damned_institute | Dayshift 42: Morning

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Dayshift 42: Morning - Magus Park

Senna stepped off the bus to wind blowing through the clothes she was given. A sad face at one of the nurses allowed her a long red scarf as well, and once she had draped it around her neck and let it hang down her back, she had trotted off.

The park she had saw last time seemed a good place to be on the look-out for the chicks from last night. It was close to the buses, and a big enough place that if they remembered that they had a race date, it would suit its purpose. The girl ran to a place in the middle of the field and waited there, shifting her weight from side to side. After a while, this wasn't enough, and Senna traded back and forth between jogging in place and acrobatics--the easy flips and cartwheels keeping her warm.

Her mind had changed in the night before. She had gotten a taste of what leadership entailed, and she wasn't sure she had rose to the occasion or not. She knew she had tried her best, and had been willing to give as much as she had, but it hadn't been enough. She knew this. Hokuto, at least, had gotten hurt, and in the end, they still hadn't explored more than the schoolhouse. They really needed a different approach with that place.

She went back and forth internally, body going through the motions and reflexes of her movements.

[for... Falis, Hokuto, Meche, and Soma?--and down to here]

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Ah, such a good way for the day to start. Not only was Porky finally out of that hellhole, if only for a few hours, but he had also managed to find someone to travel with during nightshift! And Citan seemed like such a naive person, too. Porky probably couldn't have found a better partner, barring someone of unsurpassed naivete like that Kagura girl or someone like the commander. Ah, well. Porky shouldn't focus on what he didn't have. As Porky was ruminating on his current good luck, a nurse handed him four coupons.

"Hmm?" Porky said as he snapped out of his thoughts, "What are these for?"

"Oh, they're for some of the stores here, Mr. Reynolds!" the nurse said slowly, "This one is for a massage, these two are for meals, and this one is for a manicure. Do you know what that is, Mr. Reynolds?"

"Of course I know what a manicure is, you fool!" Porky snapped, "Don't talk to me like I'm some ancient fool!"

"Mr. Reynolds, do you want to stay on the bus?" said the nurse in a decidedly icy tone.

"Uh," Porky stuttered, "N-No! Of course not! So sorry for snapping at you! Must be my old back acting up again or something! Ahahaha!"

"Well, then enjoy your time here in Doyleton, Mr. Reynolds!" the nurse said in a more chipper voice, "And you'd better take this jacket along with you! You wouldn't want to catch a cold!"

And with that, Porky went off to eat the breakfast the nurses had given him at the beginning of the bus ride. After looking for a suitable seat for a few minutes, Porky decided to sit with a rather young-looking man.

"Is something wrong, my boy?" Porky said grinning, "You look positively green in the face! Did the bus ride up not agree with your stomach?"

Okita felt someone approaching and casually glanced around the area. He caught sight of Homura for a moment, with Nataku who was holding his hand, and then finally found the one who was heading toward him. An older man with a decisive grin and a few layers around the waist - someone who was likely unaccustomed to strenuous labor.

When the man sat down and addressed him, Okita gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'm afraid I'm no good with buses," he confessed, trying to place the stranger beside him. He didn't seem to recognize Okita and Okita couldn't recognize him. He was definitely not a newer patient as Okita had heard his voice around before, but that didn't give the swordsman enough to go off. "Does it not bother you... Ah... My apologies. Might I have your name?"

"The name's Porky," Porky said happily, "Porky Minch! Pleased to meet you! Anyway, no the bus doesn't really bother me much. I used to take it all the time back home. Well, that's not entirely true. I used to take it all the time when I was a child would be a more accurate way of saying it, I suppose. Heck, I've even been on a helicopter or two, so something like this is pretty lightweight for me!"

With that, Porky dug into the brown paper bag given to him, only to sigh in disappointment when he saw what was inside. Honestly, couldn't they afford to give them better food? A whole bunch of healthy crap like this wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy Porky's appetite. Oh, right! They had given Porky all those coupons! Heh! Better chuck this crap and go hit up the "tasty burger" later!

"Say," Porky said, "You wouldn't happen to want my lunch, would you? I mean, you look like a pile of skin and bones over there, and I certainly could do without a meal or two!"

"Ah, what did you say your name was?"

