Day 50: Cafeteria (Brunch)

[selfrescuer.livejournal.com]

Somehow, after their talk in the chapel, Elaine felt simultaneously more accepting of and more irritated by her future husband. On the one hand, seven years had clearly been good to him. He seemed more sincere and thoughtful than he had been before his disappearance, and he had a more mature (dare she say, handsome?) look to him. On the other hand, there were clearly some things that made even time throw up its hands in vain and say, "To hell with this!" Guybrush was still inexorably prone to disastrous accidents if the story about the Pox of LeChuck was anything to go by, and he was so obviously keeping something important from her that any passing dolt in the Institute would have been able to tell. In the end, that eternal underlying sweetness of his that won out, keeping her from punching him again, at least. That was only by a hairs width, though. Her snugglecakes was going to have to stay on his best behaviour if he knew what was good for him.

She left the Mighty Pirate™ alone for the time being when the announcement of the next shift went off. He would want some time to catch up with Morgan next, presumably. As much as the woman's attitude bothered her, she was a friend of Guybrush's, as she had claimed. Elaine could be strict, but she wasn't the kind of shrewish future wife/past fiancé who would keep her man from seeing his friends. Besides, she needed some more time to catch up on the goings-on of the Institute. Patients filled the building to the brim, now, it seemed; there would be a lot to investigate.

After a few quick trips back and forth to the bulletin and a few new leads to follow up on, the governor gave in to her nurse's persistent nagging and headed to the cafeteria for brunch. After the relatively light fare of the day before, Elaine took advantage of the Institute's admittedly scrumptious offerings and loaded up a full, balanced brunchfast of eggs, sausage links, waffles, and vegetable soup. As expected, the selection of drinks did not offer either root beer or grog. Grog she could live without, at least, she thought while making a face. Eugh. For now, she settled for a tall glass of water.

Elaine settled into a seat in the cafeteria and tucked into her meal. Her eyes didn't stay on her food, though, instead gazing around restlessly; she hadn't seen LeChuck so far this morning, and god forbid he wanted to invite himself to brunch with her if he chose now to show up. A certain horribly unpleasant dinner on Mêlée Island came to mind. She was prepared to either move at the first sign of the dread pirate or signal a random stranger to sit with her before he could.

[For Dean]

Comments

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

Wally was curiously quiet as he headed into the cafeteria along with the rest of the patients, not even sparing a glance or a smile for the nurses or any of the familiar faces he saw around the place. Instead he just collected his tray and traditional, overly large selection of various foods, not to mention a large glass of water, and steered himself on autopilot until he found a place that was empty to sit down.

His thoughts were chasing themselves around and around in circles about everything that had happened last night, with himself and with Zack. It hurt that he hadn't been able to be there when someone he cared about needed him, and it hurt worse when that person assumed Wally wouldn't want to help them as much as possible. But try as he might, Wally couldn't think of any easy way to deal with it all just yet, so he was stuck with things going around and around and around, like water circling a drain.

Even the food wasn't much of a distraction, since while he ate rapidly enough - his metabolism seeing to that as always - he barely noticed what it was that he was eating or what it tasted like.

[for Badou]

[strayfag]

Despite a relatively laidback conversation with Alle, Badou was glad when the shift change finally came. He was almost literally mostly starving. Which, in plain German, meant he was really damn hungry. Just because he could go a day without a meal didn't mean he actually wanted to. Besides, if he fattened up a bit, maybe the psycho doctors would lose interest in dislocating his arms and licking his eyeball and other pseudo-kinky shit. He really doubted 500 pound fleshbags had this problem.

Then again, he'd taken a lot of interesting photos in his time.

Ah, well. He'd reached a new threshold for emotional abuse. It was kind of like nirvana. Or the calm before the storm. For now, everyone seemed to be relatively alright, and he'd take whatever small miracles he could get until they were gone.

