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

Comments

[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."

[notachick]

When Aidou's demeanor changed, Okita's did as well. The boy was shaping up to be a threat - the way he held the spoon in such an unnatural fashion spoke volumes about his abilities. Add to that Aidou's menacing words and that only solidified concepts in Okita's mind. This boy was dangerous and cocky, but reasonably so. The pleasantry faded from Okita's expression, replaced by cold scrutiny. While Okita enjoyed teasing people, he at least knew where to draw the line, and Sasuke had unwisely crossed it. Alucard was an obvious enemy of Aidou, as the Choushuu were Okita's enemies. To suggest alliance with the enemy was to sign one's own death warrant.

"I don't know who this Alucard is, Aidou-kun, but I assure you I mean no alliance with him." At least, not for now. The best route would be to keep Aidou from exploding at the moment. Especially now that Okita could see his eyes... How in the world did his pupils turn into that?

And then Aidou made his first mistake. While Okita was slowly coming to the realization that this wasn't Japan, or even his home, telling him that the Shinsengumi were "over" was possibly the worst thing the vampire could have done. He gripped the knife lightly, trying to restrain himself. Hijikata-san would be disappointed if he broke the Code by stabbing Aidou in the face for his insult. Instead, he gave the boy a smile that never rose to his eyes - a smile that said just how dangerous speaking further on this matter would be. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Aidou-kun - the Shisengumi are not over as long as I'm here."

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke raised an eyebrow even as, internally, he grew irritated with Aidou's obvious superiority complex. Did the concept of Landel's not register with him or something? He leaned back into the chair, scrutinizing both and wondering if it was remotely worth it to try and sort them out.

"So your blood's different," Sasuke said, watching Aidou show off with the spoon, had half a mind to begin twirling his butterknife. He refrained because he was fairly certain that Aidou had watched him throw, and probably could tell that he knew how already. "That's nice. So is mine, but you will notice that currently, Landel's is our present reality."

Without a change of expression, his voice grew slightly sharper. "And that present reality suppresses abilities, even blood-born ones. I'm not an easy kill, and it'll only be harder in this place to make good on a threat. There's no need to make yourself a target."

A target for whom, Sasuke did not specify, although his tone closed that part of the conversation. If Aidou wanted to act like an immature fool, there was no reason to consider him useful, unless he proved himself capable of more than dodging.

Okita seemed the type to be reasonable, though. Sasuke stifled a sigh of annoyance. Gathering allies was always annoying. It had been annoying in Sound, and it was annoying here, apparently.

"Okita," he said, voice shifting subtly and losing some hostility, but none of its finality. "None of what we know in our worlds exists here. Your world is different from Aidou's. Our common goal should be to escape Landel's and return to our individual worlds, not to squabble like children."

[blood_and_pocky]

"You misunderstand my intent," Aidou said to Sasuke. "I wasn't implying I was any less susceptible to this place. It's not about blood abilities at all, that's just a small fraction of what makes me different. It's merely my desire to have you stop thinking of me as one of you, despite seeing my appearance as something similar. It's not the case, and I don't appreciate it."

In the end, the kid was sort of right. Aidou had always had a habit of falling prey to his emotions, and it was only amplified here, in this place where there was no sure footing. He had to act more his role.

Whether Sasuke would grasp what he meant, that he hadn't the patience for Sasuke's youthful, naive humanity, only what small fruit the labour of his training had bore. He couldn't be any older than Kiryu, perhaps sixteen. An infinitesimally short period of time in comparison to Aidou. An unfledged child offering a lecture as if he knew any more about the world than Aidou was not appreciated, and in all actuality, was an insult.

Let it be forgotten, then. Explaining exactly why arrogance was misplaced with him would be time wasted. He perched neatly on the edge of the table, keeping both in view. This time he addressed Okita. "I'm not mistaken, but don't consider it a personal insult. What I said is true for me. Whether the three of us come from separate "worlds" or not means little; in my history, that time period - the nineteenth century - is over. It's the twenty first century now."

