The Awful Truth? [OPEN ]

[de_bel_survivor]

WHO: EVERYONE
WHAT: Chatting in the aslyum, but with that pesky 'tell no lie' thing in the way.
WHERE: Anywhere.
WHEN: The entire week the event's taking place in.
WARNING(S): Possible swearing from the usual suspects 8| and moderately Freudian psychoanalysis

Comments

[thecutrperidot]

She opens up her notebook to the first clean page following the map of Europe. There'll definitely be much too much to write about him in this lovely context to fit onto a small little corner that almost gets caught in the crease between pages. Idly writing down a note indicating that what follows will be the product of their first session, she continues to speak to him.

"Hmmmm. Well, I had been intending to get some nice solid background information, like about exactly how you handled the transition from the Teutonic Order to your current state. I mean, really, it was Catholic, and your current behavior clearly reflects the change. But given the absolutely delightful opportunity offered by the truth serum, there is the alternate path of asking you any questions I can think of that you'd be otherwise reluctant to answer..." She is relatively immune to the rakishness of his expression, but it is in a strange way mirrored by the almost sadistic eagerness with which she contemplates all of the terribly revealing topics she could pose for discussion.

[gewehrundblut]

The sight of the notebook makes him sit up slightly to lean forward in genuine interest. She had mentioned notes, so it comes as no surprise that she'll be writing things down. "Will I be able to see those? I wanna know what you think."

"Tch, Catholic doesn't mean chaste or pure. Besides, technically I'm some kind of Protestant -don't ask me what kind; I stopped caring about a century ago- and that hardly reflects in my behaviour. As far as how I dealt with the change... I just did. I didn't really have any say in the matter." Note how he's rambling about what she originally intended to ask. It's the best deflection he can think of at the moment, because he knows he won't be able to not answer or lie about questions he doesn't want to answer. Especially since she looks far too pleased over the situation; God knows he's now mentally running through everything she might know to be curious about.

The sad part is that the waffling on Annuska was actually only about half the prep time of this tag.

[thecutrperidot]

"You can look if you want to." She shifts her grip on the notebook to let it fall open to a page filled with writing on TSH-866-001 and TSH-801-059. Incomprehensible, most likely, except for those IDs and perhaps their names. "But I'm not sure you'll be able to read them. They're in Hungarian. That was the entire point of doing it that way, of course, in case someone found them and got suspicious. Although there's also the fact that I haven't had the opportunity to speak my native tongue for years and years and years. It's been over a decade since anyone has called me Annuska, would you believe that? I've never understood what was so hard about it. A-nush-ka. I suppose they could never get past the orthography. Oh, well, after enough time you just don't care anymore; at least not as much, it'll always be at least somewhat slighting. But that's just one of the little sacrifices of living in a global society."

Ah, god, she just went on another truth-serum fueled little high for thirty seconds or so, didn't she. "...I'm terribly sorry about that." Ahahahaha Truth serum. It just kind of does that. "Please, continue elaborating on the lack of contradiction between chastity and Catholicism - I find it striking. My assumption had been you would have held such dogma close to your heart as the living spirit of a Catholic organization." She's not going to be deterred. There has to be some really good stuff there. Trysts in confessionals, a fixation on crosses, negative associations with weddings. Something. Although if there isn't she could always bring up Romano or the poor whores or the loss of his virginity or Fritz or... she could literally do this all day. (There is now the faint, indelible thought in the back of her mind that somehow all four of those topics are part of the same story. It is, after all, technically just barely within the realm of possibility, assuming that she has his chronology right, which there's a very good chance she doesn't. Anyway it would also be kind of hot.)

[gewehrundblut]

He glances down at the notes curiously. As she said, the notes are in Hungarian. He squints at the letters; they're familiar enough and he thinks he remembers how to pronounce them, but he'll be damned if he knows what they mean. "Ungarisch? Huh, it's been a while since I've really had to use that language. Annuska... you married, then? Cause Simon sounds more English than Hungarian."

That line of questioning makes him chuckle a bit as he settles back down on the couch, rolling onto his stomach and pillowing his head on crossed arms. "When I was a kid, yeah, 'cause that's when I was just the German Order. Then I became the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, so it wasn't just the holy order any more. There were probably more people who were either barely Catholic or not Christian at all who composed me... And... I don't know. I grew up. Priorities changed. Seemed less important worrying about following dogma and canon to the letter." He scrubs his face with one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thinks.