He piled his tray and carried it over to the first available table, precariously balanced in his right hand while his left rested in the sling he'd finally, grudgingly given in to. It would have been nice to pretend he could cut his own food, but his pride wasn't really worth any kind of pain he could avoid...and the painkillers were starting to wear off. Goddamn.

"Gross, man, do you even know what chewing is?" Badou muttered, settling carefully into the seat across from... Someone familiar. "Hey, haven't I seen you before?"

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

"Huh?" Wally looked up from the utter decimation of his brunch (Flash: 1, meal: 0) and into a face that was pretty familiar. The eye patch wasn't exactly common, after all, and Wally had always prided himself on knowing people and remembering details about them. He knew most of the people in Central City by name, not to mention almost every hero that had ever set foot on the Watchtower. People in the institute was a lot easier, even without the speed.

"Yeah, you're Badou, right?" he said with an easy-going grin, wiping his hands on a napkin and offering one for a shake. "I'm Wally West, we met while gardening?"

The offer of a handshake also gave Wally the chance to take a bit of a better look at Badou's other arm. It seemed like it was bothering the other man a bit, but he couldn't tell how bad it really was. "So, I guess your nights haven't been much fun either," he commented. "What happened?"

[strayfag]

That must have been, what, a few days ago? It felt like ages. He'd been pretty friendly and Badou didn't remember anything particularly horrible about him anyway, so unless he was just trying to stave off his taste for human flesh, life was good.

Once he set his tray down he brushed his hand off on his pants and shook Wally's. "Yeah, that's right. Badou Nails."

Another reason not to wear the sling? It attracted way too much attention. Normally Badou was happy to whine at length to anyone willing to put up with it, but the topic of yesterday was - well, not private or anything lame like that, but not something he wanted to discuss at length. "They're like a non-stop party." Badou replied, grinning to take the edge off the sarcasm. "It's just dislocated. Again. Could use some cigarettes to offset the pain if you come across any..."

He started into his breakfast of things-that-could-be-eaten-one-handed. Mostly pizza. "So what's eating you?"

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

"Nah, I don't smoke. I like to not hack up a lung while running," Wally answered automatically, matching Badou's grin with one of his own. He went back to digging into his own meal again, laying waste to the pile of fries smothered in tomato sauce.

Badou's own brunch was definitely a combo of things the man could handle with only one hand, which was understandable. Easier for him too, since otherwise Wally figured the nurses would be hovering around trying to cut up the guy's food and that would kind of suck.

"Huh? Nothing much, really. Just, you know. Another day in the fun-filled instutite." He managed a wry smile. "People vanishing and others getting taken off for things. Same old."

[replicatedorder.livejournal.com]

Spending time in the chapel and getting to know someone new weren't bad things for Luke, but he knew it was just enough time until he went to see Natalia. Speaking with her was a surprise. It was a pleasant one, mostly because he realized that she could have been there as a visitor. The chance that she would end up leaving as soon as she came was a problem for Luke. He didn't like the possibility that he wouldn't be able to find all of his friends out in the world. With the inclusion of Jade in this, he realized he was even less confident in being able to get done what needed to be done. The older man's confidence and competence was something he always found it easy to admire.

Still, Luke needed to hold it together. He couldn't let the incoming information allow him to falter. It was his new found resolve in this place, and he realized it was necessary. After all, he hadn't been here long enough, but he couldn't let his ignorance keep him down. It wouldn't help instill the confidence in the others around him that was in place for some time. He needed that.

Some habits died hard, though. As the announcements came on about their meal, Luke listened carefully, and realized quite quickly that none of the supplied items involved chicken or shrimp. He was disappointed, to say the least, and he dragged his feet as he moved to the cafeteria. He imagined Natalia, of all people, would be able to understand why he wasn't excited about the prospect of eating. Bad food just seemed to bring him down, no matter what.

