Day 24: Lunch

[jei]

Not wanting to be dragged along on whatever Mission of Annoyance Schuldig had planned for himself at lunch, Farfarello instead headed straight into the cafeteria, alone

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[seiran314]

As Omi started to speak he glanced around again, brows furrowing as he saw Kurama sitting with Yohji and the blond seemed utterly miserable, or that was Aya's interpretation of his facial expressions. What was going on? He nodded at Omi's words absentmindedly, only hn-ing as a response, worried. Omi would hold on in a place like this, better than himself and Yohji. It didn't mean that he'd consider Yohji as the weakest link of the chain, he just knew how broken Yohji had been just before coming in here. And that was the reason why he was watching after him more closely.

Omi's last words caught his attention however, and he ripped his gaze off the other table, only giving them a brief glance every now and then. "I don't know. It sounds a bit too good to be true that if we just break out of the front doors we're going to magically transport back to our own places." And even if they would, the thought didn't thrill him too much. As if on a cue, his gaze founded it's way back to Yohji at the other side of the cafeteria.

Where Aya was coming from, Yohji was dead, or so he at least thought. Would he even want to go back there? He had been rather content with the thought of dying in the alley stinking of urine and dirt.

[daddyslilkiller]

He blinked and followed Aya's line of sight to... Yohji and Kurama? And Yohji looked bad. Oh, that didn't bode well at all. Omi fidgeted in his seat, but his going over there now would just look suspicious and probably not help anything. He'd trusted Kurama with a lot. Not enough to really hurt him, of course, and not enough (he thought) to do any damage at all, but... what if he'd been wrong?

He kept his eyes on Yohji and Kurama, visibly worried. This was why he wanted to make sure he got back. He needed to make this not happen, make sure Yohji never broke. He couldn't help this one, maybe, but he could take care of his.

He finally turned back to Aya and his lunch. He picked at it, knowing better than to skip a meal because of emotions. "I know it does. That's why I think we're missing something. Something about how they bring us here, and the monsters, too. Keep your eyes open?"

[seiran314]

Omi might have been worried about the Yohji back home, but this one was Aya's Yohji. Not that he'd ever utter those words aloud in that particular order. He had failed to protect him earlier, he didn't want to fail again.

He sighed, glancing Omi again and then Yohji and Kurama. He considered going over but Yohji surely wouldn't appreciate the gesture, perhaps even think Aya was waiting Yohji to betray them again.

Biting his lip, he snapped his attention back at Omi and watched him pick his food for a while. Trying to sort out his thoughts.

"We should all have a talk together, and it wouldn't really hurt to speak with Schwarz too, even if I dislike the idea. You don't know who they are but... they might know something we don't. Earlier there was some suggestions Yohji mentioned about this organization named Esset who could have the resources to organize something like this. But the thought might be completely too far fetched." He shook his head and picked up his fork to poke his food around his plate to get something to do with his hands.

"Omi..." he started hesitantly, nodding towards the table where Yohji and Kurama sat. "That is your roommate, right? What do you think of him?" Straightforward like always. It worked the best, right?

[daddyslilkiller]

He hesitated for a long second before nodding. Omi had long learned to trust his team's judgment, especially when he lacked the knowledge to make the call in a given situation. "If you think they might know something, it might be for the best that we put aside whatever differences there might be. It's probably too late to meet today, unless we can catch them during whatever's planned for next shift."

The next question both caught him off guard and was completely expected. He'd been kicking himself for telling Kurama things since this morning's little adventure over breakfast, and now... At the very least, he shouldn't have dragged Yohji into it by mentioning his team. That had been beyond stupid.

He shook his head. "Kurama's my roommate, yes, but... I don't know. He seemed nice enough. He made me those darts the first night, you know? I.. may have told him some things." He ducked his head to hide the embarrassed blush, something he'd never been able to overcome no matter how much training he had. "I didn't think he'd use it against either of you, but I guess I might have been wrong."

