Day 21 - Sun Room

[soul_defender]

Ichigo was only too eager to leave the cafeteria and its fresh memories behind when the softened chime of the intercome rang clear. What had begun as another ordinary meal, a rather agreeable one despite the lack of the proper utensils, quickly became somewhat unnerving. His conversation with...what was his name again?...took so many sharp turns,

Comments

[stray_shinigami]

Renji hadn't been impressed by what these people considered to be food. He didn't even want to go near what they considered to be music. He opted for the sun room.

There was a lot about this place that bothered him. But one of the bigger annoyances (as opposed to things that enraged him or scared the shit out of him) was the fact that they were expected to sit so goddamn much. He could park himself under a tree and pretend to be the Buddha for a while if he had to - you didn't live (so to speak) as long as he did without learning some patience, after all. But he was also used to be on his feet, working, and training every day. And after just a couple days, it was starting to get on his nerves. Sneaking around and running for his life at night sort of counted, but what about some time to just get the damn kinks worked out and relax?

He followed the nurse to the sun room, thinking about these things. And he decided, what the hell, if he didn't ask, he could take a stab at faking innocence later. And as long as he kept it low-key, quiet, and innocuous, maybe they'd just ignore him. Slow and controlled didn't work up much of a sweat, but damn it was better than sitting on his ass for several more hours.

Renji staked out a small, unoccupied space near a good patch of sunlight. With some warm sun, he could almost pretend that this was pleasant. Then, slowly, he started stretching, ears tuned to catch nursely objections before they became full-blown issues.

[walking_complex]

Hojo hadn't gotten to eat quite as much as he'd wanted to, which was annoying but unsurprising considering how he'd spent the majority of the lunch shift. After a brief moment of consideration the tall man opted to spend this shift in the sunroom rather than with the majority of patients in the music room; There were probably things there that he could use for nightshift but he wouldn't be able to make off with any of them now.

As expected, it was quiet in the sunroom; it was also void of anything that a person could use to entertain themselves with, which honestly was about perfect. After seeing what the staff provided the patients with, Hojo concluded that it was far more satisfying to be left to one's own devices.

"I don't think the staff realizes how negatively stagnation can affect a person," he said after approaching an athletic-looking redhead who appeared to be doing stretching exercizes off to one side. "Unless you're getting ready for nightshift."

[stray_shinigami]

Renji only paused for an instant when he was interrupted. He could talk and stretch at the same time. "Or maybe they just want to see what it takes to make some of us really go crazy," he said. He glanced at the guy; he didn't know his name, but he recalled the face. And the fact that a couple of Elena's friends (acquaintances?) had been threatening him with bodily harm.

He didn't know those people, or their problems, though. So he decided to go for neutrality until he got his own impression of the guy.

He paused again, holding a stretch for a moment, and tried to get a feel for things. Nothing clear, of course, but he felt vaguely creeped out. Which, to be fair, could just be the atmosphere of an insane asylum getting to him.

"We all pass the time in our own little way," he said. "What do you want?" While the question was blunt, his tone wasn't overtly unfriendly; he just decided to be to the point, which was really his normal way to deal with people.

[walking_complex]

"Nothing. I find one notices time passing less when involved in conversation, but I can go if you'd prefer." His own tone was neutral; the offer was a polite one, but it wasn't made in a spirit of politeness. Hojo honestly didn't care either way, and he didn't know this person yet so it would likely be a more productive use of a shift than, say, taunting Valentine.

[stray_shinigami]

Renji shrugged, changing positions slightly. "Doesn't bother me much," he said. "I'm used to training. But I can also talk." He paused for a moment to deepen his stetch, then said, "Abarai Renji. What's your name?"

[walking_complex]

"Mm." Hojo smirked a bit, crossing his arms and leaning on the nearest wall. "Dr. Aleksandr Hojo." It occurred to the scientist that Xigbar still hadn't asked for his name -- introduced himself, yes, but not the other way around. It didn't bother him; honestly he hadn't even realized until just then, but it was an odd piece of trivia. Perhaps it would come into play later.

"Those are interesting tattoos, Abarai Renji. I assume there must be a story behind them." What was to be seen then was whether the redhead would take the prompt or wait to be asked specifically what the story was. Of course, there was also the possibility of him becoming offended, but that seemed rather unlikely. If he was the sort of person to take offense to inquiries about himself he probably would not have marked himself so blatantly.

[stray_shinigami]

Renji had been out and about enough to know that "doctor" didn't necessarily mean medical doctor. "Doctor of what?" he asked. Because if this guy was a medical doctor, that could be interesting. And maybe even a little helpful.

Renji considered the next question. A lot of the story, he simply couldn't tell. As much as he'd been revealing - and that was to people that he was certain he trusted - he hadn't even told them about Zabimaru or the other more interesting bits of existence as a shinigami.

