Day 60: Cafeteria

[gald_digger]

Anise had been lying snug in bed, only vaguely aware that she was awake, when her rest was disturbed by the one sound in the world she'd never wanted to hear again.

"Good morning, everyone!"

The girl's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up straight. There was no doubt about it. That was the Head Doctor, that bastard, and he was back! Now that

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[blood_and_pocky]

Aidou lifted an eyebrow. “There was the barrier,” he reminded the boy. “Unless you had your eyes closed the entire time.”

But who was counting? The omission was negligible in the long run, not only because the vampire already had an idea of what the protective pink defences were for. If someone had cracked the mystery of the barriers function and how they could be disabled, he doubted it would have been a single gluttonous boy who talked too much. He felt safe making that assumption.

The other male, on the other hand, was veering off with his own strange logic. Wasn’t it obvious that he would ask? How else was he supposed to figure out what the other patients were up to? He couldn’t read the boy’s mind or dig into his memories and share his experiences.

Well, not anymore, anyway.

“How else would I get a picture of what was going on without collecting stories? But I believe you about not finding anything. That’s too bad.” The last part was said mostly to himself. Wouldn’t it be convenient, to isolate the one person who might’ve encountered one of the radio people, or any of the other fortuitous events that seemed to find certain prisoners. Unfortunately, the ugly boy was not his winning horse, it seemed.

[oneman_onekill]

He shrugged. "Everyone saw that, so what's the point in mentioning it?" Unless he'd been expected to have had his eyes closed the whole time. Ugh. These types were so obnoxious to deal with sometimes; they always thought that everyone else had to be spoken to like they were two year-olds, as if breeding and rank actually granted one more intelligence and wisdom. (And he still hadn't touched his waffles...)

"Ah, nothing, then," Niikura said, pointing his fork briefly at the other boy. "Shame." Damn it. For one second there, he'd really thought that he'd get to learn about something exciting beyond extra monsters and glowing pink barriers.

[blood_and_pocky]

“Maybe I was asking because I wasn’t around. Who cares? Does it really matter?” Trying to undermine Aidou’s way of thinking was a wasted endeavor no matter how one looked at it. On a morning like this, it was annoying having to deal with a male who wanted to compete with him. Another reminder that he had been dragged back down, closer to the boy’s level than he had any right to be.

It was an intolerable situation, and although he knew he should focus on tackling breakfast given that the boy had nothing groundbreaking to contribute, Aidou found it hard to shake off his disappointment.

If he was being honest, it was the setback more than the loss of his powers that bothered him.

He eyed the eating utensil as it was branded in his direction before resting his chin in his hand. Being ugly wouldn’t be a blessing at all, but he almost missed being as oblivious as this weirdo. Eating without worrying about a single thing. Wouldn’t that be nice?

“Do you know anything that isn’t already public knowledge?”

[oneman_onekill]

Saying that maybe he had been asking around because he'd been out of the loop and then claiming it didn't matter...wasn't that kind of self-defeating there? Ah, whatever, this guy was going to be a snob no matter what. He didn't have to rise to the bait if he didn't want to.

Niikura smiled at the other boy's question. Do I know anything? Of course I do, but nothing that you need to be aware of. It probably didn't interest him anyway, since he was so caught up in himself. The things that Niikura liked to learn about typically had nothing to do with Landel or with the military. One day his focus would probably be shifted toward them, but first, he had wanted to stretch his legs for a bit. "Eh, probably not, but at least I know when to admit it." Unlike someone.

[blood_and_pocky]

The vampire lifted an eyebrow again, a gesture that was in turns weary and caustic. Really? Much to his chagrin, it wouldn’t be the first time he had been faced with such a childish response since coming to Landel‘s, and it wouldn’t be the last. Most people had no inkling of what they were talking to. Just a youthful, pretty face.

It worked well enough when he wanted to hide from people like Aigis, but in moments like these… ha. Wouldn’t it be nice to just bare his fangs and show the boy a little of what there was to be afraid of? Close his hand around that pale neck and feel arteries nervously pumping blood? Right now the male’s blood was calm, untouched by distress, but Aidou wondered how the scent would change once he was given a little start. Just a little one, of course… though given the attitude, making the boy believe his life was in jeopardy for a moment or two wouldn’t necessarily be a crime. At least then he would understand that vampires weren’t creatures to patronize.

Despite the unfortunate looks, it wasn’t like the other’s blood smelled bad, either… If Aidou was teaching him a lesson in respecting one’s elders, would it be so wrong to steal a bite? His blood was worth more than his conversation skills, to be sure. And if he had nothing worth sharing information-wise, why not share something else?

The silence went on as Aidou simply stared, his gaze turning harder and more intent than was strictly polite. Ugh… I really do need to feed, and soon.

