the donner party went to a dinner party once

[leaflets]

WHO: Hinami (leaflets ) and Sasaki (dualismum)
WHERE: Heropa #004
WHEN: Like 7 p.m. on 10/14 IDK
WHAT: Hinami's been feeling hungry far, far more than is normal. It's...probably time she actually mentioned that to someone.
WARNINGS: mentions of cannibalism.
dualismums

There's a lot of stuff that Hinami comes to Sasaneki about. Homework, friends, decisions...but things related to being a Ghoul definitely hasn't been one of them very frequently. Not because she doesn't trust him ont he subject but because...well, she's been a Ghoul far longer than he is. For the most part, she knows what to expect about herself and her body.

But lately things have been...weird. 

It had started after she initially returned, but then it had been mild enough to brush off. Now...even when she'd already had a 'feeding day', strangely, Hinami had still been feeling hungry just days after. And that made no sense. At absolute worst, she had to eat every two months. But even with her eating more frequently after starving in January she hadn't been feeling hungry so much. And it's a weird sort of hunger too. Not like she really needs to eat, but like she didn't really eat as much as she should have.

It's finally become persistent enough to be a worry. So as soon as she's home from school, Hinami's removing her shoes and heading for Sasaki's door, backpack still on. She knocks and then after a few seconds, cracks the door open just a little.

"Onii-chan? I need to talk to you. Something is really weird..."

Comments

[dualismum]

Sasaki is in his room doing what he always does when he has free time (besides cooking or cleaning the house or sketching), which is reading. Possibly the hobby he likes the most, and it's no wonder his room is covered in books, some of them so old that they don't even have a cover protecting them (he bought those second hand, of course; he would never do that to a book). Over his nightstand he has two, all over his shelves, some don't have space on the shelves, so he leaves them over his desk, among his sketches.

When Hinami knocks, Sasaki is laying on the bed while he reads, and rises his eyes from the book -and tells her to come in. "Hey, what's wrong?" something weird? yeah, that sends red flags all over, as expected, but Sasaki is less intense than Kaneki, at least, so he doesn't jump right into the conclusion that it'll be necessary for him to punch someone or something. Instead, Sasaki moves so he can sit on the bed, and pats it so Hinami can sit too if she'd like.

"Did something happen?"

[leaflets]

Hinami quickly joins him on the bed after she's dropped her backpack by his door, hands in her lap. "Kind of?" She seems unsure how to start, mulling what she wants to say over for a second. "More like...something's been happening, but I wasn't really worried until now...?" After all, she's still growing, maybe things are changing for her. But if something weird is going on and it remains unchecked, it could get bad. Not just for her, but the humans around her. What is this was a sign she definitely needed to eat more and she'd become dangerous if she didn't? Better to solve it now.

"I keep feeling hungry, even though I've already eaten. But it's different." She pulls sock-covered feet up onto his bed so she can sit with her legs under her. "Like...Like I'm not actually super hungry, but I need to eat more? Like I didn't have enough." Hinami's appetite is small as it is, so even feeding more frequently became more of something she had to make herself do rather than actually wanting to. But even with a small appetite, the frequency with which she's begun to feed since January, she shouldn't be feeling hungry nearly ever.

[dualismum]

Sasaki listens to Hinami without interrupting her. It's true that he is not a ghoul (so he keeps saying; even with his memories back, Sasaki sort of holds on to that a bit, if he can) and doesn't have the experience Hinami has regarding ghoul biology, but he is a ghoul investigator who has read much about ghouls and learned much; plus, he was studied by the CCG with incredible detail, including his hunger. it may not be enough in the long run, but it's enough to know that, with the frequency Hinami is eating, she shouldn't be hungry; she isn't a binge eater like Kanki was thus she has no reason to constantly feel that unsatisfied feeling.

