Though it was jarring not to have Guy near him anymore, Claude woke up feeling much more refreshed than yesterday. The extra shut-eye combined with putting a full day between himself and that horrible experiment probably helped a lot in that regard. Unfortunately, however, he felt the weight of the compresses, still firmly taped in place. Not only that, but the pain medicine from last night had worn off, which meant the return of that sandy feeling in his eyes.
Will I wake up like this every morning? he wondered to himself, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Claude didn't like to think that this might be permanent, but he had to be prepared for that possibility. It was clear the light they'd used on him was far from ordinary. There was no telling what sort of damage it had ultimately done to his vision.
But now wasn't the time to fret over that. He heard the click of the door unlocking and the nurse's footsteps as she entered the room. Claude automatically greeted her in the same polite tone he normally used with the daytime staff. His voice sounded and felt stronger than before. That was good, at least, and was probably related to how much rest he'd gotten before.
Since he couldn't see, though, that meant the nurse had to help him along to the cafeteria once again. As soon as Claude entered the room, he was met with the sickeningly sweet aroma of French toast. Normally it would have smelled appetizing, but his stomach hadn't been the same since that night. Claude hoped that would clear up soon, too. It was bad enough having to waste a perfectly good steak. He didn't want to lose his strength on top of everything else.
Once the nurse had assembled a tray for him, she led Claude over to a table and sat him down, her movements gentle and careful, as though he were made of glass. Claude recalled the way Anise acted as his guide through the sun room and out into the courtyard yesterday. She'd been good at doing it in a way that made him feel like they were simply taking a walk together. Whenever a staff member helped him, though, their pity only made him feel all the more anxious and embarrassed about the whole situation.
"Just sit tight, Thomas, and I'll make sure someone finds another patient to come sit with you," the nurse kindly told him. Dread knotted up in Claude's chest, but he only gave her a tight smile in response before he heard her abruptly walk away. He knew she just wanted to make things easier on him. After his awkward breakfast with Haseo yesterday, though, he couldn't help but think he'd be better of just staying by himself for now.
In the meantime, there was little he could do except grin and bear it. Sighing, Claude found his fork and idly pushed some of the food around on his plate. He wondered what all of his friends were up to. At least that weird translation glitch from last night had apparently let up, if all the English he heard around him was any indication. Speaking of which, it sounded like the Head Doctor had decided to spill the beans about the rings last night after all. What was all that about? Maybe he ought to think about giving his own ring a try, though at this point it was difficult to think about charging through uncharted territory when his eyes weren't working right.
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Will I wake up like this every morning? he wondered to himself, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Claude didn't like to think that this might be permanent, but he had to be prepared for that possibility. It was clear the light they'd used on him was far from ordinary. There was no telling what sort of damage it had ultimately done to his vision.
But now wasn't the time to fret over that. He heard the click of the door unlocking and the nurse's footsteps as she entered the room. Claude automatically greeted her in the same polite tone he normally used with the daytime staff. His voice sounded and felt stronger than before. That was good, at least, and was probably related to how much rest he'd gotten before.
Since he couldn't see, though, that meant the nurse had to help him along to the cafeteria once again. As soon as Claude entered the room, he was met with the sickeningly sweet aroma of French toast. Normally it would have smelled appetizing, but his stomach hadn't been the same since that night. Claude hoped that would clear up soon, too. It was bad enough having to waste a perfectly good steak. He didn't want to lose his strength on top of everything else.
Once the nurse had assembled a tray for him, she led Claude over to a table and sat him down, her movements gentle and careful, as though he were made of glass. Claude recalled the way Anise acted as his guide through the sun room and out into the courtyard yesterday. She'd been good at doing it in a way that made him feel like they were simply taking a walk together. Whenever a staff member helped him, though, their pity only made him feel all the more anxious and embarrassed about the whole situation.
"Just sit tight, Thomas, and I'll make sure someone finds another patient to come sit with you," the nurse kindly told him. Dread knotted up in Claude's chest, but he only gave her a tight smile in response before he heard her abruptly walk away. He knew she just wanted to make things easier on him. After his awkward breakfast with Haseo yesterday, though, he couldn't help but think he'd be better of just staying by himself for now.
In the meantime, there was little he could do except grin and bear it. Sighing, Claude found his fork and idly pushed some of the food around on his plate. He wondered what all of his friends were up to. At least that weird translation glitch from last night had apparently let up, if all the English he heard around him was any indication. Speaking of which, it sounded like the Head Doctor had decided to spill the beans about the rings last night after all. What was all that about? Maybe he ought to think about giving his own ring a try, though at this point it was difficult to think about charging through uncharted territory when his eyes weren't working right.
[For Natalia.]