touchedgod
in
damned
DAY 59: CAFETERIA
Billy surfaced into wakefulness. Sleep receded like an inky tide, and it didn't say anything to him before it was gone. His dreams had been nothing but the sensation of water, rocking him restlessly in his bottle. There seemed to be an ocean beyond his confines, but he couldn't see it and couldn't reach it. He pawed at the glass, but any progress
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Sadly, Nigredo never got to witness the end result. The world had vanished from under his feet, and before logic could form a rationale, the child awoke in his own bed. He stayed motionless with wide eyes and a fathomless countenance, his mind synchronizing the events. In minutes, he recognized the steady flow of a brother's waveform as well as the quiet sounds associated with mornings, both evident of a single fact.
They had missed the coliseum. For whatever reason, they had been spared from participation. Either someone in the group had practiced restraint, or they had simply ran out of time. The relief that burst forth was enough to make Nigredo sick, knowing how close he had skirted toward death. Ironically, it was paranoia that kept the child from crumbling, as a part of him wondered what new twists he was supposed to expect from this development.
And like a herald of bad news, his usual escort barged in, face grim and ready for work. Nigredo sighed audibly and forced himself out of bed, simultaneously reaching for his various accessories. The man appeared displeased; delaying any longer would prove more troublesome for Nigredo than not.
To his surprise, when he touched the beret, the soldier stopped him with a pointed tone. "Don't bother," he said. "You can leave that here."
The variant blinked. This was a confusing response. "...Come again?"
"You don't have to wear your beret. You can also leave the top button of your shirt undone," the man answered. Without skipping a beat, he bent down and gestured to the pins on the beret. Nigredo's eyes followed suit. "See this? You've earned the privilege."
He had seen them before, those emblems. Had further reasoned their existence some time ago. The pins had to be none other than the "accomplishments" mentioned by Aguilar. The fact that he caught a third addition to his growing collection meant he had been rewarded the night before. And what else had happened to Nigredo aside from that little stint before dinner?
"Oh, I see," the child muttered, swallowing a statement about how forcibly drugging him meant he could now be less clothed. "Is there anything else?" he wondered aloud.
The soldier detailed out two other privileges, one of which caught his attention immediately. To move freely in the daytime meant a number of things, and though a new rank was interesting in and of itself, Nigredo opted to jump on the opportunity for mobility. His escort obliged, and soon, the child took to the hallways, beret-free but top button done.
With a variety of choices before him, Nigredo took to business first. He stepped over to the Sun Room and left a brief query for Albedo on the bulletin. His brother probably wouldn't understand the desperation (nor the need to use numbers instead of names), but Nigredo hoped the middle child would at least humor Nigredo. The little party Albedo had gathered had been a disaster waiting to spill all over the basement floor. The least he could do was answer a simple question.
His own thoughts were then derailed by a frightening screech, the entirety of his spine shuddering from the high-pitched tones. Nigredo whirled on his heels, mouth opening to berate the person responsible for disturbing his calm morning. "Could you please keep it--" he started loudly, only to stop in his tracks at a very familiar sight. Take away the memory of the frills, add in the military dress and twin-like features, his senses recognized it to be a flustered dead girl.
A million and one questions statements passed through Nigredo's mind, but the one that stuck proved to be highly unexpected. "Oh, I must be going insane again," he stated flatly, before turning back to the bulletin in a veiled state of shock.
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"Yes, you must be, because I don't remember asking you anything..." Erika trailed off, noting something odd about this boy's appearance. Namely, how it was not exactly like hers. "Wait... your beret... Why are you allowed to keep it off?!"
Why... why was it that this boy, who didn't even fight in the Coliseum, was given privileges above hers? Was it because he had more pins then her, if he did? or his rank? Now that Erika was seeing a tangible benefit to her efforts, she really wanted to know how much she could milk it for its worth. And she could start with this boy, whom she normally wouldn't have cared to see ever again.
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Nigredo believed it, then. That theory explained two impossible occurrences, each having to do with the revival of the dead. Unfortunately, that meant Erika (That had been the name, right?) was, in truth, very much alive and not a product of mental instability. He frowned, opening his mouth to address her point.
