Yaku, Hitoshi [ 夜久 【やく】, 単志 【ひとし】 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monochromaticdays) wrote2020-05-14 11:56 pm
monochromaticdays) wrote2020-05-14 11:56 pm
[Story]
"So, what is this whole 'lesson' thing all about anyway, that you agreed to let me stick around for?" Yaku said this, maybe a bit rudely all things considered, as he leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head.
He didn't trust this guy who claimed to be Hitoshi's uncle, at least that much was obvious. But he was extremely confident in his own ability to defend himself and his copy from... Whatever it is that might happen.
Sheridan, however, seemed rather bemused by his nephew's mirror image, as he calmly took his time to get to the point of the matter. Hitoshi, however, was a little less patient about this, fidgeting in his seat. He... Had an inkling of what this was about, but...
"Hitoshi, can you recount the events of what happened, the night I took you?"
Hitoshi jumped a little at being addressed, taking a moment to register what he was being asked. "Ah, well... I was taking a walk, since it was dark out already, and I knew that you wouldn't approach unless something happened...."
"Try to use your familiar to demonstrate the situation, visually. A bit of practice for you at manipulating it." Hitoshi let out a bit of a sigh, as his shadow flowed out, forming a figure to represent himself.
"Well, while I was walking I was approached by..." Another figure forms, who appears to rush towards the first. "My copy?" He looks over at his twin, as though waiting. Yaku was trying to somewhat act like he wasn't involved in this, but sat up when he was addressed. "Just call me 'Yaku', okay? It seems like it's easier for people, anyway."
"Right, Yaku." The second figure tries to jump the first figure. "You attacked me for some reason-- a reason I still don't really understand, but what I did know is that I was in danger. And..." The first figure extends out a shadow, grabbing the second like a whip. "My familiar responded, grabbing you, and then--"
The second figure was quickly pulled closer, as the first figure seems to 'bite' into the second.
"... I guess I bit you? At that point, I think I sorta realized what I was doing, and I let you go." The figure gets released, dropping, but visibly dazed. A third figure appears, swooping in to grab the first. "And then you, uncle-- you went and grabbed me, since you just saw what happened." Hitoshi lets out a breath, letting the shadows melt back to himself. "... That's the gist, right?"
Sheridan smiled approvingly, in that way that made Yaku feel on-edge. "Yes, very good. Of course, Hitoshi, you understand the error that was made on your reactions, correct?"
Yaku blinked, frowning a little. An error? What error? I attacked, and he retaliated, so... But Hitoshi's words broke through Yaku's thoughts.
"It was... the fact that I bit him and drank any blood at all."
Sheridan nodded slightly. "Yes, that in itself is an issue, Hitoshi. Though usually the effects of that wear off after enough time, but in this case..." Sheridan's gaze turned to Yaku, who tensed up defensively at the stare. "Do you recall what happened, when you were bit, werewolf boy?"
Yaku bristled up, his hairs standing up slightly as they stiffened. "I'm not a 'werewolf', so stop calling me that already!"
"That isn't answering my question. Hitoshi, can you please ask him?"
Yaku was very confused at that. What difference would that make, anyway? Hitoshi cleared his throat however. "Yaku, please just answer my uncle's question..."
Yaku... made a sound like he was trying to brush it off, but responded still. "Fine, when Hitoshi here bit me, on my end, it felt like I had definitely... Lost? On some weird level that I can't describe. I think there was a strange connection for a bit there, so I knew some things that he knew, and I felt like my body was gonna collapse, before-- well, before you went and took him, and left me feeling like I was barely holding together until the girl that hijacked the math class helped me." Yaku gestured his head towards the doorway. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Sheridan smiled serenely. "Nothing, actually, but the fact that you willingly answered the question when Hitoshi asked you to do it, proved my point well enough."
Yaku bristled up again, standing up. "What the hell are you going on about, then!?"
Sheridan looked at Hitoshi again, who just simply sighed, as though resigning himself to this reality. "Yaku, please sit back down and calm down..."
Yaku... sat back down, almost obediently so, glaring at Sheridan. ... Before a thought finally came through his head. "... wait, why am I listening to you?"
