damned_institute | Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

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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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Allen was somewhat relieved that the situation in the Game Room hadn't escalated. The nurses had interrupted, saying it was time for the next meal, and it couldn't have come too soon for him. He waved a short goodbye to Miss Bridget before his nurse escorted him back to the cafeteria.

He was also glad to note that he was one of the first to arrive. He might actually have time to digest his food before the others started streaming in. And, he noted, there were no Akuma just yet. It wouldn't last long, he knew, but the curse in his left eye faded, revealing a pair of common blue eyes.

He filled his tray with a healthy portion, sure he would need it for the coming trials. There was Rhode to deal with, as well as this other person who worked for the Earl. He didn't know much about them, aside from their message board posts, but Rhode would likely recognize them. And an ally was the last thing he needed her to have.

Maybe he and Ravi could take turns keeping her from killing the other patients. It did seem only fair, despite Rhode's strange interest in him. And if Rhode spilled about what had happened at breakfast this morning...

Allen tried not to think about it. He tried instead, to focus on the food in front of him and the act of devouring it as quickly as possible. He did need his strength.

Showering had been nice, but the Nobody knew that it wouldn't be long before she would have to dirty her hands again. It wasn't like she had a problem with that. Heck, it was something that she was actually looking forward too. The feeling of blood on her hands... It was truly wonderful.

Lunch was to be the next shift, but Larxene had a better way of spending her time. The message exchange she had with Allen on the Bulletin Board was fresh on her mind. He knew she would come for him, but had no idea when. Well, she didn't want to make him wait too much. That would've been rude!

Short, white hair and an interesting mark over his left eye. Oh yes, Larxene had found her date. She skipped the line and headed to his table immediately. Why eat when there was someone to play with?

“Excuse me.” She said with a smile on her face, one that was as empty as she was, but like herself, indistinguishable from the real thing. “May I sit here?”

It wasn't long before Akuma started to trickle in, and with it, the curse in his eye activated. He rubbed at it as though it might do something to make it go away, but it was still there, pointing out the Akuma among the humans. Allen had no idea who he was supposed to be waiting for, but likely as not, they wouldn't seem an Akuma.

He was about halfway through his tray full of pasta(not bad actually), when a young girl walked over. She had no tray with her, which was somewhat curious, but maybe she just wasn't hungry? Allen was suspicious, but gave a small smile back. It was just natural, he supposed, to be suspicious of anyone that would approach. That was how the exorcists worked in the past at least.

"Be my guest," he replied with a slight nod. "I'm Allen Walker. And you Miss?"

“Thank you” she said, pulling out the chair and sitting next to him. “My name is Emily Aston, pleased to meet you.” Just like before, Larxene would continue her little act for as long she could. Like a game, she would stop after he figured out the truth, or, after getting bored with keeping him as her ‘plaything’.

Which one would come first?

The Nobody then looked at his marked eye for a moment before feigning a gasp. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” she looked away.

“I… didn’t mean to stare at your eye.”

Emily? It seemed a common enough name. In his experience, the clan of Noah had rather peculiar ones. She didn't seem openly hostile, but then Rhode hadn't either at first.

In spite of how strange he knew his eye looked, it wasn't often that someone would mention it. It was almost enough to make him forget. But how suddenly she pointed it out, and the way she shyly looked away... it caused a flush of color to appear on his cheeks.

"A-ah, I'm sorry if it bothers you Miss Emily." He moved to rub at it again, but left his hand there, obscuring most of it from view. He glanced up at her with his good eye, sky blue and blessedly normal. Her face was quite pretty upon inspection. A pale complexion and striking eyes.

"I hope you don't find me rude," he began, sincere in that regard at least, "but could I ask what it is I can help you with? I'm expecting someone of a rather unsavory nature and I would hate for you to get involved."

“Not at all, it doesn’t really bother me.” She nervously shook her head, trying to set Allen at ease. “It’s just… I’ve never really seen anything like it before.” The Nobody was curious about it. Did it have any special abilities, or was it just poor taste in tattoos?

“Oh, I apologize; I was trying to make some conversation. I’ve been here for several days now, and I haven’t really taken the time to make any new friends or acquaintances.” She continued spinning her web of half lies and half truths around Allen. Poor bastard really had no idea who he was talking to, did he.

“I saw what happened during our time in the Game Room, and I thought that you could use someone less… excitable to talk to.”