Only to be sidetracked by an odd question. "Oh, that," said Nigredo. "I'm allowed because I have three pins." What? Did the lack of a beret seriously bother her, or was it the fact that he could do something she couldn't? Weirdo. The boy shook his head and continued, "More importantly, how are you alive again?"
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Since Erika was thinking about that, it seemed like she ignored or didn't hear the boy's question. However, she eventually waved her hand dismissively, a sour look on her face at the fact that she had lost and because she couldn't explain why she was still alive, really.
"The General's whims, probably. I didn't return unscathed, as you are aware," She grumbled, sure that he could see the extent of her injuries, and even beyond that... she had still lost several important things. None of that was anything this boy needed to know, so she returned to her thoughts. Was two pins the minimum amount required to move around freely? Something about that assumption bothered her... It just didn't make sense that being able to remove one's beret was a greater privilege then being able to roam freely.
An idea came to Erika's head, one that she had been tossing around since she had been able to leave the cafeteria. The seemingly illogical pattern of actions caused by the military was begging for Erika to figure it out, and she seemed like she was especially keen on testing just how far the military was willing to tolerate her whims. Why not? At the very worst, she might end up like those unfortunate people who end up standing around all shift.
"If I'm allowed to walk all over the place, then they won't have a problem if I borrow some things," She said aloud, as if announcing herself to the boy. She partially was, because just thinking about the task she set for herself made her bones ache. "I'm going to the Laundry Room upstairs."
Erika then strode off, not even turning around to see if the boy had decided to accept her passive "invitation" and follow her. She was sure it would become obvious if the boy followed her or not.
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When Erika finally did, he nodded, resisting the urge to exaggerate the motion by placing a hand under his chin. "Hm, he must have liked you," Nigredo mused. It was a questionable assumption at best, but the fact that Aguilar had given her a concession to the rules spoke volumes. Regardless of the case, she was lucky to be alive.
Of course, in a case such as this, it wasn't often for Nigredo to label the undoing of a well-deserved death as neutral. With this female, however, he was willing to write off past grievances. She got what she was entitled to, after all, and that alone evened the score between them.
Therefore, when Erika announced her intentions, Nigredo followed without hesitancy. Not necessarily for the pleasure of her company (as that was nonexistent) but out of pure boredom. "What are you planning to borrow from the Laundry Room?" he asked, tone and face neutral.
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Until then, she was perfectly fine with childish and stupid acts to irritate him and his staff. Her pace was better then yesterday's, but Erika still grimaced when she finally reached the stairs leading up to the second floor that were near the patient blocks. Did she really have to climb those? If all she needed was blankets, then she could just take them from the patient blocks... but those would have been used. That thought was enough to encourage Erika to ascend the stairs, slowly but surely. Besides, the boy had followed; now she had a conversation partner to distract herself with.
"Blankets," Erika replied, not following up with what exactly she planned to do with them. "I want clean ones. I'm sure they won't mind."
It was actually quite nice being able to go where she pleased. Erika realized that this was already an opportunity to scout out the rest of the area and to reconfirm her maps. Certainly, she imagined there were certain areas that she wouldn't be able to approach, so now was a good time to check what exactly those rooms would be.
As Erika reached the top of the stairs, she started to take notice of her surroundings, bringing up an image of the second floor map to her mind as she started to scout the area.
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The U.R.T.V. also had a more confusing line of conversation to take in. One could only do so much with clean blankets, and instantly, he jumped upon those possibilities, which the child formed into a list. In his mind, Erika needed bedding for one or more of the following reasons: (1) she wanted to sleep. (2) She was cold. (3) She soiled her own blanket in some unforgivable way. (4) She needed a replacement for her gaudy dress. (5) Clean blankets were devices to some cleverly crafted plan, or (6) "miscellaneous".
The childlike part of him hoped this was some hint at an upcoming nap while everything else winced at the moment of weakness. Whatever. Regardless, Nigredo aimed to find out. "What do you want clean blankets for?" he asked, reaching the top of the stairs after the girl. Although this was the first time Nigredo had seen the second floor in broad daylight, he did not appear as fascinated by his surroundings as the other, choosing instead to stare at her with a pointed look.
