Thorn decided to take the back room, retrieving requested items and taking inventory, while Zorn took the task of dealing with the people who came up to get their mail. This was due in part to Thorn's speech impediment, but also because Zorn was slightly better with people then his brother was. The two of them were, by no means, socially skilled, but Zorn's experience with having to speak for Thorn so often gave him a slight edge in social settings. Thorn busied himself in the back, getting packages and handing them to Zorn when he called out the appropriate number. It was boring, somewhat mindless work, and Thorn amused himself by balancing himself on the shelves, the piping in the ceiling, and other places that gave him some element of a physical challenge. The two of them had been gifted with an extraordinary sense of balance and precision, and were natural born acrobats. They could perform almost any physical maneuver from any vantage point, and were adept at flips, cartwheels, and other such things. They were far too shy and withdrawn to ever tell anyone this or perform in front of anyone, so they tried to keep their talents to themselves unless they were needed for whatever job they had to do. This also went along with their love for the piano, which was something they kept mainly to themselves.
There were many things that were kept secret between the two, things they didn't think the outside world would understand. Zorn and Thorn had always felt out of place, always felt as if they belonged somewhere or else, or were someone else and then misplaced somewhere. Much of the things they talked and thought about seemed unorthodox to them, and they dared not speak of what interested them to anyone else. They had learned from early on that the world did not want them, evidence from their parents, their schoolmates, rude customers and patrons being proof of this, and they weren't about to share something that could be condemning, could be a weakness, to such a hostile environment. They had learned never to show weakness, that to depend on anyone, save eachother, was foolish, and they had learned it the hardest way. They weren't about to risk being hurt again by telling anyone they liked to play piano. They had dealt with enough mocking and questioning of their sexuality, particularly because of the jester caps for some reason, by previous members of their schoolbody and they didn't think that them playing the piano would be recieved well.
They liked to think that the mocking, the jeering, the cruel names and unacceptance, had no affect on them, but it did, in its own small way. They had learned to only trust eachother, and therefore were clumsy and uneducated when trying to deal with others who did not want to hurt or use them.
Thorn searched on the top shelf of where the packages were stored, feeling around for a moment before finally sighing and hefting himself upwards until he could see the shelf itself.
"Number 326, Thorn!" Zorn sounded impatient and Thorn rolled his eyes as he pushed packages aside, looking for the designated box.
"Know that I do, Zorn." Thorn emphasized his name with a slight flare of annoyance, not pleased with his brother starting to snipe at him again for no reason. Normally he would play along, but the long hours were beginning to wear on him, and he felt tired and irritable. He was sure that was the reason that Zorn was picking at him, but he didn't think that justified his behavior.
He found the package and tossed it backwards over his head. "Catch."
Zorn turned and caught the package with easy grace, giving his brother a glare before giving it to the girl who had brought up her card. She giggled and clapped her hands.
"Wow! That was really cool! Do you always do that?"
Zorn shot a glance at Thorn, who was making his way down the shelves slowly, before returning his attention to the sheet of paper beneath his hands, his voice with a slight tinge of annoyance. "No."
Thorn rolled his eyes again and walked off to the right, shrugging to himself and muttering under his breath.
"You guys are real skilled, you know that? Very graceful!" She smiled at them. "It's great to have such a wonderful gift."
Zorn sighed. He had worked long enough to know that no customer, or patron, or whatever you called them for whatever field you were working in, really wanted to know how you were or what you were doing. All compliments and such were empty and meaningless, considering that, if he ran into this girl, for example, again on the street somewhere, she wouldn't remember him at all, and he wouldn't remember her. He disliked the intense charade of good will that went on back and forth between consumer and provider. She wanted something, he gave her what she wanted, that was it, that should be the end of any kind of relationship they would have, but some people seemed insistent enough to pretend that it mattered to them, to feign concern for Zorn or Thorn's welfare, despite the fact it was all so obviously a lie.
Zorn wasn't fond of customers, consumers, patrons, and their like. Years of work with too little pay, dealing with too many rude people, had made him sarcastic and often short with customers, and it was that side that came forth at the sound of her compliment. For all he knew, she could have been sincere, but the temporary nature of the entire ordeal made it insincere.
"There are other people behind you." He pointed behind her, and she looked confused for a second, obviously expecting a thank you or some continuation of the conversation after the short pause. She moved to one side, looking sheepish and awkward.
"Sorry, I forgot." She turned to the rest of the line, bowing slightly."Sorry everyone!"
As Zorn had expected, the rest of the line showed almost no awknowledgement of her presence, only interested in getting what they wanted from Zorn and Thorn and then continuing on with their life, the jester twins and the girl completely erased from memory, unnecessary and inconsequential. He sighed underneath his breath and crossed off the box number on his list, waiting for the next person to appear in line.
