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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Gremio had been trying to build his resolve for this since they’d finished breakfast. Though his instincts had told him that approaching the braided man was a bad idea, the axeman could find no rational reason for why. He knew that there was something about him that genuinely frightened him, something that stole his breath and chilled his blood. And yet, for the life of him, Gremio couldn’t remember where he’d seen him before—if he even had at all.

The fact remained though that if anyone in this place could answer his questions, it would probably be him. So far, he was the only person Gremio had seen so far who was definitely from the same world as him. There were no guarantees that the man knew anything more than he did, but there was always that chance. If he remembered anything about how he got here, knew of anyone else here from their world, then it was worth it for Gremio to swallow his reservations and talk to him. As much as he hated to admit it… it was his best bet at finding out what had happened to Tir after Soniere. If he’d been brought here along with him. If he’d stayed behind in their world. If he was even still alive.

He’d tried to work up the courage to approach him in the showers, but Gremio just… hadn’t had the will to go through with it. It’d been uncomfortable enough being naked around a number of other men (he couldn’t help it; he’d always been more than a little prudish), and so he hadn’t really felt like adding approaching a man who, quite frankly, scared the living hell out of him for information to the already-mounting stress.

… Not that he felt that much more comfortable talking to him now that he was fully clothed. Still, he supposed he needed to go through with this at some point, didn’t he?

Gremio approached the braided man’s table carefully, taking a breath to calm his nerves. He knew how to hold back his emotions—months and months of having to sneak around and often lie on the spot to protect Tir’s identity in the middle of a mission had strengthened his proverbial poker face like nothing else. But even then, it was still so hard to hide it when he was honestly, truthfully scared.

“Excuse me,” he said, somehow managing to keep his voice from trembling. “May I sit here?”

Leon was somewhat miffed to find that Gremio had already approached someone else; they had a meeting planned, damn it all. He vaguely recognised the other blond as the one Gremio had pointed out before. Stifling a sigh, he approached both of them, very reluctantly.

"Well. I have a significant amount of useful information to share, sir Gremio, but if you would rather chitchat with your countryman, here, you are of course free to do so." Oh yes, the claws were out now. This place was already fraying Leon's fragile temper.

There was an unusual amount of fear hanging in the air around him. So much so that it began to cancel out the sickening scent of food that had irritated him beforehand. His mismatched gaze found itself fixated on the figure who’d approached him, and he found himself drawing a blank to exactly who they were. Yet even despite their greatest effort to hide their fear, Yuber could sense the barest hint of it beneath the surface.

“Take a seat.” The knight murmured with a smooth smile on his lips. Only those from his realm would fear him in such a way. Was it possible that this one was from it? And if that was the case just who was this one if they knew enough to fear him.

Another voice broke through the stillness and when the name was given, recognition flickered through the knight’s eyes. He was unable to exactly place it though, and it was a failing that only seemed to irritate Yuber further. He didn’t allow it to show though, and as he gestured towards another seat, the black knight calmly regarded newcomer. “And what information would that be?”

Yuber knew it had nothing to do with him, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t sit by and partake in any apparent useful information either.

Gremio tensed a little when he heard Leon behind him. Moreso at what he said.

'Countryman.' Damnit. Damnit, he'd known he'd have to let on that the two of them were from the same world at some point, but he'd wanted to keep that to himself until it was absolutely necessary. It was a very small setback, but one that certainly wasn't making this any easier for him. He shot a glare at Leon over his shoulder. "Sir Magnus," he said, tone polite but exceedingly cold. "I didn't forget, if that's what you're trying to imply."

Leon shot a venemous glare first at the unknown blond, and then at Gremio. Damn Gremio for getting him into this situation. His own temper was not at fault, of course, it was Gremio for exposing him to other people needlessly.

With a sniff of disdain, Leon sat down at the table, and put his tray down a little more forcefully than was strictly necessary. The air just about crackled with his annoyance. "I wish to eat before it gets cold. Discuss whatever it is you wished to discuss." In other words, he wasn't giving up any information until he was in a slightly better mood. Hopefully, for the good of all, food would help.

