damned_institute | Day 37: Breakfast

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Day 37: Breakfast

[for Sylar, I believe]

At the sound of the intercom, Wally jerked awake and blinked around at the room. He’d fallen asleep. He should have been up and keeping an eye open for ZEX, but he’d fallen asleep waiting on his bed.

“Idiot,” he groaned, ruffling his hair and sighing in annoyance. “Way to help a guy out, hotshot.” Hopefully ZEX hadn’t dropped by and thought he’d left or something, or wouldn’t be too mad at him for just forgetting about it like that. If he was lucky, he’d be able to catch up with the other patient at some point and explain what had happened.

Rolling himself a little awkwardly out of the bed, Wally took the opportunity to stretch his injured leg and test how well it was holding up. It was feeling a bit better, not so much that he could abandon his crutch or that it didn’t pull painfully if he wasn’t careful, but better. Tony had apparently made it through the night in one piece as well, which was a relief. He really didn’t feel comfortable about the thought of his roommate wandering about on his own with an injured arm. Not when Wally himself could relax and fall asleep in the apparent safety of their room.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to let himself forget that one in a hurry.

It was at that moment that the door swung open to admit one of the nurses. She seemed surprised to find him awake and ready to go already, but smiled warmly. “Hungry, are we Mr. West? Well in that case, let’s get you to the cafeteria. The staff have provided some delicious French Toast as well as a range of other foods I’m sure you’ll like. Now will you be needing a hand with your leg, dear?”

“No thanks, I can handle it,” Wally replied, smiling back. After all, it probably wasn’t the nurses’ fault that this place was so messed up, so it wasn’t like picking fights with them would do anything. With a cheery wave goodbye, Wally slowly made his way to the cafeteria, keeping a tight grip on his crutch all the while. Obtaining a plate of food was only slightly less difficult than it had been yesterday – he didn’t have the painkillers to work around this time – but he managed well enough, coming away from the buffet with a tray containing a plate piled high with slices of French Toast and slathered in maple syrup, butter, and sugar, as well as a glass of juice. Not quite as good as some coffee would be right now, but the sugar would hopefully make up for it. And, with how few people were here at the moment, he could afford to take more food than might have been considered ‘normal’ – he’d have most of it gone by the time anyone came to keep him company, then he could just worry about how many extra serves would be allowed before he aroused suspicion.

Feeling pretty happy with how things were looking so far, Wally hummed faintly to himself as he dug in to his breakfast.

Threaded | Flat

Claude nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the intercom sound. For a brief moment, he didn't know where he was, or what had happened, but then reality came crashing over him.

He hadn't made it to Ashton's room. After he'd dropped Guy off, he'd been on his way, and then...

Can't I do anything right? he grumbled to himself as he threw the covers off of himself. As if out of habit, he lifted up the mattress as soon as he jumped out of bed. Sure enough, he was greeted by the gleam of Ashton's sword. His heart sank.

Of course, he didn't have long to ponder what all of this meant. The blond was forced to abruptly drop the mattress when the door opened and his nurse stepped inside.

"Good morning!" she greeted him brightly. "My, I didn't know you were such an early-riser, Thomas! Why don't we get you some breakfast?"

To be honest, Claude wasn't hungry and could have just as well done without breakfast, but he knew he'd regret it later if he didn't at least eat something. Once he got to the cafeteria, it didn't take him long to grab some French Toast and bacon and find a seat to himself. So far it looked like he was one of the first people to arrive, but maybe he'd spot one of his friends soon.

Picking up his spoon, he squinted into his upside-down reflection, trying to figure out if his black eyes were any better. They didn't seem quite as dark, but they were certainly still noticeable. A raccoon-face -- kind of embarrassing, really. As for his nose, that was a little harder to assess, but once he pressed the splint, Claude instantly regretted the sharp wave of pain that washed over his face.

Spoon forgotten now, the blond focused his attention back to his French Toast and cut into it, perhaps a little more aggressively than he'd meant to.

[For Anise?]

Edited 2008-11-19 14:53 (UTC)

Joe was led out of the endless hallways into a bright room, and through there to what was clearly a cafeteria. He got a tray and some food and sat down to eat while he puzzled out his situation. Not having his V-watch was a bad sign - after all, he'd been given the watch by Captain Blue himself, and he couldn't finish saving the world a third time without it.

