Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

[whiteychan]

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him,

Comments

[osakapwnzu]

Heiji was wheeled into the cafeteria by his nurse, chattering all the way about how he was sorry he'd missed a chance to see the head doctor. His nurse was considering duct taping his mouth shut, but settled on the next best option--food.

The teen detective was starving. So when the nurse set a tray full of breakfast food and rice down in front of him, he immediately began wolfing down the sausages. Mmm... meat.

Come to think of it, he was meeting Okita soon, so perhaps he should save some food so he could actually eat with the swordsman--instead of watching Kaneyoshi eat... which would be really awkward.

He shoved a whole silver dollar pancake into his mouth in thought. Hm... it wasn't all that sweet, was it?

[Waiting for Okita!]

[razing_phoenix]

While Guy's conversation with Aidou hadn't reached any concrete conclusion, he wasn't too bothered about it. The main thing he needed to keep in mind was that those birds would attack him if they got half the chance, and he could go on their working theory, as strange as it seemed. Having to ask some of his friends if they were virgins would be a little awkward, but he'd been through worse.

The blond was eager to eat after all the running around he had done the night before, so he didn't waste any time in collecting a tray of breakfast food before turning to the cafeteria at large and looking for a place to sit.

When he spotted Heiji, the kid from last night, seated in a wheelchair and talking to Okita of all people, there was no question as to where he would be spending his meal. Things had gotten pretty crazy with that child he had run into last night, and he wanted to know what exactly had happened to Heiji and if he was okay

[osakapwnzu]

Heiji shrugged, "S'fine with me! Sometimes a group doesn't need to be very big t'be efficient! Me 'n my friend Kudo could solve any crime--just the two of us. Of course, it's probably because I'm with 'im to set him on the right track!" He laughed. "Just kidding~ I pull my own weight just as much as he does

[notachick]

Heiji definitely reminded Okita of Tetsu personality wise. It made the swordsman smile as he kept eating, listening to the detective joke and talk. It was a bit of levity that he sorely needed, and a reminder of where he belonged. "If we find another set tonight, you can take them. I have my weapon of choice and the knives are only there for when I have no other option

[razing_phoenix]

"I'm glad you're all right," Guy addressed Heiji as he took the offered seat and set down his tray. It wasn't like he was the one who had gotten seriously injured, after all.

"So what did that thing do you to, exactly?" he asked as he took a bite of some scrabbled eggs along with a sip of his orange juice. He was glad that he had been able to get Heiji away from the child before things had gotten worse, and morning had come at just the right time.

When it came down to it, Guy felt kind of bad that both Aidou and Heiji had been injured last night while he had gotten out of it all without any wounds, but he knew it was stupid to think that way. That was the sort of logic Luke had.

[osakapwnzu]

"Meh, I'm good! It takes waaay more than a kid in a mask to send me packing! I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to carry all my dead weight!"

He looked down at his food in thought, "Hmm... Y'know, I'm not really sure what it did to me. I mean, it healed the cuts you gave me, Kaneyoshi-han, and the injuries I received from the bird-thing. But at the same time, it felt like someone took a sledgehammer to my torso and then my head..." He rubbed his head instinctively, as if he could still feel the pain.

Damn! Were Allen and Rinali okay? He hadn't seen them yet...

"Hey, what happened after? I can't really remember. Did you get away okay?"

[notachick]

Okita listened carefully to the description of the creature that attacked Heiji and the results of the fight. A child in a mask that could crush ribs and heal injuries at the same time? Just what sort of madness was that? Picking up his tea, the swordsman sat back from the table and sipped it quietly.

He glanced over and checked Guy, glad to see the man wasn't hurt. He was walking under his own power, unlike Heiji, and didn't seem to have any visible injuries - no bandages hidden beneath clothing like Okita. It was a good thing that someone at least had escaped the night unscathed.

"You needn't use that name around him, Heiji-kun. He knows my real name," he interjected, picking up an apple slice to munch on. While it was nice hearing his old name bandied about, he didn't want Guy getting the wrong idea. He didn't lie to his roommate, he just had to be careful in public and Heiji was kind enough to lend his assistance on that matter.

[razing_phoenix]

So Heiji's old wounds had healed, but he'd gotten brand new ones that sounded arguably worse. It sounded like it was only a good deal if you were seriously injured before making contact, and downright bad if you weren't hurt at all. The blond made sure to take mental notes so that he could let all of his friends know. He wasn't sure how likely it was that they would run into that thing, but there was no point in taking chances.