Yuber didn’t bother stopping the pleasant smile from slipping across his features as he saw the venomous glare directed at him. It was always rather amusing to see such tempers in place, and they seemed rather common within this institution. Perhaps he simply was a magnet for such personalities? He thought in slight amusement.

The knights attention though didn’t remain on them very long before his sharp gaze found their way back onto the blonde. If they indeed were from the same realm, then things were most definitely getting far more interesting. Yuber summarised while he thoughtfully watched the other. “And what is it you wish to discuss?”

Gremio's shoulders stiffened a little at that voice, and hesitantly he turned his attention away from Leon and back to the braided man. If anything, Leon's interruption--however unwanted--made this a bit less intimidating. Anger and frustration were oddly good at taming a person's fears.

"You... were brought here from the same world as I was, weren't you?" he asked, glancing down pointedly at the other blonde's hand. "I saw you using a rune..."

Leon picked delicately at his food, being very careful not to get any tomato sauce on his shirt or pants, ugly though they were. He maintained his glare, though aimed as it was at his food, it only gave the impression that he hated spaghetti for some reason.

He did his best to appear as though he was ignoring the blond men entirely, but he was in fact listening intently to their conversation; he was curious about these runes, and hoped they would shed a little more light on the topic while they spoke.

“Ahh yes the Thunder rune,” Yuber said with a small amused chuckle. Glancing down to the lightning image imprinted on the back of his hand, his lips curved slightly upwards when it seemed that he was correct. His suspicions had been proven right, and it seemed as though that previous slip up had indeed meant that this one was from the Suikoden realm. He levelled his gaze steadily towards the blonde before him. “And it would seem like we are considering you have knowledge of the runes.”

He wasn’t entirely certain how some normal little human could have made it to such a place, and though his own True Rune remained quiet, Yuber could tell that this one did not possess such a rune – or any rune from what he could tell. A quick glance down to their hands confirmed that much at least. If that were the case, then how was this human summoned to the institution?

“And how is it that you came to be here?” The knight murmured.

That confirmed it. Gremio had considered the possibility that he might have been wrong somehow, but seeing the rune up close--not to mention hearing the man refer to it as a rune--took away the chance that he was in any way mistaken.

"I was... brought here after I died," he answered quickly. "I'm not entirely sure how or why, unfortunately." He didn't see the need to volunteer much more information than that at the moment. "What about yourself?"

Leon glanced quickly at the unknown blond's hand and kept his expression carefully neutral; he hadn't expected the "rune" to be something physically visible. Interesting--it seemed like magic was embedded in people the way it was in the Swordian crystals and discs, in his world. That would be a lot more convenient, admittedly, he wouldn't now be stuck entirely without magic because Chaltier had been taken from him.

And that thought inspired another pang of loss for Chaltier. He'd never been without Chaltier, never so truly alone, except for his time as a zombie. Was Chaltier still trapped at the bottom of the water somewhere, alone and aware? Or had he returned to sleep when his master died? Not knowing the fate of the one "person" who had been completely, utterly loyal to him pained Leon, just a little. Not knowing Marian's fate... that, he had to avoid thinking about entirely, if he was to carry on.

“Were you slain in the war that broke out over the Grasslands?” The fact that this Gremio seemed to have been brought here after death caused the knight to fall into deep thought. It was possible that the Gate Rune had played a part in this, but Yuber thought that highly unlikely considering the fact that if everybody who had died during wars or by other causes were to come here, then it would have been filled with far more than just the two of them.

Yuber’s gaze absently flickered over to the third man with them, and while he didn’t entirely like the prospect of discussing topics such as runes in front of another, it seemed as though there would be little choice if their conversation returned back onto it. He would simply have to steer the conversation away from the topic of the True Runes if it was to come up.

His theory about being summoned here also was put into jeopardy considering if a normal human from his realm made it here, then who was to say that he was even summoned? It would account for the dramatic decrease in all of his Rune’s abilities, not to mention his own abilities. “Hmm one could say that I was summoned here.”