Okita's smile never faltered, but the moment he heard Porky's name, he knew he couldn't let his guard down. Porky Minch had been the one to reveal Lelouch's power; and he'd been trying to get his own group going here. As long as Okita didn't know his motives, there was no way he'd open up to him. At least the man didn't seem to be a danger yet, which was good. He also didn't seem to notice Okita's sling, possibly because his arms were neatly hidden away by the coat hanging over his shoulders. For once, Okita was happy that he had it. That and the scarf at his neck made it almost impossible to tell he was injured at first glance.

"Oh, then you are very lucky, Minch-san. I used to walk almost everywhere, so riding in such things gives me the worst feeling," he admitted with a small laugh, as if he were embarrassed by his little reveal. He was, of course, nothing of the sort, but the act did well to put people at ease and get them talking more. Not that Porky seemed to need any encouragement in that department.

"Your..lunch?" Okita blinked and looked at the brown paper sack, realizing that he must mean the leftover breakfast. The swordsman didn't appreciate the skin and bones comment, but he let it slide for now, waving his good hand to decline. "No, no, you should take that. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I have my own right here."

He pointed to his lap where his own leftovers sat. He'd try to eat the white stuff later and then probably wander about, munching on the muffin as much as possible. "Ah, my apologies. That was rather silly of me not to introduce myself. My name is Soujirou. Fujiwara Soujirou."

"Hrmmm..." Porky mumbled, "That's disappointing...Ah, you getting motion sickness, I mean! It must be miserable to have to walk everywhere. Then again, that may just be for me. Heck, doing almost anything with a gut like this is exhausting. You're probably in such good physical condition because you don't drive around as much. Then again, I can't really say that I know much about exercising. I mean, just look at me! Do I look like I know the first thing about exercise?"

Porky laughed a little, but his expression quickly soured when he looked down at his breakfast. He certainly couldn't not eat it after Okita had insisted that Porky eat it. With a grimace, he raised one of the orange slices to his mouth and slowly bit into it. He could barely suppress the gag reflex, but he managed to swallow it. Ugh. Yeah, not gonna happen.

Quickly laying the remainder of his breakfast to his side, he turned back to Okita.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Soujirou!" Porky said, as he put out his right hand for Okita to shake.

Good gods but he liked to talk. Okita didn't mind for now, but he wondered if Porky rambled on about everything like this. Hopefully the guy would start jabbering about something useful, giving Okita a chance to soak up information beyond the sorry state of Porky's health. Smiling sympathetically, Okita offered a shrug. "It isn't so bad, walking everywhere. I prefer it much more to anything else." Again, no reason to tell Porky that he'd never drive anything other than a horse-drawn cart at most. "And exercise can be fun, Minch-san. It isn't all strenuous, you know."

Turning back to his breakfast, Okita took out the rest of the orange slices and checked to make sure the rinds were off all of them. Porky obviously didn't like his, but Okita wasn't going to let that spoil his meal. He stuck one in his mouth and smiled happily, realizing that this helped kill off some of the nausea a great deal.

It wasn't until Porky stuck his hand out that Okita turned to look at him again, and even then he didn't take the hand. Instead, he bowed his head politely and said, "I'm afraid I'm not one to shake hands. Cultural differences and all - please don't be offended."

Not one to shake hands, eh? Fair enough. Then again, Soujirou had made a bit of an odd remark. What was it he had said? "Cultural differences," was it? You know, that was funny, because Porky didn't remember saying anything about which "culture" he was from. Well, it's not like his avoiding the handshake bothered Porky or anything. After all, Porky wasn't exactly the type that was easily trusted, nowadays. No point in letting it go unnoticed, though.

"Cultural differences, huh?" Porky sighed, "Well, then would you please remind me what culture I'm from? I don't recall saying. For all you know, I could have been raised in Japan or something. I can't say I'm really surprised, though. I mean, it's not like I'm the most trustworthy guy here. But really, you don't even trust me enough to let me shake your hand?"

Porky looked down and sighed again, this time heavier.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, however petty they may be," Porky said gloomily, "And I was in such a good mood, too...

Well, what a change of heart. And what an annoying man. Okita continued to smile at him, but in his head he was wondering just how much longer his nausea was going to keep him pinned to this bench. Porky Minch assumed far too much, but if he wanted sympathy, he wasn't going to get it from Okita. At best, he would get what he deserved - an apology. "The only people I've met who shake hands upon meeting someone are Westerners. If I was incorrect, I do apologize, especially since I seem to have offended you."

