Day 57: Cafeteria

[gald_digger]

Edgar's charming company had raised Anise's spirits enough that not even the Head Doctor's voice could bring them back down. Besides, she was feeling pretty sure that Landel wasn't actually around. To begin with, it wouldn't make sense, and secondly, his announcements sounded suspiciously like ones she'd already heard before. While Anise wasn't

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[ofthemotions]

That... had been strange. Different worlds? Where did he come up with that--or rather, why had people told Hope that? Mikado blinked in thought, wondering. That was something unknown to focus on, something he couldn't know at this moment. Rather than focusing on the man leading him who knows where now, who refused to answer Mikado in more than grunts. The people in charge here were, uh. Charming. And exceedingly unhelpful.

For one thing, if this place was a hospital, where were all the doctors? The only people he had seen were dressed as Mikado was, or dressed like the man in front of him. He frowned at the man's back, expression creasing into troubled. What was going on here?

At least, the smaller issue was resolved quickly. Mikado was deposited in a cafeteria line. That clarified that, but. He still had no idea what was going on. The smells in the air made his stomach growl, pointing out that he was hungry. Well, at least the food smelled good. And it was probably free, so he might as well eat--

"Uh. What... is this?" Pink... slop of some kind, what food looked like this?

The server who had plopped it on his tray gave an apathetic glare. "Lunch."

And so actual food wasn't for him. All right. Might as well accept that.... Unsure at the 'food' he was given, Mikado looked for a place to sit, a bit downtrodden. No one would answer him, and the one who did barely knew more than Mikado had, mostly rumors and little else. And now he was eating stomach lining from the looks of it. He moved to a mostly empty table. "Do you, um, mind if I sit here?"

[human_sponge]

Despite his searching, in the end Peter was approached by someone who he didn't know. That was just as common as meeting up with a friend, if not more so, and so Peter didn't mind. Especially considering how young the boy looked. In a situation like this, he was always willing to provide support to any young person, although he had to admit that hadn't gone over well so far.

Considering how things had been with Albedo and Ritsuka...

He was going to do his best to not think about the strange notes that Albedo had left him (not to mention the fact that he still had the boy's shotgun stored in his room) and instead focus on the boy in front of him. "Go ahead," he replied with a nod. "I know that this place fills up pretty fast."

It seemed like they did that on purpose, making sure that there weren't enough seats for people to sit alone -- or at least not for that many to be able to. Peter didn't mind it since he was generally interested to learn more about the other patients, but part of him was hoping that this kid was a little more normal.

"I'm Peter," he said after a pause as he took another sip of his soup (and sent a sympathetic glance at the kid's plate of food). "I'd share some of this with you if I could, but they don't really allow it, so..."

[ofthemotions]

Mikado accepted the allowance with a nod and started to sit, glancing at the man a second time at the words. Saying it filled up fast meant he was familiar, then, right? There might be a chance this person knew what was going on more than Hope had. He settled into the chair, looking warily at the substance in front of him.

Peter was certainly a western name, less unique than Hope's and more... an actual name than a process. The man also looked European or American. Had he immigrated? His Japanese was flawless. Maybe a student of some sort. He gave a slightly uncomfortable smile. "I'm Ryuugamine Mikado. Pleased to meet you."

And as he half-bowed his head in acknowledgment, he noticed, off to the side, a girl with extremely long hair. Extremely long, white hair. How had she ever...? He wasn't an expert on bleaching and dyeing by any rate, but shouldn't her hair have fallen out if she did all of that? Maybe it was a wig.... Outright staring, he pulled his gaze back to his tablemate, waving off the concern. "Ah, it's fine, I'm sure this is..." He glanced down at his tray, expression slipping into doubt. "...Edible," he murmured quietly.

The boy glanced up at Peter. "...Do you know anything about this place? I've tried to ask some people and...." He trailed off hopelessly, glancing at a cluster of the men dressed like the one who had accompanied him. No answers to be found there at least.

[human_sponge]

That name was a bit of a mouthful, Peter had to admit. Then again, he imagined that some people would have had a hard time pronouncing his last name, what with all the l's and r's involved. It all depended on what language you'd grown up speaking and what sounds your mouth was used to making. For some people, Mikado's name would have been easy to pronounce.

