Day 48: Courtyard [Fourth Shift]

[gald_digger]

So much for a relaxing shower. Anise couldn't possibly relax around someone with a voice like that! This was beyond weird. How could a girl who didn't have any relation to Sync have the exact same voice as him?

And what made it even weirder was that this wasn't even the first time Anise had encountered something like that. There was a boy, who

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[gothamsfuture]

Terry's nurse seemed to think he'd be overly grateful to get outside, so much that she hadn't appreciated the sarcasm of his response. But what did she expect, really? The last thing he wanted to do was spend the rest of his afternoon freezing, even if it did mean getting out of the building. Unfortunately, his nurse firmly believed that fresh air was the new cure for insane delusions, or so someone would think if they heard the way she rattled on about it

[alwayscomesback]

[FREE BAT MINE! *pounce*]Lunch had been good, especially since it had been wonderfully devoid of psychopaths and their talk of power through fire. At least Sokka didn't have to think that Zuko would try something like that anymore, but in this place? Well, he wasn't going to take his chances. The next guy he met could end up being just as crazy as this place told them they were! Like the guy walking around the courtyard. Definitely suspicious, or as suspicious as anyone would be just walking. But again, Sokka wasn't going to take his chances

[gothamsfuture]

Terry saw an unfamiliar kid heading toward him out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned his head to look, the nurse watching from a distance. Oh great. Bad enough how much Terry's regular nurse tried to dictate his every move, but now he got to deal with babysitters by proxy too.

"Hey." From the looks of things, the kid wasn't anymore thrilled about the idea than Terry himself. On top of that, he might have been shy; the way he was acting reminded Terry of the first days of oh so many transfers, just before some jock tried to shove their head into a toilet. Terry prided himself on not being that sort of person.

"You can relax. I'm not going to bite or anything." Walking away would just get the kid in trouble; hopefully Terry could spare him at least that part of the headache. "The name's Alex. Nice to meet you."

[alwayscomesback]

Sokka wasn't shy! Especially not when it came to talking with guys. Maybe in front of a bunch of guys where all eyes were on him, but definitely not with just one! He was only being cautious. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing shy about that either.

"Oh, I'm Sokka," he said, lowering his hand, "And not biting is good. I think we might both get in trouble for that..." he added, glancing back at the nurse.

He didn't mind them since they hadn't giving him a real reason to dislike them, but somehow he could see him getting in trouble if this Alex guy ended up biting him. That's how it had always worked when Katara had attacked him when they were little. Somehow he always got punished to, which made no sense at all.

[scintillatingly]

After having to speak to two Nobodies (both of who had confused him just a bit), Sora had been glad to have a relaxed lunch. To go from that out into the courtyard was even better, although there were two things that made it a little less exciting. First was the knowledge that he and his friends were supposed to have made it here last night and yet hadn't, and second was the bad weather. Sora would take warm sunshine over this cold gloominess any day

[composers_proxy]

Neku wasn't thrilled to be out in the cold again, but at least this time his hair wasn't wet. He'd thought he'd calmed down after talking with Sheena, but lunch just left him feeling like he'd been hit with a bucket of cold water. As if it wasn't bad enough watching one of his friends die last night, now he didn't even know if he could trust Hanekoma. Forget trying to explain it to Leonard too. He had enough trouble without trying to figure out different planes of existence. So did Neku for that matter, he thought dryly

[scintillatingly]

Noticing that someone was walking up close to him, Sora turned away from the pond right as Neku reached him and said hello. The Keyblade Master smiled at him (even if Neku wasn't smiling, that didn't mean he couldn't!). "Hey!" he greeted in return. The last time he had seen his lookalike had been in the Sun Room when that jerk had been attacking them, and Sora was glad to see that the boy had been doing all right since then

[composers_proxy]

"I've been better," he shrugged. Though he might not know Sora very well, they had a lot more in common than he'd thought. And hell, he hadn't known Shiki or Beat or the others for more than a few days before he talked openly with them. It was the stress of the sitation, he figured, that forced people to clash and learn and change each other so fast.

