Day 58: Lunch

[full_score]

Although it had been good to see his mom again, Claude entered the cafeteria with a dark expression on his face. He was glad she felt comfortable enough with him to share her experiences from last night, but that didn't make him any less angry at the military for using her to do their dirty work. Why couldn't those bastards clean up their own

Comments

[human_sponge]

Tear really was mature. Instead of being offended by him questioning a part of her plan, she reevaluated and tried to find another solution. Peter could already tell that this was going to work out. With the two of them sorting through ideas and doing their best to recruit others, they had to be able to pull this off.

But yeah, a distraction just wasn't good enough when monsters were attacking and a torture victim was involved. Peter had a shovel to swing around, but he knew that in the end that really didn't cut it. The idea of picking up a gun still bothered him, though, and it wasn't like he even had access to one. It occurred to him that Sam had one, had even lent it to him at one point, but no.

"Well, there is another group that's been running for a while. They're called Search and Rescue and they basically focus all of their efforts on heading upstairs and helping the people who get kidnapped. We can always try to work together with them on those nights." Javert had seemed open to the idea, at the very least. Peter didn't know how many other members were left, but it was worth looking into, right?

The issue of safe areas was coming up again, though. It was what he, Firo, and that teenager had needed last night, but he hadn't been able to come up with anything. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "As far as I know, the rooms are the only places that are one hundred percent safe. That's why the old clinic was kept in one of them. But... I can always ask around on the bulletin board and see if anyone knows anything." There was certainly no harm in it, even if the board had gotten him mixed results thus far.

[melodists]

By now, Tear was certainly grateful it was Peter who had agreed to meet with her. The man was a wonderful sounding board and had great critiques for her suggestions. Furthermore, he obviously knew the institute well enough to offer new pieces of information to help come up with a satisfactory solution. She had a feeling they could manage something with what they currently had.

Case in point: the Search and Rescue group. She had recalled seeing correspondence between a "S&R" and a "Javert" on the board once; she just hadn't known that it was the name of an established group aimed at assisting victims of experimentation. Until Peter clarified the matter, that is. Instantly, the expression on Tear's face brightened, although she was careful to not remain overly optimistic. An alliance was hardly set in stone, after all.

"That would be wonderful if everyone is willing to work together," she stated, nodding at the same time. "I would be happy to speak to the leader of the group about a possible alliance, if you like." Though it seemed more sensible to have Peter approach them, he was already occupied with the matter with the safe zones. Tear was ultimately fine with this arrangement as he would probably have more luck with the task.

"I see. I would appreciate it if you could. I have a feeling it may come as a great help if we do establish mobile units." A pause. "Also, about the old clinic, do you recall how they operated?" she asked after a second's hesitation.

[human_sponge]

For a moment, the more serious and business-like expression disappeared off of Tear's face. It was good to see that she could get excited about things, though Peter realized that most teenagers would have been making that face in response to getting a date for the prom or getting a good grade on a paper -- not because they'd just found out that there was another group of people out there trying to help torture victims.

Still, there was no point in dwelling on their sucky situation, especially since they were actually covering some good ground here. That was something to smile about, in his opinion. "I've spoken to Javert once before, but that was when this whole paramedic thing was just an idea floating around in my head. It would probably be good to reach out to him again and get a full member list for his group."

More than that, Peter needed to get some definitive answers from some of the people who had replied to his message the day before. Tear had definitely been the most interested from what he'd seen, but that didn't mean that the others weren't dedicated.

Making a mental note to put up a note about the safe zones before the end of the day, Peter then considered Tear's next question. "You know, I never went there myself, but I know that it was based in a patient's room. All the paramedics and... healers waited around in there for people who needed medical attention to drop by. But the problem with that is that you're out of luck if you're too injured to get over there, which is why the idea of a moving group came up." Which was all thanks to Hanatarou, actually.

