Day 49: Noon - Tasty Burger

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Once she'd found she wasn't in any danger whatsoever of hopping aboard the Pukemobile, Yuffie had gotten kinda peckish. She'd ditched the bagged breakfast ages ago, way back on the bus, and, haha, like hell was she trekking back over that way to get it. Too much to see in a town without a lot in it.

So, here she was. Sitting at a plastic table in a plastic chair, in the almost completely plastic 'Tasty Burger', with fries, chicken strips, and a banana shake to wash it down with. Yuffie wrinkled her nose, more put off by the Eastern-style 'meal' than the reproachful stares of the staff and patrons. The latter she was way, way more than used to. Came with the job description. All of the job descriptions.

"Should've gone to the Twin Pine," Yuffie muttered around the (plastic!) straw, slumping forward onto her damp, denim-clad elbows. Taking a long pull of vaguely banana-flavored gloop, she cast a deft, if bored, eye around the establishment. As always, she'd gone for the most strategic seat; one that let her see as much as possible, without cutting off her access to at least one viable escape route. Not that she wanted to look at the place. Eurgh.

It was still hard to reconcile how this place should have looked with how it did look. Quick repair jobs were one thing, but something about the set-up rubbed Yuffie the wrong way. It was the same the whole town over. Chips, here and there, cracks in windows and doodles on walls. But no scorch marks, no sign that there'd been a no-holds-barred battle tearing up the place from top to bottom. The residents were pissy and suspicious, but not in that way—not in a way that'd suggest they remembered what they'd done, what they'd turned into, and what the patients had done in return.

[Cloud and Nanaki~.]

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[kingside]

"Mr. Mihaeroff?" Lelouch echoed, looking to the man with entirely genuine curiosity. He had his name, but no information with which he might connect it sprang to mind. That was frustrating, but as the obstacle was by no means insurmountable, he decided not to let it bother him. He could always investigate Mihaeroff once a more appropriate time arose.

... Or, quite possibly, now, considering that invitation. It wasn't that Lelouch particularly wanted Mihaeroff to stay, of course. Any opportunity to decrease the number of suspicious older men with names of dubious origin hanging around his young, impressionable sister was to be embraced and celebrated, but if she wanted them around, that was an entirely different story-- in terms of the outcome, at least. Lelouch's stance on the aforementioned individual would remain unaffected, but... he supposed he could let Mihaeroff stay just this once.

"I don't mind at all," he said, polite smile firmly in place. He extended his hand. "I'm Lelouch, by the way-- Nunnally's older brother. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

[whichwayagain.livejournal.com]

Somehow, Mihai got the distinct idea that meeting him under these circumstances was anything but a pleasure for Lelouch, but he took the hand anyway. He might just be the overprotective brother--Mihai had encountered the type before--but the old man was harmless enough. Usually. At least, under these circumstances. Hopefully he wouldn't have to prove otherwise by defending himself with a cooling-cheeseburger projectile.

"Nice to meet you as well. Though I'd like it better if you both called me Mihai." 'Mr. Mihaeroff' and 'sir' made him feel older than he was. Even Badou had enough consideration to call him otherwise: his 'old man' lacked the rigidity of the more polite addresses, and thus was easier to bear. Mihai moved to take the seat across from Lelouch and Nunnally after shaking the boy's hand. "Thanks for letting me share the table. I still don't know too many people here." Not to mention that he'd gotten separated from those from his home. Mihai certainly wasn't going to mention it, anyway. He'd like the chance to make a decent first impression before getting into his faults.

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

Nunnally glanced between the two of them with a small smile, pleased that Lelouch hadn't objected to the newcomer's presence. He probably just wanted to get the measure of the man, of course, but she was happy to speak to her new friends. "If you dislike it, of course," she replied, with a soft laugh. It felt a little odd to be so familiar with someone she'd only just met, but it would also be impolite to address him in a way that made him uncomfortable.

"I don't know very many people either," she added, with the slightest flicker in her smile as she was again reminded that she now knew one less. It seemed like so much here made her think about Suzaku's disappearance, and he had been one of only a very few that were familiar here, in this place where none of them belonged. It lasted only an instant, though, before she turned her attention back to the food and began neatly unwrapping the sandwich. "I do hope that the rain clears up soon, though. It wouldn't be very pleasant to wander the town in this for the rest of the day."

[kingside]

"Mihai, then, and it's no trouble at all," Lelouch said, taking his seat at the same time as their guest. Strange name. His parents must not have liked him very much. Entirely unwarranted and extremely uncharitable thoughts aside, though, it was interesting to note that, from this close, Mihai appeared much younger than his hair color had initially led Lelouch to believe. Was he prematurely gray, then, or was it naturally that color? He'd ask, but as Nunnally seemed to be more interested in befriending the man, it would probably be better to hold off on asking for now.

