Day 47: Lunch

[idontregret.livejournal.com]

Heat was able to ignore the still faintly throbbing spot on his head as he was led back into the cafeteria for another meal he had no intention of eating. He kept himself from rubbing at what he knew would be a small bump because dammit it didn't hurt that much. It was embarrassing, was what it was.

At the fishy odor filling the room when he entered, the demon wrinkled his nose. How that was supposed to be the slightest bit appealing he had no idea. Then again, it wasn't always the taste that mattered. Whatever this cod was, it could very well taste better than the rotting flesh he'd gotten down the night before.

His nurse made some comment about his lack of appetite, but he wasn't paying attention. She could eat his damn lunch if she was worried about it going to waste. It wasn't his fault they didn't inform their staff properly of their patients' eating habits. The room was fairly empty too, so Heat wasn't picky with where he sat. He just hoped one of his tribemates found him before he was stuck with some other pest for the duration of the meal.

[Sasuke?]

Comments

[winged_moon]

It seemed like he'd barely left the cafeteria when the intercom clicked on to announce the beginning of lunch, but Yukito was hardly about to complain. Even if he'd only eaten a full meal (and for him, a full meal was very full indeed) he was always quite happy to go back for seconds.

He managed to become separated from Sakura as everyone in the Sun Room was herded back into the cafeteria again, but he didn't mind too much. What she'd said had already given him enough to think about, and it was easier to do so when he didn't have to try to hide what he was thinking so that he didn't upset Sakura -- or try not to make it obvious when he was talking to his other self. It seemed a little rude for them to extensively discuss things when someone else was present, and he tried not to do it.

And, of course, now that he had the chance to focus on talking to Yue (getting food from the line took absolutely no thought at all, and he automatically just piled his plate high with fish and chips) the guardian had shut himself off to brood and wasn't interested in talking. You can't just leave me out forever, he observed, feeling mildly exasperated, as he moved to an empty spot at a nearby table and began to eat in just a distracted a fashion as he'd obtained the food in the first place. We have a lot of things to talk about, and it's past time we did.

There was not even a flicker of a response from his other self, and Yukito sighed inwardly, staring down at his tray without really seeing it as he persisted. Maybe if he just kept trying, Yue would finally give in.

[for Touya]

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

"Why so glum?" Touya asked, sliding his tray into the spot next to Yuki and leaning down to plant a small peck on Yuki's cheek. As usual, Yuki had gotten to the Cafeteria before him, but he wasn't wolfing down his food. He was just... staring at it. Maybe he was having a talk with Yue, but Touya also wanted to make sure Yukito wasn't upset about something.

"You weren't bothered by anybody, were you?" Touya asked, setting in beside Yuki. He hoped that his decision to go to the Recreational Field hadn't been the wrong decision--because if someone had bothered Yukito, Touya should have been there to wipe the floor with the creep's face.

[tostepforward.livejournal.com]

It certainly felt odd to be in the cafeteria again without her previous assignment, but Okita's orders had been clear enough. She'd also noticed Homura's overture to Lelouch on the bulletin and mentally filed it away: they must have decided that the young man's information gathering was a potential benefit rather than an obstacle, and she had no reason to argue with it. He could be prickly, certainly, but then so could most of the members of the History Club; their only problem would likely be in averting a clash of egos.

Ayumu obtained her food with a faint, inward sigh, wishing for probably the thousandth time so far that they'd allow her to make her own food, or at least hire a cook with some more imagination. She settled down in a different spot than usual, this time selecting a table that allowed her a good view of the door and not so good of the rest of the room, curious more to see who would come and go this time rather than Lelouch and his cronies.

While she should have an assignment for later, right now she was at loose ends, and wanted to see what of interest might be going on. There had been some new faces earlier, and she suspected a new batch of patients had started to filter in during the day. Would anyone she knew walk in the door? She both hoped for and feared it.

[for Kenshin]

[degozaruyo.livejournal.com]

Kenshin was rather late coming into the cafeteria. The empty tables were rapidly filling. Kaoru was, once again, absent, which was troubling. When asked, however, his nurse said that she hadn't been released. What a relief.

That still left the problem of where to sit, though. The rurouni was beginning to realize that he'd been here too long; there were more people here that he didn't know than people he was previously acquainted with. His allies were dwindling at a rather frightening pace. He'd seen the bulletin board and realized that Adelheid wasn't answering.

Unless his gut instinct was wrong, the History Club had lost its sole weaponsmith.

Casting about for a place to sit, Kenshin realized that Sen was still alone. Sitting with her was a potentially suicidal move, but he hadn't spoken with her since...that morning, and he felt that he owed her an apology.

"Good afternoon, Sen-dono," he said, bowing politely. "May this one sit? It needn't be for the entire meal."

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

As much as Wally hated the Institute sometimes - well, all the time lately - he had to admit that the meals were at least good. Both in quality and quantity, which was an added bonus. His superspeed wasn't exactly forgiving on the metabolism, so eating a lot was a habit he'd gotten into a long time ago, since it didn't tend to end well if he didn't. Unfortunately that meant that there'd been a few times when he'd had to put up with stuff that wasn't exactly all that great to eat. So while the Institute was still a prison, and he still hated what was done to everyone here, he could appreciate that at least he wasn't having to spend most of his spare time scrounging for food.

And considering who he was hopefully meeting for lunch, he probably wasn't the only one thankful for that.

Collecting a tray from his nurse, Wally didn't waste any time in grabbing a few pieces of fish, an extra large serving of chips, a salad, and some pieces of fruit, piling on as much as he could get away with while the nurses were keeping an eye on things. He'd definitely eat all of it, given the chance, but since he was going to be talking with Bart again today, it wouldn't hurt to have some extras on hand in case the kid beat him in finishing his plate or something. That and, you know, it was a while since he'd seen Bart and he was maybe a tiny bit worried that he was doing okay.

His tray nicely stacked, Wally left the buffet and took a quick look around the room. Luckily there weren't too many people here yet, so he had plenty of seats to choose from to make sure Bart wouldn't miss him. Picking one relatively close to the buffet, since that was easier to keep an eye on than the door in some ways and would probably pay off if they needed more food later, he settled down to keep an eye out for a familiar head of wild brown hair.

[For Bart and Piper!]

[justanimpulse.livejournal.com]

For the second time that day, Bart found himself gently shaken awake by one of the nurses. Startled, he sat up and looked around -- he was in the Sun Room, and the nurse was telling him it was time for lunch. He'd missed the entire second shift.

