damned_institute | DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

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DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

Gluttony didn't want to leave his Lust, not after he'd just found her! But the mean tasty nurses said he had to. "You can't join her in the women's showers" was a bad excuse. He didn't like the mean tasty nurses. Maybe Lust would let him eat them later. Still, he knew he would see his Lust again, and that was good. He liked Lust. She was good and beautiful and smart and kind. Why did they have to take him away from his Lust?

Still, he would see her again. And she would tell him it was okay to eat the tasty nurses, and that would be good. His new friend liked eating people, too. That made him happy to find a friend who shared a love for eating people. Today was a very good day.

As he entered the showers, he stood under a shower head and opened his mouth wide to drink up the water. It wasn't as good as eating people, or eating waffles that didn't scream when he bit into them so weren't nearly as good as eating people, but it was still swallowing something, and that made him feel better.

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"Mmmhm," was Aidou's overwhelming feedback. The man peered through the doorway nearby that led to the Sun Room, tapping his foot for a second and shifting a brief, amused glance towards the boy.

"OK, you might wanna turn a- ..." Rephrase! "Look away, unless you wanna watch." Warning said, Dean opened a locker and nonchalantly whipped off his towel, dressing with surprising swiftness and remembering the trials of doing so when he had bandages on last time. Once he had the shirt over his head, he faced Aidou and slammed the locker door.

How he hated it, being treated like a child. Appearance wise, Dean's estimations were correct. In truth, Aidou was probably older than this guy, and had a fair chance of going for his throat before those sluggish human reflexes came into full effect. Oh, how easy Dean made it, turning his back.

Aidou wasn't in the mood, though. Hungry, yes, but he would have been content with a tablet for once. Covering his shoulder with his hand once more, Aidou slipped around the corner by the time Dean spoke up, moving down the row to where the damned nurse had left the uniform. It was the first morning he had chosen to remove the bandages on the wound; the blood had long since stopped flowing, so there was no need to worry about staining.

"I didn't come to you to be patronized, you know." His disembodied voice echoed softly in the room. "I asked your name to verify your identity, for something other than the sake of idle chitchat."

Dean cocked a brow, folding his arms as he lazily rested his back against the locker.

"Fine, then. To business. Was there somethin' you wanted to ask?" He assumed a stern pitch, though the shadow of a smirk remained on his lips. "You're welcome to."

"I want to know how to kill something undead." Aidou changed slowly, unhurriedly, drying his hair out of sight. "It was my assumption to ask you."

"Undead?" He quizzically jerked his head to the side. "What, like a zombie or somethin'?" Sure, it made sense. He'd vaguely hinted at the gist of his job on the bulletin. The kid had probably read it and wished to inquire further. "I've only heard o' vampires being here, but... there'd be no point tellin' you how to kill one." He raised a hand before him, impeding Aidou's potential grumbling. "However, a dose o' dead man's blood should poison 'em, no problem."

Although it was a pretty worthless angle to go by, considering the Morgue was the only place he suspected dead man's blood to be kept. And even then, you'd need to force-feed it to the vampire, which was fairly impractical for a hunter of his calibre.

Aidou made a face at that, but thankfully the expression didn't translate across. Rather he said, "That's fine, I'll deal with it myself."

He certainly didn't know all of the mythos surrounding vampire kind - just the majority, like wearing capes and turning to ash in sunlight. The sort of old, strange things like dead man's blood he left to the others to play with. Aidou wasn't all that interested in that sort of stuff. Old blood tasted bad, but it wasn't known to be toxic. Then again, he was not familiar with Dean's methods, and Dean wasn't familiar with his kind. It was something to think about.

"A corpse's blood, huh. How long do the effects typically last before full movement is regained?"

OK, the topic would become irksome if he didn't terminate it. Debating vampire weaknesses when you're trying to get your mind off Dad. Genius. It'd been their last hunt to have not involved The Demon...

The hunter's patience was thinning. He stared at the floor.

"Is one o' them after you, or a friend, or are you askin' out of genuine curiosity? If it's the latter, then I really don't have time, kid." Whether the response resonated as curt or not, Dean couldn't care less.

