Day 60: Cafeteria

[gald_digger]

Anise had been lying snug in bed, only vaguely aware that she was awake, when her rest was disturbed by the one sound in the world she'd never wanted to hear again.

"Good morning, everyone!"

The girl's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up straight. There was no doubt about it. That was the Head Doctor, that bastard, and he was back! Now that

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[requitedfate]

They would be... back?

Shiina awoke with a start, her forehead drenched in sweat. The man's voice she heard greeting them this morning was different than the cheery man from the day before. Not Major Harrington but... someone who had returned from a nice vacation? Not likely.

"Good morning, Reiko dear!" The cheerful nurse that came to greet her was a surprise. No military uniform. No gun by her side. Just a woman dressed as a nurse, smiling in an indulgent manner. "Are you ready to start the day with our delicious breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Shiina blinked up at the woman, not sure if she was hearing right. "You mean... we're actually having waffles?"

"Why, of course we are, dear! That's what we schedule for every Wednesday morning!" Her smile remained beautifully at ease and sincere.

Shiina attempted to smile back but it came across as forced. "Right. Of course."

The teenager slipped out of bed and followed the nurse down the hall. The boyish uniform and beret was gone (thank goodness!) but she felt a little bare wearing the sweats. It was like walking around in pajamas. She clutched her arms around herself self-consciously. Upon entering the cafeteria it was made plan that everyone was in the same garb and they were indeed having waffles. And they weren't rotten either! Shiina could have cried in joy.

As it was, being the cafeteria also sobered her up quite a bit. Last night's adventure had been a little straining, to say the least. Still, that wouldn't be anything a little grub wouldn't fix. Sitting herself down, Shiina exercised great willpower and didn't plow right into the food like many of the other patients. Instead, she very slowly cute off one tender bite of waffle and made sure to chew thoroughly before swallowing. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet and refreshing. Stuffing her face would have been lovely but for now just tasting was such a luxury that she felt forced to leave not one bite taken for granted. If they ever took her food privileges away again she wanted to remember what a good meal tasted like.

[Tsubaki!]

[thecamellia]

Waking up back in bed came as a surprise to Tsubaki, especially when she ascertained that her weapon modes were once again blocked off from her reach. And Rapunzel... Rapunzel's hair was short again. There was no more pink glow, either.

Just them, waking up to greet the morning like every other day in the Institute.

That was kind of... a disappointing realization. So the Institute was back to normal, huh? Whatever had allowed them to get their strength back seemed to be over now, though the plus side to having nightshift end meant there were no more monsters, dead or alive. Still, if there was a chance of the prisoners doing anything, it would be when--

"Good morning, everyone!"

... Oh. The Institute really was back to normal. In her room, Tsubaki repressed a shiver.

While she went through the process of getting ready, she pondered Aguilar's final words--parting words, to be more exact--and what they meant in the context of finding the Head Doctor back, giving the morning announcement. As a result, she went about dressing in the old hospital uniform without really looking at what she was doing. Rapunzel seemed to be having another late morning, so Tsubaki was left to make her way down to the cafeteria alone. Well, not alone--there was her escort, which wasn't a soldier as she might've expected to see, but her old nurse.

If Landel was back, really back, then...

Upon getting her food, Tsubaki was suddenly and stupidly grateful that she wasn't the only one getting a helping of waffles. Finally, those ranks weren't stopping people from eating! Not that she was glad Landel seemed to be in power again... At least he hadn't withheld regular meals, though! At any rate, one of the people she saw eating was Shiina, all by herself. To say Tsubaki was eager to make sure the people she knew were still in one piece after last night was an understatement, and she immediately took her tray over to the other girl's table.

"Hello! If you're not sitting with anyone, do you mind if I sit?"

[requitedfate]

Shiina looked up and felt great relief to see Tsubaki standing before her. Seeing someone other than Shou who had been kind and willing to offer information in their previous meeting was a balm. Not that she would have minded seeing Shou, of course, but he always attempted to shelter her. In her opinion that caused more problems than solved them because it left her vulnerable. Tsubaki was a teenage girl herself. She wouldn't attempt to keep information away from Shiina even if it meant causing her a little worry. Or so Shiina hoped.

Her mouth was still full of waffle, so she nodded vigorously and gestured to the open seat nearby. Once she had swallowed and Tsubaki had made herself comfortable, Shiina greeted her properly.

"Morning, Tsubaki-san. I hope you had a... safe night." Her brows drew together and raised, relaying her uncertainty. "I think I'm starting to understand what you meant when you said it could get dangerous at night."

[thecamellia]

At Shiina’s assent, Tsubaki sat, smiling broadly. The other girl didn’t seem to be having trouble with the food, at least. If the meals were back to normal for everyone, poor Rapunzel was missing out on a good breakfast, despite the fact that waffles weren’t the healthiest food.

After last night, though, everyone could use a little treat.

