damned_institute | Day 50: Cafeteria (Brunch)

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Day 50: Cafeteria (Brunch)

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]

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Klavier wasn't much for senseless optimism, but he almost dared to say things were proving to be... okay today. Last night hadn't been fantastic, but it was far better than his previous nights had been. And he started out the day with a bright-eyed, smiling young lady. Yes, maybe he had reason to believe things might be looking up a bit. Let's hope he could maintain this little trend he had going.

After collecting a plate of eggs and a muffin (with some assistance from his liebes nurse), he made his way over to the left side of the room to take a seat, as he'd stated he would earlier. He was going to be meeting with Lamperouge this shift, and he wanted to be sure they didn't end up missing each other. Especially not after screwing up the last time they were supposed to meet. Thankfully, the cafeteria wasn't crowded just yet, so there were plenty of seats still available in this part of the room.

As soon as the nurse left him be, Klavier placed his notebook alongside his tray, trying his best to flip it open to one page in particular. A bit difficult to manage with one hand, but doable. ...Ah there we are. It was a simple page of notes in the form of a checklist. Nothing important, honestly. But in the upper right margin of both pages was a scratchy doodle of the G symbol he used to sign his bulletin posts. It wasn't especially prominent, but anyone making an effort to look at his book should easily notice it.

This should have been enough for Lamperouge to recognize. Klavier himself had no idea what this man looked like, so he really couldn't do anything but sit and wait for an approach. In other words, there was no point in paying any attention to the people around him. Instead, Klavier simply picked away at his eggs absently, staring down at the notebook as though fully engrossed in what was written there.

[for L.L. + 1 guest]

Although Nunnally was finally standing on her own two feet, Lelouch felt as though it would be best if he were to handle retrieving their meals on his own. She'd had a very trying night, and since her morning hadn't been much better so far, arranging the most relaxing day he could under the conditions seemed to be the best next move to make. Getting a few things posted to the board came after that, and once he had gotten that out of the way (those notices really were becoming quite tedious), he and one of their nurses accompanied her into the cafeteria.

"Mr. Gavin should be on the left side of the room," he said to Nunnally as they walked in the direction in question, not because the detail was anything he felt he should actually explain but simply as something to say. Reassuring her with the sound of his voice came just as naturally to him as holding her hand, and besides, he liked being able to talk to her about nothing of real consequence. "I haven't met him in person before myself, but he seems like a nice man." The operative word there was "seems," but Lelouch could, at the very least, claim to trust him more than people like, say, Mihaeroff. That didn't mean he'd be watching Gavin any less closely with Nunnally around, but it was something.

Fortunately, Gavin turned out to be relatively easy to locate, and Lelouch gently led Nunnally to an empty seat diagonal to him, pulling the chair out for her largely out of reflex as he said, "Mr. Gavin, I presume? I'm Lelouch Lamperouge. Forgive me for the abrupt introductions, but I need to fetch our meals." What would Nunnally want to eat, what would Nunnally want to eat... ah, of course. He glanced down at the girl in question, the professional smile he'd been wearing for Gavin's benefit warming considerably as he met her eyes. "Nunnally, will you entertain him while I'm gone? I promise I'll be fast."

It seemed a little surreal to be talking about such ordinary things after the night she'd had, but at the same time Nunnally appreciated it because of the night she'd had. If they could act as though nothing had changed since their days at Ashford but for the fact that she was moving on her own feet rather than in a wheelchair, then she could pretend that everything was normal even when it was anything but. It was also a reassurance that Lelouch held no grudge against her for what had happened. (Logic dictated that he should blame the ones who inflicted such a power upon her rather than her, but sometimes logic was difficult to listen to.)

Nunnally smiled at the blond man, the expression friendly enough even if she looked perhaps a little tired. "Good morning, Mr. Gavin," she greeted him as she moved to sit down. "Pleased to meet you." She smiled up at Lelouch and nodded, deciding it was likely pointless to argue that she was capable of fetching her own food. There had been enough to upset him already recently, and if it would make him feel better to do it for her that was quite fine with her.

"May I ask what you're reading?" she asked, tone polite but curious as her gaze moved to the notebook the man had been studying as the two of them approached. If this was one of Lelouch's contacts that he'd mentioned on the bulletin, then perhaps it was information about the Institute?

