Day 25: Sun Room (Second Shift)

[rope_victim]

Miku was very glad that the breakfast shift (and the uncomfortable conversation) was over. She hadn't felt like gardening - the photographer was likely more apt to killing plants - and her arm throbbed beneath its bandages

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[forgot_it_all]

Miku had fled rather quickly from the table once the intercom announced the end of the shift. Ritsuka couldn't blame her and, although he wanted to go outside, his nurse appeared to bundle him off to the Sun Room. Her excuse was that his injuries were too great to risk opening them in a game outside. Ritsuka smiled at her and nodded, all the while thinking she was a moron. He wasn't stupid enough to play a game while hurt like this. He was just going to go sleep in the sunlight for a bit.

Instead, he found himself following Miku's dust trail into the Sun Room. He spotted Aidou sleeping on the couch, Hisoka talking to someone, and Miku draped out on a second couch nearby. He turned red at the thought of talking with her again, but didn't know if Aidou wanted to talk. The last time they'd seen each other, the vampire had chased him off and since then they hadn't really talked at all. Ritsuka sighed as his nurse left and settled down near Miku's couch, sitting on the floor and trying to keep as quiet as possible.

[rope_victim]

Brother... Rei-chan... why aren't you waiting for me? Please wait! Please!

Miku had nearly been at that place again, between wakefulness and sleep, where that manor sat in the snow and little girls sang a lullaby. But... someone had disrupted it, and she woke up slowly. There was a little dark-haired head sitting nearby.

Her bad hand reached out of it's own accord and tapped on his shoulder, "Aoyagi-kun...?" she murmured, voice lower than usual.

[forgot_it_all]

In the quiet of the Sun Room, Ritsuka had tried dozing off, comforted by the nearby presence of someone familiar. There was no one else nearby that he could honestly go to for comfort. He was really worried about Alfons, but he could only hope that the boy had been taken care of as he had. Legs drawn up to his chest, he'd been resting his forehead on his knees when he felt the tap on his shoulder. Despite himself, Ritsuka jumped slightly. "...didn't mean to wake you up."

He raised his head slightly and looked over at the older girl. She seemed to be waking out of a dream and he felt a little guilty for disturbing her. He turned away again, gazing out across the room and letting the warm sun beat down on him.

[rope_victim]

"It's fine," she replied and swallowed a yawn. "I shouldn't be sleeping so much..." It was like every moment spent in the sun made her sleep was she becoming a lizard? Scary.

Miku sat up straight on the couch, feeling the frightening familiar pressure of Renji behind her somewhere, paired with another just as frightening energy. The medium swallowed and looked around the arm of the couch, scanning for the unfairly tall Japanese man. Ghost. Man. Ghost-man?

When she saw them she found both him and a small black-haired woman leaning close to him, she smiled, because he wasn't so scary... blushing like that. Miku pushed her hair from her face and nodded at him, and then turned to Ritsuka. "Why don't you sit up here, instead? It's easier to rest."

[clockworkblond]

Alfons hadn't gone to breakfast. If he had the choice, he wouldn't have gone to lunch, either. Or dinner. Even with the healing that Raine did- or perhaps because of it- his lungs felt... pained. Weird. Like the poison inside of them had been rearranged, and now it was a constant fight to keep from coughing. He could do it, of course; just so long as nothing irritated his lungs

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka didn't notice Miku's gaze, his eyes nearly closed as the hazy warmth of the sun filtering down from above enveloped him. It almost felt like when he was home and sitting on his bed, freshly laundered bedclothes on and a towel around his shoulders. He sighed slightly and opened his eyes, slightly disappointed that his daydream wasn't true

[rope_victim]

Miku heard Ritsuka's comment about dreams - boy, did he ever have it right- and looked absolutely joyful to see Alfons as he slowly walked over to them. He was hurt, yes, but he was alive. That was what was important to her. To both of them, surely!

"Alfons-kun!" She stood too, though not as gingerly, wincing only when she forgot herself and used her bad arm to push herself off the couch. "Mmph," she bit down on the inside of her cheek as the muscles in her forearm protested with violent stings. "Good morning, we were worried!"

[clockworkblond]

"I'm fine," Alfons said with a smile, "Ms. Sage helped me out, so I'm a lot better than I was. ...better than you are, maybe?" But Miku didn't seem like she'd healed much at all, and the German gently motioned her to lay back down again.

Hm, and then there was a problem. The couch wasn't so very large, and both of them needed to relax as much as he did. Not to mention that he was starting to feel a little guilty. Miku deserved healing more than he did, because she wasn't responsible for the wreck and because she was a girl, and... ah, such a quandry!

"...I hope both of you are fine, as well?"

