Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Do you see the sunlight in the windows?" snapped Ylaine without looking back, a little too harshly, and quickly calmed herself. As much as she wanted to drag this out to avoid class, maybe it would be better to just take the boy directly to the hospital after all. She might yet be able to find a way to loiter around there for a bit, and the more time they spent in the school building, the more likelihood of running into a teacher somewhere.

With a sigh and an inward groan, Ylaine stopped up short and doubled back to the stairwell they had just passed, not caring how confusing and disturbing a move this was. "Come on."

"That's typical," Ylaine said dismissively as she step-step-stepped down the stairs fairly quickly, which somehow wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

The stairwell let out at the edge of the soccer field. It was empty at the moment. Nothing but sunlight, green grass, and a few chirping birds to keep them company. The hospital was around the corner and across the recess field, adjacent the front Gaia entrance to the school, but Ylaine stopped before it came into view. She turned to Fish and said, "Let me see it," with an air of knowledgeable authority.

It was impressive how Fish had not complained. Ylaine peered at the swelling. Normally she would have expected crying, whining, and whimpering in abundance. Not so. Perhaps there was something more to Fish than met the eye.

Ylaine had no problem making her opinion known to Fish. "Impressive," she said, eyebrows raising. "Does it not hurt?" She jabbed her finger at the swelling.

It was a reaction, but not much of one, all things considered. Ylaine gave Fish the benefit of the doubt. Despite some very obvious shortcomings he might be a bit interesting. "Very well, then." She led the way around the corner and straight across the field towards the looming form of the hospital's three stories. It was dwarfed slightly by the Liberty Center's five tiered stories, but it was still a respectable structure. Very trim and efficient-looking.

Something occurred to Ylaine as they crossed the lawn. "Do they not teach you to read at this school or do you just habitually ignore posted signage?"

Ylaine did not seem to notice the thanks, or ignored it if she did. The hospital doors slid open automatically at their presence and she simply walked straight in.

There was all the hustle and bustle one would expect from a quiet hospital. A few doctors, nurses, patients and family milled about, working and worrying and waiting. There were small blips of machines in the distance, carts being wheeled around, and low chatter. Some of it was discussions with or about patients, some of it was everyday workplace socializing. The members of staff visible looked pleasant and respectable. The floors were polished and clean. The artificial lighting might have been a bit harsh, but this was a hospital. The point was to illuminate every corner possible and the lights were doing that admirably.

The front nurse's station sat right there through the doors and Ylaine headed right to it.

"I'll stay," said Ylaine nonchalantly, and examined her fingernails. Perfectly manicured as usual. It seemed she had taken some sort of interest in Fish and now felt it her responsibility to see to his well-being. At least, so long as doing so served her own self-interests.

She waited for a little while, sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, idly staring at the walls as patients, nurses, and the occasional doctor passed her by. Her skin was eerily dustlike under the cold, artificial lights. Ylaine listened to the calls over the public address system and idly eavesdropped on conversations. Eventually, she could sit through no more. As dull and repetitive as school was, sitting in the hospital doing nothing was boring. Ylaine took to her feet and headed out back across the lawn to the school building. In the end, what happened to the fish-boy was of no real consequence to her. It had been but a momentary distraction from the tedium of the school day.