Why did this keep happening?

The nurse tried to pet his hair, murmuring something about him still being sick; Bart ducked away, and all but ran for the cafeteria. He didn't slow down until he spotted Wally, sitting close to the buffet, though he did grab a tray and filled it with as much fish and chips as he could carry before joining the older speedster. Yes, and he grabbed some fruit and salad too, for variety. He wasn't completely ignorant when it came to nutrition, thanks to Max.

"Hey," he said, sounding somewhere between freaked out and pissed off as he put his tray down close to Wally's. "I blacked out again. Just lost second shift this time, but..." He clutched his hair for a moment, shaking his head in frustration. What was wrong with him? Why was this happening?

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

Talking with Kio had been interesting, and in a way Brainiac 5 wouldn't have objected to extending the conversation into lunch as well, but he had another, more important meeting scheduled for then, so he bid the older man goodbye and quickly made his way into the cafeteria. Since he'd given Lelouch information on how to find him - something he wasn't entire pleased about, but since Grell already knew his appearance, name, and room number, there currently wasn't much point in keeping hidden - he'd logically have to be there relatively early to avoid keeping the other patient waiting.

Unfortunately his nurse seemed to take his haste as an indication of hunger, and regardless of his protests, insisted he take a plate of the fish and chips as well as the small salad he'd initially wanted. Arguing obviously wasn't having much of an effect, so the Coluan settled for frowning darkly at the woman's back once she left before picking out a relatively private spot that he could still be noticed reasonably well from.

Settling himself and his lunch at the table, Brainiac 5 prepared to wait, though he couldn't help but direct a decidedly annoyed look at the main meal. Maybe if he was lucky Lelouch would want it, then he wouldn't have to explain why he refused to eat it.

[Robo-teen insufferable-genius type seeks noodly knight-templar-big-brother type for lunchtime bitching. Apply within.]

... Spoilers.

[kingside]

As tempted as Lelouch would normally be to turn over every single detail of his meeting with one of the doctors, his newfound freedom from Weaver's office left him thinking of only one thing: Nunnally. If he'd had the shift free-- but he didn't, of course, and it was beginning to look like he wouldn't have very many free shifts at all in the upcoming days. He was going to and had been trying to keep at least two shifts free a day so that he could relax a little and (hopefully) spend some time with her, but then...

He did his best to push aside his thoughts about everything else she had told him that morning, focusing on the meeting with Brainiac 5 instead. It worked for all of three seconds, but luckily, it was Nunnally's well-being rather than his own death that his mind settled on. How was she adapting to the new environment, anyway? To walking? Those crutches and leg braces couldn't be easy to maneuver in, and although that orderly was watching over her and she probably hadn't gone farther than the Sun Room, Lelouch didn't feel entirely comfortable about it all. There was also the institute-enhanced healing to consider, and while he wasn't quite sure how it worked, he couldn't help but wonder if it was possible that she might somehow slow her recovery if she pushed herself too hard. She had enough sense not to, but he didn't trust that orderly or, for that matter, any of the others. If her safety were somehow compromised because of them--

Even though it meant delaying his return to a room where she might be waiting and he could check up on her, Lelouch made himself visit his own room before heading to the cafeteria so that he could pick up his journal and a pen. He'd need his notes to deal with Brainiac 5, in all likelihood, although to be honest, many of his initial reasons for wanting a meeting with him were null and void by now. If Nunnally had survived F.L.E.I.J.A. and Schneizel had kept her hidden, he could carry through with his original plan unhindered. She would have to be safe, and while million others would still die in the blast, it wasn't like they would be the first sacrifice he'd made.

As for Brainiac 5 himself... well, there were other topics Lelouch wished to discuss with him.

After picking up his lunch (which he did intend to eat for once), trying to locate Nunnally in the cafeteria, and fighting back the automatic stab of worry when he couldn't, he searched for someone with the same markings Brainiac 5 had drawn on the board and eventually found him. It was difficult to say whether he found the boy's apparent age surprising, meaningless as it could potentially be, but at the same time, it did explain a lot.

With a small sigh, he headed over, setting his tray down across from him without asking and sliding into the corresponding seat soon after. There was a lengthy pause where he did nothing more than stare at Brainiac 5 with his eyes faintly narrowed, then: "I sincerely hope you aren't entertaining thoughts of pulling that stunt on the board again."

[notthistrain.livejournal.com]

The conversation with Yuffie's friend had been... interesting, but Cloud supposed that was the sort of thing he should expect from someone who could befriend the ninja so easily. It was a good thing, he reminded himself. Everyone needed more friends and allies in this place.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria when he arrived, meaning he didn't have much of a chance to approach (or avoid) any of the others from his world before he was being urged to find a place to sit down with his tray. It did smell appetizing, even if it all looked fried. The fruit evened some of that out, right?

He dug in not soon after sitting down, hungry now after barely touching his breakfast. Maybe he'd be able to get enough down before something else came along to send him into shock again.

[Free!]

[host-club-honey.livejournal.com]

[tiny cute thing ok?]

Despite the scuffle last shift, Honey was feeling pretty good. Not as happy as this morning, but at least he'd managed to stop his friend from being bullied. There were only a few people he recognized when he walked in, though he did make sure to wave to Sen and Sai before he got his tray. Fish and chips. Honey's face clearly displayed just how thrilled he was about that. After the pancakes this morning, it was disappointing, but much as he might wish for it, he knew that here they couldn't have cake with every meal like they did back home.

As he picked up his tray and scanned the room, he did see a lot of newer faces, or at least, ones he didn't recognize. And it never hurt to try to make new friends. Well... almost never.

He bounced over to the first one he found sitting alone and set his tray on the table before climbing into the seat and tucking Usa-chan into his lap.

"Hi!" he greeted the other cheerfully, smiling up at him from across the table. "I'm Honey! What's your name?"

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

The fish would be fine if they didn't have to prepare it the way they did. After noticing his displeasure, as he rarely showed much, his nurse helped him get a slightly larger salad than normal with extra fruit on the side. After all, not everyone was going to find everything appealing! Sai was just surprised (and a little concerned) that he'd been so easy to read. Perhaps that sort of thing was simply in her job description.

He sat down at an empty table without trying to find anyone. It had only taken a glance the moment he'd walked in to tell that none of the others had arrived yet. There was no task he had to perform at the moment, anyway, and no one he needed to speak to about anything. For now, he'd just leave himself available in case anyone needed to find him for any reason. It was easy enough to occupy himself with his meal.

