damned_institute | DAY 23: BREAKFAST

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DAY 23: BREAKFAST

That hadn't felt like an entire night.

And his goddamn head hurt. Pounded, even. Enough that he wondered if he was going to end up playing another round of "Christen the nurse" this morning.

Maybe it was because he'd spent so much time and energy trying to find Nowe. That could be the reason behind both those problems. Just the thought of it made his stomach turn, made him want to fucking choke something.

Still, there was shit to do. He forced himself out of bed to put away his pens and the other leftovers from the adventures that didn't happen last night. He'd have to try to talk to Sora today, to see if they could just do tonight what they were going to do last night... and to see if the kid was doing alright.

...he just wished his head would stop hurting. That was probably the result of just how badly he'd overreached himself the previous morning.

The nurse that showed up to get him was cheerful. He grunted at her, listening to her with only half an ear until she mentioned all the excitement, about someone pretending to be a patient, all that crap that Landel had mentioned.

Renji gave her a narrow-eyed look. "Dr. Landel is a goddamn lying coward, and he's lying about that, too," he said. Whether it was true or not, there was only so much good cheer he could take on a shitty morning. "I hope he chokes on a cock." No matter how much venom he put in that statement, it wasn't enough.

Then he had to listen to a lecture about language and gratitude for the rest of the walk to the cafeteria, so maybe it wasn't worth it after all. She dragged him through the breakfast line, and he ended up with granola and toast and tea and a cinnamon roll, because not even a shitty fucking night could ruin his sweet tooth. Though that thing was looking a little too sweet.

The cafeteria was pretty much empty; he had his run of the place. He sat himself about as far from the doors as he could get, and proceeded to stare at his breakfast.

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It was good to know what kinds of things this man would be able to do under normal circumstances. Haku frowned and thought about the question. "Hmm... I should be much faster," he admitted. "And my chakra is locked." He wasn't certain if this man knew about chakra, so he attempted to explain without giving too much away. "Chakra allows me to use my skills to their fullest." He took another sip of juice as he thought. "I should not have been hurt at all that night..." Ordinarily, Haku would have frozen the creatures where they stood, or moved much faster than they were able to and dispatched them that way. He smiled, shrugging again.

"Of course," he added. "As I said before, I am weak." Zabuza-san never said so, after all, he'd been able to defeat his Master in battle since he was very young, but still... he had failed.

"Japanese?" Haku tilted his head. "I'm not Japanese. I'm from Mizu no Kuni."

"Chakra is an energy source for metahuman abilities?" It wasn't a term he was familiar with. "Does it have any specific affinities- an element or something similar?"

"If you believe yourself to be inherently weak, then you limit yourself." Recluse wasn't in the habit of being reassuring or nice at all, really.

Well. That was strange. 'Water Country'? "Ah. I suppose we are from fairly different dimensions, then. In mine, your nationality would be considered 'Japanese'. Or more correctly, '日本人'." His accent sounded just slightly off to him. He hadn't used any Japanese in years, but Rikti had been a more important language to decipher in the past decade.

"Perhaps 'weak' is a poor choice in words," Haku amended. "I'm told that I'm...hmm... too kind." He smiled. "For my own good I suppose."

He frowned, thinking. "Chakra can have certain elemental properties," he said. "Wind, fire, water, earth. It all depends on what's being utilized at the time. I know some who prefer one or the other. Say lightning or water. Their attacks and skills reflect the type being used." He wasn't about to get into the whole Kekkei Genkai mess. That was his own sin to deal with.

He thought over the idea that he would be something other than a member of the Land of Water. "Japanese hm? Interesting. I'll have to find out more."

"Ah. I have ever had that said of me." Unlike Haku, the killing of his own father raised no response in him, apart from... satisfaction, maybe. It had furthered an objective. But there had been no additional complications surrounding what relationship he had held with the now long dead Rudy Richter.

"It sounds fairly close to the energy some such as myself are able to channel in my home dimension." The source was most likely quite different. But no need to get into that- it was a closely guarded secret by both himself and his opposite in Paragon City. Only a few elites were allowed to know.

"Are there any others from your homeworld here?" It never hurt to find out about the extent of a group or faction's power.

"Admittedly, only one person has ever said that to me," Haku laughed. HIs Master was the only one to think of him like that... as a kind, gentle, pure person.

Haku filed all the information on power in this man's home for later thought and smiled.

"There are," he admitted, "Though I do not know how many." He'd only seen his Master, Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-kun.

"A friend, mentor or something similar?" Most wouldn't place such importance in the word of one person without some sort of... emotional attachment.

"Are they all able to use chakra? I'm interested in how common it is overall." There was something else bothering him, as well.

"...How thoroughly have your powers been suppressed?"

