damned_institute | Day 22: Brunch

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Day 22: Brunch

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.

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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.

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.

Inara smiled at the man as he approached, noting his expression and marking it among the sort of look she usually got. Not to be vain, of course. Being aware of that sort of thing was simply a step to put oneself ahead of the game.

"Of course not. I'd actually been hoping for some company," she answered smoothly and genuinely. The Companion had seen the man around before and had simply never run into him herself. As this was the case, she wasn't able to place a name with the face. No matter. Introductions were a common occurance at Landels, and Inara assumed she should look forward to making them every day.

"My name is Inara. I don't believe we've met?" Of course, it was obvious that they hadn't, but such pleasantries were commonplace in a place like this. Eventually, she would probably find herself hard-pressed to remember the names of everyone she'd met.

"We probably haven't," Brock said. He held out his hand briskly, more out of habit from working at the Daily Bugle than anything else. "Eddie Brock."

Inara carried herself like a princess, something Brock hadn't seen in quite some time from his former line of work. There were snobs, brats, Daddy's girls who were loaded down with Daddy's money and not much respect, and then there were women like Inara, who acted like honest to God royalty. It didn't feel as if it was just an act to get him to write a favorable publicity piece either. The woman clearly didn't feel insecure and was proud of who and what she was. No lacking in the self-respect department there.

Brock liked that in a woman.

Still, considering where they were, she probably was a mutant like almost everyone else here with their mutant powers. Brock might be Host to an alien symbiote, but he wasn't sure he wanted to get too friendly with a mutant, even if said mutant was unbelievably hot. The idea of getting into a fight with someone and having to worry if she could explode his brain with a thought was a bit much, after all.

"I don't suppose you were there for the 'surprise' in the Chapel?" Brock asked, glancing down for a moment to stir some syrup onto his pancake and then looking up.

Inara was used to custom of shaking hands. While other Companions might've found themselves offended by such a masculine gesture when a kiss to the hand would've been expected, she found herself comfortable with the gesture. Kissing her hand wouldn't have suited Eddie Brock anyway, and Inara hated when men put on acts that didn't suit them. It made it so much easier to tell when they weren't being genuine. The smile did not leave her lips as she shook his hand.

"There are so many people here that I imagine it's sometimes hard to remember who you have and haven't introduced yourself to." She paused, taking another small bite of her own brunch. Sure not to speak with her mouth full, she continued. "Though I do believe I would've remembered if we'd met."

When he mentioned the chapel, Inara had to sigh. Of all the times to actually get a glimpse of the man in charge herself, and she'd missed it. Still, her companion had apparently been there, so it seemed she'd get some information regarding the matter after all. She frankly doubted Mal had gone to the church no matter what announcement had been issued, after all.

"I wish I had. I hear you all were blessed with our beloved Head Doctor's presence." Stress was placed just so on the word to indicate her sarcasm.

Brock quirked an eyebrow. The delicate touch of sarcasm wasn't lost on him, but Inara somehow made it sound so...refined. As if the Head Doctor's appearance and subsequent announcement were mere inconveniences and nothing more.

"He's younger than I would've thought," Brock said. "Snappy dresser. Nice suit."

And not just some typical human either, he added darkly. It took a hell of a lot to faze his symbiote, much less give it second and third thoughts about their place in the universal hierarchy, and he knew for a fact that his Other was determined to bring Martin Landel down. Make him fall. Brock thought he needed a good punch in face before a good, old-fashioned disembowling, but he wasn't sure how to get close enough to carry out the deed.

And besides, that wasn't exactly conversation material, especially with a woman like Inara. He was vaguely curious about what she did for a job (not all of them particularly flattering), but decided that he could use a distraction and an excuse not to look River's way, regardless of what the symbiote felt attracted. He liked his women legal for one thing, and while he was sure Kasady would dig swinging that way (the sick fuck), Brock had what he called morals and maturity.

Besides, he could use more information about this place and he could tell he'd enjoy talking to Inara, who seemed to be politely professional and knew where her priorities were. "So where're you from, Inara?" he asked, deciding that the best place to start was from the beginning.

Inara laughed at that.

"Well, at least we're not being held against our will by a man with no sense of fashion," she offered lightly before posing a question. "How did he manage to keep from being assaulted? I imagine at least some of the patients here might be inclined to violence upon seeing him in person." Thank all that was holy to any religion in the Verse that Mal hadn't been there. Or so she hoped.