"Is it all right if I call you Mikado?" Because the other name was probably just going to end up butchered if he gave it a shot. He knew that the name was likely Japanese and therefore it was more polite to use the surname, but... this would really be the best option for both of them.

Though Peter still hadn't figured out why there were so many Japanese patients here. He wondered if anyone had ever tried to crack that mystery.

It looked like something had caught Mikado's attention for a moment, though it was hard to determine what that was when the room was already full. It could be just about anything, with how many strange sights there were to see in this place. Peter politely waited for him to return to the conversation and then nodded. "Yeah, it should be nutritious if nothing else."

But then came the questions. It seemed that Mikado was pretty new, with the way he'd asked and the lost look on his face. "I know a lot, actually," Peter admitted, and it was clear that he wasn't proud of that. "I've been stuck here for way too long. What do you need to know first?" He was sure there was a question or two (or three) that was at the forefront of the boy's mind right now, so it made sense to start there.

[ofthemotions]

"Uh." What was with the multitude of people that skimmed on formality? Still. It wasn't that he minded, really. It was just.... "No, that's fine. Peter-san, then, was it?" The name was awkward on his tongue but came out well enough. He wondered if there would be a chance to ask him how he had ended up here.

As for the food, Mikado was doubtful. He glanced over the utensils and picked up a fork carefully, poking at the gelatinous mass like one would a corpse they found beside the road. The boy sighed, closing his eyes, then without anything further, scooped up some and put it in his mouth. There was an extended moment, and then his mouth worked and he swallowed. Then offered a half-smile to Peter, somewhat awkward. "Yeah. Only nutritious things taste this bad."

...And he suddenly wasn't sure if his stomach suddenly feeling upset was from the food or the man's words. That Mikado was really trying not to overthink on. For way too long? What did that... even mean? Mikado glanced at Peter hesitantly. "I don't even know what to ask. What is this place? I just woke up and I was here... And I don't know where here even is."

He frowned down at his plate, looking somewhat helpless. "I don't even see anyone familiar." And if it was a hospital? Fallout shelter? Anything of the sort, shouldn't there be at least someone he recognized here?

[human_sponge]

Peter-san. He'd been called that by a number of other patients before, and while it was kind of weird, he didn't mind being referred to by that title if it made the speaker feel more comfortable. "Yeah, that's fine," he replied with a smile. At least they had the easy stuff like names out of the way now.

It was difficult to watch someone struggling to eat that food, though Mikado got a bite down without too much trouble. When he was sitting there eating just as well as they always had in this place, the guilt started to grow. It wasn't his fault, but if the staff had at least let him pass some of his food over, that would have been better. It wasn't worth the risk, though, and so Peter just laughed at the boy's comment. "That sounds about right, yeah." Peter tried to make a habit of eating healthy things, but he had to agree that the stuff that was bad for you tasted the best.

But if Mikado was that clueless, that meant he had to be really new. As in just-woke-up new. Peter tried not to sigh. It wasn't that he blamed the kid for knowing nothing, but rather that he felt bad for him. With the military involved and all sorts of cover-ups going on, this place was more confusing than ever.

"This place... Technically, it's called Landel's Institute. For a long time -- most of the time that I've been here, really -- it functioned as a fake mental hospital. All the nurses treated us like we were crazy and that everything we knew about our lives was made up." He sent a glance around at some of the passing staff members, the look in his eyes clearly suspicious. "The nurses you see now are just soldiers in disguise, though. A couple of days back the military rolled in and took over. They're just pretending today because we're scheduled to have visitors later in the day."

That was about as coherent of an explanation as he could give, and yet he really didn't know if it'd made any sense at all.

[ofthemotions]

The light subjects slid away from Mikado's mind as he openly stared at Peter for a moment. The next forkful of food took the same route, slipping downward to plop back into the bowl. The light sound distracted him enough for him to glance down, blinking at the food like he had forgotten it was there. A... mental institute?

Maybe he should go back to his first thought. Maybe Namie-san truly was the kind of person to hold a grudge to this extent. To place someone in a--

...Though this person had said that everyone was told their life was a lie. If that was true, was this something else? Or was this just an actual asylum? Wouldn't people that were actually crazy deny that they were? Mikado glanced up hesitantly. Though Peter seemed... more normal than some Mikado knew. Did that mean anything though?

