full_score
in
damned
Day 50: Chapel
The last thing Claude heard was the Head Doctor's voice faintly filtering into the corridors of the ship before he found himself tucked beneath the sheets of his bed. It took a moment to register he'd even changed locations, but then he he abruptly sat up, fought the wave of nausea that washed over him, and felt the blankets beneath his fingers.
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He could have asked Soujirou some more about who he'd been with last night and where he'd gone, but he figured it was best to answer the other patient's questions first, especially since he'd just dropped a pretty important piece of information on him. "Uhh, we were going through the door across from the Sun Room, trying to look for some files, and the next thing we knew, we were home." On an airship, actually, but he'd leave the details out of it, at least for now.
"We didn't stay there the whole night, though. We came back later and got tossed around to random places in the building, and even in Doyleton." Not to mention getting soaked outside, but he wasn't going to start complaining to a stranger. It hadn't really been all that bad for him, anyway. Yuffie was the one who'd had a rough time for it.
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That they couldn't stay was something Okita had already realized, making him wonder if the visit was real at all. Zack didn't seem like the type to hallucinate such things though, not when he wasn't insisting it was real or trying to prove it as others would try to prove their delusions. It sounds plausible in light of the strangeness of the previous night. Too plausible, which made it somewhat terrifying.
"Were there people? Were you able to talk to anyone? Get word out?" Even if they were sucked back into this place, maybe there was hope that someone had been alerted to their plight and could start researching from the outside how to unravel this place.
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People would listen to someone who had defeated Sephiroth once and for all, wouldn't they? Zack wondered what sort of reputation his friend had gained. Maybe he had his own fan club now. It was something he'd have to ask about once all the more important questions were out of the way.
"There were only animals and monsters," he continued. Not to mention the Lifestream had been going bonkers, but chances were that wouldn't mean a thing to Soujirou, and so he didn't mention it. "We got attacked by a monster, but it shouldn't have been there in the first place. The whole thing was just... weird," he concluded. There were other words he could use to describe it, but that would get into all the time stuff, and he didn't want to give the other patient a headache.
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As Zack went on to describe what he'd seen, Okita relaxed and sat back, realizing that perhaps the bait of being sent home wasn't real after all. They'd gone to the place, certainly, but not home. Only a shell without any substance.
The swordsman lowered his gaze slightly and sat back in his seat, smiling a bit at his own foolishness. Of course this place wouldn't give them such a chance at returning home. "I'm truly sorry to hear that, Zack-san." And he was, for more than just selfish reasons. He couldn't imagine being in Zack's shoes right now. Having almost gotten what he wanted only to have it taken from him so cruelly. "Perhaps it was a trick by this place and not the real thing?"
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As weird as the circumstances had been, he'd gotten to go home for a bit.
Soujirou brought up the point that he'd also been wondering at, and Zack crossed his arms over his chest as he thought it over. "I'd say that was definitely the case except for one thing. One of the items we had when we were there actually came back with us," he explained. The materia was now safely stashed away, and there was still no telling how useful it would be at the institute, but it was proof of having gone back, wasn't it? "It's almost like the head doctor wanted us to be sure that it wasn't just a trick," he mused.
If it wasn't, then what had happened to everyone? That bit of unfinished business just made him more intent on finding a way out of the institute, though he also realized that it wasn't his loose end to tie up. If anything, it was Cloud's job, and yet he couldn't stop himself from wanting to help.
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Besides that, Okita wasn't sure what he would have done if he'd gone home. What could he have done? There was no one there if Zack's story was to be believed. Perhaps he could have seen Saizou again, but Okita somehow doubted even that would have been possible. It wasn't until Zack mentioned having brought something back with them that Okita thought perhaps it wasn't all just a trick of the mind. If it were an illusion, nothing would be able to leave it and retain its shape. Okita had little experience with the supernatural, but that one time with Saitou and Hijikata had proven that strange things did happen and that while some illusions could be as real as reality, once outside the range of the spell, they dissipated like smoke.
"I wouldn't be surprised then..." Okita said with a sigh. "If he has the power to bring us here, he must have the ability to send us back. That we could touch but not stay is just another reminder of the chains he has on all of us." Then again, that was a rather dark thing to say, wasn't it? Okita brightened and stretched his arms up over his head. "Buuuut then again, perhaps he had no control over what happened and you got lucky. Whatever you brought back with you might be useful for breaking out of here one day. Lucky lucky."
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Even though it was something of a downer, Soujirou was probably right. The head doctor was messing with them, sending them home just to show them the extent of his power. Zack already knew how much the man was capable of, seeing how he was here at all. If anything, what he had to do was focus on the good part of what had happened last night, which was that he'd gotten a window into Gaia's future. It had been bleak in some ways, but it wasn't as if Cloud and his friends had failed to save the world -- there had just been some damage done along the way.