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As they started to walk across the Sun Room, Erika noticed that her assumption of "restricted" areas had been correct: Several rooms appeared to be guarded, soldiers hanging around the doors and giving her looks that plainly told her not to go too close. Yet Erika stopped anyway, in front of the open walkway that led to the Chapel to stare at one of the soldiers who was posted near the room.
The soldier in response just shifted, giving her a pointed stare. "Authorized personnel only. Keep moving."
That was enough of an answer for Erika, who just shrugged at the boy traveling with her and kept going. Her destination might have been guarded as well, so she started to steel herself for an argument. That room in particular, she had no idea what was inside, but it wasn't anything worth starting a fight over. It was best to save that for her destination. With that in mind, it was probably a good idea to explain to the boy what she exactly needed the blankets for, lest he get any strange ideas in his head.
She would do that. At her leisure.
"We'll see if I can even get into the Laundry room. I hope they at least take requests." Erika sounded disappointed, but she did note that not every room was guarded. The chapel, for instance, seemed open to them, but she had no desire to enter it. No, something interesting happened in the Laundry Room, so it was worth taking a look anyway to see if she could find any clues about the strange shadows that assaulted her and Sync a few nights ago...
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Therefore, as opposed to asking again, he continued shadowing her footsteps, watching as each soldier locked their eyes on the pair. It was a very familiar sensation: having authoritative adults observe his every move. Nigredo half-expected Erika to stick out her tongue at them in a show of defiance but then remembered she was not one of his siblings. He also remembered he was not his siblings, and before the boy did anything rash (like throwing himself over the railing), he tipped his head toward the wall in feigned boredom.
Finally, the female finished her examination, and they continued on.
At her words, Nigredo gave a tired hm as an acknowledgement. He didn't know why they would guard laundry of all things, but stranger things had happened here. The boy also hoped they had a stock of pillows, though he kept that little wish to himself. "Maybe they'll take pity on children," he muttered instead.
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They were finally making their way down the end of the hall, and though a few more doors were guarded up front, the laundry room was completely open to them. So, in the end, they decided it wasn't worth guarding... It would be strange if they did, but right now, everything was strange. Now that Erika could commence with her plan to annoy the military, she felt now was a good time to answer the boy's question. And take advantage of the extra pair of arms she had.
But first, she had to look around.
"Were you here a few nights ago? There were the shadows running about. I found two of them here," She explained, opening the door and swinging it open. Unlike last night, the lights were able to be turned on and while the place looked boring, it also looked bright and normal, a far cry from how it looked a few nights ago. "Before I grab some blankets, I'm going to look around. So don't bother me."
She left the boy with that and started to do as she said, looking around carefully at the room. The spot where the shadow appeared was perfectly clean, which wasn't strange since the event occurred so long ago. In the light, Erika still couldn't find any clues as to where it came from; no projections, no strange devices, no slots on the floor. Maybe she thought since she received that hint about how their powers were blocked, she was hoping that other devices would show themselves to her as well. But it looked like she was coming up empty-handed.
"Might have moved it," Erika grumbled to herself, loud enough for anyone to hear. "If they brought such a thing in for just the night and then removed it... Hmph. I guess there's nothing else to look for."
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Whether or not one of the soldiers happened to fit the criteria became moot, however, as they came upon an unguarded laundry room. He might have been slightly disappointed at the lack of resistance, but any possible ire was destroyed by the presence of soft cloth and warm, humid air. The instant they crossed the threshold, Nigredo was hit with a wave of drowsiness and pleasant stupor. If not for nearby staff and the paranoia of sleeping unguarded in front of this girl, he might have told Erika to screw it and passed out on top of a table.
Thankfully, she had a topic, one potent enough to slap him awake. "Yeah, I was here." He remembered that shadow like any other memory: pristine perfect and unwanted. Somehow, it didn't surprise Nigredo that she had run across her own set. "Be my guest," the boy said, waving a hand in dismissal.
While she went about her business, he stayed by the doorway, torn between observing and nodding off. Eventually, Nigredo caught a low grumble from one end of the room, signaling the end of her side-mission. This prompted him to push for movement. "If you're finished," he said as if answering Erika, "you could explain exactly what you want to do with clean blankets."
