Day 35: The Bookworm

[miracle_grow]

[ Coming from here.]

Claire stepped into the bookstore, relieved to be out of the chilly autumn air. Her sweater was warm, but the weather outside was still cool, and she guessed it had to be very late autumn, at the very least. Where were they? And when

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[scaredy_crow]

[From up here]

That had been a rather interesting exchange, to say the least. Crane hadn't expected to run into such a pleasant other patient; in fact, he had initially been intending on just asking the man if he knew his way around and then leaving him to his own devices had he been as clueless as Crane was. However, he was just as happy with the way things had turned out, and it had definitely improved his mood from the way it had been upon waking up.

After giving Doctor Moreau one last look, he re-shelved it and took another glance at the shelves. In following the shelves, though, he found himself looking over at another man who seemed rather upset at the lack of non-fiction. He was staring at...religion? Funny. It could have just been him, but the other man didn't seem the religious type. It could have also been the shirt and cut-off shorts, and Crane was just as aware that the man probably had about as much say in regards to his clothing as he'd had about his own.

"They do have a rather poor selection, don't they?" he spoke up, giving the man a polite, understanding smile.

[justice_to_a_t]

Mikami was broken from his thoughts by the appearance of a tall, thin man dressed loosely in black. He didn't think he had much to say at the moment, but in the interest of being polite he simply spoke his mind.

"Yes... I've noticed that all these books are lacking in any actual history. For example, if you are to look up anything on Winston Churchill...," he paused, and looked significantly at the shelves. "In addition, all these books on religion are about living them-- nothing about how they started, their histories in conflict with each other...." And, there were no books on Kira. Where Mikami was from, the things were everywhere.

He looked again at the man, noticing with interest that he seemed to be nursing a number of injuries as well. Obviously, whoever his nurse was, she too wasn't particularly concerned with hiding the bandages (was it a warning, of some sort?). His second thought, unbidden, was that said nurse must see something Mikami couldn't, to put the man in such an open shirt.

"Mikami Teru," he said by way of introduction, bowing slightly.

[scaredy_crow]

Crane looked over to at the selections, trying to ignore the look that the other man was giving his clothes. He'd done the same thing after all. But the man had a point. There was no history, not even for the religion. Almost like they couldn't decide what to feed the patients, so instead they decided to just remove any references to history.

Crane could have sworn that someone had mentioned that the Institute was in New Jersey, but there was no way to tell when. Even if the nurses were straightforward when asked, it would be difficult, given lack of history, to tell whether it was accurate information.

"Jonathan Crane," he replied, giving Mikami a nod. "And you're right. It's almost like they don't want us to know any truth about this place."

[justice_to_a_t]

Mikami had also noticed there weren't any books on law-- interesting, considering he was definitely being held without a legitimate reason. He let mention of this go though, in favor of taking the chance to learn more about the institution directly from another "patient."

"The truth?" He uncrossed his arms, but kept his gaze locked thoughtfully elsewhere. "I have only been 'here' since around lunchtime, yesterday, so unless you haven't for any longer, you probably know more than I do." The statement wasn't accusatory, however, but meant as a way to prompt the other man into telling him more. He'd made a mistake letting his guard down on the bus, and although he was being sociable here, he refused to forget now that anyone he talked to could be untrustworthy. Those who would hurt others didn't always fit into a specific form (although certainly there were "forms" who were unrighteous entirely).

But with this said, he tilted his head slightly, listening to the quiet conversations of the others in the store. He realized that this probably wasn't the best of places to be having that sort of discussion... if there were people who might be with the hospital close-by, so he looked up at Crane with an expression that he hoped would convey his thoughts.

[scaredy_crow]

Crane thought that the man's roundabout way of asking him for more information sounded rather rude, but he was willing to oblige. "Oh, my apologies. I've been here for the last three days, I do believe, although it certainly feels like much longer."

Crane would have continued his explanation, but he caught the look in Mikami's eyes. It took a second for his brain to process its meaning, but he nodded once he did. It was too dangerous to talk of more serious matters in here. This whole 'field trip' was just a formality, the nurses were around in thicker droves than they normally were back at the Institute.

"But it's rather musty in here. Shall we go get some fresh air while we talk?" he asked after a moment, gesturing outside as he began to walk outside.

[To here]