Sheridan's expression turned to amusement as he clasped his hands together. "Wonderful, you're starting to catch on. To explain this..." His own shadow grew up, forming two figures-- one of which moved and "bit" the other. "Usually, in order to go through a direct feeding on another like this, the process generally puts the victim into a mildly suggestible state. This is usually a defensive measure; to make sure that the victim forgets the encounter, for example." The first figure removes itself from the other, pointing as though giving a command as the other vanishes away.
"But in some cases, we may attempt to enthrall someone to use for other means, but that practice has usually fallen out of use-- too many messy scenarios that come of doing things in a more complicated manner. But, ah..." He taps on a table near himself, thinking of how to word this. "It's possible that as a side-effect of your momentary connection, you may have... Ended up enthralling yourself to Hitoshi, boy?"
Yaku hated that condescending tone. But he had to admit... He did feel like he had to listen to and even protect Hitoshi from this obviously shady guy who says he's Hitoshi's uncle, and admittedly, he really had no reason to do it at all, but did it really mean all of that?
"... If it is the case, is there a way to reverse it?"
"Well, I certainly can't do it. But Hitoshi can-- if he knew how to even do an enthralling on purpose, in the first place." Hitoshi hung his head a bit, making a frustrated sound at the prospect of learning more vampire stuff.
"So you're saying you're not at that point yet and that I'm kinda just boned here, huh." Yaku made a similar sound to Hitoshi's-- but it had a little more of a growl to it in the back of his throat.
"Well, now, that'd be the point of me coming with back to Earth, once we get all of our matters settled." His shadow shrunk back to himself, as he walked to the door. "But don't worry. Hitoshi is a very good learner-- so long as no one tries to stop me out of a misguided inference to the situation, he'll get a handle on the theory and the way to reverse it soon enough. But until then..." He shrugged as he opened up the door. "Well, I guess Hitoshi'll just have to be careful to not say the wrong thing, that's all."
Sheridan waved a little. "Well, I have the headmaster to speak to, about all of this, so I recommend that you both try to hash out an arrangement, here, in the meantime." A silence rung through the room for a moment. "And I do mean that you should try to do it in here. Wolf or human, the other students in this school shouldn't have to deal with the temptation of fresh blood wandering around so brazenly."
With that, Sheridan left the two of them as the door snapped shut, and a level of tension unconsciously left Yaku as he eased up in the chair. Both boys sat there in silence for a while out of awkwardness, until Yaku finally spoke up after several minutes.
"... I really don't like your uncle."
"He's technically yours now too, you know."
"I claim no rights or ownership to your family, even if we share the same name."
Hitoshi couldn't help but snicker a little at that. "Well, I guess so. But I'm guessing you're not gonna be going anywhere anytime soon anyway, right?"
Yaku shrugged. "It's not like I know how I'd get back to where I was, even if it exists anymore. I sorta expected us to fuse or something, really."
"That seems like it'd have been trouble..."
"Yeah, maybe, but I'd have figured it out if I had won and it happened. Eventually." Yaku put his hands behind his head, leaning back in the chair. "But I am stuck here, I think. Not like I had a lot to miss back home, anyway. But..." He glanced over at Hitoshi. "Well, I guess this situation isn't too bad, either. But it might be whatever head magic you accidentally did to me talking, too."
"You are being remarkably calm about this whole... thing."
"It isn't like this is weird. Stuff like this just happens. It's just more annoying that you don't know how to fix it, that's all."
Hitoshi shook his head. "Well... even if you did attack me in the first place, getting you stuck in a mental state like this isn't right, either, is it?" He looked down at his hands, which were clenched in front of him tightly. He was anxious. Of course he was anxious. He didn't like this situation as a whole, he'd never asked to be here in this school, or, or--
"But I'll learn. I'll learn how to get it fixed, okay? And then... You can do whatever it is you want to end up doing after all." ... "So long as it's not trying to attack me again."
"No, don't worry, I think we know how that'd turn out, anyway." Yaku waved it off. "But I'll keep you to that word. Besides, I bet it won't take that long."
A silence entered the room again, and as the seconds rolled by, Yaku couldn't help but ask. "... it isn't gonna take that long, right?"
