Day 21: Lunch

[totallytheseme.livejournal.com]

Hikaru and Kaoru had been so caught up in their little game that they initially hadn't heard the intercom go off. The new "ding" system was far less jarring than the old SCREECH, and as such, wasn't as easily heard, even in a place as quiet as the library. All too soon, the nurses came to separate the twins and take them to the next activity--lunch.

It only felt like a few minutes since breakfast, somehow, and yet Hikaru was starved. The lunch selection was ridiculously Americanized food of the "Pan Asian" genre, as bad as when his family had wanted Japanese food in California and had gone to the "nicest" restaurant in the English language guidebook. He cringed visibly when the surly cafeteria worker poured sauce on his rice--which was supposed to be plain--but...food was food, and he wasn't feeling terribly picky right now. At least it smelled all right.

One of the good things about being the first one into the cafeteria was having his pick of the tables. Hikaru chose one of the larger ones, saving seats for Kaoru, Tamaki, and (in a fit of hopefulness) Haruhi.

He hoped they'd come soon. He hated being alone.

Comments

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust was still rather irritated that her conversation with Luxord had been cut short. What a rude man, that Captain Reynolds. Still... he did seem to simply be worried over River. That hardly gave him an excuse to blunder into a conversation with all the grace of a drunken bull.

She'd catch up with Luxord - and the captain, if he decided he needed to lecture her on anything else - later. She had arranged a meeting at lunch with Barret Wallace. Who didn't seem to be in the cefeteria. She got her lunch and sat at an empty table, keeping her eyes on the door to spot the wheelchaired man when he entered.

[a_sin_for_him]

(moving down two threads)

[ifandmaybe.livejournal.com]

Having skipped breakfast and the first activity because she "wasn't feeling well," Inara found herself unable to remain focused on her meditations and reflections. She was rather hungry, after all, and there were several people she'd desperately wanted to talk to after the night had passed.

They'd been remarkably fortunate given Landels' reputation, but Simon's confused state was not something to take lightly, nor was his sister's sudden disappearance. The former Companions shuddered to think of what might've befallen River. This place was something dark and sinister, and it certainly wasn't the sort of environment any of them would've wanted for the girl.

And they hadn't run into Mal that night. She couldn't deny that she was worried, no matter how hard she tried to wear a pleasant mask. The white-knuckled grip on her lunch was almost embarrassing, so easily did it give away what she was feeling.

With the meal acquired, Inara could do little save find an empty table to sit down and enjoy it as much as could be managed in the given circumstances. A watchful eye was kept for any of the Serenity crew as well as some of her acquaintances from previous evenings.

[still-free.livejournal.com]

Just when Mal had been starting to worry over Inara, he spotted her right as he entered the cafeteria. Even though it was already fairly full, he didn't have a hard time locating her. It was true, what he had said before - she did stand out.

Getting food would be to his benefit and this style was not something unfamiliar to him, considering that the Alliance had been a joint effort between the United States and China. He grabbed a bowl, filled it with steamed rice and beef, and then went to go sit with the Companion. With her glowing personality, he was rather surprised no one had gone to sit with her yet.

He sat down without a word and began to eat, only glancing over at her after having taken a few bites.

"Get hurt last night?" He, for once, hadn't gotten himself seriously injured. He'd have to see if Inara had fared as well. Hopefully she had found some people to travel with - or maybe she had just stayed in her room.

[bigshotbarret.livejournal.com]

Barret was in a good mood now. At least, as good as it could get when one thought of the current predictament. Vincent's mistaken identity had filled him with such riotous laughter that he hadn't even said a cross word as the nurse hauled him away by the handles of his wheelchair and guided him into the Cafeteria. It was there he noticed the pain once again as the hilarity subsided, and he was left with the mind numbing agony of what was his middle. A hand to the wounds, he listened as the nurse admonished him for not taking better care of himself. He wanted to say 'Shut the fuck up', but instead kept quiet.

He was brought his food--fried noodles, vegetables, beef, topped off with a glass of water. Starving as he was, he wasn't looking forward to the task of trying to get this stuff down. Smaller portions would ease the tension on his wounds.

Besides...someone was suppose to be meeting him. Lust, wasn't it? Fuck, how could one forget a name like that anyway. He wanted to make no assumptions when he came to her appearance, but it wasn't like he couldn't hope that the name fit the form...

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust saw the large, dark skinned man as he was wheeled in to the dining hall. Even in the demeaning chair she could see how broad and muscled he was. Larger and darker than even her scarred man, who had always been the epitome of the virile warrior on Lust's mind. He certainly did look as though he'd had a rough night.

Lust picked up her tray and crossed the room, hips swaying as she moved to stand across from the man.

"Barret Wallace?" she asked, her voice its usual husky purr.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

And another message from the all-powerful intercom. Hughes bid Ed farewell and headed to lunch, knowing that the teen would probably be in a better mood after he ate.

The food was nothing like Hughes was used to eating, but he had to admit it looked pretty good. He caught sight of one of the twins sitting by himself and contemplated going over. But he'd leave him alone for now.