[free]

[usoppsenchou.livejournal.com]

[Hope you don't mind?]

There still wasn't any answer on the bulletin board, aside from someone else who hadn't seen Luffy, and that really was a bad sign. Worse was the fact that Usopp was still carrying the stupid hat on his back and no one had come for it. It should have been like fishing in an over-crowded pond, considering the way Luffy usually acted about the thing. At the very least, he thought he should have seen or heard some kind of disruption about the hat being missing. Was it a fake after all? At least he'd left a note, Luffy should know Usopp was here again.

The food seemed okay, although kind of wasteful, more fried bread than fish. Looking around, Usopp spotted someone he knew, although he still wasn't entirely sure about that. As awkward as he still felt, he wandered over, looking hesitant at the ninja sitting alone. Sai'd given him more information about this place than anyone else so far, and seemed to take Usopp's safety more seriously than Usopp did, which was saying a lot. He'd also know the hat didn't belong to Usopp.

"Hi, Sai. Um, are you busy?" Other than the whole 'lunch' part.

[heraldric.livejournal.com]

It had been nice to be able to speak with both Haseo and Endrance today, and Leon was feeling less exhausted by the time lunch came around. He intended to eat it, of course, as he needed as much energy as he could get before he performed alchemy again. His nurse was always glad to help him through the line, even if he wasn't so short that he couldn't reach everything on his own. (You'd think he was sometimes, from the way she acted.)

The cafeteria was still pretty empty, so he sat down at an empty table to dig in. He usually preferred looking for someone to sit with so he didn't end up on his own, but today he didn't feel like standing around with a tray until then.

[free]

[cannotlogout.livejournal.com]

[Well, you did say I was required to have plans with you always :P]

He'd practically fallen asleep on the couch during last shift, the cat still curled happily on top of him. It had seemed rather reluctant to move when the nurse had come to get him. She'd still insisted that he get up though, even when he'd protested that he wasn't really hungry yet, and the cat had heard the noise and gone off in a huff. They were very picky creatures when they wanted to be.

He grumpily allowed the nurse to guide him into the cafeteria, filling a plate with this fish and chips. Tsukasa took one look at it and grimaced. This... really wasn't how fish was supposed to be served. The room was mostly empty still; they were probably shepherding people in from the rec field and greenhouse, so Tsukasa had the pick of the seats. He did spot a familiar head of blue hair though and went over to see Leon. "Hey, you mind if I sit here, Leon?" he asked the other mage, smiling hopefully at him.

[she-is-ruin.livejournal.com]

_{[free, no limits]}

Yomi sat at an empty table, quietly eating from a bowl of fruit slices.

Her thoughts continued to turn, like the vortex of the storm, and with no immediate tasks to fulfill, she had a chance to consider her circumstances once again. The sesshouseki was right, wasn’t it? About Kagura? Everything was different now, in her imprisonment where practical needs and subtle elbow-rubbing took a higher priority to her wishes, different from what she'd planned. For that matter, her imprisonment was largely due to the blocking of her power. What had that suppression entailed for the sesshouseki itself? Was it still the same, or had something been done to the stone to change it? Yomi still wasn’t sure what direction she was moving in, and so much had happened that’d clouded her judgement, confused the hotbed of emotions in her.

She remembered the wetness of tears on her face, the cold shock in her muscles. ‘No, no!’ she’d said then. ‘No, don’t turn away from the world! Don’t hate it!’ But wasn’t that what Yomi had wanted? There was nothing sacred about the world; it was just as vicious and corrupt as any world the spectres came from. She’d wanted to destroy it because of Kagura. For Kagura. If what the girl had said that night was indeed her future, then it wasn’t so strange of one. Although their reasons had differed, Kagura had only come to embrace something Yomi had, the sense of making the world they lived in disappear.

… But…

For a moment, Yomi let the spoon hang from her mouth, gaze far away.

This Kagura was unknown, and what stood between them was a foreign no man’s land that instinctively unnerved Yomi. Too much she didn’t understand. Couldn’t reconcile. For one, there was defying all reason to be resurrected as another girl… then the threat of her existence being completely unravelled by the kyuubi… and Kagura wanting to make things right, wanting things to be real… Even with time and distance, Yomi didn’t feel any different about their positions, at least. This wasn’t real, and she didn’t want Kagura coming after her. She didn’t want her protection.

And yet, being a different person had complicated things further. Yomi could laugh now, but what if her identity changed again, what if Yoshiko came back? What then?

What was, and would, ultimately happen to her?

The sesshouseki was listening, it had to be. So why did everything make so little sense? She was supposed to see clearly, but she felt more like a blind animal acting without thought. And the only people she could ask seemed to be either dead, or drunk, hidden out of sight somewhere.

[chainsaw-royal.livejournal.com]

This time, Hime actually managed to convince her nurse not to put that fried piece of meat on her plate and got away with a bowl of fruit slices instead. She did, however, take a small plate of fries as well. It wasn't like anyone here would fault her for enjoying some commoner foods.

Sitting down at a random table, Hime looked over at the other girl sitting there, a faraway look on her face.

"Something on your mind?" she asked, offering an empty smile. It really wasn't her problem, but she might as well ask rather than eat in silence and boredom.

[whichwayagain.livejournal.com]

Renamon had given him some rather interesting explanations, and on the whole, Mihai found himself wishing he could just credit them to a youthful imagination. Yet she'd seemed so calmly convinced of her ideas that it was hard to immediately discount them, if only because she absolutely believed they were true. It simply remained to be seen if what she'd said meshed with reality.

The announcement of fish and chips had him wishing for a menu (or a different cook), but Mihai's nurse had returned. Having learned just how good his chances are of going against her routine were earlier, he simply followed the woman along as she explained to a fully grow man just how a cafeteria line worked. Regrettably, the woman seemed unimpressed by the annoyed look Mihai offered in return, or his reminder that he wasn't old enough for a nursing home just yet.

He was eventually left to his own devices, however, and Mihai claimed one of the empty seats near the entrance. He needed to find Badou, and either confirm Renamon's impossible theories, or find out what really was going on. And beyond that, Mihai simply wanted to see with his own eyes that Badou really hadn't died from falling debris or the bullet Mihai had fired so foolishly, both thanks to that bastard Berthein.

[Badou, come find the old man.]

