Day 17: Lunch

[hopeless_havoc]

Havoc gave his nurse a smile before heading strait for the food. He was surprised to see he was the first one here. But that meant no line for food. And that was a good thing in Havoc's mind. He grabbed a tray, piling it with whatever he could, and took a seat facing the entrance so as to see the colonel or Hughes as soon as they came in

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[lustful_thing]

"I don't know if I can or if I can't," Lust said, honestly. "It isn't that that matters, but the offer itself." She shrugged a bit. "No, I'm not. He knows every risk there is when it comes to being with me, and knows my ways."

She would have said more, but the feminine and all-too-familiar voice killed Lust's words dead in her throat. No. No, it couldn't be! She looked up, struggling to keep her expression even and not betray a hint that she knew this woman. Not in front of the colonel. Not in a crowded room full of people. The moment she showed some sign of recognition she wouldn't be able to avoid the woman - or questions.

Lust looked the slight figure over cautious, taking in the same grey uniform as everyone else, the self-confident stance, the pleasant expression... There was very little doubt, despite the given name, that this woman was in fact her master.

But it could be coincidence. There was that chance. It wouldn't be the first familiar face that wasn't, in fact, familiar. Lust was suddenly glad that her grey Landel's uniform was high collared and hid the skin above her breasts. Though she supposed, if her lack of oroborous were apparent, she could always try and deny her identity. Try, but likely not succeed. Too many people knew her. The soldiers, the Elrics, Scar...

Scar! What color there was drained from Lust's face as she thought of the man and her Master here together. Scar, who didn't know anything about Dante, Scar who was in the dark as to the true identity of the girl who had 'saved' the people of Lior...

"Is there something you need?" Lust managed to ask, her voice as mild as she could possibly make it. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute and she felt as though she'd been punched in the gut.

[lapis_inferno]

Regarding the Colonel for a moment, Dante's gaze came to rest on his violet eye. Its inhuman glow begged for explanation, but she had more important matters to attend to. Pulling out a chair, she took a seat with all the grace of her former self, managing to conceal her glee behind a plastered smile.

There was no mistaking it. The woman's flustered face was all the proof Dante needed. She had found her Lust: her pawn. And her power over the Homunculus was just as strong as ever, even in such a strange, new place.

"Is something the matter, dear?" She hissed under her breath, choosing her words carefully. "You're looking a little pale." She let her hand brush Lust's arm, trying to make the touch look accidental, though she knew Lust would understand. Lust always seemed to understand when she was in trouble.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you for lunch. I'm afraid I'm feeling rather left out."

[muted_flame]

Something was going on. Roy's previous conversation with Lust was forgotten as a certain feeling seemed to settle down on them. The atmosphere had changed ever since this woman, this Ophelia, had come over. And while discussions were expected to change when someone new was added, this wasn't simply that.

There was something going on, even if Roy had no idea what it was.

Lust seemed to be trying to play it cool, so he figured he'd go along with that. That was the easiest way to do things, considering he didn't know what was going on.

"That's fine," he said with a small nod, though his tone and general demeanor didn't seem as welcoming as his words.

[lustful_thing]

"I'm fine," Lust managed, asserting her composure once more. Any lingering doubts she'd had about this woman being simply someone who looked like her master was gone. It was Dante, even she had taken yet another name. "My lunch simply isn't agreeing with me." She pushed her tray away, feeling as though all her strength had been sapped out of her.

Her master was here. After so long attempting to break away from the shadow the woman had cast over her, that very woman was here. And while once Lust had jokingly thought to herself that it would serve Dante right to be weakened and trapped in this place, Lust didn't want to be around for it.

And the woman was already asserting her hold over her. Lust's fingers ached to clench into fists, and she fought to keep them still. This wasn't fair! She was her own master now, had been since coming to this place! But just as before, she realized she could never truly escape. Desperation and anger burned inside of her. She wasn't going to go back to her master, not now and not ever!

"You're one of the new patients," she said, her tone slightly clipped and lacking much emotion.

[lapis_inferno]

"Yes. I just arrived last night, or so they tell me."

She forced another smile, carefully averting her eyes from Lust's trembling hands. If she looked too long, she might lose herself in delight and admit something she wasn't yet ready to say. It was fun to watch the Homunculus tear herself apart, driven crazy by the uncertainties that Dante so willingly draped around her person.

The more Lust weakened herself, the easier it would be for Dante to bring her back to heel. Years of experience had taught her so much about domination. The most effective torture always began on the inside, in the deepest corner of a victim's mind, and even the soulless Homunculus was no exception. She would let her stew in her own fear for the time being, seizing her only when she was certain her endeavor would not fail.

