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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[stray_shinigami]

Renji woke still lost in that strange feeling of calm. He might have liked it, enjoyed how clear and simple everything felt, if he'd been able to register even something so small

[broken_exorcist]

Allen woke with a jerk as the intercom came on. Back in his bed. His heart was pounding in his chest. Last night seemed almost like it had just been a dream, but he knew it couldn't be. His wounds had all been tended to. His ribs and the strange cut on his hand. His vision was still a little bit dark, but it was a vast improvement from last night.

But it wasn't his injuries he was concerned about. The Noah were here. Rhode and almost certainly Tyki as well. And with himself and Ravi in their weakened conditions, they hardly stood a chance! Not to mention Rhode's threat. The last thing he remembered hearing from last night. He hugged his arms tightly as he got out of bed. He did remember to grab the ring before the nurse came in to fetch him. It was then he caught sight of his roommate. Sasuke's injuries looked pretty bad. Allen started toward the boy, but was pulled away by the nurse

[stray_shinigami]

Renji's attention came slowly to Allen, and for a long time he just looked at the boy. He didn't feel like talking, or even making polite conversation, or having anyone near him. He just wanted to be left alone.

After a long, pause, he said, "It was fine."

He supposed he should ask Allen the same question in return. After all... he had been with Rukia. No matter how detached Renji felt, Rukia was the most important thing in his life. Allen didn't seem upset as he had yesterday, so that meant she was most likely okay. "What about you?"

[broken_exorcist]

Allen shifted in his seat, a bit uncomfortable under Renji's gaze. He seemed irritated, but that was normal, wasn't it? He picked up a napkin from his tray and wrapped the ring he'd pocketed the other day in it. He did what he could to make the move casual, as though he'd only been wiping sticky fingers into his napkin. He'd prefer not to have the nurse's attention first thing in the morning

[stray_shinigami]

Renji picked up the napkin; he followed Allen's caution by habit, dropping it to his lap before unwrapping it enough to take a look. If he remembered correctly... "I think that this is something Valyn can use," he said. "We'll see." He tucked the ring, still wrapped in the napkin, away. "Thanks," he said.

He fell silent; he really didn't have anything else to say. Idly, he wondered of Allen was going to stay there all breakfast. He really would have preferred to be alone.

Renji picked his cup of tea back up and took a sip.

[broken_exorcist]

Thankfully, Renji didn't take interest in last night's activities. Or it was possible, he was just uninterested in Allen himself. Either one was fine really, Allen figured. But he supposed he'd just have to wait to hear anything about the ring

[broken_exorcist]

[[to here]]

(RENJI IS NOW SITTING ALONE AGAIN.)

[stray_shinigami]

Renji nodded. Allen was a good kid. He knew that he should have been encouraging, should have been more interested. He just felt... like nothing. He didn't have the interest, and he'd never been any good at faking it.

He'd make up for it later. Late, when he actually felt like talking, like being social. He just needed a little alone time, now.

*insert jaws theme here*

[heartcrown]

( Stalking from here.)

On closer inspection, Renji did not appear to be in a good mood. In fact, what with the way that his face appeared to be lacking in then the smallest of emotions (other than what appeared to be bordering apathetic and intense rage), Kairi would have sworn that he was about to break something in half.

Not that that stopped her from moving quietly to a seat in front of him and sitting herself down slowly.

For a few seconds, Kairi was quiet, looking up at him through her dark lashes as if to question if he was even going to acknowledge her sudden appearance. But, after a few moments of silence, her hand lifted and brushed through her coppery red bangs, a small, nervous smile creeping across her lips. “Hello, Renji.”

Re: *insert jaws theme here*

[stray_shinigami]

So much for the hope that he'd be left alone.

Renji looked at Kairi. He set his cup of tea down. In a small way, though, it made him slightly happier that it was Kairi, just like it would have made him just a little happy if it'd been Rukia. (At least until she started inevitably asking him questions.) Kairi's presence was a reminder that they had been successful in rescuing her.

...even if she had been taken in the first place, and that had filled him with such anger...

Renji's lips twitched slightly into a brief parody of a smile. "Hey," he said.

[heartcrown]

So far so good! … Maybe.

At the fake smile that Renji put up, Kairi’s meek smile turned into a frown for a few seconds before returning to another smile. This smile was a lot happier and brighter than her first one.

As she saw things, maybe if she acted like she was perfectly fine, he wouldn’t be such a grump. Though, this was pushing things.

Kairi’s hands were placed securely in her lap and out of Renji’s view, which was all the better for him. That way he couldn’t see how tightly her hands were fisted.

“I’m … glad to see that you’re okay. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you; I must have been like dead weight. I really do sleep deeply when I’m tired, and I was just happy so I thought that maybe you wouldn’t mind if I just … passed out in your arms.” She was rambling now, trying to at least make him see that she was fine.

[stray_shinigami]

"It's okay," Renji said. "I didn't mind."

It wasn't that it had made him happy that she'd been in such bad shape. But it had made him feel better, just a little, to think that there was someone he could protect, that maybe he wasn't entirely helpless.

He pushed his tray over to be in front of her. "Here," he said. "Bet you like strawberries more than me."

He picked his tea back up. He wished that he could hold someone again.

[heartcrown]

Kairi lowered her head slightly as Renji spoke, twirling a strand of her coppery hair around her index finger. “A-ah, okay. I’m just glad I wasn’t being a burden

[scintillatingly]

Morning came, and Sora felt tired instead of refreshed. Not that he ever felt refreshed in the institute, but some days he woke up feeling better than others. The night had drained him, physically and emotionally, so it was to be expected that he had something of a drag to his step as he made the trip with his nurse from his room to the cafeteria

[stray_shinigami]

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said. "Not really hungry."

Renji tensed up as Kairi stood and moved behind him. Through an act of will, he made his shoulders relax. It was Kairi, it was okay. He set his tea cup back down, dropping his hands to his lap so that she wouldn't be able to see them clench.

"If you feel like it," he said, quietly. It was better than having to touch it, himself.

When Sora sat, he looked at the boy; it wasn't unfriendly, simply calm. Again, he just spoke a quiet, "Hey."

[heartcrown]

Kairi stood behind Renji for a few moments, trying to figure out the best way to tackle this. Lifting a tentative hand, she reached out to gently begin to ease the band out of his hair. “I’m sorry if this hurts. You can pinch me afterwards if you want to make up for it.” Letting out a soft giggle, she finally eased the band out of his hair, and she held it in her hand while she allowed his hair to fall down his back for the moment