Day 54: Recreational Field

[mustbethesuit]

And thus concluded a perfect start to a perfect day. Making him explode from every facial orifice was a totally justified response to Peter not doing anything at all.

The nurses' hearts had defrosted just enough to permit them a change of clothes and a desperately needed wipe down. Nurse Joyce - Rachel had been apologizing the whole way back to

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[razing_phoenix]

With no one around him that he knew, Guy figured it was best to keep to himself. The soldiers were already on high alert, so he wouldn't be surprised if they got upset at patients just for talking amongst themselves while the roll call was going on. The whole thing was so regimented that it was pretty tedious, especially for someone like Guy had had never officially been in any military ranks.

Still, he knew how to lay low, so this part was easy enough, at the very least. It looked like the patients who responded to their name promptly and without an attitude were then left to themselves, so...

But that was when he heard a familiar voice sound right behind him in a whisper, causing him to stand stiff-straight and clench his fists. It was a good thing that it was Okita who was responsible and not someone like Anise, though, since that really would have caused him to shriek in the middle of something that was supposed to be strict and orderly.

He half-turned toward Okita, blinking at his roommate for a few moments. To be honest, he wasn't used to talking to the other man during the day, but he certainly didn't mind it now. At least Okita seemed to be in a good mood. "...I don't know about that," he replied, also keeping his voice down. "I'm just glad I managed to get out before they released that gas stuff." He looked Okita up and down -- he seemed to be in good shape. "Looks like you did too."

[full_score]

Claude knew he should have had the presence of mind to get himself and Ippo out of the cafeteria at the first sign of trouble. But, if he wanted to be perfectly honest with himself, he'd never had a good sense for those kinds of things. It hadn't even occurred to him that the staff would use a chemical agent on the patients during the day. An action like that completely contradicted the image of a safe, comfortable mental hospital that they worked so hard to project to the outside world.

Well, he glumly thought as the nurse led him outside after a shower and fresh change of clothes, I sure learned my lesson...

The cold air stung his irritated eyes and lungs -- or, actually, maybe they were just stinging, period. Granted, he hadn't been sedated, so he'd at least been quick to close his eyes and clap his hands over his nose and mouth the moment he realized what was happening. There wasn't much way to avoid clouds of tear gas, though, and so now Claude just had to hope that the residual pain would clear up soon.

He did feel guilty about Ippo, though. That poor kid had probably expected all that even less than Claude. He squinted, trying to locate the boy, only to notice that everyone was lined up in a neat, orderly fashion. It didn't take long to realize he was supposed to stand in position along with the others, and a staff member soon positioned him among a group of men.

As he did his best to patiently wait for his name, a familiar whisper caught his attention. From the corner of his eye, he saw Guy and Okita just a few feet away, quietly conversing with one another. Having had military experience before, he knew how tough soldiers could be about maintaining order until a roll call was complete. He hoped neither of them got into trouble, though his worry was somewhat diminished by the relief he felt from seeing them talking and uninjured.

"Appleby, Thomas!" The name cut into his thoughts, and he realized from the harsh tone that he'd just made the solider repeat himself.

"Present!" Claude replied, straightening his shoulders and tearing his eyes away from Guy and his roommate.

[notachick]

He would never grow tired of sneaking up on people. It was always so interesting to see how they reacted and nearly everyone did so differently. Tatsunosuke jumped like he'd been stuck with a pin, Tetsunosuke always seemed so glad, and Guy? Well, he apparently stiffened like he felt a sword at his back, standing even further at attention. Okita couldn't help but laugh a little as he joined his roommate in line, smiling at both him and the grim-faced soldiers at once. They didn't seem too approving of the patients talking to each other, but Okita still hadn't heard his or Guy's name being called yet, so he felt safe in chatting a bit.

"Yes, we did. And was it a gas? I'm still unfamiliar with these things and..." Okita trailed off as he noted Hijikata had finished his laps and was talking with someone with a very unamused expression on his face. Then again, it was rare that Hijikata ever had any other expression on his face, come to think of it. Ah well. Turning his attention back to Guy, he said, "I'm glad to see you made it out alright. It seemed like such a--"

"Appleby, Thomas!"

"Present!"

Now there was another familiar voice. Okita broke off in the middle of his sentence and turned his head in the other direction, spotting yet another familiar face. One that seemed to be a little more accustomed to this sort of line-up, and thus was suitably nervous about the whole thing. Whispering to Guy, he tugged on his friend's sleeve and pointed in the other direction. "We should go say hello."

But when Okita tried to move, the soldier in front of him barked, "Wait your turn!"

And just a few moments later a different soldier called out, "Ikeda, Julian!"