"So tell me..." turning instead to the Colonel, she batted her eyelashes, not bothering to hide her flirtatious tendencies as she scanned his handsome face. "What exactly are we doing here? I really don't feel ill at all."

[muted_flame]

It seemed today was one of those days when he was attracting the attention of quite a few women, though Lust he had chosen to approach. Granted, Lust seemed nervous and he wasn't going to get too involved with any wordplay until he knew why.

If she would even tell him.

Regardless, he knew nothing and had to act as such. Despite his suspicious, he couldn't be completely cold with the newcomer. And everyone deserved to at least know what was going on.

"Chances are you aren't ill," he replied. He didn't return any of the flirtations, and while he wasn't very friendly, he wasn't hostile, either. More or less, he was acting like himself. "Everyone here was dragged from whatever world they originally come from and are being held prisoner here. We're told we're mentally ill and everything we know is our own fabrication. They give us a name that isn't ours." He wasn't sure if Lust was planning to add onto that, but if she didn't he could always elaborate.

[lustful_thing]

"They perform experiments," Lust said, and her voice was perfectly calm but there was a glint in her eyes. Really, she was only offering information that the colonel hadn't. It just so happened that some part of her took sick delight in passing on these matters to her master. She watched her own hands, though, instead of Dante.

"Cruel and seemingly senseless ones. And this place... well, let's just say that if you have any special talents, you won't find them working here."

See how you like being on this side of things, Master, Lust thought viciously, clinging to her one scrap of power over the older woman. It wasn't much, and it certainly wasn't enough to gain her any sort of freedom, but it was something.

[lapis_inferno]

"I see." Dante was surprised by how small her own voice sounded under the hum of nearby conversations. One hand sneaked under the table to finger the scratchy grey fabric of her uniform; the other tapped lightly against surface, beating out an uneasy rhythm.

The comment had been pointed. Lust knew exactly what she was saying, and just how deeply it would affect her master. She hated that loss of control more than anything else. Feeling the other slip through her fingers infuriated her, even more so than the knowledge the two had presented her with.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, hoping to silence the tumbling in her chest with some logical answers, but the words wouldn't come. Even though she planned on leaving as soon as possible, the sheer helplessness that seemed to come along with her new accommodations was terrifying. Dante had always been in control. Everything was supposed to unfold just the way she wanted it to, when she wanted it to. But here, she would be at the mercy of others.

Just as Lust, the monster who had once served her so graciously, had managed to shake her steely facade, the doctors here would be able to do whatever they wanted with her, even if she knew inside that she should be ruling over them. It wasn't fair, and she hated it.

Barely able to still the real trembles racing across her lips, she masked them under fabricated sobs, reaching for the Colonel's sleeve with a clammy hand. "But there must be some mistake!" Her theatrics spilled out in thick drops of saline and tiny gasps, her voice straining under the weight of each tear. "I really am Ophelia Jamison! I have no idea why they would bring me here!"

[muted_flame]

Roy was glad to see that Lust at least had enough in her to provide her own tidbits of information. These were essential things that this new patient had to be made aware of, no matter who she was. He had been ready to get into the topics of nightshift and the building itself when he heard an odd noise that he soon realized was weeping.

Something twisted in his stomach and he suppressed a sigh. Most of the people he'd dealt with so far had taken the information well, but it figured that some... wouldn't.

He hated it when women cried. It generally sent him into a mild state of panic--dealing with hysterical women wasn't his specialty. Cringing as she grabbed at his sleeve, he stopped himself from pulling away as that would probably make matters worse. Feeling extremely awkward, especially since he already knew he was in the dark about something, he sighed.

Was what she was saying true, though? Or was this some sort of act? It was hard to tell. If it was an act, it was a damn good one. "Now, there's no reason to start crying," he started. "If that's the case, perhaps there's been a mistake..." Or maybe she was just trying to fool them. He'd need to see what Lust did before he could really know.

[lustful_thing]

Lust attempted to keep her expression calm as she watched her master break down into tears and throw herself at Mustang. Of course. She'd try and get her claws in the first alchemist that she could. But Lust's features flickered, a slight frown coming to her lips. She could make some sort of signal to the colonel. Just something to let him know something was wrong.

But if she was caught, she was as good as dead. She rolled her eyes as she would at any display of human emotion such as that.

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation," she offered, tossing her head as though she felt the woman was beneath her. It was a pleasant thing to do. "Oh honestly, girl, pull yourself together. You're embarrassing yourself."

