Day 30: Cafeteria, Dinner

[captain-hunam.livejournal.com]

The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet.

Quietly, he collected dinner and a big glass of orange juice, and chose a seat near the food-serving counters. Talking for so long had made him thirsty... and, well, fruit juice was a luxury he had missed.

[Stalk away, my dearest Admiral. <3 ]

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[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

The rabble rouser from the morning wasn't present, much to the fortune of the orderlies accompanying the girl and her father. She'd been erased, leavings and trails of pink rubber leaving behind an outline of what had once been.

River didn't look up right away when Scar approached, absorbed in the food that she didn't seem interested in eating. Knowing her, it was possible she was picking up messages in the arrangement of the meal or thinking up strange prophecies to write about food-based subjects. The truth of it, however, was that River had simply lost herself again, and the food had been the first thing her tired eyes had focused on.

"I got you in trouble," she finally issued a weary statement, guilt written all over her face. "I'm sorry about the pasta. And the trouble."

[right-handed.livejournal.com]

"It's... fine," Scar muttered, glancing up at the orderlies flanking them. He wasn't sure how much he should say while they were in front of the enemy, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave her with nothing after all that had happened.

He looked back to River and then to his food again. He shoved his fork into his food and took a bite before saying:

"I'm sorry for not being able to protect you."

Not that he ever succeeded at that.

[heavens-too-far.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Sorry about the late entry, hand problems have been making it difficult to type. D: ]

Dias wasn't exactly surprised to find that the table where River was had more orderlies at it than patients; they weren't all for River, he suspected, but probably Scar had participated in the riot for the same reasons he had - in an attempt to protect River.

After a brief but heated argument with Dias' own orderlies, during which they quickly came to the realization that he was prepared to start another brawl if they didn't let him go over to River and that potential future violence was likely preferable to immediate and assured violence, Dias was allowed to make his way over to the table. In truth, it wasn't just to check up on River that he was heading over to them; he hadn't seen Scar in days, either.

It was strange; he honestly felt as though he was coming back to his family after a long separation. It was a little surprising, how strong the bonds between complete strangers had become so quickly...

Unfortunately, with no less than six people seated at the table, and their flanking both his friends, Dias didn't have much in the way of seat choice - at least not within comfortable speaking distance. Glowering at one orderly beside Scar - he'd have preferred to sit by River, especially after this morning, but he chose not to press his luck; it had been hard enough getting them to allow him to approach her to begin with after she'd incited the riot - he said, suppressing as much of his testiness as was possible, "It's too crowded for this. Let me sit down."

He wasn't sure if the orderly sensed that he was tense and was simply trying to keep him from exploding, or if the man simply saw the logic of the argument, but either way the orderly got to his feet, and Dias was able to sit down next to Scar in time for him to hear Scar apologizing for - basically the exact same thing he'd been meaning to.

Sometimes the similarities between the two of them were a little unsettling.

"I suppose neither of us are good at that," he said to Scar, with the slightest of shrugs.

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

Her older brother too, then. If not for the looming presence of the orderlies, River would've been positively delighted; even as it were, she scrounged around and mustered up a weak smile for both of them. Father and brother, names more important than blood.

"No sorries, then. All we ever say when it's not the words, never the words," she half-muttered, absently and then obsessively running her fingers through her hair. The knots wouldn't come out. Even when her hair was clean, there were always knots that people couldn't see.

"Been far away... All of us," River continued, lamenting the fact. "Missed you."

[right-handed.livejournal.com]

And then came Dias. Scar nearly let out a sigh of relief; he hadn't seen either him or Lust in what seemed like quite some time, and the swordsman looked like he'd taken on more damage since the last time Scar had seen him (which was saying quite a bit). Scar immediately felt guilty that his friend had gone into battle without any help, and when Dias spoke, the Ishbalan's brow creased.

"River's right," he said once the girl finished speaking in one of her strange riddles. Scar chewed slowly on some meat and then swallowed, glancing at Dias. "I don't know how it is that I keep being left unconscious in my room, but... it doesn't excuse that I haven't been there to help all of you."

[heavens-too-far.livejournal.com]

So that was where Scar had been all this time. Truthfully, it had been so long since he'd seen his friend that if he hadn't known River would have mentioned it, Dias would have thought the man dead or taken by this place.

"River is right," Dias said, shooting Scar a sidelong look. "And she just said that we shouldn't waste our time apologizing to each other when we can't help the circumstances, or I'm not any good at interpreting her." Which, he had to say, was a possibility. Time and acquaintance hadn't exactly made the things she said any less obscure. "Maybe we haven't been able to help each other the way we would have liked, but so far, we're all still alive." It...really wasn't the sort of thing he ever would have said or thought before coming here, and he'd never have believed it if he'd been talking about himself, but Scar blaming himself for not being able to help them because this place had apparently been keeping him unconscious (and it had to be this place; people didn't simply remain unconscious for no particular reason) was unreasonable. Besides, if River didn't want apologies, that was more important than their feeling sorry for themselves and their poor performances, and he'd put it aside for her sake.

Shaking his head slightly, Dias turned his attention to his food. "It's been a long time." This was as close as, at the moment, he was prepared to get to saying that he'd missed them, too.