damned_institute | Day 32: Sun Room (2nd shift)

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Day 32: Sun Room (2nd shift)

After the couple glasses of water Leon managed to gulp down during breakfast, the mage felt immensely better. He was still a bit tired, but that was nothing a little lounging on one of the sofas wouldn't cure. Stretching his arms above his head, he couldn't help but wish he'd had the chance to grab one of his new doctor's coats before leaving his room that morning. Maybe they would have let him get away with wearing it. Maybe.

He grabbed an empty sofa, pulling out the journal he tried to keep on him at all times. It was nearly complete now. Just a couple more pages to go. It might not improve his spellcasting that much, but any improvement was better than none. It was getting to where it might be too dangerous for him to use spells at all, if it left him so worn out without even finishing a monster off.

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Rinali was taken aback by the boy's sudden change of personality. The other day, he had been friendly and kind, except when he started bickering with Allen. Now, all of a sudden, he was sullen and withdrawn. Had something happened during the night?

"I don't do everything with Allen," she said, a little more withdrawn than before. "We're just good friends, and it's comforting to know he's here. Aidou, what's wrong?"

"I... nothing." The vampire had to glance away from her, almost ashamed by his failure to dissemble. "No, nothing." Another display of weakness, to talk about his own problems to a virtual stranger, wasn’t something he could do and not hurt his dignity.

It might have sounded strange to most, but Aidou had never truly been stuck in an exchange he couldn’t easily shake off. When it came to humans, his status allowed him a certain air of being untouchable. You could ignore them, dodge them, or rudely tell them to go away if one wanted. When it came to vampires, a polite 'excuse me' sufficed, or he could do much the same. But when it came to people here, it was more difficult: status and environment had shifted incredibly. Ignoring her had strings, and where would he go if he excused himself?

The pen was small, and the majority of these faces were ones he saw every dreadful day.

Almost cautiously, he glanced back at Rinali from the corner of his eye. Maybe she wasn’t here about his relationship with Allen, then. "Oh. Then forget I said anything. I apologize for everything yesterday."

Rinali frowned, but knew better than to press the issue. This wasn't Allen or Komui she was talking about. Aidou and she were only starting to get acquinted. Still, she couldn't help but offer a consoling, "Ok, but if you need to talk, I'm here."

She was a little taken aback by his apology. "It's alright, Aidou. Allen wasn't acting much better. I honestly don't know what his issue was. Sometimes he will have a problem but won't share it with other people because he's afraid it will hurt them. It's really silly of him, especially when he hides from the people who want to be there for him, but it's who he is." She shrugged slightly, smiling fondly at the thought of the silly boy. "Too soft-hearted for his own good, I guess."

"Don’t let me trouble you." He tapped his forefinger against his cheek, saying nothing more to her offer, having no reply that would satisfy her. Aidou doubted she could understand at such a young age. Even if the lonely lot of a pureblood vampire was way beyond someone like his understanding, he still had an old and strong bloodline himself; having his emotions violated in the way he had was more staggering for him than it could be for a human.

Watching her smile, he couldn’t help letting his eyes narrow. The explanation sounded vaguely familiar, but he refused to think about it. "You must see a lot of merit in him." Perhaps a little honesty was required. "Truthfully, it’s because I hate Allen that I played to his outbursts. That’s what I’m apologizing for. It was immature of me."

Rinali was surprised again by such a strong remark against Allen. Sure, she knew Kanda wasn't particularly fond of her friend, and they bickered constantly, but he didn't hate Allen. She didn't even know such an emotion was possible regarding her friend.

"You..hate him? Why?"

He sighed and looked away again, brows knit. With what had happened last night, he was unsure of what to say, how to explain his reasoning. It wasn’t like she would care, anyway--Allen Walker was her comrade, after all, and if a stranger’s words could shake her opinion of her companion, then it wasn’t a worthwhile bond in the first place.