But no-one had attacked him so far, just told him to forget about movies and superheroes. Maybe it was some distraction or trap?

...at least the french toast tasted delicious.

After struggling all night to remain conscious, Elle was deeply reluctant to wake. Why, she wondered dimly as she scrunched her eyes shut, had she fought this so hard? She was warm, and comfortable, and this was where Daddy wanted her to be.

A nurse rapped her knuckles lightly on the door to get Elle's attention. "It's time for breakfast, Miss Cardinal," the woman said, stepping over to the bed and gently pulling the covers down. Elle tried to roll over on her side, but the sudden movement tugged sharply on her shoulder, and all the pain medication in the world couldn't stop it from throbbing angrily. Wincing, she raised her hand to the wound, relieved to find it bandaged and in a sling once more.

"You must be more careful, Jaye," the nurse scolded her. "That was a nasty accident you had."

Right, an accident, Elle though bitterly, sliding out of bed. No, she shouldn't think like that; Daddy had put her here to make her stronger. He'd said so. He wouldn't have put her here if she wouldn't be better for it.

Once she had made her way to the cafeteria, she grabbed a few slices of french toast and a glass of milk and carried her tray to a table. It was awkward, trying to balance the tray with one hand, but she managed. No point in accosting a guy and getting him to carry it for her - Daddy would find out and be upset.

[for ~~her favorite puppy~~ Peter Petrelli]

Takaya sat up at the ding of the intercom and glared at the door as his nurse came in, two shadows right behind her. Escorted out into the hallway, she gave him astern lecture on his behavior the previous day, about how he shouldn't trick his roommate into untying him, andhow he would be watched today.

Breakfast was pushed on him and he was taken to a seat, where the two orderlies could keep both an eye on him anda clear path should he snap again.

This was so fucked up.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/509612.html?thread=40851372#t40851372). Free for the taking.]

As he had walked along, Kakashi was very careful to memorize everything he could about his new surroundings. No matter the circumstances that had led to his being there, there was no excuse for being careless. At a moment's notice he could be attacked, or need to initiate an attack. So he was ready for either possibility, though someone watching him probably wouldn't think so for the casual way he walked. His pockets were big enough to slide some fingers into, his pace was lazy, and he deliberately slouched a bit, all just enough to give people the impression he wanted them to get.

Now he was in a cafeteria, left to fend for himself once he promised the nurse that he really did understand how such things worked. Her need for that particular assurance only raised further questions, and Kakashi needed to find out the answers. With so few people, however, his options were pretty limited to start. Not so much in regards to the food, though. Whatever else may come, he wasn't going to starve for want of a meal. Plus, Kakashi doubted they'd go through the effort of setting up such an illusion only to poison him less than an hour into it.

He got a well-balanced breakfast, though it wasn't the kind he usually went for, then picked out an empty seat for himself. There was no telling how full things would get, but the number of staff and the size of the place suggested that there were a lot of people. And he'd gotten there early enough to leave empty spaces around him on purpose. That way, if someone sat near him, it'd probably be because they chose to, and that meant they'd likely be more willing to talk. Still putting on the impression he was, Kakashi needed to be able to inquire without coming off too suspiciously.

So he'd wait for some company, and eat in the meantime. Strange to do without a book, but there wasn't much choice about that at the moment. Kakashi lowered his mask, keeping it off of his face for the amount of time he needed to eat.

Which, for Kakashi, wasn't very long at all. Only a minute later, and the strange covering was back in it's place. He pressed his hands together, said a polite thank you for the meal, and let out a small sigh. Now he really did want his book to read.

[Teisel~!]

... He needed to stop doing that.

Another morning after another night of things he definitely shouldn't have done, no matter how much it made ZEX feel better and himself feel good.

Well... Zelnick sighed. Well, at least he hadn't done too much with ZEX, and making out a bit-- a lot-- was... was... er, making him blush after the fact, apparently, and he should probably stop thinking about it. At all. Because thinking about it meant he might think it wasn't so terrible and that maybe he should do it again, not that he wanted to. It would just be to make ZEX feel better. Right.