"Do you think you are eating too little?" frequency is one thing, but maybe the amount isn't enough? But overall, she still eats what? One body each two months? For a ghoul her age and size, it's not too little, right? not that the CCG had ghoul children in Cochlea, so it's not like he'd know for sure how much a teenager ghoul needs. "I mean, you can always eat bigger rations, that's not a problem, Hinami-chan."

[leaflets]

"Mm, I know." They've always had enough, something Hinami knows they're lucky for. She never questioned how Kaneki had always had so much more than they really needed, even when it was only the two of them. "But I..."

How does she describe this, when it's purely a feeling?

"I don't...feel like that's it? I haven't grown any, and I usually feel full when I first finish." She wasn't even sure if Ghouls appetites got bigger as they grew, not really. It wasn't something she'd ever thought to ask, and now... Well, her Mom and Dad or Touka aren't here to answer that.

"Maybe it's because Onii-chan's been cooking things that smell good." Hinami was so used to ignoring food around her that aside from passing interest, she'd never looked closely enough at what Sasaki made to realize it didn't involve human meat at all. She'd considered asking once she'd realized that what he made smelled strangely good but...aside from actually eating, Hinami wasn't very fond of discussing their diets. Purely habit, probably. "Is there another Ghoul here you're making stuff for? How do you cook the meat without it tasting gross from the other stuff?"

[dualismum]

Sasaki was pondering about what could Hinami mean about hunger; not being satisfied, wanting to snack? Those aren't really things ghouls do unless considered binge-eaters, right? Then again, his look on the matter is very human and very CCG-driven.

That's until she mentions what he cooks smells good. His eyebrows rise, and Sasaki looks confused at that question. "... I don't do any dishes for us. It's all for Josuke." he would never cook anything in the house, and honestly? he'd never cook human flesh, period. He isn't Tsukiyama. "You... think it's smells good? what? It should smell terrible; it DOES smell terrible for a ghoul.

[leaflets]

It's Hinami's turn to look confused, and it's written all over her face. Sasaki definitely wouldn't play some sort of joke like this on her, or lie to her for the sake of one. So what...?

"It's smelled strange, but a good strange."

[dualismum]

Good kind of strange?

Sasaki isn't sure what that means. he looks at the girl for a bit while longer, until he remembers "When you arrived this last time, they gave you the usual file they give everyone. Did you read it?" maybe there is a difference there. A new power?

[leaflets]

"Not this time. When I was brought back for the second time it didn't change, so I didn't think it mattered this time."

She'd just stuck it in a desk drawer and forgotten about it.

[dualismum]

"We should probably give it a look." Sasaki smiles a little. "I mean, powers change and maybe something is up?" maybe Hinami can smell human food now?

[leaflets]

She'd assumed nothing had changed, but... maybe Sasaki is right. Really, she should have thought of it sooner.

"I'll go get it."

She slides off the bed, trotting to her room down the hall. It takes a few minutes of digging through various shelves and her desk before she finds it. There's no attempt o read it herself-- Sasaki will be able to explain it to her easily enough, given how likely it is there's words she won't understand anyway.

She's holding it out to him as she comes back in, dropping back onto the bed with a bounce.

[dualismum]

Sasaki waits for the girl, and once Hinami is back, he takes the file to patiently read what the powers section says.As he does, realization sinks in, but he re-reads it again if only to make sure he got it right.

And after he smiles, looking back at Hinami.

"Hinami-chan, you can eat normal food."

[leaflets]

Aaaand she's staring at him blankly.

"What?"

Yep, that's all he's getting from her because-- what?

[dualismum]

Sasaki hums, actually really pleased to all of this turned out. He closes the file and offers Hinami his hand. "Come on, let's go."

He has plenty of food downstairs that he made for Josuke; and now Hinami can try it all, too.

[leaflets]

Hinami can't hide that she's skeptical, but she takes Sasaki's hand anyway. The disbelief isn't letting any nervousness in for now, because all she can think about is she's probably going to try something and end up getting sick and it's gonna suck.

Nonetheless, she follows him obediently down the stairs.

"Can the porter change something like that, though?"