MJK2431

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Valerie was running late, sneakered feet squeaking on the linoleum flooring of the entrance area as she rushed towards Lab 6. The 'Experiment-to-bring-on-a-decade-of-fame' (according to Professor Luxe) was this morning and somehow the universe had decided to test the limits of her insanity by making her alarm fail to go off at the right time.

The girl's honey-blonde curls streamed behind her like party confetti, wayward strands wisping around her heart-shaped face. It was difficult to pull on a lab coat while running and along the twists and turns of the buildings corridors she had already almost caused someone to drop a pile of printed paper while another had ended up with freshly brewed coffee drenching his shirt.

"I'm so sorry!..." She shouted sincerely behind her, glancing for only a moment over her shoulder at the wreckage and chaos she was leaving in her path. Prof Luxe is going to have a hernia if I'm late again this week. I bet he already regrets that I was the lucky name pulled out of the hat for this project. She skid through the laboratory's threshold just in time, needing a moment to wheeze and drag in a few breaths before she could speak. Her supervisor, Professor Shane Luxe, was already waiting with a displeased frown and arms crossed over his chest.

"Finally. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show and that I was going to have to think up some creative punishment. We're immensely lucky to have been chosen as part of the Biology division for this project and I didn't wish to be embarrassed on the most important day." He said, sighing as he unfolded his arms and walked into an adjoining room.

Project Doctor Who, as it had become affectionately known, was the project in question. The University that Val had attended for almost four years had joined up different faculties to test the theory of time warping proposed by one of the staff. Considering that they needed to know what effects supposed 'time-travel' might have on the human condition, Professor Luxe and an assistant of his choice had been called to assist. Fortunately (Or maybe unfortunately...) for her, she had been the student chosen to help him in a lucky draw.

"I can't believe...today....is the day..." Valerie said, still breathing heavily in her recovery from the sprint while her emerald hues fixed on the man about eight years older than she. He might not have much in terms of age on her, but as one of the youngest men to publish a truly notable article on the human body he was something of a deity in the Biology Department.

"Better believe it. If all goes well today, we could be making - or should I say re-making- history."

They had both come to a halt in the observation room, the white walls large enough to hold a crowd of twenty people comfortably in front of the glass wall that showed the rather large machine in the room next door. There were people already getting it started, lights beginning to flicker on and sounds of whirring filling the air. Valerie took out her notebook and pencil, taking a look at the notes she had made in the previous test run.

A series of three beeps suddenly pierced the air, immediate tension and excitement filling her and those around her. It was a signal that the machine would soon be in operation. The people inside the main room left, some joining Val and Prof. Luxe in the observation room while others went off to the control room.

Once the room was clear the doors leading into the room were locked. The central mechanism, upright rings of concentric circles, then began to spin in different directions.
Time to see just how well our little machine works...Valerie thought, the silver ring on her index finger tapping against her clipboard nervously.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
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(It won't normally be this long if you think it's too much, I just needed to introduce everything. Will widen the character description as we go :) )
 
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Kaeso Quintus Marcellus was having a better day of it. His head pounded inside the confines of his helmet as he staggered to his feet with the help of his Optio under the shields of his remaining cohort. Britons were on all sides yelling their war cries as they bashed into the legionaries struggled to maintain the shield. His Optio nodded before shouting at the legionaries to hold the line. Shaking his head free of the din inside his head, he gripped his customary sword and snapped to. "Come on, you bastards! Is this what Rome has to give this lot of scum?" he shouted at his men and got into the thick of it. His men reacted accordingly despite the fact that the Britons presently outnumbered them, giving their all else it meant their blood.

He glanced around the ranks which were soon dwindling, the shield line reforming as was standard. Kaeso nodded, at least his men were following their training and not giving into their blood lust. Blood lust killed more men than the enemy alone if not checked. He didn't like their odds and knew the chances of him surviving this night were slim but they had to make a stand of it. At least until the Second and Eighth could reach them and change the odds of the battle's favour.

The Centurion snorted in derision as he thrust his blade into the armpit of the man before him that had threatened to rob him of his second in command. Kaeso continued to shout encouragement in the fullest knowledge that all they had was the adrenaline they were fighting with and the training of a Roman legionary. "Stay together! Stay as one, ladies!" he shouted in the midst of sword and blood. They were steadily giving ground, slowly but sure. Kaeso spat on the ground, where the hell was the Second and Eighth and cursed his ill luck as he chanced a look behind him; eye scanning for movement but still lay nothing. To the field aside more cohorts were equally struggling to maintain the shield line.

"Renius!" he cried in warning but it came too late as the Briton's sword swerved and tore out his Optio's throat in a violent spray of arterial blood. Kaeso roared in anger and thrust the point of his sword into an unprotected side of the Briton's chest as his Optio blinked and fell forwards, his helmet rolling off from his head as he landed. Renius and his men were down to a handful and it was clear no reinforcements were coming to his aid. The few that remained surrounded their Centurion in the same clear understanding they wouldn't be going back to the barracks.

"Let's not disappoint your Optio lads!" he cried and they answered the call to the last man, downing a few more of the Britons in their bid to do their Optio and Centurion proud in what had to be their final moments. He had to hand it to them, they didn't disappoint in giving their all in a fight as he danced with the blue painted bastards. He went to put another down before another tackled into him to the ground and he landed harshly on his side. The three legionaries left of his command were surrounded and disappeared in cries of pain.

Kaeso knew he would soon be joining them as he contested with the weight of the native on top of him. He'd be lucky to ever see home again but he had long accepted that he was a glorified target. Still, Kaeso was not going to make this easy for the bastard on top of him. Grunting, he smashed the pommel of his sword into the man's face as best as his position enabled him to with his free arm. The native's eyes widened as the sword connected with his skull and the Centurion gave a harsh grin as he struck home several more times. The unconscious warrior grew still, his grip around Kaeso's throat slacked off. Kaeso grimaced against the stink of the lime-washed hair absently aware the Briton's blood spooled and dripped onto his armour, tunic and skin. He glanced and had been about to rise but saw the Britons left standing that had massacred his cohort hadn't seen that he was still alive. Indeed, they were too busy concerning themselves with taking heads and other trophies before one of them shouted in their own language.

He remained beneath the dead Briton fearing they would spot him, fingers flexing around the hilt of his sword. The Roman waited till they had moved off before he rolled the weight away from himself and got to his feet. He pulled a face at the lime-wash that had transferred from the Briton crumpled on the ground to his armour but he supposed it was better than facing a crossing over the river Styx. He strode a few steps before he paused, breathing heavily amongst what had remained of his century. Kaeso could hardly believe he was the only one left alive but they had been outnumber three to one and they had been forced to make a fighting withdrawal that had left them severely handicapped. Worse it had meant his whole unit had perished. He could only hope the Legion had been delayed for a good reason. His silent musings were cut short as he heard grumbling from behind him and he turned sharply on the spot, sword to hand at the ready despite his own exhaustion from the several hours of fighting to stay alive. The Briton had come to and now charged for him with abandon. Kaeso could not fault it. Running from one Centurion would have been humiliating and costly. He had more chance in killing Kaeso than the Roman did in killing the other. The short sword was all but useless without several other men about him to get his back. Still, he would not run from this native either. It would be his death to do so. He returned his own war cry and charged to meet the other.

