Day 45: Sun Room

[notthistrain]

Despite the bit of bravado he'd displayed for Yuffie's sake, seeing her that way really had done a number on him. It was a good thing he'd found the bulletin board afterward. Having it confirmed that this state wasn't normal (was, in fact, new as of that morning) made it much easier to think positive. They'd get back the Yuffie they knew one way

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[promisedawhale]

[claiming the spikey-head? Plz?]

Lunch had been refreshing for Brook, more so than he had expected it would be, and he was in a far better mood for it. The morning had not gotten off on the best foot, but there was still one more shift left to make amends for that failure, and Brook was not going to let it go to waste!

There were plenty of options for whom to cheer up in the Sun Room, as always, however when Brook ended up spotting a familiar face he'd not seen in a while, he strode immediately for the man. "Oh my, Cloud-san, isn't it? Yohohohoho! But it has been a while! How have you been doing?" he asked, bending down so that he wasn't towering too much over the man.

[notthistrain]

Cloud was distracted as a shadow fell across his field of vision and he found himself looking up at... a tree? A tree that recognized him, apparently. The blond blinked, wide-eyed, before he realized that what he'd assumed was foliage was somehow a person. Here he'd thought he'd known tall people back home.

"Er... what?" He was fairly certain that if he'd ever met someone that looked the way this guy looked, he'd remember it. This wasn't a sort of presence that went easily forgotten. Then again, he still wasn't sure how long he'd actually been here. While he'd assumed he'd been asleep, the thought that he might be missing memories instead was very worrisome.

Looking apologetic, he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. Have we met before?"

[promisedawhale]

"Eh?" Brook paused, then straightened a bit and blinked as he looked the young man over. He was... fairly sure of this person being the same as the Cloud he knew. Or the person he knew as Cloud. Brook couldn't admit to actually knowing any real clouds, after all. But just as the man before him was sure he would remember Brook's own appearance, Brook was sure that he could never forget such an interesting hairstyle. Or that ever-present frown on his face.

"You are... Cloud-san, yes?" Brook tried again, hoping to be more careful now that he had caused the other confusion, "I supposed it has been well over a week since I last saw you... I guess I didn't make much of an impression if you've forgotten then! Yohohohoho!" Brook quickly lost his attempts at being careful and laughed in an attempt to make Cloud feel better. It wasn't good to forget others, however it was even worse to make friend feel bad for not having very good memories.

[notthistrain]

"Yeah. My name's Cloud." And he was grateful that he was being called by it honestly for the first time that day, but he really wished he had some idea of who he was being called it by. One week, the man said, and apparently Yuffie had been here at least two according to her friend on the bulletin. Had he actually been there as long? "But I only remember waking up here today. I'm really sorry."

He wondered if he could grill this strange person for answers. (Or if he would get clear ones if he did.) Making room for Brook to sit next to him, he watched the man expectantly. He wasn't getting away now that he'd admitted to recognizing him.

[promisedawhale]

He'd only woken up here today? How was that...?

Brook paused mid-thought. He'd had this happen before, and with his own Nakama just yesterday! Part of him hadn't really understood just why it had happened with Zoro, or how it had happened either, but it definitely gave him more of a basis for why Cloud was saying he didn't remember him. Well, that just meant a bit more explanation on Brook's part then.

"Ah, I see. It's all right though, you need not apologize! Yohohoho! Believe it or not, this kind of thing has happened before!" Brook explained, then invited himself to have a seat beside the man on the couch, "I suppose I should reintroduce myself then. My name is Brook. I am both a musician and pirate, when not trapped here, that is. If you'd like, I can explain a bit about what happens here, or at least some about just why it is that I seem to have met you before?" he gladly offered.

[notthistrain]

Was this guy for real? Cloud had met some weird people in his time, which made taking in Brook's oddities a bit easier, but it didn't keep him off the 'Strangest People I've Ever Met' list.

He offered explanations, however, of which Cloud was sorely lacking. Any clue to what was going on here and how he and Yuffie had become involved would be important. The blond nodded his head. "Guess it's nice to meet you again, Brook. I'm completely in the dark, so anything you could tell me about what's going on would help." Though the taller man seemed friendly enough, he'd hold back on mentioning anything about Yuffie just then. And who knew? If she'd been there for two weeks already they might have already met as well.

