full_score
in
damned
Day 58: Lunch
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
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It easier spotting the soldier mentioned on the lunch announcement than Kurogane or Fai, and for a few minutes she watched the black clad figure though her thoughts were on how the three of them were supposed to have a meeting when no one was... well, meeting. Although there was a lot she wanted to reflect on--like for instance, the soldier she had talked to last night, the man who had taken their package from them--she wanted to see everyone first. Ensure they were still in one piece. Or rather, that the Institute was still in one piece and hadn't been overtaken by whatever punishment the military had in store for failed missions.
But so far, it seemed like an average day--quiet, for what had gone on the night before. Hers and Rapunzel's soldier had come through. That meant there was nothing to worry about right away, right? People missed shifts all the time...
Tsubaki still wasn't very keen on going ahead with her lunch by herself, but she needed to eat and standing in a corner of the room counting heads wasn't going to win her points with the soldiers, she was sure. With a show of resolution, she collected some salad on the end of her fork and ate it.
Next shift, she was going to have to hunt Kurogane and Fai down. At least she knew where the adults were supposed to be.
At the same time she thought this, one of the other prisoners spoke up, having paused by the table, and Tsubaki looked away from the cafeteria to see who was there. The gir's face wasn't familiar, but then, there were a lot of people she didn't know. "Oh! Hello." She smiled, instantly moving to put the other girl and her hesitant address at ease. What could she do at that point, turn someone away because she was hoping someone else would drop by? Considering that she was no longer convinced the men would find her, that'd be simply unkind. "I don't mind, go right ahead." Tsubaki got the impression the girl wanted to catch her breath.
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"Th-thank you," she said rather belatedly, brows drawing together in uncertainty. "I... I'm sorry, I'm very new here. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing."
Shou had tried to give her a crash course in the place, but very little had made sense. Then again, it was Shou. When did anything about that boy make sense? And that went without saying even before you took the time to consider the whole vigilante cloning experiment slant to his life.
In an act to not seem completely crude, Shiina also gave a quick, friendly bow of her head. "I'm Shiina. Nagasawa Shiina."
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So she was someone new to Landel's. The girl had appeared strained for a reason, but learning that she had arrived at the Institute not long ago explained more than it should have. Tsubaki felt a wave of compassion for her, because every new person that found themselves here had to find their way around somehow and there was no way that process could be called easy. If there was something Tsubaki could do...
It was almost worse, knowing how abrupt the soldiers were with those they considered to be a lower rank. The regular staff, if unbelievably bewildering, had mostly been kind, willing to help their patients get around.
She smiled to show she wasn't at all bothered. "I see... So you just got here? I'm sorry you had to find yourself in this place, too, it's tough to get over how different it is. But as long as you don't try to hurt the soldiers, it'll be fine." Having armed guards everywhere was a visible reminder that no one needed. "I hope I can help, even if you just want company. My name is Nakatsukasa Tsubaki," she said, dipping her head in return. "It's nice to meet you."
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"Hurt the soldiers?" Shiina eyed the more official-looking officers that stood against the wall, keeping their eyes on the others eating at the tables. Honestly, she doubted she could hurt any of them. She lowered her voice a bit. "You mean those soldiers, right?" Even she was dressed in a military uniform, but it was still pretty clear who Tsubaki was talking about. Still, better safe than sorry.
Already feeling at ease, Shiina smiled a bit easier and relaxed in her seat. "Thanks. I appreciate it. It's nice meeting you too, Tsubaki-san." She glanced over their food, noting the differences. Not that she was hungry, but it was plain who was favored over whom. "So... is this... some sort of training camp?"
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Anything she said, though, depended on how long Shiina had actually been in the Institute, and what the girl said next made Tsubaki fear for one dismal moment that Shiina had just woken up, perhaps right before lunch. All prisoners had to have their first disorienting rise to consciousness sometime, but...
It never stopped being painful. Everyone should have been home right now, enjoying their lives.
"Have you talked to anyone else besides me?" she asked hesitantly at first.
