Day 46: Sun Room

[human_sponge]

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that

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[razing_phoenix]

There was something calming about the fact that Claude was sitting with him like this. Suddenly it was like none of that stuff in the coliseum had even happened. Of course, he still had the pain all over his body to make it very obvious that it had happened, but it felt pretty good to go back to the basics like this.

It occurred to him that he was getting used to this place, that hanging out in the Sun Room with Claude had translated into "normal" in his mind. It was almost frightening, but he also didn't see what was wrong with getting close to someone in dire times.

The thing that was harder to admit was that if they ever did find a way to go home, it was going to be more difficult that it should be due to the fact that it meant possibly not seeing people like Claude ever again.

Geez, his mind had totally wandered. By the time he tuned back in, Claude was busy wiping his eyes; Guy had a guess as to why. A pang of guilt shot through him, but he knew it wasn't his fault that Claude had been put through so much.

He was a little surprised at the younger man's admittance, but he couldn't blame Claude for it. With the way the institute messed around with them so much, it would have been typical to try and trick his friends into thinking he was alive when he really wasn't. And then throw some kind of monster at them for good measure. "Of course," he replied with a smile. "I probably would have felt the same way."

[full_score]

It hadn't been an unreasonable thing to think, he knew. Not to mention he'd had Celes and Anise to worry about at the time, as well. Still, after everything Guy had been put through, it seemed wrong to keep him at arm's length. No one deserved that, but especially not him.

At least Guy was understanding about it. Really, he was lucky to have met such a good friend here in this hell hole, and even luckier to have him back in one piece. It had been hard to imagine pressing on without his anchoring presence. Just the fact that he'd had to constantly reflect on some of the things Guy had said to him was kind of telling of how important his friendship had become to him.

"Thanks." Claude returned the smile, pausing just to look at him again. At that moment he couldn't help but recall the way Landel had found a way to use him against Guy like he had, and his stomach gave an uncomfortable twist. He knew he could never let anything like that happen a second time. Maybe this place didn't afford much control, but there had to be something he could do.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked him after a brief silence. "I'm sure the nurses would give you something if you told them you were uncomfortable." Then again, maybe going near the nurses was something Guy generally avoided, for obvious reasons. With that thought in mind, Claude turned in his seat a little, as if trying to see where the nearest staff member was. "Heck, I could go talk to them for you if you wanted, you know."

[razing_phoenix]

It wasn't too unexpected to hear that Claude had noticed the pain he was in. Guy hadn't been trying too hard to hide it, mainly because Claude wasn't someone that he felt he had to act particularly strong in front of. The other blond had seen him at some pretty weak moments during their time here, so it seemed silly trying to put up a strong front about his pain tolerance at this point.

When Claude made his offer, Guy couldn't help smiling. He knew exactly why Claude had thought to suggest such a thing, and he was grateful for it, mainly for the fact that Claude hadn't outright stated why he would be willing to do that. Still, it took some consideration. He wasn't sure if he wanted to accept anything from the institute after all that had happened, but he was in a good deal of pain...

Then he remembered the medicine he and Claude had taken in order to fight off the pain from their zombies bites--

And that was when Guy remembered. How could he have forgotten all about that when it had been such a huge problem? He knew he'd had a lot of other things to worry about, but...

"Hey, I just realized. When I woke up last night, I wasn't feeling any of the symptoms of the infection from that bite." He was pretty sure the wound was mainly healed, as well. Guy peered over at Claude. "How about you?"

[full_score]

Claude had been totally willing to get up and seek someone out for medicine if Guy needed it, but then he suddenly changed the subject. Upon hearing that Guy's zombie bite had healed, he blinked and automatically brought a hand to his healed shoulder. "O-oh, yeah! I noticed yesterday that all of my wounds were gone, including the infection." He hadn't really had the time to rejoice over that, though, given the circumstances. Still, it sounded like Guy's illness had cleared up as well, which was a huge relief.

"Looks like it wasn't permanent after all," he said with a grin. "Whew!" Well, unless there was a chance of it flaring up again later, but he wasn't going to think too hard on that right now. Man, he didn't really want to consider going around and salivating every time some poor innocent person happened to walk past him. He loved meat as much as the next person, but Claude drew the line at cannibalism, thanks.

Wow, though -- talk about a load off of his shoulders. It was almost as if he felt physically lighter once Guy had called that to his attention.

"Oh, right, that reminds me," he added, face lighting up a little, "you should still have some of my medicine in your room. Don't hesitate to take it sometime if you're not feeling too great, okay? There's no reason for you to hurt more than you have to right now."

