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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"That man," he pointed across the room. It was difficult to miss someone like Kurogane. "Tall, with the dark hair." She'd surely recognize him, wouldn't she? But if she did then... wouldn't that mean...

No! No, he didn't want to believe that. It was just coincidence perhaps. Someone that looked like him. Something he'd made up. "Is he... real?" Still, he couldn't stop himself from asking the question. Would it bring him closer to madness? Or closer to the truth? He couldn't be sure.

Rukia spotted him quickly; she had seen the same face only two nights ago, after all. But what did Fai mean by real...? Oh, perhaps he wanted to make sure the man wasn't a mimic?

Brows furrowed, Rukia looked from the man to Fai. "Of course he's real," she said. "There are none of those mimics in the daytime." She hoped. That was an unpleasant thought. "He's your friend, right?"

He shook his head, "Are you sure?" He followed her glance, though he tried to stay out of the other man's line of sight. Hadn't Renji done something else? Checked somehow? He'd been so certain the other night when he'd condemned Kurogane to death. Rukia was the same, wasn't she?

He didn't bother to answer her question, "please, I have to be certain." His blue eyes were pleading, frightened. He wasn't sure which answer scared him more.

Rukia couldn't ignore the young man's unspoken request. She didn't have the energy to spare, but it didn't really seem to matter.

Picking up a napkin, she looked across the room at the man. Her eyes went unfocused as she looked not at the people before her, but their spirit threads flowing through the air. The tall, dark-haired man's thread was white, just like most of the others. Perfectly normal.

Rukia hesitated. There was a cold, heavy feeling in her belly, and her mind screamed to her, Stop!! But she couldn't help it. She looked all around, searching for a particular, very familiar red thread. And it was nowhere to be seen.

Gone.

Making a small, choked noise, Rukia dropped the vision. She hunched over and held the napkin to her nose to staunch the flow of blood. Her fingers felt stiff and clumsy from the scorpion's venom; she got some blood on her fingers.

Not looking up, she nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm certain. He's human."

Real. Yuuhi's eyes went dull for a moment as he looked over at the man who... really oughtn't be there. He was relieved, terribly happy that it was something real this time, that his friend hadn't been killed by Renji's blade, but...

Wasn't this a step in the wrong direction? The dream and reality were beginning to mix and he didn't know where to draw the line. He was shaken from those thoughts though, when Rukia started making strange noises, bleeding all over her napkin as well as her hand. He'd been selfish, he knew that much.

"I... I'm sorry," he told her. "Truly. I'm so sorry Miss Rukia." He took a step away from her, now that their business had been concluded, there was no need to involve her more. "I... I'll leave you alone."

Rukia didn't see the look in Fai's eyes; she was too wrapped up in her own misery. And she didn't want him to see the tears in her eyes when she thought of her brother.

"It's... It's okay," she said, letting her hair hang down to hide her face. "I'm fine. I... good luck." It sounded silly, and she didn't even know why she was wishing him good luck, but it was all she could think of.

He didn't mean to have hurt her like that, but he knew the longer he stayed, the worse it would be. He couldn't even manage a smile as he turned and walked away. For all his relief at knowing Kurogane was alright, it only brought more questions and he just didn't think he could face them right now. Were it any normal person, wouldn't they have run over? Thrown their arms around their cherished friend? But he, like a coward, simply walked further away, leaving Kurogane on the other side of the lunchroom.

[[moving down to new thread]]

One minute Tyler had been walking behind Raiden and the next, he was opening his eyes in the small sparse room he'd left not too long before. The abrupt change frightened him more this time, though he tried not to let it show. Why was he having gaps in his memory? What was going one? Why didn't he remember arriving in this place, let alone appearing in one room and suddenly waking in another? It was the most disconcerting experience of his life.

Surprisingly, that was quite a feat, even for Tyler.

His nurse wasn't much help when he started asking her questions, and he could tell the answers she gave were pitying and humoring, the woman obviously not believing his story. In truth, Ty might have thought the whole thing a dream himself, if there weren't currently a hand-drawn map of the roof tucked safely away in his nightstand drawer.

Reaching the cafeteria, he went through the food line almost numbly, filling his tray with more food then he'd probably eat, before looking around the room. None of the faces were familiar, and he felt his hopes drop a little more. Had Reid and Caleb and Pogue noticed he was gone yet? Would they come looking for him soon? Would they even be able to find him?

He spotted a girl who looked a little younger than him sitting by herself, curled up and alone. With no conscious decision to do so, he found himself moving in that direction, hesitating at her side.

"Hi," he spoke, his voice quiet but gentle as his blue eyes studied her curiously. "I'm new here. Do you mind if I sit down?" He hesitated, fully prepared to take himself away if she replied that she'd prefer to eat alone.

Rukia still hadn't touched her food when a dark-haired young man approached her. Arms folded protectively across her chest and head down, she didn't even notice him until he spoke.

"...Hi," she said after a moment. the last thing Rukia wanted just then was company, but she couldn't very well turn the boy away. Especially not when he was a new patient, and probably terribly confused. She'd had the benefit of finding Renji soon after arriving, but who knew if this boy had any friends here?