"Because I..." I can’t stand anyone who threatens our safety.. His and Akatsuki’s. Anyone who spoke with such ignorance and naivety. It was why Aidou was so upset with himself now! To dare and shoot one’s mouth off and say despicable and disrespectful things like that, he couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t stand it at all. He squeezed his eyes shut briefly, catching the edge of his bottom lip with his teeth before he suddenly turned on her, looking beseeching. "You... Don’t you think I'm charming? Don’t you think I’m handsome? Why don’t you like me like that!?"

If only she’d go away, or be like a normal lovesick girl!

Every time Aidou had changed the subject, Rinali found herself surprised at his words. This time was no different. She had found Aidou charming ~and~ handsome, but romance was the last thing on her mind. And now he felt so sad over the whole situation, those same handsome eyes surprisingly pained and full of sorrow...over her?

She blushed slightly. "Aidou, it's not that I don't find you charming or handsome," she said, reaching out to take one of his hands in hers. "You were very nice to me yesterday, sweet and considerate, but we just met. I didn't grow up like other girls, with time to worry about romance and finding the perfect boyfriend." She smiled slightly at the thought of it. How different would her life have been if the black order hadn't found her? Would she be lost in whimsical fantasy, too?

"Aidou, I was taken in by the church at a very young age. My brother and I were orphans, but when the church found that I could bond with Innocence, they took me away from him. I tried to run away, to find my brother, but he joined the order in their science department, just to be with me and be there for me. Ever since, I've worked with my brother and the other exorcists, learning to use my dark boots and fighting the Akuma. I...well, there really hasn't been time to think of whimsical things.

"For me--and maybe it's a selfish little thought--but my friends are the world, and far more important to me than anything else. I'm very careful choosing who I trust and who I care for. I'd like to become friends with you first, Aidou, and if you really want something more...well, you are handsome, but I want something different than the charming prince other girls dream about. I need you to take things slow. I..." She glanced at the heavens, looking for words. "...I can't promise you I'll feel the same way, but I'm willing to keep an open mind."

She frowned slightly. "It does hurt that you use such strong words against one of my friends, though. But your apology means a lot to me. Thank you."

Aidou blinked at the sudden touch, and before he could even give a blank ‘huh’ as a response, she was talking. Talking seriously, like he had made a serious overture... He swallowed abruptly, thinking back to the last time he’d harmlessly flirted with a Day Class girl face-to-face, and how panicked the Disciplinary Committee got...

This was probably why. He tried not to stare openly at her neck.

"Ah... Uh." Perfect boyfriend? For a human girl!? "It sounds like you’ve had a tough past… Rinali-chan, I--" But asking exactly what she meant by a vampire of his calibre still being a letdown even by being a ’charming prince’ was a reflexive and dumb question. He aborted it before he could finish. Akatsuki would have been proud to see how well Aidou had tempered himself today, even if the ’why’ and ’how’ of it was rather solemn. He dropped his gaze to the hand she was holding, still wondering at the fact. Um... "I’m glad that you..." He’d been about to say something like ‘I’m glad you value your friends’ or ‘I’m glad you’re not a shallow peeping tom’ and accidentally tack a question mark on the end of the comment, but the scramble to say something only sent him on another tangent again.

"I wasn’t apologizing about disliking him, because I think he’s completely selfish, just yesterday’s childishness," Aidou babbled a little desperately, looking up and leaning forward. He couldn’t let her think he was the kind of guy who let that crap off the hook so easily, and insults could last centuries with vampires’ life spans.

"I know," Rinali said, the smile returning. "And while I don't like that you hate him, I can't change your mind. The only person who can really do it is you and Allen. I'd like the two of you to be friends, or at least not hate each other so much. I'm glad that you apologized for your behavior yesterday. It means a lot to me that you're willing to admit fault." She giggled slightly. "Most nobles I've met seem to think they're perfect."

He laughed a little weakly, unsure if she were actually being serious about this. "Funny, we see that a lot more in the regular people..."

Aidou still didn’t know what to say about her sounding so grateful for his apology, probably because his feelings towards being guilty and thereby admitting to poor behavior were muddled. Rinali’s reaction did nothing to relieve it; it was almost as if he were wary of acknowledging her response, just because it made him seem like he were acting the part of a mature aristocrat.

And that hadn’t been the case last night, far from it.

