Day 50: Music Room (4th Shift)

[36_24_35]

Tifa stopped in the middle of the temporarily lit Sun Room as patients were being shuffled out and others in for some repeat performance, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. But it was irrelevant since her sights were set on another room she and the nurse just passed. "Hey..." Her nurse had continued forward without her and it took a soft

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[full_score]

Although Claude could have continued sitting out in the courtyard all day, the truth was that it was a little chilly, and his injuries made it hard to fully enjoy the fresh air for long. When the nurse suggested he go back inside, it didn't sound so bad. Consequently, he let her lead him back inside after he'd said good-bye to Anise. Even though he'd initially wanted to be left alone, he was glad the young girl had approached him. He'd had a nice time walking around with her, and he went inside feeling in a little lighter spirits than before

[36_24_35]

Tifa hadn't looked up from the piano until a white presence came up beside her and didn't budge further. Her fingers slipped off the plastic keys once her head turned up to the nurse, too rusty to play without looking at the placement of her hands.

"Oh..." Her brown eyes slid to this Mr. Appleby and smiled for a moment before she realized his eyes were covered.

Poor guy...She had a busted nose and two black eyes, but it paled in comparison to blindness. That shit was obnoxious, having been on the receiving end of quite a few spells of darkness herself, but this didn't seem like a normal case of darkness. His eyes could have been physically damaged. "Yeah, I'd be happy to..." Tifa's harmless smile followed the nurse out the door before she finally spoke to Claude quietly. "If it makes you feel any better, Claude, I look worse than you.... It's Tifa, by the way," The brunette was glad Claude couldn't see the flushing shame on her bruised face when she almost forgot to identify herself

[full_score]

The female voice sounded vaguely familiar, but not enough for him to pair a name or a face with it. That was probably better than assuming he was talking to someone he wasn't, though. Thankfully, she identified herself, and Claude remembered their meeting in the courtyard a few days ago. That realization made him perk up a little bit. Tifa seemed like a nice woman the last time they'd met, though he regretted that he had to be in such lousy shape now that they've run into each other again. Would she think he was incompetent in battle or something

[36_24_35]

"..... Not... exactly a monster..." Though with those mutton chops, Tifa wouldn't be surprised if Logan got mistaken for one in a dark alley. "I..." Hmm, how to explain this without it sounding completely pathetic? "... hit my head on my friend's back when he came to a stop. Broke my nose, got two black eyes, and a swollen lip... Makes me look pretty tough, though..." She chuckled softly to put Claude at ease. It really didn't ache that badly anymore.

The brunette was curious to learn how exactly Claude had become blind during the night, whether from a run in with the seedy creatures crawling around the institute or if he stumbled into a hostile environment back home. She didn't want to pry, however. It could still be a tender subject, especially if Claude was new to the whole getting roughed up thing, so she went for a more pedestrian question instead. "Is Guy a friend from, well, before all of this...?"

[for_a_song]

While he would have stayed out in the courtyard happily, the nurse had ushered him in against complaints, citing it was too long to stay out and that it wouldn't do his injury any good. He'd wanted to inform her that compared to Callisto it was a tropical haven out there, but he didn't think she'd be amused, and he didn't feel like getting into a real argument about it. They were still showing the movie in the sun room and he still had absolutely no desire to see it, so he'd opted for the music room instead. After all, he and Edgar hadn't actually gotten to take a look at it the previous night

[windstwilight]

Talking with Leon had been interesting enough, though she lost sight of the boy when the shift changed. Senna shrugged and picked a location at random; the thought of her friend she had met this morning influencing the choice. A lot of people seemed to like music, Senna might as well check and see what the institute had to offer.

Not a lot, that she saw at least. What was most interesting in the room was the organ being played by a tall dark-haired man. Patient, by all appearances, though she didn't know anyone who could play like that. The girl wandered over, watching his hands intently. At a pause, she spoke up. "You're pretty good."

[for_a_song]

Gren paused in his playing, as much because his arm was beginning to ache as because someone had spoken to him. He turned a bit so he could get a better look at the woman--girl, really, from the looks of her. He was vaguely unnerved by the fact that there seemed to be a lot of teenagers mixed in with the adults in this place. And then he realized that was a pretty silly thing to worry about, given everything else that went on in this place.

"Thanks," he replied, smiling a bit. "I could do better, but I don't have the sheet music, and my arm's not quite up to the task." He was a little rusty with that piece in particular--he'd spent far more time playing the sax than he had practicing his classical piano in the last few years.

[windstwilight]

Oh, so he was a musician? Interesting. Still, Senna laughed lightly in reply, shifting her arm that was in a sling as a response. "Yeah, I know that feeling. You're looking a little better off than me, though."

The girl glanced the room again, noting a severe lack of actual instruments. For people that played, this place was probably more of a hell. "I'm Senna, by the way. Is piano the only thing you play?"

[moral_liberty]

The piano was already occupied when Kaworu entered. He didn't mind, and instead found a place to sit. He would listen. The song was not familiar, but the notes were, and he could picture the layers that it could be given. He had never seen an orchestra, but he had heard the recordings, and had spent time listening to only one element at a time, memorizing it, and seeking what the Lilim who had written it had felt

[sdatislife]

Shinji didn't want to go anywhere. He didn't want to do anything. He wanted his mother back. But she'd left, insisting that she would return, that she loved him, that she wanted him well again. It was what he'd wanted his whole life

[moral_liberty]

Kaworu had felt eyes on him. Unlike other passing glances, this one was persistent and intentional. It was the stare of one who knew you. When the sensation, like fingertips at his neck, was accompanied by footsteps, he was unable to resist looking. The hesitation in the Lilim's gait identified him, and Kaworu knew what he should expect before he saw the face. The eyes he knew, who looked at him now as though the intimacy was no longer returned. He had done as Shinji had feared. To allow those in close was to open oneself up to pain. Betrayal. Rejection. All he feared. Kaworu had not intended to give validation to that fear

[sdatislife]

Shinji twitched slightly. It was still the same Kaworu. The same boy he'd seen last night, the boy he'd been close to his entire time here. But he was different. He didn't have that ethereal quality, he wasn't an Angel. Shinji hated that word. It always meant pain and death and anger and hurt. He didn't hate Kaworu, though. He couldn't. He just didn't trust him. Given the chance, Kaworu would do it all over again, even if it meant that Shinji had to go through the loss and pain. And why? Because Kaworu believed in some sort of destiny? Shinji clenched his fists and then relaxed them, forcing the feelings of anger and betrayal away, burying them deep, just like he always did.

"I... I don't know if I should." His voice came soft and hesitant. "...what happened to you?"