Probably one of the least-professional opinions Omi had ever given on someone, but.. well, he didn't like to think that he'd been wrong about Kurama. His instincts were usually better than that.

[seiran314]

Nodding, Aya agreed with Omi about it being too late and didn't much bother adding to the matter. He was not particularly eager to get in touch with Schuldig anyhow.

He was about to answer Omi nonetheless when the boy ducked his head and seemed like caught hand in the cookie jar. He frowned, pushing the fork off his hands and glanced at Yohji again.

"What things?" he asked slowly, voice growing colder as he contemplated over all the possibilities. It surely wouldn't be something small when Omi acted like that.

[daddyslilkiller]

He put his own fork down and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes focused on his plate. "Not that much. He wanted to know how I learned to use darts, and he wouldn't drop it. I didn't mention Kritiker or anything, just that... well, I didn't think telling him I was an assassin would be that bad. I didn't even think he'd believe me." People just weren't supposed to believe teenagers when they spouted far-fetched stories like that.

He sighed, seeming to sink even farther into the seat. "He already knew you and Yohji-kun were from my world, and he sort of put two and two together."

[seiran314]

Supposedly this was some kind of exception area, Aya did acknowledge that. But telling someone you had known for two days secrets that weren't exactly innocent, not to mention wouldn't affect only Omi himself... He had not expected this, not from Omi at least.

"And how did he take it?" he gritted out tensely, keeping his gaze at Yohji and Kurama instead of looking at Omi. He didn't trust Kurama. Not after changing few words with him, and perhaps never would. But he wouldn't lecture Omi about it, not even if he would have thought he should. It was just something Aya didn't do.

[daddyslilkiller]

Don't worry, Omi was lecturing himself more than enough to make up for it.

"Fine, as far as I could tell. He wouldn't stop pressing until I told him something. Better a partial truth than a lie." Omi would rather not mention that he'd said more than a few things out of anger. An unfortunate side effect of not bothering to keep as tight a control over his emotions as, say, Aya.

"He kept trying to make it sound pretty by calling us 'vigilantes' and stuff. Like we weren't just killing people." He considered dumping his tray and going back to his room for the rest of lunch. At least he'd be less likely to have to see Yohji having to suffer for his mistake. "I know it was stupid, alright? I just thought, maybe, it wouldn't be too bad."

[seiran314]

"Vigilantes?" At that Aya glanced at Omi with raised brows, and then snorted, half amused, half annoyed. "I think the heroic feeling of it faded away after the first time. What do you think?" He didn't expect Omi to answer the question, perhaps didn't want to either. In Kritiker's moralistic foundation, there was horse-sized holes you could see right through - Aya had not cared back then, now it didn't matter anymore.

"Maybe not stupid." A bit thoughtless, Aya added silently but couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. Omi seemed to beat himself over the matter enough already. "If he'll watch your back in the future, honesty could pay you back some." No, he wasn't this much an opportunist and positive thinking almost hurt his brain but enough was enough.

"Just.." he added quickly, tucking his hair behind his ears as he kept his gaze at his plate, unappealing as it was. "Keep your eye on him." Maybe Aya should have a talk with this Kurama person, Omi sure had, Yohji too. Him to close to chain would make sense. He grimaced a little for his own thoughts, realizing how threatening they sounded from a professional assassin. Gladly not too many could hear his thoughts and if someone like Schuldig had picked up on the last one, he didn't much care.

[daddyslilkiller]

Omi shrugged. He'd never felt especially heroic. Necessary, sure. It had been drilled into him throughout his training that he and the other assassins Kritiker owned were the only things standing between their targets and innocent people, but to feel heroic he'd have to be able to say they were doing something really good and.. well, he wasn't sure he could, anymore.

