damned_institute | Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

Entry tags:

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun.

His head hurt, but that was nothing new. After all, the last thing he remembered from the night before was fighting a homunculus off of Lust and then having a conversation about events best left forgotten. The man hadn't been his brother. He just hadn't. And if what Lust had said they'd done to her was true...

Scar stood with shakiness that he wanted to attribute more to a bizarrely weakened physical state than a mental one. Had he been knocked out by some kind of lurking monster before the morning had come? He felt as if he had been out for days, being a veteran of such circumstances, though as he took the practiced role of being an obedient follower behind the nurse and orderlies that came for him, it didn't seem as if much had changed.

This place was probably just playing tricks on him again, and he was tired of being the man left out of the loop. He grabbed some food he didn't really care for and sat down, not seeing anyone he knew already seated. On one hand, he wished he had someone to talk to, and on the other, it scared him that he was no longer used to being alone.

He dug his fork into his food and tried to block out any related thought.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied, returning the smile. He settled down in a chair, setting down his tray in front of himself. Remaining silent for a moment, he picked up his fork and began to wrap the noodles around it, though the Jedi didn't feel uncomfortable by any means.

After taking a bite of the food and washing it down with some juice, he regarded the red-haired man with a mild expression. "You seem awfully busy these days," he remarked simply. "We haven't spoken in awhile."

Renji relaxed, almost imperceptibly as the conversation continued normally. No asking if he was alright; it just seemed to be a normal conversation. That made him feel marginally better.

"Yeah, I guess I have," he said. "Just... tryin' to help the Captain organize things." He shrugged. "What've you been up to?"

"Making organized efforts is the only way we'll be getting out of here," Obi-Wan said. The only other person he'd met who was in charge of anything like that was Maes Hughes. It was refreshing to know people were pitching in and working together. "I hope all of that is going all right. It can't be an easy task."

He paused as he took a moment to take a few more bites of his food. After taking another sip of his drink, he continued speaking. "As for me, I've mostly been trying to collect information and get myself armed. It's been slow work, but I think I've made considerable progress. Young Artemis has been helping me."

Renji nodded. "Maybe... if you've found out anything, we should share. I can tell you how far we've got." He cmiled crookedly. "Though if you've been talking to Artemis, he's probably passed on everything already. He's been with us the last couple nights. He's a good kid."

He finally picked up his glass of milk and took a small sip. It felt good, normal. He'd almost forgotten what a comfortable person Obi-Wan was to be around.

If Artemis was indeed working with Renji, then it was likely all of the new information Obi-Wan had acquired were things the red-haired man already knew. Obi-Wan wished he could have passed something useful over to Renji, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. With such an organized effort behind him, he doubted much escaped Renji's eye anyway.

"If I find anything out on my own, I'll be sure to send it your way," Obi-Wan said instead. "As for Artemis, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and a perceptive eye for puzzles. I suspect he'll be an asset to any efforts to get out of here."

Renji nodded. "Thanks," he said. "Artemis is thorough, so I don't have anything either." He smiled ruefully. "I think he'll always be way ahead of me. But that's why I like him."

Drawn out of his internal pool of misery and self pity, he finally started paying attention to things outside himself, which he should have noticed earlier. He frowned. "What happened to your hair?"

Obi-Wan smiled at Renji's comment. He liked Artemis, too, and he was glad to know that he was helping out the other prisoner's in their organized efforts. Maybe he and Artemis could talk more about it over a game of chess sometime. It'd be a nice change of pace for both of them, he was sure.

When the red-haired man asked what happened to his hair, Obi-Wan paused in taking a sip of his juice. The Jedi glanced towards his own shoulder, which was missing the long, thin braid that normally hung past it. It was jarring for him to see it gone even now, so he supposed he couldn't be surprised that others would notice it, too.

"A nurse cut my braid off during dinner last night," he explained quietly. "She said it fueled my delusions of being a Jedi." Obi-Wan gave a bland smile. "Seeing that it was a symbol of my years under Qui-Gon's guidance, I can see why they'd get that idea."