That was quick, was his first thought when a voice called for his attention. Not to say it was a bad thing. The less time wasted, the better, after all. But the person who'd called out to him... It was a kid. More specifically, it was a teenager. Klavier had been expecting someone around his own age considering the amount of detail and care Lamperouge had demonstrated on the board. How very interesting.

Was his age a problem? Not particularly. As long as he wasn't an idiot and could see his ambitions through, it shouldn't matter if he was 15 or 50. Assuming this was really Lamperouge he was meeting, which should have been easy enough to deduce over the course of conversation.

Klavier nodded a confirmation before Lamperouge ran off to fetch food for himself and the young girl who was playing today's mystery guest. Nunnally, was it? Judging by the exchange between the two, it seemed Lamperouge was taking care of this young lady. She didn't look particularly hurt, but it wasn't hard to imagine there were more severe injuries hidden by her clothing. In any case, it wasn't something worth lingering over nor was this considered a bother in any way. Klavier wasn't one to complain when it came to speaking with girls. Especially one giving him such a sweet smile.

His expression immediately brightened into a delighted smile right back. Well, wasn't she polite? "The pleasure is all mine, Fräulein. I do hope the morning is treating you well."

As for her question... Hmn. Well, Lamperouge had brought the girl here when they were obviously going to be discussing business of some sort. He wouldn't have done that if it weren't alright to bring up such things, right? Still, he had to wonder how interested she was in subjects concerning the institute and if she was a part of this G.A.M.B.I.T. endeavor. ...Oh, well. It was just a harmless question after all.

He looked back down at the notebook as if only now realizing it was still there. So attentive was he to her presence, you see. "Ah. Just some notes I've been keeping regarding some of the more recent 'activity' this place has been going through. It seems like it's getting livelier lately." He gave a small harmless laugh. "It may not help much, but it is good to keep track of these things. Maybe spot a pattern or two, ja?"

If it was a subject she was interested in, she would probably pounce on that. If not, then it was easy enough to brush off as small talk. Either way worked.

Edited 2010-06-19 06:58 (UTC)

The selection, while not exactly lacking, wasn't entirely to Lelouch's tastes, which was what he found out once he finally reached the line and began to peruse what was available. He knew he should have been focusing on the imminent meeting with Gavin, but if he were to pick something out for Nunnally-- was this really all they had?

He eventually settled on a variety of different breakfast foods for them both, and doing his best to keep everything balanced on his tray, he walked slowly back. Gavin and Nunnally appeared to be getting along well, judging by their expressions, but it was only to be expected. It was impossible to not get along with Nunnally.

He gave his sister another smile as he reached the pair, saying, "Here we go. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, muffins, sausages, and orange juice for us both." Announcing meals was another habit he'd need to break, probably, but he didn't let that bother him as he neatly arranged her food in front of her before doing the same for himself and finally taking his seat. "It isn't Miss Sayoko's cooking, but it should do."

He looked to Gavin again, his face becoming the calm, cool mask of G.A.M.B.I.T.'s leader once more. "Nunnally is my sister," he said by way of explanation, his gaze flicking towards her briefly to make sure that she was eating. Renamon had said that she needed some form of sustenance, and he was determined to see that she received it. "I'm afraid she had a difficult night, but that isn't what I wished to speak with you about. It's good to meet you at last, by the way." Their meeting had only been delayed by several days, which would have normally made him cringe, but with everything that had happened during that time, he supposed he could excuse it just this once.

"It's a much nicer day than yesterday was, certainly." Mr. Gavin seemed like a rather nice man, polite and friendly even though he likely didn't expect a second guest at the meal. Nunnally smiled, head tilting to one side slightly as she wondered at the injuries he seemed to have suffered but decided it would be impolite to ask. Hopefully his morning was better than the last. "I'm glad the rain has stopped."

She followed his glance down toward the notebook with clear interest, though she'd not be able to read it herself from where she sat. Livelier, was it? A curious description, though rather vague. "Are you referring to events such as the odd traveling between doors last night? Or what I'm told happened on the previous trip to town?" If so, he was correct that keeping track would be a good way to spot a pattern-- so that was one of the things Lelouch was working on, then?

And as though the thought had summoned him, there was her brother back again with breakfast. "I'm sure it's fine," she replied, reaching out to pick up a muffin and pull a small piece off the top to eat. She did have to admit that she missed Sayoko's cooking-- or was it simply the setting and memories associated with Sayoko and Ashford?

