Day 73: Breakfast

[lighthearted]

When Sora woke up, he was so worked up that he practically thrashed his way out of bed. He probably would have fallen straight out of it and onto the floor if he hadn't caught his foot against the ground and then forced himself upward into a sitting position.

But it didn't feel like he'd slept at all. His heart was pounding, his face flushed with worry. Tsurugi... It had been Tsurugi, but he'd looked different. And he'd barely even been able to talk, he'd been so out of it. What had this place done to him?

If Sora went out to the cafeteria, would he end up talking to a Tsurugi who had purple hair? And what would that mean? Would Tsurugi even show up for breakfast this morning?

There was just too much he didn't know, but sitting around in his room worrying about it wasn't going to do any good. Sora stood and let out a bracing breath, glancing over to Link's sleeping form in the opposite bed before he approached the door and anticipated his nurse.

She seemed to sense that he was worried, because she didn't chat with him too much on the way over to the cafeteria. Sora didn't even have the presence of mind to stop by the bulletin. He just went straight to the mess hall and got a tray of food while half-distracted, parking himself right near the entrance from the Sun Room. He barely ate his food, instead keeping an eye out for Tsurugi with two shades of hair in mind.

[For Tsurugi.]

Comments

[freewill]

It was possible that they were being bounced around to different places, maybe even outside of the building, but Castiel didn't think that was the case. Judging from how uniform the rooms were, everything from the walls to the ceilings... It felt like they were remaining on the same floor, even if they were cycling around to different parts of it.

There was no real way of knowing, but this was the largest lead he'd found since his arrival here, and so he wasn't going to give up that easily.

"He has," Castiel agreed. "My hope is that we'll eventually find something rather than going in one large circle..."

He huffed and peered over at Soushi, brow furrowed. "Though I don't think there's anything 'good' about Landel."

[ever_loyal_dog]

Castiel was a difficult read, but Soushi was intrigued enough to keep trying. He gave up what some might consider valuable information quite easily, assuming all the patients were after the same goal, perhaps? At any rate, he stood to gain from the conversation, even if it was just a basic knowledge of what might be ahead. If he could get clear of this place, maybe he could convince Ririchiyo that he wasn't crazy, that she was under the influence of something beyond her scope. She would never have said those awful things otherwise, would she?

"I hope so as well," he added, finding that he meant it. Even if Soushi's goal was a further reaching one, it still began with getting themselves out of this place.

"Pardon me, I meant no offense. The doctor certainly does more harm than good. If there is any good."

[freewill]

Castiel was willing to hand out information to someone like Soushi because he'd also given him plenty of scrutiny. Part-demon he might be, but he hadn't stepped out of line thus far, and his goals were ones that Castiel took no quarrel with. Which meant that it benefited him to share what he knew, because the more people who were aware of what the rebels were up to, the more likely they could actually succeed.

At Soushi's apology, Castiel shook his head. It was a matter of semantics, and so he didn't bother dwelling on it.

There was something else he was curious about. "Where have you been focusing your attention?" he asked, because at this point Castiel felt that everyone should be contributing in their own way. There wasn't any point in wasting time, now that they had some leads.

[ever_loyal_dog]

Where had he been focusing his attention? So it hadn't gone unnoticed, his vague answers about his injuries or the previous night. Soushi winced mentally, though it didn't make it beyond the faint smile that remained. How to diplomatically say that he was one of the institution's monsters, that he might turn on the patients at any moment, somehow hypnotized or brainwashed into believing the doctor was his master...

Luckily, the patients he'd run into last night had been skilled and strong enough to best him, to put him in this condition. Not only that, but they'd seen his human form as well as the demonic one and it was likely just a matter of time and chance until he encountered them during the day. Then what?

"I was able to find my possessions, the ones I supposedly owned before being taken here. While none of them were familiar to me, the handwriting was eerily similar to my own. Aside from that, I've not had much thought of where to go from here. I attempted to go to the third floor myself last night, but I clearly had less luck."

The last wasn't a complete lie. He had planned, after all, to visit the third floor, or make some effort toward it, but instead had found himself in what looked like a large ballroom. From what he could tell, it was downstairs, rather than up, but he could be mistaken in that as well.

[freewill]

Seeing how Castiel had been with Soushi when he'd found those possessions, he was quick to nod in response to that. He hadn't been that interested in his own box, as whatever items might be in there most definitely did not belong to him. The note about handwriting was interesting, though. It wasn't beyond the realm of reasoning to assume that Soushi had at one point been brainwashed into writing something, and that those memories had then been wiped.

Which was an eerie thought, and it reminded Castiel too much of some of Heaven's practices and conditioning methods.

At least Soushi had attempted to make use of the information that Castiel had given him. He took another bite of food, chewing on the french toast before he asked his next question.

