Dayshift 43: Courtyard [4th Shift]

[itstaichoutoyou]

Fresh air, devoid of the foul stench of death, was quite welcome, along with the sun's warmth. It help to distract him from last night's events. The courtyard hadn't been his first choice, but he hadn't had much say in the matter when his nurse cruelly snatched him away from Hinamori, just when she started to warm up to him

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[full_score]

The shift had ended much earlier than Claude would have liked, which left him feeling really conflicted, to say the least. On one hand, part of him couldn't help but feel angry toward Landel for involving his family in his crazy schemes -- but on the other, he'd gotten a chance to see his mom, of all people, healthy and in good spirits.

Between his first mission in space, winding up on Expel, and getting pulled into the events that followed, she hadn't always been in the forefront of his mind, in all honesty. Oh, he'd think of her, of course -- sometimes when he'd wander through a particular inn alone at night while the rest of his friends were asleep, or when a battle against some monster was looking grim. But once he'd seen her face, heard her voice, and smelled her hair...that was when the fact he'd missed her -- really missed her -- hit him at full force.

Claude wondered what all this meant. Was she stuck in this world, forever brainwashed? Her husband was still alive, at least, which was obviously so much better for her than what her life before had dished out to her, and yet--ack, why was he even thinking this? They'd taken her real memories away! Of course she wasn't better off here.

...Right?

But now wasn't really the best time to think about all this, he told himself as he stepped out into the courtyard. Maybe the fresh, chilly air would help clear his head a little, and then he'd be in a better state of mind to talk to Guy about what had happened. Where was Guy right now, anyway? Claude hoped he hadn't gotten any unexpected visitors, because this was probably one conversation that he didn't need to put off.

Once he caught sight of a familiar figure sitting alone on a bench -- Guy, he realized -- Claude stopped in his tracks, briefly hesitating. This was the man he'd bitten and turned into a zombie. Just what was he supposed to say? Suddenly, any apology or excuse he could think of just sounded inadequate to him, and his mind drew a blank on how he should even greet him.

Still, Claude knew he had to man up to what he'd done. He owed Guy that much, at least. Giving a nervous swallow, he finally strode over to the bench and settled down beside the older man.

"Hey." It would have been easy to just stare out onto the pond instead of looking at Guy, but Claude made himself face him anyway. "How're you feeling?"

[razing_phoenix]

Hearing that voice all of a sudden almost startled Guy, but he thanked Yulia that he didn't visibly show it. It wasn't that he was scared of Claude or anything; he just hadn't expected his friend to show up when he'd just been thinking about him. Still, this was a good thing, since they probably needed to at least address what had happened.

Unless Claude didn't want to. He hadn't come out with any sudden apologies or anything, which probably meant that he didn't know how to apologize. Not that he needed to in the first place, but Guy already knew that his friend had to be beating himself up over what had happened.

In that case, maybe it was best to get that whole issue out of the way so that they could talk about the coming night. They would be in the same boat, so at least they could try to prepare for it together.

"I'm feeling pretty well, all things considered," he first replied. "But Claude, look... don't even worry about last night, all right?" He made sure to look his friend right in the eyes so that Claude would know that he was serious and not just saying the words to be polite. "There was no way you could have helped that, and I'm the one who told you to stick with us. It meant I was ready for any consequences."

And he was, to an extent. He knew the symptoms, which meant that he might have a better chance at staving off the hunger than Claude had. The rotting wasn't something that could be helped, but if it disappeared in the morning it would hopefully be manageable. Either way, he wasn't going to lose hope until night fell and he could properly assess his condition.

[full_score]

He seemed to be holding up all right, but Claude wasn't sure how much of it was a show for his benefit, and how much was him honestly feeling well. If his own injuries were anything to go by, then his friend shouldn't have been in too much pain right now, or even suffering from any cravings to eat other people. But how long would it last? The knowledge that this could come back to haunt them later tonight had made for a heavy burden, and the fact he'd effectively pulled Guy down with him didn't make it any easier to carry.

Guy's gaze was sincere and solid when he told him not to worry. He genuinely wasn't angry at him, Claude realized. The idea of his friend holding any ill will toward him was almost too much to bear, and yet his already-extended forgiveness made something twist uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach. He glanced away, idly fiddling with the tiny "flash drive" his mom had given him last shift.

