damned_institute | Day 51: Men's Showers [Second Shift]

Entry tags:

Day 51: Men's Showers [Second Shift]

Bah. So much for yet another suggestion of von Karma's. Such priorities this Institute had. They would implement a foolish suggestion to introduce origami lessons and to offer sewing supplies to select patients, yet refused to allow them to cleanse themselves more often than twice a week -- and, of course, without any additional privacy? How many more of his reasonable suggestions would the Head Lunatic make a point of ignoring?

von Karma scoffed, shaking his head as he entered the shower facility. Fortunately, it appeared that he was the first one in here. As soon as the announcement over the intercom had blared out signaling the shift change, von Karma had been quick to excuse himself from his conversation with Naraku to promptly head for the showers. It had been bad enough last time that there were already three men in the showers by the time he arrived. This time, he would make certain that he would be the first one there.

Without wasting a single second, he disrobed, meticulously washed off the grime from the past several days, dried himself, then got dressed. All within a perfect three minutes, zero seconds, before anyone else had a chance to enter. He would have preferred a much longer time to devote to hygiene, but he didn't want to risk any needless immodesty in front of anyone.

Now finished, he exited the restroom and entered the Sun Room.

[To here]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Once he was properly wet, Guy went ahead and started to soap himself up, making sure to really work his hands into his skin to get all the dirt out. He never found himself getting that dirty unless a monster attack was involved, but he still wanted to be thorough about it. He figured he might as well take advantage of the few things that this place gave them. Not because he was getting comfortable here, but more as a small act of subversion.

"Yeah, I guess I did expect it to sound more like Fonic," he agreed with a small shrug of his shoulders. Maybe that had been closed-minded of him, but it was the only language he'd ever known, other than Ancient Ispanian. Everyone on Auldrant spoke Fonic for the most part, so it was what he'd gotten used to for so long. Hearing something else had been pretty fascinating; he just wished that it hadn't more or less ruined their conversation for the night on top of it.

"What's Earth's language called?" he asked as he turned himself around and started to rinse the soap off. He was trying to think back on their so-called conversation last night to see if there was anything he wanted to clear up now that they could understand each other again, but they had been so limited that there wasn't really much that he needed to bring up.

"Do you feel a little more rested after last night?" was what he asked instead. If there was something that Claude needed to clear up with him (he was the one who'd been blinded, after all), then he trusted his friend would say so.

Fonic, huh? Up until now he'd referred to it as "Auldrantian", but Claude guessed that would be about as weird as calling his own language "Earthian" or something. Still, it was useful to know, and he quietly filed away that piece of knowledge for future reference.

"Oh, Earth has many, many languages," Claude explained, pausing a moment as he stepped under the water again and began rinsing himself off. "But I speak English." It was funny to think that he'd always heard Guy speak perfect English without realizing that his friend hadn't even known what it was called. But then, the same thing could be said about him and Fonic.

Still, his friend's words made him a little curious. "Does Auldrant not have more languages than Fonic?" he asked. With the way Guy was talking, it almost sounded as though he'd assumed that was how it was for Earth.

When the other blond asked how he was doing, Claude gave a small nod. "Yeah," he said, and he meant it. His voice felt and sounded a lot better, for one. His mind didn't feel quite as heavy with the horrors from his experiment, either, but Claude was aware that a large part of that probably had to do with the fact last night and this morning had given him a lot to preoccupy himself with. In that case, it was probably better not to let himself obsess over things too much, so he stubbornly tried to force that to the side for now.

"I think I mostly have you to thank for that, though," Claude added before sticking his head underneath the shower head again.

Well, that was funny. So on Auldrant they pretty much only had one language, but on Earth they had lots of them. The contrast was interesting, though it made sense that different worlds would develop in different ways. It made Guy realize that he should be grateful for the fact that everything was so straight-forward in Auldrant. In Claude's case, that had to mean that there were a lot of people on his world who he wouldn't be able to understand. Was it possible that Earth was just bigger overall? Maybe, but there was no real way of knowing unless they started spitting statistics at each other, and that would take up a lot of time.

But English was Claude's language. Guy wouldn't have ever been able to guess that, so he was glad he'd asked. He smiled, but then gave a quick shake of his head in response to the other man's question. "No, it doesn't... Well, there's Ancient Ispanian. Most people who get a good education end up learning it, but it's not used commonly. It's more for special use, but it's... kind of hard to explain." Yulia's hymns were in Ispanian, but if he started to get into that there would be a whole lot more that he'd have to explain just to get the ideas across. Hopefully Claude would take his word for it.

Guy was in the middle of getting some shampoo for his hair when Claude suddenly went ahead and announced that it was his because of him that he was feeling better today. While he was glad to hear that his friend's health was improving (though not necessarily his vision, he realized with a frown), he wasn't sure what he had to do with it.

"Why do you say that?" he asked with a quick laugh as he stepped away from the water and started to run the shampoo through his hair. "All I did was bring you some medicine." Medicine which had been Claude's in the first place.

