Day 28: The Twin Pine Restaurant

[ham_fisted]

[ from here ]

The detective almost crushed the slip of paper in his hand with excitement. He hadn't eaten the miserable breakfast that'd been issued to every patient, too miserable himself to actually realise he was starving. Not that he had the slightest idea why; wasn't like he'd done anything strenuous last night, unless gathering enough

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[ol_canucklehead]

[from Main Street, in a round-about kinda way.]

Stepping through doorway, Logan took in the sight of a very homey, very cozy looking restaurant, just like one would expect to see in any small American town. Too perfect, he thought, gotta be jus' another part o' tha whole grand illusion.

There were four other patients here that he could see, standing out like sore thumbs in horrendously mismatched clothing. Two of them appeared to be identical twins. Strange tha' they'd both end up in this mess. Or maybe not...

He declined to converse with any of them for now, preferring to eat alone. Within seconds of entering the joint, a fresh-faced, attractive young girl in a clean white apron approached him. "Hi there! Table for one, sir?" He grunted an affirmation in response and followed her as she led him to a quiet corner and handed him a menu, leaving him to it for the time being.

He studied it carefully, but had already made his mind up almost instantly; the newspaper clippings proudly displayed in reference to their country-fried steak had sold him straight off the bat, it was just the kind of hearty meal he was looking for.

[1imited_edition]

[[From Wicker Street.]]

Rein entered the Twin Pine behind Raine and alertly scanned the room for any sort of hidden danger. It wasn't the town that she was worried about so much as the patients... the run-in with The Bride at the beginning of the excursion hadn't helped her paranoia on Raine's behalf in the least, and she was currently making a minor spectacle of herself with her swings between cheerful banter and bodyguard-type behavior towards the half-elf.

But no assailants were spotted lurking in the shadows. Instead the familiar faces of the twins from the aid club, Raine's friend (acquaintance, anyway), and the man from the second of their groups last night greeted her, along with a scattering of new faces that were probably a mix of patients she didn't know and locals.

She tugged Raine over to Logan's table. Only he was eating alone of those she knew, and while there was a chance (slim, in her opinion) that talking to the locals would prove informative, she had a greater responsibility to her fellow prisoners, even if all she had to offer was a conversation over a meal.

"Would you mind if we joined you?"

[per_ardua]

Raine nodded to the man, but she was occupied with looking around the place curiously. This building didn't have anything she found too unusual (sadly), but getting something to eat was more of a concern by that point anyway.

She did see Kratos, but decided she'd talk to him later... maybe.

She was getting a little tired from walking around so much, so it was nice to sit down. All right, at this point I don't care if I get all the Gel ingredients I need together or not. I'm healing myself as soon as Nightshift starts. It would lessen the pain at least a little, and let her actually use her right arm a little more... she'd had the day to try to let the pain fade, now it was time to speed that along.

[ol_canucklehead]

Logan was lost in reverie, thinking about everything and nothing all at once when he was suddenly jerked back to (reality?) his current surroundings by the arrival of two very young and quite particularly attractive girls. He was taken back immediately by the paleness of their hair, but his surprise was fleeting; there were far stranger hair colours in Landel's that he'd seen.

The one who spoke carried a faint air of familiarity. Tha's right. She was there at tha start o' last night. 'Nother o' Cole's 'acquaintances'.

He shrugged at her request. "Be my guest, darlin'," He said nonchalantly as he motioned to the seats opposite his with a half-wave of his hand. "Don' believe I got yer name las' night. An' I don' recall seein' yer frien' here at all before. I'm Logan. Who might I be havin' tha pleasure o' spendin' this fine afternoon wit'?" His tone was light, his features friendly (or, at least, as un-feral and un-threatening as they could be. After what Cole had said about Recluse, he decided that it was probably more advantageous than not to try and gain as many allies as possible in this mess.

[1imited_edition]

"Reinforce. She's Raine," Rein said, indicating her companion as she seated herself. "You call yourself Wolverine, right?"

