damned_institute | Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

The Sun Room was dark when Taura re-entered it; her eyes adjusted quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid one of the 'techs coming over to talk to her.

"Were you going to join us for the movie, Kitty?" she asked, waving a hand at what appeared to be a 2-D projector screen.

"Movie?" This was, apparently, the wrong question to ask, as the woman's face fell into a moue of practiced disappointment.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Kitty." Doing what, exactly, was something 'Kitty' was evidently supposed to know. Then the screen flicked on, and some sort of advertisement was playing while a staffer adjusted the volume. Oh. The term was unfamiliar, but entertainment hadn't changed that much.

"I mean, er, what movie is it?" Taura rumbled, keeping her voice low so as not to interrupt. That must have been the right question; the woman brightened back up and started explaining.

"King Kong!" she said, clearly expecting a reply. Then she sighed, and continued. "It's about a giant ape, brought back from an exploration," she began. "It's also a love story -- oh, just trust me. It's a classic."

"The ape falls in love?" That sounded a little outré, at least by Institute standards of entertainment. Not by Jacksonian ones, but those Taura had been just as pleased to leave behind.

"Oh, nothing like that. Well, the ape does fall in love -- but it's just a beast. Why, Fay Wray doesn't even come up to its waist." Taura blinked at her again. What did height have to do with it, anyway? She was leaning, just a little, without even realizing it. Perhaps looming would be a better word. The 'tech blinked back, and then finally the penny dropped. "Oh...oh. Maybe it wouldn't be to your taste, dear." And with that, she scurried off to adjust a chair that was already facing the screen quite adequately. Taura sighed, and slipped through the gathering crowd to the bulletin board.

[Zack]

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"Hm?" Ludwig had noticed someone approaching from the corner of his eye, but he hadn't really paid attention until he heard that voice. Someone who didn't like the movie... well, that was all right. He did need to learn more about the other patients besides his fellow nations, so why not this one?

Even still, his first glance revealed quite an interesting character. Silvery hair and golden eyes, combined with an odd diamond-shaped mark set into his forehead. Such a combination was like nothing Ludwig had ever seen before, and for a moment, he stared in a relatively unsubtle manner. Just for a moment, however; after that he remembered his manners and blinked, glancing away so the young man wouldn't feel too uncomfortable. He hoped.

"Er... I wasn't watching it," he stiffly admitted, "it's an American movie, they tend to all be similar in execution."

Hm... there was something odd about how he'd said that, though. 'Movie thing'? No, a young man his age should be speaking about it as just a 'movie' or a 'video' or something similar, not as though it was unfamiliar. It was possible that he wasn't familiar with it for other reasons, but Germany doubted that. His German was so good, so flawless, that Ludwig was honestly taken aback. The others had been properly educated and so it was no surprise, but this was almost inexplicable. Still, it did win him over, at least enough to offer, "...I'm Ludwig."

Apparently it was common for people to stare at each other around here. He seemed to get it a lot from the new people he met, and while it still made him a little weary, he had yet to find anyone who rejected his friendship based on looks alone. Nataku peered back curiously. This guy had sharp blue eyes like Renamon and Venom. Did he share their constant questioning as well?

When the man spoke, at least, he didn't seem put off. "American? Is that what the monkey is called?" He supposed it made sense, but he really didn't care that much about the movie...even if he sort of liked the monkey. Sitting around in a dark closed space wasn't really what he wanted right now, so maybe the man would be more distracting. Maybe he more friends would fill up the place Jason had left empty.

Huh, Ludwig? Wasn't that a bug? But even by his standards it was rude to insult someone's name. "That's different," He offered instead. "I'm Nataku. Were you watching the nurses just now because you want to escape from the American movie?"

That was an odd question. Very odd indeed. It really did seem that not only did this person not know about movies in general, but he also didn't seem to know what an American was. This, combined with the young man's age and accent, bothered Ludwig to no end. The only reasonable explanation was that he had to come from an earlier time period, but that was another problematic explanation. Such a person in older times would have been an impossibility.

The name, too, offered both solutions and problems. 'Nataku' sounded Japanese, so it was possible that he came from there and simply spoke German. But that was problematic due to the ignorance of America. Ever since Japan opened up- the only time he could have learned German- they were aware of America. What, then, was the proper explanation?

Hrm. The taller man frowned as he answered. "No, the monkey is called King Kong- he's from Africa, if I'm not mistaken. And I was watching the nurses because I wanted to obtain information about their activities." A pause, then he tilted his head at Nataku. "...you do want to escape from this place, correct?"

"Oh," Nataku replied, frowning slightly as if in thought. He had never seriously considered breaking out during the day... or breaking out at all, for that matter. It was the next logical step. You cut a leash or destroyed a cage, but physical freedom held almost no promise for him. Even if he never went home and stayed in this world, he remembered seeing the forest and wondering if the rest of the world was much the same.

He wanted to keep his friends and protect them. Freedom was only worth as much as the people he could share it with. His gaze shifted back to the screen and Nataku shook his head slowly. At most he wanted to escape from this room. "...Eventually." He replied instead. It was the closest he could get to the truth. "I guess. I don't know what I'd do after. You're thinking of attacking the nurses during the day?"

"I'm keeping all of my options open," Ludwig affirmed, "it seems like there are quite a few of them, but if they are of roughly normal strength, then an attack in the daylight hours might be possible." It was a prisoner's duty to escape, after all, and even if there wasn't much out, there was still some hope. The town offered supplies, and if an attack from without could succeed, then all could be well.

However, that was all assuming quite a few things for which Ludwig had no facts. He didn't like that at all, and neither did he like how Nataku seemed to be so reluctant. The boy didn't at all seem to be interested in escape, at least, not as Ludwig saw it. "...of course, true escape would involve going back to where we belong. Wouldn't you prefer that to being a prisoner in this place?"

"Don't forget about the bigger guys. Orderlies? But they're not close all the time, so maybe it'd work if you held one of the nurses hostage." Admittedly, he hadn't been paying much attention to them, but during the day at least the staff seemed to be friendly enough to care about each other. He wondered why someone hadn't tried it already, but maybe they were taking their time to plan things out, like Ludwig.

As for the other question... "No." Nataku replied flatly. There was nothing for him there. Goku was safe and happy with his new friends. Kenren was here with him. Even his father had been brought here somehow, his presence always evident in the weight of his expectations. He supposed he missed the deep forests of the heavens and the world below, but if he went back home that wouldn't be where he ended up. He would still take everything here over a life of hate and solitude.

"It's alright if you want to get back home yourself," He continued. "But you shouldn't assume everyone wants the same thing." There was no accusation in his voice. That was true for himself as well. He might enjoy having his friends here for selfish reasons, but for the most part he doubted their interest in staying. He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"What's your home like, Ludwig? Do you miss it a lot?"

"Potentially, but a hostage situation is inherently difficult. Especially without instantly-fatal weapons to be a suitable threat, there is no guarantee of success." Ludwig knew that better than most, and while it was an option, it wasn't an optimal one. Especially when he didn't know what the end-game of such an effort would be. No, the more likely path for success was to remain unencumbered and rapidly-moving. As for the orderlies... he'd want to check on that. They did seem larger and stronger, but how much so? There wasn't enough information to go on, and that simply wasn't good enough.

Still, he was surprised at Nataku's flat denial. For someone like Ludwig, he could understand the desire to leave one's nation, many of his own people had done that over the years, but to have nothing waiting was quite surprising for him. Especially when the young man wrapped his arms around his knees, looking defensive and vulnerable at the same time. He had few people skills, but even someone like Ludwig felt something, seeing that. "...why not? What would make you prefer imprisonment here to returning home?"

Being German to his heart, he couldn't understand having nothing to long for. The mysterious Black Forest, that wild and untamed part of his heart that he'd preserve with his life... the rolling countrysides and the tiny breweries, living as they had for longer than even Ludwig had been alive... the bustle and energy of Berlin, Bonn, the great metropolises that fed energy through his very being... the Autobahn, that constant throbbing speed that pulsed like a beating heart... the diplomats, the universities, the music halls, all of the sources of culture and enlightenment... it was all his land. In a real sense, he was his home; his people were a part of him, and he could no more ignore their loss than a blind man could his eyes. Of course, he couldn't say any of that, so in his usual stoic manner, he simply answered, "I do. It's a beautiful land, and it needs me."

"That's true. It would probably be more trouble than it's worth." He shrugged, more interested in playing with the idea than seeing it put into action, but oddly interested none the less. "It might be a reasonable distraction if you can get someone else to try it." He was well out of his depth with situations like this. Most of his escapes involved evasion, and they weren't truly meant to be permanent.

He exhaled slowly. The life he despised... was it really so much worse than this one? If the option - or the order - were right in front of him, would he really stay here instead of going back? There were too many hypothetical questions, too many options. Though he knew he shouldn't, sometimes he longed for simplicity. "Things are better for me here. That's all."

He rested his chin on his knees, wondering what it was like to truly love and miss a place called home. What little Ludwig said about his home spoke volumes. It was odd to sense something like love or pride and know he wasn't speaking about himself. Still, Nataku frowned, finding his choice of words a little strange. "Why does it need you? Do you control it?"

"Hm, potentially. The natural focus of the staff would be on the person with the hostage, they might never consider someone who wasn't drawing attention to themselves. Of course, that still leaves the problem of what to do afterward." For Ludwig, the idea of causing trouble just to cause trouble was a ludicrous one. No, there had to be a point to it, some sort of end-game to plan for. Otherwise it was just wasted energy, and that he couldn't stand. Especially when there were more important matters at hand.

It was odd, though. Nataku seemed so... distraught. The idea that someone like this could be so much better off than they would be at home was baffling to Germany, and how could a young man look so upset about things? It wasn't good at all, and so Germany spoke rather more gently than normal. "Even if things are bad back home, it's better to return and attempt to change things, don't you think? It's the duty of a prisoner to attempt escape."

A part of him wished that he knew what else to say. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't working, but being an embodiment of Germany, he only knew how to handle those of his own lands. And despite speaking the language flawlessly, he had to wonder if this Nataku was anything near that. He wanted to do something to make the young man feel better, but... he didn't have anything like that. Even still, when he was asked those questions, he opted for a neutral answer, a half-truth. "I'm a representative."

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Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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