damned_institute | Day 28; Bus 3

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Day 28; Bus 3

There was, Naomi decided, some sort of cosmic irony in all of this. Not that she was trapped in a deranged and possibly other-worldly asylum with a man she'd idolized for years and a boy who was being investigated for - among other things - the murder of her fiance. No, at this point, those were perfectly normal occurrences. Rather it was the soft, pretty, feminine pink sweater dress she'd been stuffed into in the morning. A chance to wear normal clothes, and she looked like a soccer mom. The white blazer and white boots only made her look like a soccer mom who maybe hadn't given up gogo boots.

It was humiliating. Why couldn't she have jeans and a sweater? And sneakers? Something she would conceivably wear? Not this damned pink monstrosity. And her nurse kept saying how pretty she was.

She didn't care if she looked pretty.

Grumbling to herself, and taking it out on her muffin, Naomi was shoved onto an empty bus and told to 'sit tight'. Oh, she'd sit tight alright....

At least she was relatively certain L was alright. She'd spent the whole night with him, and other than falling on his ass, nothing had happened to him. And hopefully nothing would happen to him in town, either....

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Kakashi glanced over as he was joined, and despite that his response apparently had no value, answered lightly, "Go ahead." Although his eye was focused on her face, his peripheral vision took in the rest out of habit, but it was a habit formed -- mostly -- for the sake of physical evaluation, strength-wise. He knew better than to judge by a first look, but something about the way this woman simply held herself seemed impressive, or at least noticeably poised.

"I don't suppose they were kind enough to go completely against your personal dress code, as well?" he asked, nonchalant and looking back at the window. Really, her outfit wasn't that bad, but Kakashi had yet to hear of someone actually liking what he or she was given, and he personally might have felt like a mismatched idiot, if he cared.

There was a slight shift in Yoruichi's posture, settling in more than truly relaxing, as though she had been poised to move and had now determined it would not be immediately necessary. She canted her head so that she could study her seatmate with more than just peripheral vision, and still keep an eye on as much of the rest of the bus as was visible. Garish clothing or no, he looked capable enough - human, she thought, though limited as her senses were she could not be entirely sure, but she knew well enough that this was not necessarily the limiting factor some of her former compatriots might believe.

"It's not what I would have chosen," she admitted. The corners of her lips quirked up into a faint, wry smile as she added, "But I don't think choice is a priority here."

He heard the smile in her voice before he saw it, so Kakashi returned the expression, though only visible in his eyes, as he looked at her again. "Hatake Kakashi," he offered. "Are you new to the place as well, or are you one of those veterans I keep meeting?"

Yoruichi regarded him curiously, the expression at home on her sharp features, and only serving to heighten the faintly feline cast she had. "Yoruichi," she replied by way of introduction, discarding after only a second's thought the notion of introducing herself by the absurd fictitious name the staff saw fit to call her. She would maintain her own identity, even were it only acknowledged by the other inmates. "And I can't claim that distinction. I've only been here a day."

Another flash of wry amusement as she noted that, "The people I've met all seem to be in the same boat."

"Hm. Then I'm afraid I can't break that chain," he said, feigning good-humored apology. "I only arrived yesterday." Regarding the still-unopened food, Kakashi figured he'd wait. Besides being in a crowded area, the thought of eating food from his captors still wasn't a comforting one, especially under these new circumstances when he had no idea where they were headed.

"Well -- Yoruichi-san, was it? -- before I come off as rude for talking too much or too little, are you the type who'd mind if I kept up a conversation for curiosity's sake? Or would you rather spend this thrill ride in silence?" His expression, or what could be seen of it, was mostly serious, but his tone was still light to let her know he wasn't entirely.

"Interesting. I'd never realised places like this were so fond of bringing in new people in large groups." The remark was voiced in tones of idle interest. Yoruichi's amber gaze flicked quickly towards the front of the bus. It was something to consider, though what it might mean was beyond her at the moment.

She nodded once to confirm the name, and looked back at him, offering a slight grin as though to show herself friendly. "I'm not averse to conversation," she replied. "Too much silence leads to brooding." And her associates at home seemed to cover that angle well enough without her joining in.

"Well said." Going by her first response, Kakashi inquired, "Have you not met anyone from your... home, then?" He still couldn't bring himself to say world, even after everything.

Yoruichi cocked her head slightly to one side, regarding him curiously for several heartbeats before replying, "There seem to be several people here from my home. Though the ones I've met are also new here. Should I take it that you've met people you know as well?"

