damned_institute | Day 30: Cafeteria, Breakfast

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Day 30: Cafeteria, Breakfast

Hitsugaya woke with a start.

His entire body ached, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as it had been the night before. His injuries had been tended two with clean gauze and bandages, and he found every movement wasn't agony. He wasn't in the best of shape, but thanks to the miracle of landel's strange time distortion, he had mostly recovered from the vile poison without having to waste anyone else's talents.

And in his hand, still...there was the key.

He dressed quickly, sliding the key onto the key ring from his desk drawer and stuck it into his pocket. Whether the key stood to gain them anything or not, it stood as a vital reminder that they could succeed in this place. There was hope, as insignificant as it often seemed. They could beat this place.

That small shred of hope made getting up worth it.

The nurse who escorted him to breakfast was cheerful, and commented idly about how wonderful it was to see young Tommy Winters up and about again after his unfortunate run-in with a bad case of food poisoning. He smirked slightly, knowing that any lies the institute forced into their heads were only that: lies. He wouldn't buy it for a second. And on top of that, the concept of muffins sounded almost appetizing. While he still preferred his authentic Japanese cuisine, the food here was slowly becoming more and more bearable. He would have preferred a warm bowl of sweet nattou over rice over the mufffins, but they would do. The plain yogurt and fruit, on the other hand, was excellent. He piled his plate high with fruit as usual, and got several small bowls of yogurt as well.

Finding the most convenient table to the end of the food line, he took a seat and scanned for the new arrivals. New arrivals meant people who would be lost and confused. Renji did a good job of making a bulliten post last time...he should recommend abarai-fukutaicho do the same again this time.

[Waiting for Angel]

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"You'll get nighttime practice here," Daemon replied with a calm he didn't always necessarily feel. Although he appeared to be preoccupied with conversing with his brother and tucking away his breakfast, he surreptitiously kept his eyes on the door, watching for Saetan, Jaenelle, River, Ren, or Renji, hoping the others had fared alright last night.

"I think everyone in the room has something they've lost that they'd give anything for," he added, flicking a glance around at the other patients gathered about at various tables and benches.

"You're looking for something," Lucivar noticed, watching Daemon intently. "Tell me what you've been doing here. I need to know why this building is still standing."

He was accusing Daemon of not acting. Lucivar doubted his brother could sit still and let this situation just happen to him. But because there didn't seem to be piles of bodies all over the floor and frightened looks, Lucivar wondered what it was that stayed Daemon's hand. It was more then just missing his jewels. Even without the Black Daemon was not someone to cross.

Mornings were disconcerting as anything Saetan had experienced. And it would seem he had a roommate now, judging from the dishevelled and empty bed on the far side of the room. How could someone get up and move around with his noticing? Saetan suppressed a shiver. He wasn't supposed to be this easily spooked.

And yet, he felt very vulnerable without his Jewels. He was far, far older than his children and much more set in his ways before this most recent upheaval, far more unwelcome than Jaenelle or her Court had been.

At least he was spared the nurse's chatter. She was quite this morning on the way to the cafeteria. He filled a plate with food, having spotted his sons in conference at a table and went to join them.

[Invited to join by Daemon-mun]

Daemon spotted the Priest the moment the man stepped through the doors, and he felt a measure of relief, as he had every time he'd spotted his father since his arrival.

He answered Lucivar as he glanced over at his brother. "Look around you," he replied, lifting a hand and indicating the room full of patients around them. "These are all people brought here just like us. Some are fighters, some are innocents. All of us are trapped here by the same man. The nurses and those in charge of containing us? I believe they're nothing more than drones, mindless servants. They don't know what's gone on here, and I don't believe their minds are capable of comprehending it. At night, they are transformed into the monsters we fight, but it's not a conscious thing, or something they control. In truth, they are merely pawns unknowingly being used, but they still stand between us and the man responsible.

"The reason this building is still standing is because I've not been able to reach him. It's more difficult that you think, fighting weaponless and jewel-less here, especially when there are others in need of protection. A few of our nights have been productive, while others have been way-laid. And one night..."

His voice trailed off and he looked away as Saetan joined them. He nodded in greeting to his father, relieved for the interruption.

