Day 46: Breakfast

[repeatingfate]

For the second time, Rika found herself waking with a start. She blinked at the grey light streaming through the windows, and looked across the room. Anise was still asleep. So. I'm still here. Let me just check...Rika put on her slippers and walked over to the desk, checking the drawer and breathing a light sigh of relief. Good, the knife was

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[promisedawhale]

The night had been short, as was terribly expected, however it allowed Brook to still feel ready for the morning once it arrived. Brook greeted his nurse warmly and was questioning her about the possibility of friends suddenly wanting to be called by other names when he was left in the cafeteria by his lonesome. He didn't understand why the nurse suddenly vanished on him all the time, but he supposed it was because they wanted him to eat rather than gossip with the staff.

He got his food quickly and took to his usual routine of looking around the cafeteria for someone to speak with when he spotted someone familiar. Not the green mossy head of Zoro or Jean - however he wanted it - but the oddly unique shape of a nose... "Usopp-san!" he called, about as surprised as he was excited. It had been so long since he'd seen the sharpshooter in the place! Of course, odds were that he, like Zoro, had gone and returned, but Brook didn't care about that. Everyone was coming back! If they could get the whole crew together, then perhaps they were sure to get out of there!

Heading immediately for the table, Brook had a seat with his friend with a bright grin on his face. "Yohohohoho! It's been such a long time since I've seen you! Or perhaps it hasn't for you, but regardless, it's good to see your face!"

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp blinked at the sound of his name called across the room, then looked up from his waffles in confusion as a strange man wandered over. Looked up, and looked up some more. Tall... perfect afro... and 'yohoho'ing.

If they had been friends before, it wasn't any wonder why. He'd be the spitting image of Brook, if Brook had a face. Usopp had the lingering feeling he'd narrowly avoided a skull joke told by himself to himself, yet wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Hi! I just got here. Or got back. I don't remember anything, anyway, um..." Usopp didn't have to gesture for the other man to sit down, as he'd done so already, so he just went back to work on his waffles and glanced over at the man, waiting for a name. Could two people who were so similar exist? Well, it had to be possible, if you had time travel or multiple worlds and crazy things like that going on. Sai had even said something about people coming back from the dead.

[promisedawhale]

Got here or got back? Did he mean...? Oh! So like Cloud and Zoro then! Brook laughed again. "That seems to be happening an awful lot lately! Yohohoho! But then I suppose that makes it all a bit easier to understand!" Even if he still didn't all the way understand it still. How people were pulled from their world and drug here was beyond him as a start, but now for people to be taken from other times and places...

Ah, that reminded him! Instead of starting on his food (he'd get there eventually!), he pointed a long finger at his face. "Ah, you know who I am this time?" he questioned, not quite sure. Usopp had greeted him here, as had Zoro before, but when both had been here the last time, neither one had known him! Sanji had been the only one who had actually known his name as well!

[usoppsenchou]

"You shouldn't laugh about that. We don't know what happens to people when they leave." Usopp couldn't help taking it a tiny bit personally, having latched onto the idea that a future or alternate him had possibly been ground up into delicious pirate sausage or something. Looking down at his meal, he was glad he'd only taken the vegetarian options, so at least he didn't have any particularly gross mental images associated with it.

The idea was still enough to distract him for a moment from the real question facing him, Bro... Brook-look-alike's demanding question. Usopp nibbled on his lower lip, then remembered the 'pirate sausage' idea and stopped any autocannibalism at once. "You, you're... you're just like Brook! But you're not just bones."

It was strange, in a way--at first he'd been all in favor of dumping the creepy skeleton overboard and making as much speed as they could to escape him, but now the idea of a Brook who wasn't a skeleton was just a bit weird.

[promisedawhale]

It likely wasn't something that most people would laugh about, that was true, however, Brook didn't see things the way normal people did. "Really?" he asked, head tilting down, "But they could have simply gone home! That is plenty to be happy about, I believe. Yohohoho. Thinking that something bad has happened doesn't help either us or our friends, I don't think. Hope is one of the best things we can do here!"

And Brook honestly believed that. That wasn't all there was to getting out eventually, but without hope, who would try?

When Usopp gave an answer to his question, Brook blinked then broke out in a louder laugh than usual. "Well I would hope so, since I'm him! Bones and all, just a bit more skin than usual," he pointed out since it was apparently not very obvious. "Surprising isn't in? I nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized what had happened! Ah, only I wouldn't want to do that since I just got it back. Yohohohohohoho!!"

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp blinked a little more, then leaned forward to squint, which just resulted in the need to tilt his head back as Brook remained unbelievably tall. He hadn't really thought too deeply about what Brook had been like before losing his body, but this wasn't what he'd imagined. Finally Usopp decided it was the nose. Nobody with such majestic hair should have such an ordinary nose. Then again, nobody was perfect. His own hair was depressingly flat by comparison, despite the curls.

