damned_institute | Day 58: Cafeteria

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Day 58: Cafeteria

Anise woke up feeling lucky to be alive. She still felt a bit waterlogged, even though her skin, hair, and clothes were completely dry. During last night's adventures, she'd swallowed a lot of water, and it still felt heavy and disgusting in her stomach. Her arms and legs were tired from treading water. Lying still in her bed, she still kind of felt like she was floating and bobbing in the water.

But she was alive.

Knowing how close she came to death last night, and remembering the lengths her friends had gone to in order to save her, there was no way Anise could let a little discomfort get her down. She had to be at her best today so she wouldn't seem ungrateful to Guy and Claude. On that note, she had to remember to thank them properly, now that she was better able to express herself.

While getting ready, Anise was surprised to actually run into Claude that morning. He came to her room asking for the notebook he stored there (or maybe it was an excuse to see her cute face again), so Anise happily located it and handed it over. She was pretty tired, but the big smile she gave him was genuine. Who wouldn't be happy to see her savior so soon after a dramatic rescue?

After he left, Anise finished re-tying her pigtails into a low position so the military beret would fit on her head, and then she was ready! Even though her stomach wasn't feeling that great, she figured sitting down to a decent meal would help normalize it. And luckily for her, she was among the few who had the privilege of eating such a meal. Anise filled a plate with french toast topped with syrup and fruit, accompanied by small portions of each of the available side dishes.

It looked like she was early, which meant there weren't a lot of people around. That was okay, though. Anise could get a good head start on her meal before any company came around. She sat down at a table by herself and started on her sausage first.

[for Tolten!]

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Anise paused with her fork in the air when she was approached by a tall, blond man. When he asked his question, she quickly put two and two together and realized it had to be Tolten, the man she talked to on the bulletin yesterday. There weren't a lot of people who called her by her family name, and besides, he fit the physical features that he'd listed for her. He neglected to mention handsome as one, but Anise guessed she could forgive that.

"That's right, I'm Anise!" she cheerfully replied, smiling brightly. "I bet you're Tolten, right? Go ahead and have a seat!"

She took another bite of her sausage then. Anise was eating pretty slowly today, but she really wanted to be careful about possibly upsetting her stomach. If she took it slow, she was sure she could get all her energy back, no problem.

"You said you're interested in magic, right?" she asked after a few moments. "If you've got any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer!" Not that Anise was really an expert fonist, nor was she a very typical fonist either... but whatever! She still knew a lot of stuff.

Oh thank goodness! Tolten had been worried about some sort of social blunder - no one here was from his own world, let alone country! - but he had identified the young lady correctly. And the fact that she was probably younger than him put him at ease. At least more at ease than he normally was around females. He smiled warmly at Anise's greeting.

"Yes, I'm Tolten. Thank you, very much. For meeting with me and being so kind." He took a seat across from Anise and folded his hands on the table. He had forgone breakfast again today - he could manage till lunch on last night's dinner. He really did want to know what was the difference between those who were given real food and those who weren't. But there were far more important matters to attend to.

"I'm seeking the aide of magic users, essentially," he explained. "I am a swordsman without a sword, I fear. And from all I understand, an unarmed and alone man has little chance of surviving in this place when the night falls." Unless he stayed in his room, which Tolten was not about to make a habit of.

Hmm... so that was it? Anise took a few more bites of her breakfast as she heard him out. It sounded like Tolten was pretty new to the institute. It was good that he was being cautious, at least. Anise knew way too many reckless people at Landel's.

"I hate to say it, but magic users aren't any better off," Anise explained with a frown. "I don't know how they do it, but they limit our powers so our artes are really weak. And using them takes a lot more energy, too. I get worn out after two attacks! I could do way better than that back home."

She didn't want to discourage the guy too much, though. If he was a swordsman, he'd be fine so long as he had something to wield, right? "Actually... now that I think about it, I've got a spare weapon. It's just an old pipe, but it's good enough for clobbering monsters. You can have it, if you want." It really wasn't much, but it had saved Anise's life a few times, and it was better than nothing.

"I had been told that abilities were limited somehow here," Tolten agreed, nodding. "I must admit...I have spent my life relying very heavily on magic." The idea that it was a weak, nearly useless craft here was mind boggling and upsetting. Not that he had ever used it himself, but....

Well, there had always been mages about! Even when he was on the run, he was the only one with no talent whatsoever.

