damned_institute | Day 35: Bus 1

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Day 35: Bus 1

Sanji woke up groggily to find his nurse already in his room. He gave a sleepy and half-hearted "Buh?" before realizing that nurse meant dayshift, and he'd fallen asleep after dinner.

"Shit!" He sat up abruptly, which gave his nurse a start. "Nami-swan!" How had he allowed himself to sleep through an entire night? What if she'd tried to return to the basement? What if she'd been waiting for him to appear and protect her? He'd let her down!

"There, there. Calm down." His nurse set a familiar flannel shirt down on the bed and Sanji eyed it with confusion. The last time he'd worn that had been... "Sorry I didn't knock or anything, but I was so excited~!" A pair of jeans followed the shirt. "Today is the field trip into town! Aren't you looking forward to it?"

The chef had to admit, the town had been an interesting enough place the last time he'd been. If he could find Nami early on he might even be able to lead her around... So he didn't complain too much as he changed into the other outfit (which he really wished they'd let him keep - anything was better than the regular gray) and was led out to the first of the buses.

He took a seat near the front, hopefully easily visible to any of his crew - especially to a certain member of his crew.

[for Usopp!]

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"Not at all! I find it's exciting. Brings joy and purpose to my life." The fact that he wasn't even married was beside the matter. Well, it was true that it brought his life purpose, the pursuit... in a sudden moment of uncharacteristic rationality, he wondered if this was how Maddie felt when he'd leaned over to try and kiss on the couch at the Colorado chalet. But, no, she'd been flirting back, totally different.

"It is a pity that your personal preferences were so difficult for you in your home, of course. I wouldn't dream of thinking less of you just because of your own private business." Vlad had completely forgotten the bagged meal in his lap at this point, too caught up in a mix between wanting to ally with what he thought seemed like a worthwhile contact and wanting to avoid being felt up by an... "Ah! You know, have you tried dating? Very traditional human method for getting mates. Very popular."

"Really?" ZEX blinked curiously. "I suppose there is a kind of satisfaction that comes with knowing someone very well... although there are so many beautiful creatures out there that cry out for my attentions." A strangely serene smile. "It's hard to resist."

Another thing for his countrymen to add to his list of "perversions", how he embraced sexual activity with practically anything with an unbridled enthusiasm, but he doubted that there really needed to be anything other than "likes humans" on that list for them to shun him. Bigoted fools.

"Yes, it was a pity." Trying not to let his bitterness take over his voice. "But I'm glad to find that most humans are more... open-minded than my people. It's refreshing." A bit of a tired smile, which soon enough shifted back into his normal suggestive look. "I'm not familiar with 'dating'... does it involve the hands? Touching?" ZEX brushed some fingers over his neck at the thought. "Mmm, humans have such amazing ways of touching each other..."

Vlad didn't take too much offense to being labeled as a member of a set of 'creatures,' and objectively, it was nice to be beautiful, he supposed, but on a level of personal interactions the VUX was just too... too. At least he seemed to accept, for a moment, the idea that Vlad might be perfectly happy dedicated to one person. The fact that the one person was not equally interested in Vlad was a side-note, though Vlad could take from this conversation the wisdom that perspective relationship partners might not feel comfortable with being informed they'd be welcomed to come along on a spaceship to likely be probed.

"No it does not involve... well, yes, sometimes, there's touching, but later." Vlad tried to emphasize, gesturing loosely with one hand, the other still holding his bag of breakfast.

"Dating is the, ah, the series of ceremonies humans go through in order to select an appropriate mate. The way you learn to know the other person as a person, not just an attractive creature. You see, many humans, especially females, might take offense at being selected by another just on the basis of looks. An emotional connection has to be made! You need things in common, outside of the bedroom. Ghost hunting, or baking, or those sorts of things. Dating is how you get to know whether there is that sort of connection. Some humans don't really care, but that's not entirely... that's a way diseases are spread." Those marks on the neck certainly proved ZEX had at least found a human or two who didn't care too much about these things.

ZEX was quite content to stare at the lovely human while they were talking. Despite how his vision had been limited, there was still an undeniably thrill at being so close to an object of his desires after so long. He'd never get tired of just watching them! And certainly they wouldn't mind being watched... ZEX couldn't imagine why that would make them uncomfortable. They were so beautiful, after all...

"Mmm, later? The partners I've been with seemed quite quick to touch me..." ZEX grinned widely at the thought. "Yes, they were very skilled with their hands..."

ZEX blinked at the explanation again. "Ah, but I love your species! That's an emotional connection, isn't it? And I'd be quite willing to form one, if someone was... willing..." Leering at him suggestively again. "Although, I must admit I know very little about your social customs... our species had very limited contact with one another, aside from killing one another during the War. Finding willing partners has been... a bit more difficult than I anticipated. This 'dating' that you mention does sound intriguing though... perhaps I should find someone to teach me how to do it..." Suggestive, as usual.

Wait, what had he... "Ghost... hunting? What do you mean by ghost?" And thinking a bit more about it... "Diseases...?"