He was really hoping to be able to catch up with Roy, but it looked like outside forces were conspiring to keep them apart. Wasn't that the way? The bespectacled man took a seat at a table and dug immediately into his lunch.

[braidless.livejournal.com]

When the Head Doctor announced it was time for lunch, Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel a little relieved to have something more substantial than fictional books to keep him occupied. His conversation with Qui-Gon might have taken an awkward turn, though it was just as well possible the Jedi Master hadn't cared too much about Obi-Wan's recent actions, both on the board and towards him. In fact, there was even the (admittedly slim) chance the man wasn't aware of them at all.

Well, either way, there wasn't much Obi-Wan could do at this point, except be grateful Qui-Gon wasn't in the "living dead" category and move on to more pressing issues. They'd discussed the importance of establishing good relations with other prisoners, something Obi-Wan could see the benefit in. It looked like Qui-Gon already had a meal companion, so the younger Jedi opted to mingle with people he was less familiar with for the time being.

Granted, being chatty and friendly with strangers wasn't exactly Obi-Wan's strong point. He could mediate political disputes and give good, solid reports to people, but he didn't handle purely social situations with quite the same grace and ease Qui-Gon did. Fortunately, he didn't find it as awkward as he had when he was younger, but it still wasn't his favorite thing.

At least he had enough sense to be polite these days, something that could always serve a Jedi well. So, before he set down his tray beside a man he'd seen in passing since his arrival, he asked, "This seat taken?"

[qui-gonjinn.livejournal.com]

Qui-Gon took it as a good sign that his stomach actually rumbled at the thought of food. He hadn't been eating that much recently, wasn't even sure half of what the lunch menu even consisted of (more Earthian words, he supposed), but the smell emanating from the cafeteria was enough to be tempting. It smelled strange, exotic, and a bit tangy, with some kind of unknown spices mixed in there.

The nurse escorting him seemed to be relaxing around his presence - she smiled up at him, and escorted him toward the line in front of the counter. The woman couldn't reach his shoulders and settled instead for placing a guiding hand in the small of his back. Noticing her patient looking at the food without any recognition, she pointed out what tended to be favored by the other patients, and soon enough Qui-Gon found himself seated at a table with what he knew now was a plate of fried rice, chicken (some kind of avian species, apparently - he hoped it wasn't a sentient one), and milk.

He wasn't too sure about the milk. Instead of being a dubious brown, it was now a dubious white.

"I brought you some water," the nurse said, materializing with a smile at his shoulder. "Since I'm getting the feeling milk isn't really your thing."

Qui-Gon looked up and nodded. "Thank you," he said, accepting the glass.

He sipped at the water and quietly set to work on his lunch. The Jedi Master knew he couldn't finish the whole meal, though it wasn't large, but he intended to try, especially after the discussion with Obi-Wan.

[norainu]

Renji had only listened to the lunch menu with half an ear until he heard the word rice, and then that was pretty much all that registered. Rice. Ricericerice. Like a transfusion of blood to a dying man.

...okay, maybe he was getting a little melodramatic, but it still made him pathetically happy.

He went through the lunch line, and completely ignored both the noodles and meat. He piled his plate high with steamed rice (not as sticky as it should be, but damnit, it was rice and he was going to take it while he could get it) and vegetables. He also got a glass of water. Juice was too sweet. Maybe if he messed with Wilson some more, they could get some tea.

And forks. What was with the forks? Were patients in an asylum too stupid to eat with chopsticks or something?

He considered trying to make another new friend, but really, he just wanted to sit down and enjoy his rice with someone he at least vaguely knew. Someone with some zen to them. He spotted Qui-Gon, who pretty much fit that bill to a tee, so he carried his tray over there.

"Afternoon, Jinn-san," he said. "Mind if I join you?"

[never-learns.livejournal.com]

It took Yohji a moment to realise that the intercom had started speaking; considering it was a library, it seemed fairly noisy, although with that many people, it wasn't surprising. He put his book back respectfully, and followed the nurse back to the cafeteria. Didn't seem all that long since breakfast, but time seemed odd in this place anyway.

It was emptier than he'd have liked; his training meant that he distrusted large open spaces in general and crowds were much easier to disappear in. And he really wanted to disappear at the moment. That bulletin notice had unnerved him. One of the few things which could have made this place worse had happened and he'd really rather avoid Schuldig if at all possible.

He filled his plate, taking Cliff's advice to heart that he should eat something if he wanted to survive, even if the thought turned his stomach. He glanced around the room and found himself a seat at the table furthest from the door. If his luck decided to favour him for once, if the telepath arrived, he wouldn't notice. It was a pretty futile hope, but there wasn't much else to do.

[k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com]

"A tip on avoiding telepaths," a deceptively friendly and far too familiar voice adressed Yohji as Schuldig settled into the seat right next to him, with every intent to annoy. "It helps a lot if your thoughts aren't screaming 'don't notice me'. You might as well be warning a neon-lit bullseye."

