-- HOME TO THE SOULLESS && [isabella]

"We should probably get back to work." Joshua gave him a non-verbal agreement, following his companion down the hallway. The hospital was always a rather depressing place to be. If you looked past the cheerful nurses and smiling secretaries you remembered that you were in a place that catered to the sick and dying. There were people laying in hospital beds suffering from things they'd never recover from, saying their last goodbyes to family members. It was crushing, really, but Josh had an advantage in that he didn't let such things get to him. He had a thick skin and was able to shed things like water off a ducks back. Even the things that did bother him, he didn't let them show. He internalized them, kept everything to himself. He wondered how his coworker felt as they walked along the hallways past doctors with serious expressions, grief-stricken family members. The kids were always the worst. He had a soft spot for them. He and the other boy finally reached the room they were meant to be fixing up and worked for the most part in silence, something that he was completely comfortable with. He sterilized some of the surgeon's tools while his companion fixed the operating table up, cleared the space, made sure everything was easily accessible. At the end of their shift, Josh dried his hands on a towel and nodded to him. "I'm on break. You heading home?"

"Yeah."

"See you, then." They left the room together but took separate directions—Josh toward the break room (which the volunteers also had access to) and his coworker toward the nearest exit. There were a few other people in the room and Joshua offered a fleeting smile to those he knew, going over to the coffee machine and helping himself. "Long day?" Damn right it had been a long day, and it was going to be even longer. He'd put in extra hours to pass the time since he hadn't been able to make any concrete plans. He hated not being kept busy. "Something like that." He enjoyed working, even if the environment could be a little taxing at times. At least he wasn't responsible for saving the lives, especially not during this time of year. It must have been hard on the doctors. Leaning against the counter that the coffee machine and sink were located on, Joshua directed his gray gaze toward someone unfamiliar. "Haven't seen you around before," he observed. "You new, or?" He had volunteered at the hospital since he was fourteen, scoring the position earlier than usual thanks to the fact that his father had influence in the place. Over the years he'd learned the names and faces of most regulars, but Josh acknowledged it was possible she'd hung around before and he'd just never noticed. Hence why he'd asked.

[She can know who -he- is if you want, your choice <3 This originally had an extra paragraph but it was talking about Christmas so I removed it and updated the thread to be more current ^^']