Day 48: Courtyard

[thatdamnedninja]

"I could tell you some stories," Yuffie suggested brightly, "of unquestionable legality." Illegality, that was. Petty little things like the law didn't usually mean very much to her, except for the times when she had to uphold it. Always fun for the breaking, though, the law, and messy for the clean-up. Just the way she liked it

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[bprd_fishman]

Well, that had been odd. Abe wondered if he hadn't been a little too harsh with the girl. She'd been nothing but friendly to him, just a bit too coy to avoid being annoying. Ah, well, it was a bridge that was already burned and she seemed to be no one of consequence.

He pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders and began to pace the expanse of grass, eying the grey walls and potential freedom that lay beyond them. What would happen, he wondered, if in the middle of some catastrophic riot they found a ladder? Could Landel still reach them if they left the institute during the day--or for that matter was there even anything left out there?

[Free!]

[sixth_attack]

[Hope this is ok!]Breakfast came and went, relieving the Replica his body's persistent hunger cramps for now, but it didn't ease his foul mood. Once lead out of the cafeteria, Sechs' nurse stuffed a coat and a pair of sneakers into his arms and told him to put them on. The weather outside was as cold and gloomy as Sechs' thoughts and for once he didn't refuse the nurse's care. The chill in his back was bad enough as it is, so a coat to protect him from the temperature outdoors was welcome, but not expressed kindly to the nurse who gave it to him. She received an impudent snort from Sechs before he had his back to her and was already shuffling out the door

[bprd_fishman]

"Who doesn't?" Abe turned to the newcomer, giving him a welcoming nod. If there was anything worth getting to on the other side. He knew others had been outside the walls but not what they'd found there--just that they'd been forced back when the morning came, as they all were.

It made the entire idea of 'escape' quite pointless, in Abe's opinion. Freedom was not to be found outside these walls, Landel's influence reached at least as far as they could go by foot.

[sixth_attack]

"Yeah..." Sechs glumly agreed. He turned his head to rudely spit at the ground before adding, "What I'd give to get out of this hell hole..."

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, shuffled a few more steps towards the stranger. Keeping a small distance, Sechs paused to give the damned wall another glare. "Got any ideas on what's out there?" he asked, "Uh, other than that dumb town we had to visit before?" Remembering the zombie-infested town got Sechs wondering if the place was still left standing after all the chaos that ensued. The battles he had there were decent and even somewhat enjoyable, but the memory of witnessing an acquaintance's death deeply soured the experience...

Jerking himself out of that painful memory, Sechs glanced back at the other man. "Um, I'm Sechs by the way."

[finalwitch]

The theory proposed on the bulletin--the one suggesting their entire lives were elements of fiction--was unexpected. In its own morbid way, however, it made sense. The idea took everything into account at one fell swoop, creating a clean cut hypothesis compared to the others. Occam's Razor, more or less. With false realities, she could reason away Rolo's Area 11, Albedo's hundreds of not-siblings, and Junpei's Shadows and Tartarus. She could clear away the presence of an island's legend--

Beatrice, the Witch in Gold, the culprit of the Rokkenjima Mass Murder incidents.--and the living vessel of a beloved brother

[dreadofthegrave]

Though it was only his second day there, Battler couldn't help but decide that there was something unsettling about this place. It seemed that in every direction, there was some new question to be asked. That much was normal--there were always questions --but these weren't quite on the same level. It was frustrating, to know so little. Back on the game board, there was at least some sense of direction, but even that wasn't certain here. It seemed like every moment of calm was shattered by something bizarre, but not the kind that he was used to debating. The grey clouds didn't help, either; they were too reminiscent of the storms that came, trapping everyone on the island. .... They always started out innocent like this, didn't they. Rather than a gloomy day, it almost felt like a sign that something bad was going to happen. Of course, that was an idiotic thought. Cloudy skies were brought about by the weather cycle. There was no such thing as a 'sign'; foreshadowing was something that occurred in fiction, not reality

[finalwitch]

Thoughts continued, a compilation of questions and answers rolling inside her head. Perhaps it was dangerous to entertain a concept gotten by a pure whim. Perhaps she was overcome by boredom. Who could say? As long as no interruptions occurred, Ange would persist. It was all she could do at this state.

Of course, just as the young woman began to unearth the more interesting pieces, she caught the two syllables of a fake name and stopped. If the speaker had been anyone else, Ange would have continued her walk without caring if they would bother to join her. If it had been anyone else...

She glanced up the taller figure, her face unconsciously contorting in pain at his features. It vanished in the next second, leaving one to wonder if the expression had ever been there. Even she couldn't say. "Are you still on about that?" Ange muttered, not bothering to offer a return greeting. "...It's fine. It was more my fault anyway. Sorry."

[dreadofthegrave]

... This wasn't going to be easy, was it? Were he to be honest, that expression was probably something he'd normally overlook completely, but this time, it was more than obvious. It was hard to tell if it was because he'd grown a little more mature or understanding, or if it was only because the knowledge of the situation amplified everything. Battler pretended to turn and look to the side for a moment, so that he could prevent himself from visibly cringing. That sort of thing wasn't going to help anything, after all

[itneverwas]

His conversation with the one known as Hinamori Momo had certainly been one of interest. To not only succeed in pulling a nonexistent man from the abyss in which he should have faded, but apparently do so twice...did the power of this head doctor know of any boundaries? Was it truly possible, or were memories - which were fragile of nature - manipulated after all

hope you don't mind? ; ; <3

[deadlyjuliet]

