Mindless Travel [Moonie]

It had been three days since Lucian had arrived in Junction, and so far all he’d done was stay inside. Despite how determined he’d been about adapting to this new reality as quickly and efficiently as possible after his reunion with Alice and James, his own psyche had proven to have other plans in store for him entirely, as had been demonstrated by the damn-near mental breakdown he almost suffered during his trip from the hospital to his new house. Everything was too different; from the people to the culture to the society to the technology to the structure of the city to the customs… the disbelief had become too large for Lucian to suspend.

Still, he couldn’t just allow himself to cave in and become a sheltered nobody… that would’ve gone against everything he’d ever striven to be and become. Thusly, after nearly 79 consecutive hours spent at “home”, Lucian decided it was high time to try his hand at accepting reality again. Sneaking off without bothering Alice or James, Lucian made his way back to the only place in Junction he knew as of yet; the slums.


He didn’t quite feel like he was ready to be as social as he used to be, but at the very least he could try to get used to the atmosphere and place he found himself. Granted, he was aware the slums weren’t an accurate representation of the rest of Junction, but… it was so far the only place aside from the residential district that he’d seen; it would’ve been inconvenient to invite further shock by going to an entirely new place. The place was a depressing mess, yes, but at least he’d seen it before.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something else that was familiar – or rather, someone. It would appear he lucked out! Approaching the woman cautiously, Lucian cleared his throat from behind her in an attempt to catch her attention. “For someone who was clearly disgusted by the hygiene of the hospital, you certainly don’t seem like you object to finding yourself here often. Either that or I’m luckier than I thought.”

She was… giving him a formal greeting? For a reason that not even Lucian would be able to pinpoint, he expected her to be somewhat more aggressive. Taking her hand in his grasp and shaking it properly. Unfortunately, he had no idea what she meant by higher wards yet; he’d have to ask later. Well… regardless, this was convenient, now he actually had someone to talk to besides Alice and James.

“Lucian. Lucian Clarke.” Shouldn’t she already know at least his name if she had been assigned to looking after him? It wasn’t like there was nobody conscious around to tell her his name, either, Alice and James had been wide awake for an entire month by then, hadn’t they? “A studied woman, eh? I hope you don’t mind if I just call you Professor, then. Though… don’t you have a surname?”

“It dawns on me that I never properly thanked you for taking care of me while I was unconscious.” Lucian began. “Well, now I’m doing just that. Thank you. I hope my friend and daughter weren’t too intrusive.”

What exactly was so formal about Lucian? It wasn’t the most common of names but it was no biblical entity’s title either or anything. “Uh.” Aaaaaand it was back to bizarro World for Lucian. How exactly did surnames make things more complicated? Wasn’t simplifying the differentiation between individuals of the same name their sole purpose? It was like he’d jumped down the rabbit hole. Regardless, he’d have to find something else to talk about to bring himself back into belief. “If I may ask, what exactly are you a professor of?”

“Still, you played a part in it, and for that I really am grateful.” Lucian managed to garner a small smile of his own. “Though… Lucas?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Lucian added as he pushed his glasses up. “I’ve seen people who aspired for loftier goals in even bigger places go farther than anyone would’ve imagined; all it took for them was determination – which, I might add, you don’t seem to be lacking.” If she’d already gone for the title of Professor within her own career and had kept that goal in mind, then the determination to see it through was definitely already present. Of course, that someone he was referring to was also aided by allies, political favors, downplaying and insurmountable amounts of luck, but that didn’t diminish his point any, he felt. People with abundant determination like her and him were a rare breed, unfortunately.

“I’ll have to meet him and personally thank him sometime, then.” Lucian almost rubbed the back of his neck as an absent-minded gesticulation, but quickly stopped himself. “I didn’t really mind the hospital, in all honesty. Sure, I’ve been to… ahem, more hygienic hospitals, but it was better than remaining comatose and unattended out in the rubble.” He'd been exposed to the elements of nature multiple times before, and in some ocassions it had even been a matter of true survival - such as when he fled from the rebel camp after his plane crashed - so a little grime and dust couldn't do much to him.

“Oh come now, I doubt anyone would live here by direct choice.” As far as Lucian was concerned nobody woke up in the morning and decided they wanted to go live in the dangerous, unsanitary, inhumane slums. “Why would anybody actively want to live here?” Seriously, if Junction offered them a free home and even a year-long stipend along with plenty of job opportunities… Lucian just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. “More importantly though, why do you need to live all the way down here for something as simple as silence? I’d imagine it wouldn’t be anything soundproof walls wouldn’t be able to fix.” Well, whatever her reasons were, he imagined they would be logical.

“Who is this Lucas, exactly?” Lucian asked, pushing up his glasses and sweeping away a couple of stray bangs from his face. “He sounds rather important.”

“Is that so…?” Lucian asked, a mix of interest and a tinge of disappointment apparent in his voice. If the slums’ populace was a matter of social rebellion, he shuddered to think what a real rebellion in Junction would look like. Whatever it would be like, it definitely wouldn’t be pretty in the eyes of a blind man, he predicted.

“Oh, a regular Casanova, is he?” He teased, deciding not to pry about who professor Dime was or why Liliana considered herself an urban legend (it wasn’t that he had no curiosity for the matters, he just didn’t want to swamp the poor lady with question after question after question. “Maybe I’d be able to get along with him, then.” Not because he was a supposed Casanova himself, but because he found that the quirkier people were, the more enjoyable time spent with them was.

“Listen…” Lucian absent-mindedly fanned the back of his head and the nape of his neck, the heat and itch starting to really discomfort him. “I think I might’ve already asked you a question about this back at the hospital, but… are you completely sure you have no idea where this wound came from?” He asked as he showed her the wound on the back of his neck once more. “In all honesty, it’s slightly disconcerting.”

“Oh, I was talking about the Lucas fellow, but I suppose I’d enjoy meeting a famous scientist as well.” Ironically, science had always been one of Lucian’s weaker intellectual points, yet among the ones that most captured his interest. “When you say splicing, do you mean… genetic splicing? As in, mixing and matching DNA?” Well, for as much progress as Junction was bound to have put in, at times it really seemed like it was all just industrialization and machinery; it was good to know that they’d put work into the more sensible areas of scientific development too. It all still felt so… surreal, but at least there was some rhyme and reason to it.

“I see…” Even if that was meant to reassure him, all it did was make him more uneasy about it. If it was just a regular burn surely it should’ve at the very least scarred by now, right? Even if it somehow hadn’t healed so far the natural cauterization of his skin and flesh should’ve at least made it so he couldn’t feel it anymore. “Well, I’ll see about talking to a professional about it. Better safe than sorry, as they say.” Did people actually say that in Junction? He still didn’t even understand how everybody here spoke English (he refused to believe it was just coincidence though, he’s not that gullible), so how idioms worked here was an entirely independent mystery. Hopefully it wasn’t lost in translation.

Out of reflex, Lucian checked his wristwatch and realized he’d been outside of his house for much longer than he’d intended. Alice and James were probably more than aware that he was missing by now. “Well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you Professor, but I should get going. I’ve wasted an entire month, probably shouldn’t mismanage any more time.” Hopefully that didn’t come across as saying that their conversation had been a waste of time. Unless she brought up any further points, Lucian would adjust his coat and prepare to take his leave. “I suppose I’ll see you around, then. Goodbye!” He cheerfully parted as he turned around to follow the way he came from back to his home.