damned_institute | Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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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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"Okay, you weren't in control of how you were thinking; it's close enough. That's why they call it 'brainwashing.' You weren't acting the way you really want to, when you're in your right mind." Usopp tried the fishstick. It didn't taste anything like fish, but it wasn't so bad either.

He was bruised, but nothing so badly that he'd woken up bandaged, just a few marks here and there which he knew would vanish quickly. Still, Sai's question was odd. "Don't you remember? I'm not hurt badly, just some bruises. Uh--do you know what happened to Luffy after?" Luffy's bleeding was the only thing that really worried Usopp, since Sai had come through uninjured and the others had just been knocked out same as Usopp. If that had gone unchecked too long before the night ended...

"That's good," a little of Sai's smile returned at the reassurance. "I just wanted to make sure." He hadn't thought he's wounded the man too badly, and he didn't really understand the need to check further, but he had anyway. He didn't regret it now. "Yes, I do remember."

As far as Luffy went, Sai wasn't as sure. "Night ended," he answered simply. "If it was like every other night before he should be well bandaged by now. I didn't hit anything vital. With the bleeding stopped the injury wouldn't be critical at all."

"Okay, great." That was the last major worry, and Usopp let out an audible sigh, before grinning a bit more sincerely and eating some more. "So everything turned out all right, that's good." Sai remembered what happened but asked after him. The other man was worried despite his own better knowledge. Definitely not a heartless guy.

Which reminded him of the other issue again. What had been said last night. Had it all gone in one ear and out the other, cleaned away with the brainwashing? Would it make any difference? Sai sometimes reminded him of Chopper and sometimes of Robin... but mostly of Chopper. He wanted friends, he just didn't know how to make them or what to do with them when he had them. A kind of weird innocence.

"So... what are you going to do now?" Usopp asked vaguely, still eating. "I guess we can still head upstairs to get more supplies tonight if you feel up to it. Nami can lead the others, she's our navigator, and the rest are all strong enough to take care of themselves. They don't really need me as a guide or anything." And he really didn't want to go into that place under the kitchen, if it were even there.

Sai blinked again. There was no reason for him not to feel up to it, so he wasn't sure why the pirate phrased it that way. If his friend wasn't angry with him then their plans could continue as usual. What was the point of doing otherwise? "If you would like me to accompany you upstairs, then I'm fine with that." He could make up for his unwitting betrayal the previous night in any case.

"If you see your friends before I do," he added, "tell them that I apologize for my actions." Though if Sai had stopped to think about it, he would have realized that their opinions really didn't mean all that much to him at all. They were friends only because Usopp was a friend. Otherwise he hardly knew them. Until they'd been properly introduced he couldn't even think much of them.

"Yeah, definitely, there's that janitor's closet. And we have to re-arm me, right? Maybe we can finish the slingshot first." Usopp grinned winningly, feeling more secure even if Sai wasn't addressing what had been said the previous night. There was time to work on stuff like that.

"I'll tell them, but I don't think they'll be mad." Usopp added, admitting, "I don't think most of them will care, since they don't know you... and I think something like that happened to Luffy, so he already knows it wasn't your fault." There was a skip in the logic there. Do you want to be the kind of man who is controlled by others? But Sai's freedom last night was more impaired than out here. Here maybe he was freer than back home, if in his leaf ninja village they were controlling his emotions so closely. Sai was taking baby steps to coming out of his emotional shell, but he was taking them, and suddenly Usopp wondered what would happen if he returned home as a healthy, well-adjusted, emotional individual.

He should come home with us, Usopp thought, feeling a bit sad. That was what their crew was, right? A bunch of lone wolves, desperate people and outsiders all bonded together... People who needed to be part of the crew.

It had to be that way, the crew taking in those who needed the family it provided, because if it were the crew taking in people it needed, he had the uncomfortable feeling he'd be overboard in a few seconds. This isn't the time to think about stuff like that. Sai's power, on the other hand...

Sai gave a short nod. "Yes, we'll finish the slingshot. That's important." Especially if Usopp was the ranged type. He couldn't just go around swinging his bag at everyone. It wasn't overly effective. "What do you have that we could use for the band?" He wasn't sure if there were many materials elastic enough in this place to work well.

