Day 57: Intercom, Evening
Varying opinions aside about the new caretakers, the efficiency of the military was worthy of some admiration. The Great Escape ended with minutes to spare, and the staff wasted no time in dismantling the equipment in the Sun Room. Visitors were kindly informed that visiting hours were over while patients were ushered to their rooms
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He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that Firo hadn't noticed where his escort was leading him until after they'd already passed the block his room was in.
"Didn't we just...?" he started to ask, but he was cut off with a clipped reply from the other man, who simply stated that he'd been moved. The remainder of the walk was spent in silence, until the door to M44 was opened. As soon as he stepped inside, the door was shut and locked behind him. Firo glanced back at it, but then turned his attention to the other occupant of the room. For the first time since his arrival, he wasn't alone during dinner.
And to be honest, it was a little awkward. "Hello," he finally said, still standing near the door. He wasn't entirely sure what to say next. The guard hadn't introduced them before leaving, and anyway, did the blond even know he'd be having someone rooming with him? There was a slight pause before Firo added, "It looks like I'm your new roommate."
The blond was already seated at one of the desks, so he assumed the other side of the room was his. Firo cast a glance at that side; another bowl of pink gruel awaited him, along with the metal box which held his belongings.
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"Oh!" He held back a sigh. No need to make the new guy feel bad just for rooming with him, right? Claude did his best to smile. "Hi!"
Right now he was standing awkwardly by the door, which just made more Claude more unsettled. He gestured to the other side of the room. "Here, why don't you take a seat? They've brought dinner, and--" One look at the pink gruel made him fall silent, though. It didn't look any less disgusting than the last time he'd seen Mason eat it. "...Oh."
He redirected his gaze to the steak on his plate. As scrumptious as it was, Claude knew he couldn't fully enjoy it if his new roommate was stuck eating that crap. After a brief pause, he added, "You wanna share?"
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Firo shook his head, holding his hands up in front of him when his new roommate offered to share his own meal. "No; thank you. I don't really have much of an appetite tonight."
He'd eaten the gruel at lunch, but even with the offer of a better meal, food was really the last thing on his mind right now; it was too full with thoughts of that movie and the weird charade that had been going on all day. However... He cast a curious glance at the steak as he dropped his arms back to his sides. He'd seen a few people with good food in the cafeteria before, but not this close before. "But I would like to know what you did to get that in the first place."
He finally headed for the empty desk, taking a seat at an angle so he could still face the blond.
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Well...unless he was a vegetarian. Or he'd had a rotten day and just plain didn't want to eat. Claude himself went through a period without any appetite not too long ago, after all. Maybe it was better to take his word for it. Claude didn't want to pry too much, especially with someone he'd just met.
"Okay, then," he answered. "But let me know if you change your mind, all right?" With that, Claude began to cut into his steak.
He was glad to be of some use by answering the man's question, though it was a little surprising no one had told him beforehand. Claude glanced up from his plate again. "From what I understand, it's based on seniority," he explained. "I've been here for about a month now, so I guess that's why I get the old menu." It was a raw deal for the other captives, but, unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it.
Studying the man for a moment, he tried to remember if he'd seen him before.
"How long have you been here?" Claude curiously added.
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The blond's question snapped Firo out of his thoughts. "Not long," he answered. "Today was my third day."
...Ah, that was right; he hadn't introduced himself yet, had he? If he and the blond were going to be rooming together from here on out, it was the least he needed to do. "Oh, I'm Firo," he said, wondering whether he should reach out for a handshake even though his roommate had just started on his dinner. He decided against it, but added, "And you?"
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Either way, he was glad when his roommate introduced himself. It gave him something more immediate to think about. Besides, now he had a name to go with that face. "Nice to meet you, Firo," he replied with a grin. "My name's Claude."
He glanced down at his food again, looking a little sheepish now. "Sorry for digging in like this in front of you. I guess I want to keep all my strength up for tonight, you know?"
A piece of steak always did wonders for his spirit and body. And with what he had planned with Guy and Anise, Claude knew he needed to be ready for anything.
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The apology hadn't been necessary, but now that he thought about it, Claude had a good point about keeping up strength for tonight; he should probably do the same, appetite or not. Even though he wasn't feeling at all hungry, it was likely enough that his stomach would start growling at him later on if he completely skipped the meal now. Firo cast a glance at the gruel once more, and resolved to eat some of it before leaving the room that night.
In the meantime, he turned his attention to the metal box. He left his seat at the desk, picking the box up and moving it to the bed, where he'd have more room to go through it. He lifted the lid off, and removed his hat from atop of the fold pile of clothes within it.
"So do you have something planned tonight, or just preparing for the unexpected?" he asked as he set the hat aside on the bed.
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He frowned, hoping Firo wouldn't get any ideas. Maybe it sounded hypocritical of him, but Claude didn't want anyone else going down into the basement if it could be avoided. He had a feeling that nothing but bloodshed waited down there. But since he, Guy and Anise were actually in a position to further explore it, they were the best candidates to put any questions to rest.
"It's dangerous down there, though," he added. "I honestly don't know what we'll find." Or if they'd come back.
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"I guess I missed it," he admitted, shaking his head. "I felt tired when we got back from town, so I went to sleep after dinner..." Not that he'd actually eaten much of his dinner then, either; he'd had a good meal in town, so it had only taken a few spoonfuls of gruel to satisfy his stomach.
He could guess a little at the announcement from what Claude had said-there was some area that was newly accessible, but that was all. "What's the area? Was there anything else important mentioned?"
Firo paused before adding one last question, "And who's Marc?" Landel's name he'd heard before, but 'Marc' was new to him.
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