"Yeah, I managed to start dragging you away from it, but it was following us. Morning came right around then, so I guess we got lucky." Guy shrugged and took a few more bites of his food. He didn't know how bad things might have gotten otherwise, but there was no point in worrying about it. They knew what to expect now, at least.

When Okita mentioned the name thing, Guy turned to look at him, slightly questioning. It definitely seemed like his roommate had a secret or two, and if he decided to make a comment like that, maybe he was willing to come clean about some of it now.

[osakapwnzu]

"Ah! Gotcha," Heiji nodded. There was no doubt in Heiji's mind that Okita was concealing his identity--but the better question was: from whom?

Bah, maybe he was thinking too much on it. Okita came from a time where the country was riddled with war and distrust. It was normal that he would be careful, being so famous and everything. Yeah, the fact that a case hadn't come up and bitten him in the ass was making him suspicious of everyone. He really needed to relax.

"Man," He said, turning an embarrassed grin towards the other man. "That probably looked really shady, huh? My bad! Jus' got kinda mixed up. This place'll do that to you easy."

The teen sighed, "I haven't solved a case in forever... things are starting to get on my nerves. Come to think of it," Heiji pointed to the intercom, "What's all this about 'visitors'? You guys know?"

[notachick]

Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything at all, but he really disliked the idea of these two thinking he had something to hide. He did, actually, but that wasn't the point. He watched Heiji's mind start to move and continued drinking his tea as if he wasn't watching the boy like a hawk. That sharp mind was exactly what he liked about him. He hadn't missed the look Guy gave him either, and finally set the cup down with a sigh

[razing_phoenix]

The fact that Okita was willing enough to give an explanation made Guy feel a whole lot better. He was still being vague, but it wasn't like they knew each other well enough for Guy to expect his roommate to come out with all the details. It was still somewhat suspicious, but Guy knew what it was like to have people after him. His name wasn't as infamous as Luke fon Fabre, for instance, but he understood what it was like by proxy.

In the end, it seemed that Okita was just trying to avoid any sort of bloodshed, and Guy could appreciate that, even if the deeper reasons behind it might not necessarily be very good. Then again, they also could be good, and he had no way of knowing either way.

"It's all right," he told Okita, looking him in the eye as he nodded. "Thanks for clearing it up." As for the question about visitors, Guy shrugged and shook his head. "I haven't heard anything about having one, so I think I dodged a bullet there." Considering his family situation, the idea of getting a visitor didn't sit well with him.

[osakapwnzu]

Heiji nodded throughout Okita's explanation. "Yeah, it makes sense. 'Specially when you're an important part of the movement 'n all. And no offense, but I'd rather not have my throat cut just 'cause I know you Okita-han," He laughed, but Heiji was just a little nervous--could associating with Okita get him into trouble?

Meh, probably nothing he couldn't handle. Plus it didn't look like this place was crawling with Anti-Shinsengumi people or anything like that. He really needed a mystery novel. God did he need a mystery novel.

Heiji shook his head, "Nah, my nurse didn't say anything about that--jus' curious. I seriously doubt that my parents would visit me here. They'd be too ashamed. Nn... maybe my friends Kazuha or Kudo, but they probably wouldn't bother either." He shrugged, "Guess I'll just have to ask somebody."

[notachick]

The looks he received were natural - acceptance mixed with doubt and nervousness - but it still bothered him somewhat. It wasn't home and he couldn't expect the trust he'd grown up with anymore. He had to build that all over again, only this time with people who didn't share his ideals. The little comforts in life seemed so much bigger when he no longer had them. Okita laughed when Heiji joked around, but he knew it could be true

[razing_phoenix]

[ Sorry for the horribly late response! ]

While Guy could have worried that his association with Okita would get him in trouble, he didn't see it worth getting concerned over. He could take care of himself, and he really doubted that most patients would be getting caught up in past feuds here when there was so many other things to worry about.

As Okita explained what he had heard about the visitors, Guy couldn't help frowning. Seeing certain people again would have been bad enough, but seeing someone who looked like them but wasn't would just remind him of the replica incident. He felt bad for thinking about it like that, considering Luke, but seeing some copy of his sister had been one of the harder moments of that journey.

"I guess this happens every Sunday," he guessed. "I wasn't here a week ago, though, so I'm not sure what everyone else gets to do." It was odd to think that he hadn't even been around for a week yet.