Day 38: Lunch

[beloved-less.livejournal.com]

Soubi was beginning to feel the effects of a busy morning on a tired body. To make things worse, they were serving Tacos and Burritos. He could really do some with something a bit softer today. Blander. But it was hardly his biggest concern right now.

Having picked out his lunch, he looked for Ritsuka. He had to apologise, but these things usually ended up in bigger arguments, so, as could be expected, Soubi was a little nervous. Maybe they wouldn't find each other this shift. Maybe he had a little more time?

Soubi sat alone, being sure that his face was set in the expression that sent the girls at College the other way.

[He gots a Sheeny Beeny]

Comments

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget nodded. "I can do that! Leave it to me." And Roger.

Thinking back, the boy nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to him on the board once, and again in person. He'd mentioned Gears and I thought that maybe we were from the same world, since there are Gears in mine too. He's ...." He tried to think back. "Tall, and has glasses, right? With long hair?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand nodded. "Yes, that's him. He knows what I'm planning. I wanted to talk to him and Alec last night..."

Well, there wasn't much more to tell Citan at the moment. But Alec. "I need to find Monsieur Trevelyan soon too." The list of things to get done filled his mind almost too full.

"I have no idea how I'll keep it all straight. Do you have a good memory?"

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

"If I see him, I'll point him to you," Bridget said. He was helping! This was so great!

Biting his lip, the young man thought about that. "I do, usually. I'm not used to not having Roger, since I normally give him the information and he stores it, but if I commit it to memory, I should be okay."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Bridget was so helpful and eager. "I am going to need help with this, especially keeping it all organized. I don't think I'm terribly good at such things, but if no one else will do this, I will try. With help. You and TK and Dr. Uzuki, and hopefully Alec Trevelyan." Armand chewed between words. He was talking mostly of dreams and possibilities now, so he wasn't getting tripped up as often.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

"I'll do what I can to help you," Bridget said with a nod. "But, in return, you haveto let me worry about you, okay?" His words were teasing, while his smile was sincere.

"So please don't hide too much from me."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"As if I could, dear Bridget." Armand spread his hands wide to show his helplessness against the inevitable. "You are like my sister, always after me to wear warm socks and mittens in the cold."

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget tilted his head. "But, I'm not a girl," he pointed out. "So ... the little brother you never had perhaps?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand bit his lip hard and tried not to answer. "I said you were like her," he managed to protest before the next words pushed their way out. "You're too old to be mine, but if I had a son, I'd be very proud if he were like you." Then Armand blushed and looked away. He hated these uncomfortably revealing truths.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget blushed and blinked for a moment, speechless. His own real father had always been ashamed of him, no matter what. That his man, not related by blood at all, thought that way about him....

He scrubbed at his eyes and smiled happily. "Thank you," he finally managed, voice soft. "Nobody's ever told me that before. But... I keep forgetting not to ask you questions. I'll try harder." Armand was clearly upset about the whole 'truth' thing.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand did think it. He called them friends, but he was trying to build a substitute family here. He'd never had a lot of family, but here was the first time he'd been so completely bereft and alone. He wanted people to care for, love even, and be loved by. Not in any sordid sense, just belonging.

Half-worried he'd gone too far despite the words, Armand studied the expression on Bridget's face. "Like I told TK. I trust you not to abuse it." But these accidents were laying him bare in ways he wasn't sure he liked, even in front of someone as dear to him as Bridget. "Still, tis like having no skin. It stings when something touches me."

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget nodded. "Still, I'll try harder," he offered, then smiled brightly.
And I won't repeat anything you say either, so don't worry about that."

He was good at keeping secrets, despite not being good at much else. Still... the idea that Armand really liked him made him feel warm and happy. And it had to be the truth too.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"Thank you. I appreciate your discretion." That sounded like a stilted thing to say to a boy, but Armand knew Bridget would get his meaning. "That is something I will have to trust to others." Since he was now at the mercy of anyone asking him questions.

"At least you use my proper name."

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget frowned and tilted his head at that.

"Is there something else I should be calling you? It's Armand right? Mr. Armand?" What did the wrong name have to do with anything? Did it really bother him that much? Bridget thought it kind of neat (if a bit silly) that the staff here called him Edward. At least that was a boys name.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"No... Armand is fine. It is my name. The nurses call me something else. Gilles Larue, which is not my name. It... grates. I want to correct them. More than I did before. Does that make sense?" Armand spoke quickly, almost hastily. His tone sounded apologetic and nervous.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget thought about that for a moment, then nodded.

"I think so. If you're reacting strongly to the truth, maybe it also is such that, if someone says something that is obviously a lie, it bothers you too. Maybe it's not just what you say, but what other people say too."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"I think it only bothers me if I know it's a lie. I haven't stumbled on some gift at detecting truth." For some reason, he wanted to hide under the table or perhaps back in his room. "Talking about it is hard because I am having to make so many guesses. I suppose I can say something that isn't true, if I don't know it isn't."

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget nodded. "Right, so there might be a loophole in here somewhere that you can use, at least until it wears off." He had no reason to think otherwise. All the truth serums he knew of wore off after a certain period of time, though it was different for them all.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"I am not positive it will wear off." Armand had no idea how these things worked. "It has been many, many hours since it was given to me." He picked apart another burrito to see what was in it.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

"Well, if it doesn't..." Bridget thought hard about what might happen. "If it doesn't, then we'll worry about that later. For now, just in case, it's probably good to work on the fine art of being a bit more relaxed."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

For that, Bridget got a look though not quite a frown. The boy was certainly far more interesting than the guts of Armand's second burrito. "What is that supposed to mean?"

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

"Well, being so tense all the time might make things worse." Bridget smiled, oblivious to the look. "So, you should take time out to relax. Um, sit quietly and read, or write. Do something for yourself."

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"But I--" The denial stuck in Armand's throat and would not come out. "Shouldn't we concentrate our efforts on confounding our captors? Loafing wouldn't help that goal." He remembered trying to explain play to TK, and thought. "I do relax some. TK and I played 20 questions this morning." It had been hard convincing the soldier the merits of playing.

"It was hard, because he didn't understand what we were doing."

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Bridget smiled at that. "It's not loafing. You can be productive when taking time for yourself too."

He beamed and nodded. "I like that game," he said. "Did you have fun though?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"We only played one round. He guessed it in 3 questions, but yes, I enjoyed it. He was so puzzled about why were doing it." This time the answer came easily, almost cheerfully. Armand could beam at Bridget with a fierce kind of affection that yes, was nearly parental. It was protective and undeservedly proud. But when he spoke of TK he seemed to be looking off into the distance where... he could just spy a paradise of comfort and warmth.

"He's a lot brighter than he gives himself credit for. Analytical thinking isn't something you just stumble upon by sheer luck. And realistically, I don't think he's much older than you are." Unless he had Bridget's age wrong in his head, which was possible. The boy could be older than he looked. After all, he didn't look like a boy at all.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

"He sounds like a great guy," Bridget said, picking up on the change in demenor, but deciding against mentioning it. "I hope I get to meet him soon!"

Bridget was 15, but because of his particular .... troubles growing up, he not only looked like a young girl, he sounded like one, leading one to think he hadn't ever hit puberty. But his parents were resoursful...

"I don't see many people playing games here," he added. "Everyone gets so caught up in themselves I think, that they forget to take what fun they can, when they can."