"I understand that," he said, "but just because you were prepared to deal with whatever doesn't absolve me of responsibility." Maybe Guy didn't hold him accountable for his actions, but Claude still held himself accountable. Part of him wished he'd just bolted as soon as he realized he posed a threat to Dad and Guy. He knew his friend wouldn't be happy to hear it, though, so he wisely kept that to himself.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Claude added, and he turned to look at Guy in the eyes again. "I really do appreciate your sticking your neck out for me, especially when you didn't have to." The blond sighed. "I just hate that it wound up costing you so much, Guy. It really shouldn't have."

[razing_phoenix]

It was pretty easy to see that no matter what Guy said, Claude wasn't going to stop feeling the way he did about what had happened. It was a shame, but all the swordsman could do was hope that the infection cleared out of their systems so it became a moot point and they could move on to worrying about other things.

He sent his friend a small smile before shrugging. "Maybe it shouldn't have, but I've gotten to a point where I expect Landel's to make my life as hard as possible. I might not have expected that to include getting bitten by a close friend, but it's something that I blame the institute for, not you." He liked to think that Claude would know that he would never lie about something like this, but he supposed he couldn't blame his friend for feeling insecure and shaky about the whole mess.

He ran a hand through his hair as he refrained from sighing. It wasn't that he was content with the situation, but he didn't see much point in bringing up what-ifs, either. It had already happened and there wasn't any way to change that, so it made more sense for them to figure out how they were going to deal with it.

"We should focus on what might happen tonight, though. We might be fine, but if we aren't we should have some sort of game plan. I'm going to tell my roommate to keep an eye on me and tie me up when night comes if he has to, but I'm open to any other ideas." He sent Claude a questioning look. While being restrained might do the job just fine (he didn't think any extra strength had come with the infection), he was still curious to hear his friend's take on it.

[full_score]

Claude was silent for a moment. Landel's really had made life harder for Guy these days, what with losing Peony and Luke, only to wind up with the likes of Sync, and now this? The other man was handling all this so calmly and maturely that it was hard not to admire it.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. Guy obviously wasn't just saying these things to make him feel better. Really, he was just glad he had a friend who was so understanding.

It was true they needed to do their best to look forward and be proactive about their situation. Claude couldn't afford to let himself to do any less, especially considering his hand in all this. More importantly, though, he still would have wanted to make sure Guy came out of all this all right, even if he hadn't been the one to bite him.

"You're right," Claude said as he squared his shoulders and leaned back in his seat. He hated the thought of Guy having to stay tied up in his room, but he could definitely understand the sentiment behind it, and he was in no position to argue. As for himself, he couldn't ask his roommate to do any favors for him -- Emmett had been asleep for awhile now. It was worrisome, but, unfortunately, there was little Claude could do about it.

If the symptoms came back tonight, though, Claude wasn't sure him sticking around would be a good idea. After last night's fiasco, it was obvious he couldn't be trusted to restrain himself under the wrong circumstances.

"Well, the, you know...unusual cravings aren't for other people with the illness, right?" he said after a moment. "Maybe you and I should stick together tonight. I could come by your room once the doors unlock."

[razing_phoenix]

It was good to see that when it came down to it, Claude was able to set aside the guilt he had so that they could focus on the matter at hand. Guy nodded, shifting in his seat as it continued to get colder. It wouldn't be much longer before dinner, which meant getting even closer to nightfall. As much as he was putting on a strong front about it and trying to deal with it rationally, he didn't think anyone could be completely fearless in the face of something like this.

He raised both eyebrows when Claude made his suggestion. While it made a lot of sense, there were still a few obvious problems with it. "It might be good for us to just stick together," he agreed, "but that still leaves the issue of how you're going to get from your room to mine." The trip wasn't very long, but even that short distance might make a difference if the infection was raging.

Guy didn't want to say anything out loud, but he wasn't sure Claude could be trusted to make it to his room without harming someone along the way. He could maybe announce to people that he was dangerous and they shouldn't get too close as he walked down the halls, but it was still risky.

On the other hand, Guy wasn't sure he wanted to try the opposite, either. He'd only felt the very beginnings of the symptoms start to gnaw at him last night, but he could see how that kind of hunger could escalate. He couldn't trust himself, either.

Maybe Claude had a plan. Guy was more than willing to listen, since he had to admit he'd rather not spend his whole night alone, tied up in his room and trying to fight back a hunger while he watched himself rot.

[full_score]

When Guy raised up that particular problem, Claude blinked. "I'd walk there, of course!" As soon as the words left his mouth, however, the full implications of what Guy was saying sunk in, and he frowned. "Oh! R-right, that..."

