"I found you in the back of a wagon clinging to life, some townspeople found you." Livia answered him, causing Ragnar to raise his eyebrows and widen his eyes at her while pouting his lip in astonishment for a moment, as if he was surprised to hear that. He took a mental note of her blue eyes and auburn hair color, as well as her Latinized English accent, all things that Ragnar Lothbrok would take into account as he continued to listen to the door chime, clicking, hissing and other sounds around him caused by the machines.
"Hospital?" He repeated with a strong Swedo-Danish English accent. He was familiar with the Latin term hospes, and the Anglo word hostel, but he did not imagine he would be waking up in one. His eyes continued to trail around the room as he listened to Livia's words over the feint beeping and other strange noises. There was a lot for him to process as he glanced at the lights on the ceiling and the medical table and life support machines against the wall beside his headrest. This was nothing at all like the hospitals Ragnar had seen.
"I am Livia," the casually dressed Legata would inform him, placing her hand over her chest. He took note of her white tank top and denim jacket, a clothing style which seemed very new and foreign to the former medieval chieftain, who was now wearing nothing at all apart from a teal blue hospital gown. Besides being thinner and more ruffly than what he was used to, the gown actually wasn't too much different from some of the long robes and tunicas he had seen back home.
As the door chimed again, Ragnar tried to glance over Livia to see who it was. When the orderly brought the cart around and moved the swiveling extendable tray in front of him, Ragnar would glance over at the containers with a bit of paranoia in his eyes. He could hear the squeeking small cart wheels rolling across the hard floor, and he didn't understand a lick of Taiyou as the orderly greeted Livia in the native tongue. But as the lids on the containers were removed, revealing a small entrée of strange and foreign foods, Ragnar became less tense and squinted a very light smile that seemed more apparent in his eyes than on his face.
"I'm going to undo your restraints, please don't do anything rash." The Legata pleaded as she began to unfasten the restraint binding Ragnar's right arm. Ragnar would rotate his wrist for a moment, regaining some of the feeling and blood flow back in his arm as he tried to sit up again, forgetting about the leather restraint around his neck. He could barely wait to be free again. He waited patiently for Livia to undo the strap around his neck, before reaching around her hands with his freehand and rubbing his throat with a grimacing sigh of relief.
There were knobs and buttons on the arm of his hospital bed which could be used to make the bed recline forward, helping him to sit up. Ragnar Lothbrok wasn't aware of this technology yet, however, so he just sat up on his own instead. At that moment, he got a slight head rush, but he would just squeeze his eyes closed for a moment and shake it off before opening his eyes again. For the first time since his arrival at Emperor Nobuo Takayama's Medical Center, he could look around and see everything clearly.
He glanced over beside himself to the wooden nightstand with opening drawers and the television set on top of it, the large rectangular clear glass window with open grey curtains flanking it, the solid white hard tile floor, the wooden furniture and baseboards, the white walls, wooden cabinets and wall decor. There were picture frames, and medical charts, medical machines with tubes, valves and buttons on them. He took notice of his grey framed medical recliner, and the teal blue gown that he was now wearing. He also noticed the door from where all the chiming sounds had kept coming from, and the denim jeans that Livia was wearing which matched her jacket. He then looked down at his food tray, to the steaming contents in front of him, some of which he was already familiar with, and some of which he didn't know what to make of.
"Can you eat? Are you hungry? Can you tell me what happened to you?" Livia asked curiously.
He picked up the glass of ramune soda and tried to peer down into its straw with one eye, not sure what to think. He listened to the fizzling liquid within, holding the glass up to his ear before taking a swig straight from the glass, ignoring the straw. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't. The soda would tickle his nose and fizz against his tongue. Ragnar would turn his head away from Livia and spit it out, spraying soda all over the wooden cabinet beside him. He turned and cringed, looking at Livia disgustedly before setting the glass of icey soda back down on the tray.
Next he looked at the entrée, a steaming hot dish with squid, rice and fried egg, with a bowl of strange looking soup, and natto served with soy sauce. The only thing that looked even remotely familiar to him was the squid. He cringed again for a moment, picking up a piece of fried tentacle before dropping it back on the plate again. He then picked up the bowl of miso soup and sniffed it, allowing the vapors to touch his nostrils. He glanced back up at Livia the Legata for a moment, before testing the soup with the tip of his tongue. He blinked and smiled at the taste of the soup before suddenly chugging down the whole entire thing with a few large gulps, spilling some of it down his dirty-blonde short bearded chin and on to the front of his gown, before setting the empty bowl down on the food tray and wiping his mouth with his arm sleeve, looking up at Livia.