There was something about Daemon that made Lucivar study him closely. He couldn't put his finger on it and maybe it was just the fact that Daemon could be so calm when Lucivar was practically crawling out of his skull. He didn't think about the innocents here. He could only focus on the innocents back at home. Marian and Daemonar - without him there to protect them, who would? Marian was a strong girl and Daemonar was a little beast but even that wasn't enough to ease his worries.

Thankfully, his Father's presence pulled him out of his worries and he cracked a smile, even if he didn't feel much like smiling. "I don't know what happened last night," Lucivar apologized. "One moment I was with you and the next I was in a room. You didn't happen to find any sticks, did you? Or a blade of some kind?"

Saetan couldn't help hearing a little of their conversation as he approached the table. He could easily pretend not to since there was a mix of voices from other tables all around them.

As he sat, he tried to catch Daemon's eye and shook his head minutely. Now wasn't the time to discuss that special awful night in the Sun Room. Lucivar was obviously too much on edge. When the time came, if he must, he'd explain it to both Lucivar and Jaenelle.

"I didn't find anything," Saetan answered. "I blacked out the same time you did. It's how this damned institution works unfortunately. We can try again tonight."

"Now what were you boys discussing that has you both so riled up?" He didn't look at either of them as he spoke, instead he neatly arranged his utensils to attack his breakfast.

"Lucivar seems to think I'm losing my touch," Daemon replied mildly with a faint quirk of his lips as he turned an intent golden gaze on his Eyrien brother. "He merely wanted to know why this place hadn't been dealt with yet."

"It's a valid question," Lucivar growled. He disliked the feeling that his brother and father were in on some private information and he was left in the dark. "I understand your concern for the innocent lives but to be perfectly honest, you never cared all that much before. I am not suggesting a slaughter of the patients but what about those that are serving this witch? One of them must know where to find who is in charge and with a little persuasion I'm sure they're fragile loyalty will break enough to let us know where she is at."

Saetan didn't start eating yet. He looked between his sons warily. "We've seen no evidence it's a witch in charge, Lucivar. This Dr. Landel, monster though he may be, seems to be the one in charge."

"I did actually hear a few ideas yesterday about testing the defenses here during the day, but it would have to be nearly universal. Snarling at everyone is not going to win us allies. Many here are as weak as landens." He wouldn't say that they were damned close to that weak themselves. "As such, they need to be handled gently. Others have their own powers and responsibilities. We need to proceed carefully, not jump into battle. At the moment, this is a court game. We need to be subtle." When it came down to it, he wasn't sure if Lucivar could be subtle, but the boy damn well better learn to try.

Something flickered in Daemon's golden eyes at Lucivar's growled dismissal of what he had done before, and he felt a frissure of irritation at his brother.

"This world isn't like our own. And from what I've seen, almost none of the others' worlds are like ours, either. There are things here I'm still only beginning to understand. There is no Blood, there is no protocol to match ours. For the most part this seems to be a male-dominated society, and despite the fact that I know how much you loathe waiting and watching, we've been dropped into the middle of a deadly game with a serious limitation and no one's bothered to inform us of the rules. Despite what your normal instincts are, in this situation we cannot slaughter first and ask questions later."

"Why not?" Lucivar snapped, his voice growing louder as his leash on his temper was beginning to unravel more. "If there are no rules then we should make our own. Waiting and watching doesn't seem to have gotten you anywhere. Now is not the time to be subtle and to play silky court games. Perhaps what is needed is a little violent force. My jewels are gone, they've taken my wings and my family is elsewhere lacking my protection. You'll forgive me if I've no patience to play games."

Mother Night!

Saetan wanted to join Lucivar. If he thought too hard about certain things, his temper frayed dangerously thin, and if he lost it, there would be trouble. "Because it won't do us any good. All the advantages are theirs at the moment."

He leaned forward, golden eyes focused intently on Lucivar. "If what you want to learn is how this world drugs, restrains and beats down the prisoners here, go right ahead and attack someone. I won't stop you." But he wouldn't help either. "The nurses and orderlies are perfectly normal landens in this state, as best as I can tell, but they have the keys and the drugs."

"Lucivar, I want to shred whomever took your wings, but it's not the people you've seen here. They're just the staff. Not even that, since I don't think they are consciously loyal to Landel's designs at night. We haven't got enough information. I will not start a bloodbath without good reason. I recommend, strongly, that you don't either."

