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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Cid sat up with a jerk as strong and as sleep-wrenching as the five memorable seconds he'd allowed the Highwind to be put in Barret's not-so-capable hands. He felt a little woozy as he stood, and a little sick, but his physical state wasn't so worrisome to him as what it implied.

Had nightshift ended so quickly? He remembered having a ridiculously unhelpful conversation with Vincent, as well as receiving more taunts over his nonexistent marriage to Shera.

He shook his head, putting a hand to it and wincing his eyes closed. Whatever; this place's timeline was hard to gauge, and that wasn't even considering all of the outside factors that had made his friends and enemies about two years older than when he'd last seen them.

When the usual nurse came to take him away to a suspiciously good-smelling meal, Cid wasn't as loud or disruptive as usual, instead opting to eat in silence as he contemplated those differences in chronology that he just couldn't seem to get out of his damn head.

Roy had made certain to make his shower quick, as he had more than a few memories of awkward situations that had gone on in there. He wasn't certain why people wouldn't keep to themselves when cleaning off, but apparently some of the other patients didn't understand common decency.

It hadn't helped that he had caught sight of Greed and Kimbley chatting tersely on the other side of the room. Luckily he had managed to avoid their attention, which had become easier as more patients had arrived at the institute. Not that he wanted so many people to be stuck in in Landel's, but there were a few advantages...

Of course, it made organizing people even more of a nightmare, and finding who you were looking for in a jam-packed room wasn't easy, either. Which was why he was glad that he was one of the first people to make it into the cafeteria for once. This way he could keep an eye out for Usopp, though it was possible Luffy's friend would find him first. He would worry about getting food once he'd secured his chatting partner for the shift.

He didn't have the best description to go off, and that comment about a strange nose had confused him more than anything, but he watched the door nonetheless.

At least no one had bugged him in the showers after that Carnage weirdo. Peter had been able to finish up his shower in peace and then get out of that bathroom as quickly as possible. So he found himself sitting at a table in the cafeteria with still-damp hair, casting his gaze around at the other few patients there. He knew that more would be flooding in soon, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Logic dictated that he should find someone else to talk to and get more information from, but his experience so far had him wary that some other random person was going to approach him and act like they knew him. If that was the case, he wanted to be ready for it.

So for the moment, he was going to keep to himself, eat his pasta, and see if he was bothered again. If enough time went by and he was left alone, maybe he would seek someone out. Though all of this socializing was leaving him a little worn out...

While things weren't exactly right, especially with Kairi in the state she was in, Sora was feeling pretty good. Just being around his two best friends at the same time was enough to cheer him up. Besides, Riku seemed to have an idea of how to reverse what had been done to Kairi, so everything was going to be fixed soon.

Maybe not everything. There was also Renji to consider, but that was out of his hands. Sora knew that Renji had a lot of friends who cared about him, and would probably be able to take better care of him than he ever could, so he was doing his best to leave that situation alone. Still, it didn't mean that he couldn't be there for his friend when possible.

For the first time in a long while, Sora was one of the first people in the cafeteria! That was exciting, since it meant he got first shot at the food when it was still warm and fresh. He darted over to get some, glad that for once, there was no line. One of the nurses piled his plate with spaghetti and added a piece of garlic bread on the side. With that and a glass of water, the Keyblade bearer settled down and started to eat.

Luxord didn't like spaghetti.

That's not to say Nursey did not force him to grab something after pushing the Gambler to relinquish his kitten, but a simple drink seemed rather inappropriate for lunch. Even still, the blond laid his hand against the table and fixated the Keybearer with a smirk over his glass of water.

"How swiftly Time passes. We'd not spoken in quite a while, have we?" Planning to escape or no, Luxord had unfinished business with a certain brat and his friends. "And however have you been, dear Sora," he offered, charming smiles and kind tones.

He'd make the boy suffer yet.

Hard to believe it but talking with the monkey had actually calmed his nerves. Sanzo had left the showers, pissed beyond all belief and ready to take the next heavy, blunt object to Homura's head the next chance he got, and now?

Well, the monk wasn't entirely calm or satisfied. Sanzo hadn't had the irritation erased or anything. He felt somewhat drained, though. That talk in the Sun Room hadn't exactly distracted him off what happened in the showers but...

