Day 72: Breakfast

[lighthearted]

They had made it. It had required leaving Tsubaki behind to deal with her brainwashed roommate, but they'd gone all the way up the escalator, and this was it, the third floor--

Good morning, patients.

Sora shot up in bed, eyes wide, and let out a huff of surprise and aggravation. That wasn't fair! They'd made it all the way up, only for it to end like this? He fell back onto the bed and slammed his fists into the mattress to vent his frustration before he realized that Link was still asleep. Whoops.

It was hard to know what to do from this point on. He needed to go back to Farwell, but the third floor was important too. He could probably rely on his friends to handle things here while he traveled back to the rebel city, but he just didn't know.

He dragged his hand down his face and then slowly sat up again, as the door opened and his nurse came to get him. On the way to the cafeteria, Sora realized that the Head Doctor sounded kind of down. Was he upset because so many people were trying to go to the third floor now? Well, that was what he deserved after everything he'd done!

Sora stood in line for his plate of french toast and then peered around the cafeteria, looking for any sign of Tsubaki. He wanted to check in with her first.

[Tsubaki.]

Comments

[fallenbeanpole]

Perhaps it was the unusually clipped tone of voice Landel used that brought the Once-ler to his full senses. The past day or so had seemed... groggy, really, as though he hadn't been awake for most of it. And he certainly hadn't been up for the last two nights. Which meant, he realized as his nurse escorted him to the cafeteria, that he hadn't shown up for the basement excursions twice.

Had Soma and the others spent the whole time waiting for him? Or had they written him off as a lost cause? The Once-ler didn't know which of the two was worse. Not that he was the most useful member of the team, of course. Moral support, maybe.

The Once-ler glared at the french toast before him, chin in his hands. There was no explanation for why he hadn't been awake; frankly, if anything he should have more trouble sleeping than staying awake.

Oh, this day was starting wonderfully.

[for his only frand Soma]

[madeinthehrl]

"He's what?"

The nurse's smile remained fixed on her face, but her eyes had widened slightly and the knuckles on the hand holding the clipboard had whitened. It was a little ridiculous, considering Soma was a full head shorter than she was, but then again, Soma didn't know what she looked right now. Didn't care.

It's not the nurse's fault, said Marie, but Soma's frown only deepened. She would have given anything for a weapon right now.

"Discharged!" said the nurse again. "Just before dinner last night. His mother and brother came to pick him up. I'm sorry you didn't have a chance to say goodbye, but maybe you'd like to write a letter--"

Soma threw her pillow at the nurse's head.

About ten minutes later, she was marched into the cafeteria between two orderlies, each easily three times her size, and unceremoniously deposited across from the Once-ler with a plate of french toast and a bowl of fruit. Soma, for her part, didn't appear to have noticed; instead, she sat staring down at her lap, slowly clenching and unclenching her fists.

[fallenbeanpole]

The Once-ler had been hoping to see Soma soon, to at least attempt to explain why he hadn't shown up for the last two nights, but not like this. He started when Soma was sat down across from him. Two orderlies? What had Soma done to get that treatment?

She didn't look to be in a sunny mood by any degree, and truth be told, the Once-ler was a little wary of bringing up his failure to show for the basement team twice. Soma wasn't making any sign of noticing him, though whether or not that was a good thing was up in the air.

Then again, this could be the only chance he'd get to talk directly to Soma today.

The Once-ler prodded at his toast for a bit, then set his fork down. Eventually someone would have to say something, and the sooner, the better. He looked directly at Soma. "I'd say good morning, but it looks like neither of us are having one," he said drily. The man leaned forward. "What's up?"

[madeinthehrl]

Soma looked up at last, staring blankly for a moment before the Once-ler's face finally registered.

Had he waited for her last night? Had Link? Had she kept them all waiting, sleeping through the dark like that? Had Lawrence Laufson really been released before dinner or had he waited for her, too--waited for nobody to show up?

First Rapunzel and now him. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

"Lingormr's gone," she said quietly. "Did you see him last night?"

[fallenbeanpole]

"Oh."

Lingormr? Gone? Just like that? He'd never particularly liked the man, despite working with him for several nights, and yet he couldn't help but feel a small pit form in his stomach. The same thing happened to Rapunzel, and his first roommate, Flynn, too.

"I'm... I'm sorry." What else was there to say? "About Lingormr."

The Once-ler forced himself to take a bite of the toast in front of him; having not eaten in the last day or so, he knew he would thank himself for it later. After a moment or so, he leaned forward. "That wouldn't have anything to do with the big guys escorting you here, would it?"

[madeinthehrl]

She nodded slightly, her expression tightly drawn. There was something about Lingormr's disappearance that tore at her even worse than Rapunzel's had--something that now, after the initial burst of anger, had left her feeling more drained than angry. She was sure his saving her life had something to do with it, but it wasn't everything.

"I got angry. I just--" She paused, looked down, took a deep breath. "I'm tired of losing people."