"I have," Kakashi admitted. "Although I seem to be the only one who's arrived so recently." It was ironic, really. He was the most experienced of all of the ninja from his world who were here -- although Zabuza would be close -- and yet it had been all up to those kids to tell him what was going on and, in Sasuke's case, actually help him out to some degree.

Out of general curiosity towards Yoruichi as well as what she had said, he asked further, "Might I ask what exactly it is you do, where you're from?" To level the playing field and ensure that he was comfortable with giving out the same degree of information -- it couldn't be helped in the circumstances -- Kakashi added after a significant pause, "I'm something of a soldier, where I come from."

Yoruichi did not answer immediately. There was a moment in which she considered some fabrication - she was reasonably certain that she was familiar enough with the human world to be able to establish a passable cover. But then, the basics of her identity were nothing that could not be learned from a number of those who knew her, and nothing that could not likely be intuited by a reasonable observant individual besides. Being caught in a lie would likely be far more problematic, in the long run.

"Interesting. They seem to be setting up a collection," she replied, tone coloured with a touch of grim humour. "I'm something of a soldier as well." She considered briefly before adding, "Out of curiousity, are most of your people who've found their way here combatants?"

"They are. All of them, in fact." Kakashi stared at the seat ahead of him. "You might have already noticed, but it seems like most of the people here have had some battle experience in some form or another. Only a few appear to lack any original fighting skill from before their arrival." Age groups didn't seem to suffer any discrimination, although he had noticed a significant lack of younger children and older adults.

"I'd noticed a trend in the people I've met," Yoruichi admitted. Her brow furrowed slightly as her mind turned to considering the possible implications of such a pattern - too many to number, none of which, at a glance, seemed good. "But I wanted to be sure."

As the bus began to move, Kakashi looked out the window again to watch the strangely calm and overall normal scenery pass by. "Well, perhaps that will be their downfall," he mused. "Gathering so many experienced fighters in one place, regardless of security..." He trailed off, letting the thought linger, for better or for worse.

That was another thing Kakashi hated about this situation. The danger the patients were in called for a type of informality between them -- an informality that was necessary to bridge any gaps in differences or hesitation -- but after a while that informality became so necessary that it was almost a formality. All they could do was speculate, ponder, and wonder on things they didn't know, and that in itself was a useful technique on behalf of their captors.

Glancing at Yoruichi again, his gaze now less subtle, Kakashi studied her. There was something sharp about her, in a way that suggested personality as well as appearance; it was almost kunoichi-like, and regardless of battle ability, it was a feature that Kakashi personally favored. That, coupled with his previous train of thought, prompted him to become less formal, but it was only evident in his choice of subject, as his posture was already relaxed.

"At any rate, it's nice to see someone genuinely smiling for once. Everyone I've met seems to have already fallen into depression, and they've apparently only been here a few days."

Yoruichi looked past Kakashi out the window, gaze intent as she attempted to set landmarks for herself, something to describe a path when - and she was determined that it would be a when - escape became possible. She was disappointed to see nothing that even hinted at the familiar, though unsurprised. The accents of the staff led her to believe that this place was somewhere in America, and she'd little to do with the continent, let alone the country.

"They are either very foolish, or very confident," she remarked quietly. "Or both." All of which, she did not feel it necessary to add, could bode either well or ill to anyone planning revolt of some nature.

She flashed another smile, though it was still not without its sharp edges, and shook her head. "Depression only serves the enemy," she replied. "Indulging in it doesn't do anything but wear you down."

Kakashi honestly was liking her more by the minute. "You sound confident," he commented, meaning it in more of a general way than just in response to what she had said. "Experienced, even. Have you had a lot of enemies, then, being something of a soldier?"

"I've had my share," Yoruichi admitted. She did not run through the list in her mind, simply consulted it as though verifying length against expectation. "Enough, anyway, to learn that damaging an opponent's will to fight is an invaluable step in assuring victory. This," a quick flick of one hand took in the bus, the scenery outside, the other patients, "is certainly a well-crafted trap."

She touched tongue to teeth, pausing a moment on the cusp of speaking before adding, "You don't precisely seem too far out of your depth here, either."

"Probably because we're similar." Kakashi took an instant to consider before continuing. "Call it fortunate or unfortunate, but walking among enemies is something I've come to develop a skill for." Which might well have been why he had taken this all so calmly, minus the fact that it was the first time he had ever been held captive.