"Did you encounter the one in the Sun Room? Who'd been brainwashed?" He imagined that plenty of people had been stopped by the obstacle that young man had presented.

[ever_loyal_dog]

Castiel didn't seemed nearly as surprised as Soushi had been to find the notebook he had supposedly created, but Castiel didn't seem to express a terribly broad range of emotions. Soushi, on the other hand, felt his own poker-face being tried time and again as he spoke with the man. He seemed to know just where to poke and prod to get the answers he wanted.

Obviously, if he'd tried to get to the third floor, he would have gone through the Sun Room, but apparently there was an obstacle there he ought to have known about. One who'd been brainwashed. He had opened his mouth to reply, but closed it a second later, the slight reaction betraying a small measure of his thoughts. He was certain he hadn't been in the Sun Room, but he was just as positive he hadn't been himself either.

"Ah- No, I'm afraid I didn't see them. Was there a problem?" he hedged, avoiding any real answer as to where he'd been instead, but hoping Castiel wouldn't mind giving him more about this allegedly brainwashed person. Or thing.

[freewill]

"A minor one," Castiel replied. "One of the people I was traveling with was separated from our group due to that guard." It wasn't someone Castiel recognized, though Lloyd had known him as a friend. Which must have made the fight between them that much more difficult.

"I thought that may have been where you'd received those injuries," he explained. If not there, then where? It could have also been in the library, though that room had been quiet when Castiel had gone through it. Then again, different things could have been going on depending on what time of night Soushi had made his trip.

The important point here was that Soushi didn't know any more than Castiel did. Still, the more people working to get through the third floor, the better their chances of actually finding something. "Do you plan to try again tonight?"

[ever_loyal_dog]

Soushi's brow knit in concern, though it was more for his own worries than over the welfare of whatever person Castiel had been traveling with. This guard had only separated them? Not insisted they return to their rooms or tried to fight them? Was it different depending on the patient?

"I'm afraid not," he shook his head. He was almost certain the man expected more of an answer about the injuries, but he was just as sure he didn't want to provide any. But what else could he say? He didn't know enough about the monsters and demons here to mention them. Aside from whatever had torn up that man the first night and the lingering spirit, he'd seen little else.

"It looked like a dog," he added, without a second thought. If there was a demon he didn't mind defaming, it would be the one that was behind him being here in the first place. "Or perhaps some sort of wolf. I didn't see them terribly well, I had loaned out my flashlight to another patient."

Hoping that was enough, he moved on to the other question. That was it, wasn't it? If he was in control, he'd certainly try for the next floor. But if not? What if this brainwashing continued? What if he had to hurt another patient? He was beginning to think his original idea had been the best; if he could not stop himself at night, he had to stop himself, permanently, while he still had control.

"I'd like to give it another try, yes. Though I'd hate to be a hindrance to anyone on such important business."

[freewill]

Castiel didn't blink when Soushi mentioned it was a dog that had attacked him. The first monster he'd ever seen here had been a dog, something rotted past the point of reasoning and filled with an insatiable hunger. It had bit into his arm with no remorse. So he only nodded, wondering why it was that Soushi had been so reluctant to share that detail.

If there was anything more to it, though, Soushi wasn't offering that up, and Castiel doubted that pestering him for information would do any good.

"Why do you think you'd be a hindrance?" he asked after a pause, looking Soushi over. Was it because of his injuries? It could be problematic, but Castiel had done as much as he could while hurt, so he wouldn't blame Soushi for pushing himself despite that. "You'd still be better off than going on your own." That was only likely to get Soushi killed.

[ever_loyal_dog]

Castiel seemed to accept the answer, which only served to increase his anxiety. What if he had to fight the other patients again? Castiel would find out sooner or later, wouldn't he? Given how agitated he'd been on their first meeting, he could only imagine how he might react to find that Soushi had not only used his demonic form, but used it to attack other patients.

Luckily, the subject seemed to be making a slow shift. He was about to open his mouth to mention his injuries; his sword arm was healing, though it wasn't strong enough to stand up to anything he'd seen in this place, but hadn't he traveled with Castiel when the other was injured? To rely on such an excuse when Castiel had endured...

"I could only run, if it came to a confrontation, I suppose," he admitted, hoping that was reason enough to satisfy him. "I could hardly watch others fight while I do nothing."

[freewill]

It was a sentiment he could relate to, and so Castiel nodded. That feeling of uselessness in a place where combat was a common thing was particularly difficult to bear. But he did have one suggestion when it came to Soushi's predicament, especially since they'd reached a point where taking a night or two off wasn't an option.

"There are people here who can heal," he said. "I imagine at least one of them would be willing to help you." Both Aigis and Kratos were capable of it, and those were only the two he knew about. There could very well be others.

Whether or not Soushi would be willing to rely on someone else to heal him was another matter, but at this point Castiel thought it would be foolish for him to endure the injuries when he didn't need to.