Day 48: Courtyard

[thatdamnedninja]

"I could tell you some stories," Yuffie suggested brightly, "of unquestionable legality." Illegality, that was. Petty little things like the law didn't usually mean very much to her, except for the times when she had to uphold it. Always fun for the breaking, though, the law, and messy for the clean-up. Just the way she liked it

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[should_be_dead]

Tenzen took the extra layers of clothing the nurses insisted he'd wear before heading outside with annoyance. The sole existence of these nurses was to annoy (if not humiliate) their charges, he was certain of it. But after some fussing, the ninja of Iga could finally enter the courtyard and left to his own devices.

He sat down on one of the benches and crossed his arms. Breakfast had been as uneventful as most of the shifts during the day. The only thing that could be done during these fruitless days was interacting with other patients.

[For Leonard Shelby!]

[otnemememento]

As Leonard passed through the doors, the nurse put a hand on his shoulder, literally grabbing his attention. She handed him a coat she'd been carrying, chastising him for forgetting it. He gave her a smile, putting it away the moment she'd left him. Teasing someone like me about his memory is pretty cruel.

Irritated, he slipped the coat on and headed for one of the benches, taking the empty seat next to a dark-haired man. The cold air made him lethargic in a strange way- Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night. You can't tell like this. Maybe you've been up for hours, maybe you woke up a few minutes ago.

After he took a moment to look around, he gave the other man an acknowledging nod.

[should_be_dead]

The one who would eventually approach him and take the seat next to him was actually someone Tenzen knew. Leonard Shelby-san, was it? The man that could not create any new memories. Meaning that - along with the man's response - he clearly did not remember the events of that night. Not that much of note had actually occurred other than the irritation that went back and forth, however...the Iga ninja realized, that this could actually be something to take advantage of.

Hnn. Perhaps they could have a more pleasant conversation than last time, then. "I see you look well, Shelby-san," he spoke.

[otnemememento]

Leonard paused, surprised at the coincidence that he'd taken a seat next to someone who knew him. Judging by the size of the facility, he'd expected there to be a fair number of patients, enough that he'd be mostly ignored. Maybe he's only met me once, maybe we're friends, maybe we're enemies. You can't tell. You learn to believe in the only truth you have- facts, provided through photographs and notes you've written to yourself.

He grabbed his polaroids from his pocket, flipping through them. The man's face didn't appear in his collection. "We've met?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

[should_be_dead]

The ninja shot a curious glance towards the...papers the man was holding. From where he was seated, he could get a good look on them without any trouble. Apparently, they were highly realistic images of people, which certainly surprised the man of Iga. He had never seen such a things before. Of course, he knew of paintings, yet they hardly compared to these. He managed to refrain from leaning in to get a better look at these images, however.

So the man was creative with his little handicap, Tenzen noted. That was something worth be aware of when interacting with this man. At least Shelby-san's response confirmed that he did not remember him or the night itself. How convenient...

"Yes, we have. A night or two prior to be precise, yet the nights in this facility end rather abruptly," Tenzen explained, not mentioning several other details for obvious reasons. "I'm Yakushiji Tenzen."

[otnemememento]

Nights end abruptly? Leonard wasn't sure what Tenzen meant by that, but feigned with a knowing nod. He put his notes and photos beside him for now, reaching for his camera. If this place had less people than he'd expected, it was likely he'd meet this man a third time at some point. He'd better have a picture for next time.

"Sorry," he said with a light smile. "I don't know if I told you or not, but I have this condition. Short-term memory loss." He opened his camera. "You mind?"

[should_be_dead]

"You have indeed told me," Tenzen said, offering the device Shelby-san pulled out a glance. Like the pictures, he had never seen anything like it before. Considering the man's condition, he supposed it was a natural for him to wish for a portrait. Did that device provide them?

He supposed there was little harm in asking; "I take it this device provides those images?" Though, if he wished to make some use out of the man, it would help that he would at least be marked as a known person.

[otnemememento]

"Yeah," Leonard answered, a little surprised at the man's reaction to the camera. Then again, it was an older model. "Polaroid camera. Most people would rather use the kind you have developed, but when you have this condition, you can't really waste time waiting around at the one-hour places for pictures if you'll just forget when they were for by the time they're developed. This is instant."

He raised his camera to his eyes and snapped the photograph, pulling it from the camera and giving it a few good shakes.

[should_be_dead]

"...I see," Tenzen said as he looked at the shown image. He had to admit it was rather odd seeing his own face on something that was obviously not a mirror, but he refrained from commenting on it. This 'polaroid camera' was an odd device, and he only half understood the explanation Shelby-san provided. Again, it must have been some piece of futuristic technology, such as the lights in the ceiling, the intercom and the room that had a different temperature than the others.

He did have to admit that it seemed helpful to someone unable to create new memories, which was something the ninja would have to keep in mind. "Hmm. I suppose you are right."