"War over the... Grasslands?" Gremio certainly hadn't heard anything about that. The only war in the Grasslands that he could remember was the Fire Bringer War, and that had been well before his time. To be fair, he probably wouldn't have known if there had been another war. News from the Grasslands rarely made it as far as the Scarlet Moon Empire. The Fire Bringer War was only of significance because of the True Fire Rune bearer's involvement (even five-year-olds knew the legend of the Flame Champion, after all).

But still, this raised an entirely new question. It was already clear enough that this place pulled people in from different worlds, but was it also pulling people from different times? "I'm sorry, but... what year was it, when you were brought here?"

He felt a single golden brow rise up at the returned question, and Yuber found himself rather curious at the piece of information just given to him. They weren’t from that war? There was the possibility that there was some other type of battle that could have brought about this ones death. Of course they didn’t had to have died in battle either, Yuber summarised as the possibilities flooded his mind.

Shifting until his elbow came to rest on the tabletop; the black knight placed his chin in the palm of his hand as he regarded the other. “475.” Yuber simply responded with, before he added. “Not long after the Harmonian forces were defeated.”

Gremio's breath caught in his throat. "... 475?" he repeated back breathlessly. "Has it... has it really been that long?" He'd died in 456. He wondered if that was the present time in his world. Waking up here had seemed instantaneous, but when he really thought about it, there was no way of knowing how much time had actually passed.

Nineteen years... that would've made Tir thirty-six. Older than Gremio was now. That thought, despite what it meant for Gremio, still managed to calm him a little, and actually brought a small smile to his lips. He wondered what he looked like. He'd always resembled the late Lady McDohl--what Gremio remembered seeing of her in portraits anyway. He wondered if he looked at all like his father now that he had become a man. It was a shame that he wasn't there to see it. Part of him wanted to ask if the man next to him knew anything about his beloved Young Master. If the Liberation Army had been successful, and likely even if it had not, the name of Tir McDohl would've probably been easily recognizable.

... And yet, he knew that the answer he got very well could be the one he didn't want to hear. He liked the image of him in his head, as a proud, strong, noble leader, and most of all happy. Whatever alternatives were present to that, Gremio didn't believe his heart could take them.

So he just smiled--perhaps just a bit sadly--and nodded his head. "I see. I... suppose I've been gone a while, then."

Yuber felt his posture straighten slightly at their reaction and the mention of time. Was there the possibility that this one was from an earlier time? It wasn’t at all impossible considering the different situations, and it could be a reason why they seemed to familiar but not enough for him to exactly place where he’d seen them before. “What year are you from then?”

The answer could shed some light onto figuring out his silent question, and the knight didn’t miss the emotion hidden within the others smile as they spoke of time.

The sound of the other man's voice pulled Gremio from his reverie, and he looked back at him sharply, startled. "Oh! Ah, sorry..." he replied, clearing his throat. "Ah... it was early into 456 when I passed, if my memory's correct." He wouldn't say much more than that unless prompted. But still, he wondered just how old the man was. How much he would know about the Liberation Army, if anything at all. Looking at his face, he didn't seem to be that much older than Gremio was. But still, the eyes had a strange look to them, something that made him seem... older than he appeared.

Suddenly, for some reason, he was reminded of Ted.

“456?” Yuber stated more than asked before he thought back onto that time. There was that war that occurred between the once Scarlet Moon Empire and that little band of rebels that turned out to be the Stars of Destiny. The mere thought brought back memories of that meddling Rune bearer and Pesmerga and how they halted his plans for creating Chaos with Windy, “Ahh yes during the re-emergence of the Rune of Life and Death, if my memory serves me correctly.”

Absently pushing back a few stray blonde hairs from his eyes, Yuber levelled Gremio with a thoughtful look as he murmured. “I do not remember you being on the Scarlet Moon’s side though, which means that you were with that little Rune bearer hmm?”

The Rune of Life and Death. At first, Gremio wasn't sure which rune the man was talking about. Ted had never referred to it as anything other than the Soul Eater, but he supposed that was its proper name, wasn't it?