"I... I assure you it isn't always like this," he stammered, the pink beginning to fade from his cheeks. "There's something of a long story to it, but I would hate to bore you with the details."

Allen felt a jab of guilt for the poor girl. Had he really misjudged her so harshly? "Not at all, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so- That is..." He didn't want to hurt her feelings and just shoo her away. Maybe he could wait for the other to show up, then politely excuse himself to speak with them? He didn't mind a bit of nice conversation.

"You saw that?" He lowered his head slightly in embarrassment. "Well, I do appreciate it, I hope I don't seem ungrateful. It's been a very long morning." He seemed to think things over for a moment.

"I would be very glad for some nice conversation Miss Emily. Would you care to tell me a little about yourself? How have you been faring here? It can get quite dangerous if you're not careful I've noticed."

“Ah, I see. Well, I don’t want to pry, so we’ll just leave it at that then.” If she didn’t find out now, then she would find out later. There was no rush to learn more about it, as far as Larxene was concerned.

“I did, unfortunately. You probably didn’t notice me, as I was watching from far away.” More like she had snuck in a quick peek after her shower. “I’m just glad it didn’t get any worse.” She then answered his next question.

“You want to know about me? Let’s see.” There were so many lies she could fabricate, but instead, the Nobody went ahead and told Allen to the truth about her time so far. “Well, for some reason, it’s hard for me to tell exactly how much time has passed since I was brought here. I’d say less than a week.”

Had she really spent so little time in Landel’s? It felt like so much more.

“I’ve noticed what happens during Night, and it’s pretty frightening. I can’t really defend myself, so I move slowly. It’s hard for me to get anything done, though…”

Allen was relieved when she didn't pursue the subject. The story behind it was painful enough without explaining it to anyone who asked. Though it was also nice to hear she had sympathized with him on what went on in the Game Room earlier.

A week here seemed intolerable. He'd only been here for two nights. This was the morning of the third day, wasn't it? Afternoon now, he reminded himself. But he was still no closer to finding Ravi's Innocence or escaping. And with his current injuries, he wasn't sure if he should re-join the arts and crafts groups. He'd probably just slow them down. "So long? That's terrible." There was genuine concern in his eyes. Poor Emily.

"It must be difficult," he said, a note of sympathy in his voice. "It might be safer for you to stay in your room. Don't give up hope though. There are many people working toward escape. I'm sure it'll happen soon." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Rhode continued internally fuming as she was lead away from the group in the game room, still having to outwardly pout so the nurse could see that "little Catherine" was still upset over being both yelled at and then ganged up on. "You shouldn’t be so upset, Miss Grace. She just had to be stern so you’d behave," the nurse leading her commented, noticing Rhode's clear frustration.

Miss Grace? Not Catherine? Oh! Grace was the last name, was it? Catherine Grace? Rhode rolled the name over in her mind, finding it more than suitable for her current form. It even made her sound like a goody-goody! Little human girl, Catherine Grace! Yes, she could use it. For now. In any case, her human name did not matter so much as another issue.

Allen Walker was in trouble! That meanie had yelled at her, and he'd lied about it! Well, he'd actually just played dumb and had avoided the subject, but that was beside the point!

Only when the nurse had left her in a line for food did her pout turn angry. She got her food quickly - spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs - and debated who to go snark/whine/generally tantrum at. Allen Walker, she had already determined, was now on her "do not speak to" list. Somehow she viewed this as a punishment for him, but Allen would surely think differently. That blonde who'd also lied wasn't there yet, not that she could see.

Just as she was about to track down the purple-haired Phibby and really give him somethign to scream about, she spotted the white hair of her ~~favorite~~ mean exorcist.

"Not speaking to him, no way!" she thought, trying to turn her attention away, but she wasn't able to. Not with Allen right there, talking to someone else all nice like, smiling like he'd done absolutely nothing wrong the last shift, and eating like a horse! That was... something she hadn't seen. So, Allen Walker liked food, and a lot of it. Maybe she could make him some cookies late... no! No, no, no! She was mad at him! He'd been mean! And he was going to feel her wrath!

Sadly, her wrath could only amount to a flung meatball pelting the side of his snow white hair. "That was mean, Allen!" she yelled as she slammed her tray down right beside him and glared angrily. So much for the silent treatment.

