Day 34: Breakfast

[screwthegods]

[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.

Comments

[numberii.livejournal.com]

Okay... Xigbar had to admit, he'd had worse nightshifts. First his homie fellow Nobody had gotten all patched up, then he'd gotten to do a wicked cool escape-flip from the Clock of Doom, then there was singing in the halls before molesting getting acquainted with Admiral ZEX.

So he whistled happily as he waltzed into the cafeteria, grabbing some food before plopping down opposite to a guy whose face screamed "Leave me alone and let me sulk." Which were always the best people to tease about things. "Yo," Xigbar said as he sat down, "you look like you got your clock cleaned."

[tyki-pon.livejournal.com]

"Eh?" Tyki glanced at the person who interrupted his sulking breakfast. He didn't recognize the guy, but he also had an eye-patch. The Noah couldn't help but wonder if eye-patches were the latest fashion trend or something 'round here. It was already the third person he had met with one in a pretty short time. Though the brat from the train back home probably didn't really count.

The comment earned the other man a crooked grin. "Guess that's one way of putting it." he answered, probably sounding retarded thanks to the broken nose, but there wasn't much he could do about it anyway. "Your night was probably much better, huh?" If the whistling was anything to go by, at least.

[numberii.livejournal.com]

"Yep, you could say that. Better'n some others; only problem bein' that I was too busy to slip out." Which was a real shame, in Xigbar's opinion; he really, really wanted to get out of the Institute, but allies came first. ...for a little while, anyway.

The poor guy sounded really out of shape, though, which made Xigbar blink at him. Broken nose? Had to be a royal pain; Xigbar was rather glad that he'd not suffered any debilitating conditions since he'd arrived. "What roughed you up?"

[tyki-pon.livejournal.com]

Tyki had heard people could go beyond the walls now, but he had also been too busy to even remotely consider it. He guessed it might be interesting to go and see what was there, but he needed to find something to light his smokes with first. And since he doubted they grew on trees, it probably meant another night staying inside.

"I found some smokes, but some guy tried to take 'em." Tyki answered, scratching his head while his grin still remained on his features. "Couldn't let that happen, of course. So we kinda got into a little brawl." One that had ended with the other guy running off as soon as the Noah pulled his knife. Okay, so maybe he had indeed intended to draw some blood, but it was the Redhead's own fault for provoking his black side...

[numberii.livejournal.com]

"Smokes... cigarettes?" Xigbar blinked at that, wondering where on earth Tyki had gotten something like that. Not that the Nobody was too tremendously interested; after getting a lungful or two of the Caterpillar's smoke, regular tobacco just wasn't the same. Still, it was better than nothing, and it was certainly something worth shanking hurting someone over.

"Sure hope you managed to keep your mitts on them; stuff like that just doesn't pop up." Which was kind of a sad thing, in the Freeshooter's opinion. The world would be so much better if more fun things just came into existence for the sake of being fun. But nah, it all had to be hunted down and exploited. That was part of the fun!

[tyki-pon.livejournal.com]

Tyki found stuff like that not popping up a sad thing as well, though he was probably biased thanks to his nicotine addiction.

"Nah, I still have 'em." Or at least most of them, but he had reached the point to be fine with anything. Besides, he could always try to find Redhead during the night later. "But I don't have anything to light them with." His expression changed into a frown when he said that, though the fact still remained; it was the embodiment of irony not to be able to light them after all that.

But there should be a lighter somewhere around here right? Or at least a couple of matches. He'd even do the old-fashioned trick of rubbing two sticks if it meant he could finally get some nicotine.

[numberii.livejournal.com]

"Dude... that's just not cool." It was a horrible thing, really; finally getting cigarettes and not being able to actually use them. Xigbar would be truly sympathetic if he had the heart for it. As it was, the sadness of the situation managed to keep him from teasing Tyki about it. ...for now.

"Something to light 'em with... I imagine there's gotta be something in the kitchen like that. Besides the burners, anyway." The only question was what could be used. Enterprising minds could come up with a lot, but something hot enough to light a cigarette without burning the thing entirely? That was a bit more of a challenge.

[tyki-pon.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it." Tyki confirmed. Nearly 48 hours without smokes, and well on his way for another 24 hours. His personal record kept going up and up.

"But I guess the kitchen's worth a shot then." Be it matches or something else, they needed to light the stove with at least something, right? Unless a better solution came up the Noah would try to head there for tonight. That was, if Rhode didn't intend to drag him somewhere else.

[numberii.livejournal.com]

"I would, but my vices are booze an' harder stuff... I got some of the first before, and I don't think I'll get too much of the good stuff. So I'll let you tell me about it." He laughed a bit, enjoying talking with Tyki. The guy understood what it was like to go through withdrawals; while Xigbar didn't have the emotions of withdrawal, he remembered what it was like.

"So yeah, give the kitchen a shot an' tell me how it works. I'd ask you for a smoke, but sounds like you've earned it. An' if you've been going without for too long, it's gotta be killing you, havin' 'em and not being able to use 'em."

[tyki-pon.livejournal.com]

The comment earned Xigbar a chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't say no to some booze either." Tyki answered, smirking. Jeez, they were taking all the pleasures of life away. Well, aside from maybe the thrill of killing. But the killing was something his black side enjoyed. His white side, on the other hand, had more of a hard time. And for someone representing the memory of Pleasure, that simply wasn't all that fun. Card games could only entertain him for so long...

"Heh, I'll smoke. Just watch." He'd kill to be able to smoke, which he had nearly proved to be a valid statement last night.

"Name's Tyki, by the way."

[numberii.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but finding some here's harder'n a needle in a haystack. Especially since some dude swiped mine while I was out." Which Xigbar felt deserved an arrow to the face, perhaps two. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of an opportunity for that. Though he'd gotten a moment the night before, so there wasn't as much of an itch on his trigger finger. Er... nocking arm? Whatever.

"Xigbar. Real pleased to meet another man of fine taste," he said with a sly wink and an extended hand. Of course, he wasn't about to actually shake hands; that was just a chance for a 'Psych!' and a merry skipping out of the way, as it did seem about time for people to be rounded up and hurried off to their next spot. Wherever that happened to be.