Day 27: Lunch

[stray_shinigami]

Renji wasn't so certain what this grilled cheese thing was all about, but he liked the sound of some soup. Even if it was strange western soup, well... there wasn't anything bad people could do to soup, in his experience. His good mood was starting to fray at the edges, a little, from the strain of dealing with the Ichimaru issue, and even more

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[thehellismycar]

[ reserved to Diva ]

Dad.Even if the abrupt contraction across his stomach made him wanna hurl, the hunter, trained for better, managed to keep it in as his bare feet gradually lowered to the floor. Staring blankly at one corner of the ceiling, he just sat there staring; staring so hard he was lost in a lackadaisical paradise within seconds

[damned_nurses]

Some patients went quietly their first day. Others struggled. Danielle was definitely one of the later, clearly sedated even as she tried to escape the orderly's firm arms.

A female nurse was leading them, and seeing the empty spot next to Jack, decided that that was as good of a place for Danielle as any. She directed the man with her to place Danielle gently in the seat across from Jack, looking at the coherent patient.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Patterson." The nurse motioned to Danielle. "This young lady is Ms. Frenier, and she's having some trouble coping with her new environment. Please do your best to help her with that, would you?"

Patient socialization should be encouraged, after all. With a nod to her coworker, the two headed back to their jobs, leaving Danielle and Jack to get to know each other.

[roses_bleues]

Diva had done everything right: she had asked for Amshel, she had noticed the woman to be a nurse, she had moved to punish them when they acted out of order. So why? Why were they still alive, after everything done to her? She had forbidden the use of those drugs, no matter what stupid medical reason Amshel had for her, because now that the old man was dead with plenty of food to go around she didn't want to see them ever again.

Because now that...

Not once did she ever stop struggling, and hardly spared the room of noisy people a glance. "No! I don't want to! I said no!" For a being that had the power to bring humanity to a bloody end, she was easily mistaken for a tousled young girl, dragging her feet on the slippery, tiled floor.

The moment her rear end touched the seat, and the restraining hands left, she sprang back on her feet. Or what counted as a spring when her reflexes were not as clear as they should be. Sedatives, she hated them, those two... only human, so why.

[thehellismycar]

The man had been hopelessly subdued to all but his own predicament; that is, until the unresponsive gaze happened on a patient who'd apparently materialised beside him. He'd hardly taken heed of the nurse's greeting. Face still wiped of emotion, (which, ironically, made it glaringly obvious to those on familiar terms with him that he wasn't feeling so hot), his movements were mechanical as he stood and seized the kid's wrist.

The idea of a panicked little girl, frightened by circumstances, had him recall his first day, and the absolute terror he experienced upon realising his brother was absent. It was clear this patient had just arrived - not simply because the nurse had mentioned it, but from the wild hair curtaining ice cold eyes; eyes most likely suited to royalty, capable of warming a room if in the proper environment. ... Maybe. They were pretty remarkable, actually. Her immature huffing seemed to be a sign she was a princess of some sort, though

[roses_bleues]

Another man. Human. Smelling human. She could hear his heartbeat through the hand on her body.

"Why are you touching me? I don't like it," she said, as monotone as it was possible to sound when her head was fuzzy. She didn't want to be led around anymore, and her arm extended and grew taught before she stepped forward, lest she be pulled off her feet. Diva was tired... Not hungry, but tired... Only half of what she remembered, but still annoying.

She felt it necessary to say: "Our clothes match."

[thehellismycar]

Brow furrowed for a few seconds, he ripped his sights from the nurse to look directly at the little girl. It was clear the unexpected statement bowled him over, blank features quickly reverting to a politely staggered expression. He briefly raised his eyebrows.

"Uh huh," he replied with a dullness challenging the other, glancing at the chair standing inches away. "Sit down and I won't have to." May as well retort with equal whim. He had a hunch that orchestrating formal conversation with someone as bright as the patient in front of him would show how truly idiotic you were. He sighed and tugged on her arm a second time, stopping and blinking at her next comment.

"... Yeah," he murmured, unsure whether he was supposed to smile or 'smile and nod'. So he frowned instead.

[roses_bleues]

There was a question rising up in her mind, or maybe more than one. Or maybe a comment. Somehow they didn't reach her tongue - in the end, however, many of her thoughts weren't voiced, simply because they grew uninteresting so fast, she discarded them with the same speed they came. Before, sedatives had made her quiet. She hadn't felt like talking at all. Or perhaps that had had something to do with having no one to talk to.

Looking over her shoulder, she watched the nurse woman and the man, ignoring the words being spoken to her until it became clear no answer was coming. Why was that? Her meaning had been quite clear; her Chevaliers would have understood. She had asked a question.

"The clothes," she repeated, passing a hand over her eyes for a moment. "Everyone's clothes. Why are they all the same?"

[thehellismycar]

This girl was too simplistic in her mannerisms to be called a common dimwit. There was a story behind that façade.

