damned_institute | Day 34: Breakfast

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Day 34: Breakfast

[starting off in M13]

The last part of the night was little more than a blur in Homura's mind. The men had rushed in, but not joined them, instead staying off to themselves. Before any of them had a chance to react, however, a voice sounded through the air, mocking some other person Homura had never heard of, and the patients themselves.

To Homura, whoever that man was, he sounded a great deal like a god.

But before he could ask questions, the demi-god found himself no longer in the chapel, but some strange room on a bed. Is that what Kenren had meant from his earlier warning? Homura sat up, glad at least that the world didn't spin when he did so. Then the same man from before began to speak again, with a completely different tone. It was confusing to hear him talk that way, calling them patients instead of prisoners as he had before. Homura listened quietly as the announcement was made, then got out of bed.

Maybe he wouldn't have to go anywhere yet. It wasn't like Homura knew where to go anyway, and that meant he had time. If this was his room, and if he had been here as long as Kenren had said, there was a chance he could find something with answers. The Taisho had even told him that Homura had seen Rinrei. Certainly he would've written something down, made a map, something that could let him find her again! He started with the desk at the end of his bed, first finding a small stack of notebooks. Picking up the first, he flipped through, turning the pages with quickening desperation as he found each one to be blank.

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He recognised the croon, the way that Daemon was looking at him from the first time that they'd met, when he'd got a taste of the Sadist and he'd seen up close just what Daemon could do when he was pushed. But he stood his ground anyway, wanting to find out exactly what was going on.

The lack of recognition was startling. "I sincerely doubt that I could have the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan and Consort of the Dark Court at a disadvantage," he said, a little sourly, choosing to ignore it for now in favour of finding out the important things. "Now tell me what happened to Surreal. Is she healed? I can't sense her."

Another edge to the temper, a flicker of something darker shadowing golden eyes as he regarded the male. He knew Surreal. Was this one of her targets, perhaps? Which said little for the male's character and promised a none-too-pleasant fate for him.

"Surreal?" Daemon echoed with what appeared to be mild curiosity mixed with utter boredom. "She is not here, which is why you cannot sense her. Did something happen, that she would require healing?"

Not here? Then where was she? He could only hope that she was in the Hall and not under the influence of whateve was apparently affecting Sadi.

"You know that it did," he said, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You were there when Yaslana broke us out of that cursed house. You were the one who extracted the price from the one who created it. She was posioned and Jaenelle was healing her." That it was Janelle who had begun the healing made his worry less. If anyone could heal Surreal, then it would be Kaeleer's Heart.

Again, something flickered in Daemon's gaze, but this time his expression was patient, and he held up a hand. "Stop. Don't say anymore. Not yet. First of all... humor me, for a moment. How do I know you?"

The man spoke of things Daemon had no memory of, and that he was certain he had not yet experienced, but the mention of Lucivar and Jaenelle gave him pause, even as the mention of Surreal being injured pricked his temper dangerously. This concept wasn't entirely surprising as it was confusing. Lucivar, too, had arrived speaking of events that Daemon had not yet encountered, and hadn't the Lady Lia been brought from hundreds of years in the past?

For the moment, he would give the man before him the benefit of the doubt, although Daemon still did not let his guard drop. Another Warlord Prince - an unknown Warlord Prince - was a dangerous threat, and unless Lucivar could vouch for this man, Daemon wasn't about to trust him.

Rainier paused, giving Daemon an odd look in response to the questions. He knew everything. They'd known each other for a year at least now so why...? Wisely, he decided to answer now instead of raging against this cage in the hope that he might find outwhat was happening and where in the name of the Darkness Surreal was.

"I work for you," he said after a moment, voice tight from restraining himself. "I'm Second Circle of the Dark Court." Even after it had been disbanded, they still served. "I serve the Lady but you gave me a contract to work for you so I wouldn't need to serve in another Court." Even if they were friends, certain things were required of males that he just wasn't suited for. "And I stand as Lady Surreal's escort when she requires on. We're friends," he added, his tone making it absolutely clear what was not involved in their friendship.

The man wasn't lying. Or, at least, he believed what he said, which was a very subtle but important difference. All the same, Daemon pulled out the chair beside the man's and sank down into it, still watching the Warlord Prince warily.

"Perhaps what you say is true and perhaps it is not. First of all, we're not in Kaeleer anymore. Nor are we in Terrielle. This is someplace else entirely and the rules are not the same here as we knew it. You speak of things I have not experienced yet, and until I find Lucivar to vouch for your words, you will have to forgive me for greeting them with considerable skepticism. Before I was brought here, I had not met you, but if you say you served in the Court, then for the moment, I will give you the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise."

Despite the wary gaze from Sadi, Rainier relaxed a little when he sat, moving to do the same and ignoring the food set out. His gaze was equally wary, not certain how he should react to this new strangeness.

Somewhere new and outside the rules? What could that mean? But the very fact that Daemon was here was not reassuring. He raised an eyebrow at the suggesiton that Lucivar was here. "Yourself and your brother are here, and yet the place still stands?"

