Day 67: Breakfast

[knightspirit]

For the first time since Kyousuke arrived, waking up didn't feel the slightest bit strange or out of place. It was still like night had suddenly stopped, with nothing in-between then and now, but instead of being disorienting, or like there was something missing, it was like waking up from a nightmare. His breaths came heavy and anxious, everything flooding back to him, but unlike last night, he had more mental clarity, and he actually understood what it meant.

Sora... was dead.

After a moment, his breathing seemed to ease up, and he sat up slowly, and simply stared down at his blanket. The motion hurt quite a bit, a lot worse than it had yesterday morning, but he seemed to be in decent shape, all considered. Sore, battered, a little faint, but compared to worst of it...

He wondered if he should feel upset right now, or want to yell, or cry, but the truth was, he didn't. If anything, he was just numb. Tired and listless. He wasn't sure what to think or feel about anything, but somehow it seemed distant and disconnected, like something that hadn't actually happened. Yet, if he lingered on it too long, the lifelessness grew into something nauseating, heavy and constricting in his chest, and he didn't even notice until he realized he was gripping his bedding unnecessarily hard. So he forced himself to relax, and not focus on it too much. ... He preferred the cold sort of nothingness.

When the nurse arrived, she wasn't empty-handed, unfolding a wheelchair by his bedside and looking at him expectantly, as if she wanted him to settle himself into it. Looking at it was strange and uncomfortable, and he found himself refusing automatically.

"... I can walk fine. I don't need—"

"What you don't need," the nurse said sternly, "is to be overexerting yourself. You got to walk around yesterday, and what do you do? You go and reopen your injuries! Honestly, Mr. Taylor, you might be young, but you need to take better care of yourself! Today, you're resting, and if you're good about it, we'll see about maybe taking the chair away tomorrow."

That was bad enough, but then she wouldn't even let him wheel himself, and pushed him along from behind. This was totally unnecessary... But though it made him feel helpless, Kyousuke didn't have the energy to argue, so he let her do what she wanted. She asked if he wanted to make a quick trip the bulletin, first, but... Would the news be there? There were people who deserved to know, but there would be reactions to it, questions he didn't want to answer, and feeling his stomach give a lurch, he decided he didn't want to deal with it. Any of it.

Once in the cafeteria, the nurse asked him about breakfast, but Kyousuke insisted he wasn't hungry. ... He wasn't. Sensing he wanted to be left alone, she wheeled him off to an easily overlooked portion of the cafeteria, but quickly returned, setting food and some juice in front of him, "just in case." She set a small paper cup with a couple of painkillers on the tray, and after that, she left, leaving the boy to stare down the meal he didn't really want.

[ Kratos! ]

Comments

[ever_loyal_dog]

[from here. Beware of spoilers on intro post, breakfast post should be ok though!]

Soushi followed the woman down a long hallway and through a wide open room before they reached the cafeteria. It wasn't so different from the one at Ayakashi-kan; made to accommodate several more guests, perhaps, but similar enough to put him just a little at ease.

The nurse handed him a tray and pushed him toward the breakfast line where more staff members handed him food and drink. He was vaguely disappointed that there was no tea; it seemed odd not to have it at breakfast of all things.

The room itself was large and mostly empty, a few others in the grey pajamas were wandering in as the helpful nurse also pushed him toward a seat. He assured her he would be fine, though he kept an eye on the doors, hoping for any familiar faces. The food was left mostly untouched. He didn't like eating in front of others, if he could help it.

[Free!]

[longlivetheking]

There was one thing worse than getting soaked by cold rain and falling face flat into the mud, and that was getting soaked by cold rain and fall face flat into the mud without accomplishing anything at all, considering the night had so delightfully ended before Scar could even so much as decide on a direction once both he and Murphy had finished the infuriating task of climbing over the wall.

In other words, tonight had been an unnecessarily irritating endeavor. Not that Scar could have expected anything more in this dreadful place, but he still couldn't help but to feel irritated as he awoke back in his room and the day once more reverted in an all too familiar routine. The chatty nurse did not help. She never did.

"Now why don't you keep Mr. Fox some company?" suggested the woman in question after supplying him with the pathetic excuse for food they served here. Scar had to resist rolling his eyes as he followed the woman to some individual he had never seen before.

"He's new, so be nice."

The emphasis on the last word did not quite escape the former lion's notice, and neither did the fact that the infuriating woman chose to linger until Scar had at least said hello.

"Well, good morning." The tone of Scar's greeting more or less conveyed every amount of enthusiasm he felt, but at least the female seemed satisfied enough with his effort to leave.

A new person, hmm? Oh yes, just what he needed this morning. Hopefully, this individual would be remotely worth the effort...

[ever_loyal_dog]

With things as they were, Soushi had to wonder if he hadn't been better off in the room he woke up in. The nurses were kind, but like the ones back home, told him little about what was actually going on. The whole thing was suspicious and put him on edge, though he was well-trained enough not to let it show.

The utensils and food were enough to tell him this was some sort of Westernized establishment, though he hadn't taken much interest in the food itself. There were far too many things weighing on his mind for him to stomach anything.

It wasn't until the a different nurse returned, addressing him as Mr. Fox, and seating another patient at his table, that he finally had someone to speak with. Perhaps this man could provide a few much-needed answers. Perhaps he had no more idea where they were than Soushi did. Regardless, it was worth a try.

