DAY 65: Breakfast

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar came to slowly, vision blurred and head throbbing. His memory of the previous night was vague and somewhat scattered. What he was most aware of was his renewed and increased hatred for the man called Lingormr. The Ishbalan didn't give a damn if he had been a special counseling patient. That bastard had enjoyed every second of tearing Scar to shreds. What he may or may not have realized was how much it had affected Scar emotionally. He had felt a renewed sense of drive at the start of the night; the disruption on the intercom and the news of the 'cure' had rekindled a fire that fueled Scar to drive forward. To have a little hope.

Lingormr had promptly crushed that.

He was in pain. So much pain. The cut on his hand was only fading scab at this point, but stitches now pulled at the deep gashes in his legs and back. Not only had the nausea not settled, but his stomach was beginning to cramp. The rash on his arm was impossible to hide without the old bandages covering it. It had nearly reached his elbow.

Scar's hazy eyes could make out the nurse, now pushing a wheelchair up to his bedside. This was humiliating. And he was too exhausted and hurting to lash out or become angry. He was just broken. He still tried to take some sort of grudging control, insisting that he didn't need to be pushed around, that he could at least turn the wheels of the damned chair himself. But he didn't make it down the hallway before the pulling and sharp pain in his back became so obvious on his face that the nurse took over.

He entered breakfast with a frustrated, tired, but overall defeated look to him. Scar felt too sick to eat. He sat at the table and brooded, wishing more than anything to simply be left alone.

[For Goku!]

Comments

[oyaji]

Wild Tiger let out a relieved sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Barnaby would eventually heal without complications. That was certainly worth a celebration even if Barnaby didn't quite see the joy in this whole experience. The older man was so delighted not even a bit of nagging about his own problems could keep the grin off his dark face.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful! It's not even that serious, really--And, hey, my shoulders are finally balanced," he pointed out. The scar on his right shoulder had been getting pretty lonely since he'd received it.

"Oh, speaking of..." The former Hero pulled a piece of crumpled paper out of his pocket and handed it to Barnaby. "I got this from that bulletin thing in the Sun Room about our knife-happy 'friend' last night."

[baniichan]

That typically wasn't a good thing, but Kotetsu neatly changed the subject before Barnaby could tell him as much. Faintly raising his eyebrows, he took the piece of paper from his partner and flattened it enough for him to read.

"Special Counseling," he murmured as his eyes swept over the message. "I don't think I've heard of that before." Then again, he doubted it would be the last unfamiliar term he'd stumble across here. After a moment, Barnaby looked up from the crumpled paper and at Kotetsu.

"Did you see any notes contradicting her?" he asked.

[oyaji]

"Uh, no, actually. 'Fact, I was like the only one pissed at him. Everyone else was very understanding." It had made him laugh at the time reading all those notes to the strange NEXT, but he was not in the mood for humor right now. If this brainwashing thing was true, then everyone was susceptible to be plucked at any time. Barnaby had already been scrambled more than once and he couldn't even imagine how many other times they were both ignorant of.

This "Special Counseling" could happen to his partner one night! The blond could forget even more about himself or the older man; he might even be tricked into thinking his partner was a murderer again. The imagery soured his stomach. "We need to learn more about this as soon as we can."