But then Anise made mention of a weapon. A pipe wasn't something Tolten would have thought of as a weapon, but it was something. Anything was better than simply relying on his unwrapped fists. And he could clobber monsters with the best of them, he'd learned that the hard way.

"I would greatly appreciate that, Miss Tatlin." Tolten bowed his head to demonstrate his thanks. "I...I have nothing here, with which to repay you...."

Anise kind of wondered what sort of life Tolten led, and how he relied on magic that much, but she could always ask later. They had something else to discuss first.

"Well, if you can't repay me right away, then don't worry about it right away!" Anise replied simply. She did like the idea of having people indebted to her, instead of the other way around... but she wasn't going to make the guy stress himself out over that just yet. "You can just owe me a favor for later or something, hehe."

There was the matter of actually getting it to him, though, so Anise supposed they ought to work the details out. "What's your room number? If it's somewhere close, I can bring it over tonight." And if not, she could always leave it out in her room for Tolten to pick up... though Anise tried not to give her own room number out to too many people. She knew for a fact that not all patients could be trusted.

Tolten hated the idea of not being able to repay a favor - especially one offered by practically a stranger! - but he could live with simply owing Anise. He would make good on it. There were so many matters of honor at stake!

"Then when you ask me that favor, and if it is within my power, it shall be done," he promised. He had been told it was difficult to get a weapon, and here he had managed to (hopefully) secure one on his second morning!

"Oh! Ah..." They had changed it, and the young king wet his lips thoughtfully as he tried to remember the new number. He had noted it...

"20. In the men's wing, or so I assume. I don't honestly know if that's close to anything or not. I'm afraid there's still much I don't know about this place." But he'd have time to learn. It hadn't taken him long to abandon any fantasies of rescue he'd had pending the knowledge he couldn't simply escape on his own. He offered an apologetic smile and a small self-depricating laugh. Some things never changed.

Tolten was a little charming, with the way he made his promise. Anise couldn't help but smile in return.

When her question was answered, Anise was quick to give a positive response. "M20? That's not too out of the way. I'll bring it over tonight!" If she was meeting up with her friends, it'd be on the way there. With Claude's injuries, though, she wondered what was going to happen... They'd have to talk about it when they got a chance.

"You're pretty new here, huh?" she went on to ask, though Tolten had made it obvious by that point. It sounded like there was a lot he didn't know, and he didn't sound very confident in the things he did know. Since it wouldn't hurt to share some information, Anise figured it was only polite to offer. "I'm kind of a veteran, since I've been here for a long time. If there's anything else you want to know about, feel free to ask me!"

"This is only my second full day here," Tolten admitted. "I awoke two evenings ago. Here, I mean." Well, he supposed that much was obvious. "It's funny...I know there's so much I should ask, but I hardly know what would be most important!"

That was one way of putting it. He knew so little, he wasn't certain what the right questions were. He knew he had the general idea of what this place was, but...

And then there was the fact that he knew so little of this world. How could he hope to comprehend this place if he didn't even comprehend the world? And Anise was being quite kind.

"I'm from somewhere very different than here," the young king explained. "I'm afraid there's much I don't know, and much I have no hope of learning. I know everyone is taken against their will, I know we come from different worlds, I know the dangers of the nights. I know that escape is essentially impossible." He sighed softly and spread his hands in a somewhat helpless gesture.

"If there's anything else you believe it is of importance I know now, I would be most thankful for the advice."

Anise could kind of understand Tolten's position. It was one thing to not know the answers, but sometimes things were so confusing that it was impossible to even know which questions to ask in the first place. It wasn't easy to get past being that lost, but everyone had to start somewhere.

"You mean... another planet? That makes two of us," Anise told him with a short giggle. Hopefully, he'd find it reassuring to know he wasn't alone. Sometimes it could feel a little lonely, being surrounded by Earthians who didn't have to worry about adapting to a whole new planet. "I'm from Auldrant. I guess it's not all different - I mean, people still look mostly the same - but the technology here's totally different." And that wasn't even getting into the history, culture, and common knowledge that Anise was still clueless about.

Anyway, since she wanted to help get Tolten catch up on goings-on of the institute... Anise paused, tapping a finger on her chin. Where to even start with that? "Hmm... Do you know about the Head Doctor, or the people on the radio?" Since he'd only been around since the military took things over, there was a chance that Tolten wasn't aware of how things were before Aguilar came along.

