estoria | ( closed ) he could be your vampire idol

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( closed ) he could be your vampire idol

Who: Souji

deontology
When: IC: 11/12 (OOC: 02/03), early evening.
Where: Out and about.
What: Sou #1 and Sou #2 meet and discuss Sou #1's dubious vampire status.
Rating/Warning: Probably none.

[avoiding sousei hadn't really been part of souji's plan. really, it wasn't even intentional that after they met, he never bothered to speak to him again.

things happen, right?

like killing his best friend, getting killed by his superior, practically freezing to death, losing his best friend... suffice to say, clearing the air with sousei after trying to viciously murder him in a state of forced bloodlust hasn't been on the forefront of his mind. truthfully, some of it is kind of a blur to him, with only the most vivid parts of it really clear. but considering the fact that his existence as a rasetsu is something of a state secret, it's not like he really wants to go out of his way to draw attention to it. it's been easier to go about his business—and if he runs into sousei again? well, then he can worry about trying to clear the air.

and maybe apologize a little, in his own souji way. maybe. possibly. he doesn't really have anything against sousei after all, if anything, he's likely a good ally to have. but souji will be souji, so his methods of handling problematic situations is... well, equally problematic.

so maybe it's been a good month or so since that happened. but as to be expected in jamjar hell, there's only so many places a person can go before they run into the people they know. today just happens to be that day for these two. souji's doing his patrols (if they could be called that) and basking in the fact the the sun's about to set—bringing his energy levels up quite a bit. and when he sees sousei, he doesn't look all that surprised about it. no, if anything, he's approaching as casually as ever.

he may as well make the first move when it's inevitable that he's been spotted anyway. no use in running, right? so with a cat-like smirk on his face, he'll wave a hand in greeting.]

It's been a while.

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[Things happened so much in Cereal, so much so that Sousei had honestly not even really been bothered by how he hasn't gotten the chance to confront Souji about that odd battle in the midst of yet another odd happening. The attack he can forgive, having seen full well for himself just how this place can mess with their heads.

The demonic vampire-like transformation, on the other hand? That's still rather concerning.

So when he does spy Souji, he stops, allowing the other to approach with a surprising amount of calm considering how tense and dangerous it was the last time they'd met. Granted, Sousei has always been confident--maybe overly so, at times. It's the only way to function in the situation he's in.

And that holds true here as well.

So when he sees that smirk and that waved hand, he simple nods in greeting as well.]

Good evening. [It's true--it has been awhile, though Sousei rather doubts that it's on purpose. He doesn't think that he'd be important enough in the grand scheme of things that Souji would go out of his way to avoid him.] Have you been well?

[What's up, amidst all of the Cereal weirdness...]

That probably depends on your definition of "well," don't you think.

[well, at least sousei isn't ask questions right out of the gate—at least, not questions that could invoke some kind of uncomfortable situation. this is something that's easier for him to reply to without outright lying. sure, it's kind of evading the question in a way, but... that's normal for him.

because he's not really okay. he hasn't been well in a long time, probably not since the early days of haven, before jamjar life really started fucking with him. he probably looks better than when sousei saw him last, considering each passing day had attributed to his looking a little less thin and gaunt; even at his sickest, he'd looked worse as a result of haven's crap than anything else. but even at that, with all that's happened here in the cereal bowl hasn't exactly left him feeling good about things.

his personal feelings aren't what's important, though. relatively speaking, he's "okay." his health isn't failing him any more than normal, he hasn't been very weird and bloodlusty, and he's evaded some of the weirdness. so why press into details when he can just shrug it off.]

It could be worse. Nothing seems to be causing me any direct problems at least... I guess that counts for something, hm?

No, it doesn't.

[It's a yes or no answer, as far as he's concerned. Either you're doing okay, or you're not. Quite frankly, if Souji is dodging the question, he's probably not that well.

But... he'll deal with it. It's really none of Sousei's business. He hardly knows him, after all.]

Nonetheless, you're right about that. For now, it is quiet. [For now.

Which is good, because that last event was bullshit.]

You do not expect it to last, of course. [It's obvious. Why else would Souji be patrolling?]

It's never lasted before. It'd be pretty foolish of us to think that's going to change anytime soon.

[he's got enough experience to know that, and he's pretty damn sure that sousei's picked up on that by now, too. sure, some occurrences will be less egregious than others, sometimes it'll affect everyone and sometimes only a select few...

but it's not going to stop. they're unlikely to see an end to any of this until they get the hell out of here and back where they belong. in their respective worlds, their respective times, and their respective japans. there isn't much they can do about it, this souji knows—they're a long ways a way from any solution that will give them the upper hand.]

