Day 51: Sun Room (4th Shift)

[full_score]

Claude was all too relieved when the announcement signifying the end of lunch played over the intercom system. It gave him the perfect excuse to let his nurse collect his things and lead him out of the cafeteria. He wished he could have privately said something to Luke, at least -- that he appreciated him looking out for him, for one thing, and

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[yin_yang_fox]

There was a subdued Digimon that resided in the sun room today. She had checked the board perfunctorily, and then had shifted to a couch to contemplate all that she had learned. Between Sasuke and Nunnally, there was a good deal to mull over. The simplest of which being if she should move to explore the basement tonight. If that was where those tests had originated... But for what purpose? The series had been dangerous enough by itself, to go looking for more seemed foolish.

Back-up perhaps.

This, of all things, is what pulled back into the forefront of her mind what she just learned. Perhaps it was because they had teamed up many a time, perhaps simply because it was Jiraiya and now he was gone. For all matters to consider, she had been weaker, in terms of will. So what had happened? What-- Why?Yukari and Jiraiya both gone in a single day. Her last two ties to all the time spent here. If not for Nataku, she

[allroadslead]

With everything on his mind, Sam had nearly forgotten that he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for a blond with-what was it, markings under his (her? That name wasn't gender-specific) eyes and hands? A weird description, yeah, but after all he'd seen, he couldn't say it was the weirdest

[yin_yang_fox]

She shouldn't have been surprised. There were people here that would still react to strangers, and the fact that someone had noticed her uncalled for display was believable. That the person had nearly a foot on her despite the concerned expression came as the surprise. She hadn't seen many humans with that height--though. That fact remained a question. The person before her was not so easily read. A hint well-taken, despite it not being one that Renamon would follow up on at the current time. Her mind was not in the correct place.

She still, however, could slip backwards to mask her expression and press down her loss. There was no need at all, to fall and crumble in front of a stranger. Her hand moved, fingers pressing away the remaining tears on her face, and then she nodded, visage cool. "I'll be fine." More a truth than she would have given before. Underlined by an unconscious trembling in her hands. "Thank you."

[allroadslead]

Under other circumstances, Sam would've found a way to take his leave at this point. He didn't really know her and to pursue further interaction would've been a bit too intrusive. But he had been looking to talk to her so...

And honestly, turning around now might be slightly abrupt. He scratched the back of his head.

"Um-actually, this is kind of a coincidence since I've been...meaning to talk to you." He hesitated, then sat down on a couch adjacent to her, largely because he felt a little out of place hovering over her like that. "We spoke on the board yesterday?"

A couple of times, actually, now that he thought about it. Useful that some people chose to sign their names. He would've wondered if it was her real name, but after the others he'd encountered here, it wasn't so odd in context.

"Anyway, we don't have to do it now, though, of course."

[tartaros_avatar]

Being an evil mastermind meant a certain amount of pride. Generally, you would go to any lengths and depths to get what you wanted done, but certain things were just too undignified to ever consider.

Hence why he was sitting in the Sun Room, rather than having to deal with the indignity of arts and crafts. No matter how much it strained his eyes to deal with the light, it was still better than being treated like a child. And so Recluse had decided to rather futilely attempt to find the least brightly lit spot in the room to sit and think

[timedork]

The day had been going well. He'd had a couple of nice chats-as well as nearly finishing those plans for Brainiac 5, and he expected he would be able to finish those by tonight. He would have to post a note for him on the board to let him know, or simply find the boy once the schematics were completed. And of the two? Well, he liked the latter option.

The nurse seemed intent on taking him to arts and crafts, commenting on the 'odd scribbles' he'd been working on earlier. The Doctor had started to explain that they weren't exactly 'scribbles', but he changed topics half-way through and insisted that he'd rather stay in the sun room for now (and finished the diagrams later). The nurse seemed disappointed, but agreed to let him stay in the run room

[tartaros_avatar]

"Go ahead," Recluse looked up from where he'd been staring while he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly as the light of the sky through the windows above entered his peripheral vision, trying to fight the reaction.

"Recluse. I don't believe we've met," he introduced himself, extending his hand to the exceedingly forward man. It looked as though he most certainly would have remembered this one if they'd crossed paths before.

[timedork]

The Doctor finished sitting, giving a nod as the stranger introduced himself. He turned to look the man in the eyes (red eyes, he noted; Recluse must either have not been human or not been entirely human) and started to extend his own hand to shake Recluse's offered one, but what he saw gave him pause. He hadn't seen anything like it in days-weeks, actually; not since the last time he'd talked to Marcus. There was a faint wrongness about Recluse; different from the way Jack was, but very similar to the one he'd noticed about Marcus.

After a pair of heartsbeats, the Doctor finished reaching forward to shake the man's hand. "I don't believe we have; I would have remembered," he agreed. "I'm the Doctor."

He shifted in his seat to find a somewhat more comfortable position and glancing away momentarily. "Are you one of the new arrivals, or have you been here longer and our paths just haven't crossed until now?"

[repeatingfate]

[ from here, and taken.]

...perhaps it wasn't just shock that was getting to Rika. Perhaps...it was something else, something that ran a bit deeper than that. She missed people. Home, and her friends.

She missed friends here, too. It seemed she was having trouble keeping her connections here, and that was problematic. She needed those connections, those little flickers of hope that this, too, wasn't a well that was inescapable.

Rika had done it once. She would a second time, if that was what it took.

[purpletaint]

[from here]

There was nothing that was content in Albedo. Nothing that was quiet any longer.

