Ragnar Sigurdsson listened quietly as Livia Caesarius explained the very basics of civilized culture to him. Ragnar was still very accustomed to the medieval lifestyle, and to the isolated Viking Age cultures of the far north who had yet to be influenced by Romanesque architecture, plumbing and pipelines. She explained to him how the knob with the red sticker stood for hot water, while the knob with the blue sticker symbolized cold water. He observed her quietly as she demonstrated how the bathtub worked. Of course, he had already figured that out, but he was interested in what she had to say as she demonstrated the proper way of doing things to him. If he was going to fit in, and be seen by the Argosians as anything other than a savage, Ragnar Lothbrok was going to need to pay attention and learn how to adapt.
As she dunked the soap in the water, Livia could feel the ice cold water on her arm. For her and her people, the water seemed perhaps a little bit too cold for comfort, yet Ragnar Lothbrok Sigurdsson appeared to be quite relaxed as he remained sprawled out in the tub with his arms resting over the sides, looking at her. To the Legata's surprise, Ragnar didn't even have goosebumps. Apparently, his body had been adapted to the extreme cold temperatures in his homeland. In fact, as the running water in the bathtub was about fifty degrees, to the hardened Northman it seemed quite warm and comfortable. He started to peel his bandages off as the water began to loosen the tape and soak through the gauze. There was still some blood, but not much, and definitely not enough to be life threatening or turn the color of the bath water as he relaxed quietly.
Ragnar didn't say anything about the soap. He knew what it was, as the Vikings in his homeland had used all natural scentless lye soap to wash themselves regularly. In fact, for having a reputation as savages and primitive barbarians, the Vikings were actually some of the most hygienic and cleanest people of their time period. Whereas most medieval cultures were lucky to even find clean water, with high ruling queens, kings and monarchs bathing only once a year, and lower class people rarely bathing at all, the Vikings were known to bathe once a week on average, and the Northmen even had a specific weekday known as Wash Day in the Norse language devoted specifically to hygiene and cleanliness. Their taste for grooming and hygiene was one of the key factors why the Vikings had been able to avoid the bubonic plague that had swept through Europe and Rome as far as Asia, killing thousands.
Ragnar Lothbrok was one of the few exceptions, however. He had in fact contracted the plague, but only after he had decided to raid Europe and make a decent name for himself. He was sick for a very long time, even on his deathbed, but had managed to pull through with the help of some ancient Chinese medicine he had obtained from one of his slaves. It wasn't the first time Ragnar had almost died, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. After all, here he was again, recovering from several lashings and poisonous snake bites inside the Takayama University of Niihama, being cared for by some of the best doctors and nurses in the galaxy. As he took the soap and began rubbing it on his body, it was clear that Ragnar Lothbrok was going to make a full recovery. He had started to rub some of the soap suds through his hair and beard when Livia stopped him and showed him the bottle of shampoo. This was something new to Ragnar, for he had never heard of shampoo before.
Ragnar placed the wet bar of hypoallergenic soap back on the edge of the tub before cautiously taking the bottle of shampoo and conditioner, examining the contents carefully. Once again, he sniffed it before leaning back and making a strange face. There were so many different scents and fragrances throughout the Taiyou hospital, some more natural than others, he thought to himself as he squeezed a large portion of the shampoo and conditioner into his hand, rubbing it into his hair. It was way more conditioner than he actually needed, but he didn't know any better. It was his first time ever accommodating to such a highly technological and advanced civilization. As he continued to bathe himself in the water, squeezing his eyes closed as foamy shampoo ran down his face, suddenly he heard birds chirping. But they weren't like normal song birds. There was something off about them, for they sounded awfully mechanical and artificial to the Viking pagan chieftain.
Even with his eyes closed, Ragnar could tell that something was amiss. He picked up on the tone of Livia's voice as she began talking to someone over the phone. At first he thought she was talking to him, until she continued talking. Ragnar splashed some water on his face and slid down into the bathtub, dunking his head under the water before resurfacing with soaking wet hair wrapped around his face and neck. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and glanced up at Livia as she spoke.
"I'll leave you to get cleaned up, the doctor will check you over, and we'll get you some clothes." she said before standing up and making her way for the door, closing it behind her to give him some privacy. Suddenly, he felt very alone and uncomfortable again. Ragnar gazed around the empty bathroom, taking a mental note of everything once again and storing the images in his brain. He stood up slowly, feeling more revitalized after taking a bath as the water ran down his body back into the tub. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the towels that was hanging on the wall, wiping his face off. His body was still slightly sore, but not nearly as much now that he had loosened up and moved around a bit. After drying himself off, Ragnar wrapped the towel around his waist like a skirt or kilt before opening the bathroom door and stepping back into the patient's recovery room. He grabbed the wheelchair that had been placed for him and sat down on it. He fumbled with the wheels for a moment, trying to figure out how to operate the wheelchair on his own. After a minute, he rolled himself over to the open window, dragging himself on his heels as he pushed the wheels with his hands.
