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"Hmm..." He considered the movie a moment, wondering if he was willing to get out of his comfortable and wonderfully lazy position on the couch and make the treck to the caf. He'd just eaten, so he wasn't particularly hungry... But Marshall seemed eager, so shrugging, Gaius got up and went to the TV to push the 'pause' button.

"Alright!" he said, turning back to his friend and giving him a light kick to the feet to get him moving, "It's a deal. Let's go!"

Normally the subject would've brought up bitter emotions in Gaius, but Marshall's layed-back attitude to it all helped soften everything. The simple guy smiled ruefully instead.

"I was contacted by a branch of a company funded by Feral Labs with an offer for a job working as an architect on an island theme park. I signed the contract and everything... So, really, legally I'm stuck here, though they never mentioned any experiment in the documents. I must've missed it in the fine print. Never liked that legal stuff anyways." He wrinkled his nose. "Always been kinda sketchy to me."

"Anyways, Sabin kept up the act, and so did Zach... Rex was the one who told me the truth."

"I've never heard of a lion impersonating Elvis..." Gaius smirked.

"Thanks," he responded automatically, slipping inside the caf before Marshall. The place was empty, thankfully, aside from the cafeteria crew. "Actually, it's pretty good, considering everything. The labs could have given us bread and water if they wanted, considering we don't have any choice. The food's fresh and there's a lot of variety."

The M&M's and other candies were located in the dessert area over at the end of the buffet. Gaius snagged a couple bowls on his way. "Still," he continued, "it can't beat home-cooked meals!"

Gaius's chest swelled with noticeable pride as he grinned. "Yep! Living on your own in an appartment tends to make it necessary, unless you don't mind pizza or Chinese for every meal of the day."

He dug the bowl in his hand into a container of pre-popped popcorn. Not as good as fresh, but it was time efficent, and otherwise they'd have to ask the caf lady for packets.

Gaius continued talking as he plucked some kernels from his bowl, gesturing with them before stuffing them in his mouth. "I've always found it to be fun, and in its own way a kind of art. Architecture allows me to be creative, but I still have to work within certain rules reguarding structure and safety and measurements. With cooking, I can be as exact or as loose as I want, and experiment with whatever seems interesting. Maybe a little more oregano, or an extra dash of lemon juice could make all the difference in a meal." He spoke with unusual gusto for such a subject, sounding more like a connoisseur of art than a middle-class working guy who enjoyed cooking as a hobby.

Marshall's laughter made Gaius realize how silly he probably sounded, and ducked his head self-consciously.

"Really?" He kept his eyes on the popcorn in his hands, making his way beside Marshall towards the cafeteria doors. "What's your job anyways?"

Gaius looked up at Marshall, eyebrows raised. "Cartoonist? Really? Man, that's... well, really cool!" He grinned. Though he'd largely out-grown them, like any American boy, Gaius had grown up on the cartoons of Saturday mornings and after-school, with a healthy dose of Disney. "Did you work on any movies? I wonder if I've seen any of them..."

He nodded at the webcomic question. "Yeah... I think I know what they are. I had a friend who followed a bunch. He'd always print up ones and post them on the bulletin board at work. I never really got into them myself, I didn't do much internet stuff."

Gaius smiled and nodded vaguely, having never heard of the shows. Kids shows... He just didn't have time or a reason to watch them at his age.

He held up the popcorn in an affirmative. "Let's go! We can't leave Indie hanging in the midst of a fight!"

A yawn escaped Gaius. The movie had been great, the company was fun, and now he was full of junk food.

"I strongly agree..."

Another yawn escaped him. "Yaaww-gah. What time is it anyways? It can't be that late..."

Pushing himself up, Gaius picked up Marshall's bowl and his own bottle. "I should get back to my duplex..."