If he felt this bad from biting Guy, no doubt he'd feel even worse with himself if he harmed an innocent bystander who hadn't agreed to put up with his nasty zombie baggage. Granted, Claude was pretty sure he wouldn't have sunk his teeth into his friend if they hadn't have been in such close proximity, but their winding up that way had been completely accidental. Who was to say something similar couldn't happen to him on the way to Guy's room?

"Well..." Claude folded his arms and stared out onto the pond, biting his lower lip in thought. After a moment, his eyes lit up with an idea. "What if I gagged myself somehow? You know, kind of like how you'd put a muzzle on a dog."

Not that he liked comparing himself to an animal, but it was the only analogy he could think of. Either way, maybe that would keep him him from doing any harm to anyone he might accidentally bump into on the way to Guy's room. He hoped so, anyway -- Claude wasn't sure if he could come up with any other ideas.

[razing_phoenix]

Gagged himself? The idea seemed downright unpleasant, but Guy also realized that it might be their only option if they wanted to risk walking around amongst the other patients while struggling with the infection. He just wasn't sure if a muzzle would be enough to stop the cravings when push came to shove, though he supposed it depended on what they were gagging themselves with.

"That might work," he decided, if somewhat reluctantly. "Still, what would you use? I don't think shoving a piece of a shirt into your mouth is going to do all that much, y'know?" It wasn't that he wanted to argue with Claude, but rather that he'd prefer that they worked out all the kinks in this idea before they actually tried it. It was people's lives who might be on the line otherwise, right? It only seemed right to look at their options from all angles and make sure they picked the best one.

[full_score]

Claude paused at the question, eyebrows faintly furrowing. He appreciated Guy playing devil's advocate, since it'd help make sure he thought all of this through before leaping into some half-formed plan of action, but it was still a little frustrating to be reminded that he didn't have much to work with.

"Well, no, but if I stuffed something like a shirt inside my mouth, and then maybe tied several strips over my mouth, it'd at least delay me from biting someone if I wound up losing it again, right?" The distance from his room to Guy's was a short one, and he was going to avoid getting close to other people on the way. Plus it wasn't like it was common for monsters to hang around those particular halls anyway. Claude liked to think the odds of face-planting into someone's chest were considerably smaller during a trek to Guy's room than during a zombie invasion.

"Right now the only other alternative I can think of is asking someone to hit me upside the head and drag me over to your room," Claude added, and his tone suggested he was at least half serious.

Either that, or he could just not go out at all, but he wasn't willing to do that. Claude could certainly hang tight in his room if that's what the situation called for, no matter how unpleasant it'd be, and he was sure Guy was capable of doing the same, but having to deal with this zombie mess alone didn't seem so great when they could just as well weather it together.

[razing_phoenix]

Guy crossed his arms over his chest and glanced up to the sky for a moment as he thought over the different suggestions Claude was tossing out. He didn't like the idea of Claude having to get carried over since that would require him taking a pretty hard knock to the head -- not to mention someone else would then have to take the time out of their night to haul him over, which most likely wouldn't be an easy task. The chances of them finding someone who could do that before night came weren't very high, anyway.

That left the makeshift muzzle. Claude sounded like he had an idea of how he could make a pretty decent one, and Guy really wasn't going to start questioning how smart or practical his friend was when it came to things like that. Claude had a good head on his shoulders, and in the end Guy realized that he trusted his friend to not take any unnecessary risks. And it really wasn't that far.

"All right," he agreed after a pause. "If you think the muzzle idea will work, then go for it. I feel kind of bad making you come to me, but I think you have a better idea of the extent of the symptoms than I do." He had only just started to feel them before morning had come again, so Claude was the better choice.

It was more or less decided, then. They might spent their whole night sitting around in Guy's room while they continued to rot, but at least they would be doing it together.

[full_score]

"Don't worry about it," Claude said simply. It was true he had a little more experience dealing with the symptoms, but it was also true he was the one who'd bitten Guy in the first place. He felt like it was only right that he be the one to take the extra precautions and spare Guy the hassle. It was the least he could do.

Having gotten all of that out of the way, Claude let out a small breath. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't pretty nervous about what would ultimately happen to them. Would the rotting continue to spread? Would they eventually become full zombies like the creatures they'd encountered last night? The thought made Claude's stomach turn a little. Some of the other patients would kill them if that happened, he was almost sure of it.

Maybe that was another good reason not to tell a lot of people they were infected.