"No, go ahead," she continued, voice slightly scratchy. "I can... answer any questions you might have. About this place."

The sound of her voice urged him to sit down next to her, but he didn't take her up on the invitation to question this place, not just yet. His expression flitted to one of concern as his bright blue gaze took in the careful way she sat in the wheelchair. He wondered what had happened to her, or if she was in pain?

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry in his voice as he studied her. "Is there anything I can do to help? Should I call a nurse?"

Explanations could wait, she didn't look like she was having a very good time of it.

Rukia glanced at him without really turning her head. "I'm fine. Just ran into a big... scorpion thing last night." She shrugged, itching at the bandages on her knee through the grey uniform pants.

"Nurses won't do any good. They're just being controlled by this place, as far as I can tell." Whether that would make any sense to the kid or not, Rukia wasn't sure. Maybe he would catch on fast.

"Controlled?" That would explain why his nurse had looked at him this morning as if her were crazy.

He paused for a moment, musing over the implications of her other statement. "A big scorpion thing. So... there really are mutated creatures guarding this place at night?"

It seemed a little hard to believe, but so did everything he'd encountered so far. "Can you tell me what this place is and why we're all here? I have to admit, I'm feeling kind of lost."

Rukia just nodded. Poor kid; he seemed like a nice boy, and ending up here certainly didn't bode well for him.

"Yes," she began, "During the day this place masquerades as a hospital for crazy people. At night the patients - that's us - have the run of the building, but all the lights go out, and creatures far more terrible than giant scorpions roam the halls." She went on to give the young man a basic idea of what went on at Landel's Institute. The tightly scheduled days, fake names, the bulletin board, how many of the patients seemed to be from different worlds or times, the dangers of night shift, the experiments on patients and the brainwashing, and the major organized groups. She briefly mentioned visitors, but did not go into detail, telling the young man only that they were often people from one's real life, who would try to convince him he truly was sick.

Lastly she pointed out Renji, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice Captains Matsumoto and Hinamori, and Colonel Mustang. "They can all be of help to you if you need it," she said. "And you'll want to get a map. I think there might still be some copies on the bulletin board."

Looking up at the kid, Rukia realized that she hadn't introduced herself. Dipping her head slightly, she said, "I'm Rukia, by the way." She hardly missed a beat when a crazed looking blonde man jumped up onto a table nearby and began yelling. She supposed that was one way to find out what was going on...

Edited 2008-02-11 04:14 (UTC)

Tyler's eyes grew wider as her explanation continued and the full scope of what this place was overwhelmed him. His breakfast forgotten for the moment, he fidgeted with his napkin, hoping his unease didn't show up on his face.

Different people, from different worlds, all trapped here. He didn't know whether to believe her or not, because first of all, that would require believing different worlds really existed. Which also meant the possibility that he wasn't in his own anymore. How would Caleb and the others ever find him then? And when he got out of here, how would he find his way back to them? Some of Jack's comments last night made a little more sense now.

He memorized the people she'd pointed out and nodded. "I ran into a guy last night, in a library somewhere around here. I asked him for a map of the top floor, and he drew me one of the roof, but at least I got the vent locations and such, if that's the easiest way up to it. But maps of the rest of the place would be helpful."

He jumped when the man started yelling, surprised by the ruckus, but sheepishly glanced back to Rukia. "I'm Tyler. Tyler Simms. It's nice to meet you, Rukia. Have you been here very long?"

"One of the roof?" Rukia asked, surprise evident in her voice. "I don't know of anyone who has even been to the roof, but if you wouldn't mind sharing that map with the rest of us, I'm sure it could be valuable." She had to wonder who he had met in the library that had been able to draw him a map of the roof. "Is the man you met last night here now?"

Glancing at the blonde guy making all the noise, Rukia noticed that a young woman had come by to hopefully rescue him before the nurses decided to stick him full of needles. The prisoners had to stick together, after all, even if some of them weren't terribly clever.

Turning her attention back to Tyler, she said, "It's nice to meet you, as well, Tyler. I've been here... for a little over a week, I think." She was pretty sure it had been eight days, but hadn't been wise enough to keep track in her notebook. She would have to fix that.

"I hid it in my room, since I wasn't sure whether to trust the nurses or not. I can get it later, though, if you like?" he offered, then glanced around the room, his gaze searching for the man he'd seen last night. After a moment, he shook his head. "No. He said his name was Jack. I was travelling with a man named Raiden and he didn't seem to know him either, I don't think, although he seemed to know of him."

A week. She'd been here a week. Tyler grimaced slightly at the thought of being stuck here that long. His mother was going to ground him for life for vanishing without a note or explanation, once he got home again. She was overprotective enough as it was.

Smart kid; it was never a bad thing to err on the side of caution. At least in Rukia's opinion. "If you could get it," she said, "we could make copies and distribute them. The more information we all have, the better."

"Jack Harkness?" she asked, "Captain Jack Harkness?" That was the only Jack she knew, though, now that she thought about it, hadn't the Radio Man called himself that a couple times?