First things first, though, breakfast was calling to him, and he went with the nurse to the cafeteria, grabbing his usual mix of the main course and fruit before settling near the door, per usual.

Itachi jolted awake at the sound of the intercom, mentally cursing. Not only did he have Jiraiya's suspicions to deal with now, but he had not discovered much of anything at all last night. Or was it last night? His body felt stiff, as it did on the rare occasion when Itachi had injured himself enough to have to rest for a long period. But he could not recall being injured, and certainly not being knocked unconscious for an extended period of time. Perhaps he had just slept in an incorrect position.

Itachi irritatedly made his way to breakfast, indiscriminately taking a few pieces of sustenance and finding a place to sit away from the others. Irritation was entirely too much of a constant state for him by now. He had been here, what, a week? That was completely unacceptable. He had intended to have found a way to defeat his captors within a span of a couple days. And what had he been doing all this time? Letting himself be led around by the nose during the day and scrambling around like a lost child at night. This was impossible; he was better than this. It was time to take stock and review his position.

Itachi sat there pondering his options, stabbing at his food with slightly excessive force and keeping a constant watch on his surroundings. He did not exactly expect Sasuke to come flying at him with a fork, but he did not really want to be disturbed by anyone just now.

Eileen was delighted to hear the selections for breakfast. As silly as it seemed to be delighted over anything in the nightmare hospital, she found it was best to hold on to what bit of normalcy they had. And if all she could find to be happy about was French toast after a night in the terrible hallways, well.... At least she had that French toast.

Tucking her chin length hair behind her ears, Eileen took a seat, surprised to see she was one of the first in the cafeteria today. It was funny - every time she was brought here, the only thing she could think of was high school.

Probably because it was a cafeteria. And it hadn't been that long since Eileen had been in high school herself. She couldn't help but wonder if the same sort of social pyramids and everything applied here or not. Didn't they take hold anywhere? She vaguely remembered something about that from one of her sociology classes.

Oh well. For now, it was daytime, her curse was quiet, and she had a heaping tray of french toast and sausage. For now, she was just going to enjoy the daytime.

Now that had been an interesting night.

Now that's an interesting color.

Beatrix frowned when she rolled her pant leg up to inspect her knee to find it a combination of colors thanks to the previous night. Between the initial dislocation and then the repositioning of her kneecap, an impressive bruise had radiated from underneath her kneecap. It was also a bit swollen and sore, but that was about it. The Bride replaced the elastic wrap about it and then quickly hid her weapons before the nurse arrived as her other injuries were minor in comparison.

Her limb was almost undetectable as she allowed herself to be herded to the cafeteria. Finding an empty table after acquiring herself a tray of food, the Bride ate slowly as she replayed the events of the previous night over in her head. What an interesting night.

[for Ophelia]

Shadow woke feeling as though he'd been run over by the large metal carriages they called buses here. His head was throbbing and he had the distinct sensation that he was missing something, though what that something was he wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps Val would be able to help him figure out what it was though at the moment, all he wanted was something to get rid of this pain in his head.

He followed the nurse as she took him to the cafeteria, following the same steps he always had. He put his hand on his head as he walked in, grabbing a piece of fruit and staying away from the sweet smelling bread. Shadow lifted his eyes and scanned the area looking for a familiar face. When he didn't see one right away he took the nearest empty chair and sat down, closing his eyes. Something was off and it bothered him, increasingly nagging at the back of his mind. What could it be?

Sheena wasn't sure she'd get used to this suddenly waking up in her bed thing. The ninja sighed and kicked her covers off, letting her hair down before finger combing it and then pulling it back into its unruly ponytail. With a flick of her wrist, she produced the cards she had left over from the previous night, only to find the writing blurred and the cards unusable.

With a sigh followed by a grumble, she crumpled the now useless cards and tossed the ball into Elena's trashcan on the other side of the room. The wadded up balls sailed into the receptacle and Sheena went through a quick series of stretches to work the kinks out of her muscles before the nurse arrived.

