Day 40: Greenhouse

[thatdamnedninja]

Yuffie was in two minds about how the 'meeting' with Orangello had gone. No, scratch that; two was way too small a number. Maybe four? Or five, no, make it six. Maybe. The only thing she knew for sure was that something had to give, and it sure wasn't going to be her. Whether or not she actually joined up with anybody was irrelevant, as long as she

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[sheisthecause]

"I'm...well, I'm hanging in there," Meche replied. "I talked to someone at breakfast who had the same thing happen to her, so I feel a little better, at least. Mostly I feel guilty and frustrated and worried and--a lot of things. But I do okay when I keep moving and don't give myself enough time to get into a funk about it." Yes, she decided, she was going to do it. Maybe she could convince the nurse to take her by the bulletin board on the way to lunch to sign up. It was really selfish to sit around all the time moping about her own problems without lifting a finger to help anybody else.

And if she'd been surprised by Senna's statement, the way Senna was reacting now was even stranger. Well, she guessed the idea of virgin-eating birds was pretty ridiculous when you thought about it. Was it some kind of prank? Senna seemed pretty serious about it, actually. "Wait, you're not kidding?" Meche asked. "There really are birds here that eat virgins? And I thought I'd seen everything." Good thing she--well. But did it still count if you died and came back to life again? Was this some kind of reincarnation thing?

[windstwilight]

She smiled at Meche, an open genuine smile that came from someone saying something that meant something to Senna. I keep moving. "I'm the same," she said. "As long as I'm moving, I know everything will eventually turn out okay. And it will be, you know." She thought of Momo, sobbing in the blood-filled hallway. "Things get better." Things had to get better.

Her grin widened. "Nope, not kidding! There's these gigantic birds right outside that target virgins. Which sucks," she added, frowning a little now. "Since when I saw them, they were going after a group of little kids."

[sheisthecause]

Meche gasped. "Kids too? That's awful! Outside the front entrance?" Was that why they didn't want anyone to get out? They had told her not to kill anyone, after all--hadn't the man on the intercom said something about how much trouble it was to replace patients? She thought suddenly of that girl who had managed to get by her early on--had she gotten herself eaten? If she had, was that Meche's fault too? There was no way to win here--put 'em in traction or let them go outside and get snapped up by gigantic birds; either way you were guilty as sin. This place was the worst.

"So is that what A&C does?" she asked. "Protect people from killer birds?" What were you supposed to do, shoot them? Feed them poisoned bird feed? Meche wondered if she wasn't getting in over her head here.

[windstwilight]

"Yeah," she said, thinking about that night. Those had been Orihime's friends, right? And they seemed to have fought them off by the time.... When Momo.... And Hits--

Shit.

She blinked quickly, trying to maintain her upbeat air. "No, nothing like that. Even if we did, they'd just come back the next night, and nothing would get accomplished. I think we're training up the people that need it, and trying to find ways to figure things out here." She lifted a finger. "Like that ghost town. There's something in all of that. I just know it. And once we do... we'll be able to help people escape this place, and go home."

Or something along those lines. She needed a briefing from the chief.

[sheisthecause]

Meche noticed the quick play of emotions on Senna's face but didn't press it. Had she known some of the birds' victims, or had she just seen what happened? Either way, it must have been terrible. She patted the girl's shoulder and kept the conversation moving: "Training, huh? I could definitely use some of that myself, if you know anyone who could help. I have a pretty good arm when it's not all bandaged up, but I think I'm going to have to do a little better than that here."

There wasn't much chance of getting the sproutella gun back, after all; she definitely hadn't seen anyone else with a weapon like that. Didn't a lot of people have swords? Maybe she could learn to use one of those, or even a scythe. Boy, she'd love to see the look on Manny's face when he came back to see her wielding a scythe like a pro. She might even be pretty good at it--she had some height on him.

[windstwilight]

The pat told her that she hadn't watched herself as well as she should have. She inwardly grimaced, but accepted the concern with a smile. "Yeah, they should be able to teach you something. And they probably have weapons, too. Momo gave me a sword last night, but it was sorta because I was leading the group last night. But I had a spear before that.... Do you have any weapons? Have you found anything that you can use?"

The nurses trickling in warned Senna that the time in this place was coming to a close. She looked off, watching the miscellenous plants for a moment. "Hey... Can I ask you something?" She scratched the side of her hands resting in her lap. She had presented this question to Hokuto, but she knew what the girl would say. Their situations had been almost identical, if on a different scale. Here, would be her unknown. "This place... What do you think of it in regards to yourself?"

The real question that she wouldn't voice: Do you think of it as a second chance?

[sheisthecause]

"Just small things--a few small knives and a pair of shears from upstairs," Meche replied. In what she hoped was a lighthearted tone, she added, "I had a gun, but--well, easy come, easy go. If they have weapons, I'll take whatever they can spare to give me. Or trade, not that I have too much at the moment." There must be something she could do in return.

The nurses were starting to pick their way through the aisles; she'd only de-suckered three plants all morning. Oh, well, good conversation was worth it. They must have someone else to take care of all these when the patients weren't working in the greenhouse. She was taken aback by Senna's sudden question--obviously it was something the girl had been waiting to ask.

"At first I thought it was the afterlife," she replied slowly, collecting her thoughts. "I don't believe that anymore. I think my afterlife--and not just mine--was stolen by someone, probably more because he wanted something out of my friend than because of anything about me. Or it could be that we were sent here somehow to stop it--I know that sounds crazy, but it wouldn't be the first time we've done something like that. Either way, I'm here now, and I think it's my job to help shut it down."

She smiled, a little embarrassed by her own grandstanding. "Sorry, that might have been more than you bargained for. Did I answer your question?"

[windstwilight]

"I'm sure they'd help you out," she replied. "Well, probably not with the gun, but otherwise...."

Meche's answer took Senna in a direction she hadn't touched on before. "I think it's my job to help shut it down." Something much like meant to be. Everything in her was not supposed to exist, but Meche's statement made Senna think in a new way for the first time. Maybe she was supposed to come here. Maybe she had something that could help. Maybe she had meaning.

She blinked, dazed, barely noticing when the nurses arrived beside them. She looked up at Meche. "Yeah," she said softly. "Yeah, you did."