Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

[right_handed]

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun

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[dawning_dreams]

Cid sat up with a jerk as strong and as sleep-wrenching as the five memorable seconds he'd allowed the Highwind to be put in Barret's not-so-capable hands. He felt a little woozy as he stood, and a little sick, but his physical state wasn't so worrisome to him as what it implied.

Had nightshift ended so quickly? He remembered having a ridiculously unhelpful conversation with Vincent, as well as receiving more taunts over his nonexistent marriage to Shera.

He shook his head, putting a hand to it and wincing his eyes closed. Whatever; this place's timeline was hard to gauge, and that wasn't even considering all of the outside factors that had made his friends and enemies about two years older than when he'd last seen them.

When the usual nurse came to take him away to a suspiciously good-smelling meal, Cid wasn't as loud or disruptive as usual, instead opting to eat in silence as he contemplated those differences in chronology that he just couldn't seem to get out of his damn head.

[bigshotbarret]

[please deleted the anon post please mods, sorry about that >.< Barret was dressed and whisked away from 'Robin Hood' before he could laugh at the name provided. Something about the name struck his funny bone. Later he would find him though--the guy could prove a useful ally

[1mperturbable]

Getting out of the showers had been more difficult than he had thought it would be. Cloud had to step over fighting bodies and nurses sedating people. He had to wonder if it was the strain of being in a place like this that snapped other people’s tempers… or they could just simply dislike one another or want something more entertaining to do.

He had changed his mind about this place. Boot camp was infinitely more entertaining than this place was, and he was only on his first day. He ached to practice with his sword, feeling it was long-overdue.

He found getting back to the cafeteria to be the easy part, but the food was unappealing. He had not done anything to make such a heavy meal worthwhile, but a salad seemed too little. He grudgingly took some pasta in a small portion and added cheese with one slice of bread - Yuffie would probably steal it anyway

[dawning_dreams]

"What, really?" Cid blinked at Barret, following up his own confusion with a weak smirk. "I dunno. Ain't been much use around here, as far as I'm..."

The pilot trailed off as soon as he saw the familiar shock of blond hair and mako-blue eyes approach the table. He'd heard about Cloud's return from the beyond, but it still didn't change the fact that the last time he'd seen the kid, he'd been a couple years younger and been in the process of being sliced in half by Hellmasker's chainsaw.

Which kinda brought Cid back to his first, more depressing train of thought. What the hell was going on around here?

"Man, if I'm a sight for sore eyes, you're a fucking beauty." Cid extended a hand over the table, realizing with the effort that his chest hadn't been hurting as much as it had the night before. "How the hell you doin', kid?"

[muted_flame]

Roy had made certain to make his shower quick, as he had more than a few memories of awkward situations that had gone on in there. He wasn't certain why people wouldn't keep to themselves when cleaning off, but apparently some of the other patients didn't understand common decency

[usoppsenchou]

The supplies tucked neatly in his arms made it hard to go through the lunch line, and he found himself thinking, Isn't spaghetti one of those foods that you aren't supposed to eat on first dates because of the mess? Which was silly, since he was just going to talk about weapons with another guy, but he was still nervous as the nurse helped him juggle his items to get a good grip on them and the lunch tray. Dropping the whole plate of spaghetti, at least, would not give a good impression of 'competence

[muted_flame]

It really hadn't been that hard to spot who he thought to be Usopp, especially since he also seemed to be carrying much more than the usual patient did. Most people kept everything they found in their rooms, so why was he carting things around in plain sight?

That nose, on the other hand, certainly was unique. Roy wasn't sure what to make of it, but at least it was a good way to identify him. He eyed Luffy's friend until they made eye contact, and then watched as he made his way over.

Once Usopp approached and asked his question, Roy had to hold back a smile. He seemed as impressed as Luffy always was, which was nice. He hadn't had quite as many admirers at Landel's, so having a taste of home was comforting. Usually the admirers were female, but...

"I am," he responded with a nod. "Please, sit down." The other patient looked ready to lose his balance, and Roy didn't really want the food he had to go flying everywhere.

