Dayshift 43: Waiting Room / Lobby 1 [4th Shift]

[not_rly_fai]

It'd been nice to talk with Subaru, if only to see that the young man was faring a little better than before.  He seemed to have the worst luck and unfortunately, there wasn't always someone there to protect those that needed it the most.  As he passed the Sun Room, there was still no sign of a post from Ururu either.  Things didn't look promising

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[ran_on_empty]

After a rather uneventful conversation with Dahlia, Sync had decided to spend the rest of his day lounging in the sunroom. After all, he'd be no good to anyone (especially himself) if he wandered around at night with only half his usual energy. Yet his nurse woke him up after third shift to inform him that he had a visitor, blinking tiredly up at her as he tried to make sense of what she said.

"A visitor...?"

He'd heard about these so-called 'visitors' from the bulletin board, though never once did he expect to get one himself. In the end, he couldn't think of anyone who would have a big impact on him (who wasn't already in this godforsaken building), so the God-General merely shrugged before following his nurse out.

The walk to the waiting room wasn't all that far, and Sync situated himself onto one of the seats in the corner before the woman spoke up again.

"Now wait here, Stephen. Somebody else will be with you shortly."

[gald_digger]

Just as Anise dreaded, the nurse who picked her up from the courtyard informed her that she would be having a visitor today. It wasn't a big surprise; her Mama and Papa came to see her the last two weeks. It was just like them to come regularly to check up on her. Mama was probably going to bring cookies again. She was really predictable sometimes.

When she entered the lobby, there weren't many people around, and Anise immediately spotted Sync sitting way off in a corner. He had a visitor, too? That was a surprise. He didn't really have any friends, did he? What was even more surprising, though, was what the nurse did next: she led Anise straight to him.

"Why don't you take a seat next to Stephen here? Your visitor will be here soon."

Anise just stood and stared at the boy for a moment, then whipped her head around to snap at the nurse. "Wait, why him!? Can't I wait somewhere else?" The last thing she wanted was for Sync to be there when her parents came

[ran_on_empty]

Of all the things he had expected to see, the fact that Anise had been led over to sit with him wasn't one of those. His eyes narrowed slightly when the latter's nurse informed them that they were sharing visitors, which ultimately cut any potential people into a small, almost non-existent list. However, the dark look disappeared only moments after, replaced with a small smile as he greeted the teen with a laugh.

"Come on, Anise. I promise I won't do anything embarrassing this time." Of course, the moment both nurses left them the replica's expression transformed into something more sinister. It was only then that he leaned back, eying her form up and down before sneering.

"After everything that happened last night I'm surprised you're still alive, but it must be easy when you don't have to babysit anyone."

[gald_digger]

Her parents weren't coming today. That much was clear now. But if someone else was coming to see her, and that someone wanted to see Sync too, then who...?

Anise could only think of one person, but she didn't want to believe it.

Sync's comment earned him a sharp glare from the girl. Bastard. How could he say a thing like that!? Well, actually, Anise knew full well how he could. He just didn't care. Getting upset was exactly what he wanted from her, so she tried not to indulge him, turning her head away quickly and putting on a haughty front. "Hmph! Looks like I managed better than you did, anyway." She saw bandages on his hands, at least. He definitely didn't get through unscathed.

[ran_on_empty]

"And what's so great about that? You probably just hid behind someone and used them as a shield so you wouldn't get hurt," Sync sneered back. So what if he got a few scratches here and there? It wasn't like it'd slow him down, and they were going to be healed by tomorrow anyway.

"Anyway, I wonder who they're bringing in," He began in a more casual tone this time, leaning back further into his chair and stretching. "I hope it's Arietta. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see even more people whose lives you've ruined and killed mercilessly."

[damned_visitors]

A normal child would have been very worried, he surmised, even extremely uncomfortable in this bland, white setting, the smell of chlorine and violence painting the walls. Even the gentle faces of the nurses didn't alleviate any of the heavy atmosphere of the building. This child was different, however - perhaps one would say wise beyond his years. Even at his age, he had seen and accepted the... issues his friends and family had. But he knew, even in such a bleak place, that they would eventually be healed. He could only wait on the sidelines, cheering them on with all of his heart.

