damned_institute | Day 32: Cafeteria, Breakfast

Entry tags:

Day 32: Cafeteria, Breakfast

Sylar's gears were still turning as the nurse and a burly orderly escorted him down long halls and through a strange, sunlit room. He'd been forced to drop his pen when the orderly had seen it, and since then, he'd realized that this place had better security than he'd originally anticipated, as well as a large population of patients. It looked like he'd have to bide his time for now, pretending to be this 'Zachary Blaine' and trying to figure out how the hell he'd gotten here.

His mind went over and over the events in Mohinder's lab, tracing every second that led up to his unconsciousness. According to the computer logs and the decked-out loft, Mohinder was working for the Company now, so had that woman with the electricity been an operative? Was this all a Company front? Even so, it didn't make sense for them to drop him off somewhere without any close supervision. They knew how dangerous he was. How special he was.

But right now, his abilities had been nullified and he was left only with the option of playing along. It was a very good thing that it was something he excelled at, even with his sudden loss of the cure clouding his thoughts and telling him to do something drastic.

Still, it was fun to take ahold of strings and let someone think they were pulling him when in fact he was the puppetmaster. Who knew? Maybe he could find a new toy now that his last one had worn out.

Sylar took his syrup-covered waffle to a table and tried to keep track of both the security and the people flooding in. Soon, he'd find an opening, a weak link he could exploit. It was only a matter of time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Zoro was here. That meant the rest of the Straw Hats couldn't be too far behind. Granted that the swordsman hadn't ended up lost again. He'd already been warned, specifically by Nami, that Zoro could get himself quite lost if he tried. And even if he didn't try! Brook was better with directions himself so if he was there as well, then they couldn't be too terribly lost at least.

He didn't think.

But then Zoro's manner wasn't at all as welcoming as it should have been. Brook stopped his rambling the moment he felt the air around his friend turn tense. And then came the kicker. Who are you? "Eh?! What?! You don't know?!" his mouth fell a little, face showing his bewilderment. Zoro didn't know who he was? How cruel! Before Brook went off into what would have been a tearful rant about how friends could never forget each other, he remembered that he did look a tad different than he should have, what with the skin and all. Maybe he should clear that up before trying to get his own answers. He didn't want Zoro glaring at him or looking like he was about to attack him with the fork!

"Oh, right how careless of me! I guess it would be a surprise since it surprised me as well. Yohohoho!" he pointed at himself, grinning brightly, "It's me! Just Dead Bones Brook, only not so dead, or bones, or even just anymore! Shocking isn't it!? I'm not sure how it happened, or if I'm merely hallucinating or... Oh! Do you think Luffy-san will still like me this way?" The rambling resumed along with a little more problems keeping to one subject. He'd been accepted as a member of the crew partially because Luffy liked him as a skeleton, but now that he had skin, he had to wonder if the young captain would still want him! "I promise I can still play music without fail!"

Well, that wasn't any good. Sanji knew Light and Misa would have wanted to accomplish more than that before the night ended. Couldn't the nightshift just decide on a length of time and stay that way for once?

He rubbed at his chest a bit as he went through the breakfast line. Thankfully, he was feeling much better this morning than he had the one previous. The fever was gone, even if some of the aches from his injuries remained. Turning back towards the crowd of tables, he couldn't help but spot a familiar green head next to an also familiar afro.

An afro? When the doctor mentioned new patients arriving, did that mean...? But how was anyone not going to notice a skeleton? He quickened his pace, approaching the two from behind. "Oi! Brook! Is that you?"

"I don't kno-- hey! Oi!" The guy just kept rambling and Zoro couldn't be sure if the other was doing it purposely to annoy him. Zoro's hand clenched around his fork and he opened his mouth to try and get the conversation back to who the hell Just Dead Bones Brook was.

He would have already started yelling if Luffy hadn't suddenly been mentioned. And music... the man could play music without fail, huh?

Zoro had an inkling of who Brook could be, but he remained wary either way. Just as he was about to try interrupting the babble again, someone else did it for him.

Sanji. Zoro frowned up at him, fork still awkwardly clenched in his hand. "You know this guy stupid love-cook?"

"Ah!" Brook pulled back from the table a little, tensing over Zoro's increase in anger. The swordsman never had enjoyed Brook's ramblings, but he didn't have to shout! "How mean! I'm only explaining, Zoro-san!" He might have been a little more dramatic over it except that someone else was calling his name now, and from behind.