But in order to avoid the nurse's attention, he grabbed as much food as he could manage and piled it on a plate. All of it even smelled funny, but he didn't care. He wanted to have a peaceful conversation with Natalia, especially since some of the subject matter would be problematic.

Gripping the tray tight, and holding his journal just underneath it, he moved to his seat. Before she found him, he imagined it wouldn't hurt to get started on his journal entry. He had a lot to cover.

[for Natalia!]

[nobleobliged.livejournal.com]

[MERCY]

Luke. The walk to the cafeteria seemed impossibly long, and yet far too short. Luke. It had been a month since he--since the final battle. Whatever her nurse said during this time, Natalia hadn't the faintest idea. Were her hands shaking, were they pale? If so, was it from joy, or something else? No--they were still, curiously so, and not even gripping one another to affect it. Had the woman not been watching, she scarce imagined she would have been able to stand in line, to survey the meal options, to fill her tray. Little attention was paid, as at every opportunity she looked away from the selections and to the rest of the room, seeking red.

Two slices of pizza, a salad, and two more of those boxes of juice. She clutched the tray close, and scanned--so beside herself that she nearly missed him. But, certainly, she knew that hair, she knew the way in which he was bent over the table. Inhaling, Natalia fought to keep her steps measured, steady, to not run to his side. If it felt like seeing a ghost, well--

At a foot's distance, Natalia paused. His tray off to a side, she watched him writing in his journal. It affected a pang in her heart, and a nostalgic shade to what was soon a smile.

"Now," Natalia declared, in a voice brighter and stronger than she thought herself capable at this moment, closing the gap in a stride, "this is a familiar sight! I trust you are writing about how thrilled you are that I've come?"

Her confidence wavered at selecting a seat, once faced with him. Not merely someone from her world, concrete beyond the writing on the wall--more than, for it was Luke. The desire to throw her arms around him, or merely grasp his arm and confirm that he was real, tangible, met with the fear of an unwelcome answer; Natalia sought the distance of a seat, and slid to one beside the empty one next to his.

[revolutionise]

Spending time with Himemiya had relaxed Utena a lot after the confusion of the night before. Even in the Institute (where showers were practically non-existent), she could swear the other girl still smelled faintly of roses. Even after all this time in both Ohtori and the Institute, and with all the difficult revelations she had experienced, that scent still soothed, still comforted. Never mind that Himemiya was just always... Himemiya. Whether she was a schoolmate, a Rose Bride, or a witch, she was still human at the core, and she was still Utena's friend. That was always going to be a source of warmth and happiness for her, even in the darkest of places.

The only thing that kept her feeling on-edge was the prospect of visitors that afternoon. She didn't know if she would get called on again, but if she did, that would probably mean having to see Akio in his brainwashed state again. Utena bit her lip as she filled a tray for brunch.

Akio...

Maybe it had only been unconsciously, but she really had been trying to put him out of her thoughts ever since Himemiya had told her the truth. She still didn't know if she was ready to deal with him being Ends of the World. What did that mean for all the time they had spent together, anyway? Had he really been insincere that whole time? Had he just been pretending to take interest in her just because she was the champion of his duels? She just couldn't imagine him being that way, though. He had always come across as a perfect older brother, a responsible adult, and, well, as much a friend as Himemiya was - maybe even more than that. If he really had been acting the whole time, then he had to be one of the best damn actors Utena had ever seen.

Maybe there's more to it than that. There's more to Himemiya than just the Rose Bride, right? Utena told herself as she meandered over to an empty seat in the cafeteria. She didn't know how, but she was going to try and ask about all this if he did turn up as a visitor again this week. And villain or not, no one deserved to have their mind warped by Landel that way. She was going to rescue him and that was that. Simple.

"Simple..." she murmured to herself, trying to put the thought out of her mind again as she started in on her waffles.

[For Aigis]

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Before leaving for brunch, Aigis made sure to leave a note on the bulletin for all her friends and acquaintances. However, she wasn't able to really scan for anything new before being escorted away. She didn't enjoy being pulled around by Nurse Cathy but when Landel's announced brunch over the intercom Aigis became a bit more amenable. Even the sound of the word 'food' left Aigis feeling odd.

