Day 34: Lunch

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie bounced all the way through collecting her lunch, all the way to a good seat- one with a nice view of the whole cafeteria, which was something she'd been missing out on during the past day or so that she'd been stuck in the Institute- and hell, she even bounced into her seat.

A good mood? No, really?

Despite the occasional blip, talking to Sagara had been awesome. He was a fun guy; he wasn't a prude, didn't have a stick shoved so far up his ass it was poking out his eyeballs, and he'd actually had a conversation with her. One that hadn't revolved around doom, gloom or how much life sucked. If she could find other people like that and keep in touch with Sagara, maybe there was a little hope for this place.

After a quick gulp of pink lemonade, Yuffie settled to munching through her food and keeping an eye on the door.

[Waiting for Dean, I think? :x]

Comments

[noflyingzone.livejournal.com]

She sat when he invited her to, eyeing her food with distrust before ignoring it completely in favor of turning all her attention on Daemon. Neither he nor Lucivar had acted like her randomly showing up was all that 'unexpected.' Oh, maybe her specifically, but not the situation itself. Wasn't that interesting. "This morning. So talk."

[thesadist]

"How much did Lucivar tell you?" Maybe it was better to start at the beginning, but time was usually short in these shifts, and it was pointless to merely reiterate what his brother might have already informed her of. Waiting for her to answer, he took a few bites of his lunch, seeing the way she'd eyed her own plate distrustfully and hadn't touched it.

[noflyingzone.livejournal.com]

She narrowed her eyes slightly when Daemon started eating, glancing down at her own plate. She knew what he was doing and appreciated it, even if she wasn't sure why he was so ready to trust this place. How long had he been here? She was sure she'd know if he were an illusion, but...

"Not much." Because they'd started arguing about morning workouts. Like she was going to mention that. "We aren't in Kaeleer, he said. Or any of the Realms. How is that even possible?"

She unconsciously reached for the Craft, intending to test the food for any sign of poisons and freezing, uncertain, when she couldn't even manage that much. That was basic Craft. What was going on here?

[thesadist]

[Long post is loooong. Sorry. >.>]

"This realm..." Daemon began, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. "It's connected to far more realms than we ever believed existed. They possess knowledge, inventions, and magic of the like we've never imagined. You'll see what I mean after you've been here for a few days. It's because of that that I can't explain how we are here, or why. No one knows. The man who runs this place - Landel - his motives and purpose are unclear, unless this is just some twisted game of his.

"During the day we are treated as if we are Broken - or this realm's version of it. We are watched carefully and treated as patients - albeit sometimes volatile ones. But after dark, everything changes, and the institute turns into a deadly maze. We're let loose and there are monsters unleashed to guard the halls and rooms and exits, making it dangerous and deadly to risk wandering out. I'd advise you never to do so alone; things have a way of... surprising you when you least expect them."

Daemon paused and glanced about the cafeteria. "All the patients here, they're all drawn from different realms. As far as I've seen, we are the only Blood that have arrived here... there are five of us here at the moment - myself and Lucivar, a Warlord Prince named Rainier, and a Queen named Lia - although my father was here until a short while ago, and Jaenelle was here for one night. We are not sure how people are brought here, now how they vanish again. We don't know if it is by their own will or if they are sent back.

"There's also the difference in memories once people do arrive here. Saetan, Lucivar, and I had all experienced different events before waking here - my father was taken several weeks before I was and Lucivar several weeks after me. Although we have no memory of each other vanishing when we did.

"Also, I'm sure you've noticed by now that you cannot call in your Jewels and that your magic is... unreachable. That eases a little after dark. I've been able to do basic Craft during our nights of freedom - some healing, a few offensive and defensive spells. It is also easier to sense each others' presence at night on the webs, and send thoughts - but it only works across short distances, from what I've been able to observe."

Daemon paused to take a break, taking a long sip from his drink to give Karla a chance to take in all that information. It was overwhelming, when first waking up here.

[noflyingzone.livejournal.com]

No one could accuse Karla of being the quiet type. The times she had actually been shocked into true silence could likely be counted on one hand. Daemon's explanation had just added one more.

She was no stranger to males and their twisted games. That Jaenelle had been here for so short a time was hardly surprising, either. No one could hold Witch against her will. The fact that Jaenelle had left this place standing, though. It made no sense. Especially not if Uncle Saetan and the others had been here, too.

And Rainier was here? Who next? Mrs. Beale?

Actually, that thought was almost appealing.

There were no Courts, no Protocol, no Witch here to protect them. They could barely even protect themselves. "Then what do we do?"

[thesadist]

"We search for answers and we watch for opportunities," Daemon answered, stifling a quiet sigh. "And we fight, where we can. The man behind this is clever, and evasive. Most of us have never seen him, although I have heard there were a few who had. We are limited here - more than I believed possible - and this game... Well. We all have to be careful."

He paused a moment, glancing about the room once more. "What I've suggested to Lucivar is that we make allies here - there are several groups that can be trusted, but be careful, as there are some that cannot. Some understand Protocol, even though their worlds are not the same. There's a group here called Shinigami. I'm uncertain how many there are, but both Lucivar and I are friends with one of the males named Renji - a tall redhead with tattoos on his skin. He's been here for some time, as has his female companion Rukia. I know there are others like him here and they seem to have the most organized effort to get answers from this place. Although I've been searching for my own means of getting answers," he added, almost as an afterthought, the meaning vague.