001 Ring

[savarin]

Characters: Red Savarin and anyone else.
Setting: Room 2-10, Floor 1
Format: Action, but I'll try to match you!
Summary: Red wakes up and discovers that something very strange has happened. Oatmeal follows.
Warnings: Possible angst and vomit, maybe at the same time. Also, lots of text. Sorry.

[Red's eyes flutter open. The first thing he notices is the ceiling. This definitely wasn't the Asmodeus; what the hell was going on?]

[The second thing he notices is that he can't move. His eyes dart around, trying to figure out where he is, but unfortunately he doesn't glean terribly much from the ceiling. After a little while, though, Red manages to get control of his body back, leaping off of the bed.]

[A white catsuit? That's the least of his worries right now. There's a letter near that bed, addressed to Red. He rips the envelope open, beginning to read...]

...What? No way. This has gotta be some cruel joke. When I find whoever set this up--

[He cuts himself off, staring up at something he'd finally noticed by the bed. A robot. His robot. Whoever had brought him here, at least they'd left him his companion. If the letter was true, and his world really was destroyed, then surely they wouldn't leave him that?]

[The dog-man sits there for a while, poring over the letters. If this was still a joke, something meant to fool Red... it was detailed. For the first time, fear begins to well up inside him. Was this the truth? Maybe there was someone else that could fill Red in; there's four beds, after all. Surely someone else must be using them, and if there's nobody around, maybe he can wander the halls for a bit.]

---

[There was a lot of time to think over things. Red had taken an elevator down to where the cafeteria was supposed to be, leaving Dahak behind for now, and the trip lasted at least half an hour. He still held hope that none of this was real, that maybe he'd gotten stuck into another simulation. What purpose would a simulation like this serve, though? He couldn't readily explain this, and that's what scared him.]

[Food would help. It always did. Unfortunately, what Red got wasn't food. It was a bowl of lumpy beige glop, served without comment but with a spoon. It wasn't disgusting, but neither was it very pleasant. The other people here - something else that gave him pause - had actual food. Why did Red have to suffer with this mush?]

This stuff's gross. I'm gonna see what's goin' on here.

[With a measure of wariness, the Caninu man starts to approach the other tables, asking for whatever food the other cafeteria-goers can spare. A collared dog begging for table scraps; it's too bad the irony is lost on Red, who's never seen a normal dog in his life. Who wants to spare their supper just so he can lose his lunch?]

Comments

[savarin]

Nope, never heard of 'em before.

[Well, it certainly doesn't seem like Urotsuki's going to judge him for this, so Red flies the pterodactyl around a little more. This... is kind of fun, actually. He'll just swoop it over to the other two dinosaurs, making a sort of cawing noise.]

Look out, I'm gonna getcha!

[chainsawn]

W.. woah. The dinosaurs need to hide..

[ She looks around as if she's trying to find something for them to hide in - and her eyes fall onto her drink, promptly making her dump the nuggets in there. ... They're now soaked and she lets them go in there. ] .. Ah, I forgot dinosaurs can't swim. Too bad.

[savarin]

[...What a strange girl. Perhaps a little cruel, too, although they're just pieces of food... anyway, Red looks strangely proud of his victory, even making the pterodactyl fly around a little more.]

Hey, guess this thing won! Now, what to do...

[He puts his free hand to his chin in an overly-dramatic thinking pose, then shrugs and pops the nugget into his mouth. Victory has never tasted so good.]

That was fun! Hey, kid, what's your name? I'm Red.

[chainsawn]

[ .. Woah!! Give her a moment, she's too busy staring at him, her eyes a little wider than they were just now. Her expression is still clearly a little blank though, but there's that tiny hint of emotion in it as she watches him, not even hearing his question. ]

You ate the dinosaur...

[savarin]

And exactly what else was I supposed to do with it?

[It's food, after all, and Red can only ignore his hunger for so long. Admittedly, that was fun, and he'll keep playing... as long as he can keep eating too.]

Wanna give me another one? I-- whoa, nevermind... what is that stuff?

[Seems like it's not sitting well with Red. Too bad Urotsuki didn't tell him about the oatmeal.]

[chainsawn]

[ She didn't even think of it. Heck, maybe she doesn't even realise that rule is there.. So she just blinks at him, unsure what's going on with him. ]

Is something wrong? .. Maybe the dinosaur is having its revenge. Pterodactyls are pretty scary, you know.

[savarin]

M-maybe. Sorry, but I gotta--

[Oh, god, here it comes. Red leaps to his feet, running over to the trash cans and... well, you know the drill by now. It's all quite unpleasant for the poor dog-man.]

Uck... wh-whatever a pterodactyl is, I'm never eatin' one again...

[After getting a glass of water, Red slinks back to the table, looking oddly ashamed.]

Hey, kid... sorry for eatin' your dinosaur. Won't happen again, I promise.