"Friends, you say," Aidou mumbled absently, looking down again, this time in partial thought. Everyone threw that term around so lightly. Friendship with someone could only be born out of respect, and with Allen Walker, that was virtually impossible. Aidou wasn‘t perfect, no, but he shuddered to think how he could possibly befriend the majority of people in this place, running around with no morals or reasons to think twice. "You’re very... generous, Rinali-chan. I don’t really see how, though. Disrespect and foolishness are things I don’t look kindly on."

Rinali's smile faded at Aidou's last words. There was no hostility in her gaze, but she took the affront to her friend seriously. "Allen can be foolish at times, but I've never known him to be disrespectful. He may not always make the best choices, but he does what he does out of a deep compassion for everyone."

She touched her forehead with the tips of her fingers and closed her eyes. "I'm not asking that you ignore things about him that bother you, but it would mean a lot to me if you at least gave him a second chance. He has a lot of redeeming traits, and maybe you just happened to see the worst of him."

She wasn't going to lie to him, or to herself. She knew Allen had a lot of problems, but she also knew of all the things he did that were good, kind, and genuine. "If you still don't think you can get along with him, I'll understand."

"These sorts of situations make one’s weaknesses blatantly obvious," replied Aidou. The comment was a double-edged blade, he knew. If she truly wanted to discuss her friend, however... "And I’m afraid I saw something different. During the time I spoke with him, I broached a topic that would have been beneficial to me and others and he was too wrapped up in himself to cooperate. Specifics aside, that sort of thing is in bad form."

The vampire shrugged, even expression making it clear he wasn’t lingering on the fact. It was in the past, and although Aidou wouldn’t forget, he wasn’t immature enough to cling to vendettas of that measure.

"All of that said... I’m not sure why you seem so worried about it. If you’re afraid I wouldn’t be able to cooperate with him on a professional basis...?"

The amount of value Rinali seemed to be putting on the entire thing, from friendship to second chances, drew reluctant curiosity from him. And a little puzzlement. It wasn’t even like she and Aidou were friends... yet she spoke with such gravity. This entire conversation had been weird from the start.

Rinali frowned at Aidou's reply. "That doesn't sound like Allen at all," she answered. "I'll have to talk with him about it, maybe he had a good reason for being quiet." Or maybe he didn't. Allen sometimes surprised her, after all.

"Well," Rinali said in response to Aidou's question. "You said you wanted to be friends with me. It just makes me happy when my friends get along with one another, and if we become friends, I wouldn't want to have to choose who to spend time with, you or Allen, when I could spend time with both of you. Maybe it's a little selfish of me..."

If Aidou had been a typical teenager, he might’ve been thinking ‘What is this, eighth grade?’ at her suggestion to have a talk with her little friend. But since he wasn’t, and had never been at a level of education that could be called immature, he could only say it sounded infinitely juvenile to him. But today he was still feeling the sting of a lesson learned, so he did the aristocratic thing, and made a practiced, noncommittal gesture that could be interpreted favourably.

Whatever. Allen could blab about the details all he wanted; Aidou had said he would take care of it himself, and he was. He had nothing to apologize for.

“Mmm, that’s a nice sentiment I don’t hear much of. It’s sweet,” the vampire replied almost thoughtfully, with a more even, warm tone than before. He sounded more collected when he was focussed on the façade of there and now. And it wasn’t like he was totally putting on a show for her--it was true that a noble could have strict divisions between friend and foe, making an acquaintance of someone only to be dead set against their twin sister or something. It happened a lot. The Night Class was a prime example of mixed politics under one roof. Getting chummy with the friend of a friend was more of a mushy human thing. But this was the part where Aidou had a chance of stumbling: “No, it’s not that selfish… I think you really do care about your friends a lot. So I hope we see more of each other… Maybe bring Allen next time, then? We can talk. I was just a little tired today.”

There, that didn’t touch much on deep feelings, but it didn’t dissuade her from becoming a regular fan. And the idea of making Allen suffer, even a little, brightened Aidou a little, even if “next time” wouldn’t be as aimless as yesterday. They could exchange information or something like it.

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Day 32: Sun Room (2nd shift)

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