Night-time activity

[Susanna Achrenius]

The Tokyo Settlement shone bright in the night, it’s lights illuminating the night sky with their glow instead of them letting stars to shine through the thin mist which had slowly sneaked its way in to the city, spreading itself everywhere over the it’s streets.
Softly lit, old street lamps lighted also up a small park at the heart of the city. Compared to the city around it which apparently never slept, the park was surprisingly quiet a place and even being almost in the middle of the commoners’ settlement, actually managing also to have some dimmer spots. From one of these, a lone sound of viola filled the air with it’s deep and warm harmony. On a bench, under a broken street lamp having ceased to light up its surroundings, sat a woman playing that mentioned viola. She didn’t play out of sheet music, but out of her heart, all randomly letting her instinct to decide where to set her finger next on the strings of the instrument. At times the melody she played did possibly resemble something already being composed, though it usually changed back to her own pretty soon.
This time around she definitely wasn’t playing for money – which she even now occasionally did though it wasn’t like she would have had to, unlike during her wanderings when it sometimes had even practically been what she had had to do for living. But she enjoyed playing – though during night-time it naturally was not allowed in an apartment house she was living in, and for her being the kind of a nocturnal she was, she just then played somewhere else – and what bad it would do for those nightly bypassers (mostly drunken ones) which of whom someone had actually thrown her with some coins. Not that they had actually hit, but still. She had simply laughed at them.
Even as the park was indeed a shady place and obviously she might have encountered whoever even worse than the occasional drunkards and other those of crawling through the park, to her the night was not a time of day to be feared or detested – indeed, one could never know who she might meet next. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be everyone being just bad or drunken when being out late – or early, whichever way one wants to put it – or what?

[Aloysius Drebbel]

Once having arrived to their new facility, it took some time before Aloysius had time to think about the test devicer matter – nor anything else – again. There would be at least a couple of days work ahead of them for the Tintagel to settle to the new place, but if the devicer matter could at least be brought up and maybe some things already settled in the meanwhile, it would definitely spare time - and if one could achieve many things at the same time, Aloysius didn't hesitate to grab the opportunity.
So, once everything had at least been unloaded from the trucks and safely stored inside, the scientist dismissed himself for a while and took his time to get some refreshment as well as to actually take a little break from work – for a workaholic like he was, it was quite rare, but there was one thing that actually was able to take his mind away from anything considering research or Knightmares, at least for a moment or two. While he seemingly had nothing to be left behind at Pendragon, he actually had. Which being the reason why he would have actually abandoned his work for a while.
There, getting to sit down for a while in a nice little café near the facility and having ordered himself a nice portion of sweet mint chocolate pudding – for a change, and for a test to the local pudding, no living in an area with no decent pudding – he actually had time to realize that he really was on the other side of an ocean, resulting that a harsh bang of quilt hit him and the cold feeling at the bottom of his stomach returned, sweeping away the rare, actually joyous mood he had been enjoying for most of the day. Yes, a bang of guilt. Something even more rare than joy – for practically speaking only one thing nowadays was able to wake up such a feeling inside of him. How could he have forgotten, how could he have dismissed such a thing – well, the excitement had hit him and he had been carried away with it, but still…
Shoot…
The man lowered his hand to search for a mobile phone from the pockets of his coat, soon finding it and next dialing the right number. It took a while for the connection to be formed, but in a while a voice of an older woman answered to him.
In the ears of anyone else knowing him, the words coming out of his mouth next, the following conversation might have been quite a surprise – would’ve made even wonder, if this actually was the very same, usually quite tardy and pretty indifferent the scientist, who cared for nothing except machines. For someone to listen, the usual, maybe a bit cold tone of voice of his, was now actually… warm. And caring – towards another person at the other end of the phone line. Something no one would really have believed Aloysius was able to express to anyone anymore.
“Hello, mom.” He began to smile… softly as ever.
”…What? Oh, yes, I know what time is it… Oh, actually, I don’t. Wait. Ah, sorry – sorry I woke you up. I’m deeply sorry. I just might have something to tell you… Yes, in the middle of the night. Your night, that is. I’m in the Area 11 at the moment.”
The man held a pause, as did his mother on the other end of the line. Just enough time for the sun to come out from behind the clouds swirling on the Settlement. He twiddled the sthingy around in his fingers, but not touching his pudding before he could hear his mother answering. After a while he could hear the woman sigh softly, then making the usual, gently scolding comment of his son’s workaholism. Not thinking a moment of your old mother, eh? Leaving her behind to another continent just like that?
Aloysius sighed. The woman gave him a gentle laugh, then told him to do his best – as always. Of course she wasn’t really angry - she knew her son well enough. Well, better than anyone else alive. Sometimes even better than he knew himself.
Aloysius nodded even if her mother could not see it, though she very well knew he would. Of course he would, he told her, and kindly told her good night. She answered to him with the warmest smile in her voice, then cut the connection. The scientist stopped twiddling the sthingy, returned the phone back to his pocket and returned to his pudding – like nothing had happened. The expression he had been wearing – the shadow of the old, humane (in the lack of a better word?) Aloysius – was gone.