She smiled slightly. He had the hair for it.

While she waited for an answer she waved one of the waitresses over. They were here to eat too, of course...

[per_ardua]

Raine nodded and sat down as well. "Good afternoon." She looked at the man--Wolverine?--and noted he was at least trying not to seem too fierce; he seemed friendly enough, though she could guess that he was a force when he was angry. If he ever has a conflict with the staff, I wouldn't mind seeing that...

She didn't quite recognize everything on the menu, but she found a kind of steak she knew and liked quickly enough. It wasn't home-cooked, no matter what they said, but it sounded good.

Her thought process was still a little slower than it should be, so it was a few minutes later when she realized it was unlikely she'd be able to even grip a fork with her right hand... oh, cutting that steak should be fun.

[ol_canucklehead]

Did Statesman tell her that? Did he call me that when she was there? He honestly couldn't remember. That old feeling of not knowing who he was, what he had done, came crawling back. He hated it. Logan scowled briefly, but quickly remembered that it didn't actually matter in this place.

"Yeah, I' been called tha', amongst many other names. But jus' 'Logan' is fine. Ain' no need ta be standin' on station here, girly."

Leaning back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, he forced himself to smile once more. He had no reason to be on edge, really, these girls seemed harmless enough, at least to him. He didn't doubt they could probably hold their own in a fight.

The second girl seemed shy, or at least distracted, but polite. Since she didn't seem to want to be too involved in the conversation, he focused his attention on Rein. She was very pretty, but he had to focus. She was likely much too young for him, and anyway, he reminded himself, women who got involved with him tended to end up dead, or worse.

"So..." He began. "Ya know Cole? Ya another one o' his 'recruits'? What's he got you doin'?"

[1imited_edition]

Rein ended up ordering the steak too. She'd never eaten famous food before, and she wanted to. That mysterious person on the bulletin had gotten her thinking about how much delicious food must be out there, especially if so many patients complained about the institute's to her-enjoyable offerings.

"Logan, then." She gave her affirmation with the usual polite nod, but declined to relax overmuch. Her vigilance wasn't so lightly-founded as to be dispersed at his mere suggestion... and even if it had been, the difference wouldn't have been all that noticeable. Belkan culture had a lot to say about proper posture that she was inclined to follow.

"Yes, he brought me on just yesterday. His ideals are impressive. And worthy of emulation." Such were her true feelings on the matter, but she let them fill her usually-calm voice more than she otherwise would have. She was fishing- if he disagreed, she wanted to know.

"...but," she added after a second's pause to watch for any unspoken reaction, "I'm not sure I can continue working for him. I have..." she glanced at Raine, "...other responsibilities."

Here there was not even the small manipulation that had attended the previous words. She'd decided that Raine would be her first priority, but that didn't leave her without doubts or guilt concerning what she left behind as a consequence.

[per_ardua]

Raine raised her eyebrows. "I understand why you're worried, but when I'm staying in M35, you don't have much reason to. Which group is this?" If they were willing to speak freely right now, she wanted to hear about it.

Besides that, she was a fighter too. Not as good as many of the others around her, but what the Bride had done to her the night before was more of a fluke than anything else. Raine would be more careful from now on, and more than that, she was used to being the support mage. She could hold her own even without using Photon, and didn't plan on spending every night in safety from now on. People in the halls needed healers too, and sometimes couldn't get to them on their own. If Reinforce wouldn't leave her, but wanted to be out with a group, Raine could join them as well.

[ol_canucklehead]

Logan smirked at Rein's formal demeanour. It wasn't meant harshly, but he was quite amused by the way she spoke and carried herself. It reminded him of the rigid, humourless manner of several special forces officers he knew. Dugan sprung immediately to mind.

"Yesterday? Huh, seems we've both known 'im 'bout tha same amoun' o' time then. I met him at lunch tha' same day." Logan was impressed with the girl's mentality, and could see almost instantly why Cole had requested her aid.