"Diseases," Vlad answered firmly, trying to look a bit stern. "That's one reason for the emphasis on monogamy. In the exchange of, of personal fluids that's involved in intimate contact, diseases may be spread. This can be prevented by being selective in partners and by other protective devices, but mature decision-making as a sexual partner includes considering your health and your partners' health. After all, if your partner has a disease, and you engage in intercourse with them, even if you don't immediately manifest the symptoms of the disease you may spread it to other partners if you aren't careful."

Actually, this part wasn't so bad. For one thing, maybe the lecture would help ZEX forget that Vlad had said 'ghost hunting' when of course he'd meant 'knitting.' For another, talking about sex seriously was something a parent (or, prospective parent) of a teenager would have to be prepared to do. It was good practice.

"There are people who aren't careful, or who may even not consider these things. And since you're from a future time, it may be that humanity, at least, has wiped out some of these diseases. But I do hope you'll keep in mind that not everyone here is from such clean times, and so, care is very important." Vlad took a deep breath, before adding, "Speaking about your past sexual history, to possibly learn if either of you have some sort of disease you might need to protect against, is one of the later steps of dating. Earlier on, you simply spend time together, only slightly more intimately than friends. Then you gradually grow closer. It may be slower than your current efforts, but the rewards of a meaningful relationship on both the physical and emotional levels far outweigh what a skilled human can do to himself given privacy and his own hands." Well, maybe that was speaking a bit far, but it wasn't as though ZEX were exactly shy. He might even be doing the man/VUX a favor, pointing the possibility out.

Hmmm, ZEX didn't exactly care for the human's change in tone (what was it with humans around here, acting as if they were his parents?), but what he was talking about was interesting enough, and seemed that it might be important.

"Exchange of fluids..." ZEX thought back to his night with his Captain. "So, can such things be transmitted through the skin? That was what it was touching at the time. Hmm... protective devices... probably over the hands then." ZEX held up a hand of his own curiously. As far as he understood it, human intercourse was achieved through their hands (at least, that's what his Captain had done to him), so he guessed they had to have some kind of protective garment for them. Strange that his human wouldn't have mentioned that risk! Well, no doubt he didn't have any such disease! His human Captain was, he was sure, a very clean and responsible sort of human, and certainly one that wouldn't put him at risk unnecessarily!

"Hmmm..." ZEX looked thoughtful. "If that's the case, then my human and I must be very skilled at this sort of thing. It took us barely any time at all to get to such an intimate point!" Well, it had taken a lot of encouragement from ZEX, but that was beside the point. He then blinked a bit urgently. "What do you mean, with my own hands? I thought there were certain steps to be followed between two humans first before any sexual activity could be accomplished..."

His willingness to explain Human Sexuality 101 was limited, and it sounded as though ZEX were still in the dark about quite a lot of things, despite the marks on his neck. "Some can be passed through skin, yes. Others... spit, or seminal fluid... you really should read a book or something about this. And what I mean by your hands is that, for humans, if they don't have a suitable partner, there's, ah, the option of, well, personally taking care of things. Alone." He paused, and almost thoughtfully added, "If you're really unsure about the workings of your new body, it might not be a bad idea anyway. It's a perfectly normal stage in human sexual growth to explore, although like sex in general, usually not spoken of casually with others. Since you've been dropped into your body fully developed and all, you haven't had time to get to know it the way a normal human would."

Then again, in a place like this, where more than half the people he'd met over the last twenty-four hours had not been human, maybe he shouldn't even bother. Perhaps ZEX had the right idea to just look for willing partners who were equally eager to explore what human bodies did together. But... it was just so uncouth. "I certainly don't mean to offend you, your interest is very, ah, flattering. But some people may be off-put by how forward you are."

"Hmm... no one had mentioned that particular risk before." ZEX would have raised his head tentacles, if he still had them, so instead just stared a bit blankly. "Well, I know about how humans can eat one another, but no one mentioned any kind of disease that could be spread through such activity... hmm." ZEX moved an arm in a way that didn't quite translate between species. "If you know where I can find such a book, I'd appreciate it! Although, I don't mind having you explain it to me... you have a lovely voice."

ZEX, to a point, hadn't understood or sympathized with why his countrymen were so repressed regarding their sexuality, as to him it was something to be embraced and celebrated at all occasions... it was who he was, and that was something he was proud of. It had taken him a lot of soul searching during his youth to get to that point, and there was no way he would ever, ever go back. It was unfortunate that humans did not seem to agree with his viewpoint... "I don't know what you mean..." Thinking about it, the movements his human had guided him through... was that something he could do to himself? He'd thought there were certain steps that had to be followed... this opened up a whole new realm of possibilities! Although, Vlad did seem to have a point... having a human do it to him was much more interesting.

ZEX laughed a bit, although it was almost hollow. "Mmm, I'm used to being... off-putting to most. My interests have been called unnatural, perverted, any word you like, but they are mine, and I see nothing wrong with them. There's a great deal to be gained by simply being open to new experiences... new people." ZEX smiled a bit. "After all, I wouldn't have met you otherwise..."

