Day 55: Male Showers [4th Shift]

[zack_fair]

Having to be around food that he couldn't eat hadn't been nearly as bad as it could have been considering what that food was, and so Zack felt fairly decent as he left the cafeteria and headed through the Sun Room into the showers. Actually, it was his feet that were bothering him more than his stomach. He hadn't been allowed to sit down all day (

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[girlsandgadgets]

It was a little sad that Edgar felt more disgusted by single meal than from having been without bathing for several days. He'd had his share of unappetizing foods, especially when between towns and surviving on provisions, but he'd never considered himself terribly picky. Aguilar's serving of gruel was making him reconsider.

As he passed through the bathroom, Edgar took the opportunity to look over his shoulder in one of the mirrors. Not even a scar- there was no hint at all that he'd ever been injured. Natalia certainly was a miracle worker. Thinking of her gave him pause: how long had it been since he'd seen her? They'd not spoken since the shadow incident, since the night she'd healed him. She was around the following morning, then... hm. Where was she?

Edgar sighed, continuing to the showers. Hopefully, she wasn't missing, like a certain thief he knew. That night was the last they'd spoken, as well. Locke hadn't answered his notice on the bulletin board. There was a chance he'd simply missed it, but it was probably safer to assume he'd been "released." It was a term Edgar was beginning to dread- the implication that someone had either been robbed of their identity or was dead didn't settle well with him. At least it seemed those brainwashed could return to the institute, though the circumstances of how that came to be were still unknown. The dead were without hope.

Of course, that was if they were dead at all. It was hard to tell what was the truth, especially now that the grounds were under Aguilar's command. Thus far, the man had shown little tolerance for pretense. They were no longer being treated as a part of the institution facade. Things were going to continue to change. Said changes were already apparent as the king started to disrobe, the new uniform requiring more work than the previous one. At least, as a whole, it was something more familiar to him.

As he unbuttoned the shirt, Edgar spotted Guy. It was an odd coincidence, but not an unwelcome one- Natalia's shadow (yes, speaking of Natalia...) had mentioned his name. It was either a more common name than he'd initially thought, or- more likely- they knew one another. Either way, Edgar was pleased to see him. "While I'd not wish this place upon anyone, I'm glad to see you're still around, Guy."

[razing_phoenix]

Hearing a familiar voice, Guy glanced over from the shower he'd picked to the nearby changing room, spotting Edgar there. It did take a second or two for it to register, both because of the outfit change and because he hadn't seen the other man in a while. Even if his mood wasn't as good as it could have been, a smile still automatically formed on his face at the sight of the inventor. He hoped that all of his experiments with his different gadgets had been going well.

The comment that was offered by Edgar caused Guy to shake his head and wave him off with one hand while he started to soap himself up with the other. "It's fine. Being here is better than some of the alternatives, after all." Like being brainwashed or eaten by monsters, for instance.

While he would have been happy to just focus on the feel of the water on his skin and clear his mind that way, discussing his favorite topic with another enthusiast was also a good way to accomplish that, and so Guy gestured to the shower next to his to indicate that Edgar could join him if he wished.

"How have you been?" he asked. "I realize it hasn't been that long, but it feels like it." Especially with how much had changed. Guy was sure that Edgar had his thoughts on all of that as well.

[girlsandgadgets]

There was no arguing with that logic: while they were still prisoners in a strange land, their friends disappearing while they remained trapped in some cruel experiment with no foreseeable escape, the situation could always, always be worse. After witnessing the end of the world, Edgar had learned that lesson.

He joined Guy at the adjacent shower, turning on the water and letting it drench him. How long had it been since they'd last spoken? Only a few days, but it seemed far longer. With the oppressing atmosphere that permeated the building and whatever magic was used to put every patient to sleep at the end of the night, he wouldn't be surprised to learn they stretched out the daylight hours somehow, as well. There had been mention of all the resources Aguilar had put into the institution- why not get the most for his work by making the days longer?

"I'm better, as I'm sure you can see," Edgar replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The sling was a pain in every sense of the word. I have a lovely healer named Natalia to thank for my speedy recovery."

[razing_phoenix]

It didn't seem like Edgar was all that shy when it came to the showers, which was good. While Guy had rushed through his shower before in order to speak with someone more comfortably out in the Sun Room, he preferred to take his time when he had the choice. Edgar, even in their old uniforms, had always come across as well-groomed, so it was no real surprise that he would want to do the same.

Guy continued with the soap for the moment, wanting to be thorough since he knew that they only got this chance twice a week. He did glance over at Edgar's shoulder, however, surprised to see that it was in perfect condition.