[strayfag]

[Is he lost again?]

Badou still tasted bitter acid at the back of his throat. He'd spent the first ten minutes of the shift with his head in a toilet and, if he'd had his way, he would have spent the rest of it in the shower trying to scrape Makiko out of his skin. His eye still burned. If he had to guess he'd probably think it was red.

It was a sort of blasphemy in his mind to waste food even when it was so readily available, but the nurse forced him to take a tray and he carried it for all of two steps before dumping the contents into a garbage bin. He wasn't in the mood to be co-operative right now. He wasn't in the mood for much of anything except a cigarette. He could really, really use a smoke right now.

He dropped himself into an empty seat and put his head down on his arms.

[lostonlifesroad.livejournal.com]

On the whole, Kakashi felt better after his talk with Sasuke. Not that he was looking forward to the conversation, or the warped version of tempura that ended up on his plate. But being reminded that telling Obito about the future was his not only his duty, but almost a privilege in an odd way put the jounin more at peace with the idea. The truth would be a terrible thing for Obito to face, true. But Kakashi could at least be there this time, to help him endure it. And by telling him the truth, Kakashi would also be fulfilling Obito's final request in a way he never thought possible.

Maybe there'd be peace for them both because of it, in time.

Making his way to an empty table, Kakashi idly watched the patients trickle in, eating a bit of the salad he'd talked his nurse into letting him get along with the fish. He distracted himself wondering just what excuse Obito might come up with if he ran a little late, chuckling at some of the ones he remembered--not just because Obito had used them, but because they'd gone over fantastically well with Kakashi's students years down the road.

[Obito!]

[itsdustdammit.livejournal.com]

Having discovered the wonder of the storage shed, Obito had indeed gotten a little busy, but the conversation Kakashi had promised him hadn't escaped his mind. At this point, it almost fully occupied his thoughts: why hadn't Kakashi told him right away? They were supposed to be friends now...the presence of another Uchiha should have been the first thing he mentioned, when talking about the Leaf-nin here. He heaped food on his plate (always better to have too much than too little!) but hesitated at the end of the line, second-guessing his agreement to meet the jounin. Kakashi hadn't told him. Kakashi hadn't told him. If he was really as wise and great as all of his students said, he wouldn't have hidden that without a reason.

Obito felt a little cold when he sat down at the table with his tray, but no matter how uneasy he was, he was never too scared to make an excuse. "The ketchup bottles here are awful," he started, indicating great exasperation with a sweep of his hand. "Mine exploded all over the counter. It took a ton of napkins to clean, and then little kid behind me got upset, so I..." His voice trailed off when he blinked, appeared confused, remembering that his excuse was probably unnecessary. "Anyway, it was all the ketchup," he concluded.

Less quickly, though, he picked up a fork and poked at the fried fish. Obito knew that he ought to feel hungry, but the upcoming subject was still a heavy object taking up most of the room in his stomach. He looked at the food for a what felt like far more seconds than had actually passed, then turned his attention to Kakashi and wasted no time with small talk.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

[justawaketylor.livejournal.com]

The weather had been right for a nap, but a cheerful conversation was even better. Even if only one side of the conversation was actually cheerful, it worked well enough.

Inside, things were a little darker. Still no coffee, no tea, no anything. Alcohol was clearly out of the question, but it just had to be after noon by now. Even complimenting the lunch workers only got him polite smiles, turned to mild irritation at complaints they'd apparently heard before. Taking a glass of juice again, Tylor felt down enough to actually sigh and look at his feet for a moment, but the sight of the cheerful face on his shirt reminded him of other things. Picking up in mood, he decided the rest of the meal looked pretty good (even if fried things went better with sake or beer) and started looking around for a place to sit.

It was just amazing how many people were here, even leaving out that some of them were really robots. Whether all of that was true wasn't 100% positive, but it was true enough for the people here to believe it, and he didn't think the older man who'd missed his chassis had been faking that disappointment in a human body. Not that Tylor blamed him--even if a robot body might be fun at first, he'd miss all the fun of being a human.

Especially since the robot, whose name he hadn't gotten, had refused to answer on the question of cute girl robots.

Indecisive, Tylor slumped his way into an empty chair and started focusing on his food instead. There were too many people here to talk to each individually, so it might be better to relax more, and just let people cross his path by chance for now. Chance usually wound up being pretty good, in the long run.

[Justy for Brook]

[promisedawhale.livejournal.com]

There were still shivers going up and down and every which way they possibly could through Brook's spine after he was released from therapy. He could not even think to have a conversation with his nurse (something she enjoyed greatly) for how spooked he was! Just how long had he been in that room? With that strange stitched man?! Too long by Brook's count, and long enough to last a lifetime! Even if he was technically already in his second one of those.

It was not until he caught the smell of food that Brook could process thoughts beyond the therapy session, and he resolved to get as far away from those thoughts as was humanly possible. It was lunch time! That was a good time of day for conversations not relating to creepy things! Unless it meant talk of creepy food items which he would also like to keep away from.

He retrieved his food - not a piece looking creepy! - and easily spotted someone sitting by his lonesome. Perfect! A complete stranger was just what Brook needed! You could speak on just about anything so much as you started the conversation! Placing a bright grin on his face, Brook approached the table. "Good afternoon!" he greeted, maybe louder than he usually did, "Would you mind if I had a seat with you?"

[jokers-wildcard.livejournal.com]

Why, why, WHY of all things did they have to be serving fish?! She hated fish!! It really didn't matter what they breaded it in or fried it with or did to the stupid thing, it was still fish! Even if she didn't touch the stuff, the whole lunch room smelled like it to the point where she felt a bit nauseous. Harley backpedaled out of the doorway as soon as the nurse tried leading her through. To the ol' stiff's credit, she displayed incredible patience while faced with Harley's whining, but it still took her over a good five minutes to finally coax her care into the room.

Her face wrinkled up in disgust as she looked around the room at the others who'd started stuffing their faces with that slop. The nurse was trying to be encouraging by showing her the other available options, but... egg salad? Egg salad? Come on, people! That was only a level above potato salad! If nothing else, this proved this place was pure evil. EVIL!

The pain in the butt wasn't letting her go without some kind of food on her tray though, so she was forced to take some fries, fruit, and juice at the very least. Making a show of being completely unhappy, Harley pouted and slumped into a nearby seat as though completely miserable. Maybe if she concentrated on using her ketchup to draw on her french fries, it would distract her from the putrid stench of the room.