Daemon's lips twisted downwards in an expression of disgust. "Those that control this place are more clever than they look. They've sealed us off from our jewels and leave us with nearly no power at all. During daylight, we are closely watched and monitored and restrained should we step out of line. After darkness, we are let loose, but this place unleashes monsters of the like most have never encountered. There are cats the size of an Arcerian, rodents larger than Ladvarian, and spiders bigger than you or I. There are creatures that take on the illusion of a close friend, only to turn on you as prey when they get a chance. They use magic and inventions the like most in Kaeleer and Terrielle have never dreamed of. They even managed to contain Jaenelle here for a time, and that alone should tell you difficulty we are up against."

He frowned, fingers drumming softly on the table as he regarded the other man. "They are not invulnerable, however, and Lucivar and I have been working with others to try and figure out how deep their illusions and magic go, and how to unravel the spells that bind this place. One cannot simply leave, for we'd wake up in our beds once more come dawn."

Rainier listened carefully to the explanation of the place that Daemon gave, his expression becoming grim. Monsters sounded rather outlandish, but he took the warnings seriously, not believing that Daemon would make something up when it would be too easy to discover the truth. His eyes did widen though when Daemon mentioned Jaenelle. "They manage to hold Jaenelle captive?" he asked incredulously. She was the strongest Queen the Blood had ever seen, able to wipe out every person who had been tainted and hold together an entire realm. "That tells me enough about what we're up again, yes," he continued, expression darkening.

"You believe it to be an illusion?" he asked finally, remembering all too clearly what had taken place before he'd woken up here. And that had been only three Black Widows.

"I don't know what it is. Yet." Daemon amended mildly. "Whatever they are using, it's like nothing we've encountered before, and without my Jewels, its difficult to find out what I normally could. And yes, Jaenelle was here briefly. Very briefly. As was the Priest. People occasionally have a way of... vanishing. Some after only a short time, some after longer. There seems to be no pattern to it, no more than how people are chosen and brought here. There are only a few Blood, but most of the prisoners here are from realms so varied and different from ours that it's almost impossible to comprehend."

Lucivar was fuming. The brief message Daemon had left him alerted him to the fact that his father was gone. It was the second family member that had gone missing without his knowledge and it enraged him to think they could disappear under his nose. He had to speak to Daemon, hoping the Bastard's words would assist him in leashing the rage that had once again bubbled to the surface. If not, Lucivar prayed he had enough sense not to deck one of the smiling nurses in the face.

Locating Daemon in the busy cafeteria had been easy. Lucivar stalked over, his fists clenched in anger when he saw that Daemon was not alone. "Rainier?" he said, a bit confused. The Warlord hadn't been in the hospital the night before which meant that he must have arrived this morning. Still, what was he doing here?

Jaenelle and Saetan had been here and vanished. That didn't particularly bode well for their chances of surviving. It wasn't a reassuring thought. "Other realms," he said musingly. It was difficult to even comprehend of. THere had always been only the three.

He was about to say more when he heard Lucivar's voice and practically sagged in relief. He never thought he'd be grateful to see Lucivar in a bad mood. He'd even be prepared to sit through the inevtiable lecture about shielding. "Yaslana," he replied, inclining his head.

Daemon turned at the sound of his brother's voice, and the fact that Lucivar knew this Warlord Prince by name and was greeted without malice spoke greatly for the younger man. Daemon subtly relaxed, taking another step back from the Edge of his temper.

"Prick," he greeted, his voice still cool. He was still in a dangerous mood, and Lucivar's temper was prickling against his own leashed rage. He knew why Lucivar was pissed, of course, and that didn't help matters any, not to mention the doctor had landed himself another of their number.

"Perhaps you can clear up some confusion for us?" he prodded, voice a low, sensual murmur as he lifted a hand to motion at the Warlord Prince who sat beside him. "Although an introduction might help, as well."

An introduction? Of course. Daemon wouldn't know the former dance teacher as Ranier never crossed the Sadist's path until the ball in Amdarh where the two had certainly steamed up the room. "Daemon, this is Prince Rainier, Second Circle and taught the coven how to dance."

Lucivar gave Rainier a nod before turing to Daemon. "And, for the record, this isn't the first time you've unleased the Sadist on him. You might want to reign it in before you both make another scene. I doubt the nurses would allow such things and it would make the rest of the patients uneasy. We don't need children exposed to the sexual tension."

He sat down, growing serious once more. "Tell me what happened to Father," he said. "Were you there?"

An introduction would probably be a good idea now that Sadi wasn't considering him an enemy. A threat maybe, because Warlord Princes were always threats, it was their nature. He gave Daemon a wry smile at the introduction, inclinging his head. "Pleased to meet you. Again, I suppose." Mother Night, this was confusing.