[lapis_inferno]

Suppressing the glare that twitched at the corners of her mouth, Dante instead went for the delicate approach, withdrawing her hand from the Colonel and bringing it up to hide her frown. With a tiny sniff, she looked away. "I'm sorry, sir. I just don't know what has gotten into me."

She had went to far this time, and, judging by the Colonel's tense response, she would do well to silence her dramatics. Her cheeks blushed easily from years of experience in dealing with such men. "I'm just, feeling a little overwhelmed, I suppose."

Chancing another glance in Lust's direction, her eyes narrowed, her face clenching up at the hatred she felt bubbling in her chest. How dare Lust, the soulless Homunculus who she had nursed to health and beauty treat her this way? She would put her back in her place, no matter what.

"H, h, how do you..." she let her voice drop, stuttering purposefully as her gaze drifted back to her lap, "how do you know about the experiments? Surely they haven't been treating you that way, right, dear?"

[muted_flame]

Oh, Roy had caught Lust's less-than-pleased expression. The way she spoke to her, while not unusual for the sin, further proved that this woman was a phony. He wasn't sure why the homunculus didn't simply call her on it, but he figured she must have had a reason. He and Lust were going to need to have a long talk about this, and soon.

Nodding "Ophelia's" red cheeks and timid demeanor, he folded his arms on the table near to his chest with the hope that she wouldn't suddenly grab for him again. Listening to her question, he nodded. "Many of us have undergone experimentation here," he said, answering for Lust. Of course, his eye wasn't actually the doing of the institution. He still needed to figure out who had decided it was such a brilliant plan.

He wasn't yet sure what he'd do with that person once he did find out.

"Some of it is pointless torture, while other things seem to have more of a point to them. Despite that, we don't know their motive yet."

[lustful_thing]

"The enemy is faceless and untouchable," Lust said, smoothly ignoring her master's question regarding experimentation. Mustang had answered for her. She would have to thank the man at some point. If she told him who this woman truly was. At least he wasn't falling for Dante's tricks. He was an intelligent man.

"Doesn't even have a name." More information that Lust was pleased to impart to her master. It was a game, now. Here, in this place where they were on something of an even ground. Here, Lust could offer up her small challenges. "It's quite frustrating, as I'm certain you can imagine."

[lapis_inferno]

"Hmm, I suppose so." She didn't like Lust's attitude. She hadn't liked it from the beginning, and as the conversation progressed, it just infuriated her even more. Where was the Lust who trembled at even the slightest mention of her name? She had seen it before, but now that Lust had been replaced by someone Dante simply could not reckon with.

"But really, I doubt I will be staying here for long. I mean, as I told you already, I haven't been mistaken for anyone. I'm afraid I just don't belong in a place like this."

Not wanting to offend the Colonel, she nodded gently in his direction. She needed any alliance she could make in this place, and pulling him away from the Homunculus would make the deal even sweeter. "Of course, it's obvious to me none of us are mentally ill. If you'd like, you could join me when I go talk to the doctor tonight. I think it would be best to get this whole matter sorted out before we waste another minute locked up here."

"I don't know about you," her gaze flickered in Lust's direction; tossing her hair from side to side, she smiled, extending her hand in the other woman's direction, "but I personally have much more pressing matters back home that really must be attended to."

[muted_flame]

The more she spoke, the more Roy realized how little she knew. Of course, that wasn't her fault. She simply hadn't been told yet--or hadn't found out through experience. Either way, there was a lot she was saying that needed to be corrected before she got the wrong idea.

"Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be that easy," he started, trying to be as gentle about it as he could. She might start crying again if he wasn't careful. "Even if you tell them that you are who they say you are, they're going to insist on keeping you here." Quite a few people had tried the play-along game. It hadn't worked.

"There's also more than one doctor here. We only get to see them at designated times and there isn't a main one that we've ever met," he continued. So much information he had to force these new patients to understand--it was tedious. "As far as night goes, don't get your hopes up. This place is completely different come nightfall."

[lustful_thing]

"The staff is not here for our benefit," Lust added, nodding. "You can tell them whatever you'd like, but it won't do any good. And they have drugs to sedate you, if you upset them too much." The homunculus folded her hands on the table in front of her. She was composed finally, and her expression was fixed to show no hint of defiance.

"When night comes, the monsters come out," she explained, casually. "Horrific creatures, like things in a nightmare. And they have a taste for human flesh. But then again, even the building itself delights in tormenting us."

Oh yes, there was some small joy in this. She'd pay for it later, she knew she would, but it would be worth it.