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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[Nope, he's an anti-social bugger]

Cloud looked up when someone came to his table, blinking when it was the same man from the bus ride from Doyleton. He remembered how their conversation had been interrupted by the suddenness of darkness falling over them. It was nice to see that the silver-haired man was alright.

He sat up straighter and stopped slopping his cereal about. "No, not anyone that I know about," he replied with a little shrug.

Gin had been this man's name, he remembered. Their conversation had been different but nothing bad. "How did you fare last night? I only saw you jump out the window and were gone."

"Ran into a lil' trouble," he admitted, "but nothin' couldn't be handled." It was a fool's errand he'd been sent on and he'd no intention of doing it again. The other shinigami might have been in control before they arrived here, but none of them seemed to have any sort of military sense of what was priority and what was not.

He took small sips from his water glass, but didn't touch the tray of food in front of him. "You don't seem too bad off this mornin'," he observed, "musta done alright, hm?" Perhaps if he was careful he could find out some information from Cloud and a price that wasn't as steep as what Homura might take.

Cloud nodded his head, seeing that he had seen many other people who had not been moving about as well as they could be. Last night had been more than a little dangerous since they had no weapons when it started. "Some people seem to need a little help staying out of trouble," he commented. Maybe some people were easier targets then others.

He ate a small spoonful of his cereal, wrinkling his nose a little at it. He started to pick at the fruit instead, raising an eyebrow to Gin's comment. He shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "Nightshift never gets to me much," he said simply. "I got my hands on a better weapon last night too, which helps. I cannot say that I am worried about what is in the dark. I can mostly see in it."

He regarded Gin after a moment of pushing around his cereal. "Some people describe this place as terrible at night... do you find it that way? I doubt you would."

"Too right that," he agreed. "Doesn' help t'go out lookin' for it either. Place like this it ain' to hard t'find." Which was the problem behind most of the planning the other shinigami were doing. They went looking for trouble when they really had no need to. It was a dead end at best.

His comment about seeing in the dark was an interesting one. Was it part of his power? Gin had his own way of seeing in the dark just as someone like Tousen might, by sensing the reiatsu of others, but in the end, his eyes were just eyes without his full power. "Sounds pretty handy. M'not as lucky as that, but I wouldn' say it bothers me much neither."

"Terrible? Mm..." he seemed to mull it over in his head for a moment. "F'anyone ordinary, m'sure it would be. Gotta say though, someone in my line a work, seen much worse n' what goes on 'round here. Ideal, it ain't, but it's jus' another obstacle in th' end, ne?"

Cloud frowned enough that his lips down turned at the corners and his eyes darkened a fraction. "I think that is where some people get themselves stuck. They go looking for trouble and forget that we are all trying to get out," he murmured and chewed a piece of fruit from his spoon. "I do not much see the point of fighting each other either... waste of time and energy."

He shrugged, thinking that seeing in the dark at least to some degree let him have his hands full of weapons instead of relying on a flashlight. "It simply allows me to wield multiple weapons. I cannot say I enjoy flashlights."

Were there any truly 'ordinary' people here? Looking around, Cloud was not so certain. Everyone here had a reason for being here, and he doubted it was because they were 'ordinary'. "Have you been to the basement? Rumour has it that the basement may lead to escape."

Gin took a slow sip from his water glass, then set it down on the table as he listened. At least Cloud seemed to be able to see reason where others could not. "Certainly is."

It did sound useful, having an extra hand free. Gin was able to manage fine with what he had, though if the weapon Cloud had described to him earlier was any indication, having an extra hand to wield it was probably a necessity. At the very least it wouldn't be as clumsy as carting a flashlight around.

"Can't say I've been able t'get down there," he said, looking as though he regretted it. "But I know a couple who 'ave. Found some hidden door down there. Woulda looked into it m'self last night, but," he shrugged, "things were a lil' chaotic. Had some other things t'see to."

Cloud sighed heavily and rested his elbow on the table as he looked around. He knew that everyone wanted to get to the basement, but it seemed like a place that was beyond reach right now. He had to keep looking.