For all his wicked schemes, Schuldig didn't waste any time in beginning to eat. He needed the energy, and besides he was curious about the three fortune cookies. The head doctor had sounded closer to his nighttime evil-circus-ringmaster persona than the cheery daytime version than he ever had when speaking of them, and the German recognized an intriguing possibility when he heard one.

[clone-boy.livejournal.com]

So he hadn't learned anything too useful in the library. No sense feeling bad about it, Darman reasoned as he was escorted by his guard to the messhall. Sometimes you couldn't come up with the answer immediately and at least he knew of the existence of another soldier in Landels...though it remained to be seen just how friendly this Fox was to Darman's affiliations.

At least it was the midday meal. There was just something beautifully simplistic about fulfilling his body's needs and he was always hungry since his metabolism showed no signs of slowing down to a normal human's. The clone wasn't sure what half the menu was, only that some of that was meat and that translated to protein, and protein was sorely needed. He needed to continue to try to scour up more information on this Landels, as well as find out more about Earth, but that would have to come later.

Seated a bit past the entrance at an unoccupied table, Darman dug into his lunch with a kind of single-minded focus, methodically gong through everything on the plate whether he personally liked the taste or not. Despite the fact that he knew now he would be fed no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to waste anything like a civvie. No sense being a snob about the food. He was lucky to get any, after all, especially considering he was a prisoner.

[rubbermancan.livejournal.com]

Luffy hadn't been particularly interested in a room full of books. After all, he'd much rather be out living his own adventures instead of holed up in some weird-smelling room with a bunch of empty stories in his lap. Fortunately, the Cat Lady had allowed him to spend the library shift napping in the sun room, apparently thinking he could use the rest from his injured hip.

Now that his nap time was over, the pirate was feeling particularly refreshed and was ready for another meal. After piling as much food as the cafeteria ladies would allow, Luffy glanced around the room for a familiar face. He quickly spotted the guy from last night - RC-whatchyamacallit, as Luffy had dubbed him - and eased down beside him, mindful of his own injuries.

The man seemed particularly intent on eating his food, and Luffy could fully understand and appreciate that. Though it wasn't anything like the meals Sanji fixed, food was food, and that was good enough for him. Maybe he and RC were more alike than he'd first thought.

"Yo!" he chuckled after stuffing a large bite of noodles into his mouth. "Getting shot sucks, but at least they feed us, yeah?"

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

Food again. River frowned and stuck her tongue out in distaste as the meal of the day was heaped onto her tray and plate. It would be quite pleasing to the palate, as most of the nourishment here was, but she wasn't hungry. The idea of food made her feel ill.

I threw up on your bed.

River made her way quietly through the people milling around the lunch tables, looking for a solitary place. Free of noise. Free of voices chattering where they didn't quite fit. Squeezing into the most inconvenient of places. She stared down at her tray, making another face as she picked out bits of rice one by one.

Separate from the meal, and it lost half the flavor. Sometimes good food had to go to waste.

[prisonerofdeath.livejournal.com]

Fox was almost glad to be away from the strange girl and her almost morbid fascination. The talk of a club for people who had died was just too strange.

He didn't want to think about that, the time he'd spent dead, in a lab. It was one big long blur of pain and darkness and needles and nothingness. Thinking about such things didn't dull his appetite much, so he was glad when he got his tray of food.

Looking around he saw the girl he thought was River sitting by herself. Thinking it over for a moment, he made his way to her table and sat down.

"Hello." Hopefully she'd introduce herself, or do something to indicate he'd found the sword-girl. Someone else who'd been turned into a weapon, he almost hoped it wasn't her, she looked so young, too young for something like that.

[lighthearted]

Explanations were nice enough. Sora liked to help people, so he'd taken no issue with having to spend a shift teaching Ravi and Hakkai the ropes. Even so, as he was escorted to lunch, he wondered if he might run into one of his friends... Or at least find someone to make nighttime plans with.

The food smelled great. It reminded him of the food the emperor had treated them to in the The Land of Dragons. His stomach grumbled so loudly he was worried it might have a mind of his own. Figuring it was not a good idea to oppose it, he made obtaining food his priority.

Once he had a healthy serving, the boy found an empty table. Normally he would have had no qualms about approaching a complete stranger and starting up a conversation, but he was hoping that if he kept to himself, Roxas or Kairi or maybe even Riku might find him. Or one of his new friends, like Nowe...

Then again, there was an equal or greater chance that someone unpleasant would sit with him. But it was dayshift, he reminded himself. It wasn't like they could do anything without getting sedated, or worse. So he started in on his food, scarfing it down before anyone showed up and distracted him from getting his nourishment.

[claire-ity.livejournal.com]

Claire entered the cafeteria with a bit of a pout on her face. She hadn't meant to freak out the poor guy or anything, but...well, hopefully he didn't think she was too crazy.

So much for making more friends, she thought. She'd have to be more...tactful in the future.

