Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

[right-handed.livejournal.com]

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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[judgemagister.livejournal.com]

The judge took a seat as well beside his young lord, waiting patiently for the woman to take back her apology. She would surely regret it.

Despite looking away from the conversation at hand, Noah turned a ready ear to listen to Larsa's story, as he knew little of what the boy had done in his absence. With such a sudden death, he had never had the chance to learn of the trials his charge had gone through.

Ah. Judge Ghis. Truly, the Judge Magisters had signed their own death warrant, and the only able-hearted one had met the end of his own blade. As if having all the fear and respect of Archadia was not enough power. Despite his distaste for Ghis - and the news of how he had died straight from the witness' mouth - Noah kept silent, turning back for only a moment to watch the young princess' face.

[ex-northswai344.livejournal.com]

If Ashe was to take back her forced apology or react violently at all to the news delivered by the young emperor, as though that alone wasn't enough to take the air from her lungs, she showed no signs of it. It was impossible not to give off an air of disbelief, to have brow furrow in confusion as the boy spoke. Her emotions became a whirlwind of doubt as the boy went on to tell a tale, a tale of past events that she herself could not recall for the life of her.

There always stood the chance that he was lying; indeed, it could be possible that Vayne had trained his brother at a young age, and yet as she sat there, the princess felt very much as though she were watching her life pass her by with every word, every new bit of a history she'd yet to live. Raithwall's Tomb... It seemed like a path she'd take. If her memories had not been robbed from her, she could at least lament her own predictability.

"How is this all...?" she whispered desperately, losing herself in the question. The hate she bore took a backseat to the wave of information. "How is it possible that I do not remember any of this?"

[entrust-to-few.livejournal.com]

"That is something I cannot answer, yet you are not the only one suffering from memory loss." Larsa responded with as much honesty he could muster. He was not blind and so easily caught sight of the doubt on Ashe's features, yet he could not blame her for doing so.

"Gabranth, or shall I say Noah, here cannot remember his last hours before he..." By then his own face contorted into an unreadable expression, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence. He hoped it was obvious enough that the judge faced the inevitable, stealing a glance at the man for a split second before concentrating on Ashe's face.

"Which brings me to speak of another discovery. This Institute has the power to do many things. From what I've accumulated, not only can it erase the memories of whomever it desires, it can also bring back those who've long since passed. It... 'Tis a difficult thing to believe, and if it were not for the fact that I've witnessed these events and these deaths personally I would find myself doubtful as well."

[judgemagister.livejournal.com]

"Expired," Noah interjected when the moment came, watching Larsa's expression out of the corner of his eye. His eyes met Larsa's for a brief moment, and he looked away.

There was a moment of silence, and he saw fit to add his own information to the tale. "'Tis a cruel place." It almost sounded like a story spun from a liar's web, especially to one who could not remember bearing witness to such events that the young Emperor had told her. It was strange enough to be told you'd died, and not remember the motions that had truly led to it. "Tales spread of experiments of the most beastly sort; spiriting away the souls who are trapped here. Only last night we had gone to find one of these souls." He sighed, looking at his tray of food that had long-gone cold.

"There are fiends that make the halls their territories when night falls, and yet there are no magicks here." A pause, when he realized he had forgotten an important slice of information. "If you have not seen, freedom abounds at nightfall." He'd not meant to go on such a tirade, though such information was invaluble.