A change of pace to a more personal level was welcomed. He would have to know by now that many worlds converged in this institution, so it probably wouldn't be much of a shock to talk about space travel.

"I travel quite a bit where I'm from. The place I could most call home is a firefly class transport called Serenity." Inara paused appropriately, gauging his reaction to see if further explanation would be needed. "It's a space ship. I conducted a business arrangement with its captain so that I could work from a shuttle there and expand my client base."

Brock was pleased that Inara asked all the right questions and then some. He didn't have the answers, but at least she knew what needed asking and what was important and worth knowing. Definitely brains behind those looks.

"He's probably a mutant or something," Brock said, and not volunteering the information that he didn't include himself in that category. "It looked like he had some kind of..." Brock thought about it. He wasn't entirely sure how to accurately describe what he'd seen and decided to just say it simple. "A shield. You couldn't see it, but it seemed that the closer some of the prisoners got, the less they could do. And he had the orderlies and nurses, of course."

Brock had thought it incredibly stupid to go charging a man they knew nothing about. It was one thing to know you could rip his guts out and make him eat them (a mental image that made the symbiote hum with joy). It was another to just jump into something blindly just because of rage or a desire for revenge. Didn't they know better? Revenge was best drawn out. Planned. It took longer, but it was so much sweeter in the end when justice was carried out.

When Inara mentioned spaceships, Brock blinked. The Earth he knew didn't have much in the way of spacecraft, aside from whatever the mutants had cooked up with their money - who knew where they got it - and he supposed that it was possible Inara was from another world. Or reality. He hadn't believed such things before, but his worldview had been considerably expanded after his bonding with the symbiote. At this point he was almost willing to believe anything.

"Don't think we have much of those were I come from," Brock said, looking thoughtful. "I'm from Earth. New York, actually. Great city. Horrible traffic though."

"A mutant... I confess I haven't dealt with anything that might be considered such, but I suppose, given what I've seen here, the idea is hardly ridiculous," Inara admitted. Reavers were the closest thing to mutants that she herself had seen, and they were little more than the result of a crazy, drug experiment gone wrong. No, the only person she'd ever known with powers of any sort was...

Inara trained her eyes not to fall on River, focusing them instead on Brock as they continued their conversation. She was sure Simon wouldn't appreciate her even involuntarily grouping River in the same category as the Head Doctor or any of his monsters. To be sure, they were in entirely different leagues.

Earth, however, she knew a little something about and smiled in recognition.

"Perhaps our 'worlds' aren't so completely different, then," she replied. "Where I come from, man used up all the resources on Earth and had to migrate to another system, one with numerous, inhabitable planets." Another charming smile was flashed. "I have heard stories about New York, though. It certainly has made its place in the history books."

Not a mutant, huh? Brock had to wonder what she was doing here, but decided she probably knew just as much as he did the reason why.

He was a bit startled to hear that Inara believed Earth to be dead, drained of its resources and forcing a migration to another system. Was she from the future? He wasn't sure what he believed about traveling through time, but he had to admit that from what he had seen, Earth had been going through its resources faster and faster over the years. It probably wouldn't have run out in his lifetime, but it had certainly looked like a dead Earth was definitely a possibility.

Okay, so she's from the future. You've seen a lot of weird shit, Brock thought. What's just a bit more?

"It did look like Earth is heading in that direction," Brock said and surprised to realize that he didn't care. The symbiote had been on numerous worlds and the death of one of out of thousands, millions, was really just a blip on the radar for it. After all, it had always been able to jump ship and travel throughout the void of space whenever it felt like it. "Not surprised New York made it into the history books though. Pretty colorful city."

He had to admit he was curious about where humans went after Earth. It wouldn't have anything to do with him, but he couldn't help but be curious about the future.

Brock's interest wasn't feigned as he half-grinned at Inara. "So tell me about this new system? I can't imagine man on another planet besides Earth - we hadn't even reached Mars last I heard."

