18:00

49 : Conjoin

The usual indications of breakfast in Hotel OJ came from the dining table. From the people sitting around the table chatting, to the smell of freshly served food. If you had ever been to the hotel, even just as a visitor, you'd know it was some sort of mealtime just by this alone.

Even though she had only arrived four days ago, Taco was still one of many who recognized the signs. It was just that much of a routine in the hotel. It would be a comforting familiarity if it weren't for the fact she was purposefully trying not to get comfortable in the hotel. She'd have to leave eventually, after all.

Until then though, she was allowed to join in on breakfast. So, since she didn't have any other safe way to get food now, she grabbed a plate from the kitchen and grabbed a serving of today's breakfast for herself.

She had a much larger appetite than you'd expect for someone of her size and demeanor, but she still grabbed a small serving. Living in the woods for literal years taught her to control her appetite, and she knew not to take too much from the hotel. Plus, even if she didn't have the best relationship with anyone here, it wouldn't hurt to be polite.

With a fair amount of food now in her hands, she walked out of the kitchen, joining the others in the dining room.

She chose a random seat, sitting down in it and setting her plate down. As soon as she joined the table, she could've sworn the room fell silent. Or, at least, people's conversation topics shifted with her appearance.

She huffed to herself after noticing the change.

She knew people wouldn't be quick to forgive her, especially considering the sketchy circumstances, but really? It felt like she couldn't enter a room without all eyes suddenly shooting daggers in her direction. It had been four days, couldn't they learn to adjust and get over it?

Though it wasn't like she could complain either. They had every right to be angry after how she betrayed them. It wasn't like she had ever apologized either, outside of the occasional dejected letter she'd send, and those were only directed towards one of them.

In the end, she just kept a straight face, knowing that people would look away eventually if she ignored them.

It's not like the mood of the room mattered to her anyway. Whether she was here or not, the atmosphere would be dead either way. She had only been here for so long, yet it was already clear the disappearances had changed things. The hotel was about as cheerful as it appeared from the outside, which wasn't exactly a good thing.

With a muted sigh, Taco shrugged it off. Overthinking things wouldn't help anybody, especially not herself. Plus, this was one of the few mornings she had where she wouldn't have to immediately search for food, so it was best she took it while she could.

About halfway through the meal, when everybody had finally had the sense to stop staring at her as if she was holding them hostage, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up, seeing that OJ had now stood up. Which wouldn't be anything unusual, but he didn't take his plate with him as he walked to the end of the table. It didn't take long for Taco to realize what was happening, and she muffled a groan from her mouth as soon as she did.

OJ, now standing at the very end of the table, cleared his throat to catch the other's attention. Although the table didn't fall completely silent, a fair amount of people noticed, turning towards him. Taco didn't even bother to look towards him.

"Alright..." OJ started speaking, gaining the attention of anybody who wasn't already looking.

"So, some of you might've overheard yesterday, but we've recently had to come up with a new plan of action. None of this is going to be pleasant for any of us, but for the sake of tracking down Test Tube, it's necessary."