He recognized the lack of enthusiasm in the man's voice; he was a chore, an undesirable. Whether the man was always this friendly or if he'd just had a rough night was anyone's guess. Undaunted, Soushi fixed him with a practiced friendly smile.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. They call me Johnathan Fox."

Apologies for delay!

[longlivetheking]

"Scar," the former lion offered as he began picking at his meal with a visible degree of disinterest, considering there was hardly anything lying on his plate that he deemed to be remotely edible. "A pleasure to meet you indeed, though I don't suppose you might want to share your real name rather than what the nurses call you?"

He supposed such a question didn't hurt in establishing what were hopefully useful relations with the poor fools here. Scar even offered the other man a brief smile that was polite and almost pleasant - he didn't quite succeed in masking his annoyance completely, after all.

No worries at all!

[ever_loyal_dog]

Scar? Scar. It was hard to tell if it was a family name or a given name, but given how foreign everything else here was, it made some sort of sense. The older man seemed about as interested in his food as Soushi was, though for entirely different reasons.

What followed was a bit more troubling. Scar already knew his real name wasn't Johnathan Fox, so either it was common for the staff to mix up their patients, or he wasn't the only one here who wasn't buying into any of it.

"Miketsukami Soushi," he replied after giving Scar a questioning glance. Who this Fox person was, he'd no real idea. The nurse had been so very sure it was him though...

"Are the nurses just fond of pet names, or is there something more to that?" he added after a moment. There was something just a bit unsettling about the way Scar smiled. He wasn't certain the man wasn't just toying with him somehow.

[longlivetheking]

My, that was quite a mouthful wasn't it? Weeks ago Scar might have wondered why humans bothered with pairs of such complicated names, but perhaps he was getting a little used to their silly habits - something he did not quite enjoy admitting, for that matter.

Something more to the names? Gee, wasn't this fellow turning out to be a clever one?

"Oh, it is all part of this little farce they like to maintain," Scar answered with a shrug, "A different name, and the insistence that everything you've known your whole life is merely a product of your own little fantasies. We're poor lunatics, as far as they are concerned." He gestured to the nurses as he spoke, although the movement might have seemed a little awkward to a human.

He had to wonder why he even bothered with the explanation, as he rarely met other 'patients' often enough in order for something useful to come out if it considering the number that had up and disappeared. It was hardly worth investing any energy in them, it seemed - it was not as though he cared or wanted to be helpful to others, after all, but somehow he had ended up relaying this over and over. Then again, perhaps there was the small chance that it would lead to something, and the former lion knew he had little choice but to bet on such small chances if he wanted to get anywhere in this place.

"Things grow even more delightful during the night, however." If this Soushi did not catch that piece of sarcasm, Scar was going to be disappointed.

[ever_loyal_dog]

He had no solid reason to believe Scar; in fact, there were plenty of other explanations, but he had to admit, it was making more and more sense. While the nurses hadn't told him much about Johnathan Fox, he was just as certain that he wasn't that man. Was this too another part of the Wolf's curse? Were the others here Atavists as well?

"By the sound of things, it's not a terribly convincing farce," he nodded once, setting down his fork in favor of the napkin beside it. What was the point then? If they weren't convincing their patients that these false lives were real, why bother? "Have there been other new arrivals? Like me?"

He kept his expression even, though he raised a curious brow at Scar's last little implication. That, certainly, was enough to garner his attention. Night, he was familiar with. When Youkai, Oni, and all the lesser demons gathered their strength. When he and his own kind were the strongest, and at the same time, most vulnerable. There was some kind of connection, a coincidence too close to the truth to ignore.

"Delightful," he repeated quietly, then added his own bit of flat sarcasm. "I can't imagine the hospitality improving upon itself."

[longlivetheking]

"Certainly makes you wonder why they even bother, hmm?" Scar commented, "Who knows? Maybe they are finding it enjoyable to treat us like we're mentally impaired idiots incapable of making any decisions."

He continued to pick at his food for a moment. "You have no idea," he answered, "The sadistic little fool in charge here will allow us to wonder in circles during the night, taunting us as we run around like headless little chickens while making matters as inconvenient and irritating as possible." Such as letting the night end before you could actually accomplish something, but the other man would probably find out sooner or later anyway.

Scar slid his plate aside and decided to hope for something better during lunch, even if that was nothing more than a glimmer. "Oh, and it gets even better: there are monsters."

[ever_loyal_dog]

[ooc: sorry about the late reply! Internet was out for a bit. :c ]

It was precisely as the man said. If what he said was true, what was the point to it? What could someone stand to gain from it? A lot, was the answer, if the others here were at all like himself. There were plenty of powerful people who wouldn't mind having mythological creatures at their disposal.

A fairly tight watch was kept on the patients, from what he'd already gathered. While the nurses were polite and pleasant, he hadn't missed the larger and much stronger looking orderlies who were never far behind. So to think that they released the patients after dark, was it some kind of test? It was a pity Kagerou wasn't around. This was precisely the sort of puzzle he'd get some sort of strange pleasure out of.

Lastly, monsters. He fought to keep his expression neutral, with just a hint of disbelief in his raised brow. Was Scar testing him? Did he already know that Soushi was less than human? Or perhaps that was exactly why he'd been brought here. Which side did this strange hospital want him playing for?

"You'll have to forgive me if I find that a bit hard to believe. Monsters? That's an awful lot of trouble to go to for a handful of mental patients," he replied evenly. Odds were much likelier that Scar was playing some kind of prank on the new fellow. Who could say for certain?