He clutched his gifts to said organ, feeling it beating frantically. He hadn't seen the two of them so long; would the air between them still be as sweet as it was years ago? Though he loved both his brother and his... his girlfriend (he still became slightly flustered at the word!), he wondered if either of them faulted him for being on the outside. Would he be able to handle their anger, if that was true?

... of course. He loved them. And he wouldn't

[gald_digger]

She didn't use Leonard as a shield; he just jumped in there all by himself! But, whatever. Maybe Sync would back off if she didn't dignify his stupid comments with a response.

That was the plan, at least, but Sync's next blow hit too hard to ignore. It wasn't like she could even argue it, either. Anise knew full well that it was her fault that Arietta was dead. But Sync didn't have to be such a jerk about it!

"Shut up! Just--" Anise abruptly stopped herself when she noticed someone approaching, not wanting any nurses to hear them fighting. The person walking their way wasn't a nurse, however. The anger faded from her face as she watched, quickly recognizing the boy who approached them. His hairstyle and clothes were kind of weird, but there was no mistaking his gentle face.

Ion.

Anise moved to say something, but Ion spoke first, using those names to greet them, and immediately she was silenced. That's right. They'd gotten to him. She knew that from the moment she saw him, but that didn't make it hurt less to actually hear it with

[ran_on_empty]

Despite everything that happened over the years, winding Anise up like that never seemed to grow boring. It may have been because it almost always worked, though he knew not to exhaust his 'resources'. After all, there were only so many times he could lash out at someone before they grew a thicker skin.

The sneer on Sync's face didn't waver in the slightest as he waited for Anise to haughtily respond back. She was way too sympathetic, way too dramatic and pathetic to let the dead go just like that.

However, even before the latter began to speak the God-General caught sight of something through his peripherals. He tilted his head slightly, looking passed Anise and towards the thing that shocked them both to silence. The teen blinked once, testing to see if the ugly thing before him was actually the real thing. Yet, even if they were decked in such a ridiculous outfit, Sync knew that he could never mistake that naive look for anyone else's.

Ion.Even if he was silent the darkening expression that captured his face was more than enough

[damned_visitors]

Charles tried to remain straight in his chair, hugging his gifts even closer to compensate for the people he couldn't touch. It was hard to remain positive under his brother's dark anger, even harder when Anise called him by her imagined name for him... was the Ion in her head created because she wasn't satisfied with Charles himself?

He'd never know. And if he was better for her... than he could accept that.

Their fantasies are an escape from the real world, a doctor had told him when he had accompanied them to their first visit to the hospital. Some part of their minds just can't handle it, so they create a world that they can understand. Those words had cut him apart; even as the words left the man's mouth, Charles immediately knew that their sickness had to be through some fault of his own

[gald_digger]

Anise had nearly forgotten about Sync's presence, and when she heard him utter those venomous words, she wasn't able to stop herself from gasping. She shot him a furious glare, but stopped when Ion gave his calm reply. How could he just sit there and let Sync get away with saying something like that!? Part of Anise wanted to rip that jerk's throat out for saying something so horrible.

Then again, Ion probably knew that getting upset would just encourage him. Letting her own temper get out of hand wouldn't help. Reluctantly, Anise finally took a seat, making sure to keep a wide space between herself and Sync.

Ion had been carrying something with him, but it wasn't until he set them in front of her that Anise could clearly see what they were. A bouquet of flowers... and a box of chocolates!? But that was the kind of gift a lover would give! But that was just like Ion, wasn't it? He was probably just too naïve to realize the usual implications behind gifts like those

[ran_on_empty]

Sync had to snort at Ion's pathetic response, pushing himself farther into his own chair when the latter sat down to keep some distance between them. It was kind of funny how he could hate a person so much, especially to the point where he'd forget that they were already supposed to be here. The God-General didn't bother with the details for the moment, more interested with what the other replica was trying to offer the confused Anise.

Flowers? Chocolates?