“I don’t know what that was, but um, it could’ve been worse. For me and my friend, I mean,” answered Tsubaki, smile dimming somewhat. And poor Shiina, for having to go through that cacophony in her first few days of arriving--it would be enough to unsettle anyone. “Are you okay? You didn’t get caught in the middle of that craziness, did you?”

[requitedfate]

Shiina smiled sympathetically towards the other girl. "As long as you have a friend around, it seems like things aren't so bad. I would just hate to get caught out at night alone..."

She took a drink of her juice and set to cutting up her waffle a bit while she answered. "It was definitely crazy last night. We kinda got attacked by... well, I didn't think birds even grew to that size, but it had to be at least as tall as full-grown man!" She chuckled a little, suddenly realizing how crazy that sounded now that she spoke it out loud.

Her smile dimmed a moment later and she stared down at her plate. Her lower lip tucked between her teeth as memories of last night returned to her. "My friend was hurt a little. I think he'll be okay, he's used to getting into tough spots but..." He had bled a lot. Shiina made a mental note to ask about his arm again over the bulletin if she didn't catch up with Shou later today.

[thecamellia]

Heh… that was right… having someone around could equal something as simple as a boost in confidence. There was no need to add to Shiina’s fears by recounting the kinds of trouble she had gotten into while travelling the halls alone, although Tsubaki herself had accepted the consequences of her choices. She had the advantage of having battle experience to her name, including extensive stealth training, so facing the Institute on her own wasn’t as scary as it could be. She didn’t know about Shiina--it could have been different for her.

Knowing that Shiina had a friend who was watching her back made the prospect of her going out to explore the Institute less worrisome in that sense. At least she had someone she trusted from home around, who could look out for her during commotions like the kind that had happened last night, and vice versa.

All things considered, though, if a person could make it through what had happened the night before, they could make it through almost anything. The only other time Tsubaki had seen it that bad had been during the night in Doyleton.

"A giant bird? I’m sure if your friend got hurt, the staff will take care of it today! People seem to heal a bit faster here, and if it’s very serious they let people go to the medical wing. It didn’t get you, did it?" There had been so many monster carcasses scattered in just the few halls Tsubaki had seen that she thought the hospital’s creatures had been out in full force everywhere. If Shiina and her companion had gotten away without being overwhelmed, that was a relief. "People also have some healing powers around here if people need it. We saw some dragonflies, but that was it… I think more monsters were out because something weird happened with whatever keeps our powers limited."

[requitedfate]

Tsubaki's presence and words were reassuring. She thought that Shou would be fine, and Shiina felt her own shoulders relaxing as the tension eased from them. He would be okay, even if those talons had probably left a huge scar in their wake. A scar was better than leaving only a hollow husk.

"I was okay. Niikura-san pushed me to safety before he was hit." Shiina's eyes dropped to her plate again. He hurt himself looking after her. Just like Shou always did. He always wanted to protect her; shield her from the evils that could cause her pain. She really needed to make her stance plain on how their relationship was going to work from now on.

"Healing powers?" That sounded kind of neat, but also a little far-fetched. Even after that giant bird Shiina wasn't one take the supernatural seriously until she saw it with her own eyes.

Dragonflies didn't sound too scary, but if a bird could be twice the size of a normal adult then maybe she would need something a little larger than a flyswatter if she ran into those creatures herself. As for the power limits... "You have powers, Tsubaki-san? Do you think the weird stuff that happened was part of that Code Red? Or maybe it was the cause of it..." There was a lot to take in after last night's antics.

[thecamellia]

She could see that Shiina felt badly about what had happened to her friend. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Tsubaki said at first. “I’m sure your friend is, too. He probably doesn’t want you to worry about it for long.” Seeing friends get hurt was always tough, sadly… Tsubaki sensed a part of Shiina’s concern was grounded in guilt, too, which Tsubaki couldn’t really offer a cure for…

But when it came to physical cures, there were a little more options to choose from.

“Yes, some people can do that sort of thing.” There was Rapunzel for one, but she wasn’t sure if it was okay to bring her roommate into the conversation without permission. There was also that “gift” from Landel. She still had it, but it was one of those mystery substances that she wouldn’t dare risk testing out on a person. “But I have a first aid kit in my room, actually. You can have it if you need?” That was a little less invasive than unknown liquids, and less out of the ordinary as healing magic.

When Shiina asked if she, too, had powers, Tsubaki thought it best not to try explaining all of them so soon.

“Uh huh, you could say that,” she said with a nod. “Just a skill, really. I’m not sure what happened, but… I think whatever is repressing people went away around the same time as that announcement. It sounds like something went wrong to make the Code Red start.”

[requitedfate]

Boy, did she know it! Shiina almost felt like giggling when Tsubaki's words rang with probably more truth than the other girl recognized. As for guilt, it was true a small measure of it weighed on her mind. Compared to the week of Akumetsu-ing she had witnessed, however, it was but a trickle in a pond.

