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

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"You were in a mood." Tony shrugged again. He honestly was tired from all this. "He took some of my lemonade. It was rude, but are you okay?"

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya scowled and glared at the table, embarrassed by his own behavior. "Fuck. Yeah, sorry. It ... doesn't happen too often. Only when I'm really on edge."

Taking a breath, he turned back to Tony. The harsh look that was the norm for him was back, but it was tempered with embarrassment and concern. "All bullshit aside, do you have any questions you actually want answered? I've been here ... a while. So I know a lot of what's going on."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"He was a little scary there at the end." Tony closed his eyes and tried to think of his questions. "Well, there were a few. Was he lying? About the nurses and staff, I mean. Do they really turn into monsters at night?"

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya nodded. "Yeah, they do. The last time we went into town, everyone was trapped on the buses when the sun went down." He glanced over at a nurse and wondered if it was the same woman he'd lobbed a chair at before.

"Nobody really put it together before then, but watching it happen was pretty fucked up."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

Following his gaze, Tony shivered. "Oh-kay. It is more awful here than I thought." He rubbed his face, scratching his nose especially. "Ummm... is it really that dangerous at night alone? I'm pretty fast."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"Depends." Takaya thought about it. "Some people find that they are safer alone while others are safer in small groups." He shrugged. "If I'm out, I'm usually alone or with one other person." His tone was more amused than annoyed.

"Between my own dumbass self and him, people don't stick around for a second time. But I haven't had too many problems outside the usual shit."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"What's usual then?" Tony asked. "I don't know very many people yet."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"The usual is you run into a monster or whatever, escape if you're lucky, wind up hurt if you're not." Takaya shrugged, then frowned, remembering something.

"Shit. I forgot. Every night, this place takes people and fucks with them." Anger crossed his face for a moment. "They either brainwash you, give you back whatever skills or weapons or whatever you had, then send you out to attack the rest of us, or ... or they use you for experimentation." The last was said considerably softer than the rest.

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"Neither of those sounds like something I want to mess with," Tony admitted. "Do the monsters run very fast?" he asked. "I don't know if I should even go out."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"They can be," Takaya said. "But they tend to be tied to one place or another. The big shit is really all you have to worry about."

Looking up again at a nurse,he sighed. "Staying in is a bitch too, but you won't get hurt there."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"You don't learn anything either, do you?" Tony asked. And that was the problem. "I need to see what's out here."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"Then you go out and watch yourself." That was obvious.

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

Tony nodded. "This is a big building. Is-I hate to ask this, but is there anywhere I can find a musical instrument." He wouldn't mention a harmonica out loud, but he could hope, couldn't he?

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"There's a music room," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the room. "I don't know anything about music, that's more my sister's thing, but they've got a few different kinds of stuff there."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"Are any of the instruments small?" It didn't matter what kind. He could learn to play about anything so long as he could carry it around. Though that gave him a destination.

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya shrugged again. "I guess so. I never really paid any attention."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"So important question. Where is the music room?" He grinned, thinking he was sounding so deadly serious about something that should be simple.

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"Leave here and go into the Sun Room, then it's the first door on the left." Takaya blinked, then snorted again. "Fuck. I've been here too long."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"Better asking you than a nurse." Tony grinned again. "No awkward questions to answer. Besides, I'll just a kid any day over an adult."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"Even if that 'kid' isn't a kid?" A dig at himself. Takaya hated being reminded of how old he really was. Or was that how old Kagetora was? Did it matter?

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"Even then," Tony agreed, though he didn't seem as cheerful. "You're not one of them, and you're helping."

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya looked at Tony for a moment, expression unreadable.

Finally, he smiled slightly. "Thanks. I think."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome. Didn't anyone ever tell you you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?"

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

"I've never been friendly. My few friends back home would tell you that." Takaya was a little less harsh and was warming up slightly. "Besides, if I was some happy-go-lucky fuck, I probably wouldn't still be here with that asshole in my head."

[tony-castaway.livejournal.com]

"I don't think the people here care if you're happy or not. You're still stuck here." Tony didn't quite get that statement. He was tired.