Day 29: Cafeteria (2nd Shift)
Nathan had never actually been in a nuthouse before and had only recently contemplated checking himself into one in a fit of sarcastic, self-depricating humor as of late. It was safe to say that he wasn't terribly familiar with the typical layout, even though he guessed it wasn't too hard to assume in this case. Everything was clean and painfully
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He was vaguely curious about what Axel's job was - or had been, at one point - but that would have to wait for another time. Right now, he was being selfish - the only thing he wanted to talk about was himself. Luckily, Axel seemed willing to listen to him.
He didn't really think he fell into the charismatic category, and the rest of the redhead's joke was waved off with a small sigh. Then there was another long silence, and he was distracted for a moment by the other patients who were leaving and entering with the shift change. Once he turned back to Axel, he spoke up. "Before he died, he tried to tell me something. About how he thought that this place wasn't really... real. But that it didn't matter, because our feelings and experiences were."
He wasn't sure if it would make any sense to someone who hadn't been there to hear the whole explanation from Snake, but he was trying. "Anyway, I guess that's a clue... Something to work off of." He shrugged.
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"Well it's better than nothing, that's for sure." The Nobody commented, reaching out for another slice of cheese and pressed it into the side of his cheek while he contemplated. In all honesty there wasn't much to go about. However, that didn't stop him from trying to put it all together anyway.
"But what was he trying to say? That this was some kind of virtual reality? Nothing more than a simulation of sorts?" Axel wasn't expecting Raiden to make an attempt at answering those, but it did grant himself an easier time to organize his thoughts.
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He tried to think back, to figure out where it hadn't become real, but not knowing the details made it difficult to work through. His life felt like a jumble of disconnected events that he couldn't form into anything cohesive, and with all the lies involved he knew the effort was pointless.
Raiden shook his head at the other man. "I don't know," he admitted. "He didn't get to say much, but... maybe we should ask about it on that bulletin board?" It seemed like a lot of people checked it, so maybe they could actually get some valuable information from it. It wasn't like they would have to sign or anything, so it wouldn't be too dangerous unless someone saw them writing it.
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But this was how it started, wasn't it? After injecting himself into DiZ's program, he'd thought for a short time that this Institute was nothing more than a distraction from his current mission. Of course, that theory went down the drain the moment he spotted Roxas meandering about with the other patients, but maybe it was still possible...
The idea of a grander simulation that held an enormous amount of people wasn't that much of a foreign concept, and so deserved quite a bit more speculation from any source they could dig up.
"That's as good of an idea as any." Axel replied with a grin, already standing from his seat. They might as well get to it now before everyone else was ushered into their rooms.
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He stood from his seat regardless, since there wasn't much reason to stay in the cafeteria now that they were both done eating. Maybe there was another room Axel wanted to check out? Raiden glanced at his leftover food, but he figured there were employees who cleaned everything up. What a job!
"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow, so that people have the whole day to see it," he vocalized. He also had to figure out how to phrase it so that it made a little more sense, or they weren't going to get any decent answers. It might still fall flat regardless, but it was worth a try, right?
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But he had nothing in mind as to where to go, which left the redhead's mood sagging at best. There wasn't a lot in terms of choice before they'd be ushered into their rooms, so it wouldn't be like they'd have enough time to do anything other than moving from one spot to another.
"Hey, what are you up to tonight anyway?" He asked out of the blue.
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If he even made it through that night, that is. If there were things here that were capable of killing Snake, then did he even have a chance? There was no Skull Suit to control his bleeding; he didn't even have a weapon.
That didn't mean he was going to lay down and die.
At the question, Raiden lifted his head and considered the other man for a moment. "Hadn't though about it, really," he admitted. He had been too busy dealing with the aftermath of last night to think ahead, and he realized that was exactly what Snake wouldn't have wanted. There was no point in dwelling in the past - it was all about working for the future.
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"...Hey!" He suddenly spoke up after glancing back at Ed’s direction. "I'm not sure if you've heard about it, but there's these guys that have the ability to use Alchemy and make weapons for people. Maybe it'd be beneficial if you gathered some metal so they could make you something."
It was a common suggestion, one that he'd probably tell everyone if Roy and Ed weren't so busy already, but it was always the best way to start.
"So far, the best place to get metals is right over there." Axel remarked, all the while making wide gestures over at the Kitchen. "You have to be quick though. The place restocks every night, but it's a popular place so if you wait too long into the night there might not be anything left."
The Nobody grinned.
"I also heard there's some secret passage that leads to a whole other floor beneath this one. Granted I haven't had a chance to find out myself, but it sounds like something worth checking out."
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He needed a sword.
When Axel pointed out the kitchen, Raiden studied the door leading into it for a moment before glancing back and nodding. It wouldn't be hard to find that place when night came, even with how dark everything was. He was led to the cafeteria every day, so he knew well enough how to get there by now.
He wasn't sure what to make of the secret passage that was mentioned, and figured he should probably just focus on getting the metal first. He tried to smile at the redhead, though he got the feeling it didn't come across very well. "Thanks for the info." His nurse was coming for him, though, which meant their conversation would be cut short. "I'll see you around?"
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Even though Raiden's attempt at a smile was a bit unflattering the redhead found himself grinning back in knowing that the latter at least tried. There were still plenty of things for him to do before night came, most of which included sneaking a peak at the bulletin to see if there were any formalized plans, so by the time the nurse came Axel was ready to see his friend off.
"Of course you'll see me around. Heck, one of these days we should group up and do something together." It was always nice to think ahead, and traveling in twos was always the best way to go. It didn't take long for his own nurse to walk by, offering a smile as she began to escort him out of the Cafeteria. Axel sighed out at first, but managed to throw in a thumbs up before he was completely gone.
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