Hitoshi bit his lower lip slightly. "... Maybe we should talk about living arrangements, sometime. ... And maybe see if you'd like to use a different name during this, too."
"Put your name up to bet in a game, and if I lose, I'll consider it."
"Fair enough."
He didn't trust this guy who claimed to be Hitoshi's uncle, at least that much was obvious. But he was extremely confident in his own ability to defend himself and his copy from... Whatever it is that might happen.
Sheridan, however, seemed rather bemused by his nephew's mirror image, as he calmly took his time to get to the point of the matter. Hitoshi, however, was a little less patient about this, fidgeting in his seat. He... Had an inkling of what this was about, but...
"Hitoshi, can you recount the events of what happened, the night I took you?"
Hitoshi jumped a little at being addressed, taking a moment to register what he was being asked. "Ah, well... I was taking a walk, since it was dark out already, and I knew that you wouldn't approach unless something happened...."
"Try to use your familiar to demonstrate the situation, visually. A bit of practice for you at manipulating it." Hitoshi let out a bit of a sigh, as his shadow flowed out, forming a figure to represent himself.
"Well, while I was walking I was approached by..." Another figure forms, who appears to rush towards the first. "My copy?" He looks over at his twin, as though waiting. Yaku was trying to somewhat act like he wasn't involved in this, but sat up when he was addressed. "Just call me 'Yaku', okay? It seems like it's easier for people, anyway."
"Right, Yaku." The second figure tries to jump the first figure. "You attacked me for some reason-- a reason I still don't really understand, but what I did know is that I was in danger. And..." The first figure extends out a shadow, grabbing the second like a whip. "My familiar responded, grabbing you, and then--"
The second figure was quickly pulled closer, as the first figure seems to 'bite' into the second.
"... I guess I bit you? At that point, I think I sorta realized what I was doing, and I let you go." The figure gets released, dropping, but visibly dazed. A third figure appears, swooping in to grab the first. "And then you, uncle-- you went and grabbed me, since you just saw what happened." Hitoshi lets out a breath, letting the shadows melt back to himself. "... That's the gist, right?"
Sheridan smiled approvingly, in that way that made Yaku feel on-edge. "Yes, very good. Of course, Hitoshi, you understand the error that was made on your reactions, correct?"
Yaku blinked, frowning a little. An error? What error? I attacked, and he retaliated, so... But Hitoshi's words broke through Yaku's thoughts.
"It was... the fact that I bit him and drank any blood at all."
Sheridan nodded slightly. "Yes, that in itself is an issue, Hitoshi. Though usually the effects of that wear off after enough time, but in this case..." Sheridan's gaze turned to Yaku, who tensed up defensively at the stare. "Do you recall what happened, when you were bit, werewolf boy?"
Yaku bristled up, his hairs standing up slightly as they stiffened. "I'm not a 'werewolf', so stop calling me that already!"
"That isn't answering my question. Hitoshi, can you please ask him?"
Yaku was very confused at that. What difference would that make, anyway? Hitoshi cleared his throat however. "Yaku, please just answer my uncle's question..."
Yaku... made a sound like he was trying to brush it off, but responded still. "Fine, when Hitoshi here bit me, on my end, it felt like I had definitely... Lost? On some weird level that I can't describe. I think there was a strange connection for a bit there, so I knew some things that he knew, and I felt like my body was gonna collapse, before-- well, before you went and took him, and left me feeling like I was barely holding together until the girl that hijacked the math class helped me." Yaku gestured his head towards the doorway. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Sheridan smiled serenely. "Nothing, actually, but the fact that you willingly answered the question when Hitoshi asked you to do it, proved my point well enough."
Yaku bristled up again, standing up. "What the hell are you going on about, then!?"
Sheridan looked at Hitoshi again, who just simply sighed, as though resigning himself to this reality. "Yaku, please sit back down and calm down..."
Yaku... sat back down, almost obediently so, glaring at Sheridan. ... Before a thought finally came through his head. "... wait, why am I listening to you?"
Sheridan's expression turned to amusement as he clasped his hands together. "Wonderful, you're starting to catch on. To explain this..." His own shadow grew up, forming two figures-- one of which moved and "bit" the other. "Usually, in order to go through a direct feeding on another like this, the process generally puts the victim into a mildly suggestible state. This is usually a defensive measure; to make sure that the victim forgets the encounter, for example." The first figure removes itself from the other, pointing as though giving a command as the other vanishes away.