"Ya got tha' right. Bunch o' us workin' ta'gether under a natural leader like him 're gonna get a lot more done than jus' runnin' aroun' alone. Guy's got his head screwed on right. Seems ta realise tha' the people under Landel's thumb 're more importan' than anythin' else, an' I'm inclined ta agree." He could smell the confidence on Rein, but if she was testing him, it didn't register. He had nothing to hide in any event, at least as far as agreeing with Cole's cause. The rest...well, neither these girls nor anyone else needed to know about that. Except maybe for Parker, since he'd already seen Logan's other side first-hand.

"Other responsibilities? Surely there's a way ya can balance what ya need ta do wit' what ya can do?" He looked over at Raine as she began speaking, and nodded as she affirmed his opinion. "Raine here don' exactly look like she's made o' glass, ya know. An' ya shouldn't focus all yer energy on jus' savin' one person, if ya have tha chance ta help more."

Since Raine now seemed to become more involved in the conversation, he decided to be the one to answer her question, though he didn't doubt that Rein could provide more information if necessary.

"Ain' no name fer the group as such, at leas' as far as I know. Cole, uh, 'Statesman', is callin' us 'heroes', an' fer tha mos' part, we're tryin' ta coordinate ta keep tha less...capable patients outta as much trouble as possible." He neglected to add just how unsuccessful that had been so far, however.

[1imited_edition]

Of course they were right. Helping the many before the one, especially when the 'one' was part of the 'many' anyway and not under any more immediate threat, was the logical thing to do. The right thing to do.

But it wasn't always easy for her to think like that... at least, not in such a way that she owned the thoughts. All Devices were intensely loyal and she was no exception. There was no use for a weapon that refused its wielder's will, and her designers had not unreasonably decided this principle was especially important where the weapon in question could act autonomously and got very, very snug with the user's mind.

And when for all those feelings of loyalty you have betrayed every wielder you can remember but one, you feel a special impetus not to ruin your shot at having a number two. To prove the last one wasn't just an accident, that things were different now. It was not easy for her to lessen her commitment to Raine.

She glanced between the other two a bit helplessly, running thoughts into walls. "Even in the room, if it's another patient..."

[per_ardua]

"I can't stay in one room during Nightshift indefinitely, regardless," Raine said. "I've spent too long traveling; plus, even scholars get cabin fever after a while." She kept it at that mainly because saying she occasionally wanted a little more excitement than M35 provided was just asking for trouble, especially considering what form that excitement inevitably took here. While they had yet to be left idle all night (she found that unlikely), most of the time was spent in almost the same idleness and boredom they already had to put up with all day. Considering the alternative, she really would rather be out there in the thick of things, and damn the consequences.

"What happened last night was a fluke," she added, more gently. "Traveling alone may not have been the best idea I've had here, but I won't do that again." At least, not without avery good reason. "With a group, it isn't as much of a worry."

Luckily they were all distracted by the food arriving; Raine decided she might as well at least try to save herself some embarrassment... she discovered she actually could hold the fork in her right hand, but using it to hold the steak down while she tried to cut it didn't work very well... the angle was off, and with the sling in place she couldn't really correct that. She couldn't heal herself yet due to having plans (she would need to cast at least part of a First Aid spell on the Gel ingredients to start the process, and if possible planned on directing the rest of the energy at herself), but it had been over half a day, and she hadn't actually sustained any damage--stretched tendons nearly didn't count in her eyes, after everything else she'd been through.

Demonstrating once again that she wasn't quite up to her usual intellectual capability, she reached to just take the sling off. Really, she could do this much despite the pain... she'd put it back on once she was done cutting her steak.

[ol_canucklehead]

The plates were large and the steaks suitably sizable also, accompanied by mashed potatoes and beans, with optional gravy, which was placed in a large boat in the centre of the table. A pitcher of ice water was also available, and their waitress filled a glass for each of them.

