Day 60: Intercom, Evening
The intercom jingled at its standard time, with the Head Doctor still in his over-the-top, jovial mood. It seemed not even the evening light could keep down the love he held for his job.
"Good evening, everyone! I hope your soul is filled with music from last shift; I know mine is ( Read more... )
"Good evening, everyone! I hope your soul is filled with music from last shift; I know mine is ( Read more... )
Kurama didn't question where his nurse led him, but he noted with interest that they weren't heading to the room he'd woken up in. Was he being relocated then, perhaps into a room that a roommate was already occupying? He had to admit -- he really didn't have much knowledge on the procedures of insane asylums; for this was what this place seemed to be masquerading as, right, an insane asylum? It seemed like a proper conclusion to make, not that there was any doubt in him anymore that the real purpose of Landel's Institute was hardly the curing and caring for of mentally-ailing patients. There was something darker and stranger at work here. But as of yet, Kurama did know what that might be.
They turned down a hallway and walked all the way to the end. 'M1' the door said, and the nurse opened it for him. There was no reason the patient 'Abe Seimei' should have to resist, so Kurama stepped past the woman and into his new room. It was immediately obvious that there would be a roommate, though there was no sign of him (the chances of co-ed rooming was low, at best). Perhaps later, then. His dinner was waiting on his desk, so Kurama took the side of the room that looked unoccupied -- the right side, as it was -- and obediently sat down. There was a metal box on his desk beside him. There was nothing inside.
His nurse left him alone after that. It seemed the doors were normally locked from the inside, so it was not yet time for him to take action then. Fine by him. He hadn't gotten a chance to really examine his room this morning. He would at least need to know what sorts of hiding places were possible in room such as this, right? That was important. A fox always needed a secure den to hide in.
He started with the closet. Sliding the door open revealed a row of gray uniforms, (ten shirts and two sweatshirts), just like the one he was currently wearing. ...They were atrocious, really, and Kurama wasn't just judging them because he happened to pride himself in having a slightly more refined taste in wardrobe than others. They truly were atrocious. Were the smiling faces supposed to be ironic? It was horribly executed if so, though perhaps that was the point.
There was also a thick coat, an extra pair of indoor slippers aside from the one he was wearing currently, a pair of regular sneakers, and boots. ... Well, at least they seemed to be well provided for. There was a dresser in between the two beds opposite the door that Kurama assumed would contain the rest of his clothing. Spread among just his standard-issue clothing, there was material he could use to his advantage if he ever needed to improvise anything.
Next was the dresser. The bottom two drawers were seemed to be his roommate's, so Kurama left those alone and looked through the top two drawers. As he'd expected, the rest of his clothing was there: undergarments and sweatpants. Nothing else of interest here. A spontaneous decision to check under his pillow and blanket covers resulted in an interesting find -- a flashlight, quite durable, it seemed. Interesting.
Kurama took the flashlight with him back to his desk and set it next to the radio and the journal that was next to the metal box. His roommate still wasn't here yet. What kind of person would he be, he wondered? Perhaps he could be a valuable source of information. Ah, in that case, it would perhaps be easier to save his questions for when his roommate arrived. It would take less time than trying to find everything on his own.
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"Did you give me extra?"
"We've had this discussion before, Billy, and do you remember what I said last time?"
There was a long pause as he tried to think that far back so he hazarded a guess. "... Yes?"
"No. You get the same amount as everyone else."
"But--!" His hands grabbed onto the woman's white skirt, pleading with her before they made it to his bed.
"No, buts! Sit and eat your meal. And mind your roommate." The woman felt a sliver of pity for the young man who had to tolerate Billy and his eccentricities. Once the boy jumped up and made himself comfortable on his bed, the nurse placed his food in front of him before exiting.
Goku didn't bother with greetings until he had most of his meal shoved down his gullet. Even still, he didn't wait until his mouth was empty to ask. "Wuh yuhhr nmmm omnommm?"
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Ah. His roommate was a child. Hard to tell what age he really was, since, in comparison, he was a good deal smaller than his nurse. And, judging by the conversation the two were having as they entered the room, he really seemed rather young and unassuming. What was a child doing in a place such as this? From what he'd heard of this place from the bulletin board, this was hardly the sort of setting to bring children into. But either way...
Kurama didn't want to be mean... but there perhaps went his hopes for asking about how the place worked. He certainly shouldn't expect a boy to explain everything to him, though perhaps he should give "Billy" the benefit of his doubts.
Once the nurse left, the boy dug into his food almost immediately. Kurama waited patiently, and eventually, the boy voiced his first question. He ignored the less-than-exemplary table manners and answered just as politely as Shuuichi would.
"I'm Minamino Shuuichi. You can call me Shuuichi, if you like. I think I'm your new roommate. It's nice to meet you."
Meanwhile, Kurama was considering the food. There was only so long before he could resist having to eat it, unless an alternate source of sustenance appeared, but -- call it caution or call it paranoia -- Kurama was unsure about what to do about it. The way his roommate was shoveling down the food and seemed to have been eating it for days here told him that at least the food wasn't going to kill him. Maybe. Either way, he expected standard procedure in hospitals and institutes to monitor how much he ate, so sooner or later, he would be forced to anyway, whether through his own submission or through being forced into it by the orderlies.
"How's the food?" Kurama asked, after a beat.
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"Well... it's better. I mean, it used ta be awful! But now it's... well, it has taste, sorta. But..." His yammering fizzled out momentarily as he half-heartedly moved the food around the plate. "They don't give me enough meat. Look at this!" Spearing a piece of sliced turkey, Goku held it up for Shuuichi to get a good look.
"What is it? Nothin' I ever hunted." It tasted like bird, sure, but not the kinds that roamed his jungle. Eventually his black eyes turned from his plate and landed on his roommate's. "Are you not gonna eat yours?" Because if he wasn't, Goku was going to inhale it too.
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