Eggs and sausage were the breakfast selections for one grumpy ninja. Last night... Raine had pushed too far. She'd gotten too personal and didn't seem to realize she'd done it. The half-elf meant good, but she just didn't know when to let things go. She always thought she knew best and that she could help with or fix every problem. Raine wasn't the world's mother and she needed to understand that she doesn't have the right to force things out of people, just because she thinks they need to talk.

So, with a vicious bite of her sausage, Sheena grumbled and tried to focus on something other than her desire to kick Raine in the face.

[distraction coming in the form of one New York clown]

At least, Lust reflected, as she picked at the offered food to cobble together a breakfast, the previous night had been eventful. Though she would have to look into this young woman that seemed to rouse Luxord to such heights. She was simply...curious.

While nothing of significance had been accomplished, the company had been pleasant and Lust had a few more tidbits of information about the patients also trapped in the institute. Information was always worth having.

Taking an empty seat, the former homunculus began picking at her food, keeping her eyes on the cafeteria. She wondered who would be missing come this morning....

[Unknowingly waiting for Scar!]

The reality of Renji's death smacked Momo once again when she woke up inside the institute and the other vice captain's reiatsu was absent. She hadn't been expecting to find it, but a part of her had hoped that perhaps she'd been mistaken or perhaps she'd been too far away. No, she'd been correct. Renji was dead.

For the second time, Momo cried. This wasn't the silent tears of the previous night where she'd had to contain as much of the emotion as she could being on duty, but the vocal sobbing of a woman who had lost one of her best friends. She was still crying while she hid her sword, still sniffling when the nurse arrived. She didn't care enough to protest when the nurse cleaned her tear-streaked face, merely put up with it and then collected her journal and pencil before slowly making her way to the cafeteria.

A tray of untouched food sat before the small shinigami. She sat there, her journal open to a blank page, pencil in hand as if she was about to begin a new drawing. She was having trouble focusing on which of her myriad emotions she wanted to put down onto the page, so she sat there, staring at it, in limbo as she tried to decide.

The thought that kept creeping into everything else, though, was what are we going to do now?

[Raine]

[Freeeee.]

The night always picked the most inconvenient of times to end, didn't it? Okay, not always-- Yukari was actually lucky she accomplished what she needed to do for the night most times, but when she didn't it left her frustrated enough to claim so. Yeah, yeah, it was illogical, but as long as she didn't complain about it out loud, she was good.

But there was always tonight (and the next night, and the next one, and another one... how many "next nights" would there have to be?) to get things done, and Yukari knew that with any luck, things would start off rather well. It almost made her look forward to this particular night.

For now, breakfast, like every other morning. As soon as she came in, Yukari glanced around to see if she could spot Kaito, but it didn't look like he had arrived yet. She didn't get worried over it, though; it wasn't as if either of them had gotten hurt or ran into anything dangerous. He'd be as fine as she was, so without another thought Yukari did the usual thing and picked a seat somewhere.

Hughes was still feeling down and a touch lost when he woke up the next morning. The toast had helped, at least with closure, but the fact remained that Roy was gone.

He couldn't afford to get lost in grief, though. Not when there was so much left to be done. He needed to get reports from the handful of people who had gone out last night, needed to organize the weapons list, and needed to see if he could get more people in the Cooking Club.

He wondered if this was how it had been like for Roy, when he had...been lost. Now the situations were reversed and he was the one left behind to try and pick up the pieces. It was almost ironic - he wondered if Roy would have made some joke about equivalent exchange.

Ah well. Taking a seat, Hughes pulled out his journal and flipped it open. He'd just do what he could, and hoped everything worked out. He'd see the other man again someday, one way or another.

[For Celes!]

[Sousuke and Subaru?]

Miku woke up, upside down on her bed. Her arm was numb from sleeping on it awkwardly and it took a few minutes' furious wiggling of her fingers to set it back to normal. In the middle of the furious shaking and wiggling to encourage blood flow, her nurse walked in and chuckled. Since Miku didn't seem to be in any pain, despite the floppy, sleepy arm, she wasn't so loathe to try and correct her.

"My, my, look at you, Alice, did you have a bad dream? Your bed's just turned about, isn't it?"

"I..." Miku began, sliding off the bed. "No ma'am, I dreamt last night I was running... at the Olympics, that's all." Miku fixed her hair and went to breakfast, and let her nurse chirp on and on about how the last Olympics were ohsoexciting.