Grabbing some lunch, she sat down, not really paying attention to where she was or who she was sitting with. Cracking open her fortune cookie, Claire looked at the small piece of paper inside.

You were born with the skill to communicate with people easily.

Claire groaned.

[soul-defender.livejournal.com]

Could it really be considered a victory? Ichigo seemed to think so. Renji had mentioned lightly once or twice before that he'd wanted an occasional menu choice more fitting for their regional appetite, but he himself remained a little skeptical that anyone would listen. When the announcement came across the PA, though, Ichigo worried momentarily that he might have to eat those words as a side dish for his lunch today.

Cautious optimism followed him from the library to the cafeteria. With a tray in hand, he made his way through the line, staying within the rank and file of the other patients until he was served, holding out his bowl for the lunch staff to pile on the long, stringy noodles. The meal looked like it had been prepared with no small effort, as most of their meals were, but...well, it was hard to describe why Ichigo looked so uncertain as he stared down into the steamy broth. 'Artificial' might've been the right word for it.

"Well...I guess it's not terrible..." he muttered, picking out his steamed rice and seared beef, the dishes clattering together on the slippery surface of his tray.

At the same table, the same seat, Ichigo made himself comfortable, arranging his meal systematically in front of him. He seemed somewhat content, not frowning, but not smiling either, until he absent-mindedly reached aside for his utensils. His fingers hit the tray and began to blindly and searchingly move around, grasping at nothing. After a moment, his digits felt something cold, hard, and metal, which was clearly not what he wanted.

Anger and irritance suddenly boiled up over his face, the same searching hand sharply balling up into a fist. "Come on...a fork? Chopsticks maybe?"

[clockworkblond.livejournal.com]

Alfons was feeling a little bit better after his talk with Kaylee, at least. While he wanted to talk more with the mechanic- he'd have to make sure he did so, at least for now- the nurse had apparently noticed his little scene and had bustled him out accordingly. And now? Now it was lunch time, with noodles and rice- meals that Alfons had never even tried before.

He had been a little lost going through the whole process- it wasn't like Italian cuisine at all, and even if it had been it wasn't like Alfons could have afforded to indulge too often- and had to be walked through it step-by-step. Much to the irritation of the kitchen staff, which baffled the German; the other nurses seemed quite nice, after all.

So when an angry voice asked those questions, it brought a soft chuckle to Alfons's lips. "Ah... but chopsticks would cause problems for people who can't use them."

He wasn't sure if he wanted to sit down with the fiery-haired man or not, but it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

[maxwells-curse.livejournal.com]

It took, what? All of the time for that library thing to convince those nurses that Alyssa didn't deserve to be in a wheelchair? And then, what they told her…

'I knew he was a bad man, Alyssa. You never listen to me.'

Her head was downcast, hair covering over her eyes without the usual headband. How could this happen to her? Dad… dad loved her, didn't he? He wouldn't send his own daughter to an asylum all the way across the country, would he?! And then, what those men told her at night? Even if that was a dream… She grabbed a tray, though she felt no hunger. She felt more like vomiting.

And then, there was the message in her fortune cookie.

Before you trust others, you must learn to trust yourself.

"Easier said than done," she mumbled into her stir-fry.

[perfect-meld.livejournal.com]

After completely raiding Wilson's mini-fridge, Kasady'd set to demolishing the rest of the doctor's office. He'd been in the middle of tearing the desk apart when that same old blackspot hit.

Then he was waking up, back in his room. He'd missed several shifts. Dammit!

That meant he'd missed a few more opportunities to try and extend the buffet menu, and he'd missed the intercom announcements. The serial killer had been banking on the fact that Wilson would flip when he arrived, and that meant the rest of the hard-working staff here would also flip the fuck out. Which meant there'd have been a nice little intercom announcement, scoldin' the patients or whatever about his handywork. And he missed it!

....Maybe Old Faithful got to hear it. He'd have to ask.

There wasn't anything wrong with a little ego-searching.

Grabbing a tray and piling it with a little of everything, they looked around for a place to sit. So many meatbags, all walking carriers with that delicacy in their heads... where to even start?

Their gaze landed on a new face. Alone, looking down, the body language; easier looking than some of the other prey around here, like that big, muscled guy. Kasady plopped himself down across from the girl.

"You know, if you talk to yourself, people sorta start to think you're crazy," they pointed out. Well, they were a little bit, but Kasady liked to think he also had a very legitimate reason in the form of the symbiote. He really was talking to another being.

[damn-legends.livejournal.com]

He'd woken up, in his bed. That he was sure of. And then he'd rolled over and gone straight back to sleep again.

It wasn't the sort of thing he normally did - on the battlefield, you had to learn to snatch sleep whenever you could, and this was as much a battlefield as any other place. But he'd been under the influence of whatever they'd drugged him with - that was the only explanation.

Sitting down, he coughed a little - cigarette withdrawal, like the last time he'd tried to quit, although he wasn't choosing to this time - and broke open the fortune cookie. He'd never been superstitious, and didn't intend to start now, but any mild amusement would be welcome.