It was interesting that most people on Auldrant spoke one language. Claude wondered if that made it easier for countries to maintain peaceful diplomatic relations with one another, or if too much familiarity bred contempt between them. Granted, Earth had once been pushed to the brink of destruction during its history, and it would be too simplistic to attribute any of that to linguistic diversity.

But it sounded like Auldrant did have at least one other language, even if it people didn't speak it everyday. "Hmm, kind of sounds like Earth's version of Latin a little bit," Claude said thoughtfully. "Some Earth doctors and scientists study it because it's used in academia, but it's not commonly spoken at all." After getting a little more soap, he began to wash at his face a bit. "Do you know any Ancient Ispanian, Guy?"

He took a moment to rinse off, enjoying the feel of the warm water for now. Although he couldn't see Guy's face, he heard him laugh a little. There he went again, not giving himself enough credit. But maybe Guy was just modest by nature. It wasn't a bad quality to have, really.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have had that medicine if you hadn't brought it to me," he pointed out. "Besides, just having you around would have been good enough. It was a big help."

Claude wasn't just saying that, either. Having such a good friend to keep him company kept his mind from going down darker paths, and the night would have crawled by so much slower if he'd been alone. It had given him a chance to unwind a little bit, to think about other things. Even when they couldn't understand each other, they'd found a way to make the best of it. Not only that, but there weren't many people he would have trusted enough to stay with him when he was at his most vulnerable, yet Guy had volunteered himself and acted kindly toward him the whole time. Claude never once got the impression that Guy pitied him or looked down on him -- rather, he was just being him by lending a helping hand. There was something a little special about that, at least to Claude.

The shampoo in his hair felt great, especially since he was making sure to give himself a light scalp massage as he worked it all in. While he didn't have all that much hair to start with (he couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Anise and Tear to maintain their styles, for instance), he did try to take good care of himself when he had the option. He knew what it was like to rough it, which made him all the more appreciative of the chance to get properly clean.

But Claude was right; this "Latin" that he was describing did sound a lot like Ancient Ispanian in terms of usage. "Yeah, that does sound similar," he agreed. "I guess a lot of places probably have something like that, since languages will get outdated or be replaced with something that's easier to use on a day-to-day basis." It was pretty interesting to think about; Guy would have asked the patients as a whole about it if he didn't already know it would be a waste of time.

"But yeah, I do know Ancient Ispanian." It had been a given considering his upbringing, even if all of that had been taken away from him pretty early on. He'd made sure to continue studying while under Duke Fabre's employ. Van and Pere had also been a help in that sense, as much as he didn't like to think back on those days. "I tried to help teach it to Luke, too," he explained with a smile before he ducked his head under the water so that he could rinse the shampoo out.

He could understand how having someone around to help pass the time would be nice, but Guy didn't see that as the hugest sacrifice. He knew he could have done something else with that time, but in his mind it was pretty much expected that he would stay there to make sure that Claude was okay. He would have done the same for Luke in a heartbeat, and Claude had become a close friend in his own right.

"Well, it was my pleasure," he said as he pulled his head back out and gave it a small shake to get rid of the excess water. "I'm glad I could be of some help. Now we just have to keep crossing our fingers that your vision clears up soon." It hadn't been all that long yet, and Guy knew that, but he couldn't help being a bit worried about it.

So Guy knew Ancient Ispanian, too? That was interesting, especially since he was supposed to be a servant, right? Were servants on Auldrant highly educated? Maybe it was because he worked for such a prestigious family. But then, why would he be the one who'd have to try to teach Luke? Perhaps Guy was a bit of a scholar in addition to being a bit of a tech geek. There was certainly nothing wrong with that, and it seemed to fit into Claude's impression of Guy being something of a Renaissance man. After all, he had a keen interest in air travel, could build his own house, was an accomplished swordsman, and was apparently also bilingual on top of that. It was a pretty broad skill set to have!

"Wow, that's great!" Claude said, admiration evident in his tone of voice. "Could you say 'Hello, my name is Guy Cecil' in Ancient Ispanian for me?" He wanted to hear what it sounded like, but there was also a chance that whatever was translating their words right now would do the same thing here. Still, it was worth asking, right?

As expected, Guy was polite and perhaps a bit gentlemanly in response to his gratitude. Claude smiled at that, though he mellowed out a little when his friend expressed the hope that he'd be able to see again in the future. It was difficult to know for certain how that would turn out, but Claude didn't want to voice that out loud. Instead, he said, "Yeah, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before something good happens." He recalled the conversation he'd had during breakfast and suddenly perked up.

"Actually," he added, "there's something I wanted to tell you. You mind if we move into the sun room once you're done showering?"

Honestly, Guy hadn't been expecting that sort of reaction. It was true that not everyone on Auldrant knew Ancient Ispanian, but it also wasn't terribly rare. Most of his closest friends knew it, and Tear certainly had a better grasp of it than he did. It wasn't something that he got to use all the time, but it was definitely something worth knowing, seeing how there were so many texts that hadn't been translated from the ancient language into Fonic.