"And do try to cheer up Akihiro. He seemed so upset yesterday. Don't fight with him, now." The nurse cooed and led Miku to feed herself. Picking a modest breakfast of fruits, a glass of pulp-free juice and French toast covered in powdered sugar with just a bit of butter, Miku sat down at the table and gave her meal a stubborn sort of look. She would finish it... mostly, she promised herself. Still, the photographer kept one eye out for Sousuke, hoping he hadn't woken in any strange position.

It took a long time to force himself to actually get out of bed the next morning. He wasn't tired exactly, not in the proper sense of the word, but he felt old and like it was an effort to do anything. Talking with Schuldig and Ken had helped, at least a little, and he wasn't planning on leaving them, but there was that little thought in the back of his head which wouldn't leave him alone and said hat things would be better if he just gave in, and wouldn't it be nice for things to be easy for once?

Hah, easy? Yeah, like that had ever been an option for him. Life just didn't favour him that much.

He finally pushed himself out of bed and headed into the cafeteria with his nurse when she came. She gave him a plate of French Toast, practically drowned in powdered sugar and syrup and watched him like a Hawk until he'd eaten at least a few bites. They sat heavily in his stomach and he didn't really want to eat anymore. Surely there'd be something more appetising at lunch? He'd never been a stickler for traditional Japanese food, but some miso would have been much more preferable to this stuff.

[Free!]

There had been no further progress made after they left the room; time spent searching for Kenren was fruitless, and the night was over not long after their departure. In its own way, that was good. Homura would need time to put together a team to defeat the monsters there, the goals of course being to minimize injury and claim the items he had seen. Particularly if that one thing was what he thought it was.

There was no way to be certain at present, however, and the notes he'd left before his memory loss meant the subject wouldn't be brought up immediately, provided Kenshin and Kenren both arrived around the same time. The more urgent matter in regards to that pair was being certain word of Okita's illness didn't spread any farther than that group. Sagara would need to be addressed as well, but Homura decided to leave that to Himura. The man was the obvious choice to lead his friend, and it would be easier to dismiss only one person in order to talk to Kenren privately.

His muscles were stiff, but Homura's injuries could have been much worse, given what had transpired. He got his meal for the morning, then took a seat where he could be seen. The two he had called on weren't the only ones he watched for, however; he wanted to check on Okita as well.

[For Jiraiya~]

Naruto let his nurse lead him to a sitting spot, smelling the sweet syrupy smells around him. He hissed as he sat, the burns on his side and back bandaged but still stinging. The water he'd wet his shirt in had probably not been the cleanest, and not helped with much but relief of the pain.

He looked at his plate a little funny, having never seen something like that before. It smelled good, but it looked strange.

For once, his nurse didn't say much, leaving him there quickly as he grabbed a fork and took a small bite.

[For Leon]

Seiya woke up abruptly, still not used to the strange sensation of being returned to her bed when moments before she'd been fighting or talking. Michiru had been more trustworthy than expected, even if just to the extent of helping Seiya get out of immediate danger. It was something to be grateful for, considering Seiya herself had been less than reliable as help. Even if her body was mostly recovered from last night's excursions, the doctor's voice announcing more patients last night and then practically booming at them to wake them up in the morning had conspired to give her a headache. Patients returned home... wherever Usagi was, she definitely hadn't peacefully returned home. She wouldn't leave Ami behind, much less Michiru, and knowing Usagi probably not Seiya either if she could help it. And for brainwashing, if the doctor had any reason to get something out of convincing them of these fake lives, why would he bother with the rest of the Institute and its daytime and nighttime changes?

But it was still possible something else was going on. Usagi might have been sent away, back home, against her own will, the same way she'd been brought here. All the talk about alternate timelines or worlds on the bulletin boards gave Seiya a headache too, and she pushed those thoughts aside. She really wasn't suited to think about... temporal displacement... or whatever it would be called. Seiya was at her best in action. If she could just find something meaningful to do now, it would help.