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp began to place his baggage on the table, and although there had been a dangerous moment when the plate of spaghetti seemed to be ready to slide off the plate he finally managed to put his tray down firmly on the table. To the side, the art and medical supplies he'd swindled talked his doctor out of were placed together, though he immediately picked up the tube again. It was meant to stop itching, the doctor had said

[a_spider_can]

[ Reserved for Venom. Please don't interrupt! ]

At least no one had bugged him in the showers after that Carnage weirdo. Peter had been able to finish up his shower in peace and then get out of that bathroom as quickly as possible. So he found himself sitting at a table in the cafeteria with still-damp hair, casting his gaze around at the other few patients there. He knew that more would be flooding in soon, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Logic dictated that he should find someone else to talk to and get more information from, but his experience so far had him wary that some other random person was going to approach him and act like they knew him. If that was the case, he wanted to be ready for it.

So for the moment, he was going to keep to himself, eat his pasta, and see if he was bothered again. If enough time went by and he was left alone, maybe he would seek someone out. Though all of this socializing was leaving him a little worn out...

[blacksustenance]

Now that he'd suffered through group therapy with the resident perv and his fairy buddy, Brock was pretty sure the day could only get worse. For all he knew, that brat with that freak-eye would jump him - or, if it wasn't him - then Kasady.

But Brock quickly forgot about all of that when he stepped foot inside the cafeteria and nearly tripped over his feet when he sensed the last person he expected to see in this mutant prison. Fending off the nurse's questions, the blond focused on that presence he'd sensed, almost convinced that he was only seeing what he wanted to see and that it wasn't real. No. No, it wasn't just him. You couldn't make up that taste of Spider that was heavy on the roof of their mouth or in his nose, pulling at them just like he always did.

The symbiote, previously content to bide its time, suddenly began to roil in excitement. He's hereYes, they could see that now. Suddenly everything didn't matter. They needed to get to him, see with their own eyes, and...Brock didn't know what he planned to do, but he was

[a_spider_can]

Surprisingly, this spaghetti was pretty damn good. Considering it was churned out by cafeteria workers who were probably dissatisfied with their jobs, he hadn't been expecting much, but it wasn't long before he was slurping up the noodles. Even if Peter had considered the possibility that the food was drugged, that obviously wasn't the case considering how everyone else was eating without much concern.

Just as he was starting to figure that those two meetings had both been flukes, and it wasn't going to happen again, which meant that he could actually go look for someone to sit with, he was proved horribly wrong.

The most jarring thing was that he hadn't even noticed anyone coming up behind him, so when that hand settled down on his shoulder, he jerked and dropped his fork with a clatter into the bowl of pasta. How about his spider sense? What was--

Before he even had the chance to turn around, he felt a cold wetness drag across his ear. His body shuddered and then tensed up. What the hellBut it wasn't a foreign voice that was

[blacksustenance]

[Aaack, my computer quasi-died AGAIN *SOBSOB*]

Brock ran his tongue over his fangs as he stood back, still tasting the Spider in his mouth. He smirked as Parker bolted out of his seat like he'd been shot, trying to put some distance between them, and not doing too good a job at it.

The blond pretended to pat himself down. "Funny, I don't feel very dead." He leered at Parker. "You really shouldn't have rejected us, Parker. It was one of the biggest mistakes of your life."

Brock couldn't help but agree with the symbiote, but he also had to admit that he was glad he at least got the opportunity to be the alien's second choice for Host. Not only was it a second chance, but it was a second chance with a hell of a lot of perks - Parker's enhanced strength and his other, more bizarre powers right up there, and tailored just to give Brock that extra edge. He was still confident he could cream the Spider any day of the week, Landels or no Landels, and he had to resist the suddenly powerful urge to give the kid a good slug. Call it a

[scintillatingly]

While things weren't exactly right, especially with Kairi in the state she was in, Sora was feeling pretty good. Just being around his two best friends at the same time was enough to cheer him up. Besides, Riku seemed to have an idea of how to reverse what had been done to Kairi, so everything was going to be fixed soon.

