Day 64: Cafeteria (brunch)

[gald_digger]

Well, that went well! Anise had gained herself a gorgeously handsome new friend. She just hoped that weird illness didn't get either of them killed before she could get to know him any better.

... Yeah, that was morbid. It was hard not to think about, though.

Before going to the Cafeteria, Anise made a stop at her room to grab her journal, maps, and a pen. Once she finished eating, she could get a start on copying the maps for Barnaby. He was going to be so glad he met her!

With that done, Anise made her way to the Cafeteria, where she picked up an assortment of food, making sure to get some meat, vegetables, and milk on her tray. She then sat down at a table and set her notes aside while she started on her meal. It was hard not to feel self-conscious about the rash on her arm, though the makeup she used had blended the discolored part enough that it couldn't be seen from a distance. Anise just hoped no one would come specifically looking for it.

[Ilia!]

Comments

[complicatedliar]

Breakfast was as uninteresting a concept as ever, though Loki was actually hungry. He hunted through the buffet until he found bits of food that looked interesting and edible - definitely no sausages, what was that even, cheese didn't come in that color - and filled up a plate. It was mostly fruit, with a waffle and a bit of egg for protein.

That done, he found himself a free seat, wanting to do a bit of thinking though he had little doubt he'd be inflicted with another prisoner by one of the nurses shortly. Idly, he started picking through the fruit salad.

[Flynn!]

[brokensmolder]

"I know you have strong...feelings for Amanda--"

"Rapunzel."

"--Amanda, Mr. Bartowski, but--"

"Rider."

"--butyouneedtospendsometimeaparttosortthroughthosefeelings," the nurse finished, rushed and clearly flustered. Eugene's protestations at being separated from Rapunzel again hadn't allowed her many words in edgewise. "Mr. Bartowski" could be very charming when he wanted to be, and very obnoxious as well.

"Now, let's grab you a plate and get some brunch."

"Brunch" turned out to be a large buffet piled high with foods Eugene had never seen before but all smelling reasonably palatable. He wasn't feeling particularly adventurous, so he stuck with things he did recognize: fruit and cheese and sausage and some funny-looking latticed bread, and set about applying himself to it with gusto, all while looking around for Rapunzel.

The table best-suited for this purpose was off to the side, a little further away from the doors than he would have liked, but still with a clear view of the rest of the room. It was already occupied by someone who looked less than thrilled with being joined, but that was all right because Eugene didn't care.

Eugene shot the man a toothy grin, plunked his tray down, and began to stuff his face.

[complicatedliar]

Loki, still picking through his much more humble plate, paused to look at the man. It was almost as bad as watching Peter Parker eat. "I'm not certain what I find more disturbing," he said after a moment of thought. "That you're eating like a starved wolf, or that you're staring at that poor woman over there as if she's your next lamb chop."

[brokensmolder]

...his next lamb chop?

Eugene had to mentally repeat what his companion had just said a couple of times before it made sense. "My next...what, Rapunzel?" He laughed. "No, she's my..." His what, exactly? His new dream, certainly; the one he wanted to leave his life of crime for, even spend the rest of his life with...but how to phrase it without losing face? "...girlfriend. The perky redhead over there decided we're spending too much time together." Grinning, he added cockily, "Maybe she's jealous."

And why wouldn't she be? He was an excellent (and modest!) specimen of manhood, if he did say so himself. (And he did.)

He took another bite of sausage and chewed, a little more slowly this time. "The name's Flynn, by the way. Flynn Rider."

[complicatedliar]

Loki glanced at the nurse. "Somehow I doubt that," he said, tone very dry. He was forced to wonder if this Rapunzel really was the man's girlfriend, or if there was some sort of creepy, psychopathic situation occurring. Well, if the fellow across the table became completely unhinged, Loki did have a few pens stowed in his pockets; that would be enough for defense. A pointy object in the eye tended to slow even the most psychotic down. "So yes. Your girlfriend. Which compels you to stare at her... why? Or are you still in that disgusting honeymoon phase?"

"Lingormr," he said. After a moment of thought, he added, "I'm a viking." Since it seemed a good idea to throw that bit out into the conversation early to forestall some of the more awkward questions.

[brokensmolder]

"Yes, we're madly in love," Eugene deadpanned, fighting snark with snark. "There was even a love song. And I'm not staring." To prove the point, he stopped staring. For a while.

If his new brunch buddy was expecting him to be impressed by this pronouncement, he was going to be disappointed. Eugene, as a marginally good citizen of Corona (there was still that price on his head to worry about), had never heard of vikings.

"Gesundheit," he said instead. That wasn't a name; it was a random collection of syllables! "I'm a thief."

[complicatedliar]

"Oh yes. Not staring at all." Loki pretended to check a watch he wasn't actually wearing. "I shall time the not-staring to see how impressive it becomes, shall I?" Love songs? Ridiculous.

His eyes narrowed at the mockery of his chosen false name. This man was certainly not impressing him in the slightest.

Oh, a thief. Well. That explained things.

"I'm a scholar."

[brokensmolder]

Oh, a scholar. Eugene nodded his understanding, helping himself to another massive slice of the delightful latticed bread. They didn't have anything like this in the kingdom, that was for sure.

In the interest of keeping the conversation going (and not staring at Rapunzel), he asked, "What sort of things do you study?"

[complicatedliar]

"Maths and sciences mostly," Loki said. For the time being, he had little motivation to admit to more arcane studies unless he thought he had another scholar to discuss those matters with. Otherwise, he could only begin to imagine what sort of idiotic questions would be directed his way. And he was trying so hard to be ingratiating toward the staff; sticking a fork in someone's eyeball because they asked that he perform some parlor trick would really ruin that.

"And what manner of things do you steal?"

[brokensmolder]

"This and that," Eugene replied airily. "Gold, jewels, rare artifacts, the hearts of fair maidens...that sort of thing. It gets me by." Or it used to. Now the words felt hollow and unfamiliar, like he was playacting even more than usual. Being Flynn Rider wasn't as comfortable a lie as it had been before meeting Rapunzel.

Not that Lingo...whatsit needed to know that.

"What sort of sciences? Botany, geography, astrology?" That was a science, right?

[complicatedliar]

"I'm certain you didn't intend that to sound nearly as creepy as it did," Loki remarked.

Now he knew who this man reminded him of - Fandral. All that was missing was the ridiculous mustache to match the vacuous self-confidence. While Fandral had never been particularly cruel to Loki, that certainly didn't make him anything approaching a friend.

"All of them," he said. "It's all rather fundamentally interconnected."