Daemon's jaw clenched at his brother's words, and for a moment he had to strongly restrain himself from returning the favor from last night and giving Lucivar a good wallop with his chair.

"If you fight during daylight, you will be restrained and drugged and lose any chance you have to find out what information you can. Save your temper for darkness, when it will aid you most. Use the daylight to learn about your surroundings and tonight, we'll make our move. Then you can slaughter as many of the bastards as you like."

Lucivar clenched his teeth and put his hand over his face, doing his best to calm himself down. They were right, he knew that, but he couldn't shake the desire to throw the table into the nearest wall. "Tell me what you want me to do," Lucivar said, his voice strained. "I'm in over my head here and you both seem far more suited for this type of game. The last time I had to play court games I ended up in the salt mines in Pruul. If you want me to keep quiet and keep my head down, then I will."

"For the moment, that will do. You should eat too. They don't starve us here, though good solid meat seems to be pretty damned scarce on the menu." For that he looked to Daemon for confirmation.

"For the rest of the day, you should talk to people. Daemon, were you working with any of the clubs before we arrived?"

Daemon briefly shook his head, turning his attention to his father. Lucivar would have to work through his own anger and frustration, just as he had, and continued to do. "I spoke with Renji's captain the one day to help out for a night, but that was the evening you arrived and I told him another time. For the most part, I've traveled nights with Ren and River, as well as Renji once or twice."

Lucivar remained silent, staring down at his food. The names that Daemon and his father were mentioning were foreign to him and he didn't trust himself to keep from growling if he opened his mouth once more. Taking their advice, he kept his mouth shut and only opened it to shovel food into it. He kept his ears open, however, listening to the conversation that was going on around him.

Saetan nodded, more to himself than to his son. "Then we haven't any formal alliances. I still don't know what the official standing is going to be on River." He hadn't seen Jaenelle yet this morning, which worried him slightly.

"Having this particular group here has advantages and disadvantages, I think." He didn't want to commit to saying more.

Daemon snorted at that. "It seems as if everything around here has its advantages and disadvantages," he remarked dryly, casting a glance about the room. He wondered where Jaenelle was, and hoped she was alright.

He flicked a glance over at his brother, who he knew was still struggling with his temper. "If you can hold it till nightfall, you'll have plenty to vent your frustrations on then. We'll see if we can't arrange to do something productive tonight."

Lucivar grumbled and stabbed a link of sausage before shoving it into his mouth. It was easy for Daemon to tell him to hold his temper until nightfall but it was becoming torture for him and he'd only been silent for a few minutes. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "I'll just stay out of the way. I can manage that."

"Lucivar, I know it must be hard." He could feel the younger warlord prince's tension. "It isn't easy for any of us." As it was, he couldn't bring himself to look at his wingless Eyrien son without a stab of anger in his guts and deep in the place where his Jewels weren't.

"We can all do this. One moment at a time. I'm hoping to talk to a few people today about organizing something during the day. What... what are your plans?"

Daemon opened his mouth to reply, just as a commotion broke out across the room. His attention caught, he turned his head, and then golden eyes narrowed as he became very still, the temperature around him chilling slightly.

He watched as River attacked, her movements blurred by her speed, and then orderlies began moving in her direction.

"Mother night. River," he breathed, and then he was on his feet and moving without a backwards glance or a moment of hesitation.

[Heading for the freakout.]

"River?" Lucivar asked, perking his head up. He stood up straight the moment he saw the violence happening across the room and he longed to rush after his brother but he had promised and at the moment Daemon wasn't doing anything but rushing towards the girl.

"Must I still remain calm?" he growled, glancing over at his father.

Saetan's eyes followed where Daemon went, saw River and he half-rose to his feet himself before he heard Lucivar's question.

"No, no... if it's not too late, go." He clenched his fists and locked his leg muscles so he wouldn't follow as well. River was only a child, a fey, dangerous child, but he knew well enough about those.

Saetan didn't need to tell him twice. Lucivar had jumped over the table once his father had released him, an Eyrien Warcry on his lips as he rushed to join his brother, itching to put his temper to good use.

[Joining the madness (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/294011.html?thread=22893691#t22893691)]

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