DAY 55: Sun Room [2nd Shift]

[autophoenix]

[ from here ]Either she was the only unlucky person to experience a freezing shower, or she just hadn't built up the tolerance for it that the more seasoned patients had. Whichever it was, she was the first person into the sun room and while normally she wouldn't mind that, the soldiers were majorly creepy and she was kind of hoping for some kind

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[osoreirimasu]

Japan bowed his head again and moved over to take a seat. As he sat down, the cushions supporting his back in just the right way, he couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. He generally preferred sitting on tatami if he could help it, but Western couches were a lovely invention. He could tell that Kratos was in need of this quiet time as well and so he let the silence stretch between them for a bit, waiting until a more opportune time to speak.

He couldn't tell if Kratos was injured what with the way the uniforms now covered nearly every inch of a person's body, but he also knew that it would be wise not to speak to someone who was taciturn and did not initiate conversation themselves. There was a time and a place and Japan knew how to read the signs in order to figure out when and where to place the right phrase.

Some time after sitting down, once his own bones were ready to deal with the inevitable brain break that was about to be unleashed upon him, Japan cautiously turned his head toward his sitting companion. He calculated out the best thing to say and then, very quietly again, he spoke. "I'm afraid my age makes it difficult to do what the guards require of me. My name is Honda Kiku. I am grateful for your kindness."

[spandexorgtfo]

Kratos waited patiently for the other man to introduce himself and ask after his health or perhaps his opinion on the sudden climate shift within - or without: it was apparently snowing - the Institute. After several seconds of silence, though, he realized that they would not becoming as swiftly as he'd expected them, or maybe not at all. It was a pleasant surprise.

He closed his eyes and loosely laced his fingers together in front of him, fully intending to take advantage of this...gift, of sorts. How long the silence lasted was irrelevant; what mattered was that it was enough time for him to collect himself for when the conversation began.

--and begin it did. His eyes opened and slid to the side so that they met the other man's. "I see." Honda Kiku's appearance was deceiving if he was able to plead age, but since Kratos' did as well, he paid it no mind. "Mine is Kratos Aurion." A pause to catch his breath - "There is no need to thank me. I have not done anything to merit your gratitude."

[osoreirimasu]

As he thought, Kratos was as grateful for the silence as Japan was. Old souls tended to prefer the short conversations held without a single word spoken to those spent with hours of ceaseless gabbing. He was glad to see that Kratos shared his appreciation and let out a small sigh of relief as he turned his gaze back to the room and the people around them. Everyone else was bustling with conversation, excited movements and energized meetings. It was nice to have this small bubble of serenity amid the chaos.

"It is an honor, Aurion-san," Japan said, bowing his head. And it was, but unfortunately Kratos would never know how much of one. Japan was still coming to terms with seeing these people as real, so meeting the figures of his most recognizable games was something of a lucid dream. He was never really certain whether these people would turn out to be who he thought they were, or if he'd end up waking up and finding out this was all some elaborate RPG dream.

With a shake of his head, Japan motioned to the now bustling room. "It is rare to find a place to sit here. Let alone with agreeable company. For this, I thank you."

[spandexorgtfo]

Addressing him by his surname: this was a new development. Although he was used to people defaulting to his first name, Kratos didn't dislike this sort of detached respect that had just been established. Sometimes, it seemed like people forgot that they were all still mostly strangers to one another even if they shared many of the same troubles.

"Fair enough." He likewise dipped his head in acknowledgment: it wasn't every day he was called "agreeable company", after all. "Although, I'm surprised they aren't demanding more...productive activities from us, collectively." Kratos had injuries to blame for his idleness, but obviously, not everyone in this room had been similarly crippled. So why would this occupying army still allow them to socialize like this? Was it because they wanted to maintain some semblance of a cover, or was it because...no, they couldn't actually be promoting it, could they?

Or perhaps he was just over-thinking things. He couldn't really help it when he was in situations like this.

[osoreirimasu]

To be honest, Japan would have preferred more "productive activities," regardless of what they were. If it hadn't been for the earth-shattering experience of meeting Ayanami Rei at the breakfast cleaning (and the lack of food thereafter), he would have enjoyed the shift. He didn't mind doing busy work because it did just that - kept him busy. It meant he didn't have to think about what was going on around him. He could just cleverly ignore thinking about how people could disappear and reappear, how his emotions could be twisted into knots, how the other Nations still thought it was the Cold War or the Second War or some other non-war period and no one could agree. He didn't have to think about how he still hadn't seen Germany, either. Japan liked busy work.

And not having any to do now made him nervous.

"Perhaps I am alone in preferring to do such productive activities," he said quietly, one hand clutching lightly at his stomach to calm his discomfort. Kratos seemed to be fine with this sitting about thing, after all. At least, outwardly he was. Perhaps he couldn't do it anyway because of injuries that Japan could not see. Regardless, he couldn't quite imagine Kratos Aurion pushing a wet rag around on the floors. ".....But if this is really the military, perhaps they are merely waiting to do so."

It wouldn't be surprising, considering how often the military liked to do the 'hurry up and wait' thing. Or was that just America's military? His self-defense force spent most of their day in training and wasn't allowed to be deployed except in non-military confrontations, so he really had no idea.