Though Aloysius had planned to get back to work after the pudding, it was bound to happen – especially after the call he had made – that he simply emptied his mind, and wondered, not answering possible calls or any otherwise inform anyone where he might be instead of being where he should have been. The typical ‘Drebbel disappearance’ his staff had become familiar with – though, subconsciously, he was a bit worried about those new, random members of it. Well, the seniors would stay out of and also keep them out of anything they wouldn’t be able handle without their chief. Albeit the fact it wasn’t said out loud often, if ever, he did trust his subordinates – at least the ones he had been able to choose by himself – naturally some of them more, some others less, but trusted them anyway.
It was already late when he even began to think of snapping out of this most mentally flaccid mood of his, him having by then aimlessly wondered around the city and having eaten six more cups of pudding. The sky had darkened – which he had not even noticed until then – and now that he began pay attention to it, he found himself at the gate of some quiet and peaceful park. Or not that quiet, in the end – soon did his ears pick up a brisk tone of a… violin? With no second thoughts he began to walk, stepping into the park and following the small, gravelly path towards the sound.
No, it was deeper and more soft a tone, he noted, as a sworn classical music listener himself – but who would be playing a viola in a park like this, in the middle of the night?
A woman. Oddly familiar one, a sudden realization which made him furrow his eyebrows. Had he seen her somewhere before? Not that it mattered, now did it. Letting go of the seemingly unimportant though - at least it was for him at the moment - he simply stopped his pace a few meters away from the violanist and stood there, simply listening.

[Susanna Achrenius]

Susanna did not stop her playing, but from the corner of her eye she noticed someone getting closer.
Hope it’s not some other drunkard to throw me with coins again – nor a drunkard at all. Pffft.
She continued as if she wouldn’t have even noticed him – a man it was, yes, that she could notice – at first, but when the figure stopped still and remained, apparently listening to her play, she lifted her eyebrow in a bit of a surprise.
Now wait a sec – do I… know this person?
The lamp didn’t exactly illuminate his face, but there was something familiar in the appearance. Was he from the Academy..? No, he was not. And not like she would have remembered every random bypasser she had ever met walking down the street. Now where would she have seen this man…?
The Army.
A sudden realization made her almost drop her instrument, though kept playing albeit a bit of an distortion in the sound for a while.
What the… What’s he doing here?
Well, guess the officers where human as everyone else, but definitely would Susanna had expected to see this man outside of his facility, assuming from everything she had this far heard of him – the Chief of Science.
Well, him taking a stroll in the park probably had nothing to do with any militaristic matters – how would he have even been able to trace her to some random park if for such? Hmm. An odd appearance, indeed. Now this –wasn’t expected. What to do..?
She wouldn’t give that good an expression if she just ignored him, who might – and in her assumption for how the trials had went this far, most probably would – be her future employer.
Not that she actually expected him to recognize her, but still.
Susanna stopped in the middle of a phrase, laying down the viola and stepping down from the backrest of the bench on which she had sat on.
“May I help you with something, sir?”