"I am Regnerus, called Ragnar... Lothbrok..." he said softly, looking over her shoulder to his reflection in the mirror behind her, noticing the gauze bandage on his forehead.
"I was captured by King Aella of Northumbria on my way to Jorvik... yick," he cringed again while picking at his food, obviously not interested in eating whatever the heck it was that the Taiyou doctors had on their menu.
"The King wanted me to convert to his White Christ and repent for my sins... But I refused," he smiled unremorsefully, ripping the gauze bandage off of his forehead to reveal the cross-shaped stitches and scars underneath before picking up a tiny grain of rice with his fingertips and finally nibbling at it curiously, clicking his teeth against his tongue as he tasted it. This too he would spit on the floor beside him before pushing the swiveling food table away from himself, no longer interested in what they had to offer.
"I was whipped, chained, beaten with staffs and clubs, prodded with spears, hung from a tree in a cage, starved for several days and made to walk on hot stones, but still I would not squeel. So the king had me branded and crucified, but still I would not repent. So he let me hang again up in the tree for a few more days, allowing the ravens and crows to peck at my wounds. Then finally, he let me fall into a pit of vipers and other snakes before closing and sealing the door to my earthy grave. With my last bit of strength, I prayed to the gods and my ancestors and tried to claw my way out of the earth. I remember seeing my Christian friend, and for a moment I thought I was in heaven. But then I saw one of the valkyries, and I knew I must have been stuck somewhere in-between... That's all I really remember. Now I'm here," he said before flexing his other arm and snapping his other leather wrist restraint with remarkable ease, despite its thickness and his healing wrist wounds.
Ragnar tried to bend and stretch forward to remove his ankle straps as well, but he quickly winced in pain and laid back down on his hospital bed, having forgotten about the lacerations on his back and the spear wound on his side. He would breathe heavily for a moment, relaxing and regaining his composure before looking back up at Livia the Legata with a look of humour and a slightly perked smile, feeling an increase in his appetite.
"So... what's for dessert?" He asked.
"Hospital?" He repeated with a strong Swedo-Danish English accent. He was familiar with the Latin term hospes, and the Anglo word hostel, but he did not imagine he would be waking up in one. His eyes continued to trail around the room as he listened to Livia's words over the feint beeping and other strange noises. There was a lot for him to process as he glanced at the lights on the ceiling and the medical table and life support machines against the wall beside his headrest. This was nothing at all like the hospitals Ragnar had seen.
"I am Livia," the casually dressed Legata would inform him, placing her hand over her chest. He took note of her white tank top and denim jacket, a clothing style which seemed very new and foreign to the former medieval chieftain, who was now wearing nothing at all apart from a teal blue hospital gown. Besides being thinner and more ruffly than what he was used to, the gown actually wasn't too much different from some of the long robes and tunicas he had seen back home.
As the door chimed again, Ragnar tried to glance over Livia to see who it was. When the orderly brought the cart around and moved the swiveling extendable tray in front of him, Ragnar would glance over at the containers with a bit of paranoia in his eyes. He could hear the squeeking small cart wheels rolling across the hard floor, and he didn't understand a lick of Taiyou as the orderly greeted Livia in the native tongue. But as the lids on the containers were removed, revealing a small entrée of strange and foreign foods, Ragnar became less tense and squinted a very light smile that seemed more apparent in his eyes than on his face.
"I'm going to undo your restraints, please don't do anything rash." The Legata pleaded as she began to unfasten the restraint binding Ragnar's right arm. Ragnar would rotate his wrist for a moment, regaining some of the feeling and blood flow back in his arm as he tried to sit up again, forgetting about the leather restraint around his neck. He could barely wait to be free again. He waited patiently for Livia to undo the strap around his neck, before reaching around her hands with his freehand and rubbing his throat with a grimacing sigh of relief.
