Day 47: Greenhouse (2nd Shift)

[himetsuru]

Why couldn't she get it out of her mind? It was a stupid white dress. So what if it was visual evidence that she was a princess? It should not be bothering her this much. It was a just a dress

Comments

[hajike_tobiume]

"Jehna, dear, perhaps you should hold off on drawing here. The greenhouse isn't the best place for such activities," Momo's nurse said. "Wouldn't the Sun Room be better for that?"

"In a way, yes, but I feel like drawing out here," Momo replied. It would also give her a little more separation from Albedo. She needed a bit of space after the topic their conversation had turned toward at the end of breakfast.

"Alright, then. Try not to get your sketchpad dirty. I will collect it from you at the end of the shift."

"I won't," Momo replied, finding herself a spot on an empty bench to the side. For a bit, she simply observed her surroundings before she took pencil to paper.

[Taura]

[ninelivesonce]

Greenhouse had seemed like a strange thing to put on the schedule, but as soon as the staff had started leading people out the door, it clicked. Such an odd way of describing it, but of course. Green, house

[hajike_tobiume]

The presence of another was noted as it drew close, but it did not warrant Momo's attention until she looked up at the surrounding scenery and she was addressed. It took a moment of her turning her face more in the direction of the voice to see the person. The voice had been vaguely familiar, but Momo hadn't been able to place it until Taura came into her limited vision.

"There is no need to apologize, Taura-san, but it is appreciated," Momo said with a warm smile. "Would you like to join me?"

[ninelivesonce]

"Sure." Momo's smile was infectious -- the restlessness that had propelled her into constant motion around the greenhouse evaporated in its face, and her own lips curved up as she brushed off a section of bench and sat down.

"May I see what you're working on?" Death, bloodshed, and the constant staccato rhythm of her heart, which seemed to be whispering escape with each beat, had been too-constant companions. It was nice to see someone who had found something to do.

[exbride]

Here was something that Anthy was used to, the familiarity its own sort of comfort. After avoiding the crowded meal hall a few times in a row, her nurse finally convinced her to participate in the gardening activity. This greenhouse was larger than the one from Ohtori, but it was a little less colorful and housed vegetables as well as flowers. There were only a few other girls in here at the moment, but few or none appeared to be doing any gardening.

Moving on automatic, Anthy ambled down a pebbled path and found a secluded spot with an empty patch of soil. She chose a bundle of roses to work with, of course, and knelt by the dirt to begin digging a hole. This was familiar to her. This was something she could do.

This was a glass cage. Her hand slipped on the shovel and she stabbed at the dirt with a small measure of undue force, her hair falling in her face and obscuring it. It was difficult to garden with no means of tying back hair that flowed as long as hers.

[free]

[quickdrawbkiddo]

And again, the nurses seemed destined to keep Beatrix from her usual associates. This time she was guided to a young girl with unusual coloration and long hair. She gave the nurse a look before sighing and kneeling down next to the girl. Unlike the girl, the Bride did not start digging, though she did examine the trowel she was given.

"If you ask the staff, they will probably provide you with a hair-tie," she said in way of opening conversation.

[exbride]

The nurses were intent on having them interact with one another; this much was clear from the way they pestered with comments that almost reminded Anthy of Utena and from the way one of them led another patient to her right now. The woman (tall, thin, straight blonde hair) knelt down beside her and started in on casual conversation.

Anthy paused with her grip on the handle and then swiped a good amount of hair behind her ear, glancing up at the other patient to offer a polite smile. "They probably would," she agreed.

"Although I'm not sure I could bring myself to request favors." It was said with masked pleasantness, her tone bland and soft.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Beatrix moved her gaze from the trowel to watch the girl with mild curiosity. She did not quite understand the girl's reasoning.

"Why? It is clear that you would benefit from it." She gave a bit of a snort. "I fail to see how a hair-tie would be considered a favor. A favor is, in general, something that would not be readily done when asked."

[madeinthehrl]

"Look, Maria, the greenhouse!" There was an annoyingly patronizing quality to the nurse's voice, as if Soma had never seen a greenhouse before and had no idea what one was, despite her having been here only a week ago. "And the seeds you planted last time have sprouted! Isn't that nice? You can show your father when he comes again next week

[himetsuru]

"Fighting off the dredges of a hangover," Falis replied even though her brow was drawn down in thought as opposed to a headache. Some of her thoughts were still lingering back on that white dress whereas others were tossing around names. Like the 'Maria' she'd just heard. That sparked memories of something on the board when she'd been that pathetic child. At least Soma didn't know Falis had been--

"Rose!" The little plastic pot-thing the plant Falis had been holding was suddenly crushed when the hunter's hand jerked in reaction to the name her damn vulture called out, her eyebrow twitching a little. "Here you go, honey," the vulture continued as she set down a more sturdy pot and some dirt. "Go ahead and put it in here."