[notachick]

These two were like Hijikata-san squared and, as the atmosphere shifted away from open hostility, Okita relaxed and began picking at the rest of his food. Different times and different worlds, was it? It certainly explained the candles in the ceiling and the strange Western environment. As confusing as the concept was, at least Okita was assured that these people weren't Choushuu. Or if they were, they were the crazy ones. Quietly, he soaked in the tidbits of information and filed each bit away in his memory. He would need to test whether or not this place really suppressed his own abilities, but now was not the time.

If escape was the main concern of the people here, then anyone here could be a potential ally. Now visibly more at ease, Okita nodded to Sasuke and took a bite of the hashed potatoes. "If what you say is true, Sasuke-kun, I'm inclined to agree with you. Escape and alliance are much more favorable than fighting amongst ourselves over small matters. You talk about suppression of abilities - has it happened to you both?"

With that he turned his gaze toward Aidou. He was a noble, that much was certain from the way he carried himself and the quickness of his temper. It just meant Okita had to step twice as fast - something he always left to Kondou-san or even Hijikata-san. There was a reason he was only a Captain, after all. "That time may be over for you, Aidou-kun, but consider the fact that I just woke up here and a day or two ago I was drinking sake on the rooftop of Mibu Temple. I wasn't ready for such a... startling statement. You may not find reason to soften your words, but for someone of your high stature, I would think exercising more caution when choosing them might be advisable." He smiled at the vampire pleasantly, hopefully showing that he meant no harm in his words. "It'll make you more friends here - and isn't that what everyone wants?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke was torn between saying what he thought -- It doesn't matter what you are if you can't fight (maybe with an addendum of stupid) -- and staying quiet to bypass the irritation of Aidou's temper. Heaving an internal sigh, he gave in to logic and went with the latter.

These two made him think of Suigetsu, if the mist-nin's personality were neatly divided into the part that was ego and the part that was subtle. Vaguely, he wished he had Suigetsu around -- he at least had a sense of when to listen and whom to listen to. Actually, Karin wouldn't be bad, either; it was possible she might be able to find the way out come Nightshift.

Still, he had neither, and he would have to make do.

"Sure," he said, voice too carefully blank to reveal whether it was acquiescence or flippancy. "Shall we talk business?"

"Everyone here with ability has had it suppressed somehow," he informed Okita. "Most of us are reduced to basic taijutsu and very little else."

A pause while he remembered that he was not speaking with shinobi, and then -- "Limited to physical manouevres."

And some reduction of even that, like the speed of non-chakra-powered movement and a certain amount of basic strength. Sasuke wasn't about to reveal that, though.

[blood_and_pocky]

It wasn't like Aidou didn't know why his words had been upsetting, but he wasn't truly empathizing. Nothing really affected him in the same way. He'd wanted to rattle Okita while in the height of his irritation, but he wasn't getting the expected reaction. The Ichijou-clone hadn't even become defensive and flared up at Aidou. Rather, he seemed strangely calm. Not as incited as when he'd clutched the knife.

Hmph. Humans weren't "ready" for anything when consorting with vampires. It wasn't his problem that they were too slow, too soft. "Well, try to suck it up. It's for the best you accept the facts as quickly as possible. Sweetening words for the sake of your feelings will only hinder you in the end," Aidou replied, airily. Then he looked thoughtful, lifting the corner of his mouth into a smile. "Huh, I guess I lied. Giving you advice like that counts as assistance, doesn't it?"

Forcing himself through such false animation was coming hard this morning. Although his actions were flawless, his eyes were turning metallic and dim, as if all his previous energy - a shine of crimson in blue eyes - was burning out. He didn't like the tone of Okita Souji's voice, or his smile. Not at all.

No, what he really wanted was to be on Academy grounds once again, at Kaname-sama's side. Despite what had happened during that night, despite it all, he'd made a promise once, and he wouldn't break that. Not for anything. His gaze slid away from Okita's, a barely noticeable breaking of eye contact as he answered, "Not particularly. Friendship is of no concern to me." It was, in a way, but not in this instance.

