Day 22: Brunch

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

Cid usually liked sleeping in, especially in a place as messed up and uninviting as this, but this happened to be one situation where he really wished he hadn't.

Right there, on the bulletin board. The Head Doctor and he'd fucking missed it? Some part of him wished he'd been there to take his eye out and another part of him knew he wouldn't have been able to. No man that powerful who hid for so long went to dangerous places without some kind of entourage.

Brunch sounded like it'd be filling, at least, though he nearly stopped in his tracks when the bastard announced TEA. TEA. It'd been a damn long while since he'd had some fucking tea, though with all the stress this place had found fit to rain down on his fucking head, it hadn't really been the first priority on his mind. Kinda nice, even if Cid was sure this was just some game the mother fucker was playing to get them all stuck neck-deep in Stockholm Syndrome.

He scanned the mostly-empty room for any sign of a familiar face once he'd piled waffles and sausages and syrup on his plate, though the person he really wanted to talk to was that Reynolds guy. "Spaceship" was the last word he remembered clearly before waking up in his bed, and dammit if he wasn't going to keep it stuck like glue in his mind.

He found a table where he could watch people come into the cafeteria and grabbed for his mug. The steam rising from his drink and the bag of herbs in it was nearly enough to make him grin despite it all, and it was with marked leisure and a little relief that he drank his goddamn tea.

Comments

[grosse-sklaven.livejournal.com]

"Now, Mr. Haushofer, I really must protest!" A poor nurse, who had been shuffled back and forth a million times already, huffed good-naturedly as she deposited Adelheid onto one of the empty seats, a tray piled high with good food going with him. "I know that it's important for you to talk with your friends, but you should try to remember that all of this talk about alternate worlds is nonsense! And remember to stay in your room at night! Ooh, I should really have a word with the night shift."

Not that Adelheid was listening to a word of it. He was slumped, listless, against the table, his red eyes clouded and his entire body limp. It had been a miracle that he could continue to string coherent thoughts together, after being sedated. And yet, despite that sedation, raw rage filled the back of his mind. He was the scion of a deity! He was of the esteemed Bernstein lineage! And yet he hadn't even gotten past the first line of defenses.

"-and be sure to eat all of it! You're a growing young man, Mr. Haushofer, you really need to take good care of yourself. And look at those bags under your eyes! If you don't start getting more sleep-"

Adelheid hoped that no one would see him, no one would talk to him, no one would bother him. He'd gotten Tamaki to promise not to stop by, and he was certain that Phoenix would be too busy with Edgeworth and Edward with that meeting he'd promised to attend awhile back. So long as nobody saw him in this pathetic state, he'd consider himself fortunate.

[high-prosecutor.livejournal.com]

"Mr. Pierce! I thought you were a quiet, well-behaved patient. You've been so cooperative so far. It was a shame we had to give you something to calm you down."

The nurse sighed as she and an orderly escorted Edgeworth from the chapel to a seat across from Adelheid's, then set a plate of food and a steaming mug of tea in front of him. "I'm going to put you over here with Mr. Haushofer. Now don't go scaring him with talk of demons and death. And I certainly don't want to hear any more threats from you towards any of the staff members."

The prosecutor was too dazed from the sedatives he'd been injected with to argue that she had gotten it wrong, that it was a nickname, that there weren't actually demons. He weakly tried to protest about being put with another patient - he didn't want that - but the nurse was having none of it.

He recognized the person he'd been seated with - Adelheid, who was Wright's friend, and now, he supposed, an ally of his own, if not a friend quite yet - and then tried speaking, his voice coming out tired. Without so much as a greeting, he said, "I said this on the bulletin board, but. Don't think you didn't do anything last night."

[somekinda-lady.livejournal.com]

Tifa managed get the orderlies off her back once she got to the cafeteria. She had made a note of the path they had come, and was ready to turn back and run as soon as she got the chance. She didn't care that her nurse seemed to honestly believe she was crazy - Marlene and Denzel were alone at home and someone had managed to kidnap her. This was some kind of trick.

The nurse stayed with her long enough to stuff some food on her plate, despite Tifa's insistence she wasn't hungry. The plate was shoved in her hand anyway.

As she plotted various ways to subdue the staff and run for it (she felt kind of sluggish...did they use a drug to bring her here?) she scanned the room.

Oh. God.

It was Cid. They'd kidnapped him, too?! Her half baked escape plans forgotten, Tifa ran over to where he was sitting, practically tossing her plate on the table in her haste. She didn't care if the food spilled over or not.

"Cid?!" she exclaimed. So they were lying - he was the proof. They must have known about Gaia, if Cid was here...

[materianinja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie was feeling a little better after her talk with Zelos, but not too much. She didn't understand... Why wouldn't he go and talk with Aerith? It wasn't right... It didn't help her mood that her throat still hurt from yelling at Barret. She was almost afraid she might end up hoarse.

Absently, she rubbed at the bandages as she entered the cafeteria, the flower girl was the first person she looked for. Instead, however, she noticed the familiar long hair of another comrade. She stared for only a moment before running over to see her, ignoring the food completely.

"Tifa!" the ninja exclaimed as loud as she dared, which wasn't more than a normal tone, and launched herself at the woman's back, hugging tightly from behind. Were all of her friends going to show up here? She wasn't entirely sure if she was happy or sad about that. She didn't want them getting hurt , but she didn't want to be alone either.

It took a moment to notice that she'd been talking to someone. Pulling away from Tifa a bit, Yuffie grinned around her at Cid. "Hiya, gramps."

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

Axel was certainly pleased to be one of the first people there, catching sight of only a handful of individuals as he sauntered himself into the Cafeteria. The sight of all the food was really wetting his palette, and the redhead took no time in helping himself to everything that was graciously offered.

