"If These Walls Could Talk" [Open Thread; Sage Only]

As always, life was being a major pain in the butt. Sharaku was still somewhat apprehensive about the overly green decor of the dorms he was staying at, which was why he could currently be found randomly pacing around outside with a book in his hand. Whether studying on feet was a good idea or not was honestly irrelevant to him, because at the given moment, all he wanted was to get out of those stuffy green rooms for at least a brief while. The fact that he could do a bit of 'learning' alongside that was only an extra positive point considering the circumstances. On top of it all, it was way less likely someone would bother him when he was staring into an open book. Nearly about as effective as having headphones stuck in your ears, really. It did however fall short on helping him not notice things. Such as moderately noisy students fawning over some squirrel at the bench he was casually passing by. Well...he could admit that small animals were cute, but he kind of just felt sorry for the poor creature. It really sucks to be treated as some exhibit. Nevertheless, he would simply sigh to himself as he couldn't be bothered to do much besides casting them a brief glance and contemplating his annoyance over the matter.

Or, that's what he was initially doing, until a different voice brought him out of his musing. Having been slightly focused on that scenery, he hadn't noticed the other people passing by just like him, until he caught the commentary being given. Normally, he wouldn't care, but in this case, the choice of words did happen to catch some of his interest. Blinking away from the pages of his book, he'd turn his head towards whoever it was that spoke up, giving them a somewhat inquisitive glance. "I think the amount of stupidity would cause you to die before you could categorize everyone.", the pale gray skinned tall young man would comment dryly at first, before shaking his head slightly. "Are you new here?" Might as well ask since he went out of his way to open his mouth...

The reaction the white haired guy would get would be one of a blank look for a brief moment, before the golden-eyed young man was raising an eyebrow at the situation. He definitely couldn't say he got this type of a response to his words every day, that was for sure. Did it bother him though....? Well, he did like to roll his eyes at people with a holier than thou attitude for sure, but at the same time, he kind of couldn't care less, because let's face it...it was in a way a waste of his free time. It's hard to change the mind of people who think that way, and as far as he was aware, there was nothing in it for him anyway, even if he were to try and somehow succeed. "How tragic. It must be a lonely life to believe that everyone around you is dumb. Although I cannot deny that a lot of the population is less bright than it could be. It does take less effort after all." Then again, trying to sound like you're smart doesn't necessarily mean you are either. Frankly, Sharaku took people who boasted about their status in any way or form with a grain of salt. Talking about being superior is very different from actually being worthy of being called so, and he certainly didn't like to dump the two into the same category.

Snapping his book closed, the tall young man would snort at the overly snarky response he received to his question. "My bad, I thought it was more polite to ask. You've certainly got your tongue skills perfected, although you might benefit from some brushing up on your etiquette." Technically, he didn't truly care whether the guy was new or not for real, but making meaningless small talk was not one of his strengths in the first place, so he just did whatever he could in the moment. He'd offer a nonchalant shrug. "I mean, would you rather I ask about what you're going to have for dinner today? It is a less obvious question given the situation, assuming that fits your tastes better." He doubted it did, but that wouldn't stop him from saying it.

He'd give the guy a few blinks. Okay, he had certainly been right about the attitude thing. This one had a lot of it without a doubt. Nevertheless, he was not particularly impressed. When was he, even? "Eh. You sure speak boldly when it comes to gauging people's intelligence and the like. Is your world Smarty Pants Incarnate or something? Because as far as I know, there's generally both smart and dumb people in every world. Thus it is inaccurate to simply claim that you're better than everyone of this world by default. You can't know that." Wouldn't it be damn great to intuitively know just how you compared to the entire world? Probably. It'd make life even more boring however. Sometimes it's better to not know. "I'm afraid my answer to that is no though. I don't care about who's an elder or not. That doesn't make you smart. There are plenty people in charge who don't deserve a speck of respect in reality. I don't think it's 'wise' to follow blindly based on that alone. A wise man knows how to evaluate their company and make the right choice by using their own brain.", he'd add in a sort of a deadpan. Truth to be told, he didn't really understand the people who clambered to listen to others just because they were supposedly smarter based on age, or some rank. These days, you could get to those places through BS if you were lucky enough.