Dean tilted slightly, kneeling to a degree that enabled him plain view of her face. He straightened a moment later, grimacing to himself. Sustaining a vice-grip on the new patient's wrist, the man stretched a leg toward the chair and caught his foot around the edge of it, causing a small screech when he managed to drag it in arm's reach.

This was ridiculous...

He sighed inaudibly and twisted the piece of furniture around, positioning it just behind the girl. Placing two strong hands on her shoulders, he cautiously forced her into the seat. There was plenty of time for talk, but it was the least of his worries for now. She appeared to be drugged; having her on both feet while in a daze like that - and then explaining she was trapped in this hellhole for good - didn't seem to be the finer option here.

[roses_bleues]

It was a strange string of actions, first to look at her face, then pull the chair around so awkwardly. It would have been funny had things been different.

Her gaze slid to the hand on her left shoulder, then to the one on her right. When there were sedatives, there had been touching, done by men too; that old geezer, and Amshel too. But... Diva's eyelids slipped down to half-mast. But there was a difference here - she hadn't been weak in so many years. Not a harm to her. Not anymore. Had she been upset before? It seemed silly now. They were all human, and she was still Diva. Whatever the case, a seat was being pulled out for her, and that was a signal for her to sit down.

Reaching up, her fingers curled in the material of one of Dean's shirt sleeves, her head dipping down as though about to rest her cheek against his forearm. He had strong blood, it was loud. "Where's Amshel?"

She should maybe ask, first, who was for eating and who was for... other things. Business and stuff, none of which concerned her.

[thehellismycar]

His sights descended momentarily when the material on his arms smoothly crumpled under the girl's fingertips. He had zero intention of offering hugs, let alone to a patient he'd just met, so he warily unfolded the delicate grip from his shirt and pulled up another chair from nearby.

"Who's that?" He muttered, shifting himself in the cheap seat. Aware his harsh gaze was probably a bit too rough for the likes of a baffled teenager, he rolled his eyes and tried begrudgingly to soften his stare on her.

Interrogation tactics? No use here.

[roses_bleues]

If Diva even registered the underlying meaning between Dean's actions, she didn't show it. Nor was she bothered by sudden shifts in temperament; if there was one thing she was used to when it came to interaction with humans, it was their ever present need to pull when she pushed, to shift away when she touched.

Because she was a Chiropteran, she was special. Treated differently.

"Who are you?" she echoed, tailing the man's question with her own.

[thehellismycar]

Dean's eyebrows elevated yet again, arms lifted and lowered lethargically as he gave a heavy, semi-exasperated shrug. He couldn't exactly say the girl was talented at pulling the heartstrings.

OK, whatever...

"Dean." He glanced elsewhere with an absent-minded air. "Take it your new in town. Got a name?"

[roses_bleues]

Name? It was a rare instance when a human asked for her name, to not know it beforehand. After all, her Chevaliers did that sort of thing. She didn't meet people on her own.

Although she had asked after a name (or perhaps more than that, more unspoken questions that her Chevaliers would have picked up on), she didn't really acknowledge it, aside from something that momentarily caught her attention. Dean. "It starts the same." A 'D' for both of their names. "Diva. I'm Diva."

It didn't change the fact that the situation was rapidly losing its novelty for Diva.

"You didn't answer my question."

[thehellismycar]

He pressed a thumb to his lip for a tick, scrutinising the young girl.

"Hm." He saved himself the effort of exchanging pleasantries with this one, nodding idly to signal his endorsement. "It's a pleasure." I think, he so keenly wished to add. As an alternative, he inclined forward in the chair, resting forearms over his thighs.

The huntsman snorted softly and what she then said, leaning back erratically and folding his arms as though emphasising how short his fuse was today. He'd have to approach this girl with vigilance, it seemed.

"... What question?" Hell, mirror what you receive. See if she liked that.

[roses_bleues]

"Everyone's wearing the same thing!" Spoken as though she were repeating this out to a small child. She had, after all, asked the question not too long ago. When people didn't answer her the first time and made her repeat, it put her in a bad mood.

Something odd, though, just by hearing this one speak: he was not French, despite being in Paris. Everybody in Paris seemed French, unless they were tourists, or Saya-neesama and her Red Shield people. With a tired little sigh, Diva made to stand up. How much longer would she have to wait? That Carl, where had he run off to? All of her Chevaliers! Where had they left her?

These stupid clothes, they annoyed her most of all. "Tell me where my clothes went."

[thehellismycar]

"Hey," he addressed the girl sternly, raising a hand to impede the tirade. "Would y'knock it off?" Rubbing his temple slowly, he deliberated an answer, gaze flickering over the adolescent. "I'll tell you everything. Relax."

He allowed a pause, eyes traveling from her feet to face as he decided how to forward an intro to her. The man finally sighed when the words felt confident on his tongue.

"OK. Diva, I'm sorry -" Which honestly resonated strangely, coming from his mouth - "I've gotta break this to you." He pulled a slightly hesitant face, speculating why in the world a nurse dumped this girl on him. This wouldn't end well. The short-lived interval concluded when he glanced this way and that before returning his full attention to her.

Why did he have to do this