After plating what could be considered the strangest combination of food known in existence Axel situated himself in a spot where anyone could walk up to him if they desired. He was feeling rather rejuvenated after taking a break from last night's shift and that post in the bulletin only fueled his curiosity even moreso.

So the dastardly man finally showed himself, eh? The Nobody was hoping to find someone who'd seen the Head Doctor with their own eyes, someone who was kind enough to describe every single detail of that demented man's face. Unlike Luxord, a man who held his grudges like his alcohol (and in no means was that a compliment), the redhead felt nothing for this Doctor, as his nature of being a Nobody preceded him.

So Axel sat there, cutting up his waffles/burger/chicken burrito with blueberries on top and ate it all diligently.

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

[Jumped Here. (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/65478.html?thread=3317958#t3317958) ]

[dolphin-king.livejournal.com]

As Iruka arrived at Brunch, the wonderful smell of food pulled at him like a leash on a dog. He spotted the food right away and hurried over to it without questioning. He was used to this at least. He skimmed over the cereals and low fat milk, stopping at the fruit, taking a few grapes to pop into his mouth. Looking for the unch part of brunch he'd heard about in his room, the ramen, he was pleseantly surprised to find some and helped himself. There was tea too! It was definitely a nice menu.

Finally, after re-examining his brunch plate and giving in to his need for cereal and a beef burrito (out of curiosity, of course), Iruka found himself a seat and began to eat. Things seemed to be looking up already... though he was worried about his once-student. He wondered if she was okay. He knew for
certain he was in a new place now, and that meant she was probably still in the other.

"She'll have gotten out; I'm sure." he said quietly between mouthfuls.

Oh God... the Ramen is... he nearly felt his brain melt with happiness. It wasn't as good as Ichiraku, but it was GOOD.

He chuckled to himself, unable to fully contain his mirth at finally being able to eat something that reminded him of home, and of Naruto. It felt good to be reminded of such things after having been depressed for what seemed like ages. Yes, he decided, things are looking up.

[she-bloomed.livejournal.com]

Ramen. Sakura could only assume who had suggested adding that dish to the menu. Naruto could be such an idiot sometimes...

...not that she wasn't going to pick some up for herself since he'd gone to all the trouble of proving that food was his biggest concern when he'd been locked away in a fake mental hospital and given a false name.

The cafeteria as they called it was beginning to fill up with numerous patients, all clad in the same, dull, gray uniform that she was wearing. It wasn't hard to pick up on the way things worked, and Sakura filed right into line along with the rest of the "crazies". The food was served and, against all her better judgment, smelled so good that it made her stomach growl a little. Quickly, she looked around the room for a good place to sit. Haku and Naruto would hopefully be joining her, and-

Wait, was that Iruka-sensei? Sakura blinked twice to confirm it. When he didn't disappear after the first one, her face lit up and she hurried over to him. Maybe he had more clues as to what was going on here.

"Iruka-sensei!" she exclaimed when she approached the table and wasted no time in setting her tray down. "I can't believe you're here too!"

[ifandmaybe.livejournal.com]

Weary of the games Landels continued to play with them Inara had kept to herself for the majority of the morning. Had she known there would've been a meeting with the Head Doctor himself, she might've been more inclined to emerge from her room. Granted it hadn't yielded terribly impressive results, but she hadn't exactly had the proper materials. A day of solitude was also rather tempting, but she was worried about Mal and probably wouldn't have been able to take in the peace and quiet without confirming that he was alright. The ankle wound had been bad, but the dark-haired woman found herself thankful that whatever he'd stumbled into hadn't delivered a more serious blow.

The patients were just beginning to file into the cafeteria, Inara among the first of them to receive her tray and find an empty table. The food, as usual, was quite good, though she found it difficult to eat it without wondering if they'd slip some "medication" into it after gaining the patients' trust. However, she wasn't terribly hungry herself at the moment and only nibbled on the brunch daintily, keeping her eyes peeled for the crew or any other acquaintances she'd made.

Of course, some new company would not be entirely unwelcome. As such, she was sure to exude a certain amount of approachability as she sat by herself.

[blacksustenance.livejournal.com]

Brock wasn't convinced there would be strippers in Landels, despite the mysterious advertisement he had seen on the bulletin. They would be nice, he had to admit, because what man could say no to tits?

He wasn't too fazed by the Doctor's appearance and announcement; it was the symbiote who had grown quiet and calculating, wondering how to topple this new new, foreign predator and resume their rightful place at the top of the food chain. It retreated very far now, and for one of the few times in his life Brock felt almost like a normal human being. It was both nice and....kind of boring, now that he thought about it - he had grown used to "hearing" the owner of his (their) body in his skull, even feeling it moving around like a house guest who had decided to make their stay permanent.

Brock sat down next to an attractive woman. Make that very attractive, because glancing at her he saw that she wasn't just pretty, she was smoking hot, in a regal, I'm too good for you kind of way.

Brock broke out into an easy going grin that was a mix between genuine and wry.

"Hope you don't mind if I sit here," he said.

[claire-ity.livejournal.com]

Claire was about to rush over to Eric's side when a nurse dragged her away. The shift change was probably the only thing that had saved Claire from a needle in the neck, because she was surely not just going to stand there as they did as they pleased to her friend. Something the head doctor had said filtered through the angry haze she was in. Something, something about experimentation. He sickened her and the thought of him touching her family made her all the more angry. Who exactly did he think he was? She could completely understand the need to attack him...on the other hand, it was obvious a direct approach wouldn't work.

People were just starting to fill into the cafeteria. Claire grabbed some food and sat down, keeping her eyes open for a familiar face. She wanted to see Eric. She had to know if he was okay.

[damned-patients.livejournal.com]

And it was time to eat. That was fine with Jack, food would go down a treat. But he had to admit that he was far more interested in what had happened in the chapel.