"Ha?", he'd actually laugh shortly under his breath when the guy started poking at the detailed meaning of etiquette. "That's way too many words for my liking. I prefer to see it as...'it's nicer to not be an ass if you don't have to be'. I'd be damned to follow some actual steps. You can't please everyone in the end, no matter how you try. Still, being an ass on purpose is the most likely way to attract enemies for sure. You can't fully judge someone's intelligence a few seconds after meeting them, thus this I would say has nothing to do with whether they're below you or not. I didn't see you wait until you could know for sure." He couldn't quite tell someone to act sweet to a complete dumbass, no, but this guy had been biting from the first moment. That in itself implied that there was no questioning of one's intelligence even happening before a choice of words was decided on. Not properly at the very least. Sharaku would wave his book in the air somewhat amusedly. "See, here's the thing though. You seem to like blunt words, so I'll go with that. I don't really like to be a liar more than I have to. And fact of the matter is, I don't actually care. I don't bother being glad for every new person that starts the school, nor do I feel the need to know the answer to those questions. So, I kind of have an aversion to meaningless small talk that I in truth can't be bothered to listen to, especially when I might never meet the person again. I just figured asking something was better than radio silence. That is all, really." He was well aware that his stance could come off as quite cold, or even rude, and he did not openly share that often for he preferred to not be assaulted by offended people. This guy seemed like he'd appreciate that more than niceties though, so be it then. "Name's Sharaku Rikei though, since we're already on that subject."

Eh? Sharaku would just shrug nonchalantly. “I still fail to see what the world has to do with anything. We’re shaped by our experiences at the end of the day, and a large variety of things can happen to a person regardless of where they are. I wasn’t even raised properly if we want to talk that. What’s this whole thing about your world being better anyway?” He wasn’t following that. It just sounded like boasting without any real proof behind it. Personally, he didn’t believe any world to be perfect, and thus they all had the potential to taint a person in some way. There was no such thing as a limitless life, unless you were so ‘mentally challenged’, that you were blissfully incapable of perceiving the obstacles in your way for what they were at all. Which was a problem on an entirely different spectrum. And if you happened to be born into a privileged life where you got anything you desired on whim? Then you would just end up projecting as a spoiled arrogant prissy if you used that as your reasoning for your homeland being the greatest. One way or another, he mostly disagreed with the notion of intelligence and/or wisdom having such a narrow scope in meaning. Nobody is eternally calm and thinks everything through…and if they do, then they’d lack in the more emotion based forms of wisdom. You trade one thing for the other.

“Probably. Not that I care unless it involves me somehow.” It’d be too much effort to stick his nose into every corrupted practice that was happening. If it didn’t concern him, then it simply didn’t. With a slightly detached blink, he’d give the guy a contemplating look for a moment. “To each their own. I don’t necessarily consider myself dull, but if your definition of lively hinges on being a frequent thrill seeker of some sort, then that’s on you. Albeit, I am not against such. Nevertheless, I am rather numb in that sense, and expressing what doesn’t actually get to me is just a chore.” He could get a certain sense of satisfaction maybe? He wouldn’t call it pleasure or the like however. The intensity of his feelings was blunted in general, except for maybe when it came to ones related to anger. Getting irritated was far too easy. “I take that as it goes. I can appreciate a healthy confrontation, but peace doesn’t bother me either. I do like some peace of mind, if nothing else.” Too much is too much. He’d fight without a second thought when he needed to, yet he didn’t see conflict as the best end all to everything. It was exhausting to conquer the world 24/7. He liked breaks. As for getting along…he’d snort audibly at that exclamation. “If my urge to stick a soap bar into your mouth doesn’t take over, then maybe.” He would not stand down from a challenge, but he did have certain limits when it came to how much jabbing he was willing to tolerate before he was just fucking done. Although he was almost always done with life, so that was nothing surprising.

…anyway, disturbances. Whoever did that was not about to be high on his list of people. He was mostly accepting of verbal ‘games’, but stuff that affected one physically didn’t jive with him well. That’s just majorly inconsiderate, especially when done to a stranger. He’d flutter about in bat form for a few moments, before deciding that it wasn’t really worth it, turning back into human form with a sigh as he rubbed his irritated face. “You are technically correct. I am only half Vampire. Though, I wasn’t aware I was giving exact species vibes.” If he were, then he was not consciously aware of it. Or perhaps he was being judged based on his attitude? Eh, whatever. Trying to get back his focus, he’d shake his head to clear his brain, noting the two females that were conversing right by. He’d stick to simply giving a nod of acknowledgment for now. “So, where are we off to…? Also, whoever is playing these stupid games. I’d suggest you come own up to it, or I’ll have to track you down once I can breathe properly. And I won’t be nice if I’m forced to play the dog.” Not that he minded it specifically, but he definitely minded people who pulled cowardly tricks and then did not own up to them.