[Aloysius Drebbel]

“May I help you with something, sir?”
The question made Aloysius to slightly lift his eyebrow.
Did she know him? Well, not a surprise in a way that we wasn’t that unknown a person, but from the reaction of hers – if Aloysius presumed right from what he could tell of it – made it seem like she, too, actually recognized him from somewhere. Now what a strange occurrence. But let the familiarity be for now – if she was someone important, he would hear from it later.
But in the state of mind in which Aloysius was in, he didn’t really care, but still tried to maintain at least some sort of manners – for it was so hard for him to read others, he tried to stick to politeness, for it, at least, usually did not hurt people as what he might have otherwise done, even when not actually meaning it. Yes, it was good. No acting outside of the rules of the Book of Manners.
”Not really, miss – I was just impressed by your playing. You’re skilled – beautiful it was, indeed.” He took a step closer, now noticing the open instrument case on the bench. Empty it was, but he remembered that usually it was there and open like that for that people would and could reward the artist with a coin or two. Might not be that bad an idea, if he’d get her to continue playing – even for a while. So, he put his hand into his pocket in search of some coins – albeit not knowing the worth of them when he finally found a few, he didn’t care to check. Nonetheless he tossed them to the case and let a bit of a smile grow over his face.
”Though I hope you won’t mind – may I ask you to play a bit more?”

[Susanna Achrenius]

”W-well, I thank you very much for the compliment, sir…”
It wasn’t the first nor the last time for Susanna to hear someone praise her palying, but such words coming out of a mouth of one of the persons she least expected to say such, surprised her, if even made her a bit confused. And he even threw her some coins – not at her, but to her.
Well, such an honor should not be let go by with nothing in return.
The woman gave the scientist a warm smile.
“Of course I don’t mind~ I’d be just pleased for someone to like my music.”
Well, he paid for it, and apparently really meant what he had said. So, why not entertain the man for a while, when she actually had the chance? Susanna smirked to herself, nodded to Aloysius and soon hopped back on the bench. She sat back down on the backrest and lifted the viola anew to lean between her chin and shoulder, then stopping for a while to consider what she might like to play – and what might be to his taste. Well, he had liked her previous piece, a bit melancholic a one, so maybe she would continue with that. Well, not that she minded.
So, soon she began to play again, beginning from the second lowest string, in the air soon floating a melody with quite a deep and exuberant tone of music. After a while she climbed up to the higher-toned stings, but with a bit of an happier melody as she didn’t want to make the music too sad and heartbreaking – which was easy if one was not careful on the higher string when playing in minor key. All the time she kept an eye on the man, observing how he reacted to the music. It was actually quite hard at first, for he seemed really to hide his emotions pretty well, but in time Susanna began to get a hold of his appearance, gradually getting a hold of reading his feelings. The slight changes in his expression or in his posture, she had the ability to understand it all – which made her playing for him, or for any other person in general, much, much easier.

[Okure Nagamushi]

The night was pretty and warm so Okure had decided to take a walk to relax and to give his brains a little brake. He had studied the whole day and now his brains were stuffed with nanotechnology and human anatomy. He had taken his studies over his limits and now he was going to pay for it. He couldn't anymore see the difference between meiosis and mitosis, and this annoyed him. How something so basic biology could confuse him, HIM who had worked on the field under pressure (nearly getting killed) and still curing his patients with expertise. 'Well, no one is perfect. Maybe it'll ease up after I get some fresh air.' he thought and left.

So there he was, walking randomly across small streets trying to shake off the feeling that his brain were full of mixed information when his phone rang. He took his phone out of his pocket and checked who dared to interrupt his peaceful night-time walk. His eyebrow rose a bit as he saw who was calling. 'At this time of day? What is he thinking?'. "Okure" His casual answer was returned with drunken laughter. "Aye Okure, wazzhhup pal? Thought you wouldn't mind you shee, theeshe girlshh are..." It was Miko... drunk. Oh how much did Okure hate that sound of his drunken pal when he wasn't also drunk himself. "... pretty wild you sheee" "Miko, how many times do I have to say this: do not call me at this time of day. It's damn night over here!" "Yesh yesh, sshorry man, didn't mean it. I jushht wondered if you'd like to come have a good time with me and theeshe three gilrsh I jusht met..." Okure hang up. 'Damnit! If he does that one more time I swear I'll..."

