Day 34: Breakfast

[screwthegods]

[starting off in M13]The last part of the night was little more than a blur in Homura's mind. The men had rushed in, but not joined them, instead staying off to themselves. Before any of them had a chance to react, however, a voice sounded through the air, mocking some other person Homura had never heard of, and the patients themselves

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[deathandfudge]

[Reserved for tall dark and Snarly]

By the time that they got to the caferteria, Rainier's anger was palpable, his teeth gritted from the effort of will it was taking him to not snap and kill everyone he saw. It wasn't fair to use his anger against landens like this, although it was becoming harder and harder to remember.

The female filled up a plate and guided him to a seat, setting the plate down on a long table and encouraging him to sit. Every nerve was on edge as he looked around, leashing his anger for now while he tried to work out what sort of place this was meant to be.

[bastard_sadi]

Daemon was in a good mood when he glided into the cafeteria this morning. A very good mood. He'd finally accomplished a goal last night, and the spider silk he'd retrieved would hopefully prove very useful tonight, as long as they hadn't somehow sealed those skills away as well

[deathandfudge]

A familiar presence on the psychic webs was reassuring.

The person it represented and the rapidly approaching cold was decidedly not and Daemon's anger made Rainier's own flare, more on edge because of the uncertaintly of the situation.

That cold. He'd felt it once or twice before and the only time it had been directed at him, Jaenelle had been there to smooth Daemon's temper. If he'd just woken up ehre too, then Rainier could understand the temper though. He stood, holding himself back by the finest of margins.

"Prince Sadi," he said, inclining his head to his employer, although there was a touch of a growl to his voice as temper scratched against temper.

[bastard_sadi]

A single eyebrow arched upward with a sardonic tilt as the Sadist glided to a stop beside the male. Cold golden eyes studied the man, sweeping him from head to toe with an arrogant laziness as he took his measure.

"Prince," Daemon crooned in greeting, a sleepy sort of regard glinting in a half-lidded gaze. His hands were tucked in his robe pockets, still managing to exude an air of dangerous grace despite the ridiculous clothing they were given in this place.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage." There was no recognition in his gaze or in his manner.

[deathandfudge]

He recognised the croon, the way that Daemon was looking at him from the first time that they'd met, when he'd got a taste of the Sadist and he'd seen up close just what Daemon could do when he was pushed. But he stood his ground anyway, wanting to find out exactly what was going on.

The lack of recognition was startling. "I sincerely doubt that I could have the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan and Consort of the Dark Court at a disadvantage," he said, a little sourly, choosing to ignore it for now in favour of finding out the important things. "Now tell me what happened to Surreal. Is she healed? I can't sense her."

[bastard_sadi]

Another edge to the temper, a flicker of something darker shadowing golden eyes as he regarded the male. He knew Surreal. Was this one of her targets, perhaps? Which said little for the male's character and promised a none-too-pleasant fate for him.

"Surreal?" Daemon echoed with what appeared to be mild curiosity mixed with utter boredom. "She is not here, which is why you cannot sense her. Did something happen, that she would require healing?"

[deathandfudge]

Not here? Then where was she? He could only hope that she was in the Hall and not under the influence of whateve was apparently affecting Sadi.

"You know that it did," he said, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You were there when Yaslana broke us out of that cursed house. You were the one who extracted the price from the one who created it. She was posioned and Jaenelle was healing her." That it was Janelle who had begun the healing made his worry less. If anyone could heal Surreal, then it would be Kaeleer's Heart.

[bastard_sadi]

Again, something flickered in Daemon's gaze, but this time his expression was patient, and he held up a hand. "Stop. Don't say anymore. Not yet. First of all... humor me, for a moment. How do I know you?"

The man spoke of things Daemon had no memory of, and that he was certain he had not yet experienced, but the mention of Lucivar and Jaenelle gave him pause, even as the mention of Surreal being injured pricked his temper dangerously. This concept wasn't entirely surprising as it was confusing. Lucivar, too, had arrived speaking of events that Daemon had not yet encountered, and hadn't the Lady Lia been brought from hundreds of years in the past?

For the moment, he would give the man before him the benefit of the doubt, although Daemon still did not let his guard drop. Another Warlord Prince - an unknown Warlord Prince - was a dangerous threat, and unless Lucivar could vouch for this man, Daemon wasn't about to trust him.

[deathandfudge]

Rainier paused, giving Daemon an odd look in response to the questions. He knew everything. They'd known each other for a year at least now so why...? Wisely, he decided to answer now instead of raging against this cage in the hope that he might find outwhat was happening and where in the name of the Darkness Surreal was.