[Tell me how you got your scars, Two Face!]

[dualistic]

The conversation with Leonard had turned out to be far more interesting than Harvey would have expected. He didn't know if it was good or bad that there was someone else out there who'd had his life screwed up as badly as his, but that was the truth of it either way. If anything, it made Harvey wonder if there were more worthwhile people in this place than he'd originally thought.

Still, getting shoved back into the cafeteria that was packed full of every loud, obnoxious patient in the joint made his hope dwindle once again. There were a few people of note here, yes, but more often than not he was going to be paired up with some idiot.

Just as Harvey retrieved his food shake, a nurse seized him by the arm and started to lead him to a specific patient, babbling on about how she thought he'd be able to cheer the girl up. Harvey generally kept away from the female patients, but he knew part of that was due to fear; to not wanting to think about her. After that conversation with Leonard, the wounds were particularly fresh.

Still, he had no choice. This had to be some sort of karma after having a relatively interesting talk out on the field. He was deposited into the chair across from a blond woman who was making an expression that made her look more like a five-year-old. Rolling his eyes, Harvey didn't bother with a greeting as he took a sip of his "meal."

[exbride.livejournal.com]

After that conversation in the greenhouse, Anthy hoped for a quiet lunch where she could be alone and think. She barely heard the voice on the loudspeaker or her nurse, calmly tuning them out while her plate was filled up for her when she showed no interest in the food.

Luckily, there were few enough people in the cafeteria when she entered. When she sat down alone, she stared at a wall with her hands balled up into small fists against the tabletop. What had compelled her to share so much with a stranger? Though she had to admit something about it had been cathartic, especially since Utena was currently existing with a different truth and it was difficult to approach her with all the details.

Even though she had an obligation to. This place smells like a fish market. Anthy glanced down at her plate and realized that she was half-starved after skipping too many meals, and started to pick at it. After a few bites of the food she decided to peel the orange on her tray, since that would go down easier.

[free, with a warning of slow posting for the first day]

[oldestremnant.livejournal.com]

For the second time since he'd gotten here, Loz had been suck with a needle and now felt funny in his head. He hated this feeling. The mean nurses hadn't even let him finish what he'd started with Rude.

The Remnant was too dizzy to fight his nurse as she dragged him to the cafeteria and got him some food. He thought he heard her say something about making friends with someone, but he couldn't be sure. The stuff in the needles made it hard to tell what people were saying.

Loz looked across the table and his eyes focused long enough to see a woman with purple hair sitting across from him. He raised a heavy hand in a feeble wave and murmered, "Hey."

[otnemememento.livejournal.com]

Leonard entered the cafeteria, surveying the room quickly before being handed a tray and finding a seat near the wall. If there is one good thing about being in a hospital, he noted to himself, It would be that they monitor your meals. It's nearly impossible to tell when you last ate when you can't remember it, and the body eventually stops giving you reminders. It was something he'd adjusted to, a part of his routine. Further proof the system worked.

He felt something shift in his pocket- he tucked his hand in, retrieving his collection of polaroids. Splayed in his hand like a deck of cards, he took a look at each face, unable to recall where and when he'd met them- the only information he had on his acquaintances were a few notes scribbled on the back of each picture. Hm. He set them across from his tray for now, taking a few quick bites before retrieving his pen and journal from his other pocket. Maybe he'd find more answers there.

[Mr. H.]

[catstreetblues.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/804008.html?thread=65376424#t65376424)]

Sanae sauntered away from Neku's table with a new spring in his step. Pins! He could hardly wait for night and the relative safety of his room--or what was soon to be his workshop. CAT was growing tired of the status quo, and now he was getting his chance to shake things up.

Oh, and Minamimoto wouldn't even know what hit him. Not when Neku came at him armed with CAT's finest.

As he passed by a man holding out a bunch of photos like he would his poker hand, Sanae couldn't help but notice that one of the photos looked like someone strangely familiar-- no, strike that. He would recognize that kid anywhere. The question was, why would this guy have a picture of Joshua? At first he considered that maybe the man was an agent of Minamimoto's, but that didn't make sense; the Heaper worked alone as much as possible. So maybe this guy was the mysterious "Leonard" Joshua had mentioned at breakfast?

He didn't want to seem like a lurk, so Sanae settled for coming up alongside the man, setting his tray down, and saying, "Hey, I recognize a few of those. You know Joshua?"

[threepwood]

Guybrush hardly got to protest to the nurse about not having enough time to explore before everyone was sent from one area to another in an uncomfortably organized fashion. Even finishing his conversation came second to the relocation, and she still wasn't answering any of his questions.

In good news, being back in the cafeteria was promising- the air was thick with the familiar smell of fish. "Hey, maybe this place isn't all that bad," he assured himself as he took the food-laden tray the nurse handed him. "At least we get fed. And it looks like they're better cooks than me. It's not grog, but at least it'll be questionably nutritious."

He took a seat, immediately pocketing the fork provided on his tray. "Never know when one of these will be useful," he said. "And it's sharper than my hook. Sadly."

[Alex]

Could we please backthread? <3

[queer-clockwork.livejournal.com]

Therapy, huh? He didn't feel particularly relaxed after it, for all that the nice doctor had tried to pretend he wasn't insane. Which he wasn't. Why would he be? From that office he was carted away to lunch. Ah, fish and chips, just like back home.

Alex was feeling less and less like in Hell. Sure, that doctor was a weird one, but once you'd dealt with Deltoid, anything else seemed a breeze. She hadn't called him Alexboy, which was also another plus. A crowded cafeteria greeted him and he quietly grabbed the food. Now, where to sit?

It was hard to tell who was who in here, so Alex simply let his nurse shuffle him around. "Here you go, Peter. It's a new patient. Try to make friends." Alex sat down next to a man he'd never seen before. Friends, huh? "Thou are no droog to me." He stabbed a chip and chewed it carefully, waiting for the other's response.

[hajike-tobiume.livejournal.com]

Touching base with Taura had been nice. Momo was glad to see the woman was at least adjusting to the situation regarding her body and no longer placing the murderer tag on herself. It did make her wonder what Taura really looked like and her fingers itched to draw it. Yet, before she had time to ask, the nurses had collected them for lunch.

Momo had attempted to sneak her sketchbook into the cafeteria, pretending she didn't know she was supposed to give it back, but her attempt failed. So, with a sigh, she handed it over and collected a tray of food. At least this was fish. She didn't care for the odd tempura-like batter on the fish, but it was fish and something her stomach could handle.

