Day 34: Intercom, Evening

[damned_intercom]

The intercom came on, and as it did, it seemed to carry a little more interference than usual for a daytime announcement, a little more static. While the patients might have thought for a moment that once again the elusive woman on the radio had hacked into the Head Doctor's system, the man himself soon proved that theory faulty as he laughed over

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M63

[notachick]

After the shower, Okita both felt immeasurably better and also extremely confused. Having two leaders was not a problem, and Kenren and Hijikata were sure to do a good job, but coordinating the two of them might be. Hijikata was used to having control over discipline and Kenren, while a general, had his hands full with Homura. Okita had not been appointed anything, but he was going to be keeping a strict eye on all club activities from now on. Kaito, in particular.

The nurse wheeled Okita into the room and set a tray of thankfully edible looking food in front of him. Fish was something he was all too pleased to see, even if it had spices he wasn't accustomed to on it. Fish was fish and it wasn't pork or anything else equally unsavory. And then came the dessert and Okita's eyes lit up as the nurse told him what it was. Ice cream and chocolate. Even for all the terrible things this place did, it fed them well and gave them some lovely treats from time to time.

As soon as the nurse left, Okita started eating, trying to keep his mind off what was going to come tonight and what had happened last night. Guy would likely ask and he had to be prepared to lie about what had really happened. It wasn't like he was putting the other swordsman in danger, unless the doctor lied about the disease's contagion factor. He didn't think he was though. He hoped he wasn't.

[razing_phoenix]

Even though Guy was still unsure about what was going on in the coming night, he got the feeling that it would work out in one way or another. It was easy enough to check up with Peony, and Jade would be coming around as well, so he wasn't all that worried. He just hoped that they would be able to make some more progress this time, and that the emperor didn't get hurt on the way there.

Speaking of injuries, the swordsman was glad that his arm hadn't been giving him too much trouble. The cut had been fairly shallow, and he was used to working through pain and making his mind forget about it. It was a shame that it was his sword arm that had taken damage, but he would manage somehow. The tight, clean bandages certainly helped, and he was glad they hadn't gotten too wet in the showers.

His hair was still damp, though, but Guy didn't seem to mind that as he entered his room and found Okita already there, looking well enough despite what had happened last night. Even though he had spotted his roommate earlier in the cafeteria, Guy still felt relief wash through him when he saw the other man up close.

"You're all right," he said through a sigh, heading over to his own chair and taking a heavy seat. "I got the message to them like you asked, but I wasn't sure if it helped in the end. What happened?" It had to be bad, even if there didn't look to be anything terribly wrong with the other man.

[notachick]

When Okita heard the door open, he readied himself for anything. When Guy walked in, hair damp and arm injured, Okita realized, he hadn't thought of that. The night hadn't been kind to either of them, it seemed, and the captain couldn't help but wish there was something he could do for his roommate.

"It helped. Thank you, Guy-san." He didn't want to say anything about 'being alright' because, in all honesty, he wasn't. As soon as Guy left tonight, and Okita had a few moments to himself, he'd let himself deal with what had happened to him. Until then, he would remain composed, pushing back the tide of emotions that threatened to destroy him if he let them. "I don't really remember clearly. They tortured me and let me out, but after I ran into a man made of clockwork who bled sand." Okita pointed to his side and the bulk of bandages the nurse had covered him in after his shower, feeling a little guilty about not telling Guy the entire truth. But how could he tell his roommate that he had been given a death sentence? He wasn't even sure if anything was happening yet or when it would. Better to leave it to silence until he couldn't hide it any longer. "Be careful should you ever meet him. He's incapable of dying and quite...flexible."

Looking over at Guy, his eyes went to the man's sword arm and he frowned. "Are you alright though?"

[razing_phoenix]

It was a lot to take in all at once. Even though he should have expected it, the way Okita spoke about torture as if it was no big deal threw Guy for a loop. He was reminded of Luke, actually, who had made him promise not to tell anyone about what had happened to him. Of course, thinking about his friend didn't help his mood, but he needed to keep it together for Okita's sake. Since even if the man was acting like everything was all right, Guy seriously doubted that was the case.