Observe your enemies, for they first find your faults.

"Found that one out a long time ago," he commented, and started on the noodles.

[robin-fox.livejournal.com]

Robin had been looking for a woman with long blond hair. He wasn't having much luck, sadly. He considered sitting with his new ally, Tamaki, but something else caught his attention.

He leaned in and looked at the man's biscuit thing.
"They hide messages in the food?" he asked. His expression rarely seemed to be anything but it's blend of amusement and surprise today.

[tte-bayo.livejournal.com]

What was up with that intercom guy?

Already Naruto was sick of being ushered from place to place, conversations and fights interrupted alike. This time he, Sasuke and Gaara were moving into the cafeteria as a group, Sasuke still weak and his weight supported by Naruto at his side, guiding him. It had taken a bit of serious glaring to get the nurses to back away in the library when they re-spawned. Needless to say, he didn't trust them or their needles.

Annoying as it was, he figured they must've allowed him to help Sasuke because they had some wrong ideas in their heads. Courtesy of Sabaku no Gaara. The nurses traveled with them until they reached the cafeteria, after which they dispersed, thankfully.

He figured Sasuke was permitting any help because he didn't have much of a choice. The cafeteria wasn't so full yet. Naruto chose the closest empty table to start heading toward, somewhere near the door.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

The intercom introduction had changed, but that didn't make the voice any less irritating. He'd always made his own schedule and kept to it on his own, and the very idea of some faceless fool regulating his time made him want to break something.

The only thing at hand, however, was Naruto, and Sasuke still wasn't quite recovered enough to try that yet. It was bad enough that he hadn't been able to stop Naruto from slinging his arm over grey-clad (it was strange to see Naruto without a scrap of orange, now that Sasuke thought about it) shoulders and guiding him down the hall.

He was going to have to eat. The meals he'd had so far had all been interrupted in one way or another, and he really needed the energy now. And the food described by the tinny voice actually sounded edible.

Unfortunately, he'd have to talk to Naruto in order to remind him to stop and get food. The prospect wasn't exactly pleasing, so Sasuke just gritted his teeth and tried his damnedest to take most of his weight off of Naruto. Maybe the blond would naturally gravitate to the concept of noodles, and Sasuke wouldn't have to say anything.

[flordecactu.livejournal.com]

Aerith's nurse would have been a perfectly nice lady, if not so patronizing. The Cetra attempted to make light conversation with her, but could sense the humoring tone she received in return, and resented it.

Oh, well. She was in good spirits because she was apart of a real plan this time. Come nightfall, they might finally make some real progress. Upon entering the cafeteria she immediately scanned the area for Zelos or Lyta, but they were nowhere in sight. Aerith picked up a tray of food and sat at a table where she could keep an eye on the front door.

Stir-fried noodles with vegetables, and a salad on the side. Juice. At least they didn't serve the same meal every day, and always had options. She picked up her fork and tried a noodle. Aerith was still getting used to eating again, after having been dead for so long.

[pimp-plan.livejournal.com]

Zelos had no idea what a fortune cookie was, but it picked one up anyway along with his lunch. Spotting Aerith almost instantly, he made his way over to her and sat down.

"Hey, look! It's my lunch date," he joked, popping open the cookie. Blinking, he was a bit bewildered when a slip of paper fell out between the broken pieces. He picked it up and read it to Aerith.

"My cookie has a hidden message!...'A thrilling time is in your immediate future.'" He winked at her. "Sounds promising."

[lost-metal.livejournal.com]

Ed practically had to be dragged out of the library. He'd been deprived of books for days, weeks probably and when he finally got some, they wanted him to leave?!? What the hell were these people on?

He was kinda of glad Hughes had been taken before him. He'd probably have laughed at Ed's stubbornly refusing to relinquish his book until he finished the chapter.

By the time he got to lunch, tiredness was beginning to catch up with him. Several nights without sleep and full of action were bound to take their toll. He shovelled food onto his plate and found an empty seat; hopefully he could doze off for a while once he'd finished his food. And then he wouldn't be cranky and irritable. He hoovered up half of the food from his plate and then folded his arms on top of the table, playing idly with the fortune cookie. Couldn't be bothered to open it yet. He rested his head on top of his arms and closed his eyes.

[the-clown-king.livejournal.com]

Tamaki saw Hikaru - or Kaoru? - and was going to join the twin before he spotted Edward. The twins had been ignoring him in the library, anyway. So he got his food - which looked like commoner noodles - and bounced over to where the other blond was sitting.

"Ed-kun! Ed-kun!" He was still in a great mood after meeting Robin Hood. Nothing could bring him down, as far as he was concerned. Maybe Azel-kun would join them, too!

"How was last night? I met up with Azel-kun and someone else, but I forget their name, and we didn't do any practicing but there's plenty of time for that.... are you okay?"

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

While everyone else was in the Library Axel found himself hunched over a toilet in the Men's room while his nurse gave him a disapproving look. Much to his dismay the stomach bug hadn't completely gone away, but the redhead felt himself famished by the time the intercom 'dinged' on and announced the Nurses to escort their patients into the Cafeteria.

