Day 57: Waiting Room/Lobby 1 (Fourth Shift)

[hairraising]

Since her talk with Soma in the morning, Rapunzel had been afraid this moment might come. Even as she distracted herself with other things, there was a tightness knotting up inside her stomach. Even as she assured herself that she would be prepared if it happened, the feeling wouldn't pass. And now, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, and the

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[hat_einen_vogel]

By the time the next shift was announced, Prussia was more than ready for the day to just be over. He wasn't looking forward to killing time while the movie repeated in the Sun Room; he wanted to get out of here, to do something, to not think about the past-the recent past. There were better times to think about-like when Old Fritz had been his king. Despite his mood, he smiled at the thought. "Watch over me as always," he mumbled to the spirit of his beloved leader

[damned_visitors]

Ludwig was... well, he wasn't sure what he thought any more. He was glad to be healthy again, of course. He was enjoying life as best he could, and he'd never been better. However, he didn't have his older brother. That was a problem that kept nagging at the back of his mind. Why wasn't Gilbert better? He'd always been stubborn, of course, but surely even he realized how ridiculous it all was? Embodiment of nations? Absolute nonsense

[hat_einen_vogel]

He hadn't expected West.

Prussia had looked up from the magazine when he heard measured steps heading in his direction, and saw his brother, dressed in a crisp suit and his hair as neat as he'd ever seen it. A look of disbelief slowly spread across his face, until finally West reached where he sat and greeted him.

"West?" he asked, glancing at the extended hand and then promptly ignoring it. If West was going to go with formalities at all, something like a salute would have been better. He did, however, rise to his feet, quickly inspecting his brother. He looked good-healthy-and the suit was more than enough to prove that he wasn't a prisoner here any longer. But... "What the hell? What're you doing here?"

Why had he come back, and how had West gotten out in the first place? Prussia hadn't exactly given up on trying to escape, but the way that he woke up back in his room every morning certainly put a damper on progress. Had West found some secret way out, and now had come back to free him?

[damned_visitors]

He might have saluted, at one point, but... he was't military any longer. Nor was his brother. That was a reality they'd both have to accept- if Gilbert was going to ignore the handshake, then Ludwig would deal with that. His arm fell to his side, and he ignored something in turn- the 'West' name. How had he ever let his brother think that he was West Germany? How could they both have been so clearly insane for so long? It was heartbreaking to hear, but as was his wont, Ludwig remained stoic.

As for the questions? That was obvious, he was sure. First he held out the basket, hoping that it'd be accepted. The rest could wait. "We're allowed one visit per week, correct? I wanted to see you; I made some wurst." He'd gone to some effort for this, too- just like he always would when he wanted someone close to him to feel better, or when there was something important to be said.

[scalyfishman]

Same old, same old.

Depth Charge didn't put up a fight as he was lead into the lobby- even if he'd wanted to he wouldn't have gotten very far, with the nurse and the notably broad men they'd thrown into scrubs and called an orderly hanging around him, one on his arm the other watching from a distance behind him. And hey, even he wasn't that stupid. The soldier could probably break every bone in his human body if he put his processor to it, just in time for the nurse to sedate what was left.

Still, it made the Maximal uncharacteristically nervous, seeing how they'd planned this time. Last time he'd just had the usual solo nurse, and it wasn't as though he'd acted out at all then- so what was the deal with the extra security?

"Price, this may be difficult for you, but we've determined that your progress has been significant enough to warrant the next step," the woman said, sitting him down. He peered at her, suspicious. Maybe she was a soldier, under that outfit, but she sure knew how to talk the talk. "This is necessary to your

[damned_visitors]

Ahh, now there's a face I haven't seen since the questioning room. The corner of the man's mouth crooked up.

Ambrose Fisher didn't cut a terribly imposing figure; his frame was tall, but lithe. There was a certain air about him, though, an air that clearly said: "Not to be messed with." With his well-kept red hair, his self-assured smile, and his eerie, cool-green eyes, the man's stare seemed to pierce straight across the room, right into the eyes of Aaron Price, and it commanded a certain presence. He strode across the visitor's room, hands comfortably in the pockets of his jacket. With the staff in place, he had no reason to fear any kind of retaliation.