"It is you, that's good! Okay, I'll be happy about that!" Usopp leaned back, grinning a little despite himself. Even the voice was the same, after all. If Brook wanted to think the place had politely set everyone back where they belonged, maybe that was for the best. Usopp could just worry on his behalf. "Do you know who else is here right now? The first person I met who knew me wasn't one of our crew, and he said some of the others had been here too. Oh, also stuff about monsters at night. Have you seen any? I just got here yesterday, I haven't really seen much of anything."

[promisedawhale]

Brook's nose was perfectly fine, thank you! Who would need to have an awesome nose when you had such great hair, anyway? Afro's always trumped noses! Especially where the ladies went.

"Yup!" Brook grinned brightly, "Just dead bones Brook, only not so just anymore," he explained, laughing more. It had been so long since he'd needed to explain to a crew member about his magically reappearing skin that he'd forgotten just how surprising it was that he had it! Zoro hadn't needed an explanation though... well the second Zoro, who was really still the same Zoro just different...

Ah, he was confusing himself! Better to think of something else then. Like the new question posed!

"There's a few of us here. Luffy-san has been here the longest," he said first, but then had to pause in thought of the others, "Let's see... Zoro-san is here, or back. He went missing for a while too, but he's showed up again! Good as new and just as confused! Yohohoho!" But, he supposed, Zoro was etitled to his confusion. Enough so to want to go by another name, he wasn't sure, but they could try to figure that out later. "Nami-san and Sanji-san were here too, but I haven't seen either for a good while. Oh, and Chopper-san! He's about somewhere, but you'll never guess what he looks like now!"

Brook wanted to stay on the subject of their friends rather than get into the terror that was nighttime here, but it wouldn't be right to just allow Usopp to figure things out on his own. Even Brook had been given warnings himself when he'd first appeared. "I've... seen them, yes..." he said, trying to keep a smile to hide his fear. That failed pretty quick thanks to the memories. "This place is just like Thriller Bark is, Usopp-san! No, worse I would say! Every night is terrible! The one in charge taunts you on the intercom and things chase you and try to eat you! And then in the town there were zombies! And one bit me!" he shrieked, pointing down to his leg.

[usoppsenchou]

"Ohh. I wish Nami were here. Or Robin." Usopp slumped down, but perked up a little at Chopper's name. Chopper could be really reliable in the right circumstance, more than most of the fighting crew members, who tended to have a 'throw everything at the wall and see what sticks' philosophy of fixing problems. Only it was more 'break the wall down,' but the same idea. "But it's great to see you, and Chopper looks different? I thought a reindeer'd kinda stick out in the crowd, plus I don't think the shirts and pants would fit him like his shorts do!"

Not only had Sai been right about everything, but he hadn't had time to explain other things, though maybe Brook fell under the 'died before arrival' category. If they could reconstruct someone so well that he was satisfied with his body, or make Chopper fit into a crowd of humans, what else could they do? Maybe dropping someone back in their home as a conservation of material wasn't so crazy after all.

That cheerful mood vanished a bit as Brook went on describing the monsters. Unlike the animals Sai seemed to have trouble with, Brook was describing zombies. And if Brook said a place had a zombie problem, Usopp thought it had to be a pretty bad problem. Caught up in the story, Usopp shrieked when Brook did, then leaned back and gave him a slightly dirty look. "Quit! That's scary! What if you get a nurse upset at us or something?! Don't they turn into monsters too? I don't want to have to fight a monster nurse first thing in the morning!" Or ever, really. He peered at the leg again, more concerned. "Is it okay?"

[promisedawhale]

"So do I!" Though not necessarily for the reasons that Usopp was thinking. "And yes, he looks quite different! Still small, however," he noted, grinning. Most others were small compared with himself, however Chopper was exceptionally so. "Oh, but there was one night that he looked like he was supposed to! Granted he was trying to make us go back to our rooms then... oh, and you were there! Or the you who was here before." My things were confusing!

On a much less confusing note, Brook held up about zombies due to Usopp's worry. "Why, I would never upset one of them!" he exclaimed, then looked about for his own and gave her a high wave, "They're such excellent people to have a conversation with! Although my nurse seems to disappear mid-way through them. She must be busy! Yohohoho!" Pulling his arm down, he waved it across at Usopp, "And I've never seen a nurse as a monster! Such nice ladies couldn't be. And anyway, no monsters appear during the daytime. I'd be hiding in my room all time were that the case!"

So far as Brook was concerned, the daylight hours were the safest that existed in this place! Unless one remained in their room once night fell, except that the intercom still sounded when that time came. Brook shivered with the thought, then again waved off at Usopp. "It's gone now. People heal remarkably fast in this place! ... not that I suggest getting yourself hurt just to test that out..."

[usoppsenchou]

"Chopper was what?" That was definitely confusing. Usopp decided, instead of trying to work out what Brook was saying, he'd just try to advance the conversation some more. "My friend last night said we shouldn't wander around alone at night, but he didn't mention the day, so I guess that makes sense. Is your nurse really that nice? Mine keeps giving me funny looks." Self-conscious, Usopp rubbed the side of his nose, then decided to work a little more on his waffles before they got cold.