He nodded back at Lucivar and then suppressed a wince at the mention of his dance with the Sadist that night. Daemon was a mean bastard when he wanted to be and Rainier had been shown there merest hint of how nasty he could be. "The ladies did seem to enjoy it though," he replied after a moment with a rakish grin, remembering how flushed Jaenelle had been.

"Oh?" Daemon arched an eyebrow at his brother, his curiosity piqued. "What scene was this?" Although he could guess. If this Rainier had come across him somewhere other than this institute , the meeting would have been very different until he'd verified that the man wasn't an enemy.

Still, Lucivar's question had to be dealt with, and Daemon shook his head briefly. "No. I'm not sure when it happened. However, I had a new roommate last night during dinner. A man by the name of Angel. He formerly roomed with the Priest, and the change indicated his roommate was no longer present. As soon as the doors opened last night it was simple to verify."

"You and Cat were in the middle of playing a game," Lucivar said, hoping Daemon didn't ask for details. "Rainier walked into the middle of it and had the misfortune of flirting with her while you were already on edge. Needless to say, Rainier was granted a taste of what dancing with the Sadist truly means."

Lucivar growled and hit the table with his fist, enraged that Saetan had slipped away with as little fanfare as Jaenelle had. "This is madness," he hissed to Daemon. "How can two Black threads disappear as if they'd never been? What does it mean?"

"It was an absolutely calculated move to help them with their game," Rainier replied, a touch sourly. They'd needed to draw whoever it was targeting Jaenelle and Daemon out, and it had worked. He looked sideways at Daemon. "And I have no interest in Jaenelle beyond friendship and the fact that she is my Queen," he added, not wanting Daemon to get the wrong idea now that they were just starting to get things worked out. "The same goes for Surreal." And any of the Coven for that matter.

"Ask me tomorrow and I may have an answer for you," Daemon replied to his brother's outburst, his expression deceptively calm as he drummed his fingers quietly on the tabletop. He didn't know how they did it - he didn't understand how they'd been brought here and their Jewels sealed off in the first place. Failing in understanding that, and nothing else made sense. Though he was far from being the most talented Black Widow, he did have some skills, and it was about time he tried to use them here.

He turned back to Rainier, listening to the explanation with an arch of one thin eyebrow. "Surreal. You mentioned before that she was poisoned." The question was implied in his words. He flicked a sideways glance at Lucivar. "Did you know about this?"

Lucivar turned to Rainier suddenly, snarling angrily. "Surreal is poisoned?" he snapped. "Mother Night! I knew I should have ripped that prick's cock off. If Falonar's done something to Surreal he'll be missing more then his cock when I'm done with him."

Falonar? He thought that Falonar was to blame for this? But didn't Lucivar remember? Or was this something similar to how Daemon didn't remember him at all?

"It has nothing to do with Falonar," he replied seriously, although Lucivar's anger pricked at his own temper again. Just the thought of Surreal being injured was bad enough. "It was the Spooky House. That author, Jarvis Jenkell. He created a trap for the Blood and Surreal and I were injured trying to escape from it. She was posioned but Jaenelle was tending to her."

Daemon's curious gaze studied Rainier's face a moment before turning to Lucivar, his hands held up in a motion of ignorance. "Don't look at me. I didn't even know him before ten minutes ago, let alone anything involving an author and a spooky house."

"Spooky house?" Lucivar said, not following anything Rainier was saying. "I'm not aware of a spooky house but the main question isn't what were you doing there, but what were you doing with Surreal and why would you allow her to be poisoned? Mother Night, must I instruct you both on the importance of shielding yourself before entering an unknown place?"

Rainier was beginning to think that he'd rather face off with a certain angry Glacian Queen than the two males he was currently sitting with. Well, he had been bracing himself for a lecture he supposed. Might as well face up with it and at least Lucivar couldn't order him to Ebon Rih if they were here.

"Jaenelle and Lady Marian were creating an entertainment," he explained. "A house made to demonstrate how landens think the Blood live. Cobwebs and dust and uh, popping beetles in bathtubs." And that had really got to Surreal. "Surreal received an invitation to view it, worded in such a way that she couldn['t refuse and I stood as her escort for the occasion. Unfortunately, it was a ruse to capture members of the SaDiablo family. Some author thought that being Blood, unjewelled blood even, made him an equal to some of the most powerful Blood in the Realm. We went inside along with some landen children but it was a trap, a different house, designed to hold the strongest of the Blood. Any use of Craft closed an exit we could use to escape and the house was filled with Demon Dead."

Daemon was making a careful study of his dark-tinted fingernails - one in particular - the absent gesture disguising a sudden surge of temper at Rainier's words - not at the warlord himself, but at the man who dared to attempt to trap his family - and apparently succeeded, in Rainier and Surreal's case. He didn't know about this Opal-jeweled Warlord Prince, but to ensnare and poison Surreal would take quite a trap. How had an unjeweled male done it? He'd had to have had help.

"But you are here and well, so I will assume his trap failed?" Daemon inquired casually, deceptively calm.

Day 34: Breakfast

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