"Long time no see, Detective Price," said Fisher, that shit-eating grin still seamlessly in place. "Well... I suppose it's just Price now, isn't it? Not much detecting to be done in a place like this, is there?"

[scalyfishman]

Depth Charge didn't notice when his guest walked through the doors. Not at first, anyway. It was pretty clear that he wasn't going to be getting the same fakes as last time, so there wasn't much point in watching all that closely; how would he recognise them?

Surprisingly well, as it turned out.

One stray glance, one moment's pause to look up, and suddenly he'd locked eyes with a man walking towards him, alone. Human eyes, supposedly. Green. But that look was all it took to overload Depth Charge's memory board with a host of emotions he could barely register, the most piercing of them all being sudden, sick understanding. The last time they'd looked into each other's optics it had been in a rush of bubbles and heat, and of the sudden light of raw energon melting their circuitry to slag.

"X." The words hissed like escaped steam, scaldingly, painfully direct. They'd done it. They'd really done it now. Fury clawed at his throat; it was becoming difficult for him to breath steadily.

[damned_visitors]

"Hmm, you know, I'll bet it's that kind of approach that made the force stop taking your case seriously," said Fisher, his voice somehow rough and smooth at the same time - exactly the way Price would have remembered it. "Fancy code names do not a good case make. Evidence, on the other hand: that would have been something."

Fisher stopped a few feet away from Price, arms crossed confidently over his chest. "Do you know how satisfying this is? How intensely satisfying? You hounded after me for how long? I lost track of the number of months after a while, you know. And now, here we are-" He shrugged. "-With me as the one hounding you for once! Isn't that a remarkable change of pace?"

[mirthfulness]

The mess of yarn that Gamzee had been attempting to make into, well, anything, wasn't worth taking out of the arts & crafts room with him, so he left it. He took his clown drawings, though, fully intending to decorate the walls of his room with them. The staff hadn't seemed all that pleased with them, but there apparently wasn't much danger with him having them either.

He'd wanted to see a movie in the sun room next, but apparently they had other plans for him instead. He was led into one of the waiting rooms (an area he wasn't familiar with at all) and told that he would be having a visitor stop by to see him. That was rather exciting. If it was one of his troll friends, they might better be able to explain to him what was going on and possibly tell the others where he was

[damned_visitors]

This.

Was.

Stupid.He couldn't believe he was bothering to come, much less play along with this rotten bullshit. But even he knew it was stupid to turn back now, so it was better he get in, say his piece, and get the fuck out of there before he got an assfull of whatever his friend chose to substitute for his unhealthy addiction of the crusty semen of the soft drink industry

[mirthfulness]

When the other boy first approached, Gamzee stared and tried to piece together why he was so familiar looking. (His own situation somehow didn't make the solution to this any easier to come by.) It was the voice that did it, and by the time Karkat was nearing the end of his grumbling Gamzee had made to attach himself to the front of his friend like a big, mop-haired leech. The words were irrelevant. It was nothing different than what their leader normally went on about and that was what made it all the more endearing

[damned_visitors]

Billy might as well have been attached to some kind of electrical device, because the moment he latched onto him the other visibly stiffened at the touch. Really, 'convulsed' seemed more like the proper term to use, but it wasn't all that dramatic. Really, beheaded snakes flopped more, but it was supposed to get the point across: he didn't like this. He didn't like any of this.

But while he'd attempted to wiggle away he didn't make much of a move to shove the latter off. Yet. Billy's question only seemed to feed that scowl, and the teen's eyes glared at the dead vermin that was supposedly his friend's hair.

"I thought it was obvious even to your retarded ass self. I hope you don't think they'd let us all come even if we wanted to."

It was at that point where he made an actual attempt to push Billy away, now that being in a room with several other people made the whole situation vaguely uncomfortable.