It's just a matter of how long they wait to pull something else. [since he's hard-pressed to believe any of it is accidental; souji's sure it's all fully intentional, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks about it.]

[Yep...that's true enough. He's pretty sure they're being fucked with in some way or another as well--he just hasn't quite figured out their purpose for doing it yet. That's admittedly less important than how to stop them, of course, but he'd still like to know...

...Regardless, he can only nod briefly in response to that. There's not much to be denied in Souji's words.]

We shall deal with it as it comes. [They don't have much of a choice--and then a flash of irritation, instead of his usual calm.]

Though it is a pointless waste of time and effort. [Things go crazy > they deal > things go back to the way they were. That's bullshit, as far as he's concerned ~~and it doesn't help that he's still bitter over the last situation~~.]

It is, but it's not as if we can ignore it when those times come.

[as much as they may want to. as much as they should be able to, because nothing has real consequences. even death is cheap—cheap enough that it doesn't even really affect him like it once did. there are still thing that definitely rattle souji, but they're largely because of his own personal hangups and not because of things fabricated for them by this world.

it's annoying and it's definitely bullshit though, there's absolutely no doubt about that in his mind. he wouldn't even dare call into question the notion that it's not. it's annoying as all hell and he's been tired of this longer than he's even been in cereal. go figure.]

A pain, isn't it? They punish us for situations they put us in, and then try to absolve themselves of the blame. Ahh, so troublesome. That's going to hurt them a few too many times over one day.

[whether it's because of them or someone else. he's got no doubt that people will start figuring shit out eventually though and taking care of the corrupt-minded people (or aliens, or whatever) that lead them to having to live this way.]

It is troublesome, certainly.

[But they can't do anything about it at the moment. Regardless of their feelings on it, they have to be patient; at the very least, that is something Sousei has experience with through his dealings with the government (even if he's not necessarily happy with that, either).

So ultimately, he crosses his arms, because--]

That is not a situation we can affect at the moment. [Not yet. Someday--but not now. More importantly, however...]

Is your situation similar, or different?

[you know, the vampire thing. Is that something Souji can control?]

My situation?

[of course, souji can figure out what sousei means. but... well, it's not something he wants to talk about at all. so instead, he quirks a brow curiously.]

I don't think my situation is really any different than anyone else's. [which is true. technically. it's just that he's also not entirely human... but there are others like that here too, so it's not that abnormal.

denial by omission is totally acceptable, right?]

[Denial by omission is nothing Sousei is going to accept at this point, no. He knows Souji knows what he's talking about. He knows Souji is just trying to avoid talking about it.

Usually he may even honor that.

But not this time.]

You attempted to kill me. While I am willing to accept that it was in large part due to the influence of this place, nonetheless your transformation was worrisome.

Really, you should be more clear from the start if it's questioning that you want to do.

[or an interrogation. he's not really sure what it is sousei really wants out of this. answers, obviously, but that's not something souji is going to give up easily. sousei has not earned his trust the way certain other samurai-types have in the past. obviously, he can't play the denial by omission card completely...

but he can't just own up to everything that happened and tell his life story here. in haven, that sort of thing had been more necessary; there hadn't been any other shinsengumi around to ground him and pull him back when his bloodlust got bad. here and now, though? just thinking about the lectures he'd get from hijikata over it are enough to remind him why these are state secrets.]

Really, though. You only believe it was partial influence? I guess I can't stop you from thinking that way, but I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of explanations for you. There's a lot I can't remember very well from that night. [which isn't entirely a lie. there were things about it that were definitely hazy. some of his encounters, things that were said, things of that nature. he remembers killing saitou, he remembering goading hijikata, and he remembers the sword plunging through his chest. he hasn't forgotten, obviously, that he attacked sousei, but like hell if he really remembers specifically what was said or what happened.] I don't think there's much to find worrisome right now at all.

[He takes all of that calmly, unbothered by both the refusal to talk about it, and the deflections. He's not really expecting Souji to spill everything he knows right away, or ever, really.

But there are some things he wants the answers to, and he's not intending to allow some sass or ducking the questions to stop him from getting those answers.

There are people under his protection here, just as there are back home, and just as back home, he takes that protection seriously.]

If this is some secret of the Shinsengumi, I do not want to know it. [He doesn't know if Souji is keeping it to himself for duty or some other reason, but... It's really not his business.]

But so long as there is the danger of you becoming what you became, I want to know what that danger is. I know you were not entirely human, but that is all.

[Despite being descended from that rather famous line of exorcists, that's all Sousei has the ability to detect, having not had any formal onmyouji training.]