While Rukia had not initially been happy to see Tyler, his presence was distracting her from everything else weighting on her mind. Now she felt a little bad for being so cold before. "I apologize... for seeming distracted. I'm just a little out of sorts today." That was probably vague enough that he would just take the apology for what it was. Hopefully.

"He didn't look like a captain," Tyler replied, looking thoughtful as he scrunched up in memory. "He spoke in riddles a lot. Seemed kinda shifty. And he had this... dead looking cat thing as a pet. I have no idea what that was. But he was bartering stuff. Weapons, maps, things like that. He gave Raiden a knife. I asked for a map. And if I can retrieve it, I'll make a copy to hand over to you. You can distribute it however you like, then."

He cast her a small, friendly smile at her apology. "Don't worry about it, I can imagine it's difficult to be anything but out of sorts in this place. I didn't take offense."

"It must have been the Radio Man, then," Rukia said, thoughtful. "Seems like his style." She didn't carry her radio with her very much - it was too noisy - but other people sometimes did, and she had heard his ramblings numerous times.

Looking up at Tyler again, Rukia realized that she hadn't told him about the apparent conflict between Landel and 'Jack'. "It's strange," she began, attempting to explain, "Martin Landel, the Head Doctor, makes announcements on the speakers. I'm sure you heard him last night or this morning. Well, all of us have small radios in our rooms. I don't usually carry mine with me at night, but the man you met, I think he's the one who sometimes speaks through the radios. He gives clues, hints - always in riddles - and deals out a fair amount of insults as well. From what I've heard, it seems that he and Landel are former allies. Now enemies." She shrugged; this conflict behind the scenes didn't make much sense to her. "I didn't hear the Radio Man's side of it last night, but Landel seemed pretty upset. Something about the animals getting lose, and not being able to control someone." Tyler's mention of a rotting cat made her wonder exactly what this Jack was; the cats attacked anyone else at night.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe someone else has been able to make more sense of it... What did Jack say to you? Anything of particular meaning?"

She gave Tyler a small smile of her own. She would have to make sure he stayed safe at night.

"I'd have to sit and think about it a while, to remember if he did," Tyler admitted sheepishly. "I only got the barest of explanations as to what was going on, and most of the exchange went clear over my head. If I think of anything he said that might be useful, I'll let you know, though."

His expression was thoughtful as he mulled over this most recent bit of information. "Still, if he's enemies with the man who runs this place, he'd be a useful ally, especially if he throws monkey wrenches at the doctor. I'll have to see if I can find him again tonight, to see if there's anymore aid I can get."

That and he'd remember to keep his radio with him, if it would help his escape attempts.

He was no coward, either, it seemed. Which was likely to get him into trouble, though he seemed smart enough to know when danger was coming. Then again, there were a number of dangers here that would take anyone by surprise. Like that child, or the mimics.

"Good point," she commented, "But don't do anything by yourself." Even though she had been armed, and only going back to her room last night, Rukia had learned that the hard way. "Stay with at least one other person - preferably someone you trust - at all times. And I should warn you about some of the creatures you might meet at night."

Wincing a little, Rukia reached into the back of her waistband to pull out her notebook. Her hands, as well as the rest of her body, were stiff and clumsy from the scorpion's poison. For a moment she wondered what would have happened if morning hadn't come when it did.

She cleared her throat and set the notebook down on the table before Tyler. She flipped to this page (http://haiiro-no-chou.livejournal.com/2642.html) and let him have a look at the information contained there. "Be especially careful," she said, pointing to the relevant entries, "of the child, and the creatures that can disguise themselves as others."

Edited 2008-02-11 20:56 (UTC)

"I'll try to stick to groups or something," Tyler agreed, nodding. "Although I don't know who I'd find around here I'd trust on short notice, but I'll see what I can do."

As she flipped open her notebook and started pointing out things he might encounter, Tyler did his best to bite back a laugh at some of her drawings, but managed to maintain a mostly serious expression throughout the explanation. "Wow. There are... a lot of strange things here."

The corner of Rukia's mouth turned up a little. "Well, any of the people I pointed out before are all trustworthy. From what I've found, most of the people here are pretty decent." She shrugged. "You seem like a smart kid; I'm sure you can figure it out."

Rukia was a little disappointed that he didn't comment on her drawing skill, but maybe there were a lot of great artists where he came from. She nodded sagely. "Yeah; this certainly isn't all of them, either."

She sighed, giving her breakfast tray a dirty look. She had no appetite, and kind of wanted to fling the tray at someone. But there was no sense in taking out her frustrations on food, or Tyler, so she said the first thing she could think of. "What is your world like?"

He grinned at her compliment; at least, he hoped it was a compliment. "I'll remember. And I'll be careful, thanks."

At her question, he looked perplexed for a moment. How did one describe a world, when you weren't even sure the other person would know what he was talking about. "Uhh. Do you know where America is? Or don't you have that in your world?"

This was decidedly odd.

Rukia nodded. "Yes, though I've never been there. Quite a large number of the prisoners here seem to be from Japan, myself included. Though we're from all different times. What year is it-- was it, for you?"

The idea of different worlds was odd to Rukia, but not unbelievable, The thought of people coming from different times was almost too much for her to warp her head around at times.

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