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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"That.. well, that was what I had planned. It's nothing I would ever ask him, after all." Ashton was quickly realizing that his relationship with Dias, whatever it was, would be anything but typical; they were too inexperienced and.. well, both of them were just too weird for anything normal.

Though Claude's words about his past, and the relationships back then, made Ashton drop his jaw a little bit. It wasn't entirely unexpected, hearing how popular he'd been, but it made him a little self-conscious all the same. Maybe Claude had had so much experience back then that that was why he hadn't wanted to go out for a second tea with Ashton that one time. No one wanted to date an inexperienced guy with dragons on his back.

Of course, now he was just an inexperienced guy.

"Haaa, I bet a lot of people wanted to date you back on Expel and Nede, you know," Ashton was trying to say nonchalantly but failing just a bit. "I mean, I wouldn't know or anything, but.. uh, you know. I mean, I guess Rena seemed pretty taken with you." He coughed. So had he at one point, but he wouldn't have wanted to break Rena's heart. She was really the jealous type, after all.

He took a final sip of his grape juice, finishing it. "But, wow, Claude. I wouldn't have expected that. I mean, that you were such a fisherman, so to speak.."

Claude didn't really see anything wrong with just flat-out asking someone where their relationship stood or if they were really dating or whatever. He actually preferred that approach to just sitting around and guessing and wondering about what was going on. In the end, it saved a lot of pain and agonizing -- kind of like why it was better to rip a band-aid off really fast instead of slowly peeling it off.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to ask," the blond said after a moment. "But if you really wanted to, I could probably talk to him about it, though I can't keep playing messenger for you two love birds or anything." It was almost like being in elementary school, when his buddy had slipped him a note to hand to the girl sitting next to him -- do you like me? Check yes or no.

He almost snorted into his juice, but managed to cover it up with an eloquent cough. Okay, okay, he really needed to stop teasing poor Ashton about this, even if it was one of the only things really helping him adjust to this shocking bit of news. Claude set down the cup and smiled.

"Anyway, I really am glad for you, Ashton. I do want to see you happy, and I am quite all right with my life, thank you, even if Dias feels otherwise. You know I'll always be okay, right?"

The Earthling raised his eyebrows at the dating comment. "You really think so?" he asked. "To be honest, I always figured Rena saw me as a good friend, but never really as anything romantic. She seemed more interested in studying than finding a boyfriend last I saw her." Claude scratched his cheek and laughed a little. "You know, there were a couple of people I wouldn't have minded dating myself, but it seems there isn't room for anything like that anymore. But that's all right. Other fish in the sea and all that, you know?"

He took the last bite of his food and swallowed it. "Hey, you don't have to sound too surprised!" Claude laughed. "And it wasn't like I was some, I don't know, playboy or anything. I've just ventured out into the waters a few times when things were looking promising. Though it's a little different for everyone, I'm sure." He grinned. "So, yeah, if ever you need any advice or someone to talk to, I'm all ears!"

Ashton, on the other hand, was a fan of pulling off a bandage really slowly and carefully; ripping it off might disrupt a scab and cause something to bleed and hurt more than it probably should have.

He flushed up. "Don't call us that, uh.. just yet.." he said with a nervous laugh. He didn't really feel like joking about the whole thing just yet. Especially when Claude was coughing and sputtering like that. "But.. but thanks. I'm glad I have your blessing. I know you'll be okay. I mean, no reason you wouldn't be, right..?" He guessed, anyway. This whole business was kinda unsettling.

In fact, the more Claude talked about it, the more it seemed to Ashton like there was a world of opportunity that could have been had for the two of them. But all of that was in the past now; now Ashton was with Dias, and that.. well, that was the end of that. So he met Claude's eye and nodded with a little knowing, yet somewhat shaky smile. "Maybe in another dimension there's room for that, I guess."

(How many versions of Rena were there, though!?)

He just had to smile and nod at Claude's utter insistence that he come to him for advice, though - before he could say anything, a nurse was looming over him.

"It's time for your visitor, Paul hon," she said gently, patting him on the arm.

A visitor?

Ashton's eyes widened, and all he could do was nod quickly to Claude before he was dragged away.

Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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