The Ludicrous Escapade

A Relaxing(?) Meal

Stroheim sat across from you at the table. He was slowly cutting into the steak in front of him while you took a small sip of the iced water in your glass. The whole situation was rather awkward, and you felt as if the blonde man was tracking your every movement. Every time you looked at him his eyes were on yours. It was creeping you out a bit.

"Are you enjoying the food?"

You scooped up a bit of mashed potatoes, "Uh, Yeah. Thanks for the meal, Stroheim."

"Do you still require food to survive?"

"Well, no. But my tastebuds still function and food tastes good so I still enjoy eating."

"I see." He began chewing on another piece of steak. "Tomorrow we shall performing the bloodletting experiment on the Pillar man."

You almost choked on the mashed potatoes, "Where are you going to get the blood from?"

"The people we are containing will suffice, there's around a dozen or so."

"Why would you bring the lives of other people into your mess? They have nothing to do with this!"

"They do now. And a few lives lost for the purpose of advancing ourselves is hardly anything. I may even let one of them live if they impress me enough. That's not a problem for you, right?"

You adverted your gaze, "Guess not, doesn't really matter what I think, anyways."

He moved his fork up and down slightly, "I beg to differ. I'm quite interested in what your thoughts might be. How does someone like you view the world?"

You placed your silverware across your plate having just finished the meal, "Not much different from anyone else, I imagine." You then set down your empty glass. Stroheim pulled out a notepad and scribbled something down with a pen he took from his pocket. You raised an eyebrow and watched curiously, "What are you writing?"

"Just that it seems the poison I gave you had no effect." He pointed to your empty glass. "Of course, Not enough was put in to kill someone and I had the antidote nearby just in case. Perhaps if we got a few blood samples we could increase the effectiveness of our medicine even more!"

You folded your arms, "No, I won't do something like that. I like to try to keep my blood to myself, thank you very much."

He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, a bit angry you declined. He knew he could just threaten to harm Speedwagon again, but realized he'd rather not force you to do something again.

He cleared his throat, "Well, since you shall be staying here for the time being, you'll need a place to rest your head. There currently no available rooms, so you'll be sharing my quarters with me."

Your eyes widened, "What?! There were empty beds in the same area as Robert, I don't mind sleeping there."

His eyes narrowed, "Where do expect us to put our injured if you are occupying their space?"

You sighed, "Fine, whatever. I'll share your quarters with you."

The table was promptly cleared as he led you from the room into another one. This room had a bed large enough for two people as well as a bedside table and a closet. There was a door that led to a small bathroom with a toilet, shower and sink.

Stroheim began unbuttoning his shirt as he walked into the bathroom. "There are some spare clothes in the closet that you can wear for sleeping. I'll be taking a shower."

And with that the door closed behind him. You heard the sound of clothes falling to the floor and then the water turning on. You moved to the closet and opened it. Inside were several green uniforms on hangers. Folded at the bottom were some light colored soft clothes which you assumed were pajamas. You picked them up and held them in front of your body. They were definitely not going to fit properly, not that it really mattered.

You looked at the door and wondered if you should wait or change while he showered. You didn't know how fast or slow he was and you didn't want him to walk in on you half naked. So you opted to just sit on the bed and wait for him to exit the bathroom. Around two minutes passed before the door opened revealing Stroheim wearing only a towel. His hair was flattened now and water was dripping from his torso.

You watched with wide eyes as he walked over the closet and grabbed another pair of the same clothes you were holding. He was about to let his towel fall but his head turned to you, "Do you plan on watching?"

You shook your head and rushed into the bathroom, you heard him chuckle as you closed the door behind you. You quickly changed and waited until he said he was done. When you opened the door you saw him sitting in the bed with the small table lamp on. In his hand was a pen which he was using to write in a notebook of sorts.

When he heard the light creaking of the door his eyes met yours. He pointed to a basket in the corner of the room. "You can put your dirty clothes over there, someone will clean them later." You nodded and placed them in the basket before going to the other side of the bed and moving underneath the covers. "Do you still need to sleep?"

You though for a moment before answering, "My brain still needs time to process information I gained from throughout the day." You spoke while pointing to your head. "I don't think I necessarily need to, but I get headaches after a week or so. I enjoy my dreams though, so I look forward for a good night's rest."

"I see." He scribbled something into his notebook before closing and placing it in the drawer of his bedside table. He turned of the lamp, "Sweet dreams, then."

You watched him curiously, "Uh yeah, you too." You then flipped over so you weren't facing him and snuggled into the rather comfortable pillow. You felt bad that you were sleeping comfortably while Speedwagon was in a straitjacket and Joseph was god knows where. The thoughts drifted away as you succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep.

When you awoke you found you had been cuddling Stroheim in your sleep. Embarrassed, you were going to quickly move away from him. However, the man was already awake and he grabbed one of your wrists pulling you back towards his chest while moving his fingers through your hair with the other hand.

He gave you a smile, "Good morning, (Y/N). I hope you slept well. Are you ready to awaken the Pillar man?"

You tried to push yourself away from him, but his grip was strong and you didn't think it was really worth it to use your blood on him at the moment. So you gave in and began to relax in his hold, "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"There's a uniform made for you that you'll wear for the time being. We'll get the subjects for the blood letting after breakfast. Don't want to let blood seep into a rock on an empty stomach." He stood up from the bed and you saw that he was already dressed in his military attire. He dropped a similar pair of clothes in front of you. You changed quickly in the bathroom and the two of you ate a quick meal before heading to a different area of their hideout.

There was a cage holding a dozen or so people. They were all huddled together at the end of it. Trying maintain there distance from you, Strohiem and the few others who had been told to accompany him. They looked at you for help, pleading with their eyes to get them out somehow. You adjusted the new green that rested atop you (h/c) hair so that it covered your gaze. You didn't want these people to see your hesitation or your guilt. So you hid it instead.