Day 52: Sun Room

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

No better way to start the day than with a bucket full of sunshine, huh? Too bad that'd been the opposite.

In the end, Yuffie had been more than glad to escape. All the angst and sap and drama; it'd been too much, and way too personal. She'd done her best, for her friend's sake, but that Tomoe chick was gonna be hard work. Why couldn't Kenshin have asked for her help in something simple, like killing the big bad of the day?

… Oh, wait.

Groaning, the young ninja gave up on just walking through the sun room. What kind of a way to cheer herself up was that? No, she needed something interesting—she needed a distraction. Walking on her hands wasn't a whole lot better than walking on her feet, but it did get Plucky going.

"Hanna, stop that this instant! You'll break your neck."

"Oh, come on; only a moron'd kill themselves doin' a handstand. They're child's play!" Yuffie, after shifting her weight to her left hand, waggled a finger at her nurse. "It's a waste of my prodigious talent, actually. You really should be grateful." She hopped forward several more paces before dropping her hand back down.

"Be that as it may," Plucky replied, doubtfully. "I must insist."

"Insist away," said Yuffie, nonchalantly, pausing just long enough to let a cat stroll past her.

"You'll disturb the other patients!"

"Your face'll disturb the other patients." It was petty, and it was childish, but Yuffie didn't care; it was getting her what she wanted. And what she wanted was something to laugh at, something to poke at, something that, while it kept her wandering attention in the here and now, didn't really require her to think.

[For Kaito~]

Comments

[neuepolitik.livejournal.com]

"I understand. I'll do whatever I can to make sure that we don't keep you waiting." Ludwig allowed a sigh of relief to escape, glad that he'd managed this at least. Now he just had to make sure that nothing happened to jeopardize that situation. Otherwise he'd be in an even worse position than he already was. Considering the position he was in now, he didn't much care to think about that possibility.

"...we'll have to obtain weapons and hopefully chemicals," he mused out loud, "and getting more information from other prisoners and those like us would be a worthwhile goal as well. I've also read about some organizations that have been formed, I'm considering seeing if they have any resources which might be of use. What do you think?"

It felt kind of nice, slipping into this habit. It had been some time since he and Gilbert had been able to discuss plans of action, and while normally Gilbert wasn't exactly the best font of wisdom when it came to foresight... just having someone listening could help out. And he rather hoped that his older brother had some insight to share as well. They were in this together, no matter what. Of that, Ludwig was absolutely certain.

[hat_einen_vogel]

"Good." If West was going to make sure Austria wasn't late, he was sure he could rely on that... even if it meant West had to track the aristocrat down and escort him.

When it came to weapons, Prussia was already a step ahead. "In terms of weapons, I've got a sword," he commented, frowning slightly. He'd stashed it in his closet the morning after finding Raph, but since the other was gone now... Well, he wouldn't be missing it.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking over West's suggestion. "I don't know if the organizations would have anything worthwhile—they're not armies, but they're probably the closest thing here to any kind of a command structure. But if they have resources that can be used—people at the very least—it would be a bad idea to ignore that."

Prussia had been wondering on occasion about forming an army from the ranks of prisoners here, if a suitable general could be found. He wondered now whether he should mention it to West, especially since he was thinking about looking at the 'clubs'... After an awkward pause he suggested, "They could be a good start towards forming a real army, or at least a part of one."

[neuepolitik.livejournal.com]

"A sword?" That caught Ludwig off-guard. He'd anticipated the need to get more weapons of an improvised sort- like his wrench, or perhaps a baseball bat or something similar. Hearing that his brother had obtained a sword of all things- something which could only be a weapon- completely shocked him. "Where did you get that?"

If he could obtain an actual weapon, something which would work well for what they would have to do, then that would be very helpful. A warrior could make use of almost every weapon, almost anything that came to hand. However, at the same time, better weapons always got better results. And Ludwig somehow doubted he'd be able to obtain a Luger anywhere in the building.