He reflexively looked to Nunnally after that, ready as ever to help her should her food be too difficult for her to consume, but upon seeing her having no trouble at all with her meal, he focused on his own. That would take some getting used to, but hopefully he would have plenty of time together both here and back on their world to adjust. Until then, or at least until a more appropriate time to interject some remark or probing question presented itself, he would content himself with nibbling on some of his fries and coolly observing the ongoing conversation.

[whichwayagain.livejournal.com]

"No, definitely not." Mihai turned his head to look out of the window as he agreed, considering the rain for a moment. "I'm not used to so much rain where I'm from. Usually it's cold enough for snow. Ah, and that reminds me." His attention back on the pair, Mihai nodded toward Nunnally, his hands occupied with unwrapping his cheeseburger. "I never got to answer your question, Miss Nunnally. I've never heard of a place called Britannia, no. But it'd be fair to say geography isn't my strong suit."

Mihai paused then to take a bite of his meal, considering where to go next. Nunnally he already knew had little experience in Landel's--something he noted with approval. But what about her brother? Lelouch wasn't exactly contributing much at this point, probably more content with getting a feel for the old man who'd approached his sister. That was all well and good for him, but Mihai still had his own concerns, not the least of which was still the most effective way to get home.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm wondering. How long have you been here?" Eyes on the brother now, Mihai kept his tone pleasant enough. The last thing he needed was to make this seem like an inquiry, or worse, a pissing contest. Yet it was impossible to tell how the young or the male might react, and Lelouch qualified as both. A terrible combination, all things considered.

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

"It seems that many people haven't. Or they have, and it's nothing like what I know." Nunnally hesitated for a moment, regarding the sandwich she held with a thoughtful frown, then finally smiled and shrugged as though it was nothing important. It was only a disconnect from everything she'd ever known and it confused her more than she could really explain, but there was no reason to explain that to anyone, especially not someone she'd only just met. Everyone here was probably dealing with the same thing anyway.

She glanced from him to Lelouch at the question and turned to her lunch, silently nibbling at the sandwich without too much appetite. If she didn't eat then Lelouch would probably worry, and she didn't really want that. The food wasn't really her favorite, but it wasn't as though they had a lot of options here in town.

[kingside]

Interesting that hMihai felt the need to answer a question from a previous conversation. Either he was being courteous or, quite possibly, he was trying to make a point of telling both of them that he didn't know about Britannia in order to lower their guards around him. If he didn't know about Britannia, either of them might assume that he wasn't from their world, and if that weren't the case, then-- but there were, of course, other possible explanations. To Lelouch, it was just too easy to assume the absolute worst first. It was more likely that Mihai was simply a perfectionist, hated leaving things unfinished, or any number of other things. Still...

He sent Nunnally a concerned look, but at her apparent dismissal of the subject, he allowed himself to relax a little. He couldn't tell if she was homesick, unsettled by some sense of displacement brought on by this place, or both, but if she didn't want to draw attention to it, he would... wait until the old man had left before asking her. She might not wish to discuss it with Mihai around, but surely he could help put her mind at ease.

At the question from Mihai, Lelouch glanced over again, his face carefully blank once more. "Today is my eleventh day," he answered promptly, shrugging a little. "It's my second trip to Doyleton, too. I'd recommend being careful come nightfall, by the way, or better yet, a little while before. Find a defensible store or building with plenty of objects you can use as makeshift weaponry. The last visit here was..." He trailed off and glanced toward Nunnally, worry creeping back into his expression despite his best efforts. "If we're brought back to the institute before then, there shouldn't be any problems, but if not, you can expect the same sort of changes that occur there to happen here."

[whichwayagain.livejournal.com]

Nunnally had tried to shrug off the topic as if it didn't matter, but Mihai couldn't help the idea that the girl was disappointed by his answer. It'd be understandable if that was the case; Mihai himself had been fortunate enough to find friends early on in his arrival. But still, there were moments when he deeply missed even the small comforts of home. This meal was a good example; while Mihai found nothing wrong with the food himself, it clearly wasn't anything Kiri had put together. Even when forced to eat the discounted items he'd bought due to the woman's disapproval, there was something comforting about it. Perhaps it was as simple as the atmosphere of the cafe he called home.

But he didn't pry; Nunnally's reason was her own, and picking at a dead topic would be thoughtlessly rude on Mihai's part. Besides, Lelouch had offered a great deal more in reply to Mihai's question that just a number. Now he had something entirely new to worry about that neither Badou nor Haine had mentioned. He'd have to make sure to thank them for that later.

"Thanks for the info." Luckily Mihai had a talent for using the environment to his advantage, but it did make it a bit more important that he find Badou and Haine again. And from the way Lelouch looked at Nunnally just then, he suspected that the older boy might share a similar concern. "Do you two have a plan for yourselves? No offense, but neither of you exactly looks like the fighting type." He tried to smile for Nunnally's sake, especially since he had the feeling Lelouch was downplaying the situation for the same reason. But protecting the girl from a bit of worry at the cost of physical injury or worse was pretty stupid in this case. Better they be prepared than hurt or dead.