There was no need for a Song, for a sensation. This was purely an old response, a familiar reaction. An echoing hatred to break here and press against him. A familiar need to grasp something and crush the life from it. He had hated that girl. And now she was gone. And now Rubedo was, too. And like he had stated to the other. Albedo had failed in what he had set out to do. In the end, he was all but powerless in her hold over his twin. Added to that, Nigredo's seeming dismissal of him

[repeatingfate]

Picking up on tension was a needed survival skill in that endlessly repeating loop of time Rika had been within for so long, and it was serving her well now. Albedo didn't need to say a word to let her know that on the inside, he was a turbulent sea of emotions, with a strong undertow. She couldn't dismiss that and wouldn't dismiss it as mere 'stress'. This was something else, something stronger, something darker.

...in another kakera, she would have to wonder: what operated in his brain? What pieces were out of order, was this a parasite in his brain that went out of control when he was taken from home? No. No, nothing like that, she suspected, though she couldn't say for sure.

Regardless, the fact that he was not in a good place was evident. Rika raised an eyebrow; certainly she'd done nothing to raise his ire against her. But she would humor it for now.

"I've survived. And yourself?"

[purpletaint]

Too bad. Too bad she had survived, too bad her existence had continued. Or should he rejoice, as with Klavier? That her suffering would continue more. Except not with these. With girls like this, Albedo only wanted them gone, wanted them to never have existed to begin with. It was their very presence that ruined things--a catalyst like a virus, taking hold of his siblings' minds and changing them. And one had already done so. He was not going to give this one that chance.

His hand waved dismissively, ignoring the question. His blood boiled, stilling to rot in his veins. Something in the back of his mind twitched, demanding action, even if the knowledge was clear what would happen. At night. At night. Then his movements wouldn't be restrained. For now, only speech. Only words. His eyes widened, whites showing, to focus on her alone. "Listen," he started, the congenial tone marred by a roughness not unlike glass shifting against bone. There was a break, a pause that was bordering on uncomfortable. "I'm sure you can be reasonable."

[jouer_sans_voir]

[from here]

It would have been nice to go outside after her shower, to get some fresh air and allow the sunlight to dry her hair, but when Nunnally asked the nurse's response had been immediate, almost dismayed refusal. "Outside?" the woman had repeated, as though her charge had asked if she might go walk on the edge of a chasm above a lion's den. "No, dear, it's far too chilly outside, and you with damp hair? You'd catch your death."

Instead Nunnally found herself in the Sun Room, where the nurse insisted she would get plenty of sunlight -- but it wasn't the same. She missed the outdoors, or even the indoor gardens or greenhouses in which she'd once been able to spend time. It wasn't the same without the fresh air and scent of growing things, the feel of life around her. Sunlight did only so much good when she felt it in the middle of an enclosed space in which everyone breathed the same air

[jouer_sans_voir]

There were always other people wandering about the Sun Room, but Nunnally wasn't paying any of them much mind at the moment. None of them were the two she most wanted to see, and her attention was fixed mainly on the kitten sitting beside her with only peripheral awareness of those passing by where she sat. If any of them approached her then she could pay attention.

Accordingly, it wasn't until the man spoke that she glanced up with a small smile. "Oh?" she asked, before self-consciously realizing she was still holding a half-finished braid and started to plait the strands once more. "Would your name be Arthur, then?" It seemed likely that he wasn't as apt to bite as the feline version at home, so he must have been confused when he heard her mention the name, something that was both mildly amusing and a tiny bit embarrassing at the same time for being overheard.

[vitale]

When Bella woke up in the Sun Room, there was a cat in her face.

"Shoo," she grumbled, pushing the small kitten away from her nose. In response, the small cat began to roll around on the cushions next to her, and she sighed. Pushing herself to sit, she stretched her arms over her head and yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Her talk with Venom had gone ... okay, she supposed. He appeared to be a very serious man; after all, he had pretty much scolded her for causing Edward worry - which, she told him, was all Edward's fault.

Bella had a feeling she was going to hear an earful tonight.

At that moment, the small kitten jumped onto her lap, digging small nails into her thighs. "Ow!" she whined, pulling the small kitten up and in her hands, moving it close to her face. "Listen, you. Stop hurting me or else I'll find you someone else to attack."

Was this some kind of revenge from all of the mountain lions Edward had attacked in his time? She certainly believed it.

( DAMON. oh so dreamy. )

[saviored]

So what did he have since this morning? Or last night, really. Elena, who'd lost several days. Stefan who'd lost two...minutes. And some girl named Claire who thought he resembled her dead boyfriend. Out of these, Damon couldn't decide which was more of a concern, Elena's situation or Stefan's. Both were massively troubling. The only thing was that at least with Elena, it was all to explainable. Without anything protecting her, getting inside her head would've been child's play

[vitale]

At the sound of a different voice, Bella turned her head to look up at the man who had appeared on the couch behind her, surprise coloring her features. She had never seen him before - at least, she thought she had never seen him before. The first thing she noticed about him was his startling blue eyes, almost too blue.

At the mention of the cat, she turned back down to look at it, shrugging her shoulders. "You think? Well, sadly for you, kitten, I'm not very fond of being scratched and clawed at."

Especially considering the damn thing had already done it this morning.

Turning back to the man, Bella looked up at him and smiled. "I'm Bella. I don't think we've ever met before. At least, I haven't seen you around."

[saviored]

Was Stefan aware there was a vegetarian-approved buffet wandering around in the Sun Room? If not, he should be informed. His brother would probably appreciate the tip.

"You wouldn't have. I'm-new."

Damon walked around to sit down on the other side of the couch, deciding that a voluntary introduction was enough of an invitation to join her. Though he hadn't noticed it from a distance, there was something about the girl that was...different. Enticing, almost, more than what would've been usual. That was the only way he could describe it.

There was a split second where his eyes narrowed just the slightest, but he pushed it aside.

"Damon," he said. "Salvatore."