Day 24: Breakfast

[blood_and_pocky]

Aidou Hanabusa, a vampire, was one of the first into the cafeteria, which was swimming in dim sunlight. A grey morning suited his mood.

The fact that his biological clock was pitching fits was only the cherry on top of the cake; the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. "Waking up", once again, with no memory of how or why he'd been brought back

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[notachick]

The nurse/prison guard/figment of his imagination led him through the halls and into the cafeteria. She was apologizing about the weather and explaining the schedule for the day, but Okita wasn't really listening to her. His knees smarted from the fall and he was still just trying to figure out what this place was - prison, hospital, illusion? He memorized the route from his door to the cafeteria, but frowned at the increasing frequency of unidentifiable objects and Western things. This certainly couldn't be anywhere in Japan. It wasn't until she started talking about him that his ears perked up.

"--and now that your pesky tuberculosis is all gone, you'll be able to have lots of fun here at Landel's!" she concluded, shoving a tray into his hands and piling it with food. "Eat up, Mr. Ikeda. You need to regain your strength after all the antibiotics."

She waved cheerfully, leaving the swordsman alone to contemplate her words and pick out a seat. He had tuberculosis? He'd assumed the worst when he spat up blood at the Ikedaya, but he'd still been in the denial stage over that. Plus, he was fairly certain bleeding lungs were a death sentence, so how could he have been cured of it?

Okita had a lot of questions and very few answers, but at least the "bagel" things looked tasty. The "cream cheese" he wasn't so sure about, but maybe it would be alright. Violet colored hair swinging loosely behind him, Okita set his tray down in front of the first person he spied and smiled at the younger boy. The boy's sullen expression was like a beacon to Okita, and like a moth to the flame he ran straight to it.

"Hello there!" he said in his usual jovial manner. "Mind if I join you?"

[blood_and_pocky]

But of course, it was one want that was never going to be fulfilled. There was always someone who had to test the waters, even when amongst a group of other nobles.

Now he was alone, and had to act as his own arbiter. Which was why Akatsuki was always rather wary of Aidou going to town by himself.

"Yes," Aidou replied simply. He was still idly mangling his first victim, the bagel.

[notachick]

Okita watched the teenager stab the bagel like he had a grudge against it, and then sat down anyway. He gave the other boy his best indignant pout and picked up the flimsy plastic knife, slicing the bagel in half as he assumed he was supposed to do (from Aidou's mangled example) with relative ease. "That's not a very nice way to greet a new face."

He dipped a delicate finger into the dollop of cream cheese on his plate, sticking it into his mouth to test the flavor, and was delighted to learn that it was quite good. The pout quickly disappeared as he set about testing the various foods on his plate with childlike glee. "So, Mr. Grumpy, do you have a name to go with that sour disposition?"

[blood_and_pocky]

He saw that pout and immediately wanted to stick his shard of knife in it and keep on stabbing. At least until the image of Ichijou teasing him relentlessly with that same exact expression went away and refrained from tormenting him.

It just irked him further.

Somehow it wasn't much of a surprise that this unnamed man - he was too used to effeminate faces to fail to notice that - was new. Aidou seemed to attract the annoying ones in the morning. But at least he was Japanese, albeit painfully so with his apparent obliviousness to Western food. Aidou wouldn't have to keep speaking English, despite being exceptionally fluent in it as he was with most languages.

Swiping his hand across his end of the tabletop, pushing the lone, mutilated bagel away and out of his sight, Aidou reached for something fresh. Hash browns were a good starter. "You'll have to forgive me, but I don't have any patience for old-fashioned swordsmen," Aidou quipped, now in Japanese. The set of the other's hands, however delicate, were too obvious. Ichijou also used a sword, but vampires didn't retain evidence like that on their bodies.

He was feeling petty today, and couldn't be bothered to call on manners. Especially after being accused of having a sour disposition. He wasn't sour!! "If you're looking for assistance or an explanation, go somewhere else."

