Barnaby Brooks Jr. [Bunny] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
baniichan) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2012-02-28 09:56 pm
baniichan) wrote in damned_institute2012-02-28 09:56 pm
Day 62: Breakfast
A misplaced sense of familiarity met Barnaby the moment he opened his eyes, and the sight of the blank, white ceiling from yesterday morning greeted him. After rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, Barnaby sat up and felt around for his glasses. Had he blacked out again and wasted an entire night? Where was Kotetsu? And what had become of the man who had seemingly vanished before his very eyes at the end of dinner?
Once Barnaby slipped his frames onto his face, the world came into clearer focus, even if he didn’t get any answers out of it. He was in his room, and someone had apparently stripped him out of his street clothes in favor of the hideous hospital pajamas. Barnaby wasn't sure what he found more offensive -- that someone here had once again touched his things without his permission, or that he’d been undressed while unconscious for the second time since his arrival.
The thought made his skin crawl.
Just as he looked over to find a lump in the bed next to him, though, his assigned nurse came to retrieve him. He would have to confirm Klavier Gavin's whereabouts later. For now, he had no choice but to allow the nurse to escort him into the cafeteria. Strangely, she seemed to be under the impression that he and the other patients had slept soundly the whole night. While he might have assumed it was an act, Barnaby got the feeling that she genuinely believed what she was saying.
Regardless of her intentions, he knew she wasn't going to be any help. Instead of trying to ask her anymore questions, Barnaby left a note on the bulletin board concerning his roommate. If his observations from yesterday were any indication, he'd get some responses, at least. While he could have taken the time to leave something for Kotetsu, Barnaby didn't feel inclined to do so, especially when he knew he probably wouldn't check the board anyway.
He had no appetite this morning, but his nurse wouldn't leave him alone until she'd assembled a tray of fresh, fluffy pancakes for him. Honestly, Barnaby didn't see why some people felt the need to butt into his personal choices like this. At least there wasn't anyone forcing him to eat -- for now, at any rate. He sat down at an empty table close to the wall after setting his food down, privately hoping that she wouldn't try to find a "friend" for him to eat with this morning. He was tucked out of the way, so maybe she would forget about him for a few minutes as long as he didn't draw any unnecessary attention to himself.
Hands neatly clasped on the table, Barnaby didn't look at anyone in particular as patients filtered into the cafeteria for their morning meal. There were too many questions buzzing in his mind for him to focus on the names and faces of people he didn't care about. If Kotetsu wanted to find him, he could. It wasn't like Barnaby was going anywhere.
[For Kotetsu.]
Once Barnaby slipped his frames onto his face, the world came into clearer focus, even if he didn’t get any answers out of it. He was in his room, and someone had apparently stripped him out of his street clothes in favor of the hideous hospital pajamas. Barnaby wasn't sure what he found more offensive -- that someone here had once again touched his things without his permission, or that he’d been undressed while unconscious for the second time since his arrival.
The thought made his skin crawl.
Just as he looked over to find a lump in the bed next to him, though, his assigned nurse came to retrieve him. He would have to confirm Klavier Gavin's whereabouts later. For now, he had no choice but to allow the nurse to escort him into the cafeteria. Strangely, she seemed to be under the impression that he and the other patients had slept soundly the whole night. While he might have assumed it was an act, Barnaby got the feeling that she genuinely believed what she was saying.
Regardless of her intentions, he knew she wasn't going to be any help. Instead of trying to ask her anymore questions, Barnaby left a note on the bulletin board concerning his roommate. If his observations from yesterday were any indication, he'd get some responses, at least. While he could have taken the time to leave something for Kotetsu, Barnaby didn't feel inclined to do so, especially when he knew he probably wouldn't check the board anyway.
He had no appetite this morning, but his nurse wouldn't leave him alone until she'd assembled a tray of fresh, fluffy pancakes for him. Honestly, Barnaby didn't see why some people felt the need to butt into his personal choices like this. At least there wasn't anyone forcing him to eat -- for now, at any rate. He sat down at an empty table close to the wall after setting his food down, privately hoping that she wouldn't try to find a "friend" for him to eat with this morning. He was tucked out of the way, so maybe she would forget about him for a few minutes as long as he didn't draw any unnecessary attention to himself.
Hands neatly clasped on the table, Barnaby didn't look at anyone in particular as patients filtered into the cafeteria for their morning meal. There were too many questions buzzing in his mind for him to focus on the names and faces of people he didn't care about. If Kotetsu wanted to find him, he could. It wasn't like Barnaby was going anywhere.
[For Kotetsu.]
no subject
Lust awoke with questions about the man who made her still circling her mind, but the chance to ask them gone. She had little time before a nurse was rousing her, the intercom still ringing in her ears. Both the morning and previous announcement. What had that been about?
Last night almost seemed like a dream, but the bandages around her right hand dissuaded her of that notion.
Poor Scar. Regardless of how he irritated her and got under her skin, she felt badly for the shocks he had endured. Though really, why couldn't he just open his mind and stop being so angry about everything? Anger wasn't productive.
She followed her nurse and listened with half an ear to the woman's idle chatter - nothing useful, as always - though was surprised when her nurse steered her in a specific direction once she'd gathered her breakfast, directing her to a seat across from an unfamiliar man.
