Right Back Where We Started [Five]

Four

If you were a potato, which way would you want to be cooked?

"Oh! See? It's paradise." Klaus said, opening his arms wide as they stepped into the room. "High ceilings, sense of space. Aromatic."

"What the hell?" Diego said as he walked in and traded a skeptical look around. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, or..." Klaus opened a window. "Natures bathroom." He insinuated.

"You're disgusting." Diego deadpanned.

"But consistent." Klaus pointed out.

"Let's unpack." Five said after a moment. He shrugged off his coat and made his way across the room. "Settle in."

"Unpack? Unpack what? We don't own anything anymore."

"Yes, Luther. Isn't that liberating?" Five said, hanging his jacket on the post made up of a sort of bunk beds pushed against the farthest wall.

"What are you, a commie?" Diego asked. "No! If I wanted bunk beds and group showers, I would've stayed in the Texas nuthouse. At least they had feee Jell-O." The man raved. "And Lila." He added, softer.

Luther sat down on the settee opposing the bunk beds, the springs groaning and crying out as he sat down, creaking as he shifted.

Emery frowned in confusion as he watched Luther realize the sounds he was making and continue to bounce up and down, successfully eliciting more of said sounds. Children.

"Hey Diego." Five said. "I just spent the last 20 days saving the world. Twice. Can I get five minutes to relax before figuring all the new kinks out? Please and thank you." Fives faux grin dropped from his face as he got into the bottom bunk and laid down.

"And Dad said I'd never go to summer camp." Luther said with his own smile- genuine. "This is great." He chuckled as he laid down on the settee.

"All right, I'm bored. Cocktail, anyone?" Klaus said, barely a second after the silence settled. "Five?"

"I'll take a scotch if you have one." Five said idly.

"Emery?" Klaus turned to him, eyebrows lifted in a manner that suggested he was dying to encourage him to drink. "I know you want to."

Emery smiled. "Not today, Klaus." He said, moving around the room and scanning the shelves, opening drawers and checking in cabinets.

"One of these days you will." Klaus said, lifting a finger as if declaring a sacred proclamation.

Emery found what he was looking for in the form of a spare towel and draped it across his arm. "And I don't doubt it. I'm going to check out the group showers or so as Diego put it and clean up. I'll root around for medical supplies and fix everyone up when I get back because something tells me none of you have enough self preservation skills to do that yourselves." Emery said, moving toward the door.

No one retaliated to Emery's comment and he left the room with a smirk, knowing he was entirely right.

The showers were thankfully more modest than what Diego had made them out to be with curtain dividers that hadn't left the 60s and flimsy shower heads that were screwed in several years ago and hadn't been checked since. They did release hot water though.

Emery sighed beneath the warm water and closed his eyes as it washed away the past several days of blood, debris, and dirt from his skin and hair. The water beneath his feet turned a deep red and it was only when it gave way once more to clear did Emery step out and take a breath.

Beyond the curtain separating him, someone set their drink down on the floor.

"Alcohol in the community bathroom? Really Five?" Emery asked as he adjusted the water temperature so it wasn't as scalding and stepped back under to take a hand through his hair and loosen the knots.