Usopp's crew was an interesting one, if they were all just as forgiving as the sniper was when it came to being attacked by friends. Granted, there was good reasoning if Luffy had undergone the same experience. He couldn't help but wonder for a moment what that boy would be like with all his abilities returned. He hadn't seemed particularly dangerous as it was. "Thank you," he said simply. Even if they'd forgive him, it would be improper for him not to offer the apology to begin with.

It was strange, being in this place - and not just because of the obvious. Naruto and Sakura were very emotional ninja, but they were still ninja. There was still a mission to be done and some respect for the rules of the shinobi. Here, he was among such different people and not just random civilians. It was, admittedly, a difficult adjustment.

"Underpants!" Usopp grinned, raising a finger in the air. He was proud of his own ingenuity on this point. "My first trial slingshot used the elastic bands from the underpants too, but this one will be a lot better--sturdier. The elastic won't be quite stretchy enough to be perfect but we can look for an alternative later, this'll do for now. It'll give me some range so I don't have to run head-first into things all the time." Not that it didn't always seem to come down to that at home anyhow. "We'll find something heavy for me, too... since I don't think Yuber'll be able to deliver return frying pans yet, not after last night."

He leaned back in his chair, growing enthused once again. It was as though last night hadn't happened at all for the moment. "What do you still have? Some garden trowels? We need to make sure we're armed right before we explore upstairs! Like you said, a group needs proper equipment."

If it had been anyone else sitting there with Usopp, they probably would have found this answer amusing - or at least allowed a raised eyebrow. Unfortunately, Sai lacked any sense of humor. He just nodded again, the answer making perfect sense to him. "That would work. Good thinking." It wouldn't be as strong as it could be, but it would work better than the corners of the bedsheets, which had been his first thought. They might also become too stretched out quickly and have to be replaced, but he didn't think that would be too much of an issue.

"I only have the trowels," he answered when Usopp asked about his equipment. He didn't point out that he could work better with those than most others could. "I may need to equip myself better as well, it's true."

Usopp himself only found it slightly amusing; the more important thing was that it would work, and he puffed up at bit at Sai's compliment. "Thanks, it took me a little while to think of it." In a way, he was grateful for Sai's stopping his attack so handily last night. It would have been a waste considering how little good it would have done, and now he still had some ammunition, even if it wasn't very powerful.

"We can try to find some more things for you, too, although you're really handy with those trowels." Usopp hadn't yet forgotten the first night he'd met Sai, armed with garden tools to face down the horrors of death slugs. "We'll probably be okay at least for the start of the night. And we can always run if anything seems too tough."

Strategic withdrawal was always an option, though Sai didn't believe Naruto would have gone for any such plan. That was one major difference between his new friend and his teammates. Of course he said that now, but if last night was anything to judge by, there were certain exceptions to this. The ninja wondered if, in the event that he went down, Usopp would run if told.

"I would look for ink," Sai muttered, "but I don't think it will do me much good. I've tried gathering chakra in this place and haven't had much success - excluding last night." He didn't even know how his abilities were being suppressed, or how they'd been returned.

"Yeah, nobody has any of their really special abilities here." Usopp sighed, leaning back. He'd finished his somewhat unhealthy brunch and was feeling a little over-full. Well, it was supposed to be two meals, right? "Or it's limited. Or something. It's too bad, though. How did you learn to do that?"

He looked over at Sai curiously. "And are other ninja able to do that? Or is that your specialty?"

"Many ninja develop variations of similar techniques," Sai answered, being purposefully vague even though he had no reason not to trust Usopp. "I happened to have an affinity for ninjutsu of that sort. It also helps to have a little artistic talent." He began eating his food (mostly rice) automatically, simply to have fuel to last him through the day.

"Ninja techniques are incredibly varied. Some are more elemental based, while some focus more on fooling the mind." Genjutsu specialists were actually less common, Sai not being one of them even though he could perform the basics.