Taking her tray (and a few extra napkins), Momo found an empty table and started on her fish. It was sad that she'd gotten so used to using a fork.

[O Mistress of Duct Tape]

[witchoftruth]

What an interesting tale to ponder on! Erika felt oddly refreshed after hearing Rika's story, wondering how much of it was true. She knew she couldn't trust the girl, especially since she claimed to be the origin of her master. No, but clearly there was a connection. It was a "chicken-or-the-egg" conundrum, one that Erika wouldn't mind unraveling. It would bring her one step closer to Bernkastel, she was sure of it.

There was also the mystery of the Institute to solve, though, and Erika decided to refocus her efforts. The mystery of Rika and Bernkastel could only be solved with clues from a few people, whereas the mystery of the Institute was a much broader, bigger mystery to tackle.

And what a new, interesting clue that popped up. This female voice must have belonged to the 'Lydia' that the good doctor had referred to earlier and Erika now just had to confirm it. So she unceremoniously dumped her tray in front of a lone girl and sat down, peering at her with curious eyes.

"Good afternoon," She smiled, not wanting to forget her manners. "If I may ask, who is the woman who spoke on the intercom just now?"

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

This... was becoming a really weird day. And her headache hadn't gotten any better either. She'd have to sleep again for it to go away (and what kind of backwards set-up was that?), and she wasn't looking to take any naps after sleeping for over a day. --Over a day? Really? It was flipping hard to believe.

...Like the fact that she would just believe she was someone else. Also, kinda difficult to work through. Not that she had so far, mind you. Senna'd been very nicely compartmentalizing. And the distractions put before her worked pretty well. But now... Lunch time and there wasn't a lot of people in sight that she knew. Could sit with a stranger and chat 'em up until she found Soma. Soma had been through the same thing, after all. Maybe she had reached some conclusions Senna hadn't.

Like how it wasn't that she believed she was Sarah, she knew it. Just like she knew Senna had just been made up. She remembered creating Senna, stats and traits on a piece of paper, backstory added to flesh out a character. And it was clear. Clearer than anything Senna had to go on. Facts made permanent inside a mind. Uncomfortable, Senna found herself moving towards an empty table, sitting down and staring blankly at her tray.

[Idol-sama!~ ♥]

[idolism]

_{[Wut up, honeymuffin~]}

Senna wasn’t the only one with a headache, though the vampire’s was thanks to more immediate things. He was glad to be away from the second shift and onto something else, but the cafeteria wasn’t much better if he was looking for a people-free zone: there was already a scuffle going on, one that was nearly impossible to ignore for its commotion.

Rubbing his temple on his way inside, Aidou tried not to roll his eyes.

Actually, the reason for his growing headache was a bit of a lie; it was the result of more than just the little irritations of the day. One big irritation was his lack of blood, and it was making him… impatient. What he needed was someone’s exposed neck, not their flapping mouths, or irritatingly loud fights.

He blew past Senna’s seat without appearing to see her, heading for the counter. Despite the fact it’d help a little with appeasing his appetite, Aidou didn’t really want any of the selections. He’d had enough of the standard menu as it was, and the fish was always poorly cooked. He sighed. The desire wasn’t genuine in the slightest, but he almost wished he were more thick-headed than his upbringing allowed. Ignorance was bliss, as it were. Some others seemed to find the hospital easier to bear just by being positive and hanging with their friends, not that Aidou had the option of the latter.

[diamondstorm]

Slowly, but firmly, the Digimon was working her way back into her niche. Yesterday, with Edgeworth and Beelzemon and the boys... And then with Brainiac and Spot. As well as today, again giving out information to someone new and spending time with Jiraiya... These were all things that had become a part of her here, and in experiencing them again, she was becoming more of herself. This was true enough, and she was glad for it, but she wouldn't mind regaining her form while she was at it.

In the cafeteria Renamon relented and took the tray offered. Earlier had been a special circumstance, and she felt no need to duplicate the efforts for no reason. The Digimon moved to a table off to the side and sat, wondering. Yukari hadn't responded. Should she assume the same had happened? Something in her denied that. Yukari had been the first friend she had made here. There was something wrong, more than the obvious, if she simply vanished. The girl was too--

Too what? Too alive? And Orihime and Toph? Dairine? Toboe? They, too, called out to life with all that they had. No. There was nothing that one had that another lacked. In Yukari, Renamon was only... Hoping. A forceful kind of hope, but a hope nonetheless. If she needed to, Renamon would stop by Yukari's room tonight before she went out on her errands for the night. But she would no longer sit idly by.

[Kio!~]

Could we backthread? ._.

[stalksperverts.livejournal.com]

Kio was happy to have spoken to Brainy. His impact, small as he had thought it, was actually much bigger. For the first time since he'd arrived, he felt alive and useful. He was no longer a tool for everyone, he had friends. He could help. He had a use and a purpose.

Lunch, however, did not. Fish and chips. Ridiculous. He settled for the smallest portion he could get without the nurse hawking at him. The cafeteria was getting full by now and empty seats were hard to come by. Still, when he spotted one beside a girl, he pounced on it. Heading towards it with purpose, he coughed loudly as he approached her.

"May I?" Kio asked, indicating the empty seat.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

[Heat! *catches tag*]

Sasuke left the conversation with Kakashi decidedly -- undecided. Frankly, things might have been much easier than this if he'd discovered that the unexpected Uchiha had died during the massacre. At least there would be no need to explain what had happened to the clan, and depending on who it was, they might even have been able to provide information leading to who was most directly responsible.

But the Uchiha who had arrived was just a child, and a child who had died well before the clan had been wiped out. For Uchiha Obito, the clan was still thriving, still strong. If it was anything like how Sasuke remembered it from his childhood, it probably seemed eternal.

It had been, Sasuke realised with a start, years since he'd last thought of how the clan had been. It had been gone for so long that it was almost all he could remember of it.

... no matter what Kakashi told this Obito, meeting him was going to be strange. (Not least because -- how the hell was Sasuke supposed to address him? Technically, Obito probably should have been some variety of oji-san by their lineage, but ...)

That confusion aside, though, there was still the matter of finding the necessary materials tonight, and hopefully still making it to that 'exercise' session. Brow furrowed in thought related to both subjects at hand, Sasuke sat with a tray that his nurse had loaded to maximum capacity and started eating without giving any thought to whether there might be another person at the table.