When Soujirou turned his statement around and tried to brighten things up, Zack smiled briefly, though it was in a knowing, almost rueful way. He got the feeling that the other man was only saying that so that neither of them got too depressed, but he wasn't going to call him on it or anything. It was the last comment that stood out, though.
"I'm not so sure. I mean, a lightning spell would be handy against monsters, but I don't know if it'd really contribute to an overall escape plan. It's definitely nice to have around, though." Or so he hoped. He was still going to have to do some testing with it, but that could probably happen tonight. Provided he ran into a monster, anyway, and he still got the feeling that that wasn't something he should be actively hoping for.
"I hadn't realized that not everyone had made it back, though. I wonder if we were really one of the only ones..." That seemed unfair, though Zack realized it was better that some people had experienced it than none. He just hoped that Soujirou didn't feel like he was having his face rubbed into it.
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Lightning spell? Okita paused with his arms over his head and gave Zack a curious look. He'd brought back a spell? Okita had imagined some sort of physical object, but a spell and magic might be far more useful. If it didn't have the same restraints that all other magic had here, then it would definitely be of use. Okita himself had no idea how all this magic and barriers and whatever else worked, but he knew that it was frustrating to those who had their powers locked to them. Homura being a chief example.
"You're a magician?" Or was the proper term wizard? He really was rubbish with that sort of thing. He dropped his arms and turned around to face Zack again, tilting his head. "Did you bring back your magic then? I would think that might be very useful in breaking out of here. Even the smallest of powers can have a very big effect."
Those with magic and with special abilities were in a far better place to break out than someone like Okita, after all. He only had his sword and his human speed, and people like Kenshin proved that even that wasn't enough. He had no illusions that he'd ever be able to escape alone and that was part of the reason he made sure to ally himself with the more powerful people. Even if most of those alliances never came to fruition, it would only take one to ensure that Okita saw the outside world again. "And I wouldn't worry - if one of you were able to get back, someone else here might have, too. I was only able to go through one door before the night ended. Others might have been more fortunate."
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"Not exactly," he said, cracking a smile as he shook his head. "The way magic is used where I come from is probably different from what you're thinking of." There were fairy tales even on Gaia about special people who could cast spells with just an incantation and their own innate power -- the Ancients had sometimes been seen that way, for instance -- but the reality of it was much more cut and dry, once you understood the concepts behind it. Which had been a real pain to learn, but with enough practice anyone could get the hang of it.
Using the materia without a slot to put it in was going to be kind of strange, just because it wasn't the norm, but hopefully he could work something out. "Basically, the planet's energy can be crystallized into these small, colored orbs, kind of like marbles, called materia. If you equip them into a weapon, you can use it to cast a spell." That was a rudimentary explanation that would hopefully be easily understood by just about anyone.
Soujirou's comment about the doors was interesting, though. If he'd only been through one door, that did cut his chances a bit, though he'd ended up in Gaia after the first door he'd walked through that wasn't by the rooms, so who could really say? Zack didn't think it'd be smart to mention that, though, and so he remained quiet on that point.
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"Like decoration. Only more useful," he chimed in, tapping his bottom lip as he thought. Definitely more useful if they could be used to cast magic spells. All the decoration on the swords he'd seen were usually just to make a samurai or official carrying double swords seem wealthier than they probably really were. It was all status and swagger where Okita was from, so it was nice to hear that sometimes decorations could be useful, too.
And he noticed that Zack had chosen not to comment more about the doors, so Okita left that conversation alone. There were things that a stranger wouldn't tell a person for one reason or another, and Okita knew when to push and when to leave better off alone. Instead, the swordsman smiled and turned his head as he noticed the nurses getting ready to move. It seemed their time was coming to an end already. "Well, your world certainly seems interesting! Magic and 'marbles' and monsters? You'll have to tell me more about it someday when we have more time. I would gladly share stories of my home in return; although I don't think it will be quite as interesting."
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Before he could explain any further or ask Soujirou any questions of his own, though, the intercom went off and it sounded like they would be off to brunch. While he was glad to get something to eat, meeting someone new had been a good distraction, and Soujirou seemed like an interesting, curious person.
He did wish that he had the time to learn more about the other man, but as Soujirou said, there would likely be other opportunities. If there was one thing that last night had taught him, it was that they were definitely going to be stuck in here for a while. Might as well make the best of it when they had a bit of free time. "Hey, don't sell yourself short! I'll try to track you down sometime," Zack said as he stood up from the pew. "Hope the rest of your day goes well." With a casual salute, he headed off to meet a nurse.
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