Day 57: Waiting Room / Lobby 1

[oneman_onekill]

Somehow, he'd managed to eat all of his food, and grudgingly, Niikura had to admit that he felt a lot better after brunch. That pink stuff tasted like crap, but it did its job, which was to keep him alive. Still...what did he have to do around here to get some food, short of raiding the kitchen at night? Not that he couldn't do that, it was just

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[notachick]

"A visitor?" After his lunch with Andrew Carter and the rather productive explanation of bombs and that thing called a molotov, Okita had been approached by a pseudo-nurse and escorted away. It wasn't until they breezed through the Sun Room and out into the main hall that he discovered why and even then, he couldn't quite believe it

[terriblehaiku]

Visitors... this had to be some sort of joke. There wasn't any way that anyone he actually knew would be coming by to chat with him while he was being held prisoner in some bizarre prison with technology far beyond anything that should rightly have existed.

Which meant it was going to be a trap or some other sort of trick, which he was simply not in the mood for. Unfortunately, his ill humor at the news did nothing to move the unsmiling staff, nor did it get him any more of an explanation. Which meant that unless he wanted to cause a scene, he was going to have to go along with it. And he really wasn't in the mood to get into a real fight just then

[damned_visitors]

"...told that I could bring a gift when I visited, that's all. If I'd known it was going to be such a problem I wouldn't have brought it, really." Her voice drifted in before she did, sounding light and cheerful with a note of apology in it, but even friendliness didn't seem to have much effect on her escort. Realizing that it was a lost cause, Yuuko turned her attention toward those she was actually interested in talking to; she'd had more than enough of dealing with the staff during her own time in the Institute.

As soon as she saw the pair her smile shifted, taking on enough warmth to betray the previous expression as the entirely false mask it had been, and she headed closer, carefully cradling the flat box of sweets that the staff hadn't confiscated. "It's so good to see you," she offered once close enough, though she didn't move to sit quite yet. "Both of you."

[notachick]

William. Okita had to do his best to restrain a giggle at the sound of a Western name attached to Hijikata's severe, glowering face. Of course, he had one, too, but that hardly mattered and Hijikata wasn't one to press and tease like the younger captain would. If only Hijikata would realize that teasing was an excellent way of distracting people from their problems and their nerves, maybe he would do it, too. Or maybe he did realize and he was simply too honest of a person to find peace in falsehoods

[terriblehaiku]

Hijikata has still been trying to figure out just what was going on when that voice stopped all his thoughts cold. It was a voice he hadn't heard in at least a year, and was doing a remarkable job of filling him with a horrible mix of disbelief and guilt.

And then she stepped through the doorway as if nothing was the matter. As if he hadn't sent her out on a job that they'd both known would likely mean her death. As if the last time he'd seen her hadn't been her funeral, her battered body laid out carefully to disguise all the abuse it had taken.

He had been right. This was all a trick. A horrible one which froze him in place, wondering who else might walk through that door in order to punish him for his failures.

[damned_visitors]

It... wasn't quite the reception she'd been hoping for, but Yuuko honestly couldn't blame them. She could remember being here and the things she'd believed, the things that Julian had told her himself, so she was more than willing to make allowances for that. Some of the warmth in her smile still slipped away, though, leaving her expression a little more guarded once more.

"Well. I brought you something I made, Julian. I think you'll like them... or at least, I hope so." She held the box out toward him with an expectant look which turned apologetic as she glanced in William's direction. "I tried to bring you something, too, but they kind of confiscated it at the door. Something about cigarettes being too unhealthy. Oh, and Makoto says to say hello for him, since he couldn't make it this week." Her tone was friendly, if a bit brisk; she might make allowances for them being ill, but she wasn't going to call attention to the fact. They were still her friends, no matter what, and it wasn't as though she hadn't been in the same situation

[notachick]

His face... How long had it been for him since he last saw her? Okita knew when she'd first appeared here, he had born the same expression. It was grief and guilt and disbelief all rolled into one; but it was so much worse for Hijikata. While others could grieve and shed their tears at her death, Hijikata had locked all of that away and refused to bear it. Now their greatest loss was staring them in the face with a guarded smile, handing them gifts as if playing along with this facade was natural

[terriblehaiku]

He would, Hijikata decided, much rather be back in that dark hallway, disorientated and facing soldiers with guns, than be sitting here watching this farce unfold before him.

It was impressive, in a morbid sort of way. He had to give them that. She looked like Ayumu and she sounded like her, but he had far too much sense to let himself believe it was really her. After all, hadn't one person already trained himself to impersonate her? Was it such a stretch of the imagination to believe that another could have been as well, sent here to try to convince them to believe the lies she was telling?

It made him angry that anyone should abuse a dead woman this way, especially one as dedicated as Yamazaki Ayumu had been. He did his best to bury it, however, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "It's all right," he replied, schooling his voice as best he could to hide the conflicting emotions. "I should quit."

Let her react to that. It would give him something more he could use to unravel this trick.