For a second though, Gremio didn't think about the fact that the man was talking about the incident like he'd been there, or what that probably would've implied. All he heard was that last part, more appropriately the tone with which it was said. There was something about it Gremio didn't like. It was almost... mocking. Downright insulting. And however frightening Gremio had found him before--still found him now--his hackles were raised.

"His name is Tir McDohl," he answered coldly. "And yes. I was."

The Rune of Life and Death. Now that piqued Leon's interest quite intensely; he could not help but look up briefly before he forced himself to swallow the flash of covetousness. He didn't need such power here, surely. There was no Hugo here, no one forcing him to bow to their whims. A lesser power would do, surely.

And yet...

Yuber had known he’d struck a cord within the other by the instant reaction to his words. Gremio had to have been somebody close to the rune bearer if they had reacted so much to his simple statement. He had little interaction with those who gathered under the Rune of Life and Death, and from what he had seen none who he had crossed blades with had resembled this one.

Was it possible that they had passed on before he had truly become involved with the Stars of Destiny? Yuber thought before he was hit with the image of the Rune bearer and a shadow of another constantly standing by their side. He couldn’t be certain if it was this one, and considering the fact that he knew they weren’t in possession of a True Rune, whether they were in that war or not didn’t change the fact that they were more worthless to him rather than anything else.

Ignoring the curious glance from the other to their conversation, Yuber’s demonic eye dilated subtly as he murmured with a smile. “Then we would have been on opposing sides during that little war.”

If Gremio were thinking clearly, he would've realized that he'd already given up far more information than he'd intended to. Unfortunately, the blonde's rationality had a tendency to go flying out the window whenever his Young Master was involved.

"Yes," he answered, somehow managing to meet Yuber's gaze and answer with confidence, even though his heart was threatening to pound straight through his chest. "It would seem that we were."

This was not a development that pleased Leon--tension was growing rapidly, and he was concerned that violence could break out and involve him by sheer proximity. "Perhaps we had best remove ourselves to another table, Gremio." It seemed the wisest course of action, but he had doubts that Gremio would be willing to back down.

What side of the war somebody was on was of no importance to the knight. All that mattered was if they fought for Chaos or Order - nothing else mattered other than that single aspect.

Yuber’s face remained impassive for a moment as that simple statement was given, and quietly observed the other as they continued to steadily hold their gaze with his. There were few from his world that would do such a thing, and the black knight found himself slightly interested in the one before him. An easy smile slipped across his lips moment afterwards, and the impassive expression vanished in that moment as he smoothly murmured. “Are you curious to know how that little one ended? Or did you manage to survive until the end of that war?”

He would allow them this amount of information in return for their brave attempt to stand up against him.

Their conversation was interrupted by the other seated with them though, and in that single beat of a moment Yuber’s charitable moment had disappeared, “Ah how terribly rude of me to keep you waiting. Since you have more pressing matters, by all means take your leave.” The black knight muttered as he gestured with his right hand to one of the other free tables.

That offer caused Gremio to falter, just slightly. He didn't look away (somehow he found that he couldn't), but that brave look turned quickly enough to one of surprise and confusion. "I... what?"

That was right. The man would know, wouldn't he? If he'd seen the war through to its conclusion, he would know how it ended. If the Liberation Army triumphed, or it was crushed under the force of the Imperial Army. If Tir had emerged victorious, or if he'd crumbled in defeat. And in truth... he wanted to know. All the possibilities of what could have happened had been running through his head since he got here, and the not knowing was killing him.

But in an instant, that offer was gone, and they were being dismissed. Gremio scowled, picking up his plate and standing. He wanted to know. He wanted to know more than anything. But this wasn't the way he needed to find out. "I don't need your information," he said. "I know exactly how it ended. Young Master McDohl will be--" he skipped a beat, and corrected himself, "--was completely, absolutely victorious. There is no other possible explanation."

With that, he turned around, walking straight past Leon as he went off in search of another table.

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

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