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Hydroxyapatite generally spent as little time as he could in negaspace. He was still new as agents went and had been mostly focused on juggling two intensely time-consuming jobs. It was one thing to be a surgeon, it was another thing to be a surgeon who was also expected to gather a quota of energy every single month. People spoke glowingly of side hustles; Hyde found his side hustle perhaps less enjoyable than he had thought at the point of signing up.
For once he’d managed to secure enough of a vacation that he’d managed to squeeze in enough sleep that he felt halfway human again and had decided to do a bit of exploring.

He didn’t know a lot of individuals very well at present, but he considered that an asset. He could only assume that - in an organisation focused on power gathering - people weren’t exactly of the kindest temperament to new blood.

When someone stepped out in front of him, he froze up instinctually like a deer in the headlights. You really did not know at all who you would meet in this place.

Don’t stare.

That was the first rule that Hyde had set himself. No matter how weird things turned out to be, don’t stare. He was used to wearing a mask of personality, so this wasn’t too difficult ultimately. He smiled, he frowned, he timed expressions like a dance, none of them really touching him. It was the same as playing an instrument, playing his own body, playing social interaction. He smiled, cordial and unphased, willing to help.

“Not a problem, I was just having a look around, finding the lay of the land, so to speak.”

He nodded agreeably.

“I’d be happy to help with anything, if I’m able.” He said.

It wasn’t in his nature to be generous with his time or possessions, but there was a ladder to climb here, and he was incredibly low on friends or acquaintances.

There was a carefully blank look that came into Hyde’s eyes at the question. His impression of the place. It was a very, very strange landscape and world, like another planet entirely. “It’s beautiful.” He said, a little thoughtfully. His sense of beauty was a little skewed, he saw it in unlikely places, in the blossoming of blood from shattered capillaries, from the look of peace on the face of the dying, in a shattered mirror on a bathroom floor. Seeing it here was just another beat of poetry.

At the question about making the place more welcoming and functional, he seemed to consider this too. He lived in luxury when not at work under normal circumstances, earning a sizeable wage and having previous investments to sustain him. He had stayed in lavish hotels and furnished his home in simple but expensive elegance.

This was all something else.

“A bit of light I think.” He said with a chuckle. “I think that if I had to live here, I’d go a little mad without some calm tranquillity. Dark and ominous is all well and good, but I think we could do with a little white marble, bright flooring, and if there isn’t any natural light then some very good, UV sun lamps. Perhaps a relaxation room of sorts. Perhaps with some gentle music.”

He smiled a little.

“Unless there is something like that and people of my rank simply aren’t allowed to visit.”

He glanced around. “It all adds a lot to be desired, I’m always relieved my stay here is quite temporary. It must be depressing to be trapped here long term.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised that there’s no relaxation room.” Hyde said with a faint frown. “This whole place seems to be on a war footing all of the time.” He crossed his arms. “But you know what wars do to people long term. It’s poor mental maintenance. You can feed people and give them somewhere to sleep, but if you don’t take care of their head, they break all the same.” Hyde wasn’t incredibly invested in taking care of other people on an emotional level, but thanks to his line of work, there was some thread of pride in him as pertained to optimising the human machine.

“And oh I see. I have not met a half youma before. It’s certainly very impressive to look at.” He tilted his head slightly. Perhaps that explained why the man in front of him hadn’t gone mad living in these frankly miserable berthings for what seemed like so long, perhaps the monstrous angle of his nature had softened something of human longings a little.

“I can’t speak for everyone as regards relaxing music, but I play piano. It soothes me when I feel a little… tense after work.”

Though lately rather than soothe out those emotional wrinkles, he’d mostly been directing them into his work. There was a coldness to him that ran right down to the core, a hollow emptiness at his heart that made the harshest of decisions easy, that made murder effortless and harming others simply another step towards a goal. The restlessness made it harder and harder for him to tolerate the boredom that permeated his life and it needed an outlet, it needed to be expelled.

And this … negaverse thing, let him expel it.

“If they ever get a piano here, I could certainly show you.”

"Humanity has its perks." Hyde said with the faintest hint of a smile. He did not feel very human at all, even at the best of times, feeling more like his body was a mask that he wore rather than something tethered tangibly to his identity. "Primarily being able to move through the world without comment. I imagine.."

He looked at Wolframite with a keen stare. ".. I imagine the most tedious part of life looking as you do is how many of your peers comment on it. I'm a singular new recruit, and I am fascinated, but it must become grating after a while. How many people - for instance - see your claws before they see you as an individual?"

He smiled cordially. "I can't comment on the community unfortunately, I'm a bit of a lone wolf in many regards at present, doing my job in both realms, getting by as best I can. I don't know where people even find the time to socialise, frankly."

There was no hesitation at all as Hyde shook Wolframite's claws, unphased by many things others might deep grotesque or offputting. "Pleasure's all mine, I assure you. I'm Lt. Hydroxyapatite, I'm quite the mouthful. You can call me Hyde, if you should like."

Hyde's keen stare did linger on Wolframite's arm thoughtfully, pondering what sort of anatomical structures lay below the surface. Could he find the central veins and arteries in there if it was severed? How would you treat catastrophic trauma in a structure so deviated from human norms? They were answers he found facinating, his day to day job crossing over into this strange new world for the first time. He wanted quite significantly to touch the other man's arm, but more than just a touch of curiosity, he wanted to study it, to see its range of motion, to test its reflexes, to get his teeth into this strange and facinating anatomical curiosity.

"I think I'd spend far too long examining it" he said apologetically. "Anatomy is a special interest of mine. I think you are a beautiful creature, truly. Something new and wonderful."

Normally he was more reserved, but something about the other man had a flicker of something trusting and honest. Other people might be rankled by a bit of flattery, but Hyde thought that it would register more lightly on him, just from first impressions.

"I would love to know more about half youma in due course, it sounds like a noble sacrifice. Protecting the planet with even your body itself."

He shook his head. "I did the usual tour, but I was only able to be given a very brief tour and the typical run down on the computers about our goals and so on, short of that I was trying to keep out of trouble. I wouldn't want to hinder others in their activities."

“That’s even more fascinating.” Hyde said “No two alike, boundless depths to explore.” He wanted to know how they regenerated, how you saved someone with scales, how you adjusted to rummage around in their interior when you had them on your table. His work was a constant challenge, hand to hand combat against death itself, and sometimes he won, sometimes he lost. This would be a different fight if he was going up against the fantastic and strange.

“I bet its boundlessly interesting.” He hummed. “I would love to get you in a scanner.”

He paused, as if remembering himself. “I apologise if its objectifying to be spoken about that way, you are an individual first, certainly, just very interesting to me is all. I would love to understand your bones and muscles, especially if it meant I could be helpful later if you were injured in some fashion.”
He nodded. “I would enjoy a more thorough tour if it isn’t too much trouble. And no, no team as yet. I’ve kept to myself, the officer who showed me the ropes seemed very busy.”

He tried not to stare at the subspace pocket. He’d been instructed as to the nature of his own abilities, but he was yet to really work up the mettle to test them. The guide had not specified every eventuality from a safety perspective and he was irrationally concerned by the thought of putting his hand in and losing it in there.