Day 41: Breakfast

[oftemptation]

Endrance turned his head to look at the intercom, giving it a look that would wither an entire rose garden in an instant. He would never get used to ending up in his room again from somewhere else in the Institute

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[full_score]

They hadn't made it to the basement.

With a frustrated groan, Claude slid out of bed and began hiding his things. His leg was nice and bandaged now, and the affects from the poison were completely gone, but the bitter taste of defeat wasn't something that was so easily brushed aside. Granted, their situation could have been a hell of a lot worse, but it still pissed him off that he hadn't even been given the chance to properly fight back. Not only that, but he'd pretty much been reduced to dead weight for a good portion of the night. How embarrassing!

Well, there wasn't much for him to do except move on, he supposed. Still, he was fairly reserved once his nurse showed up and began leading him to the cafeteria. She'd asked if he'd needed a crutch, but he declined the offer. His leg was pretty tender, but as long as he was gentle with it, it was probably fine.

Frowning to himself, the blond grabbed a tray and stepped in line. The fresh aroma of pancakes was pretty enticing, and his stomach gave a quiet growl.

[First post reserved for Sync. Limit: 3 total, so 1 extra? Someone random please feel free to crash their conversation at some point!!]

[ran_on_empty]

He didn't get to go to the basement.

Of course, Sync couldn't say he expected much once he saw the fight going on in the sun room. While he wasn't able to catch a majority of it, he could only assume his plans were pretty much ruined once the trio ducked into a nearby room. The God-General wondered if he should even keep pursuing this, but in the end he figured that there wasn't really anything else he could do.

Given that he didn't really bring anything with him last night, Sync was free to lie in bed while he waited for his nurse arrive. Of course, he didn't have to wait long, and in practically no time he was being led down the halls to the cafeteria.

At first the teen didn't really pay attention as he walked over to the line, but it didn't take long for him to notice a familiar head of blond standing only a few feet away. Already Sync stepped out of his spot in the line, casually walking over to Claude before sliding effortlessly into the space in front of him.

"Thanks for saving me a spot Claude," Sync began as he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I really appreciate it."

[full_score]

A strong wave of anger washed over him as soon as he caught the head of green hair from the corner of his eye. It was everything he could do to keep himself from shoving the boy away from him, but in the end he just fixed Sync with a nasty scowl.

Just great. This was the last person he needed to see right now.

Claude tried not to pay Sync too much attention as they went through the line, but just being in close proximity like this was enough to make him feel sick. Once he'd gotten enough to tide himself over until lunch, he gave Sync a belated, albeit pointed, "You're not welcome," before storming off. Maybe he could try to lose himself in the crowd, and lose Sync in the process.

[ran_on_empty]

Sync could practically feel Claude's scowl on the back of neck, yet he paid no attention to the latter's foul mood as he went about his business. It was obvious enough that he didn't really care what food he got, absent-mindedly tossing whatever was nearby on his plate before grabbing a glass of juice and making his way out.

Ah, and there it was. The God-General had to keep himself from tossing Claude a dirty smirk as he followed the latter with a perplexed expression.

"What's wrong?" Sync asked worriedly, trying his best to sound concerned.

"Did something happen last night?"

[full_score]

The question made Claude stiffen, and he stopped in his tracks for a moment. Just why the hell would he ask something like that? A part of him wondered if Sync had someone known what they were up to, but he cast the thought aside as it quickly as it had come. He was probably just saying shit to get under his skin. Nothing new there.

"It's none of your damn business," he growled before slamming his tray down on the nearest table. His fork clattered onto its smooth surface, but he managed to keep his juice from spilling.

"Now stop with that stupid innocent kid act," he added angrily as he whipped his head around to look at Sync again. "It's getting on my nerves!"

Every time this happened, he just wished Sync would act like his true nasty self. At least he isn't hugging me, he reminded himself. Still, when it came down to it, he wished he didn't have to see Sync's face at all.