If anyone could have understood the significance, it would be Renji; he imagined it would be the same as if they somehow removed his tattoos, the outward sign of every step he'd taken over the years to reach where he was. At least such a thing would be difficult to do to him, not the work of a moment by an overly cheerful nurse.

"I'm sorry," he said. There was no mistaking the sympathy in his eyes.

The look in Renji's eyes wasn't lost to Obi-Wan, and he managed a more serene look that contrasted with his own mirthless smile from earlier. Somehow, he got the feeling Renji understood exactly what he was talking about, as well as the depth of what had happened to him. It was a little refreshing, especially considering the way Schuldig had tried to diminish the braid's importance once it had been cut off.

"I appreciate the sentiment," he replied after a brief moment. "I suppose I should be glad I didn't lose anything else in the process. It also helped me realize that perhaps it was time for me to move on to the status of a Jedi Knight." There was a faint twinkle in his eye now. "Even if I didn't exactly get a traditional knighting ceremony."

And it was true. He and Qui-Gon had made the best of it, and they had shared a moment that he couldn't have asked for with the Jedi Council present. That was certainly something to be grateful for, too.

"Besides," Obi-Wan added, his face a little more somber now, "I know I'm not the only one who's lost something important in this place."

"A Jedi Knight," Renji murmured. He wasn't certain how ranks worked for Obi-Wan's people. But it sounded like something similar to when he'd been promoted to Vice Captain, perhaps. He couldn't start making too many assumptions like that, though; he didn't know Obi-Wan well enough, or his people. "Congratulations, then," he said, after a moment of puzzling. He looked at Obi-Wan, head tilted a little to the side. "I've never been one for that kind of tradition, but..." Was the man sad he had missed out on it, did he think his advancement meant any less? He didn't seem so foolish as that.

His curious look became a frown at Obi-Wan's next statement. Did he... No. It's not that. "Everyone has suffered," he said.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said with a small smile. "I'm just grateful that I had the opportunity to turn a bad situation into a more tolerable and productive one." He was also incredibly humbled and honored that Qui-Gon had been the one to perform the ceremony. It was rare for Padawans to be knighted by their own Masters, but he wasn't sorry that it had worked out that way in the least.

"It was certainly a unique ceremony," he added. "I wouldn't have had the chance to experience it if I'd been back home."

Everyone has suffered, Renji had said, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but nod in quiet agreement. "This place is filled with pain and suffering. But what happens to one person affects us all in the end. Even though we come from completely different places, worlds, and times, we share a strong, symbiotic relationship. We should support each other when we can."

"Oh? What'd you do?" Renji asked. He grinned. "I had to go through a ceremony a couple months ago to get promoted to Vice Captain. It was... yeah. A lot of speech making. And then some good food after." Everyone had been extremely welcoming, except for Byakuya. But that was just how the Captain was. "If you guys do stuff like we do... less formality sounds like nothing but good to me." He paused to think for a moment. "You and Jinn-san are the only two guys from your world here, right?"

He toyed with his glass of milk. It gave him something other than Obi-Wan to reasonably look at. "Yeah," he said. "I think most are on board with that. There are a lot of good people." He smiled slightly. "Even the kids are trying to be strong about it."

"Knighting ceremonies are very quiet and short," Obi-Wan told him with a small smile. It wasn't like getting a promotion in the military or anything like that. Rather, it was more like a small, yet incredibly important tribute marking one of the biggest turning points in a Jedi's life. "Normally the Jedi Council conducts them, but due to the current situation, Qui-Gon handled the proceedings himself. If I'd had my braid still, he would have cut it off. Since it was gone, we simply made do."

He took another bite of his food. It was unusual compared to what he'd eaten at home, but it was certainly filling. "Actually, there's a young man by the name of RC-1136 who came from my future," Obi-Wan said, and his eyebrows faintly furrowed. He hadn't seen RC around lately, and he couldn't help but wonder where he was. "But Qui-Gon and myself are the only people from my time, and we're certainly the only Jedi."

It was true that, for the most part, people were being cooperative with each other in getting out of here. "It will be slow work, but I think we can manage it if we work together. The trick is learning to trust one another. I admit I initially had my reservations due to the nature of this place, but now that I've been here for awhile, I now understand the importance of trust in regards to escaping."