[damned_visitors]

Her wince at Julian's use of that name remained purely internal, her smile unchanged. "It's Yuuko, Julian. Yuuko Nakamura. And Makoto is my younger brother- you do remember him, don't you?" It had been too much to hope that he would be doing better now that she was, wasn't it? Still, she hadn't been lying when she'd said it was good to see him and reassure herself that her friend was... still there, if still not the same.

She moved to pull a chair over and sit, finally, with a quiet chuckle at William's comment. "I've heard that before, though. Several times, if I recall correctly." And yet nothing had changed, to the point that she'd decided to smuggle a pack of cigarettes in to him because she was fairly certain he'd want them. "I can't imagine that being without has improved your mood a bit."

[notachick]

As far as Okita knew, when a person died here, they were supposed to remain dead. That was why he'd attacked Sai in the first place and why he still hadn't forgiven the boy, even if the murder wasn't his fault. Did that make her an impostor? Someone who wore Ayumu's face and spoke in her voice, had her memories, but was nothing more than a very good actress and spy? Susumu could impersonate, but he never put the mole in the same place. This woman, Yuuko Nakamura, had the exact same face

[terriblehaiku]

In a way, it was convenient that the woman sitting across from them was denying being Ayumu. It made it all the easier to simply dismiss her as someone else entirely--this 'Yuuko'--someone here to test them and break them down.

Hijikata wasn't having any of it. If someone out there wanted him to react, they were just going to have to be disappointed. Instead of grumbling at the mild jab at his mood, he shifted in his seat, switching his posture from defensive to relaxed, and concentrated on not scowling at either of them. "It's true." He nodded slightly along with Souji's statement. "And surely you don't think my temperament is that bad." He put a little smile into it, something that could almost have been flirtatious, although the wrongness he felt at that kept it on the chaste side. "It was kind of you to come see us."

[damned_visitors]

"Hm, I have met you before." It was almost teasing, though there was a hint of wistfulness behind it; Yuuko could remember their interactions before everything had happened, but things were different now. Very different. She could tell just from their postures, the looks they'd given her- they probably thought it was some kind of trick, because she'd thought the same thing herself.

She settled back in the chair, pretending at a level of serenity she didn't truly feel. "Of course I came to visit. You're both friends, and I couldn't just let you think nobody outside of here cared about you. And... well, when I was released I left so quickly I couldn't say goodbye to you, Julian. I'm sorry about that, but I wasn't given a choice."

[notachick]

They were teasing back and forth and Okita finally gave up on opening the box for now. He had to be patient and wait. If there was something in there the staff shouldn't see, he'd have to hide it so they didn't confiscate it. He doubted that would be the case, however. In order for that to happen, Yuuko would have to remember being Ayumu, and then she would likely be gone again.

Gone like she should have been. It was strange to find displeasure at seeing Ayumu alive, but Okita preferred to think of her as dead and gone rather than brainwashed and being manipulated. Worst yet, she remembered being here but did not remember dying here. It would mean revealing uncomfortable truths to Hijikata if Okita dared pry any further into what Yuuko knew. "It's good to know you're all still thinking of us, even if we're technically crazy," he quipped, putting his chin in his hands. Released so quickly? That was one way to put it. "And please, don't mention it. If it wasn't your choice, then it wasn't your choice."

[terriblehaiku]

"It's been a productive few days," he replied, keeping up that false, gregarious demeanor. "Maybe I've changed for the better."

He could not help the slight, worried frown that crossed his face at 'Yuuko's' comment at having been here herself--at not having been able to say goodbye. He tipped his head towards Souji, giving him a questioning look, but said nothing on the matter. Ayumu had been here, presumably, some time before he'd been brought in. Souji hadn't mentioned it. To spare him? Surely the captain didn't think his feelings were so fragile.

He'd have to ask about it later, when they had some privacy.

[damned_visitors]

"I'm glad to hear that you're making progress, but I'd hardly expect a miracle." Yuuko smiled to soften the flippant comment, though her attention shifted from one man to the other as she made note of the reaction to what she'd said. In the life she'd imagined for herself perhaps she would've been far more subtle about it, but in reality she wasn't a ninja, she wasn't perfect at controlling all nuances of expression and posture, and she didn't bother trying too hard to hide the small frown of her own.

They didn't seem particularly happy to have her there, even if they were mouthing the right responses and at least trying to pretend. But she knew them, and had missed them, and perhaps hadn't thought enough about how the two of them would react to seeing her again. "Perhaps I should've let Makoto visit instead," she observed, her voice a little quieter, more subdued. "I just wanted to see you both again for myself."

[notachick]

Hijikata sent him a questioning glance and Okita returned it evenly with a smile of reassurance. This was not the time to talk about Ayumu's former visit to the asylum; nor would it likely ever be time. Maybe once things were settled and he was certain whether the people on the outside were impostors or the real people brainwashed into believing the fantasy lives, he could tell Hijikata. But not now. Not when he had been so certain he'd failed her by letting her get herself killed