At least the doctor was considerate enough to give them french toast. Led peacefully to the cafeteria by a nurse, she took a tray and picked out her breakfast carefully. Carbs to help boost her back to full strength, but not too much, and a little fruit on the side. For the first time, she really took notice of the lack of coffee or tea available, and found herself annoyed by it. No sense in taking it out on the poor people who thought they worked here, though; she smiled nicely at the cafeteria staff before finding a seat by herself to start working through her food. Hopefully the headache would go away on its own.

Depth Charge allowed himself to be led to the cafeteria. Playing along with the human seemed to be the best option available to him, and anyway, he needed a few moments to try and get his head together. That he was human was itself enough to set him reeling. Gone was the powerful gleam of metal alloy and steel, the reassuring weight of his limbs, the pure strength in his entire body. He'd refused to let himself drop his guard since Colony Omicron- now it looked as though some had dropped it for him. Eyeing his new spindly arms and legs he felt a stab of unease. If he was here, X could be here too, and he wouldn't let a little thing like being human hold him back.

Eventually, the seemingly endless parade of hallways came to an end and the nurse stopped in front of an open door. The room beyond it, to Depth Charge's surprise, was full of people- more humans, milling about by a metal counter or sitting with plates of food.

The female nodded encouragingly at him, as if he were a particularly special pet. "Breakfast is served here every day- just take a plate and help yourself to the food at the counter. If you're not sure, feel free to ask the other patients for help."

Depth Charge narrowed his eyes. "Look, lady, I don't know what galaxy you're from, but the last time I checked? 'bots don't eat."

"Now, Mr. Price, don't start that again!" She gave him an indulgent smile. "You're just as human as I am."

And with that little number she checked her watch, gave a cry of surprise at the time and swept out, leaving Depth Charge wrong-footed at the door. He clenched his fists tightly, knuckles whitening at the pressure. So. This was how it was going to be. Scanning the room briefly (and manually, to his annoyance), he took a seat near the wall and tried to work out just what the slag he was going to do- beyond learning how to eat, of course.

[For Kaiji]

In retrospect, wandering aimlessly to explore in the dark with only one crewmate he barely knew was probably not the best idea Usopp had ever had. At least they'd finally woken up, which was a relief, since Brook had been clearly freezing and he hadn't felt so great himself. That was all firmly blocking out of mind the last horrific sight that had come distantly into view before the night had ended. He'd missed being around water, but whatever that had been in the distance, it couldn't have been water. Pushing himself out of bed and shoving his now rock-heavy bag into his closet, the nurse came in to take him to breakfast.

Usopp was feeling decisively glum in the line, waiting for food. Dead patients...? He had to concentrate, remember that Zoro and Sanji had left, then returned safely though without their memories of this place. Nami would be all right too. It was just an issue of time, that was all. Maybe they'd even meet new crewmates in the meantime, like Brook, who was a decent guy if kind of uncool compared to the great Captain Usopp.

Hadn't even gotten to the shed. Frustrated, he asked for extra sausage links. Luffy ate too much meat and he was always strong, maybe there was something to that. It couldn't hurt, anyway.

And in the very instant, the longest of all seconds, that River felt herself falling into a dizzy oblivion, swirls of autumn and the cold mist of colorless winters spiraling around her. She'd wanted to touch the leaves as both of them fell, but nothing had been real. Nothing she touched was real.

In and out of the blackness, River shot up in a bed. Her sides, arms, and throbbing head sending her into a fit of panic automatically. The other. The other one. The other one that had done this to her. The white room. The bed, the desk, the barred doors. Every last inch of it screaming with false voices as she fell back against the pillow. She could hear them all. The woman sleeping beside her. The millions of them walking the halls like tired dead. They were all screaming and saying nothing at the same time.

River jerked back away from the heavy door as it opened to reveal a woman in white. The panic became a dragon in that instant, and it threatened to swallow her whole. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. She shrank back into the mattress, fingers digging into the nasty bruise gracing her left eye. It was real. The pain was real, but how could it be possible when everything else wasn't? They were here. They were here, and they were real enough to hurt.

"It's not time. It's not time. Wasn't supposed to go back. Stay away. Get away. No more needles," she whimpered through her hands, her mask. The woman only came closer, reaching out and actually touching the trembling girl.