"On that contrary, if you'd had no time to waste, you would have approached the conversation seriously from the start."

Aidou stepped out on the other end of the locker row, brushing his hands on the sides of his thighs to smooth out any blatant wrinkles. He didn't really glance at Dean as he adjusted his clothing, and brushed damp hair from his face. "If that was out of concern, then I think we've established we're not on the route to a burgeoning friendship, so it's unnecessary to worry. Will you tell me, or not?"

It wasn't a sign of rudeness - Aidou was just uninterested in having insincere comments like that directed at him. He didn't need assistance out of some kind of twisted pity, that he was a young boy who needed a reluctant hand. If Dean didn't offer up any further information, then that was okay. The vampire hadn't stood next to the man with any clear expectation in mind, and what he had been interested in knowing, he'd learned it long ago.

Whacking the pinata a little harder had been on impulse, but at least he'd gotten a little something to consider. Old blood...

"Guess there's no arguin', kid..." He said with a serious air, proved a charade when he completed the act with a short-lived grin.

Bite the bullet and keep the listener informed. Wasn't like he could turn around and say 'I don't wanna talk about it, reminds me of Dad.' That wasn't how he'd been trained. Had to promote belief in the unbelievable every so often. Lend a hand.

"OK, I'll tell you." The man cleared his throat. "Though I ain't a clue what use it'd serve." Dean shook with a quiet, succinct snigger, budging weight on to his side. "... Makes 'em sick for a while. They're completely debilitated for a few hours, usually. Gradually wears off." He was half-expecting a reply akin to 'how do you know?' Wait and see. You'd have to be damn stupid not to take free advice, he mused.

Aidou rolled his eyes just a bit. "Well, I graciously thank you for that. You are one of the few."

He was dangerously close to giving in to his base desires and matching 'kid' with 'old man', but he was mature enough not to do it. An imagine to uphold, and everything. He was almost an adult in vampire society. Time to start acting like it. You have to destroy this place. Now.

"Thank you. For the information." It came out a little rough, a little reluctant, as though the young noble wasn't entirely used to thanking a human for something. And trying to make it sound sincere. He moved towards the exit, but stopped after a few steps, one hand on the wall. Glancing back, he said, "... I feel I should ask... if you've seen any faces during the nightshift that you once thought had already disappeared or been murdered in this place. A person that was acting out of character, while out from under any brainwashing."

Aidou was mature enough. He could consider the situation and not place emotion in it. It was just an exchange of information...

"Don't mention it," said Dean, moving impassively to the exit as well. They stopped in unison when Aidou spoke again.

Well, yeah, he'd sort of run into a scenario of that nature. If it weren't for reversing perspective and questioning his own mental stability, he probably would've claimed from the start that Sam had lost his mind. The way his brother'd gone on about their father's death so offhandedly, as though it were a prominent truth – fact - and had been for a long time.

But it was none of Aidou's business.

"None I can think of. Why?" He inquiringly swayed on his feet a little, trying to give the impression he wasn't interested by the blank tone of his voice.

Aidou sucked in a breath and just voiced his suspicions as they were. With the memory still fresh in his mind - of his hand a hair's breadth away from striking the face of a helpless human child - he'd rather trust his instincts, then consider the alternative.

That he might be wrong. And he couldn't be wrong.

"I have reason to believe there's a creature that can imitate the physical appearance of someone. A friend, a family member. To lure the intended victim aside, you understand." He shrugged one shoulder, looking elsewhere. By telling a hunter, the word should spread. It'd be a fair warning, especially if there were similar incidents.

"But I guess you don't have any information on it."

The huntsman's stance grew noticeably rigid as he shot a look at Aidou. He seemed to be glaring, though he was actually staring incredulously.

Shape-shifter.

Succumbing to a silence as he flipped up the burning suspicion, he opened his mouth and closed it, and then took a single stride toward the boy, ~~towering~~ standing before him. He grabbed the younger man's shoulders firmly, bending frontward and scowling.

