damned_institute | Day 51: Arts and Crafts [Second Shift]

They actually listened to some of the suggestions people put in that box? Anise thought the Head Doctor had to be joking when he said that, but she soon heard him mention something that she herself had suggested: sewing supplies. They were really going to get some? Anise could finally get a real needle, so she could make repairs to Tokunaga whenever she needed to. She swiped one of their blunt, plastic needles before, but using that just left big holes in the fabric. Using it on Tokunaga made her feel bad, like she was hurting the poor doll.

"Isn't that nice, Dolores?" The nurse must have caught Anise's hopeful look. "But remember, you'll need to be on your best behavior until then."

"I know, I..." Anise began with her usual dismissive reply, but quickly remembered that the intercom had said 'behavior and attitudes', and instantly changed her tune. "I'll do my very best! Hee hee!" She forced a smile for the old hag.

Unfortunately, the sewing supplies weren't here today, so Anise had to find something else to do for now. Stepping inside the Arts and Crafts room, she quickly found that several tables already had paper craft ('origami,' they called it?) supplies laid out for them, so she guessed she'd just occupy herself with that. The girl sat down at one of the tables, opened up one of the books, and started looking through it.

Cranes, frogs, horses, turtles... There were lots of familiar animals, and a few unfamiliar ones, too. The rabbits looked kind of cute.

[For Ilia!]

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"Sound particles? Fonons?" Ilia stopped in her folding for a moment, listening intently to Anise's description of her power. Something about it sounded familiar, if she thought back to her old lessons at the university. "Wait a minute... fonons... Phonons, like, vibrational motion!" She had never heard of using phonons to create fire, much less light beams, but she wasn't completely unfamiliar with them. It was all physics, though she was actually a little rusty, since her last few years had been mostly centered around biological and chemical sciences.

"That's some pretty advanced stuff for a teenager to understand." Ilia smiled, thinking back on her own youth. Truth be told, she had started her first physics lessons when she had been about Anise's age, but no one had ever been able to apply such a bizarre concept to the science like this.

Ilia looked down at the table, and realized she had completely forgotten her project during the talk about fonons. She quickly set back to work on her pig, laughing a little in her rush. "Sorry. I guess I got carried away for a moment there."

Anise's eyes lit up in surprise. "You've heard of them!?" This was the first time Anise had ever met someone from another planet who had any idea what fonons were. Did that mean they did exist outside of Auldrant? Or maybe it was something similar. Either way, this was big news to Anise!

"--Ehe, well, fonons are a pretty big part of daily life, so most people have a basic understanding of them," Anise admitted, but she couldn't help but smile at the compliment anyway. Even though they'd only just met, Ilia had a way of making Anise feel proud of herself. "But it's especially important to know how they work if you're going to use fonic artes."

When Ilia seemed to remember her craft, Anise looked back to hers as well, and started on the unusual step of curling the pig's tail.

"Well, I think it a little different from the 'fonons' you're talking about. Our phonons typically just deal vibrations and waves, and, well..." Ilia gave Anise a sideways glance, a little unsure. "I'm not sure if I could explain it without getting into all the quantum physics behind it, but basically it is one of our building block of matter. We just can't manipulate it quite the same as you can on Auldrant."

Perhaps fonons functioned differently on Auldrant, or maybe it was somehow the main building block of matter. But could waves hold together structures and support life quite to that extent? Other planets could certainly grow and thrive differently from Earth, but she really wasn't sure if they could break free of the laws of physics quite so completely. There were a lot of things left unexplained in this world, but Ilia would get her chance to study it all someday.

"Maybe I could watch you use your artes someday?" Ilia said, interest heavy in her voice. It would be fascinating to observe what one did to evoke fonic artes. Was it anything like how Heraldry worked? "But I guess it would need to be night for that to happen."

This pig was coming together nicely as time flew by. Of course, following an instruction booklet made it an easy process. And it was actually fun, which was more than Ilia could have ever asked for in an activity planned by a mental institute.

So Earth had fonons too... but it sounded like they were different, and they weren't the only important part of matter. It was too bad the Colonel wasn't around anymore. He might have been able to understand how fonons worked on Earth - much better than Anise could, anyway. For now, she just nodded at Ilia's explanation. It helped her understand the basic differences, anyway.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind showing you," Anise replied with a grin. "But... like I said, they aren't as cool as they were at home, so they won't be that impressive. If you're still interested, though, I'll do what I can! What about tonight? Maybe we can meet up then." Actually, that could be a good idea, she realized shortly after suggesting it. If Ilia didn't know what to expect tonight, she was going to be in big trouble without an experienced partner.

It looked like her pig was almost done! Anise held the folded paper close to her face as she carefully folded its tiny ears, trying her best to make them perfect. She didn't want to mess up on the very last steps!

"I'm certainly tempted," Ilia chuckled, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm. Watching Anise perform her fonic artes would really be indulging Ilia's scientist's mind and probably distract her from what she ought to be doing--searching the institute for clues on how to escape or who was behind the whole operation. But she also didn't want to leave Anise alone at night. She may have been a teenager, but she was small and could probably use a hand in defending herself if one of those monsters came out. So, it wouldn't really be just for her pleasure. It would be helping someone out, as well as a scientific study. Perfectly acceptable, right?

"Oh, why not? Sure, I'd really like that." Ilia continued to add some more of the detailed folds. The pig had taken longer to make than she had imagined.

"Okay everyone, it's almost time for lunch!" A helpful nurse called out, weaving through the tables. "Please, finish up your projects. The doctor will be announcing the shift change soon."

"Ahh," Ilia sighed, trying to hurry up with her final touches. She leaned a little closer to Anise once more, lowering her voice. "I'm still not familiar with the layout, but where would be an easy place to find you?"

Looked like Ilia was on board, then! That was good news for Anise. Besides getting to show off, having someone with hand-to-hand combat experience around would be a big help. The burn on Anise's palm didn't really get in the way of everyday activities, but swinging a weapon with it would be kind of painful. It would be best if she had a partner who could take the lead in a fight while Anise supported her with artes.

"Done!" Anise declared, proudly (yet delicately) setting the pig down on the table. Just as she did, a nurse announced the approaching shift change. "--Ahh, just in time!" A minute or two later, and she'd be scrambling to finish before she got ushered away.

When Ilia asked about where to meet, Anise thought for a moment, then replied in a similarly hushed voice, "How about the main hallway in the women's block? No matter what room you're in, you just walk out and take a right, and you'll go straight there. Easy!"

"Aww, you beat me!" Ilia laughed, even as she finished up the last fold on her pig. They were cute little creatures--and looked quite realistic, now that they had the finished product in front of them. She'd really enjoyed their unspoken contest.

Ilia nodded, noting Anise's instructions and repeating them in her own head, memorizing them. It sounded easy enough, just as Anise said. "I'll remember."

She smiled one last time at the girl when her nurse came to fetch her. Waving, Ilia was able to say with absolutely sincerity, "Thanks for your time, Anise. It was fun crafting with you." She would have said they should try more designs next time, but if Ilia had any say in matters both she and Anise would be out of this place and headed back where they belonged before the next Arts and Crafts day came about.

When Ilia laughed, Anise did too, partly in triumph at her small victory, but also just because she was enjoying herself. Both of the pigs turned out great - and they were pretty cute, too.

"I had fun, too!" she replied cheerfully, gathering up the animals she had made so that she could take them with her. Maybe they'd help brighten her room up a little more. "I'll see you later!" It felt kind of nice, having unexpectedly made a new friend. Anise just hoped the night would go smoothly for both of them.

Day 51: Arts and Crafts [Second Shift]

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