He also wondered about the quick healing, but pushed it aside as probably not being connected to Brook's regeneration. That was still basically raising the dead, which was pretty different from healing. Even Brook had to have his soul rejoined to his body, he'd said, and that hadn't brought his body back at all. "I'd probably be hiding in my room if there were monsters all around all the time too! But if something bad happens by surprise, then maybe we should share a room, just for safety's sake. I mean, I'd be there to protect you bravely in case we got attacked. My room number's M38, what's yours?"

[promisedawhale]

"I believe it's called Special Counseling," Brook explained. That was about as far as he knew on the subject, given that he only went by what other's told him, however, he knew firsthand what happened to those involved. "They take people here and brainwash them! Enough so that they would attack their friends! Chopper tossed me into a tree!"

Brook hadn't seen that tree in a fair while, however he was reminded that he still owed it a lesson about how to respect one's afro!

"The nurses are nice enough. Mine's a bit quiet, but she's never yelled at me like I've seen some others do, so she cannot be all that bad?" Brook reasoned, then started getting at his own breakfast after Usopp's own eating reminded him it was there. "But they're not around at night, so sharing rooms does sound like a good idea," he agreed, taking a bite of waffle, "Ahm 'n oom ehtea tree."

[usoppsenchou]

"Oh. Sai mentioned brainwashing. He said he'd attacked some of us like that, but I think that was before you came here, since he didn't mention anyone with an afro." Usopp considered. It must be pretty awful, especially if they could make Chopper toss poor Brook into a tree. He wondered if he'd gotten tossed into anything, or maybe he'd fled in time.

"Room eighty three? Right?" At least that sounded right. The reverse of his own room, that would be easy to remember. Brook seemed to eat the same as ever too, that was reassuring in a kind of gross way. Then again, after spending enough time around Luffy, Usopp was pretty sure his manners weren't much better. Cram things into the gullet as fast as possible with no regard to any outside forces, that was the ticket. Otherwise a person could consider their food already eaten.

[promisedawhale]

Brook nodded between taking bites, "Brnwushin, yus!" he confirmed, then swallowed and paused enough to talk some more clearly, "Eighty-three, that's what I said! And you would be coming to my room, right?" Because as much as Brook was used to the hallways, he wasn't as interested in heading out alone if he could help it.

"I don't know anyone named Sai though. Is he a friend of yours?" he asked before diving back into his meal.

[usoppsenchou]

"Okay, eighty-three." Usopp answered, just being sure. "I don't have any idea where that is, so it'd be easier if you came to my room first! Or... well, this is for emergencies only anyway, right? Maybe we should both go to Luffy's room in that case." The fact that it was right next to Usopp's room wasn't an influence, of course.

A few more bites of waffle interrupted, before he added, "Sai said he was a friend of mine from before, and he could describe most of us pretty quickly, but he didn't seem to have had much to do with anyone from the crew except me. Maybe because we're both artists? Anyway, we must have had something important to do with each other. I made up a pirate symbol for him on a headband. And he first explained parts of this place to me, and seemed pretty serious about trying to make me stay safe. He was kinda pushy about it, but I think he meant well." Usopp shrugged awkwardly.

[promisedawhale]

"Troo... buh 'merjncee only," he agreed, finishing with another swallow, "Luffy's room is 37. Oh! That's right next to your room, isn't it?! Yohohohoho! It's a bit more of a trek for me..." He never had the luck, did he? "But Luffy's room is a great place! That's where we had out first meety! Oh, and I managed to steal us a small piano from the music room too! It's stashed in the back of his closet, although I'm not so sure he's aware of that yet." He laughed again. Had he told Luffy about putting the piano there? He couldn't recall if it had been him or another crew member.

He listened to the explanation of Usopp's friend and nodded when Usopp was finished. "An artist, huh? Well it may not be as tangible, but music is art too you know, Usopp-san! Yohohohohoho! And if he's your friend then I'm sure the rest of us would like him just as well! You should introduce him!"

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp listened again, taking a moment to translate Brook's first speech through the food. "R-right, but that makes it a good central area to meet in! And you stole a piano?" Usopp had to pause again, but that part had come through pretty clearly, despite the plausibility. Well, that was definitely impressive so far as piracy went, not to mention sheer loyalty to one's craft. Usopp felt lucky for a moment that his talents involved more lightweight objects.

"Sai's kind of confusing. I feel bad, because I think he was pretty upset when I left." And worse, since Usopp didn't even remember having a friend like that. Had he left any other friends behind here before? "But it is a little weird that he hasn't met all of you. Maybe it's because he's a ninja, and he's secretive." Usopp managed to spear a last bite of waffle, and gestured with it before eating. "Still, you're totally right! I need to meet with Luffy again too, at least to say hi and that I'm here again. I'll look for everybody here. What's Chopper look like other than small, again?"