Nightshift 60: F01-F10 Hallway

[ninelivesonce]

Taura felt like herself again. Her skin fit over her bones, and while her shoulder had fresh bandages and wounds that still reached into muscle and restricted motion, it was hers.

Which was kind of unnerving if she thought about it too much. This body might have belonged to a young woman who hadn't asked to be replaced -- or it might not have, and Katherine Jackson might have been entirely a flight of fancy, but either way, it wasn't her body.

Maybe tonight they'd find out more. She'd hoped Okita still had Homura's key; now she knew he did, and she wanted to get a better look at that room.

Which meant there was no time to waste. She was packed by the time the intercom switched on, and out the door as soon as it opened.

[to here]

Comments

Re: [F10]

[idolism]

Aidou didn’t believe he was deserving of her thanks, but what could he say? The best response was silence.

Although they had retreated from the precipice of violence, he still felt a substantial amount of uncertainty over what had brought them to this point to begin with. Blood was at the heart of everything. But the truth remained: he didn’t want to take blood from her even though he needed it. Rationally, if she was indeed willing to leave the matter be, feeding from her this one time was better than wasting more time finding someone else after they parted. But something in him continued to resist the idea.

She was not someone he wanted to make a habit of biting, and she was emotionally fragile now, whether or not she comprehended it herself. Preying on the weak was, by itself, a reprehensible concept…

“You don’t have to apologize for that. You’re… emotional.”

The Institute had that effect on people, himself included. Could anyone really stay detached in the face of this nightmare? Even Aigis, who claimed to be more machine than person, couldn’t escape the grey moral landscape they were imprisoned in. Black and white was simple, but like most things, Landel had taken it away. What was left was this… permanent discomfort. For Aidou, here and now, it was navigating the boundaries between vampire and other that bogged him down. For her, it was the fear of failing her friends that bothered her. And doing what she could, whatever that meant in the Institute’s terms.

“Don’t spend time worrying you haven’t found a solution, either. Landel’s made sure there isn’t one. That’s just how it is. But… do you actually mean you won’t stop me obtaining blood when I have to?”

Hunting was an accurate term for it. However, being a kept pet was also an accurate term for what the alternative would be: him sticking to one person for the foreseeable future. Who exactly would be the “pet” in that scenario was up for debate, though. At any rate, it was an attachment Aidou wanted to avoid if possible.

Re: [F10]

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Perhaps letting her own hackles down had softened him, or else she was just now seeing another side of Aidou that Aigis had never allowed herself to notice before. He seemed much more understanding, kind even. Warm, though he still had not smiled yet. Aigis wondered if she would ever see him smile.

"Emotions are strange things. I am still unused to them." She finished blotting away her tears and held the kerchief out to return it to Aidou. She bowed her head again. "I thank you, Aidou-san."

The biggest issue was that she still felt compelled to find an issue, an answer, that would not only keep the patient body safe from the blood-letting but also relieve Aidou from having to stoop to attacking his fellow patients. An empty fist tightened at her side and frustration showed in the furrowing of her brow. "I... no. I will not stop you anymore."

It was almost physically painful to admit, but Aidou was right. Landel was always the one to blame in these matters and he had made it impossible to find a proper solution. He could never be forgiven. Even so, Aigis couldn't help herself. "I want to think of something..." But to what end? Could there possibly be a way to satisfy both of their objectives efficiently?

Re: [F10]

[idolism]

The vampire sighed again. Ultimately, this whole mess was more wearisome than anything. In truth, he didn’t have the energy to sustain his anger toward Aigis and her earlier behavior; it tiring enough having to explain the intricacies of his blood drinking to another person. Aidou liked Sasuke’s response the best. The boy probably knew what Aidou was up to, but he hadn’t bothered to ask any questions.

If only all the prisoners could be that way.

“To have no emotions at all is almost enviable,” he said dully, taking the cloth back from her and stuffing it back into his pocket. If neither of them cared, they wouldn’t be here, now would they? Her face wouldn’t be streaked with tears and he wouldn’t have a monstrous headache. “I can’t tell you they’ll get any easier. Just remember they’re rarely rooted in rationale for next time, okay?” he added. “I don’t want to have to divert you from suicide.”

But whatever her internal conflicts, where Aidou was concerned, she had relented. That was a plus. Having someone else embroiled in his problems was not ideal--it felt awfully conspiratorial--but he should have been happy she wasn’t set on throwing herself in his way, right? Objectively speaking, it was an obstacle out of his way, and one he hadn’t had to kill to remove.

Aigis saw things differently, though. Her surrender hadn’t changed that.

“You want to think of something, but there are no easy fixes,” he said, concluding her sentence. “I’ll be honest: taking your blood wouldn’t hurt you aside from the blood loss, and I know better than to take too much. I was just testing you before. But although that sounds like an excellent plan, you’re clearly underestimating what it’d be like to be a vampire’s long-term sustenance. Unless it’s a mutual attraction, you’re just asking for trouble. Blood and emotion go hand-in-hand, and you can already see the problems emotions raise.”