He was a bit taken aback at Claude's request, but he couldn't blame his friend for being curious, either. If Claude had known another language, he would have wanted to hear it too. Though his friend hadn't mentioned anything like that so far, so it seemed as if he could only speak English. Maybe that wasn't such a big deal on Earth, though, or maybe the sheer amount of languages just made it too overwhelming to try and pick up a second.

Guy was still a bit confused about how languages and translation worked in this place, though. He'd seen tests done over the bulletin, but he couldn't be entirely sure that Claude wouldn't just hear English when he spoke. "I'm not sure if you'll actually hear it and my speaking might be a bit rusty, but all right." Ancient Ispanian was mainly meant to be read and written, after all; still, Claude wasn't in much of a position to judge, so it would probably be okay.

Taking a half step away from his shower and straightening his shoulders, Guy said the phrase in the old language: "Hello, my name is Guy Cecil." Ancient Ispanian did have a rather unique, almost lyrical quality to it, he had to admit. Hopefully that would come through to Claude, too.

He was glad to see that Claude was keeping a positive attitude about his vision in spite of it all, though he did end up a bit flustered when he realized that he'd gotten distracted from his shower due to his impromptu language lesson. "Of course!" he hastily replied as he hurried over to get himself some conditioner. He could have gone without it, but he would just run it through his hair and then rinse it out real quick...

It sounded like Guy was nice enough to indulge him, even if he prefaced it with a warning that it might not come out as planned. As soon as he spoke, though, Claude was startled to discover that he didn't understand a word of it! Well, except for Guy's name, but that was a given. He wasn't sure if his ear would be trained enough to understand the differences between Ancient Ispanian and Fonic, but there was no doubt that Guy had just spoken a language he'd never heard before.

"Hey, it worked!" he said with a small laugh. "You sounded good just now." Claude almost wished he had a second language of his own to demonstrate, but despite the stellar education he'd received back at the Academy, he'd never gotten around to becoming fluent in a second language. English was primarily used among Federation personnel, and advanced technology made it possible to get real-time translations if the need arose. Learning more languages seemed like it provide a good, healthy challenge, though. "It sure is a pretty language, isn't it?"

As for going out into the sun room, he didn't mean to rush Guy. Claude had no way of knowing how far along he was into his shower since he couldn't see. "Take your time, though!" he suddenly added. "It's not like we get to shower that often, so don't feel like you have to skip out on it."

So it had worked! Well, that was interesting to take note of, then. Guy had exchanged messages in Ancient Ispanian over the bulletin board in the past, so he was glad to know that it would apply in spoken form as well. He would have to keep that in mind in the case that he ever needed to speak to one of his friends without being eavesdropped on. Which wouldn't work if they were trying to keep something from another Auldrantrian, but still...

He was glad that the language came across as nice-sounding to Claude, but now he was focused on rushing through the rest of his shower so that they could get out to the Sun Room. It would be a lot easier to talk out there, and he was almost done anyway.

"No, it's fine!" he called over his shoulder. "I'm just about finished." He didn't allow the conditioner to sit in his hair for as long as he usually did, but that was an optional part of it anyway. Most people probably didn't even use conditioner on hair so short, but Guy didn't see why not, when it led to your hair being that much healthier and smoother.

He washed it out quickly, though, and then reached forward to turn off his shower. With a glance to Claude's, which was still on, Guy went ahead and turned off his friend's as well. It seemed like something that might be tough to do without being able to see, though he hoped Claude wasn't offended by it.

"All right!" he announced, turning back toward the other man. "I'm done."

Claude sensed the water next to him slowing and then completely shutting off. Guy had turned it off for him, but Claude wasn't really bothered. If it had been a nurse or someone he hadn't known very well, he might have gotten his feathers ruffled a little. In this case, though, he knew his friend didn't do it to be condescending, but rather out of a genuine desire to help him out a little. That was a pretty big difference because he at least knew Guy didn't look down on him for it.

Regardless, it sounded like Guy was done with his shower. Claude hoped he hadn't rushed too much for his sake. "Okay," he said with a quick smile before starting to make his way over to the lockers. His steps weren't as swift and certain as he wished, and part of him was embarrassed that he couldn't really move faster. But, well...colliding head-on with another naked man would have been a hell of a lot more embarrassing, and he would have felt awkward getting led around with no clothes on. He was willing to play it cool for now if it meant avoiding those two scenarios.

Before he could help it, though, his nurse had swooped down on him, handing him a towel and explaining to him which way his shirt and pants were supposed to go on. Claude bit back his frustration and politely tolerated it for now. This wasn't really the place to get irritated over something like that, after all, and he guessed he couldn't blame the nurses for not wanting him to clog up the changing area for longer than necessary.

After some work, he finally got himself dried and dressed. As he brushed his damp bangs out of his face, Claude tried to figure out where Guy was, but that was when the nurse ushered him to the bathroom's exit.

((To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/958006.html?thread=71853878#t71853878).))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 51: Men's Showers [Second Shift]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject