Day 40: Sun Room [Fourth Shift]

[clockmongler]

Well, that was... special. No wonder he was losing respect for this place--the fearful Martin Landel was coming undone, most probably with boredom. So scary. Even Nursey seemed a little exasperated, though that most likely had more to do with X's constant insistence to stay in the Sun Room rather than go inside the Greenhouse

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[sir_savien]

Kvothe was glad when lunch ended and his nurse let him return to the sun room without argument. He wasn't sure what he'd be able to accomplish in the greenhouse anyway, with his...hand, and now his eye. He curled up on a couch, hand once again tucked close against him and hopefully ought of sight as he pressed a fresh icepack to his black eye. Maybe this shift he'd be lucky enough to avoid having to talk to anyone, or at the very least avoid the more crazy and violent inmates.

After the night and day he'd had so far he wasn't putting much hope in his luck, but he could always hope. In the menatime he closed his eyes, wishing fervently that he'd taken the medication the nurse had given him. His hand throbbed, his face ached, and all he really wanted was for the day to be over before he aquired any new injuries. The thought of making another try at the second floor had crossed his mind earlier, but now he thought he'd just stay in and sleep if he could.

[sitard3d]

Demyx still didn't have an answer to his dilemmas, but talking about it with Matsuda had at least made him feel a little bit better about things. Still, he didn't really feel like messing with plants for the moment, so he wound up in the sun room instead, looking around for anyone he knew.

It took him a few seconds, after spotting the injured person on the couch, for him to recognize the guy as the one who'd approached him just yesterday at the band meeting, the one with the weird name they'd been going to save the night before - "Kvothe!" He moved quickly over to the other man, looking him over worriedly. Something about the way he was holding that one arm made it look like the icepack wasn't covering the only place he'd been roughed up. "Geez, what'd they do to you?" He'd thought they'd been doing experiments, but - well, Kvothe just looked like somebody had beat him up. What kind of experiment was that supposed to be?

[sir_savien]

Kvothe turned his head and opened the eye not covered by the icepack, he easily placed the man talking to him but he was surprised to see Demyx. He smiled thinly and asked, "Which they?" as he shifted enough to raise his broken hand. "This was last night," and he gestured with the icepack, "this was earlier this morning." At least he wasn't limping from the punch to the groin anymore.

It was kind of a relief to see Demyx, really. Someone he'd spoken to before who'd seemed all right, and at the very least probably not inclined to either insult or injure him. And that he hadn't managed to anger or drive off yet.

[sitard3d]

Demyx winced. "Oh, man. We tried to get to you last night, but..." He studied the black eye. "Who hit you, though?" That seemed pretty low, to punch a guy who was already hurt.

[sir_savien]

"Yeah, I know. Thanks." He did appreciate that they'd tried, even if they didn't get there in time. He did wish though that Tony and Demyx could have been the ones to find him, rather than Sheena and Yukari. "Some guy who called himself Spider," he answered. "Definitely cracked, violent and he was on drugs that he probably didn't get from the nurses."

[sitard3d]

"Oh. Jeez." Demyx grimaced. "Talk about a bad day, hunh?" He glanced at Kvothe's hand. "So...what did they do to it? I heard they were doing experiments, but..."

[sir_savien]

He shook his head, not quite looking at Demyx. It had obviously affected him a lot. I don't know...he just smashed it." He paled a little at the memory and unconciously hid his hand against himself again. "Just because he could, I guess. I was strapped down so that I couldn't move, first he grabbed my finger and snapped it, I curled my fingers under my hand so he'd have a harder time grabbing them so he picked something up and just...smashed it." After a moment he looked back at Demyx. "I guess I won't be joining your band after all."

[sitard3d]

Demyx hissed, or at least sucked his breath in through his teeth in a way that resulted in the sound. "But - why? That's not even an experiment, that's just...hurting somebody..." His own hands clenched, in a combination of sympathy, anger, and empathic terror. Not even Vexen would do something like that - not because he was too nice for something like that, exactly, but simply because as far as Demyx could see, there had been no scientific purpose served by that 'experiment', so Vexen would've considered it a waste of time.

And Kvothe was a musician. If possible, that made this even more wrong. There were some things you just didn't do.

"Of course you're still gonna join," Demyx replied, without even a pause for thought. "Maybe you can just instruct people until your hand heals up and you can play again - but bandmates stick together, right?"

[sir_savien]

"I don't know why." Or rather, he didn't want to talk about anything that was said last night. He didn't want to bring up what he'd seen, either, or the injections. He tried not to flinch when Demyx mentioned playing again. He was just trying to help

[sitard3d]

"I don't know," Demyx was forced to admit. "Reading music? Keeping the beat? Which notes are which? Anything'd be helpful. Most of 'em don't know anything about music, anyway." It wasn't that he didn't understand how painful it'd be for Kvothe to be around, or in, a band while not being able to play himself - Demyx did get that, probably better than anyone. He'd only been without his sitar for a few days, and his hands had almost ached

[sir_savien]

"I'll think about it," he said eventually. Demyx had a point, he could probably find something to do to help out and he really was just feeling sorry for himself. And at least not being about to play for an extended period of time here wouldn't have the dire consequences it would back home. It wasn't usually like him to feel sorry for himself or run from his problems, he just didn't know how to deal with this one yet. The constant pain didn't help much though he loathed the choice between a mostly clear head and pain or no pain and being unable to think straight.

The offer to find his lute drew the first small but real smile out of Kvothe since he'd been taken the night before, the day hadn't offered much that was either good or amusing. "...All right, then," he said slowly. "Deal." He offered his (left) hand to shake to seal it.

[sitard3d]

Demyx grinned back, shaking Kvothe's good hand firmly. "It's a promise," he said with a nod. "I already got my sitar from the patient possessions room, so..." After a pause, he clarified, "Well, it wasn't really my sitar, but it's good enough, y'know? If your lute - or any lute - is in there, I can find it. And if not...I think there are people here who can make things, so I could ask one of them."

At least he'd improved Kvothe's mood a little. That was a good thing, right?...and hopefully he could get a lute for him before he had to make any of the decisions Xigbar and Luxord were going to be forcing on him soon, one way or another.

[sir_savien]

"I know what you mean. And thanks, I really appreciate it." He doubted that anyone here would be able to make a lute, even if there were a real luthier he doubted that the right kinds of wood would be available, but if Demyx had been able to get his hands on a sitar than a lute should turn up sooner or later. The thought of getting his hands on a lute again helped even if he might not be able to play it, and even just talking with someone who neither angry with him nor trying to attack him helped.