Day 57: Courtyard (Third Shift)

[roseoverture]

The air inside the Institute was getting stifling. It wasn't much different than usual, really, but knowing about all the changes done under the Institute's hood in her absence, Utena could barely stand it. The staff were so stiff, even as they pretended to be the same caring nurses as always. Landel's regurgitated voice recordings crept under her

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[melodists]

There was something morbidly odd about announcements that missed obvious cues. She was certain they were replaying one of the Head Doctor's previous announcements (one she hadn't heard, truthfully) using fontech, but the method in which they chose to cover up some of the information was rather poor. Tear was half-tempted to pick apart the matter on her own, but last night's events had made it difficult. At least she managed to loosen one major knot and find a worthwhile project to focus on for the next little while.

By afternoon, however, things had come to a standstill. She could not locate the others she had run into that night. In addition, nausea was making a rather nasty appearance, likely due to the effort she had put forth under their brainwashing. Therefore, when asked to choose a place to stay for the upcoming hour, she requested the courtyard.

It was cold outside, which helped clear her head and kept her center of balance stable. There were a few others in the area as well. One man in particular walked toward her position by the pond, and as a show of good manners, she nodded in greeting. "Cold day, isn't it?"

[timedork]

The Doctor had been enjoying the cold, fresh air as he made his way around the perimeter as the pond, but it was a bit lonely walking all by himself. Maybe he should have seen if Donna would have fancied a walk-but no, no, she might have complained about the cold and the lack of nice coats. He would just enjoy the air without-

The sound of someone nearby addressing him cut his thoughts short, and the Doctor looked up to find a long-haired young lady by the pond.

"Oh, yes," he answered, after he ran the words he'd heard through his mind once more. His pace slowed to a stop, and he glanced around briefly. There were actually more people out here than he'd expected, though the number seemed to be few over all. He even spotted Julia speaking with a pink-haired girl.

He turned back towards the girl. "Yes; it is rather cold, but that's not so bad. Enjoying it, I hope? ...-Though I can't imagine you'd be out right now if you hated it." Not when she could have been inside instead if she did.

[melodists]

She momentarily wondered if she had disturbed the man and was about to offer her apologies when he answered. He neither appeared nor sounded offended, and thus, the young woman assumed it was safe to continue. Conversation was not a frequent facet in her life; however, she was far from anti-social. Plus, it probably benefited her to get to know as many individuals as possible, especially if nightly efforts ever had to involve assisting others.

"That's true. It is very enjoyable," said Tear, a bit awkwardly. "Though, I'll admit I'm not used to this temperature." Majority of Auldrant's cities were nestled in the temperate regions of the planet while Yulia City was constantly...dark. Snow, ice, and cold were not elements she had grown up with, unfortunately.

[timedork]

His walk around the courtyard now abandoned, the Doctor took a few steps closer to the girl so that they could talk more comfortably.

"From warmer climates, then?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I suppose that even if you're unused to it, that's nothing a good, warm coat can't solve. And these, well... they're not bad." He shrugged his shoulders as if to indicate the jacket he wore-could have been better, longer, but it was easily much better for this sort of weather than, say, a cagoule. So there was that.

The Doctor grinned at her, sticking his hand out towards her. "Right. I'm the Doctor."

[melodists]

Tear nodded to all of the man's points as she glanced at the indicated jacket while fingering her own. "I'm surprised myself," she admitted. "I hadn't expected them to keep out the cold." Although, the expectation likely came from her inexperience with the weather as opposed to any sort of accurate assessment. She supposed it was proof, then, that the military did at least care about their well-being to a degree.

The other then extended a hand toward her, intentions obvious. The name, however, was completely surprising. The Doctor? A title, perhaps? It seemed rude to ask about it, and thus, she kept the questions to herself. "Tear Grants," she said as the girl took his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

[timedork]

The girl's statement came as something of a surprise-why was she surprised that the jackets kept out the cold? He supposed some of the clothing provided by the Institute was a bit... lacking (though Donna would likely have harsher words for it), but a coat was a coat, wasn't it?

Stilling grinning, he withdrew his hand after the handshake, seeking out his jacket pocket. "A pleasure, Tear Grants," the Doctor said.

He tried to think for a moment whether he'd seen her before-maybe here and there in passing glances, but he couldn't remember ever noting her in particular. Maybe she was new. -er. Newer. "You haven't been around here for too long, I hope?"