

She more or less stormed into the area, every intent set on separating herself from the rest of the crowd. To her surprise, someone else had beaten her to the path. Someone whom she had least suspected to meet, despite their travel the night before. Ange crept closer to the wall holding Rolo, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You got what you needed?" she asked dryly. It was a much friendlier tone compared to her usual.

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

It might not be the nicest or the warmest of days outside, but Nunnally was still pleased to have the chance to get out, and to have been able to persuade her nurse that she really did feel good enough to do so. The woman expressed concerns and doubts and gave dire warnings about catching cold in "this horrible weather" but finally bundled her charge up in warm clothing and led her outside. It had taken long enough that quite a few people were already out there, and the benches closest to the door were occupied, but she didn't mind. Nor did she pay any attention to the orderly hovering close behind, as though she would suddenly forget how to use her crutches and take a spill on the pathway.

She finally stopped and lowered herself to a bench, refusing the orderly's offer of help with a smile and shake of her head. From where she sat, with the pond and the trees framing the building, the scenery looked rather pretty, despite the oppressive gloom of the sky overhead. Hopefully it wouldn't start to rain before the time for being outside was over -- she didn't want to cut this any shorter than she had to.

The fresh air was very welcome indeed, and Nunnally closed her eyes, breathing in the scents of trees and grass and flowers, listening to the sounds of the breeze and the assortment of voices surrounding her. Sometimes it was far simpler to be as blind as she had once been. Then she could pretend that the world wasn't how it was. That everything truly was as peaceful as this moment.

[more cowbell?]

[feartehreaper.livejournal.com]

Come the new shift, Haseo was definitely dragging his feet about going outside, forcing his nurse to go along with him as he first went through demanding he be allowed back to his room to obtain a long-sleeved shirt and coat, and then wait while he stood in front of the bulletin board, taking his sweet time in looking over the messages there.

It may have been a bit bratty, but he didn't really care when they were already treating him like a child anyway. Who cared? When he finally followed the other younger patients into the courtyard, he was still disinterested in the matter at hand, sticking his hands in his pockets and initially keeping his head down. The cheery voice over the intercom really pissed the teen off... if it were up to him, it'd be that man that was the one being forced outside instead of him, and if he died horribly of whatever illness he currently had, that was definitely a bonus. It was freaking cold here! At home it was in the middle of summer, and after a week Haseo still couldn't quite call himself used to it.

As he did the previous week, the Adept Rogue idly began to walk along near the edge of the area, meaning to take an idle look at the surrounding walls for ways to escape over them. It was really for lack of anything better to do, while he mulled over what had happened during the day and what might happen during the one coming up so soon. The danger to the 'patients' trapped here, while they were away from the place they knew and supplies they'd managed to gather, bothered him a lot, and with the turnover in the population, who knew how many were still around who would know what to do...?

As occupied as he was and with eyes up, Haseo didn't notice a crutch in his way until he'd bumped into it, sending both of them teetering off the bench they'd been leaning on and then clattering to the ground. "Ah-- sorry," he said immediately, irritated and embarrassed as he bent to retrieve them. Good job, genius...

[stringless-doll.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/837388.html?thread=67121676#t67121676)]

He let go of Renamon briefly so they could be bundled into coats, then reclaimed her hand and dragged her off into the courtyard. Even with the coat on, it was a bit chilly out, but Nataku liked the open air. Seeing the sun through high glass windows just wasn't the same thing.

"It looks like you thought about it." He paused a beat, smiling brightly. "So have you figured out what game you want to play?"

[diamondstorm]

Throughout the ordeal, the Digimon remained silent, taking her cues from the boy in movement and action. Being led outside was questionable, but it was probably true that they would be able to speak easier in an open area. Renamon wasn't the most pleased patient outside, however, at having to be there again. Even with the clouds and dimming sky, it was too bright. If she was to be outside, she preferred night. And her own diminished freedom.

Nataku stopped suddenly and smiled at her, and for a moment, Renamon blinked without comprehension. Then it set in. The Digimon closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she gave the child a bemused smirk. "This was what you needed of me?" She paused a moment, watching him. It may have been from her normal behavior here, but she had no intention of refusing him. "What games do you like?"

[cursed-exorcist.livejournal.com]

After she found a bench, Kagura thoughts began to wander. She began to think about Izumi-chan and Kensuke-kun. How were they doing back home? She was such a terrible friend. Ever since she had been reunited with Yomi, she had been focused on her old foe instead of them.

[Free]