"(Y/n), I thought you'd never return," Jason exaggerated as he crossed the room.

"Well, maybe if you helped gather people it wouldn't have taken so long!" Suki snapped playfully. "Please tell me the waffles are still hot and you haven't eaten them all yet!"

"No worries, Suki. I planned ahead. I cooked one set of waffles just to make sure the batter was ok, and I've been waiting to cook the rest until you came. It only takes about five minutes to cook a set," Jason explained. Suki seemed very relieved at this. "Ryo and Don decided not to join us?"

"Yeah, what bummers, amirite, (y/n)?" Suki nudged you. You nodded a little. You didn't want to talk down about people you hardly knew, it was just breakfast after all, but she was right. They were bummers. Jason turned around and began cooking the rest of the batter as everyone took a seat. Quince was already seated since he didn't stand to greet you.

"Hello, everyone. How have you all been since I last saw you?"

"Just fine, Quince. And yourself?" Dianna responded. So formal and stiff... are they always like this? You felt a hand pull you a direction and expected it to be Suki trying to get you to sit by her, but when you looked at the person tugging, you were surprised to see Jenna.

"Sit by me?" She requested. It's not like you could really refuse, so you sat to her right. Suki and Jason were distracted by the waffle iron and Dianna already took a seat across from you and next to Quince. I wonder who will end up sitting by me? You turned to glance at the pair and saw them playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. You smiled, it was sweet how friendly they were. Jason won and cheered in accomplishment before running to the chair next to you.

"Suki, please bring the very delicious waffles to the table. Everything else is already set!" He seemed very happy to have won which made you laugh.

"Thank you for setting the table and cooking, Jason," You spoke.

"My pleasure!"

Suki walked back with a platter covered with plenty of waffles. She seemed grumpy but in a dramatic, playful way. "It's no fair! You always beat me at that game," She pouted.

"Ok, for one, you just spent a ton of time with (y/n), and for another," He paused, "You literally always choose scissors. It's not hard to figure out."

It seemed like Suki was almost waiting for him to say that as a devious grin covered her face, "What can I say? I've always been a scissor girl." She winked, and Jason choked in surprise.

"Gross, Suki! We're at the breakfast table!"

"And? Here's your motherfuckin' waffle," She retorted. The waffles were truly delicious, and there were even fresh strawberry slices on top. People moaning as they ate food was a pet peeve of yours, but you could see why someone might get the urge.

"This is amazing," Dianna took the words from your mouth.

"Thank you!" Jason smiled. You felt the need to compliment him as well and nodded.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" You asked.

"Really, most of the cooking I've done has been here. Trust me," He chuckled, "I have not always been so good."

Quince munched on a strawberry slice and nodded, "He's right. The kitchen smelled like smoke for ages when Jason first died." Jason's cheeks reddened a little bit at this, but he kept a smile on his face.

"It paid off though," Dianna commented again. She seems to be feeling nice today. Or maybe she's usually like this? "It's a shame Ryo and Don refused."

"Yeah, it is," you tried not to pout too much. You didn't want to be a baby, but you definitely agreed with her.

"Aw, (y/n), aren't we good enough for you?" Jason smiled playfully.

"It's not like that!" you spoke defensively, "I just want us all to be friends..." your cheeks reddened as a couple people chuckled.

"You're so cute, (y/n)," Quince said as he rested his head in his palm. "They'll come around eventually. I wouldn't worry." He smiled and maintained eye contact with you, his hazel eyes soft and honey-like. Since he was looking at you, you were looking at him, and you began to get lost in your thoughts.

"Does our hair grow when we're dead? Also, why is your hair white?" You questioned.

"It does," He nodded, "But if you like the way your hair is now, I can request them to stop letting it grow. My hair is white just because I like it. You can dye your hair any color, the higherups are pretty lenient with hair dye. And most things." That's interesting, you thought. I don't know if I want to dye my hair, but at least I know I have the option. You nodded absentmindedly to show that you had heard him.

"Is there anything the higherups won't' give us?" Jenna asked. To be honest, you had almost forgotten she was there. She's good at silent observation.

"Oh yeah," Jason nodded, answering for Quince. "There's a pretty big list of stuff we aren't allowed to have. Most of it, I doubt you'd even ask for though. Like, we can't have nuclear bombs. Or any bombs really. No live animals that aren't domesticated—"

"meaning no tigers," Suki pouted.

"Which is a good thing..." Jason stared at her.

"I don't see why the higherups can't just give us a tiger that's nice!"

"Well, we also can't have horses. It might be that they don't want a big animal roaming the house. Domestic or not."

"That's right," Quince agreed. "I wouldn't question the rules on that stuff too much. If you want something, just ask. I'll see what I can do for you." For a moment you wanted to ask about alcohol. Partially for Don and partially because you were curious. Would alcohol still affect dead people? That seems like a tricky situation. On one hand, alcohol is good for social events and bonding. On the other, it can become a dangerous coping mechanism. And if what Quince insinuated at the beginning is true, alcohol has something to do with how Don died.

Oh right, you were dead. It was a little too easy to forget. The higherups did a pretty good job of making you feel like you were still alive. The thought bummed you out, though, so you picked up your plate and set it in the sink.

"I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit," you explained as you headed towards the exit. Everyone watched you exit and wondered what dampened your mood.

The walk to your room was short. You felt a little bad about not cleaning up, but your brain was really having trouble believing you were dead. You sat on your bed and traced your fingers on the bedspread. Even though you hadn't been here long, not much seemed different from life on earth. You still needed showers and food and sleep and the bathroom. Why did the higherups care so much? Not that you were complaining. A soft knock on your door pulled you from your thoughts.

