Her time in the Game Room had been quiet, if not relaxing, though she’d done her best to meditate and relieve some of her emotions during the shift. Dragging herself around while at the point of crying out her frustration and sorrow wasn’t going to help anyone, not herself, and least of all the people she wanted to help. Once again, she had to push that stuff behind the veil in her heart and not let it distract her.
But it suddenly became twice as hard to do when the nurse who came to collect her surprised Tsubaki with the announcement that she had visitors this week! Wouldn’t that be a nice way to end the day?
It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise. To Tsubaki, it felt like someone had poured ice into the top of her head.
Someone to see me…? Someone? She didn’t understand it, not any of it, not what she’d read about visitations or what the Iris thing on the intercom was saying. She’d never dealt with these ‘visitors’ before. Were they fake? Were they real? Were they… graduates, former patients? Were they illusions built from
( ... )
There was nothing simple about this--these people, her parents, the looks in their eyes--but despite it all, Tsubaki rose from her seat with the photo album in her arms without missing a beat. She could do this without letting her pounding heart escape her. She wanted to see them off with a smile.
Even so, it twitched slightly as the figure she knew as her father, the man who’d raised her, played with her, trained her, loved her touched her in such a gentle fashion. But it still stayed. This is… When he spoke next, however, the smile dropped like a stone. She hadn’t expected that at all. Her eyes went wide. She hadn’t misheard, had she? No, but--He’d said--
… My brother. Nii-san. That can’t be. That can’t be.
Illusion or not, fake or not, surely they of all people should know that nii-san was deadTsubaki was struck numb, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She couldn’t do anything but watch them go, album held limply, lips parted. She couldn’t say anything at her mother’s last look. Surely they should know. Else they
( ... )
But it suddenly became twice as hard to do when the nurse who came to collect her surprised Tsubaki with the announcement that she had visitors this week! Wouldn’t that be a nice way to end the day?
It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise. To Tsubaki, it felt like someone had poured ice into the top of her head.
Someone to see me…? Someone? She didn’t understand it, not any of it, not what she’d read about visitations or what the Iris thing on the intercom was saying. She’d never dealt with these ‘visitors’ before. Were they fake? Were they real? Were they… graduates, former patients? Were they illusions built from ( ... )
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Even so, it twitched slightly as the figure she knew as her father, the man who’d raised her, played with her, trained her, loved her touched her in such a gentle fashion. But it still stayed. This is… When he spoke next, however, the smile dropped like a stone. She hadn’t expected that at all. Her eyes went wide. She hadn’t misheard, had she? No, but--He’d said--
… My brother. Nii-san. That can’t be. That can’t be.
Illusion or not, fake or not, surely they of all people should know that nii-san was deadTsubaki was struck numb, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She couldn’t do anything but watch them go, album held limply, lips parted. She couldn’t say anything at her mother’s last look. Surely they should know. Else they ( ... )
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