Well, he did have a lovely voice, but that was beside the matter. Didn't quite give up easily, did he...? "I don't know if the library at the Institute would have a book on these things, although I suppose if there's a bookstore in the town you could check there." True, they had no money, but ZEX could at least browse and get the basics. Perhaps it was a hole waiting to be filled for all of these people who had been put in new bodies, in fact, a literary gap. 'Our New Bodies, Ourselves.' Vlad wasn't going to be the volunteer to write it, even if he did have experience in changing to and from human form.

He had brushed off the comment about 'eating' as ZEX having picked up some vulgar slang along his explorations, and instead focused on the topic of tact. "I can understand that your past experiences may have made you a bit aggressive in response, that's perfectly understandable. Why, I've even been unfairly called" a fruitloop "a bit fixated on my own interests, when I was pursuing someone. But if you seem too eager, it can backfire. Others might be intimidated or simply upset by the fact that you are so quick."

That had been his mistake, springing the question so quickly. He'd been patient since then, waiting for a better time, possibly Jack's funeral. "It's not that I consider your interests perverted, per se, but I have different interests myself. And I'm sure we can be friends and even have very interesting experiences while respecting each others' different tastes, hm? Yes?"

"Ah, in town, yes..." Concern flickered across his features for a second, although it vanished quickly enough. Nothing was going to happen this time, he was sure. "I'll make sure to look."

ZEX, as usual, tended to focus on the wrong part of the discussion. "So you've been persecuted unfairly as well! It is unfair, isn't it? Simply because one goes about things a little differently, suddenly you can't have them 'poisoning' the minds of youth, and other such nonsense. Hmmph!" No wonder he felt a kinship with his new human friend! They had so much in common already...

"Different interests, really...?" ZEX tried to recall the word. "Ah, you mean, you aren't a homosexualist then?" It was obvious with how he struggled somewhat with the word that it was a foreign concept to him. "And of course, friends are always invaluable... we can, perhaps, teach each other to appreciate new things, or experiences." After all, it must have been so boring to limit one's potential sexual partners...

"Yes, I have," Vlad agreed firmly with the suggestion of persecution, "quite unfairly, I'm afraid. So while I may not face the same challenges you do, please don't think I'm unsympathetic to them. Not at all. But I would hate for you to become ill or, uh, be unable to pursue your interests because of cultural or physiological misunderstandings."

Now, the situations were different, because of course Vlad was unfairly tormented, first by the universe for reasons he still had yet to divine via the stupidity of Jack Fenton, and secondly by Daniel because the boy was an absolute brat and too immature to appreciate the significance of Vlad's offers of support and training when it would be just as easy to kill him and be done with it. And Maddie, of course, Maddie had been perhaps slightly mishandled, but he'd been unable to help himself after waiting for so long. Not at all like ZEX, who lacked the proper manners and didn't seem to know social cues, not like that at all.

"And no, I am not a homo.... a homosexual is the usual phrase, for those who practice homosexuality." Vlad raised his eyebrows a little. Maddie was all the proof he needed of that. "Are you strictly attracted to the males of humanity? If you like both males and females, then you would be a bisexual, at least in this body."

The buses were coming to a stop, and Vlad couldn't help feeling a bit grateful, although the conversation could have been worse. For example, ZEX might have tried to bridge the small gap remaining between them, taking advantage of the fact that Vlad was pinned against the window. An uncomfortable conversation with leering at least spoke to the VUX's self-control to some degree. Although Vlad didn't think he'd want to be alone in a dark bedroom with him for very long.

"Well, it seems as though it's time to depart... pleasure meeting you, Admiral, perhaps we'll speak again some other time, about more of a variety of topics even?" Vlad stood up, ready to depart. Quite ready.

"Mmm, I thought we had a connection, you and I." ZEX giggled a bit to himself. "It can be so difficult at times, being persecuted for no reason, unable to get what you want... although, now that doesn't seem to be quite as much of a problem for me." Grinning again at the thought. So many humans all around him! If he hadn't been cursed into this body... although, that had its benefits as well. Making friends would have been more difficult, he was sure, in his natural body... most humans were repulsed by VUX.

"I see..." So the classifications were a bit more specific than that. "Then I suppose I would be bisexual, if I had to be something." ZEX preferred to avoid labels, but a "bisexual" seemed to be accepting of all partners... so he guessed if he had to choose something, that would be accurate. "Any human has my interest..."

Ah, the transport devices were coming to a stop! And ZEX had been enjoying the conversation, not to mention the proximity to his new friend. And... no, things would be fine this time in town, he was sure of it. ZEX stood as well, mimicing the motion, and, remembering how the conversation had started, reached for Vlad's hand. "Ah yes, it's been very nice to meet you as well! Hopefully if we speak again, we can explore... other areas of interest. Hee! Hee! Hee!"

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Day 35: Bus 1

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