"Well, I'm honestly not certain if it's another planet or another dimension. I was never entirely clear on that point...." Tolten had come in late in the game to the truth of the magic industrial revolution, and had only been given what he needed to know.

At least he could say things like that and not be regarded as a madman.

"But yes, I'm from a world called Plank. Though you're right, people look mostly the same but our power sources and technology are entirely different. Even our architecture and our fabrics..." It was a the worst manner of culture shock the young king had ever experienced. "And I know the least about the voices over the intercom. I...confess to not realizing the importance of the radio, and I'm afraid I've left it behind me on the nights I've left my room. I've put together what pieces I can...I don't wish to be a bother, and take up someone's important time to explain things to me...."

The apology that he was doing just so to Anise was unspoken, but obvious in the worried twist of frown that turned down Tolten's lips.

"I just said I'd explain, right?" Anise countered with an easygoing grin. It sounded like Tolten really needed to work on his confidence. He wouldn't get anywhere if he was afraid to ask questions. "It's no bother at all!"

It looked like she'd have to start somewhere, so Anise took a breath and began the somewhat lengthy explanation. "Anyway... the Head Doctor, Landel, was the voice we'd always hear on the intercom. He ran the whole institute until a few days ago, when the military took over. Nobody really misses him, though. He was even worse than these guys," Anise explained, leaning in closer so she wouldn't be overheard too easily. Her last point was something a lot of people would probably argue, but to Anise, Landel was the one person she could never forgive. Aguilar would have to try even harder to earn the sort of hatred that Anise held for the Head Doctor.

"As for the radios... those are kind of a big question mark. The people who use them say they're trying to help us, but... I don't really trust them. Some people said they found equipment and stuff by following the radio's clues, but some people just got led into traps." That was certainly the case with Anise, who was now extremely skeptical about their motives. "The latest guy using the radio... he's been sheltering the Head Doctor, it sounds like. That's pretty suspicious by itself, right?"

Well, maybe Tolten wouldn't fully understand why that bothered Anise so much if he'd never experienced the Head Doctor's cruelty himself. But for Anise, any friend of that murderous bastard was probably an enemy.

"Thank you." Tolten took a deep breath and focused on what the younger woman was saying. It was...well, he supposed familiar, in a way. Familiar enough that he could pick up on some of the things that weren't being said. Power struggles, morally ambiguous figures, and innocents caught between.

"I can't see any good coming from trusting some unknown voice," he said, frowning thoughtfully. It was one thing to be taken in by a dear friend or loved one, someone you knew and had reason to trust... And he knew he trusted far too easily, but the idea of following the clues from some alien radio transmission....

"Even without the highly suspicious behavior of harboring this place's master," he went on. "Is this place really a medical facility of some sort? I understand the ruse it presents is elaborate, but...it does seem to function as a hospital of sorts. And...if you don't mind, there is something I'd like to ask you about."

The letter he had been given hadn't been forgotten, after all.

It looked like Tolten understood where she was coming from even without the full context, which pleased Anise. She nodded at his comments, though it looked like he had a few questions now.

"It's kind of hard to say what it is. I mean, they used to call it a mental hospital, but it's definitely not that. It's more like a research facility, I think. They treat people when they're sick or injured, but most of the time, they're more interested in experimenting on people or doing other awful stuff." And now it seemed more like a military training center... There really was no simple way to explain the institute.

But Tolten said he had another question, so Anise decided to leave her explanation at that and give him a chance to ask. She smiled brightly, hoping that would make him less hesitant to say what he wanted to say. "Of course I don't mind! So long as you're not going to ask me my weight, hehe."

Experimenting on people. Tolten couldn't hide his shudder at that. His mind brought forth the things in the sewers, and those...those abominations that had once been men he knew and saw day in and out. He was glad he had forgone eating - he doubted his gorge would have stayed down.

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately. "I'm...not unfamiliar with the concept of...experiments." Well, it seemed Meekins had been right after all. They did indeed need to do all that was in their power to help their fellow prisoners.

But that did bring things nicely to his question.

"I was given a letter yesterday," he explained to Anise, and he tried to smile at her jest. She truly was being a great help, and he wished he had something he could offer her in return. "It was written in a familiar hand and signed in a name similar to one familiar...."

