damned_institute | 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.

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Daemon listened avidly, hearing tales of another world. It seemed unreal, but he didn't doubt her words.

"I'm not sure if it is a comforting or disappointing thought that despite all worlds being so different, their problems all still seem the same," he finally spoke in reply, a thoughtful expression on his face. "The woman who owned me was like your Alliance. She wanted to rule where she had no right, and she destroyed any who opposed her. Tried to use me as a weapon to do it for her, but I refused and I was too important to her to destroy. She did horrible things as well. Different from what they do here," he started to say, then paused, remembering Renji.

"Well. Maybe not so different."

"And yet there's nothing in the 'verse. Nothing in the 'verse or the worlds can stop us if we want it enough." River's tone went from somewhat dejected to hopeful and bright all in a moment. "Been there and back. We'll win it in the end, missing brain parts or dark corners of the mind be damned."

However, with that word, River's head jerked up, gazing over to a small group as something dawned on her. A duty. A welcoming and a wagging of the finger all at once. Past in hand, the girl bolted to her feet and tapped Daemon on the nose with her free.

"Wait a spell. She's to deliver a package."

Daemon blinked in surprise at the abrupt change, laughing quietly when she leaned in and tapped his nose.

"I'll be here," he called after her in bemused affection, turning back to his pasta while she delivered whatever it was she had.

Quite pleased with what she'd decided to do with the remainder of her lunch, River promptly trotted back to her seat next to Daemon, the widest, brattiest grin on her face that she could spare.

"It was rude of her. Her conduct needs a bit of work. But he deserved it." Referring of course to the dinner Scar new wore on his head, and he did so deserve it. In River's world, anyhow.

Daemon's eyes were even wider now as he stared at the mess River had left behind her.

"Dare I ask what he did to deserve that?" he finally asked, his voice strained from the effort it took to restrain a mixture of laughter and astonishment. "At least so I can remember not to do it and avoid the same fate?"

"Passed the time by in the nothing. Not sure, but he's unharmed." River sniffed the air and huffed dramatically. She'd always had a flare for it, even if it was mainly just for fun. "Even the day when the skies were clear. Was a family outing, and he stayed indoors to play with the rats." The girl took a sip of her water, and thought for a moment.

"If you could utilize some of your illogical effects to alter the structure of reality and manifest some pudding, you'd be granted a free pass."

"Pudding?" Daemon echoed, laughing for real this time at the unexpected request. "I'll see what I can do. Although I'm afraid that would require more physical ingredients than magical ones. Chocolate?"

"Well, I don't suppose the witches would be inclined to allow me ingredients for pudding. Might be a dangerous weapons in the hands of the criminally insane." River rolled her eyes. It was fun to play with the words this way, fun not to worry about the comings and stories to be told. The chapter was a long one. There was so much more to be written, it ought to be divided into more.

"But chocolate is a favorite. If you happen to come across any in your travels. Come nightfall, the prince might have more to worry about then fetching treats." River smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. The princess will be understanding about the delay."

"I'm sure pudding could be dangerous in anyone's hands," Daemon chuckled at the concept. "But having seen what you're capable of with spaghetti, that wouldn't surprise me."

"The Prince will do his best to see the Princess gets her sweets," he added with a charming grin, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips to press a kiss to the warm skin, a teasing light in golden eyes.

All smiles this lunch, wasn't she? River couldn't help but feel her cheeks color a bit at the gesture, for even in a harmless manner it was far more gallant than any she'd received in the past. It was strange to be treated like a real girl after living so many years as a broken doll. Didn't change color of the sky or the make of a man, but the feeling was a nice one regardless.

"She knows all manner of intent, all the games and the words. But still there's a redness to her cheek. Maybe there's a girl somewhere after all," she said quietly, almost shyly. Almost. River wasn't known for her modesty, after all, but perhaps that was a due result of considering herself less a person and more a thing for so long. There was little time for contemplation, as regularly scheduled cleaning had to be seen to. She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in disgust, a childlike display of a thought process clearly superior to the Head Doctor's.

"He wants us to be clean, and then he lets us run out and play in the mud. Even throws some at us himself. Contradictory." River smiled again as she stood up, nurse coming to escort "Miranda" away, lamenting that she hadn't let her pretty up her hair this morning. "But it was a pleasant moment in a measurement of the whole. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Daemon answered with a quiet smile, watching her rise and the nurse approach - though he spared her no welcome. "If I don't see you before, be careful tonight. Will you be alright?"

"I always look where I step, so you should be sure to do so yourself. Quite a few holes in the foundation here when the dark comes," River replied in her typically cryptic fashion. "Was going to flit about the darkness, see if I can dance with it. If you need someone to take care of you, just let me know. Pudding's enough of a payment for the services."

And with that, and the nurse's urging that she needed to stop delaying her cleansing, River was whisked away.

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

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