And as for the topic of the groups... it was a valid point. They weren't armies, they weren't properly organized, but they could well have resources. Things that both brothers could make use of, and perhaps, that could be of use for the entire prison population. However, before he could speak on that topic, Prussia raised a very interesting possibility. One that Germany considered very carefully for some time before he remarked upon it. An army... that was quite a bit more than what they had so far. But in theory, it might be more workable.

There were problems, however. Concerns that would have to be ironed out. "...an army is inherently hierarchical, but the prisoner base considers itself as equal. It also implies a degree of coercion, with orders and the like. I think... that what you suggest would be the best course of action, but we'd have to consider it carefully before we moved. Otherwise we will alienate instead of inspire." But he'd included himself in this- if his brother would allow it, he'd be more than happy to work with Prussia in this regard.

[hat_einen_vogel]

"From a guy," Prussia answered evasively. He wasn't entirely sure if the sword had actually belonged to Raph or to someone else, but if anyone tried to step forward to claim it would be as good as a confession. Prussia couldn't say he would mind that happening, but he wouldn't give the sword back. Ever. "But I don't know where he got it. I can't ask him, either."

If Raph were still there—assuming he was really alive like the nurses seemed to think—that would have made things a lot easier. Prussia hadn't had a chance to inspect the weapon closely, but from the few moments he'd spent with it he could tell it wasn't some shoddy replica. If Raph could have answered where he'd gotten it from, or who he'd gotten it from, or who had left it... It could have gone a long way towards obtaining proper armaments instead of makeshift tools, especially if the population really could be organized into ranks.

He grinned proudly at West's agreement that his plan was the best course of action. "I think we'd need to find the right leader before we could start, of course: a boss that the troops would be happy to serve under and who would be talented enough to use them well. So that they'd be inspired, like you said." There had been that guy giving a speech in the mess hall the other day, but his words had gotten only the barest of reactions from the group. Whoever would lead the patient army, it needed to be someone that would have had all eyes on him from the moment he'd stood up and who would be loved by all.

The kind of leader they needed... "Someone like Old Fritz would be nice," Prussia added, quietly this time in fond remembrance.

[neuepolitik.livejournal.com]

"That's unfortunate." Had they obtained a reliable way to create real weapons, then their 'army' would have been in a far stronger state to continue their movements. While Prussia being armed was good, more would have been preferable. Still, this wasn't the first time Ludwig had to build up a military from next to nothing. He could manage that.

...couldn't he? Suddenly he was reminded about what happened the last time he and Prussia had built up an army to be proud of. What would happen if they did this wrong again? What if they started making morally reprehensible choices? Or worse, if the other nations started fearing the both of them for the power they might amass? Germany was working so hard to soothe such fears and create international rapport against a common enemy, what if they failed because of the suspicion on other fronts?

He barely heard his brother's statements and his reminiscing, his brow furrowed in concern. That wasn't a problem he'd anticipated here of all places, and yet history told him that such could easily become the case. Especially considering when Prussia was from. "Yes... someone like him could be nice..."

[hat_einen_vogel]

Prussia hadn't noticed the way West had gone quiet and not given further input beyond a brief agreement. He was practically glowing with pride now at the very thought of his old king.

"Old Fritz was the best," he stated, unwilling to accept any argument to the contrary. Not that he thought West would argue, even though he hadn't been around to have the privilege of meeting the king. There were some things that were undeniably true, and Frederick II of Prussia being great was one of them. "You would've like him a lot, West; I know you would have. He—"

Unfortunately, whatever else Prussia might have said was covered by the sound of the voice on the intercom that came with the announcement for lunch. Gilbert frowned, but didn't make a move just yet. The women were sure to be over shortly to force them back into the mess hall, but until then, Prussia was not relenting his position.

"Don't forget: tonight, by the stairs," he said, as though West needed the reminder.