They entered the cafeteria and the android made a beeline for the food line. Her stomach churned and something smelled... she wasn't sure how to describe it, but it all piqued her interest. Of all the changes she had undergone, the ability to eat was one change she enjoyed.

Today they were offering a plethora of options. Aigis wasn't even sure about much the food, some of it she didn't even have a name for, but there were a few things that caught her eye. Edamame and tofu; foods she had seen often enough in Japan but had never been able to try before. Grabbing a few fruits along with big piles of soy products, Aigis scanned the area for a place to sit and eat.

Long strands of bright pink hair caught her eye right away. The girl from the bus, the one who aspired to become a prince. Aigis made her way over, unaware of the girl's troubled thoughts. "Tenjou-san, would you mind if I joined you?"

[revolutionise]

Utena saw a blonde approaching out of the corner of one eye. Her first thought was that Harley was coming to eat with her again. She smiled at that prospect. With all the things on her mind, she was starting to think that filling her day talking with good friends was a really, really great idea. Harley especially she had been missing for the past couple of days; the last time they had seen each other was on the Rec Field for volleyball, hadn't it?

She was about to turn around and greet Harley when the other girl greeted her first, and Utena stopped short. The voice was too soft-spoken to be the ever-energetic Harley. When she did turn, she found the girl from the bus there instead. Aigis, wasn't it? Utena felt bad all of a sudden for assuming, especially since she was betting the confusion was visible on her face. "Oh, hey Aigis! Sorry, I kinda spaced out there for a second. Go ahead, sit, sit!" she said with a slightly embarrassed laugh, gesturing to an empty seat.

She took a few more bites of waffle while waiting for the other girl (android? she still wasn't really seeing that) to settle in. "Did you survive the night okay? Any, uh, trouble with the doors?" she asked, curious to know whether Aigis had been teleported around as well or she, like Himemiya, had managed to avoid doors altogether.

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis was pleased to see Utena reacting just as energetically as she had the day before on the bus. Her cheer was effectively infectious; Aigis smiled widely in return. The hesitant look on Utena's face was noted, but Aigis felt no need to bring it up especially after hearing the other girl had been "spacing out" just before.

The blond sat in the indicated chair, taking care not to bump the edge of her tray against the other girl's. She peered curiously at the cross-hatched cake on Utena's plate. It looked much simpler to eat than some of Aigis' food, but the android was up to the challenge. Taking a soy bean, she held it up curiously as she answered Utena's questions.

"I remained unharmed last night. I managed to meet up with a friend from my home." Aigis took a small bite of her soybean, outer shell and all. She hadn't expected how fibrous and chewy it would be. It took a good minute for her to get it soft enough to swallow. And as for the taste, while it hadn't been completely unpleasant, she wasn't pleased with how much work was involved in eating it. Placing the half-eaten pod down she picked up a banana, inspecting it from all angles.

"As for doors, I found the doors to my room and the hallways unlocked as usual. I did not get very far last night." She frowned then, her gaze still on the fruit. It was so frustrating, having gotten absolutely nothing done.

[doctorbadtouch.livejournal.com]

He slid the glasses on and tucked his hair back behind his ear, the motions familiar enough even without a mirror. The shift between night and day had been startlingly abrupt, but after last night it wasn't the worst shock he could have received. The shinigami and his empty world might have passed as a dream, if not for the chainsaw currently laying in his closet. Upon closer inspection, he'd found a little bit of dried blood beneath the teeth. He supposed even with stunted abilities one had to cleave stubborn souls somehow.

His enthusiasm for the work was so unlike the death gods Muraki knew. He lifted the corner of his shirt idly and ran his fingers across the new ridge of thick scar tissue in his side. It was ugly, and when he twisted experimentally there were phantom pains that must belong to irreparable some damage beneath the surface, but wounds like that never fully healed anyway, did they? A fitting memento from dear Tsuzuki for all he had done and failed to do.

Now, should he leave? There were places he could go that weren't--

The door opened suddenly, followed by a loud, "Good morning, Mr. Shiro! Hush hush, yes, your name is Mr. Shiro, let's not argue now." The nurse glanced at the orderly, as if he was meant to be a deterrent. Muraki was largely unimpressed. What the hell was this? A joke? "Welcome to Landel's Institute. It looks like you've woken up just in time for brunch. Why don't I tell you all about it on the way?"

He'd expected the doors to pull the same trick as last night, but unfortunately her prattling was only interrupted by the intercom - Landel himself, he was informed. Somehow, in the time it had taken the stab wound to heal he had been institutionalized for...what? MPD? This must be someone's idea of a joke. And any questions about last night went, of course, unanswered.

His tray was pilled with food before she left him to his own devices. As he walked towards the nearest table, he took note of the people eating here. An unusually large number were sporting fresh bandages.

[Waiting for jailbait~]

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

"Jordan! You need to eat something healthier!"

Ritsuka wasn't all that interested in breakfast, but brunch was one of his few opportunities to get food he liked. Hamburgers and fries were what he usually ate at home when he had the choice and here he always had that choice for brunch. It was a safe choice and one that no one was going to challenge him over. Except, apparently, for his nurse who was yelling at him across the cafeteria to put the hamburger back and get some granola or something. He hated granola. It was hard to chew.

Rolling his eyes at her as she called after him, Ritsuka headed off as quickly as he could toward the tables. He didn't need her to catch him and force food onto him that he wouldn't eat. It was wasteful and a nuisance. To make sure she wasn't going to catch him, he glanced back over his shoulder and confirmed that she was stopped by the flow of patients - at least momentarily.

Safe.

"Ack!" Maybe walking while looking back was a bad idea. Ritsuka stopped abruptly when he smacked right into something, dropping his tray with a loud clatter. The hamburger jumped, but luckily stayed on the tray. Taking a few steps back, Ritsuka rubbed the side of his head, thinking maybe he'd hit a pillar, when he realized he'd done much worse. He'd hit a person. "Oh man, I'm-- Muraki-sensei?"

When he looked up, the person standing in front of him was none other than his old doctor, Muraki Kazutaka. There was no way he couldn't have known him after they spent all that time talking. But why was he here? And why was he wearing the patient uniform? Still, seeing his doctor again, the doctor who hadn't tried to eat him, was enough to make him happy and he smiled as he ignored the tray on the ground. "Muraki-sensei! What are you doing here?"

[doctorbadtouch.livejournal.com]

Though many of the patients seemed depressed, either by their nightly adventures or something that was yet to come, most of them were deeply involved in conversation with each other. Either they were all very well behaved little sheep, or the shift between night and day was mostly unremarkable. Then again, despite the abysmal record-keeping, this was a facility for the mentally unstable...that happened to keep shinigami around against their will. If he wasn't holding his tray, he'd be rubbing his temple. He was starting to feel the beginnings of a headache and he'd overlooked the simplest solution of them all: asking someone, outright, what the hell was going on. It wasn't as if he had a great deal to lose.

When he noticed the boy coming towards him, all he really did was lift his tray to avoid losing his breakfast as well. That was exactly what he needed, all wrapped up in a charming little package.

"You should — " They both started talking at the same time, and Muraki stopped, partially out of surprise. People were nothing once they outlived their usefulness, but he never forgot a pretty face, especially not one so full of adoration. A scrapped project? No. He was sure he would remember.

The doctor smiled, faintly amused. "Your tray doesn't belong on the ground." He chided, teasing with a little bit of real disapproval. "I'm having brunch, so why don't you come and keep me company for a while?"

