damned_institute | Day 27: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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Day 27: Sun Room (4th Shift)

Momo's mind was turning over all the possibilities surrounding this "field trip" to the surrounding town when she settled down in the corner of the Sun Room away from the Arts & Crafts room. She curled her legs underneath her as she waited for Shouko-san to find her. The shinigami had no idea what she looked like, so she kept an eye on all those entering the room.

It was still very cold, or at least she was cold, and the momentary thought of getting her coat from her own room passed through her mind amidst the field trip thoughts. She pushed it away and decided to deal with it being as cold as it was since she'd already been late to one meeting today and didn't want to start making it a habit.

As she waited, she pondered the next day's possibilities. Maybe, just maybe, once away from the institute the shinigami will have access to their full reiatsu. And if not, maybe they'll have a better idea of how they are being limited so much. Maybe Aizen would be able to find her then. He'd save her... right? Right?

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[from two threads down]

Hitsugaya didn't know what his other appointment looked like, so he only had to assume they were here. The other patient should have had his description, so it was simply a matter of making himself visible to the other patients.

He found the most visible and central location to the sun room he could and remained standing, scanning the crowd of other patients. Despite his short stature, he knew he stood out fairly easily. There weren't very many people who looked like white-haired 13 year olds, after all.

Eventually Armand's restless circling brought him back where he could see the central part of the room. There he was. The bulletin board had several descriptions of Hitsugaya, so that Armand already thought of him as the "little captain."

He didn't think this was going to go particularly well. His temper had been near snapping at simpler things all day. He approached the man, walking quickly to hide any lack of confidence he felt.

"Are you Monsieur Hitsugaya?" he asked, stumbling a bit over the name. "I am Armand St. Just." He didn't hold out his hand.

Hitsugaya also had not had the most pleasant of days, and he couldn't help but expect that this conversation wasn't going to add to it. Their last conversation on the boards hadn't gone particularly well, so there was no expecting this one to, either.

"I am," he answered, assuming...hoping...that Monsieur was a similar honorific to -san. "As your name is very western, I am assuming St. Just is your family name? It is an honor, St. Just-san."

Japanese honorifics confused Armand but he assumed that he wasn't being insulted. He hadn't managed to be annoying yet.

Because the man, however young he looked, was being respectful, Armand bowed. "I could say the same."

"I don't think we have a lot of time, and I don't wish to waste yours. You are a busy man, I know. I read the bulletin board."

He pulled the cuffs of his sweater further down on his wrists. "You wrote yesterday about how to measure trust. And I disagreed. Is there some other way you can explain your view? I value honor very highly, and tried to learn it from a man far better than I."

The meeting started off respectfully enough, and it put him at ease. "I do not wish to insult your honor in my views," he answered, thinking on what he had said previously. "My views stem from both my training and from experience on the field," he answered. "Complete and total trust simply cannot be given until that trust is proven. There has to be some degree of initial trust from both sides, but I will trust my vice captain, who has proven herself to me over the course of many years over a shinigami fresh from the academy." It was a decidedly difficult topic, especially after the betrayal of both Gin and Aizen. Trust was a difficult thing to give at this point in Soul Society.

It was a reasonable explanation if a stingy way of measuring. "It seems you would miss out on many who would be worthy that way. It's unforgiving."

Armand knew he had no chance of changing the man's methods. He only wanted to know if he even dared, ever, to try to meet Hitsugaya's standards. "The man I was telling you about is a great leader. He takes the risks to himself. He does not ask his men to go where he would not. He only insists that they give their best." When speaking of Percy, his voice unconciously lowered in pitch and volume.

Hitsugaya nodded slightly at Armand's words. "And if it were only my own wellbeing that were at stake, I might agree with you," he answered. "But where I come from, the fate of existence itself relies on our organization. A betrayal can be costly not just to me, but to others. My world back home is in a position where it may rupture and break apart, and all spiritual life will bleed out and die, all because of a betrayal."

He paused at the thought of Armand's assertion. "It does sound like he is a fine commander," Hitsugaya answered. "No leader should send men on a task that he would not be willing to undertake himself."

"Would all betrayals be that great or costly?" And would the cost here be the same? he longed to ask but didn't. "What about a lapse in judgement, a mistake? Would you count that the same?"

But already his hands had stopped shaking. There wasn't any risk here anymore, beause he already knew. Even if the arrangement with Citan didn't last past the man's recovery, Armand would not come to the Arts & Crafts club.

He could not bear to tell Hitsugaya his failures or his betrayal, even if there had been reasons. It was tempting to say it, to word it boldly to watch the man's face. There could be a strength in the ability to shock, but Armand didn't want that kind of strength. He'd have to make do with the kind of strength that got him out of bed in the morning, trying to do better.

He didn't realize that as he mentally stepped away, his expression closed, and his eyes went blank. All to protect his secrets.

If Armand were someone under him or someone that he knew better, the man's sudden change in demeanor might have raised some alarms. As it was, the young captain simply noted this change and moved on in their discussion. It wasn't his place to question.

"Not all," he answered. "But there is some wisdom in caution, especially when one of these traitors is among us. As for a mistake, it depends on what you mean. If it was a willing betrayal that you refer to as a 'lapse in judgement,' there can be room for amnesty, but trust will be strained. If one were to betray my trust, they would have to earn back what trust they earned. I won't put them on sensitive assignments until I know I can trust them again."

So this leader would fail him, too. It was just as well that he'd decided. He nodded, not wanting to look at the man. "Thank you for your honest answers, monsieur... captain."

Thinking about Percy did him no good. It brought too much to the surface of his thoughts. "I hope that nothing serious like that hinders your work here." Then he looked down, gritting his teeth slightly before he can continue. "I won't bother you again."

Hitsugaya bowed respectfully to Armand. "You are welcome," he answered. "If my leadership style doesn't suit you, you may wish to speak with Colonel Mustang. He runs a group similar to mine, and we are working in tandem against this place. I'd recommend speaking with him about these questions."

The man was hiding something, but Hitsugaya could only guess he had been asking these questions out of some desire to help and for whatever reason wasn't pleased with the answers. Maybe there was a missing piece to his puzzling behavior, but he didn't have time to figure it out. Mustang would probably offer similar answers to these inquiries, but he didn't know the alchemist's leadership style and couldn't say for sure.

"Perhaps another day," Armand hedged. "I have a committment tonight already. I will keep that in mind."

He wasn't used to bowing in farewell, but it had seemed natural for Hitsugaya to do so. He bowed in return. "Thank you," he said again by way of farewell as he retreated from the the other man and the middle of the room.

How he wanted to go outside. He chose the next thing to it by seeking out a window. He pressed a hand to the glass. How wonderfully smooth it was. He fisted the hand, but didn't strike at the glass to test its strength. Instead, he moved closer and rested his forehead against the glass and fought to hold onto his dignity. A few minutes peace would help.

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Day 27: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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