The Nobody recieved the same treatment, and soon enough Axel found himself retreating to an empty table where he could listen in on anything important. But the tray of food soon got the better of him and he began wolfing down what he could.

[numberii.livejournal.com]

Xigbar was flying high in the oh-so-very-unfriendly-skies. The amusingly lyrical anger of that one person was still ringing in II's ears, and now he felt good enough to deal with one of the so-called traitors that he'd heard so much about.

So, with no further ceremony, he plopped down across from Axel and grinned at the ravenous Nobody. "Hey, where's the fire, Number VIII? Look like you've been on bread-and-water for a couple of months."

Not that anyone would notice if the red head got any skinnier, of course, but still.

[high-prosecutor.livejournal.com]

To say that Miles Edgeworth had gone from cautiously optimistic to completely irritated in the space of a few hours was an understatement. He'd had to bite his tongue in order to keep from treating his nurse as he would have an uncooperative witness as she prattled on about what a lovely day it was and how he should be very pleased with the library; that is to say, he had wanted to ask her to leave out all the irrelevant details and either talk about something that mattered or not speak at all.

His attempts at investigating the situation had thus far been thwarted - whether intentionally or not, he wasn't sure - and what he'd perceived as a taunt from the bulletin board about these family visits had added a layer of anxiety to the irritation.

They wouldn't actually bring his real parents back from the dead, would they? Or worse...

Despite having not eaten much at breakfast, Edgeworth still wasn't terribly hungry for food. It was information he was after - something he could use to form a plan. He supposed that he should at least have something in his stomach to serve as brain fuel, however, and took a plate of noodles with vegetables and chicken with steamed rice. For the second time that day he cursed the lack of tea, settling for water. As an afterthought, he took a fortune cookie - he'd never been superstitious, but the intercom announcement had piqued his interest.

He chose a table with enough room for his companions from the library, should they be interested in continuing their conversation further. If not, it would be a chance to eat quietly by himself and collect his thoughts, perhaps.

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

Twas a shame his conversation with the homunculus had been cut short. He was truly hoping for more information on both her kind and that River girl, but there would always be time for that later. As of now, the Gambler needed more people to manipulate. He felt naked without at least three people believing his lies.

"'Time is of essence'," he read out loud, allowing the tray to make a dull clunk on the table while his other hand examined the broken cookie. "Does not particularly take a fortune teller to know that, don't you think?" He gave no other greeting to the man in front of him before sitting down.

"I personally know fortune cookies are a load of crock."

[31st-of-china.livejournal.com]

He'd spent the entire shift before meditating.

Sanzo'd opted out of the library, in order to spend the shift alone in the Sun Room. It wasn't true solitude, but the priest knew better than to expect it. The staff still had eyes on him, and they weren't going to make the same mistake and leave him alone in the room. Sanzo had no other choice than to try and make the best of it by ignoring them.

The shift gave him some time away from the distractions of the other patients, and he needed to think.

Something was bugging him about Kenren, and it wasn't just the fact that he'd asked around for the monkey. Hakkai was usually one of the better members of the group (aside from himself) at judging people. The healer could see under the pretenses, past any masks that the kappa and Goku couldn't.

Sanzo had relied on the other man for a second opinion on ocassion. And yet, Hakkai seemed to trust this stranger. It couldn't be just the resemblance to the roach: the healer must have found something out.

The priest was finding it hard to even tolerate Kenren, much less believe the man's claim to a position in heaven. But Hakkai obviously saw something there. There was that nagging sense of familiarity that the monk couldn't quite explain.

Sanzo felt the urge for a cigarette leap up even a few more notches.

Things would be a lot easier on him if the ape hadn't gotten his ass lost. He'd have one less thing to worry about.

[damned-ivy.livejournal.com]

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Hakkai was not going to complain about the selection of much more familiar food for once. He would definitely be passing on that fortune cookie, though. Heaven knew his luck was bad enough already without taunting fate. He prefered to place his trust in more useful things.

Sitting down across from Sanzo was nothing more or less than habit. He picked at his food, more interested in his thoughts and the puzzles of the place than in eating. If Sanzo felt like talking, Hakkai would answer, but until then, he was content to contemplate over his lunch.

First, there was Sanzo himself. Convenient that he was there, a force that would be an obvious answer to check Hakkai's movements with or without the restrictions on their powers. Which begged the question of why they were both there in the first place, but no obvious answer presented itself.

Kenren was another mystery altogether. If what Hakkai strongly suspected was true, well... that was more of a problem to consider than Landels itself. Five hundred years...

Well, that was hardly a concern at the moment. Time enough to consider the workings of the heavens after this ordeal was resolved. Which led him to what he'd learned from Sora in the library. Nothing of use that he wouldn't have figured out on his own eventually, but together the information painted an interesting picture. Someone had found it necessary to go to quite a bit of trouble for some purpose that no one could ascertain.

