Day 48: Cafeteria (Breakfast)

[should_be_dead]

Luckily for Mele, the night had ended before Tenzen had changed his mind and deemed Mele appropriate for target practice. Even if the situation of who was mocking who had seemed to change into the Iga ninja's favor. Despite her behavior, perhaps the insolent woman could serve some sort of use nonetheless. He had been trapped in this place for a

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[itneverwas]

Once again, 'surprise' may have been an appropriate emotion to experience. Or perhaps a certain sense of alarm, confusion. Though his brain certainly experienced the results of a sudden shift between locations and positions as the Nobody awoke with a start, this hollow shell of a man could not experience surprise or confusion. All there was was a sense of disorientation before his brain caught on to the situation at hand

[hajike_tobiume]

Momo sighed when she awoke in her room. They had just gotten to the ruins when the night ended. One would think she'd be used to it, having been held captive for close to a month now, if not longer. Yet, some things would always stay unnatural and jarring.

After having stashed her sword, the diminutive shinigami was ushered into the cafeteria and given her meal. At least she could handle more solid food with grease now. She made a mental note to never let herself starve again. Finding a place to sit was not hard, but Momo chose a silver-haired man that looked familiar. She'd never spoken to him before, but she could have sworn he had been around as long as she had.

"Hello. May I join you?"

[itneverwas]

Xemnas observed the various patients entering the room, watching as they acquired their food and found their way towards a vacant seat. Those that were held captive came in variety, not containing a pattern as far as he could perceive on appearances. All the while nurses kept close watch upon their charges, yet their presence had been severely lacking during the darkness. It certainly provided an illusion of normalcy, yet the night he had experienced tore such a fallacy to shreds.

A patient approaching him appeared to be an inevitable occurrence, but the Superior welcomed it. The answers Erika had provided were useful, but not enough. This young woman, perhaps she could provide some of the knowledge he was seeking.

"Good morning," he offered, before he nodded and made a gesture towards the seat across him. "You may."

[hajike_tobiume]

The polite reply was met with a gracious smile as Momo took a seat.

"Whether the morning is good or not, I guess, depends on how each person's night ended. I would not consider it good, but certainly not bad," she said. "But I'm used to it by now. I would think the same goes for you. After a while it tends to blend together."

She smiled again. "I'm Vice Captain Hinamori Momo. I've seen you around, but this is the first time I've spoken to you. I hope you've been getting along well."

[itneverwas]

Hmm? Those words made Xemnas pause briefly, and he watched the woman with mild interest. Last night had been the time he had awakened and found himself in this mental health facility for the very first time, yet this woman claimed his presence not to be a recent addition to what appeared to be the patient populace, even if she had never interacted with him. How odd it was that he had no recollection of his presence here. But memories were fragile and easily manipulated, even for those nonexistent shells that weren't part of anything other than the in-between.

Or Momo was mistaking him for another, which would be a more than logical conclusion, yet this facility seemed to be lacking any of such logic thus far. Or, no more logic than a nonexistence.

"You've seen me around, you say?" the Superior spoke. His words were calm, his tone not containing a skeptical or accusing nature. If anything, his words merely implied he found the idea a remarkable one. "Then, allow me a question; when is it that you have seen me?"

[hajike_tobiume]

The shinigami tilted her head a bit. "I'd say about a month ago when I first arrived," Momo replied. She gave a small smile. "You do have a bit of a distinctive look, I'm afraid."

Unfortunately, she hadn't felt any need to keep track of this man, so she didn't know if he just associated in different circles than she did or if she just missed paying attention during those two weeks when she was little more than a shell wandering about, not caring if she lived or died.

[itneverwas]

"I see," Xemnas said. The answer she provided only raised more questions, so he remained silent for a moment as he contemplated this new piece of information. Somehow, he had been a patient at least about a month prior. Unfortunately, as Momo had not interacted with him there was currently not a way to discover what had occurred during this supposed previous visit, neither was there currently a way to determine it's length or the time that had passed in-between, if any time had passed at all.

At least the comment regarding his 'distinctive look' mostly ruled out the more logical hypothesis. Landels Institute certainly knew of ways to keep his interest.

"You speak of remarkable things," the Nobody commented. "Now, is it common to forget?" He was quite aware of what he admitted, but to be shrouded in secrecy was not a priority.

[hajike_tobiume]

With that question, it dawned on Momo why she hadn't seen the man around lately. She was both willing and unwilling to speak on the subject of reappearances considering Hitsugaya, but it would be rude to ignore the question - more rude than the man was for not introducing himself after she had herself.

"I am not certain 'forgetting' is the right way to put it," Momo answered, choosing her words carefully. "You don't remember being here before because you, the man sitting across from me, was never here at that time. Another you was."

[itneverwas]

Momo caught on quickly, yet the answer she provided was another one of interest. She claimed of another him to have existed - relatively speaking, as an empty shell of a man could not truly exist - within this very world.

"Another me?" he echoed. "You seem certain. Why is it that you believe you are speaking to another me than the one you have perceived one month prior, rather than a me who simply no longer holds these memories? Memories are important as they define who we are, provide us a sense of self. Yet, they are fragile. They can be easily erased or manipulated." He spoke on a leisurely pace, once again without accusation or skepticism. After all, he only wished to learn of the reasoning behind her answer. He gave off an air of calm, one who listened rather than argued.

Was such a thing possible for this head doctor? Did this man's power know of any boundaries?

[hajike_tobiume]

The shinigami had to resist the urge to look away uncomfortably. It seemed she wasn't going to be able to avoid the topic of Hitsugaya