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

He didn't answer his question, but Ritsuka didn't really care at the moment. Muraki-sensei was back and even if he was wearing a patient uniform, maybe he could convince the others here that Kisugi was a goddamn freak and should be removed from the roster. Ritsuka was afraid of the upcoming week when he'd have to go back into that room alone with her. He'd feel so much better knowing that he had another doctor on his side; one he trusted and who had listened so kindly to him.

"Ah..." Right. His tray. Dropping his gaze to the ground, Ritsuka knelt and quickly picked up the stray fries scattered here and there, wrapping them in a napkin to be thrown away later. The burger was pushed back into order and set on the plate, along with any other fries that managed to stay clean and on the tray. Picking up the whole thing in both hands, Ritsuka stood up again and nodded, more than happy to join his old doctor for a meal. "Thanks. When did you get here? I thought you'd gone somewhere else for work?"

[darwinism]

The instability and nausea still fresh in his mind, Sylar wasn't sure he could stomach a cup of soup, let alone a plate piled with fatty foods. He grabbed some toast and jam, trying to stay inconspicuous as he set his tray down at an empty table. He hoped that a nurse wouldn't start bugging him to eat up if he looked like he was trying to do just that.

Of course, Sylar was sure his bandaged head was making him a pretty easy target, if Wally's immediate approach last shift had been any indication. He... still didn't want to think about that, not really, if only because he could still feel the ghost pinpricks of change racing across his skin, the tension in his muscles, the waves of pain in his abdomen and chest. He had a feeling that the effects of the doctor's torture wouldn't be gone for a while, but at least he had it under control. He hadn't gotten near to... shifting, even if he'd felt on the brink of it. He wouldn't let the bastard win.

But he wasn't about to bet his brunch on it. Scowling and rubbing the bandages at the side of his head, he picked up his glass of water and took a very, very slow sip from it, more to soothe his dry throat than anything else. He scanned the faces of the crowd, keeping an eye out for anyone he recognized and trying not to think of how the presence of each person here might mean more to him now, how he might one day borrow one of these faces as his own. He lowered his eyes again, already feeling sick, already feeling as if he didn't belong in the body he lived in. He had to get rid of whatever this was; he just didn't want to think about why it seemed so hard.

[ For Grell. ]

[deadlyjuliet.livejournal.com]

Talking with another death god was always such a nice way to spend a shift. He needn't pretend to have more or less power than he did or play at being human either. He could just be himself and it was ever so refreshing to do that. With how often he had the nurses on his back about this or that, or how often he was checking over his shoulder for some teen blunder and his stupid waffle knight to have called the calvary on him, he usually spent his days in one giant ball of tension. He did so hate playing along with the game, but he knew from experience that few people would find a murderer like him pleasant company. Even if that murder was decreed by God Himself. People could be so narrow-minded at times.

As soon as he could, Grell picked up his tray and his food (although that tea was simply distasteful being decaf so it was left to languish) and disappeared into the crowd. The last thing he wanted was his nurse trailing after him, fussing over how Geoffrey might trip and hurt himself. The disguise had many people fooled, but it was growing tiresome to play the part. Thankfully, Grell quickly spotted someone else with whom he had no need to keep up the act.

"Well, don't you look like a ray of sunshine." Grell slipped into the seat across from Sylar and offered him a smile. "Rough night?"

[darwinism]

Another familiar voice and Sylar felt himself tensing, but this time in a way completely different than he had in the chapel. He let out a breath that he passed off as a huff, then raised his eyes slowly to meet Grell's, his face a mask of petty indignation.

"Where'd you get that idea?" Sylar pointedly rubbed the bandages wrapped around the side of his head, gingerly enough to emphasize the injury but rough enough to cheapen its gravity. He dropped his hand back to the table, grabbing his glass of water and raising it toward Grell in accusation. "Nice timing, by the way. I was looking for you yesterday."