Why was that starting to sound familiar?

[repolarization.livejournal.com]

Ginji had never been one for reading, so instead of going to the library he had taken a nap in the Sun Room. It had actually been very nice and when the intercom announced lunch he was able to jump up and head into the cafeteria again. The food sounded good but when he saw it he wasn't sure he trusted it... still... it was food.

He got over his apprehension quickly and shoved as much onto his dish as he could, making sure to grab some cookies as well. Then he headed back to the table. "Itadakimasu!" he said cheerfully before digging in.

[totallytheseme.livejournal.com]

Hikaru was Not Happy.

Kaoru STILL hadn't found him, and he had seen Tamaki look at him, look away, and then join the metal-armed midget and some other kid a few tables away. And on top of that, still no Haruhi. He glowered into his noodles, stabbing angrily at them with his fork (a fork? honestly. Who eats noodles with a FORK, unless it's Italian food?) and not really eating.

Stupid Lord doesn't want to sit with his stupid friends--what's keeping Kaoru?--Stupid Tamaki...

A loud clatter and an unfamiliar voice told him that someone had joined his sad, lonely little table.

He raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

[faithful-dog.livejournal.com]

Naoe came into the cafeteria very calmly. He had spent the time in the library overhearing conversations rather than having any and he felt mildly concerned. For one, he wasn't sure who was doing this. It just didn't seem to be the style of the feudal war lords to him... and he had spent over four hundred years dealing with those people and their style.

He found himself wishing that he could ask Haruie or even Nagahide their opinions. He didn't exactly feel lost he just felt that this would be a good time for them to put their heads together... but he hadn't seen a glance of those two and it wasn't just because his attention had been mostly on Takaya.

Naoe found himself frowning as he sat at a table that gave him a good view of the door to the room. He hadn't even bothered looking at the food much less considering taking any. The thought made his stomach uncomfortable. Instead he let his mind rest on Takaya.

One thing was certain, the teenager had been here longer than him, not much longer but long enough that he had encountered some kind of danger. This made Naoe very angry, but his expression remained in a small slightly concerned frown. He wanted to talk to Kagetora just as badly as he wanted to talk to the others from the Army, but with Takaya injured and more aware... who knew how the boy would react to seeing him.

This might end badly.

[faithful-dog.livejournal.com]

((got up and went here (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/45145.html?thread=2281817#t2281817)))

[theheirshinra.livejournal.com]

Rufus Shinra was not a happy man. Then again, 'happy' wasn't exactly in Rufus' personal dictionary. That particular entry would have ran more along 'the condition of not being unhappy' than anything else.

His current grudge with the world was apparent as he settled down in a chair and stared at the food before him. His right arm rested in a sling, a few tiny bruises visible. Most of his damage from Reno was easily hidden beneath clothing save the arm. The fact that his own employee had shot him rated quite high on his list of annoyances. Follow that with what Reno had said to him about being tied up, and it made for a Rufus that was less than pleased.

That last particularly bothered him, something he considered as he made his left hand do the work the right should have been. Any weakness annoyed him, especially after Geostigma, and in a place like Landel's seemed to be, having an injured arm left him half as able to defend himself. That wasn't a pleasant prospect with the likes of Kadaj and Yazoo crawling around.

[beforehertime.livejournal.com]

Elena really liked Wutaiin food. It was filling, yummy, generally portable (God bless the person who invented those little takeout boxes!)...and microwaved perfectly. Ideal foodstuffs for a student.

She was more than a little put out by the fact that her stay in the library had ended just as it had gotten interesting (what with Vincent Valentine being mistaken for a woman and FINALLY finding Reno), and a quick scan of the room revealed that neither man--Ex-Turk or current--seemed to be at lunch yet, adding to her annoyance. The girl had half a mind to go join Tamaki...but he was busy, laughing with friends. Did he really want to be around her after what she had done at breakfast? One of those creepy red-haired twins still seemed to be alone...

She hadn't been very fond of the twin that she had met, and she couldn't tell which one it was, anyway.

...there.

Elena let out an audible sigh of relief. Sitting in a corner was 'the Man' himself, Rufus Shin-Ra, looking decidedly better than she had imagined when Reno told her about his Special Counseling session the night before. Thank God. He was okay.

"Hello, sir," she said politely, placing her tray a few seats away from his, out of respect. "You look better than I thought you would, after what Reno told me about last night. I'm glad. How are you feeling?"

[not-classified.livejournal.com]

Ari was rather disappointed to be lead to the cafeteria again. He was hoping to finish more of his book after that scary man had left, but he wasn't given much of a chance... He really liked that book, too.

Reaching the lunch line, Ari stared at the noddles before scooping some onto his plate and adding some chicken. He took a salad as well as some juice before retiring to an empty section of the nearest table. Again, he absently picked at his food, though he ate a little more than he had at breakfast. He eyes still scanned the room for Epros. He hadn't gotten to talk to his friend much at all without being interrupted...