[razing_phoenix]

So it was true, then. They had been cured. The only gash on Guy's chest now was the one he had gotten two nights ago, and he didn't think it was the best idea to bring that up. Chances were that Claude felt responsible for the two sword wounds that Guy had sustained, but he really shouldn't. After all, he'd been pitted against Dias, and it was much harder to raise your sword against a friend. Attacking Sync, on the other hand, had been easy.

Guy remembered the curse slot that the God-General had put on him with distaste. He couldn't be sure if it was still there (the marking disappeared after it was first applied), but he was hoping that Sync's powers were no longer strong enough for him to control the curse slot. Nothing had happened so far...

It was like he'd traded one infection for a whole other affliction. Things really hadn't been going his way lately, had they? Well, except for Luke showing up again.

When Claude mentioned the medicine, Guy smiled and nodded. "Thanks a lot. I'll keep that in mind." Depending on how long the pain persisted, he might have to resort to that. "But for now, I think I'll take you up on that offer." He'd be able to have a better conversation with his friend if the pain wasn't so distracting, after all.

[full_score]

Claude nodded, glad that Guy was willing to let him help out. "Sure thing. Just wait here, I'll be back in a jiffy."

With that, he slipped off from the couch and approached a nurse that was standing near the bulletin board. As much as some of the other patients here hated the staff, Claude couldn't really bring himself to feel angry at them. After his encounter with Dr. Sohma, and his subsequent meeting with Kagura, it was hard not to wonder if the other staff members had families and friends like they did, if maybe they were victims in all of this as much as the patients themselves.

He tried not to think too much on all that when he was met with the nurse's smiling face. "Can I do something for you?"

"Yeah, um..." Claude rubbed the back of his neck and gestured over to where Guy was sitting. "My friend, he...had some kind of accident the other day, and he's still in a lot of pain. Do you happen to have any medicine he could take?"

The nurse peered over Claude's shoulder to see who he was talking about. As soon as her eyes settled on Guy, her face lit up a little in understanding. "Ohhh, Mr. Browne? Yes, I imagine he's not feeling very well this morning. Let me go get something for him real fast."

She turned and disappeared into the crowd of patients for a moment, leaving Claude to himself. Though it was easy to feel a little impatient, particularly when he wanted to get back to Guy as soon as possible, he knew it was probably best for him to wait and bring the medicine over himself. After a few minutes, she finally returned, though it looked like she was heading straight for the couch. Flashing the woman a nervous smile, Claude managed to intercept her before she made it over to him. "I, uh, can take care of that, ma'am."

She opened her mouth to reply, but then paused as if remembering something. "Well...all right, then." Claude gladly took a small cup of pills along with a larger cup of water from her. With that done, he hurriedly headed back over to where Guy was sitting.

"Here you go," he said cheerfully as he extended both cups out for him to take.

[razing_phoenix]

Nodding back to Claude, Guy watched as the younger man headed off to go find a nurse. He watched their conversation and noted the polite way Claude dealt with the woman (just like a proper gentleman), but when the nurse disappeared and there was nothing more for him to observe, Guy slowly let his eyes close. Even though he'd been dead for a whole day, part of him felt like he needed to rest. His body was still healing, and he could definitely tell through every bit of soreness.

His mind had completely wandered, so he was somewhat startled when his eyes blinked open and Claude was back and holding two cups out toward him. He gave a small shake of his head to clear it and then slowly grabbed both cups.

The whole swallowing pill thing was still new to him, but Guy wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. There were only two in there, so it could have been worse. (What was a normal dose, he wondered?) He did take them one at a time, but both eventually made it down his bruised throat, and that was what mattered.

"Thanks," he said when he finished. "Hopefully it'll kick in fast." If not by this shift, then surely by lunchtime. Or so he hoped.

Now, to get back to his earlier thought. "So, I've been meaning to tell you..." He wasn't sure what Claude was going to make of this after Luke had come and gone twice already, but it wouldn't have felt right to keep it from him when there was no reason to. "Luke's showed up here again."

[full_score]

"No problem," Claude replied with a grin. He wasn't sure exactly what the nurses had given him, but it'd probably start working within the next half hour or so. At least he was taking the pills now rather than later. Thankfully it looked like he didn't have any problems getting them down, even though he knew Guy wasn't used to taking medicine like that back on Auldrant.

With that taken care of, Claude settled down beside Guy again, careful not to accidentally jostle his seat too much. When his friend mentioned wanting to tell him something, he perked up. After everything that had happened over the last few days, it had been easy to forget about the stream of new arrivals that seemed to steadily trickle into this place. That was why he was visibly stunned to learn Luke had come back. Had he been asleep this whole time, or had he forgotten his earlier time in Landel's again? Luke had never answered that bulletin note he'd left for him several days ago, but that was all he'd known about his last disappearance.