"One of my friends got killed last night," he explained after another sigh, hand rubbing the back of his neck in an unconscious gesture. It wasn't that he wanted pity or anything, and he wasn't even sure that was what was bothering him most right now. Joshua's death, or the information that came to light because of it. The things Mr. H had told him at lunch left his mind spinning.

"And I'm not even sure who I can trust anymore. It's kinda hard to deal."

[chainsaw_royal]

Once again, Hime found herself being forced out into the cold with nothing but the meager jacket from her room to protect her. Truly inconvenient.

Well, she had at least managed a quick note on the bulletin board before being evacuated, so she had that much. Now there was not much else to do besides wait for nightfall.

Walking across the grass, she inspected the gardening shed from a healthy distance away. She was once again struck with the irony of how hard the had worked to sneak there way over to it two nights ago, but now she could walk up to it so easily now. Still, the nurses were unlikely to let her look inside, much less take anything she found, so there was no point in garnering their attention by going near it. Still, she stared over at it unwaveringly, planning the best course of action for reaching it if that should become the plan tonight.

[Free]

[host_club_honey]

While he'd wanted to see if he could find Takashi, the nurses told him that his "older" friend had to go to showers first. He tried to explain that he was actually older, despite his size, but they wouldn't hear of it and quickly bundled him up to go outside. Not that it was terrible to get to run around outdoors, but he hadn't seen his cousin for a while and it seemed like the nurses were dead set on keeping them apart.

With a sigh, he dragged along the stuffed pink bunny, relatively free of stains despite his time here. It looked like most of the others outside were already talking with someone, but Honey didn't mind meeting new people. Besides, it looked like there was a girl all by herself a fair way away from the gardening shed. Maybe she was lonely?

"Good afternoon!" he greeted her with enthusiasm, a friendly smile on his face. "I'm Honey, what's your name?"

[chainsaw_royal]

Regardless of whether or not Hime was lonely - though, not that she'd tell anyone, she had to admit she did miss her friends from home... oh, and Hiro too - she wasn't really one who would seek out other company to ease that. On the other hand, neither was she one to turn down company that sought her out, at least not without good reason.

While it was, perhaps, a little odd to be approached by a young boy with a pink stuffed rabbit, it wasn't threatening or offensive. Hime turned towards him and also smiled, though hers was much subtler.

"Good afternoon," replied the Royal. "My name is Hime." He seemed awfully enthusiastic, a rare mood to be in here. "You're surprisingly cheerful."

[host_club_honey]

The girl didn't smile very big, but at least she was nice. He smiled right back, taking a few steps closer.

"It's nice to meet you Hime-chan," he replied, nodding his head slightly in place of a bow. Maybe he was cheerful, but it helped him as much as it helped others. At least most of the time it did. As long as it kept his mind off of the loss of his friend, then it was all the better.

"I like meeting new people and... and it's always nice to get outside and play. Even if the weather isn't so nice. Rain is good sometimes too."

[hasnomeaning]

And here, another activity. Another place to go prearranged. Here again, Ayanami followed wordlessly, a shadow to the nurse in front of her, footsteps tapping lightly on the material of the floor. Questions were starting to form in her mind, questions without answers that she could easily see. Ikari did not know why they were here. And there was nothing to give her that information.

She kept walking when the nurse led her outside, steps lax and sure as she moved past the paths and benches before reaching the pool of water moving sluggishly before her. There was something entrancing in the liquid, something familiar in the movements. Her head tilted the smallest degree; she watched it without registering comprehension. It remained water, and as such, it remained something of dull comfort.

