Life hurts [Lucian]

The initial shock had taken a considerable toll on Lucian’s state of mind, but after roughly a week of staying at home and scheming, he didn’t have much of a choice left other than accepting the reality that he was faced with.


At the very least, it all seemed real from where he stood. He could see the structures, breathe the air, taste the bitter medicine's aftertaste, touch the walls and hear the people's chatter. But was all this enough to prove that it was all real? For all Lucian knew, he was having a fever dream and was still unconscious on the ground as the last of his life slipped away from him, or maybe during the events of his inauguration day he’d suffered enough head damage to incur irreparable agnosia that made his imagination fill out every sense that was now unable to reach his brain. He could go on and on listing scenarios of what might have actually been going on, but he would be – as always – unable to probe anything; he’d be stuck with the role of playing along with what his mind told him was real. This was his new reality now, and there was no going back.

Despite this though, it was still a bitter pill to swallow; every single thing about Junction was just so surreal, and it didn’t help that his mind kept racing back to thoughts about what would happen to Earth without him. Sure the rebels were somewhat capable, but he and James were immensely helpful to them, and he worried the Horsemen would take this chance to crush what little was left of free will. Forever. Like he’d come to terms with before, however, there was no going back there now, and all he could do was leave everything he knew behind. The best way to do this, he figured, would be by replacing it with knowledge of his new reality, and what better place to get to know people of a city than a community center?

As he stepped within the premises of the previously stated building, he couldn’t help but notice that a lot of people were surprisingly human… or at least, human-esque in appearance. There were, of course, also the many, many races that looked absolutely nothing like humans, and some that resembled animals from his native world; some people, a combination of more than one of these criterions. For the sake of his own comfort and easing himself into this whole new status quo, Lucian decided it would be best to start with someone who resembled a human, yet wasn’t entirely one. Someone like… the winged boy flying overhead. A bizarre first choice, but a first choice nonetheless. “Excuse me!” Lucian called out from the ground, pulling a handkerchief from his coat’s inner pocket. “Are you alright? You look like you could use this!” He offered, noticing the boy's bleeding nose.

“No problem at all.” Lucian replied, taking back the handkerchief once the boy was done wiping his nose. Most would say that handkerchiefs were a waste of time when one could easily carry tissues around for the same purpose and with better more effective results, but as the leader of a nation Lucian liked to keep some class about him, this included being fancy where being non-fancy was also an option. Pedantic? Probably, yes. “A ball?” It took him a bit to realize what the winged boy was talking about. They were in a community center, after all. “Oh, you mean a sports ball? Ouch, that can’t have been pretty.” He had some very… unfortunate memories involving sports balls in middle school himself. It was a miracle his nose didn’t look any different afterwards, really. “You should probably see a doctor; if it’s bleeding, something’s already gone awry in there.” As he suggested this, a lot of thoughts came to his mind. How did Junction even deal with medicinal care? Weren’t there like, billions of different species with new ones being added constantly? What kind of physiological system could they possibly use to tend to all patients without properly studying their anatomies? Ugh, the longer he stayed in this city the more questions he was burdened with.

“Hm? Me?” It had been quite a long time since he’d played any real sports. Sure, he worked out weekly to keep himself in good shape and health, but actually playing full-on games was a rarity at his age, unfortunately. “No, I’m just wandering aimlessly, to be frank. I just arrived two jumps ago, but so far I haven’t had the time to look around the city. I wouldn’t be opposed to a game or two though, if somebody offered.” No point in telling someone he’d just met that he’d spent the last month in a coma. “What about you? Are you here for the sport or just visiting?” This wasn’t so bad… it was almost like an entirely normal conversation between two entirely normal human beings like he remembered back home. Almost.

Though, the other party’s unusual physiology was no ground to lack politeness, now was it? “I’m Lucian, by the way.” He would introduce as he stretched his hand forward, hoping the handshake greeting was as interuniversal as so far it appeared to be.

So far so good! If nothing else, at least the gesture of a handshake was understood here. Maybe all these connected worlds had some basic structures in common; probably sociological phenomena he’d never be able to understand, but still common connectors nonetheless. “Likewise.” Lucian replied with an honest and practiced charismatic smile. Well, he knew what he wanted to say next, but he was afraid it wouldn’t be a proper question to ask in this society. If there’s one thing being a politician had taught him however, it was that nobody ever got anywhere by beating around the bush and not taking chances. “Say, what species are you, if you don’t mind me asking? Those wings seem pretty useful.” And so, Lucy took the figurative leap of faith. It was weird to ask such a question nonchalantly, but at the same time it definitely had a sense of… charm to it.

A Raven specification? So did that mean his species had sub-races corresponding to different types of birds? If that was the case, that was a really interesting topic, especially for someone as interested in science and culture as Lucian. “Yes, I am.” He felt a little modest compared to all these other races, but he imagined the other races felt the same way initially. “Are humans particularly common here? I’ve seen a lot of human-like people but they seem to differ some way or another…” This definitely raised some questions about the role of humanity or at least the human-based genome in Junction as a city and as a culture. He'd have to look into it later.

“Well, now I can’t help but feel a bit boring.” So humans were an unspecialized majority of sorts? Interesting. Lucian wondered what could lead many different worlds to have the same species as a present civilization; maybe they were just an unspecialized standard form of sentient life? Eh, he’d probably never know. “What about you? How long have you been here in Junction?” The more he talked with Ace, the more he got a feel for socializing despite the racial difference. Perhaps it might’ve been a bit conserved of him, but he imagined it would’ve presented greater difficulties; in reality, it was… socialization exactly as he knew it.

“It’s…” Actually, Lucian didn’t quite know what to answer to this question. Sure, the city was a marvel as a place and as a civilization, and he few hours he’d spent here so far had been some of the most interesting hours of his entire life, but at the same time it would be egregious to say he was completely fine with being here. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss my homeworld…” Lucian began as he pushed up his glasses with his index finger. “…but on its own, it’s definitely one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my life, and I’m starting to get old, mind you.” A lighthearted chuckle escaped the man’s lips. Looking back on it, twelve year old Lucian would’ve given anything to be where forty year old Lucian found himself. Fate seemed to have been a little late on his wishes.