[idontregret.livejournal.com]

When someone joined him at the table, Heat looked up and blinked. Was this kid actually blind, or was he just playing at it? For someone who couldn't see he certainly found his way around, and to certain people, without much trouble.

He waited for a while to see if Saucekay would react to his presence, but the kid was either ignoring him or honestly didn't realize who he'd sat down across from. The demon scoffed, moving his tray to the side so that he'd be able to have a proper conversation without being impeded by it.

"Don't tell me," Heat smirked, watching the ninja as he leaned a bit over the table. "You weren't actually trying to find me?" He almost said 'looking,' but he didn't need to go setting the kid off before they could have a proper chat.

[no-barbarian.livejournal.com]

His run had been cut short, but at least lunch was something familiar. Teisel never thought he'd see the day when he actually missed fish, especially something as common and boring as cod. The egg salad looked suspiciously like it contained mayonnaise, so he steered well clear of that and got extra fruit instead.

With the day going fairly well and a night full of bashing things with a lead pipe to look forward to, Teisel was in high spirits.

[for Sechs]

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

With the warmer afternoon came a puzzling change to the drug inside Sechs' system. He could barely feel the presence of the doctor's poison in his back, even to the point that he didn't feel cold at all. Were the drug's effects gone for good this time? What if it came back later? He thought over what Kibitoshin said and tried to hold onto his encouraging words, but he wasn't sure how he would cope if that terrible shadow returned in full force again...

Sechs had been pondering so hard over that quandary that he barely took notice of what was going on around him as his nurse gathered up a food tray for him and led him to a spot to eat. He even missed his cue to snap at the nurse when she called him "Cody", leaving the nurse to think that her assigned patient was finally making a recovery. Before stopping at the spot she chose for him, she excitedly praised him for his good progress so far - only to get the proverbial egg on the face when he turned around and snarled at her. Nope, he hadn't made much progress in her eyes at all, and she left him be to eat his lunch.

With that out of the way, Sechs kept his brooding gaze still angled downwards as he dropped himself down on the chair and made a disheartened attempt to eat his lunch. After nibbling only the tip off one of the chips, Sechs remembered to see who he was sitting with this time; no doubt that annoying nurse wouldn't let him eat by himself in his usual far corner of the cafeteria this time. He looked up, expecting a new face and...

Ah, crap.

He wasn't sitting with "Todd" again was he? Or was it the real Teisel this time? Sechs didn't feel up to having his brain screwed around with even more and he was sure that the grey-haired man hadn't forgotten about the way Sechs plowed his elbow into his foot the other night...

After giving his lunch mate a brief glance, Sechs caught sight of the bruises on his own wrists and realized that they were likely visible to the taller man sitting across from him. Sechs found himself grinding his teeth again and took on evasive maneuvers, last thing he needed was to be mocked by the bigger pirate(?) over what he went through the night before. Sechs pushed his plate away from him and carefully withdrew his arms, only allowing one of his elbows to lean against the edge of the table.

Keeping his gaze away from Teisel/Todd and his food (he just didn't have the appetite for it all), Sechs finally managed to grumble out a greeting, "Uh... Hey..."

[gald_digger]

By lunchtime, Anise felt like there was nothing that could bring down her good mood. Talking with Guy had been fun, even if they had to discuss a few serious things while they were at it, and talking with Mori had been a delight for her. Even though he didn't talk much, Mori was a good listener who seemed to show genuine interest in the things Anise talked about. And he was a gentleman, at that! Anise really should have known better than to go so long without talking to him. He was definitely good husband material.

Of course, finding a husband at Landel's would probably carry a few problems, like the question of what would happen when everyone finally found a way back home. In order to stay together, would one person have to give up on returning to their own home world? ... Well, whatever. There wasn't much use in worrying about that at this point, and besides, love conquered all obstacles! Anise would just have to trust that things could work out somehow.

Today's lunch was... fish and chips? Anise had a feeling Guy was going to be happy with that. Not that she wasn't, though; it smelled pretty good. As usual, Anise filled her plate with a little bit of everything, making sure to include a few strawberries and a cup of milk on the side.

It looked like she was early, because she didn't see many of her friends around yet. Oh well! Anise was content to take an empty seat for herself and wait and see what kind of company would come to her. Surely somebody would come. Cute girls like her couldn't stay alone for long.

[ claude ♥ ]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

So far today had been relatively low-key, which was a huge relief after the emotional roller coaster from the past several days. Maybe it was a good omen. (Or the calm before the storm, Claude couldn't help but think for a moment, but he pushed that to the side pretty fast.) Well, either way, it looked like he was going to be eating fish and chips for lunch. Part of him wished they'd serve steak during the day sometime, even if it was something they ate for dinner once a week as it was. Still, he wasn't about to complain. Food was food, and good food wasn't something he ought to take for granted.

Once he stepped away from the line with his lunch tray, Claude glanced over the crowd of patients to figure out where to sit. A set pigtails and a distinctly odd-looking doll caught his attention, and his expression immediately brightened. Why, if it wasn't Anise! It looked like she was sitting alone. Naturally, he needed to fix that.

"Hey, Anise," he greeted after he approached her table. "Mind if I sit here?" It was possible she was meeting someone, in which case he was willing to find somewhere else to sit. Still, part of him really wanted to check up on her since they hadn't spoken after that night in the morgue. No doubt she was relieved that Guy was back (gosh, he sure was!), but the stress of everything that had happened had to have been difficult for her.

[composers-proxy.livejournal.com]

So much for getting exercise. The only thing he'd managed to stretch was his patience after dealing with Ritsu. The guy... or girl... had to be certifiably insane. At least it hadn't been very long. The nurses showed up to take them back inside before Ritsu could decide to be indebted to Neku for the rest of Ritsu (and probably Neku)'s natural life.

Lunch wasn't one of his favorites, but at least it seemed edible. The food here was pretty good in spite of the circumstances. He picked up a tray and took what they gave him, then found himself a seat.

[Sheena]

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena had tried to wait until the nurses took Yukari and whoever that pink-haired woman was into the cafeteria (so she could find an appropriate place for spying), but her own nurse would have none of it. The ninja's stalling did not work and so she found herself with a tray of food and no youkai in sight. Fine. She didn't need to know who that woman was anyways. Yukari was her youkai, not some pink-haired stranger's.