Claude opened his mouth to say how sorry he was that Guy had to go through this, but stopped himself short. He already knew from experience that Guy wouldn't want to hear it, and would maybe even lecture him about it. Upsetting his friend right now was something he wanted to avoid, so he kept the impulse to apologize to himself.

"It's nice that the symptoms are gone for now, at least," he said instead, and he gave a small smile. "Maybe we should enjoy it while we can."

[razing_phoenix]

Well, that was that. It had been decided and they were going to get through the coming night somehow -- hopefully without incident, but he was going to make sure he was prepared to deal with any possible hiccups that might crop up. Not that he was used to trying to predict how a zombie infection would pan out, but he could still try.

Guy nodded at Claude's comment, having thought something similar himself earlier on. Granted, enjoying their "freedom" wasn't very easy in this place. They were still stuck in the same courtyard, and while it was pretty enough, that didn't change the fact that it was just another part of the cage.

"I guess you're right," he said nonetheless. "I'm just not sure how we should, unless you want to risk taking a swim in the pond." He sent Claude a smile to make sure his friend knew that he was joking. Although he did remember the time that Yuffie girl had almost fallen in when he'd been talking to her.

All jokes aside, he would have loved to take a real swim. It wouldn't be a lie to say that he was a fan of it.

[full_score]

The change in subject was welcomed one, and Claude felt himself relax a little.

"Well, if we did, the worst they'd do is sedate us," he said as he returned the smile, a little fuller this time. After all, splashing around in a pond had to be a less serious offense than shoving someone onto the ground. Not that he liked causing trouble in the day when he could avoid it, of course. But when someone faced the possibility of rotting and turning into a zombie, it sort of put things like that into perspective.

It was too cold for something like that anyway. If it'd been a little warmer, though, he might have seriously considered it.

"It's too bad we don't get more of a chance to let off some steam during the day," he added. "I mean, I know they're not obligated to since this is still a prison, but sometimes it makes me wish there was some kind of sparring club."

[razing_phoenix]

It was true that they probably wouldn't get into too much trouble for it -- unless their actions ended up inspiring other patients to follow suit, which was quite possible. The riot was proof enough that the patients had a tendency to fall into a mob mentality.

Either way, Guy wasn't looking to get sedated, even if it might make the pain from his rotting wound hurt a little less. He needed to be as aware as he could if the infection came back, so he couldn't take that kind of risk.

This wasn't the first time that Claude had mentioned the sparring club. While Guy would have been all for it had one existed, he already knew that it was impossible. "Yeah, it's too bad, but the nurses would never trust us to fight without actually hurting each other. And we've already talked over the possibilities of doing it at night with Dias..." As far as he could remember, they had decided that while it could be done, it would also require a lot of planning and damage control.

[full_score]

"Doesn't mean I can't dream about it," Claude replied with a grin and a small shrug. "But, yeah, I'm hoping I can find enough ways to stay busy at night so I won't have to go organizing one myself." These days the basement had been filling up most of their time, but Claude wasn't sure what the final outcome of that would be. Dias had said Mr. Radio had told him it was the key out of here, but what would they need to do to get to that point?

Well, at this rate, he was just keeping his fingers crossed that he and Guy wouldn't have their nights cut short by turning into full-out zombies whenever the sun set. Claude would take feeling bored or cooped-up over that any day of the week.

With that sobering thought, he became quiet as he looked out toward the pond again. The water glistened in the sunlight, and many of the golden fall leaves he'd spotted on his first bus ride to Doyleton had begun to darken and drift away from the tree branches that stretched out over some of the patients' heads.

[razing_phoenix]

Dreaming about it was all fine and good, but all Guy could usually think of was the mental image of the recreational field swarmed by monsters while only about five armed people gathered to deal with all of them. The odds didn't seem good when they already had so many other things to worry about.

"I'm pretty sure the basement will be keeping us busy for a while," he said with a small sigh. Doyleton had been a break from that, but it hardly counted as any kind of reprieve. Even if the basement search was becoming somewhat monotonous, it definitely beat out having to tangle with zombies and getting bitten and even infected.

He glanced at Claude to see where he was looking and then gazed out over the pond as well, thinking of Grand Chokmah and the view of the ocean. This was far different, but he still found himself homesick for that place from time to time. It seemed like they had fallen into a comfortable silence, which was just as good since the next thing he knew, the nurses were preparing to round them all up again.

Guy sent his friend a slightly strained smile. "Well, I'll see you tonight, I guess."