Day 59: Library

[gald_digger]

Anise couldn't get out of the Cafeteria fast enough. The stench of rotted food was overwhelming, and she was starting to feel sick. Most of her nausea came from seeing the people around her eating it, though. Even her friends! Anise didn't know what to do... What if lunch ended up being the same

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[kingdomless]

At the sound of a familiar voice, Kairi turned towards Rapunzel, instantly a bright smile crossing her lips. She hadn't seen the blonde since ... well, a few days. Hadn't it been Rapunzel's first day? Either way, she was glad to see the other girl was in okay shape - at least, she looked uninjured for the time being, so that was good.

"Rapunzel!" she chirped happily. "Of course I remember you! How could I not?" she asked with a bright smile. "I'm glad to see you're doing okay. How have you been? Oh, I saw you joined the Arts and Crafts club! I hope you're being treated nicely," mostly that was a joke, since she knew Sora would never do anything to potentially hurt the girl, but still.

"I'm good! Well," she continued, her shoulders dropping slightly. "I guess I should be truthful. I could be better ... but it doesn't really matter now. You know how things go in this ... horrible place."

Turning her gaze back to the wall of books at Rapunzel's second question (she was glad for the change in subject.), Kairi looked up, tapping a finger against her lips gently. "Hmmm, I don't really know what I'm looking for, I admit. Just something to read. Back on Destiny Islands I loved to read and write, and feel like I haven't really done it very much lately. What about you?" she turned towards Rapunzel. "Do you like to read?"

[hairraising]

Kairi had hit the nail right on the head there - there wasn't ever going to be a time when things couldn't be better in the Institute. Not until the patients had all escaped, anyway. Rapunzel gave the other girl a sympathetic nod and a gentle touch on her shoulder for reassurance. That escape would happen one of these days; she knew it. If she could get out of her "Mother"'s tower, she could get out of here too, and so would Kairi, Soma, Tsubaki, and everyone else.

Other than that, Kairi had thrown out a few of questions, and so Rapunzel did her best to answer them. "Yeah! Yeah, I haven't gotten to read much since I got here, but I love it. I've only ever had a certain selection of books to pick from in my life, too, so seeing all these new books here..." Rapunzel couldn't help a little squeal. "Ee, sorry! It's just really exciting! I wish I could just read them all at once, seriously!" To that end, she intended to pull down at least a few right now, and started grabbing at random interesting-sounding titles: Alice in Wonderland, At the Earth's Core, Tarzan the Untamed, and two by the same author that both sounded good, The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. The last title in particular gave Rapunzel a twinge in her stomach, but it was also the one that drew her attention the most.

"But yeah, I've been... Well, I haven't been good, but I'm not doing bad right now, either," said Rapunzel, her smile tinged by some of the same sadness that Kairi's expression held for a moment. "Arts & Crafts has been going well, though I haven't done as much for you guys as I'd like yet. Either way, I'm thinking of joining the healers, too, so I think my nights are gonna be pretty busy from now on," she added with a slight laugh, trying not to let the mood get too down at all. Seeing a friend ought to be a happy occasion, thought Rapunzel.

[kingdomless]

The little squeal Rapunzel allowed to escape from her lips caused Kairi to smile herself, and she couldn't help but giggle a little bit. It really felt like the girl's excitement over the books was catching onto her. "You didn't have a lot of books where you were from? Have you never been to a library? I mean - I'd understand, if you haven't. I came from an island so we ... never really got anything. Our world was pretty small. But now, seeing all of these here," she proceeded to motion towards the walls of books. "It makes me want to read again."

Looking at the books in the girl's hands, she turned towards the wall herself, wondering what she should pick. She always liked poetry ...

At the mention of the healers, Kairi turned towards Rapunzel with a smile. "Oh! Do you know magic? I don't know anything," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "But I've always wanted to learn. I'm sure the healers will love to have you, however. A ... while back, a friend of mine was able to heal one of my wounds from when I got really hurt," she admitted, her expression dropping slightly. "So, it'll be good to have more people willing to help others."

