damned_institute | Day 38: Lunch

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Day 38: Lunch

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]

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"I don't, no. I haven't been down there or anything, but bastards like Landel tend to sit high up, if they can. God complexes and all. And I think the only answers we're gonna get are gonna come out of him."

"High up..." Artemis shook his head. "It's possible, but with the display I saw in the basement, he's clearly got some sort of egotistical episode going on down there. I just don't know if his domain is both below us and above us."

The boy sighed and shook his head. "I just don't know. If I had more information..."

"The guy is egotistical all around." Ken snorted. "And if we had more information, we'd probably be well on our way to tearing this place apart."

Artemis nodded, "You're right. I know you're right, it's just frustrating to think that we might actually be able to do something, and yet we aren't adequately organized and we don't have the right intelligence.

"But there must be a way to get the right intelligence..." Artemis said, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Ken frowned, thinking. "...get someone in his good graces. A double agent. If there can be a level of trust built between Landel and whatever person is chosen or volunteers...he'll have to let something slip sometime."

"It's dangerous. The sort of thing that could get the double agent killed, should he or she be discovered. Safety would have to be sacrificed for the possibility of a weak point being found. It's the sort of thing Hitsugaya would have never allowed anyone to do."

Artemis considered it for a moment. "I'll think about it."

Ken looked over at Artemis, face serious. "Just being here is dangerous. Any one of us could be killed or broken at any time, and the longer it goes on the greater the chance is."

"Sometimes you have to take a risk to make a gain."

Artemis nodded, "I just... can't think through all of the pros and cons like this. Not with everyone screaming in my head." The boy rubbed his forehead again. "Can... can we leave this subject for now. I'd rather not... think about Histugaya right now."

"'Course." Ken smiled slightly. It wasn't like he didn't know what it was like to lose a friend.

"Telepathy?" Ken glanced at Artemis, hoping that his presence didn't make it worse.

Artemis shook his head, "No. I can hear voices, but not thoughts. Feelings, but no words. And some people are silent and others aren't. Schuldig magnifies everything, but you're silent.

"I have no idea what it is. It's a side-effect of the magic, no doubt about that, but why is the better question."

"I'm silent, and Schuldig's not?" Ken frowned, thinking of the differences between the two of them. "...is it because of Schuldig's telepathy? I dunno how it works everywhere else, but not everyone in the world we're from has psychic abilities like Schuldig does."

"...you might be onto something there," Artemis agreed. But not everyone here had psychic abilities. Artemis guessed that Badou didn't have any, and Schuldig didn't exactly let on about there being other telepaths in the building.

"But why would I be hearing them?"

"I don't know. Who else are you hearing, or not? Can you tell? 'Cause if it's just going by the differences between me and Schuldig...he has powers. I don't." Ken shrugged. "Neither does Yohji or Farfarello, so if it's that...you shouldn't get anything from them either."

"My other associate Badou was also silent. I don't know much about him other than that he's a private investigator. Other than you, him, and Schuldig, I haven't gotten close enough to anyone else to be able to tell."

He was beginning to see that this was going to be an ongoing trial. But he was smart, he could figure out what was going on. Soon, hopefully. Because the sooner he figured it out, the better he would feel about it.

"Well, you'll figure it out." Ken ruffled Artemis's hair, then let his hand drop. "And if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"I will, thank you," Artemis said with a small sigh. How many times had someone ruffled his hair today? He might as well get used to it, he supposed. No doubt he was only making it worse by making friends. And he wouldn't stop making friends anytime soon.

"Right now, it helps when I'm in physical contact with people. I feel less like a consciousness lost at sea. And... safer."

Ken nodded. "I understand." Being alone at a time like this would have been too much for Ken to take, too.

Artemis was quiet for a moment, trying to contemplate everything that was going on. It was hard with all of the physical noise and the indeterminate noise.

"It's strange. After last night, I'm not worried anymore. I've been stabbed in the chest, and no doubt more than one person absolutely loathes me, but I'm not worried. It's almost as though I've achieved some sort of zen state where nothing matters."

"Well, even if you've decided nothing matters, don't go throwing yourself into the way of anything dangerous. There's enough idiots like that around here."

Artemis laughed a little. "No, nothing like that. I enjoy being alive, Ken. But even if someone attacked me, Haku or Schuldig would beat them until they were either dead or I managed to give them a good reason not to kill them. Right now, I'm not in an intellectual position to mount an assault against the head doctor, so I can relax and wait until I have control over myself.

"It's like a vacation," Artemis said, resting his head back on the edge of his wheelchair. "A vacation where I'm trying not to slowly go insane."

Ken snorted. "Sounds like a shit vacation, and this doesn't exactly seem like a hot tourist destination. I think I'd beat the crap out of any travel agent that recommended this shithole."

He laughed again. "I would do the same, I suppose. Well, I would have someone beat the travel agent who recommended I come here, but it's the same thing overall."

"Someone ends up black and blue in the end." Ken smirked, amused. "Just remember, next time you decide you need a break, you don't have to justify it by getting your back fucked up or anything."

"I know," Artemis said. "And frankly, I don't think I have to justify anything. My condition speaks for itself, I believe."

"Teasing you," Ken said, once more poking at his lunch. Still, it was kind of sad that the career assassin managed to stay consistently uninjured more than Artemis did.

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