And it was probably a good thing they hadn't met, Sylar mentally added. If they'd made plans for the night, Grell would have found himself alone, which would've raised the question of Sylar's absence, not to mention his implied incompetence. As things were right now, he could grumble this off, get down to business. He leaned forward slightly as he took another small sip, careful to keep his sweatshirt sleeves covering his chafed wrists.

"So, how'd you do last night?"

He'd read some... weird messages on the bulletin board this morning, though the one about 'brain surgery' had been the main attention-getter. Maybe Grell could clarify a couple of things for him – assuming that Grell wouldn't try to mess with his head first.

[deadlyjuliet.livejournal.com]

"Oh, did I miss a date?" Grell teased, wanting ever so much to reach out and play with those bandages. He was certain poor Sylar was bleeding beneath them and the desire to see someone in pain, someone bleeding and broken and at his mercy had only increased tenfold since last night. He kept his hands to himself though, wary of the looks others might give them if little timid "Geoffrey" decided to start playing sadist with Sylar's wounds. "I'm rubbish when it rains, darling. Spent the day indoors where I'd have the least amount of contact with anything that could ruin my makeup."

But to hear that Sylar was seeking him out was good indeed. Grell would have sought the other man out himself yesterday, but the rain had made him reluctant to do anything but curl up somewhere nice and warm and ignore the disgusting rain outdoors. He'd managed to wander about a bit, but once the rain came down? He'd abandoned all thought of exploration. "Such a shame. I'm sure we could have found something to do to entertain ourselves stuck inside all day long."

Picking up his teacup and frowning slightly when he realized it wasn't real tea but some cheap bastardization of everything tea was supposed to be, Grell shrugged languidly and took a sip. Ugh, it tasted awful. He set the cup down and pushed it to the side, preferring no tea over that. "I found a new playmate, someone you might like very much. Kazuchi was such a pretty man, too... Oriental, but he doesn't look it - all silver and white with such pretty blue eyes. If it wasn't for that bloody streak in him, I'd say he might even be mistaken for some holy creature. But sadly, he's completely mortal, if an interesting mortal." Grell gestured vaguely over his shoulder where he had seen his newest darling sitting, and then returned his attention to Sylar. Why tell him all of the story when he could tease him with bits and pieces, right? A girl never revealed all of her secrets at once if she wanted to remain in high society after all. "And you? Get caught by something unpleasant?"

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

The startling way that night moved into day was only that much sharper after last night. Countless many had tried seeking out the doctor only to be denied, but for whatever reason, they'd been chosen to carry out his work. It was probably silly to think they were the first, but then how many others might've done or seen the same things? Wasn't it all the more important then, to hide behind that mask of friendly smiles and idle conversation?

It was late by the time the nurse woke him, calling him a sleepyhead and escorting him off to the cafeteria for Sunday brunch. It was somehow like seeing the institute through different eyes, knowing now what the doctor had told them. The man had to be powerful enough to keep his word. He'd shown several times the power he had over life and death. Whatever rules governed it didn't seem to apply to him.

Yuuhi picked up much the usual for his morning meal, sticking to the sweeter items and taking a glass of juice before finding a seat.

[Homura - sorry for the wait!]

[kagurazuki.livejournal.com]

It was nice to catch up and talk with Mello in such a quiet and reasonably peaceful environment. Even if she wasn't terribly religious, it was still a break from the usual noise. She checked the bulletin once again, wondering if she ought to put up a post or not. No one had answered in town, but that didn't mean they weren't ok. It was possible they'd stayed behind. It would be best to at least check in with them.

But before she had much time to glance at it, the nurse hurried her on to the late breakfast. It was always a little baffling, the foods they offered and the combinations some of them had, but she picked out some toast and fruit, considering the soup and maybe a salad if she was still hungry after that. Tray full, she found an empty seat and took it, glancing anxiously at the door every now and again.

[Ritsu!]