The shift dragged on much as the cafeteria one had, the same people getting the same things, all of them blurring to Zorn who was beginning to care less and less. He blamed it on his conditioned disinterest, but in truth the day was beginning to catch up to him, and fatigue was beginning to work its way into his motions and actions. He began to make small mistakes, most of which he caught in time, but some of which slipped by his notice until they were brought back to his attention by angry and belligerent customers, believing Zorn's apparent lack of care in his work as a sign of negligence and laziness. Although Thorn himself was also having problems locating the right box, his mistakes weren't noticed as openly and loudly as Zorn's were, but Zorn was far too tired to even muster the energy to retort to anything the angry person in front of him said about his character or lifestyle, simply fixing his mistake and carrying on as if nothing happened. This apparently infuriated supposedly-slighted customers even more, but Zorn refused to expend energy on such a useless endeavor. In a few hours they'd both forget either of them existed, so what was the use in protesting comments by someone who obviously had no knowledge of what they were talking about?
Thorn began to try and stay on the ground more often, as he was beginning to get dizzy and somewhat lightheaded. Sometimes he felt like he was falling off of something, and he would jerk his limbs in order to land properly, only to find he was standing on solid ground. It was extremely disconcerting. Zorn, however, was plagued with missing time, almost an hour going by without him remembering a single thing that happened. He wasn't sure whether or not he had fallen asleep, or if nothing of interest had happened, or if he had just completely lost his conscious mind and completed his job mechanically without any thought. Thorn confirmed that he hadn't fallen asleep, but as to what happened during that hour was a mystery. Zorn could not explain why he could not remember.
The shift finally ended, and the two of them thankfully left the small, crowded restroom, closing the metal shutter over the window and walking over to a vending machine, searching for the drink that had given them that energy boost earlier that day. They were both desperately in need of one. Unable to find the particular brand that Lurecia had picked out for them before, they settled for the can of soda that Thorn had found before, which was apparently stocked here. Zorn got one of them while Thorn took the one he had put into his backpack earlier and they set off for their next class, in the somewhat distant science building.
"What are we going to do?" Zorn asked his brother as they walked through the dimming twilight. Thorn looked at him in confusion. "We don't have the money to keep buying these..."
Thorn paused for a moment, thinking about the matter which hadn't crossed his mind. He stared down at the can he was holding, unable to find a suitable answer. "Know I don't...know I DO however..."
He looked back at his brother. "Do this without caffeine we cannot."
Zorn nodded solemnly and sighed. The two of them were trying to make the two sodas last as long as possible, a trait they had picked up earlier in life with the rarity and small portions of food and drinks. "The Cafeteria...we can get soda there...not like this, yes, but we can get some caffeine there for free..."
"Smuggle it out we must..." Thorn finished the thought for his brother, who nodded, the slight jingling of bells accompanying the motion. "Not too hard that will be..."
Zorn nodded, then reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out the slip of paper that contained his schedule. He scanned it again and sighed softly. "Just as I thought..."
"What?"
"We have Hojo again..."
"Teaches Biology too he does?" Thorn blinked for a moment, then grew more serious. "Like him I do not."
Zorn nodded with him. "I agree...I don't think he likes us."
Thorn laughed for a moment, although it was not out of happiness. It was a bitter, scornful laugh, only audible for a few moments before it was replaced by his equally bitter voice. "No one does."
Zorn cocked his head for a moment as the two of them ascended the steps to the Science building. "True...true."
There was a silence as Zorn tried to think of some kind of response to Thorn's statement, which wasn't as quick in coming as he had been accustomed. Eventually, although he did think of something to say, too much time had elapsed for it to have the effect he would have liked, and he eventually let it drop at that, although he didn't like leaving the conversation at such an awkward breaking point.
The two of them made their way up the flights of stairs, slightly out of breath not because they weren't used to physical exertion, as the two of them were actually remarkably physically fit because of all the work they had done all their lives, but due to their bodies protest of the extra effort that was being placed on it. The caffeine was enabling them to continue to at least appear to be awake, but their bodies were tired and wanted a decent rest. They finally shuffled into class, just in time, managing to stumble to the back and find two seats near the right corner before Hojo began speaking.
Both Zorn and Thorn were exhausted, both mentally and physically, and, by all rights, should not have been in class, as tired as they were. But the two of them refused to let sleep take hold of them, and they both stayed awake stubbornly, struggling to take notes while the room occasionally blurred, Hojo's voice became a comforting drone, and time began to slip by without their notice. Their notes were filled with broken lines, words in half, incomplete sentences, and letters that dwindled off into nothingness. Somewhere inside them they both hoped that their notes would be legible later on, but their minds were more occupied with trying to keep awake then anything else. The class went by very quickly, but by the end of it they got the feeling that Hojo was staring at them again, and they began to wonder whether or not it was obvious that they hadn't been paying attention. They had been completely focused on attempting to stay awake, and hadn't considered how that may have looked to others. They stumbled out of the class, limbs feeling thick and leaden, and they could feel Hojo's eyes on their backs.
