"Good grief, must they constantly produce such an infernal racket?" mutters the tall man, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. Dexterous fingers fold a filter paper into a cone and place it into a small glass funnel. Raised voices from downstairs float up to the laboratory, loud enough to disturb even a cloth-eared mortal; fortunately, the second-eldest Sakamaki is possessed of preternatural concentration as well as a vampire's hyperacute hearing. Reiji's train of thought is not easily derailed, and the tincture he's filtering takes no hurt from this minor distraction. Steadily he pours the liquid into the funnel, leaving the macerated plant matter behind in its beaker.
Most of the din originates with his half-brother, of course. The eldest triplet is at full bore, with the Komori girl struggling hopelessly to get a word in edgeways. Her soft voice is raised in desperation, shaky with tears.
"But I didn't want them to do it! They – "
"Don't give me that! I've seen the way you walk around school, flaunting yourself to every man in the place! And you're even worse at home!"
"Ayato-kun, please, it's not true – "
"Come here! I'll show you who you belong to, Chichinashi!"
"Tch. Such a dog-and-pony show," mutters Reiji.
This is Ayato and Laito's preferred tactic: attack the girl's sexual mores. To hear them tell it, the shy, flat-chested creature is sashaying round the Academy like Mae West. Not a day goes by without one or both of them accusing her of some secret goatishness; as if that excuses Ayato's rough jealousy, Laito's predatory lust, their shared appetite for violence and pain.
Subaru, bless his heart, doesn't even offer that much sophistication. He believes it's enough to act out against inanimate objects in the girl's vicinity and wait for her to 'do the math', as popular idiom has it.
Kanato… In truth, Reiji isn't entirely certain that Kanato has sufficient theory of mind to engage in deliberate head games. Just the same, his mood swings keep the bewildered girl trapped between maternal compassion for the tearful young boy and raw terror of the furious man.
And then there's Shuu. "That good-for-nothing…" Reiji mutters, bitterly recalling the scene in the games room. The fresh marks on Yui's neck. Winning her over with his aloof big-brother act, affecting some sort of concern, then turning on her… "Spineless coward."
Variations on a theme. Blame the victim, use any and every excuse to go on the attack. Keep her off balance with arbitrary rewards and moments of respite. Above all, keep her scared. Don't give her time to think. The script is worn to a greasy transparency, the tactics are desperately cheap – yet so very effective. They'll work on most people, given the right circumstances. Devastating when deployed against a frightened, lonely young woman, hardly more than a child...
It's not that Reiji is above using the same sleights himself. He isn't; the stakes they're playing for are so much higher than the well-being of one mortal. Never mind abstract concepts of "fairness" or "justice": for the sake of their dynasty, let alone his own ambitions, she needs to be kept utterly compliant. Her will must be suppressed so completely that she no longer even thinks of running away, of defying him. In point of fact, her own life may depend upon it. (Even if she were released tomorrow, it's doubtful that Seiji and that crew would give the Sakamakis' plaything a hero's welcome. Although he's toyed with the possibility of Yui dying like Beatrix, Reiji no longer finds the idea to his taste. It would, he has decided, be unaesthetic.)
And so he too has been running through that same tattered script, playing a role that's only superficially different to his brothers', although perhaps with more finesse. Reiji's preferred targets are the girl's intelligence and social graces. In truth his victim is neither offensively stupid or especially ill-bred, but that's beside the point. Reiji could make the Queen of England feel like a jammy-faced toddler. In her baseline state of gnawing terror, it's all too easy to set Yui up for a fall: put a cheap teacup into her trembling hands and glare as she inevitably drops it, give her a meaning look and watch as she trips over her own feet to get away…
So, yes: much the same tricks. The difference is that they're not the only ones Reiji has up his sleeve. His brothers' arsenals, such as they are, will soon be exhausted. Eventually she'll stop flinching when Subaru punches the wall, stop apologizing to Ayato for imaginary indiscretions, and stare straight through Laito when he tries to rattle her with sleaze. Eventually, too, she'll begin politely declining Reiji's own offers of deportment lessons and tea. But the fun won't be over then, not for him. No, that will be when the games can truly begin.
Downstairs, Ayato is closing the deal. His voice rises in both volume and pitch as he gears up for the inevitable attack. Reiji feels an unaccustomed pang somewhere in his chest; it takes him a long moment before he's able to identify the feeling. Pity, perhaps? The Komori girl is still attempting to placate the arrogant brat, to be conciliatory – even now, even after all the things that have been done to her, is she trying to be kind..?
A part of him almost wants to intervene: to stride into the room, subdue his half-brother, comfort Yui; to tell her that of course she didn't deserve this – not Ayato's accusations, not the attack that prompted them, not the life she's been hurled into. He ignores the impulse resolutely, forcing the traitorous thoughts to the back of his mind before they can even take shape. That kind of weakness has no place in his world. She's a vessel. Prey. Nothing more.
In the entrance hall Komori's voice rises to a panicked shriek, then falls suddenly to a faint moan. Reiji stiffens. Damn the boy! Propriety aside, if Ayato drains her and leaves her fainting in the entrance hall, she'll be easy prey for the four other hungry vampires haunting the mansion. But a second later he hears a dismissive curse from Ayato and the sound of Yui running to her room. The door is closed, not slammed, although the bolt is driven firmly into place. She still seems to imagine that this could keep them out. Endearing.
Somewhat later, there's a murmured "Hallo, Bitch-Chan..!" and a startled squeal from down the hall. Reiji nods absently. In a few minutes, he will go along and interrupt whatever Laito's doing. His tincture is ready, and perhaps Yui-san will be in the mood for some tea…
Reiji smiles.