Haku had to laugh at that. "Nothing so silly or unimportant as that," he said. He would never presume to address his Master in such a familiar way. "Though he is the one that taught me many of the skills I use now."

He nodded. "To the best of my knowledge, they all can. Though with various degrees of success."

He hesitated here. "I haven't had much chance to test it out," he said. "I haven't lost everything, but I'm wary to try without a good reason." He might lose them all together that way. He looked down at one of his hands. He wasn't able to tell for himself, but if he still felt cold to the touch (how many times had Zabuza-san complained of that?), then his bloodline abilities might still be there, if weaker.

((heading out into the wilderness to shovel snow- will be back soon!))

"My mistake, then." Whoever this person was, they had fostered quite a lot of dependancy in this boy.

"My own powers have been severely limited. I still have the skills that made them effective, but it is... aggrivating." He had always been a very effective fighter, and had made sure he had not let technique slip over the years, unlike Marcus. He seemed to now rely on three things: A right hook, picking up something heavy and smashing people over the head with it, and an overabundance of Deus Ex Machina which seemed to follow him around. Stefan was still a person you wouldn't want to fight, but he just didn't inspire the terror he normally did.

"Have you or any others undergone physical changes from their normal state?" That sounded rather bizarre, but he had to ask. He certainly had changed drastically.

Haku made certain to file this information in the back of his mind, where it could be recalled at his leisure later. He nodded, to show he understood. "I can understand that frustration." He knew his Master would be upset as well.

"Changes?" Haku thought about that. Changes to one's appearance were commonplace in his world, so it was perhaps not as normal here? "The only thing I can think of that might match what you're describing would be those of us that died prior to coming here." He smiled and gave a warm laugh. "That does count as a rather drastic physical change where I'm from: dead to live. But as for the body changing shape?" He shook his head. "No. And none of the people from my world have enough energy to do so consciously ... or so I understand."

Interesting. Returning from the dead wasn't all that rare- One of his lieutenants was technically dead. However, the heroes seemed to have the vast majority of the reanimations. That was part of what made his job so frustrating sometimes... "Do you know how long they were dead?"

As for the physical changes... Well, why not tell the boy. "I seem to be missing several limbs. No evidence of surgical removal, they are simply gone." Along with his skin color. And glowing eyes. And venom. And all his other powers...

...Recluse realized just how much he hated this place.

Haku shook his head and spread his hands. "The only time frame I've heard it two years." And it hurt to even think on that. Two years since his Master had fallen. Since he'd failed Him.

Several...limbs? That was interesting. Haku didn't find the fact that this man claimed to actually have had more limbs than he currently had, but that he'd had them taken away. "It's obvious why they would have taken them, but it is strange that there would be no marks... Perhaps they have far better medical skills than I previously thought...."

"In my world, two years is quite a long time after death for revival. Unless their spirit was bound by the manner of their death, it would most likely be impossible." And even if the soul had been bound to an object or idea, they would still be dead, with all the complications that came along with it. Ghost Widow was a prime example. But this sounded like a complete return...

"They have at least the same level of medical technology as my world. But from other factors, I would guess that they may in fact be superior in at least some capacities." The fact that the limbs had been removed so completely was worrying as well. There were hundreds of connective tissues and muscles that had spread throughout his torso to support the limbs, all near-invulnerable.

"In my world, death is a fairly stable thing..." There was always talk to certain techniques to raise the dead but Haku had never heard anything beyond rumors, so he didn't place much stock in such things. Maybe he should have paid more attention...

"I did some checking around and raided a medical room the night before last," he said. He wouldn't offer up information on what he'd taken, but the fact that he'd been there was easily found out if someone had taken the time to check. "I did not see anything capable of doing or even aiding in a procedure of that kind of complexity." He tilted his head. Obviously what they were seeing here on a nightly basis isn't an accurate assessment of this place's capabilities. He felt silly for not realizing it sooner.

"Differences between dimensions can be drastic." Arachnos had done quite a lot of research in this area. It had proven quite useful.

"Then it is most likely there for appearance's sake. Any incriminating aspects to this place are well hidden or currently sealed off in some manner." His guess would be in an underground area- it would minimize the chance of detection by outside observers, and could make it much more difficult for any intruders to escape. But that was how he'd set up the thing.

"That's assuming it's even located inside this facility," Haku said. It was almost as though they were using each other as a sounding board for ideas. It had been a while since Haku was able to have a serious and (somewhat) honest discussion with someone. It was refreshing.

"There is always the possibility of hiding the evidence in a remote location... or in plain sight." That was how Haku occasionally hid things, and he'd seen it used quite effectively in the past as well.

"Yes. A control facility could be quite remote. But some portions of the last night time message of the Head Doctor make me doubt it." He was a little amazed he was actually conversing with someone and not becoming overly irritated by it. People hadn't started calling him 'Recluse' without reason, after all...