"Doesn't like us...I really think he does not..." Thorn mumbled, and Zorn nodded in silent agreement.
"Still one more thing ahead of us...theater..."
Thorn groaned to himself, wishing for nothing else then the bed he had so foolishly left behind this morning. "So tired I am..."
"Me too...me too..." Zorn hefted his backpack again with a slight grunt, finding it digging into his shoulder more heavily then he would have liked. "But we're almost done..."
They walked along in silence for a few minutes, heading for the theater where orientation had been held.
"Zorn...?" Thorn's soft voice came to him through the night air. Zorn didn't turn to regard his brother, who had fallen behind him slightly.
"Hmm?"
"Hungry I am..."
At the simple statement, Zorn could feel the sharp pangs of hunger hit him all at once, and he nearly doubled over, struggling to keep his body under control. All the two of them had to eat were the drinks that had kept them running, and with as much work as the two were doing, they were even more hungry then they normally would have been. The thought had been driven out of Zorn's mind by all the things he had been worrying about and doing, but Thorn's simple statement had reminded him of just how hungry he really was. He winced.
"We'll get something to eat later..."
"Closed the cafeterias will be!" Thorn quickened his pace to match with Zorn's. "Get it where will we?"
Zorn stiffened as he realized his brother was correct. He finally sighed, his tired brain unable to think of a suitable answer to the problem. "I don't know...we'll figure something out..."
Thorn wanted to press the issue, not accepting that kind of lackluster solution to their problem, but in the end decided against it. They were both irritable and tired, and beginning an argument wouldn't help with any of their problems at the moment.
They entered the theater, finding several people already gathered inside, talking and chatting amongst oneselves cheerily. The jester twins felt a surge of jealousy. No doubt they had actually had some time to rest, had a good nights sleep, didn't have to work because their parents refused to be or act like parents...
It passed quickly, and the two of them made their way down to the bottom floor, sitting down and leaning against one another for support, both of them closing their eyes with the intention of taking a quick nap before anything started, which didn't seem to be anytime soon.
It was a blissful few moments of sleep, but in the end, was still only a few moments, and the two of them were awakened far too soon for their tastes.
"Hey everybody, I'm the Theater director here. You can call me Baku!" A large man wearing a mask with two cat like ears protruding from the top was the source of their awakening. His booming voice shook them alert with short cries of surprise, jerking awake and looking around in confusion for what had woken them. Baku took this opportunity to laugh, his deep voice echoing about the empty theater. Zorn and Thorn scooted back towards the chairs, leaning against them, struggling to ignore the stares and whispered comments from some of the other members of the theater team.
Baku sported a purplish beard from underneath the mask, which only seemed to add to the already strange atmosphere of the man, considering he was dressed in a somewhat medieval style. He was large and imposing, but not frightening in some kind of strange way...
Although they had been startled before, Zorn and Thorn felt none of the misgivings they had around Hojo or the condescension they had recieved from Lucrecia. It was comforting in a way, to be around someone who wouldn't treat them like inferiors, or glare at them silently. Baku seemed to be an odd guy, but not an unpleasant one, and Zorn and Thorn were silently gripped with relief at finally finding someone that didn't set off any internal alarms.
Baku sneezed and then threw his large arms out wide, as if to embrace the entire collection of students. His voice seemed perpetually amused, and he was smiling broadly. "Welcome to the Theater! Tonight..."
He paused as one of the students, the one Zorn and Thorn remembered as Zidane, walked up to Baku and began to whisper to him, tail twitching. Baku was silent for a while until Zidane was done, and when the tailed boy walked off, Baku again laughed uproariously.
"Gya ha ha ha! Alright, alright. I know some of you must be tired, so I'll make this quick so you can go." Zorn and Thorn noted Zidane throwing them a wink, and they stared at him in confusion. "You guys are going to be doing technical work, real electric stuff, so be prepared. We'll start real training tomorrow, but don't think I'm going soft just 'cause I'm letting you out early!" He pointed at one young man with red hair who had a headband that apparently ran over his eyes completly. His arms were crossed, and he shrugged in a dismissive way. However, his voice had a smile in it.
"Suuure, Baku, whatever."