"Yes, exactly," he confirmed as Lamperouge returned to the table. So she did seem interested in the subject. It was safe, then, to assume she wasn't just going to be there for the sake of decoration. He wasn't to disregard her completely in that case. Heh, this could get interesting.

He watched quietly as the boy presented the food with the careful practice of someone who had done this more than once. When he finally sat down and offered an explanation, Klavier's expression softened for just a second. Ah. Siblings. That explained the treatment, especially if he was right about her having gone through an ordeal the night before. Their exchanges were short, but it was obvious they cared greatly for each other. He could respect that.

"Ah, I see," he said with a slight nod. This would normally be cue for Klavier to put on a professional face himself, but he stuck with the same bright grin he'd been using for Nunnally. Nothing wrong with a friendly atmosphere even while conducting business. "Likewise, it's a pleasure, Herr Lamperouge."

He leaned back in his seat a little, likely looking more curious than attentive. "Now then. ...If you don't mind my getting right to the matter, what in particular did you want to discuss with me today?" There was a list of topics they could have easily gone on about, regarding both research and theories.

Catching sight of Nunnally nibbling at that muffin made his facade thaw a little, but Lelouch tried not to let that bother him as he turned his attention fully to the conversation at hand. "I wanted to request your assistance with establishing a more reliable means of information exchange than the bulletin board. As you know, the censorship has made it impossible to discuss certain pertinent topics without heavily veiling one's true meaning. Much is getting lost in translation, and more than that, continuing services such as Mr. Edgeworth's primer and the continually updated monster list is no a longer viable option. With your help, I hope to remedy this.

"By means of circulating journals with the aforementioned information written inside and collectively updating them a few times each week, we should be able to overcome much of the issues currently plaguing us. It will be a lot of work, but I believe that by utilizing the current club structures, we will to accomplish these tasks with relative ease. Ideally, we want one journal per group and one representative within each group to whom responsibility for collecting data and updating the journal is assigned-- possibly two, considering the institute's propensity for unwanted surprises. Having these individuals approved by both G.A.M.B.I.T. and the respective club leaders should cut down on any ruffled feelings as well, and so cooperation and communication with each group is absolutely essential for this project to get off the ground.

"This is where you come in. I am, unfortunately, only human, and I cannot meet with every club leader myself and explain what I hope to achieve with this project in a timely manner. There are not enough shifts in a day, and we have already lost much ground since the bulletin restrictions were put into place. This is partially my fault; I had anticipated something of this nature would become necessary, but I did not realize a need for it would arise so soon.

"Assigning blame is secondary to taking whatever actions are necessary to fix the problem, however, and it is my wish that you will join me in doing so before any more damage can be wrought."

The small bite of food was enough to suddenly remind Nunnally that she'd barely had a change to touch her dinner the night before and hadn't eaten a real meal since lunch in town. She took another bite of the muffin to still her abruptly-ravenous hunger, watching the other two speak with a thoughtful expression. Circulating journals between small groups would serve to distribute information amongst those who needed to know, though there was always a risk that the staff might notice the significance of the books as they were handed around. Counting on word of mouth wouldn't work, however, for nurses were probably more likely to notice conversations before they would suspect something odd in someone reading from their notebook.

Unfortunately she wouldn't be of much use when it came to writing the needed information in the journals, as she was still remembering what she'd learned as a child. Information encoded in Braille would be far easier for her to read, but that was hardly an option for other people. Nunnally made a mental note to practice her writing some more (and perhaps if she asked Lelouch would write out the Japanese alphabet for her, so she could study that as well, since people seemed to use more than one language on the bulletin). When it came to talking to people, however... that she could certainly do.

At the moment Lelouch was working on recruiting Mr. Gavin for his purpose, though, so it wasn't time for her to interrupt and volunteer herself to work on the project. Nunnally did, however, give him a look that she hoped he could read as she lightly touched her fingertips against his arm. He was reluctant to allow her to help, she was aware. But that didn't mean she was going to simply sit by while he asked others to work.

A new distribution system? Interesting. It was true, they were limited in what information they could gather and share over the bulletin boards. The staff were making things unnecessarily difficult. Even if they weren't, the presence of some patients made posting on the bulletin more of a cautious venture than a productive one. Circulating journals and collectively updating them was actually a pretty good plan assuming it was organized well. People could write exactly what they witnessed and newer patients could be warned ahead of time regarding the dangers this place held.

