Day 30: Cafeteria, Dinner

[captain_hunam]

The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet

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[endlessjune]

The former god wasted no time returning back to Rika, although that did little to improve Rika's mood at the moment. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she was. Of course, she was always frustrated with their situation, but at least in Hinamizawa, things were always the same. She had come to expect the cycle of death and rebirth.

But this was not Hinamizawa. This was a completely new world, a fresh start, and already the cycle was repeating again. It didn't matter where she was - was she doomed to just suffer?

"No, it didn't," Rika replied, voice devoid of emotion as she stared down at her food. "It's always the same. I do my best, but what good is it, Hanyuu? Mion will not share her suffering with me, and what did she even do the deserve it? Is this punishment, Hanyuu? Have the gods decided that we must be punished for trying to live?"

The fact that her chances of trying to keep everyone alive was slipping from her even in this world was only irritating Rika. She didn't even have the comfort of familiar surroundings anymore...

[meironohosoku]

"I... I don't know, Rika," was all Hanyuu could think to reply. It wasn't the first time she had heard Rika speak that way, although usually that sort of talk was saved until the time of her death drew near. Of course... here, they were required to adhere to a new timeline; one that they had no knowledge of.

"Mion hasn't done anything wrong. You haven't done anything wrong. None of you deserve that sort of punishment." Hanyuu wasn't sure why anyone would want to exert that type of punishment and power in the first place-- especially if the targets were people only trying to live a full life. Wanting to live was only natural, and living was not a sin.

...or was it? Rika had died, and yet here she was, over a century later. Perhaps this was a form of punishment... If Rika was meant to die--

No, no! Hanyuu shook her head, refusing to let her thoughts go there. Rika deserved to live-- they all deserved to live! They had done nothing to deserve this type of fate. The one to blame was the one who had committed that first murder all those years ago.

"Rika, we will get out of here," the spirit said, returning her attention to Rika. "I don't... I'm sorry that Mion won't open up to you, but she's alive... She's alive, as is Rena. And you, too. As long as you're all alive, we can still make it through." She was having difficulty believing her words even as she spoke, but she hoped she sounded convincing enough. "I don't know how long it will take, but we will live to return to Hinamizawa. So please... please don't lose hope."

[endlessjune]

Though Hanyuu meant well, her words weren't quite reaching Rika's heart. She had thought that this world would be different - well, it was different, in every aspect, but it was as if Fate was laughing at her for even thinking that being in a different world would level the playing field. But no, it was as hopeless as ever.

Hope... what did she know of hope?

"What's the point? Even if I were to return to Hinamizawa, I will be killed anyway. But," The styrofoam cup she was gripping started to crack under her grip. "I'd rather die there, in my home, then here in some godforsaken asylum!"

The cup broke and juice splashed all over her hand, making Rika realize the extent of her anger. The too-old child sat still for a moment, before taking a napkin and started to dab at the puddle dripping off the table.

"I am sorry, Hanyuu. You're right; we're alive. That's the best we can get." Rika mumbled. She missed Keiichi; although Hanyuu's words were always true, Keiichi had a way of twisting them and making them believable.

But maybe it was just because he was her trump card; without him, she had nothing.

[meironohosoku]

Hanyuu had seen Rika's anger surface before; given what the girl went through time and time again, how could she not? But, even more frightening than the breaking cup, was her friends words. It sounded like she already believed she was going to die... And if that was what she really thought, then, as Rika had already said, what was the point? If Rika truly was ready to give into the fate she had previously tried to escape, then... That would be that. There would be no 'next time'; they had already established that much... There wouldn't be another reset, and without a reset there would be no way to bring Rika back...

And a world without Rika sounded more terrifying than the world they were currently in.

"Rika..." The spilled juice could wait. Hanyuu moved to the edge of her seat before reaching out to pull the other girl into an embrace. It was something she had wanted to do many times before, whenever it became clear that despair was winning over. Those times she had settled for resting her hands on Rika's shoulders, unsure of whether or not Rika could even feel her. Now, though... Now, it was the least she could do.

"It's true that we may have to deal with your murderer once we return home... And since this world is different from the others, neither of us knows how it will ultimately play out, but we can get through this. No matter how difficult it will be, we'll break through... I promise we will."

[endlessjune]

Hanyuu's embrace was what snapped Rika out of her stupor. It was different; Hanyuu only had her words to comfort Rika, and the spirit could never actually touch her. But when Hanyuu brought Rika into her arms, she rested in the ex-god's embrace for a moment, relishing the warmth.

This was Hanyuu's fight too. It was silly how often Rika forgot that because she couldn't touch Hanyuu.

