Day 27: Lunch

[norainu]

Renji wasn't so certain what this grilled cheese thing was all about, but he liked the sound of some soup. Even if it was strange western soup, well... there wasn't anything bad people could do to soup, in his experience. His good mood was starting to fray at the edges, a little, from the strain of dealing with the Ichimaru issue, and even more from what had been on the bulletin board earlier.

He'd never had difficulty simply writing something before. But...

He shook his head as he entered the line. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to hold on to the tenuous equilibrium he'd managed to find.

Renji got himself a large bowl of soup, water, and even one of those sandwiches, just to try it. Old habit, recently awakened, had him over to one side of the cafeteria, where the fewest people possible would have the chance to pass behind him. He sat there with his back toward the wall and started eating.

Comments

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

Ah, lunch. Mousse had been anticipating it, to some extent, ever since Byakko mentioned it. He was curious as to the nature of the meals and their quality, even with the assurance that they were of decent quality. He glared at his nurse as she led him into and explained the procedure, feeling quite annoyed that she was somehow involved with holding him cative and there was really nothing he could do to escape.

At the moment, anyhow.

Sandwiches weren't really his thing, so he instead took a bowl of soup and a glass of water. He'd start out small and if he found the food to his liking, he could always go back and get a second helping. Meandering around the tables, he took a seat at an empty table and wondered what the NEXT shift would bring.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark found himself worrying a lot more than usual. What had happened on that bulletin board? He knew what he saw, but he still didn't know what to make of it. Someone out there knew his whole secret and had just bragged about it on there like it didn't even matter. Was it Artemis? He didn't think so, but he couldn't be sure; it wasn't like he really knew much about the kid other than that he was smart. That didn't necessarily equal trustworthy.

The teenager didn't even register his nurse putting the helpings of grilled cheese sandwich and french fries on his plate: he actually liked both, but they didn't taste like anything when he was this worried. Somehow he had to find out why that message was posted and how that person knew what they did - and, after getting out of here, warning his parents. They had to know about this. Maybe he'd been keeping secrets that he shouldn't have; this wasn't one of them. They had to know.

Looking up, Clark finally noticed that another "patient" was sitting across from him...and that he had the longest hair that Clark had seen on a guy. Is this the guy on the bulletin board? Clark couldn't help wondering suspiciously. It could be anyone.

No way to find out but to actually talk to the other boy.

"Hey," Clark said. "Are you new too?"

That seemed safe enough to ask.

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

Mousse turned to whom he assumed was addressing him and nodded. "Yes, I'm new here. My name is Mousse. And you are?"

It was a pity he wasn't wearing his glasses; perhaps then he would have actually been looking at Clark.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark hesitated for a moment until it dawned on him that Mousse heard him - but didn't actually seem to see him. Was he seriously that blind? Mousse had his head turned in his general direction (sorta), but he didn't even appear to be looking at him.

"I'm Clark," Clark said. "But I'm over here."

How come he didn't have his glasses? Clark couldn't say he knew what it was like to have bad eyesight, but he couldn't imagine anyone being so blind as to actually not get a general idea of where you were, even if it was all blurs.

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

Mousse turned slightly red at the comment. "Oh."

Sliding his glasses out, he looked at Clark, got a general feel for his appearence and location, and slid the glasses back to their hiding spot. "I've just woken up here today. This is a very strange situation, I have to say."

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark tried to offer up an encouraging smile. He knew what it felt like to wake up here, and have no idea how or why, at least not at first. Mousse seemed to be taking it better than he had, though, and Clark decided that while he might be practically blind without his glasses (why didn't he just leave them on all the time?), at least he didn't look like he was freaking out. Maybe if anyone needed encouraging, it was less Mousse than Clark.

"So I'm guessing you woke here, and you've got no idea how you got either?" Clark asked, venturing a guess. He wasn't exactly sure what he could do to help Mousse here, but maybe finding out if there was anything in common would solve that problem.

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

"I was thinking," the Amazon admitted, "that perhaps I was put here to be kept out of the way of a wedding, but I'm pretty sure that's not it. Do you know any way out of here?"

Probably not, since Clark was talking to him and not long gone, but it never hurt to ask.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

A wedding? Must be some wedding, Clark couldn't help thinking, that Mousse thought he'd have to be restrained from attending. And anyway, wasn't he too young to be that involved? Clark couldn't imagine him being anything other than the best man or something, but it was possible he was talking about being a groom, even if he was as young as Clark was.

"I just woke up the other day here myself," Clark said. He still didn't know how he got here, or what they knew about him and his family. He was half-afraid to find out. "This place looks like a hospital, but I don't think it's a normal one."

Okay, so he hadn't actually seen any of the monsters people said roamed the halls, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything out there. He'd felt something weird last night, as had the others with him.

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

There was the hospital references again. "No, it certainly isn't. Though I am confused by the...patients." He thought back to Riddick. Though they hadn't fought long, it was obvious he had some experience with fighting. Maybe they were abducting martial artists? It was a theory.

"Do you know any martial arts?" He ventured. If that was the case, perhaps his purpose for being there wasn't so cryptic.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark shook his head. "Nope."

Okay, that wasn't entirely true. Technically he knew how to fight, but a lot of it relied on his powers than any actual know-how that he'd been taught. Everything he knew, he'd ended up picking up on his own and improvising. But he was supposed to look and act as normal as they came and he couldn't just go around saying he knew how to fight without having to explain himself. The sudden question from Mousse got him thinking though. Was Mousse a martial artist? Clark couldn't imagine him being much use without his glasses, if he couldn't even seem someone not even five feet away...

[myopic-mousse.livejournal.com]

There went that theory. He put mused over what to say next. "Do you have any idea why we're here? I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to imprison me."

Short of Cologne and Shampoo, but they weren't to blame here.