There were knobs and buttons on the arm of his hospital bed which could be used to make the bed recline forward, helping him to sit up. Ragnar Lothbrok wasn't aware of this technology yet, however, so he just sat up on his own instead. At that moment, he got a slight head rush, but he would just squeeze his eyes closed for a moment and shake it off before opening his eyes again. For the first time since his arrival at Emperor Nobuo Takayama's Medical Center, he could look around and see everything clearly.
He glanced over beside himself to the wooden nightstand with opening drawers and the television set on top of it, the large rectangular clear glass window with open grey curtains flanking it, the solid white hard tile floor, the wooden furniture and baseboards, the white walls, wooden cabinets and wall decor. There were picture frames, and medical charts, medical machines with tubes, valves and buttons on them. He took notice of his grey framed medical recliner, and the teal blue gown that he was now wearing. He also noticed the door from where all the chiming sounds had kept coming from, and the denim jeans that Livia was wearing which matched her jacket. He then looked down at his food tray, to the steaming contents in front of him, some of which he was already familiar with, and some of which he didn't know what to make of.
"Can you eat? Are you hungry? Can you tell me what happened to you?" Livia asked curiously.
He picked up the glass of ramune soda and tried to peer down into its straw with one eye, not sure what to think. He listened to the fizzling liquid within, holding the glass up to his ear before taking a swig straight from the glass, ignoring the straw. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't. The soda would tickle his nose and fizz against his tongue. Ragnar would turn his head away from Livia and spit it out, spraying soda all over the wooden cabinet beside him. He turned and cringed, looking at Livia disgustedly before setting the glass of icey soda back down on the tray.
Next he looked at the entrée, a steaming hot dish with squid, rice and fried egg, with a bowl of strange looking soup, and natto served with soy sauce. The only thing that looked even remotely familiar to him was the squid. He cringed again for a moment, picking up a piece of fried tentacle before dropping it back on the plate again. He then picked up the bowl of miso soup and sniffed it, allowing the vapors to touch his nostrils. He glanced back up at Livia the Legata for a moment, before testing the soup with the tip of his tongue. He blinked and smiled at the taste of the soup before suddenly chugging down the whole entire thing with a few large gulps, spilling some of it down his dirty-blonde short bearded chin and on to the front of his gown, before setting the empty bowl down on the food tray and wiping his mouth with his arm sleeve, looking up at Livia.
"I am Regnerus, called Ragnar... Lothbrok..." he said softly, looking over her shoulder to his reflection in the mirror behind her, noticing the gauze bandage on his forehead.
"I was captured by King Aella of Northumbria on my way to Jorvik... yick," he cringed again while picking at his food, obviously not interested in eating whatever the heck it was that the Taiyou doctors had on their menu.
"The King wanted me to convert to his White Christ and repent for my sins... But I refused," he smiled unremorsefully, ripping the gauze bandage off of his forehead to reveal the cross-shaped stitches and scars underneath before picking up a tiny grain of rice with his fingertips and finally nibbling at it curiously, clicking his teeth against his tongue as he tasted it. This too he would spit on the floor beside him before pushing the swiveling food table away from himself, no longer interested in what they had to offer.
"I was whipped, chained, beaten with staffs and clubs, prodded with spears, hung from a tree in a cage, starved for several days and made to walk on hot stones, but still I would not squeel. So the king had me branded and crucified, but still I would not repent. So he let me hang again up in the tree for a few more days, allowing the ravens and crows to peck at my wounds. Then finally, he let me fall into a pit of vipers and other snakes before closing and sealing the door to my earthy grave. With my last bit of strength, I prayed to the gods and my ancestors and tried to claw my way out of the earth. I remember seeing my Christian friend, and for a moment I thought I was in heaven. But then I saw one of the valkyries, and I knew I must have been stuck somewhere in-between... That's all I really remember. Now I'm here," he said before flexing his other arm and snapping his other leather wrist restraint with remarkable ease, despite its thickness and his healing wrist wounds.
Ragnar tried to bend and stretch forward to remove his ankle straps as well, but he quickly winced in pain and laid back down on his hospital bed, having forgotten about the lacerations on his back and the spear wound on his side. He would breathe heavily for a moment, relaxing and regaining his composure before looking back up at Livia the Legata with a look of humour and a slightly perked smile, feeling an increase in his appetite.
"So... what's for dessert?" He asked.