Day 60: Cafeteria

[gald_digger]

Anise had been lying snug in bed, only vaguely aware that she was awake, when her rest was disturbed by the one sound in the world she'd never wanted to hear again.

"Good morning, everyone!"

The girl's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up straight. There was no doubt about it. That was the Head Doctor, that bastard, and he was back! Now that

Comments

[requitedfate]

They would be... back

[thecamellia]

Waking up back in bed came as a surprise to Tsubaki, especially when she ascertained that her weapon modes were once again blocked off from her reach. And Rapunzel... Rapunzel's hair was short again. There was no more pink glow, either.

Just them, waking up to greet the morning like every other day in the Institute.

That was kind of... a disappointing realization. So the Institute was back to normal, huh? Whatever had allowed them to get their strength back seemed to be over now, though the plus side to having nightshift end meant there were no more monsters, dead or alive. Still, if there was a chance of the prisoners doing anything, it would be when--

"Good morning, everyone!"

... Oh. The Institute really was back to normal. In her room, Tsubaki repressed a shiver

[requitedfate]

Shiina looked up and felt great relief to see Tsubaki standing before her. Seeing someone other than Shou who had been kind and willing to offer information in their previous meeting was a balm. Not that she would have minded seeing Shou, of course, but he always attempted to shelter her. In her opinion that caused more problems than solved them because it left her vulnerable. Tsubaki was a teenage girl herself. She wouldn't attempt to keep information away from Shiina even if it meant causing her a little worry. Or so Shiina hoped.

Her mouth was still full of waffle, so she nodded vigorously and gestured to the open seat nearby. Once she had swallowed and Tsubaki had made herself comfortable, Shiina greeted her properly.

"Morning, Tsubaki-san. I hope you had a... safe night." Her brows drew together and raised, relaying her uncertainty. "I think I'm starting to understand what you meant when you said it could get dangerous at night."

[thecamellia]

At Shiina’s assent, Tsubaki sat, smiling broadly. The other girl didn’t seem to be having trouble with the food, at least. If the meals were back to normal for everyone, poor Rapunzel was missing out on a good breakfast, despite the fact that waffles weren’t the healthiest food.

After last night, though, everyone could use a little treat.

“I don’t know what that was, but um, it could’ve been worse. For me and my friend, I mean,” answered Tsubaki, smile dimming somewhat. And poor Shiina, for having to go through that cacophony in her first few days of arriving--it would be enough to unsettle anyone. “Are you okay? You didn’t get caught in the middle of that craziness, did you?”

[requitedfate]

Shiina smiled sympathetically towards the other girl. "As long as you have a friend around, it seems like things aren't so bad. I would just hate to get caught out at night alone..."

She took a drink of her juice and set to cutting up her waffle a bit while she answered. "It was definitely crazy last night. We kinda got attacked by... well, I didn't think birds even grew to that size, but it had to be at least as tall as full-grown man!" She chuckled a little, suddenly realizing how crazy that sounded now that she spoke it out loud.

Her smile dimmed a moment later and she stared down at her plate. Her lower lip tucked between her teeth as memories of last night returned to her. "My friend was hurt a little. I think he'll be okay, he's used to getting into tough spots but..." He had bled a lot. Shiina made a mental note to ask about his arm again over the bulletin if she didn't catch up with Shou later today.

[thecamellia]

Heh… that was right… having someone around could equal something as simple as a boost in confidence. There was no need to add to Shiina’s fears by recounting the kinds of trouble she had gotten into while travelling the halls alone, although Tsubaki herself had accepted the consequences of her choices. She had the advantage of having battle experience to her name, including extensive stealth training, so facing the Institute on her own wasn’t as scary as it could be. She didn’t know about Shiina--it could have been different for her

[requitedfate]

Tsubaki's presence and words were reassuring. She thought that Shou would be fine, and Shiina felt her own shoulders relaxing as the tension eased from them. He would be okay, even if those talons had probably left a huge scar in their wake. A scar was better than leaving only a hollow husk.

"I was okay. Niikura-san pushed me to safety before he was hit." Shiina's eyes dropped to her plate again. He hurt himself looking after her. Just like Shou always did. He always wanted to protect her; shield her from the evils that could cause her pain. She really needed to make her stance plain on how their relationship was going to work from now on.

"Healing powers?" That sounded kind of neat, but also a little far-fetched. Even after that giant bird Shiina wasn't one take the supernatural seriously until she saw it with her own eyes.