[notachick]

Okita only smiled as the teenager barked at him like Hijikata-san would on a bad day. The Japanese surprised him, what with the blond hair and all, the swordsman had assumed the other boy was a foreigner. That certainly facilitated conversation, at least. Switching to his mother tongue, Souji picked up another bit of cream cheese with the tip of his knife and ate it plain. "I'm not all that old-fashioned, am I? I was just trying to have a bit of pleasant conversation over breakfast." Of course, his Tokugawa era Japanese gave him away, but he didn't seem to notice the difference.

"If you're looking for assistance or an explanation, go somewhere else."

Ah, so he wouldn't be able to ask this boy for anything. That wasn't so much of a loss since teasing him seemed a much better route anyway. Besides, if he chose his moves carefully, he might be able to garner information without being particularly obvious about it. That particular move was something of a specialty of his, actually. "I was just looking for a name~" he said, putting on his best innocent look. "I'm Okita Souji. Do you have a name or should I just keep calling you Mr. Grumpy?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

[[from here. repost for code error, sorry! asdfjkas x2 sorry!!]]

Sasuke set his tray down with something a little more than the usual shinobi subtlety and sat without asking for permission. Aidou didn't look any more delighted with the morning than Sasuke, and Sasuke briefly remembered -- vampire, the way Aidou had winced at the bright light in the Sun Room. Among other things, given that this was Landel's.

"Did you get anything accomplished last night?" He asked, without preamble, and without asking about Sakura. He didn't care what had changed over the years -- not much, likely.

[blood_and_pocky]

[ahaha, no problem! Sasuke's manly man attitude makes up for everything. XD <3]

Aidou had been talking about the other's inability to consume cream cheese without looking like he'd discovered a new food group, but when he switched to Japanese as well, Aidou's internal aggravation meter swung from anger to exasperation. This guy... was like Ichijou's androgynous human twin, yet he spoke totally old school Japanese. Way old school.

And then he introduced himself, to which a section of his mind commented, in an unsurprised fashion: That explains it.

"Souji" was either an exceptional actor, or... If he were less of a miracle genius, Aidou might've stopped for a moment to boggle. Rather, he recovered quickly and heard himself murmur, "Okita Soujiro Fujiwara no Harumasa, huh? Sorry to say, but you're a long way from home." He blinked once, spied Uchiha Sasuke making a beeline for him, and said in a much more clear tone. "My name is Aidou Hanabusa. Satisfied?"

The kid sat down without so much as an invitation, and Aidou seriously considered taking a chance at the nurse ringleader standing near the door, and risking whatever repercussions came of it. Anything to save himself morning conversation, no matter how abrupt.

"Not really, and I'm assuming it was the same for you," he said instead.

[notachick]

What? This guy knew him? Okita was going to ask just what he meant, using his full name - one he hadn't used since he was a child - when someone else joined their table. Obviously these two (the newly identified Aidou and the newcomer) knew each other, so he sat back and let Aidou's comment roll off for now. Later, of course, he'd have to ask him just what he meant. Maybe these people really were Choushuu rebels... At any rate, if he stayed quiet, he might learn something from the conversation.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Well, that was an impressive name. Sasuke noted it and wondered if there was any power to back it up.

"More or less," Sasuke said, simplifying the barely-success of last night to plain failure. Leaping straight into his main point, "I meant to speak with you yesterday about this -- can you clarify this 'vampire' status you and Alucard were disputing?"

A pause, and then he turned to the other patient, nodding shortly. While he was collecting possibilities, there wasn't a point in not widening the scope whenever he could.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

[blood_and_pocky]

Aidou had been expecting that to come up one way or another - Alucard, the said dog in question, couldn't keep his mouth shut to safe his life - but he was in no mood to discuss his "vampire status". Or Alucard. Or anything really, unless it contained the words "Want some blood?", "I've found a way out", or "I know how you can get your hands on the man in charge." It was the worst time of day. Then again, day was the worst time of day. If he was going to be awake and forced to endure this stuff, he could at least be feeding. There was no better late night pick-me-up then blood.

