damned_institute | 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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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!"

Day 35: Bus 1

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