Day 26: Breakfast

[tsunagari]

Sai awoke rather groggily, which wasn't a good sign for a ninja. It meant he was probably ill. He'd need to get checked up with a medic-nin before he did very much more that day. Eyes blinked open slowly to stare at the ceiling and then narrowed in confusion. Not his ceiling. Was he already at the hospital

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[notahangedman]

It came to no surprise to Seishirou that after the last intercom announcement, he woke up in his bed to the head doctor's voice yet again. The man didn't seem too happy about his life at the moment. Well, Seishirou couldn't say he felt sorry for him

[transgenix]

One moment, Max had been caught between a wall of glistening, pointed swords and sunrise, and the next, she was blinking her eyes open in her own room, in her assigned bed once more. “Shit!" she cursed, jerking upwards in bewilderment, the abrupt shift from danger to near-normalcy leaving her senses spinning for a moment.

When the nurse came to get her, she followed without comment, partially lost in disturbing thoughts and partially mapping out every step she took, although she knew she'd walked this exact same path last night.

At least the food in the cafeteria smelled wonderful this morning, she had to admit, heading for the serving area and helping herself to a plateful of waffles. Fresh waffles. How long had it been since she’d had freshly made waffles? And whipped cream and fruit! If this place weren’t so damned annoying psychotic, this place could quickly become considered heaven

[notahangedman]

First pancake half eaten, Seishirou was enjoying himself wholeheartedly. He had decided that the fresh blueberries were his favorites (this morning), and that whipped cream had not tasted this good for quite a while. From his quite strong fascination for them, one might have thought he never had sweets as a kid. But quite the contrary, his childhood had not lacked candy. Perhaps reasonable modesty in eating them, but he had not been expected to live long anyhow.

He let his fork rest when a young woman paused beside his table. A beautiful young woman he added silently.

"No, I practically insist that you sit down," he answered, giving a smile for a smile, amused. "Please." He gestured towards the empty seat.

[transgenix]

Max gave a laugh at his unexpectedly enthusiastic reply, setting her tray down on the table beside his own. "Thank you," she replied with a wry grin, sinking down into the empty chair. "I swear, trying to pick where to sit when you don't really know many people around here is like picking numbers for the lottery. And probably more nerve-wracking. I never know if I'll be intruding or not. Or who I'll end up sitting with. This place has quite the menagerie of... strange specimens."

Sticking her hand out in friendly greeting, she cocked her head to the side to appraise him. "I'm Max, by the way."

[notahangedman]

Seishirou lowered his fork to the plate in favor of clasping the hand offered to him, his smile widening into a pleased grin. "Pleased to meet you, Max. I'm Sakurazuka Seishirou." And after a brief moment he added, "Seishirou will do just fine."

He released her hand and picked up his fork yet again. Not even beautiful women could keep him away from his culinary pleasures.

"Isn't that the fun of lottery, though. I would assume so at least. Never knowing how it'll turn out." He gave Max an amused look from the corner of his one amber eye. "Rest assured, I'm always welcoming new acquaintances."

[transgenix]

"You're not an alien or a mythological being or a secret agent, are you?" she couldn't help but joke, reaching for her own fork and stabbing a strawberry with relish. Waving it around, she motioned to the room at large. "And I thought my life was exceedingly strange. Before I showed up here. Sometimes I think they're right and I have gone crazy, you know?"

[notahangedman]

"No, no and no. Unfortunately I'm nothing that exciting." Seishirou laughed warmly, spearing a slice of strawberry to the plastic spikes of his fork as well. "But I suppose we can share the sentiment about this matter. While I can't pretend my life could have been considered normal by any means," the end of the world rarely was, "this place does have quite a taste of it's own."

He chewed the strawberry slowly while looking at Max, then tapped his lips with the fork. "Say, where are you from?"

[transgenix]

"Seattle," Max answered, popping the strawberry in her mouth with a quick grin. "Which is in Washington. In America. If you even know where that is."

Cutting into her waffles, she lifted another bite to her mouth. "Although I'm from a different time then everyone else, apparently. No one here's heard of the Pulse, which basically took the states out, and most people seem to come from the decade or so before I was born."

She paused, shooting his a sheepish look. "Uh, sorry if I just gave you way more information than you needed. Or just spoiled the mystery of your distant future."

[notahangedman]

"No, it's quite alright." Seishirou smiled, cut a bite size bit from his waffle with the side of his fork and then shook his head slightly. "I don't particularly care either. I suppose it's the now what matters." If even that.

He chewed on the waffle thoughtfully, then pointed at Max with his fork with another bit hanging from the spikes. "America I've heard of, naturally, and Seattle. But I can't say I'm familiar with the pulse."

[transgenix]

"No one here is," Max answered with a crooked grin. "At least you're from the same sort of planet I am. What year was it before you woke up here? It was 2020 from where I was from. I think I've only found one person so far that was from further ahead than I was - my roommate, actually - and that was by about a century or so, although I haven't seen her since yesterday, so I'm not sure what happened to her."

Taking another few bites, she reached for her glass of juice. "Have you been here long?" she asked, curious. She'd yet to meet anyone who'd been here longer than a week, but they all seemed to treat the place as if they'd been here forever. Then again, after two days of this place, she could see why.

[notahangedman]

"It was 1999 when I died." Seishirou smiled before popping the fork into his mouth. He had no idea what Max was talking about. But he was not inclined to tell her that, not quite right now at least. Maybe it was time to learn a bit about this place.

"No, actually I haven't been around more than a day." He grinned a bit sheepishly, eyes curving into pleased half moons. "Is it that obvious? Hopefully I don't seem completely clueless at least!" His words were accompanied by a heartfeldt laughter.

[transgenix]

Max paused with the fork halfway to her mouth, her dark gaze darting to his face in stunned bewilderment. When he died?!

"Pardon me?"

[notahangedman]

Seishirou arched his brows, gazing at Max over the table with his one good eye, smiling. "Yes, only a day, two nights. How about you?"

[transgenix]

"Two days, two nights," Max answered absently, staring at him more fully now. "Did you just say when you'd died?" she demanded, although her tone was more curious than rude.

[notahangedman]

"Ah, yes." Seishirou chuckled, letting his fork resume it's work upon his plate, gathering various fruits to the spikes. "I was killed just before I woke up here. My apologies, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Probably ruined your appetite." He gave her another sheepish grin.

[transgenix]

"You didn't ruin my appetite, I've endured some crazy shit, but dyings never been one of them," she answered, looking utterly perplexed as she slouched backwards in her chair to study him.

Cocking her head to the side, her dark gaze skimmed him intently. "How do you know you didn't just almost die?" she asked, quirking a skeptical eyebrow. "I mean, you're here, and very obviously alive - at least you don't look see-through and floaty and ghostlike to me - so isn't that kind of impossible?"