He perked at the fact some people had managed to get down there, brightening visibly. "Where is the entrance to the basement? And it figures it would be a hidden door to keep us looking," he murmured. "This place is nothing but a fake doll house."

He swished around his cereal again, glancing to Gin. "Doing other jobs as ordered or because it took higher priority?"

A reaction, that was a good sign. Cloud's emotions seemed a little subdued, but he could easily tell that mentioning the basement had caught his interest. It was a lucky thing that Ran knew the way, he supposed, though he'd had a hand in that as well.

"Sure, sure," he agreed easily. For some, it was better to give the information and gain trust rather than some tangible item. But then, bartering for information was fairly common here, so he'd be suspicious if he just gave it away too. "Y'mind doin' me a favor n' lettin' me know whatcha find down there in return? Ah- an' if you're not usin' your flashlight, mine's startin' t'fade." He didn't wait for a response, he had to make it appear casual. They were simply things that might be nice to gain, not something he was demanding. It was... friendly, he decided.

"Th' kitchen," he tilted his head in the general direction. "Freezer, there's a loose tile 'n one corner. Stairs lead down from there. M'sure you'll have no trouble gettin' down there."

Ah, so Cloud was a little more perceptive than he seemed. Well, that was alright too. He'd have to have some smarts to go with the skill to survive here. Couldn't very well have one without the other. "Kind of a long story," he shrugged, "people from th' place I worked before 're here. Higher ups think I still owe 'em somethin' I guess. Really it's more t'help the ones-" I cared about, he almost said, but caught himself "-I worked with, y'know, friends n' the like. Strength they got, but strategy they ain't. Think we're gonna have a lil' meetin' later today t'discuss just that." And that much he fully planned on. He wasn't going to be stuck doing another idiotic job that wasted their resources. If they were serious about letting him into their group they might as well take advantage of what they had! A mind full of wicked designs that had bested them all and they weren't even putting it to good use!

Nodding his head, Cloud now had an idea what he would be doing tonight. He would have to inform the rest of AVALANCHE as well and see if anyone wanted to come with him. If not, he thought about dragging Kadaj as something entertaining to do.

"I will let you know if I find anything," he said as he pushed his bowl of soupy cereal to the side. His interest in it wavered now that he had good information to stool over. He raised an eyebrow at the mention of a flashlight before he nodded. "I can give you my extra batteries if you like. I prefer to keep the flashlight as a back-up weapon." Not much good it would do though.

He made a soft humming noise as Gin spoke about whatever it was that the other man did, though he thought the 'higher ups' were not as respected as one might have thought. Maybe Gin did not like authority or having to follow orders? "Strength is worthless without strategy," he commented. "Do you owe the higher ups or do you just not like taking their orders? I bet you have better things to do with your time."

"'Course. Much obliged," he smiled. The flashlights had been a little strange to use at first, but they were useful, and his first set of batteries were nearly depleted.

"I like how y'think," Gin said in a pleasant, honest tone. "An' I'd be th' first to agree with ya there." He shrugged, "But I owe 'em a few favors an' we jus' had a few disagreements b'tween us's all. We'll get it figured. That's what th' day hours're for seems like." It was much easier than admitting the complicated truth.

"But if tha's an offer, I'll letcha know when I got a night I c'n tag along. 'tween the two of us, I bet we'd get plenty done, ne?" Which reminded him, he really ought to speak with Jack sometime soon. It'd been several nights since they'd had a chance to go exploring.

He could not say that he minded giving up a set of batteries. He had rooted through his lost room mate's drawers and found an extra flashlight and batteries for his own purposes, even if he had felt guilty about resorting to petty thievery. "Do you need them right away? I could try to get them tonight to you, if you like," he offered softly.

Cloud nodded in understanding as he folded his hands underneath his chin. He had something like that going on with ShinRa, though it seemed more complicated with the 'save the world' thing. He was thankful he owed ShinRa nothing but could thank them for his problems. "Day time is so full of making plans and then hoping they go well at night. People seem to be rushing and not bothering to think objectively," he said. "Disagreements seem far more prone in a hierarchy power structure."