But that was only looking at the smaller picture. If the established clubs worked together on this project, it would create a small sense of unity. Collaborating on one collective front would open the avenue for further endeavors and may actually make people think about working together more often. Once that was established, it wasn't hard to imagine a possible, institute-wide force working against Herr Doktor. ...Clever. He liked it.

Unfortunately, the plan only worked under the most idealistic of conditions. It was a little presumptuous of the influence of the clubs. Since Lamperouge had apparently been keeping tabs on the clubs and their memberships, Klavier trusted he knew what he was doing by suggesting such a plan, but it still felt like a stretch. Even then, it required a great amount of trust. Assuming everyone cooperated, assuming people were truthful in what they wrote, assuming people wouldn't use this distribution system to try tricking one another, assuming information wasn't stolen entirely, assuming people could follow through with schedules and promises, assuming people here were decent and good-hearted enough to want to do what they could to do something for the common good of everyone here... then it would work flawlessly. Klavier wasn't nearly optimistic enough to assume that was the case.

He chuckled a little. "You certainly weren't kidding when you said it would take a good amount of work. And it is a bit of a leap of faith regarding the club leaders and those handling the notebooks. ...But if we can make it work, the benefits would be immeasurable. It's certainly well worth the effort." He carefully nodded once, as though still mulling it over. "I'll gladly help you in any way possible. If you're asking I only help pass the message along to other clubs for now, that I can most certainly do. ...However, I have one issue with your plan.

"You're planning to involve every single organized group here, ja? Including the History Club, I assume?" The smile had faded a little by this point and was only really there for the sake of it. "...I think they're more likely to hinder collective efforts than help. They care only for their own interests. Nothing more. And to be frank," he shook his head slightly as though exasperated by the thought, "...I don't think their trustworthy."

It was hard not to laugh at the understatement. Homura was a killer as was Julian, most likely. Saying he didn't trust them was like saying dangling a baby over a meat grinder was kind of a bad idea. He had no idea if the rest of the group was as bad or if they were only manipulated patients, but the case remained that they would prove troublesome.

"Not every organized group," Lelouch corrected promptly, taking a sip of his orange juice. Coffee would be so much more appropriate right now. Well, he supposed he should be thankful that he was able to drink anything at all; it was impossible to do so through that mask. "It seems a little foolish to expend the effort necessary to maintain journals for some of the smaller groups. If they have members who are willing to do so, of course, I won't stop them, but otherwise, I think it should be all right if they were to pair up with other small groups and share.

"As for the History Club, they'll have no more over what goes in the notebooks than they would have had the information stayed on the board. I'm not intending to share anything in these journals that I wouldn't on there, Mr. Gavin. The fruits of our research in other areas will be given somewhat more care than that. The History Club is, after all, far from the only group with a dubious reputation in this place." That wasn't even going into the various individuals in the institute, but Lelouch didn't even bother pointing that out. It would have been a waste of time, assuming Gavin was as intelligent as he thought he was.

"Apart from that, we can always implement penalties for groups who fail to contribute. We may not be able to take their journals away from them once they've gotten them, but we can prevent them from updating them with the others. Outdated information can quickly become obsolete in this place. They could theoretically steal the information from other groups' journals, but we could just as easily penalize that group as well or stop using the system entirely. I am not suggesting that this is a perfect plan; it is merely the best I could come up with under the current circumstances.

"I am, of course, open to any other suggestions you may have for improvement. I do not believe, however, that excluding the History Club at this stage would be a wise idea. It is still a prominent group, and assuming this information proves to be something that they have a genuine interest in, we may be able to find some way to ensure that the success of this venture becomes one of their goals as well. It isn't the ideal outcome, but I believe that enough people will benefit from it that it should be worthwhile."

He kept his eyes on Gavin, scrutinizing him in what was likely a vaguely unsettling way. He had no doubt that if the man had any inkling at all of the sort of things he had done in the past, he would lose his support in an instant, and after Edgeworth had been released, that was a possibility he had to avoid at all costs. The current subject wasn't the sort that might cause such a split, but the subject of the History Club itself... he would need to keep his true opinion on their methods hidden.

As focused as Lelouch was on the current conversation, though, he could hardly block out Nunnally, and he lightly touched his hand to hers, sparing a brief glance at her. The look she gave him was one he recognized, and he gave her a brief smile. If she wanted to help with this, he would hardly stop her; it was something he'd be working on himself, and as long as he could keep an eye on her...

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Day 50: Cafeteria (Brunch)

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