[center][color=darkgreen][b][u]11:48 AM; January 5th, 2026
Hub City General Hospital; Hub City, Illinois[/u][/b][/color][/center]
He licked at his knuckles a bit, clearing off the bits of his dried blood from them so no one could see it. He didn't need to be asked how that happened. He ate wordlessly, listening to his friend Rita chatter on about her own life, while only thinking about what he was going to do tonight. The Question picked at his foo- no. That's not his name...

Oscar.

He was Oscar.

Wasn't he?

It had been so long since he thought of himself as Oscar.

But he was still Oscar.

Oscar...

[i]Oscar.

Oscar![/i]

[b]"Oscar!"[/b]

Oscar was shaken out of his thoughts by Rita's voice. [b]"You okay? You're not looking too good."[/b]

[color=darkgreen][b]"Yeah. Just been... A bit out of it, these days. Haven't gotten much sleep."[/b][/color]

[b]"Well, you need to change that. Staying up all night doing whatever it is you do isn't good for your health."[/b]

Oscar tried to put on a goofy grin, but it came off as far more forced than he wanted it to. [color=darkgreen][b]"Right, because you're an expert on health?"[/b][/color]

Rita rolled her eyes, apparently not catching onto the forced nature of Oscar's grin as she gave one of her own. [b]"You know, you're right, it's not like I'm a nurse or anything. Oh, wait."[/b]

The pair chuckled at that, continuing to eat lunch. It was moments like these that made Oscar remember that there [i]was[/i] something beyond kicking the shit out of criminals. It reminded him of better times, when he wasn't so absorbed in his crusade. Better times...