[for someone similar~]

[moral_liberty]

Kaworu hardly said a word to his nurse as she led him out to the courtyard. If she seemed concerned, Kaworu took little notice. His mind felt as though it were spread too wide, and yet lacked the room for all of the thoughts Shinji had inadvertently put there. Seeing Shinji elated him, but the pain in his heart only increased each time Kaworu saw him. Shinji as reconnecting with life, which could never be painless

[hasnomeaning]

People had passed her without a glance, and when feet trod to a stop, Ayanami did not look up. Words, however, pulled her gaze to lock on eyes the color of her own. Hair light as well. A sensation passed, of something known, but it slid across the edges of her consciousness fluidly. Because that remained fact. She did not know this person. And here, they claimed knowledge of her. Speaking her name.

She watched him for a moment. "I have never seen you," she spoke quietly.

[moral_liberty]

The response was unexpected, and a look of faint surprise and curiosity crossed his face. His smile changed to suit it.

Time meant very little now. It was expected to be constant, unfailing, but here it remained shattered and hastily connected. But he knew that the girl could be no one other than Ayanami. She was Lilith, as he was Adam. He had seen her face in photographs before he had met her, when he had finally felt that sameness. It was something that Lilim always had, and Kaworu absorbed the novelty of it. The same, but so different.

"You are the First Child, Rei Ayanami, aren't you?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

[mitase]

The nurse fussed over him even more than usual this time, taking a few minutes to look him over and check his forehead for fever before deciding that he could be "allowed" to go outside. Hanatarou could've told her that he wasn't sick, if she'd bothered to ask -- he felt just fine, physically, and could probably do a better job of diagnosing himself than she could if there was something wrong. He just silently nodded a little when appropriate in her chatter as she bundled him up in a warmer long-sleeved shirt and coat before shooing him out the door.

Once outside, though, he didn't really want to do anything...it wasn't the greenhouse, where he had plants to tend to, and there wasn't much in the area but benches and trees. Well, there were some flowerbeds, but he doubted the nurses would want to let him play around in the dirt. Not after she'd made such a fuss about him going outside in the first place in the supposed bad weather. After an aimless rambling circuit around the path the shinigami finally flopped gracelessly onto one of

[euphemise]

"I'm fine! I'm really fine," Euphemia said, nodding. "I know I wasn't feeling so well, but I'm bundled up now, and I won't get sick again. I promise," she said, reassuring her nurse before stepping out into the courtyard, stretching her hands above her head. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out for, but it had been a while. She would have to try and catch everyone before dinner.

When she walked outside, she didn't see anyone she knew, but that didn't particularly bother her - until she saw someone huddled up in their coat far more than was good for them. She didn't know him, but it wasn't her nature to let someone look that sad without at least trying to do something about it.

She walked over, asking, "Is this seat taken? You looked like you could use a friend. I'm Euphie."

[mitase]

Hanatarou hadn't even noticed that someone was approaching until she spoke, at which point he jumped a little, glancing up and almost overbalancing himself off the bench entirely. "A-ah...? Er, h-hello, um." He quickly grabbed the edge of the bench to stabilize himself, then glanced up and cleared his throat quietly. "No, I... I wasn't... I mean, er, if you wanted, you c-can sit."

He managed a smile that was genuinely friendly, if very shy and hesitant; hopefully he hadn't scared her off with the yelp and the flailing. "I'm, um, Hanatarou," he added, carefully edging over a little to give her even more room to sit. "Yamada Hanatarou. Nice to m-meet you."

[euphemise]

"It's nice to meet you, too, Hanatarou," she said, returning the smile. "I'm sorry if I scared you." She wasn't used to flailing, but that was okay - she'd been the one at fault, really, so she couldn't blame him. She did take that seat then, nodding once.

"So...are you okay? I don't want to pry if it's not any of my business, but. I don't like seeing nice people sad. Even in a place like this, there's always something you can do to try and make things a little better. I haven't been doing such a good job of it myself lately, but other people have. Like everyone who puts up nice things on the bulletin, or people that try and help out at night."

The princess nodded once, as if to punctuate the sentence, and smiled again.