"Yeah... whatever," she replied. As the nurse left, Falis ground her teeth.

[madeinthehrl]

Soma was almost relieved to see the anger and annoyance in her expression reflected in that of Falis. There was something reassuring about seeing that at least one her friends hadn't changed after all. "I didn't know the patients here made alcohol, too."

She uprooted one of the seedlings gently, running a finger along the fragile roots before what she'd heard caught up with her. Rose, the nurse had said. That was right; Maria had spoken to a girl named Rose on the bulletin board. A friendly girl, someone who used to play sports before she'd arrived here. Maria had promised to meet her on the recreational field. Was that a coincidence? Falis's irritation, readable even without her quantum brainwaves, seemed to imply otherwise.

"Are you still interested in a game of soccer?" she said quietly.

[himetsuru]

Picking up the trowel, Falis jabbed it roughly into the soil in the pot before she tried to uncrush the plastic thing the plant was in.

"I don't know how to play," Falis replied in a low voice. "That child was the one that knew and I can't remember anymore. How about we just forget about Maria and Rose and anything they agreed to do since they aren't us?"

[roseoverture]

After the difficult breakfast with von Karma, Utena was more than ready for some fresh air and the scent of roses. She followed the other women to the greenhouse, stretching her arms behind her head as she walked. It was hard to believe that it had only been a week since she had first met and talked to Harley here. Her arrival in the Institute had only been a little before that. It couldn't have been such a short while, could it have? With the way days and nights passed here, it felt closer to a year than a week

[iwhipthefool]

"This is a waste of time." Or so she tried to tell her nurse. The infernal woman seemed hellbent on getting her to dirty her hands in 'honest labor' or something like that. And as much as she wanted to just hit Janet until she bowed to Franziska's superior will and allow her to go back to the Sun Room, the man with the needle standing right behind Janet? That probably wasn't going to go so well with him

[roseoverture]

Utena's ears caught the name "Yomi" nearby, and she grimaced. The nurses had really stepped up in using her "real" name around her since the day she had been brainwashed. They probably thought that if they kept it up for long enough, Utena would suddenly snap back to that state one day. So far, all it had gotten them were more determined attempts to ignore their words

[iwhipthefool]

Tenjou Utena. The name was filed away, and if it wasn't for the girl's obviously young age, Franziska would have asked her occupation. At her age, Franziska had been prosecuting cases already, but not everyone was like her - as unfortunate as that was. More people could spare to have the drive and motivation she did. The attainment of perfection and the pursuit of justice no matter what. Still, she supposed she should ask eventually. It was likely just going to be something mundane like 'student,' but knowing every detail about a witness - or companion, really - was important.

Rather than take a seat like the nurse had wanted her to, Franziska remained standing and glanced around the greenhouse. A pitiful few number of people were in here, testifying to the uselessness of this activity. She'd have to lodge a complaint with the activity directors to implement a more useful schedule

[chainsaw_royal]

The greenhouse, was it? Hime would have preferred to stay indoors where she would have a greater ability to choose who she spoke with and perhaps check the bulletin, but her nurse would have none of that. Instead she found herself being herded through the eastern corridors and out into the yard towards the greenhouse. No amount of glaring seemed to change her nurses decision

[mistressmadgirl]

The nurse had been quite insistent that Agatha would like this greenhouse- well, in fact, that "Marie" would. She could have put her foot down, of course, the nurse had "lackey" written all over her, but she was getting very curious about what was going on. Maybe she could figure out what Lucrezia had been up to.

Of course, when she got there, she was gravely disappointed. It was just a greenhouse- quite a nice greenhouse, but containing only ordinary soil and gardening implements and flowers that looked as though they'd never be able to strangle their creator's enemies in roots at allIt just wasn't her style, in other words, and it definitely wasn't Lucrezia's. So the question of how they'd wound up here, and where here actually was, was only getting more confusing. She was starting to think she'd reached the limit of what she could figure out on her own. Fortunately, there was someone handy who didn't seem to have anything else to do

[chainsaw_royal]

Hime was just about to consider actually trying her hand at flower arranging, debating whether the nurses would care if she began cutting up the flowers, when she was addressed by another patient. She raised an eyebrow at the strange greeting that sounded like the question of an amnesiac.

"Not at all," she replied shortly, a rather neutral expression on her face. "Should I?"

Obviously this was a new patient if they expected other people to actually recognize them when they came from so many various worlds. Though Hime herself was something of a known name, that was only in the Kingdom, so she was used to anonymity and often preferred that depending on the situation.

[mistressmadgirl]

Agatha was actually not sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it meant she couldn't ask about whatever Lucrezia had been doing, but on the other hand, it meant the other woman wasn't mixed up in anything Lucrezia might have been doing.

At the question, though, she just sighed. "No, you just weren't busy. I've been told I didn't just suddenly arrive from Mechanicsburg, so I hoped you might at least have seen me around."

No need to mention the Other. That could only cause problems.