The Ranch

Chef Raphael (1)

Birds chirp in the backgrounds as light filters into the room. Tih pulled off the bed sheets and stood up with in one fluid motion. He was about to get dressed when-

"So...sore..." a grumbling sound came from beneath the balled-up bed sheets of his neighbors bed. Tih looks at the ball for a second before turning away to get ready.

Kai, noticing he's not getting any attention, bursts out from the blankets,"Hey! I really am sore you know, even as I'm saying this, pain is shooting through my whole body! It hurts like crazy!" As he's complaining, he attempts to stand up without thinking, but his legs fold under him. About to crash on the floor, he's caught by the quick reaction of Tih, who lets Kai lean against his own body for support. Kai didn't even see him approach,"Woah, when did you get over here? Those are some fast reflexes! Are you thinking of joining one of the combat classes? I think you should! You have way too much stamina and don't even get tired. Plus, people with underestimate you with you small body!" Kai's honesty is blunt. If another guy was called small, they would definitely be angry and take it out on the person that said it, but of course, Tih has no reaction to the words. He sets Kai back on the bed and continues to get ready.

Kai also decides to get ready. He tried to massage his legs to get to a condition he can walk in. By the time he was able to walk, Tih was ready to leave. He opened the front door and left Kai behind. "Ah, how considerate..." Kai says in a mocking tone. Seeing how he has some time to himself, he lays on the bed in a comfortable manner and starts talking to himself, evaluating his situation. His voice becomes flatter and a little deeper, unlike the way he usually talked,"Judging by the geography of the island and the temperature yesterday, I should be somewhere near the equator. If it's fall..that places us somewhere East of Africa. Escaping...unlikely. Only noticeable mode of transportation seem to be the underground trains, which are most likely heavily guarded. But...sigh, living here might not be that bad anyways. Freedom isn't limited and they seem to use a hierarchy based on strength. I could use this to my advantage," he clenches his fist," I'll never go back to how I was before.." He stares at the wall and hears faint voices from outside the window. He jumps out of bed and rushes around the room,"Shoot Shoot Shoot, I'm gonna be late!! Ahhh, this is ah Tih's fault, he should have waited for meeeee-"

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Tih follows the path he took yesterday, flitting through the air. If one look at him using a slow-motion camera, they would see him nonchalantly walking. Continuing with this speed, he could reach the cafeteria in a third of the time it took to jog yesterday, so he decided to take the long way around and follow the river.

Moving along the left side of the river, he reaches a bridge that connects both sides of the river. His curiosity got the best of him and he takes a detour to walk over the bridge. He's met with a large plaza in the shape of a circle. With roads lined by a brick path, the place is crowded by different kinds of shops, each selling different things, from snacks, basic necessities, clothes, weapons, gadgets, and more.

Tih was about to walk further in when he recalled what Private Scott said yesterday about not walking off on your own. He decides to go back and continues walking as a blurry figure towards the cafeteria.

Tih makes it to the front door and walks into the noisy atmosphere to look at the menu. He peers at the electronic board and sees different types of foods and pictures. None of which peak his interest as he's never had the choice of being picky. The volunteers didn't let the children at the orphanage pick what they wanted to eat, because it would be almost impossible to deliver that kind of promise. They only had so much money and food to hand out, they couldn't afford to make multiple dishes.

It seems it's the opposite for this island though. There are once again five new dishes, each being different from yesterday's choices. Tih continues to stare at the board, not knowing what to choose. This continues for about ten minutes until one of the workers finally gets fed up and walks over to him,"Hey you, how long are you going to keep staring? Can't you just pick one and go? Ah! It's you, from yesterday." When the man sees who the child his, he pauses and keeps some distance from Tih.

Tih turns around to see the kitchen worker that scanned his ID when he got his food yesterday. The worker also recognizes him,"Don't know what to choose?" He asks.

Tih replies with a stare. An awkward smile creeps onto the man's face,"Interesting little weirdo, aren't you. You know there's been people behind you that want to look at the menu." He point to a small line behind Tih, filled with uncomfortable expressions,"They haven't said anything because of your weird aura. They don't wanna mess with you." He meets eyes with Tih but only manages to do it for a moment,"I didn't really want to either, but it's kind of our job to keep order in the cafeteria...and I lost the bet." He whispered the last part to himself.

Tih continues to stare at the man. Getting slightly nervous for some reason, the worker starts sweating,"Umm, you're a new recruit right? If you want I can recommend something to you?"

Hearing that someone will choose for him, Tih walks next to the worker, waiting to be brought to the food. "O-or I can lead you there, sure, that works too." The man stumbles over his words as he stiffly leads Tih up the spiral staircase.