Day 29: Cafeteria (2nd Shift)

[fly-petrelli.livejournal.com]

Nathan had never actually been in a nuthouse before and had only recently contemplated checking himself into one in a fit of sarcastic, self-depricating humor as of late. It was safe to say that he wasn't terribly familiar with the typical layout, even though he guessed it wasn't too hard to assume in this case. Everything was clean and painfully sterile-looking, if you could tell just by looking anyway, and he had to admit that they did a decent job of dressing this place up like a stereotypical, mental institution. They'd probably wait until evening to run whatever tests they wanted after they'd drugged everyone up nice and good.

The former congressman parted ways with his nurse, offering her a fairly sarcastic "thanks" as she let him loose in the expansive cafeteria. The food choices seemed pretty basic: hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza... The sort of thing he'd been living off of for the past, couple of months. Nathan hadn't realized how hungry he was until he actually picked up a plate. Skeptical as he was of the food here, it probably didn't matter whether it was drugged or not; if he was where he naturally assumed he was, they'd have their way no matter what he did. The only thing not eating would accomplish would be to make things easier for them.

With a hamburger and some fries piled on his plate, Nathan scanned the large room for any familiar faces. If he'd been nabbed in his sleep, there was at least a small chance that they might've nabbed Parkman or one of the others too. Unfortunately, he seemed to have chosen the wrong place to get information. It was practically empty.

Great. It looked like he'd be keeping himself company for the time being. Always a fun person to pass the time with. Sitting down at an empty table, Nathan took a moment to stare his hamburger down before taking a hesitant bite.

Comments

[misterprince.livejournal.com]

Compared to how many of the other patients ended up after their visitors had come and gone, Sanji was nearly humming. He was even tempted to add a little bounce to his step as his nurse led him to the cafeteria. "Here you are Nathan," the (sadly still) male nurse said cheerfully, leading him to a table with someone he'd never met before. "Help one of the new patients get used to things, hmm?"

Sanji hadn't been particularly hungry - he'd only just eaten the shift before - but he hadn't been much for arguing. As long as his little treasures in his waistband were secure... So he had some carrots and celery, which he began cutting up into smaller and smaller pieces with his plastic knife. "So," he began, giving Nathan a wry smile, "what're you in for?"

[fly-petrelli.livejournal.com]

Nathan actually looked up when he heard his name called, quickly dismissing the idea that maybe someone in the place wasn't trying to play mind games with him as he realized the nurse had been referring to another man with the weirdest eyebrows he'd ever seen. Apparently, this guy was a veteran here, though, so the older man refrained from making any comments about his choice of cosmetics or whatever he'd used to draw those things on his head. He nodded to the male nurse, waiting until he walked off to answer the other guy.

"Not a clue," he answered honestly, putting the burger back down on his plate in favor of maybe, just maybe, finding out what the hell was going on in this place. "You been here a while?"

[misterprince.livejournal.com]

Sanji shrugged. "A couple days, which I suppose for here is a while. Sure seems longer than that." He began making a game of how many pieces of his chopped vegetables he could squeeze onto his knife, lining them up carefully in a row. "So you've just got here, huh? Shitty luck."

He gave a quick glance to either side to make sure the nurses weren't hanging around them any more before going on. "S'not really much of an asylum, you know. My name's Sanji. You met anyone else yet?"

[fly-petrelli.livejournal.com]

"You're telling me," Nathan replied shortly, almost laughing bitterly but managing to restrain himself for the sake of not coming off as a bitter asshole. Just yet, anyway. There wasn't any point in making enemies or offending anyone when he was trying to get more information about the facility. It seemed a lot more casual than he would've expected, but if there was anything he'd learned from dealing with Linderman and his mother, it was that appearances could be deceiving. If this place was run by the Company, and he had little reason to believe that it wasn't since that seemed to be the only logical explanation, there was no doubt they were being monitored and kept in line should they chose to act out.

"Nathan," he introduced himself, not forgetting his manners and offering a hand. Sanji? Sounded... Japanese? Not like it really mattered what nationality the guy was; they were both stuck in the same predicament. "And no. You'd be the first person I've had the pleasure of running into. If this isn't a nuthouse, do you mind telling me exactly what's going on?" Of course, he had his theories, but it would be best to hear it straight from someone who'd been here longer than the fifteen minutes or so he'd spent being led through the building.