"I've seen war," he went on, "and enough opponents to fill both sides in all of them." He glanced around, going over all Yoruichi had indicated. "As far as I'm concerned, this is just another battle. Probably the craftiest and most inexplicable I've seen, but another regardless.

"Luckily, I also have a skill for waiting," he threw in, a little more cheerfully. "I'll be glad once something significant breaks out against these people, but it's no use letting impatience drive one crazy in the meantime."

"Walking amongst one's enemies is a skill that likely will prove fortunate in this particular situation," Yoruichi replied, expression gone thoughtful and ever so slightly distant. "If not one that could be said to be particularly pleasant to learn."

She tilted her head back against the back of the seat, though her eyes did not linger on the ceiling, gaze instead slanting sidelong to regard Kakashi. "I wonder how many of the people here will learn the risks of impatience on this trip," she mused. "It's an interesting gambit on the part of our captors. Classic, but interesting."

"I'd say some have learned already," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "Just putting up with the day-to-day schedule requires a lot of patience in its own right." Although, admittedly, he had already heard of and witnessed cases of patience -- or just tempers -- finally breaking only to land the patient in an even rougher spot. "But as for this trip, well..." Another look out the window. "If one utilizes the chance correctly, it could be seen as a reward for prior patience. Or at least an advantage."

And back to Yoruichi, although Kakashi hesitated as he studied her face again. In addition to her appearance, her personality and mannerisms were growing on him, if only because they seemed to bear such a heavy resemblance to someone he might know -- admittedly -- from his own home. "Forgive me for making an assumption on such short notice, but if I had to guess, I would say that subtlety doesn't seem to be a weak point of yours."

"It certainly might give a clearer indication of how ready these people are outside the obvious portion of their own territory," Yoruichi murmured. She had contemplated the possibility of escape - how not, when the illusion of freedom had been so deftly dangled? - but had set aside the notion as a bad job swiftly enough. No better way, she was certain, to mark herself out as someone to watch than to make a run for it when the opening was so glaring. And besides, even were an escape for one a possibility, there were others to whom she must attend.

Her lips curved into another small smile, banishing the outward traces of serious thought under casual confidence. "It isn't my weakest trait by far," she agreed easily, adding after a moment, "Nor does it seem to be yours - if I might presume to make an assumption in return."

Kakashi returned the expression. "It's a trait developed more out of necessity than choice... although I admit that it's affected more than just my skills in my years." Confessing subtlety; another paradox.

Letting silence pass, he briefly reflected on what Yoruichi had opted to tell him and what he had deduced on his own; he was growing more and more confident that, if she didn't make a living through espionage, then she at least had a talent for it.

"And if I might make another," he ventured, "I would also say that you're good at whatever you do." She was once again left to his peripheral vision as he glanced away. "Mind telling me how close I am when I guess that covert operations seem to be a fitting area of expertise for you, based on my first impression?"

"It seems one's strengths often are - and often do," Yoruichi replied, an absent note to her tone that was ever so slightly at odds with her clear awareness.

She dipped her head, uttering a small sound that could be a laugh. "Impressive." There was another sidelong look, the angle shallowed to avoid a stray stab of morning sunlight. "Ironic as it might be, owning to familiarity with covert operations, I'll admit you're not at all far off."

There was a marked pause before she added, "It is something I imagine we have in common."

"Not so much now as we might have once," Kakashi admitted. "But I think the instinct is still there." He watched her a moment longer as if in a last bit of examination before his gaze went a little softer. "Either way, we've had a decent stroke of luck.

"Well," he said heavily, "I'm honestly not sure what it's worth in these circumstances, but if I can ever be of help to you in any way..." He let that go, leaving it to be interpreted as he figured the only way it could.

"I think some instincts may as well be bred into the bone after a while," Yoruichi mused, with another flash of faint, peculiar humour glinting in her eyes. "For better or worse, we all are what we are."

She regarded him solemnly for a long moment, head atilt and gaze intent, before giving another one of those slight smiles. "I think this is one of those situations where potential allies are invaluable. And for what it's worth, you can consider the same true on my end. If I can be of any assistance..." Her hand described a brief gesture, in lieu of speech.

A peculiarity of this place, she thought, placing so many in a situation that necessitated cooperation between so many disparate groups, most of them unknown to one another at the outset. The potential for poor judgement was astronomical. But then, there were rarely any rewards without risk.

Had the aim not been so clearly malevolent, she would have considered it a brilliant lesson.

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Day 28; Bus 3

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