Although calling Okita's reasons petty was something Porky would probably regret, Okita kept that information to himself. "It isn't a matter of trust, Minch-san. It is a matter of respect - bowing my head to someone is much more respectful to me, than to take a person's hand." Okay, so perhaps he couldn't keep that information to himself. "My reasons, as you see, are not petty. I am merely being polite."

Oh, dear. So Okita really was just being polite...Well, now Porky looked like a huge prick with an ego problem, and, while that wasn't entirely inaccurate, Porky couldn't have Okita thinking that Porky was a bad person or even rude, for that matter. Thankfully, Porky had a lot of experience in apologizing, so something like this shouldn't be too difficult to handle. Porky thought for a few moments after deciding his course of action and then spoke.

"You're absolutely right, Soujirou," Porky said, "You weren't being petty at all. I was the one being petty. You were just trying to...no, you were being polite, but I automatically assumed that you hated me. If anyone is at fault here, it's obviously me. I'm sorry for the way I acted. It's just..."

Porky sighed and leaned his head back.

"Ever since I was a kid, no one liked me," Porky said, "And then I came here, and still no one really likes me. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the Commander's gone now, so I might as well be all alone here. I'm not saying that any of this makes what I did any less rude, but I hope you can kind of see where I'm coming from."

"Anyway," Porky said, turning back to Okita, "I hope that you can manage to forgive my impoliteness, Soujirou-san."

And the backpedal began. Okita watched and while his smile never seemed to falter, in his head he was seeing why this man was having a hard time gathering compatriots. Quick to jump to conclusions and quick to grovel for forgiveness - he reminded Okita of the merchant class. They were always looking for a way to raise their value in people's eyes, goading and praising where they saw opportunity and flaunting their own greatness.

Until, of course, a person of higher status came along. Then the merchants lowered their heads, clasped their hands, and were the prime examples of groveling dogs. Even if the old social status didn't hold so well anymore, Okita had seen enough of them when Serizawa was still in power. He had terrified the merchants to the point where they wouldn't dare raise their voice against him. They'd drop to their knees and proclaim how they were unworthy of his business and Okita had been forced to swallow his distaste - both for the shopkeepers and Serizawa.

At least now, things had gotten better in Kyoto with Serizawa dead.

"Perhaps if you stopped lowering yourself, people might see value in you," Okita suggested, his voice light as if it were just an offhand comment. If dealing with Minch required a certain amount of tact, he'd do it. That didn't mean he had to be entirely straight about it though. Older man or not, Okita could find little use for him other than as a distraction. "And of course. We both made a mistake and now it is water beneath a bridge."

"See, that's just the thing," Porky said gloomily, "No matter what I do, people hate me. If I try to look cool or something, they hate me. If I try to be nice, they hate me. People just seem to dislike me in general. It's been like this ever since I was born. Hell, not even my own family liked me...Then again, there was one person that I could have called my friend. No matter what I did, he always forgave me..."

Suddenly, Porky's mood soured.

"No, what am I saying?" Porky muttered angrily, "Ness was never my friend. He ruined my life more times than I can count."

So not like the merchants entirely. There was underlying anger that Porky did little to conceal - that sort of anger never did anyone any good. There were two ways that most people dealt with hatred, one was to return it to the source and the other was to turn it inward. Okita had done the latter, but it seemed that Porky might have done the former. Which meant he could be dangerous.

Mentions of his allies disappearing though, and of this 'Ness' person were interesting. The Commander - Okita recognized that name from the Institute, but Ness was not a name he'd seen on the board that he could remember.

As Porky continued to talk, Okita had to wonder though; why was he opening up to him? Or was this normal to reveal one's problems so soon? Okita had never considered most of his relationships with others to be normal, but he had never heard someone dive so quickly into the doom and gloom before. Then again, the man did look older, maybe he was just going a little off in the head?

"That sounds terrible, Minch-san," Okita said, mostly for lack of anything else to say. What was one to say to someone who they didn't know that well when they suddenly spouted that everyone hated them? "I am sorry to hear about the hardships you have faced."

"Don't worry about it," Porky sighed, "It's not like you had anything to do with it, and it's not like I can go back in time to change everything. Well, not right now, at least. Besides, they made me who I am today, and while that might not sound like a good thing to you, it certainly is. Plus, there's one thing that always makes me feel better about the situation..."

A small smile crept onto Porky's lips.

"They're all dead and I'm still alive," Porky said, "I won and they lost."

