(Untitled)

[inthedeadzone]

Several hours had passed, long enough for Capa to be taken to the clinic, long enough for him to find a place to stash the suit, hoping no one would tamper with it while he was gone. It wasn't the suit itself he cared about, only that it would be in good condition when he found the right equation to get off the island

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[king_ofkings]

Adrian had seen far worse chills in the snows of Antarctica. Normally, he might weather them from inside Karnak, but it was a test of his character to withstand the colder moments of it. He found the man on his walk for supplies and paused to regard him, curious as to the suit.

"You seem to have picked an ill time to go for a walk," Adrian noted.

[inthedeadzone]

Hesitating, Capa shook his head, still looking out at the sky before he finally turned and pulled the door shut. "I know better than to go for a walk in the middle of a blizzard," he answered, one corner of his mouth nearly turning up into a smile.

"Did I see you earlier?" he asked a moment later, having studied the other man. "I just arrived, but I feel like I saw you when I was still..." He trailed off and gestured at himself, trying to mime wearing the suit.

[king_ofkings]

Adrian didn't say a word at first. Neither did he offer any form of reaction. He merely regarded the other man and watched his movements. Adrian was in a simple purple parka, allowing himself to stay warm amidst the snow. "I've been coming to fetch preserves. Perhaps you saw me then," he offered calmly, seeing no cause to panic.

[inthedeadzone]

"Maybe," Capa answered, although he wasn't sure. Having only been on the island for a few hours now, he wasn't sure who he'd seen and who he hadn't. Most of the people who had passed by had been a complete blur, with the exception of John Sheppard and the doctor in the clinic who had patched him up.

"Preserves," he repeated. "You think this is going to last long?"

[king_ofkings]

"I don't take chances," Adrian kindly remarked, feeling a mild hint of pity. "We should find warmth, though." Not everyone was so used to such cold temperatures, not everyone had trained their body to become acclimated. And even Adrian found solace in a cup of warm cocoa with a sweet soaking in the liquid. "I've learned never to go without a plan."

[inthedeadzone]

The cold really wasn't so bad, but Capa nodded and opened the door once more, stepping back into the warmth of the Compound. It was crowded, bustling with people, and after sixteen months on a ship with only seven other crew members, it felt foreign to him.

"Plans are good," he agreed. Even when they fell through. "I'm Capa. Robert Capa."

[king_ofkings]

"Adrian Veidt," he introduced himself as he would with any other presence. With pride and modesty and a slight amount of smugness and chagrin at being who he was. The warmth was welcome to step into and he brushed himself off, keeping his hair as best as he could in place. "Capa," he echoed. "It means layer of the earth in Spanish. As well as cloak, but the former is slightly more poetic."

[inthedeadzone]

More poetic, but possibly less accurate. Capa didn't say that, however, just smiled faintly. "I've never heard that before," he admitted, not the slightest bit embarrassed. Since he'd been a child, he'd been far more interested in numbers and theories than learning about himself or his past. "Would it disappoint you to know I didn't come from Spain, but New York?"

[king_ofkings]

"I came from New York as well," Adrian admitted, a demure smile upon his face. "Though that wasn't the place of my humble abode when I was bidden here. My fascination with languages was merely a reflection of my parents' demand that I be educated. First came English, and other languages followed suit."

[inthedeadzone]

"How many languages?" Capa asked curiously, finding himself genuinely interested in what felt like the first time in a long time. It reminded him of Mace, albeit in a very different fashion, as Mace had pushed his buttons on purpose.

[king_ofkings]

Adrian paused in both reply and his gait to truly think on the question. At some point, he had simply stopped because it seemed no longer necessary to count. He knew the importance of communicating in the native tongue of those he dealt with and that had been enough. "I'm sure my mother would say that it wasn't enough," he joked lightly and genially.

[inthedeadzone]

"She pushed for greater knowledge then," Capa answered, smiling mostly to himself. His own mother had been somewhat like that, encouraging him to push on and continue and learn more and write more. It had led to his place on Icarus II, something he was sure she blamed herself for.

"I only speak English," he added, turning the faint smile on Adrian. "So you don't have to worry about the others here."

[king_ofkings]

Adrian took his time in the warmth of the structure to truly observe the other man. He was aesthetically pleasing, but it seemed that most people were here. He was also very young, but Adrian felt that was also a common occurrence upon the Island. "English it is," Adrian agreed, "And whatever topic you choose, now that you've rescued me from the cold," he joked mildly.

[inthedeadzone]

"It's my choice, is it?" Capa asked, his mouth turning up into another small smile. He was being looked at, but he didn't mind it; was able to convince himself it wasn't happening, even, not because it was unwanted, but because it was rare. People tended to look straight through him to get to his work. "What year did you come from?"

[king_ofkings]

"Nineteen hundred and eighty-five," Adrian said, only glad that through the actions he had thought upon for so long that it was not the last year that humanity would ever see. Perhaps it was a grave thing that he had done, but it had been necessary. "Is that the past or future for yourself?"

[inthedeadzone]

"The past," Capa answered, smiling at the thought that Adrian was actually nearly a hundred years older than he was. "I was born in 2030. It was 2057 when I arrived here." His parents hadn't even been born in the year that Adrian was from.