[well, this is getting annoying in a hurry. he's really not keen on revealing much to sousei at all, but the fact that what he's saying seems so contradictory does get under his skin.

he doesn't want to know if it's a shinsengumi secret, but he wants to know the danger? it doesn't really work like that, considering the danger is that secret. worse yet is having to acknowledge to a near stranger that he isn't human. it's troublesome, because souji has no idea if he can legitimately tell, or if that's just the assumption based on what he saw. not that sousei is wrong, but still.]

Maybe you should consider that there's no danger so long as our friends at CERES, or their enemies, don't continuously try to make fools of us. [which, in his case.. is true. this wouldn't have happened if not for that. he's got a good hold on his bloodlust, usually, and he has enough trust in his comrades to make sure that he's not a real threat otherwise. he's not the only rasetsu in their numbers, after all. this is what they do.]

...And if their was? The Shinsengumi cleans up their own messes. [his gaze becomes a little icier with those words, a silent implication that he doesn't have any plans of letting anyone else deal with this problem. regardless of what sousei thinks, feels, or perceives, this is the shinsengumi's business, and their matters aren't dealt with by people on the outside.]

[He's quiet, letting Souji say his piece, entirely unruffled by the icy tone and the response. Honestly? He entirely blames CERES for the situation he was stuck in. He doesn't think that the Shinsengumi would've been able to keep something like this under wraps if they weren't practiced at it. The fact that he encountered Souji like that was an accident, and entirely CERES' fault.

That all said.

"The Shinsengumi cleans up their own messes"? Hopefully not his dead corpse after stabbed by a demonic Shinsengumi captain!!!]

You can't make that promise here. [It's said honestly pretty mildly. He knows it won't make Souji happy to hear it, but it's the truth. If CERES can mess with their heads (as they've both seen it can), then no promises can be made about that.

And honestly? Prying is something he doesn't enjoy doing, but he can see when there's a problem that needs addressing.]

So what will you do?

[Is there a reason Sousei should not continue to pry right here and right now? Because if Souji really thinks it can be handled, he'll back off--but if there's no guarantee of the sort, he can't just let this go when there are so many vulnerable people here, and out of everything CERES has thrown at them, Souji has been one of the most dangerous things he's encountered here.]

If you take that much of an issue with it, you can talk to Hijikata-san. But really, I'm sure he'll tell you the same. He doesn't really like when other people try to get involved with our affairs, after all.

[he drops a little bit of the ice from his tone, but there's still an edge to it that implies that he really has no intention of budging or sharing any more than he already has.

it's already troublesome that someone he doesn't have a reason to trust knows this much. not that he has a reason to distrust sousei, but they're hardly acquainted enough for souji to say there's any trust between them. after all, if there were, they wouldn't be meeting like this, and they wouldn't be having a discussion of this caliber in the way they are. it's telling.

but still, he means what he says. he's not about to sit here and argue it. souji believes wholly in the shinsengumi and their cause, and he believes in them. they're not small in number here—even if some important people are missing—and souji knows that any of them would do what was needed if one of their numbers reached the point of insanity again. that's not something he even remotely questions. the ochimizu, the rasetsu... this has been their burden for the last five years, and be it in kyoto or here, they will all do their part to keep it away from the innocents however possible.

that one night was an unfortunate occurrence, and one souji takes issue with more because of sousei having witnessed it than anything else. it bothers him that he can't completely deny the things that happened, and that sousei won't just chalk it up to things being as fucked up as they are.]

I'm just a captain, after all. My authority only goes so far. [so if sousei's not going to take his word for it, he'll redirect it. he's pretty sure he can trust that hijikata would say something similar, if not exactly the same.]

[you're a little shit.

Sousei isn't really one for ducking conversations and avoiding things--he'd rather just hear it flat out than try to play this game, honestly--though instead of looking angry, he just looks vaguely irritated. Really? Really now? What a troublesome person this is.]

You don't have any intentions of telling me anything. [obviously. He pauses, and then shakes his head.] Just say so, then.

[He's not going to go to Souji's superior over it--that's not really what he's concerned with. He's just trying very hard to figure out how much of a threat Souji is. Which is proving challenging.

Because.

Souji is a little shit.]

You say that as if I wasn't clear about that to begin with.

[maybe he didn't say it plainly, but souji's pretty sure that by saying "the shinsengumi cleans up it's own messes," it was pretty damn well implied. there has never been a moment where souji was even considering revealing things to sousei.

if anything, he wants to play down the issue as much as possible. it's bad right now, because he knows this means there will be lingering suspicions and cause for them to butt heads over the matter later. but that terrible curse is the shinsengumi's burden, and he's still a little bothered that he had to share it with someone else already—even if it's not here, he still has no idea if that will somehow follow him and bite him in the ass. he's trying to avoid a repeat of that, but this situation really isn't any better.

souji's not going to stop being a little shit, though. it's his MO, because it keeps him as elusive as he needs to be in order to be effective and not get too attached to the people around him.]