And a lot of the rest of the story was personal. Very personal.

So he decided to just give the bare explanation. "Sort of a coming of age thing, and a mark of accomplishment," he said.

[walking_complex]

Interesting. So Renji was either a precise or careful sort; the two didn't always show up together, though they often did. "My PhD is in biological science, and I specialize in developmental biology. I'm a researcher."

He nodded at the redhead's truncated explanation; it was obviously not the full story, but to be given the full story simply by asking would have been quite surprising. "It seems like you've accomplished quite a lot, then. Or did you start with your head and neck?"

[stray_shinigami]

"I see," Renji said. Sort of. He understood generally what that might be. But he'd have to ask if anyone knew exactly what 'developmental biology' happened to be about. He could take a guess from the words, of course, but he might be missing something. "Weird place for a researcher to be," he remarked. He could understand why the people here would be after any of the friends he'd made so far. But a researcher? That didn't make much sense to him.

"I have," he said. "And I did." He grinned. "You just can't see the rest of them."

[walking_complex]

"Based on what I've seen they don't seem very particular about who they take. If there's a pattern I've yet to find it." He would likely not have been so cavalier about admitting that he didn't know what was going on if he'd seen an indication that other patients did. Some knew more, some less, but it seemed that no one had figured out the puzzle yet. He had time.

"Can't see them?" Hojo sounded amused. "In that they are under your clothes, that you won't show me, or that the ink used is skin-toned?"

[stray_shinigami]

"I've got ideas," Renji said, "but they just got shot down. So I'm back to no ideas about why." He shrugged. "Though I'm more worried about how, anyway." Oh yes. Finding out how would be the first step to getting his reiatsu unchained... and once that was done, it was party time, on the grave of their abductors.

He laughed. "They're under my clothes," he said. "I'm not the shy type, but I don't know how our lovely nurses would feel about me doing a strip show in front of everyone."

[walking_complex]

"Mm." Hojo nodded again. "Something about taking powerful people and figuring out how to use them for some unknown end, I assume? It would make sense, but as you noticed it would give me no reason to be here, at least as a patient. Besies, it's a bit too conspiracy theorist for me. In any case, yes, the how is far more immediately pressing, and probably the easier question to answer."

He was talking more than he usually did, which was interesting. He didn't move to stop himself; why bother, when he wasn't saying anything incriminating or incendiary? It seemed conversation had been at least a satisfactory decision. "I wouldn't ask you to, but I wouldn't stop you if you started," the scientist said, sounding amused. "It would probably get you sedated, though, which I doubt would be very productive considering it's approaching evening."

[stray_shinigami]

Renji nodded. "Most of the people I have met here have some sort of interesting... talent. But yeah, that's been shot down, now." He shrugged. "Unless you've got something going that you're not telling." Which he doubted. He'd at least get the feeling of power off the man if he did. "Or you just ended up here because you pissed someone off, rather than them being genuinely interested in picking you to pieces." He grinned. "Or we could get really... conspiracy theorist and I could accuse you of not really being a patient."

He laughed. "Yeah, not so much for the getting drugged. You always have the option of looking like a complete pervert and scoping me out in the shower if you're that damn curious." He imagined he'd get some looks in the showers anyway. He had his share of scars. And the tattoos really did go everywhere.

[walking_complex]

Hojo laughed. "It would be a valid accusation. I would deny it, but you have no real reason to believe me. Perhaps I'm here to throw you off guard and confuse their real motive." That was also a very real possibility; if you were going to try and fool people you had to have a few red herrings in place. He had to admit, though, that the idea of being a false variable was somewhat distasteful. "Or perhaps I won't remain a patient for long." That was a much more appealing option.

"I think I'll pass on seeing your tattoos, then. Though those that know me already think quite ill of me, I see no reason to potentially alienate people I have yet to actually meet."

[stray_shinigami]

Renji snorted. "And until I decide if you're false or true or just here to fuck with me, I guess I'll be politely distant." He grinned. "Because those needles the nurses have? They look pretty effective. And really, it'd be best for everyone involved if we weren't enemies, eh?" And as for his last comment... well, Renji had in mind how he ought to deal with turncoats. He was really saving it for Aizen, but it wouldn't hurt to get a little practice in first.

"Your turn for story time, then," he said. "What's got the people from your world so angry with you?" Maybe that would explain the creepy vibe. Or maybe not.

[walking_complex]

From his world? Hojo decided not to ask. "For the most part I have no idea. One person is entirely justified, I suppose; I did shoot him. But the others seem to have a vendetta I can't explain. I certainly don't recall doing anything to them." There was the matter of the redhead from the library; there hadn't seemed to be any real pointed dislike there, just distaste and avoidance. Hojo didn't fault that at all, though; he was generally a rather unpleasant person, mostly on purpose. It kept him from having to deal with stupid people.