Day 58: Sun Room (Second Shift)

[poorexample]

[From here.]The room was mainly empty when Michael reached it, which was fine by him. It wasn't that he didn't feel sympathy for the other patients, but he also didn't know if it would be helpful for him to talk to them. The staff seemed to think that forming bonds amongst themselves would lead to recovery, but to him it felt more like they would

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[zack_fair]

That was a good question, but it was yet another one that Zack didn't think he could answer. He rubbed the side of his neck and let out a sigh. "It's pretty hard to say, isn't it? I mean, with people disappearing so frequently who knows? But I haven't really heard of anyone being here for longer than a month or two." But it was possible that patients were just being recycled and that the pattern had been going on for years... Wasn't that a creepy thought?

As for Rose's next comment, Zack had to wonder if that was how the military saw it. Did they see the whole force of the patient body as a real threat, something that could actually uproot them? Or were they thriving on their own arrogance and belief that they would always be able to control them? He hoped it was the latter, since that would at least give them the element of surprise.

"Anyway, I guess you should probably look into getting a weapon that'll do you better than that flashlight, huh?" Zack remembered how Rose had swiped it at the bat, but night had ended soon after that. He wondered how things would have gone if morning hadn't interrupted.

[loyalrose]

A month or two. Damn. Rose was finding it hard to imagine being trapped in one place for a week let alone longer. Her fingers twitched as she struggled to subdue anxious anticipation. She wasn't used to spending very long in any one place. The one exception recently had been Mystic Falls, but that was because she'd felt safe there. The same could not be said of here. It made her restless, needing to move, to go... Only that wasn't an option. Not yet.

Relieved when he changed the subject, Rose laughed softly, looking sheepish. "That would probably be smart, wouldn't it? I'll have to find something a little less necessary to beat things with. I'm not used to having to rely on weapons. This'll be a bit of a switch."

[zack_fair]

"Well, with any luck that'll be your prize for taking those drugs." Zack wasn't sure that he was on board with the whole pin thing. Maybe it would get them better treatment, but did he really want to be getting buddy buddy with the soldiers here? It's not like they were going to allow them to get access to anything truly useful. In the end, they were always going to be on opposite sides. A weapon seemed like a far more useful reward.

There was something interesting in what Rose said, though, and this time it wasn't as easy to ignore. Seeing how she was the one who had alluded to it, Zack figured that it was fair to ask. "What do you usually rely on, then?" If not weapons, then what? Agility? Brute strength? Just judging from Rose's appearance, he'd bet on the former, but it really was impossible to tell.

[loyalrose]

Rose stifled a laugh. "Well, considering what I've picked up from some of the others here, that's not so astonishing, I suppose." That much she could say without giving too much away. "Where I come from, I'm a bit faster and stronger than normal humans. Which is really all I'd have to be worried about, typically. I'm a little... different." She kept it purposefully vague, hoping he wouldn't press for details. She'd have to make something up if he did. Or tell him point blank. The few times she'd tried that approach in the past had convinced the person asking that she was joking anyway and didn't have them pressing further, which accomplished her purpose all the same.

"I've never had to worry about training with weapons, to be honest. I tend to fall back on whatever's around and handy, when I've needed it."

[zack_fair]

A little faster and a little stronger, huh? Well, that was a combination of the two things that he'd guessed, but the answer was still interesting. Zack was also used to that, due to his mako treatments. In this place, it was like he'd never gone through any of that. In some ways it was a relief, to know that he was fighting purely on his own power, but he couldn't deny that it was something of an inconvenience. And he already knew that materia didn't work as well here as it did back home.

Rose's answer had also made it clear that she wasn't used to fighting monsters, just humans. In what context? That might be prying a bit too much, though. "Believe me, I know what you mean," he said, expelling a breath that was half-laugh, half-sigh.

"But anyway, I'm pretty good with a sword" -- which was the understatement of the year, honestly -- "so if you ever need someone to teach you a thing or two, feel free to ask." Which also reminded him that he needed to check up on Taura's training group. He'd actually be useful now that he had a weapon to demonstrate with. And, if all went well, he'd even end up with something better than a short sword by tonight.

[loyalrose]

"A sword? Really?" Rose echoed, looking rather delighted at this prospect. It had been centuries since she'd bumped into someone who still knew how to use a sword decently, not counting a few of her kind who'd been around that long. "I've never used a sword. I suppose I was pretty handy with a dagger," and a stake, but that could be a little telling, if one knew anything about vampires, "but I'd probably do just as good with some sort of... club thing," she finished inanely, holding her hands up with a laugh. "Less skill needed with that. That would probably be easiest to find a makeshift version of, too."

Which basically meant break something. Rose could handle that. She'd just have to figure out what. But she'd have to find something before venturing out tonight, just in case. If she came across something like what Zack had turned into last night, she wanted something bigger than her damned flashlight to fend the thing off. No way was she letting one of those get that close to her.

[zack_fair]

All right, since when did swords get such a response? For Zack, the whole thing was pretty normal, though even back home he had to admit that being a skilled swordsman had earned him some attention. More than a few people who he'd encountered while he'd been in SOLDIER had seemed a little too interested in his sword work. "Well, daggers and clubs work too," he replied with a smile. "All I'm saying is that I've got some experience with fighting in general, though it sounds like you've been around the block a time or two." Rose was definitely out of the ordinary, though Zack still couldn't quite pinpoint how.

He could have asked further questions and tried to get to the bottom of it, since it wasn't as if Rose had been closed off during their conversation thus far, but as it turned out he'd lost his chance. The intercom chimed on and that Major Harrington was still doing his best to make the announcements at least a little bit interesting. "Oh, looks like that's it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. At least his hair had dried by now. Zack straightened on the couch and then started to get to his feet. "It was nice chatting, Rose. I hope everything goes smoothly for you tonight." He grinned at her and winked before heading off to meet his escort.