damned_institute | Day 51: Breakfast

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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It was that she understood. When she went back to her room the night before. When she glanced around at the bare basics and understood that Falis wasn't in solitary. That she wasn't coming back. That was a chance, you know. That she was wrong, and Falis had just been moved. Despite the sword left and now hidden in Senna's closet. But she had asked. And they hadn't even tried to deny it.

It hurt. In a way of old aches, and for a second, when they told her, her eyes had flashed and for one minute she thought to take them down. And then she remembered Reid. Telling her the good that did, you just made friends with needles, and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. The girl's head dropped, and she allowed herself to be herded to the cafeteria. The tray in front of her sat untouched.

[Hokuto]

Either Hokuto was still in worse shape than she could admit, or more depressed; either way, it meant another night wasted. Maybe I just needed the rest... but breaktime's over, she told herself firmly as she got up. If I don't remember why I'm here, then I shouldn't be here at all. And there was one quick way out--if she was okay with her friends knowing she had abandoned them by choice.

And as long as I have friends here, then I'm not there yet.

Nutrition wasn't as important as morale right now, so she got a plateful of French toast before looking around for someone to eat with. Senna looked even worse off than she felt, so Hokuto went right for her. "Good morning," she said, giving the girl a small smile. If nothing else, it was good to see her.

A response was halfway to her mouth before she stopped, looked up with wide eyes. Hokuto. She probably didn't-- Already she was reminding how Momo was when Hitsugaya first died-- But Falis wasn't dead, she wasn't, she was just. Not here. Like Reid. Like Orihime. Like Hanatarou now. She swallowed harshly.

She didn't know how to start.

"Hokuto..." She didn't know what to say. "How have you been?"

"Not bad, for here," Hokuto said lightly. "I think I'm finally over getting stabbed in the chest." Considering how very long it had been, she'd better be recovered. At this point all she really had was a scar--finally.

"What about you?" She sat down next to Senna, ready to pull her into a hug; it looked like the girl needed it.

And if Senna had wanted a change of subject while straightening her thoughts, Hokuto had provided. "Whoa, whoa. What's this about getting stabbed?" What the hell had she missed, sleeping and emoing her time away?

In the back of her mind, Senna hoped that Hokuto didn't notice how she didn't answer that question asked.

"The last time I went out with a group, I... ruined our chances of getting anywhere when I didn't manage to dodge a monster's claws," Hokuto admitted sheepishly. "I wasn't mortally wounded... I think... but. Um. I passed out and didn't come back to my senses for the rest of the night."

As embarrassed as she was, that wasn't the only reason this was hard to talk about; she didn't think she'd ever given the details of how she died, and it was always so hard to say that at this rate, she should just write it all down to save herself the stress.

Hokuto seemed more embarrassed than concerned. Yeah, sure, if it was a while ago--and a while ago? C'mon. What a shitty friend Senna was turning out to be. "But you're okay, right?" She asked worriedly. She seemed okay at least.

That Senna even had to ask said how much she had been avoiding her friends. With this morning added, Senna just felt like shit.

"Yeah... it was just way too much like how I died." She would have said more if she could, but it looked like now wasn't the time anyway.

"So, what's going on with you?" Hokuto was looking Senna right in the eyes; her friend was obviously upset about something, and she wanted to know what.

How she... And then it made more sense. Why she said she was out of it for the rest of the night. Senna's expression softened and she twisted her lips in understanding. "I'm sorry..." What? That Senna wasn't there to help? That Hokuto had to go through something like that? Again, apparently? She couldn't say anything that could amount to anything.

And then her friend refound the original train of thought. One Senna had not been good at dissuading. But she shouldn't try to. Of all people, Hokuto should know. It was just. So hard to speak the words out loud. There was no soft way to move into it. She stared at Hokuto, eyes level for the moment. "Falis isn't here."

Hokuto looked like she'd been slapped; first Subaru and now...? "No," she managed. "She can't..."

But she'd been through too much in what amounted to far too little time for her to stay in denial, however comforting it might be, for very long. She lunged forward to grab Senna in a hug, buried her face in her shoulder, and sobbed.

And there was nothing to say to this. Nothing to do at all except to take Hokuto in a tight embrace, duplicating the action. And her eyes weren't warm and she wasn't going to cry because Hokuto was crying and Senna had to be there for her. She wasn't going to cry because that wasn't going to help anyone and it fucking wasn't going to help Falis.

Her arm was still sore and her eyes burned, but Senna wasn't going to let go until Hokuto was okay. No. They weren't okay. Until she could continue.

Day 51: Breakfast

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