Day 41: Breakfast

[oftemptation]

Endrance turned his head to look at the intercom, giving it a look that would wither an entire rose garden in an instant. He would never get used to ending up in his room again from somewhere else in the Institute

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[fencing_captain]

Apparently, she'd slept through the night. Juri woke up feeling rested but filthy. Weren't they ever going to be allowed to bathe in this stupid place? She noticed her roommate's side of the room seemed particularly clean and tidy. What's with that? she wondered as she stretched and ran her fingers through her hair.

By the time the nurse came, she'd looked through the other girl's desk. Empty. A set, sour expression on her face, Juri followed the nurse. She did not ask about her roommate. She didn't even know the girl's official name here. Since she didn't ask the woman questions, Juri learned she was going to get to shower today. Right after breakfast, in fact. Despite the nurse wanting her to eat more, she choose fruit and milk for breakfast and looked for a free seat. There was a grim and unhappy looking young man, looking to be close to her age, or at least like he might have gone to Ohtori if she pretended hard

[forgot_my_life]

Takaya glanced up when the girl came to sit near him, then winced when a nurse stepped up behind him. "Alan," she scolded. "Please eat. I don't want to have to resort to less pleasent means." Takaya sat up and took a bite of his breakfast, making the woman nod and walk off to annoy some other poor sap. He turned back to Juri.

"I'm Takaya," he said, after washing the small bit of food down with some water.

[fencing_captain]

"You must be a trouble-maker if they're threatening to force feed you," Juri said. The more she studied him the less pleased she was, and it showed in her face despite her obvious effort to seem pleasant. There was still some part of her that insisted that troublemakers should be kicked out, and this guy would never make the grade at Ohtori, or so she thought just from looking at him.

"I know the food here is less than appetizing most of the time, but why don't you eat enough to--" Not be a trouble maker. She frowned, more annoyed at herself than anything because she didn't mean to broadcast her disapproval so clearly. She glanced away across the cafeteria, clenching her fist under the table for a moment, then resumed her task of chopping the cold melon chunks into bite-sized pieces. "Isn't it easier just to listen to what they tell us? I doubt they can read our minds to know we don't believe them." She shrugged, a deliberate show of indifference.

[forgot_my_life]

Snorting, Takaya shook his head. Had he really been called a 'trouble maker'? What was this, class?

"I think they already labeled me a fucking 'trouble-maker', by my second day. I've been here long enough that they already know I'm a stubborn asshole," he said. "And I'm eating." As though to make a point, he took another mouthful of the pancakes.

Truthfully, Takaya had just been too distracted to eat this morning, but he hadn't been eating regularly lately and it would seem the staff had finally taken note of it.

[fencing_captain]

"You can mend their opinion, if you like. It only takes discipline, like learning a new subject or sport." To Juri, that's all it was. She was good at keeping disciplined in most matters. As her thoughts strayed, one hand reached to press against her clavicle, searching for the locket that was no longer there with its reminder of the one part of her life over which she had no control. She glanced down to hide how distressing that was to her.

"Being stubborn doesn't have to be a stumbling block. I'd guess you do better than some at night." She was stabbing blindly with that. What did she know about nights here? After three days she had accomplished so little, remembered so little.

[forgot_my_life]

Takaya looked up, more surprised over the sudden interest of Kagetora than her words.

"I don't think me suddenly being a good kid is going to help," he said. "I've broken more than a few of the staff member's bones here, and nearly killed a visitor. If I 'turn over a new leaf', they're not gonna believe a fucking word I say."

Kagetora snickered in his mind, forcing Takaya's mouth into an amused smile. He quickly looked away to hide it.

[fencing_captain]

"If they don't believe you, then they're hypocrites." Which she didn't doubt since this was a sham hospital. "If they claim they are trying to help us, then ignoring you making progress toward that is against their policy. You'd have to keep at it a while, though, I'd guess."

Somehow, throwing unwanted advice at this surly excuse for a young man started to make Juri feel better, more herself. She was used to being able to tell people what to do and being obeyed. "It'd make an interesting test, don't you think?"

[forgot_my_life]

She's trying to push you around...

Takaya looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Why the hell would I want to do that? It doesn't fucking mean anything." Being 'good' would only serve to annoy him more, and this place wouldn't let them go anyway just because they claimed to really believe what was happening.

"Besides, this is me on my best fucking behavior. You don't see any of those damn orderlies hivering around me do ya?" The staff still kept a close eye on him, but they weren't following him around anymore.

[fencing_captain]

"Do the orderlies like to watch you?" she asked, still trying to keep that good feeling. She leaned back in her chair, trying to show how unconcerned sh was, and finally started stabbing fruit to eat. "I think you'd be fun to watch, if you ask me." Not fun for much else though. Well, she wasn't just looking for amusement.

"Tell me, have you ever been outside the walls?"

[forgot_my_life]

"Fuck if I know what get's them off," Takaya said, purposefully being crude to try and throw Juri off. "They might like it, they might be watching to make sure I don't beat anyone to death with my chair."

He shrugged as though it was a toss up.

Had he been outside the walls? "Yeah, I have." So had Kagetora. Who wouldn't stop laughing. "Why?"

[fencing_captain]

One side of Juri's mouth twitched slightly in an almost smile at his words. She was annoyed at his constant use of crude language. It showed a lack of breeding, but the role she'd taken for this meal wasn't the rich snob. It wouldn't help to fuss about it.

"So you're a likely murdered too? Such charming people we have here." Juri frowned, to herself now. That wasn't what she wanted to say. "Don't mind that," she said hurriedly.

"I thought you looked like a survivor. Is there anything out there? A town, a road, somewhere we can contact the real authorities from?" Anything? a small, scared voice inside her asked before she stomped it silent again.

[forgot_my_life]

Now Kagetora pushed full to the front, Takaya glad to allow him control for the moment. He laughed.

"There are two towns, and two roads. One that we travel when we're allowed into town, the other hidden in the forest. The town, Doyleton, that we are permitted to go into, is nothing more than a sham. The second town is in ruins. If you live long enough to get to it, you'll find that there is nobody you can contact."

He leaned back slightly and considered the young woman. "Everyone outside of here believes the ruse of the hospital."

[fencing_captain]

"There has to be somewhere beyond that," Juri protested. Then she forced her attention back to her breakfast. Yes, she was interested, but it wouldn't do to seem too eager. "The area around here withing walking distance can't be the entire world," she finally added. "It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Can you think of a reason it'd make sense?"

[forgot_my_life]

Kagetora chuckled softly and shook his head. "What ever is within walking distance is your whole world," he said. "At least until you or one of your friends can steal a vehicle. Then who knows? But our world is now limited to what we can reach between sundown and sun up."

Didn't matter how far that was either. It could be right outside their rooms, or as far as the towns. Didn't seem to matter.

"However far Landel can reach, that is our world."

[fencing_captain]

"He isn't a god," Juri growled and stabbed her fork viciously into a chunk of honeydew. "I can't believe I'm stuck in this place. How can he be allowed to take us from our lives like this?" If she kept thinking like this, she'd probably jab that fork into a passing nurse.

[forgot_my_life]

Kagetora tried not to laugh. Push Takaya, and Kagetora would push right back.

"No he isn't a god. I've had plenty of experiance with those to tell the difference." He shrugged slightly. "He's much more dangerous. A mortal who thinks he is a god, and, sadly, he also currently has the power to keep us trapped here."