"Dates? Are you kidding me? She killed you before you could even think about getting that far." Once more, Sync didn't bother to beat around the bush, chuckling lightly when Anise tried to answer back. He didn't know why she was following along with these lies; he never expected her to stoop so low as to take advantage of him like this.

"You're really lucky, you know. No matter how many times you use him he'll forgive you no matter what."

[damned_visitors]

"You don't need to apologize. We promised to stay together through the thick and thin, remember? I'm going to be here no matter how long it takes you to get better." He looked to Sync, always meeting his brother's scowl with the opposite; a carefree smile that lightened his whole demeanor. If his brother had grown to hate him, how could he fault Stephen for that? His brother was trapped in a box in his own mind, while Charles was free to go wherever he wished... even if he wished he could just stay here and help them through this.

"But I never died, Stephen. I'm right here, don't you see? I've visited so many times... have you forgotten all of them? The first time, Mother and Father even came with me. Isn't me standing here breaking down the life you thought you lived?" Though he normally remained passive, he couldn't help but wonder if this imagined death was what had pushed Stephen over the edge. It felt almost selfish to think that way, but they had been inseparable just a small while ago! How could their relationship become so

[gald_digger]

Ion didn't remember at all, did he? The horrible things she did to him...

Anise kept her gaze low, not quite able to bring herself to look Ion in the eyes. Sync was right; she didn't deserve any of this. Not the gifts, nor Ion's kindness. It was really weird, wasn't it? Anise always wished she could go back and undo what she had done, and now that Ion was back and her betrayal had even been forgotten... it didn't feel right.

Of course it didn't feel right. It was a lie; that was why. Even a happy lie was still just a lie.

The girl's head snapped up when he mentioned a mother and father. Ion had parents? Maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. If he was convinced that he wasn't a replica, then of course he would have parents in that fake life. Anise wondered what they could possibly be like, even if it was possible that they were just a false memory, and not even actual people

[ran_on_empty]

"Don't you dare call me by that name." It was kind of funny really. Of all the things Sync would get worked up over it was something as simple as a name. However, the replica knew it was the root of all his problems; after all, that fake life (with loving parents and a brother) stemmed from that fake identity. Sync's eyes had narrowed into nothing more than slits, nails digging into the cushions of his seat as he continued in a dangerous tone.

"My name is the only thing that's mine and mine alone. I won't let you soil that by calling me something else

[damned_visitors]

Charles sighed; it seemed, even if his brother didn't remember his previous visits, that he was accustomed to such outbursts. The doctors had kindly enough warned him that the visit would be hard, reminding him that his brother had once had a different sort of outburst to a patient who looked similar to himself.

"I'm sorry if the lunch isn't good, Mother never really showed me how to do it correctly. It took a while to even make something edible," he chuckled. Once his laughter died, the eyes that were watching Stephen became serious, darkened by the light frown touching his forehead. "But Stephen, you're claiming to own a false name. You're Stephen. And I'm Charles," he pointed to his girlfriend, "And she's Dolores. And we've all known each other since we were very young. Our lives were peaceful; why would you want to replace them with lives where you only knew violence and death?"

"And Dolores," he turned to her, the frown lightened only minutely, "You remember our years together - in a way. Why don't you remember the truth? Our

[gald_digger]

The coldness and the anger were expected. Anise saw that coming from a mile away. What she didn't see coming was the reason Sync gave for his anger. His name? From the way Sync always acted, it had seemed to her like he didn't have anything he valued in the least. Did this mean there was something after all?

Anise watched him argue with the tiniest bit of sympathy, although that shred of new-found respect was soon forgotten once she saw his disgusting and insulting display. Even if Ion wasn't completely himself, it still made her blood boil to see him get treated that way. "Sync!" she snapped angrily, despite knowing it was useless. Ion wasn't going to stand up for himself, though, so somebody had to say something.

It hurt to listen to Ion tell them about the experiences he remembered that just couldn't have happened. A first dance, a first kiss... Anise had never actually been kissed by a boy before. It was weird to try and imagine Ion being the first. And with how much all of those false memories seemed to mean to Ion, part of her