Even more shocking than that, though, was what the other man said next. Natalia wasn't a very common name, was it? "Natalia?" He paused in his actions for a moment. Was it possible the healing had been done last night and he'd jumped to conclusions after all? "She's a friend of mine, actually. When did she heal you?" He didn't want to get his hopes up, but it would have been nice if he could deliver some good news to Tear and Anise.

[girlsandgadgets]

So Guy knew Natalia after all- that made at least three from a single world. Was it a coincidence, or were they all drawn to the institute for a specific reason? Edgar had yet to figure out why anyone, especially Celes and Locke, were pulled; however, he was fairly certain he was the only one left from his homeland. He hoped so, at any rate: while having allies he could trust was a benefit, the institute had proven itself an impressive beast, one that had already conquered an impressive array of patients. It was getting to the point where he wasn't confident he'd test it against any of his friends. If Locke and Celes could fall to it...

Edgar closed his eyes. There was nothing to be done for them, for now. He knew one thing: he could not allow himself the same fate. There was too much at stake. He'd survived the destruction of a world, the fall from a collapsing airship, and countless rejections from beautiful-but-ultimately-disinterested women: he wasn't about to meet his end at the hands of someone like Aguilar or Landel.

"A few nights ago," he answered with his eyes locked before him, working the shampoo into his hair. "The night the shadows attacked us. I haven't seen her since the following morning." He paused, looking to Guy. "Is she all right?"

[razing_phoenix]

The night with the shadows. Well, that wasn't a time that Guy was very keen to remember, and he sighed quietly to himself as he rinsed the soap from his body and then went to gather some shampoo into his hands. If Natalia had been with Edgar that night (who knew that the two of them had gotten to know each other?), had she also been haunted by one of those things? What had it said?

Granted, her disappearance was a bit more important than any of that, and after a moment Guy turned his head to meet Edgar's gaze. His expression probably said enough on its own, but they were also both in the middle of showers, so visibility wasn't great.

He had to say it, though. "That's the thing, I'm not sure. I haven't seen her in a number of a days, so I'm sort of expecting the worst, to be honest. Hopefully she's out there, alive, and brainwashed instead of not." It was sad that that was the better option, but it was. He hated to think of Natalia in such a position, but if she came back at least she wouldn't remember it. Tear hadn't, and neither had Luke the number of times he'd returned.

"I think some of my friends are going to make doubly sure tonight, but..." Guy had been here long enough to judge the period of time, and it had been too long.

[girlsandgadgets]

"I see..." Edgar looked away, knowing how Guy felt. He didn't like to think the worst had happened, but it was becoming was more and more the norm for him. It was surprising to hear there were people who had been trapped for over a month, especially when many didn't make it more than a week. How long would it be until he started to meet people with the expectation that they wouldn't survive long enough for a second meeting?

He rinsed the shampoo from his hair, his mind still on Guy's words. Why was it better that she was brainwashed? To lose himself was an unimaginable horror, one that would damn his people to a grim fate. Worse would be the grief he'd put Sabin through. It was only a better option than death by virtue of the slim chance he might regain his memories. Natalia's shadow had some unusual accusations that night, but nothing that made accepting the institute's lies the more promising choice. He saved his questions about it for later- the disappearance of a friend was hard enough without them.

"I'm sorry," he uttered finally. "I don't know if it's just my luck, but there have been a lot of 'releases' lately. With the way Aguilar runs things, I have a feeling there will only be more on the way." If Natalia truly was gone, that made two in one day... as if the change in regime hadn't been bad enough.

There was silence as Edgar poured more shampoo into his hand, lathering his hair a second time. He couldn't tell if it actually felt disgusting, or if he was reeling from personal revulsion.

[razing_phoenix]

There wasn't much that could be said about it, and so Guy really didn't judge Edgar for being at a loss for words. The matter of friends disappearing happened to just about everyone except for those few unlucky (or were they lucky?) people who never had people they knew show up in the first place. Guy hated to think that he'd gotten used to the feeling, but he could at least say that it wasn't unexpected.

When Edgar mentioned that a lot of people had disappeared lately, Guy had to pause and think it over. He wasn't sure if the numbers had really increased in his case -- it seemed to be steady all the way through. Then again, there was Luke, Asch, and possibly Natalia. But his friends had been in and out so many times that he couldn't say that it stood out from any other time, either. That was depressing enough on its own.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he returned as he finished working the shampoo into his hair, letting his hands fall forward so he could rinse them off. "But you're right that he might want to weed people out." As if the rate of people vanishing hadn't been bad enough already.