The Briton grinned as the Roman roared at him and charged towards him. It was a mutual understanding between them and he was happy with whatever the result was with this one Centurion that had survived the rest of his men. Centurions were easy targets for all their shouting and transverse crests. He feinted left and then swerved his much longer sword, a blade better suited for slashing than the thrust of the Roman short sword, downwards only for his blade to slice through air. He came to a staggered halt in surprise and looked everywhere. The Roman had simply disappeared! The ground was firm, there were no holes bigger than rabbit holes for the man to have fallen into... He snarled, robbed of his victory and howled out his anger before he stormed off, rubbing his bruised head as he went.

For Kaeso it was not such a simple affair. His world spun faster than he could think and all he could see was a painful blinding white light before his nail-studded boots met firm ground again. His world did eventually stop spinning and he stumbled forwards, the kinetic energy of his charge carrying him forth before sense overrode it and he flopped to the ground with a pained grunt. He blinked, groaned and then rolled to his back before he stared upwards. "What the...?" he breathed. When he had last seen the sky, it was a murky ominous grey. He knew he wasn't where he had been before. He could see that much in the knowledge Britannia was not inbuilt with a giant roof of sheer white. He frowned with confusion before he rose unsteadily to his feet. he nearly lost his footing if not for the sheer will of wanting to assess the situation.

Kaeso's rugged features contorted as he narrowed his eyes at his surroundings. He recognised nothing of what was around him and he found that unnerving but a man was not a Centurion if he couldn't swallow fear and meet the situation head on as if it were as threatening as a loaf of bread. He turned slowly on the spot keeping his weapon raised. Least he wasn't disarmed. He could defend himself at least. He stopped when he saw figures staring at him with varying expression. He looked between them all, taking in their appearances as he stared.

"Where on Jupiter's stone am I?" he muttered to himself as his eyes searched for answers whilst his expression remained wary, confused yet guarded.
 
The machine was spinning faster and faster, the concentric circles eventually going at such a pace that one circle could not be differentiated from the other. Valerie held her breath in anticipation, her eyes glued to the scene before her. All the other scientists around her waited with bated breath, even Professor Luxe standing on edge. His eyes were growing wider and wider, hands clasped together so tightly that they looked like they could pass as one solid ball of flesh and bone.

"Come on, come on..." he said to himself, his normally steely gaze softening with hope. Then, there was a flash. The light that suddenly spurted from the machine like a fountain caused all around it to flinch away, eyes closing as they shied away from the white glow that bounced off the pale colour of the walls and seemed to engulf them all in a blanket of brightness. It was there and gone so quickly, but having not anticipated it at all Valerie still had lights swimming in her vision by the time the room became visible again.

The girl had dropped her clipboard, the heels of her palms pressing into her eyes to stop the throbbing there.
Spectral anomaly...don't think they had any sort of inkling that would happen. Really hope that won't have permanent effects.

Everyone around her was also still reeling from the assault of light, blinking furiously. Val looked through the glass, expecting to see some sort of window into another world open within the spinning circles of machine. What she saw instead was a black smoke filling the room with yellow flames spouting from every orifice of the machine.....as well as a lone figure collapsed onto the floor.

"What the actual hell?" She exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention in the observation room. Professor Luxe followed the direction of her gaze, his eyebrows rising so that it seemed that they almost touched his hairline. "Shit. That wasn't supposed to happen." No sooner had the words left his lips than the smoke now filling the observation room too set off the safety and fire alarms, a red light attached to the ceiling flashing as a siren began blaring. After the initial shock to her eyes, the loud noise made Valerie cover her ears.

"We have an person on the floor! I thought that they had locked all the doors, how did he get in? What fool would go into a room surrounded by warning signs anyway? Unless....Oh, oh great. This is not going to go so well. Shit, this is going to be a difficult one to fix."

Valerie could barely hear him over the sound of the siren, but her eyes had not left the individual, the girl also trying to comprehend how he had managed to get there when it was part of the safety procedure to lock the doors. She looked him over, trying to recognize him as anyone on the project team...when she noticed his clothing, she came to the same conclusion as her supervisor.
We didn't send someone back in time, we pulled someone out of time. The asynchronicities of this are going to be such a nightmare to repair....is he bleeding?

People began flooding the room, fire-extinguishers in hand. They started at the back of the machine on the opposite side of the man, although as soon as they came around and were met with the steel of his sword they hastily raised their hands in the air. The intercom that connected the machine room to the observation room let Valerie hear exactly what was going on, the latin words of the man reaching her ears despite how faint they were.

Those physicists are going to get their arms cut off if they get too close! Is...is that a centurion? With no sense of self-preservation, the female rushed around to the interjoining room that held the door opening into the one with the machine. Valerie approached the man slowly, raising her hands in the air as she rounded the other people doing so. This was the only time in her life she was thankful for the extra Latin course she had covered. The female looked over him now that she had a better view with less thick smoke between them.

Professor Luxe followed close behind her, curious as to how this anomaly of biological matter had managed to be sucked into their portal.
"Put your weapon down, we're not going to hurt you!" He shouted, taking a more aggressive stance compared to the other people in the room.

Now that she was closer with less of the thick smoke obscuring her vision, Valerie could see that her assumption of the man's rank had been right. The memory was foggy, but she recalled a picture of the outfit he wore being similar to one pictured in her history textbook. That section on the Roman Empire had been what inspired her to learn Latin in the first place. She scrambled for words to use, stuttering at first as she spoke to him in his own language
"We...ah, intend no harmful." She growled under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she struggled to bring back the vocabulary she had abandoned for a few years. Her pronunciation and grammar were incorrect, but gradually grew better as she remembered more.

"We aren't going to hurt you, but we need to put out the fire." She said calmly, using one of the hands she held in the air to point at the flames still spewing from the machine.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin

 
Kaeso's face betrayed nothing of his emotions. His role as Centurion meant being able to give commands and obey orders without emotional baggage getting in the way and he learned to fine tune that ability over the years he had been in the Centurionate. Outwardly, he was wary and guarded and yet he was terrified. This wasn't the boggy marshland of Britannia. He couldn't beat a retreat to anywhere for he didn't even know where he was let alone what this place was. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword with a familiar flexing motion. His only protection was his sword. He had left his shield with that damned Briton. He did draw some comfort and satisfaction that at least the Briton he had been against would be denied his trophy of his skull.

Hazel eyes peered round the room he was in in furtive sweeps as he stayed his ground, his sword out and ready, his other hand also a little outstretched to launch himself into attack should he need to. Kaeso could see he wasn't alone and the room soon became a hustle of activity. He shifted his stance carefully eyeing each one of them unsure of the threat they presented.

He had to assume they were hostile, they were chattering in a language he didn't understand. This couldn't have been in the Gods intentions to bring him to this place. Why remove a Centurion when he would have been needed in the Legion? That made no sense at all. A sudden sound made him flinch and his eyes snapped on the device one of these people were using on the numerous fires that he was only just starting to realise were there. After a few minutes he realised what the device was for and turned his eyes back to the movement he caught in his periphery.

"Don't come any closer!"Kaeso brandished his weapon at them in clear warning to them when they started to go towards him. He could feel the heat from the fire but he didn't know where he was. He needed to get back to the Legion... somehow. He was relieved when they froze and didn't come any closer. Still, it presented him with more questions. Who were these people? What had they done to him? Why was he here? Kaeso blinked and shifted his stance again as he had done several times already. He couldn't recall when he last had a full eight hours of sleep. They had been on double pace for the journey to their battle spot and the fighting had gone on for days and hours. Kaeso's battle fatigue was starting to become more apparent along with the wounds he had sustained.

More movement caught his attention and he rested his eyes on a female followed soon after by a male. He turned to face them, the point of his sword aimed for them now but the blade trembled in his grip no matter how hard he tried to stop it. He was vaguely aware of a fresh rivulet of blood travelling down his face. He hadn't been aware of the damage he had taken during the time he was fighting the natives for dear life. His eyes shunted between the pair studiously. They weren't armed as far as he could tell but that did nothing to put his mind at ease.

Whilst he did not understand what the male had said to him, he still recognised the tone of voice and caught meaning in the man's body language. It was aggressive and Kaeso reacted accordingly as he raised his sword, his legs bracing his body in readiness to defend himself. These people didn't look like the natives he had fought against, in fact they looked more Roman in terms of their looks but he couldn't chance it that this wasn't some convoluted British trick.

Then the woman spoke and he looked at her with a measure of surprise through his expression of wariness and pain. It was broken and simple but he understood her every word! As he regarded her, she seemed to be struggling somewhat with the language that was universal for every Roman soldier no matter if they were Officers or Auxiliaries. He frowned at her but he waited for her to continue as she spoke once more, this time in a string of words that made far more sense to him. He looked towards the flames near to him and then back to her warily.

Surmising it wouldn't do to get stuck in a fire that could have been prevented and be denied help or a way back home. He slowly nodded and took a few steps forwards out of the way. "Then do so," he replied at first in a simple blunt fashion. He was not used to dealing with diplomatic affairs or negotiating with natives. However, he was no fool. He would need to know what this place was, where he was and this woman spoke his language. She looked as if she would tbe then only one who could tell him this information.

His arm lowered slightly but the trembling point of the metal blade remained pointed out towards her and her male companion who seemed to be in some mixed level of shock and awe. Kaeso couldn't say he appreciated the man staring at him like he was some trophy on a wall. Gods, he hoped these people weren't into head collections.

Kaeso turned his gaze fiercely back on the female and cleared his throat, "Where am I? Why am I here?" His voice spoke volumes in his readiness with the command of men, authority lay in his inflections used to getting answers promptly and orders filled out to the letter.
 
She felt relief wash over her as the man stood aside, allowing the other scientists with the fire extinguishers to put out the rest of the flames after Valerie insisted it was okay. Smoke still circled around the room though, making the female cough heavily as Professor Luxe turned to her with a look of vague amusement.

"I didn't know you spoke Latin. Looks like there was some twist of fate in you being picked to be my assistant." He wheezed as well, the smoke filling his lungs and aggravating the smokers cough he already had from his near addiction to cigarettes. Valerie knew that if there wasn't a rule against lighting up in the building, he might smoke almost two packs a day. Perhaps he wants his lungs to be as black as his soul...she sometimes thought to herself, bringing an out-of-place smile to her face.

The man then spoke again, drawing Valerie's attention back to the Roman solider.
"He's wounded. From sword strikes and rough confrontation. We need to get him patched up and calmed down. Could you perhaps try communicate this to him?" Her professor said, starting to relax more now that he was no longer in the vicinity as fire. He slid his hands into his pockets, the man easing his weight from one foot onto another. Luxe was practically itching to take a closer look at the man, but one glance at the sword he still held kept him a fair distance away.

Val did as she was told not because Luxe had said so but because she had been wanting to help out the man from the start. While most people had rushed in to save the expensive machine, her initial worry had been for the bleeding man.
"We would like to help you. My, ah, friend wishes that you not stab him or try to kill us so that we can close your wounds and explain to you what is going on away from the..." For all her efforts, she could not locate a word for the monstrosity of a machine that had brought him here. She settled for a descriptive noun instead, finishing her sentence with: "...ah, away from the time-changer."

Valerie indicated towards the door, trying to illustrate through the gesture what she intended. Luxe was hopping on the balls of his feet, scrunching his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat.
What treasures and discoveries do you hold?! What new information can you give to me that can help me in publishing another note-worthy paper? The man stared him up and down with his grey hues, the eyes practically seeing right into the soldier.

The girl lowered her arms slowly but confidently. She still kept her hands visible though, unlike the professor. If she was a trained killer, the last thing she would want was an uknown enemy hiding his hands as if he had some sort of weapon hidden in his clothing.
"Do you wish me to lead you, or would you like to go first? We can go however you feel comfortable but my comrades wish to investigate what exactly happened and to check the damage caused by the flames."

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
He glanced to watcKah the people dealing with the fires, though he was looking at their tools more than anything. The closest thing he could compare it to was a fire hydrant but they were rarely seen outside of established Roman occupied cities. He blinked back the blood that dripped into his eyes and frowned, sighing slightly before he looked back to the man and woman. Kaeso tilted his head at the strange words the man spoke still no closer to understanding any of it. He looked to the woman for an explanation as he stood there, his muscles twitching from a need to rest but his mind was active with a need for self-preservation in an unknown situation.

Kaeso forced himself to breathe properly as fumes threatened to undermine his already battle fatigued state and need for oxygen to compensate. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. The prospect of being forced to trust that these people didn't have hostile intentions for him however was not sitting well and he didn't want to find himself relying on such folk if that was the case. He also didn't like the way the man was eyeing him over like he was some newfound toy. It was incredibly unnerving. He thought it only possible of Tribunes and those wanting to get into the senatorial class.

The man spoke and the woman soon translated for him. he stared at the woman for the longest time before he glanced towards his still raised yet quivering weapon and sighed slightly. Sheathing it meant he was putting himself into a dangerous outcome but equally having it out was clearly putting them ill at ease. He sighed heavily before he sheathed the sword after wiping it clean from the blood on his cloak. His hands were calloused from a lifetime's hard work as he showed them both palms, "I keep my sword but I won't stab anyone... Not unless the situation warrants it," he nodded warily still uncertain of the situation he was finding himself in. Who knew what motives these people truly had for him?

Kaeso blinked realising then what she had stumbled over, "Time changer...? I don't understand. What on Jupiter are you talking about?" he demanded whilst having to reaffirm his standing position. His muscles were reaching twitching point and he was on the verge of collapse but he forced himself on determined to not show weakness in front of them. Kaeso looked at the man again only to find him being the subject of more eye-goggling. He glared at the man in reply before glancing back to the only woman in the room of whom he could interact with beyond expressionism.

He frowned slightly before he gestured towards the door in a resigned manner, "You know the way. Lead on... Can you tell him to stop eyeing me like that before I punch him?" he replied, peering at the man warily. He didn't like him instantly but then he didn't know anyone here.
 
She did as he asked, waiting for Professor Luxe to walk ahead of her before she tread lightly just beside the male. "You are welcome to keep your sword. As long as you don't use it against anyone, there won't be any problems with that. Be warned though, you might be something of an oddity to the people here. Until we get you cleaned up there may be a few stares. No one will threaten you, but they will be alarmed by the amount of blood on you."

His comment about Luxe brought a grin to her face, the chuckle that escaped from her making the man in question turn around and look over his shoulder.

"I don't see what you find so amusing. This whole thing was a huge failure, one which will have to be repeated and recorded and bettered if we hope to make any progress. Now we have the added problem of figuring out what to do with him. If he can't assimilate to this world while we figure out how to send him back then all our necks are going to be on the line." He turned back around, Valerie needing to bite her lower lip to prevent herself from scoffing.

Luxe always had a pompous air about him and his insistence on being so negative could only make her laugh. The machine had worked. Sure, it was not the way it was expected...but that was still progress. She leaned towards Kaeso, saying under her breath only just audible enough for him to hear,
"If you wish to punch him, I can hardly say I would try and stop you. He's in a rather sour mood."

They walked through the twisting corridors, the odd passers-by doing exactly as Valerie had predicted. Most stood gape-mouthed, eyes widening and staring at the three people until they had turned around a corner.
They eventually stopping outside of a door that held the sign 'medical office'. Professor Luxe opened it up, pleased to find that the room was empty.

"Go on in. Hurry up, we've already drawn enough attention." Valerie scurried inside, pointing to a padded medical bench as she said to Kaeso "You can sit there. I'll be back, I'm going to fetch bandages."

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin

 
He watched the male for a long moment before he fell into step a few feet behind him. These people were strange and he wasn't entirely sure he was understanding what was going on. All he knew was that he was in a place that very much alien to him and that somehow he had to return to the Legion. The gods were surely pissing themselves laughing over this, he had no doubt. The women joined him and he glanced at her, glad she was able to speak Latin in a worse where it seemed strange to everyone else. She also seemed very concerned about him more than the other man was in the sense of genuine of concern. He glanced down at his chainmail and harness and grimaced slightly. Not that he was alien to the sights of blood and gore but he knew others not in the trade wouldn't be as inured to it. There was also the stink of the lime-wash. "Can't help that... Last thing I remember before coming to this place was fighting the Britons south of Camulodunum," he shrugged as they walked, his nail-studded boots making sharp taps on the ground.

The male spoke and Kaeso frowned at him, he could only guess at what was being said but he sounded less than enthralled. He glanced at the woman and grinned, "You don't say? If he was a legionary under me, he'd be on latrine duty for weeks. Then he'd really be in the shit."

He had tried to remember the way they had gone before he lost count. This place was a maze! He got the stares of incredibility from those they walked passed and he returned them. Their hair was certainly not of a military grade, some long and some short. Kaeso couldn't even remember when his hair wasn't cut to the short and clean cut the Legions demanded of their men. Probably back when he was very young he supposed. Long hair was for the barbarians they were fighting. The man was getting insistent and especially so once they had reached wherever it was they were escorting him to. He gave the sign above the door frame a once over before he sighed and entered.

He looked at where she pointed and nodded slowly before he walked over and hauled himself onto it. The bench squeaked and he blinked peering at it witch undisguised suspicion before he reached up and fumbled with the strap to his helmet. He lifted the metal helm and placed it carefully beside him. It was after all his call of office, the transverse red brush-hairs signified his rank amongst the throng of legionaries without needing to look at the medallions attached to his harness. He then removed the felt liner and gave his dark hair a brush through with his fingers. His hair felt damp and he scowled with a winced when a forefinger grazed over his head wound. He lowered the hand and looked at the blood that came away with it. Another fresh rivulet tracked its way down his grimy face.

"All right, not going anywhere... " he breathed, besides, he was sure the man would throw another fit if he did decide to get up and leave. The flight instinct in him told him he should so but he had no idea where he was and he needed the lay of the land before he could make that decision yet. He waited patiently as he sat on the bench and studied every little detail of the room.
 
Professor Luxe was none too impressed. He was used to autopsies and dissections, not healing wounded flesh. His job was to cut things up and study them with intense scrutiny rather than stitch them back together. However, he doubted that the physicists would be able to do a better job than him and Valerie. They were focused in the world of quantum mechanics, not living (or recently deceased if he had any say in the matter) flesh and bone.

"What's taking you so long? He's getting blood and ancient soil all over the furniture. We can't leave a trace that he was here and that gets harder to do the more we have to clean up after him." Valerie was in the pantry-like small room just next to where the medical bench was propped against the wall, rummaging through boxes that would have held a familiar symbol to the Roman. The individually wrapped rolls of bandage held it too, the woman finally managing to find the items wrapped in plastic and printed with a red symbol of caduceus.

"Keep your pants on...I'm doing the best I can." She muttered in Latin under her breath, knowing well that Luxe would both by unable to hear her or understand her. She exited the room with a scowl, her arms balancing all manner of medical supplies which she dumped next the Kaeso's helmet. Val took note of the red plummage, needing to flit through her memory bank to remember just what rank the decoration stood for. His face help a neutrality about it, but there was also this taint of emotion in his eyes that caught her off guard.

It was only then that she looked beyond the man's physical injuries, thinking about just how traumatized he must be. She imagined herself being thrown into a far distant future where nothing was recognizable. After placing herself in his shoes, she understood that there was more than just bloodstains and cuts that needed patching up.

"The latrines may be a suitable place for him. He believes himself to be a deity and a few hours of scrubbing would clear that notion from his head. I believe I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Valerie. I'm a scholar." She didn't know if the Roman's had a word for scientist. She didn't even wish to attempt to make one when she recalled how he had reacted to the word 'time-changer'. The female turned to the right, filling a small metal bowl with water and cleaning solution. She then placed this on a wheeled table that she dragged towards the bench. All the fresh blood oozing from his now uncovered wound made her flinch...not because she was nauseated by the sight of blood, but rather because the sight made her wonder just what he had had to go through to get it.

The girl dipped a piece of gauze into the water, bringing it up slowly to his hair where the blood was already matting in the dark locks and drying to a crust.
"This will sting, but will prevent infection." Luxe popped up beside her, hands still in his pockets as he spoke. "Make sure all the waste is burned and discarded. No evidence means no questions." His voice was beginning to feel like nails on a chalkboard, a huge irritation when Valerie was trying to be gentle and not rush or hurt the solider more.

"I'll make sure not to leave even the slightest blood drop...." She knew better than to retort back with the one of the many witty comebacks circling in her mind. The man had the power to make or break her future career with a single reference letter in the near future. She didn't wish to jeopardize that by getting on his bad side. However, his hovering around like a fly was getting on her last nerves.

"Perhaps this was some organic matter that came through with him in the portal? The Physicists might clean it and contaminate the samples." The statement turned the man's expression dark, his teeth clacking together like he had to chew something hard. "I'm going to go and get those quickly. Stay here and make sure to not make a mess. If I'm not back in an hour, just...take him somewhere he won't be seen. Just whatever you do , don't let him out of your sight and keep your cellphone on."

He said these last words like he was giving warning of a coming plague, the man stomping towards the door and practically running through before slamming it shut behind him.

"Thank goodness for that..." She muttered in Latin, dipping the gauze into the water once more as she tried to go in to clean the wound. "Stay as still as you can, I don't want to hurt you." The twenty-year old's demeanor changed with the absence of her supervisor. She relaxed slightly, standing less stiffly and straight-backed as she began to dab the head wound lightly.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin

 
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Kaeso rolled a shoulder as he waited, not something he was usually prone to as he was more used to the perks of being Centurion. He watched the woman go elsewhere before his gaze switched to the male. He eyed him in particular. The man reminded him of one of the Tribunes on the General's staff. Jumpy and impatience rarely worked well. He scoffed slightly and shifted on the bench as he waited. He glanced downwards and frowned. He had cuts down his legs below his breeches and he pulled a face. Probably had more elsewhere too. Not that he had been aware of what damage he had sustained in the hours of fighting, his focus had solely been on commanding his men and staying alive.

He studied the room again keeping his expression neutral. He might be able to converse with the woman but that still didn't go to say their intentions were honourable. The question of where he was was also plaguing his mind. What had she meant by 'time-changer'? The statement had meant little sense to him at all.

A thud on the bench next to him snapped him out of his reverie and he looked at her and then at what she had placed next to his helmet. He looked up again and peered at her for a moment. If she was hostile, she was doing a super job in hiding it. He supposed he would take what he could get for now and meet that bridge when he came to it.

He gave a snicker at her words and looked at the man with bemusement. He was getting more and more Tribune worthy every minute. He looked back at her when she gave her name and he tilted his head slightly.

"Valerie... That's a Roman name," he replied and nodded for a moment before he spoke again. "I'm Kaeso," he said as he watched her work. She flinched for some reason and he raised a brow slightly. He realised then that he must be quite the gruesome sight covered in dirt, grime and blood that was both his own and not his own. He was about to open his mouth and speak till the man came up to them. He raised his head and peered at the man, annoyed.

Kaseo figured she was also getting irritated with her colleague when she spoke in that strange language and he watched them talk and then his gaze followed the man out.

"Happy chap, huh?" he spoke bemused staring at the door the man had closed before he peered back to Valerie. He smiled slightly and nodded, the man had not been helping with the constant hovering. IF the man was under his command, Kaeso would have put him to rights. As it was, he was a stranger to them as they were to him.

He nodded, "Of course," and he did so as he dipped his head slightly to make it easier for her. He stayed silent for a while as she worked. He thought for a few moments as she cleaned his wound, a short little gash no more than a centimetre across.

"What was your friend getting so jumpy about, anyway?" he asked, he needed to know more about the situation he had suddenly found himself in. He longed for a bath and some sleep but both of those things would have to wait.
 
"He's only ever truly happy when he's getting what he wants, has just had his fourth cigarette or is exceedingly drunk," Valerie admitted, remembering the small celebration in the biology department when he heard he was made supervisor. The title was a rank below faculty head, a second-in-command so to speak. He had drunk copious amounts of champagne before retreating to his office to work.

At his remark on her name, she smiled lightly.
"It is Roman, if I think about it. Now a days we would say it's of Latin origin...Latin being what they called the language that we are speaking now."

She tossed away the first piece of gauze, satisfied that most of his hair, while still covered in grime, was at least free of blood. The wound was too small to need stitches or a bandage. Val then moved on to his arms and legs, using a wet towel to wipe away the dirt and dried blood first so that she could see the wounds more clearly. Many of them were just scratches or grazes, the girl wiping these with the cleaning solution, while she tried to mostly focus her attention on the more serious gashes. The worst ones she could find were on his forearms and left calf, wrapping around the limbs with the sterilized bandages.

"He's always like that when there's something that needs fixing which he hasn't figured out the solution for yet. He's also a scholar and likes things to be done a certain way. He's....almost like my leader I guess you can say. A rank above me. Not that he acts like a good leader, but in this world you don't always get put into positions of power because you are a suitable person for the roll."

She knew he must be filled with questions, maybe holding back because he was either too overwhelmed or did not yet trust her enough to ask what was going on. Valerie did not wait for him to ask, forging on with as simple an explanation as she could muster.

"I'm sorry that you've been put into this situation. My colleagues....more scholars, ones who are educated in different matters though, were trying to figure out a way to go back in time. Instead, we found that we took things out from the past instead of sending us to it. This is the first time the time-changer was being used, the machine-" She used the english word for it, saying it slowly as she knew it would be foreign to him, "-did not work as we expected. You are here as a result. You are close to where the Roman-Britain empire used to be...Camulodunum-" She recalled he had used the word earlier, recognizing it from some short historical tour she had done after moving here, "- is now called Colchester and is about an hour's travel away from here. So, you're still in the same area, just many many years into the future."

She hoped he would not be too overwhelmed by this news. The female had kept her voice as slow and calm as she could, wanting him to be able to absorb the information and let it sink in as she spoke. The female turned to the left, opening a cupboard on the left and pulled out a cardboard box labeled 'Lost items'. Valerie began looking through it, wondering if there was something clean she could give him to wear so that she could take the blood out of his clothes.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
He nodded slowly as she spoke about her colleague and sympathised. He could drink as well as the next man but he was very selective with when and where he drank. He supposed it depended how high up the rank chain the man was in this place. He doubted they used the same system, this place held nothing of what he knew and understood. Still, it did nothing to improve his thoughts of the man thus far. There was something to be said about first impressions.

Kaeso watched her as she worked and the feeling of the bandages was strange and yet familiar. Not quite linen then, he mused with amusement. He snorted and nodded, that was almost always the case in the world he lived and breathed in. Any man wanting to get on the Senatorial ladder had to serve a minimum stint as a Tribune. Most were just men on the make and some rose to be a Legatus or higher but most were there just to further their political careers and cared little for the men they commanded. He knew that if fortuna favoured him he could only ever aspire to be First Centurion or Camp Prefect, maybe a Prefect if the gods were with him. He severely doubted that'd be on the dice for him now... He would be assumed missing, dead or if he was unlucky he would be labelled a deserter. "I know that feeling. Met a few Tribunes he reminds me of already," he mused aloud as he flexed the muscles in his forearms and calves.

He sat there for a full minute or so to collect his thoughts, his gaze wandering listlessly to one side as he tried to ponder his situation for the umpteenth time already when she broke into his line of thought. He looked at her and tilted his head slightly as he listened. He stared at her even before the interruption of a strange word. Pulled from the past? Still where he had been but years ahead of his own time? It made little sense other than to answer why they dressed so strangely. Had this been his world, she would have been in a dress, a stolla. The clothing, their hair, even the building was not to the standards or style to which he was accustomed. There was something undeniably different here. He was not blind to what was around him. An officer didn't stay in his rank for long if he failed to observe the world around him.

"The future?" he queried in his need to double check what she had said, "Speak plain... That.... That device? That's what brought me to here? I don't.... I don't understand," he frowned his eyes fixed on her and yet distant at the same time as he tried to understand. She seemed to be busying herself with something but he paid little heed to what she was up to. Used to be... She had spoken of the Empire in a past tense... as if it had come and gone like Egypt and Greece before Rome...

"When you say 'Roman Empire used to be...' ?" he trailed off.
 
(Sorry for the late reply, I was busy last night and couldn't get onto my phone to communicate this with you.)

Valerie scrummaged through the 'lost and found' box, eyes focused as she looked for items that may fit him. Part of her motivation for doing this was that she was sure he wished to be in something clean, but there was also the problem of taking him anywhere outside of the building. Sure, there were frat boys that dressed up in toga's and some golden plastic wreaths for their Greek parties, but the authentic attire of a Roman Centurion which was splattered in blood from God knows were was a different matter altogether.

People wouldn't just stare, they would wonder. After the problematic first-run of the Doctor Who Project, the last thing they all needed was people asking questions they couldn't yet answer

The girl was so busy tossing aside the items that were either made for toddlers or a giant, she didn't notice the look of perplexity that overcame the man. When she finally looked up, brandishing a t-shirt, she heard his words of confusion. She placed the cotton material down, one hand on her hip while the other was holding her weight up on the edge of the medical bench. Her next words were delicate, her focus intently on him as she tried to empathize with him.

"Yes. The device is what brought you to us. If my memory is correct, you're about....," she paused, her face scrunching up as she tried to work out the approximate time he had been taken from relative to the present. "...one thousand nine hundred and fifty years into the future. Give or take a few years. I'm...I'm really sorry. I know everyone seems to be running around right now, but I'm sure that we're going to do whatever in our power to fix what has happened. We'll get you back to your own world as soon as possible."

She picked up a suitable pair of jeans, placing it with the t-shirt before throwing all the other items back in the box. As she stooped down to put the box back, she paused as he gave her another statement about her referring to the empire he had fought and many had died for in the past tense. Val cringed, closing her eyes as her mouth formed a thin line.
How am I going to explain that to him?

The girl shoved the box into the cupboard, rising slowly and closing the cupboard door with her foot. She then turned to the male, needing to take in a breath as she gathered her thoughts. "All great Empires rise and fall. What is most important is whether history bothers to remember them. Unlike many other ancient empires, the Romans had a phenomenal and profound impact on modern societies today. So much of what came about from your world lives on today in mine. Rome was great and is remembered as a force to be reckoned with. All great things must have their time in the sun, but they cannot remain there forever." She broke the news as gently as she could, her green eyes watching him carefully.

"Do you wish to change? It may make your presence here less obvious and will also have the added benefit of making my colleague less 'jumpy' as you put it."

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
(That's quite all right! :3)

He rubbed his face, fingers shifting on dirt and stubble as he sat there on the bench, his helmet besides him. It was a lot to take in and there was little to no familiarity with where he was right now that he could draw upon. He realised he was alone and there would be no orders telling him how to deal with the situation and that he must pull from his own experience and initiative. He sighed, if there was ever a time for having his Optio close to hand it was now.

The bewildered and exhausted Centurion was still staring at her searching for the answer from her and he frowned as she held what looked to be some form of tunic. It looked too thin too. He blinked and listened intently to her words but what she said stumped any line of enquiry he had had in mind. Almost two thousand years from the present he had known? He was in the future? Kaeso stared at her incredulously, she had to be pulling his leg? This was all some kind of really bad joke, it had to be...

But then, he supposed, how would whoever designed this joke be able to engineer the strange rooms he had arrived in and taken to? There was too much detail in this for it to be some hoax... He blinked owlishly at her still coming to terms with what her words, as sympathetic as they sounded, meant to him. It meant that he had lost far more than just his unit. He had lost the only thing in his life that had ever made any form of sense and meaning. The Legion was for better or worse his family, he would die for those men if he had to and yet he had been cut off like it had not mattered to any god that watching this affair.

"A thousand, nine hundred years... Now I wish I was just dreaming..." he muttered to himself before she answered his other question. He knew what she said to be entirely plausible. Egypt had been a great civilisation before the wolf took Romulus and Remus in for her own. As had Greece. Now both were under the rule of Rome, a Rome that to him was already fracturing under the rule of Claudius. He supposed it was for the moment more stable than it had been under Caligula. It made him glad he didn't have a lot of family to worry about getting into the bad side of politics.

He sighed heavily shoulders slumping before blinking rapidly to keep his eyes open. He was tired, more tired than he could remember being for a long time. Kaeso looked to her and smiled ruefully, "Least she's remembered," he nodded. What else could he say? He wasn't going to start gushing over it.

He blinked and then looked at what she had taken out of that box as she spoke. He then peered at her with concern, "And what will you do with my uniform? Rather not lose it... Costly, if you know what I mean?" he asked, tapping one of the medals on his chest. He could reason changing into what they found familiar would indeed settle their nerves and make him seem less imposing but he worried at what they would do with his armour. It had come out of his pay and to lose it meant he'd have to 'buy' it all over again. The Phalerae on his harness alone weren't easy to reorder and all meant a great deal to him. They had been given to him in recognition for past deeds during his service in the Legion.

"Though, if it helps jumpy git less of an arse..." he stood and stretched slightly, his movement not in the slightest bit comfortable or graceful as he grunted. He reached out and touched what he assumed were some form of breeches. The material felt rough and thick but looked like nothing he had seen.

"Interesting colour..." he commented.
 
She heard the disbelief and sorrow in his voice. It cut into her like a knife that had been slid between her ribs. The female chewed on her bottom lip, wishing she could somehow alleviate some of the pain he was feeling but knew there was very little she could do. Her team and herself had gotten him into this mess, she just hoped they could somehow get him out of it. She had no clue how time would move back in the past while he was here. It might have stopped, slowed down or changed completely. Maybe, with him being in the future, it had ceased to be altogether.

These thoughts made her head hurt. She was no physicist, but rather a simple biologist. It wasn't up to her to muse about the relative time changes or even to have made the promise she did about trying to get him back where he came from, but she thought she at least owed him that much after the Doctor Who Project team had turned his world upside down and inside out. He then commented on his armor, drawing the female back towards the present issue at hand.

"I see no reason to get rid of it. It must mean a lot to you...especially with the rank and titles you've earned." Her emerald hues scanned over the medals he had been fidgeting with. She found herself wondering what he must have done to earn them, her curiosity piquing. She did not wish to interrogate him though, despite that being one of the many questions she wished to ask him. Now was not the time, nor the place. "I can have your weapons sharpened and oiled, your armour cleaned and polished and have the dirt in your, ah, tunic removed. There's a vintage weapons dealer on the other side of the city who would have a field day with your gladius and armour and he would treat the items like they were his children. I can do some creative story telling and just say that the weapons are from a site we were taking samples at. He'll be so busy admiring them he won't think twice about the explanation."

Val felt like she needed to make it up to the man by doing something nice after what he was going through. He asked about the jeans, the female realizing how strange the material must be to someone who has worn thin cotton or leather for most of their life. "We call the fabric denim. It's something of a staple in this world. If you wish, you can wash your face in the sink and change in the supply room." The girl motioned to the room where she had fetched the bandages, pushing the folded items closer towards him.

She breathed in sharply, running a hand through her hair close to the skull as he had just done, fidgeting with the edge of her lab coat. Now that the initial shock of him being here was beginning to die down, her logical thought as beginning to return. Just then, she felt a small buzzing in her back pocket of her own jeans, the small cellphone light blinking and illuminating the material. She pulled it out, seeing that she received a message from Luxe.

Will definitely be longer than an hour. The idiots had swept everything up and contaminated it with the dust on the floor. Busy separating material now and then will do an analysis on the composition. Keep him out of sight and don't make me regret leaving you alone to sort it out. The words made her scowl, Val responding with a short, abrupt message.

Your wish is my command....

She turned back to the man, placing the phone back in her pocket before speaking. "My colleague is not going to be back for some time. Are you, um, hungry? Thirsty?" She felt like she had been dropped in the deep end, unable to know how to react to the Roman before her. It was like trying to babysit a small child after never having any children of your own...a learn-as-you-go sort of experience. "You must have more questions. After you change I can get you something to eat while I try and answer them."

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin

 
He smiled as she made comment to his sentimentality over his awards and he nodded modestly. "They do," he breathed softly with pride despite his feelings about the state he was now in. It was a relief they weren't going to force him to get rid of it and he would have made a stink in Hades if they had tried. She spoke then of having it seen to and whilst it was an option given to Centurions, he had never luxuriated in such a thing. It also horrified him to let his gear, as expensive as it was, go to unknown hands regardless of how well they were vouched for.

"Thank you, but save for the tunic... I can do the rest myself... It would give me something to occupy my mind with," and frankly he would need it. Sharpening his weapon or cleaning his kit often let him enter the right frame of mind to think things through and process. He needed that time. At the moment he was being assaulted with what he had been thrown into and was struggling to understand how he was going to deal with this. Everything he was doing now was purely playing by ear. There was nothing in the manuals about time changing.

He glanced and nodded as his arms rose to instinctively take the folded garments she was ushering towards him. They felt ridiculously light but the denim felt quick thick and hardy enough and he supposed it should do if they wore it all the time. There was nothing he could really compare it to back in the world and civilisations he had come to understand.

"Right," he nodded and turned for the supply room connected to the room they both stood in. Something made a sound like a small angry bee. Kaeso paused and made a half turn, blinking slightly as she pulled something odd from her pocket and seemed to react to it. He wondered what the little box thing did to make her scowl in such a way that really didn't seem to suit her face. Kaeso frowned slightly as he stood there with clothes in his arms and hands.

He blinked before nodding slowly, "I could do with something, thank you, my lady," he replied, unsure of her social status. He figured he'd give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she was doing her utmost to help him and he appreciated that. They could have simply restrained him and locked him up outright. He felt she was genuine in her concerns. More so than that other man seemed to be. It wasn't as if Kaeso had wanted to come to this place.

Nodding, he followed her instruction moving into the supply room before resting the pile on a box. He undid the straps to his harness and carefully laid it across a counter. The metal and leather weighed a fair amount by themselves without the weight of the chainmail he wore for protection. He removed his swordbelt along with the other small accoutrements attached to it and gently laid that with his harness. He pulled at the ties to his chainmail before shrugging out of it completely, feeling relief as the sheer weight was removed. He added that to the pile before removing the this leather tunic he wore that saved his chest from the weight he had to take it when march against hard metal. He rolled his shoulders a few times to ease their stiffness. He then undid the straps to his greaves and carefully laid them upon the pile.

With a glance to the door, he turned his back to it before he untied the straps to his hobnail boots and put them to one side before stripping to his loincloth. He folded the thin wool of his standard issue tunic and breeches and placed them on the pile before eyeing the shirt and jeans with a level of wary suspicion. He supposed he wasn't exactly going to be needed for any fighting. He was sure they'd be repulsed by the idea. He snorted to himself at that one. It would just be his sort of luck.

He lifted the jeans and let them unfold before he put them on. Buttons he understood but the zip was strange. He fiddled with it for a good minute before it shifted upwards, the teeth locking into place and he stared with amazement completely oblivious to how strange he looked in the act. They felt a little tight but not uncomfortably so after a little more fidgeting. He shrugged into the shirt which was loose in his built frame. The cloth felt strange and unfamiliar making him realise how much he had never fully appreciated the weight and feel of his military kit before. He shook his head with yet more bewildering thoughts about how this world seemed to operate and function.

He then turned towards what he assumed she had meant by the sink. There was no pump as such that he could recognise but Kaeso knew curiosity was a learning tool. He frowned a moment in hard thought before he pushed at one of the knobs that stuck out next to the pipe. It did nothing so he pushed the lever sideways and water soon gushed out of the tap. He stuck a hand into and pulled it back rather sharpish, "Shit!" he muttered before turning it of and trying the other one. That he learned turned the water cold and he washed his hands carefully and then cleaned up his bloodied face, the water turning a rancid dark brown reddish colour before pooling down the drain hole.

Kaeso poked his head out of the door, "I, er.. I'm done... There anything in which I can store my kit whilst we eat?" He didn't want to lose sight of it though he knew he was likely going to be forced out of that choice.
 
He gave her status when there was no need, the title bringing a small rosy hue to the female's cheeks as he addressed her. "It's, ah, just Valerie here....or Val, for short. Valerie Kingsley." She added her last name, surprised that he had been polite enough to try and give her rank. Valerie wasn't completely knowledgeable on the ways of Roman society, but she knew that addressing anyone as a lady was respectful, even in these modern times.

The female allowed him privacy, both moving to the other side of the room as well as turning her back despite the face that there was no possible way she could see him. He took longer than expected, the process somewhat drawn out and lengthened considering the task was simply to remove some items and put on other clothes. However, Valerie did not rush him at all and rather remained as quiet as a mouse until he exited out the room and approached the sink.

She watched as he went for the hot water, the girl bringing up a hand in warning as she uttered out "Wait! That's...-," he swore, the girl cringing for him at the sight of the steam that momentarily erupted out the spout. "-...hot. Turning it the other way gives cold water." Val finished saying, sighing softly as she watched the pristine water become tainted with hues of rusty brown and red. What type of battle have you seen that you're covered in so much blood? She wondered to herself, waiting patiently as he rinsed until he was satisfied with his level of cleanliness.

Valerie offered him a towel to dry off, having been busy disposing of all the gauze and used bandages. Luxe's words of 'no evidence' echoed in her mind, just the thought of him sending an angry streak whizzing through her body.
That man can be infuriating sometimes...he did however have a point about keeping everything in order and leaving nothing behind. He asked about his armor, the female looking up from where she was throwing away the last of the bloodied material before flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Ah, will a box be alright? I can put some towels in to prevent anything getting knocked or damaged." She ducked down to the side-room once more, needing to stretch to reach the top shelf. Her legs quivered slightly as she rose on her tip-toes to retrieve on of the empty boxes piled up together, managing to grasp one with her right hand as she stopped the others from tumbling down onto her with her left. The girl settled back onto the ground, brandishing the box with a grunt of satisfaction. "This should do. I'm certain it will be big enough to hold everything."

