Day 36: Library

[jurisfictional]

Thursday had thought - almost hoped, really - that Landen would have paid her another visit today, but when she asked her nurse about it, she was only answered with a sympathetic smile and a "Maybe next week, Mrs. Bellman

Comments

[dasgift]

[For Adelheid]Messy incident, that was. Kristoph never even finished his meal, thanks to a certain prosecutor's take on how not to attract the attention of a nurse. What a waste of perfectly good eggs. It was almost tragic

[grosse_sklaven]

Adelheid had to say, perhaps a bit of peace and quiet would do him some good. He'd done a lot today, and so long as he didn't have another visitor, he'd do well to get some kind of rest before the night began. It seemed like another busy shift, with three different objectives to be met. He was sure he could manage them, but that was dependent on his condition remaining stable.

In any case, he found himself heading into the library, and instead of reading, quickly found a seat where the only person in sight was a blond with glasses- someone Adel didn't remember, probably a fairly recent arrival. Well, no matter; the boy eased himself down with his right eye closed, and found himself rubbing at it. The prosthetic eye was feeling sore in his socket, probably because of that curse he'd been hit with... just what he needed, another bit of aggravation to sap at his energy.

[dasgift]

Kristoph had finally settled on his choice when he caught someone making their way toward his vicinity, before settling in a chair he'd hoped for himself. Not that he minded; there were plenty of open spots left for a quiet read. A few more steps than he'd originally planned, but what could one do except compromise?

But as the former attorney passed the newcomer, he paused abruptly in his steps, noting the individual was paying undue attention to his right eye. Anyone else would have stopped out of concern-- Instead, Kristoph found the act a bit irritating. Like the kind that often flared whenever a little brother snapped his fingers in a beat.

This was no Klavier, however, so the man forced a concerned voice. "Is something the matter?"

[grosse_sklaven]

"Mm?" Adelheid glanced up at the other man, offering a slight smile as he did so. It was an aggravating thing that someone had seen his weakness, but by that point, Adelheid knew there wasn't much for it. So long as he was in this state, some things would just have to be endured.

His hand remained over his eye for the moment, lightly massaging in a vain attempt to stop some of the soreness. "Ah, no, not really. Last night was just a bit rougher than normal. Thank you for asking."

[dasgift]

"Rough nights seem to be a routine here," he commented, slipping his book under an arm. "I'm sorry to hear that, however. Is there anything I can do?" The way the young man held a hand over his eye was a bit disconcerting. And curious. Last night had to have been moderately rough to result in an eye irritation.

[grosse_sklaven]

"...I've been around since the start of this Institute, sir. A rough night for me isn't the same as for everyone else." He said it just a bit defensively, feeling his Bernstein pride insulted at the idea that what was routine could do something like this to him. No, a Bernstein 'rough night' could break regular people, and even though that edge had been blunted after meeting so many people in the Institute, that old ingrained pride still flared up from time to time.

Ah well. The offer was taken with good grace- as much as he could manage, anyway, in his current state- though he held little hope that a new patient could offer much help. "Unless you happen to know a bit about ghosts, I'm afraid I doubt that. Thank you for the offer, however."

[dasgift]

Everyone seemed so testy and on edge this morning. Kristoph supposed that's what he deserved for being his charming self. "My apologies," he said, resisting the temptation to chuckle. "I meant no offense; I haven't been here long enough to make that distinction." Whatever 'that' was... If the young man's reactions were of any indication, it was likely personal.

...Or the supernatural. "Ghosts?" the man repeated, raising a curious eyebrow. "My experience only goes so far as court cases, but some have attracted a few spirits." Of course, he didn't say the attorney assigned to those cases was Wright, but he'd followed them enough on his own to pretend otherwise.

"Kristoph Gavin," the man added, holding out a hand in greeting.

[grosse_sklaven]

"Adelheid Bernstein," the young man answered, shaking the lawyer's hand with his own- and in the process, no longer covering his eye. While it was still squinting and slightly inflamed, the more important thing was that there was definitely something off about the red orb