He dunked his head under the shower then, closing his eyes and letting the hot water fall over him. This conversation of theirs was far more depressing than the others had been, which meant he was going to have to bring it around to something more lighthearted soon. He'd rather not dwell on this after everything he'd talked about during lunch.

[girlsandgadgets]

Weeding people out- that did seem to describe what was going on, didn't it? Edgar pushed the hair from his face as the water washed the soap from it. Patients being treated as disposable commodities sat poorly with him; the thought that only the strongest would survive was a harsh reality. Not everyone would be able to find protection or learn to defend themselves. There were people there who had no business being forced into such a position and who would have probably never put themselves into danger otherwise.

Nevertheless, Edgar believed everyone- even those who had been untrained civilians- had some intrinsic value, and had thought Landel may have chosen his targets for specific reasons. Perhaps Aguilar had something similar in mind, but judging by the change in tactics and staff, it was unlikely: they apparently held two different views on human value. Well, it was still early in the game- maybe the General's motivations would become clearer as time progressed. He'd given less ambiguous clues than Landel ever had in his short time running the institution; however, his apparent aim thus far seemed no nobler than the Head Doctor's.

"I wonder what the night will bring, in that case," Edgar said, not bothering to lower his voice. "Doubtless more changes are on the way. I can't imagine the night would remain unaltered. It'll be even more of a challenge if they confiscate our items every morning from now on."

[razing_phoenix]

With the shampoo having been cleaned out of his hair, Guy went for the conditioner next, working automatically. Edgar had a point about night possibly growing more and more different from what they were used to, though last night had been rather typical. The effects that his friends had suffered all seemed par for the course -- which was a sad realization on its own, but nothing had made it stand out from what Landel usually pulled to torture them.

And honestly, how could night be changed? It would be best if he could anticipate what was to come, but he really didn't have many ideas. Maybe Tear would have. She knew how soldiers thought, not to mention her brother...

Guy knew a decent amount about Van himself, but not enough to predict what Aguilar would do just based off of that. More than that, he didn't have the mind of a sadist, so it was hard for him to formulate any theories. All he could do was try to be adaptable, which he was fairly good at in general.

What did take him by surprise was the sudden mention of items being taken from them. Guy hadn't noticed, but he also hadn't thought to check, having taken it for granted. "Do you mean that your things weren't there this morning?" he asked with a frown as he started to run the conditioner through his hair.

[girlsandgadgets]

A nod. "I didn't have a chance to check the closet, but noticed everything I had in the drawer was missing. My journal was there, as well as the radio, but everything I've acquired at night that was kept there was gone: loose parts, a dagger, a few basic tools- all removed." Considering half of the contents of that particular drawer had been the remains of his original radio, it wasn't hard to tell what was missing.

What didn't add up was the announcement- it sounded as though Aguilar expected more progress... progress with what, exactly, was yet to be seen. Was there a goal besides escape? While Edgar liked a challenge, it was an entirely different game when innocent lives were on the line. With their items confiscated, the playing field had been leveled. While it wasn't a major impediment to some, having his equipment taken meant a machinist like himself was back at square one. Wasting time wasn't his style, especially when the consequences were so high.

In spite of the possibility of being left unarmed and his past week of work lost, Edgar grinned as he shrugged. "I suppose if Aguilar's going to confiscate my possessions every night, I shall have to learn to work faster."

[razing_phoenix]

If it turned out that all of them had been affected by this confiscation of items -- which was likely, since it made no sense that Edgar would be targeted and he wouldn't -- then Guy was going to be a world of trouble himself. After he'd just gotten a sword from Okita (who had used who knew what sort of method to obtain it), to have it taken would really be crushing. Granted, Guy knew that he could survive without it as he'd done so for weeks, but the very frustration of losing it just as he'd gotten used to it was something even he couldn't ignore. There was also the matter of his outfit from home, though that was clearly secondary.

Another thing he couldn't ignore was that Edgar had probably lost even more than he had when it came to time and energy. All of those inventions that he'd told him about... Well, it had really only been two, but that was a lot in this place. Guy hadn't even gotten the chance to see them with his own eyes, which was a disappointment on its own, though it couldn't be nearly as great as what Edgar himself was feeling.

Despite all that, the royal was keeping his head high, which was something that Guy found admirable. Maybe it was just a front or maybe it was Edgar's way of not letting his mood fall too low, but it came across as genuine. "That's a good way to look at it," he said with a smile. "I guess I'm going to have to take inventory of all of my things after this." There was no point in worrying over it right then, but he couldn't help it. Sighing, he moved in to rinse the conditioner out of his hair.