damned_institute | Day 27: Breakfast

Entry tags:

Day 27: Breakfast

Day came too soon.

Sora hadn't been able to find Rena, had instead been forced to crumple onto the grass of the recreational field and bleed all over himself, and hadn't even accomplished what he'd been sent out to do. What he'd been entrusted to do. He didn't know how he was going to be able to face Renji and the others, but he also knew he wasn't going to hide from them, either. That would just be low, after all, and he was ready to face up to the consequences.

He didn't try to make excuses for himself. Even though there had been a Special Counseling patient, they had managed to take her down by sheer numbers. The fact that he hadn't seen any sign of Rena was what had him the most worried. He hoped he could find her today.

The boy laid in his bed for a good while that morning before his nurse finally came in to collect him. She clucked over the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and leg, and asked him if he was okay to walk.

Once Sora assured her he was fine (he didn't really want to use crutches, as that would just attract attention to himself, and he didn't need others worrying over him), they made their way to the cafeteria. Sora yawned and winced against the bright light of morning - it seemed even earlier than usual, and he realized why when they entered the cafeteria and found it empty.

The boy shuffled over to grab a chocolate chip pancake, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk (good for the bones, or so his mom had always told him) before settling at a table. He kept an eye on the door, hoping he would see Rena walking in soon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

MOMO awoke with a gasp, clutching tightly to the sheets. A dream... yes, that's all it was. She had fallen asleep as soon as she was lead back to her room for dinner, and she had slept through the nightshift. It was just a very, very horrible nightmare, and--

"Oww..!" The intense throbbing in her head interrupted her thoughts, causing her to press a hand to her forehead. It was just a coincidence... right? Yes, yes, of course it was! She was just worrying too much over a dream. Nothing had happened after dinner. She hadn't been woken up at all. She had slept through the night, and--

Again, her thoughts were cut short; this time as she drew in a sharp breath as an aching pain shot through her once she managed to sit up. That was only because... It wasn't... The realian's eyes widened. She couldn't think of an excuse, and there was no reason for her to be that sore! Unless... Had that really happened? Had she really attacked those people..? By all accounts she had, but she wanted to hold onto that last bit of hope even as she closed her eyes and felt underneath the collar of her shirt.

That hope, however, was shattered once she discovered a bandage covering the area where the scalpel had cut into her.

She was so absorbed in trying to figure out a reasonable explantion for the injury (though it was much too clear what had really happened) that she didn't even hear her nurse enter the room. Only when the woman laid a hand on her shoulder (effectively causing the pink-haired girl to jump and let out a startled cry) did she realize that. The nurse quickly gestured for her to be quiet, motioning to her still sleeping roommate in the process, before helping the younger-looking girl out into the hallway.

The trek to the cafeteria was silent for the most part. The nurse asked a few times if she was feeling all right, and though it wasn't the least bit true, MOMO had managed a slight nod each time. Though the woman frowned, she let the conversation drop until they reached the doors to the cafeteria. There, she turned to the girl and said, "Now, you be sure to eat a good breakfast, okay?"

Again, the Prototype merely nodded, despite knowing full well that she wasn't going to eat anything. Once the nurse had gone off to see to other patients, she took a quick look around the room. It didn't take her long to spot one of the people she had... seen during the night but she immediately ducked her head and retreated to a table near the back of the room.

She wanted to go home. Now more then ever. But that, unfortunately, wasn't an option, so MOMO merely laid her head on the table and closed her eyes.

Citan woke up in his bed. It was quite a marvelous thing, as he hadn't been certain he'd be waking up at all. He was still in worlds of pain, but he could tell already he was properly stitched and bandaged and put to rights.

Wonderful.

Even better, when his nurse came to wake him, she brought him a wheeled chair and helped him into it. He wouldn't even have to worry about pulling open his abdomen by walking. His nurse chattered on, got him a tray full of food - he couldn't hurt himself after his nasty fall yesterday - and offered to wheel him where-ever he'd like.

Fall. Of course. He didn't argue with the nurse's lie, simply accepted it and chattered back as mindlessly.

He saw the young girl from the other night, one of the ones who had mistaken him for 'Jin'. She looked a bit miserable, if Citan was any judge.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, wheeling up with his usual pleasant expression and absent-minded tone.

As someone spoke to her, MOMO looked up. She was momentarily startled, until she realized this was Citan, not Jin.

The realian hesitated for a long moment, before slowly shaking her head. "I... I did something horrible last night," she said quietly, looking away from his face. She still wanted to believe that it hadn't really happened, despite all the signs pointing to the contrary. Not to mention, the memory recorded in her database was more than enough proof...

She wasn't certain if she wanted to elaborate or not, but as she looked back to Citan she took notice of the wheelchair he was seated in. Despite her own problems, it was in her nature to put others first, and her expression shifted into a more worried look. "Wh- what happened to you? Are you okay?"

"You were hypnotized by the institute?" Citan asked, gently. "My roommate was telling me about that yesterday and I encountered another fellow prisoner who had suffered the same fate." He gestured to himself, indicating his wounds.

"That's how I found myself injured. Oh, I'm perfectly alright! A pair of kind young people got me someplace safe and patched me up as best they could." He smiled brightly. He'd be fine, and it was rather nice to be able to sit back and be waited on by the nurses. They were a friendly lot, after all.