"First, I do have information. Second... is your 'reason to believe' a valid one? What source're you relyin' on?" He'd always left the 'soft' interrogation to Sam, and steering Aidou in Sam's direction wasn't an option he preferred right now.

"Wha - " He took a step back when Dean came forward, but he was already against a wall; his hands came up automatically, a half-hearted warding gesture. "D-don't get so close to me, jeez!" All things said and done, he had to squelch a mild impulse to lash out; in this place, things that came at him were usually seeking an injury.

He hadn't expected this kind of reaction. Apparently changing one's physical form wasn't just applicable to high level vampires who excelled in that area. At that thought, Aidou scowled right back at Dean, and tipped his head away.

"Yes, Dean, it's valid. I wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise!" He didn't want to touch the man, and kept his hands hovering up, ready to knock him aside if he bore down any harder. "The details are none of your business."

"Wrong!" He abruptly jolted the boy, biting back another snarl and noting the requirement to maintain volume. The nurses'd catch on, otherwise.

So that temper of his really hadn't improved this past year... Dean wasn't one to crave inner reflection. This was about Dad, he already knew it. His grip tautened as he exhaled slowly. Out of the blue, he remembered the wound on Aidou's shoulder...

And sneered nastily, specifically constricting a hand on it.

"The details are my business," he hissed vehemently, eyes glinting fiercely, "So tell me." He was totally aware this was immoral; totally aware it went against his father's philosophy, that grilling tactics weren't to be employed unless the thing being cross-examined was inhuman...

But it felt so damn good - reminding someone he was a force to be reckoned with - and he wasn't going to stop. The boy would comply. This was a lead. Hell no would he allow this snotty kid with his domineering attitude deny him valuable information.

His eyes didn't flare, and he didn't bare his fangs, but he hissed. A foolish, incompetent hunter trying to intimidate and manhandle a noble with no idea - !

No, I'm not wrong! You have no business knowing!

Aidou still didn't touch the human. If he did, he was sure he would lose it as well.

Expression instantly turning empty, he allowed the outburst.

"Well, what do you want to know?" His voice was low and even, a complete turnabout from the squawking of only moments before. "About the hand on the prey's crotch, or maybe the strings of flesh caught in its teeth? I could be more specific, if you like. How about the screaming, or the clever manipulations it used?"

Dean continued to glare directly into Aidou's eyes. He pulled a less dangerous face seconds subsequent to the boy's reply, fleetingly baring his teeth as he recognised the mood swing as redundant. He glowered a little longer until he finally found some positive energy, enabling him to give a final squeeze to the shoulders he clung to and free them from his grasp.

Running a palm down his face, he turned back around when a small space separated him from the interrogated.

"OK, look," he began, fists flexing while he attempted to stay composed. "What I meant was... who did it assault? And when? It's imperative you tell me. I can help." Well, he couldn't really... without silver, whether in the form of a blade or bullet, all he'd be capable of doing was possibly preventing another attack. He'd track the bastard with brutal resilience. It wouldn't dare stalk other patients while knowing a hunter was on its ass.

"The attack itself occurred last night."

Perhaps if Aidou had been born in a different life, he would have acted differently, would have believed in Dean more, would have related more. Would haves and what ifs that didn't mean anything. As it was, the young vampire felt nothing more than a dark and seemingly unremitting sense of doubt and shredded pride. Of being weak.

Of not living up to the person whom Kaname-sama needed.

His shoulder ached; as a human, Dean had strength. "I won't tell you the rest." Not about how he'd almost turned on the one he'd aided, and certainly not about how Seimei had escaped him. Turning, he put his injury to the wall and showed Dean his profile. "Throw another fit if you want, I don't care. I only asked out of curiosity, not to indulge yours."

With that, shower time with the boys ended. Aidou made to leave.

He growled faintly, elevating a hand and clenching it tightly, as though seizing his fury in a neat ball. Steely eyes following Aidou as he departed the room, Dean chose not to pursue, feeling like an idiot. Times like these reminded him of his trusty, geekboy sidekick's worthy assistance, and how crucial it was to have a man on the team who could eloquently put forth demands.

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DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

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