Day 46: Music Room

[moral_liberty]

Kaworu immediately gravitated towards the keyboard. It was not a piano, not truly, but it was attractive in all of the same ways. Music freed the mind from conscious thought, and Kaworu was feeling exceptionally weighed down by exactly that. There was a heaviness, as well as a lightness. He did not know where to begin approaching the situation with

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[petalwitch]

It seemed like these people changed shift all the time in this place. No sooner had she finished her lunch and enjoyed a little conversation with a fellow patient then Aerith was ushered off again by her nurse to enjoy the rest of the day in the Music Room. She would soon find out that the title was more than appropriate; instruments could be found for the musically inclined, and her nurse was quick to show her the personal music players and selection for them. Aerith knelt down to browse her options and frowned when she realized quickly that she didn't recognize any of the options.

The flower girl stood up. There didn't seem to be many people occupying the room just yet. She scanned the patients, hoping to see Cloud, Yuffie, or even the Turks while simultaneously hoping not to run into Sephiroth. When she didn't recognize anyone in the room, Aerith headed to the center of the room to take a seat on one of the red couches. She was in the mood to talk, which was usually the case, and it seemed only logical that anyone else so inclined would find their way to the seats in the center.

[Reserved for Sylar? I think?]

[7_to_midnight]

[ SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU HANGING. D8 ]

Sylar had always held a certain appreciation for musical instruments. Although they weren't his field of expertise, he could understand the careful work that was put into them, the effort and the... time. With his keen eye, he'd sometimes wondered back in his craftsman days if he could pick up the trade if he tried hard enough. Of course, the instruments in the Music Room weren't the kind he could even try to appraise. Plastic drums, electric keyboards... the equivalent of timepieces going digital, in his eyes. The idea still left a bad taste in his mouth, even after...

His mouth tightened. Now wasn't the time to get nostalgic - in fact, now was the exact time to think of the future more than anything else. He'd left a note for Grell on the bulletin, but he still wasn't sure if it'd been the right decision. For all he knew, the little bitch would stab him in the back the first night they teamed up, but then again, Sylar wouldn't be agreeing to team up in the first place unless he was desperate.

Desperate for power, desperate to kill. Desperate to get the hell out of here.

But the cheap Music Room, with a dozen nurses looking on, was not a good place to be thinking about revenge. Instead, he decided to sit on a couch, near some long-haired girl, and try to sort out his thoughts.

He ran his good hand through his hair, staring forward and frowning.

[petalwitch]

[Is okay, bb. I'd wait a thousand years youuuuu~]

Great! A victim fellow patient had opted to take a seat next to her. Aerith smiled at him as he sat, but the smile faded into a concerned frown as the man simply sat and stared into the distance. She imagined it was easy for this place to set anyone in such a mood, but, so long as Aerith was around, she wasn't going to stand for it. The bright smile returned, and she leaned forward just slightly so as not to invade his personal space.

"Got a lot on your mind, huh?" the flower girl assumed. "Of course you do. We all do in this place, I guess. I'd be happy to listen if you want to take a load off of it." Really, Aerith was nothing if not eager for a good conversation. Even if he was just thinking about how much the pizza didn't agree with him, it would be something.

[7_to_midnight]

Sylar nearly winced when he heard a bright voice speak up from next to him. Looked like he'd ended up next to some talkative girl who wanted to know all about his problems; he should've known better than to sit near someone, but he'd been too wrapped up in his thoughts to think straight.

As was usually the case these days, wasn't it? He shook his head and forced a smile as he glanced toward the woman and tried not to tell her to mind her own goddamn business.

"It's... okay, really," he said, attempting to sound shy rather than annoyed. In the back of his mind, he knew it was the nosy ones who were the easiest to manipulate, but he already had a voyeur psychopath 'ally' to deal with right now. He wasn't in the mood for much else.

[petalwitch]

"You sure?" Aerith tilted her head to one side. She wasn't sure if he was shy or just didn't want to talk to her. Either way he'd decided to sit next to her, so she was going to try and make some kind of conversation out of the encounter. "I understand. Sometimes it feels like you've just got too much on your mind to really say anything. And sometimes I guess people just don't want to talk about their problems." Deciding to take a different approach, she sat up straight and reached out a hand.

"I'm Aerith," came the offer, hoping he'd at least give her a name to go by.

[7_to_midnight]

And sometimes, Sylar thought darkly as the woman chattered on, you have annoying idiots who keep trying to pry your brain when all you want to do is rip out someone else's.

Outwardly, he arched an eyebrow and gave a wry chuckle. "That's true. I'm... a little lost right now. And-" he added, turning and taking her hand in his, "-it's Gabriel."

He smiled enough to show his teeth.

"Nice to meet you."

[petalwitch]

Giving Gabriel's hand a hearty shake that was probably more rigorous than expected of such a slight woman, Aerith nodded. "I think we all are, to be honest." Well, he sure seemed pleasant enough, but she wasn't exactly sure what to make of him just yet. After all they'd only just met, and Aerith knew well enough not to judge a book by its cover. She set her hands on her lap and looked up at the ceiling.

"I've heard a lot of things about this place that are making me feel more and more lost by the minute." She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry. It's my first day."

[7_to_midnight]

It looked like the woman was aggressively friendly, and though the realization left Sylar a little peeved as she pulled her hand away, it probably meant that she'd be an easy person to get information out of... if it weren't her first day.

At that new piece of information, Sylar felt a mix of irritation and piqued interest. Sure, these newbies were annoying by now, but they could also be a great opportunity to plant seeds of manipulation - if he was careful enough. Right now, he wasn't sure if he really gave a damn one way or the other, kind of like with that Beelzemon guy and his supposed 'fireballs'. It really depended on whether this Aerith girl showed any promise...

"Well," he started slowly, already wondering if he was making a mistake by getting involved in a conversation with the woman, "I've actually been here a while." He smiled warmly. "It's not pretty, but... I'd be happy to help you with anything you're confused by, if you want?"

And in the process, maybe you can help me.