damned_institute | Day 53: Music Room

Well, if it wasn't his favorite time of the week. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Of course in this case, distance makes Klavier feel like an abused, neglected animal who was only now being allowed a taste of actual food. These people were such savages. It was still absolutely absurd that they were allowed access to this room so rarely. But the tactic was also brilliant on their part, sad to say. Klavier was always at his quietest and most obedient on Music Room days. The perfect model patient. He would give them no excuse to deprive him of this precious time.

Today was going to be a little different, however. Not only was he given access to music today, but a bout of entertainment as well. Apparently that band that had been setting up tryouts for the last week was ready to get the show on the road and start their auditions. Normally, this was the sort of project he wouldn't hesitate to take part in. But aside from the injury to his left hand and shoulder, there were three critical factors keeping him from doing so:

1. The band was named "Sex Bob-Omb." Klavier may have missed the band scene, but he had no intention of attaching his name to some Tom Jones cover band.
2. There weren't many actual instruments in the Music Room; certainly not enough variety to form the type of band they want. The one who made the poster said something about improvising instruments through whatever means necessary. A noble goal, but again, Klavier was not so desperate yet as to reduce himself to playing with a box of tissues strung up with rubber bands. That was too pathetic an image to ever place himself into.
3. The person who had posted placed up a sample music sheet of one of their songs. Klavier had no idea how many people here could actually read music enough to know what it was they were looking at there, but he had been able to decipher it perfectly. Their music... it was kind of god-awful.

In short, this was basically a disaster waiting to happen. The hints were enough to tell him this was likely going to be something akin to nails on a chalkboard... amplified by five. So honestly, he should be as far away from this room as humanly possible.

But he was not going to let these people ruin his rare access time to the Music Room. No, instead he took one of their old CD players and a carefully selected CD of choice (for the sake of his sanity) and took a seat at one of the tables, turning the chair so as to get an optimal view of the show. Why not? No harm in indulging in a little "entertainment," yes?

[free to anyone who wants to watch this train wreck with him :D ]

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At that final question, clear irritation passed over Lightning's face, escalating from the mostly blank state she'd been using to brace herself while listening. His assumptions seemed fairly easy to put together, as wrong as they were, of course, but... as much as she wanted to just blurt that out, she couldn't. The things she'd said before out of anger still remained a constant reminder that she needed to watch what she said.

How annoying, though. Lightning had just been a sergeant from Bodhum. What chance was there that she would be privy to something like... secret imprisonment facilities or-- whatever it was that Snow was circling around in his head? If it wasn't directly within the scope of her work, then it wasn't important- in fact, her superiors had often seemed fond of making that point as clear as possible: you didn't stick your nose into things that didn't concern you, and that was that.

And no, the Sanctum didn't actually care. Cocoon was quickly spiraling out of control, and the source of that sat right at the top of the infrastructure that was supposed to protect it. Why do something silly like letting your military know what was going on?

... Unfortunately, that wasn't even close to the reason why his question was off, either. That meant that, as difficult as it was, it was her job to break the truth to him. One piece at a time. "Of course the Guardian Corps wouldn't know about this place," she said, her voice harsh and quiet as she leaned forward, "This isn't Cocoon."

The way the conversation was going, Snow was kind of expecting her to start throwing out ideas about where they might be, yeah. But he definitely wasn't expecting that kind of answer. "Wha?" He frowned at her. "What do you mean this 'isn't Cocoon?' Course it's Cocoon! Where else... I mean, why would... How could it not be?!"

He actually hadn't meant to raise his voice. It just came out that way because he was so confused. What was Lightning saying? They weren't on Cocoon? So then where the hell were they?! If they weren't on Cocoon and they weren't on a ship, then there was only one other place they even could be, but that was...

Was she trying to say they'd all been relocated successfully?! That was impossible!! It couldn't be!

"Quiet!" Lightning snapped, just short of jumping across the space between them to make him do it- it was loud in the room, sure, but not loud enough to cover huge blond idiots practically shouting what she didn't want heard. She glared at him, practically baring her teeth between glances aside to make sure nobody had noticed anything awry. After all, she still had no clear idea about what the people here would think about hearing the name of the place that had definitely once been considered nothing more than a 'nest of vipers.' Never mind learning they were both from there.

"You said you'd been outside; you said it was dark," she started, seeking to explain quickly before he had much chance to dismiss it any further, "Have you ever been somewhere like that before? Somewhere where you couldn't see the lights of cities on the other side?" So Snow probably wasn't the brightest guy around and... definitely hadn't near as much experience outside of Bodhum like she had, but surely he had to get that, right? She'd feel bad about confusing him later if she had to.

It wasn't until Lightning told him to shut it and started looking around the room that he even noticed he'd raised his voice. He pursed his lips, looking almost annoyed, but he didn't say anything else after that. Instead, he sat up and listened, still frowning in confusion. He was holding his hands between his knees, one fist clenched in the palm of the other hand.

Thinking back to that night, he hadn't really thought to look up, but he couldn't say he remembered seeing any of the usual lights he would see after dark. The only time that ever happened was when they were supposed to have rain, and it definitely hadn't been raining. Then the lack of any lights at all... When NORA went out on patrol on the outskirts of Bodhum, it was still illuminated enough for the security regimen and anyone else to move around properly. He had never gone outside and been in pitch black like that.

"Well. No, but..." His eyes moved down to the carpet then to his hands then up at Lightning as he thought of what to say. "So... what? You're sayin' we wound up on Pulse? That this is like some kinda... Pulse prison or somethin'?"

To imagine that they might be on Pulse was kind of... Well, he had to admit it was a pretty terrifying idea if he thought about it too long. Pulse was basically hell. He and every other person on Cocoon had heard all the horror stories and rumors about it ever since they were kids. But it still didn't seem right. Wasn't Pulse supposed to be crawling with monsters? ...Oh wait, people said this place had those. Nevermind. OH! What about the crazy people? ...No no, the people in charge here were pretty screwed up if they were doing half the stuff Snow had heard about.

Okay, fine. Looked like Lightning was pretty justified in this. That didn't make him any happier about it, though. Here he was, someone who'd never been outside his hometown suddenly in a world so completely different from everything he knew. And what about Serah? She was still safe with the Cavalry, sure, but... He didn't like thinking about how far away she was. Even more so now. If nothing else, he had to find a way to get back to her.

"Exactly," Lightning said, a touch bitterly. She could have said something less certain or even vaguer, but ultimately it was useless, considering she knew it had to be true- she clearly remembered that they'd gone through Barthandelus' little l'Cie training ground, through the transgate there, and then following the destruction of their ship, been basically stranded on Pulse below. In all its... wild and unknown glory.

And now they were here. Alone, for some reason. Lightning didn't look at Snow, but she didn't look at anything else either, her eyes unfocused as she seemed to glare off towards the floor. Sure, unlike him right now, she'd actually had a little more time to wrap her head around the idea of leaving Cocoon, but it was still something she found unbelievable. For anyone raised inside that floating world, the idea was bound to be a little crazy no matter what light you tried to put it in. It wasn't really something you could do much easing into.

Lightning shook her head slightly, so that her fringe would fall differently across her face. "I've seen people do magic here," she began again, as matter-of-fact as she could manage, "I think most of them are l'Cie." Not marked by the same fal'Cie obviously, but what other explanation was there? What other explanation could there be for how the guards already knew how to restrain them?

Day 53: Music Room

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