Ha! That was fast. After waving to the one taking names and giving a somewhat smug smile at the one who chided him, Okita tugged on Guy's sleeve again. "Let's go!"

[razing_phoenix]

While Guy had only been able to watch the whole event from the Sun Room, the way the patients had reacted and the lack of visibility had made him pretty sure that it was some sort of gas. He didn't know what was in it or how it caused the reactions that it had (really, he didn't even know how bad the reactions had been, except for what he could see in the aftermath here), but he figured that the details didn't matter. The real point was that the soldiers had gone to such lengths to suppress them.

Thomas Appleby was a name that did seem vaguely familiar to Guy, but it was only when he heard the response to it that he realized why. He'd spent enough daytime shifts with Claude to have heard the nurses call Claude both Thomas and Mr. Appleby, after all.

Seeing Claude respond to an insistent soldier made Guy remember that his friend had been part of the military; that was something they'd discussed the night before, after all. Still, this was the first time he'd ever seen the other man in that sort of mode, so he had to admit it was a bit intriguing and somewhat endearing.

While Guy agreed with Okita about going over to see Claude, his name still hadn't been called. When the other man tugged at his sleeve, he blinked and paused. "But they haven't--"

"Browne, Dana!"

That name still was a bit embarrassing for him, seeing how it sounded more like something that a girl would be called. In fact, he could have sworn that he heard a few people snickering, but Guy was quick to speak up and let the soldiers know that he was present.

After that was taken care of, he nodded to Okita and started to move with him over to where Claude was standing. It was good to know that things had cleared up between them, so they could get back to talking more comfortably.

[full_score]

Since people who'd already been called were free to wander around the rec field, Claude wasn't sure if he was expected to leave the formation now. On the other hand, he didn't want to stray too far from Guy and Okita, since he felt like he ought to say something to them after this morning's disaster. Though he decided to pull himself from the line, he stayed close by, waiting for the soldier to say his friends' "names".

Thankfully, he didn't have to stand around too long, though Guy was the last out of the three of them to be called. Okita was obviously ready to leave, if the way he tugged on Guy's sleeve was any indicator. Once they started moving toward him, Claude took a few steps ahead in order to meet them partway.

"Hey..." His eyes flickered from Guy to Okita. Last night was still a little awkward for him to think about, but he also realized that he and Guy managed to clear a lot of the air between them. There was definitely something to be said for that. Claude was confident things could go back to normal sooner than later.

"Are you two all right?" he asked with a concerned frown. Speaking aggravated his throat, but he just told himself it would clear up soon enough. "Tear gas is rough stuff."

[notachick]

Guy seemed a little bit embarrassed about his name, but Okita didn't understand why. Was there something strange about it? All Western names sounded the same to him (meaning completely incomprehensible) so he didn't think much of his or Guy's names. Julian Ikeda and Dana Browne sounded just as normal and just as strange to him as any other name here.

Running up, Okita was glad to see that Claude was just as willing to talk to them as he was to talk to Claude. It had been awhile since he'd seen the blond and he always had meant to thank him for taking care of his roommate. Guy relied quite a lot on Claude as far as Okita knew, and he was grateful for that. Having someone to rely upon and trust in was important anywhere, but especially here.

"We made it out alright," Okita replied with a smile, looking Claude over. He seemed to be doing well, if a little bit worn. Perhaps he hadn't been so lucky. "Is that what it is called? Tear gas?"

[razing_phoenix]

It was only as they drew closer to Claude that Guy realized that his friend had almost definitely been caught in that gas, if the redness around his face was any indication. More than that, his tone sounded strained, which probably meant he'd been coughing a lot. Guy did what he could to not sigh; he felt guilty that he hadn't been able to get Claude out of there as well, but he didn't even know where the other blond had been sitting.

Hearing the name of the gas was interesting, but Okita had already asked about that, and Guy knew Claude well enough to figure that he'd give a full explanation of it now that someone had showed curiosity over it. In fact, what he was more taken aback by at the moment was that this was the first time that the three of them had all interacted at the same time. He knew that his roommate and Claude were friends who chatted on their own time, but he'd never seen it with his own eyes until now.

"Yeah, I snuck out of there and into the Sun Room with Anise," Guy explained, trying not to feel bad about the fact that he hadn't taken more people with him. "But are you okay? You're the one who actually had to deal with it." He frowned at Claude to show his concern, but didn't know if he could say much more than that without seeming overly worried.

[full_score]

Claude nodded in response to Okita's question. "It's a chemical that can be used to subdue riots," he explained. An apt name, too, considering it made a person gush liquid from pretty much every orifice in the face. At least now he knew for sure that Okita and Guy had managed to escape without having to deal with its nasty effects. That still didn't account for Mom or Leon, though, and he knew he'd have to try to track them down one way or another before the day was through.

