Day 19 - Male Showers

[class_one]

It was in complete silence that Zack was moved from the cafeteria to the showers. Usually one would have expected him to be chatting with the nurse despite the fact that she happened to think he was a certain Parker Johnson, but... No, not today

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[felled_hero]

Well, breakfast had certainly been interesting. Hughes still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he figured he'd have a chance to talk to that bright haired man who'd seemed to know so much again. And hopefully without any further interruptions. But for the moment, it was shower time.

Without much prodding from his nurse, Hughes headed into the shower room and stripped. It was relatively empty at the moment, just Ichigo and... wait. Hughes narrowed his eyes, pausing as he headed for a shower head. Was that... was that Zack? He remembered Quistis' words from what seemed like ages ago. "They're gone. Just... gone." But that looked like Zack.

And he also looked like he wanted to be left the hell alone. As curious and startled as Hughes was to see the other man again, he wasn't about to go and bother him. Besides, he knew enough about this place by now to know that if people were gone and then came back, chances of them remembering things were slim. Instead, Hughes just cast a sad smile in the man's direction and headed to a shower head, wondering if Roy would show up soon.

[hopeless_havoc]

"Hope you don't plan on hogging all the soap," Havoc said with a chuckle, as he stepped up to the shower head to the left of Hughes.

Havoc had somehow managed to sleep through night shift, but he knew things were different. Again. But again, Hughes was still here. He assumed Roy was as well. He wouldn't think otherwise because that was a thought his mind would not allow. His mind had also conveniently 'forgotten' what he'd heard his two comrades arguing about outside his room the other night. Not that he had a problem per se with their...relationship. It just wasn't something he could understand. The colonel was a ladies man and the major was married. So Havoc was just going to pretend there was nothing going on between them and leave it at that. Besides, there were bigger concerns than his commanding officer's private life. Namely survival and getting home.

[felled_hero]

"Hey stranger." Hughes turned and grinned, wiping water out of his eyes. He hadn't seen Havoc for a few days, but that wasn't altogether abnormal. With so many people and so many people needing things, it was hard to always find the time for the people he just plain wanted to talk to. And night shifts were too crazy to depend on for meeting up with people.

"How you holding up?" he asked, reaching for the shampoo. Sometimes, with Roy or Havoc in the cafeteria or the showers, it almost felt like home. Almost.

[hopeless_havoc]

Havoc returned the grin before turning his face up into the water and scrubbing at his face.

"Eh, I've got no complaints," he said, turning his face away from the spray so he could speak without getting a mouthful of water. "Except the obvious of course. Being held against my will in crazyland. No idea what the hell's going on. No idea how to get home. Monsters running around. You know, the usual." Havoc shrugged and smiled. "Outside of that...no complaints. Though the blankets could probably be a bit softer. Oh yeah, a pack of smokes would be nice too. Ah, but a man can dream."

Havoc grabbed some soap and began lathering up. "How 'bout you? You doing okay?"

[felled_hero]

"Me?" Hughes shrugged. "I've been better. Last night was kind of a rough one. I didn't run into anything bad, but a couple of guys I was with tried going over one of the walls. I stayed behind with Haru - I don't think you've met him yet? - anyway, he was a cow so he couldn't get up the wall."

Hughes tried very hard not to think too deeply about the actual words that he was saying. It was too bizarre.

"Anyway, we heard an announcement about two guys who'd gone over the wall and ended up in the courtyard and met something nasty. I don't know what, but I saw the two of them at breakfast so they made it through. Haru and I tried to get to the courtyard, but everything's all changed again and morning hit before we could do anything. Speaking of cigarettes, I think Roy has some for you." Or had some, at least. Whether or not the other man still did was another story.

"Got a whole lot of new patients running around, too. Still no progress on the where we are or how to get out, though." He shook his head. Tonight they'd get something done, he was sure of it.

[gotahunch]

Communal showers were no big deal to Cliff because they involved things like water and getting clean. He wasn't any more shower-friendly than the next guy, but the idea of turning one's underwear inside out and calling it a shower...disgusted him. After collage anyway. What happened in room 325 stayed in room 325 possibly under a mattress mutating into some horror of the night with a pyramid for a head.

He'd spent most of breakfast planning for the up and coming night, and by the time the offer of hot water and soap rolled around his day was looking as good it could considering. He would have to be a little bit manipulative about it, but that sort of thing was in his line of work. He just had to bump into the right people over the coarse of the day.

Cliff stripped out of his clothing without any prompting from the nurse and, after a quick look around - was that a cat-boy in the corner? - found a shower next to Havoc and Hughes. Used to it or no, this wasn't Quark and there weren’t a lot of people who wanted to meet and talk in the shower like old pals.

"Let me guess; last night was fun for you too." He was grinning as usual, but there was the underlying tone of something a little more serious. He turned the water on, slightly scalding and began to lather his hair. "How're you guys holding up?"