"But in some cases, we may attempt to enthrall someone to use for other means, but that practice has usually fallen out of use-- too many messy scenarios that come of doing things in a more complicated manner. But, ah..." He taps on a table near himself, thinking of how to word this. "It's possible that as a side-effect of your momentary connection, you may have... Ended up enthralling yourself to Hitoshi, boy?"
Yaku hated that condescending tone. But he had to admit... He did feel like he had to listen to and even protect Hitoshi from this obviously shady guy who says he's Hitoshi's uncle, and admittedly, he really had no reason to do it at all, but did it really mean all of that?
"... If it is the case, is there a way to reverse it?"
"Well, I certainly can't do it. But Hitoshi can-- if he knew how to even do an enthralling on purpose, in the first place." Hitoshi hung his head a bit, making a frustrated sound at the prospect of learning more vampire stuff.
"So you're saying you're not at that point yet and that I'm kinda just boned here, huh." Yaku made a similar sound to Hitoshi's-- but it had a little more of a growl to it in the back of his throat.
"Well, now, that'd be the point of me coming with back to Earth, once we get all of our matters settled." His shadow shrunk back to himself, as he walked to the door. "But don't worry. Hitoshi is a very good learner-- so long as no one tries to stop me out of a misguided inference to the situation, he'll get a handle on the theory and the way to reverse it soon enough. But until then..." He shrugged as he opened up the door. "Well, I guess Hitoshi'll just have to be careful to not say the wrong thing, that's all."
Sheridan waved a little. "Well, I have the headmaster to speak to, about all of this, so I recommend that you both try to hash out an arrangement, here, in the meantime." A silence rung through the room for a moment. "And I do mean that you should try to do it in here. Wolf or human, the other students in this school shouldn't have to deal with the temptation of fresh blood wandering around so brazenly."
With that, Sheridan left the two of them as the door snapped shut, and a level of tension unconsciously left Yaku as he eased up in the chair. Both boys sat there in silence for a while out of awkwardness, until Yaku finally spoke up after several minutes.
"... I really don't like your uncle."
"He's technically yours now too, you know."
"I claim no rights or ownership to your family, even if we share the same name."
Hitoshi couldn't help but snicker a little at that. "Well, I guess so. But I'm guessing you're not gonna be going anywhere anytime soon anyway, right?"
Yaku shrugged. "It's not like I know how I'd get back to where I was, even if it exists anymore. I sorta expected us to fuse or something, really."
"That seems like it'd have been trouble..."
"Yeah, maybe, but I'd have figured it out if I had won and it happened. Eventually." Yaku put his hands behind his head, leaning back in the chair. "But I am stuck here, I think. Not like I had a lot to miss back home, anyway. But..." He glanced over at Hitoshi. "Well, I guess this situation isn't too bad, either. But it might be whatever head magic you accidentally did to me talking, too."
"You are being remarkably calm about this whole... thing."
"It isn't like this is weird. Stuff like this just happens. It's just more annoying that you don't know how to fix it, that's all."
Hitoshi shook his head. "Well... even if you did attack me in the first place, getting you stuck in a mental state like this isn't right, either, is it?" He looked down at his hands, which were clenched in front of him tightly. He was anxious. Of course he was anxious. He didn't like this situation as a whole, he'd never asked to be here in this school, or, or--
"But I'll learn. I'll learn how to get it fixed, okay? And then... You can do whatever it is you want to end up doing after all." ... "So long as it's not trying to attack me again."
"No, don't worry, I think we know how that'd turn out, anyway." Yaku waved it off. "But I'll keep you to that word. Besides, I bet it won't take that long."
A silence entered the room again, and as the seconds rolled by, Yaku couldn't help but ask. "... it isn't gonna take that long, right?"
Hitoshi bit his lower lip slightly. "... Maybe we should talk about living arrangements, sometime. ... And maybe see if you'd like to use a different name during this, too."
"Put your name up to bet in a game, and if I lose, I'll consider it."
"Fair enough."