Returning the hug after a brief moment, Rika pulled away, feeling much better. A century of living and she still could be cheered up by something as simple as a hug. How much of a child she still was!

"Thank you, Hanyuu," Rika smiled. She didn't have time to be angrily pointing figures at things that weren't responsible for her suffering, when they had to think about how to escape from there. It was hard when they didn't even know what rules they were playing by...

That's right. The Rules!

"Hanyuu, I have to ask you. Do you have any idea what the Rules of this game are?" That was what she originally wanted to discuss with her friend for some time. There were no Dam Wars or murderers running rampant (well, perhaps the second one, but she didn't know for sure), so the rules must have changed.

[meironohosoku]

Hanyuu couldn't help but feel relieved seeing Rika's smile. Words could only go so far, and words used to be all she could offer (and it wasn't as though she always said the right things). At least now she was able to lend support in other ways too.

"The Rules?" Yes, that was right; the Rules had changed along with their playing board. In Hinamizawa they had had years of observation and trying on their side. Here, they only had a few days worth of knowledge. That was a great disadvantage from the start but Hanyuu couldn't let that get to her. Not after everything she had just said.

"I'm afraid I don't. It looks like we'll have to pick things up as we go along... The bulletin seems to be a good source of information, so maybe we should check it for information during the day. Perhaps we can write down anything that sounds important and piece things together that way." It would undoubtedly be a slow process, but it might be the only way to figure anything out...

"Maybe we should try and speak with the people who have been here longer, too." Hanyuu was not looking forward to that but if it was required in order to escape this hospital, she'd have to do it. "They've seen more of this place than we have, so perhaps they'd be able to give us more information."

Although, if Mion's actions were any indication, it might be difficult gaining information regarding the... bloodier side of the hospital. And that, no matter how unnerving, was likely the most important.

[endlessjune]

Rika nodded along as Hanyuu listed off the sources of information that they had. Of course, she could not expect her friend to know the Rules of this game so quickly, but Hanyuu was thinking along the same lines as she was on how to learn these Rules.

"It seems that people are also willing to volunteer information on the bulletin board," Rika noticed that people could ask questions about general things and get consistent answers. And... "That would be a good idea for us, probably. I find it hard to get straight answers because of how I look."

She sighed. Her childish form worked against her in every aspect, even when it came to information gathering. Had she looked older, Mion might have told her what happened. But if what happened to Mion happened to other people...

"I will think of questions to ask tomorrow, when morning comes again," Rika figured it was too late for people to be looking at the board now. "And... I am sure that Mion or Rena will speak to us about this, in time." She had to trust her friend; that was all she could do.

[meironohosoku]

At least she and Rika were on the same page in that regard. Playing the age card could sometimes work to their advantage; sometimes older people weren't as careful about what they said around young children. But when topics of bloodshed or torture came up, children seemed to be shut out completely.

"Yes, you're right about that." Asking questions through the bulletin board would be best. As long as they were careful about what they asked and how they asked, the question of their age shouldn't come up. Plus, speaking through that would be much easier than speaking to someone in person.

Although... Hanyuu wondered if she could ask Arlene how much she knew. The woman was bound to gain information easier than Hanyuu or Rika could, but the spirit wasn't sure how much she would be willing to share. And then there was the question of whether or not Arlene was angry at her for leaving the room last night...

That was right! There was something else Hanyuu had wanted to mention to Rika. It had crossed her mind a few times since she first arrived, but she had never had much of a reason to question it until last night. Or rather she had never thought to question it before.

"I do hope they'll tell us eventually-- or tell you at least," Hanyuu continued after a moment. "But while we are speaking of them, there is something I feel I should bring up with you... The people here are said to come from different worlds. I don't think that means the same as the worlds we have known, but I can't help but wonder about Rena and Mion. There have been numerous paths created for us so, if people are able to come from different worlds... which one were they pulled from?"

[endlessjune]

Hanyuu brought up a good point: Rika was so used to being the only one who remembered the previous timelines that she didn't think of what "world" Mion and Rena came from. For all she knew, they were from a world where everything was perfect. Or they could have come from one of the worst worlds at all.

But she knew of the other people, and their own worlds, so the possibility that they were all not from the same Hinamizawa remained. Rika frowned, wondering if there was anyway she could figure it out, by questioning them.

But in the end... did it really matter? They weren't in Hinamizawa anymore; what "world" they were from was probably irrelevant now. Should she treat this like a typical "reset"?

"Yes, that might be important... and it not might be. I don't remember dying, so I don't know if this is another reset for us. Mion and Rena don't seem to acting strange yet, but with everything that has been happening... I suppose the most we can do is ask them what has been happening around Hinamizawa before they came here and see if they begin to act strangely."