Author's Note:Hello lads and ladies
Tonight is the Season 2 Beastars Voice actor Panel. I'm pretty hyped on seeing the replay of that on Sunday.
Well beside that bit of news I can say that I am fine, but I am haunted by reoccurring moments of feeling repetitive and downright shitty when writing this fic. I feel like I give one character too much attention, and then I feel like I give other characters no attention at all. It's a mish mash of me feeling like I am useless which is in line with my depression and deeply nestled way of thinking that I am truly worthless and that there is nothing about me to love. So I hope that you enjoy the chapter and don't see that kind of attitude seep through the writing, I don't my rain to darkening your day.
Editor: SuperAverageFoxyboy
Enjoy!
-Portal
Chapter 18: Emotions color the Succubus's ship.
Haru didn't feel good today. The start of Cherryton's segregation couldn't have gone more disorderly. The horrible management of the school board made the entire day feel like a wasted mess.
The wake-up call was moved for the herbivores and carnivores, that they left in two separate groups. The fact that it wasn't monitored by any authority explained perfectly well how much rules would be kept upon. Multiple herbivore students waited for their carnivore friends, including Haru, who waited patiently by the club building for Legosi and Juno.
The two wolves' occupation of the gardening shack had taken a full two weeks already, and so far, no one had even bothered to report them as not present during nighttime.
Classes were under teacher supervision, which made classes the most evenly split time of the day. The seminar rooms were in use in two different shifts, herbivore teachers for herbivore students in the first, and carnivore teachers with carnivore students in the second.
Lunch was an even bigger catastrophe for the whole segregation mess that the school board had thrown into their laps to deal with. Nobody listened to the rules in that time, and even with Strightman and teachers walking rounds around the cafeteria, the elected chaperons were quick to give up as they realized how no one wanted any of this and would often ignore the guidelines even with punishment for willingly breaking the rules.
To top the whole stress of mismanagement off, Haru had woken up with nausea and stomach cramps that made her spend most of the day outside of classes in the bathroom. She even happened to walk past Mizuchi, who simply raised her nose at her as she passed by but did nothing else. Since Louis was around, the bullies thought it was wiser to leave her alone. It was something Haru was certainly grateful for.
Now, after a day of pure hell, she had taken a few stomach cleansers and digestive enzymes to cure her of the bug she's been suffering from. She sat on the bench outside wrapped in a jacket and wearing stalkings The weather was growing colder and the longest skirts of the school uniforms still only reached a bit lower than her knees.
A shadow moved in front of her eyelids. She opened them to see a reddish-brown and cream-colored face looking at her with concentrated awareness, observing her features.
"You look horrible, Haru," Juno said, moving in closer. Instead of reacting with her usual rejection of help, she accepted the warm hands of the wolfess gladly. She snickered weakly.
"I know. I just have a stomach bug." She knew that was a lie and sighed. "Who am I kidding. Rabbits react very strongly to too much emotion. And this segregation business isn't doing a very well job in calming any of us down, or keeping us safe…"
She looked down a bit, the Wolfess was kneeling before her.
"You're awfully cold. Let's get you inside." Haru was about to protest when she started to realize how nice the warm hands of the wolf felt around her. She stood up and followed her inside like a child might follow their parent after an eventful winter's day, riding their sled in the snow.
The warmth of the shack was wonderful. It quickly ran through the many layers and nestled itself into her core, which was freezing.
"T-T-T-Thank Y-Y-Y-You." Her jaw was shaking as the sudden temperature change hurt her cold skin. Juno only laughed.
"Don't you start stuttering, too. That's Legosi's thing." Haru smiled as Juno closed the door. She went over to the sink and poured some water into an electric kettle and began to heat it up
"I'll give you some tea for warmth and for calming down, Haru. Why don't you take your shoes off and go lay down on the bed? There's an extra blanket at the foot end."
Haru took her shoes off and planted her jacket on top of them. She crawled into the bed and spotted the extra fluffy blanket at the bottom. She nestled herself into it and pretended for a moment to be at home. She closed her eyes and could almost swear to hear her brothers walking through the hallway outside her room, playing some game. She heard her mother ascending the steps as she brought up hot chocolate in the cold. And then she smelled the very strong aroma of wolf in her nose which made her open her eyes again.
The shack now utterly smelt like carnivore. To her surprise, it was a smell she didn't recognize as bad, but more something new she hadn't smelled a lot. She was happy that Juno and Legosi liked it here. It was a nice little shack, and she was glad she could lend it in a time of need for the two. As if the thought of her summoned her, Juno came back with a small herbivore cup, smiling at the rabbit.