Aidou was naturally gifted at everything he did, and if he wasn't, he soon mastered it. So he couldn't say he lacked the capacity to sustain friendships with humans, it was just... implausible. He didn't care to understand them, and humans - especially dumb children like Sasuke - couldn't understand them, and that was just how it was.

Which was why he answered Sasuke's nonchalant 'sure' with a mental note to withhold a true and dignified alliance from him, no matter what agreement they reached in the end. It was one thing to put up with guys like Kiryu, who acted much the same, but he had no patience for those who had little to no knowledge of genuine vampires. Aidou's expression was quite clear and unclouded when he flicked his gaze to the nearest window. Let the little virgin dictator carry on until something drew him back into conversation.

[notachick]

If physical maneuvers went unsuppressed, then Okita was fine and he took comfort in that thought. However, Sasuke's pause made Okita reconsider his evaluation of the boy. He obviously had some sort of supernatural power and the way he spoke of "taijutsu"... Could he be connected to the shinobi? If that were true, it wouldn't be like Yamazaki-san since he certainly didn't have any non-physical powers that could be suppressed here. Interesting.

The swordman smiled at Aidou after his chiding advice and nodded, laughing a little. "Yes, thank you for that. I don't expect anyone to sugarcoat things for me. I don't need it and I'd be rather disappointed if someone did. I was just startled, that's all."

Aidou's casual refusal of friendship, however, concerned him and he gave the teenager a somewhat sad look. "Then what will you do should Alucard ally himself with others and outnumber you? Even the greatest tree in the forest may be brought down by a colony of termites, after all."

But Aidou had already turned away and Okita sighed slightly, giving his attention to Sasuke instead. The cheerfulness returned to his voice and he smiled warmly at the shinobi. "What sort of business would you like to discuss, Sasuke-kun?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke eyed Aidou's sullen profile with a certain amount of disdain. If he were in the market for an operating, serious alliance, Aidou would have been out of the running long ago. An irrational ego like that rendered him useless -- not that Sasuke didn't have an ego of his own. But he knew where he stood here, and that was not as the scion (one of them, at least) of the Uchiha clan.

Which was why he was going to fight tooth and nail to get back to where he was.

"No one's looking for friends," he said shortly. "We're not here for fun and games. Just useful alliances."

"All I want is an information exchange," Sasuke said to Okita, assuming that Aidou would hear, if not participate in the discussion. "If we have the same goals for the night, we will go as a team and act as backup. If we do not, we share what we have learned if and when we are asked."

It was hardly an alliance, really. Just convenience.

"At this rate, we can cover more ground than if we work alone or strictly as a group," he added, easily sliding into his element as leader. He'd gotten accustomed to it with Team 7, even with Kakashi as head, and Sound had only bolstered his natural assumption of the role. "There is no requirement. You can share your information and work with anyone else. If you choose not to honour your end of the deal, I don't really care. There are a lot of patients here."

After all, Sasuke knew how to crumble an establishment. He'd been planning it before he'd been snatched here. With enough discontent, it should only take one solid attempt to ignite the rest of the place. All that was needed was the creation of an opportunity -- for anyone.

[faithful_dog]

Naoe was beginning to be in the throws of addiction. He knew it. The uneasy feeling was filling him up. He wasn't sure if it was his desire to smoke, or if it was his other addiction to Kagetora.

Either way, he wanted to ignore both of them or at least find out who might possess the knowledge about where he could find a place to smoke. Takaya wasn't in the cafeteria and that worried Naoe.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked Sasuke as he approached the boy and the two others that he was speaking with.

[blood_and_pocky]

The wall of the surrounding courtyard was too high; from Aidou's position, he couldn't get a clear estimate of it's size or making, only the telltale growth of vegetation working it's way long the brick. If he wasn't going to be attending a therapy session (ha!) then, as his nurse had so kindly informed him, those of dubious mental health would be allowed to frolic outside. He didn't believe for an instant it could be bypassed easily, but perhaps it'd be wise to check out the perimeter while the weather was suitable anyway. Aidou wouldn't be able to do anything with mere guess work.

