Day 57: Courtyard (Third Shift)

[roseoverture]

The air inside the Institute was getting stifling. It wasn't much different than usual, really, but knowing about all the changes done under the Institute's hood in her absence, Utena could barely stand it. The staff were so stiff, even as they pretended to be the same caring nurses as always. Landel's regurgitated voice recordings crept under her

Comments

[scintillatingly]

In the end, Sora left the cafeteria and his conversation with Kurogane not quite sure of whether or not he'd annoyed the man. It was hard to tell when someone was that gruff all the time, but the boy was hoping that that was just his nature and he had some niceness hidden away underneath it

[stylebythemile]

Soon that Landel guy was talking again, and Sonia was guided outside to a courtyard. The guard they'd assigned to her was giving her the evil eye because she'd refused to eat gruel. If it was an apology he wanted, then too bad; she wasn't in a giving mood

[scintillatingly]

Sora wasn't alone for long, though that was how he wanted it. He didn't mind having quiet moments every now and then, but he didn't like for them to last for a long time. He always felt better when he had someone to keep him company, and so he turned toward the girl who had approached him with a smile on his face

[stylebythemile]

Sonia had mixed feelings about that answer. She'd been hoping to find someone who could explain some things to her, so meeting a prisoner who'd been here for a long time was perfect. On the other hand, if he'd been here for longer than most, he might have lost friends to this place. She didn't think those were the sort of questions he wanted to hear, least of all from her.

For someone who'd been trapped here so long, Sora didn't seem that bitter. She was relieved at how fast he warmed up to her, which showed in the small smile she gave him. The last thing she needed was for someone to blow her off because she was new, even if she had been asking for it. "I'm Sonia," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I woke up just before they unlocked the doors last night. A friend told me the same thing happens every night! Has anyone figured out why?"

[for_a_song]

Gren had to admit, as little as he liked anything about his current situation, it was nice to be given a choice in something, even as superficial a choice as 'where would you like to enjoy your imprisonment for the next hour

[corvus_veritas]

[Hope this is okay, despite it being so late!]Free day was a thought well appreciated at first. When the patients were actually turned loose, however, Byrne wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He was free, but not truly free. The same escort was still there to keep an eye on him, and there were only so many places he was allowed to go. 'Free' might as well have not been included in the equation at all

[for_a_song]

He'd been mentally trying to compose a bit of music when a voice interrupted him. The notes vanished from his head, but he found he wasn't really that irritated at the loss--he had a lot of free time here. There would be time to write more music later.

Gren glanced over at the man who'd spoken and smiled. If it was a little worn around the edges, well... it wasn't for lack of trying. "Sure. Go right ahead," he replied. The man wasn't anyone he'd spoken to before, although he might have seen him around. It was hard to remember, with the way people came and went in this place.

[corvus_veritas]

"Thanks." Byrne settled himself comfortably in the empty space beside the man, crossing his arms to help keep himself warm. He probably wouldn't be able to sit for very long without becoming a human popsicle, but he just didn't feel like walking around right now. The scenery was sometimes best appreciated from the comfort of a bench. A really cold bench, true, but still a bench.

Anyway, it was a little awkward to share a bench with someone and then completely ignore them, wasn't it? Especially if they were a stranger, like in this case. Introductions were necessary then. Byrne turned to face the man, still smiling, and held out a hand for a handshake. "I'm Byrne Faraday, by the way. You?"

[loyalrose]

Rose slipped out of the Cafeteria feeling a little more lighthearted and cheerful after her talk with Zack.Today felt as if it were going a little better than the day before, at the very least. She didn't feel so off-balance and uncertain today, which was an improvement from all the unexpected discoveries of the day before

[saviored]

It was far too easy to feel trapped inside there and the more trapped he felt, the less promising it was for the general populace. Meaning the first chance he got, he took off outside. The sun was out, but the temperature dipped-he could feel it dip, more than he should've normally been able to.

Damon stepped into the courtyard looking for all the world like he was there for a reason. Which he was. Aimless wandering? Not his thing. He just didn't know what that reason would be until his eyes landed on a familiar figure in the distance.

What was she doing, sunbathing in the middle of winter? If he didn't know better-if it hadn't been for that little ring on her finger-he'd have said she hadn't seen the sun in awhile. Whatever the case, the ring was significant. The only vampires he knew who owned one were the bunch from 1864, and Isobel, who just happened to be connected to Katherine.

You do the math

[loyalrose]

She should have known he'd find her. He had a habit of turning up whenever she found herself settling into calmness, just to stir her back up again.

Rose didn't bother opening her eyes; she could already picture his posture to go with that familiar lazy insolence in his voice. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Brilliantly, thanks for asking." The sun felt so nice that she didn't even feel like making a snarky retort.

Well. Not much of one, anyway.

One hazel eye finally peeked open, giving him a sideways glance. "You seem to have floated through the dangers of nightshift fairly easily," she commented, giving him a once-over, hiding any sign that she might have been concerned about this. "Find anything interesting?"

[saviored]

Nightshift, was that what they were calling it now? Getting official-like, that was nice.

Damon watched her with the same steady gaze. Talking to someone you'd never met you knew you? It was different. Off-kilter. It was rare when he wasn't certain how to handle a person, so when it happened...well. The thing was, he had a feeling he'd have liked her without the retrograde amnesia bullshit. Casually, anyway. It wasn't, in other words, out of the question that she could've gotten as familiar with him as she'd been acting.

