damned_institute | Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

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[waiting for Rinali]

It had been both difficult and something of a relief to part from Hokuto and come downstairs to the cafeteria--it was wonderful to see her again and Subaru had missed the closeness between them more than he could say, but she did tend to ask the hard questions.

Subaru was dismayed, though to find that so many of the food options offered were heavy on meat, were unfamiliar to him, or just looked downright unappetising. He eventually settled on some fresh fruit and a bit of salad, as well as a good helping of rice, with water to drink, then found himself somewhere quiet to sit.

Rinali entered the cafeteria, feeling better now that she'd had the opportunity to pray a little. For being a member of the church, she didn't pray all that often, but when she did it did help give her perspective. That or talking to her newly found friend. Overall it was very nice meeting these new people from all over the place. A few on the boards had been particularly rude, but she couldn't entirely fault them for that. They were from a different time, with obviously different sentiments. Talking about sex just wasn't proper, but apparently that was less of an issue in the future.

Still, it made her feel a little uncomfortable. She'd try to avoid those people if she could discern who they were.

Unlike Allen, she was seldom ravenously hungry, so she gave herself a few pancakes and a side of fresh fruit. Maybe a bowl of rice, too. And a salad. And a couple of waffles. Ok, maybe she was a little hungrier than she had expected.

She took a seat next to someone she hadn't met before, but who seemed to be relatively alone at the moment. She didn't like disturbing anyone, but the tables were filling up quickly, and it didn't hurt to make new friends.

"Hi," she said politely and with a smile while remaining standing. "I'm Rinali Li. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Eh?" Subaru was a little surprised when the young woman sat down next to him, but his natural politeness kicked in in no time, and he managed a pale sort of smile. "Oh, no, of course, please go ahead. Sumeragi Subaru desu." He made a very slight little bow in his seat, then looked back to his plate.

He'd hardly touched anything, despite the fact it all seemed reasonably good. His appetite was never very good and it only tended to get worse when he wasn't feeling well, even though he knew that was when he most needed to eat. Hokuto-chan had always tried to get enough food into him, before, but he wasn't sure he could handle seeing that worried look in her eyes again just yet--it had been bad enough in the chapel, when they were just talking. So, he continued to pick at the rice with a blunt, rounded sort of fork thing that felt very awkward in his hand. He really wanted a pair of chopsticks.

Or sleep. Subaru could definitely use more sleep. But he'd slept an entire day and night away already, he needed to make up for that lost time, get a better feel for this place. Last night certainly hadn't been helpful--he'd seen very little of the building, and his memories of even that much were hazy from the blood loss. He still felt a bit fuzzy from the blood loss, for that matter. He probably looked as white as the rice in his bowl.

She smiled politely and took a seat across from him. Still, something seemed off about her brunchtime companion. For one, he didn't seem to understand exactly how to use the amalgamated fork-spoon (she'd seen a few before, but never knew the term for them). He also didn't seem particularly healthy. It could have just been his natural complexion, but people didn't normally look like that.

Her smile was replaced with a visage of concern. "I don't mean to pry, but is everything alright?"

"Oh, I'm just a bit tired. It was a long night." Subaru smiled at the young woman, trying to perk up a bit. If even strangers were concerned about him just from looking at him, he must really look terrible! He forced himself to eat a little more rice, hoping that having a little food in his stomach would wake him up enough for his appetite to return.

Rinali nodded solemnly at that. "It was. This was only my second night here, but it seems like it took everyone but surprise." She didn't need to mention what it was that had taken them by surprise...at least she didn't think so. No one expected them to be stuck on the busses come nightfall.

"It was my first night." Well, the first night Subaru had been awake for, anyway, but he didn't want to get into how he had passed out on his first day here and spent the next thirty hours or so out cold. "What is it usually like?" Hokuto had told him some things, but his memories of that first day were on the hazy side.

"It's the same, just you start in your rooms and the doors unlock. There's more time to prepare." She didn't like talking as if she were an expert on the matter. She'd only been here a single day longer, but she at least had Allen to give her some details of what went on. "You're not planning on roaming the halls alone tonight, are you? It's very dangerous for people travelling on their own."

"A little time to prepare would make a big difference for me, I think." He'd have time to make some fuda, maybe do a partial ritual purification--hopefully that would make what was left of his power accessible again.

Subaru smiled faintly at the warning not to go out alone. "Don't worry about me, I'm quite a bit stronger than I look." Or more to the point, he had some magic.

Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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