"Clockwork? What?" Guy wasn't even sure what Okita meant by that, seeing how it was hard to take at face value. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have been so shocked; he had encountered his share of strange creatures during his travels.

When Okita suddenly asked if he was okay, Guy's gaze shot down to his arm and he realized the bandages were showing and he hadn't noticed. With these short sleeves, it was hard to hide much of anything. "I'm fine," he quickly said, turning in his seat to face the other man and leaning forward slightly so he could shoot Okita a serious look.

"So they tortured you? Did they do anything odd? When Luke got taken, they forced him to use an ability he shouldn't have been using, and he was left worse for the wear afterward. I don't really know if they would have been able to do anything like that to you, but..." He was asking probing questions, but he was worried. And he wasn't sure if he would get the truth any other way, or if he would even get it now. But he had to try.

[notachick]

It wasn't just Okita's torture that was weighing on Guy's mind. Even if he didn't know Guy perfectly yet, he could tell that much. Something had him distracted that hadn't been weighing on him the night before. "Yes, he ticked, like a clock. I'm not entirely certain what he was, but he carried two swords and moved faster than he should have been able. No matter how many times we struck him, he only bled sand and kept fighting. Be careful, should you ever hear gears moving at night."

He wished he could give a better description, but in the dark and the confusion, Okita couldn't clearly recall what the monster's description. He just remembered the lack of blood, the ticking, and the tonfa sliding into his body and cracking his ribs.

Guy's dismissal of his own injuries was worrisome. Whatever was distracting him could have something to do with that or Okita could be entirely off the mark. "There are healers in M35, should you need it. It's no good to have your sword arm hindered by even a small injury here. What happened to you?"

And still Guy was determined to make Okita relive what had happened that night. He didn't like talking about it. The memories of what had transpired in that room were enough to send him over the edge again and he didn't know Guy well enough to do that in front of him. He wouldn't even let himself do that in front of Hijikata. Looking away, Okita started eating his dessert before it could melt, wondering just what he could say that would get Guy to stop asking questions that Okita didn't want to answer. Anything said could lead down to what had stopped the torture, and that only lead to the question of how long he had to live. He didn't want to see pity in people's eyes. He wasn't weak and he wasn't going to let something so small as certain death stop him from doing his work. "I don't really have any abilities besides my swordsmanship, so no. Nothing like that."

He hated being so vague, but what else could he say? He already had bandages around his legs and feet where the roaches and rats bit him, and more around his arms where he'd dug his own nails into his skin trying to get the filth off him. He didn't exactly want Guy to think his roommate was a nutbag either, so he had to leave it at that. Unless Guy decided to pursue this particular line of questioning further.

[razing_phoenix]

Yet another monster that seemed impossible to defeat? It sounded similar to what Guy had encountered last night. He could handle whatever sorts of monsters the place tossed at them, so long as they could actually be defeated. When they were invulnerable, though, that just wasn't fair. He didn't know why he expected any better from this place, though. Then again, almost everything had a weakness, but it would be hard to discover what they were with such limited resources.

His own wound really wasn't a problem, and he wasn't sure why Okita kept going back to it. Probably to get the topic off of him, but Guy wasn't about to fall for that. He shrugged in response, even though he knew he was doing exactly what Okita was by ignoring it. Then again, he hadn't been tortured last night. "It was a particularly hard monster. Nothing too exciting." He'd just have to hope it wasn't guarding the kitchen tonight.

As for what had happened to Okita, it seemed that it wasn't up for discussion. Guy suspected that his roommate was keeping something from him, but he didn't know the other man well enough to be sure. Still, it seemed far-fetched that the institute would let him get away with just torture. (And even in his head, that sounded ridiculous to Guy. Torture was bad enough, but this facility played by a tough set of rules.)