Hm. He toyed with that thought for a moment before pushing it aside.

"I hear you did," he replied. "Elena tells me she ran into you. Actually, she remembers you pretty well."

Elena had told him exactly what she remembered, but as if he'd just hand that over to Rose. What was this, an orientation session? He didn't think Elena was lying; that wasn't it. Not about this. But that still wasn't a reason to tell Rose just what he knew. If she had her own version she wanted to spill, now would be a good time.

SURE AM SLOW

[arakhnes]

Today was Free Choice Day, apparently. She wasn't quite sure what that entitled, but for her, it meant learning. Exploring. Getting to know her environment outside of the Institute. She had scoured the floors as best as she was allowed (and that didn't involve her being turned into a spider), but she was often shuffled away from certain hallways or they attempted to make her participate in group projects or the like. So, Jessica decided to get to know the outside

No slower than I can be half the time, I assure you! (tears)

[roseoverture]

It took Utena a little while to notice that she was being watched. Even then, she was less put out by the watching than by the cold seeping into her gloved hands. She supposed she would have to come down soon... Eh, but not just yet. She didn't feel like being right-side up again yet. Things felt less heavy this way. And really, that was the goal right now, wasn't it

oh thank god

[arakhnes]

That must be a typical question here, asking if someone's new. An ice-breaker, almost. She didn't say anything at first, just stood there with her feet deep in the snow, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. A moment where she looked the girl over again before slowly speaking up, turning her gaze away. "Yeah, I'm new. Uh, I just got here. Yesterday."

She tipped her head back, moving her stare back over to the other girl. That hair colour couldn't be natural. Maybe some sort of mutation? Was she a mutant? And what was with the upside-down thing? She didn't ask any of these though, preferring to just shift in her spot for continuing.

"What are you doing? Isn't it cold?"

It wasn't too cold for Jessica. She was from New York. She was used to this weather. Still, having your hands deep in the snow must not be all that comfortable.

We're all one big backtagging family here at Damned ;A;

[roseoverture]

Yesterday? Ouch. That kind of confusion was probably even worse than her own. Not only did this girl have to deal with the usual Landel's house of horrors, but if she had seen or heard about any of this military stuff, she was willing to bet the information overload wasn't exactly a picnic.

Finally, the cold seeped through her gloves enough that Utena was forced to lower her head closer to the ground and bend her knees, rolling out of her position and back to her feet. Owow, head rush! she thought, squeezing her eyes shut for just a moment while she brushed snow off her hands and knees. When she was back on her feet, she turned back to face the other girl. "Yeah, but I'd rather be out here than in there, that's for sure! Besides, the cold's a little refreshing," she answered with a shrug.

"And I wouldn't blame you for wanting to get away from all that too, if you just got here yesterday," she continued, walking over to the brunette. "Man, I'm so sorry you had to come in now. There isn't really a good time to get brought to Landel's

[timedork]

With each announcement, the Doctor became further convinced that they really were recordings of last week's announcements, with all of the words that would be inaccurate this week conveniently obscured by 'technical difficulties'. Why were they repeating announcements today, along with putting a hospital facade back in place? Was it because of the visitors that came every week?

When the soldier-nurse came to collect him at the end of brunch, the Doctor requested to go outside for the free period, and his escort took him back to his room long enough to grab a coat. From there, it was back through the Sun Room and cafeteria once more to reach the courtyard, where he was left alone.

It wasn't snowing today, but it felt like it was colder than yesterday. The Doctor drew his jacket around him, wishing he'd had his own coat instead, and started on a walk around the pond.

[For Tear]

[melodists]

There was something morbidly odd about announcements that missed obvious cues. She was certain they were replaying one of the Head Doctor's previous announcements (one she hadn't heard, truthfully) using fontech, but the method in which they chose to cover up some of the information was rather poor. Tear was half-tempted to pick apart the matter on her own, but last night's events had made it difficult. At least she managed to loosen one major knot and find a worthwhile project to focus on for the next little while

[timedork]

The Doctor had been enjoying the cold, fresh air as he made his way around the perimeter as the pond, but it was a bit lonely walking all by himself. Maybe he should have seen if Donna would have fancied a walk-but no, no, she might have complained about the cold and the lack of nice coats. He would just enjoy the air without-

The sound of someone nearby addressing him cut his thoughts short, and the Doctor looked up to find a long-haired young lady by the pond.

"Oh, yes," he answered, after he ran the words he'd heard through his mind once more. His pace slowed to a stop, and he glanced around briefly. There were actually more people out here than he'd expected, though the number seemed to be few over all. He even spotted Julia speaking with a pink-haired girl.

He turned back towards the girl. "Yes; it is rather cold, but that's not so bad. Enjoying it, I hope? ...-Though I can't imagine you'd be out right now if you hated it." Not when she could have been inside instead if she did.

[melodists]

She momentarily wondered if she had disturbed the man and was about to offer her apologies when he answered. He neither appeared nor sounded offended, and thus, the young woman assumed it was safe to continue. Conversation was not a frequent facet in her life; however, she was far from anti-social. Plus, it probably benefited her to get to know as many individuals as possible, especially if nightly efforts ever had to involve assisting others.

"That's true. It is very enjoyable," said Tear, a bit awkwardly. "Though, I'll admit I'm not used to this temperature." Majority of Auldrant's cities were nestled in the temperate regions of the planet while Yulia City was constantly...dark. Snow, ice, and cold were not elements she had grown up with, unfortunately.