"Oh? Oh!" He first recognized the voice, then turned his head back to recognize the blonde hair and the always-curly eyebrow. "Sanji-san!" He raised a hand high in greeting. At least Sanji knew who he was! "You're here too?! That's so much better! I still think I'm either dreaming or going crazy, but it's better if more than one of my friends is here! Yohohoho!" he exclaimed, then suddenly lost the smile and went unbelievably serious, "And Zoro-san's not being very nice."

And it really was far better with the two of them there regardless of how strange Zoro was acting. This at least was making the possibility of a dream far more plausible. His dreams always had his Nakama in them! Usually those Nakama didn't seem to forget him, but he supposed it really was the fault of him having skin that Zoro hadn't recognized him. And Sanji would have only seen him from behind as well, so he hadn't had the opportunity to become confused! Yes, this could still be a dream!

A very, very strange one...

That was right. If Zoro had come to Landel's from a time just after leaving Water 7, then he not only wouldn't know anything about Thriller Bark, but he wouldn't have met Brook either. In that case, Sanji was the only one who would even recognize the skeleton man. That could be troublesome.

"Yeah, I know hi-WHOA." And then Brook turned around. Sanji was thrown by the difference in appearance. He definitely sounded and acted like Brook, but someone had gone and reattached all of his skin and organs. If he thought about what the man might have looked like before he'd died and been brought back by the Devil's Fruit, this could have been what he looked like...

So that was how Landel's solved instances with anyone who'd stand out, huh?

"You've got skin," he still pointed out obviously. Without waiting for a response, he went on to Zoro. "This is Brook. Usually he's a skeleton."

... okay. That wasn't exactly the weirdest introduction he'd ever heard but Zoro still wasn't sure what to say. There was definitely some kind of devil fruit involved in that story, of that Zoro was almost a hundred percent sure.

At least Sanji seemed to know what he was talking about. Zoro wasn't sure if he liked the chef being more well-informed than he was but he put that aside to mull over later. He remembered something about being taken from different times and how neither Luffy nor Nami knew about Franky.

That thought decided his next question for him. He looked at Sanji, eyes carefully guarded before they moved on to Brook's face. Zoro trusted the chef's word, all insults aside. "Did Luffy ask him to join the crew?"

Brook laughed at Sanji's response to him, but he should have expected it. It would be quite shocking seeing someone they'd met as a skeleton wondering around in the flesh. This was the first time they'd gotten to see what he'd looked like too! How wonderful! "Usually, yes, so I'm at a loss for what's going on here..." Brook put a hand up to his nose again. Still a little warm from sliding down the wall earlier, though it no longer stung as much. Even so, there was a little tingle of pain there, pain that wasn't supposed to come with a dream.

All right, so supposing this wasn't a dream: how was he back to having skin? Unless some kind of magic fairy had come and changed him over night... that was stretching it a little. Oh! Perhaps the Devil's Fruit had done something? He'd never been too clear about the thing's abilities before he'd come back, so maybe this was another part of it! After a while it'll return the body back to normal or something. It wasn't so much of a stretch, but the idea was a tad optimistic.

His thinking was cut short when Zoro asked a ridiculous question. "Of course he asked me!" Brook's mouth dropped again at Zoro. Really, even if this wasn't a dream, Zoro didn't have to be so cruel! He'd been there when he'd been asked too! Both times! Sure, he hadn't been one of the ones who'd come on his ship the first time, and yes, he had been quite unconscious the second time at the party, but still! "And I accepted!" he added after his burst of surprise. Just in case Zoro tried to ask that too. Brook could only handle so much of a Nakama saying he didn't know who he was!

He quickly turned his head back to Sanji, pointing at Zoro. "Tell him to stop it, Sanji-san! It's not nice pretending not to know who a friend is!" he demanded as though Sanji could get Zoro to stop.

"It..." Sanji scratched his head a bit, still very confused by the situation. Luffy had asked Brook to join the crew, but didn't Brook have to get his shadow back before... The pirate's eyes automatically went to the floor. There, of course, was Brook's shadow. He'd gotten his shadow back, so why not Brook? Was it possible that he came from a point in time even further ahead than his own? This thought bothered him. He'd liked being the one that knew that most. "Yeah... He did ask him, but..."