At least he knew Anise had gotten out unharmed as well. When Guy asked after him, Claude scratched the side of his head. He'd been doing his best to keep a stiff upper lip abut the whole ordeal, but he probably kind of looked like a mess right then. He sure felt like one. Ugh...

"Oh, I'm fine," he quickly assured him. "I wasn't one of the people throwing food or attacking the staff, so they were a bit easier on me than some of the others." Still, he let a frown cross his features as he watched a soldier on patrol pass them. Just who did they think they were, pumping gas into a cafeteria like that!

"Tear gas and guns, though," he quietly added. "I never thought I'd see the institute go that far during the day."

[notachick]

So this is what 'tear gas' looked like up close. Okita felt a little bad that he was using Claude as an example of what to avoid, but he was a little relieved to see it didn't produce any lasting consequences beyond red eyes and sniffles. The way people had been coughing in the cafeteria had been unnerving. If the Institute had a system in place to release the gas at any time now, Okita would have to be far more careful about getting involved in any daytime insurrections. "I'm glad you're alright," Okita said, quick to follow up on Guy's concern for his friend.

Poor Claude... He'd been caught on the wrong side of the fight. It was good to know that the Institute's policies had changed, however. If it was just because the soldiers were here today remained to be seen, but now that he had seen the sort of weapons the place wielded, he would need to research them more.

Turning his head away, he noted the soldiers again. He, like Claude, disliked that the soldiers had guns, but Okita had a different reason for it. As a samurai, he disliked guns in general. Certainly, he couldn't disagree with how important the weapon had become in recent years, but it was a dirty tactic. There was no honor in shooting someone you could barely see from yards away. It gave them no chance. You could never see into their eyes. You could never feel their soul through their steel. It was cold and impersonal and it frankly scared him. Would the world become full of people who could kill without blinking an eye all because they held guns in their hands? "...I never thought so either, but there is obviously something abnormal happening here."

Oh, and now the soldiers were looking their way. Not good. Turning back to the other two, Okita positioned himself a little to the right to better block the soldiers' views. "Do you two know anything about it? I'm afraid I don't remember last night at all."

[razing_phoenix]

If anything, the fact that Claude hadn't done anything wrong made it even worse. He shouldn't have been gassed in the first place, but it was like the soldiers had just tossed up their hands and decided to deal with the lot of them like they were berserk animals rather than intelligent people with good reason for their actions. It bothered Guy, but voicing that anger would just get him in trouble.

He nodded in unison with Okita when his roommate expressed relief that Claude was doing better. While the use of the gas was still completely out of line, at least it was something that was easy to recover from. But there was still that potential for things to escalate, to get more and more severe until--

He didn't really want to think about the possibilities.

Seeing how the three of them had all been here longer than most, Guy figured they could all agree that this went beyond the scope of what they'd become used to. Still, that didn't mean that they couldn't adapt if they got to the bottom of it. Though when Okita asked about the previous night, Guy couldn't help feeling a bit awkward about it and he deliberately avoided making eye contact with Claude.

"There wasn't much," he spoke up with a shake of his head, putting his attention on Okita instead. "Landel was acting really nervous about today and talking about that Eagle guy, but as usual, he was vague." It seemed like things could only go on for so long before they got something approaching a proper explanation, though.

[full_score]

"Thanks," he said to Okita with a nod. "I'm glad you guys are all right, too." The soldiers had been pretty rough with some of the patients this morning, tear gas aside. Granted, a lot of them had provoked the staff by attacking them or throwing food. But he had to wonder if there were some others who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, or who intended to stay out of it, but found themselves swept up into the fighting when they saw a friend getting shoved around. Claude wasn't so sure he could have kept to himself if they'd started beating up Ippo, after all.

Hearing that Okita didn't remember last night was a bit disconcerting, but, sadly, it wasn't unheard of in Landel's. He looked over at him, a hint of concern in his eyes. He hadn't forgotten that Guy once implied that things weren't going well for Okita these days. Still, Claude knew it probably wasn't his place to question him about it in public.

When he looked over at Guy, he realized he was making it a point not to look at him. Or was he? Maybe he was just being paranoid after last night...

"Yeah, he only said enough to let people know an important visitor was supposed to come today," Claude added as he turned his gaze onto Okita. "That might have been his biggest mistake. I don't think it's a coincidence that someone just happened to start a food fight this morning."

What they'd hoped to accomplish was beyond Claude, though. It wasn't like Landel's superior, or whoever it was, was going to say, 'Gee, Landel, you sure do a lousy job of keeping your captives in line, so maybe we should send them all home!' If anything, Claude worried that things were only going to get worse for them.