Once he finally reached the open window, Ragnar Lothbrok gazed out over the open city, taking in the view while savoring the wind on his face.
As she dunked the soap in the water, Livia could feel the ice cold water on her arm. For her and her people, the water seemed perhaps a little bit too cold for comfort, yet Ragnar Lothbrok Sigurdsson appeared to be quite relaxed as he remained sprawled out in the tub with his arms resting over the sides, looking at her. To the Legata's surprise, Ragnar didn't even have goosebumps. Apparently, his body had been adapted to the extreme cold temperatures in his homeland. In fact, as the running water in the bathtub was about fifty degrees, to the hardened Northman it seemed quite warm and comfortable. He started to peel his bandages off as the water began to loosen the tape and soak through the gauze. There was still some blood, but not much, and definitely not enough to be life threatening or turn the color of the bath water as he relaxed quietly.
Ragnar didn't say anything about the soap. He knew what it was, as the Vikings in his homeland had used all natural scentless lye soap to wash themselves regularly. In fact, for having a reputation as savages and primitive barbarians, the Vikings were actually some of the most hygienic and cleanest people of their time period. Whereas most medieval cultures were lucky to even find clean water, with high ruling queens, kings and monarchs bathing only once a year, and lower class people rarely bathing at all, the Vikings were known to bathe once a week on average, and the Northmen even had a specific weekday known as Wash Day in the Norse language devoted specifically to hygiene and cleanliness. Their taste for grooming and hygiene was one of the key factors why the Vikings had been able to avoid the bubonic plague that had swept through Europe and Rome as far as Asia, killing thousands.
Ragnar Lothbrok was one of the few exceptions, however. He had in fact contracted the plague, but only after he had decided to raid Europe and make a decent name for himself. He was sick for a very long time, even on his deathbed, but had managed to pull through with the help of some ancient Chinese medicine he had obtained from one of his slaves. It wasn't the first time Ragnar had almost died, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. After all, here he was again, recovering from several lashings and poisonous snake bites inside the Takayama University of Niihama, being cared for by some of the best doctors and nurses in the galaxy. As he took the soap and began rubbing it on his body, it was clear that Ragnar Lothbrok was going to make a full recovery. He had started to rub some of the soap suds through his hair and beard when Livia stopped him and showed him the bottle of shampoo. This was something new to Ragnar, for he had never heard of shampoo before.
Ragnar placed the wet bar of hypoallergenic soap back on the edge of the tub before cautiously taking the bottle of shampoo and conditioner, examining the contents carefully. Once again, he sniffed it before leaning back and making a strange face. There were so many different scents and fragrances throughout the Taiyou hospital, some more natural than others, he thought to himself as he squeezed a large portion of the shampoo and conditioner into his hand, rubbing it into his hair. It was way more conditioner than he actually needed, but he didn't know any better. It was his first time ever accommodating to such a highly technological and advanced civilization. As he continued to bathe himself in the water, squeezing his eyes closed as foamy shampoo ran down his face, suddenly he heard birds chirping. But they weren't like normal song birds. There was something off about them, for they sounded awfully mechanical and artificial to the Viking pagan chieftain.
Even with his eyes closed, Ragnar could tell that something was amiss. He picked up on the tone of Livia's voice as she began talking to someone over the phone. At first he thought she was talking to him, until she continued talking. Ragnar splashed some water on his face and slid down into the bathtub, dunking his head under the water before resurfacing with soaking wet hair wrapped around his face and neck. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and glanced up at Livia as she spoke.
"I'll leave you to get cleaned up, the doctor will check you over, and we'll get you some clothes." she said before standing up and making her way for the door, closing it behind her to give him some privacy. Suddenly, he felt very alone and uncomfortable again. Ragnar gazed around the empty bathroom, taking a mental note of everything once again and storing the images in his brain. He stood up slowly, feeling more revitalized after taking a bath as the water ran down his body back into the tub. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the towels that was hanging on the wall, wiping his face off. His body was still slightly sore, but not nearly as much now that he had loosened up and moved around a bit. After drying himself off, Ragnar wrapped the towel around his waist like a skirt or kilt before opening the bathroom door and stepping back into the patient's recovery room. He grabbed the wheelchair that had been placed for him and sat down on it. He fumbled with the wheels for a moment, trying to figure out how to operate the wheelchair on his own. After a minute, he rolled himself over to the open window, dragging himself on his heels as he pushed the wheels with his hands.
Once he finally reached the open window, Ragnar Lothbrok gazed out over the open city, taking in the view while savoring the wind on his face.