Frowning, he took a seat at the table with the other two, ignoring Brook's last demand. "What's the last thing you remember, Brook?" He asked the musician, preparing himself for the inevitable.

"Haa, I see..." Zoro ran a hand through his hair, the clear expression on his face a sign that he'd put most of the pieces of the puzzle together now. Brook was less suspicious, but not by much. Sanji's verification was still important (as was that lingering "but...") though how the new pirate answered would also weigh heavily on Zoro's judgment.

He settled in for the conversation, finally putting the fork he'd been clutching back down on the plate of partially eaten waffles. Not feeling the need to add anything to Sanji's question, Zoro patiently remained silent.

Sanji hadn't stopped Zoro, or gotten him to admit that he was only teasing (however cruel that teasing was), but since he hadn't continued acting like he didn't know, Brook let it go. Zoro had to be joking, after all. He couldn't really not know who the musician of the Straw Hat Pirates was!

"But?" Brook cocked his head towards Sanji again, watching as he took a seat beside him.

Why was there a "but" in that sentence? Luffy had asked and Brook had accepted; there were no "buts" about it! Well, there was that one about "but it took getting shadows back, beating Oz and Moria, getting Kuma to leave, and learning that Laboon was alive" before it could happen. All right, there was one "but" to speak of, and it was there for a lot of reasons, but it shouldn't have anything to do with him having become a member of the crew! They'd been together for a while now, sailing the Grand Line like a proper crew! How could Sanji be unsure of that?

He wasn't able to protest or ask just what Sanji meant by that before the Cook presented him with a question. The last thing he remembered? The conversation just kept getting stranger and stranger! "Before waking up here you mean?" he asked to clarify, then after a quick moment of thought lifted his index finger and answered simply, "Going to bed."

Probably not the answer the Cook wanted, but it was what he last remembered before coming to.

Sanji said something inarticulate and fell out of his chair.

He was back up in an instant, though, and glaring. "That's not what I meant!" He should have learned to be more specific after Zoro's very similar answer to the same question. "What were the most recent events before you got here? Things that had been going on over the past couple days? No. Not even that. I might not want to know that." He held out a hand in a warding-off gesture.

"Just answer this- Were we still on the Thriller Bark?"

Zoro only snorted, showing a lot of amusement for someone who'd made the exact same error.

He glanced at Sanji though, brow furrowing slightly. The chef was asking odd questions. "What's Thriller Bark?"

"Oya?! But you said...!" he tried to defend himself, putting his hands up between himself and Sanji. Brook thought he'd presented the appropriate response, so when Sanji fell out of his chair and then glared and shouted at him, he could only appear offended for it! Or, at the very least, he feigned offense. It truly took a lot more than being yelled at before Brook could be honestly offended by a person.

The conversation was still progressively getting stranger and stranger, though Brook had to admit getting yelled at by the cook was nothing new. Usually it happened after meals though. "Thriller Bark?" he repeated when Sanji mentioned it. That horrid place! "Of course not! It's been... hm, about a week since we left there!" he said, confusion showing on his face. Things just were not adding up. "Why ask something like that, Sanji-san?"

A week. A week since they'd left. It couldn't have taken them that long to defeat those they needed to defeat on Thriller Bark, at least he didn't want to believe it could have. So he willed himself to believe that Brook wasn't from that far a time ahead of him. Just a far enough time ahead that the skeleton was now a member of their crew. Their musician, no doubt.

He sighed, slumping a bit in his seat. "All right, Brook. Here's the short of it." He tapped the table with a finger. "This place is crazy weird and shit. Magic, like how you're flesh and blood again. The people here? They're all plucked from their worlds and dropped here without a clue - and from different times, but no one understands how that works. Clueless, over here..." a thumb jerk towards Zoro, "his memories end before we met you. Mine from when I had my shadow stolen. Luffy, Nami, and Usopp are here too, and they recall even less."

Shrugging, Sanji took a few bites of his food before it started getting cold. "There aren't any good explanations." And of course that wasn't even the half of it, but he'd let that set in before he even got started on what went on at night.

"Oi..." Growled Zoro, a vein throbbing on his temple in irritaton. He looked between Brook and Sanji, narrowed gaze landing first on the chef, then the musician, then on the chef again.

