damned_institute | Day 23: Lunch

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Day 23: Lunch

The second the intercom sounded, while the man on the intercom was still talking, Ashton pulled himself off the couch in the Music Room and slowly made his way to the door. He walked, glided even, as if he were a ghost in a dream. The nurses had already filed up to escort the patients to the lunchroom, and one bustled over to walk Ashton those few feet from one room to another.

"You're not looking very well, Mr. Pritchett," she said cheerfully. "Didn't you enjoy your shower?"

Ashton replied with a small, forced smile, then shook his head. He didn't feel like talking now. Though the nurses were pushy and downright annoying, he figured he owed this one at least a little explanation. They didn't know - or didn't believe - what went on after dark, but he owed them the benefit of the doubt. "Bad day," he decided on telling her.

Bad day indeed. The showers and the music had done nothing for his nerves. But then again, what could get that graphic image out of his head?

He glided ghostily through the taco line and settled on two chicken and bean tacos, with chips, a scoop of guacamole, two churros on the side, and a glass of apple juice. He wasn't used to this sort of food (save the juice) and he wasn't even sure he'd eat it, but the chances were high that he'd be able to pass it off on someone.

He was on the verge of tears again, too. What he would have given to just sit down next to a barrel and eat a hamburger.

Thank goodness the cafeteria was bare just now, too. It left all the corner tables open, the tables that shouted 'Don't talk to me, I'm brooding over here.' He sat at one, pushed his food a little away from him, and buried his head in his arms.

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"I'll see what I can do." Lyta shrugged. "My abilities aren't what they used to be, but I'll see what I can do."

It was all she could promise, in the end. Fixing a broken mind took time and power and a patience Lyta had never exactly been able to grasp. But she hadn't needed patience with her Vorlon enhanced powers. Now? Now she needed it. At least she had her Corps training to fall back on. How pathetic, that that was what she needed.

She just gave another shrug when Envy questioned her.

"I've got services people need, people have services I need. It works." It was just the free trade exchange, really. It was how Lyta had survived for a good while, offering her services for whatever she needed.

"And I've got an offer to make you, while we're chatting about it."

There was something about the new man that made Fox uneasy, perhaps it was the nature of the conversation he'd been in with Lyta when he arrived. It could have been his own dislike for dealing with people, but that didn't quite explain it either. Fox put aside his uneasiness and returned his attention to the conversation at hand.

"I can give you two some privacy, if you want," if they wanted to make the offer without him around, that was fine.

"I'll find you next shift... where do you plan on going?"

It was clear that Envy's presence made the other guy uneasy, and while that wasn't intended, he didn't really care much, unless that were to subsequently upset his 'host', which wouldn't bode well for him.
He offered a friendly smile, subtle enough to not come off as fake and let them finish up as he poked at his food inconspicuously. It probably would be best to be in seclusion, were anything particularly relevant to be revealed in their conversation. But with his experience in being secretive, sometimes right out in the open was the best place to keep things hidden.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly and leaning on his propped up fist when she mentioned making an offer.

"Oh? I'm listening."

"I don't need any privacy." Lyta shrugged. She didn't care much about that, and it wasn't like she was making a sort of deal that was singular to Envy. "And I can find you, wherever you are. It's one of my little talents." She gave Fox a small smile.

She then turned to Envy, her smile widening. "I just figured we both have skills that could be useful to each other. When you're not getting pummeled by angry boyfriends, you seem to be pretty strong. So I figured you can be my brawn, and I can be your brains, so to speak. I know you like knowing things."

And she could help him know them. Look into people's minds for him, dig out their secrets. She'd done it before.

Fox nodded slightly when she mentioned that she would find him, wherever he was. It was slightly disconcerting, but he was careful not to let any of his emotions show on his face... not that having a good poker face would help if she could just take a peek into his mind and know.

It was natural to gain as many allies as possible, but Fox had always found that to be a tricky proposition. If there was no large reason to work together, people would bicker and fight with one another. Even if there was a reason to work together...

Well, Fox would never be a real team player. He worked best alone, and that wouldn't change.

The implication of what Lyta was saying, about helping Envy know things... it would be worth staying on good terms with her to figure out what she knew, but he wasn't sure how to work out a continuing deal with her. It might be difficult to advance his own plans as well as hers.

He didn't care much for how she put that part about Scar... but that did seem to show evidence for her clairvoyance. It didn't seem likely that she'd interpret Scar and Lust's relationship as such by watching them or by hearsay. It was one of those things that you had to interpret from knowing them in all their denial and frustrating human emotional hangups.

Still, she only had to present the suggestion of information trade to pique his interest in striking a deal. True, she couldn't read the staff, but she could get around otherwise, and that was just enough for him in the immediate present. He had no heed for a bigger picture that was too much for him to chew at the moment; there were certain people he had to hunt. Keeping a sharp sight on immediate revenge was ideal distraction from the immense and unswallowable sense of weakness that accompanied the fact that he truly knew nothing about this place.

Of course, he consciously realized none of this, and only fancied himself to be very astute and well accomplished for a genuine psychopath, and as such, took great pride in the idea of this beneficial transaction. He'd done 'bodyguard' work before, which he hadn't enjoyed at all, but providing physical protection for a fairly capable and above average human was quite different from his tasks of practically babysitting Dante's host bodies.

On that note... she wasn't quite classifiable as human with her special talents, was she? Even if she wasn't a homunculus, she was certainly in the realm of far more worthwhile creatures. And, noting that she hadn't seemed disturbed by what she found in his mind, that made her an even more excellent associate.

"That sounds like a fair arrangement. We may work well together," He said, wondering if he really even needed to say it out loud if she could hear it anyhow, "But for that matter, I don't think I've even caught your name."

"I'm Lyta." She hadn't realized that she hadn't offered her name before. But last night she'd been more concerned with getting her hands on anything worthwhile than making friends.

"I think we'll work together just fine," she said, picking up her juice. And she did. From what she'd seen of Envy, he and her thought a lot alike. That was good.

"Just tell me what you want to know. I'll need to know who I'm going to go scanning." And who knew, she could probably find stuff she could use. Blackmail was nothing new to Lyta.

"I could do the same for you," she said, nodding to Fox. "If you wanted."

Fox had been mostly concerned with eating his lunch at that point, thinking quietly and paying partial attention to the conversation going on.

"I'll let you know if I ever need something like that..." Fox was much less concerned about his fellow patients than this man appeared to be.

That, and he would much rather gather the information himself through other means. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but he just didn't ever go to other people for help when he could possibly get by without help.

"And you already know my name," he said, extending a lighthearted hand in mock introduction, "Pleased to make your acquaintance." And he honestly was. Beyond the many times he'd rehearsed such lines of politeness, there were so few incidents in which he ever remotely meant it.

The other man didn't seem too interested in her spying skills. Which meant he had a greater share. It was rather greedy, but he didn't care.

He had a mind to ask her just how much she knew about his intentions with a few certain individuals and if she had any ideas about how to go about with executing them. But while they were remaining outwardly proper and social, he supposed he might as well venture to ask,

"So, do you have any prior arrangements on the night shift? Or do we begin our ventures immediately?"

"I'm selling drugs out of my room until Fox is set," Lyta said, ignoring the hand with little other than a raised eyebrow. Fake pleasantries weren't her thing.

"Just come by my room, and we can...finalize our arrangements, so to speak."

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Day 23: Lunch

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