Mar 17, 2011 02:05
Though five days without bathing was hardly unusual for Rita, she was actually looking forward to showering today. To her, the last shift had been somewhat enjoyable, if only because it allowed her an opportunity to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. Of course, she couldn't be completely alone in the communal showers, but no one was rude enough
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leela,
kirk,
s.t.,
klavier,
badd,
anise,
sam winchester,
indiana jones,
firo,
zex,
niikura,
taura,
franziska,
claire bennet,
kinomoto sakura,
peter parker,
snow,
lunge,
lana skye,
ruby,
mello,
the flash,
roxas,
stefan,
peter petrelli,
mele,
tear,
damon,
two-face,
ritsuka,
rapunzel,
erika,
edgar,
canada,
tifa,
the scarecrow,
hijikata,
matt,
maya,
okita,
battler,
zack,
kratos,
l,
shinji,
carter,
kenshin,
bella,
scott pilgrim,
aigis,
izaya,
ax,
claire littleton,
sora,
gren,
rei,
woody,
claude,
dean winchester,
byrne,
guy,
kairi,
venom,
nigredo,
kibitoshin,
lightning,
rita,
castiel,
celty,
trickster,
ippo,
sasuke,
aidou,
claire stanfield,
edward cullen,
captain jack
Wh-What... What was...? Klavier didn't move. He simply stared down in uncontainable horror at the tray in his hands. Or specifically, the slop that had been placed onto it. And no, that wasn't figurative. It literally was slop. It was revolting! It was unidentifiable! It was... it was bright pink!! What food was even this color?! Was this even fit for human consumption?! Isn't this what they feed pigs on farms?! No, not even a pig would eat this!!
"Keep it moving, Gilmour," his escort said, already looking a little exasperated.
"... 'Keep it moving?!' You've got to be kidding me. You don't actually expect me to--"
"Look. Either eat it or don't. I don't care. But that's all your getting. So keep. Moving."
Klavier set his jaw, a few seconds away from really letting this guy have a piece of his mind. But in the end he whirled on his heel and took his generous portion of filthy garbage with him. God, he hated being spoken to like this. He hated everything about this place! And now he had to find someplace to sit and contemplate if he even wanted to risk ingesting his "food."
As fumed to himself and scanned the room for a place to sit, he spotted a familiar redhead staring down at his food with about as much enthusiasm as Klavier was feeling. No one was happy with this new arrangement, it seemed. Well. Better to sit with someone he somewhat knew rather than someone he didn't at all. So Klavier approached, sliding into the seat across from Red just as the other was pushing his tray aside in disgust.
"Lovely, isn't it? Nothing like a militant takeover to pave the way to mental health, I always say." It was a deadpan kind of sarcasm that probably would have been better if he'd had the energy to fake a smile along with it. "Of course, I'm fairly certain real soldiers aren't fed anything like this."
How he hoped not. If so, he was going to make a very generous donation as soon as he got back to L.A.
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He shook his head on the thought, turning his attention back to the guy in front of him .... Was it normal to start complaining to strangers like this? It was one thing to do it casually, but another thing without even an introduction or greeting. Or maybe this guy was so irritated he just couldn't care. ... Well, it wasn't like any of his conversations could get too much worse than the first two, and Battler could definitely sympathize with what he was saying. In fact, it was an opportunity, in a way, and before he knew it, Battler found himself doing the same thing.
"Field rations definitely sound better than this. Or at least, even stale bread can be appetizing when you're that hungry, right? It'd be kind of a crappy meal, but it least it would actually taste like something," he complained. Not that he'd ever tried any, of course, but he at least knew about it second-hand from Hideyoshi oji-san's old war stories.
"What is this stuff, anyway? Instead of something I should be eating, it looks more like something that already came out."
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To be honest, the idea of stale bread didn't sound like anything he'd want to eat either, but at least it would be something that somewhat resembled food rather than... this. Ignoring the way it looked, was something he couldn't exactly identify something he wanted to put in his body? What if they put something in this? You wouldn't even be able to tell since you couldn't say what belonged here and what didn't. Maybe they just took the regular menu items and put them into a blender. Not the most appetizing thought to consider. This wasn't exactly aided by Herr Red's vivid little comment. Or the fact that, looking down at it, he was absolutely correct.