The comforting words did seem a bit out of character for Aya, although he'd seen before how much this one had changed from the one he was used to. Still, Omi gave him a small, grateful smile for the gesture. Even if it didn't make him feel much better, Aya had tried. "I live with him, Aya-kun. I can't help keeping an eye on him."

[seiran314]

"Mnn.." Aya sighed, wondering briefly if he had said too much again, and decided to just suck it up from here on. He didn't like to have his secrets out there in the open, but he didn't like the looks Omi was giving him either. Supposedly he should have been used to them by now but he wasn't used to this kind of Omi anymore and he changed slowly.

Lowering his gaze to the table, he let the fork go and forced himself to pick up the water glass again. He sipped slowly while debating with himself, and eventually got tired of his fluttering thoughts.

"Frankly, Omi, I think what you did was stupid." He forced himself to look at Omi, not liking himself for what he was going to say but there was no helping it. This was why Mamoru had kept him around this long, or so he hoped. "For your sake, I hope he's better than most people and doesn't let you down. The way we act together is a sure indication that we're the same, so putting two things together isn't too hard." He paused for a brief moment, and sighed again. "The next time consider if it's necessary at all." It wasn't a command, he was in no position to give them. But it might have sounded like one.

[daddyslilkiller]

...Or not. He winced inwardly as Aya followed up with something more like what Omi had been expecting. Not like he could debate any of it. He had been stupid and irresponsible, and Kurama not taking no for an answer should have just clued him in that telling anything at all would be a bad idea.

The only redeeming feature of the whole debacle was that while they were trapped here, Kritiker wouldn't get caught in the backlash. He may have screwed his team over, but Kritiker would be fine.

He nodded when Aya seemed finished. "I know. There won't be a next time."

[seiran314]

Aya nodded shortly. If he'd be honest, he couldn't picture this conversation taking place with Mamoru, and for a brief moment he was glad he didn't have to deal with the Takatori heir right now. Then he pushed the thought off his mind, it was pointless to debate over ifs and buts.

"You ought to tell Yohji as well, if he doesn't know already." Based on Yohji's expressions the moment before it was too late already.

Sipping his water again, he fell silent, considering the matter being dealt with, and there was no reason to continue with it.

[daddyslilkiller]

Omi was happy enough with silence, as well. He wasn't really in the mood for idle conversation and the topic at hand had been more than adequately covered, so he picked at his food, pushing it around the plate more than eating.

It wasn't the sulking sort of silence one might expect from a chastised seventeen-year-old, but more one of someone who had a lot on his mind. Unless Aya spoke first, which was thankfully unlikely as far as Omi could tell, he was happy to just wait for lunch to end.

[rabastlestrange]

((Bastie was annoying people there))

Rabastan Lestrange hummed to himself as he wound between the chairs and headed for that (now) familiar red hair. There was only one person who knew with that particular shade, and the worry that had been on Rabastan's face faded into a cheerful grin.

"Aya!"

Bast very nearly wuffle-pounced on Aya, stopping himself about a half-foot from the man's chair. Something told him that Aya probably wouldn't enjoy being smacked into by his whole ninety-five pounds of boney self. Plunking down in a chair happily next to him instead, Bast beamed at Omi.

"Hi! I'm Bast! Who are you? Did you eat, Aya? You're going to be as skinny as me one of these days. Prison does that. Did you miss me? I thought you might need a break."

And he actually got that out in one whole breath.

[seiran314]

Luck never was one of the things Aya was rich with. The time at Landel's had not failed to follow that pattern. The silence between himself and Omi was almost comfortable when Bast decided to join in. He didn't dislike the wizard, but Bast could have chosen another time for his sudden appearance as far as Aya was concerned.

The only indication of his slight irritation was a twitching brow, gaze tightly at his half empty water glass.

"Bast," he acknowledged, ignoring all the talk about food and practically everything else as well. He was half expecting Omi to take care of the social communication, like he had always done, even if Bast obviously was Aya's acquaintance.