"I found it in the cupboards beside a few other herbivore-sized items. Here, take a few big sips." Haru found the tea to work wonders in her. As it traveled down her throat, she already felt a lot more satisfied than before, the cramping pains releasing slowly. The combined forces of tea and medication were starting to ambush the irritation of her bowels.
"Why are you dogs always so friendly?" She asked in a pause between sips. Juno's laugh resounded into the rabbit's ear.
"It's an instinct to us, Haru. When friends are in need we just have to help… We just have to." The she-wolf explained, sitting down on the bed. Haru noticed the she-wolf's tail noticeably wag when she drank more of her tea.
"And how are you, Juno?"
"Oh, me?" She looked down as she smiled, the excitement flushing through her features.
"A lot better ever since Legosi is going to therapy. His nightmares are finally starting to ease up now. I'm just grateful that he's getting better." She truly did look grateful. In a sense, she looked at ease. At least some of us are doing ok. That's a start.Haru was thankful.
Juno looked back at the rabbit. "And how are you and Louis doing?"
A thunderous cramp of pain rocked through her stomach, forcing her to draw a hand to it and curving into a semi-ball. She moaned in pain. Juno knelt in front of the bed, observing her with alert.
"Are you ok?" She asked worriedly. Haru shook her head as the pain still bit deeply into her insides. She breathed out through her mouth as the pain released and let her lean back against the pillow and the bedpost. She exhaled with exhaustion while the remaining pain stopped for a few seconds before resuming in a muted hum. The medication was just starting to work, she assumed.
"I'm alright… just a cramp." she breathed out and recovered from the pain. She breathed normally now, shifting uncomfortably into another position, hoping it would ease up the tension in her abdomen.
"Louis is ok, I think… This whole matter plus the thing with his father is stressing him out." Juno cocked her head.
"His father? What's wrong with his father." Haru smiled. Dogs all are a bit naive, aren't they?
"Oguma is not approving of our relationship… Louis is promised to someone else. A whole arranged marriage for business type of ordeal. And he's fighting for me." Haru felt ridiculous saying it that way. As if she was some fair maiden that had to be rescued from a dragon by a handsome prince. But sometimes, life did imitate art, and the relationship between her and Louis truly did seem to be quite peculiarly close to the fantasy image of a relationship. It was funny but mostly ridiculous.
"I didn't know. Louis never told me about that." Haru smiled again.
"I don't think he really does tell a lot of people. He's usually private about that matter. But it's been on his mind without end. And then he also has to worry and manage this mess which doesn't get better… I think anyone would be stressed, but people expect him to be perfect all the time." Haru lamented.
Juno looked on with sympathy.
"Sounds like you two got a lot of problems to handle," said Juno. Haru began to laugh but broke off halfway.
"There are others with a worse situation than us… Right now, I'll just drink my tea and hope this cramp finally eases up!" Haru threw her fist onto a pillow, gritting her teeth as the pain stayed with indifference. A few drops of tea landed on the blanket.
"Easy now." Juno's hand landed on the blanket. It seemed like a magic touch, the pain easing up as it touched the blanket. Haru eased back onto the mattress in relief. Juno lead the hand holding the cup back to her mouth with a gentle touch. After Haru finished drinking, the she-wolf went for a refill.
"For now, you'll stay right here and warm up. I'll take care of the garden for you." Haru answered in an agreeing hum as she melted more into the bed.
"If you need anything, call me, ok? I'll be outside." Juno called out, but Haru had already fallen asleep. Juno smiled and went outside into a temperature she thought to be just fine.
Louis stared at the papers in front of him. The number of letters he had to read the last few weeks had now grown beyond humorous. The school's dreadful level of incompetency had put him at the top of the list when it came to who was in charge. He single-handedly had to take care of club inquiries that normally an entire team took care of.
The newspaper in the morning had put an entire column of workers out of commission, suffering nervous breakdowns in the light of the new tensions that rose to a high the city hadn't seen in close to fifty years. And Louis apparently had to take care of it all.
He sighed and sunk his face into his palms, holding his head for a minute. He had never in his entire life thought about doing what he was gonna do now. It was simply too much work. He had leaned into it full force, concentrating and filing away for the entire day.
After almost an entire day of work, he had finished only half the mountain, but then an extra workload arrived, making his work for the day essentially obsolete.