[hairraising]

Rapuzel shook her head in answer to Kairi's first question about libraries. To say that she'd not had many books... Well, it wasn't an understatement exactly. Gothel had certainly limited the number of books Rapunzel could have and she didn't bring new ones often, but she did bring new ones sometimes. So there had been some variety; it was just that Rapunzel read from all the books she had at least once a day every day for months, sometimes years on end before any new pages came to light. And then those new ones got read and re-read in the same way, and so on and so forth. It was a wonder she wasn't trying to make off with the whole shelf in front of her at this point, she was that hungry for new content.

And then came the healing questions, and Rapunzel relaxed some. Kairi was a friend; she would be okay to talk to about this kind of thing. "More like I can do magic - a really specific kind, too," she explained, lifting up a lock of her hair in her free hand. "I just don't know how it works or what caused it to be that way for me, that's the thing. All I know is that when I sing this one song, my hair... It glows. And it can heal people." Among other things she thought, biting the inside of her lip faintly and recalling countless days of vanishing wrinkles and gray hairs. "And that's all I really know about it."

[kingdomless]

Kairi couldn't help but frown at Rapunzel's admittance to not having been to a library, and it made her wonder about what kind of World the other girl came from. Something even smaller than Destiny Islands? She never thought that was possible.

The princess listened intently as Rapunzel explained the kind of healing magic she could do, and as she listened, her eyes widened, a bright smile crossing her lips. So, not only did her hair glow, which was pretty interesting in itself, but she could also heal people with it? "That's ... that's wonderful!" Kairi chirped, smiling. "Has it always been like that? And you sing to make it work? Sorry for so many questions, but ... that's a very interesting kind of magic," her smile softened then, and she reached out to place her hand gently against Rapunzel's shoulder. "Also, it's very, very kind of you to share your healing with others. As someone who has relied on the healers ... thank you. Really."

If she could do something like that, or perhaps learn ... she would come in handy, wouldn't she? Especially considering how last night had gone. If she could have healed Riku's leg, things would have gone smoother.

"I wish there was a way we could be taught to heal others," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Like maybe there is a secret book somewhere in here that can teach us," she said with a laugh. It was a nice dream, of course.

[hairraising]

Rapunzel smiled warmly when Kairi put a hand on her shoulder, a happy feeling bubbling up in her chest. She still wasn't used to anyone being this grateful for her abilities. They'd just been routine for so long now, so to be reminded of how miraculous they really were and how much they really did help people made Rapunzel feel lighter than air.

"I wouldn't dream of keeping it to myself when so many people can get hurt so easily in a place like this, don't worry. If you or anyone you know ever needs help with an injury, no matter how small, just let me know," she offered with an eager nod. "I wish I could teach people how to do it too, but like I said, I don't even know why I have the magic that I do. It's just something I was born with."

She laughed at the last part, nodding toward the shelf. "Yeah, wouldn't it be nice if we could just find Magical Hair: A Reference Guide or something on here? We could teach everyone and then have a whole Institute of glowing heads!" She could just picture it now, everyone lighting up like the patient body were a sea of floating lanterns. It was a funny mental image, but also kind of magical in a way.

[kingdomless]

Kairi smiled at Rapunzel's offer, nodding her head gently. "Thank you. I'll keep it in mind. I just hope it doesn't make you tired after you sing. My old roommate, once she healed someone, was so exhausted that she could hardly stand. Oh, and it made her nose bleed, too. It was ... scary," she admitted, her smile turning into a soft frown. "I wouldn't want that to happen to you.

"However, that is a helpful power," she continued. "Even if you don't understand it very well. Some people were just born lucky, I suppose."

The thought made her think of her title as a princess of heart. What did that mean, exactly? She had no powers whatsoever. She wasn't even that pure anymore, to be honest, what with the Darkness that had been pumped into her. But she tried not to think about that.

Rapunzel's idea of a magical hair book had Kairi laughing, lifting a hand to smother the giggling before it got too loud. "Can you imagine if my hair glowed? It would look like my head was on fire!" a pause, and she grinned. "I would make a good lantern, I suppose. Do you think you could use your hair to help you in dark areas, or would you rather just use it to heal? I wish I could be a human lantern," she said with another small laugh. "It would be quite the talent."