"(y/n)? It's Quince. I was hoping to chat with you?" Quince was fine to talk to. You stood up and answered the door.

"Hi," You smiled while stepping aside so he could enter. For some reason, you had no issue allowing this man you barely knew in your room. Part of you felt like if he truly wanted in, there wouldn't be much you could do to stop him anyway.

"Are you ok?" He asked as you shut the door. "You seemed a little sad." You took a seat on your bed and he sat by you. That's getting a little close, but ok.

"Yeah, I'm just still adjusting is all," you paused. "I guess I just don't get why things are the way they are still. I don't understand why the higherups would try so hard to replicate human life."

"Maybe you should just go with the flow," Quince suggested. "Take things as they come.

"That's a lot easier said than done," you sighed. You hated to be negative, but to be fair you were dead. Pretty sure you're allowed to complain a little.

"I don't know," Quince let his eyes graze over you slowly. "From what I hear, you were pretty good at letting other people take control, weren't you?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," you stuttered. Quince always seemed so calm, but sometimes he seemed dangerous and teasing.

"You didn't mind being bossed around. It's easier to just take orders rather than to think sometimes, isn't it?"

"I-I guess? This is a little different though. Being dead isn't the same as being told to work an extra shift on the weekend," you defended yourself.

"Maybe," he conceded. "But I think it would be ok for you to just accept things and not think about them. There's not much you're going to be able to change." Something about his words stung. He thinks you should just... stop worrying? It makes some sense. There's nothing you can do that will undo your death. But something about the way he phrased it made you uneasy.

"There's still so much that doesn't make sense to me," you admitted and kept you gaze downcast. You were surprised to feel his hand gently push your face to face him.

"Hey, listen to me," He smiled and leaned in a little closer. "Just keep having fun with the other occupants and everything will make sense."

"But what about my life," you struggled to say.

"But what about it, indeed, (y/n). It's not important anymore." His words weren't malicious, but they caused tears to spring in your eyes anyway.

"That seems insensitive..."

He wiped away the tears that fell from your eyes and pushed you into his chest, "I'm sorry. I forget that this just happened to you. You can cry as much as you need to." Despite how uneasy you were feeling, you decided that crying with a friend might make you feel better. You wrapped your arms around him and wept softly.

"I had friends, I had a job, I," you froze. "Is anyone taking care of my cat?"

"What?"

"My cat, Quince, is anyone taking care of him? Please, do you know?" you needed good news.

"Oh," He smiled and petted your hair. "Yes, don't worry. One of your friends took him in." And with that, you settled back into the embrace.

"You know so much about me."

"Not everything," Quince replied.

"Still," you wondered out loud. "You know more about me than I know about you."

He pulled away from you so he could look into your eyes, but his face was still close enough to yours that you could feel his breath, "You can learn about me if you spend time with me. I wouldn't mind learning about each other."

Oddly, it was the first time throughout all this that you blushed. You couldn't speak so you just nodded and waited for him to react. He smiled, almost smugly, and separated himself from you. "Will you be ok on your own? I'm thinking about checking on the others."

"Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for checking on me," Your gaze met the floor.

"Of course, (y/n). You can trust me. If you have any doubt or pain, find me. I will help you," Quince spoke before exiting.

How... really weird of him you thought. Quince gave you a lot of weird feeling, and you weren't sure how to pin any of them down. You were curious about him, and he did seem to genuinely want to comfort you... your nervousness could be totally unjustified. Before you had the chance to dramatically drape yourself across your bed and contemplate your situation, you heard another knock at your door. Again? Guess I won't be catching a break.

"Hello, Jason," You opened the door, but you were cut off when Jason pushed himself inside and closed the door behind himself. He then held you close. This is a lot of hugging from people I barely know. "Is everything ok...?"

He stayed silent for a moment before pulling away and placing both of his hands on your shoulders, "You seemed so sad after waffles! I cleaned up and ran here as quickly as I could."

"Oh no!" You felt very guilty, "I'm so sorry I didn't help clean up. I just got a little depressed thinking about my whole situation."

"Don't worry, Suki and Jenna helped me clean. Do you want to talk about what you're feeling?" He offered.

"Not in particular," you admitted. "Quince came and spoke to me."

"I see," he paused. "There's... something else I want to tell you."

"Yes?" you looked up into his eyes. For a moment he didn't speak; he just seemed to be taking in the details of your face.

"I don't trust Ryo. I don't think you should try and be close to him."

"What? Why not...? He's not very friendly, but he hasn't done anything... has he?"

"(y/n), please try to trust me. I get a really bad feeling about him being around you. I'm just worried about your wellbeing."

When he put it like that, you felt guilty for questioning him, "I understand, Jason. I'll try to do as you say, but I doubt he'd let me get close to him anyway."

"Thanks for hearing me out," He smiled. You get the feeling that Jason may care a bit too much for you since you hardly know him. Did he tell Jenna and Don the same thing? After all, if he is being genuine, they should get a warning, too. "(y/n)?"

"Yeah?" You were pulled out of your thoughts.

"I want to know you better. Spend time with me?" He requested. It's like he read my mind.

"I want to know you better, too! I really want to become good friends with everyone here," You grinned. His mood fell for a moment at the mention of the others, but he quickly smiled again.

"I'll be back after you rest for a bit then?" He suggested. That sounded good, you were a bit socially exhausted. You hoped that after enough time it wouldn't be exhausting to be around so many people, but for now, you needed some alone time.

"That sounds perfect, thank you!" you smiled. As he left, you realized that he and Quince requested the same thing. You smiled at the thought, your friendly attitude was totally paying off!

-