Day 53: Breakfast

[thatdamnedninja]

With sigh that toed the ambiguous no-mans-land between soft and explosive, Yuffie collected a plateful of waffles with all the toppings. She was sure that, if nothing else, it'd making a pretty satisfying splat if-when?-she launched it at somebody's face, and that was all that counted

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[doyoustillsee]

[DO NOT CALL ME THAT D< lol]

Waking up to find his body wracked with pain was nothing new for Kanda Yuu. It had been commonplace years ago--even with his body's increased healing abilities, repairing the extensive damage caused by experiment after experiment could take a while. The pain wasn't really all that bad this time, comparatively, though the results (or almost total lack thereof) when he tried to clench his right hand into a fist were still less than pleasant, or pleasing.

Then he remembered what had actually caused those injuries--those huge birds, not the Order's experiments with Innocence--and he sat up with a jerk, followed by gritted teeth and a determination not to wince as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He gave himself a quick once-over, noting the well-wrapped bandages on his arm, shoulder, chest, and from the feel of it, his back. His feet stung a bit too when he'd placed them on the floor--from going outside and walking through the glass-covered entry room in just his sock feet (twice), no doubt. His left hand ended up pressed to the left side of his chest, over his tattoo (a bit of an awkward position, but the only one possible, since his right was still largely unresponsive)...there was nothing there, no wound, no scar, no mark of any sort...and yet...

Staring sideways at the floor, the Exorcist slowly held out his left hand, watching his shadow with an edge of apprehension--and anger--in his eyes; but the shadow behaved in a completely normal fashion, moving just as he moved, and only as he moved. It was as if what had happened last night had been nothing more than a dream.

He almost might have wondered, if he hadn't had the pain and all those bandages to prove otherwise.

If you could make that choice again- His hand fisted in the front of his shirt, and he forced his thoughts away from what his shadow-self had said. It didn't matter, it wouldn't help him here, it was all in the past. He'd made his decision, and he couldn't change it now--wouldn't even if he could, regardless of the guilt. Such a thing didn't even bear thinking about...though simply shutting it all out was easier said than done.

Somewhat thankfully, he didn't have to not-think about it for long before a nurse came bustling in to drag him off to breakfast. He only put up a token resistance--nothing like the day before. He wasn't looking to be sedated like that again; he needed to be alert, needed to learn more about this place. The nurse had put Kanda's right arm in a sling, and though initially he attempted to hold his tray using only his left, the concerned-looking woman was very insistent about carrying it for him. He didn't care enough to really protest, so he simply let her, though he did stay close enough to prevent her from drowning the waffles with syrup and such. He was too hungry, too aware of the fact that he needed to regain his strength to outright turn up his nose at the food, but the hell if he'd eat it with all that sweet crap piled on top of it.

"Now, let's see...you got along so well with Mr. Way yesterday," the nurse said with clearly-forced levity as she scanned the room. "Let's see if you can make another new friend today! Ah, why don't you sit with Mr. Jae today?"

The "Mr. Jae" in question looked to be somewhere around Kanda's age, and despite the way he was tearing into his breakfast, he didn't look much better off than Kanda, if visible wounds and bandages were anything to go by. At the nurse's urging, the Exorcist sat across from him somewhat stiffly, studying the other man briefly before turning his attention to cutting his plain waffles one-handed. He needed allies, a grudging inward admittance, but they had to be people who could hold their own, and from the look of this guy...

Of course, judging by appearances wasn't wise, and Kanda himself hardly looked capable of "holding his own," battered and bandaged as he was, but the latter factor wasn't something that he took into consideration, even after everything he'd been through in the last 24 hours. Years of taking pride in his physical prowess, of being respected and quite literally feared for it weren't so easily brushed away.

[gamingsostfu]

Matt looked up, of course, when he heard his "name" - but the nurse was quick to set someone down across from him and dash off before he could react. His first instinct was to be disgruntled, of course - I'm still recovering, you jerk. That means no socializing whatsoever. It was useless, though, he knew, which was why the brunet went without saying anything for the first few minutes, opting instead to avert his eyes and silently go on inhaling his waffles damn near whole.

He did glance back at the other boy a few times, as he continued eating. Long black hair, thin build - but not wiry. He was built like a fighter, if Matt could say he knew what he was talking about with that statement, and the way he held himself... The way he sat in the chair, mostly ignoring Matt right back... It actually took the edge off the fact that Landel's so-called "staff" was once again trying to force him into an uncomfortable situation.

Naturally, all situations including speaking face-to-face with other people made Matt nervous, but, so far at least, there had been a few other "patients" around the facility the brunet had actually hit it off with. Could this be another?