"Why don't you sit here, dear? I'm sure Adam could use a friendly face, he's just newly arrived!"
And with that, Lust found herself abandoned with some poor new prisoner.
"What's your actual name?" she asked, without preamble as she took the directed seat.
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He turned a small smirk on the woman and poked at the food before him. "You can call me Johnny. Or Rayflo...whichever you prefer." He was known as both to a bunch of different people, it didn't really matter which one he went by here; 'Johnny Rayflo' was as close to a real name as it got anyway...and certainly beat 'Adam' and 'Addie.'
His eyes returned to her and his smirk widened a bit. "My I have the name of the lovely lady come to spare me of my confusion~?" Flirting and sweet-talking: his favorite defense mechanism. Besides, she was lovely, even if she wasn't his type.
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"I'm Lust. You can call me Lust."
She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes and her usual seductiveness wasn't behind it. She was too tired this morning to make much of an effort.
"Did you just awaken here?"
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"Tell me, is being drugged a common occurrence?" He didn't want to admit there was something wrong, but if she knew anything about what kind of drug it could be, perhaps he'd be able to find a way to counteract it.
...In the mean time...he wasn't going anywhere...and neither were these pancakes. Craving pancakes beat craving ripping the throat out of a person any day, so he started work on the food, slowly, as if he was working with a bomb.
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Considering the manner of worlds that they were all gathered from, there was a chance that this Johnny only knew horror through books or entertainment programs.
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"What sort of monsters come out at night? Aaah~ And who was that charming gentleman I heard this morning over the loudspeaker?" He had reminded him of Berry: sickeningly sweet and false in ever way imaginable.
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She took a few bites of breakfast, not hurrying through this. She always did enjoy being the one who knew things.
"That was the Head Doctor, a man named Landel. He apparently runs this place, but the military was here a few days ago. The monsters...well, a variety from what I understand. I've only seen one and it was more..more like a ghost than a monster, I suppose."
no subject
It also explained why these pancakes tasted so much better to him than normal and why the thought of drinking blood was, vaguely, unappetizing.
Another interesting thing was that it sounded as if this place were in some sort of political turmoil. Some things would never change. "I've not heard of ghosts existing, however, I doubt I have much room to talk. May I ask, my lady, what sort of being you are normally? I'm afraid my curiosity rivals a cat's."
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"And of course you may ask. The real question is whether or not I'll answer." A teasing smile at that. "But to satisfy your curiosity, I'm a homunculus. I've no idea if that means anything to you, it doesn't to very many here." From what she could understand, her kind seemed to exist only in her own home.
no subject
Her tease brought a genuine smile to his face; it was nice to find someone with a sense of humor they were, sadly, rare. "I only know it in the Latin sense but you're hardly little nor are you a man so, I imagine, it's not the same thing."
He moved his eyes, briefly, from her to some of the people he could see immediately around them. Where there more 'monsters' here? Were they all monsters or were there humans as well? Perhaps this was some sort of experimentation facility that collected creatures.
That thought didn't exactly fill him with hope.
His gaze flicked back to her and he shrugged. "If we're playing show and tell...I'm a vampire...on most days, it seems. Are you familiar with that type of nightmare?"
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"Of course, not in here. And.. a vampire?" She was familiar with the term, but from stories and novels and radio programs she'd caught now and again. "Turns into a bat, seduces maidens to drink their blood and devour their still beating hearts? I thought vampires had gray skin and pointed ears and long, shrunken limbs. You're much too pretty to be a vampire."
If they were even real. She was rather certain no alchemist had ever whipped up a vampire in their basement.
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Her description of his kind made him laugh. "Thank you. If all homuncli look like you, I don't think I'd mind running into a few more." He winked at her. Even if women weren't his thing, flirting was fun and a well placed compliment never hurt.
"I've never heard of vampires like that before. Although....I can turn into a bat, well, more like bats, but I'm afraid the rest is a bit off. In fact...I'm more like you. Regeneration, unable to die a natural death, no sickness...I do drink blood, though."Maybe 'homunculi' was another form of Vampire. One that didn't have to drink blood. Perhaps she could even walk in God's light like a human...
no subject
"I've only heard of vampires on radio shows and in cheap novels," she admitted. "Though homunculi don't survive on blood, we need...well, it's rather difficult to explain to someone who isn't an alchemist from my own world." Or so she assumed. But they did prey upon mortal men, that much was true. Or they had. She had.
Whatever.
"And it doesn't matter, because food suffices here. Though I've always enjoyed food."
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The radio shows and novels comment amused him, though. That was as it should be in his mind, vampires were to live in the shadows and remain a secret. Most couldn't handle being out and exposed as Johnny had been for a long time.
"Food, itself, isn't new but this flavor is. Used to be everything tasted similarly bland. It's drastically different now." He'd forgotten how incredibly sweet sugar was. Taste was something he'd have to get used to.
no subject
That was what it really came down to, didn't it? So much time doing what she thought humans did, and expecting that to be the sum of humanity. All she did was mimic, it didn't really mean anything. She stabbed at her breakfast, frowning slightly as she was unable to stop the thoughts from gathering. And building.
no subject
And yet, here...here he was normal. Average. Common. It reminded him of the time when he'd taken on the name 'pigeon' just to have some semblance of normalcy while he advertised himself as a vampire. Just to survive.