Dragonflies didn't sound too scary, but if a bird could be twice the size of a normal adult then maybe she would need something a little larger than a flyswatter if she ran into those creatures

[thecamellia]

She could see that Shiina felt badly about what had happened to her friend. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Tsubaki said at first. “I’m sure your friend is, too. He probably doesn’t want you to worry about it for long.” Seeing friends get hurt was always tough, sadly… Tsubaki sensed a part of Shiina’s concern was grounded in guilt, too, which Tsubaki couldn’t really offer a cure for

[requitedfate]

Boy, did she know it! Shiina almost felt like giggling when Tsubaki's words rang with probably more truth than the other girl recognized. As for guilt, it was true a small measure of it weighed on her mind. Compared to the week of Akumetsu-ing she had witnessed, however, it was but a trickle in a pond.

"Huh. That's... interesting." People with healing abilities. Was this a video game?

The offer of the first aid kit gave Shiina pause. Then she smiled, still a bit in shock from the generosity of the offer. "Oh, I couldn't take it from you. I should probably grab one for myself sometime tonight or something." Taking it just seemed like taking advantage of Tsubaki's kindness. This was a hospital. Surely it wouldn't be hard to pick one up some night, assuming the staff didn't just confiscate the thing in the morning.

"So it was a warning of the... power suppressor being lifted?" Shiina still wasn't sure if she could just believe in powers, even if Tsubaki claimed to have some of her own. It was just too much to take in so

[thecamellia]

It was probably only natural that Shiina would feel some skepticism and disbelief toward all that went on in the Institute if she wasn’t used to it back home. For instance, having large, vicious birds attack you and your friends wasn’t an everyday occurrence. If it was that would be… a scary place to come from

[requitedfate]

Neat possibilities was a nice way to put it. Shiina couldn't help but smile as she fought back a giggle at that morbid understatement. Tsubaki really was kind to offer her abilities to Shiina's service, however, and for that she was thankful. "I really appreciate it. Thank you."

She nodded seriously as Tsubaki continued with her warnings. Shiina understood that she needed all the help she could get to survive. "I'll always need to be on alert, then." She paled a little, thinking about having to face monsters like that giant bird or those bats on a regular basis, but she she was resolved to do it.

"Thanks for your advice, Tsubaki, it really helps." She was absolutely sincere in her thankfulness. Taking another bite, she gave herself a moment to think of what else she might have to ask. Nothing new came to mind, but a little thought struck her. "You must be pretty brave, or else pretty lucky to have survived so long here. It seems like such an awful place."

[thecamellia]

Well, if Shiina didn’t want to take her up on her offer, that was okay… Hopefully her friend’s wound wouldn’t worsen so that he would need immediate attention.

“It’s no problem,” she replied. Tsubaki angled her head, giving the other girl a comforting smile. Where bravery was concerned, Shiina clearly had it, being willing to travel the halls at night time despite what she had been learning about the Institute--in part thanks to Tsubaki’s own explanations.

But she was also afraid, that much was apparent. She had a reason to be; being a prisoner was no picnic. Still, Tsubaki didn’t want Shiina to have to be constantly looking over her shoulder, either. “Caution isn’t a bad thing, but try not to let things psyche you out too much. You’d be surprised how uneventful the days can be sometimes.” It was unfortunate that they had to talk about survival in terms of luck, but Shiina wasn’t exactly wrong. Awful things did happen, but that was another thing people just needed to try and defend against. “Eventually you get used to it… And if

[requitedfate]

If Shiina came up with a really dangerous injury, like broken bones, then she might seek a little more supernatural help. Until then, though, flesh wounds could be dealt with. After all, this was Shou she was talking about.

Tsubaki's understanding words really did a number on calming Shiina's nerves. She had to learn to be like that, cool and ready for anything. Like Tsubaki. Like Shou. "Right. We'll beat this place. Someday soon."

Going home? That wasn't necessary a priority for Shiina. Maybe to let her parents know she was alive, but she wanted to be with Shou after this. Wherever he went she would go. That's all there was to it. "Thanks again, Tsubaki-san. Really, you're a good friend."

[thecamellia]

Tsubaki gave a single determined nod. “Yup!”

Whatever reasons people like the Head Doctor had for keeping the Institute operating, it wasn’t enough to justify the prisoners’ treatment. Putting a stop to that treatment was one of the most important tasks ahead of them, but Tsubaki was confident it could be done. Every new piece of information was a step in the right direction. “Know your enemy,” was the golden rule, after all.

At any rate, she was glad if she had brought some comfort to Shiina, however small. “Heh, you’re welcome. I hope we can be good friends in the future. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone after crazy experiences like last night.”