Somewhere in the middle, Aidou eyed Sasuke right back, albeit blandly. His disdain was comfortably internalized. In the back of his mind, he'd expected Sasuke's masterful proposal to be more established, considering his stance up until this point: abrupt and confident. But he's overestimated the kid if all he was going to deliver were the bare bones. This kid was kind of stupid. Especially if he was setting himself up to take the leading position, should whichever "teammates" join together for a night.

Aidou didn't care for such a position himself - he knew better than to situate himself in that way - but the night was his territory, and it was the most important time of day in this place. Aidou wasn't going to waste the opportunity butting heads with some human boy who thought he could operate just as well in the dark.

However, an avenue for information (if what information was passed along could be believed) wouldn't be bad, despite Sasuke's suggestions reawakening his earlier questions of whether keeping his own counsel would be wiser. He was sceptical that aligning himself with these guys wouldn't make him more vulnerable.

Then: "Under the theory that the three of us may sometime spend the night together, preparation is - obviously - a high priority. My requirements in turn, and a proper weapon for Okita first." He turned his head back towards the swordsman in question, appraising him absent-mindedly while he thought. "Preferably through the same method you created yours, until something better becomes available." Their physical skills aside, Aidou couldn't be certain how well-made the products of human alchemy were. "Also, I'd like to know the names you've both been given by the staff, and the standards with which you're choosing these potential candidates," Aidou finished, glancing at Sasuke on the last point.

It was then that a stranger approached from his periphery. Aidou recognized him: the guy from last night.

[notachick]

Okita would never refuse an offer of information, especially when it came with few to no strings attached. He pondered the proposition for a moment, then nodded to Sasuke and to Aidou. He didn't have anything useful now, but if they were given reign to explore as the message board suggested, then he was certain he'd find something soon. "Alright, should I learn anything about this place, I'll tell you - both of you, if you like."

Internally, however, Okita let out a sigh of exasperation. Aidou and Sasuke were the same way - all business and no room for fun. How boring. He'd have to find someone else to play with here. As if on cue, a new person joined the group and Okita cheerfully waved at him. "Hello there~!"

Just as quickly as he'd switched his attention to the newcomer, he returned to the business at hand. If fighting was to be had, then Okita was in his element. He had no idea what they were fighting against, but he had an inkling that it wouldn't be pleasant. "I can work with anything - even nothing - until a weapon can be procured. As for names, they called me Ikeda. I believe they used the first name... Julian? Or something to that effect."

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Aidou leapt abruptly back into the conversation, making conditions and adding details as if he'd been in favour the entire time. He nearly added Wasn't that hard, was it? and decided not to only on the basis that it would be a waste of effort.

"Sean Li," he said in response to Aidou's demand, noting Okita's and looking expectantly at Aidou.

He glanced over and moved his tray slightly to indicate that Yoshiaki had space to sit. Actually, while Yoshiaki was here -- "And you, Yoshiaki? What are they calling you and Takaya?"

Assuming that Yoshiaki could follow the flow of such an obvious conversation, he turned back to the other two. His next words were obviously addressed primarily to Okita.

"Steal from the cafeteria to start. There's a laboratory upstairs with scalpels and the like. The alchemists need metal to make any weapons you want." A pause, and then, "The person who made my sword is --" Probably gone. "-- missing. But there are a few more. They've each got their prices."

Aidou's question about Sasuke's standards wasn't surprising in light of the vampire's insistence on the importance of his rank.

"My current standard is simply whether they are able to defend themselves," Sasuke said with a shrug, and couldn't resist adding, voice carefully toneless and factual and stare focused just past Aidou's head, "I'm not being very discriminating at present."

[faithful_dog]

"Both of us have English names and common enough Japanese last names. They are calling me Adam Nakamura and Takaya-san Alan Yamamoto," Naoe answered Sasuke's question as he sat down. He knew that Sasuke probably cared little about the origin of the names, but it still felt vaguely like an insult to him to be called an English name. There seemed to be no complaints to him joining them and this conversation already was a much better distraction than the one he had been having with the other man.