Renji nodded. Short and quiet. Short was definitely his style; quiet, not necessarily. But quiet definitely seemed to be something that went with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon He was starting to get a vague understanding of what the 'Jedi' thing might be about, and it was sounding more and more like a monastic thing to him. "I'm glad that he was there for you," Renji said, quietly. Turning something bad into something good; it took a particular talent to do that kind of thing.

"RC... huh, I think I might've seen him writing stuff on the bulletin board before," Renji said. "It's... kind of weird to meet people from your future, isn't it? All of my people here are at least a couple months ahead of me. And... eventful months. It's bizarre to hear them talking about things that haven't even happened like they're in the past and gone." He snorted. Bizarre didn't cover it so much as frustrating did. At least everyone had gotten better about not expecting him to know things that he couldn't possibly know or have worked out.

"What are the Jedi?" he asked. Qui-Gon had told him about the whole Force thing, which to him just sounded like another name for reiatsu with basically the same theories behind it.

"I wish we could all trust each other. But at least there's a small group developing," Renji said. "And I'm thinking... in the end, even if we're not one big happy family, we've all got the same goal. Everyone wants out of here. At least a lot of the guys that have been here longer seem to be realizing that even if they don't like working with others." He swirled the milk in his glass. "Sometimes trust isn't possible," he said, quietly. "And sometimes not for certain things."

"I wish he was home instead of stuck in this place with me," Obi-Wan replied as he slowly turned his fork around the noodles, "but I can't deny that I'm grateful to have his presence." Considering Qui-Gon would have been dead otherwise, that feeling increased ten-fold whenever he thought about it. Though Obi-Wan knew he could have coped with both Landel's Institute and Qui-Gon's death like any Jedi would have been expected to, it certainly would have been difficult.

Obi-Wan was interested to know that Renji had seen RC around on the bulletin. Perhaps he'd have to check there the next time he was able. "Yes, I agree. I admit I was extremely skeptical at first when it happened to me, but then RC knew things he wouldn't have been able to know otherwise." The fact that he'd eventually command an entire army of cloned soldiers was pretty jarring in of itself, and it wasn't something Obi-Wan liked to think about very much. "I hope things smooth out with you and your friends, though. It sounds awfully confusing."

He figured he and Qui-Gon were fortunate in that regard. He wasn't sure what he would have done if they'd taken his friend from the past, perhaps even from before their first meeting. That would have been rather frustrating, to say the least.

"Jedi serve as peacekeepers who maintain interplanetary relations," Obi-Wan explained. "Since we handle most of the political disputes that come up, our Repubic doesn't have much need for a military or anything of that nature. We're in tune with the Force - or, in other words, the energy found in all living things - and we use our training for the benefit of others." He took a bite of his noodles and washed it down with some juice. "It isn't an easy path, though. I've spent my whole life training to become a Jedi, and I've learned a lot of hard lessons along the way."

He listened to Renji speak, nodding occasionally all the while. Then, he set his empty glass down, eyebrows faintly furrowing. "Yes, it can be difficult for some people to set aside their pride or previous grudges to collaborate with those they'd rather not work with." His face softened a little at this point, though. "Of course, we all have our secrets, and that puts some people on edge." It was inevitable, considering the kinds of people Martin Landel liked to abduct. "In those cases, I find it's best to just focus on the ultimate goal and allow everything to fall into place as you go. It's a step-by-step process."

Renji managed a small, sad smile as Obi-Wan spoke of Qui-Gon. It felt strange; he normally didn't give in to expressions like that. Everything felt out of control and off, and he had to think that it was the drugs. "I know that feeling as well," he said. He wished Rukia was somewhere else, now more than ever, for so many reasons. But it was also nice to see her, and know that the execution had been stopped in the end.

He snorted. "I told them to stop trying to 'bring me up to speed' about crap back home, because it's not like we're there. I think they may have even listened to me for once." He smirked. "But for once being stubborn pays off."

