pricelesstears | @shidareume.

Jouno knows the area well, but there is one building that has always been off limits. It's well-protected by human standards, and though Jouno has been curious, it wasn't on his turf so he'd never fully explored it. It might have continued to remain untouched were it not for the kitsune's boredom setting in. That was the problem with eternal life -- after a while, one ran out of things to do.

Breaking in was easy considering kitsune were masters of illusion. Jouno sneaked in without problem, taking in the clean, anti-septic scent of the place. Various machines beeped and buzzed to life, an uncomfortable cacophony of noises as far as Jouno was concerned. All in all, it seemed pretty standard as far as human science went -- it was a subject that Jouno wasn't particularly versed in.

It's the heart beat, quiet and steady, but alone that truly catches his attention. More so, the fact that it seems to be behind several locked (now very broken) doors. There are metal bars around the person who holds it, cool to the touch of the kitsune's hands. They, too, could be easily broken if he so decides to.

"And who might you be?" Jouno practically purrs, head cocked to the side as he considers the person behind bars. "To be so locked up like this?"

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Tetchō isn't used to visitors. The only people who come to see him are the scientists, and visits from them usually mean a bad time. Still, he's given up fighting it, so when another figure appears, he's more or less resigned to it.

Until he realizes... it's not one of the familiar faces. No, he thinks he'd remember someone who looks like this, the cunning curve of his eyes and his mouth. For a moment, Tetchō pulse rises - he can't tell if this is good, or bad.

Well, he's already faced the bad. What could be worse?

"If you don't know who I am, then you aren't allowed to be here." Tetchō doesn't answer, because who he is is no longer important. How did this person get in, if he's asking a question like that?

...Then again, he couldn't care less if this person is or isn't allowed in the highly-secured lab. It means nothing to him, after all.

"I'm allowed to be anywhere I please," Jouno corrects, fox ears flicking backwards in annoyance. He certainly wasn't going to allow some humans to stop him from going wherever he wanted. If he got caught -- which he wouldn't, considering he'd hear them coming -- he'd slaughter them before they had a chance to do anything about it.

He could slaughter this man, too, but something stops him. With a sharp nail, Jouno scrapes it along a metal bar, listening to the uncomfortable screech that follows.

"How cruel though. Experimenting on their own kind..." That must be what this is, considering the state of the research facility. Jouno tilts his head to the side, an almost curious expression on his features. He isn't much for science -- not when he has all of magic at his fingertips -- but he can't help but be a little curious as to what the humans were trying to do.

"You seem resigned to this," he notes, considering the other hasn't asked for help even once.

Ah, the ears... Well, Tetchō doesn't question it. It's none of his business, and he doesn't have the desire to care. This is insignificant in the grand scheme of things; it isn't as though it changes anything, this strange visitor. Tetchō doesn't react to the sound of nail on metal, simply staring back at the man on the other side of the bars.

He calls this cruel, which perhaps it is, but that doesn't mean he is here to be on Tetchō's side. No, there have been scientists who acted as though they were friendly, all in the name of results, or some twisted enjoyment of getting his hopes up that maybe this time would be different.

Is he resigned?

"There's nothing else for me to be." Tetchō had fought it, and it hadn't worked. He'd been hostile, and that had only made things worse for him. Now, he simply accepts it, and while it doesn't make the experiments or procedures pleasant, they do seem to enjoy the reactions -- or lack thereof -- less.

It doesn't even cross his mind that this odd person would help him.

Breaking people down is Jouno’s specialty. He enjoys the desperate struggle as people try to fight against it, try to keep their spirits in tact, only to realize that it’s futile in the end. It’s rare that he runs across a toy that has already been broken. Normally, he’d discard it, thinking them useless, but something keeps him from doing so immediately.

Perhaps it’s the circumstances. He’s never come across someone in the situation that this man is in before. It’s fascinating, and Jouno finds himself slightly taken with the scientists — people who had been trying, in theory, to build something up, only to have it break down uselessly instead. Or was this the result they were after?

Jouno is curious. He wants to know what happened and why, wants the story of this man breaking for himself. Licking his lips, he taps a nail on the metal bar before he makes a decision. Wrapping his hand around one of the bars, Jouno uses his supernatural strength to bend it. The screech of metal bending is loud, but he’s unconcerned. Any scientists that find them, Jouno will just slaughter with ease.

“Come with me. I can rescue you from this place.”

There is nothing noble about Jouno’s intentions. Instead, he simply wants to bat at this broken thing for a while until he tires of it.

Before now, this would have been an opportunity Tetchō jumped at. An offer to escape, something he had been trying to manage over and over again with varying levels of success. Never outright success, but some times he managed to get further than others.

But now? No, he doesn't believe it. Even when the bar bends right in front of his eyes, it feels like a trick. Another way to test him, another experiment. If he leaves, perhaps he'll be punished. Perhaps they simply want to see how far he'll get.

"No." Even he is surprised to hear himself say it. Was this their intention all along? "I don't think you're telling the truth."

He has tried countless times. This time will be no different.

It’s not the answer that Jouno expects. “No?” he repeats, as if he’d heard incorrectly. His hearing, however, is flawless — this man had definitely told him no. Two pointed fox ears flatten on his head in annoyance.

“What do you mean no?” he asks, scowl taking over his usual smile. “What reason do I have to lie to you?” Jouno could understand being suspicious of the scientists, but he was nothing like them — at least, not in any way that this man would know to be wary of.

“Humans are so frustrating.” As fascinated with them as Jouno was, he also despised humanity. They never seemed to make sense. Why would this man pass down a chance at freedom? No— it made sense if he thought about it. He was that far broken, but…

Jouno twists another bar, this time more out of frustration than wanting to be helpful. “You’re a fool if you don’t at least try to escape. I can kill anyone who gets in our way.” As if to prove a point, Jouno holds up a hand, sharp claws evident on his fingertips.

@shidareume.

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