Maybe Mikado should just take what Peter said for the moment, and see if it added up as the day went on. No one had... really said anything honestly. One way or the other. Not about hospitals or soldiers, at least. He blinked for a few seconds in thought. If he took what Peter was saying, then.... "If that's true, why are we here, then?"

[human_sponge]

It was hard to tell whether or not anything was really registering with Mikado when he was staring off at nothing, forgetting all about his food as his mind wandered. Peter realized that it was hard to grasp, and probably even more so for someone the boy's age. He wondered if he'd been too forward or if there was something else he could say to help Mikado understand, but after a moment the boy came out with a question that was straight to the point.

And, unfortunately, very difficult to answer.

Peter brushed his hair back behind his ear somewhat nervously and then gave out a small, humorless laugh. "That's the question. There are all sorts of theories about why we're here and what the people who brought us here really want, but no one can say for sure. Some say experiments, others think we're being trained to fight." He shrugged and glanced away, bothered by the fact that he still couldn't say he was sure about either option.

"The point, though, is that we're stuck here. You might have friends here, but you might not. Either way, what you have to be careful about is when night comes. We're allowed out of our rooms to go wherever we want, but all the lights go out and it can be pretty dangerous." Especially for a kid who probably had no idea of what he was getting into -- although Peter also realized that looks could be deceiving in a place like this.

[ofthemotions]

...The first two theories presented were really irregular, and just added to the option that Peter was just crazy. But in all honesty, from a different standpoint, those two options made sense. Mikado had watched people fight who seemed like it couldn't just be something natural, and bordered preternatural instead. And experiments? He had proof of those, and just the mention gave weight to the opposing option, of someone with a grudge behind all this.

Were people still going missing? Was this where they were kept, or was this something entirely different? Mikado blinked a few times, placing the fork he had been holding down, and instead touching his hand to his chin in thought. A different kind of question then. If Peter didn't know why, he might know how. "How were you taken? I just woke up here..." And... nothing. Gas, maybe. Some kind of chemical to keep him under until he was settled. Like he knew anything about it other than what he'd seen used in movies and books.

Which seemed to be what Peter was describing. The dark was dangerous? Mikado raised his eyebrows. "We're allowed out of our rooms? Can we just leave, then?" Maybe from the outside, he'd know where he was.... Unlikely, since... he still got lost in Ikebukuro, but there was possibly a chance that he'd recognize... Something. Maybe. "Why do you think it's dangerous?"

[human_sponge]

If Mikado was looking for details on what to watch out for at night, then they may have just hit a point where Peter was going to lose the kid. He'd already gone through this with Firo, though. He'd told him about the monsters and had received disbelief in return, only to get an apology a day or so later when the kid had realized he was right. Maybe it would go the same way with Mikado.

"No, I don't think anyone remembers how they ended up here. It's like you fall asleep in one place and wake up in another." It was disorienting, seeing how most people would expect to at least recall vague images from when they had been half-asleep or something along those lines. At this point, though, Peter imagined that they were knocked out and then teleported here. If that was the case, it wasn't like there was much to remember anyway.

"But yeah, you can get outside the building if you're lucky, but you won't be able to get far. It's dangerous because -- bear with me here -- there are monsters that are trained to attack us to keep us from getting anywhere." Not to mention the fact that they suddenly ended up in their beds every morning, but Peter figured that was the sort of thing that you had to experience firsthand to even understand.

[ofthemotions]

So it was the same. Hm. If everyone had no recollection, maybe.... He had to stop thinking about it without more information. At least this person seemed open about everything. Mikado nodded in acknowledgment, accepting the point to think over more later. That, at least, was something that could be taken. Something obvious and clear.

Unlike Peter's second point. That they could get outside was reassuring--if nothing else, finding out about the surroundings would be acceptable. Of the other part....

Maybe it was that Peter spoke so rationally, even giving that he understood it was a hard point to bear. Still. Monsters? Even after Celty-san and everything with that, having it said like this.... Mikado laughed slightly, a bit awkwardly. "Do you mean... like there's attack dogs outside?" Attack bears. Who knows what could be trained to do things?

