damned_institute | Day 51: Breakfast

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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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The question was unexpected, Rolo's eyes snapping upwards to find that Greta was staring at him. It was difficult to tell why she had asked him about his strange mumblings, since he couldn't read her expression too well. He sort of admired that, actually, but not for long as he looked back down. Was it alright to tell Greta? He wasn't sure if she knew Stephen or not, but wasn't Stephen in league with that other red haired girl? Certainly not Greta. Rolo did see Greta hesitate two nights ago, when he tried to get her to join them. He wasn't sure if that had to do with Stephen or not. An ally, or another enemy? What was she, and was he willing to find out?

"... Stephen," Rolo mumbled, a look of disgust forming on his face merely by speaking the bastard's name. All of the sudden, Rolo felt the need to complain, but that never solved anything. Complaining was not the thing to do, planning and action was. He would have to report this to his brother, but he would remove Stephen. It was necessary for his brother's goals to be achieved, after all.

So, it was alright to talk about it with Greta. It didn't change the fact that Stephen was going to die. Rolo wasn't going to share that much with her, at any right, but his curiosity had piqued. Did Greta know him? He still wasn't sure if her hesitation from two nights ago was aimed at Stephen or Rolo himself. Maybe them both. Hopefully, she didn't have the wrong idea about them.

She recognized that name from the night before last, her thoughts turning back to the boy with the dynamic green hair. The hunch back then concerned the nature of the pair's relationship; Ange hesitated simply because a united front typically landed itself against her. One person she could take at a time, but a situation of two was another matter in its entirety. So she'd suspected, wondered at motives.

It seemed now Ange had been correct in the emotion. Just not the details. Her eyes slid over Rolo once more, her lips now carrying a severe frown. There were clues and memories to be pieced together, which meant she would eventually have to share a conclusion. Which held the possibility that Rolo wouldn't like the aforementioned conclusion. But like hell she would ever keep quiet about this.

"Hey," she started quietly, "this is going to be a weird question, but... Do you know what a bully is?"

If Greta was concerned, Rolo didn't catch it. He didn't search for that emotion on anyone else's face but Brother's. It was probably accurate to say that he didn't care for anyone else's concerns but his brother's, so that was why he took Greta's question the wrong way when she finally asked it, blinking up at the girl. Did she think he was stupid?

"Yes," Rolo said, annoyance evidence in his voice. However, he probably only knew what that concept was in the vaguest sense - a bully was that thing that some kids complained about in Ashford, where a person was being harassed or terrorized by another. Rolo didn't quite get why it was such a problem, as he never allowed anyone to do that to him. Then again, he supposed it was harder for a civilian to get away with killing a "bully", but even so, it was something he never had to worry about. It was one of the side effects of being Lelouch's brother; everyone knew better than to treat him wrongly.

That was why he must have been sloppy with dealing with Stephen. Had he gotten too lazy? Was it because he got used to everyone answering to his brother, and enjoying the protection that came from it? He didn't intend to be lazy and cause trouble, and that realization made him reconsider Greta's question. His eyes widened, like he just realized something. Maybe her question wasn't so stupid after all?

"... I think," Rolo added, now that he had a new understanding of the term.

Rolo sounded irritated. If the same question had been aimed at Ange, she might have answered in a similar manner. Therefore, she simply shrugged the negative response and waited patiently. Something told her he would inquire as to why she would even bring up such an odd remark. Of course, everyone would know what a bully was.

Just not in the sense Ange had. Not in the sense Onee-chan had.

When the addendum was made, the young woman literally shoved her fork into the french toast. The movement was so sudden and forceful, that the prongs literally cracked at the paper plate underneath. Whether it showed past or current frustrations, Ange would not say. Her focus was fixed on the topic on hand and how she had to relay a single point.

"They're cowards," she continued. "They pick on people just because they can. Or because they sense a weakness they can exploit." A pause. "You mentioned someone tried to trick you once. Was that him, too?"

Edited 2010-08-11 05:47 (UTC)

The sudden crush of paper plate and snap of plastic made Rolo raise a brow, surprised but not quite jolted. Greta... didn't seem to like his answer, apparently. That's what he thought, until she continued to question him. Was Greta angry?

Rolo thought that through again. Was Greta angry? This had nothing to do with her; why would she be upset over it? He could only guess that it did have something to do with her, that maybe Stephen had done something to her as well. It would explain the hesitation two nights ago, but... Rolo couldn't explain it, but that conclusion didn't seem quite right. It was the most logical one, though, especially when Greta continued and more or less described Stephen perfectly. Someone who picked on someone solely because they could, because they sensed a weakness. Rolo couldn't discern a purpose or point to Stephen's harassment, so it made sense. It was just... something he could do.

Maybe Greta was angry about how pointless it was. Rolo could understand that much. He nodded to Greta's question, remembering what he said earlier about zombies and crap.

"If you're talking about that... stupid zombie story, it was him who told me that. He got some people in on it, I guess since I didn't believe him the first time," Rolo explained, feeling irritated at how stupid Stephen thought he was. Though, with things they were now...

"Did he do something to you too?" He had to have done something, to make her this mad just from talking about it.