Rein seemed lost in thought, working her mind over what Logan had said. He felt a little strange at that, like he may have over-stepped his boundaries in giving (yet another) speech on responsibility to someone he'd just met. He'd have to be careful not to get too carried away in future.

He ate heartily, enjoying the taste of the food, and watched as Raine struggled with her sling. A brief thought of offering to cut her steak flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it; he didn't even know her, and she'd probably be embarrassed if he offered. She looked like she would be able to handle it, and if not, she'd likely ask Rein for assistance more readily than the strange, hirsute muscle-man seated opposite.

Her comments regarding staying in a room during the night caught his interest however, so he decided to ask more about it.

"Why would ya stay in jus' one room all night, instead a' tryin' ta fin' a way out? Or someone ta help? Ya got a special set up or somethin'? A set place ta stash supplies? Or somewhere ta bring tha wounded?"

"Hope ya don' min' me askin', but I'm thinkin' somethin' like that could be damn useful, if we're all in this ta'gether."

[1imited_edition]

"I'll cut it." Rein glanced meaningfully at Raine. She certainly wasn't going to let the half-elf aggravate her injury while she was right here to help out. She leaned in to appropriate Raine's plate without waiting for a response and began to cut the steak into very small pieces.

And she was glad for something mechanical to set her mind to. She didn't distract very easily, but it was something to keep this small but intractable dilemma Raine had created for her by arguing the point a little further from the forefront of her thought.

Not having a master took clarity out of the world. What she'd wanted to do and what she should do had always been the same thing before- protect and serve. Hayate's name and wish for her were strong guides, but not immediate, not clear. Only a day ago she'd argued just as Logan had, that her duty was to help as many as possible, with Hayate's legacy in mind.

And now, having been pulled away from that by shades of the past and partway back by Raine's words, she was unsure. The thing she hated most of all.

[per_ardua]

Raine wanted to object, but considering the flare of pain she'd gotten just from moving her arm to even try taking the sling off... she supposed having someone else cut her meat was better than ending up hurting just as badly as last night, but that didn't make her feel any better.

"I've spent the last few nights helping out in a makeshift infirmary," she explained to Logan; it wasn't as if she had anything else to do for the moment... "It's run out of M35. The boy who started it managed to get some medical supplies, and I'm a healer. We don't have nearly enough of those, which is why I haven't just healed myself--that, and magical healing doesn't do as much as I'd like for pain."

Not exactly wanting to make eye contact (being this pale meant a blush showed very easily), she idly picked up a packet from the table--and her eyes widened slightly when she read the label. Sugar. This is convenient... She actually smiled slightly and took a few to tuck into her pockets. It seemed the Apple Gel making plan was falling into place quite nicely.

[ol_canucklehead]

Good frien' ta have aroun', it seems, Logan thought idly as Rein insisted on cutting Raine's steak. Almos' as tho' she read my min'... That thought gave him pause and the skin between his eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Was she a mind reader? He was fast becoming familiar with quite a few of the patients' unique abilities, but he'd not come across any telepaths yet.

It didn't seem like it would be any real harm if she was, they were pretty much all in the same situation, and he didn't have any reason to be hostile towards her. He wasn't sure if Xavier's psych-barriers were still in place within his mind, or even how effective they now were, but he wasn't going to ask her for now; it'd get pretty awkward if she wasn't and he had to explain why he asked.

He turned his thoughts to the new information provided by Raine. "Infirmary, huh? C'n anyone just drop by? Quite a few members o' my group ten' ta get cut up durin' tha night, it'd be useful ta have somewhere ta hole up an' get 'repaired'. Ya mind if I mention this ta Statesman? Figure he might be able ta allocate some o' his troops fer the purpose o' stealin' more supplies, jus' so we ain' gettin' somethin' fer nothin' if we need yer help."

A healer. Even more useful. He could look after himself pretty well, but his powers were non-transferable. Logan wondered if that Fowl kid from the night before new about it; his talents would probably come in pretty handy there, too. Maybe he could post a message to him on the board.