It was likely the headache to blame for the sensation, for the crawling speed with which she took in everything around her. The morning was such a sharp contrast to last night, when the halls were made of darkness and a silence that had sucked the very breath from her lungs. Compared to that, all of this should be comforting; a crowd instead of isolation, explanations instead of ringing silence, yellow smiles instead of the circle of her flashlight's beam.
But it was still maddening, half her mind asserted, and the previous mention, the phrase human farm, only served to heighten that trapped rat feeling stomping around at the back of her mind. But Ishida-kun had exhibited no alarm, Kratos-san held no threatening aura, and although Lloyd had been angry, he wasn't truly violently bad... or else he wouldn't have radiated a spark of concern when he'd looked at her, when they'd spared a glance at each other in the middle of his argument. It was fine. At the moment, there was nothing to worry about.
But there was still all the white, white and the sea of gray. Even when it finally hit her to offer a napkin for Ishida-kun's spill, it was just in time to realize that the stain wasn't too pronounced; he wasn't wearing his usual white outfit, and why would he, when he wasn't wearing it when she'd left, when he elected to stay behind. "Oh," she started, looking a little odd with her blinking eyes and outstretched arm, the napkin in her hand not touching but hovering somewhere in front of Ishida-kun's shirt. "Ishida-kun.
"You changed your pop-star haircut."
... But, yes, he asked her a question, didn't he? Orihime's hand jerked back, waving dismissively. "Oh, it was- nothing, really! I just tripped on my way to the bathroom, I think." She answered quickly, only slowing down when she recognized the pinch in his brow. "You know, it's the usual for me, so it was really no problem. But it might've been some trouble if someone else came around that didn't have a hard head like me, so they should probably have a wet floor sign around anyway, right? But they're probably liable anyway, do you think we can sue?" For our freedom, tumbled out not long after as a joke, but it was more difficult than she might've imagined to stay chipper. She tacked on some laughter to punctuate, but the sound rang false, falling with a drawn-out exhale, like she'd been holding her breath.
"But, um... never mind," she amended lamely, setting her tray down on the table quickly before she sat down, opting to simply stare at her food instead of digging in, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
The introductions were straightforward, and she was all the more glad for it. It was time for something to finally make sense. However, the question still itched at the back of her throat -- do you know if our friends are here, too? -- but she forced herself to wait, to endure the still strange emptiness she felt when she tried to search around for her friends' reiatsu, when she tried to ignore away the fact that Ishida-kun would've told her if they'd been nearby.
Luckily, Ishida-kun had provided a decent distraction. Earth, he had said, as if it hadn't been obvious, and her head instinctively jerked up, peering at him through the frame of her hair in quiet curiosity. Lloyd chipped in, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, and Orihime's shoulders bunched, her once folded hands now on the edge of the table, the suspense folding her body into itself as her mind painted pictures, color flooding over the grim outlook that had been her focus not seconds ago. By the time she was introduced to Kratos-san, her eyes were sparkling with intrigue as she regarded the older man with a fervent, eager nodding (err -- more bobbing, really) of her head.
But her classmate's offer to explain things reminded her that this was not the time nor the place for a barrage of questions (what'sitlikeinspacehaveyoubeentoearthcouldyoutakemetoyourleadersomeday). Nevertheless, Lloyd's suggestion -- flying away -- was just enough to keep her from completely suppressing her excitement.
Fortunately, it was still relatively restrained: a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that she directed at Ishida-kun beside her, and an awed whisper proclaiming, "Ishida-kun, don't you realize, you've befriended aliens!"
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But it was still maddening, half her mind asserted, and the previous mention, the phrase human farm, only served to heighten that trapped rat feeling stomping around at the back of her mind. But Ishida-kun had exhibited no alarm, Kratos-san held no threatening aura, and although Lloyd had been angry, he wasn't truly violently bad... or else he wouldn't have radiated a spark of concern when he'd looked at her, when they'd spared a glance at each other in the middle of his argument. It was fine. At the moment, there was nothing to worry about.
But there was still all the white, white and the sea of gray. Even when it finally hit her to offer a napkin for Ishida-kun's spill, it was just in time to realize that the stain wasn't too pronounced; he wasn't wearing his usual white outfit, and why would he, when he wasn't wearing it when she'd left, when he elected to stay behind. "Oh," she started, looking a little odd with her blinking eyes and outstretched arm, the napkin in her hand not touching but hovering somewhere in front of Ishida-kun's shirt. "Ishida-kun.
"You changed your pop-star haircut."
... But, yes, he asked her a question, didn't he? Orihime's hand jerked back, waving dismissively. "Oh, it was- nothing, really! I just tripped on my way to the bathroom, I think." She answered quickly, only slowing down when she recognized the pinch in his brow. "You know, it's the usual for me, so it was really no problem. But it might've been some trouble if someone else came around that didn't have a hard head like me, so they should probably have a wet floor sign around anyway, right? But they're probably liable anyway, do you think we can sue?" For our freedom, tumbled out not long after as a joke, but it was more difficult than she might've imagined to stay chipper. She tacked on some laughter to punctuate, but the sound rang false, falling with a drawn-out exhale, like she'd been holding her breath.
"But, um... never mind," she amended lamely, setting her tray down on the table quickly before she sat down, opting to simply stare at her food instead of digging in, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
The introductions were straightforward, and she was all the more glad for it. It was time for something to finally make sense. However, the question still itched at the back of her throat -- do you know if our friends are here, too? -- but she forced herself to wait, to endure the still strange emptiness she felt when she tried to search around for her friends' reiatsu, when she tried to ignore away the fact that Ishida-kun would've told her if they'd been nearby.
Luckily, Ishida-kun had provided a decent distraction. Earth, he had said, as if it hadn't been obvious, and her head instinctively jerked up, peering at him through the frame of her hair in quiet curiosity. Lloyd chipped in, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, and Orihime's shoulders bunched, her once folded hands now on the edge of the table, the suspense folding her body into itself as her mind painted pictures, color flooding over the grim outlook that had been her focus not seconds ago. By the time she was introduced to Kratos-san, her eyes were sparkling with intrigue as she regarded the older man with a fervent, eager nodding (err -- more bobbing, really) of her head.
But her classmate's offer to explain things reminded her that this was not the time nor the place for a barrage of questions (what'sitlikeinspacehaveyoubeentoearthcouldyoutakemetoyourleadersomeday). Nevertheless, Lloyd's suggestion -- flying away -- was just enough to keep her from completely suppressing her excitement.
Fortunately, it was still relatively restrained: a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that she directed at Ishida-kun beside her, and an awed whisper proclaiming, "Ishida-kun, don't you realize, you've befriended aliens!"