"Huh. It sounds... really organized." Usopp leaned against the table next, fidgety despite himself. "Pirates just do whatever we're good at, I guess. It's a totally different thing; trained warriors who're all taught different disciplines and stuff versus guys who just come together and do their best." He thought surely Zoro must have had a teacher at one point, and Sanji was the protege of Red Leg Zeff, but what about Luffy's fighting, or even Nami with the staff? Usopp had taught himself what he knew, but the sense of aim he had was a gift of genetics... Robin he didn't even want to think about (specialty: assassination?!) and Chopper's skills were through his medicine. He'd never thought about what an odd mish-mash of abilities their crew included.

Oh, there was one issue they hadn't addressed. "You remember the box of medicines Yuber brought in the other night? I still haven't told anyone about it." If Chopper showed up, he might have a use for it, but otherwise... "Do you think we should try to give it or trade it to the St. Francis Club? I was thinking... maybe we should have our own club." That was as issue he hadn't meant to raise, but the medicine made him think of it. This was awkward. "The, um, club of people who cook alternative recipes. Since the Cooking club seems to be so overwhelmed, and all focused on swords. If we're all going to get out, we need to have people equipped with things, right? You and I are both pretty smart and artistic types, and I know there's other people who are even better at designing things..." He trailed off there.

Sai tilted his head slightly in thought as Usopp began discussing his idea. His eyebrows furrowed. "So basically what you're saying is that you want to help provide weapon making services for anyone who's willing to make do with whatever they can get their hands on - not necessarily a sword," he said bluntly. It wasn't a bad plan, all things considered. It would help to equip others. But there were definitely drawbacks as well.

"Where would that leave you, though? You'd spend your nights making weapons for others and not for yourself. Won't your companions want you to come with them, or will they be staying to help you as well?" Unless the pirate planned on charging, there was a good chance he wouldn't even get much back in return for his services.

"Yeah, maybe it's too big an idea. But it'd be better if there were other people working on it too." Usopp scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "We could trade 'stuff' for 'weapons,' with maybe a little more flexibility in stuff, and a little more stuff given than what's needed for the weapon itself. I mean, with Yuber, I know I wound up with less than I started with. But he's going to bring some other stuff later, and the medicines might be helpful." For some reason, Usopp trusted the Incarnation of Chaos to redeem his word. He wasn't sure why, since nothing was forcing Yuber too. In fact, with Yuber's weird powers plus his fighting skills plus that 'sword-like object' Yuber had no reason to listen to Usopp at all. Yuber hadn't had a reason in the first place, when they'd made their little alliance... maybe that was why he believed in Yuber. Usopp remembered shrieking and Yuber practically appearing in an instant between himself and the enemy that first night. Come to think of it, it was a little weird...

"Making friends with the other groups would help too. Working with the Cooking group, maybe, so people who aren't set on having a real molded sword could talk to us." Usopp frowned a little. "I spoke to Roy Mustang, their leader, a few days ago. He seemed to like it okay. I don't know about my crewmates... Nami seems set on exploring the basement. Zoro wants real swords, not the kinds of stuff I make. Sanji and Luffy don't really use weapons unless you count shoes..." Usopp shook his head, trying to concentrate. "But there's not a lot I can do to help them out otherwise. At least making some more allies or contacts should be helpful. I should probably ask Luffy, since he's captain, but I'm not sure he'd care at all about it."

The ninja had to blink as Usopp used the word "stuff" just enough times within his first couple sentences to be confusing. The idea came across, at least. "We need to think about time constraints as well. Remember how long it took us to complete the items we did the other night. And supplies will need to be gathered - unless the other patients will bring their own."

Sai didn't want Usopp to be wasting his time - especially if he was going to pulled into it. "Friends and contacts are good, but won't be of much use if you're just going to be in your room most of the time - unless you expect them to come back for you if they find an exit."

Usopp had thought it appropriate, since they really were talking very generally. "Stuff," "things" and "junk" in exchange for "other stuff."

"Mm, it did take us a long time. But we did two--I think it takes one night for each alchemist to make a sword. Our weapons might not be as sturdy or as balanced, but they seem to function. Plus, we could make other things that would take less time. For one thing, we could make bolas or nets or something like that with just the bed sheets and some weights, really quickly. And I had some personal projects I wanted to work on, but I can use something to do between while things are drying or cooling..."

