Normally, Claude would have been interested in spending the whole shift in the greenhouse. That thick, moist air, along with the small variety of plants, proved a nice change of pace when compared to the rest of the institute's sterile environment. With all the excitement today, though, taking some time to himself in the Sun Room sounded pretty appealing. These days it felt like he was doing that more and more often, but there wasn't anything wrong with that, right? Since this shift was often divided by sex, staying in the Sun Room also gave him a chance to talk to people he might not have otherwise
( ... )
[From here.]The walk back proved inconsequential, though her nurse took a moment to commend her for her good behavior. To Tear's surprise, she even made note of the chastisement on the bulletin board, regarding it as a "brave thing to say" (with an added comment on not using such an elaborate and drawn out alias, of course). It was the first time the teenager had heard her string more than five sentences together, and thus, Tear was marginally taken aback
( ... )
He hadn't expected anyone to approach him so soon, but Claude honestly didn't mind. Company prevented his thoughts from wandering too far, and now was the time to keep his head in the here and now. Opening his eyes, he sat up straighter in his seat and turned toward the source of the voice. Even though they'd only met once before, he recognized her right away. She had a distinct way of carrying herself that struck Claude as the very essence of cool, calm and collected. The fact she was military didn't surprise him
( ... )
The same thing? The phrase took a moment to process, leaving Tear a beat behind and somewhat perplexed. She remembered a second afterward, a fact that evoked some irritation. The staff had not informed anyone of her stay in the medical wing; she was good as missing in those two days. The Melodist would do well to remind her nurse of that mistake
( ... )
When Tear offered an apology, Claude shook his head. "Oh, no need to be sorry!" he said. It wasn't like Tear had any control over where the nurses put her, much less what they told other people. "I'm just happy you're okay
( ... )
Their length of acquaintance proved short compared to others, but Claude appeared genuinely glad for her presence. She didn't think it too odd: unless otherwise shown, a friend of a friend was a welcome sight. And Tear trusted Guy enough to trust his friends. Thus, she acknowledged Claude with a nod, her expression displaying the barest hints of gratitude.
It vanished in the next minute.
When the conversation continued onto breakfast, Tear pressed her lips together into a thin line. Although she was glad Claude managed to escape the most brutal sections, she could tell he got caught in the gas. It made this morning all too real--that the staff were willing to allow casualties for calm. "It's good to hear you weren't injured at least," she said. "My table-mate and I managed to avoid everything but the food. It was a close call; they released the gas as we walked out the door."
Claude actually managed to avoid getting hit by the food, though he had to admit that he would have rather contended with that than the gas. With the extra military presence, was that going to become the norm for dealing with too many unruly patients? That would be terrible, but he couldn't exactly put it past this place, either
( ... )
Lucky was correct. "Me, too," said Tear, who then heaved a sigh. "The person I was with was only a child." An older one, to be certain; Sakura was closer to the age requirements of admittance into the Oracle Knights. As far as the teenager could tell, however, she remained firmly outside that requirement. Not to mention, Sakura was also a civilian. The possibility of her experiencing the effects of the gas did not sit well with Tear.
Like with Claude, her eyes followed the passing soldier, etching his path in the forefront of her mind. There were an increasing number of them this particular shift. With more suspected on the horizon, she had to wonder if their presence had been planned or entirely unexpected. She couldn't say which was worse.
"I'm not sure," she replied as she finally glanced back to Claude. "They don't trust him; that much is obvious. What they plan to do with that, however..." Ah, they could go in multiple directions, couldn't they? "It's admittedly worrying."
The presence of children only made the use of gas that much more despicable. Claude had already realized that, but Tear brought it to his attention once more. His expression grew grim, though inwardly he was thankful that he'd heard back from Leon, and that his friend had managed to stay out of trouble. There were so many others who hadn't been so lucky
( ... )
Claude was correct in the absolute sense. Should a takeover occur, Landel's Institute would transform into a beast of another nature. Though Tear and her conversation companion might know what to expect and react accordingly, the rest may be taken unaware and overwhelmed. This was terrible no matter how you looked at it; battles and deaths may harden a person, but the military forced discipline and at times, utter humiliation. Tear remembered how hard it had been to adjust, and her introduction had some cushioning
( ... )
It was true. There were a lot of privileges the soldiers could revoke if given the chance -- access to their things, a chance to write on the bulletin board, free shifts where they could choose how to spend their time, just to name a few. That would mean their freedom would be even more limited than it was now. He had a feeling the punishment for getting in trouble with the staff would be more severe than just a sedation needle, too.
He hadn't expected Tear to apologize, of all things, though. Talking about the riot this morning was only natural, since quite a few people had gotten hurt from it. If anyone had to be blamed for being such a downer, it was probably him for bringing up the intercom leak from earlier.
"No, I'm sorry, too," he sincerely said, scratching the back of neck. "I've wanted a chance to talk to you for awhile, actually, so I didn't mean to drag down our chat like that." Claude offered her a smile. "You said you were part of the Oracle Knights, right? Anise told me a bit about them the other day."
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It vanished in the next minute.
When the conversation continued onto breakfast, Tear pressed her lips together into a thin line. Although she was glad Claude managed to escape the most brutal sections, she could tell he got caught in the gas. It made this morning all too real--that the staff were willing to allow casualties for calm. "It's good to hear you weren't injured at least," she said. "My table-mate and I managed to avoid everything but the food. It was a close call; they released the gas as we walked out the door."
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Like with Claude, her eyes followed the passing soldier, etching his path in the forefront of her mind. There were an increasing number of them this particular shift. With more suspected on the horizon, she had to wonder if their presence had been planned or entirely unexpected. She couldn't say which was worse.
"I'm not sure," she replied as she finally glanced back to Claude. "They don't trust him; that much is obvious. What they plan to do with that, however..." Ah, they could go in multiple directions, couldn't they? "It's admittedly worrying."
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He hadn't expected Tear to apologize, of all things, though. Talking about the riot this morning was only natural, since quite a few people had gotten hurt from it. If anyone had to be blamed for being such a downer, it was probably him for bringing up the intercom leak from earlier.
"No, I'm sorry, too," he sincerely said, scratching the back of neck. "I've wanted a chance to talk to you for awhile, actually, so I didn't mean to drag down our chat like that." Claude offered her a smile. "You said you were part of the Oracle Knights, right? Anise told me a bit about them the other day."
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