After two of the waffles were finished being decimated, Matt set down his fork, already feeling better physically. Slowly, he sat up in his chair, stretching out a little and popping his neck - which was still sore from the other night, but it needed it. He looked at the other boy again. "I'm not Mr. Jae, by the way. You can call me Mason."

Better to touch base and figure out if this one was a potential ally before they were all herded along like the cattle the madhouse seemed to be trying to make them into. Mello would probably gut him, if he found out Matt'd let someone useful walk on by.

[doyoustillsee]

So much for peace and quiet at breakfast. But at least the other guy had been quiet for a decent amount of time first--longer than a lot of people in the Order's cafeteria, that was for sure.

When "Mason" finally spoke, Kanda's gaze flicked up from his food almost immediately (he'd given up trying to actually cut the waffles with the plastic fork he'd been provided with, for the most part anyway, and had simply settled for spearing a whole damn waffle and biting chunks off it). More irritable than usual from trying to force away thoughts of last night, it took some genuine effort to bite back a harsh what the hell do I care who you are? But no, like it or not (obviously not), he did need allies and information if he was ever going to get out of here. He might as well start now.

"...Kanda," the Exorcist conceded, making no move to offer a handshake in greeting. And because he did want more information about this place--"What the hell happened to you?"

All things considered, it was a question that Kanda probably deserved to be asked rather that to ask himself, but once again that didn't even cross his mind.

[gamingsostfu]

Matt liked Kanda already. He wasn't sure if it was the gruff manner, the way he wasn't outright looking for company, or the fact that he honestly reminded him somewhat of Mello. Whatever it was, it made an impression on the brunet, who just sat back in his seat, dug into his waffles again, and actually laughed.

Stuffing another mangled piece of waffle into his mouth, Matt nodded to the other boy, regarding him with an approving look as he chewed and swallowed. "I've had a hell of a time here," he answered, surprisingly cheerful for him - and for the subject at hand. "Most recently, though, I was chewed and spit out, then hit in the face with the flat side of a sword." It honestly sounded like he'd just been up all night playing as much Legend of Zelda as humanly possible, but Mello would back him up on the fact that it had actually happened.

Which was a fact that Matt was having a slight problem coping with, but he'd deal sometime. Probably after having a cigarette.

...okay, okay. A few cigarettes.

He eyed Kanda a moment, sobering a little; his smile faded, and he fell silent. "You don't like people much either, do you?" He actually appreciated the lack of forced handshake; physical contact wasn't something he was too keen on pursuing, and it just made things easier when other people didn't pursue it either.

[doyoustillsee]

Though the Exorcist's eyes narrowed initially at the laughter, it seemed more self-deprecating than anything, so he let it pass without response; he didn't really care enough to start snarling about something like that right now anyway. Kanda just listened to Matt's answer without comment or the least flicker of surprise, though that look of approval had made him a little wary. (He didn't care what anyone else thought about much of anything really, but he did wonder what exactly this guy so approving of. He hadn't even done anything.)

"Tch. What's to like?" He stabbed at another waffle with more force than was strictly necessary, but though his typically stony expression didn't betray it, his mind had caught on the word either. Someone else who didn't go in for all that touchy-feely interpersonal crap would be a nice change of pace from how things had been back at the Order...provided this guy knew what he was doing, and actually had the potential to be useful somehow.

Never one to beat around the bush, Kanda cut right to the chase. "I'm a swordsman. I can do reconnaissance, battle tactics, whatever. What can you do?"

[gamingsostfu]

Right down to business. Mello would like him.

Matt raised a brow at the swordsman comment. He'd known Kanda must've been a real fighter of some kind - not some wannabe thug - but he hadn't really pictured what kind of fighter. Now that the other boy said something, though, he had to admit that it made some weird sort of sense. His build, his walk, the way he moved, even while sitting down- It all made sense, given that explanation.

A sharp nod. "I mostly deal in reconnaissance myself - and I'm not half-bad with technology." And I can fight... about as well as any ten-year-old girl you can pull off the street, Matt thought, knowing better than to let that fact known. Besides, didn't it lend credence to his capabilities that he was still alive at all, despite all the crap Landel had flung at them? Matt liked to think so, anyway.

He stretched a little in his seat. "I haven't been here long, but my ally has... more allies." Wow, nice wording there, Matty.

Shut up, wanker, he shot back to his brain's rendition of Mello, his internal voice relatively stern. Working through his frayed nerves, Matt went on, "It'll take more than just a few of us to bust out of here, though. This is why we're... recruiting."

Sure. He could call it that.

[doyoustillsee]

The fact that this guy was more support staff than field agent wasn't all that surprising to Kanda--he looked too small, too slight to be much of a fighter, but then again size wasn't always everything. But having someone who knew their way around technology could certainly prove useful (if he wasn't the type to abuse that knowledge, like a certain bespectacled Branch Head).