[notachick]

Well, that was odd. Okita listened not just to what his two friends were saying, but also what they were doing. He couldn't help but notice things about people since his life depended on being able to read even the smallest of signs. The twitch of a finger, the shift of one's weight, even the simple act of changing one's focus away from one thing to another could all signal an attack. Which was why he perked up when he saw Guy shift his gaze away from Claude. Claude himself seemed to be looking at Guy, so why not the other way around?

Tilting his head slightly, Okita decided not to comment on it right away. He needed to watch a little more and see if he was right and, if he was, what he could do to discover why. His curiosity always did get the better of him, but he just couldn't help it. He was simply endlessly interested in other people, even if it was at a superficial level for most.

The other two were still being helpful with their information, though. A man named the Eagle was supposed to be coming today, apparently someone important enough for Landel to mention him at night. Someone he was supposed to impress perhaps? Which would mean tonight they were going to be reaping the consequences of that one idiot's actions. He was really going to need to get Hijikata a weapon and fast.

But again, all the attention was turned on him and that wasn't what Okita wanted right now. Instead, he turned the focus toward the pair in front of him, keeping a sharp eye to each of their reactions. "Well, it looks like I missed a lot! What did you two do last night? Anything fun?"

[razing_phoenix]

Guy's thoughts about the food fight were more or less the same as Claude's. He could understand the basic idea behind it, but getting into an uproar when there were unknown factors involved and when even more people were watching them just didn't make sense. It had been guaranteed that they'd end up in some sort of serious trouble, and things had turned out even worse that most had probably imagined.

Still, it was all over and done with now, so he wasn't going to dwell on it or try to track down the person who'd started it all. Hopefully what had just happened would be a lesson to some; if they were going to try and be subversive, they had to be smarter about it.

However, his thoughts on that whole matter were completely derailed when Okita spoke up with another question. It was completely innocent, but it totally threw Guy off balance for a second. He paused, staring at his roommate as he fought for a decent response that wouldn't be a lie.

"Oh, we decided to stay in," he said, even though that wasn't much of an explanation at all. Maybe it would be all right to leave it to Claude to fill in the details, since Guy was currently drawing a blank; that, and he wasn't sure how much the other blond would be comfortable with him saying.

[full_score]

Claude had been prepared to talk more about the mysterious visitor and what it could mean for the institute. That was why, like Guy, Okita's question caught him off guard. He, too, lapsed into silence for a moment, considering how he ought to answer. Unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced over at Guy as his friend explained that they chose not to go out last night. He felt kind of sheepish to admit that they hadn't explored like most people did, but that didn't change the fact that they'd really needed to take some time to sort through things.

"Yeah," he said with a nod before giving a shrug. "I mean...well, you know how it is. With the staff breathing down your back during the day, sometimes it's better to discuss stuff at night."

That was probably oversimplifying the issue, but Claude didn't want to go into details about their shadows' appearance and needing to sort through their personal baggage with each other as a result. Hopefully, his explanation said just enough while still staying reasonably vague.

[notachick]

Guy was so honest. Okita kept himself from smiling when he saw his roommate's reaction, instead turning his head toward Claude as if he was lost about what was going on. Not just Guy, but Claude too seemed to be keeping things quiet, making Okita wonder just what had happened last night. He hadn't known the two of them were together, but at this point, anyone could see that they'd been each others' companions for the evening.

At first, Okita thought that perhaps Guy and Claude had merely found something they wanted to keep to themselves, but as soon as the two of them spoke, he knew that wasn't it. They were covering something up and very, very poorly. Vague answers only worked if there wasn't an awkward pause the size of Lake Biwa preceding them.

Still, it wasn't his intention to pry anymore than necessary so he smiled at them both, rocking back on his heels with his hands behind him. "Oh, I know what you mean. Sometimes people just need some private time, hm? Were you able to talk about everything you needed to?"

[razing_phoenix]

It was hard to know what Okita's thoughts on the matter really were, but... it was hard to know what Okita's thoughts on most things were. The important thing was that his roommate didn't seem to be judging them for wasting a night or anything along those lines. Or if he was, he was keeping it to himself. That was probably for the best anyway.

The next question was one that was easier to answer, just because it didn't require going into a whole lot of detail. "Yeah. It basically took all night, but we talked through everything." He nodded decisively, though he couldn't quite bring himself to send either Okita or Claude a smile after he'd been thrown off balance like that.

Though it was odd; they'd been in his room, so where had Okita gone, if he couldn't remember anything? People usually stayed in their rooms during those times when the night got away from them, didn't they? The thought was unsettling, but at least his roommate seemed to be in good shape.