"That's great!" he said with excitedly. Then, pausing, he suddenly ran a hand through his hair. "Er, not great that he's stuck here, but great that he's okay, I mean." He knew how worried Guy must have been about Luke this whole time. He had been through so much lately, it must have been a huge relief to have something good happen to him for a change.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but believe that maybe that meant that, somewhere out there, Ashton was okay, too.

"You know, I think you've still got that meat cleaver in your room," he added. "Maybe you should give it to him to use until he can get a proper sword."

[razing_phoenix]

It was nice to get such a strong reaction from Claude about the whole thing. For one thing, Guy wanted to be excited about it too, so it was good to have someone else's enthusiasm to work off of. He smiled back, and was quick to wave his friend off when he tried to clarify. "Don't worry, I know what you mean. He pretty much had the same thing to say."

Talking about this with Claude did make him think about Ashton, though. He and Luke had originally disappeared around the same time, but Ashton had never once returned the way Luke had. Guy didn't really know if that was a good sign or a bad one, but it did make him worry for Claude. It probably would have reassured Claude immensely to see Ashton again.

Though what came as a real shocker was when Claude brought up that meat cleaver. Considering how much had been going on, Guy had completely forgotten about it. It seemed only right for Luke to inherit his old weapon, and Guy's face lit up at the realization.

"Hey, you're right! How could I have forgotten? I'll have to let him know." Hopefully Luke wouldn't refuse the offer. It wasn't like the cleaver was getting any use out of him, so there was no reason why his friend should feel like he was taking advantage of Guy. Maybe he could get a hold of Luke over the bulletin and then arrange to drop the thing off with him tonight. He'd rather his friend didn't go without a weapon for any longer than was necessary.

"Thanks for reminding me," he said with a small laugh. "You'd think I could keep track of my own things." Usually he was sharper than that, but something felt a little off after the whole dying thing. He hadn't been able to put his finger on it so far, though.

[full_score]

"No need to thank me," Claude replied with a sheepish a smile. "I was the one who accidentally left it in there." It had originally been his to use, but he was glad Luke was around to receive it now. Either way, though, he didn't blame Guy for not remembering. The past few days had been terrible enough to make anyone forget a small detail like that. Still, he silently reflected, it was almost humorous how often their stuff wound up in the other's room.

It was at that moment his eyes settled onto the paper crane that was perched beside him. With the shock of finding Guy sitting in here, it looked like he'd forgotten some of his own items of business. His face grew somber for a moment, and he plucked it up from its place on the couch. After gently setting it into the palm of his hand, he presented it to Guy.

"By the way," he quietly said, "I was supposed to deliver this for Okita. He made it once he heard about..." Claude momentarily averted his eyes. "You know..."

[razing_phoenix]

Despite what Claude said, it was still nice of him to offer like that. Guy wouldn't have minded returning it, but it was probably best to hand it off to Luke. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Claude had any new friends coming in who might be able to use it. Guy felt partly guilty for that, but at the same time he knew he had no control over who the institute brought here.

When Claude suddenly picked up a small, folded paper bird that Guy had until now not noticed, he was about to ask if the younger man had made it himself (it was a neat skill), but before he could say anything it was being handed over to him.

"For me?" he asked with wide eyes, but he quickly took it and held it as carefully as he could. It seemed fragile, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally crush a gift from his roommate. While all was well now, he still appreciated the gesture, and it was nice of Claude to remember to deliver it even after Guy's awakening.

"I wonder where he learned how to do this," he remarked, tone impressed as he examined the details of the paper bird. "Thanks for delivering it," he said as he glanced up to Claude with a slightly solemn smile.

[full_score]

"It's called 'origami', a special art indigenous to Okita's homeland," Claude explained. "Origami cranes are known as a symbol of peace in my time, though I don't doubt the meaning is a little different in his era." That was back before nuclear weapons had been developed, before humans on Earth had nearly destroyed themselves. Naturally, lots of things had changed and evolved throughout the several centuries that separated them.

"He actually taught me how to make them awhile back," Claude added. "I'm sure he'd be happy to show you if you asked." Actually, he'd probably be happy to see Guy at all. The thought of their reunion was enough to put a smile on Claude's face. Despite how calm Okita had been for his sake, he knew the news had been hard on the man. Thinking on that reminded him of something else, however, and Claude's eyes widened a little.

"Oh yeah, I think he wrote a message inside," he suddenly said. Unfortunately, reading it would mean having to unfold the crane and ruin its shape, though Claude thought he could assemble it back together if that was what Guy wanted. Well, unless he asked Okita to do it, anyway.

[razing_phoenix]

While the word was one that Guy had never heard of before, he wasn't surprised that "origami" was considered an art form. He wouldn't even know where to start when it came to folding a piece of paper and making a crane out of it. The idea of it being a symbol of peace was a nice one, but the way things were regarded where Claude came from could be largely different compared to how Okita looked at things. Guy would just have to ask his roommate about it at dinner, then.