He listened to Obi-Wan's description of the Jedi with interest. It sounded like a good organization... and if it was all about peace rather than war, a very foreign one to his experience. "Interplanetary," he said, quietly. "Funny, but I have an easier time imagining multiple realms of existence than a bunch of different planets that people live on." Probably because he knew these realms first hand, at least a couple of them. "Your whole life..." That was another one he couldn't imagine. He'd come to the academy already mostly grown, adult enough that it'd been a decision for him and Rukia to make. Maybe that's what it was like for the nobles, he thought, raised to it from the start. "But we all use reiatsu the same. Guess there are some things in common. It sounds like... really good work. Guess if people are spread out all over the place, relations get kind of... strained, huh."

The discussion was slowly moving away from where it was touchiest; emotionally, it was like repeatedly poking a bruise to see if it still hurt, to see if he still felt like a miserable excuse for a Shinigami. But having an excuse to stop seemed like a good idea.

It was a sad day when thinking about Gin was a relief. "You've met Ichimaru, right?" Renji asked. He knew that Qui-Gon had, but he wasn't certain about Obi-Wan. But maybe it'd at least been mentioned to him. He turned his cup in his hands. "The Captain wants him dead like he wants to breathe. So did I. And now... I'm not so sure." He blew out an exasperated breath. "I hate it when shit gets complicated."

"A lot of people seem to know friends here," Obi-Wan said. "It's troubling. I can't imagine Martin Landel doesn't have a very specific purpose for it." As to what it was, he could only guess. Whatever the reason, however, Obi-Wan was certain that it wasn't anything good.

He couldn't help but laugh a little at Renji's next statement. It was good that the red-haired man was able to not get so hung up on the fact his friends came from his future. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he could just tell everyone not to bother 'bringing him up to speed' so easily.

"Well, there's something to be said for not knowing too much about one's own future," the Jedi said after a moment. He supposed he would have dug around more about the Star Wars story if he'd wanted to know everything that badly. Either way, he suspected his own reasons were different than Renji's.

"Multiple realms of existence?" Obi-Wan echoed, his eyebrows raising a little. "Interesting." He'd heard of similar beliefs in other cultures, of course, but it sounded like such a thing was as common-place to Renji as multiple planets were for him. "I can't imagine it would be easy to travel freely between those, though."

He'd gathered that reiatsu was Renji's word for the Force. It was intriguing to see how other Force-sensitives who were unrelated to the Jedi interpreted their abilities. "Despite our differences, I do believe there are some common threads we share," he said with a small smile. "And, yes, you'd be surprised at how ugly things can get sometimes. Or, maybe not, depending on what kind of world you come from. Actually, I'd just gotten done resolving a rather violent dispute between the Trade Federation and a planet before waking up here."

Obi-Wan thought he might have heard the name Ichimaru somewhere, but he couldn't say he was familiar with the man. "I've never met him," he admitted. "But if you've had problems with him in the past, it might be wise to put them aside until the situation here gets resolved."

He gave a dry smile. "I don't think 'complicated' even scratches the surface where this place is concerned."

"Knowing what'll happen before it happens... kinda sucks the joy out of life, I'd think," Renji said. He chuckled. "Once I got told that everyone was still alive, I didn't want to know any more. So it is kind of nice to not have to worry about certain things."

He shook his head. "It's impossible for most. There's a couple ways to do it, like we have jigoku butterflies to guide us. But otherwise... you'd have to have someone that could open a gate, and then the space between worlds would try to eat you anyway. It's not real friendly." He gave Obi-Wan a curious look. "I'm having a hard time imagining how it'd be easy to travel between whole planets, though. Are they just really close together or something? Or is it like those airplane things, the ones that can go faster than sound?" There was a hint of almost boyish enthusiasm in that question.

"What kind of dispute?" Renji asked. Now that the conversation had dragged him out of his moment of self-pity, he was very curious. "I... can't really imagine how things like that would work. I mean, I bet it's like that in my world, just one a smaller scale because it's just one place, but... I never really spent much time there."

He rubbed his forehead, frowning about Ichimaru. "I'm going to leave him alone," he said. "I doubt the Captain will." He sighed. "And I'm really not one to run that kind of interference. I'm no peace keeper, much less a peace maker."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject