⇀ Room 2.1 - Kit

@Jae Kit smiled and then turned it on, sipping on his hot chocolate.
He let himself lean onto Jae while he looked at the screen. It was an old tv but it still worked well. He was glad that he even was allowed to have one.

@Kit Jae also relaxed, smiling.
"Let's go." He nodded and looked at the movie/

@Jae Kit slightly leaned onto Jae and relaxed.
"Here we go," he hummed and smiled softly.

@Kit Jae looked at the screen as Kit put the movie in.
"Awesome~"

@Jae Kit smiled warmly and put the movie in.
"Okay, here we go," he then said and smiled warmly, sitting next to Jae.

@Kit Jae smiled warmly at Kit.
"Yes, let's watch the movie~." He giggled and held the hot chocolate. "Thank you."

@Jae Kit nodded and smiled warmly.
The tension and silence had disappeared and they were back to normal now - he was glad about that.
"Very good!" He then handed the other his cup with hot chocolate. "Here you go."

@Kit "Yeah, it is good. Trust me, you will like it." Jae smiled at Kit and nodded.
"That is nice. Don't worry, we can watch it now~."

@Jae "Honestly, I haven't watched it yet," Kit admitted and blushed a bit.
"But someone said it is good so I kept it."
He smiled shyly at Jae.

@Nayati Quietly Kit followed the other one, closing his door. He had a key to his room as well – they wanted to give them the feeling of being safe and sound and power when, of course, they weren’t. None of them were safe and sound. And none of them had power, they were all being lead on, not only the Wild Ones, the Hybrids, no, all of them. The psychologists, the teachers, the scientists, they all. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here, at least not most of them.

“Yeah, and the lack of air that slowly suffocates you. Or the water that can pass your lips and fill your lungs while drowning you,” Kit said and shrugged slightly. “Maybe water and swimming is just not for me. I am fine with my feet in the water.” Honestly, water scared him, just like the catacombs and he should probably overcome the fear but, well, he was young, he did not feel like it. Not at all. It would be work and he already had enough work to do, work that was more important.
“Maybe one day you’ll get me to swim but… not now. And not when it is so cold and fresh outside or when people can watch me.” He did not like that feeling of being watched when, ironically, they were always being watched in this facility.

The fresh air felt good on his skin and he smiled slightly. Kit carefully touched the trees he could reach – he was quite tall after all, even though that was easily forgotten in the buildings of Calv Lab.
Even though he was quite tired and he knew he’d regret it later the fresh air made his skin feel better, less tense. And maybe, just maybe, Nayati would allow him to sleep on his lap for a little bit, later. Sometimes when the other was feeling it, he was allowed to.
They were walking in silence, a good one, until they had reached the beautiful lake. It was quiet and still as usual when they came here during the night. A soft smile appeared on his lips and he couldn’t even count the cars that were reflected on the still but beautiful surface. Yes, it was worth missing out on sleep.

Kit had almost flinched when Nayati started talking and he looked back at the other.
“Never, Naya. They will never learn,” he said and smiled sadly. “Dumbess will always reproducing at its best while the smart people think it is better to stop. So while the people that understand stop it will be stupidity that will take over. No matter what.” The three world wars were showing that clearly.
“I wouldn’t be here but I was born in that facility and I don’t think they’ll ever let me go.” He shrugged. He was craving a lot but all he could do was staying here and at least try. Try to help those people and creatures. So that it wasn’t as bad as it could be.
“It is sad, isn’t it?”

@Kit Nayati's only answer to Kit's suggestion of taking another jacket was an disparaging hand wave, and he pushed himself past Kit and on the hallway. Instantly, the room was filled with cold neon lights, and Nayati shuddered before rushing through the hallway. He hated the lights. They had nothing natural to them. The lights they had installed in their rooms were different, they were of a yellowish color and filled the rooms with warmth. And the best thing: They could be dimmed. Even though he had despised everything about this building - and mostly still did - he had loved the dim lights right away. It was an awesome invention, and it was lacking in the hallways for sure.

"You're missing out on so much, you know." He casually said while strolling beside Kit. They had walked this path for so often by now, that neither of them needed to watch their steps. "There's no better feeling than diving into water. Literally, none. Under water, there's just you. Nobody who bothers you. It's so peaceful and silent." It wasn't the first time they talked about it. Nayati had always tried to get Kit to go swimming, but the latter refused. The one time he had thrown him into the lake, Kit had stopped talking to him for three days. It was the longest they had gone without talking, and it had been the loneliest Nayati had ever been. Which was why Nayati would never, ever do that again. But sooner or later, he knew he would get Kit to swim.

They reached the staff's exit within minutes. Of course they could have used the front door, but at this hour, there would be guards that would forbid Nayati to leave, afraid he might never come back. But where would he go? Bylot Island was too small to stay hidden, and he had no plane or ship or anything that could help him escape. He, literally, had nowhere to go. The mere realization of that sent shivers down his spine.

Walking beside each other, they remained silent for some time. Not only did both of them know the exact way out of the facility, but also to Lake Washington. Within half an hour, they had reached the mirroring lake, and as always, it took Nayati's breath away. The way the nightsky was mirrored on the lake's smooth surface counted to the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. This was nature at its finest. If it hadn't been for the cold, nothing would have kept him out of there. But he wanted to make it through the night, and if he went swimming now, they'd have to return already.

Nayati exhaled and closed his eyes. Never did he feel closer to home than out here. He sat on the moist grass and looked at the river. "You know what I don't understand?" He broke the silence, looking up at Kit. "Humankind has destroyed so much of the world, but still they haven't learnt. Instead of working on making the earth a better place, they're so self-absorbed that they force their unnatural ways more and more on this damaged planet. When will they learn?"

@Nayati “Yeah, I do,” Kit said and smiled amused. “And you still ask everytime.” He got his jacket and put his shoes on again. While Nayati's feet were used to the cold, Kit wasn't which was okay, he had been raised differently. Nayati was used to nature and freedom while Kit was used to a bed and four walls. And honestly, often Kit thought he was missing out. Surelt he enjoyed the wind in the leaves and the birds flying over their heads but he could never understand what feeling they gave to Nayati and the other Wild Ones. And he wished he could.

“Maybe,” Kit said and looked at the other. He did not want to learn how to swim, there was no need for it. He did not urgently have to go swimming at all. While everyone was splashing water around he rather was a silent bystander who watched them silently. Which fitted, after all he was a psychologist, an observer.

“Well, I will never be superior or have the feeling I am so that theory does to apply to me.”
It was rather the fact that he liked adventures and spending time with the people he cared for. “Yes, ready. Do you need another jacket? It was pretty cold outside.” He had a jacket for Nayati here, in winter the other sometimes slept here and in the morning it was still cold.
“If not, we can go now.”

@Kit Even though he had expected Kit to join him, it still made him happy to see the other sitting up. He knew Kit must've been tired from work, and needing sleep, and he'd curse Nayati the next day for keeping him up the whole night, but would still do it again if he asked him. Sometimes, Nayati felt like Kit had the urge to protect him, even though both of them knew he needed no protection.

"You say that every time," Nayati said. One would expect Nayati to get back into his shoes before leaving, but he didn't. And Kit had learnt by now that Nayati never wore shoes outside of the facility. To him, they adulterate the feeling of freedom- just like clothes had in his first months here. But he'd learnt the need of clothes: His body wasn't used to the cold around him, and even though his feet could bare it, his muscles could not. It was summer, however, and in the open country it could get quite warm during the day. The nights were still freezing, though, and never called for a swim.

"You know I won't do that when it's so cold. But sooner or later you'll have to let me teach you how to swim." He remarked, stretched, and opened the door. "And to answer your previous question: Civilized humans are the easiest beings to see through. As soon as you give them the feeling of superiority, they will grant you every wish." He shrugged. "Ready?"

@Nayati A tiny and rare pout appeared on Kit’s clean features when Nayati got up. He had just gotten comfortable and now the other was getting away. How rude!
He had to admit that Nayati was probably the only one he let so close, even with Mo it was different. Surely, Mo was his sister but, still, they had never been the closest. Especially after they had lost Joshua. They weren’t as close as they once had been, Mo and him.

“I do,” Kit said and shook his head slightly, still a small smile on his lips. Yes he knew Nayati well enough by now, he knew the other would just go ahead and keep doing whatever he wanted. He had always been the stubborn one. “Sometimes I wonder how you are able to behave around the others,” he teased the other softly. After all he knew there was a lot Nayati wanted – especially leaving this place and going back. And as much as it feared Kit to be left alone he wished that one day Nayati would be able to go back. He deserved it. He deserved to go home, after all he still had a real one. Kit did not.

With wake eyes he watched the other look at the papers on his table while he buried his face deeper into the blanket. Bed was always good, especially now that it was a little bit warm from the others body.
He did not mind Nayati checking his papers, there was nothing he was hiding. No secrets. Especially not with Nayati.

“Oh gosh, are you for serious,” Kit grumbled and buried his face even more in the blanket. Sunrise. Which meant quite a few more hours to stay awake and probably no sleep until he had to get up again. Kit was never able to easily fall asleep unless Nayati was around. The other’s breathing was like a lullaby to Kit.
“Okay okay,” he mumbled and sat up, yawning a bit. “But if you kick me into the water I will bite your finger off.”
After all he was still not able to swim, which was probably sat but he had never been taught how to swim. Maybe because they wanted to make sure he stayed in the facility.
“Yeah yeah, dangerous. I know. You know it is. Still here we go.” He got up and stretched, smiling slightly.
“You know I can’t say no to you. And that is not fair or something I should psychologically approve.”
Still he did it.

@Kit Yes, he had, and it was something Nayati cherished even more. Maybe it was because time really had lost its importance; at least to the people of Bylot and the prisoners of Calv. The world had shrunk so much that nobody really had a purpose. Most people that now lived in Cuffon were farmers or carpenters, or worked for Calv- but none of them had been able to pursue their dreams. As he watched the workers walk in and out of Calv, he always observed and tried to guess what they would have become. One of the younger woman, in a different life she would have been famous. Of that Nayati was sure. She was the prettiest girl he'd ever come across - which actually didn't mean a thing, given his lack of human contact in the past.

Of course, Nayati noticed kit tensing, but he'd never understood why he did. Even though he'd learnt lots of empathy from his animal companions in Africa, sympathy was never a thing they expressed. When somebody was feeling worse then them, so be it. It was how the world worked. And right now, Nayati regarded them all in the same boat; his prison was just bigger than others'.

Kit might have had the freedom of leaving whenever, but it always amazed Nayati how he could not see it; the beautiful prison they'd built for him, Kit, Kit's sister, and everybody who lived in here. Mostly because they limited their options by telling them they couldn't survive on their own. The Hybrid Experiments were totally and utterly needless in Nayati's eyes - and they had seven people that were living proof of that in this facility. So why was it that everybody was still trying to make a perfectly enhanced person when all they had to do was spend some time with beings of different kinds?

"I didn't know it," he admitted with a grin, and shrugged lightly. "But I bet on it. And you know me well enough by now to know that I'll do it anyway; and will probably cause more trouble than good." He turned the music down a bit, and jumped off the bed, getting to Kit's desk. He had one in his room, too, but never used it. They had tought him how to read and write, and he did it whenever it was needed, but he didn't regard it as a necessary thing to know. He went through the papers that lay on Kit's desk, but nothing interesting could be found there.

"As you said, the night has just begun. Let's get out of here. I miss the sunrise." He turned around, leaned against the desk, and held up a hand before Kit could protest. "Seeing the sunrise through your window is not the same. Besides, I haven't been to the Crystal Lake - or, wait, you call it Lake Washington, right?! - in weeks. Come on, nobody will miss us, and Mo will assume you're asleep if she tries to look for you." He gave it some time and repeated everything he had said in his mind, hand still up in the air. "Oh, and don't tell me it's too dangerous. Calv Labs won't do anything, as they need us, and you know by now that with me around, no animal will be a problem." It was only now he lowered his hand, triumphant smile on his lips.

@Nayati “Well, time doesn’t matter for me, you already noticed that quite often.” Kit nudged Nayati slightly and relaxed a bit more. He was a quiet person around most creatures but with Nayati it was easy to be himself, it was easy to talk, even. And additionally to this: it also made him feel good.
“Also, it isn’t late. The night has just begun.” And he had always been a night person. He often lacked sleep and instead watched the stars or the wind pushing the branch of the tree close to the building against his window. He was easily fascinated and distracted by things. Little things satisfied him and, honestly, he needed that.

When Nayati mentioned the catacombs Kit tensed a bit. He had never been a fan of the catacombs – dark and small and they gave him a dangerous feeling, a bad feeling – but ever since they had put the cells down for the hybrids it was a place of sadness and loneliness. Sometimes Kit got himself down there, quietly, to simply treat the hybrids to a snack or some calming music. There wasn’t much he could do to cheer them up but he was doing his best.

“Ah, I knew you’d come with something like that.” After all this was not the first time Nayati had something like that in mind – and therefore Kit already knew that if he disagreed on helping him the other would definitely find a way to do it anyways.
He sighed and looked at the other. He could see the sharp features of the others beautiful face, the clear skin, the beautiful eyes. He had never been one that enjoyed skinship but he felt safe and sound with the others closeness. There was nothing he had to worry about, it gave him this feeling.
“That is why I am prepared.”
He then lifted his shirt a bit and showed the other the key he was keeping around a long necklace that disappeared in his shirt so no one could see that. It had been a bother to always sneak the key out from his sister and she was too cautious by now. Last time she had almost caught him as well. That had been so damn close.

“So, yeah, guess I am in.” He shook his head amused and nudged Nayati back softly. “You knew that, right?”
He then his lips. “But never forget that I am only in because I worry about your well-being and that I am not supporting any reckless actions!”
Still, Nayati knew that, if necessary, Kit would be the first one giving his life protecting him anyways, no matter his words.

@Kit With Kit, he always felt good. He always felt himself, even though he hadn't known there could ever be a human side he would call 'himself'. He didn't have to pretend, he could be open about everything: About his hatred towards the Scientists who started cross-breeding humans, about his plans of escaping as soon as that was possible. It hadn't been like that from the beginning, which mostly was because of his sister- and even now that they were so close, Nayati never felt comfortable with her around. He wouldn't show her that, as it would be a sign of weakness, but all scientists were thornes in his sides. Luckily enough, they nearly never talked about her, and he had learnt to avoid them whenever he saw both of them together.

"That depends on the point of view." He grunted, acting mad about his friend's depature without him. He wasn't angry at all; Nayati was content with the amount of freedom he enjoyed within these walls. On rare occasions, he was officially allowed to leave, and if he wasn't, Kit would find ways to get both of them out. They both knew how to play the security cameras by now, and in his head, Nayati had made a detailed map of all the hallways that had no camera surveillance. One way or another, he always managed to sneak around unseen. Which he partly knew thanks to Kit.

He shrugged at his friend's words, and clicked his tongue. "Well, while you were out doing what you can do best- Nothing- I have taken some time and visited the catacombs. A few empty cells are filled, they've tried crossing somebody to a seal. Like, why would you cross somebody to a seal? What is it that seals are better at than humans that you'd possibly need to cross them? That's like four years ago, when they crossed human DNA with a dolphin's and were surprised to see the kid died without water." His anger broiled inside of him, and he had to catch himself in order to keep calm. "Anyway, where was I? Right. The cells. I made a new friend down there, and I /really/ need you to get your sister's keys so we can get him out of there and outside for a few hours. What do you say?" Both of them knew that no was not an option. Even if Kit was to say no at first, Nayati always managed to pursue him to get what he wants; mostly because Kit knew that he'd do it without him, too, and that would be much more dangerous than doing it with somebody in charge.

"Not today," he rolled to his side, now looking at Kit. They were so close that, if seen from outside, people would have gotten false ideas, but amongst animals and natives, closeness was nothing out of ordinary, and Nayati had missed that closeness a lot during his stay here. "It would draw too much attention if I went down there twice today. But will you help me?" He gave his friend a soft, playful nuge, and grinned widely.

@Nayati The air was fresh and the stars were bright tonight.

Kit knew that no one liked that he stayed outside even after the sun had gone down with bloody red colors. No, they did not like it but they could not stop him. He had explained it to him that stars and the cold and fresh night air was something he needed if they wanted him to t stars and the cold and fresh night air was something he needed if they wanted him to function properly – and, oh they wanted it. Aside from that he knew many ways out of the building they did not.

Only when it had gotten quite fresh and the fireflies had disappeared he slowly made his way back. He could already hear the music coming from his room even though it wasn’t too loud and he smiled. It was nice to come home and be waited for, somehow.

“I am never late,” Kit said and smiled slightly at Nayati who was enjoying himself on his bed. But Kit did not mind. He trusted the other and what was his was Nayati’s as well so everything was more than fine.
“I saw a few fireflies, one even got caught in my hair,” he explained and then shrugged. “Aside from that… nah.”

Which, actually, was good. Nothing new meant no further trouble. Surely, he had stitched up someone’s arm today – he was no doctor but he getting taught some basics in nursing class had helped a lot – as everyone else was too busy taking care of the hybrid while forgetting that, in fact, there was a bleeding human in there too. They had been enough people, it could have easily been solved but, no, violence against hybrids instead of respect was always their priority. Disgusting.

“And with you? Any reasons you are here or just because you can?”
Because, of course, they should both be in their rooms but luckily they also both had more allowances than quite a few different species in here.
The music was nice and Kit took his shoes and jacket off before letting himself fall on his bed, almost touching Nayati. He felt safe here, at home.

@Kit As long as Kit still lived alone in his room, it had become normal for Nayati to walk in and out as if he owned it. At first they'd still knocked, but by now they even dropped that. Kit was the one person in this building he'd actually call home; and he had a room on the upper side of the facility, which meant that Nayati could actually see daylight when hanging out up here. One would think that when working for Calv, he'd get a more luxurious room, but the only luxury that distinguished his from Nayati's room was just that: The window.

When Nayati entered the room today, it was empty. The sun had set hours ago, and everybody was supposed to sleep already, so it startled him a little when he found that Kit was missing. That didn't stop him from jumping on the bed, kicking off his shoes, and turning on some music. There was no television around here, and from time to time he could hear people about it, about the lack of something called netflix, which apparently had been big before and during the war, but those were terms that meant literally nothing to him. He liked that Kit had introduced him to music, however. He wasn't allowed an own stereo system, but Kit's was enough. He preferred soothing sounds, pianos, violins, or even a whole orchestra, but had heard others listening to electric tunes with high pitched voices. Of course, he had known music from the tribe he'd lived in, but it was mostly drums and singing with them. The music he heard here was far different; if there was a word to describe it, he'd use organized.

But he had enough organizing. He missed chaos. He hated timetables, hated time alltogether. Or age. Why did anybody need time, or age? He had found himself a lot happier when he hadn't spent a thought about it. While now, he had started counting it. Five years and four months. This is how long he'd been seperated from home. From family. He usually did not feel envy, but there were two people he envied in this shallow building: Kit and Mo. Because, despite everything, they still had each other.

The third song was just coming to an end, and Nayati drifting off, when the door was opened. Instantly, he was wide awake, but didn't even bother standing up. "A little late today, aren't we?" There it was again. Time. Back in Congo, he never had been late. Nobody had ever been late. "Anything new down there?"