Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

[whiteychan.livejournal.com]

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]

Comments

[idolism]

It was horrifically miserable being dropped into a sea of humans, but it felt delightful to vent, even if it was to the wrong people. Stretching his arms up and behind his head, the vampire stretched, sighing happily. Mm, momentary respites felt good.

Akatsuki would have been shaking his head, no doubt having expected such a thing all along, and it was with that thought in mind that Aidou followed Miku without a backwards glance. The tasks at hand were rolling past his mind's eye one-by-one, organizing themselves as such, with no small amount of what the vampire hunters called an unnatural objectivity. He took a seat across from her, all smooth gate and calm movements in contrast to her barely contained irritation.

"You have no idea how I feel," came the simple response, effectively closing the book on that topic of conversation. That particular outburst didn't shame him; rather, it had calmed him somewhat, like a volcano that had finally cooled. The noble crossed his legs. Miku's knowledge was what was important--everything else was not. "So in short, what you're saying is that the tattoo was an instrument used to trap disagreeable emotions and focus it on whomever was wearing the snake and holly design. The carrier probably went insane and died from the burden, correct?"

At length, he lowered his lashes to partially obscure cold eyes. He was watching her intently.

"I don't believe in luck. The one I had is gone, but what matters is if it has any lasting effects."

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Miku met his stare with calm brown eyes and looked down at her fingers. There was something... disquieting about him, like an old house that creaked. "I wouldn't call it that. 'Disagreeable' sounds more as though you had a bad dinner. Aidou-kun," Miku lifted her eyes to his again and spoke in the softest whisper she had to offer, lest a nurse go by and hear her.

"Have you ever lost someone, I mean really, truly lost someone? Watched them die of fire or plague or suicide right before you? Chosen to nobly sacrifice themselves for the good of you? The emotion of wanting to do anything for those people, anything at all," Miku held her breath and thought of her mother for a moment, of her brother's softly-spoken words, of her father so alien to her and likely just as dead. "That's more than disagreeable isn't it? I suppose unless I saw this tattooed woman and was touched by her, I'd have no way of knowing if I'm truly correct, but... I think I am. It has to be something of no small value to you. Not some 'disagreeable emotion'." Miku stood up, and pushed her chair back in.

"And I told you, they didn't go insane and die. They turned into ash. God knows where the victims go, except that manor, and good luck extracting them from there. I'm going back to Ritsuka-kun now." The little photographer turned and started walking away. "So, please be careful, or so kindly throw me before that woman. I'm sure she has a story herself."

[idolism]

The corner of his mouth twisted slightly, but that was all the outward reaction he allowed himself. Obviously, you stupid little human. "I know you're more intelligent than your words, Miku-chan," said the vampire. As was his nature, the endearment was laced with a barb. He took the insinuation as something of an insult, but it was also the disconnect between vampire and human that made him bristle. For a vampire, the fear of loss was small and yet profoundly large, a callous paradox. More so for a noble of his stature. And even more so for a pureblood.

Value, she said? In comparison to vampire life, the value of a human's was inconsequential. No matter how terrifying or vile the death, no matter the person, it was just... less. Less than his worry over Akatsuki. Certainly less than watching Hio Shizuka's still beating heart being torn out of her chest.

"Better be careful yourself, Miku-chan." The tip of his index finger tapped the tabletop once, twice, silently. If she wanted to run back to Aoyagi and his petty relationship problems, let her. "You might just suffer the same."

Whatever he thought of Miku's reaction throughout the conversation was severely outweighed by his own circling thoughts. She knew of lore he didn't, but as with most things in Landel's Institute, her ideas of what should or would happen weren't corporeal inside these walls. Turning to ash, a manor... none of it was taking effect here, and as such, it didn't help. With an ex-human to deal with, there were still no pieces of information fitting entirely into place...

And to think they saw his desperation as unwarranted!