She helped him pack the items, placing towels that were either rolled or folded in strategic places if he wished to use them. "Next on the agenda is food...I would ask what you like, but I don't think you're very familiar with most of the fast-food here....good thing I know where we can get something simplistic." The girl picked up the box gently, placing it on her hip as she exited the medical room and turned right to head out the building. Upon reaching the parking lot, she fumbled with her one free hand in fetching her car keys from her pocket, eventually managing to reach the button to unlock the doors without dropping the box or shaking the items inside too much. "You can keep your armor here for now. I would leave it in the building, but I'm worried about people finding it." After fumbling with the clasp on the door, the trunk was eventually revealed where she placed the box down and then closed the trunk once more.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
He blinked, perhaps he had stepped in it a little with his use of title towards her but least it would be easier without the need for such things. "Valerie, then" he nodded, feeling that calling her by the shortened form was perhaps just too intimate. After all, he was but a stranger here. Getting changed and cleaned up wasn't too different, he was just unused to the peculiar style of clothes. He blinked slightly when she raised her voice but by then it had been too late. He flexed his fingers and they didn't feel too bad and nodded, "Thanks." He accepted the towel with another nod of gratitude and dried himself off carefully before he folded it together and gave it back figuring she'd know where it should be put. He then retrieved his boots and tied them back on.

"A box will do just fine," he nodded and watched as she went to get one. He followed her and was about to give her a hand before she managed it on her tiptoes. He was almost worried it would have fallen upon her head and he decided she was far too pretty for that. He glanced away at his thought before shaking it again as they moved to where he had lain his kit.

His military kit had seen better days. For him, it was inside a week when it was last shiny and polished all ready for parade but to her now it was almost two thousand years old and looking like it had been through a slaughterhouse and back. He was still trying to wrap that around his understanding. To be pulled from his present and Valerie's history? It was the unthinkable he supposed. Perhaps it would be the same for him if someone from Alexander's army had appeared before him on the British marshlands. He'd have a fine time explaining that one away. He pulled a face, he wouldn't like to be put into that position. Having to explain to his superiors how that occurred would be one hell of an administrative nightmare. It made him sympathise with the position he had unwittingly placed Valerie into. He didn't really care what position it placed that other man into. He didn't really like him much. The man was so far the description of a sourpuss.

Kaeso inspected the box and nodded with a boyish grin. It was of ample size to store everything that was in his name in the world he was now in. He was glad for the help in packing his gear, some of it was unwieldy not that he wasn't unused to caring for equipment. He had to do it for the Centurion he had been an Optio for in his day never-mind as an ordinary ranker of the Legion. He was a little anxious as his sword and dagger were nestled into the box in-between towels and his tunics. He felt so utterly naked without it but he could see no apparent weapon on any of the people here and he got the feeling swords were no longer standard issue.

He looked at her and blinked, "Fast food? What's that?" He had no comprehension of what fast food was meant to entail. The phrase was strange to him. Whatever fast food was, she seemed to have an idea where they could go and for the moment he was happy for her to take the lead into the unknown. He blinked as she took the box and frowned.

"You sure that's not too heavy for you...?" he asked though he was certainly impressed she could lift all that weight. The chainmail alone was heavy nevermind the rest of the wool, leather and metal armour required for him to wear. He took his Centurion's helmet from where he had left it on the bench and carefully placed it on top, folding the cheek-guards outwards. He half expected her to drop it along the way as he followed her out of the room wincing at how loudly his boots seemed to strike the floor.

He slowed down when they got outside and his surroundings made it abundantly clear how much out of his time and element he really was. The buildings were familiar and yet strange. There was little that was familiar to him aside from the road. He blinked and ran a hand down a rugged face as his eyes swept the area. He followed her and stared at the beast she approached with such familiar casualness. A car was not a concept he understood. The closest thing he could compare it to was a wagon or some kind of really fancy litter.

He watched her interact with this strange contraption before he looked at her. He nodded, "My gratitude... I would hate to lose it." He was genuine in that thought but it wasn't out of the inability to replace the armour should he lose it but for the cost it would cost him in doing so.

"What is this... thing?" he asked, reaching out with a hand and he felt the smooth chassis of her car. It was cold to the touch but sturdy. He suspected he could push it but with a deal of difficulty. Kaeso felt so much out of his depth. There was nothing to command or demand here and as much as he hated the fact, his life was in her hands. He wasn't unduly alien to that feeling but before it was a system which he understood and obeyed. Here, very little made sense to him.

(Sorry about the delay in my posting. Work has fumbled me about left right and centre)
 
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"It's no problem at all, I don't want you displacing my nicely wrapped bandages on your arms." The female said with a sigh. After shutting the box away in the car, she dusted her hands off before wiping them on her unbuttoned lab coat. Now that she was out the building, the female took the white piece of clothing off and dumped it in the back seat before locking her car once more. Underneath the coat, a plain white t-shirt and light blue jeans were revealed.

"Fast food? Oh...its, ah, food that is prepared by other people for you but speedily, hence the term 'fast'. Most restaurants take about ten to fifteen minutes to give you a meal that might take you forty minutes to an hour to prepare yourself at home. We're not exactly going to a fast food place...it's more of a food-cart really."
She knew that the cart might be a little less overwhelming for him, since she was sure he could relate to it through the street markets and vendors they had in ancient Roman times.

Her arms hurt from heaving the box from the medical room to the car, but she had meant what she said about him not injuring himself further. At his mention of the car, she turned to him while sliding her keys into the back pocket of her jeans not holding her phone.
"The car? That's a long story. It's basically like a carriage with four wheels, except it doesn't require any horses or oxen to pull it forward. Ironically enough, the power of the vehicle is still measured in horse-power though." Her stomach grumbled then, reminding her of the food she had promised him.

"This way then, we're heading towards the park."
She walked further away from the building, a small cement path eventually dissolving out of the brush and tall trees surrounding the building. The female trod lightly, taking a moment to breath in lightly through her nose before brushing a strand of her golden-hued hair over her shoulder. It was late spring and early summer, some of the jasmine winding around the fence bordering the path still persisting in the rising heat. The white blossoms contrasted starkly with the surrounding greenery, a few birds piercing the quiet of the morning with chirps and whistles. After about ten minutes of walking, the foliage began to thin and a open expanse of grass studded with the occasional tree was revealed.

"We're almost there, it's just beside the ponds where the swans and ducks gather." Valerie said, looking over her shoulder to the soldier who followed. They soon reached their destination, following a wide brick trail that wound through the park, wooden or steel benches placed under random trees as well as tables. The cart, with it's bright tent of yellow and red stripes, was soon revealed. The sign above the cart read "Stuffed pita bread", the man behind the stand of Mediterranean origin with his tanned skin and dark hair.

Val stuck her hand into her jean pockets, taking out her wallet while saying to Kaeso "Do you have a preference for chicken, pork, beef or fish?" The pond she had spoken of glinted before them, the dappled sunlight which streaked through the large oak trees growing along its perimeter making it look like the surface of a faceted crystal glass.

@Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
 
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