"Well there was an image I wanted..." he muttered out loud. Not that Klavier was planning to get this stuff anywhere even remotely close to his mouth, but that had pretty much sealed the deal right there. Like Red, he went and pushed his tray aside as well. "With our luck, you're probably right. I can't say I'd be terribly surprised anymore."
Klavier sighed and took his glass of water. He could at least trust that much. Right? ... He looked down into it. ... Anyway. He turned his eyes back to the other, trying to feign a slight smile. His voice was kept perfectly level. "Gourmet options aside, how have you been holding up, Herr Red? Have fun last night?"
That note to Ms. von Karma had been folded, so he probably assumed no one else had read it. Which was silly. He'd probably be irritated knowing Klavier had read what was meant to be a private message on an obviously public forum, but hopefully he'd get a bit of a fun reaction out of it. He could use the distraction.
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"It's Battler," he commented mildly, taking a drink of water. Normally, he'd actually introduce himself properly, but it seemed a bit lost on the situation somehow. ... Or maybe he really was that irritated by the lack of a good meal.
Of course... There was something about this guy's smile... He couldn't put his finger on why, exactly, but he was sure that he shouldn't like it. And given what had happened to him the previous night, the questions only seemed reaffirm that. His expression shifted into something uncomfortable. Either this guy really was just uncomfortably friendly, or he knew something he wasn't saying. Why else would be asking something like that?
".... Well, I guess that's one way of putting it," he muttered a little vaguely. 'Fun' was the exact opposite of what he'd use to describe anything since getting here, but he didn't exactly feel up to admitting the state he'd been in the previous night. "What about it?"
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Klavier eyed him curiously as the guy took a drink of his water, vaguely noting he hadn't reacted in any way to the taste or to the water itself. ...Hmn. Well, in any case, Herr Red didn't seem to have any patience for anything like subtle teasing either. Which was too bad, but Klavier wasn't so discourteous as to push it when something was honestly wrong.
...There was no denial regarding what had happened last night with him and Fräulein Prosecutor. No sputtering to assert nothing had happened. No made up story or even elaboration. Just a vague answer. Almost wary. ...Was he... upset? Was that what he was upset about? Don't tell him Red had actually tried and was upset that nothing came of it. If he couldn't see that result coming from a mile away, there really was something wrong with him. And why would you even try in... Ach. Whatever.
Look, he'd be nice and wouldn't roll his eyes here. Getting rejected wasn't really the kind of thing one laughed at, but come on. It was Franziska von Karma they were talking about here. Sigh. After a moment, Klavier chanced a drink of his own water, deeming it safe enough now. "...Nothing really. But it might be a good idea to pick your battles a bit more carefully in the future."
There, see? That was very nice of him. He wasn't calling him an idiot or anything. He'd just think it.
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As far as what what the man was saying went, however.... The comment was weird, and Battler honestly had no idea what to make of it. 'Pick your battles.....?' What battles? Other than totally losing his grip on the situation, it wasn't like anything had happened, right? ... Or maybe he was referring to this entire situation as a whole rather than that specifically, but there was really no way to know that with such a cryptic comment.
"... Huh? Sorry, but I'm not really sure what you're talking about," he provided after a pause.
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He sighed, not being as quiet about it as Red had been only a moment ago. He placed his right elbow on the table and rested his chin on his knuckles as he evaluated how serious the guy was being right then. "Fräulein Prosecutor. I would think the first time she hit you would be hint enough, but apparently not. She's not exactly the kind of person you can simply approach out of nowhere. If you're going to think about that sort of thing here, you might want to try talking to someone who won't beat you to a pulp for saying the wrong thing." He paused for a moment as though only just now realizing something. "...No disrespect to her, of course."
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.... Oh.
"H-hold on, you think that I....?" he asked incredulously. What the hell, here he was getting kind of freaked out, and this bastard was just making a joke!
He actually started laughing, a strange mixture of irritation, relief, and genuine amusement. "Iihihi, I'm not sure where you got that from, exactly, but I'm not that kind of guy." He smirked. "I'd never~ think of disrespecting a woman like that, okay~? I'm allllways a perfect gentleman~."