All that matters is that it won't be a problem for you, right? And if anything were to happen... you could thank CERES for it.

[Well.... he can't deny that Souji is right, he's always been a little shit. Sousei just tilts his head slightly at that, crossing his arms.]

True. I had been wondering where the more combative personalities of the Shinsengumi were. [they have a reputation, and while Sousei knows better than to believe just gossip and reputation, he also knows they couldn't all be Shinpachis and Sanos.......

Nonetheless, he dismisses that a moment later, shaking his head.]

No. All that matters is that it is not a problem for others who are less capable of defending themselves. [He doesn't really care if Souji goes full on crazy on him again, honestly... but he has too many Must Protect bones in his body, especially when he knows there are children here.]

Don't let them fool you. They're all just as combative when they need to be.

[it really doesn't even matter which of the other captains sousei may be referring to. it's true, regardless. sano and shinpachi may be nice guys, but they're both also temperamental and incredibly formidable when fighting.

the shinsengumi have a reputation for a reason, and while there are a lot of things that follow them around that paint them in a much more negative light, it doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of truths weaved in. and souji? well, he's the last to try and deny any of it. but that's not so important right now, not when he needs to finish addressing the original topic at hand here.]

I'm not much of a guy for making promises, but I'm not really all that interested in letting innocent people get hurt, either. I may have a lot of blood on my hands, by I try to keep it to those who've earned it. [a few.. incidents aside. he's grown up over the years though, and he tries to maintain some semblance of morality, even if he never denies being a person who kills.]

I believe that.

[Despite their ridiculousness, Sousei has seen both Shinpachi and Sano's skills at this point, and there's nothing to scoff at there, for sure. Nobody gets that good at fighting by just training--it's combat experience, pure and simple.

But well... That's enough for him. He's not here to arrest people, or enforce the law (he chose to not be a policeman for that reason; this isn't a law he feels he can trust or needs to protect. But the innocent people here... That's a different matter.]

But if that is the case, then I don't have any reason to pry further. [Sousei doesn't even care that Souji attacked him, so long as he tries to not attack the innocent. CERES... well, that's a whole other issue.]

[as far as souji is concerned, CERES is fair game anyway. there isn't a person in this world or any other one that could actually convince him that they don't deserve whatever they have coming. of course, he also really, really doesn't buy their shtick at all. even if there's probably some validity in there somewhere, there's so much to not believe or be wary of.]

Mm, there really wasn't all that much to pry into to begin with. But if your curiosity is satisfied... well, I'd rather not just stand around here all evening. [he's sure sousei doesn't want to drag this encounter out either. for souji, it's trying to avoid an awkward and uncomfortable topic as much as he can, and for sousei it's like an annoyance to not get answers.

but souji doesn't really care about all that. it's not even as if he has any sort of personal dislike for sousei either, so maybe in a more casual encounter, or in a fight they could work side-by-side. but this time and place with this topic? it's one he'd rather keep away from and put behind him entirely, if that's at all possible.]

[There is a hell of a lot to pry into, but Souji isn't wrong. He's obviously not going to answer more, and Sousei learned the most important part--namely that Souji's at least going to try to not target the innocent. That's what matters.

So he really doesn't intend to waste any time. Instead, he nods simply, closing his eyes.]

That is all. [He won't say his curiosity is satisfied, because it's not, but... well, he's not going to waste time just because it isn't.]

Don't allow me to stop you from your patrol further.

[Go ahead, Souji... leave whenever you want. And honestly, despite how irritable the conversation could have been taken, Sousei can at least respect Souji's dedication to his cause.

Even if he still has no idea why he turns into a pseudo-demon.]

[that's a good enough response for souji, really. no, it may not have been the most pleasant interaction they could have have, but sousei's conceded to not pressing further than necessary, and he didn't have to explain the things better kept a secret. things are a little more secure here, so he doesn't have to inform someone else of the dangers and issue a warning.

and he'd rather not let it get to that point at all if it's possible. the most ideal situation would be for this to never come up again at all, letting it sink to the back of sousei's mind to be largely forgotten one day. which... well, he'll do in part by trying to keep away from sousei a while longer. it may not be a very active attempt at avoidance, but souji won't be going out of his way to meet for a while.

for the time being, he just smirks, lifting his hand in a lazy wave.]

Good luck with your own patrols, then. [he states those words as casually as the conversation had started, giving a small shrug before walking past sousei to go on his way.]

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( closed ) he could be your vampire idol

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