Prisoner's Key: A Luca Balsa X Reader

Fresh Meat

Prisoner's POV Continued:
  "Every couple days or weeks, there are these matches we have to play", Lucky began. "Its a real survival game. Our lives are constantly in danger and sometimes we don't always win. Everyone has their reasons for being here but none of us can leave- and yes unfortunately, that does include you". He was talking a bit fast but I understood why. He probably thought I'd freak out before he has the chance to finish, plus it's a lot to take in. So far it sounds wild but I do believe him. I'm also having an easy time accepting this reality, I doubt that's normal but it's not exactly my concern. "When I say survival game I don't mean us versus the elements though. We're quite literally being hunted and harmed by these... These strange and unusual, sometimes inhuman people". Now I'm starting to get antsy. I raise my hand so as not to be rude, "Do you mean people with odd powers? Or like the supernatural and stuff? What happens when you lose to something like that?- Er, my bad. I tend to get carried away with questions". I looked down, my nerves making me tremble just slightly. Imagine that: an inventor with a fear of the unknown. Lucky picked up my hand and put it in his palm. These two have shown me more compassion in twenty minutes than I've experienced in the last 3/4ths of my life. "So far we're all still here and we all still bounce back. Someday this game will be over and we'll all get the freedom we deserve", his smile widened and Victor nodded in agreement. The reassurance was so foreign to me now. I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Just as Lucky was about to fill me in on the rest my stomach roared and I curled forward in pain, causing Victor to misplace the rubbing alcohol wipe full force onto a wound I had gotten from when the guard lunged me onto the table. My squeal disrupted most of the other people in the building. I can imagine their surprise hearing a stranger scream from the kitchen. Many new faces entered as Victor apologized frantically. It was difficult for me to verbalize "It's okay, I'm okay! It's not your fault" so I signed and mouthed it instead. He seemed shocked and asked "You can sign?!" back to me, then continued to tend to my pains. I nodded and laughed, I translated both verbally and with sign language, "Yeah. It was loud in the lab so the head inventor and I decided it would be useful to learn. I also just wanted to add a fourth language to my arsenal".
Lucky sprung from the stool and grabbed me what appeared to be some leftovers from the fridge. He proceeded to cut it up and serve it to me as well but it was difficult to eat through my laughter. "You need to eat slowly if you're THAT hungry. Otherwise you'll risk throwing up" Lucky said ignoring everyone else in the kitchen. A light voice came from the sea of faces, "You boys know I'm a doctor, right?".
"Emily you were busy. Plus this isn't terrible, nothing extreme like what you usually have to treat. If it were that bad we'd deem it an emergency for you to perform on", Lucky was more than halfway through feeding me before he realized the predicament. "Oh! Right! *Ahem* My bad. Friends, we have a new member. I haven't finished explaining everything so please try not to overwhelm Mr.- Uh, Mr.... Victor, what's his name?", he didn't ask me because he was determined on feeding me. Victor shrugged and looked at me to sign the same question. I signed back, "Luca Balsa, but I'm waiting until after burpies and nap time to tell him that". The confusion on Lucky's face was priceless as Victor nearly fell over laughing.

Once the two had finished up, I thanked them and stood before everyone, social anxiety settling in a bit. "Luca Balsa! Its really wonderful seeing you all. I have an extreme appreciation for all the hospitality I've been shown and a grand respect for whoever paid off my bail in full. To be honest, I'm still trying to process whether or not I'm really here. Regardless I owe this household my life for getting me off of death row. My sentence was so daunting... I couldn't begin to thank you enough for what you've done for me. If I do wake up from this tomorrow then please allow me to repay you tonight", a series of confused and heartfelt faces looked my way. Most of them seem to welcome me just as openly as Victor and Lucky. Thanks to everyone's help I got patched up, my luggage was moved to a new room, I was nurished, my migraine started going away and I got the full explaination on how things work both in the matches and here at the manor. I've also been informed that this is a manor.
Some of the information I have a feeling I'll forget later due to exhaustion but I'm not surprised. Before I officially fell asleep, Victor came into my bedroom to check on me. He apologized for disrupting me and I of course told him not to stress about it. We had a nice little conversation about how nice everyone is here and if I need someone, I'll always have someone to go to. Who knew being trapped in a murder manor would be the best thing to ever happen to me? I tried sifting through the questions in my head that I figured would be more important to know now than to risk forgetting to ask later, but one struck a chord with me. "Victor, this may sound odd, but", I signed. He tilted his head. "Have you or anyone else had an odd vision of a detective before coming here? Or at least something about a let-" Victor pulled an exact version of the letter I saw from inside his jacket. He then signed, "I haven't experienced the vision about the detective, but some of the others have. They usually describe it as being a combination of a vision, a feeling and a prediction all at once. As if it were a memory from the future". Victor paused to think for a moment, "Knowing this place, hearing about these experiences don't scare or confuse me. This is a place where the unusual becomes essential and fear will switch to determination sometimes. Just imagine what you would do with the prize and use it to motivate you if you get nervous". With that I gave him well deserved gratitude and he let me know where his room was in case I needed him. We parted ways for the night followed by a night's sleep I never knew could be so peaceful.
Sure enough, the next day came. I awoke with sun bleeding through the curtain slits and the smell of a protein filled breakfast from downstairs. Propped up I get dressed, pull my hair back and lace my boots up. Since I'm not the one that packed up my suitcase, I'll just have to hope that anything in here is useful. It's all pre-jail except for whatever I kept in my cell, even that wasn't much. I did find some stuff to help keep me clean as well as some winter stuff for when it gets cold.