He wasn't sure if Okita would ever trust him enough to tell him the truth, but pestering him about it any further wouldn't do much good. Guy glanced back to his food, taking a small bite of fish. "Well, I'm glad you're all right," he said, but it came out somewhat flat. Because he wasn't sure that Okita was all right, and it bothered him that he couldn't do a thing about it.

[notachick]

The way Guy turned away and his tone of voice cut Okita straight to the core. He hated having to keep secrets, especially from someone he liked so much. Guy was a good person, and a worthy friend, but there were some things Okita just didn't like talking about. His unhealthy obsession with cleanliness was one of them. The other was his disease. Looking down at his food, Okita set the dessert down and smiled sadly at it. How long before he started showing symptoms? And how long before Hijikata noticed? Or, worse, Himura?

"...even if I wanted to tell you, Guy-san," Okita said quietly. "It isn't something to be discussed. There's nothing I can do about what happened other than to move forward."

And get the smell off him. It was still there, even after the washings and a day's worth of drinking and eating. He could taste that foul mixture at the back of his throat - the smell of it, he was certain only he could detect now, hung there like a rotting corpse. He'd washed his hair and cleaned his body, but it still clung to him. Unconsciously, his right hand moved to his left arm and his nails dug into the bandages, causing the fabric to rip. "It isn't pleasant dinner conversation." Feeling his nails cut into his skin, he looked down and realized what he'd done, pulling his hand away. Control. He had to focus again. He couldn't think too much about what had happened. Steady, breathing - easy. "So what are you up to tonight?"

[razing_phoenix]

Having Okita open up, even just slightly, almost made it worse. There was that implication that something had gone on, but the other man just wasn't willing to talk about it. Guy understood that, but it was still hard to bear. Though he knew that in the end, the best thing he could do was be there and offer his support whenever he could.

"All right," he agreed, doing his best to eat more of his dinner even though it was the last thing on his mind at the moment. "But if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here, all right? And... you'd better take care of yourself." He glanced back at his roommate, sending him a firm look.

He wasn't going to say any more than that about it, and while he was going to do his best not to worry, he knew that was a lost cause from the start. At least there were lots of distractions in this place -- such as what he was doing tonight, for instance. "I'm going to be heading for the basement again, I think," he responded, not quite as excited anymore with everything that had been pulling his mood down.

"And how about you? You'd better be staying in," he finished with a small laugh, hoping he could lift the conversation up slightly.

[notachick]

"If I don't, I'm sure you and Hijikata-san will scold me until I do," Okita returned, smiling as he hid his left arm below the desk. He needed to meditate a bit tonight. Or stab something in the face. The second option was appealing, if impossible at the moment. He hated how he put a gulf between himself and Guy, a necessary one, yes, but it still hurt. Eventually, Guy would figure it out like everyone did. Likely when he started coughing, or when he had fevers that kept him in bed for days. The only question was when it would all start.

"I take it the big nasty last night kept you from getting too far, hm? I do hope you make it tonight. The basement sounds like fun. Tell me about it next time we meet? I've never been able to get down there and it seems everyone else has already gotten a turn." Okita was forcing his mood to remain light, but he thought he was doing a pretty good job. As long as he kept the conversation off anything dark, he was certain they could still have a nice dinner together. "Going with your friends?"

Okita laughed when Guy did and nodded. "Hijikata-san is coming to make sure I don't leave. He's very stubborn about me not going out until I'm fully healed."

[razing_phoenix]

That was right: Okita probably had a lot of friends who were going to be keeping an eye on him, so it likely seemed presumptuous of Guy to be acting like he was in charge of the other's well-being. Still, having one more person looking out for Okita would probably be appreciated by his friends, right? And this room was the most private space in the institute that Okita got to go, probably, so there was a chance that he might open up to Guy someday.

Guy wasn't going to count on it, though.

"Yeah, with friends." He just wasn't entirely sure which set of friends it was going to be just yet. "I'll let you know what we find down there, if we actually get any farther." He didn't want to be so pessimistic about it, but it was no good to get his hopes up, either.

"And I'm glad to hear it. It's good to know you've got some friends who will look out for you more than you do," he finished, putting more attention to eating his dinner now.