He shrugged. "I don't know. My exploring doesn't seem all that useful, alone, aside from getting materials to go build stuff back in my room. We've got hundreds of people exploring the whole place, and I don't think the people who disappear are vanishing because they've found an exit." Like his old roommate, who'd been here so briefly. "Me staying in my room a little more is probably more useful than me running back and forth from monsters every night. Not that I want to stay in my room all the time, exactly, but I want to be doing something, and this is... I'm not the best at it, but at least it's something I can do. And I have the soldering iron."

"Mm." Sai sat quietly for a moment, thinking this over. Usopp seemed pretty adamant about this decision, and the ninja could understand wanting to be useful. Their wandering around at night had been rather futile at times. However, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to follow the same course.

He had no one to assign him duties here. No one to follow and nothing to be done aside from finding a means of protection and escape for himself and his friends. It was, for lack of a better term as he couldn't describe the feeling himself, an uncomfortable situation to be in for him. He needed a purpose and a use for his skills.

"I will gather supplies for you, then," he finally said with a smile.

"Well, if you really think it's a bad idea..." Usopp trailed off. Maybe Sai was right. Just taking care of himself was hard enough, and he hadn't even redeemed his word to get Sai a better weapon--what business did he have suggesting they start something new? Particularly something that'd probably wind up being either embarrassing as they were ignored or a headache as they tried to organize.

"You still can tell me to get stuffed, remember?"

Edited 2007-12-29 05:14 (UTC)

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm still not sure of the correct way to use that term." Once again he filed the scenario away in his head for future reference. Perhaps one of these days he'd get it right. It was still an unusual phrase.

"And it's not so bad of an idea, Usopp. It's just something that would require some planning. If you really wish to do it then perhaps you should." Naruto would have told him the same thing, he was pretty sure. He hadn't seen the blond in a while now that he thought about it. Sakura, Gaara, and Lee had also been suspiciously absent. This whole place was confounding.

"Okay, how about... 'Usopp, you are being illogical.' Would that be easier to use?" Usopp suggested, not really kidding.

But Sai was right that this kind of thing would take a lot of planning. And he wasn't necessarily the best person in charge of this sort of group. He remembered a Dr. Citan on the boards, for example. "How about we compromise? I'll suggest it on the boards, and see if anyone's interested in helping out with a group like that or working alongside a group like that. If there's a lot of response, maybe I can kind of get someone else to take charge of it, and I'll just work on what I can work on. And if nobody's interested, it doesn't matter anyway."

Sai smiled again, nodding. "That sounds like a good way to go about it. You need to know if there's any interest first." The ninja hadn't even been checking the boards recently. The Doyleton trip had thrown him off a bit, and he had to keep reminding himself to look in on it, even though it was a bit out of the way sometimes.

So the phrase you're being illogical could be replaced with get stuffed? He'd take that into consideration.

"Yeah. Last time I asked a question, I only got smart-alec responses... it might just be the same thing this time." Usopp sighed, leaning against the table a bit. "Maybe I should post anonymously too."

Sai sure was smiling a lot. That probably wasn't a good sign. "Or maybe I should wait until we're both better armed ourselves. Announcing we have stuff to work with might invite people to try and rob us..."

"Waiting to give out your room number would probably be a wise precaution in that case." Sai hadn't even thought about that potential threat, but now that he did it seemed only logical. "You could post anonymously just to catch interest. There shouldn't be much harm with that."

Usopp's comment about getting themselves better equipped first had merit, and the ninja agreed with it. The pirate was doing such a good job of talking sense into himself, however, that he didn't even mention it.

Usopp could talk himself in and out of sense with remarkable agility, back and forth again. It went with storytelling under the gift of gab he specialized in.

"Mm, so how about I post this afternoon, we see what people say, and then tonight we can work on our own stuff. If by tomorrow there seems like there's interest, we can maybe open up a bit more and see what kinds of things people want other than proper sword-swords, and who else might be willing to help make them. Right?" Usopp laid out the current game plan piece by piece.

Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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