Guy was taken aback when Claude mentioned that Okita had taught him how to do the same thing. First of all, he was impressed that Claude had been able to pick it up so easily, but even more shocking was knowing that Okita and Claude had spoken so many times. While he knew they'd been vaguely aware of each other, he hadn't realized they'd really started to get to know one another. "That was nice of him," he remarked. "It's good to hear that you guys get along." It didn't really matter too much in the end, but Guy was still glad to know that.

As for the fact that there was some sort of message hidden within the folded bird, Guy decided against unwrapping it and finding out what it was. He didn't want to destroy the piece of art, especially since the note was obviously never meant to be read. He could ask for Okita's opinion about the whole thing tonight and go from there.

"I think I'll wait on reading it," he said with a sigh. "It wouldn't seem right to do that without asking him first."

[full_score]

Although he certainly wasn't as close to Okita as he was with Guy, the fact remained that they were on good terms. Okita had been kind enough to approach him that day in arts and crafts, not to mention patient enough to demonstrate how to fold a paper crane. Not only that, but he'd seemed to go out of his way to make sure Claude had been holding up all right yesterday, even though Guy's death had hit him pretty hard, too. Truth be told, Claude thought Guy and Okita were very lucky to have one another as roommates.

No doubt Guy was curious about what the man had written him (and, if Claude wanted to be honest with himself, he kind of was too, even though he knew it wasn't his place to even think about it). Still, he was a bit relieved to hear that Guy would wait to open it. For all Claude knew, he hadn't been supposed to mention it to anyone at all, so maybe it was for the best that Guy asked permission first.

"I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you during dinner," he said with a small smile. Claude had eaten enough dinners by himself to know how lonely it could be sometimes, but it was still hard to imagine how Okita must have felt when he had to return to an empty room yesterday.

Thinking of dinner inevitably brought his thoughts to nightshift, however, and Claude couldn't help but grow a little more serious. "By the way, have you thought about what you're going to do tonight? I mean, you're still injured, aren't you?" Honestly, Claude wouldn't blame him if he needed to just take some time off for once, but he had a feeling Guy might wind up brushing it off if he actually said that out loud.

[razing_phoenix]

"I made sure to let him know that I'm okay over the bulletin board, but yeah, it'll be good to see him again," Guy agreed. Even though he obviously hadn't been aware during the period when he'd been dead, it still felt like it had been a while since he'd seen his roommate. While it was going to be kind of weird to talk to him now, Guy was still glad he'd be able to go back to having his normal dinners with the other man.

Not that anything here should be normal, but Guy had already realized that change in him. It was hard not to fall into a routine after a while, though.

As for what was going to happen tonight, Guy honestly hadn't given it a ton of thought. He was still soaking in everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours, so it was tough to consider the future. Part of him wanted to hunt down Sync, but he wondered if he should be pushing his luck like that. He'd lost both of his fights against the God-General in this place, and with the possibility of a curse slot...

"The only solid plan I have is delivering that cleaver to Luke," he responded. "I don't know what I'll be up to other than that. Did you have something in mind?" Guy would rather not stick in his room, though. While he was still hurting, the medicine would probably help; not to mention he'd done enough of sitting around in his room, considering first the broken arm, then the zombie bite, and now this. Weren't they back to the drawing board in their progress? It meant they couldn't waste any time.

[full_score]

Claude was glad to know Guy had written a message informing people he was back. He wondered if Dias had done the same thing. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure who Dias hung out with aside from himself and Celes. Otherwise, Claude probably would have done a better job of telling more people what happened. (Or, half-telling, seeing that he hadn't been able to spit the whole story out when he'd talked to Okita.)

Then again, seeing how they were both back, it was probably just as well that he hadn't had a chance to confuse and upset anyone else.

When Guy asked what he had in mind, Claude briefly closed his eyes and gave a small sigh. "To be perfectly honest, I'm at a loss over where to go from here." He'd hung his hopes on getting both artifacts, only to have them dashed to pieces the moment he'd opened his eyes in the arena. "I was mostly asking because I wanted to make sure you aren't going to be alone tonight. You're injured, and those pills in your room will probably dull your reaction time if you take them."

Not that he didn't trust Guy to be able to look after himself, but the odds certainly weren't in his favor. And if there was anything Claude had learned within the past few days, it was that no one was invincible in this place. After everything they'd gone through, he was starting to wonder when they were going to run out of luck and either find themselves brainwashed, or wind up as part of some patchwork monster. It was a miracle they were even talking together now, and Claude didn't want to risk losing his friends anymore than he already had to.