[ran_on_empty]

It never failed to amaze Sync how easily he could rile up Claude like that, but maybe it was because it'd been a while since he really followed anyone besides that damn replica and his band of misfits. Of course, it helped that he already knew he was rubbing salt in the latter's wounds from last night's failure.

"But I can't stop, Claude," Sync answered as he graced the blond with a small frown. "It's just who I am."

And just like that his frown vanished, replaced with a humble smile.

"I think, if you take the time to get to know me, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results."

[full_score]

"What, do you think I'm stupid?" Claude scoffed as he finally sat down at the table. He hated how Sync just latched onto him on a whim and wouldn't let go, and just said and did the same old shit every time. But someday Sync was going to have to pay for the things he'd done, one way or another. Whether he actually cared or not was a different story, but for now Claude took consolation from the fact that this crap couldn't possibly last forever.

"Anyway," he added with a frown, "I already know a bit about you, and as long as you keep bothering my friends, I don't really care to learn anymore."

He aggressively cut into his pancake, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. A part of him knew he should probably feel bad for someone who seemed to think torturing other people was a lot more beneficial than finding an escape, but all did it was just make him hate Sync more.

[heraldric]

[Leon shall save you?]

The young mage felt more tired after last night than he had after any of his previous attempts at alchemy. Perhaps it was because he'd created something slightly larger... or that he'd actually succeeded for once.

Leon had woken up with some difficulty to find the short sword lying next to him on the bed. He'd managed to tuck it away before the nurse arrived, and he was too filled with pride to complain about his weariness as the woman led him to the cafeteria. She was saying something about 'anemia' as she filled his tray and added two glasses of water and some juice. He didn't protest.

It was a good thing the nurse was holding his food, as he suffered a couple small dizzy spells just finding a seat. He just needed to sit down and eat something. When he caught sight of Claude, he pointed the woman in that direction and she led him over. He didn't recognize the boy he was with, but hopefully they wouldn't mind the intrusion.

"Morning, Big Brother," he greeted with a weary smile.

[ran_on_empty]

"No, of course not." While it might not have looked like it, it took a lot of willpower for the God-General not to burst out laughing. Really, it was a good thing he couldn't read minds, or else he wouldn't think twice about laughing right in Claude's face.

As long as he dragged them all down, then it didn't matter if he 'paid' for everything he'd done.

It didn't take long for Sync to follow Claude's lead and slide himself into the seat across from the blond. Yet, unlike the latter, he was considerably calmer when he cut into his own pile of pancakes, taking the time to take a few bites while thinking of a response.

Yet the God-General had to refrain from scoffing and rolling his eyes when someone butted in, and from the looks of it they seemed to know Claude as well. Yet that didn’t deter Sync one bit, and he merely glanced up in interest before smiling sheepishly.

"Hello," He began. "You're Claude's brother?"

[full_score]

No, of course not, he wanted to mockingly echo, high pitch and all. Claude was about to open his mouth to do just that when someone sat down beside them. And not just anyone, either.

"Leon!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself, almost choking on his juice. He wasn't completely sure of all the implications behind Leon and Sync actually meeting each other, but he knew he didn't like it. And he knew he was stuck right in the middle.

Part of him wanted to tell the boy that he needed to find someone else to sit with, that behind this mask of Sync's was some psycho that he'd really be better off not talking to at all. But he hadn't forgotten Sync's warning from the night he'd attacked him and Guy. It didn't take a genius to figure out an outburst like that would probably do more harm than good.

He should have told Leon about all this sooner. But between not having the opportunity to pull him aside privately and getting distracted by his father's presence, it just...hadn't happened.

Claude's stomach churned.

"What's...going on?" he asked after a moment, and he tried not to sound as stiff as he felt.

[heraldric]

Smiling at Sync, and still unaware of Claude's dilemma, Leon shook his head. "Well, not by blood." Had he seen this other boy around before? He looked vaguely familiar - like someone he'd seen Claude speaking with at another time. If they were friends and they had business to deal with he'd try not to interrupt their conversation too much. He was hungry, anyway.