He made a soft sound of acknowledgement. It would be good to have someone around who just wanted to get out of here and did not need to be told how to do it but would find the way themselves. "Certainly. I always value the perception of someone else." The corner of his lips quirked up in the start of a real smile. "We seem to have similar qualities of doing things. Watching you jump out of the bus, you move like someone who knows how to fight."

"No hurry," he said, taking another sip from his water glass. "I'm sure y'good for it." Cloud had been straightforward about things so far, so it was likely he'd continue to be so.

It was almost too perfect listening to Cloud speak his opinions. Gin honestly couldn't agree more, which seemed something of an achievement. "That's it 'zactly. Glad I'm not th' only one who sees it that way. Was startin' to think I was the one losin' it," he said jokingly.

He almost laughed at Cloud's assessment, but just scratched his head and tried to appear embarrassed. All that just from watching him jump out of a bus hm? It was a pity he hadn't been in the Sun Room a couple of nights ago to see what he was really capable of. "Years of experience," he explained, "Y'don't get very far where I'm from without knowin' a few tricks. Be glad t'be in like company."

Cloud wondered if his general honesty showed through, not that he found such a thought disconcerting. He no longer saw benefit in exaggerating for his own gain, nor did he feel comfortable doing so. "Very well. I will get them to you soon," he said.

Looking around the cafeteria, he was a little perturbed how many people seemed to have lost their way in such a place. Maybe he simply had expected to end up somewhere like this and so it was not a great shock to his system when he finally landed himself in the 'loony bin'. "No obvious escape and constant caging seems to cause people to lose their heads," he commented.

Gin was probably better then 'a few tricks' in his mind. School bus windows were not easy to get out of no matter how anyone looked at them. "Apparently not," he murmured. "How old are you," he asked quietly.

"People get complacent," he observed. "When change doesn' come right away, they get tired a' waitin', but they don't do nothin' about it." He shook his head and gave an exaggerated sigh.

Cloud's last question, however, gave him pause. "Well now tha's where things get a lil' tricky," he smiled. "Helps if y'know when t'start countin' from n' I never got that one quite right. Things're a lil' fuzzy back then." He didn't know exactly, no one did when they entered Soul Society. Somehow the birth-dates were all wiped clean from memory. And if you arrived as a child? It was near impossible to be certain of the year, let alone a specific date.

"M'still pretty young though, jus' a couple centuries down," he gave a quiet laugh. "'N now you'll be thinkin' I belong in this place, but tha's jus' how it is where I'm from. Things age pretty slow there." Not that most people didn't still die young. Hardly a soul in Rukongai or Seireitei actually died of old age or natural causes.

"Spinning their wheels while in neutral gear as it were," Cloud commented, allowing his eyes to flick around the room. How many people were determined to get out of this place, but always side-tracked by the elements of the institute?

His attention shifted to Gin when it appeared that 'things were getting tricky'. He frowned in wonder at the explanation, and he suddenly wondered if Gin had actually come here 'alive' as he had or if he was some sort of off-shoot of a soul. He supposed death had other elements, but he was certain Aerith knew how old she was and how many years had passed since she had stepped on the surface.

"A couple of centuries," he could not help but say incredulously. He thought it through for a moment and decided that... maybe it was not so far off base from where he was from. It could have simply been an alteration of the lifestream turned into a structured force. "Where I am from... the lifestream guides souls and reclaims the life after someone dies. It is up to the lifestream if a person's time is up or not."

Or at least... that was how it had been with him. Zack and Aerith had said it was not yet his time to be in the lifestream with them and sent him... well, here apparently. He obviously had some task to do.

The analogy didn't make much sense to Gin, but if Cloud understood, all the better. Keeping up with human inventions, especially ones pertaining to transportation, seemed pointless when a Shinigami could easily open a path to wherever they wanted to go.

"Ha..." Gin listened to the explanation, but wondered if that was really how it was in Cloud's world, or if that was simply what most people there chose to believe. Either way, it was very... different, to say the least, from how things were run in Soul Society.

"Sounds like it keeps things pretty simple," he commented. No Hollows, no other worlds or shinigami or zanpakutou. "In my world, y'see," he hesitated, as if debating whether or not to tell this important secret. That was how the others were acting about it, weren't they? Saying it was just some kind of law enforcement or peace keeping duty? But entrusting someone with important information, or at least what they assumed was important, was good for maintaining their trust.