Before he took to assumptions, that is.
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And this early part of the day, with patients freshly up and about, was the worst. The staff were in the mode of collecting and processing all the sheets and blankets from the patient blocks that had been slept in the night before. Loads upon loads of white and grey fabric came pouring into the laundry room, piling up in the bins by the door as the room's skeleton crew rushed to get them all into the industrial washers while also keeping up with the loads that were done drying. Was it lunch time yet?
One of the staff, a man with a tired, hard face shaped by months of seemingly endless work in this hot, humid room, noticed the presence of the children right away. His first instinct was to shoo them out immediately, and he even made a half-turn towards them, eyebrows furrowed. He only stopped when he noticed the military garb they wore. Of course, he thought with a roll of his eyes. Now that the soldiers were running the facility, they had a new rule that certain patients (cadets, privates, whatever it was they were being turned into) were allowed to roam as they wished during shifts now. The laundry room, bizarrely, was not one of the areas still restricted, and thus the two children technically had a right to be there. They had best not cause trouble, then, thought the man, narrowing his eyes as he continued stuffing a blanket into a washing machine.
For the time being, the boy seemed content to wait by the door, while the girl looked at the wall and floor for... something. The man would have called it odd, but then, these children had been placed in Landel's for a reason. They were talking about something, but over the constant rumbling of the machines, the man could not tell what they were saying. It wasn't until he went back to the bins, nearer to the pair, that he caught the last bit of their conversation. "...you could explain exactly what you want to do with clean blankets."
The man raised a thick eyebrow and stopped, crossing his arms (less brawny than an orderly's but still fairly sizable). "Oh? And just what do you need clean blankets for?" he asked, shooting an annoyed look down at the blue-haired girl.
[Eryn]
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"Military business," Erika lied sweetly, a perfectly pleasant smile on her face as she shrugged, as if indicating that she didn't know why she was asked to get clean blankets. Well, as long as she was considered part of the military in some shape or form, perhaps her lie wasn't that far from the actual truth. "I'm going to need a lot of them, so step out of the way and let me work, okay?"
She already made it this far, so she wasn't going to back down from her quest so easily. Even if it was the most pointless quest anyone in the Institute had ever thought of, Erika found it all the more fun to do something when someone didn't want her to do it. Perhaps she was even welcoming the challenge, because even though she was smiling, anyone could have seen the competitive sneer in her eyes.
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The female, however, rose to the challenge and answered in a manner that impressed the natural liar in Nigredo. So instead of throwing out a pointless and potentially damaging statement, he turned back to the adult in anticipation. There existed a numerous ways for this one to respond, and depending on how he took both the military and her reason, it may prove more interesting than not.
Nigredo made a good choice in following this girl. This scenario was far less boring than breakfast.
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That said, for all the man's annoyance, he knew he couldn't actually stop her, and he didn't say that she couldn't take what she wanted. If the military had granted her access here, she also had a right to take what she wanted so long as it didn't cut into what was needed to re-make all the patients' beds. And, the man admitted to himself grudgingly, they did have a fair number of extra blankets. They would just need to be washed a lot sooner than they normally would have been. Yet more work on top of what the staff already had to do, and all because a little girl wanted to abscond with a pile of blankets for god knew what reason.
Ugh, those faces. Those sickeningly innocent faces. They knew what they were doing. They knew exactly how much they were digging into his patience right now, and they were enjoying it. Oh how he wished he could give these brats both a good spanking and send them crying to their mothers' teats.
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"I can't talk about it. That's classified information," Erika just replied back, seemingly enjoying this game of cat and mouse. How truly irritated he looked, probably because it was quite irritating to have children walking all over him. On the other hand, Erika quite felt like she earned the right to do just that. "Someone like you isn't qualified to know that."
Something about being able to walk and do mostly as she pleased was slowly taking the edge off of losing horribly a few nights ago. At least she was being well compensated for her troubles, so she made no effort to act polite, giving the man a grin as she hoisted the blankets up out of the bin... Though that grin looked strained as the action hurt her abdomen more then she cared to admit.
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