[the-clown-king.livejournal.com]

Tamaki was able to fake a smile for a bit. It was the best he could offer. But then... he just couldn't anymore, and he excused himself with the excuse that he needed to eat - he hadn't eaten at brunch. So he took himself to the cafeteria and took some food, letting his face fall once more when he was away from the twins.

He'd do his best for them, but he needed to deal with all of this. He couldn't be his usual self with all of this happening all around him. He sat down with his tray and poked at his food, almost scared to talk to anyone for fear of more bad news.

[lost-metal.livejournal.com]

A little space and a quick nap had left Ed feeling a little better, even if he had been plagued by questions by that strange man. Honestly. But now he had more important things to think of.

He'd spotted Tamaki's blond hair on the way to the cafeteria and slipped in after him wanting to check that he was alright. He didn't look... well, he didn't look right and it worried Ed.

He grabbed a tray and some food and went over to slip into the seat next to the other blond. "Hey," he said, frowning a little at the look on Tamaki's face. This wasn't right!

[the-clown-king.livejournal.com]

"Oh! Ed!" Tamaki looked up, and a small smile flitted across his lips. "I'm so sorry I never came back last night - there was a woman, she was badly hurt, I carried her inside and then there were all of these people who were badly hurt and they just kept coming and there were only a few of us on duty...."

A new wave of worry and sadness swept over him when he remembered he'd failed the other boy, and he pushed his tray away, his appetite lost once more.

[lost-metal.livejournal.com]

That smile was much better to see on Tamaki's face, but Ed hated that it had disappeared so quickly. What had happened? He'd seemed fine yesterday!! And now...

Ed returned the smile and then shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "Helping someone who's hurt is more important. I think everyone got out fine anyway. I meant to come and check on you, but night ended just as I got to your clinic."

[moon-brained.livejournal.com]

A nurse had to vigorously wake Usagi up after the senshi's short nap in the Sun Room. She groggily dragged herself off the couch and into the cafeteria. Sure, dinner would be soon, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a quick bite after all the breakfasts she'd missed since being trapped in Landel's. Usagi huddled over the snack table and began stuffing her face with chips. As an afterthought she half-heartedly nibbled on a piece of celery before letting herself dig back into the chips and goodies.

No nurse came to herd her to where the visitations were being held, a bittersweet relief.

(Feel free to bother!)

[queenpeacecraft.livejournal.com]

After not eating much in the past two days, Relena politely requested a small snack. Passing out was definitely not lady-like, nor was it something she wanted to experience first hand. Being drugged was one thing - it was another if you just didn't take care of oneself.

She filled a small plate with vegetables, a few crackers, and some yogurt topped with granola. As she approached the bowls of chips, she recognized the blond stuffing her face. "Usagi?" she asked, not a little bewildered at her friend's behavior. It wasn't like they starved anyone here at Landel's.

[moon-brained.livejournal.com]

"Mmph?" Usagi turned around to see who was talking to her as she swallowed the lump of food stuck in the middle of her throat. "Relena!" she beamed, throwing her arms in the air. It had been days since she'd last seen the other girl!

"How have you been doing?" she asked, glad to see that Relena didn't look horribly injured, one of the many unfortunate side effects of being a patient at Landel's.

[queenpeacecraft.livejournal.com]

Relena couldn't help it - she couldn't think of anyone who could keep a straight face around Usagi. "I'm fine, I promise. But I think Sakura's missing. Have you seen her lately?" She thought she managed to keep the worry off her face. The other girl didn't need to be burdened by Relena's own problems, after all.

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/266146.html?thread=20304034#t20304034)]

"Well, you've gotten this far haven't you?" Axel offered, leaning back in his chair a little so that it was now teetering on two legs. He'd grabbed at a piece of cheese in the middle of their conversation, idly biting at the edge while he thought to himself. He hadn't met Snake for long, but he was the type of guy that one couldn't help but be intrigued about by any angle.

Truthfully enough, he would've enjoyed to take the man back to his world, poke and prod and see how he ticked, and then share a couple of good stories over a bottle of beer and a pack of cigarettes. Alas, something like that just wasn't meant to be, leaving Axel thoroughly disappointed by the end of it all.