"Come now, Summer. I know you've had a rough night, but you're okay. You didn't hurt yourself badly enough so that you can't get up and come to breakfast." Fake. The smiles. The woman. Them. It was them. River peeked through her hands at the nurse.

"Not summer. Autumn. The leaves are falling, and it's cool. Almost cold. Almost," she mumbled quietly. Didn't make sense. Didn't process. The woman just smiled, tugging her out of her sitting position as gently as possible.

"Come on now, Summer. Let's get you something to eat. You're just wasting away as it is!" River eyed her suspiciously, every moment looking as though she were about to burst into tears. Still, driven by a something that couldn't be touched, she rose with the nurse and took small, careful, precise steps toward her destination.

The halls were long. White. Like winter only without the snowmen. River was careful to observe as she walked, wishing her feet were bare so she could really see, with arms clenched tightly about her small form. When they opened the large doors that would lead to the cafeteria, she cringed back. Not from the noise that bombarded her ears. No. The noise that pounded meaningless nothing into her head over and over and over again until she knew the nothing by heart. So many. Too many. It wasn't normal.

"Summer..." The nurses's voice trailed off, bordering on slight annoyance now as though dealing with the troubled girl had become a regular event. "Just get in line, and find a place to eat. There are a lot of people here, people who need help just like you. Why don't you try and make some friends, hm?" River stared at her for a moment, reading the emptiness in her shimmering eyes, before she moved away slowly, never shaking but always holding herself close, to move to the line.

One more soul to the line. One. Two. Three. Four. One by one the cattle had their plates filled up. Aside from mumbling a bit about the snow not being pure when offered powdered sugar on her toast, River managed somehow to acquire a small portion of nourishment and juice before wandering into the loud nothing and finding a place to sit.

And sit she did, staring into the nothing as she remained motionless on her bench. The girl didn't even move to eat, but it was a sensible thought even amidst the chaos of autumn and winter clashing in a great battle.

After all it could be poisoned.

Upon setting foot in the cafeteria, at least one familiar reiatsu struck Kira where he stood. But it was weaker, harder to discern than it ever should have been - even in the human world. Even so, he knew it, and his eyes paused on the tiny, slumped figure across the room.

For a moment, his confusion over his sudden situation dispersed, replaced by a hollow sensation.

The nurse gently tugged him out of his reverie, pulling him over to where tables were laden with food. None of it was appetizing in the least. He took a plate and some of it to placate her, then made his way silently to a mostly-empty table and sat down. Without eating, he looked around, considered straining his apparently muffled abilities to try and figure out where he was, let his eyes rest on the doorway where more and more people, all dressed in the same outfit he was in, came in to eat. They all seemed fairly settled, not bothered by where they were. He saw no outcries, no attacks, no violent uprisings ... just people, moving around and talking.

It was almost too normal for him to bear.

He wasn't in Soul Society. That was enough to put him on his guard immediately and refuse to remove it. Hoping he would eventually find someone to explain this place, Kira stared down at his breakfast and pondered for a moment exactly what it was.

[For Brainy~]

Xelloss was in a good mood when he woke up, even if the doctor's enthusiasm at waking them was a little rude. It was too bad he hadn't had time to take the picture, but it had just been an idle urge and not any kind of real need.

Better, as usual, breakfast was warm and featured sweets. As he stood in line, he looked around to try to see any familiar faces, but it was slowly becoming likely that he'd have to assume Lord Hellmaster was gone. If that were the case, it'd mean he was operating strictly under his own control, which had its benefits and downsides. Xelloss had already thought it out, although much of that thought also involved Zelgadis, assuming the ex-chimera would maintain calm enough to speak with him.

Beyond that, it really didn't change much. Xelloss had always kept in mind the need to maintain a certain degree of autonomy. Working with the Cooking Club had been enjoyable enough, if they hadn't made progress on their 'orders.' Too bad he hadn't seen Anise in action, but announcing his regrets at not being attacked would probably be taken as a bit more strange than announcing himself to be mysterious.

Extra french toast and syrup, then some scrambled eggs and lots of fruit, and Xelloss was ready to start the first and allegedly most important meal of the day. It was good he didn't intend to stay in this body, or it was possible he'd grow to be a bit pudgy. Then again, Lina and the others managed to burn it off, didn't they?

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