Lord but he was sore. Battling with that nasty scar-faced loser in the shed had been the last thing Grell had wanted - especially since it interrupted his night and pretty much made his effort all for naught. At least he'd been allowed to sleep in, which made his injuries a little less painful and his temper a lot less likely to explode. Seeing how he was starting to feel less and less like cooperating with the disguise he'd chosen now that Sebastian and that little brat were gone, it was a good thing he'd been allowed some time for his head to cool

Of course not! And brb died laughing <3

[itneverwas]

During Xemnas' observations of those wandering about within the courtyard, he had noticed the stranger approach. A femine man with red hair and a pair of glasses was the one attempting to clumsily close in on the distance between them, and it only appeared to be a matter of time before the man would trip over his own feet and fall face flat upon the grass

I seem to like bothering your stoic boys

[deadlyjuliet]

Now that was an interesting reaction. Most people would be rather put out to find someone falling into their laps (even if said person was a gorgeous lady like he was), but there was nothing - not even the slightest trace of irritation. Even Will would have scolded him or pushed him away and that man was cold. As emotional as a dead fish sometimes. Which really only made it all the more interesting to poke and prod and try to elicit some romantic feeling out of him-- and goodness, but Grell was getting distracted.

Returning his attention to the man who's lap he had all but faceplanted into, the god scrambled and stood up, going through the motions of making sure he hadn't hurt the stranger. "I hope I didn't break anything? Are you alright?" Such a curious creature. Something about him even felt familiar, but Grell couldn't place what. And did it matter? Lord in Heaven, this man had beautiful eyes. "I... ah... My name is Sutcliffe. Grell Sutcliffe. I'm terribly sorry if I hurt you, sir."

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar flashed a smile at his nurse as he exited the building before pulling his coat around him tightly. The air was surprisingly chilling, even more so than the night before. Despite his trips to Narshe and the cold air of the nights in Figaro, he'd never quite learned to adjust to the lower temperatures. The thin fabric of the assigned clothing didn't help matters in the slightest

[lady_general]

It had indeed been a strange series of days for Celes. After seeing Dias, everything had gone dark, for a very long time. Especially if the notes she missed were any indication. And, like the others, now Dias, too was gone. Well, he was the fifth, weren't bad things supposed to come in threes?

With a soft, pitying sigh, Celes hid the sword that she'd slept on and braided her hair away from her face. If there was nothing she could do, and no way to protect anyone that she became close to, what was the point in fighting? Still, as she was led along to the courtyard (her nurse yammering on about how missing meals was just no good for her), she couldn't hope but look for Edgar.

Thankfully, she was rewarded. Parting from her nurse, Celes joined Edgar. "Is this seat taken, or are you expecting to court some woman?" The usual bite in her words seemed subdued.

[girlsandgadgets]

Just as he was settling into the idea of spending the shift quietly people-watching, Edgar heard the one voice he'd expected not to hear. He grinned widely, more thankful to see her face than he'd ever reveal. "You'll be pleased to discover I've kept my courting at a minimum while here," he replied, scooting to the side to make room for his companion.

He clasped his hands before him, resting his elbows on his knees, allowing a moment to pass before speaking again. It'd been so long since he'd seen Celes- despite looking each day, each shift, she'd somehow managed to stay out of sight, though not out of mind. She was his closest friend here, and his only acquaintance from home. Even if she didn't know of the end of the world, she was still the Celes he'd known, and that was better than no one at all.

"I was certain you'd kept yourself away from me on purpose," he said, casting a sideways glance to her. "Where have you been hiding?"

[lady_general]

"Sleeping, apparently," Celes replied as she settled beside him. "Though I do cannot fathom how they managed to keep me under so long." To be honest, the thought was unsettling; she was supposed to be resistant to certain things, wasn't she? Then why?

"And I'd never keep away without good reason." Like, for instance, pique. Or, as the case seemed to currently warrant, self-pity. If there were a chance for Celes to skulk off and hide while she licked her wounds, then she would take it without a doubt. "I'm glad that you're still here."

[full_score]

Breakfast had been a bit on the awkward side, but it wasn't the end of the world. Besides, Claude was still optimistic that Leon and Anise could use some friends closer to their own age, so maybe they'd get a chance to get to know each other better

[36_24_35]

Her resident nurse had been more than happy to tell her all about her unseemly habit of wallowing away in bed past breakfast on such a fine day. Tifa was more concerned by the fact she had waken up at all. The last moments of the night were still burned in the back of her mind, beginning with the images of Cloud and Luke and then all consciousness fading quickly after. She must have blacked out (she hesitated to add 'again'); it was the only conclusion she could come up with

[full_score]

Blinking, Claude shifted his gaze over to a young woman, maybe around Celine's age, who had joined him. Her face, easy to see with no sunlight in his eyes, was unfamiliar to him. Was she new? That wasn't so out there, especially with the way new batches of captives were brought in on a fairly regular basis. Claude wondered where she was from, but there would probably be time to ask those sorts of things later on during the shift.

Either way, there weren't many people who could call a day like this nice. But, really, any day outside was a nice one. It meant they still had their lives, were still able to breathe in the fresh air. Claude turned back toward the clouds, and he smiled.

"Definitely," he replied. "Even if it's not all that bright, there's something kind of promising about a cloudy sky, you know? It's bound to bring rain or a clearer sky in the future."

[36_24_35]

Tifa's short bark of a laugh was warm, and, when she looked back at the young man by her side, her grin was just as genuine. "Ha, I like that..." A stray hair was plucked from her sweatshirt and guided back behind her before she continued. "Pretty optimistic. I guess yer pretty new here then, right?"

Not that she was an expert on this place yet. But Tifa had to figure, after the crazy shit that went on her first night, this institute just had to drain every drop of a person's fortitude. Or, well, most people. The brunette wondered how long it would take for this man's smile to fade.