"I’m sure you’ll make it with enough work." He spoke, carefully listening to the intercom's words as it echoed through the partially empty Cafeteria. Just like last shift he wasn’t expecting someone to visit him.

"And even when you do need some help, you’ve got me on your side. So what can go wrong with a combination like that?"

[sneak.livejournal.com]

Raiden didn't seem to mind that Axel had started picking at his food. He listened to the other's kind words, but it wasn't very easy for him to believe them. He didn't like how he always felt like he had to distrust what everyone told him, especially since Axel was only trying to help. It was circumstances that had made him so wary, though.

Having someone believe in him was comforting, though he ended up staring at the other man when he announced that he was on his side. It was only after a decent amount of time had passed that he lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, it's just..." He paused and sighed. "I'm not used to people being so trusting so soon after meeting me."

It wasn't like he planned to take advantage of Axel's offer, of course. As things were, he needed all the help he could get. Even if they barely knew each other, Raiden realized that he was going to have to go out on a limb this time and accept this friendship.

"Guess it was meant to be, right?" he joked, but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it. "Considering our... voices, and all."

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

Was Raiden giving him the cold shoulder? Axel stared back, though it was more of waiting for a reaction than enticing for one. The guy was having it pretty rough these days so the redhead learned to be patient with the guy, even if he himself hadn't done much for the past two weeks. It was all just the luck of the draw, which made the redhead wonder if Sir Bottle Blonde was raining on his parade from afar.

"Well it was part of my job back then," He began, though a laugh managed to escape before he could hide it. "Probably for the same reasons you're weary of. But despite what this place does, you can say it's like a second chance for some people."

It was the truth wasn't it? Back then he never would've imagined to be allying with the Keyblade Master, or anyone outside of the Organization for that matter. Hell, with the conspiracies that roamed amongst their 'beloved' syndicate he couldn't really trust their judgment either, nor could they do so in return.

No, things were much easier here. He didn't have to worry about anyone backstabbing him for the most part. It was... refreshing.

"Nonsense, we have more in common than that. For one, we're two highly charismatic men who have a thing for guys with brown mullets."

[sneak.livejournal.com]

A second chance? Maybe for some people, but to Raiden this place just felt like more of the same. He was being forced into more situations he didn't want to be in, and while no one was ordering him around anymore, it was obvious that the voice behind the intercom was watching their every move. It stunk distinctly, and the smell was familiar.

He was vaguely curious about what Axel's job was - or had been, at one point - but that would have to wait for another time. Right now, he was being selfish - the only thing he wanted to talk about was himself. Luckily, Axel seemed willing to listen to him.

He didn't really think he fell into the charismatic category, and the rest of the redhead's joke was waved off with a small sigh. Then there was another long silence, and he was distracted for a moment by the other patients who were leaving and entering with the shift change. Once he turned back to Axel, he spoke up. "Before he died, he tried to tell me something. About how he thought that this place wasn't really... real. But that it didn't matter, because our feelings and experiences were."

He wasn't sure if it would make any sense to someone who hadn't been there to hear the whole explanation from Snake, but he was trying. "Anyway, I guess that's a clue... Something to work off of." He shrugged.

[qui-gonjinn.livejournal.com]

With Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes tucked under his arm, Qui-Gon entered the cafeteria, intending to get something quick to eat before returning back to his research. So far it hadn't produced anything very substantial, but he would simply have to keep looking. Perhaps this Earthian Holmes might be able to give him some answers, although he very much doubted he would get something as specific as telling him just what would be able to make a commlink here.

Balancing a tray in one hand, the Jedi Master made his way to an empty table, and took a seat. He spread out the Memoir before him...

[rubbermancan.livejournal.com]

Luffy didn't know why the Cat Lady had dragged Zoro off so suddenly, but he didn't worry too much. Swords or not, he was still a really tough guy. He'd be able to handle whatever it was the bastards here were going to throw at him.

It still sucked, though, because that meant Luffy was bored again. Not to mention his own Cat Lady had become concerned once she'd seen him play around with that ball, so she'd started hovering around him again. The more he thought about it, the better going back to the cafeteria sounded, so he didn't waste any time in heading there once the next shift began.