'Recruiting' made it sound like a goddamn army. Kanda was already caught up with one of those, and didn't exactly relish the idea of getting entangled with another. Still, the situation was decidedly different here, and if those birds he'd fought last night were any indication of how strong the monsters around there were, they would need an army to break out...though in Kanda's experience, armies tended to have more than just one simple purpose behind their formation and most of their actions.

"I'll tell you this right now," he said, pausing in attacking his waffles long enough to settle a steady, intense stare on the other man. "I don't care about any other goals or intentions you or this ally of yours might have. I just want to get the hell out of here, and if joining up with you will help me do that, fine." His eyes dropped, and he went back to stabbing at his food ill-temperedly. "Anything else, and you're on your own."

[gamingsostfu]

Matt met that intense stare with one of his own, all too used to it from Mello by this point. His left hand fell still, the fork still clutched loosely between two of his fingers as he let his hand relax; it still ached from the night before, though he couldn't recall using it all that much. He listened closely to Kanda's words, letting them sink in and fully register before he even began to contemplate his response.

It started with a small smile, pleasant and knowing. He looked away from Kanda's face for a moment, his eyes settling on the other boy's hands, unfocusing for the time. His thoughts started to race as he wondered: What else do I want? Aside from getting out of here, of course.

Matt... honestly didn't know. He hadn't thought any further than Get the hell out of dodge, but the things Kanda had just said to him...

He knew Mello had goals outside Landel's freakish playground - bring an end to Kira's madness, beat Near out in that same regard, possibly find a way of exposing Yagami for the madman he was without dying.

But Matt...

He looked back up, meeting Kanda's eyes again. His face was blank, and his eyes held no definite emotion. He blinked once before replying, "I don't want anything else right now, other than getting out of this fucking madhouse." It was one thing he and Kanda could agree on at the moment, he knew. For now, that was enough.

[doyoustillsee]

It was the way he'd had to take a second to think about what he wanted that made Kanda accept what he'd said as the truth. This guy really didn't seem to know what he wanted, aside from getting out, but the hell if Kanda cared about something like that. At least it meant he didn't have a bunch of dirty, underhanded intentions, and so long as it didn't keep him from doing his job, Kanda didn't give a damn if the guy didn't know his own name.

For a moment longer, Kanda's hard, measuring stare didn't waver; then he nodded--both an acknowledgment and acceptance--the sharpness in his gaze easing before it slid sideways to scan the room.

Someone with the same goal, without any other unnecessary complications or secret designs. Good. Just what he was looking for--provided "Mason" proved himself useful when night came--and the fact that the other boy could obviously keep his mouth shut unless he had something that actually needed to be said had already won him some (semi-subconscious) points with Kanda.

"Fine," the Exorcist said to reinforce that nod, his eyes still moving around the room and over the staff and other patients with a watchful sort of half-interest. Allies were only half of what he'd determined he'd need to escape; time to see if Mason could give him more information regarding what happened here at night. "...How much do you know about this place? At night the lights go out, monsters attack, shadows do stupid crap...what else?"

As he spoke, he noted that the nurses' activity was definitely picking up. Kanda wasn't sure how long breakfast was supposed to last, but it clearly might not be much longer; if he knew anything important, "Mason" had better hurry up and tell him quick.

[gamingsostfu]

Matt scoffed, glancing over at the slowly busying nurses. So far, none of them seemed to be headed their way just yet; he had a couple more minutes. Needed to work fast, to get anything worth saying said.

"Nobody knows anything about this place- That's about all I've gotten from anyone else I've spoken to on the subject," he replied in a quick, low tone. "By day, everything seems like a normally run mental hospital - a fact you've probably already figured out. But at night - again, something you probably already know - everything goes completely mad, and there's... not much any of us trapped in here can do about it.

"I haven't made it past the wall yet; that's where the hurt face came from last night." Come on, Matty, come on... He needed to hurry, before that obnoxious nurse came over to split them up and lead them both on to their next destinations.

Oh joy.

"It doesn't happen every night, as far as I can tell - but most nights, this place just gets weirder than it already is. Doors that lead to rooms they're not supposed to, everyone's mouths running amok and speaking random gibberish, shadows that come to life and start bitching at you for all sorts of shit, other patients that are drugged and kidnapped to some laboratory and brainwashed for the night-" Holy crap, his stupid nurse was on her way now. He met Kanda's eyes for barely a moment longer before the woman approached, taking his tray and reaching to take his arm.

"Have you boys been playing nice?" she asked with a bright smile.

Matt glared at her as he stood, looking back down at Kanda and ignoring her completely. "You need to know anything else, meet me and my partner in the Sun Room as soon as you get clear." There, have an invitation from the most unsocial person ever to grace Landel's with his slightly pissy presence, Kanda. Cherish it.