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Tsubaki's hesitancy gave Shiina pause. Niikura had tried to say something along the lines of what this place really was, but then the shift change had distracted them both. This place wasn't just a mental institute. Something about horrors...
"I only got to speak to him a little bit. I just woke up an hour ago or something." Time was hard to keep track of when you were crying and hysterical.
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There were some thoughts she didn't try to hide, however.
"I'm sorry, Shiina-san. That must have been frightening for you." Tsubaki didn't want to pretend she knew all of what the poor girl was feeling, but having gone through the disorientation of finding herself in a strange room, in strange clothes, she could relate on that account. She smiled softly. "I think everyone wakes up the same way. The soldiers... well, they've only been in the hospital a couple of days. They didn't use to do the introductions or the supervision. I hope whichever ones who woke you up were all right to you."
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Tsubaki's quiet way about her was very soothing, and Shiina felt herself relaxing more and more in the girl's presence. Her words were definitely a little unnerving, but any information was golden. "So, everyone goes through that..."
Considering the previous treatment Shiina has suffered in the hands of captors, Landel's has been a breeze. She chuckles lightly, without humor. "They were all right. I wasn't threatened to the point of death, and they didn't even point a gun at me." Yeah. Definitely all right.
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“Listen, to answer your earlier question… it’s not really a training camp. Nobody who’s been brought here knows for sure what this place is for, but it will test you. Test how well you endure in threatening situations. It can get dangerous--mostly at night. During the day, I’ve never seen the soldiers threaten someone like that so I honestly don’t believe you have to fear they’ll hurt you.”
There were always exceptions, though, and as controlled as the Institute’s guardians could be in the daylight, anything could happen once dinner came around. Worse than people armed with guns and threats.
“But like I said, at night…” she continued, her sentence trailing off. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being abrupt when you just woke up here, but the most important thing you have to know is to be careful at night time. That’s when you can get hurt. I wish I could say this was a safer place.”
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Shiina thought back to life back home. Really, if what Tsubaki said was true, then this place wasn't any different than the real world outside the institute. Politicians would smile and wave and give long speeches and act friendly and seem to bend over backwards to get the peoples' vote, then at night they would become grotesque monsters who fed on the everyday man's suffering for their own pleasure. Pleasant power-plays during the day, covering the evil that abounded in the night. Still, Tsubaki was obviously concerned, so Shiina gave her a small smile.
"Oh, my friend is coming to see me tonight. He promised, so I should be okay." Tsubaki really was a very kind girl. Shiina only hoped that no one undeserving was taking advantage of that kindness.
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Shiina’s questions made perfect sense--the problem was that the Institute’s nature made them impossible to answer with any surety. As ever, there were only theories and half-guesses. And in Tsubaki’s case, some things she couldn’t even share at all. Having the benefit of weeks’ worth of experience with the hospital and how it tended to operate didn’t make her feel superior; if anything, her expression turned more apologetic with each vague explanation she gave.
Apologetic, and slightly curious.
So the girl had found someone she knew? Shiina had said “friend,” not stranger, which made Tsubaki think the person she had talked to earlier was the same person. Having a friend around was an unfortunate coincidence, but good if he was a reassuring presence for Shiina.
“Someone you know?” Tsubaki inquired. “Well, I don’t know how much you’ll find out on your own before the end of the day, but be careful. Maybe stay around your room until you get your bearings?”
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Maybe she was being overly skeptical, but life after full-out martial law in Tokyo had made Shiina plenty aware of just how little control any one person generally held over their own life. Life at the institute seemed fairly similar to how life in Tokyo had been the past few weeks.
"Yes, I know him from back home. Sort of.... It's complicated." Shiina laughed a little, realizing she might have sounded quite of strange there but little could be done for it. It really was a complicated situation. Even she wasn't sure how to classify it. "Oh, I don't plan on going anywhere without my friend okaying it first. He seemed pretty insistent that I wait for him, so that's what I'll do."
She didn't mind waiting around for Shou. As long as he came to her door and proved once again that he really was there then she could care for little else.
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