Something woke Okure from thinking of how to glue Miko from his hair to the sealing. He had heard something. He didn't stop to look around, but instead he continued to travel to the direction from where he thought he had heard the unknown noise. First he had thought it was only a bird, but once he turned left from the alley he had been walking he could definitely say it wasn't one. His curiosity took over and he decided to follow noise that now could be identified as music. Someone was playing, and was playing pretty well too. Okure has always loved music and has some musical background too. Maybe that is why he decided to forget his planned route and take a look at the musician behind that so beautiful melody.

Music continued and grew louder as he closed the mastermind behind the instrument. Okure had forgotten all his troubles about genes, human anatomy and his friends, instead he was anxious to see who was that mysterious player. He had never heard playing like that before. It wasn't like professional musicians, who played straight from the notes without any more feeling than a dead walrus, but more like a child playing from the bottom of his/her heart, playing slow and touching melodies, and combining it with furious and fast parts from which all seemed to be improvised. Okure started to walk faster, without even realizing that he was almost jogging. And suddenly the music stopped. Okure had arrived on what seemed to be far end of a park or something. He opened a gate he found unlocked in front of him and stepped to the park just to hear a small part of an on-going conversation: "Though I hope you won’t mind – may I ask you to play a bit more?". It was a mans voice. Okure wasn't an expert in estimating peoples characters by their voices, but from what he heard he'd say the man wasn't drunk and he was on his near 30's. ”W-well, I thank you very much for the compliment, sir…” A womans voice entered the conversation. from what he was going to hear next Okure understood that the musician he had heard was the woman speaking to the man he now could see standing near a bench with a woman on his other side. “Of course I don’t mind. I’d be just pleased for someone to like my music.”.

Okure started to slowly approach the man and the woman, who once again had started playing. This time the melody was in minor. To Okure this didn't sound as heartbreaking as it could have, but the man seemed to enjoy. It wasn't like the man had clapped or shown his appreciation with big gestures or such, but Okure could sense it. And no wonder, the music was beautiful. Slowly walking towards the musician and her audience Okure walked the road until he was standing next to the man listening to the music. Okure now also realized that the musician had all this time played viola instead of (what Okure had all the time thought) violin. Slowly Okure opened his mouth only to find himself lacking of words for how to describe the music. Slowly he whispered with voice loud enough for the man to hear him: "She is magnificent."

[Aloysius Drebbel]

Sudden and unexpected, the low whisper made Aloysius startle. While he had been completely absorbed to the music – which the woman seemed to get to fit his mood and liking almost too perfectly, if not even oddly well – he had been listening to, he had completely forgotten about his surroundings, and now there was another man standing next to him – apparently sharing his opinion about her playing, though. He moved his gaze slowly towards the man and gradually turned his head to face to his direction. Hmm. No recollection he had of him, surely he was someone he never had met before – though on the other hand the scientist was also sure that he had met the woman, but had no recollection of her either whatsoever. If he could just come up with a way to get her name… It might be a bit awkward to just go straight forward and ask her for it – not something Aloysius would have just dared to do anyway. Mentally he sighed. And all the way he didn’t want to let her assumed familiarity to bother himself, but it did nonetheless. Oh~
“Well, clearly there’s no denying it.” He finally replied to the other man. With that said, he then stood again quiet as he did not know what else to say. What would one go and start to blabber to some passing stranger he had just found to be standing next to him, anyways? Besides, it would disturb the music. So, really with nothing more the scientist turned his attention back to the woman’s playing. It sounded like she was going to end another part of that endless melody of hers and softly shift it into another kind of one. For some time Aloysius was still able to just simply listen to the music with no thoughts in his mind, but gradually he had began to ponder.
And after a while he simply voiced out the first words coming to his mind:
”You come here often?”
Now that sounds – simply stupid. He shook his head.
”I mean – is this where you usually come to play? For I’d like to hear your music more – again, after tonight, I mean. So I’d like to know where, or more precisely how to find you again.”

[Susanna Achrenius]

He startled, she noticed. Another man had appeared. Oh, wasn't she popular today. Susanna observed the newcomer for a while, but soon noticed he seemed to go with the flow and enjoy the music as it was, so she kept playing as the scientist seemed to like it best. Yet at some point he began to look a bit troubled, and soon she heard him speak, which naturally made her stop her playing.
"-- I’d like to know where, or more precisely how to find you again.”
The scientist's comment made Susanna stare at him for a moment, then, she blinked. So, this guy really did not remember his possible to-be-subordinates, huh? Surely he personally would have observed their process and stats to get the best possible one devicer to pilot that seemingly very dear machine of his. And the way he had asked, definitely sounding a bit unsure and all - did he tried to ask her for something more than just to hear her play? But, she mentally rejected the idea - no, not him. For all she had heard and seen of him, he wasn't that sort of a man. If he even barely was intersted about anything, or more specificly about anyone except his little inventions. But this kind of a way to approach her, and the whole situation for that matter, was a bit strange... A liiiitle bit.
The woman didn't do it that visibly - surely no one noticed - but still, she shook her head quietly, sighing, with a hint of a snort. With her answer, she pondered a while. Could she tell him just to look at his files back at his whatever the base thing and contact her through there if he wanted - no, that would probably be quite rude. No way she would treat her possible future superior like that. But she would have to answer something. So, she said, out loud:
"Well, sir, actually no. In this park, I'm for the first time. I'm honoured to hear you like my music that much, but I unfortunately can't tell where I may end up playing next - for all I know I wouldn't know it even myself before I just grab my things and go there. I'm sorry I can't tell you more than this." She smiled a bit, an apologize in her expression.

[Okure Nagamushi]

That man looked really familiar. It wasn't like Okure knew him or anything but he was quite sure he had seen him somewhere. And not only somewhere, Okure was quite sure the man standing next to him was the Britannian Chief of Science. But it was dark and Okure didn't have a clear view of the man standing next to him so he abandoned the idea. Besides what would HE be doing here, away from his beloved machines (or that's what Okure had heard)? Anyway, it wouldn't be a good idea to jump into irrational conclusions for the man just looked a bit like the Chief of Science. But if he happened to be correct, this would really be something to report to superiors. So he decided to make sure whether he was correct.

The man surprisingly started a conversation, which seemed to ruin Okure's theory, for the Britannian Chief of Science would never start a conversation with a street musician, or even be in such place at this time of day. ”I mean – is this where you usually come to play? For I’d like to hear your music more – again, after tonight, I mean. So I’d like to know where, or more precisely how to find you again.” Who ever the man was didn't bother Okure anymore. He had once again started to analyze his surroundings and the woman who had seized playing her viola. For what Okure understood of people's facial expressions he could say for sure that the woman was surprised. And to make matters even more confusing she seemed to recognize the mysterious man next to Okure. "Well, sir, actually no. In this park, I'm for the first time. I'm honoured to hear you like my music that much, but I unfortunately can't tell where I may end up playing next - for all I know I wouldn't know it even myself before I just grab my things and go there. I'm sorry I can't tell you more than this." the woman said. And now that Okure finally had a good look at her face he could identify her as a complete stranger to him. He now also realized how mysteriously attracting the woman was. Not in a way that Okure is attracted to other women, but more like Okure is to snakes. Maybe it was just Okure's lack of sleep and highly disorientated thoughts. " What a shame. You handle your instrument with passion. Is that what you do for your living or are you just born with the skill?" Okure stumbled in his words. Somehow he had managed to combine a full sentence of all the random words spinning in his mind. He now gathered his thoughts and took a deep breath. He was going to make another question and this time it was also meant for the man next to him. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but do I know both of you from somewhere? You sir seem really familiar, perhaps I've seen you at the university or something? And what about you, our unbelievably talented musician?".

[Sylvana Li Britannia]

Topic Complete!

Susanna Achrenius: (1492 Words, Normal RP) 149 Exp, 149 Credits
Aloysius Drebbel: (1822 Words, Normal RP) 182 Exp, 182 Credits
Okure Nagamushi: (1366 Words, Normal RP) 137 Exp, 137 Credits