[gomenkudasai.livejournal.com]

Ritsu sniffled as he selected his food, having just finished apologizing to the nurse that had been waiting patiently for him as he said his frantic goodbye to Ammy. He stared at the strange selection of food - not that he would ever imply that the food was somehow unappealing to him: even the worst, most tasteless meals were too good for this lowly Ritsu, and he knew this was far more than he deserved...he simply didn't expect to see such an assortment in one place.

He put more on his tray than usual, the events and realizations of the morning having exhausted him and given him the first real appetite he'd had since arriving in this place (though it was likely helped along by the fact that he had been asleep without food for more than a day.) He turned to find a seat after guiltily apologizing to no one in particular for wasting this food upon his unimportant self when there was surely someone who needed it more, scanning the room for a familiar face, which he soon found.

He shuffled eagerly towards his cousin, slipping in across from her, then standing up quickly, as he realized he hadn't asked her if the spot was free. He shouldn't so rudely assume that she didn't plan on having other, more pleasant and significant, company, or that she didn't want to eat alone - true, he was incredibly happy to see her, but he shouldn't selfishly thrust the burden of being near him upon her without at least asking first.

"K-kagura-san?"

[kagurazuki.livejournal.com]

"Rit-chan!" she exclaimed, eyes starting to tear over. He wasn't dead or maimed horribly or missing limbs, so that meant he was alright! But it was the second time now she hadn't been able to reach him at night. And he hadn't replied to her messages either! She all but leaped over the the table, stepping on her chair, her feet barely touching the table as she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

"I was so worried! You can't keep doing this to me! I thought something terrible happened to you! I missed you so much!" she sniffled into his shoulder, completely ignoring that she might be crushing him slowly.

[gomenkudasai.livejournal.com]

Ritsu watched his cousin fly at him in what felt like slow-motion, barely managing to keep his balance as her body connected full force with his, the strength of her embrace quickly ridding his lungs of air. He flailed a bit, gasping bits of apology as he waved his arms, tears filling his eyes as he realized his useless self had caused his dear family member such worry with his selfishly prolonged rest. This after he had promised himself he would no longer be a bother to her, do as much as he could to keep from causing such a kind soul distress and unnecessary concern for his worthless person.

This lowly Ritsu’s vow hadn’t even lasted one day – and here, again, she was crying for him. Surely he deserved every bruise he suffered from her outburst of affection, even if he knew there was no such intent behind the action. He blushed brightly as the tears streamed down his cheeks, still so unsure of how to react to something as simple as a hug, something which he could hardly remember receiving in his time before arriving here. One as unimportant as Ritsu hardly merited such an enthusiastic greeting, and never received them back home…his arrival was never something to be celebrated.

He couldn’t help but feel his unworthy heart flutter at the idea that she cared enough for him to display such strong emotion, and he raised one quivering hand to her back, pressing it there weakly, the most his shy self could do in way of returning the hug, and more than he had ever managed before.

The pleasant feeling was soon replaced by guilt, not just at having enjoyed the concern, but once again for being its source. He hid his face in his sleeves and rambled quiet and heartfelt apologies, each word filled with as much self loathing as he could humanly express, until he had exhausted himself and all that was left was his genuine happiness to see her again.

“I’m s-sorry, Kagura-san, this lowly Ritsu has no idea what happened…I…I simply was asleep and I...”

[host-club-honey.livejournal.com]

Honey did like meeting new people and Mele was no different. He picked up his stuffed bunny rabbit after their conversation and followed his nurse into the cafeteria, the thought of pancakes more than enough to keep his feet moving.

Once he reached the pancakes, he took a frighteningly large helping and poured as much sticky sweet syrup as he could over the top. It looked like Takashi was already greeting someone else and it was probably better if he didn't try to get in the way. It wasn't the Host Club after all. And pancakes were enough to keep him busy and content for a good while. He sat at the first empty chair he found and picked up his plastic fork, remembering to set Usa-chan aside before he got covered in syrup.

[Free! No limits]