"I work for you," he said after a moment, voice tight from restraining himself. "I'm Second Circle of the Dark Court." Even after it had been disbanded, they still served. "I serve the Lady but you gave me a contract to work for you so I wouldn't need to serve in another Court." Even if they were friends, certain things were required of males that he just wasn't suited for. "And I stand as Lady Surreal's escort when she requires on. We're friends," he added, his tone making it absolutely clear what was not involved in their friendship.

[bastard_sadi]

The man wasn't lying. Or, at least, he believed what he said, which was a very subtle but important difference. All the same, Daemon pulled out the chair beside the man's and sank down into it, still watching the Warlord Prince warily.

"Perhaps what you say is true and perhaps it is not. First of all, we're not in Kaeleer anymore. Nor are we in Terrielle. This is someplace else entirely and the rules are not the same here as we knew it. You speak of things I have not experienced yet, and until I find Lucivar to vouch for your words, you will have to forgive me for greeting them with considerable skepticism. Before I was brought here, I had not met you, but if you say you served in the Court, then for the moment, I will give you the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise."

[deathandfudge]

Despite the wary gaze from Sadi, Rainier relaxed a little when he sat, moving to do the same and ignoring the food set out. His gaze was equally wary, not certain how he should react to this new strangeness.

Somewhere new and outside the rules? What could that mean? But the very fact that Daemon was here was not reassuring. He raised an eyebrow at the suggesiton that Lucivar was here. "Yourself and your brother are here, and yet the place still stands?"

[bastard_sadi]

Daemon's lips twisted downwards in an expression of disgust. "Those that control this place are more clever than they look. They've sealed us off from our jewels and leave us with nearly no power at all. During daylight, we are closely watched and monitored and restrained should we step out of line. After darkness, we are let loose, but this place unleashes monsters of the like most have never encountered. There are cats the size of an Arcerian, rodents larger than Ladvarian, and spiders bigger than you or I. There are creatures that take on the illusion of a close friend, only to turn on you as prey when they get a chance. They use magic and inventions the like most in Kaeleer and Terrielle have never dreamed of. They even managed to contain Jaenelle here for a time, and that alone should tell you difficulty we are up against

[deathandfudge]

Rainier listened carefully to the explanation of the place that Daemon gave, his expression becoming grim. Monsters sounded rather outlandish, but he took the warnings seriously, not believing that Daemon would make something up when it would be too easy to discover the truth. His eyes did widen though when Daemon mentioned Jaenelle. "They manage to hold Jaenelle captive?" he asked incredulously. She was the strongest Queen the Blood had ever seen, able to wipe out every person who had been tainted and hold together an entire realm. "That tells me enough about what we're up again, yes," he continued, expression darkening.

"You believe it to be an illusion?" he asked finally, remembering all too clearly what had taken place before he'd woken up here. And that had been only three Black Widows.

[bastard_sadi]

"I don't know what it is. Yet." Daemon amended mildly. "Whatever they are using, it's like nothing we've encountered before, and without my Jewels, its difficult to find out what I normally could. And yes, Jaenelle was here briefly. Very briefly. As was the Priest. People occasionally have a way of... vanishing. Some after only a short time, some after longer. There seems to be no pattern to it, no more than how people are chosen and brought here. There are only a few Blood, but most of the prisoners here are from realms so varied and different from ours that it's almost impossible to comprehend."

[eyrien_prick]

Lucivar was fuming. The brief message Daemon had left him alerted him to the fact that his father was gone. It was the second family member that had gone missing without his knowledge and it enraged him to think they could disappear under his nose. He had to speak to Daemon, hoping the Bastard's words would assist him in leashing the rage that had once again bubbled to the surface. If not, Lucivar prayed he had enough sense not to deck one of the smiling nurses in the face.

Locating Daemon in the busy cafeteria had been easy. Lucivar stalked over, his fists clenched in anger when he saw that Daemon was not alone. "Rainier?" he said, a bit confused. The Warlord hadn't been in the hospital the night before which meant that he must have arrived this morning. Still, what was he doing here?

[deathandfudge]

Jaenelle and Saetan had been here and vanished. That didn't particularly bode well for their chances of surviving. It wasn't a reassuring thought. "Other realms," he said musingly. It was difficult to even comprehend of. THere had always been only the three.

He was about to say more when he heard Lucivar's voice and practically sagged in relief. He never thought he'd be grateful to see Lucivar in a bad mood. He'd even be prepared to sit through the inevtiable lecture about shielding. "Yaslana," he replied, inclining his head.