It was curious that news of Earth falling didn't concern him too much, but Inara knew dozens of people who could speak about such matters without batting an eyelash. She was among them. Besides, it was possible that Brock was simply being polite and hiding any disbelief on his part so that he didn't openly mark her as a fool to her face. In the end, it didn't factor into anything decisive when it came to the Companion's knowledge of Eddie Brock.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mal make his way into the cafeteria and take a seat next to a young, blond woman and start up a pleasant conversation with. He seemed to be full of obnoxious, petty smiles geared toward ruffling her feathers, which clearly meant that he must be feeling better. Remarkable that, even as she was able to pinpoint his childish jabs, they still managed to be effective. Inwardly, Inara frowned. Outwardly, she was still all smiles, intent on not letting her dear Captain get the better of her.

"There are hundreds of worlds, many of them were terraformed to make them inhabitable. A good many of the central planets flourished and became centers of technology and all sorts of medical and scientific advancements." How it pained her to speak of the Alliance in such a favorable light, but it was true. They'd done some remarkable things; of course, remarkable did not always equal noble. "A good many of the Outer Rim planets aren't so civilized, but the people get by." Oh, how she wished Mal could hear her. "There are, of course, a good number of thieves and bandits to worry about in the Rim. It's a very cut-throat lifestyle, from what I hear." Inara set her fork down next to her plate, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she propped an elbow up on the table.

"And how about you? What kind of life do you lead on Earth?"

Humanity on hundreds of worlds. It sounded like something out of some kind of sci-fi movie, but he had to admit that the geeky part of him - it was hard to tell if it was him or Peter Parker's memories form the symbiote - thought that was a damn cool idea. Like Star Wars or something. He still couldn't see it happening anytime in the future, so he supposed it was way up there. Maybe hundreds of years.

Although all this mention of "thieves and bandits" made Brock think of all the westerns he'd seen, except with space, aliens and less of the whole John Wayne deal. Cowboys in space, Brock snorted mentally. Well, it could be weirder.

"I don't think when I came from had even the ability to terraform, much less be organized enough to even to putting that into practice," Brock said, taking a quick bite of cereal. "I used to be a reporter for the Daily Bugle. New York based rag, had a whole thing trying to bring down certain superheroes. My...former boss Jameson," Brock couldn't help an angry twitch at the corner of his mouth at the thought of fucking Jonah, probably gloating he'd fired Brock. "had this whole agenda against one of them called Spider-man."

The idea that freaks in their panties and tights were roaming around New York probably sounded a bit...odd, but he'd gotten desensitized to being surprised by it anymore. He'd been just told to report on the damage to property and human life, and after awhile he'd just gotten over the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to go webslinging hundreds of feet off the ground in nothing but spandex.

Spiderman? Inara had to quirk an eyebrow at such a ridiculous name. Of course legends about superheroes were well-known across the universe even in her day, but the notion of such fantastic beings actually existing in any day and age was hard to believe. Then again, as she could recall Zoe informing her husband in response to his disbelief about River's unique talents, she did live in a spaceship. To those of old, such a claim probably seemed a bit ridiculous as well.

But to take such a name for oneself. Surely there had to be something a bit more creative and less silly than Spiderman.

"That must've been exciting work, tracking down a superhero," Inara commented, choosing not to expand on her reaction to the name of the character in question. The matter admittedly intrigued her, but, alas, the intercom seemed to chose that moment to pipe up as nurses came to usher their patients out of the cafeteria. Inara stood without much of a fuss as her own approached her.

"You'll have to tell me more some time." She smiled a most demure, charming smile, hoping somewhere in the more petty depths of her heart that Mal was watching her exchange as well. "It's so nice to find pleasant company here."

Brock wasn't used to being on the end of a dazzling, movie-star quality smile that was actually sincere, and for a moment found himself speechless as Inara fixed one on him. He was sorry to see her go.

"Maybe we can catch up another time," Brock said. He was far too old to be having adolescent crushes, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Inara was attractive and a mature woman - and that she had both maturity and attractiveness in spades made her that much more enjoyable than some of the people he'd run across in Landels. He'd have to watch how he acted around her, though, especially with Kasady skulking around.

He didn't like competition and he most certainly didn't want the younger Host scaring her off. Brock had a feeling it'd take a lot more than just rude manners from a redneck hill-billy to faze her, but he couldn't quite trust Kasady, not with potential prey or attractive women he might happen to like.

Brock dipped his head in farewell to Inara and watched her and her nurse leave the cafeteria, which was fast emptying.

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Day 22: Brunch

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