He carefully selected his food - no meat - his head down and ignoring the staff as he got his brunch. Simon wasn't around - snooty as the kid was, Jack liked him - so he decided to go find someone new to talk to.

The pretty blond didn't seem a bad choice.

"Mind if I have a seat?" Jack asked, grinning as he set down his tray. Well, she was a cutey, wasn't she? Too young for him, but he could still look.

[lolishotatype.livejournal.com]

The words strawberry cake were really all Honey needed to hear, and he'd almost forgotten what Tamaki had said about monsters, almost forgotten his offer to the twins, and almost forgotten that he wasn't in the familiar settings of either his home or Ouran Academy.

He left his nurse behind the minute he'd entered the cafeteria. First, he piled a plate high with strawberries. Then, he filled a second plate high with cake. He knew he might get a cavity again, but he hadn't had cake all morning, and nothing in the world would stop him.

He looked around the room. He didn't recognize any of the faces that were there so far, but that was all right. He didn't mind if anyone came and sat next to him.

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

And so someone came and sat with him indeed.

Out of all the sights that Axel had seen, never had he spotted a real child walk the halls of Landel's. It was somewhat disturbing in a sense, but one the redhead sought fit to investigate.

Besides, he caught Sora talking to this kid back in the Sun Room, and anyone who talked to the brunet was deserving of his attention.

In 5 seconds flat he had dropped his plate right across from the blond and took his seat in front of him. And with that Axel propped his chin with his hands and gave the child one good look over.

"... How old are you, exactly?"

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been interesting, to say the least. Yoskiaki was probably right about the human bit, but there were some inhuman aspects of the protection that Head Doctor had. It was, he thought with some irritation, probably time to ask Naruto what he'd supposedly learned about the man.

He glared at his nurse as usual.

"Don't look so sad," she said, winking at him, and he blinked. "You'll have a special surprise of your own by tomorrow morning!"

... right. Sasuke ignored her and loaded a bowl of ramen onto his tray. He could guess whose request that had been, but it was at least better than the strong-smelling alternatives.

Speaking of Naruto -- he wasn't in the cafeteria yet, but Sakura and -- Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. And Iruka. Couldn't whoever was in charge of capturing the shinobi pick up someone not part of the Konoha-Suna alliance?

With a sigh, he headed for their table. He was going to have to deal with them sooner or later, and he might as well get it over before it became as much of a problem as it had been with Naruto.

[qui-gonjinn.livejournal.com]

Qui-Gon was rather quiet as he was escorted to this "brunch" (whatever it was), rather than chatting pleasantly with the nurse as had been his custom. Thinking he was upset about something, the short woman patted his arm and offered a comforting smile, said something about "cheering up" and getting some food in him. Supposedly it would make him feel better.

Food wasn't the problem.

The graying Jedi stood in line for filling up his plate and accepted what was piled on absent-mindedly, a faint frown creasing his face. He kept thinking back to the events in the chapel, to the "surprise". To Martin Landel. The "wound in the Force". It was almost more troubling than suddenly waking up not dead and not impaled on the end of the Sith's red lightsaber and thinking this is it. Qui-Gon to some extent believed in destiny, that the Force sometimes willed something to be so, but wasn't sure if his life after death was one such case; he did know that it was somehow imperative they learn about just what Martin Landel was. And what the consequences of such a being's existance would be, not just for the patients here, but for the rest of the galaxy.

For the Force.

Sitting himself in one of the farther corners of the cafeteria and suppressing a sigh as his bruised body relaxed, Qui-Gon toyed with the sausage links, looking thoughtful. He would have to talk to Obi-Wan about this when the time permitted. He also would have to find out how everyone's special abilities were affected and if they were decreasing or staying stagnant for the time being. What happened in the Chapel had only convinced him that escape wasn't his priority.

[never-learns.livejournal.com]

He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed when the nurses came, seperating him from Aya and guiding him back downstairs to the cafeteria. He'd fucked up and now he couldn't even think what to say to him. It felt uncomfortable; Aya didn't trust him and it hurt to know, but what else could he expect? And he couldn't even bring himself to pretend to be his normal self, because he wasn't sure what that was anymore and why pretend when Aya could see through it so easily?

He selected a couple of pieces of fruit and a bagel from the buffet, but nothing more. He really wasn't hungry again, even if his body told him that he should eat more. He could always go back and get some more, right?

He headed towards the back corner of the room where he could watch the other patients, only pausing for a moment when he saw the other man sitting there already. Huh. What a pain. He shrugged and approached the table anyway.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked politely.

[godsgift2man.livejournal.com]

Waka really hadn't gotten any questions answered since he'd woken up, not that this bothered him too significantly. He was, after all, a tao master, and ought to be able to handle himself in most situations. His mask was gone - and with it his quickest and easiest mode of retreat - and his flute seemed to have lost a great deal of its power, if not all of it, and he still understood next to nothing about this place, wherever it was...but these were setbacks only. He would adjust.

However, the condescending cheerfulness of the nurse who escorted him to the food hall was starting to get on his nerves, as did the strange name she persisted in referring to him by. He rated some measure of respect.

Still, she was a woman, and displayed nothing like actual malice - much less any sort of demonic aura - and as such Waka wouldn't have attacked her even if he'd had Pillow Talk at his disposal. Anyway, there was no sense in rebelling against a situation one didn't even understand, so for the moment he was willing to go along with her in an effort to discover what was happening.

The food he discovered being served was a disappointment. Much of it he didn't recognize, and some of it appeared to be highly suspicious(the meat tubes, if they truly consisted of meat, in particular). He settled for taking a number of different foods and some plain rice, and accepted the lack of any sort of seafood as stoically as he could after the initial stunned inquiries to the women serving this strange breakfast.

Waka withdrew to an empty table - recognizing no one, which was odd, as he'd been all over Japan in the past two hundred years; but then again, most of them looked like foreigners - and resignedly picked at his food with a fork, which sat uneasily in his hand. Of course, going from chopsticks to a fork was a bit easier than the reverse - a fork's mechanics were more easily grasped - but he was used to chopsticks and the lack of them simply underlined that he was not exactly in control of an unpleasant situation.

At least he understood the language. The place was obviously not Japanese in nature and a lingual disadvantage on top of everything else would simply have been too much.

[not-classified.livejournal.com]

Ari had been just about to go help the girl he'd been talking to when he suddenly found himself being pulled away by a nurse. He looked back as he was hurried away to the cafeteria, trying to remember what she looked like so he could find her again. He didn't even know her name...

Reaching the cafeteria, he piled some food onto his plate, a little more hungry than he'd been yesterday. He was still fairly confused about this place. Nothing seemed to make sense...

The cafeteria was pretty crowded when he went to find a seat. The nearest spot he could find that wasn't being occupied was next to a very pretty looking man. It was a man, right? Ari couldn't help but stare for a moment before taking his seat and picking at his food.

He didn't say anything to him, but occasionally would sneak timid glances over at the stranger. He was...different.

[k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com]

Well, there was no point in putting it off any longer.

Schuldig had loaded up on food - only a few savory items, mostly going for things loaded with sugar like waffles, pancakes, and the french toast (or, at least, they were loaded with sugar by the time he was finished with the syrup) - and found an empty table to sit at. Not that he didn't want company; there was new prey around, and the slit-eyed silver-haired man intrigued him in particular. But he was damned sure he would quickly have all the company he could handle. Vincent almost certainly wasn't finished with him, and as for Greed...

Schuldig ate quickly, willing his body to convert the sugar into pure energy for his mind, because he was going to have to think pretty damned fast to explain himself to his 'allies' if he wanted to stay allies. As opposed to, say, violent enemies, which were the last thing he needed.

[clone-boy.livejournal.com]

Today had not started out well.

What had seemed like a good idea - avoiding Jedi because he was getting tired of being surrounded by the mind-readers and their special powers and endless number - had turned into a failure. Truth was that Darman was rather angry at himself and for what he thought was good reason. The chakaar - backstabber, traitor - Head Doctor had finally shone his face and the clone had missed it. He had missed his chance to see who was responsible, commit his face and mannerisms to memory so he'd have a definite target to slot once he had his kit back.

He knew he couldn't have foreseen it, but it still rankled. He should have seen it.

It was just as irritating at those two missing knives from his room.

Sullenly the young clone followed the female guard into the cafeteria and for once not even the prospect of endless food with actual taste was enough to occupy his full attention. It wouldn't have made a difference if he was eating these delicious "pancakes", tasting for all the world like uj cake, or the ration food cubes, the staple of every clone soldier's diet and making up in engineered nutrients for the utter lack of any taste at all. He needed to concentrate.

The unaccounted for knives were a problem, but the Jedi were a far bigger problem. He needed to get a better count of who they were, how many, and how exactly he planned to go about killing them one by one. That and try to find out what the Head Doctor looked like. Frowning, the clone sat down across from an orange-haired man, poking at his food with a work, his mind seeking to order his thoughts and file them into a way that would be most manageable.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

Hughes had heard on the bulletin board that the Head Doctor himself had showed his face. Now he almost wished he'd been in the chapel. To be able to see the man... and, well, he wanted to see if his guesses about the man had been right. But if the man showed up once, he'd show up again.

Now it was brunch, and Hughes was more concerned with who was going to actually show up. He didn't plan on keeping folks long - there was no need to drag this out the entire meal - but he wanted to make some progress.

Hopefully no one would keep him waiting too long.

[outtokillhim.livejournal.com]

Meat looked like a safe choice. Envy hadn't eaten out of necessity since he developed enough to thrive on the stones, and as such any concern for nutritional variation he might have had was completely forsaken in favor of a recreational fondness for tastes that suited his more predatory nature. Eating for show while pretending to be human at some rendezevous with another homunculus or at one of Dante's disgustingly lavish parties was made more enjoyable when he could enjoy a little trickle of blood from a sliver of rare steak.

The crowd in the cafeteria unnerved him. He didn't like the idea of being among humans, especially with the recent realization that he had suddenly become little more than they were... but they seemed such a strange assorted lot. Odd features here and there; some of them seeming otherwordly or at the very least not normal. Perhaps this was how asylums were (He had assumed this place to be either that or a penitentiary, but the presence nurses suggested the former) on the inside; all of the screwups and misfits who didn't fit in the sugary mold of human society. Pathetic.

But some of the faces... he couldn't help but think they were familiar. And then he saw-

He dropped the tongs from his bandaged hand.

Shit. Shitshitshitshit! No way. No fucking way! The fucker was dead! For sure! He'd done it himself!

Oh God...

He suddenly realized in a mix of seething rage and sheer horror what this was- that little bastard had lied to him about the Gate- about the other side!

"I'm in Hell."

[notmyfather.livejournal.com]

The chattering woman - who called herself Valyn's 'nurse' - said a great deal, but none of it made any sense to the young Elven Lord. He only knew of the term nurse as a nursemaid, and had certainly never heard of a 'mental institute'. And he didn't know why she was calling him by such a strange name, either. He did grasp that she thought he'd gone mad, and at this point, he was beginning to agree with her.

None of this made any sense! One moment he'd been neck deep in a gruesome war and the next.... here. Wherever here was. He didn't hear or feel any magic, which meant either he truly was burnt out or....

He found himself led to a large room with tables and benches, and it struck him almost painfully familiar to the mess halls of the slaves. The fact that the only people he could see in the room were other humans only emphasized that.

Where was he? He wanted to ask someone, but he feared more answers he wouldn't understand. And none of these humans wore collars - they weren't slaves. How would they react to a full blooded Elven Lord mingling with them? No, Valyn was not a fool. He allowed the human female who had led him here to take him to the line for food, and load his plate with food. Then he excused himself for her presence - which seemed to be alright - and placed himself as far off by himself as he could manage.

So confused and bothered by the situation, Valyn's normally calm expression showed a hint of nervousness. Years or Elven training hadn't prepared him for this. All he could hope for was a familiar face, who could explain what was happening.

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

River had managed to gather herself into a twitching, mumbling, yet considerably calmer mess of the girl she'd been in the chapel. The doctor. He'd followed the path and mixed up all the signs. She'd gotten lost again, lost in the woods and almost forced to abandon the path completely. Reality shifted in and out, focusing on several points and madly distorting others.

For instance. There was an elf right next to her. When had she made it that far into the cafeteria? And elves. Elves weren't real. Logic dictated that logic was also to be abandoned in such a place, as her own foster mother could stab things with her fingers while her father blew things up with his arm, and yet logic also dictated that elves weren't real. At the current time, logic meant little to River and everything at the same time, so she made her way over to the great lord and fixed him with a curious stare.

"Elves aren't real," she stated very seriously, silently demanding an explanation for his existence.

[voiceless-rage.livejournal.com]

If Caim had been angry before, what with not having done anything during the night, the discovery that the man behind the intercom had shown himself and he hadn't been there served to triple that rage in an instant. He felt his teeth grind together when he examined the bulletin board (having already checked his own note and discovered several responses, one being in the boy Nowe's handwriting) and saw that man's name mentioned. Martin Landel. There was a face to that voice now and he didn't know it.

But as he made his way into the dining hall and saw several obviously sedated people, he wondered if maybe not being there was a better idea. He would have tried to kill the man instantly. It seemed that several other people had had the same idea ... and failed miserably. There was something about that man, apparently, that kept people from getting close, and it wasn't just other people. So he realized, after reading and eavesdropping, that any attempts on the man's life would have been futile.

That, unfortunately, only served to irritate Caim more, so he took his food and slammed himself down at a table near the door. When Nowe showed up, he'd be waiting. The brat had something to say, so he'd listen. Maybe the kid had been in the Chapel and could tell him about that man.

But time passed, and Nowe never arrived. Caim glowered at every new entrant to the room, hardly touching his food. Where the hell are you? You had something important to say and you're not here? Maybe he'd been one of the people to attack the head doctor and had been sedated beyond awakening. Caim sneered and turned to his food. If the boy showed up, he'd show up. If not, then there would be other times.

Or so he thought.

[reunion.livejournal.com]

At the announcement from the intercom, Kadaj carefully hid the card he'd been examining (more like staring at while he daydreamed about seeing Mother again-- two more shifts left!) and allowed himself to be led away from the sun room with little to no fuss. Of course the more recent additions to the bulletin board caused him a considerable amount of worry (what did the bastards do to Mother?!), but there had to be something more to it, right? Whatever it was certainly wasn't helping him be patient, though, just more subdued than usual. The thought of Mother going through the same treatment at Landel's that he'd been through so far was unbearable, but he knew someone as powerful as her should have been able to tolerate it.

Soon enough, he was at the cafeteria, and after ditching his nurse, he immediately checked the room for anyone from his family. Yazoo wasn't there yet, and while there had been new names announced today... Loz didn't seem to be around either. That was a shame, but there was still a chance he'd show up later, right? Kadaj just hoped that both of them were around when Mother arrived. It just wouldn't be the Reunion otherwise.

It took him a second or two to realize that he had been daydreaming again, and with a small growl at his own absentmindedness (Mother would be so disappointed), he hurriedly went and got himself some food before he could get distracted again. He didn't even know what these "burritos" were, but knowing his peculiar approach to food, he'd probably find out before he'd even eaten any of them.

Finding a seat as far away from the traitor's friends as he could manage (there was another new one-- why couldn't more of them die off?!), he sat down and stared at the two burritos on his plate (one chicken, one beef) before cautiously cutting one open with his knife. When nothing catastrophic happened, he began to eat, half of his attention on the rest of the room and especially on the door. There were two redheads here so far, and only one of them had tattoos that he could see. He seemed far more amiable than the bastard Kadaj had talked to on the bulletin board, though, so maybe it was someone else...?

Oh well. He'd just have to wait and find out.

[barium-bullet.livejournal.com]

At first glance, the smirk gracing Yazoo’s normally expressionless façade was enough to make anybody think that the remnant had been up to no good. He sauntered into the cafeteria and looked around, taking note of the newcomers, but was disappointed when there was still no sign of Loz. Since there was still a chance that the older sibling just hadn’t woken up yet, he didn’t think anymore about and turned his attention to the food in front of him.

The waffles looked enough for him, along with some sausage and eggs, so after piling up his tray he grabbed some chocolate milk and made his way over to Kadaj. He plopped himself down by his brother and glanced over at his tray, wrinkling his nose just slightly at the burritos. “Those any good?” he asked in greeting, taking a bite of his waffle.

[thirdtonever.livejournal.com]

Martin Landel. Martin Landel. Martin Landel.

Along with the name, Chase refused to let that ever-smirking face fade from his mind. He kept repeating it over and over, even mumbling it out loud on occasion (damn those drugs they'd shot into his system, he could hardly control himself now). He would not forget that man. He would not. Because one day, Chase assured himself, he was going to escape from this hellish place, regain his powers, and come back to kill that man. And he was not about to forget which one he was.

Not that he would ever forget that voice.

The smell of food brought him out of his stupor a bit. Still guided by an orderly (who had a firm grip on his shoulder, a bit too firm, he thought), Chase gathered up a ridiculous amount of food and took it to an unoccupied table. Oddly enough, he was one of the first ones in there - not that he minded, it gave him more of a chance to avoid talking to someone who might irritate him. He began devouring his food as soon as the orderly had left him to go take care of another patient. Damn, but he was hungry - he couldn't remember ever being this hungry before ...

[numberii.livejournal.com]

Xigbar didn't see any signs of the two twirps yet, so he thought he'd check in with an old pal and see how the guy was doing. And... strangely enough, it seemed like the Chase that Xigbar had met with earlier had been replaced by an older model, one with the same glare in his eyes but in a weaker shell. Huh, now that was an interesting situation.

So the Organization member plopped right down next to Chase, not bothering with food yet, and let his gaze sweep up and down the other man's body. And after the fun Xiggy had had with Seimei and the bulletin board... he thought he'd deserve a little more hatred before he played buddy-buddy.

"Hey, do I know you? You look kinda familiar, but I'm not sure how to place it. Must've been a long time since we last met, huh?"

[faithful-frost.livejournal.com]

Haku looked around the room with a small, false smile. He saw Sakura speaking with a man she seemed to know, and Sasuke-kun. He had no interest speaking with any of them at this moment. He had no new information to share with them just yet, and as such, no reason to go to them. Perhaps once he learned something new... then... perhaps...

He frowned down at the selection of foods available and chose only a glass of water, apologizing for his feigned upset stomach. He still couldn't bring himself to eat...

He walked to a table and sat down, sipping at the water and trying to ignore the ache spreading across the bandaged side of his face, while looking down and keeping his ears open for information.

[be-my-tool.livejournal.com]

That had been completely useless. Zabuza entered the cafeteria mostly because he was being told to and considering that he still thought he was dead and this was Hell he didn't really see a reason to resist. He didn't get this place. That voice coming from the walls was aggravating. He wondered just what sort of sick twisted sense of humor had come up with this place.

He wasn't going to eat. He wasn't hungry and it didn't matter anyway. He was dead.

He saw dark black hair from the corner of his small eyes. He froze. There was no way...

He turned slowly, forcing himself to face the fact that Haku was not here and couldn't be, but he saw the boy very clearly. Half of his face was covered in bandages. Zabuza's eyes narrowed and his exposed mouth bent into a frown. Haku's eyes hadn't gotten injured by the Copy Ninja.

Wait. Why was Haku even here? There was no way one as pure as him ended up in Hell, and this place, as strange as it was, was no Heaven. They had both died... and yet they were both here.

Zabuza couldn't believe that he had somehow dragged Haku down into Hell with him. That would have been horrible, even for him.

That meant.... somehow they had survived? And they were prisoners of this place? How.... ?

That didn't matter. Haku was alive and he was here.... with Zabuza.... and injured.

The older ninja took a step forward, needing to be next to the boy.

[twelveapathy.livejournal.com]

An All-you-can-eat brunch, huh.

That probably would've sounded more appetizing if the food there wasn't so mediocre. Still, she needed to eat, and beggars couldn’t be choosers, and the “experimentation” had left her with quite an empty stomach.

With both of her hands busy holding the crutches, Larxene told the nurse to "Just put whatever and bring it to my table."

Having arrived shortly after the announcement, there were still a number of vacant tables. Picking the closest one to her, she sat down and placed her crutches under it. The nurse arrived with her tray a couple of minutes later.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I brought you a little bit of everything!" She said with a smile, placing it down in front of the wounded patient.

Cereal with blueberries, pancakes with bacon, orange juice and... was that a burrito?

Bringing a palm to her face, Larxene dismissed the nurse with a wave of her hand before eating the cereal.

[still-free.livejournal.com]

The talk with Simon and Jack in the Sun Room had actually been therapeutic. Lately, all he had been thinking about was this place, finding everyone, and getting out; thinking back on his own world, his own life, and even getting in his share of complaints about the Alliance left him feeling refreshed.

As usual, the first thing Mal did upon entering the room was search out his crew members. River never had any problem talking to people that interested her, so she was already chatting away, and Inara...

Well, she didn't have much trouble making friends, either, did she? A string of jokes and insults ran through the man's head as he watched her conversation with another man he'd never spoken to before.

Two could play that game. Immediately, the captain searched for a female who was on her own, so he could have his own little happy conversation with her. It was juvenile and he knew it, but that didn't matter much to him. The girl with the crutches seemed like a good enough choice - for one thing, he wanted to know how she had managed to get so hurt.

He noticed Cid on his way over to get some food, but he was crowded by three other people. He'd talk to the man later. Once he'd filled his plate to his satisfaction, Mal sat down next to the woman - girl, even, she looked pretty young - and smiled, though it didn't come off as particularly friendly.

[a_sin_for_him]

Well. That had been a rather eventful morning. And between that and her injuries, Lust was feeling quite drained already. Food was a welcome thing at this point.

She had seen the face of the man who ruled over this place like some demonic god. And he had looked so normal, so human. But so had her master. She saw River, speaking with some pretty young man, and was at least content the girl was well. She wanted to speak with her, but she'd hardly interrupt the child's conversation. Let her enjoy a few moments with a handsome young man.

Struggling with her crutch and her tray of food, Lust planted herself at the first table she came to. She knew there was that ridiculous gathering going on, but she honestly had little desire to go. She only wanted to restore some strength and think.

[to-blood-bound.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/65181.html?thread=3340445#t3340445).]]


Alphonse realized he should’ve been keeping his head up, looking around, assessing where he was. But--did it matter? He figured it did, he had to do something eventually. Eventually. Was there anyone here he had to be strong for? Maybe he could have a moment...

The nurse watched her teenage ward from the corner of her eye, and noticed that instead of looking around, he seemed to shrink slightly when entering the dining area. That was understandable, the boy probably wasn’t used to so many people, poor thing. "Would you like me to get you some food?" she asked gently, smiling at him. He looked at her a little suddenly, as if shaken from thought, and smiled with all the strength he had to smile. It came out sweet and kind. Her kindness in exchange for his. "Thank you," he said, nodding, and he could feel his voice vibrating in his throat, he could feel it in his chest, on his lips-- It didn’t come out from within hollow metal; it didn’t echo. It was warm and clear.

She was stepping off to get him a tray. Alphonse stood there a few moments longer, his eyes softly unfocused. His voice. His feet in his shoes against the floor. His... That smell. There were so many smells! All at once he wanted to laugh at the sheer wonder of it all, how strange it was! But he couldn’t, he couldn’t laugh, the wonder was passing, the newness was already stale. Because he was alone. Not just without--without Brother, but as far as he could be from anything that reminded him of Ed.

Al felt dizzy. From every sensation and every thought and every emotion. That’s when he saw her, just a table away, alone. He started to step over, and it felt like he was moving through a swamp, through quicksand. His lips parted and he called out, too faintly to really be heard, “Lust...”

[repolarization.livejournal.com]

All-You-Can-Eat?

All-You-Can-Eat???

Ginji had wasted no time. He had gotten into the cafeteria as quickly as possible, forgetting the fact that he had been losing control of his mind only moments before. He piled his plate high, as high as possible. It had everything on it, several pieces of each item of food. Somehow, he got the small mountain of food to a nearby table as well as the three bowls he had filled with cereal, oatmeal and ramen and the glasses of tea and juice he had grabbed.

He grinned at the beautiful sight of all this food before him. It made him want to cry with joy.

"Itadakimasu!" he said cheerfully before devouring every single bit of it in way too short of a time.

All-You-Can-Eat!!!!!

Ginji got up, holding his plate as if it were made of gold, and went back to the line to get even more food. He returned to the table with a pile just as high as the one before and started devouring this one almost as quickly.

[hidden-queen.livejournal.com]

There were so many people crowded into a small room. It wasn't that Padme wasn't used to large crowds - she had to be - but the fact that they were all dressed entirely the same. A sense of hopelessness, irritation and frustration seemed to hang over the entire room.

As if they were prisoners.

Padme hadn't ever felt so completely naked before: she'd grown used to have a security force nearby, a blaster hidden at her side, and her handmaidens even closer. The last were like a second shadow to her. She missed Sabe' most of all. They tended to think alike, and it sometimes helped to have another set of advice.

Maybe she could explain what was going on better than she could, because this stranger was saying that her entire life had just been invented by her and none of it had really happened. She wasn't Padme, she was Amelia McCraig. Padme couldn't believe it. The last several weeks were proof of it, and Padme didn't think she had enough imagination to come up with such an absurd set of events that set it all off

Was this the Trade Federation's doing somehow? The Queen wouldn't be surprised if there was going to be some sort of retalation for the defeat days ago, but it seemed too foolish a move to even really consider.

Then again, their previous actions hadn't been exactly sane: invading a planet they blockaded, then wanting her to sign papers legalizing their actions?

It didn't make sense. And with a new Chancellor just elected - one who was more likely to be sympathetic to the Naboo - Padme just couldn't see them taking action so swiftly. Chancellor Palpatine and the Senate's eyes were on them. They wouldn't dare make any moves.

Right now, she didn't have any answers. She had to work with what she knew, and find out more about this place. She didn't have any barriers right now - no handmaidens, none of the ceremonial makeup or outfits that helped hide vulnerability and doubts. No Jedi lurking nearby. With her term still up, and with the aftermath of the battle still so near, Padme could only assume that she was still a target, especially alone as she was right now.

It was too dangerous to let on that she was Queen to the others here.

Padme took a calming breath. She couldn't afford to panic. She'd just become the unnassuming girl that Anakin met on Tatooine: most people didn't think twice about a handmaiden.

First thing's first. She had to gather information. After gathering some of the strange food on a plate, she headed for the first table she saw.

"May I?"

[faithful-dog.livejournal.com]

Naoe came into the room calmly.

He could not fight the fact that he was human. He grabbed some fruit and some tea. He took it to a table and sat down, focusing on the food rather than looking around.

He did not want to see his Master right now.

He ate silently and waited. Waited to see if Takaya would come up to him, waited to see if anything interesting would happen, waited for it to be night once more. At least during the night he had gotten somewhere.

[damned-patients.livejournal.com]

Alex was more than a little upset when he realized he'd slept through the first shift. The night had been rough, even if it hadn't been a Special Counseling night. He had managed to get away with not getting into any serious scuffles, but that had required a lot of running. He wasn't particularly proud of making so many retreats, but...

Well, there were a lot of reasons he didn't want to fight most of the creatures that came out at night. He knew that if things continued as they did, he was going to have to get over it, but he was doing his best not to think about that.

At the moment, he just wanted to know what had happened in the Chapel. There seemed to be a lot of buzz about that and from what he had gathered, it sounded like the Head Doctor had finally showed his face. He was just going to have to find someone who had been there and see what he could learn from them. Sure, there was the bulletin board to read, but he doubted reading what had been said was the same as being there. He was upset that he'd missed out.

After gathering a hefty amount of food - way too much fruit and that strange sandwich they called a hamburger - Alex searched for someone who didn't seem too busy. It didn't take long to spot someone, who he sat down next to with a friendly smile.

"Hey there." He wasn't going to start questioning the guy right away. Might as well make a friend while he was at it, right?

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Miku came into the cafeteria with her eyes downcast, left hand clutching her right elbow as she stepped carefully into line. Her meal was bird-like; a few pieces of fruit, some bread and jam, a mug of tea. Miku didn't really eat it, kind of pushed it around on her plate, eyes focused on the plate.

She told herself she should probably eat. But when she would look up, there would be some stranger with weird hair wandering past and she'd have to look back at the plate. She'd quickly ascertained that it was not Tokyo, and then - the major shocker - that it wasn't even 1989, but 2006!

Miku's face settled into a look of quiet puzzlement, at least she didn't look outright unfriendly.

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

Tea. They had tea now. While under normal circumstances, the Gambler would have been rather picky about the type of tea, or the lack of alcohol in it, but in this abomination… Tea was tea. It was goddamn tea, and he'd not complain, none the less sprinkle his paranoia of laced drugs onto the drink (which was odd, as he continued to refuse the other foods, much to Nursey's distain.)

The was a soft clinking sound as he placed the mug down onto the table, followed by the rustling of sugar packets and cup of milk. They hadn't any honey, but it was close enough, he supposed. The meek looking girl sitting at the table had not gone unnoticed either, and in the mood he supposed he was in now (after getting tea, bothering the Keybrat and his friends, and simply lying to people in general, he thought he should be positively glowly), he really had no excuse to be rude to her.

So, he gave her a smile and gestured to the seat near her. "Hello there, Miss. You wouldn't be too upset if I sat here, no?" It seemed II and the Keyblade Master were not yet speaking of anything of importance. He'd just chatter here, for now.

[clockworkblond.livejournal.com]

Alfons really was in the mood for breakfast, not so much the lunch part. So he piled his plate high with pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and some oranges as well. To be honest, he wasn't quite used to eating so much; with inflation the way it had been, fresh fruit in Munich was a luxury that he had only rarely gotten to indulge in. But maybe eating a little healthy would be good for the blond; he knew that he needed all of the help he could possibly get.

Still... he couldn't quite shake what he had seen and heard in the Chapel. He'd been expecting some quiet time to pray and meditate, but he hadn't gotten that at all. First there'd been Gaara, and after that there had been the Head Doctor and the mad rush against him. He had no idea what had prompted such irrational rage, but he knew that he didn't want any part of it. So long as he wasn't dragged into it, though, he'd be fine.

And speaking of being fine, he wondered where Elena and Reno were. They'd said that they'd meet him during Brunch, and yet they hadn't arrived yet. Not that Alfons was too worried about them, but he was certainly wondering what Elena had been going on about. And he kind of wished they'd hurry, too; Edward was already in a large group of his friends, and Maes was surely going to find plenty of others for that meeting of his. Alfons would have considered himself content if he didn't have to spend the whole shift alone.

[offduty.livejournal.com]

It was a little disappointing that he hadn’t gotten a chance to speak more with Hughes about what he’d said on being...what was it, “reset”? But at least the mystery was mostly solved if not necessarily explained—which only left one more thing to figure out: Alfons and his apparent bout of amnesia. Plus, Alfons hadn’t been in the Sun Room, so unless he’d slept in, that meant he’d seen what had gone down in the Chapel.

Elena had said that she would be meeting with the kid, but a quick glance around the crowded cafeteria said that she hadn’t arrived yet...nor Rufus.

Reno made his way over and dumped his tray down across from Alfons. The cranberry juice sloshed to the brim of the glass, but didn’t spill over. There was still no coffee. Bastards.

“Hey,” he said, sliding into his seat. “Guess you don’t remember me anymore, but yeah. We met last night.”

[traitors-smile.livejournal.com]

The nurse led Gin to a large, open area where a few other prisoners? patients? he wasn't sure, were sitting and eating. He watched the flow of things for a few moments before picking up a tray and following suit. A variety of food was unloaded on his plate, though he couldn't really say he was particularly hungry. He found an empty seat, out of the way, where he could observe the others. Most of the food was foreign and far too sweet or too greasy and heavy for first thing in the morning. Dream or not, it was all real enough right here and now.

[norainu]

Renji really wasn't in the mood to eat a damn thing, but hey, there was tea. He still felt a little left-over nausea from the throwing up on the nurse thing. He headed into the cafeteria, intending to try out some dry toast, when he caught sight of someone familiar.

He didn't pause. He didn't think. He only reacted as cold rage swept through him.

Step, step... he had one pen left over from the night before, tucked into the back of his pants. He pulled it out, flicking the cap off with his thumb.

Step, step... he passed by a table. An almost-full tray sat in front of a patient there. He didn't notice who it was. He snatched up the tray.

And then he moved into a full-out sprint.

He flung the tray ahead of him, directly at that goddamn traitor's smile. He was maybe half a step behind it, already moving to strike.

He was going for the throat.

[seiran314.livejournal.com]

The day had barely started and already Aya was feeling so cheated. Years had mellowed down his temperamental notably, like the red of his hair gone from vibrant crimson to rich wine, he rarely anymore felt so wired up he'd be acting like a half wild cat. This morning, seeing Yohji in the chapel and trying to figure out what the hell was happening seemed to be a mixture that pulled just the right strings within him to kick up a storm. The nurse had not bothered him more than if he needed another shot and he had lied that there was no pain. She had arched a brow in disbelief, Aya had stared, until she obviously decided it was not worth the trouble and left him alone.

When he arrived to the cafeteria he could see Yohji in one of the tables but sure didn't feel like talking with him right now. So he chose to pick up some food, mostly fruits and a rare waffle, and sat down to a nice peaceful corner of a table to sip from the cup of coffee he was nursing between his hands. Overgrown bangs of blood red hanging over his eyes, he set to eat in silence.

[141point12.livejournal.com]

Otacon asked his nurse only one question this time as she led him away from the chapel to the cafeteria: should he expecting a visitor after brunch? She gave him nothing more than a smile and a pleasant "Oh, I hope you do, Mister Langley!" before ushering him into the food line-up.

He didn't know if this was better or worse than an actual response.

Otacon almost mechanically loaded up his tray, knowing that he needed energy to deal with the rest of the day, but his appetite wasn't cooperating. He was never much of an eater—it was why he was so skinny. Otacon was more concerned with getting a moment to collect his thoughts than food. He spotted what looked like a quiet place, save for a single man.

"Hi," he said, stopping a couple of seats away from Aya. "Do you mind if I sit here?"