"He is a liar, but he was threatened by the incursion last night, to the point where he was much more likely to inadvertently reveal the truth." It was a standard problem a lot of supervillains fell prey to... They didn't have much self esteem, apparently. "He challenged this 'Alec' to meet face-to-face at the Head Office. That still could be remote, but there was mention of a woman who is affected in a simalar way to the nurses you encountered. I would think that such changes only occur within a localized area under Landel's control. And..."

Recluse smirked. "The man sounds highly insecure. He needs to prove his superiority, and remind himself of it. What better way than to keep his office within the walls of this place? It's rather like... I don't suppose you've heard of the Roman Empire? During their reign, they considered their capital to be the the one place of strength, culture and nobility encircled by the dangerous, uncivilized, 'heathen' lands which were completely under their control." Recluse was very nearly monologuing. He had to get over that habit.

Haku nodded. That did make sense. "Yes, I do recall there being some items during his .... speech, that were quite revealing." Haku frowned in thought. "From his words, I would also assume that about his character." It didn't change the fact that they were all his prisoners. "I'm curious about this 'Alec' person...."

He tilted his head and reached up to tuck his hair behind. "That does sound familiar to me, though the name doesn't ring any bells." Roman Empire? "But that sounds like a very good analogy for this place. What happened to the Empire?"

"And its all the more reason to keep causing trouble for the dear doctor. If you succeed, you can make him look like a fool. If you fail or have to retreat, it can make him overconfident. There's very little middle ground with people like him." Especially at this stage. Recluse had worked quite hard to remove such flaws form himself. He hadn't succeeded yet, but he'd never admit it.

"I am also curious about the man. I've run into many schisms like this, but details can be crucial." Like with his own split with Marcus. Nothing would ever get him to trust that man again.

"The Empire's boarders grew too wide, and the rulers too complacent, too used to their power. They had been the world's greatest military power for centuries, but they were unable to fend off the 'barbaric' invaders." A highly simplified version of events, but he wasn't giving a history lesson.

"I don't believe in a middle ground when it comes to an enemy," Haku said, smiling slightly. To him, one either was the winner or they were dead. That he had died proved to him that he was a failure. But perhaps this was his chance for redemption.

"I don't know that I would trust him without knowing absolutely everything I could about him..." He sighed. "But it would seem, based on what I've seen on the message board, others do not share this sentiment."

He laughed softly. "It would seem to me then that Dr. Landel could take a lesson from that history."

"Good. Too many are passive enough to believe in half-measures or submission." And the rest could just be manipulated, anyway.

"They are eager for what seems to be a way out. A certain combination of desperation and stupidity leads to that." Emphasis on the stupidity. It was amazing what people would believe, if they wanted to see things that way.

"Few ever do. Their loss." His gain. "Landel seems extremely similar to many that I've dealt with. None of them ever seem to learn."

"It worries me to know that so many people are so desperate..." Haku didn't have that kind of problem. He had died. There was no reason for him to worry about escape since he wasn't certain he'd be alive if he did manage to escape. He had similar concerns over his Master.

"And while that is their own problem, their blind trust can be a problem later on..." He sighed and pushed away his plate. He wasn't very hungry any longer.

"Learning from past events is something that hardly anyone takes into account any more..."

"They wish for a benevolent authority figure, and they think they have found one. At this point, he has not adequately shown himself to be anything beyond a manipulative demagogue. He may be less immediately dangerous than Landel, but personally, I do not give anyone my trust without proof to satisfy my suspicions." Recluse had a very low opinion of everyone besides himself.

"I doubt it has ever been a highly accepted practice. Too many humans are fond of immediate rewards without any thought to the consequence." It was almost depressing, but it was what made running a government easier than some would think.

Haku leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, half-blind gaze sliding over the people in the room. A fight had broken out, but appeared to be under some sort of control now, nobody he really worried about was making a fuss (though he was glad to see the blond man from the previous night appeared to be, if not healed, at least okay) and he returned his attention to the man beside him.

"I sincerely doubt I would trust anyone here I did not know and know well," Haku finally said after considering the room. "Desperation and a desire for comfort are no excuse for idiocy. But there is no reasoning against human nature."

Unless you're not human anymore... "They are no excuse. But they are not to be excused themselves." The longer he lived, the more he hated that sort of talk.

He tore a page out of the journal he had found in his desk and started folding creases into the paper, almost absentmindedly. "I awoke too late yesterday to see Landel's speech in the chapel. Were you present for that event?"

Haku blinked. A welcome, if abrupt shift in topic. "I was...."

This was also information that could be taken from anywhere, so there was no need to try to withhold something.

"I was, however, at least smart enough to not approach him like some of my more zealous peers..."

He eyed the paper, wondering if Stefan was practicing origami.

DAY 23: BREAKFAST

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