"Now don't trouble yourself, young one. I'm sure whatever you did last night you didn't mean to do it."

"Y-yeah..." MOMO nodded shortly, before lowering her gaze once more. "Special Counseling is what it's called, I think... Tifa told me about it when I first arrived here." But still. Simply hearing about it (and seeing another patient in the same situation since she had seen Junior that same night), did little to prepare one for it.

At the very least, she was glad to hear him assure that he was alright. If her own bandages were any indication, the institute did a good job of treating everyone's wounds in the time between nights end and waking up in bed. While certainly puzzling, that was at least something to be grateful for.

Looking up again, the pink-haired Prototype managed a very small smile at his reassurance. "Thank you." If only it was that easy. "I just hope the people I met are all right."

"That being the case, you've nothing to blame yourself for. That manner of conditioning is impossible to fight. Not one of us would be able to fight it. It's only a trick of the enemy to turn us against one another." Citan offered her another reassuring smile.

"I'm sure they are. Now, let us talk of more pleasant things, hmm? There's no need to let the darkness of night carry on into breakfast. And certainly not when we've such a delectable spread as this before us!"

Ami woke up groggily in her own bed with no memory of actually getting there. Just like the other night, she thought, flicking hair out of her still tired eyes. An ache in her arm caused her to examine her wound. It was completely bandaged, and no longer bleeding. Peeling back the bandaging slightly, Ami noticed the wound had been stitched up. So, it appears that someone in here does actually look after people who are injured during nightshift, she mused as she rose. Just in time too because the too-cheery nurse had arrived to take her to breakfast. Schooling her face into a bland smile, Ami followed the nurse through to the cafeteria.

Scanning the area, Ami spotted the girl who had attacked them the night before. Ami shyly made her way over to the table, blushing and feeling awkward for interrupting the conversation already happening.

"Excuse me," she said timidly to the pair. "My name is Mizuno Ami." She turned slightly to face MOMO. "I just wanted to make sure you are okay," she said, concerned. "I'm not sure if you remembered what happened last night...but you did take a very severe blow to the head..." Ami trailed off, eyes scanning the girl's eyes. She appeared to be back to normal, but very distressed.

"Right... Yes, thank you." MOMO smiled once more, feeling more at ease then she had when first entering the cafeteria.

She couldn't help but laugh a little as he mentioned a change in topic. She was grateful for that, and despite there not being many pleasant things to discuss within the institute, she nodded.

Before she could say anything, however, another girl approached them. It didn't take long for the realian to recognize her as one of the people she had met during the night, either. Her fist instinct was to sink lower in her chair, but she determinedly remained as she was, though her hands were clutched tightly in her lap. Speaking with Citan had lifted her spirits a little, and she needed to remain strong now more than ever.

"I-I'm fine, thank you," MOMO replied, a little surprised that Ami would be worried over her well-being. She couldn't deny that it was strange, and a little frightening, to speak to her, but at least she seemed to be someone who understood the situation. "You really don't need to worry about me. Are you all right?"

Citan only continued to smile, and turned his attention to breakfast. Holding on to life last night had left him very drained. He'd let the girls speak, and perhaps gather information from listening to their conversation.

At least it seemed he'd been right, and people were understanding about the situation.

Ami could tell the girl was nervous when she started speaking, and gave her a shy, reassuring smile. She's probably nervous because she remembers everything that happened overnight, Ami thought to herself, her heart filling with sympathy for MOMO. "I'm glad you are okay today. I'm fine, just a little weary after everything that happened." No need to make her feel worse by going into an injury analysis.

Quickly scanning the cafeteria and spotting a number of people from last night's battle, Ami turned back to MOMO and said, "Don't worry about what happened last night. Most of us understand that you had no control over what was happening, and though a couple people took some serious hits, you didn't kill anyone." Ami's smile was understanding. "Believe it or not, I've been in the same situation, just not in here."

MOMO couldn't help but smile slightly once Ami assured that she was all right. She didn't think she had hurt any of the females too badly (according to her memory, it had been two of the males who took the worst hits-- though it was possible she missed something since it had been difficult to keep track of everyone), but it was still nice to be assured.

"Right... I'm extrememly thankful for that." For both having them understand the situation, and for not having killed anyone... If the latter had happened... she didn't even want to think about that.

Ami's last statement caught her attention, and MOMO canted her head slightly. "You have?"

Ami visibly relaxed, glad that she had been able to reassure MOMO to some extent and hoped the girl wouldn't have too many nightmares about the previous night.

Ami was expecting MOMO's question and nodded an affirmation. "Yes. About a year or so ago I was brainwashed by a monster into believing my best friends had turned against me and I attacked them." Ami's eyes took on a slightly blank look as she became lost in her memories of that particular incident, still inwardly wincing at the abuse she believed her friends had hurled at her.

Realising she had paused, Ami blushed profusely and continued. "S..sorry. Um, anyway, in the end the only way I was able to break free of the control over me was because I believed in my friends and knew they would not have turned against me." Ami smiled as she thought about how amazing her friends were. "I still feel awful about attacking them, even now after all this time. But they forgave me for it, even though I find it hard to forgive myself."

Ami smiled sincerely at MOMO. "So I really do understand what you must be going through right now."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 27: Breakfast

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject