Day 57: Sun Room

[bodhiandspirit]

It figured that night would end before Rita and Taura could progress any further. Rita wasn't particularly disappointed to wake up abruptly, as they had reached a dead end. Really, the institute was doing them a favor by bringing them back to the starting point, where they could regroup.

What she didn't appreciate was the loss of valuable time,

Comments

[falseblack]

Speak of grievances and he would offer many. Offer dramatics and he would speak not a word. Nigredo was not his brothers. His coping methods were an entirely different species, less ingrained in flares and tempers. An emphasis made a point previously in his life, and though he was beginning to understand the reasons for sharing his thoughts and feelings with those trusted, trust was a dying commodity in the institute. He couldn't walk up to just anyone and start listing his complaints without reservation. Everyone had their sensibilities, and everyone had their biases. It wasn't worth the effort. It was better to bury corpses and call it good

[forgot_it_all]

When he woke up again, Ritsuka felt the uncomfortable absence of his ears and tail like always, but also felt a strange familiarity in his costume. Sitting up, he found himself clothed in gray again - the smiley face staring dead-eyed at the world before him as if nothing had ever changed. It was the uniform he had first woken up in and, as the intercom chimed on and an equally familiar voice began to speak, for a few moments Ritsuka thought that perhaps the Head Doctor had regained control and they would be going back to their old routine

[purpletaint]

Oh, morning, was it? How nice. He was looking forward to yet another tedious day before another random night. Of all of this, Albedo was getting bored. His actions taken were starting to reflect that, and it couldn't be helped. At the least, some should be glad he was amusing himself in other ways--rather than using his nice, new toys on a certain blond-haired fop. It was only a thought, after all

[falseblack]

Nigredo's methods for evoking calm were a tad unorthodox and usually involved closing his eyes long enough to feign rest. Sleep was a comfort, a love currently neglected due to recent events. If he pretended long enough, he could force himself into a neutral state. To something close to calm even as the boy could feel loss and offense nearby. Sunlight helped speed up the process, of course, but poor luck wouldn't have it. He had to make do

[forgot_it_all]

Monsters? Ritsuka wasn't sure if that was true, but it seemed true enough and he didn't know Nigredo well enough to know if he would lie. And why would he? He'd been tired and that was it. He was acting much like he had before - neutral, subdued, docile. He and Albedo were so different, Ritsuka realized. And with that realization, Ritsuka smiled faintly. He was halfway through a nod when someone was barging past, causing Ritsuka to jump back in surprise.

Familiar white hair and a familiar voice to go with it - raised in panic.

"Nigredo!Albedo collapsed by his brother's side, clutching the wheelchair like it was a lifeline to keeping his brother safe and with him. Was this how brothers acted then? How they were supposed to act? Ritsuka only had a few memories of his brother and how they acted wasn't like this. He stood off to the side, watching, wondering if this was how he should have acted with Seimei. If he had, would Seimei have

[purpletaint]

There was little response until Albedo had been assured of Nigredo's condition. His waveform pressed into the other, taking those facts. Two cuts, deeper than just an accident, and a worse one lower down. Eyes unfocused, he reached out delicately, fingertips gracing the front of Nigredo's shin as if he could examine through touch. Still, both were correct, weren't they? These were injuries that would be fine in time. No internal injuries. No lasting damage

[falseblack]

Could he blame him for worrying? If Albedo had offered the question, Nigredo might have denied the need. The boy was fine--slashed, perhaps, but whole. The constant concern had yet to step beyond the unreal, and thus, it still rang as a discomfort in the crevices of the younger's mind. A second individual, on the other hand, brought objectivity to the inquiry. Could Albedo be blamed?

His gaze drifted to the floor, to focus entirely on the boy at the armrest of his wheelchair. He finally spoke to Ritsuka, voice a murmur. "Yeah. That's right," he agreed. They were brothers. That existed as normal. Right.

A moment passed, and Nigredo lifted his left hand to slide through white hair in an attempt to comfort. It probably wasn't wanted in light of yesterday afternoon, but what else did he have? "I'm sorry for making you worry," he said as the mental space piqued with a delayed answer to the silent question. {Monsters are what they call us.} To be followed by disjointed images and equally broken words:

Standards. U-DO. Tainted.{I'll

[forgot_it_all]

Normal was such a subjective term and as Albedo began to cry, Ritsuka began to regret his choice of words. Maybe it wasn't as normal as he thought, or maybe this was normal for them, but Ritsuka had no idea how to comfort his friend. Worse than that, however, he knew it wasn't his place. Albedo and Nigredo both had each other and that seemed to be doing enough for them. Nigredo pet his brother's hair and apologized to him, then both of them fell quiet.

Somehow, Ritsuka felt like perhaps he was intruding on something that should have been left private. And he also felt...jealous? Was that what this feeling was? It wasn't a feeling of jealousy toward Nigredo and Albedo specifically, but at the bond they shared. His had been broken and seeing two brothers together, so close in age and so close in spirit, it was almost painful. He and Seimei had been like that once, but then Seimei had died and Ritsuka had begun to realize that the Seimei in his memories wasn't the same as the Seimei everyone else remembered.

What if my

[purpletaint]

Call reactions, and he would have thought none in the end. Still, here life would contrive to surprise yet again. His brother touched him, and Albedo shuddered once, pressing into the palm. Here, let us state it again; for contact would always be a comfort, and touch a reassurance, from those adored most of all. With that was given calm, contentedness--not enough to shift a mind already loose, but enough to halt a process in motion. The act was foreign enough that Albedo stopped crying instantly, surprised that his brother would touch him without Albedo's own prompting

[falseblack]

Albedo appeared solidified--calmer, at least--and it was enough to draw Nigredo's hand away. The open affection from him was strange, yes. Out of character, especially in the presence of a third party. As previously considered, the gesture was likely invasive in the context of that day, and in truth, the child was nervous. The hand returned to his lap, and he once again looked up to Ritsuka

[forgot_it_all]

This was how brothers acted. They comforted each other, supported one another, calmed each other when one was crying. Seimei had done that, even if Ritsuka had never cried in front of him. He'd protected and that was all Ritsuka could ask for. After all, when they'd met again after Ritsuka woke up in the hospital, everything had been new. How did you simply forgive forgetting ten years? And yet Seimei had done that.

But the Seimei I know isn't the same as the one everyone else knows...Albedo and Nigredo understood each other far better than Ritsuka understood Seimei, but even Ritsuka knew they were keeping secrets from each other. Was that what brothers did, too? Did they keep secrets in order to protect? Maybe that was why he didn't know the other side of Seimei, the one that had called Soubi away and forgotten Ritsuka existed

[purpletaint]

As expected, Nigredo did not continue, and a part of Albedo longed for him to. His hand tightened on his brother's leg, and he tipped his head against the chair. As if to accent Albedo's action, Nigredo spoke, and for the first time, Albedo wondered how they appeared, Nigredo and he, to others viewing the two together. As once stated, physically they were monochromatic counterparts to each other--otherwise their actions differed severely. Their essences existed similar, however, and was that able to be seen through the ways in which they interacted? Albedo could not know, and in the moment before him, he would not ask

[falseblack]

Behind the response lay something more, but Nigredo was in no position to pry. Others were more equipped to handle such sentiments, and though the child wished for a slightly more genuine answer, he could only maneuver through what was given. Instead, he watched his brother and his friend hold hands for a few beats, before commenting on the follow-up.

"It's okay," Nigredo said lightly. "I survived the night. Getting hurt isn't so terrible with that in mind." Better than the loss of life, at least. And that was what counted, no?

Albedo brought up his own question, and not wanting to interrupt, the black-haired variant opted for silence. He gathered his hands together on his lap, ignoring the pressure against his leg, and waited for the other boy to speak.

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka had to wonder if surviving was the best they could do. Albedo could fight and likely Nigredo could as well - or so Ritsuka assumed. Maybe he couldn't and that's why he was in a chair like this today. It would explain Albedo's fear at seeing him like this, too. If his brother wasn't willing to protect himself through violence, then maybe he and Ritsuka had more in common than he thought

[purpletaint]

Nigredo's word usage was horrible, and Albedo wondered if his brother did it on purpose. "I survived the night. Getting hurt isn't so terrible with that in mind." Albedo's eyes darted away from Ritsuka to cast a light glare onto his brother. Really, darling dear? That word use was a little light, now wasn't it? Ritsuka replied to that extent, and Albedo followed suit, ending the sentence, "No. It doesn't

[falseblack]

Neither would know the circumstances behind the words. Their answers, therefore, were to be expected. How could anyone agree with him otherwise? When offered a choice between death and life, he had chosen what he had hoped to discard. The fact of doing opposite meant a great deal to Nigredo. When the choice wasn't apparent, however, being injured probably appeared as faulty. Ah, well. He was not looking for understanding in this topic. Wordlessly, the boy blinked up at Ritsuka while averting his eyes from Albedo's glare.

The acquaintance spoke of his roommate, and Nigredo had to exercise self-control not to declare irony. A part of him also proved slightly curious at the prospect of an amicable roommate. It was beyond him to picture someone not backstabbing him in his sleep when it came to those who shared the same space. He sighed, somewhat satisfied with Ritsuka's answer. Anything more was none of his business