[spandexorgtfo]

"No, I agree with you," Kratos said, perhaps a little too quickly than he'd meant to. "On both accounts." As a fighter - a soldier - he despised idleness. During the horrendously long span of time he and the rest of Cruxis had spent waiting for the ideal vessel for Martel to be born, he had done as much as he could to keep himself busy, either through training or, when that seemed exhausted, through seeing how many trades he could pick up. Suffice to say, many of them had been forgotten over the years, but there were very few things in the twin worlds that Kratos could honestly say he had never done before.

He exhaled as slowly as he dared and noticed that Kiku (Did he prefer to go by his surname? His entire name?) seemed to be in some sort of distress. "...is something the matter?"

Perhaps it was just hunger. Kratos himself had never realized how much he'd come to depend on having a consistent schedule for meals over the past month until today. Hopefully, lunch would prove existent.

[osoreirimasu]

It was a relief to hear someone agreed with his idea of relaxation. Most of the other Nations thought it odd that he spent so much time cleaning or cooking or...well, they didn't know about those hobbies and they never would, but the gist of it was that he spent much time doing what others would be considered busy work. He simply didn't know how to be idle for long, unless he set aside the time to be idle, like after coming home from work or early in the mornings when he wandered aimlessly through his neighborhood.

Japan nodded his head slightly when Kratos agreed, wondering if he felt much the same considering his long life. He had to have done so much to fill up all that time he had... The game had never really touched upon it much, but he assumed that had to be true. It was...odd, then, to listen to him and think of these things - of life outside what Japan had seen in the games. Of life existing off-screen.

"...is something the matter?"

Kratos question pulled him from his thoughts and he quickly shook his head before he even realized what he'd been asked. A check of his posture told him all he needed to know and Japan dropped his hand from his stomach, putting both hands in his lap. How unsightly of him! To show such weakness in front of a... Well. Yes, Kratos was a stranger, so Japan supposed the admonishment fit. "Ah....Forgive me. I am prone to deep-thinking and forget where I am." He just hoped Kratos wouldn't ask about what. "Perhaps the next shift will provide something more stimulating for us both?"

[spandexorgtfo]

"Ah." He might have tentatively asked about the sorts of things Kiku was thinking about were he not practicing a form of word economy more extreme than usual this day - and were he actually that sort of person. As it was, Kratos was no Raine Sage.

Kratos smiled thinly at the suggestion that perhaps lunch - or a shower, even - would prove more exciting. "I would hope the same, were I in better shape to." With his luck, someone would end up having to feed him even though he was quite sure that he was capable of feeding himself. Honestly...this was no better than how things had been under Landel, except that nurses were generally meant to fawn over patients.

"I'm presently injured, so I don't expect anything remarkable to happen any time soon." There was just a faint tinge of bitterness in his voice.

[osoreirimasu]

Injured? Japan frowned slightly when he heard that, worrying for Kratos as he would worry for any of his people. So people really did get injured here aside from running into robot girls and rats and Russia... Perhaps he should begin work on creating a medical support team or a defense force in order to protect those who he could consider part of his citizenry. Or maybe he was overthinking again.

"My apologies, Aurion-san. I am truly sorry to hear that you are unwell." Not that he could tell. The injuries must be internal or otherwise covered by the new military uniform. However, he knew that Kratos was strong and that he was still here, able to sound bitter over being unable to move freely meant his injuries had to be healing, or close enough to being healed that he could feel frustrated over the promise of activity held just out of reach. Japan knew that feeling well.

"Is there anything I can do to help facilitate your recovery?"

[spandexorgtfo]

Kratos had been expecting some degree of sympathy, but hardly an offer of assistance. For a second he almost looked taken aback - but then he blinked and his expression returned to its normal, neutral self.

"It is of little consequence. Anything that could have been done has already been taken care of," he said, head bowed. "All that has been left for me to do is rest." Even if there had been something Kiku could have done, he might not have asked anyway; his well-being was the sort of matter that Kratos preferred to address by himself, even if it seemed like Raine had disappeared and most of the healers with her.

[osoreirimasu]

Kratos seemed shocked by his offer and Japan immediately regretted it. Perhaps it was too forward of him. He had to remember that while he might know these people, they did not know him. People like Kratos would have no idea what he was even, and telling him would only confuse the poor man even more. He had to maintain a certain distance from the people here or things could become very complicated very quickly.

Even as Kratos' expression returned to normal, Japan's remained troubled as he dropped his gaze to the floor. So many of those trapped here were his people or his people by default. It felt unnatural not to help them, but to do the opposite and offer aid could be misunderstood or, worse, rejected. "....I hope that you are able to rest well then, Aurion-san."

Japan paused, linking his hands in his lap to keep his fingers from fidgeting or giving away any of his uncertainty. "I apologize for being so forward."

[spandexorgtfo]

"Thank you. Your concern is appreciated." Ah--had he offended the man? That was...well, there was no undoing his reaction. He might have been driven to explain himself had the story been less personal - either way, Kratos hoped that Kiku had not taken his surprise too badly.

...although really, the way that the man's head had dropped said otherwise. He winced inwardly: there were instances where Kratos had every intention of telling others to kindly remove themselves from his business without explicitly saying so; this had not been one of them.

"No, I should be the one to apologize," he said, shaking his head lightly. "I did not mean to suggest that your offer of assistance was unwanted." Kratos paused again, willing his expression to remain unchanged until the pain had passed. "I was simply surprised by it."