But now that the thought had crossed his mind, it was hard to ignore Niikura’s blood again and go back to considering his plate of waffles. The idea of eating the sugary foodstuff didn’t excite his appetite quite like the alternative, however. He finally shifted his head and dropped his gaze, which had become as hard as diamonds. “I hope you weren’t referring to me,” he said. His words came as a drawl, but they lacked the personable element of before, when he had at least been bantering, however curt. Now his demeanor had shifted, and into something less approachable. Those familiar with his kind might have called it less human. “I wouldn’t want you to wander that far from the truth.”

HOW...DID I FORGET ABOUT THIS...

[oneman_onekill]

That chill in the other's voice ought to have given him enough reason to stand down, or at least to shut up and get back to eating, but Niikura had never listened to his instincts unless they agreed with whatever scheme he'd come up with. After dying over and over again, he'd learned how to ignore the little voice that said what he was doing was madness, the little voice that made sane people hesitate in that crucial moment as they took the time to listen to it. And so, he never flinched and he never looked away. If anything, he took it as a challenge.

"Are those the words of a guilty conscience I'm hearin'?" Niikura's eyes glittered darkly as he stared down the other boy, smile curving into the familiar chilly grin of Akumetsu. Contrary to Aidou, his voice was still as amiable and amused as it had always been, even though that sort of tone was wholly inappropriate. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, y'know."

Actually, he could've been referring to anyone, but he liked to push the envelope too, even past the point of reason. Thank goodness Shiina wasn't looking at this very moment; she would know what the look on his face meant, and even if she couldn't interfere, she would definitely voice her displeasure at some point or another. She wanted him to be safe, but frankly, Niikura didn't care much for personal safety.

IT'S OKAY, THAT HAPPENS.

[blood_and_pocky]

As distracting as his… baser urges… were, Aidou knew better than to accept the bait. A boy was still a boy, whatever the face he put on. Different. Other. Not a fellow vampire, not someone to engage when he was low on energy (and restraint).

Butting heads over breakfast… that was a foolish path to start down.

The noble turned his head away and slowly leaned his chair back on two legs, resolved to ignore his stomach. Hunger made him thorny, and being thorny made him dangerous. Composure was what he needed in the face of Landel’s untimely return. “Guilt,” he said, “is an extravagance during captivity.”

Which was true in more ways than one.

/CRIES

[oneman_onekill]

...Okay, that was kind of a weird statement to wrap his head around. It sounded deep and mysterious, and maybe that was what this guy had been trying to go for.

Come to think of it, he didn't even know his name. That was...even if they'd been slinging thinly-veiled jabs at each other for at least half an hour in their mutual fruitless search for information, there was still something to be said about social norms and obeying them. Not that rich kids ever listened to those kinds of things--but hey, maybe he would have some...Niikura didn't know, etiquette or whatever. Fancy-schmancy something.

He shrugged. "Sure." Not that he thought much about guilt anywa--nope, strike that, he did, especially with Shiina around complicating things and spoiling the future for him. "But it happens sometimes. Not somethin' you can help."

Wait, how did he end up getting all philosophical too? Great.

"Anyway" - Niikura held out a hand; it was fancier that way. - "figure if we've been speakin' this long, we might as well exchange names. I'm Niikura."

[blood_and_pocky]

Was he being tutored by a human boy now? If there was anything that could sink him lower at that point, it was humans being… human at him. How did things flip on a dime so quickly? He had gone to being himself to being the sounding board for a weird-looking pseudo-human. One who really had yet to be of use.

Ugh. He was going to be stuck with a headache for as long as he resided in Landel’s.

Besides that, the male did know where he was, right? Not even the most oblivious human could begin talking about monsters with the same casualness Niikura had and end by talking about soft emotions. Guilt? Pfft. Guilt was a normal response for a normal situation. If the Institute had had even a shred of normality, their ‘conversation’ would never have a hope of happening. It was only prison life that had brought them together.

Prison life that had no end in sight as of yet…

Without bothering to fuel the circular exchange of words by commenting on the boy’s opinions, he said, “It’s Aidou Hanabusa.” Fair was fair, he supposed. Introductions at least had a point to them, more so than most of what had come out of his companion’s mouth. But he had to eye Niikura’s hand, uncertain what he intended. “Are you asking for a handshake or is that another unusual gesture you enjoy?”

[oneman_onekill]

Ignorance was bliss, and sometimes, Niikura did forget--well, he couldn't forget about Landel being an asshole, but the whole despair and gloom deal that was supposed to come with being stuck here didn't always hang over him. He was a normal person, Akumetsu aside, as well as a fanboy whose wildest dreams were sort of coming to life all around him. And he just didn't like doom and gloom. It sucked, brooding. It made him antsy and eager to kill things, and while that wasn't necessarily bad, he didn't like having to make himself feel like shit first.

He raised an eyebrow at the name. Wow, that was a mouthful. Just like the pretentious, flowery kid to go by something equally pretentious and flowery. "Of course this is a handshake," Niikura said slowly. "No, I just like pointin' stuff at ya. It's the next thing after my fork, y'know?"

And then the intercom turned on, and with a sigh, he gave one last look at those wasted waffles. Honestly.