"What's Thriller Bark?" Zoro repeated with a little twitch. He really didn't like the thought of not being in the loop especially since Sanji seemed to know what it was. A whole week... the difference of which was a new nakama and some kind of adventure.

The others would have to be introduced to Brook later though. Hopefully the three of them could sort things out before the presence of more questions complicated the story.

Now if only someone would tell him what the hell Thriller Bark was.

A stunned silence followed Sanji's condensed explanation in which Brook stared at the tabletop, trying to force himself to understand. He'd unfortunately already ruled out that this was still a dream for how it had played out - too many things Brook would never have even dreamed were coming up. And besides that, his nose still hurt. But if not a dream...

"... then..." when he did finally speak, the only word he could manage was slow and uncertain. His eyes lifted from the table, but he did not put them on Sanji. Instead they went across to Zoro. If everything said was truth, and Zoro really wasn't kidding when he asked them to clarify about Thriller Bark, then Zoro truly didn't remember. Anything! How he'd fought against Ryuuma, won in less than five minute's time, claimed the samurai's sword, and gotten Brook's shadow back! Then having to face off against Moria and Oz, and then Kuma...! Maybe it was better than Zoro did not remember that last part; Brook almost wished he could forget it himself. That scream was still embedded in his own skull for how agonizing it had been.

And Sanji too! Brook looked back to the Cook now, still silent. Sanji had nearly suffered through the same at Kuma's hands, no doubt would have if Zoro hadn't laid him out. Brook had been so touched by their dedication to their Captain back then! But to not remember any of it was just-- and now Sanji was saying that others of the crew also remembered nothing! Less even! Less than nothing! Was that even possible?

If it was, then it was just too cruel!

"Thriller Bark," Sanji finally sighed, looking back at Zoro. "It's where we ended up after running into Brook. Crazy creepy place with zombies, okay? They could take your shadow from you and bring zombies to life with it." Hopefully that would be all that Zoro needed to know, because Sanji couldn't supply much more.

At Brook's dejected expression, the chef rubbed at the back of his head and tried not to look uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Look, uh... I'm sure Luffy will still like you. He's that type of guy. You'll just have to reintroduce yourself, is all. Right?"

So awkward.

Zoro still didn't get it (was Thriller Bark some kind of island? another ship?) but he let the simple explanation stand for now. The chef just probably didn't know. Heh. Stupid chef.

He looked at Brook, frowning but generally unbothered by the situation. Crossing his arms and staring down the new pirate with more speculation than suspicion, Zoro held his gaze for the span of three beats. When he spoke, it was neutral, resolved. Honest.

"Luffy doesn't remember Franky either." He offered. The words were more comforting than his tone but Zoro's face gave no indication that he was trying to achieve anything by it.

Luffy didn't even remember Franky? Someone who'd joined prior to himself, and the person who had built the Lion-chan!

Brook's eyes again trailed to the table, and his hands folded in his lap. Franky was so spirited - it couldn't be that Luffy had forgotten! He was a good Captain and friend and really, really not the type to simply forget someone. Then he really didn't know? About Brook, or Thriller Bark or even...

Laboon?

"Oh. A-ah, yes, you're... you're right," he tried to sound hopeful of Sanji's words, but the doubt was too apparent. The thought of being rejected... it was just too much for someone like Brook who held the bonds of Nakama above all else, and it lingered regardless of what he knew of the Captain. Luffy had only met him as a skeleton, so what if meeting him like this would change his mind? A fully-fleshed musician wasn't nearly as interesting as a skeletal one! And Luffy was always saying how interesting Brook was! And first impressions were everything!

"Look, just ah... Tell him you're a musician! Luffy's been wanting a musician on the crew for ages. That's probably enough for him." Sanji thought for a moment, tapping his chin and leaning back in his chair. "And... tell him about how you joined the crew in the first place. I'm telling you, it won't take much. Luffy'll probably think your affro is pretty awesome."

That reminded him of the whole shpeal with the Foxy Pirates. If Brook hadn't been a skeleton when they'd met, Luffy would have most likely gone sparkly-eyed over the affro all the same. What a nut.

Zoro's brow furrowed. Yeah, Luffy liked afros. Luffy liked a lot of weird things, actually.

Zoro wasn't sure what that said about their crew.

He shook his head. As far as he was concerned, the matter was already decided since Luffy had asked and Brook had agreed. That is, if the musician was telling the truth. Sanji had thrown a "but" into that memory but Zoro also knew how easily things could change within a few days time.