"Huh. That's... interesting." People with healing abilities. Was this a video game?

The offer of the first aid kit gave Shiina pause. Then she smiled, still a bit in shock from the generosity of the offer. "Oh, I couldn't take it from you. I should probably grab one for myself sometime tonight or something." Taking it just seemed like taking advantage of Tsubaki's kindness. This was a hospital. Surely it wouldn't be hard to pick one up some night, assuming the staff didn't just confiscate the thing in the morning.

"So it was a warning of the... power suppressor being lifted?" Shiina still wasn't sure if she could just believe in powers, even if Tsubaki claimed to have some of her own. It was just too much to take in so soon. Best to just stick with worrying about the Code Red for now. "So the monsters... Those are a common occurrence? Or was last night just a fluke?"

[thecamellia]

It was probably only natural that Shiina would feel some skepticism and disbelief toward all that went on in the Institute if she wasn’t used to it back home. For instance, having large, vicious birds attack you and your friends wasn’t an everyday occurrence. If it was that would be… a scary place to come from.

“You’ll get used to it. If nothing else, the hospital opens your eyes to a lot of neat possibilities,” she offered reassuringly. “And it’d be perfectly okay. Being there in case of emergencies is what it’s for.” She’d had to purchase it with the money the military had given her during the field trip, but it didn’t really matter who it went to in the end, so long as it was put to good use. Tsubaki didn’t consider it “her” property so much as a community resource.

“But if you still want to look for supplies, be careful! Monsters… have a tendency to appear every night, just not as frequently as last night.” Tsubaki twirled a piece of waffle in a puddle of syrup before eating it. “That’s my guess about the Code Red stuff, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure. Something must have gone wrong for them to put up such defences, anyway. I’m sorry you had to get caught up in everything with your friend.”

Not just Shiina, but everyone. Not of that had been pleasant.

[requitedfate]

Neat possibilities was a nice way to put it. Shiina couldn't help but smile as she fought back a giggle at that morbid understatement. Tsubaki really was kind to offer her abilities to Shiina's service, however, and for that she was thankful. "I really appreciate it. Thank you."

She nodded seriously as Tsubaki continued with her warnings. Shiina understood that she needed all the help she could get to survive. "I'll always need to be on alert, then." She paled a little, thinking about having to face monsters like that giant bird or those bats on a regular basis, but she she was resolved to do it.

"Thanks for your advice, Tsubaki, it really helps." She was absolutely sincere in her thankfulness. Taking another bite, she gave herself a moment to think of what else she might have to ask. Nothing new came to mind, but a little thought struck her. "You must be pretty brave, or else pretty lucky to have survived so long here. It seems like such an awful place."

[thecamellia]

Well, if Shiina didn’t want to take her up on her offer, that was okay… Hopefully her friend’s wound wouldn’t worsen so that he would need immediate attention.

“It’s no problem,” she replied. Tsubaki angled her head, giving the other girl a comforting smile. Where bravery was concerned, Shiina clearly had it, being willing to travel the halls at night time despite what she had been learning about the Institute--in part thanks to Tsubaki’s own explanations.

But she was also afraid, that much was apparent. She had a reason to be; being a prisoner was no picnic. Still, Tsubaki didn’t want Shiina to have to be constantly looking over her shoulder, either. “Caution isn’t a bad thing, but try not to let things psyche you out too much. You’d be surprised how uneventful the days can be sometimes.” It was unfortunate that they had to talk about survival in terms of luck, but Shiina wasn’t exactly wrong. Awful things did happen, but that was another thing people just needed to try and defend against. “Eventually you get used to it… And if things get hard, there’s people who’ll help you out. Sooner or later we can all go home and put this behind us, that’s what I keep in mind.”

[requitedfate]

If Shiina came up with a really dangerous injury, like broken bones, then she might seek a little more supernatural help. Until then, though, flesh wounds could be dealt with. After all, this was Shou she was talking about.

Tsubaki's understanding words really did a number on calming Shiina's nerves. She had to learn to be like that, cool and ready for anything. Like Tsubaki. Like Shou. "Right. We'll beat this place. Someday soon."

Going home? That wasn't necessary a priority for Shiina. Maybe to let her parents know she was alive, but she wanted to be with Shou after this. Wherever he went she would go. That's all there was to it. "Thanks again, Tsubaki-san. Really, you're a good friend."

[thecamellia]

Tsubaki gave a single determined nod. “Yup!”

Whatever reasons people like the Head Doctor had for keeping the Institute operating, it wasn’t enough to justify the prisoners’ treatment. Putting a stop to that treatment was one of the most important tasks ahead of them, but Tsubaki was confident it could be done. Every new piece of information was a step in the right direction. “Know your enemy,” was the golden rule, after all.

At any rate, she was glad if she had brought some comfort to Shiina, however small. “Heh, you’re welcome. I hope we can be good friends in the future. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone after crazy experiences like last night.”