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Ozaki was usually rather keen to people approaching him, particularly from behind. Even considering his status as a vampire and Master Huntsman, Ozaki was very nearly just as used to being hunted as he was the hunter. But this was Eldritch Academy, in the library. If there was anywhere he felt safe, it was here. Plus, he had been rather focused on the book.

He had his head perched on his left hand, which momentarily rose to flick at his own ahoge. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” He muttered under his breath. That was the shared trait his line held? Really?

The voice behind him startled him for a moment, and he looked back to see who it was. No one he recognized. But they had taken an interest in what he was reading. Ozaki figured it was perhaps no harm that he was interested. After all it wasn’t like the man could figure out why he was researching… Oh wait.

Ozaki’s hand moved slightly in what he hoped was discrete, trying to cover the paragraph where it noted the ahoge. Only then fully focusing his attention on the crystalline eyed adonis behind him. Ozaki internally cringed at the thought. Even if what Oras was saying was fundamentally wrong on so many levels, that cocky smirk was to die for.

“I wouldn’t say that… These guys still do plenty enough damage.” Ozaki moved one of the books to reveal a small collection of newspaper articles he had printed up from online and spread them out to be better viewed. Finding them online had been easy… But he preferred having solid copies. There were tales of robberies, kidnappings and ransoms, and even a few cases of assault or murder. Though the last two were usually in retaliation for something, rather than a random happenstance.

There was one that mildly amused him. One of their more common targets was Blood banks. He could only imagine what their reactions would be if they realized he was capable of producing hundreds of liters worth of blood a week thanks to the usage of the blood devil venom Nyx had unwittingly helped add to the veritable arsenal that was his talent. 

“And they’re so easy to bribe too.” Ozaki grumbled in disgruntlement. They literally let some organizations get away with murder. Granted, that was also a matter of the right political connections. So it wasn’t just money. Ozaki was far from under the assumption that any authority figure would protect him. Such illusions had been dashed quite early on in his time as a vampire. When it came down to when it really mattered, all you had was yourself. He nodded a little in agreement to Oras’ question of people needing to learn to defend themselves. Though there was a caveat to that... if everyone knew how to defend themselves, then most everyone would know how to fight as well. Which would be great. But it would not mean you were safer if your opponent just happened to be better or more experienced than you. Vampire gang leaders spanning ages of hundreds of years tended to be vastly more experienced in combat. There will always be someone more powerful than you.

When it came to those... It was best to shoot them from a distance before they ever saw you. If you were lucky to see them before they saw you anyhow.
“Though actually... Blood’s pretty valuable. The current market value of it is $156 bucks for a pint... and that’s when you get it at wholesale value. Never mind what the cost becomes when it goes further down the supply chain.” Ozaki was an inventory manager, and he regularly kept an eye on such things. Hence why he knew the current value of it.

Though Oras was right in pointing out the gang wasn’t doing any of that stuff. Oras was taking all this with much more bravado than Ozaki himself ever could. Though again, he was thinking Oras was being a bit too cocky in regards to these guys. Ozaki could not tell what he was at a glance, but clearly he was no human. The fact he had lived for hundreds of years was a clue there. “I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I said it was just for curiosity’s sake?” He offered with a weak smile. He already knew the answer was no. He had no idea how long Oras had been standing there.

And apparently this one idiot hair could be a dead giveaway for any relation. “Well actually... that is the reason. I’m definitely not part of the gang but... Apparently I have some sort of relation to them.” He said this in quiet undertones, not simply because they were in a library. But because the mere utterance of those words was... Ozaki would really people not know that about him. But the cat was already out of the bag with Oras anyways.

“Well… Some actually believe they’re on the right side and don’t need bribing. Some are trying to support their families. Others are trying to protect them because not accepting the bribe or go along with what they want it means they’re regarded as a liability for those people.” Ozaki knew more, but he really didn’t feel like going into a whole rant about it.

At the note of blood rituals Ozaki made a mental note to himself. Whelp. No one better tell this guy that this school literally had a blood magic class. If people were getting blood packs for their rituals there was potentially little harm in it. Though sacrificial rituals were more in line with actually killing a person, rather than just using prepackaged blood. At least that was how Ozaki understood them. He hadn’t studied much on them, just heard a little here and there. Then again, if there was a class for it he supposed this guy would probably not have a problem with that. Better they know what they were doing after all.

When Oras spoke of a game he was confused for a moment. Game? Where was this talk coming in about a game? The only guess Ozaki could beg to warrant was that this man before him was taking his evasiveness as a game to be cracked. Ozaki usually got this way whenever the topic of his past was brought up. The vampire knew it was irrational, but he was a little annoyed that the man had managed to just walk up and know that so quickly. It had taken him fifteen years to find out this truth, and he got to know it within seconds of them meeting?

And then there was the fact he just went and assumed there was some scarring story behind his turning. That was absolutely dead on. And Ozaki hated it. He didn’t want people knowing that.

That was definitely a dumb reason to be angry at the man though. This man’s keen perceptions and assumptions were cutting right to the heart of the truth every time. If he tried to contest the correct assumptions this man was making it would only lead to more questions. It would be a rabbit hole of escalating lies which would be busted at the very start. There was no point. “I told you already. I’m curious.” He genuinely wasn’t lying there. He doubted that the man would be sated with just that answer though. “Who are you anyways?" He was unable to keep a bit of an edge out of his voice as he asked this. Why was this man even butting in to begin with? Who was he to just assume he had the right to the answers to these kinds of questions?

Calm down Ozaki... You're overreacting. Of course he's curious. 