Food was always something that put Luffy in a good mood again, so he was practically grinning to himself once he'd gotten a bunch of snacks. It looked like Sanji was here, but he was already talking to someone, and there wasn't really anyone else from his crew around.

Shrugging to himself, he sat down in the next available seat he saw, which happened to be next to a pretty interesting-looking guy he'd almost approached on a couple of occasions. "Yo!" he said brightly. The pirate peered over to have a look at what he was reading, not really giving any thought to whether it was rude or not. "I didn't know they kept books in here!"

[qui-gonjinn.livejournal.com]

Qui-Gon looked up at his new table-mate, a young teenager who seemed to have no issues with personal space and was leaning eagerly to peek at the memoirs in his hands. The young man was so earnest and up front that Qui-Gon smiled.

"I was allowed to borrow it from the library here," Qui-Gon said. "It's an interesting read, from what I can tell of it so far."

He was still unsure of if it was fictional or not yet. But maybe this young man would be able to shed some light on the issue; he certainly seemed friendly enough, and had no problems with smiling. Qui-Gon's command of the Force was strong enough that he could sense a strong, almost piercing sureness emanating from him, a feeling that he hadn't felt in awhile, especially here in Landels.

He dipped his head slightly in a nod. "My name's Qui-Gon."

[repolarization.livejournal.com]

Ginji couldn't possibly spend another shift in the mess hall could he? Oh... yes he could. As soon as he knew for sure they weren't going to call him in for another visit from his "mother" he went back to the line to get more snacks and then wheeled himself back over to the tables. He was pretty oblivious to everything around him, his contentment over having so much food in one day took over any of his other senses.

"Yummy, yummy food," he sang to himself before digging in... again.

[killing-suzie.livejournal.com]

Jack's stomach was all but snarling by the time he made it to the cafeteria. He piled a tray high with snacky foods and fruit, then found himself somewhere to sit. He figured he'd fill the void in his belly first, then find someone fun to talk to. It was hard to flirt over a growling stomach.

[Hikaru has dibs!]

[totallytheseme.livejournal.com]

Given the...situatation at Brunch, Hikaru hadn't eaten.

It hadn't even occurred to him to eat. But now...in spite of everything, he was hungry. His nurse had told him earlier that the cafeteria had snacks, so he went over there. It was Kaoru's decision whether or not to join him. Right now he just wanted to be alone for a bit.

Tamaki was already in the cafeteria and talking to Ed when he got there. He ignored them. Tamaki needed his time away as much as Hikaru did.

In the end, he got a plate and put food on it and sat down, but he didn't touch it. He just sat there, fingering the bandage on his neck and thinking.

Kyouya was gone. Haruhi was gone. Tamaki was on the verge of breaking.

Kaoru was all he had left. And maybe that was how it should be.

They'd been wrong in joining the Host Club, letting themselves get close to others. Because...it hurt too damn much.

[killing-suzie.livejournal.com]

Captain Jack watched the kid (a cutie, indeed, but obviously also very young) sit. He looked like he might need a little cheering up, too, just as Soujirou had. And as a benefit, Jack hadn't met this one before. He scooted his tray over and moved a couple seats, to be in conversation distance. "Evening," he said. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Captain Jack Harkness." He gave the boy a shiny smile. "What's your name?"

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

There's food available. There might not be any later. Why waste the opportunity? That was what TK thought, at least. He grabbed some food, found a spot to himself, and started eating.

It had felt good to get some real exercise last shift, even though his mind kept on pestering him with depressing thoughts. That wasn't the sort of thing he needed to be thinking about when he was stuck in a place like this.

He just needed to keep disciplined, in shape, and on guard, like a proper soldier of the Empire.

[enigmaticmedium.livejournal.com]

Xelloss wandered over to the table, picking up a few snacks that looked interesting with a little more delicacy than was needed. Unfortunately, the nurse was patient as he mused over his selections, and he abandoned that source of possible entertainment to head towards a table and start sampling his prizes.

Crunchy, mildly sweet... the dipping sauce was a little thick, maybe... If nothing else, he was learning a lot about how humans experienced food, and maybe that would be of use someday.

And if not, there would always be the memories!

[Feel free to bug ^^]