That's right. Porky had won. Against every single one of them. Everyone who hated Porky that lived in his world was dead now, and there was no way to bring them back. Served 'em right, too. They had ignored Porky and made fun of him, but now the tables were turned. Porky was alive and kicking, and they were underground being eaten by maggots. Even Ness. No, especially Ness.

Not right now? That one phrase alone was enough to bring Okita's interest back to the conversation. Did Porky Minch have ability to travel time like Captain Jack had traveled space? A few weeks ago, that would have seemed impossible, but Okita was living proof that time travel was a viable option. It was also something he hoped to use in order to destroy the Choushuu before they unraveled everything Kondo and Hijikata worked for.

That smile, however, reminded him that Porky Minch was not one to be trusted. That everyone he knew was dead and that he had done it? Certainly a good indicator that Okita wasn't walking a very thin and very dangerous line at the moment. "Then there is no use in reflecting on the past - it will give you nothing but headaches, hm? So long as they are no longer around to bother you, it would seem more appropriate to revel in your victory."

"You know what?" Porky said, now grinning from ear-to-ear, "I do believe you're right! No point in focusing on the past, especially if it's so unpleasant! Besides, even if they all were still alive, they wouldn't be anywhere near me as long as I was here!"

"And another thing," Porky said, now turned to face Okita, "You're an alright guy! Sorry if I seemed a bit abrasive earlier, Soujirou-san. But like you said, it's all water under the bridge, right? Gohohoho!"

Ah, now Porky was feeling better, and, while he would have liked to stay with Okita and chat for a bit longer, there was business to attend to. It wasn't every day that Porky got the chance to explore a town full of valuable resources, and he certainly wasn't going to waste this opportunity. With any luck, Porky would have a few decent weapons by the end of the day.

"So, Soujirou-san," Porky said, a little more seriously this time, "Do you have any recommendations for where I should go if I want to find a good weapon here? I'm a little embarrassed to say, but this is my first time in Doyleton."

And back onto the safe side. Okita didn't particularly feel up to killing anyone today, not with broken ribs and a damaged shoulder, so it was good to see Porky back in high spirits. And it was good to get a handle on just who this man was. Okita would have to speak to Homura later about him. Even if Porky Minch did not pose an immediate threat, there was no telling what he might do later. Or perhaps that was just his old paranoia kicking in again. He was so accustomed to watching everyone around him for any hint of potential danger, that he saw it in the most unlikely places.

Still, it was that paranoia which had kept him alive so far. That and his skill.

"A weapon?" Okita blinked, seemingly caught off guard at the question. Why would anyone ask him about weapons? "I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Minch-san. As you can see-" He lifted his jacket a little, showing the sling on his arm. "-I'm not exactly the best at fighting. Although, I have seen the nurses search people upon returning to the Institute, so anything you may be able to find - be sure to hide it where the nurses can't find it. They will check the usual places, so do be careful."

"Yikes!" Porky said, grimacing at Okita's wounds, "Forgive me for stating the obvious, but that certainly must hurt! Plus, I can't imagine it helps too much during nightshift...then again, I have no idea about how you fight or who you hang out with, so it might not even matter...Either way, you have my sympathy."

Heh. Maybe Okita wasn't the best person to ask about weapons. Not even Porky had gotten that hurt during his three days at the institute. It was unlikely, but Porky couldn't even be sure that Okita was stronger than him. Well, no matter. At least now Porky knew to be careful about hiding his loot.

"Anyway, thanks for the advice," Porky said, finally rising from his seat, "I suppose I'll have to find the weapons myself, but it certainly helpful to know to be careful about hiding them. Well, Soujirou-san...if you ever need a favor, feel free to drop me a line. I can't guarantee I'll be able to help much, but I'm always willing to help someone that listens to me."

"Yes, but the medication they give me helps," Okita said, lying through his teeth. It hurt, but Okita had certainly had worse before. He was used to dealing with pain and with hiding it, so this? This was nothing. Smiling faintly and bowing his head again, Okita continued, "I thank you, and hope that nothing so terrible happens to you, Minch-san."

And it was a good thing Okita didn't know what Porky was thinking or he might have taken offense. As it was, he was more than happy to let Porky think he was weak - for now. That was always the best strategy when trying to avoid detection.

"Ah...thank you. Should anything come up, I'll be sure to let you know." When Porky rose from his seat, Okita did the same in order to be polite. Again, he bowed, a little more deeply than before and smiled at the man. "Do be careful, Minch-san. It would be a shame if the nurses were to catch you with something."

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Dayshift 42: Morning - Magus Park

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