Truth be told, he doesn't think too highly of weddings and marriage, though that's more his view on commitment than anything. A sigh escapes him. "What's it matter anyhow?"

[thecutrperidot]

She raises an eyebrow at that. "No, of course not." She wiggles her ringless fingers in the air. "Everything sounds more English what with how it keeps sweeping across the world like a virus these days. Shi-mone. No, definitely not English. People keep mistaking it for that trite given name in writing, it drives me crazy. I wish it were as easy to change as first names are, but then I'd have lost my connections to home completely."

Well, that's a good time to cut herself off. She's not going to let him completely deflect her inquiry by all this hitting of her emotional triggers, no, sir. After taking a moment to note his explanation, she purses her lips curiously. "Fascinating... I had imagined some kind of overcompensating dramatic sexual awakening. That eliminates that theory as a root for your current conduct, then? Something more complicated involving bisexuality or immortality? Hmmmm." There is a slight disappointment associated with her initial hypotheses being disproved, but not too much. There would be no point in her occupation if she were always completely right the very first time.

[gewehrundblut]

"Could just change your name to something more obviously Hungarian." Not that he has any idea what would be a more Hungarian name, since he's obviously not Hungary. That, and it would be a bit odd to suggest the one blatantly Hungarian surname he knows.

Shifting slightly to peer over at her a bit better, he squints at that question. "You realise I wasn't even old enough physically to get it up until I was Ducal and Royal Prussia, riiiight?" ...Actually, that's an interesting coincidence, that he wasn't really physically capable of sex until he was made Protestant. Have fun reading too much into that. "Now, why are you so fixated on my sexual history, Prinzessin?" The nickname borders on snide and mocking. "I gotta say, I can only think of one good reason..." However, his tone quickly smooths out to almost seductive. Oh, yes, his tongue did just slip out to wet his lips.

[thecutrperidot]

Her brows begin to furrow as they continue this tangential conversation. His deflective behavior shows fascinating patterns; in future, she'll have to find out whether this is his standard reaction to self-reflection, or if the behavior is exaggerated in the context of knowing that there's nothing he can avoid addressing. "It's one of the most common. Besides, I've made a name for myself in my profession, so it would be too late to change it now. And--how was I supposed to know that? For all I knew you were always the same physical age and--"

When it becomes clear what's really on his mind, she moves back against the wall, as far away as she can get while still sitting down. "What are you implying?! Absolutely not! My sexual interest in you is--" She swallows and turns scarlet. Goddamn truth serum. But there is no truth that she cannot work around with enough effort. "The work of Freud has demonstrated a significant link between societally reinforced repression and psychological problems, which in your case I find particularly appropriate given your absolutely shocking promiscuity. It's a subject on which many patients are reticent, so I desired to address it while the current experiment was in place. That's all there is to it." Really, this is ridiculous and she is not going to stand for it. Things like this only happen when doctors are to act as patients and patients are convinced they're not supposed to receive treatment! In his case, due to aforementioned promiscuity, this manifests itself as, well, absolutely shocking promiscuity. If he keeps this up she really is going to slap him. Her Hippocratic Oath has been violated enough times by the nature of this place anyway. This is all Linda's fault.

[gewehrundblut]

For the most part, it is his standard practise when faced with self-reflection and having to talk honestly. Though, to be entirely fair, he is highly overdoing the response because otherwise he has to be truthful. "Ah, if you say so. And you could've asked. I mean, fuck, I may never have been a baby, but I did have a childhood. Not that you'd consider fighting wars to be much of one, I'm sure."

Her reaction makes him laugh in his usual harsh manner. "Ah, you should try something else. I'm fairly open about sex." There are a few specific questions she should ask now, otherwise he may never answer, but he is still being truthful. He didn't say he was wholly open. "And what's wrong with sharing the awesome?" He sees nothing wrong with promiscuity; not when some of his bosses have openly had mistresses.

[thecutrperidot]

"Oh, don't be so sure. I'm still working out just what to think about what constitutes pathological behavior in your kind. The subject is so terribly under-researched and Linda certainly hasn't helped out what with the lack of sufficient case history." Really, it's a terrible lapse for her to not even include whichever historical ages correspond to what physical ages. Such a waste of time having to find these things out from the patients, especially when he probably can't even remember exactly how many years it was anymore.