The eyebrow raise graced enough as a social sign for Ange to recognize the overall oddity in her behavior. Anger--as warranted the emotion happened to be--should have been directed in more constructive manner. The fact she had not said something instead was telling. This was further emphasized by another noticing. Rolo must certainly think her insane, despite some agreement in his response.

Her fingers relented their grasp on the broken utensil, her expression shifting to an unapologetic stare. She was perfectly right to be pissed, even out of simple, cathartic-based reasons. Ange would concede, however, that part of those reasons might serve best shared. It wasn't like Rolo could ever pick up the details of her school experiences otherwise.

Not that she would ever lay those out in exquisite detail.

"No," she admitted, "but I've known people like him. Bullies." Like him. People who would easily destroy the life of one for their own amusement. It wasn't anything like what Maria had proposed. No one was protecting anyone from any compromise conducted between supernatural beings. It wasn't an honor to live through that. "They always think it's funny, you know. Playing little tricks like that. It's a complete joke to them. Who cares if you only want to be left alone?"

In a way, Greta was ranting about something completely unknown to Rolo. That was why he was interested in what she was saying, as she fully explained the concept of a bully. Rolo knew this concept in theory, but it seemed like now he was actually seeing it in practice. The person that Greta described seemed to match Stephen, and so, Greta was upset at this fact. Because... she knew what kind of person she was, even though she hadn't met him, she was angry. Rolo might have thought that was wasted energy, but... He couldn't deny that having her support was nice.

Rolo listened, quietly, waiting for Greta to finish. He waited because he had a question, and one could probably discern that his own life was far from normal from this single question. But he had to ask, because it was important. His usual methods... They should have worked, but they didn't, not in this messed up place. It pissed Rolo off, but he couldn't overlook that. Another method had to be found, to deal with Stephen, and Greta sounded like she had personal experience in the manner.

He hated having to ask people for help.

"... What do you do, then? About bullies?" Rolo faintly wondered if Greta dealt with them the same way that he usually dealt with things, but Greta was a person who had a civilian life, right? How civilians dealt with things was ultimately different from how he did, however inefficient those methods were. If he had to copy them, then so be it. It was far better than just letting Stephen get away with everything he had done, and would do.

A lack of response might have been the cue to stop the discussion before it bore fruit, but Ange could not take proper stock of her words. The subject was too intimate, too personal--held too closely to her heart, far more than she was willing to admit. And talking about her primary trouble in school was a cathartic release.

Plus, as far as she could tell, Rolo was listening. Not simply tolerating, but paying attention. His question further emphasized the point.

Her lips thinned to a straight line as Ange considered her answer. If her recent moments hinted at anything, the easiest response would be to tell him to get them to stop. The methods, however, were worth hesitation. Unlike Ange, Rolo had a brother. An ally, if he counted her as such. Real people, not illusions of furniture. He could essentially accomplish what she could not.

So, really, the answer was simple. "Stop them," she stated, "before it becomes worse. Unless they find another person to target, they'll continue, especially if they find you 'fun'."

Greta's answer was simple.

Actually, it was the exact same as his own methods. Rolo was surprised to hear this, because he had expected something different. He didn't know what would be different, but he expected it, because didn't civilians think differently? Apparently not, or Greta wasn't the same as them. Her method was the exact same: Stop them. Eliminate them, before they become a bigger threat.

The most efficient way of getting rid of Stephen was to kill him. It was the best method, wasn't it?

Rolo nodded slowly, realizing that he had been wrong. Not wrong in choosing his method of elimination, but wrong in thinking that it wouldn't apply here. Wasn't Greta telling him the same thing, that he had to stop Stephen before he was hindered more? It was obvious to Rolo what he had to do then and it was still obvious now. The method wasn't the problem, it was how Rolo had been failing to adjust. Just because he didn't have his Geass... just because he didn't have the support of infrastructure anymore, it didn't mean that he had the right to be lazy.

Why did Greta have to tell him something so obvious? Rolo was almost disgusted with himself as he nodded, muttering something to himself as he used his good arm to prop his head up.

"I didn't... do it right," He realized, thinking back to that fight. Stephen was not ordinary. He was trained, so he required extra care. Sneak attacks was a stupid, careless tactic reserved for stupidm, careless people.

"I understand what you mean." That sentence was for Greta, as Rolo lifted his head up to look at her. He was at a loss how to follow up though. Maybe... Well, she did help him so... People normally thanked those who help, right? Then again, Greta didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. Still, he felt like she helped him somehow.

So... He was supposed to thank her, right?

"... Thank you." It sounded sort of strange, those words of gratitude, and Rolo looked quite uncomfortable for someone who was trying to express it, but it was as sincere as he could make it.

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Day 51: Breakfast

we gotta do it sometime. Just them staring at each other and introspecting. It'll be like a date.

it would be the best date.

let's do it. rolo can go eat in ange's room and he'll even bring candles uguu /killed

then they can talk about their bros...in bed. 8)

oh baby, talk about bromance all night long with me. <3

i love it when you talk brocon to me. <3

baby bromance is best when it's talked about while naked. <3

and better when on top of each other. <3

oh baby. our brocon love is totally meant to be. <3