.... It was kind of ridiculous, but this kind of joking actually completely turned his mood around. It felt good, to be honest, to shift to something kind of obnoxious than to keep the atmosphere serious, especially the way the day had gone so far.
"Besides," he shrugged, "she's not really my type. Give them to me blonde and with a bouncy chest~ ♪"
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Joking around was fine with him. He joked plenty, though his personal humor was closer to double meanings and sarcasm. Kidding about women in a vulgar way wasn't exactly something he personally approved of, but he accepted people did it. That wasn't really the part that was bothering him so much though. The way Battler was joking made him sound like he was so absolutely proud about being an utter pervert. And that last part just emphasized it more. This guy...
...Well, what did Klavier expect. He'd said he was still in high school. And he could have said something worse. Still, he had to admit this was kind of a disgusting display. Borderline creepy, actually. He'd like to discourage this kind of talk if at all possible. And the best way to do that was to make him uncomfortable right back.
Klavier gave a brief chuckle, the best he could manage at the moment. "Ohhh. I see, I see. So I simply misunderstood your preferences is all. It's a shame I only fill in a part of the criteria, but at least we know Fräulein will be safe at night." He slipped his chin into his palm and just ~smiled~.
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He was pretty used to having unfavorable reactions to his crude humor, but what this guy was doing was ... How should he put it.... He actually had to look away, honestly kind of perturbed by it. Ahh, dammit, how the hell did he go from screwing around to letting this creepy bastard get the better of him....?
"Well~, it sure is tough being popular," he responded, somewhat bitterly. "But there's no need to worry, okay? You're definitely safe. In fact, I'd sooner pick torture."
... Geez. It felt kind of gross even saying that. But hopefully it'd get him to shut up.
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Klavier sat back, no longer leaning against the table now that his attention had perked back up. "Well, since nothing happened, I'm to assume you didn't find very much of interest last night then, ja?" He glanced away momentarily at the guards lining the room. "Things have been changing rather quickly around here, it seems. I don't think any of us can guess what changes might occur come nightfall. But likely it will get even more difficult to search the building."
This was growing to be a huge problem. Unfortunately they would just have to deal with it. And hope that the soldiers weren't planning on keeping the doors locked.
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"... No, not really. I was a little preoccupied," he sighed. His mood had finally shifted enough that he didn't look outright uncomfortable remembering the previous night, but the topic still wasn't pleasant, and some of that made its way into his voice. Still..... Nightfall. Right. Wasn't he supposed to be gathering more information? Some things may have been easier to learn as you went, but trying to rush in with little more than a concept wasn't going to get you very far.
"You mentioned that before, actually. Something about a takeover." From what, he didn't have a clue, but for now, at least, it was probably better to stick with the present. "Basically, the entire premise is shifting, right? I was only really able to catch it vaguely, but I did hear what was being said at the very end. .... Something about rats in a maze." ... That's right, wasn't it said that they were going to push even harder for whatever goal they had in mind? That the results so far had been unsatisfactory?
It brought back what Albedo had said to him that morning. 'They didn't like the you that had been here, so they reset you to try again.' If he was going to think about it like that, then.... did that mean it actually had some credibility to it? He found himself shuddering at the thought. Accepting that ... meant accepting he had something missing. And if that were true, who was to say it was just memories of this place? Didn't mean that there could also be something else? Something really important...?
.... So much for lightening things up. It was better than before, but now, all he could feel was an unpleasant sort of heaviness.
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He was a little surprised Battler sounded somewhat vague on the details regarding the power shift. Unlike Klavier, it sounded like he had been here yesterday and had been well enough to go out at night. ... Battler could be considered a lot of things but inattentive wasn't one of them. So he had to admit he was curious about this contradiction. Shouldn't he know about that? Hadn't he been around? Or had he fallen ill just as Klavier had?
"Yes, that's right. Did you hear nothing about it, Herr Red?" He watched him, seeming extremely interested all of a sudden. "It's not only the premise that has shifted. Herr Doktor himself is no longer here. The military came in and removed him from power. Quite literally, in fact. Some people on the bulletin board even claim to have witnessed him being removed from the building themselves." He paused a moment, curiosity making way for a bit more of a serious tone. "This new man in charge... He has an entirely different goal for us, as you heard yesterday. And a different way of running things, incidentally."