He rose and staggered to the mirror. His legs were stiff and cramped from sitting for nearly six hours. He looked into the mirror to see his fur looking rough in his face and his eyes sunken and bloodshot in irritation. He took a brush and combed his hair, and applied cream to under his eyes. Even if one didn't take the right care for oneself, it was beneficial to make the impression as if one was doing just that. Giving himself a final look over, he was of the opinion that he didn't look half bad.
He grabbed his vest, buttoned it close, and put on his jacket, straightening his loose tie on the last examination in the mirror. He kicked his legs into the air, regaining feel as the cramps started to subside slowly but surely. His calf would keep hurting for at least another ten minutes. And afterward, he made his way outside towards the admin block.
The hallway to Gon's office was outfitted with light blue flooring that reminded Louis of the clear sky. Now it reminded him of the horrid tasting blue frosting on the store-bought cupcakes the school administration sent their most valued students and employees every half year. Louis had never eaten a single one.
"Principal Gon?" Louis asked through the door, the tapping of keyboard keys being the only noise from beyond the door.
"Principal Gon!" He knocked louder this time. A quiet but understandable hum of acknowledgment sounded through. Louis entered the room in a walk that was only half the eagerness he usually sported. It was a sleeping shuffle that dragged legs across the floor.
Gon was focused on his computer, his eyes showing an even redder color than Louis's, which delighted a deeply buried savage part of the red deer, happy to know that Gon was suffering his own punishment for his mistakes.
"Principal?" Gon turned towards him with a hunched head. He looked irritated and about done with his entire day. And as well as that, he looked exhausted. Louis felt the hatred from a few days prior swell up into his head. Someone as incompetent as you has no right to look tired or overworked. You have no idea what actual work is, old man.
"What is it, Louis?" He asked in a barely present monotone voice of deep exhaustion. Louis sighed.
"I can't do this." Gon jerked as if he had just woken up, reacting to Louis's words as if it was a punch to the face.
"Wha-… What? What do you mean?" He took off his glasses and observed the deer in confusion. Louis felt another spark of sadistic hatred.
"I'm done with this. I've worked an entire day, and I just can't… This is work for professionals, not for a student like me…" Gon looked at him in disbelief at what he just heard.
"But-… Oguma said-" A groan of agony left Louis, clenching his fist and shutting his eyes. He let go, though the tension not leaving his body completely.
"What my father says is of no concern to me. I just cannot do the work you ask of me. This is work for Admin. And I am in no way the Administration. Not in the slightest."
Gon looked at him full of shock. He held a hand to his eyes and leaned backward, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. He let out the laugh of someone at the edge of losing their sanity. When his face was visible again he held an expression an adult has when feeling sympathy for a child that still has to learn how the world works.
"Ok. I know, I'm sorry. Your shift is over. You can continue-"
"No… Listen to me. I'm done." He spoke his words deliberately and with concentration. Gon looked at him with confusion.
"That's frankly not how it works-"
"Can you listen to me for once?" Louis snapped, Gon recoiling with minimal movement.
"I. am. Done. With. This. I believe it was you who said the school board shouldn't put too much trust onto one teenager who is still busy with enjoying their youth. I played ball with your parameters and requirements for so long, and now I pull the stop line… I do not deserve to do this work, I did not devour these students, and I did not torture those carnivores." Louis's tone was louder now, Gon looking at him with confusion and then smiled… Smiling now?… When will you listen?
"I don't know where you get the expression from that's it punishment-"
"I don't know where you get the expression that I am qualified for this." Louis almost shouted now, his voice cracking a few times.
"Principal, I am done. I am gonna go to bed, you can sort the work out yourself… Hire someone or call someone in, but I can't." Louis turned around and staggered back towards the door. He heard Gon protesting behind him.
"You said you'd take responsibility."
Louis stopped in his tracks just as his hand closed around the door handle. For a few fleeting moments, time seemed to pass by as thickly as honey, taking an eternity for a single second. Louis heard his own heartbeat quick in his ears. He turned around, the anger now in his eyes as he walked towards the desk.
"I promised to take care of the Drama Club," he said, pointing his thumb at himself.
"I have delivered on that promise for a perfect record of three years. Three years that I have spent helping with and ironing out flaws that have risen in your system." He sprang his finger and Gon.
"I have over-delivered with no rewards or big thank-yous or anything of that matter. I simply kept my mouth shut and worked, worked, worked!"
Gon recoiled as Louis leaned over the table.
"And now I see you screw up everything in this school, from your night guard being absolutely useless, to your management in the killer situation, to defending your own school in front of the UAB. Where have you been while students were eaten in the halls, one by one? Where were you?" Gon began to sweat trying to get a word out, but only uttering gibberish instead.