But with the way his friend was acting... somehow he didn't feel as welcome as he'd expected to be when he sat down. Had he interrupted something really important? "I just... thought I'd stop by... I can leave if you want me to, Claude." He looked rather disheartened even as he said it. With the way others kept disappearing in this place, he liked being able to know his best friend was safe. He supposed he could still do that from a distance.

[ran_on_empty]

"Oh?" This time Sync was genuinely curious about the kid's relationship with Claude, but before he could inquire further he was quickly cut off by the blond in question.

Really, given how angry Claude was only minutes ago it was somewhat surprising that the latter held his tongue in front of this newcomer. Of course, that certainly made things easier for him; after all, he wasn't really in the mood to snap any necks over breakfast. This was why the teen merely played along, giving 'Leon' a sincere smile while he cut into his pancakes.

"I don't see why you can't stay," Sync replied. "I wouldn't want you going through all the trouble of finding another spot when the cafeteria's pretty full."

[full_score]

"N-no, it's not like that!" Claude quickly responded to Leon's suggestion to move elsewhere. It was just...augh, how did he explain something like this? How could he? Dammit, he really didn't want to have to expose Leon to this...

In the end, though, he knew he couldn't just chase Leon off, either. It would likely hurt his feelings, and he couldn't bear the thought of doing something like that to his friend. No, it was probably better to play along with this, and then fill Leon in later when he could. The damage here had already been done.

"This is Sync, Leon," he said under the pretense of introducing him. He supposed that, technically, he was. Claude couldn't help but feel disgusted by the whole ordeal, but he did his best to mask his feelings. "He's..." A brief pause. "An acquaintance." He might not have been able to say he was an enemy just then, but he sure as hell wasn't going to call him a friend.

"And as you can see," he said, turning to Sync with an intense gaze, "this is Leon."

[heraldric]

"Good morning, Sync," Leon greeted, relieved. Claude had said acquaintance, not friend, so it was likely they were just working together for some mutual benefit. Claude was far better at making alliances than he was.

He stuck a large fork-full of pancake into his mouth without adding any syrup. (He didn't like the way it got all mushy afterward.) Not outright inhaling his meal in front of the other two might be difficult at this point, but he'd try to hold himself back. He didn't want to make an embarrassing mess, after all.

Sync didn't appear to be too much older than he was. Perhaps once he and Claude were done with their discussion, he could speak with him alone. Get to know his friend's acquaintance.

[ran_on_empty]

Sync had to laugh when Claude carefully worded his introduction. He almost wished the blond had said 'friend' just so he could see the latter’s reaction.

"I guess 'acquaintance' really is the best word right now, but maybe that'll change with enough time." The God-General replied before turning towards the newcomer with a grin.

"It's nice to meet you, Leon." Right now, the most important thing was to keep up appearances with the blond's 'brother'. Maybe, if he was lucky enough, he could get to Leon before Claude could and squeeze some information out of him while the kid was still oblivious. Of course, asking right now would've been nothing short of stupid, and so he contented himself by eating a few more pieces of his pancake.

"So what were you saying about last night, Claude?"

[full_score]

Yeah, more like change to arch enemies. Not that they already weren't, but he'd tell Leon about all this shit soon enough, and then Sync wouldn't be able to take advantage of him.

In the meantime, that didn't do much to make him feel better, but he'd have to hold out until the end of breakfast either way.

When Sync brought up last night, as if they had been having some kind of meaningful discussion beyond "it's none of your damn business", Claude was at a loss of what to say for a moment.

"I was just saying," he answered deliberately, "that it would be great if people could travel around without having to worry about the monsters and deranged captives, but I guess that's what swords and spells are for." It was a veiled threat for Sync to pick up on, even if he doubted it would rattle him much. Still, he wasn't about to take all this lying down! Especially now that Leon was involved.