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya did his level best to scowl the nurse into silence, but it didn't seem to be having any effect as she led him from the conversation he'd been having with the blond guy from last night and chattered on and on about how good it was that he was being "friendly". Takaya wanted to throttle her, just on principle, but the memory of that fucking shot he'd gotten... he transferred his glower to the food that was being offered.

Finally, rice, and some kind of bizarre mess that looked kind-of, almost completely, not like the food he had back home. But he hadn't really eaten since he'd gotten here and the teenager was starving! So, he walked away from the nurse, piled food onto a plate, grabbed steamed rice and a glass of juice and stalked off to find a close table. His side was starting to hurt. Almost made him miss the drugs...

Without bothering to ask, he sat down and started eating, glancing up and offering a nod as a greeting to the other person sitting there.

[rabastlestrange.livejournal.com]

The ongoing conversation reached the cafeteria long before the people involved in it did.

"Mr King!"

"Lestrange. Rabastan Lestrange. Didn't we meet already?"

"Mr King, put that down, please. We have to get you to the cafeteria now for lunch."

"What's this? What's it do? Where did it come from? Where are your wands anyways? I thought the Healers at Saint Mungo's wore robes and..."

"Mr King-"

"Lestrange. Rabastan Lestrange. Or did I say that already?"

The poor nurse that had to deal with Rabastan Lestrange was probably going to need counseling herself after that. Waving to the woman cheerfully, Rabastan fairly bounced into room. Standing a little over five feet tall, Bast wasn't exactly terrifying, especially when one took into account that he looked starved. Interested blue eyes peered out of the hollowed of his eye sockets as he took in all the food and made a bee-line for it.

He was perhaps the only person who absolutely loved Landel's.

Piling his plate with noodles, he added just about everything else that they'd let him. After claiming a table, he sat down with a happy sigh and started to dig in.

"If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up," he muttered happily to himself between bites.

[0bnoxious.livejournal.com]

Albel was actually thankful the nurse came to collect him from the library. Since reading didn't interest him to put it lightly, he'd spend the shift doing nothing in particular. A perfect waste of time, in other words.

However, it gave him time to think. Too much time, since he was still shaken by the events the other night -- not that he'd admit it. His mind kept going back to that Triangle headed monster, and especially those memories he was forced to relive. Those weren't exactly pleasant ones.

The Captain sighed and piled some food on his plate. He shouldn't be thinking about it all the time. Brooding about it wasn't going to solve anything. But he could still feel the burning pain on his left arm, he could hear the scream in his ears.

Albel sat down at a random table, not really caring whether it was occupied or not (politeness wasn't one of his stronger features). He figured he'd need to keep his strength up if he wanted to find a weapon tonight. He had to be prepared for anything.

[opposingheaven.livejournal.com]

If this place had one thing going for it, it was definitely the food. Heaven, Kenren firmly agreed, was incredibly dull. Quite ridiculously so. Enough that, although he wasn't particularly keen on the idea of dying and being reincarnated, had at least meant that whoever he ended up being would probably have a lot more fun than he did.

And the food was better. That 'no killing' rule was a pain in the ass when it came to food. There was really only so much you could do to make vegetables interesting. And admittedly, Kenren had been known to sneak off after a mission in the human world and indulge in some well deserved Yakitori or pork buns because Heaven just didn't realise what they were missing out on.

As such, he felt it was his duty to sample a bit of everything on the menu. With a plate piled high, he headed for a seat near the door and started digging in enthusiastically. It was good! Very good! It would have been improved with a little sake of course, but the look on the Nurse's face when asked that assured him that it wasn't going to happen.

Damn killjoys.

[thirdtonever.livejournal.com]

So. The library hadn't been terribly interesting (save for the macabre girl and her rather more macabre tastes), and now they were being moved to lunch? Delightful. He was somewhat hungry already, anyway. Because for all this place offered, it didn't offer enough. And it didn't offer the key ingredient in his diet.

But at least they had rice today. For as long as Chase had eaten pretty much only that, he did still enjoy it - staple to a warrior's healthy living, it was. He piled his tray high, examining what was being offered all the while - pseudo-Asian, he presumed, with a faint sneer - and helped himself to a few glasses. The women behind the counters raised their eyebrows at him, but said nothing. Perhaps this was unusual.

When he sat down and began to eat, something tingled along his spine, and he paused for a few moments. No, they didn't offer the Lao Mang Lon soup. And he could go for a few days without it before he began to suffer for it. But what if he didn't get out before then? If his powers were suppressed, then surely the soup was no longer necessary.

What if it was, though?

Chase closed his eyes, controlled his thoughts, and returned to eating. He would escape before that became a problem - he was sure of it.

[numberii.livejournal.com]

((Coming from here. (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/45145.html?thread=2265433#t2265433) ))

"Dude!" Xigbar appeared almost out of nowhere, but that was just because he'd stalked Chase like an exotic beastie; Xigbar could, contrary to popular opinion, be quiet when the situation called for it. Hence why Chase would suddenly find a Nobody's arm draped over his shoulder.

"Didja miss me?"