"I have over-delivered, and you have under-delivered. Does it seem fair to now make me work my ass off for yourmistakes!?" Gon was now pressed against his chair, grabbing for any word at all, not reaching a single one.
"I've been out there, every day for my club. For my fans, as stupid as that may sound… For the students of the school that I love. And I say that I shouldn't have to iron out all your mistakes anymore. I have done more work for you than you've done for yourself." Louis began to laugh in the same way as someone that had just lost their sanity. "I had to announce this whole segregation bullshit to the students when instead, it should have been you. Because you hid behind your mighty desk while sending me out to do the groundwork. And now I say, do it yourself. I'm done."
Louis quickly returned to the door, hearing the voice behind him rise up in protest. It was a rather pathetic waver in comparison to the usual loud voice of the carnivore Principal.
"L-L-Louis!"
"No!" Louis slammed the door shut and left towards his dorm.
When he arrived, he immediately dropped into bed, still in his uniform. In less than a minute, he was completely passed out. He dreamed of shadows with antlers and rabbits in white dresses.
Gouhin heaved the patient onto his shoulders, glancing at Bill who was already carrying two limber bodies stacked on his own shoulders.
"Good work, Bill. Let's go."
The two had made an excellent team in his trial period. He was determined, eager, and effective. The passion in the tiger was only rivaled by the passion that Gouhin had shown in his own youth. Although much later than Bill anyhow.
The captures per night doubled, Gouhin could finish the capturing phase much earlier and progress to therapy. And Bill was left to train to his own devices in the back end of the clinic.
Gouhin had even started to train him in using a firearm. How to aim a rifle and how to handle smaller caliber hand-guns for self-defense.
Bill asked for it, and the reason for it did not pass by Gouhin. He hadn't come around to talking about the fight yet. Bill was getting ahead quicker and quicker. His times of arrival increased as his morning round seemed to pay off more and more. And his personal records in workouts seemed to improve as well.
He rarely ate any meat and used it only for bursts in his training, refraining from the personal enjoyment completely, which Gouhin did not expect.
Gouhin knew that soon enough, not a few days into the future, he would give him the employee register. And he would apply for Bill to get a wage for his work. It filled him with paternal pride. A feeling he found to be bizarre yet welcome in its lovely ease, taking him up on its wings.
Thunder cracked in the sky, the gray clouds having flown in incredibly quickly at sunset.
"The air feels damp. Gonna be raining soon." Bill said, his voice quieter as he was turned away from Gouhin.
"You're right about that." The panda agreed, walking further with the weight on his shoulders.
They walked on for another few minutes before the rain started to fall in buckets. Lightning struck somewhere in the distance, light brightening up the darkness like the flash from a camera. They rounded the corner, running through the rain as they saw the front lights of the clinic obscured by a lengthy limber shadow standing in the court.
Bill stood still, glancing at the shadow, feeling his fists cramp together instinctively.
"Who are you?" The shadow was quick to grab into his pocket as Gouhin came up to Bill's side. He presented his wallet with a shining gold badge inside.
"Relax, Bill. That's friendly." Gouhin walked up through the rain towards the clinic, Bill following with hesitation.
"Let us lock these up, and then we'll come to you," Gouhin said to the stranger as he opened the door. Bill passed him by to see in the light that it was a cheetah in civilian clothing. He looked calm yet worked up. There was definitely something on his mind.
Bill and Gouhin planted the three patients in the solitary cells. Bill locked the last door as Gouhin wrote down their information on a chart in his clipboard. A cigarette was illuminating his face dimly.
"Good work." He spoke through gritted teeth, and Bill nodded.
Gouhin stored the clipboard under his arm and walked forward back down the hallway into the lit part of the clinic.
"Strightman. What's the reason for this visit." Gouhin stated more matter-of-factly than as an inquiry. Strightman glanced at Bill.
"Sorry to say, but could we discuss this privately?"
Gouhin's friendly demeanor disappeared with a crack of thunder outside. He didn't look away from Strightman when he spoke to Bill.
"Bill, would you brew us some tea? We'll be in my office." The two adults entered Gouhin's office and left Bill to his thoughts. Most predominantly being what a policeman would have to report to Gouhin.
Inside the office, Strightman sat down and sighed. He looked exhausted and yet alert. Done with life but prepared for anything else it could throw his way.
"What's going on?" Gouhin asked. Strightman grabbed into his jacket and pulled out the newspaper, and plopped it in front of Gouhin. A period of absolute silence ensued as Gouhin read the article and began to draw conclusions as to what Strightman was worried about.