"We're called Shinigami, ah- Death Gods. N' that business of guiding souls, well... that'd be our job. We take 'em to the other side after they die. Keep 'em from gettin' restless here, ne? So havin' a long life kinda goes with th' territory," he shrugged, though he knew very well that most Shinigami didn't die of old age.

Cloud shrugged a little, not sure on how complicated things could be. He had only stayed very briefly in the lifestream, and the times he had been there had nearly killed him. The experience did not sound at all similar to how Gin's world worked.

Noting the hesitation, he listened a little more carefully. While he was certain that Gin was keeping details from him, he did not think he had heard the man hesitate before this point. That meant the information was deemed of some importance and possibly valuable to those that were from Gin's world.

Well, that seemed to cement it for him. "You are not actually alive, are you? Not in the way that most of us are. You stay on the... other side of the world of the living?" He raised an eyebrow of curiosity. "So, how does one keep souls from getting restless?"

Good, the boy was still listening well enough to have caught it. He'd proved perceptive thus far, which was more than could be said for many others. "Ara," he scratched his head, "Tha's about right. Th' other side there's a place called Soul Society. Most people end up there."

The curiosity was amusing and he didn't mind sharing the information so he leaned in a little closer, one elbow propped up on the table. "When a soul's been stuck here too long, has too many regrets or what have ya, it starts t'get hungry. Ain't the soul's fault, but it gets strong enough, they turn inta somethin' else. Somethin' that c'n hurt people, y'know? They start t'look for... prey t'feed on."

Cloud seemed to have no trouble following so he continued on, "Th' weapons we use're special. Makes th' soul what it was, 'stead of hurtin' it. Then we c'n take it back prop'ly."

He looked down for a moment, letting his smile diminish, "pity though. Ain't much of a place for 'em t'go to."

Soul Society? That sounded like some hippy rock music group from where he was from. Still, the thought of a complete society of dead people in the Lifestream seemed much more satisfying then the thought of just being integrated into one vast body of knowledge and power.

However, there was one little detail he frowned upon. "'Most' people? There is a fraction of the dead population that does not go to Soul Society?"

The thought of a soul getting hungry was preturbing. "So, souls that have too many regrets when they die become monsters that hurt and kill people?" Well, he was glad he was not apart of that Soul Society as he would be hooped.

Raising an eyebrow, he contemplated the thought that souls had no where to go. At least where he was, there was a possibility of coming back. "There is no reincarnation where you are from?"

"Got a lotta questions, don'cha?" he commented. "What's a young thing like you s'worried about death for, mm?" He took another slow drink from his water glass. He did feel a bit stronger than he had this morning, but he was still far from ready to try the food. "But yeah, once in a while, ones that're really nasty, they go to Hell, not Soul Society. I ain't the one t'decide it though."

Explaining the chain that slowly devoured itself would probably take more time than it was worth. So he'd keep things simple. "They can," Gin explained. "S'usually a little while 'fore that happens. Weeks... months sometimes."

Reincarnation was another thing altogether. While many of the Shinigami liked to delude themselves thinking it would happen, others were fairly certain a soul simply became spirit particles, spiritons, which was the very matter that Soul Society was made up of. Recycling more than reincarnation, unfortunately. "Hard t'say for sure. If there is, ain't somethin' I know anythin' about."

Probably because ‘a young thing like him’ had already seen his share of death, dealt it to some, and had eventually fallen into death himself. Plus, the place where Gin came from had such a different world beyond that of the living. It was interesting to know that in some places people did not just become energy and returned back to the planet to fuel the circle of life.

“Just curious,” was all he said though. He did not want to seem like he was too keen on the idea of a soul society beyond the degrading society he came from. People were still people no matter where one went.

He nodded his head, not too sure about reincarnation himself. The best case of reincarnation was materia, but even then, it was just locked up memories solidified with the ability to release the planet’s power. Since Aerith had never come back, he supposed it was safe to assume there was no reincarnation as the ideology entailed. “I do not think we have reincarnation where I come from either. Seems a little complicated for the Lifestream to do as well.”

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Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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