That simple 'yes' wouldn't be an easy promise to break, lacking memories or otherwise.

"If you're worried about appearances just look at this guy over here," Zoro pointed at Sanji seriously. "He has skin and he's stupid but Luffy keeps him around anyway." Zoro cast a final, thoughtful glance at Brook before stuffing the last of his waffles into his mouth. "The Captain won't recant an offer like that even if he doesn't remember making it."

His afro was pretty awesome, if he did say so himself. And it was also one of the things Luffy had liked about him aside from him being a skeleton. Maybe he was just thinking too much! Luffy had asked him a few times to join, and it wasn't as though Brook had ever really refused the invitation those times. He'd just had some setbacks, and the crew, all of them had jumped at the chance to help him! Even if they didn't remember it! He had no doubt that Zoro would gladly face Ryuuma again (or was it for the first time?) if given the chance now. Or again.

The time here was so strange!

Zoro's last words sealed it for the former skeleton. "You're right!" he finally determined, confidence building at their attempts at encouragement. He unfolded his hands and thumped the tabletop with his right. "Even if he doesn't remember it, he still asked me. Twice! And I promised I'd be his musician through hell or high water, even if it killed me!" He exclaimed, then grinned brightly once he realized what he'd just said, "But you know! I was already dead when I said that! Yohohoho!"

He felt so much better that he couldn't help but bring up some kind of joke. He hadn't made any since waking up, and now was the perfect time to brighten the mood with some good morbid humor! It would be strange later though, not having his skeletal body to base his Skull Jokes on! He'd have to improvise!

"OI! I'll cave your face in, moldy bread!" Sanji replied to Zoro's insult by shoving the leg of his chair hard with one foot.

His expression changed into a grin as Brook got his spirit back. "There you go! No need to worry!" ...Then it turned into a grimace as he cracked a (oi!) skull joke. This was definitely the Brook he'd met, even if appearances were different. The attempts at humor were just as corny. Luffy would love him.

"I'd say you should recap the whole story behind why you were a skeleton, but that should probably wait until you meet with the rest of the crew. Unless you like repeating yourself multiple times."

Zoro grit his teeth and grabbed the table to keep from toppling over. "Che, as if you could dart-brow!"

Still scowling, he sat up and fixed his chair. Brook, a lot more cheerful now, was back to that excited babbling he'd been doing when he first accosted Zoro. Still, the swordsman really could have gone without hearing that joke. If it could even be counted as one.

He was a little curious about Brook being a skeleton but internally admitted that Sanji had a point. Not wanting to acknowledge that out loud to himself or to anyone else, Zoro just slung an arm over the back of his chair and smirked. "What I really want to know is... can you fight or do you just play music?"

From the cheeky grin on his face, it looked like Zoro already knew the answer to that question.

He laughed again at the antics of the two, amazed that it wasn't him getting his own chair booted. Maybe it would take a while before he earned any threats of pain with his jokes. But at least his friends' squabblings proved that they were definitely the people he knew. Not that he'd ever doubted that!

"Oh, this is wonderful!" he laughed more, spirits now the complete opposite of what they'd been only moments prior. He'd been so worried over being rejected that he hadn't realized just what this meant! A third opportunity to join the Straw Hat Pirate Crew, and this time with skin! He really, really had skin! This was a dream come true! Literally! "I'll recount every detail, from the moment we met down to everything about Laboon! The bare bones of the story if you will! Yohohoho!" Now he'd hit his joking groove as well. "Skull joke!"

His head turned once again when Zoro asked if he could fight. Ah yes, he wouldn't even know that then! "Certainly, I can!" Brook announced, "though I didn't see my shikomizue around when I awoke. Or my violin!" Oh dear, that would be a problem! Both of his weapons were missing! He could worry over it at a later time though since Zoro's grin was a little more unsettling. He held up his hands towards Zoro and waved them slightly in defense, "But I could never hold a candle to yourself, Zoro-san! You were so excellent against Ryuuma that I--- Oh! But you don't know about that yet!" One of the hands went up over his mouth. Whoops. Maybe learning about the future wasn't something they wished to know about. Or maybe it was! And he had just promised to explain everything, so he'd probably have to bring up Ryuuma and everythign else on Thriller Bark eventually.

Day 32: Cafeteria, Breakfast

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)