"How is the precinct looking?" Asked Gouhin. Strightman gave a laugh of no humor but of absurd release.
"A total breakdown." He singled out every syllable and spoke it individually.
"The chief is beyond mad. He's livid. The press is… doing what the press does. All the different headlines of the last weeks feel like they were premonitions instead of just plain shoddy fear-mongering. And it's only getting worse… We fear we might face riots on the streets if we don't post a statement soon… But the worst thing is what the chief wants to do about it. He's starting internal investigations. He wants to find out who leaked the info."
He gave a small pause. Gouhin understood what he was getting on.
"You're saying that you're not gonna be able to meet me for a while?"
Strightman nodded.
"Not in uniform, and I wouldn't want to take the chances of even meeting us in civil clothes. They are already starting to monitor officers. I was one of the watchmen last shift…" He took another pause, but this one wasn't filled with understanding. It was filled with tension and alert from the cheetah.
"Things are getting really bad, doctor." He stated matter of factly, and Gouhin listened intently. Strightman was always straight to the point and honest.
"Phones are constantly ringing, talk of trouble from the upper management, and assault and even murder cases are flooding our tables in the bullpen… And this..." He pointed to the newspaper.
"...It looks like mafia work to me. And I'm not gonna rule out that these carnivores are also guilty in some form… but… I think it would have been better if they were dead. Not mutilated and disfigured like that… This is most likely only the beginning."
Gouhin knew the call he had to make. He knew he had to make it, and he hated the uncertainty of how Tokugawa would react. But he knew that this was a method his boss loved. Because it kept them alive and taught them a lesson. Gouhin sighed.
"I couldn't tell you anything about it. Even if I did know, I couldn't tell you. You know that… But I'll call around and see what I can find out. My boss holds a high position. He might find something out."
Strightman looked at him with the same gratefulness he had so often when talking to the panda. Such a wise and helpful partner to have in investigations.
"Thank you, Doctor."
Gouhin merely waved off his thanks.
"I'll do what I can. Nothing is guaranteed. I just want to know if you guys made any progress in the murder case." Gouhin was disappointed to see Strightman shake his head.
"Any information in that would help me immensely," Gouhin continued. "The tiger outside is trying to do everything he can to find out who the killer is… He sees it as a personal thing. He says he wants to be the one to take him out. 'Exact revenge for his friends' if you will."
Strightman eyed the panda dubiously at this statement. Another one of these weird out-of-character moments that seemed to have flared up since the start of summer.
"I didn't know you had interns in your field. Where can I apply?" Strightman joked. Gouhin looked back at him unimpressed.
"Very funny. Well, I understand your problems with your occupation. I think we might handle it discreetly with this." He slid over a business card for his clinic. The lower case subtitle stated [Therapy, Intense Care and Meat Addiction Treatment].
"I understand, Officer Strightman, that your stressful work life is putting you on edge. We all sometimes need a little help, and it's perfectly fine to allow ourselves to be weak sometimes. If you'd like, please call the number between the hours stated on the card, that we might talk about scheduling you a first session with me."
Strightman couldn't help but smile at how seamlessly Gouhin had slipped into the doctor talk. It was a good cover story, he had to give him that.
"Thank you, Doctor Gouhin. I'll be looking forward to that, then. I want to applaud you for your professionalism in the matter." They stood up and shook hands.
The two promptly left the room, and Gouhin waved the cheetah goodbye.
"Don't forget to call. We'll schedule something soon." Gouhin thought that it wouldn't be long until they would delve even into the private matters of his life if they didn't already. A sudden idea struck Gouhin. Why not make a habit of this. Normal cases in the day, meat addiction in the night. I could extend the clinic and with the help from Tokugawa, get an office in the city center, as well as another clinic license. I can hire help in both places and expand my work effectively and-
"Who was that?" Bill asked him. Gouhin stared back for a second.
"You didn't bring the tea."
"The stove wasn't turning on."
Gouhin sighed.
"He's just an old friend suffering work-life stress. He's pulling in a favor that I owe him a long time back. I'll give him therapy sessions…"
Bill didn't look like he believed him, and Gouhin really didn't care. Bill had to be grateful for the fact that Gouhin even allowed him to work in the clinic, after all.
"Are you ready to go bring in some more patients? I'm pretty sure Mister Kurt should be awake by now." Bill awoke from his suspicion.
"Of course, Gouhin." The panda grabbed the long handlebars. Long reinforced bars of easy-to-handle metal with leather handles, neck wide rope hoops at each end. He threw one to Bill, who caught it with ease.
"Well then. Let's Go."