She clicks her tongue. "I'm really not sure exactly what extent to which it might be healthy. Other nations don't seem to have as liberal an attitude on the subject as you do, which I find odd - examining your behavior closely, I had assumed the others would be equally polyamorous given the nature of international relations. Though that doesn't really explain being at least as promiscuous, if not more so, with humans..." Her smile gradually returns as she regains control of the situation in spite of his previous indiscretion. Prussia will have to navigate his next few words like a minefield; she is going to be examining his every reaction very carefully.

[gewehrundblut]

"The subject will probably remain under-researched. There aren't a lot of us and we don't grow at the same rates. Take Italy, for example. They're both a good thousand or so years my senior, but I was an adult physically well before they were." He flops over onto his back, drumming his fingers against his stomach as he thinks. He actually does remember precise years, but that's because of his journalling more than anything. Though it also doesn't hurt that he's not yet counting his age in millenia.

"You've never met France, then," he deadpans. "Seriously, though. International relations have nothing to do with it. I mean, there was a time when the frog was politically one of my closest allies, but I just wanted to smash his skull in because Fritz was all about French culture. Food, literature, philosophy, even music. He said the sound of a horse neighing was more pleasant than that of someone singing in German; can you believe that?" The laughter following that is more the kind designed to hide upset than genuine incredulosity. "Ah... but as far as being with humans so much... well. There are millions of you. More variety, no strings attached."

[thecutrperidot]

"Hmmmm, yes, Italy. What a strange case. I wish there was some undergraduate around I could send off to research them - they're so disinteresting compared to you, but that's research that absolutely has to be done. Shame that I'd find it almost impossible to drag off either of the specimens we have here." She finds the Vargases almost boring in their textbook inferiority complexes and whatnot. It'd almost be better in her mind for Romana and Feliciano to never become permanent additions.

It would be nice for her to meet France, perhaps. In her estimation his nation seemed to be a relatively well-adjusted one, but maybe she's wrong from what Prussia's saying. That's not the point, however. The point is Fritz, better known as the potential icing on the cake. "Ah, that was such a terrible thing for him to say. You must have been terribly jealous." Her excitement makes her lean in, borderline involuntarily. "That he had so much of Your Beloved's Affection." She mockingly capitalizes each word that he would with a sharp tap of her pen. This is just. This makes all three months of complete and utter desolation completely worth it. He's probably seen a smile like this before, on himself and certain other soldiers. It really should accompany blood dripping off of her teeth, but she's more hygienic then that.

[gewehrundblut]

Oh, never mind all that she just said about the Italies, or really any other words that came out of her mouth. He's utterly fixated on that last mocking sentence, what it reveals about everything she's figured out. It's his turn to bolt; sitting straight up and moving as far from her as he can get without falling off the couch. "I... y-you... it was..." He stamners, half-formed German spilling out, because he can't think of how to talk around that truth. "Shut the fuck up! Like you know a Goddamned thing!"

[thecutrperidot]

She wishes more than ever that this stupid asylum had a calendar, because without a good method of putting the dates into context she's completely convinced that this must be her birthday and Christmas all at once, which it absolutely can't be. If it weren't for how she's writing frantically, she would clap her hands for joy. "Am I right? Were you really in love with him?" ...she isn't completely in the loop with this. He still has a chance to hide the whole truth of the matter from her, though it will be very difficult what with the extent of the influence the truth serum has on them by now.

[gewehrundblut]

"I... ja. Genau. I was in love with him..." Restraining everything else that wants to spill forth, about how they were together and he didn't so much as glance at anyone else in that way and it almost killed him when Fritz died except he couldn't die; keeping that back is the most difficukt thing he feels he's ever done. Except he does, with a hand over his mouth and the most distraught look he cab form on his face. Oh, he'll even let a tear roll down his cheek, if it will help misdirect her.

[thecutrperidot]

That tear is helpful in stirring a little of her sympathy, but his hopes are pinned far too high if he thinks crying will actually dissuade her entirely. It's already been made clear that she has hardly any respect for anyone's privacy. Still, she reverently sets down her pen for the moment, to better listen, and there's significantly less of a sharp edge on her voice when her questioning picks up again. "Did... did he feel the same way?" She's worked with truth serum before; she knows that it'll be very difficult for him to keep quiet much longer.

[gewehrundblut]

...Damn it. Damn it damnit DAMN IT. He watches her warily, though his expression is more akin to that of the rabbit trapped by the hound than that of the hound. Which is not a position he likes being in. Ever. "I... he... I don't... it doesn't matter. He left me anyways, and I know you guys die within a century and there's nothing to be done for it but I didn't want him to go." Here, have some other issues. Take them and drop the love thing, please.