Naoe didn't make many comments about what was said other than to answer the question addressed to him. Instead he took the time to consider the other two that were with Sasuke. Naoe had been so focused on Takaya lately that he hadn't really had time to meet other people.

One of them had been in one of the groups that they had come across last night. He kept his reaction to the realization to himself, keeping a blank face. The other one... looked somewhat familiar, though Naoe couldn't place him. Despite his best efforts, his eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to remember.

[blood_and_pocky]

His doubt over Sasuke's ability to garner suitable allies was at the forefront of his mind even as this Yoshiaki took a seat. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination; Aidou doubted Sasuke had much to bargain with. If he assumed the majority were fighters (and that many had unique abilities unlikely for humans), who may or may not have retained some level of it... then he could also assume Uchiha Sasuke was at the low end of the spectrum.

The reason behind still infringing on Aidou's personal space and "not being very discriminating" was probably due to the kid having extremely few options. Kind of pathetic, and - Aidou smirked - funny. It was the kid's own fault if he wouldn't heed Aidou's words about the difference between vampires and humans. He, at least, was still better off.

And... The automaton-like temperament was sad in it's own very amusing way, but the teenage angst and the instant dislike of Aidou... Why, it was just like every Day Class boy he'd ever met. (And everybody knew why they were so crusty.)

Once Aidou's brain processed the parallel, his smirk blossomed into a smile, and only kept growing. It was his first taste of good humour that morning, and as it was at someone else's expense, it was even more potent. "I think I changed my mind - I'm glad you guys came and sat by me." Not even Okita's previous suggestion that he could somehow be overpowered by Alucard stopped Aidou from including him in the comment.

"Aidan Fairbairn for me," Aidou said, shrugging off his answer about names. It had no Japanese origins at all, but Aidou also didn't look all that Asian either. At the very least, if any of their names were announced over the intercom, he'd know who exactly was getting friendly with needles and the like. The only person he didn't have a face for was this Takaya person. "So then, what diabolical schemes do you have for tonight?"

Like the newcomer, he didn't bother introducing himself with his true name, merely flicked his gaze over Naoe in return, and then to Okita, whom the other was staring at. He slid back against the wall to rest his back, still on the table. It more or less gave him a clear view of the rest of the cafeteria, fights included. At least he wasn't in one of them this time, not that he wasn't still tendering the line between headache and migraine. It did give a thought, however.

"By the way, has anyone been to the med wing yet?"

[notachick]

Okita filed the names away and the information Sasuke so readily handed out. He had no idea what an "alchemist" was, but he assumed they were like blacksmiths and swordmakers and that was all Okita needed to know. Noting that their current location was likely to be attached to the kitchen area, he scanned the room quickly until he located doors. He would have to venture back here then and find what he could. Or perhaps he'd be able to procure something during the day when no one was looking. Unlikely, but that didn't mean he couldn't try.

Yoshiaki's gaze didn't go unnoticed and Okita gave him a polite yet guarded smile. Anyone trying to uncover his identity was usually met with the same expression - a force of habit, he supposed. Here he didn't need to do it, but he couldn't help his initial reaction. In the blink of an eye, the smile changed from guarded to sincere and he asked, "Do you know me from somewhere, Yoshiaki-san?"

With Aidou back in the conversation, Okita knew things would remain interesting - or at the very least, amusing. Aidou's temperament was very much unlike anything he had to deal with prior to arrive at this mad house, but that didn't mean he didn't like it. It just meant that (conversations on the bulletin board aside) Okita needed to exercise more self restraint. Hijikata-san would be proud.

Being new, Okita had little to contribute to the conversation now that people were discussing places he'd never been. So he sat back and finished his plate of food, calmly sipping his water and listened carefully. So far he knew of the cafeteria, the kitchen, a laboratory, and now a "med wing" which he assumed was like a hospital area. Sitting down to bother Aidou had been a good idea after all.