Blowing the hair up off her forehead, Sheena looked for a place to sit and set her tray down across from Neku. She was curious how the kid had faired in his quest for pin supplies. "Hey, brat," she said before sticking a fry in her mouth. A moment later and she asked, "You always wear those things?"

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

The food really was better here than it was in space. Fish. Real fish and vegetables and fruit. It was enough to make him feel a little better. A little. He filled a plate with the fish and chips and grabbed a bowl of fruit from the salad bar before heading over to a seat near the edge of the room. He had a lot of choice since there were so few people already there. Huh, he must have been one of the earliest people there. It did mean that he could keep his eyes out for Lockon or Setsuna or... No, that was stupid. It was foolish to even think about it. Why get hopes up when someone was dead? It was better to be cynical and pragmatic about it. It had always served him perfectly well before coming here.

He set his tray down, and slumped in his seat, starting to eat almost mechanically. Maybe he had been foolish to get attached to anyone. He had managed to live most of his life almost entirely alone. Marie had gone and then he'd just... never made connections afterwards. There were the rest of the crew of course, but well, he'd never told them about himself, never been told about them in return. And yet, he'd arrived here suddenly there were people he cared about, worried about, laughed and joked with and who knew about him. It was a little distressing, a little confusing. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

[Free]

did someone say marie 8|

[madeinthehrl]

Falis had given Soma a lot to think about. She still wasn't certain what the girl had meant, and she wasn't sure their respective situations were at all the same, but there had been advice there she knew had helped. Maybe it wasn't all going to come together neatly, but she knew she'd work through it eventually.

At least, she thought as much until she accepted a tray full of fruit and salad from her nurse and her gaze fell on a certain unmistakable figure, sitting alone.

She hesitated. She was fairly sure she wasn't going to like what she would probably hear. Besides, she had all but made up her mind to forget about everything that had happened. It didn't affect her anyway. Why did she care?

But all of that just felt like she was avoiding the issue, and she had never been one for hiding from the facts. The sooner she could clear this up, the sooner she knew who he thought she had been, the sooner she could resolve everything and turn her back on the whole thing properly.

She set her tray down across from him with slightly more force than was strictly necessary and sat down, gaze steady, saying nothing.

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

Getting back into the swing of things after her day as Courtney had taken a bit longer than she'd like, but at least now she felt like she was once again making progress. It wasn't that she didn't have lots of things to worry about, but so long as she knew she was doing all she could for the time being, she could be satisfied.

Glancing over the room, she didn't see many faces she recognized, but at least she'd gotten to speak to Hanatarou last time. The guy wasn't much for standing out, but he had a lot of good ideas and possibly some skills of his own. Making sure the medical aspect of this place was taken care of was a pretty big task and one she wasn't certain she was up to. As much as she believed in her own skills, she felt she was better serving going out with the teams than waiting around for people to get hurt, but it was definitely something that needed work. It was honestly difficult to care a lot about the people outside of her immediate teammates and few friends she'd made since arriving here. Sure, it would be great if everyone could work together for a greater goal, but when everyone had a different agenda or was split up differently, it severely weakened their overall strength.

Giving a quiet sigh, Sakura picked up her tray and started looking for a seat. Once found, she fell into the habit of picking at the food (at least it was easy finger-food, if a little greasy...) while she studied the pages she'd cut out of the medical text book, all while trying to keep it hidden from the nurses.

[Pink-haired girl's club?]

[The pinkest icon I have, just for you! XD]

[revolutionise]

The shift in the greenhouse had been, at the very least, interesting. Maybe Franziska hadn't been the easiest person in the world to get along with, but then again, neither was Juri. And Utena still considered her a basically good person, right? So, sharp criticisms and fairly cold attitude aside, she didn't consider the conversation a lost cause, like she had with the von Karma Sr. On top of that, Himemiya seemed to have had a long conversation with a complete stranger. Now how often did that happen? She had no idea what the two had been talking about, but the idea of Himemiya making friends on her own still made her smile.

She made her way into the cafeteria with a tray of food, keeping an eye out for familiar faces. She spotted Himemiya right away, but before she could make her way over to the girl, a nurse touched her on the shoulder. "Now Yomi, you can talk to Delilah any time, can't you? Why don't you try making some new friends instead this time?" she asked, directing her away from the other girl. Utena was about to protest, but felt it wasn't worth it at the moment. She really could see Himemiya any time, after all, and she wasn't really in the mood to get into a pointless shouting match with her nurse like she had after the girl had disappeared.

"Look, Courtney's by herself for lunch right now! Why don't you have a seat with her? I'm sure you girls have a lot in common!" the nurse bubbled, obviously looking at both of their heads of bright, pink hair when she said that they would have things in common. She really didn't understand why that ought to matter. Yes, her hair colour wasn't really that common. She had never really thought about it much in her life, though. Some people just had rarer hair colours than others; it wasn't really something to make a big deal about.

Still, the girl did look nice enough, if a little deflated. Utena sat down and smiled at her new tablemate, waiting for the nurse to leave them be. "Interesting read?" she asked, leaning an elbow on the table and propping up her chin in her hand.

[number1smiley.livejournal.com]

Teresa had almost forgotten how much she enjoyed solitude. No one had bothered her in the Sun Room, allowing her time for rest and contemplation without interruption. She had even dozed off a bit, allowing her body to recover some of her reserves. It was then that she noticed, like with the food, she needed more than she had before. It wasn't much more, but enough to make Teresa wonder.

Having only consumed an apple for lunch, the scent of fish caused her stomach to growl. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced down at her own body and moved to the food line. After gathering her food, she stood near the counter as her silver eyes moved across the room as if she was deciding where to sit. In truth, her thoughts had drifted to Lelouch recalling they were supposed to have met that morning. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to meet with him as he requested.

[for Jiraiya!]

[toadally4boobs.livejournal.com]

Jiraiya was considerably more cheerful by the time Lunch rolled around, even if Naruto wasn't there anymore. He had spent some wonderful time with Renamon, and it looked like her friend wasn't going to be any sort of rival. That meant he was in the clear!

But speaking of pretty blonds... Jiraiya spotted a woman not too far away that looked a bit like Tsunade, maybe. If you squinted at her. Which made him interested, and--well, Renamon and him weren't a couple yet! And you weren't cheating if you only wanted to talk! Right?

To seem less suspicious, Jiraiya got his food first. And then he walked over, standing on the other side of the table with a grin. "Is this seat taken?"