[forgot_it_all]

If Alfons said he was alright, Ritsuka wasn't going to contradict him. He couldn't erase the worry from his eyes though. Quickly, he looked to Miku and then back to Alfons. So long as both of them were okay, he could relax a little more. He dropped his gaze slightly and nodded in agreement when Miku said they were both worried. Ritsuka needed to apologize to both of them - he felt it was his fault they were both hurt. Alfons had fallen when he had tugged on his hand and because of that Miku had also gotten hurt. The German was healed, though, and that was good.

He settled back down on the ground, keeping by the arm of the sofa and leaned against it. "I'm fine - Reinforce got to me last night."

It was Miku who was the only one not to receive any healing. Even if the girl said she was alright, Ritsuka had to wonder if they were all keeping their injuries to themselves to stop the others from worrying. "Sit down, Alfons - you look like you're tired."

[rope_victim]

"Aoyagi-kun is right," Miku agreed and sat down on the smallest edge of the little couch, setting her bad arm gently in her lap. At least this way, there would be room for the three of them to cuddle rest. "You look like you've gotten hardly any rest."

She rubbed her good hand across her eyes, trying to convince herself to wake up a little bit more. Her body would heal on its own time, not hers. She didn't mind sacrificing a little sleep if it meant she could talk to her friends.

There was a long pause between the three of them, "...what shall we do tonight, then?"

[clockworkblond]

"That's odd, because I've probably gotten the most rest of any of us. I slept all through breakfast." A sheepish expression appeared on Alfons's face as he ran his hand through his blond hair, slowly easing himself down onto the couch. It would be a good idea to sit down, it would be easier on his lungs.

At least all three of them seemed to be all right. They'd gotten lucky; because of that tall boy and the two women Ed, they were okay. But that meant that they couldn't risk it again; Alfons hadn't thought that they could be attacked so rapidly, but in just a moment everything had changed.

"We should keep exploring, but... we'll have to find someone to go with. Even if I got my knife back, I don't think I'd be able to fight off that entire group on my own, and there might be more to go against, too..."

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka kept to the floor for a bit, itching his shoulder against the arm of the couch as Alfons sat down. Even if the boy had slept through breakfast, something seemed off and Ritsuka couldn't pin down what it was. He didn't want to bring it up either - not right now. Asking someone what else was ailing them just didn't seem like something a decent person did in public. Sighing slightly, the youngest of the trio looked up at the other two and said, "You're right. If the others hadn't shown up, we would have been screwed. Do you think we should post on the bulletin board for a bodyguard or something?"

No doubt any offer would come with a price, but he could only hope that together they'd be able to barter some sort of protection out of someone here. He traced a finger along the edge of the bandages wrapping his right arm and frowned, bowing his head. "And I'm sorry, about last night... If I hadn't pulled you back, Alfons, you wouldn't have lost your balance. I didn't mean for any of you to get hurt."

[rope_victim]

"It's an idea... but... we don't know what kind of person we will... acquire? I wouldn't want to end up with the services of a deviant," there were enough of those running around the hospital as it was, just by peering at the bulletin. "But... do we have anything even worth bartering with? I haven't been able to plot a map in a few days, so my information is probably useless."

Miku shifted in her seat, tucking her legs under her and blowing some long strands from her face. "Aoyagi..." she paused and corrected herself, they were far friendlier now. "Ritsuka-kun, what happened last night was no one's fault. Let's be happy we are all here together, instead of beinig terribly worried," and here she moe beamed glanced at Alfons, "about the state of the other two."

"Are you both really fine with going out tonight? I don't... want anything to happen." Miku turned her face from the others and looked at the skylight.

[clockworkblond]

"Well... it might not hurt to ask Ed if he'd help." Alfons had to fight down a blush at that, idly intertwining his fingers as he spoke. But Ed was a really busy alchemist, with so many things to do... Alfons would hate to be a bother. "I haven't seen Mr. Vergil around recently, so he might not be able to offer any help... If I see Mr. Hughes around, I could ask if he knows someone who'd be willing? Or maybe

[forgot_it_all]

Deviant? He hadn't really thought of that, but he supposed they did exist. Hell, he'd dealt with Aidou before so he knew they existed. Ritsuka rolled his head to the side, rubbing his neck with his good hand and sighed. Who could he ask for help? He supposed he could ask Tamaki if he knew anyone, and there was that tall man who helped them the other night... and Aidou. Without Seimei, he realized he didn't know many people at all. "I might be able to ask my roommate and see if he knows anyone, but I wouldn't be able to guarantee we'd have anyone by nightfall

[rope_victim]

"Ed-san..." Miku felt her stomach squish uncomfortably, still embarrassed about two nights ago. "Do you think he'll be able to help?" she rubbed a hand across her bandage gently, as if testing to see how well the nasty stitches were together.

It hurt, badly and she made a small, muted hiss. "When should we ask on the bulletin? After Alfons-kun speaks to his friend?" she said after a moment. "I have a bad feeling about tonight, so let us act quickly."