"But isn't it your lucky day. Congratulations, fuckass, all your preaches about miracles finally got you somewhere and they've all

[madeinthehrl]

Talking to Rapunzel had helped more than Soma thought it would. It was good to hear her own thoughts spoken aloud; it made the words easier to believe. Now, following her escort into the lobby, she almost felt prepared for whatever was coming next. It was a little surprising to see Rapunzel waiting there, too, and her heart sank a little for the other girl, but she forced a small but definite smile onto her face for her friend and took a seat

[damned_visitors]

Don't get her wrong--it wasn't that she didn't want to come back. If anything, it was that she hadn't wanted to leave in the first place. There were so many friends still here, and Sarah just. Wanted to stay with all of them. For as long as she could. And things had been strange since she had been released. It was hard, getting used to someone that you tried not to be for so long. Luckily, she had others with her, going through the same thing. Almost all of the club members had been released, except for... Two. And when Sarah had been asked if she wanted to visit one, she agreed without thinking, as Senna would have, and then later doubted. Would Soma--Maria--even want to see her? Because she had abandoned her, hadn't she? Especially after she had started having a bad time, too

[madeinthehrl]

Soma had been waiting with bated breath, searching the room for any sign of that tall, dark-haired figure, and she almost didn't notice her visitor until she was nearly right in front of her. It hadn't helped that the girl hadn't tied her hair back as usual.

But when it finally clicked--when her friend smiled brightly at her--Soma could only stare in utter shock, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach and her throat closing up like an airlock. It wasn't the best way to say hello again, but what could she do? She'd prepared herself for the wrong visitor, thought she could make it through another visitor session unscathed, and now any carefully rehearsed lines about how-is-Mother-doing and tell-Alexei-I-said-hello had flown straight out the window.

"Senna," she said disbelievingly, the first thing that rose to her lips after she could get her vocal cords working again. Almost immediately she regretted it--she wasn't Senna, was she? They wouldn't have let her go unless they'd brainwashed her. But she'd called her Soma. Unless

[damned_visitors]

Yes. She had been right. Allowing her friend to think 'Senna' might have been the best choice in the end. As Soma--and fine, she could be Soma until she thought of herself as Maria, hell if Sarah didn't understand that--smiled back, Sarah snagged a nearby chair, pulling it in front of her friend and sitting down. If one had the eye for it, Sarah's movements were slightly off from Senna's--each motion more careful, more restrained.

But when Soma continued speaking, Sarah's heart shuddered in her chest, expression falling slightly. "They're not... so good at giving people a heads up what happens around here." Not even to tell someone's friends that they were released so they wouldn't worry. Sarah made a face, rolling her eyes. "But we know they're all assholes here, right? Better to get out while you can, huh?" There was ice in her chest, and it was harder now, harder to find that second skin that the people in here knew so well. She was failing, maybe, and she couldn't even be sure if she was.

[girlsandgadgets]

Though he wanted to continue to spend his free time in the cool air of the courtyard, Edgar instead found himself sought out by his "nurse," who ordered him to follow for the fourth shift of the day. At first, he thought he'd receive the usual excuse: something about the weather being too much for him and it was better for his health to come inside. He had to admit that prolonged exposure to the elements probably wasn't best for his recovery- the cold didn't do his throat any favors, but it was nice to stop sweating for a while. Oh, what he wouldn't do for a bath

[damned_visitors]

This day was one that Saxon had been anticipating with a whole jumble of emotions. He had missed his brother, more than he had ever expected to. Things had been somewhat rough between them before all this, and maybe that was why he was so bothered by what had happened. What if it had been his fault? He realized that was self-centered, but

[girlsandgadgets]

No amount of preparation could have kept the surprise from Edgar's face as he heard the familiar voice call an unfamiliar name; he felt hints of excitement and anxiety overcome him, even if for only a moment. Ten years apart, and the reunion hadn't felt like this. Then again, that had definitely been Sabin in the mountains: taller, broader, but undoubtedly his twin. This man- Edgar didn't even have a name for him- was not his brother, no matter how incredible the resemblance. It pained Edgar to remind himself of that fact, but it was something he had to do

[damned_visitors]

In the end, Edward didn't react as much as Saxon might have hoped. He looked happy enough, but it wasn't the heartfelt reunion he had been hoping for, deep down. He realized that probably was impossible right now, with Edward's illness and all of the unresolved issues between them, and yet sometimes... sometimes he just wanted things to be that simple