It was really easy to get a big reaction out of Tolten, wasn't it? He'd make a good teasing target... but right now, it'd just be mean to try it while he looked so uncomfortable. It sounded like he might have witnessed (or experienced?) human experiments before, or something. Anise had seen some horrible stuff herself, so she couldn't blame the guy for his reaction.

His next question brought a small look of surprise to the girl's face, and her smile faded soon after. Anise was able to keep her chin up about most things that went on at the institute, but this was something that really got under her skin.

"I got one too," she said, her voice quiet. "That's... something else they do here. They brainwash people into thinking they're someone that they're not... and then those people try to convince us that we aren't who we think we are, either."

Anise stared down at her plate, realizing now that she'd forgotten her food while getting caught up in her conversation. But now that she remembered breakfast, she didn't feel much like eating it anymore. Just thinking about what those bastards did to her parents, making them forget who they were, who their own daughter was...! Anyone would lose their appetite from that.

"But...how do they know? How to make it look and sound like...like someone I know?" Tolten didn't understand. He supposed it wasn't entirely out of the question that Gongora was somehow actually involved in this. Highly unlikely, and he imagined it would take an extremely intricate and improbable series of events, but strange things did happen. And this was the sort of thing Tolten imagined his guardian would have an interest in.

"And why do they wish to change our minds to such an extent? Though...no, he couldn't be involved, else we'd all be nice and mind-wiped now, believing whatever he wanted...." At least there was that. Gongora did not leave much leeway when it came to rearranging someone's memories. Tolten shook his head. "Sorry, I wandered off into wool gathering for a moment. And to what end is all of this done? For the military?"

Well, his own army had its own special mind-addled forces.

"I... don't really know," Anise replied honestly. That worked as an answer to pretty much all of Tolten's questions, but she was going to try to explain as much as she could. "The people who wrote those letters, and the people who come visit us once a week... I heard that they used to be patients, and they got released once the institute managed to brainwash them completely." She couldn't say for sure if that was the case for everyone, but it had happened enough times that it was common, at least.

She cocked her head questioningly when Tolten began to ramble about someone. Did he know someone capable of doing the kinds of things that happened at the institute? It was kind of scary to think there were others with that kind of power out there...

"No one really knows what the military's goal is. Some people guessed they might be trying to make people into super soldiers... but it's pretty hard to say for sure." That theory had sounded pretty stupid the first time Anise heard it, but now that they were all being marched around like soldiers and treated like new cadets... Well, it sure seemed a lot less stupid now.

"Patients here? You mean...like us?"

Tolten wet his lips, worried suddenly. That couldn't be true, could it? No one could do that to Gongora. To think that the institute could be even more powerful than the great mage was unthinkable! And they visited? This...fake Gongora was going to show up to see him at some point? Claiming to be his uncle?

Madness!

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was a military operation," he said, finally. "I've seen stranger ruses for secret military training. And I have known warlords who abducted and duped their minions. Though not to so great an extent as this...."

Anise nodded to confirm that Tolten had the idea, though it was clear that it didn't sit well with him. There weren't a lot of people who could hear those kinds of facts without being disturbed by them, though.

"I guess..." she murmured in response to Tolten's thoughts. "It's a pretty weird group of people to kidnap if they want soldiers, though..." They'd taken Ion, after all, and he sure as heck wasn't soldier material. Though maybe they just wanted to study his abilities... - Ugh, thinking about them doing anything to him just made her mad!

The intercom sounded then, and the enthusiastic voice Anise recognized from that morning began to announce the shift change. The girl looked down at her plate, full of delicious food that she'd only barely picked at. It was probably all cold by now.

"Looks like we have to go now," she said, frowning. When she continued, her voice was a little more upbeat, though. "But I'll see you tonight when I bring that pipe over!"

"I've long stopped trying to make sense of the minds of madmen," Tolten said, Not that he knew whether or not the men involved in this place were madmen, but he figured it stood to reason.

At least there was organization. The young king was thankful for a set routine and obvious authority figures - it kept it easier to keep himself out of trouble. And it was always good to know precisely who the enemy was, rather than be taken by surprise. And the announcements were helpful...

"Tonight, my lady," Tolten agreed with another deep inclination of his head. "I truly cannot thank you enough. Ah...until later, then."

And perhaps in the meantime he could find some way to repay her....

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Day 58: Cafeteria

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