“Being safe and staying out of trouble might be best for me, but… I don’t want to sit in my room while everybody else works so hard to try and find a way out of here.” Actually, that didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Let others do all the work, and take advantage of their progress, if they made any. There was just one little problem. Just watching and waiting was much too boring.

“I want to help, in any way I can!”

Larxene would’ve continued playing Allen like a fiddle, if it wasn’t for being interrupted by meatball. How random.

“Who are you?” she asked the young, and clearly upset, newcomer. “Why did you do that to Allen?”

All the while, the Nobody tried hard to hold back her laughter. Whoever this brat was, Larxene liked her already.

Allen could easily empathize with Emily's feelings. He wouldn't want to sit on his hands while others were working either. "I understand your concern Miss Emily," he said emphatically. "Perhaps we can put your skills to use somewhere else? I'm sure we can find something for you to help with."

It was then that he felt the wet thud of a meatball smack into the side of his head. He put up a hand to assess the damages, only to have it come back covered in meaty sauce. Wonderful. Allen still wasn't certain what he'd done to be called "mean," but Rhode likely had her own justification.

Before he could react, Emily was already on it. He'd have to be ready to intervene though, if Rhode decided to pull anything more dangerous than a flying meatball. Allen picked up a napkin and started removing what was left of the mess from his hair. He shook his head at Emily, "I-it's quite alright. No real harm done. I'm sure she was just playing."

Rhode had to resist a smirk. She was mad! Mad at Allen Walker! But still... that splatter in his hair looked so much like blood! The meatball had, amazingly, proved a very effective alternative to what she could have thrown of the same size to make such a splatter. Unfortunately, eye-gouging would probably be frowned upon here. Where were her candles when she needed them?!

Her attention turned for a moment to the woman Allen had been talking with. She couldn't help it, the question of who she was had come up first. "Rho-" she paused, thinking for a moment, "Catherine Grace!" she announced once through considering. That's right! Human form, human name! "And he deserved it!"

Sitting down in a huff, Rhode started licking off the meatsauce on her hands as she awaited an apology. It wasn't blood by a long stretch, but the coloring made up for that. The action, as usual, calmed her from desiring to pelt yet another into Allen Walker's head. He'd better apologize too!

Instead, he decided to pass her wrath off as mere playing. "Plaything's aren't supposed to lie!" she yelled again, fingering another meatball as she glared at him more. And really, she always played with Allen, even while upset.

A small, young girl with spiky, dark hair. Was it possible that this was the “Rhode Kamelot” Allen was so worried about in his bulletin post? She didn’t seem all that dangerous to her, even if she liked throwing meatballs at others. Of course, Larxene knew all to well that it might all be an act to keep others from suspecting her.

Maybe she was smarter than she looked.

“Allen is not a plaything. Why would you call him that?”

Lies, and more lies. He was a plaything, one that currently belonged to Larxene, and the Nobody did hate having to share her toys.

He deserved it. Of course. For some reason, through Rhode's line of logic, he deserved to have sloppy meat thrown at his head. He'd lied? What was that all about? Allen looked confused more than offended. He was sure of one thing though, that he was definitely not Rhode's plaything.

Emily was quick to jump to his defense. It did make sense, he reasoned, since she'd seen part of the fiasco over in the Game Room earlier. And it wasn't that he didn't appreciate the help, but... Emily probably didn't realize how much danger she was putting herself in just by doing that. If Rhode didn't recognize her, then Emily couldn't possibly have been the one he was waiting for. It didn't seem like a Noah to back away, but maybe something had come up? It was entirely too possible that they'd instead decided to find some poor, unsuspecting victim in the mean time. Allen felt a familiar pang of guilt.

"A-ah, Miss Emily, it's alright, really, you needn't concern yourself. I can handle it," he gave her a weary smile and hoped she realized he just didn't want her to get hurt.

Before he could say much more, his nurse arrived. Pointing out, of course, that he was a terrible mess and something about cleaning up. The prospect of some form of bathing was welcome, especially with the meat sauce mess still clinging to his hair.

"Cuz he is my plaything!" All humans were, Allen just happened to be a very, very special one. "And has been for a while! Go find your own!"

But now Allen was being taken away. Hey, wait, no! She almost got the chance to hurl another meatball towards his head for not apologizing, or admitting to having lied, but her own nurse caught her. She continued glaring after Allen, giving the blonde girl one quick glare as well before being led off.

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Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

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