Talking with Goku about it - and anything somewhat related to sex (a matter Sanzo didn't want to even talk about) - and then watching the monkey thinking it over and reacting like he did was enough to make Sanzo cool down off that rage. Mostly because he'd been too stunned by the conversation to keep up that fury.

Coupled in with that little surprise about how the kid'd matured more than Sanzo thought was enough to make the monk feel just a little tired.

Still, he had a few more shifts to last through, then he could look at those files. At least the day was halfway through. There was also the matter of the potential cigarettes. It was only a short-term solution, but on that front, the priest was going to take anything at the moment.

Sanzo pushed at the food. It looked utterly foreign, but didn't smell too bad. Not like those "sloppy joes".

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.

[waiting for Gremio and Leon]

Although things hadn’t been as relaxing as the bathhouses from his world, Yuber couldn’t deny the fact that there was a certain amount of charm found in the showers. It was almost like a feeling of standing out in rain, but with the added bonus of being able to cleanse yourself. There hadn’t been much to say to Cloud after too long, and after coming to a little agreement between them both all he had left to do was to get into contact with Usopp and demand that his ally aid him in this quest.

He doubted that Usopp would have a problem with the request, but there was always the possibility that the other would be busy. This meant that he simply had to wait until his message had been replied to.

His hair was still a little damp from the previous shower, but he’d countered that by braiding the long tresses back to keep them out of the way. Not that there was much that they could get in the way in at the moment considering that there was no need for him to consume the food that humans needed to have. It was why Yuber had picked the table furthest away from the serving area. He had caught sight of the mess that was apparently meant to be food, but the smell alone had been too overpowering for the black knight to handle, and so he sought out the furthest possible distance in order to keep the stench to a minimum.

These moments set aside for food consumption were always a waste of time for the knight. The only positive side-effect of such a useless time would be the fact that he could observe the other patients around him, but even that could only entertain the knight for so long.

Order was simply far too boring, Yuber rationalised, and it left the knight wondering why anyone would ever want to considering living by such a stagnant code.

Sora had been busy gulping at his water to wash down the huge bites of spaghetti he had been taking (hey, he hadn't had much at breakfast!) when Luxord decided to head over. Now that he thought of it, maybe being one of the first people to a meal wasn't such a great thing, if he was open to be approached by people he didn't exactly want to talk to.

He didn't necessarily have anything against Luxord personally. The truth of the matter was that he didn't know the Nobody very well. But conversations with most of the Organization usually turned out awkward or uncomfortable.

Like this, for example. Why was he being called dear Sora? There was no way Luxord actually meant that. With a small sigh, the boy set down his glass of water and wiped the residue of it from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I've been fine," he said quietly, unsure of where this dialogue was going. "How about you?"

Hiei stormed into the room, the anger radiating off of him almost palpable. His discussion with Kurama had gone poorly at best, though to say it was a total disaster would be closer to the truth. Hiei, of course, was busy convincing himself that he didn't care, that the fox--oh, correction, the human--could do whatever the hell he wanted, so long as it didn't involve the demon.

Hiei barely glanced at his food, though one worker gave the boy an odd look when he put all of the topping available onto his pasta.

Unfortunately, the worker didn't know how much of a victim the poor spaghetti would become. Hiei took a seat, and immediately began taking out his anger on his food. It was ineffective in the end, as Hiei didn't feel better, and the meal didn't really mush enough to become anything disturbing--but he still went at it, knife stabbing repeatedly into the dish.

[OOC: Waiting for Gin!]

Homura was rather pleased with himself after his shower, not only enjoying the benefits of being clean, but having gained an ally and a goal for tonight. It would be better to gather metal with a partner, and Hijikata certainly seemed the type of person it would be a delight to work with.

The mortal's food was interesting as always, and Homura helped himself to a large portion of the stuff before taking a seat. The cafeteria wasn't quite full yet, and the demi-god took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a bit of peace before whatever came next.

"As well as one could imagine, all circumstances taken into account," the Nobody replied coolly, not seeming inclined to take a seat near the boy. Instead, he examined his glass, turning it this way and that, inspecting the colors of light reflected from the water inside.

Hm.

After a moment, the blond turned his attention back to the boy, offering another smile. "And of those little friends of yours?"

[OOC: Waiting for Hisoka (and others involved with Hisoka, I think?)]

