damned_institute | Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

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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.

"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?"

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.

"The name Okita Souji, if used in the wrong company, could get me or anyone connected to me killed," he explained. He remained silent on the fact that it was more likely that the 'wrong company' half would be the ones to die. He just hoped this vague explanation would satisfy Guy's curiosity and end any distrust that was beginning to brew among the three of them. It was the last thing he needed. "I stand for what I believe in, but not everyone thinks preserving order and peace is a good thing. The enemy is anonymous, meaning I must be cautious or the people I care for might get caught in the crossfire."

He reached out and picked up his fork, twirling it between his fingers. The smile returned and he laughed a little, "That's all. Sorry if it seemed suspicious or anything!"

But Heiji provided a good venue for escape and Okita went back to eating his food. These visitors...Okita had no idea other than what he'd seen on the bulletin board. He didn't like the sound of it, but perhaps it would be of some help to the others here. "I've heard rumors, but nothing more. People from our so-called real lives coming to say hello. Are either of you supposed to receive one?"

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.

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."

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.

Who knew if the Choushuu were lurking just around the corners here?

"Don't worry, Heiji-kun. I won't let that happen." He smiled like always, but a promise was a promise and he was going to make sure any Choushuu here died long before they got anywhere near Heiji. Or Guy, for that matter. He counted them both as people he was going to protect, even if they could do it themselves.

Tilting his head to the side, he stuck a piece of melon into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I don't think they're actually the people they claim to be though. I heard that they were nothing but lies that the Institute sends at us." Shrugging, he drove his fork into another piece of fruit and sighed. "It seems all of us are free for the next shift then. I wonder what they'll have us do..."

[ 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.

Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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