"I mean it, Blank! Anyway..." Baku paused for a moment, then roared, his arms held high above his head, waving them in apparent alarm. "RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
Some of the students not familiar with Baku bolted for the doorway in surprise and fear, taken in by the sudden loud exclamation, but the more seasoned people stayed, smirking amongst themselves. Zorn and Thorn were too tired to try and perform such a sudden action and only stood, not sure of what to do.
"Don't worry, guys." Zidane walked over to them, an easy-going, friendly look on his face. It confused both of them. "Baku won't hurt you. He does this every year. Just go on back and try and get some sleep, you look like you need it."
Not sure why Zidane was concerned about them in the least, Zorn and Thorn nodded, eyes wide with confusion, and shuffled out of the theater, not sure of what to make of what happened. They had no previous experience to weight it against.
"That was nice of you, Baku." Zidane turned to the large man, who had turned to the few who had decided to stay.
"Yeah, well, they looked like they needed it." Baku replied gruffly before again bursting into somewhat inappropriate laughter. "Gya ha ha! They better be ready tomorrow! I ain't pullin' no punches!"
Zidane watched the jesters go, twin splotches of red and blue against the mainly darkened theater, disappearing behind the twin doors that were the entrance to the inner space. "I hope they're okay."
In truth, what Zorn and Thorn had intepreted as muttered insults and comments about them were anything but malicious. The Theater Troupe, mainly consisting of a tightly knit group of individuals that called themselves Tantalus, could see the exhaustion on their faces, the shaking of their limbs, and, despite Zorn and Thorn's best efforts and statements to the contrary, they looked utterly pathetic and adorable when they were sleeping. They had no realization that, propped up as they were by eachothers shoulders, sleeping with slight twitching movements of overworked muscles, they inspired a great sense of sympathy and pity in everyone who watched them while they were unaware. Baku had, in fact, waited for a few moments after he had arrived, staring at the two of them, before finally deciding to say something. It was obvious to everyone in the theater that the two of them had been working extremely hard for too long, and they all wanted to give them a break, considering it was the first day and all, although that wasn't an option considering the current circumstances.
Unfortunately, Zorn and Thorn, not used to people caring or showing any amount of concern over them, did not understand, and thought that, like so many times in the past, that those in the theater were laughing and making fun of them. They made their way back to their dorm, completely exhausted and thinking of nothing other then eating and sleeping. Fortunately for them, considering it was the first day, just falling asleep without studying or doing work would not have any huge adverse affect on their academic performance.
They stumbled into the building, tired and hungry, not sure what they were going to do about food. They didn't have any more money ready to spend on the vending machine and they didn't know anyone who would be kind enough to share something with them.
They had just resigned themselves to going to sleep without anything to eat until they walked by the kitchen. They could smell something cooking and saw a bald man in neat, clean clothes standing and stirring something in a pot.
They were desperate, their bodies insistent, and they entered the kitchen somewhat hesitantly, not sure of how to approach him.
"Um...excuse us..."
The bald man turned towards them, eyes completely hidden by dark sunglasses. His face was completely passive and showed little to no emotion at seeing the two jesters. Thorn struggled to keep his eyes open while Zorn took the role of speaking, as usual.
"I...I'm sorry...we haven't eaten anything all day, and we don't have any money...if you wouldn't think it rude...would you mind sharing with us?" Zorn held up his hands before the bald man could even respond. "We understand if you won't, but we just thought we'd ask..."
He stood there for a few moments, turning his gaze back to the pot and staring into its contents intently, his face still showing no change of emotion. Zorn and Thorn were positive that the answer would be negative, and weren't sure whether they should leave or apologize for asking. The awkward silence stretched longer, and Zorn finally opened his mouth to speak when the man finally moved again, reaching around near the microwave, in an area hidden from Zorn's view, to pull out a packet of ramen. He tossed it to Zorn without even looking at him, and he took it gratefully, bowing his head to the man as he had seen others do in this kind of situation.
"Thank you so much..."
He didn't respond or look up, and the two jesters guessed correctly that whatever interaction they had just had was over. Zorn and Thorn made their retreat out of the kitchen.
"Lucky we are..." Thorn was relieved. "Nice that guy is..."
"I don't know..." Zorn looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think he did that because he was nice..."
"Why else?"
Zorn tried to think of why, but finally shook his head in defeat. His thoughts were muddled and dark, and he couldn't think properly. "I don't know...I just...I don't know..."
Thorn let it drop there, obviously guessing at Zorn's mental state, being in that state himself.
They made it back into their room, where, too tired to actually prepare the noodles properly, they ate them uncooked out of the package, putting the packet of seasoning on their desk, not wanting to throw it away. Although it was hardly filling, it did soothe the hunger pangs for a moment, and both Zorn and Thorn fell gratefully asleep, a little after 11:30 PM.