[promisedawhale]

So he was up for an explanation then! That was good, even if Brook didn't altogether get it himself. What he did have down was that people were there, then they went away for a time, and came back missing memories. He could explain that

[notthistrain]

Smile more? Cloud might not be as cheerful as some people, but he didn't smile too much less than the average person, did he? Granted, this location wasn't the most conducive to a positive attitude. He could see how staying in it long enough could cause someone to be seriously depressed. All the same, it brought into question exactly how he'd been before his recent 'awakening.'

Brook's answer only really made things even more confusing. There was no other explanation for the psychological tampering he'd already seen here than that those in charge (or the science department of those in charge) were running experimentations on their 'patients.' That went over with Cloud about as well as having his balls sawed off slowly with childrens safety scissors.

He'd wanted to give Brook the cheerful smile he'd apparently been lacking before, but this new information upset him to the point where that was impossible. "And this happens often?" His eyes narrowed. "Who's in charge here? Shinra?"

[promisedawhale]

"Shinra?" Brook repeated, then tilted his head, "I've not heard such a name before... the one in charge here is a man by the name of Landel, or so I've been told. There are a number of things that happen by his doing. Especially during the evening hours. Such scaaaaaaaaaary things come out!"

It had been a short while since Brook had actually run into any of those things, however he would not too soon forget the happenings of the trip to town. The mark was gone, but Brook could still feel the bite he'd earned during that horrible, horrible ordeal.

[notthistrain]

Landel. A name, finally, but not one he recognized. On that note, how was it possible for anyone not to recognize the name Shinra? Everyone, down to the youngest child in the smallest backwater village, was affected by them somehow. Was it possible this man actually was crazy? Or that his own memories had been tampered with?

"Shinra Electric Power Company," he elaborated. "They're... a rather big name." He shook his head. It might be best not to press that matter right now. "Nevermind that. What do you mean, 'scary things?' Something happens in the evening?" If he started complaining about monsters in his closet, then Cloud thought he might have to find another source of information. Though, the familiarity he'd shown still both interested and disturbed him.

[promisedawhale]

"Mmmmm.... perhaps in your own world?" Brook suggested, but didn't follow up as he might have given the continued questioning. It sounded as though this young man hadn't been told anything about this terrible place! Brook certainly couldn't let that stand

[notthistrain]

All right, so he was a pirate and he spent most of his time on the ocean. Would that really keep him from knowing what Shinra was, though? Pirates stole from others, so it was only logical that they'd have picked up Shinra cargo on multiple occasions. Even if they somehow didn't know who they were stealing from, they would have at least seen the name. Unless Brook didn't actually participate in the pirating himself (he did say he was a musician) and had therefore not been there when the cargo was stolen. And if they removed the labels... But would that mean he'd been born on the damn ship

[promisedawhale]

"Ah... well... it's quite scary come nighttime," Brook forced out, trying to keep some cheer on his face. It was better to explain rather than let the man find out on his own, however that did not mean Brook liked speaking on such subjects any better. "Monsters roam the hallways. Different kinds of them too. I've seen zombies and lizard things and... something I'm not even sure was quite tangible..."

And then there had been the time where they'd had to fight with one of their friends. That had been such a terrible time.

"Sometimes you will run into friends who have been forced to fight for this place as well! Brainwashed, they are said to be. I cannot imagine how it is done, but it must be so terrible for them, having to fight their friends."

[notthistrain]

Brainwashed was the key word out of all Brook had just said. While the monsters were troubling enough, Cloud could handle monsters. They were nothing new, though finding out how they were created might be important once he had other things under control. He sat up, leaning closer to the towering pirate. "Fight them?"

Cloud was sure he could handle Yuffie too, though that would be more difficult than any regular monster and he didn't want to injure her. Having her tell him she was someone else was one thing, but for them to actually have control enough over her to turn her against her allies? That was bad. Really bad.

"Does this ever happen during the day? The brainwashing, I mean." If there was a limit on how long someone could be turned for, they could use that to their advantage. Kenshin had said that it had only begun that morning.

[promisedawhale]

"Eh?" Brook blinked and leaned back from the man a little, "Y-yes... fight them. There was a time... where we had to face one of our own friends," he explained, returning to position as his eyes trailed to the ground, "It took quite some doing, but we were able to snap him out of it. That was at night, however."

Brook hadn't known of anyone being brainwashed during the day just yet. Of course, the only reason why he had known Chopper had been was because the little reindeer would never have attacked a friend like that. Also, for the fact that he had been a reindeer instead of the adorable human form he was usually in