The shower had revealed little, save for some clean skin under a variety of filth gathered during his days here. At least Tatsumi was clean now, and freshly dressed...though the uniform still felt nothing like his ~~discounted~~ ~~cheap~~ ~~used~~ discounted suits back at home.

The spaghetti was similar to dishes Tatsumi had seen before (and thankfully enjoyed), and it wasn't long before the secretary found himself at a table eating. He hadn't forgotten the message left for him on the bulletin, however, and the man frequently looked up, each time wondering who might have written the note. More importantly, what did they want?

Tatsumi could only hope it was something more productive than his note to the alchemists...which had been utterly ignored.

Sora paused, as a fork full of pasta had been halfway to his mouth when Luxord asked that question. It was almost as if he knew, but there was no way that could be. Kairi had only told him and Riku about what had happened, so Luxord must have been asking for no particular reason.

"They're fine, too," he said before finishing that bite of his food. As he was chewing, though, something occurred to him. Unfortunately, Sora didn't have the best manners, so he ended up speaking with his mouth full. "You're with Naminé a lot, right? How's she been?" That last time he had seen her was to tell her that the replica was back - he had to wonder if she had found him.

Ugh. Luxord visibly cringed at the boy's obvious lack of manners, opting to look off in another direction than witness such a revolting display. "I am unsure, currently," he answered as calmly as he could despite his disgust. "The replica had made statements evident of distress, but I've not spoken with the girl of late."

It was almost as if the brat was hiding something. Luxord narrowed his eyes slightly, casting him a look of annoyance. "Do you think there is reason for concern?"

When Luxord averted his gaze, Sora realized what he had done wrong and quickly swallowed his food. His mother had always scolded him for that sort of thing, but he had fallen into the bad habit after being away from home for so long.

It sounded like Naminé had found the replica. That was good to hear. Sora wasn't even certain why he felt that way. He didn't know much about the replica other than what he had heard and the little interaction he'd had with him in the institute (not he would remember that now, since he'd been "recycled"), but it had seemed like those two were close to each other.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," he quickly clarified. "I just haven't gotten the chance to talk to her in a while. It's good to hear that she met her friend, though." They were friends, right? He hoped he wasn't assuming too much.

"Yes. Her friend," Luxord scoffed out, much like a mother who did not approve of their daughter's choice in dates, arms crossed over his chest to complete the image. Insolent replica, all over his… Ugh.

In any case, the Gambler finally took to a seat, though not directly across. It was almost as if the Nobody trusted Sora as much as Sora did him, Luxord not very willing to stay in close proximity. The boy did mutilate him and his kind horribly after all, just or no. The reminder only made him glare despite the smile on his face.

"You seem as though you've become acquainted with quite a few lingering faces in this abysmal den, dear boy. I wonder; will they truly be reliable in your wish for freedom?"

The shower had been, at the very least, been quite refreshing. Though the princess had grown used to tromping about in muck and filth after fleeing the palace, the very spirit of this institution made her feel unclean. It was as though the air itself reeked with something horrid.

Her escort, the nurse, took great pains to be as pleasant and as chatty as possible, but Ashe would have none of it; the woman received curt, borderline rude replies to her questions regarding "Amelia's" mood and stay thus far. When she was thankfully left alone, or least out of the insufferable woman's company, the young woman took her place in line and took only a salad and side of bread with her usual water. Breakfast had confirmed that the food was not poisoned, but truthfully Ashe hadn't expected it to be; if they'd meant to have her head by now, she imagined they would have taken it.

Tray in hand, the princess chose a seat at a relatively empty table in the center of the room, hoping to make herself easy to spot for the young man who seemed in on her little secret. It was hard to hide a noble air, but Ashe was still somewhat taken aback that anyone could possibly know that she was alive. Uncle Halim- No, the Marquis Ondore had made it quite clear that Ashelia had taken her life. Sitting in wait, she found it hard to eat even a bite of the small portions she'd taken for herself.

[OOC: Waiting for River]

Daemon dressed and followed his nurse back down the hall to the cafeteria once more without a word. His expression was a deep frown, both from displeasure at what he had witnessed in this place so far and the troubling thoughts now crcling about Renji.