[human_sponge]

The laugh made it clear that Mikado wasn't used to this sort of thing, though Peter imagined that most people weren't. Even where he was from, where superhuman people existed, the idea of monsters was just ridiculous. They couldn't all be called experiments gone wrong, either, since some of the stuff he'd seen went so far beyond that.

"You could say that," he responded after a pause. "Some of them look like animals that are half-dead... and they usually are much larger than you'd expect, too." That was the case with the cats, at least, and he figured it applied to most of the other mammals here.

"It might sound nuts and you can believe whatever you want for now, but just..." He cut off for a moment to sigh. "Be careful, all right?" It was all he could really say for now.

[ofthemotions]

...Animals half dead? What kind of place was this? Breeding vicious attack animals and just what--starving them? Just to make sure people didn't leave. Why didn't they just lock them inside then? None of it made any sense at all. Mikado frowned in confusion, listening to Peter regardless.

"...It is a little hard to believe," Mikado replied slowly. "But I'm glad that you took the time to tell me. Thank you." The boy nodded his head in brief gratitude, before glancing over to the group of men dressed like the one that had escorted him. "Those guys over there wouldn't answer anything."

Peter's concern seemed sincere, and Mikado blinked downward, really wondering what went on at night. From the way Peter spoke, it seemed like it was assumed Mikado would still be here by then. He... didn't know what to think about that. "Can I ask you one other thing? Where is this place? It's not familiar at all to me."

[human_sponge]

Surprisingly enough, Mikado seemed to be handling all of this much better than Firo had. While Firo hadn't ever been outwardly rude, he had made it more obvious that he wasn't buying it. Mikado seemed unsure himself, but he at least took a moment to thank Peter for trying to help. He would understand how useful the information was eventually -- that much Peter knew for sure.

"No problem," he replied with a nod. "And don't ever expect to learn too much from the staff here. Most of the time you're better off asking other patients. There's a bulletin board in the Sun Room where you can post up notes, too." That was something that was easily missed and yet very important in the long run.

As for Mikado's next question, Peter sighed for a moment and ran his hand over his mouth before answering. "That's another mystery. I think it's pretty much a given that we're in America somewhere, but no one knows more than that." It was hard to guess where exactly, but judging from the range of weather and the surrounding scenery, Peter's guess was that it was somewhere on the east coast. They could just as easily be somewhere like Oregon or Washington, though. All Peter really knew was that he was a long way from New York.

[ofthemotions]

And new terminology to settle on, if all of this turned out accurate. The big guys were the staff--which he had gotten, really, from the way they had lead him around--and everyone else were patients. If this was a mental institute, that meant everyone here were crazy, and if it was a... conspiracy or something, that meant that probably all of the people here had been locked up against their will. The certain thing was that Mikado was not insane, so that added weight to Peter's words. If he was here, that allowed the possibility that others might be the same.

As well, another way to test out the weight of words would be the bulletin board Peter mentioned. At the least Mikado could see if people lined up on this. He nodded again. "Okay."

It was the last thing said that shattered any outward calm in the boy. For a moment, Mikado was still gazing at Peter in troubled thought, and apparently digesting the information. Then his eyes widening, blinking rapidly as he leaned forward, hands clutching the edge of the table. "America?"

[human_sponge]

It was pretty bizarre, that the thing that drew the largest response out of Mikado was their location. Still, it was clear that the boy was from Earth, seeing how he clearly recognized the name rather than being puzzled by it. In that case, he was probably freaking out because he was so far from home. Still, even though Peter was originally from America, he couldn't say that he felt like he was "at home" in any way.

This might not even be their version of Earth, after all.

"... Yeah, America," he said with an apologetic smile. "I'm guessing you're not from here?" He had already guessed Japan, but he didn't want to vocalize that in case he was wrong. "There's a kind of... system in place that translates everything we say to each other, so right now you sound to me like you're speaking English." And he was probably speaking Japanese as far as Mikado could tell.

It was pretty bizarre, but he couldn't be too upset because it was also convenient. That and their fast healing wounds were really the only breaks they got here.