[melodists]

Another highlight came in the form of acquaintanceship. It was easier to approach someone with a proposition when there were some recognition between the parties. "I will see if I can get in contact with him," Tear said, the words a promise. She would have to put up a note after lunch to arrange a meeting. Though it might have been simpler to sort out the matter on the board itself, the staff no doubt read its contents. Ultimately, it was safer to organize in person.

She listened carefully as Peter outlined the basics of the former clinic. Though she saw the logic in holding the clinic in a patient's room, Tear fully agreed with Peter. The weakness there was that not all the injured could move. Having a traveling group could account for those who could not make it to the safe zone. Of course, as stated in her initial notes, having both options available was the ideal: a protected base and a mobile unit.

The problem, then, came in the numbers of volunteers. "That makes sense," Tear answered thoughtfully after Peter finished. "Are any of the medical personnel and the healers from the old clinic still around?" She feared his response would not be positive, but it was worth asking.

[human_sponge]

That wasn't a question that he could answer so easily. Peter hadn't had much of a connection to the original clinic since it had only been around when he was still fairly new to the institute, when he'd been trying to use his powers rather than his learned skills to make a difference.

"I'm not really sure," he admitted. "As far as I know, they're all gone. I know that there's probably at least one person around from when the mobile group tried to get off the ground the first time, though." Kibitoshin was the one he was thinking of in particular, though he couldn't say for certain that people like Tsukasa or Nataku weren't also out there somewhere.

"I had a few other people who were interested reply to my note, though, so I'll just try to follow up with them. As the group becomes more known, maybe we'll get more people signing up." That was about all he could hope for at this point. He knew that Claire would likely to be willing to pitch in sometimes, though he didn't want to force the girl into doing anything she didn't want to either. He'd leave it up to her.

[melodists]

[I'M SORRY FOR THE LATENESS AND THE SHORTNESS, COURT. T_T]

As she thought, the answer was less than hopeful. It was to be expected, Tear supposed, from a place where guaranteed presence was a dream. Regardless, there was no point in dwelling on the missing. Their absence was a tragedy, yes, but becoming swept up in that detail would do nothing to bring them back. Therefore, she mulled over Peter's explanation for a moment, before nodding to show both her understanding and agreement.

"Let me know if you need assistance with following up on the volunteers," the soldier then offered. "Also, you mentioned you had some supplies already, but is there anything else you need? I am planning to locate a weapon tonight, but I may have time to make a few detours." If their first official night was coming up, they might as well be extra prepared.

[human_sponge]

[No worries! We can probably start wrapping this up?]

"I might need help. It depends on how many of them want to meet up with us in person before deciding to join." Everyone was different when it came to things like that, so Peter would just have to put his feelers out and see how people reacted as the paramedic group became more of a reality. He was going to have to try and track down anyone who had even showed a vague interest, even if it might mean asking about someone who had already disappeared from this place.

It was unsettling how easy it was to not notice someone vanishing, but Peter knew that wasn't really his fault.

"I don't think supplies are that big of a deal right now," he said. "I've already got a pretty good stockpile and two people have offered to drop by with more tonight." Which was great, since it made his job that much easier, and he'd also be able to meet up with and connect to more people who might be interested in the cause. "Thanks for the offer, though." For now, Tear should probably just worry about taking care of herself.

[melodists]

[Yup, can do.]

That sounded reasonable. If enough people expressed interest, it may take both of their efforts to ensure they had all the details. She probably didn't need to worry, though. Peter proved competent in handling the organization of the group; things would likely fall into place once they got it underway. If the man already had offers for supplies, they were halfway there already.

"Understood," said Tear. "I'll keep in touch over the bulletin. If Javert gets back to me, I'll let you know of any agreements." Just as she finished her sentence, the intercom chimed, signaling the end of lunch. Despite not completing her meal, the young woman appeared pleased. No wonder, too. They had covered a lot of ground.

"I'm glad we were able to discuss this," she continued, her lips curving into a smile. "I look forward to working with you on this group." And hopefully provide her all.