Maybe not everything. There was also Renji to consider, but that was out of his hands. Sora knew that Renji had a lot of friends who cared about him, and would probably be able to take better care of him than he ever could, so he was doing his best to leave that situation alone. Still, it didn't mean that he couldn't be there for his friend when possible

[clockmongler]

Luxord didn't like spaghetti.

That's not to say Nursey did not force him to grab something after pushing the Gambler to relinquish his kitten, but a simple drink seemed rather inappropriate for lunch. Even still, the blond laid his hand against the table and fixated the Keybearer with a smirk over his glass of water.

"How swiftly Time passes. We'd not spoken in quite a while, have we?" Planning to escape or no, Luxord had unfinished business with a certain brat and his friends. "And however have you been, dear Sora," he offered, charming smiles and kind tones.

He'd make the boy suffer yet.

[scintillatingly]

Sora had been busy gulping at his water to wash down the huge bites of spaghetti he had been taking (hey, he hadn't had much at breakfast!) when Luxord decided to head over. Now that he thought of it, maybe being one of the first people to a meal wasn't such a great thing, if he was open to be approached by people he didn't exactly want to talk to.

He didn't necessarily have anything against Luxord personally. The truth of the matter was that he didn't know the Nobody very well. But conversations with most of the Organization usually turned out awkward or uncomfortable.

Like this, for example. Why was he being called dear Sora? There was no way Luxord actually meant that. With a small sigh, the boy set down his glass of water and wiped the residue of it from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I've been fine," he said quietly, unsure of where this dialogue was going. "How about you?"

[clockmongler]

"As well as one could imagine, all circumstances taken into account," the Nobody replied coolly, not seeming inclined to take a seat near the boy. Instead, he examined his glass, turning it this way and that, inspecting the colors of light reflected from the water inside.

Hm.

After a moment, the blond turned his attention back to the boy, offering another smile. "And of those little friends of yours?"

[31st_of_china]

Hard to believe it but talking with the monkey had actually calmed his nerves. Sanzo had left the showers, pissed beyond all belief and ready to take the next heavy, blunt object to Homura's head the next chance he got, and now

[faithful_dog]

Naoe came into the room and after gathering a basic meal for himself went straight to the man that he hoped as the one described on the board. He placed down his meal and then took the pack out of his pocket carefully, as to not attract the attention of the nurses. He was running out quickly, and if he kept up the habit of giving them away he would run out sooner, but that didn't stop him from wanting to lend a helping hand. That and, despite how small the favor, it did mean he could at least potentionally form an alliance with whoever this man was.

He put the small box on the table in front of Sanzo, though at an angle where his body hid it from the nearest nurse. "I have matches as well. They let you smoke if you are outside," he added. Despite the fact that smoking was allowed, he wasn't sure jut giving away cigarettes was allowed and he didn't want them taken away. He was also sure they wouldn't have liked the idea of him carrying around matches.

[31st_of_china]

So this was the man from the bulletin board. Sanzo's fingers curled around the box and dragged it off the table, pocketing it smoothly that it didn't call too much attention from the staff or other patients.

"Thanks," said Sanzo. The priest rarely ever thanked anyone for anything, but this act deserved it. Knowing the habits of smokers, and especially when cigarettes were in short supply, giving up a box wasn't too easy. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sanzo would've preferred a lighter over matches, but he wasn't in too much of a position to bitch: he'd gotten a start with the cigarettes period. Although he was going to have to find out where this man got them from - Sanzo didn't want to have to rely on other patients for them if there was anyway to get them himself.

The box had improved Sanzo's mood though, enough to add, "What's your name?"

[faithful_dog]

Naoe watched Sanzo take the box and wondered if he would regret later giving it up. He was quiet though and thoughtful towards what he could trade Haku for more with later, when he ran out. The important thing was creating relationships that would help him get Takaya out of this place safely.

"Tachibana Yoshiaki," he offered, bowing his head in politeness. "Do you mind if I ask what is your name?"