[chainsawn]

[ .. Ah. She just stares blankly at him, from the moment he runs away until the moment he comes back. In fact, her expression is still the same blank one, apparently entirely unfazed by that display just now. Yeah, she's seen worse. ]

Yeah, you should be careful with them. They'll attack you when you least expect it. [ IT'S JUST FOOD, UROTSUKI. ] It's a good thing there aren't bigger ones here..

[savarin]

O-okay. Geez, what kinda food is this...?

[There's still his oatmeal, a couple tables away, but that's a last-resort food item. He'll just down that glass of water and look at Urotsuki's plate again.]

Is there somethin' I can eat that ain't gonna make me puke?

[chainsawn]

I don't know, maybe the pterodactyl is going to fight everything now.

[ THIS IS A TOUGH QUESTION. For someone as weird as Urotsuki, either way.. ]

.. Weren't you eating something already?

[savarin]

Yeah, they gave me somethin', but I ain't touchin' it. It's disgustin'.

[And after that, it's probably best to let his stomach calm down. When he's feeling better, maybe he'll tackle the oatmeal.]

[chainsawn]

Ah, then maybe there's nothing you can eat after all.. [ .. ] It must be terrible, going hungry like that.

[ but at the same time she's saying it like it's something outside of her, something that doesn't concern her. ]

[savarin]

Geez, couldn't ya sound a little more concerned?

[Well, Urotsuki's probably not going to let him have any more of her food, not after that... and the cafeteria workers won't give him anything besides oatmeal. Red just sighs, leaving the table to retrieve his bowl of sludge.]

I'm gonna try this, and if I can't keep it down, then there's definitely somethin' wrong here.

[Maybe the food just isn't made for Caninu-- oh, god, this stuff feels revolting. It's not the taste that's the problem - it's like eating bland slime.]

[chainsawn]

[ Wow, hang in there, Red. Urotsuki won't even notice it if he complains, she ate the weirdest dishes in an event here a long time ago without even batting an eyelash.. she just turns to look at the "drowning dinosaurs" (aka the nuggets in the drink) as she talks to him. ]

Yeah, if you can't keep it down, then it goes up again. All the way up.

[savarin]

Sh-shut up! I don't wanna hear about that while I'm eatin'!

[He gags for a moment, trying to avert his eyes from the oatmeal, but it's not long before he regains control and shovels the rest of it down.]

Urgh... th-that was horrible. I'd better keep it down...

[Red folds his arms, propping his head up on the table and sighing loudly. Everything seems okay... for now, at least.]

[chainsawn]

[ CAN'T APPRECIATE SOME GOOD TALK ABOUT-- okay, no, she'll shut up too just this once.. or it's more like that she's taking what he's saying too literally and now she's just not saying anything at all anymore, just staring at him. ]

[savarin]

[Hey, Red's not saying anything either. He's just waiting for the inevitable nausea... which, actually, is pretty evitable. The oatmeal's done its job.]

Okay, guess I found somethin' I can eat. Still hungry, so I'm gonna go back for seconds.

[Away he goes, carrying the bowl back for a refill... only to return, slightly perplexed, with a tray of actual food.]

They're kiddin', right? Givin' me this stuff? I can't eat this!

[chainsawn]

.. You don't like the food?

[ She spots another one of the dinosaur nuggets on his plate, and she immediately grabs it, playing with it all over again. Apparently she doesn't even think it's rude or anything.. but it's not like it looked like he was going to eat it either way, right? ]

[savarin]

No, it's good, but-- hey! Nobody takes my food and gets away with it! Even if I can't keep it down, I ain't lettin' you have it!

[Double standard much, mister Savarin? He starts ravenously chomping on the fried food, looking like a starving dog... and, well, he is one right now. Red eats about half of what he got before finally slowing down.]

Hah! Now you can't-- can't have any! Oh, furballs, I'm gonna be so sick...

[Except it stays down this time. Red's a bit ill from wolfing down that much food so quickly, but it passes soon enough.]

Huh? I'm... fine?

[chainsawn]

.. I don't know, that just now looked like you were a little hungry.

[ She's honestly not even trying to be a smartass, Urotsuki is just a master at being captain oblivious. Like now, when she just blinks blankly at him once he looks so surprised about the food. ]

[savarin]

Of course I was hungry! I just...

[Huh. Still no sign of any sickness. Red picks up another fishstick, eyeing it carefully before taking a bite.]

Mph, nothin' happenin'... maybe these are actually made for Caninu?

[Well, whatever it is, it's a good thing. Red has something to eat now, and hopefully he'll still get this tomorrow and not oatmeal.]

Look, sorry for eatin' your dinosaur thing. My name's Red, nice to meet you.

[chainsawn]

... Will you promise to not eat my dinosaurs again?

[ A very specific promise, isn't it. But it seems like she isn't willing to exchange proper introductions until he does, judging by the way she's intently staring at him.. ]

[savarin]

I promise. I got my own now!

[He holds up one of the surviving dinosaurs, making a little roar... and then biting into it. How is he still hungry after that?]