Well. The pat on the back was a surprising reaction. He hadn’t even done half the list of reasons someone might go along with it. But he supposed he had covered the major ones. He knew all too well how and why the governing authorities could not generally be trusted. Being called wise was a new one for him though.

The root of his curiosity? What to respond with that? The true root of that was that Mordred was having his goons follow him, and every day they followed him they were learning more and more. They were doing it to make sure he didn’t get himself killed while going after Yuuto, but such pursuit was also doubling for them getting to know progressively more about his life.

He had moved to get away from them knowing where he lived. They found his new place. He could hide with the best of them, run faster than anyone. But doing it for weeks had been neigh impossible. To truly throw them off he would have had to have disappeared entirely, severing all ties and leaving his job. And that wasn’t something he had been willing to do.

At this point he usually did not bother throwing them off his trail. He’d gotten tired of running and hiding… Ozaki knew that their intentions were not to harm him at this point. But still… He figured he’d save his best tricks for when he actually needed them.

They knew more about him than he cared for them to. The least he could do was find out more about them. And this sire… He’d wondered for years what kind of man he was. No one, unless they were outright feral and descended to lesser status, was purely a monster. And all this time he had been chasing false leads and was left with even more pressing questions.

The proper answer would be both, though he hated to acknowledge the whole scarring backstory bit in anyway whatsoever. Even the mere mention of the words made him grimace. But such an answer would at least have him avoid going into current pressing things. “A bit of both I guess… There is more to it. But I’d rather not go into it given the personal nature.”

Ozaki, amusingly enough, was actually somewhat grateful at being asked how old he was. People assuming he was a child got real old. Not that he’d allow himself to get too frustrated about that. It was understandable. And he did have ways of rectifying that issue. He just chose not to because even with that annoyance, the alternative would be worse for him… At least in his opinion. Odds were few others would see it like he did. “I’m twenty-nine, thanks for asking."

A glacier atronach? He wondered where or who Oras’ summoner was. Not that he would ask… Though he did spare a brief glance around the library. He briefly caught a glimpse one of Mordred’s children who had been assigned to tail him today. They looked in their early twenties and could easily fit in with the college crowd. The woman was a good distance away, about 30 feet away or so flipping through a book. Though Ozaki very well knew that if he moved they would know within a moment. They were a Talented tracker, at least that was what he was assuming given how even his best attempts to shake this one rarely succeeded.

Ozaki looked back at Oras, hopefully before he traced where Ozaki had been looking a moment before. Perhaps he wouldn’t bother. Though with a guy like this he wouldn’t put it past him to notice some how. Oh right. He'd forgotten to introduce himself. "My name's Yuuki Ozaki by the way, should have mentioned that I guess after you did your name." He'd just been... Distracted. 

Oras knew exactly what he was doing. Granted… Ozaki really wasn’t that hard to read. Apparently even non-emotionally attuned people had an easy time of it. He’d never been that great of a liar. Though usually he did not so much lie so much as dodge around the truth that people had no business prying into in the start. Seemed Oras was going to let that bit go. But only for now.

When Oras said he was still going to call him kid Ozaki’s expression fell slightly. As a glacier atranoch, or really as any non-human species, thirty was a rather young age in comparison to what he might be. But still. Though technically he could not complain. Though it was annoying. If he considered him a kid there was no way anything was going to happen… Damn it all dating as an inhuman was so damn difficult. Nevermind with the added difficulty of trying to figure out if someone swung that way. To be frank Ozaki hadn’t really tried fully going… That way. His list of romantic failures with women was long enough without adding the embarrassment of reading the wrong cues and guessing wrong on orientation.

Any how! Move on and get out of your teenage hormone addled brain Ozaki. Focus.

Ozaki sighed when he was asked what his plan was now. “Frankly? Don’t think there is anything I can do with this information. Not much I can do against an organization of this size… Or even against one of them. At least I won’t be completely in the dark when dealing with them though.”

He had trained to be a hunter, his skills were nothing to sneeze at. But against those who had had centuries worth of experience over him… He was still nothing but a child in comparison to people like that. Fighting against them was hopeless and would end in nothing but failure. Or worse.

Ozaki frowned when his forehead got flicked and Oras started laughing. He didn’t think much of The Bloods. Oras was sure talking about all this quite brazenly. Ozaki could not help but be worried considering the fact he had a tail from The Bloods following him now. He didn’t want them to get the wrong impression. At this point Ozaki hadn’t really been studying for a plot to get revenge or something like that. “Keep it down.” He said in a hushed, flustered whisper. But of course if they had overheard that it was too late there.

Of course his rage towards Mordred was near constant on his mind… But again what could he do?

He spoke in a hushed whisper for his next words. “Its not like… I mean… Look. There’s only one of them in there that I give a shit about, and he’s got hundreds of years of experience on me. Even if I did manage to get a sneak attack on him… Which I have before… His gang know it was me at this point, then I’d be dead.”

He’d been defenseless as a child and he was just as hopeless as ever a couple of weeks ago when he had managed to meet Mordred again and bind him in chains. The man had gotten out and completely wrecked him after that. If Ozaki had killed him while he was out that would have been that… But even in his tainted blood state he had wanted to talk to the man who had changed his life forever and fucked it up in so many ways.

If he could get the drop on Mordred again it would be possible. But also very possible the gang would find out it was him and come for him and those he loved next. The Bloods did have a terrible track recorded when it came to the death of one of their own. Usually Mordred led the charge there… But if Mordred was gone things would be considerably uglier. They’d know it was him from his first failed attempt, even if he managed to cover his tracks some how, they’d probably jump the gun and then… Well then it’d be over.