Day 51: Breakfast

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie Kisaragi, indomitable bouncing ball of sunshine and unfathomable ebullience, was tired. It'd been a long night full of gibberish and getting nowhere fast.

"Can't I—"

Plucky, who had been busily loading a plate full of French toast and bacon, tittered. "I'm afraid not, Hanna, darling. A chat over a nice, hearty breakfast would do you a world of good, don't you think?"

"Aaaaactually—"

"Come on, let's find you a seat. Plenty to choose from this morning!"

For a long moment, Yuffie seriously considered doing something—anything—to act out. Punch her nurse, rub jam in an orderly's face, climb a wall and hang off the ceiling, jump on a table and parody Loveless… A ruckus like that would definitely jolt her back into gear, right? Sedation aside. And it'd turn Plucky's good day right on its head, which was always a bonus worth shooting for.

But, by the time she'd reached a decision—and it was an epic decision, a really awesome one; everybody'd appreciate the genius, she was sure—she was already alone. Her breakfast tray had been set down neatly by the nurse, who had left with an infuriatingly winsome smile.

"Wow," Yuffie muttered. Shaking her head, she picked a chair at random and threw herself into it. She kicked back, one arm slung across her eyes, to wait. For what, she wasn't totally sure. Some moron to decide that she looked like good company? That was how it usually went.

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[lawful_perfect]

[OOC: Argh, sorry about the delay, orz. ^^;; ]

von Karma had just turned to the page in his journal on which he had written down the notes regarding these "Portal rings," when he heard the chirpy voice of another nurse mention his false first name. He looked up to see the blasted staff member bringing a dark-haired man, one whom he had never seen before at the Institute, towards the table. Hn. Most likely, another new arrival to this hellhole.

In silence, he returned the other man's stare, studying his expression. From what it appeared, they already shared one thing in common: their less than needlessly cheerful spirits this morning. As this "Ned" finally spoke, he confirmed something else that they both agreed upon. Certainly, the man was already proving to be far better company than von Karma could have hoped for.

"Hmph," von Karma grumbled. "Indeed, your former observation seems quite accurate. My nurse is just as inane as yours, and the others are just the same. I suppose you have just arrived at this hellhole?" He quirked an eyebrow at Ned.

[unfleeing.livejournal.com]

Naraku turned his nose up at the other male, just a tiny bit, and regarded him with a sense of appreciation. His tone and demeanor meant that he was not an idiot, and it had already become apparent to him that the only way to maintain their true measures of sanity in this, as "Karl" had put it, hellhole, was to locate others with similar ideas. His lips curled somewhat, into a pleased smirk.

"Yes, I arrived late in the night," he answered, sensing no immediate danger in releasing a small amount of information - especially information that could easily be uncovered in so gargantuan a population. Hayes hadn't seemed the tight-lipped type, so it was perfectly plausible that he wouldn't see fit to keep things concerning Naraku to himself.

Taking a moment to contemplate his next move, the youaki watched the other male, observing him as subtly as he could manage. He was an older human - possibly Naraku's own age? This, for some reason, amused him greatly, and the smirk was beginning to feel more and more at home on his face. "My name, I am afraid, is not 'Ned.' It is Naraku." The next time that "nurse" called him by the false name, Naraku would be forced to reprimand her - quite possibly with his mysteriously shortened claws. "I take it you have been here a longer period?" It was in the man's mannerisms; he was one who was used to the process they were faced with dealing with during daylight hours, and he made it painfully obvious.

[lawful_perfect]

As "Ned" studied von Karma, the older man found himself distrusting him in the same way he was suspicious of Mr. Xemnas. While both men seemed pleasant and urbane enough, there was something eerie about their shrewd demeanor that von Karma couldn't quite put his finger on just yet. ...All the more reason for the prosecutor to continue holding Ned's direct gaze. If there was one thing von Karmas never lost (among the vast myriad of everything else), it was an eye contact battle.

"Hmm. A rather strange and disadvantageous timing to first arrive here. Yet even without the usual debriefing that you would receive during the day shifts, it likely has its own merits. Such as not being coddled and patronized by the blasted staff the moment you open your eyes, for one." His own narrowed in annoyance as he made that last statement. The irritating smirk on the other man's face, however, went unreciprocated.

"Just as mine, obviously, isn't 'Karl,' Mr. Naraku. Most of the information the nurses offer is little more than a load of rubbish, as you have likely already discovered by now. As for my name," von Karma maintained his intense eye contact, never blinking or wavering, "it's Victor." He held out his right hand in a cursory gesture of formal greeting. "Indeed, I have been falsely imprisoned here for a little over two weeks. Hmph," he snorted in indignation. As far as von Karma was concerned, there was no harm in disclosing how long he had been detained in this hellhole... and anyone who disagreed upon his accusation of "false imprisonment" was either a psychopath or a sheer lunatic -- or both.

[unfleeing.livejournal.com]

The man's speech was strange, but Naraku found it more amusing than irritating. He used large words, which either meant that he was intelligent, or he wished others to find him intelligent. Either way, Naraku was enjoying the conversation. It wasn't the most informative one he'd ever had, but it was pleasing to think that he might make further alliances in so confusing a setting.

He sneered at what the other male had to say. So Victor had remained trapped in the place known as Landel's for an entire fortnight? It didn't bode well for Naraku and his current situation; he needed to return to his home, to his castle, and continue the fight for the shikon no tama. He was too close to fail now.

"Yes," he answered, still contemplating everything that he'd learned thus far. "The females are useless in that regard - which is unfortunate. There are so many of them hovering about in the facility; if one could persuade them into assisting us, perhaps that could leave an opening large enough for multiple prisoners to escape?" It was already obvious that attempting any sort of escape during night hours was useless; he wasn't sure exactly how far he and the other two had made it from the building the night before, but it must have been a decent distance from it. A somewhat off-putting thought, but Naraku was nothing if not determined.