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"I've heard about it, but not much, other than it happened," he explained. "But I can't really say I know much about whatever things were like before that, so even if the balance turned out to be totally different, I wouldn't notice at all." He frowned slightly. He got gist of what was being said, but since he had no observation of what came before, ultimately, it was mostly meaningless to him. The concept, at least was familiar: the board shifting hands, the purpose being mocked instead of respected, but he couldn't say he knew if it was really the same thing.
"Still.... Changing strategies isn't something you normally make a show of, is it? In fact, it's normally just the opposite. If you're going to make the other side do something, it's better to try and read things from their perspective and try to lead them into doing it on their own. Instead, they're clearly announcing what they're doing and hoping everyone falls into it anyway.
"And if that's true, then it has a really bad feel to it, doesn't it? If you're going to state something so obviously, that means you want it paid attention to. In other words, 'they want us to know they're planning something.' Why? And if you turn that over, ... there can only really be two reasons. Either these guys are incredibly arrogant and don't feel threatened at all, or they're intentionally calling attention away from something else."
He was definitely operating on assumptions here, but as far as he could tell from the things he'd been told, it did seem to fit. He couldn't say he enjoyed the idea, either. Things were screwed up enough already, weren't they? That something else might be hidden here was... definitely unpleasant.
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Then, it clicked, and Klavier simply stared at Battler in astonishment. He didn't know. If he didn't know, if he honestly didn't remember what it was like before the shift, then it was very likely they had...! Thinking back on the way Battler had been reacting since he'd sat down, it actually made sense. The sudden attitude, the odd behavior, the stupid questions, the complete lack of propriety... Yes, it would make sense if he didn't remember anything before yesterday. But one thing still did not. ...Why wouldn't he have brought it up if that was the case?
Apparently, the pause after his proclamation was only brief as Battler just kept on talking. As he did, the expression on Klavier's face dropped and he simply... stared at him. Dear. Lord. In heaven. It was like he was in court, watching Forehead struggle to string sentences and facts together hoping something he points out might actually be slightly relevant to the conversation at hand. Except the only penalty here was Klavier having to listen as this idiot blathered on like he had any idea what he was talking about at all. Ignoring the content itself, Klavier's new realization just made everything spewing out of the boy's mouth that much more incredible.
When Battler was finally done, there was a long moment of silence on Klavier's end. He tilted his head and a hand went up to idly pull on the hair falling along one side of his face, letting it fall back into place as he appraised the other. Nothing on his face indicated he'd even been listening to a word the boy had just said.
He should probably be saying something here, now shouldn't he? But there was so much and so little to say, he could almost make himself dizzy thinking of where to start. How... to say this?
Klavier pursed his lips together. "...... You have... absolutely no idea who I am, do you?"
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He couldn't help his face dropping into confusion, and when the guy finally spoke? That was even worse. Battler stared back at him for a moment, trying to evaluate his reaction, but in truth, it was more than obvious. .... Now, it was more than obvious why this conversation hadn't been making any sense.
"That again, huh....? I thought it was strange, but...."
... He had to turn away. Look back at the conversation, wasn't it kind of obvious? He hadn't been talking to him like that despite not knowing him. He'd been talking to him under the assumption that he did know him. Why the hell hadn't he noticed sooner? The answer was actually pretty simple: he didn't want to.
".... Sorry, but no, I don't," he admitted uncomfortably. "You're going to tell me the reverse is true, right? I've already heard about people returning with nothing. ...... Call me an idiot, if you want. If I knew that much, then I definitely should have noticed what was wrong sooner, right? But still.... Who the hell is going to accept that so easily? Who's going to just acknowledge that their memories are screwed up like there's nothing wrong with that...?!"
Even now, he still didn't want to believe it was possible. Every time it had come up, it had been on vague enough terms that he could dismiss the idea if he really wanted to, but by now, it was starting to come up enough that it was starting to hold a certain weight to it. .... He didn't like it. He didn't like it all...! Wasn't it kind of like saying that he couldn't he couldn't even trust himself? After all, if there were gaps, was there any real way of noticing how deep they ran? And if there really were things missing, he honestly couldn't notice them. .... There could be something important, and he'd never see the connection at all.
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