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

[adharma.livejournal.com]

"...you can sit down if you want to," Mukuro nodded his head at the space around him. How rare was it that someone was actually, and honestly, interested in another's well being? Humans were, as a species, selfish and cruel. It was just how they were.

"You could say I'm confused, I am quite sure that my name is not Hitsuji Masato and this is not where I was last night. More unsettling than that, however, is that something just ... isn't right," he was not about to delve into the significance of the six realms, nor of his own ability to tap into them. Mukuro nodded, almost distractedly.

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

At the invitation, Peter didn't hesitate. He really wanted to start in on his grilled cheese sandwich, but he figured it would be best to wait until he had spoken with the stranger for a bit longer.

As for the name thing, Peter had to consider that. Eddie had also mentioned something about being called a different name here, and it seemed that this kid was in the same predicament. He didn't know why he was called by his own name when they weren't, but he could at least inform him of the trend. "As far as I can tell, a lot of people get called by other names here. This place is supposedly a mental hospital, so we're all apparently crazy, but... that's not really true, for the most part." He still wasn't sure about that King Arthur girl, but he wasn't going to bring that up now.

[adharma.livejournal.com]

What a friendly guy, Mukuro mused. Helpful and not overly suspicious. Typical in some ways, but he hadn't talked with him enough to make another judgment. The initial one seemed positive enough -- though he also was quite aware that all humans ended up making the same dark mistakes.

"...a mental hospital? That's quite interesting and I would assume wrong, though if all the crazy people who said they were sane weren't at all insane..." he trailed off. The other would probably profess his own sanity and while Mukuro was quite sure he was who he said he was he would be far less eager to claim 'sanity'.

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

All in all, the boy wasn't responding quite the way Peter had expected. Wouldn't most kids be a little freaked out to have woken up in a place like this? He was a little more used to strange situations, but for a normal teenager...

Then again, who said he was normal? Eddie had told him that most people had powers here, and this kid could easily fall into that category, for all he knew. Though he had been so busy thinking that over that he hadn't been completely following what the boy was saying. "What do you mean, exactly?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

[adharma.livejournal.com]

"...simply that if all crazy people who professed their sanity weren't really insane then no one would be crazy, would they?" Mukuro smiled a bit at that. Insanity was such a hard thing to define, but the institute was certainly troublesome. This place was telling them they were not who they were and that was the source of their insanity? How droll.

He leaned back in his chair a little before shrugging. "Then again, it makes it sound like I'm accusing you of insanity, doesn't it? That's hardly my intention."

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

The kid certainly had a point. Just because someone said they weren't crazy didn't mean it was true, but Peter could be certain that he was sane. That wasn't something that was easy to admit when you wore tights and went swinging around New York fighting crime, but he had come to terms with his role as Spider-man by now.

"It's all right. No offense or anything. To be honest, I did meet a few people here who seemed off, but I've also met some... people I know, and I know they aren't crazy." Peter shrugged. Whatever he said, the boy was going to think what he wanted.

[adharma.livejournal.com]

People he knew, that added to it. Mukuro turned over the number of people he would prefer to see and found the list quite short. Of course, those were the same people he would much prefer to not see anywhere near a place like a prison. "...people you know? So you didn't find yourself alone here?"

He put on a much more pleasant face, abandoning any hints of scheming for the moment. It wouldn't do to me so cautious and distanced, not when people expected a certain normative set of behaviors. Those, Mukuro knew well.

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

"Well, at first I thought I was, but after I while I met some people I... know." The situation with Logan was a little different, and even his and Eddie's facts didn't all line up, but it was close enough for him. In a way, it might have been easier if he hadn't known anyone, but having familiar faces around poked holes in a lot of theories he might have developed otherwise.

With the questions this kid had been asking him, it would probably be best to clue him in a little more -- otherwise, it might be dangerous for him. Though there was something else they needed to get out of the way first. "I'm Peter Parker, by the way," he mentioned, extending his hand to the teen.

[adharma.livejournal.com]

The tone said something else, there at the end, with the hesitation. Mukuro simply smiled and nodded however. It was best if people thought you were taking them at face value, they hid less and felt more at ease. Peter Parker, an American? Interesting, perhaps he was further from Italy than he thought.

"Mukuro Rokudou," he took the other's hand and shook it. "Are you American?" There was the possibility of him not being American, English maybe, not that it was entirely relevant to their situation, but it would be nice to know.

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

That was quite the name. Was this guy Japanese, like Ken had been? He almost asked, but Mukuro beat him to it. "Yeah," he said, not seeming to feel either way about being an American. He didn't have a particular amount of pride in it, but he didn't hate the fact, either. "I'm from New York."

Just as he was about to try for his question again, the intercom went off. Though for once, the announcement was longer, and actually something of interest. They would be going into town tomorrow? And the Head Doctor himself would be making an appearance? He glanced over at Mukuro. "Next shift, make sure to find out about what happens at night here," he told him as he stood to leave, hoping he would take the advice.