Thirty or so hours ago (had he really been here over a day already? It was disgusting!) he'd made the decision not to reveal himself lightly, even going so far to deflect inquiries with lies, but now he was almost at the point of not caring. Some of these idiots could use a good scare.

"Of course I can," Aidou said, finishing with his hash browns and moving on to a pile of toast, pulling it apart into neat little squares with his fingers. Crumbs began to litter the tabletop in front of him, and he made another impatient swipe to clear it. "But it depends on the reason you give me to do so. As I've just finished explaining to our newly imprisoned friend, I'm not offering my services for free."

[notachick]

So he was still a part of this conversation. Okita sat forward again, neatly tucking his feet together out of habit and smiled at Sasuke. "Hello, Sasuke-kun. It's good to meet you." He cast a pointed glance at Aidou and corrected him this time - the pleasant smile never leaving his face. "Also, I haven't gone by that name since I was a child, so the better way to address me would be Okita Souji, if you please."

He finished up the cream cheese and started in on the eggs, figuring out the fork relatively easily. Western things were cumbersome and there were too many of them, but at least they weren't impossible to use. He needn't ask about the "vampires" since Sasuke seemed to be doing it for him, thankfully. He'd met with the living dead once, but never a vampire. If the Choushuu could use these things as well, then Hijikata-san needed to know of it and soon.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke didn't bat an eyelid at Aidou's demand. That made sense on some level, he supposed, although it wasn't the tactic Sasuke was personally using.

"Sure," he said. "What's your price?"

He poked at a brownish fried-looking something and took a bite, pleasantly surprised when it was not only not sweet but potato-flavoured. Perhaps it had even been potato in a past life.

Okita's neat manners didn't go unnoticed, and Sasuke tucked it away as information that might come useful later. He -- Sasuke assumed it was a he, judging by voice -- reminded Sasuke vaguely of Haku, and not just in the sense that he was somewhat androgynous.

"What world are you from, Okita?" He asked, and then, a hint dryly, "Or do you also want payment for an answer?"

[blood_and_pocky]

"Of course," Aidou repeated, this time in response to the one calling himself Okita Souji. He didn't have any personal ties with that historical figure - vampire and human history overlapped more often than not, but the Shinsengumi had been the humans' thing - but what he studied, he usually retained in his memory. Okita of the past had changed his name sometime in the 1860s, or something like that.

It didn't escape Aidou's notice that he was taking in information like a good little battle-hardened warrior, either. That, at least, could be believed. Usually there was at least some reaction to being referred to as a vampire. Uchiha was like an android, but he'd had his moment of disbelief.

Sighing, Aidou dropped his chin back into his hand and continued eating. He was getting a bit restless; this uniform procession of shifts didn't suit him at all. "Like I said, it depends. On what you want to know, on what you expect from me. On how much of a use you actually are. But if you're familiar with the term 'vampire', then you should be able to use your imagination on at least one point. Hm?" Not that Aidou was stupid enough to fall into a poor arrangement just because he loved blood. He wasn't utterly dependent on it as he should be for a true vampire, since he'd been living on a replacement for so long. "But just to get it out there - if you ally yourself with that weakling Alucard or have already brokered a deal with him, then we couldn't be friends anymore. " He smiled sweetly, but it was full of sharp edges. "In fact, you could set yourself up for a fall."

He went back to poking at his food, not terribly interested in Okita's answers or going into too much detail with him present.

[notachick]

When Aidou didn't react to his name by immediately jumping over the table to kill him, Okita filed that information away. Either Aidou wasn't on Choushuu's side or he was trying to get him off his guard. He'd have to ask Saitou-san about "vampires" later though. He'd heard of them, but didn't know much more past the "not human" bit. Then again, vampires weren't supposed to be real so perhaps Aidou was just a very, very strange teenager.

Okita had never been the one to deal with information, leaving that job to Yamazaki-san. Still, in situations like these, it wouldn't do to let that little fact get in the way of learning something potentially useful. Whatever the truth was, Aidou believed he was a vampire, he was at odds with someone called Alucard, was potentially dangerous, and was looking to make a deal. Good to know.

Sasuke, on the other hand, reminded him quite a bit of Yamazaki-san. Quiet, but observant and with the slightest hint of dry humor somewhere in there. The samurai smiled at Sasuke's question, even if it seemed a little strange... He let his confusion show, tilting his head to the side as he replied, "You don't need to pay me anything, Sasuke-kun, but what do you mean by 'what world?' Isn't everyone here from Earth?"

Obviously the answer to that would be 'no,' unless Sasuke's question had been a joke. Perhaps Sasuke would explain something that Aidou wouldn't, though. Like how there could be Western items everywhere or how Okita Souji, of all people, could be speaking and understanding English. Or more importantly, whether or not this was some Choushuu or foreigner prison camp.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Vampires ... drank blood. Or something like that. Sasuke wasn't precisely clear on the usual tall tales and fables of childhood -- most shinobi tended to lack such knowledge, childhood having been spent primarily learning and hearing of fighting techniques and battle stories -- but he knew vaguely of what a vampire was supposed to do.

Presumably, Aidou wasn't completely dependent on blood, and he didn't appear to be a mindless bloodsucker. That much was evident. Then again, Alucard didn't look mindless either, and he was also surviving somehow (unless he'd managed to off a patient or two without anyone noticing). Yet Aidou claimed that there was a difference?

"All I really need to know is whether your status enables you to fight," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I've seen you move pretty fast, but I don't know if you can land a strike."

A pause, and then, with a raised eyebrow, "It's surprising that you can afford to play favourites here. Any reason why I shouldn't work with Alucard?"

Okita was obviously brand-new, and it was difficult to tell from just his appearance and demeanour whether he could or couldn't fight, which indicated either someone who didn't, or someone who did and knew how to appear normal.

"We all come from different 'worlds,'" Sasuke explained, rather bluntly. There was no point in keeping basic information from the other patients. "It doesn't seem that the one Landel's is in belongs to any of us, though."

He glanced briefly at Aidou before adding: "My information is free. We have the same goals." So far.

[blood_and_pocky]

Aidou had sat in a corner on purpose, and now here he was being harassed. As usual. It just never stopped.

But these weren't like the humans he associated with. These were far more infuriating, stupid little human fighters that tried to press him into their ideas of 'strong' and 'weak'. Not even hunters, the vampires' greatest opposition, were so foolish. Fury curled cold and sharp in his stomach, coiling tighter and tighter. He was about to lose his temper. Only when vampires threw tantrums, they levelled cities and slaughtered hundreds.

Fight? Land a strike?

"... You don't get to doubt me," he began, slowly. He'd picked up a spoon to begin eating cereal, and now was just using one finger to stand it upright in the milk, gently bobbing it up and down. He kept his gaze pinned to the point where the tip of his finger met plastic. If either had been able to look him dead in the eye, they would have registered the inhuman cast to his irises, the gradual twisting of his pupils. As it was, he was at the point of alarming even normal civilians with the rapid shift in atmosphere. Aidou was a lot of things, but not a pushover. Not a weakling. Not a human.

And he hated being treated like one in such a fashion.

"If you're going to be that ignorant, then there's no point in consorting further. Unlike Alucard, I was born superior to you in every way imaginable. Judge me again with that self-satisfied humanity, and I'll kill you."

It felt good - even it was severely frowned upon - to hint at his background.

Dropping the spoon with a sudden sploosh, he stood, turning on Okita with a closed expression. "Understand what he's saying? You're not in Japan anymore. In fact, the era of Shinsengumi is long over. More than a century so." With that parting remark, he smiled. "If that's all you've got for me, then I'm going to excuse myself."