He was still keeping a mental tab on the other man, although the effort was tiring him, and his steps dragged slightly as he automatically moved along with his tray, filling his plate with food, his manner absent. He knew Renji couldn't tell him what was wrong - though from the emotions emanating from that psychic thread, Daemon could tell Renji was dealing with his own inner demons - but at least if whatever Renji was afraid of actually happened, Daemon would know and... find out a way to do something, though at the moment he didn't know what that was.

His plate full, he found a quiet table and sank down in his chair gratefully. Picking absently at the food on his plate, Daemon stared down at it unseeingly as his mind churned with a myriad of thoughts and worries.

Naoe came into the room and after gathering a basic meal for himself went straight to the man that he hoped as the one described on the board. He placed down his meal and then took the pack out of his pocket carefully, as to not attract the attention of the nurses. He was running out quickly, and if he kept up the habit of giving them away he would run out sooner, but that didn't stop him from wanting to lend a helping hand. That and, despite how small the favor, it did mean he could at least potentionally form an alliance with whoever this man was.

He put the small box on the table in front of Sanzo, though at an angle where his body hid it from the nearest nurse. "I have matches as well. They let you smoke if you are outside," he added. Despite the fact that smoking was allowed, he wasn't sure jut giving away cigarettes was allowed and he didn't want them taken away. He was also sure they wouldn't have liked the idea of him carrying around matches.

And just like that the pretty playthings were taken away, and the children were herded back to the pastures to graze. This time the grass would taste like pasta, and they would forget that they were eating grass at all. Heaven above forbid the pesticides seep into the water supply, or the streams would become tainted too.

River stepped into the new world, smiling and humming a tune that was all her own. A suspiciously good mood, but then there were people to see to, and oh! Father was back. The girl grinned in that strange way of hers, waving vigorously from the line. Perhaps he would come to meet the new blood, Blood perhaps with a capital B as it were.

When the girl received her portions, she made a face; spaghetti always looked like worms, and she entertained the idea of finding Simon and rubbing her lunch in his hair. If it wouldn't put her on the list and in the world slowed down in the motion of everything. Hostile actions with spaghetti. It could be considered a dangerous weapon in war.

And, no, Father wouldn't appreciate it much either if he was the selected victim.

With a small portion of pasta, no sauce as she liked her worms plain with a bit of butter and cheese, River selected the spot where the tall, dark stranger with eyes like the sun sat and took her seat beside him, her bright smile a direct contrast from the mess she'd been the night before. Apparently, gazing at the exploding stars with that boy in the game room had put her in a decent enough mood, moon-brain that she was regardless.

"There's a web of worry in you brains. All twisted up. Too much to think about all at once," she offered in greeting. Then, with a smile on her face and in her voice, "You'll overload your brains that way, and then they'll cease to function properly. Brains can only multitask too much before the processes cease to process."

Communal showers were something Kougaiji couldn't say he would get used to. Never before had he had the opportunity to get acquainted with them and he did not wish for another round after this initial touch down. No, he'd rather keep his naked-- uh, private things to himself, thank you.

As the intercom called on the lunch, Kougaiji had fortunately gotten rid of the resilient blush that had plastered itself on his cheeks at the showers. Wearing new patch of clothes (still the ridiculous gray), and the few bandages he wore changed into new ones as well, he was not quite hungry yet but ready to see what this facility had to offer for the rest of the daylight hours.

The cafeteria felt already crowded, tables filling with people left and right. He could not see either Kikyo or John anywhere and while he marched towards the serving counter in the line of patients, he let his gaze travel over the masses of people, faceless to him, as he did not know any of them. Or almost so.

Was that Goku? The same brown hair and innocent face and yet he seemed oddly unfamiliar in this gray getup. And it sounded odd to think Goku would have stayed in this place by either choice or by force. But then again, even Kougaiji couldn't miss the golden headband.

He stepped out of the line and headed straight to the table where Goku was sitting, pausing his steps beside it, ~~clawless~~ fingers curling around the back of a chair.

"Why are you here too?" His question probably told more than a ten minutes conversation about the extend of his knowledge about this place, but he couldn't help that, could he?

Elfangor felt almost cheerful as he walked into the room. The smell of food was overpowering and it was food he had eaten before. He gathered as much as he could and went to sit at a table. He looked around before eating.

He knew he really should start working on finding out more information about this place and the going-ons of the 'patients' but there was food and his mouth was watering just thinking about eating it.

He supposed he could always wait until after lunch.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 54

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject