Fellow Scientist [Finland]

[Japan]

Japan still knew very little about the warehouse, aside from the fact that many nations were already assigned jobs. Though he would have much preferred a more active role in the field, he also understood the need to have a well-balanced group. Besides, the field would have simply given him more of an excuse to overdo it, as some of his more concerned allies had pointed out on occasion. So when the time came for him to choose his assignment, he chose to be a Lab Scientist. He was far more adept with technology, but he chose the position for its dual potential. He could help the others from the warehouse through development, or become an active, fighting member of a mission.

He deemed it necessary to understand his workplace better, and so Japan had wandered almost immediately after his choosing to find the Lab. From his very brief assessment of the warehouse, technological development would hinge greatly on moving the nations away from limited-ammunition firearms to adaptable firearms as backup for their various blades. However, he reminded himself not to jump to conclusions until he met the other Scientists; they might already have this in mind and doing the same work twice was unproductive.

He grabbed one of the pristine white lab coats, shrugging into it and frowning when the sleeves covered his fingers. Normally, such a roomy garment would have reminded him of home, but now it would just be a liability. He removed it and reached for another, finding its length to be far more comfortable. He hoped that it did not belong to anyone else, though the cleanliness suggested that either it did not, or that the person was very successful and took care of their things. He experimented with a few pairs of goggles, finding one that suited him that sported a purple strap. He ignored the feminine color, pulling some of his hair to cover it as he made his way into the lab.

He had considered the possibility of finding no one there, deciding it would be best for him to carefully explore if that turned out to be the case. He paused just shy of the doorway, calling out softly (so as not to disturb anyone). "Ah...is anyone here? I apologize for disturbing your work, but if it is not too much trouble I would simply like to take a look around..."


((Lame title is laaaame *shot* But I wanted to post it because...because I suddenly found inspiration to! I hope it's not horrible *sobsob*))

[[x] Finland]

Finland could clearly hear someone moving around in the front of the lab, and he wondered who his visitor was. It did get lonely, his long hours of working as a solitary scientist, and he always did appreciate some company even if said company wasn't quite sure what he was doing.

Often his lover visited him while he worked, and even though they spent so much time together when he wasn't working he couldn't help but like having the man there. He was silent, minus a few words here and there, and as much as Finland liked to talk the lack of speaking was good for his concentration. Really though, even someone as chatty as Spain was welcome to him. Sometimes he just wanted someone there.

Upon hearing a soft voice at the door the Finn turned, surprised to see someone completely new there. The man was a country that he hadn't seen around yet, a sleek black bowl cut and a soft expression, and Finland tried to remember where he had seen him before...

Was it a world meeting? It had to be a world meeting. One before this whole mess started and raged on and on and on... He forced himself to think just a little harder, and it came to him. He smiled kindly and turned to face the other fully now before speaking.

"I'm here, you're welcome to come in. Japan, right?" He asked, praying he didn't mistake him. "I'm Finland, the resident lab scientist- it's nice to meet you.

(( Looks great Japan! My posts aren't as pretty as your's but hopefully this will suffice ))

[Japan]

((Aww, no worries Finland, it looks perfect to me! <3 And according to the MOFA (for Japan) the two have had increasingly good relations, and Finland was the first Nordic country Japan made a cultural agreement with! See? Totally getting along ^_^))

"Ah, Finland-san, it is wonderful to see you again." He smiled, bowing slightly to affirm his identity. The two countries had steadily increasing relations, though as soon as the zombie outbreak hit Europe their relations dropped off for a short time. The last of the Nordic country Japan had seen was a brief glimpse at a World Meeting, not nearly enough time to exchange pleasantries or news of the outbreak in Europe. However, he felt relief wash over him at the sight of a healthy Finland, pleased to know that he would be working together with him in the lab as well.

"Finland-san makes a wonderful scientist. I am sure that your efforts are most appreciated, certainly in these troubled times." He politely ignored the lack of recognition; he had only visited Finland's home a few times, leaving most of the traveling to his human government and officials. Instead, he focused his attention on the present. "I would simply like to help in any way that I can, and it seemed that there were only a small handful in the scientific field."

Though he excelled in most things (living thousands upon thousands of years would do that for you), he much preferred to tinker with technology than to mix chemicals. The former allowed him some solitude, while the latter always seemed to involve other people. He wasn't entirely antisocial, but he did miss his days of quiet isolation. The thought of spending hours in lab presented itself as a general escape from the babble of the rest of the warehouse, but he did not want to become a hermit again.

"I have only recently arrived, but I wanted to familiarize myself with the lab as quickly as I could in order to be of more help. Is there anything I can do to help you at this moment, Finland-san?" He offered, not wanting to take him away from his work if he was involved in a project. "If you are busy, I could come back at a later time if you would like." He preferred to take the tour and to learn the equipment available to them, but ever the polite nation, he would wait.

[[x] Finland]

((Aww, thank you <3 Also, nice save! Sorry, I didn't know that tidbit of their relations, you handled it well))

Finland smiled sheepishly, realizing that yes, he had definitely seen him before. They had spoken for a while, if he recalled correctly- he remembered that calm politeness, and it was definitely charming. When the other asked if he could help, the Finnish scientist thought a moment before replying.

"Well, right now I'm just waiting for the samples that I took off of a few things to grow so that I can try and study the infection... there's nothing much that can be done until they've incubated long enough, though. That does leave time for me to show you around the lab if you would like, though." He offered, a kind smile crossing his lips.

"You're right about there not being many of us- I think we're supposed to have another scientist, but he's never really came in here... ah, so for now you're just stuck with me." He laughed slightly.

"Anyway- we don't really have much right now, but I'd say we've done good for being in the middle of... well, this. But you're free to use anything here that you think could help, I've just been keeping an inventory so if we're running low on something it would be good if you told me so that we could ration it a bit more carefully. Ah... Gosh I'm sorry, I'm so tired right now." The Finn smiled, pale bags under his eyes.

"I've been working non-stop a while, just have to keep moving. But you're definitely free to look around, I'll try and answer any questions that you have."

[Japan]

((No worries! I didn't know either until I suddenly remembered that Japan has all of these relationships with the most RANDOM countries I never remember. But it is likely that since the outbreak hit Europe, Finland was kept at home/sent here first and so Japan (who probably got tugged home by his boss) didn't see him and then got swamped with work XD))

Though his face remained mostly expressionless, Japan felt relieved that Finland would have time to show him around the lab. He had honestly not planned for what he would have done if the other nation had said he was too busy. He would have felt like an intruder, sitting and watching quietly while Finland concentrated on his work. The thought of intruding on Finland's work caused him to examine the other nation anew, and he noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes and the slight unconscious drooping of his eyelids. His resolve to assist the Nordic nation intensified, though he kept his resolution to himself.

"Ah, I do not mind, Finland-san." He responded to the joke with a slight smile, not wanting Finland to misinterpret his usual less-than-emotive expression as offended or serious. No, in all honesty he did not mind being 'stuck with' the Nordic nation, as the two had gotten along so well before the events in Europe had torn them from their routine contact."I am honored to be working alongside you once more, Finland-san. I am sure that we will figure something out."

The 'something' still remained a vague idea in his mind, as the zombies did not find his home an easy access point. All he knew of the creatures stemmed from fiction or the few glimpses of intelligence brought to him in his home, which were rather useless when faced with the true threat. However, he refused to rule out that his surreal-world knowledge could not in some way be useful, though he would likely only present it if the correct timing occurred.

Japan listened to Finland's explanation of the supplies carefully, nodding only once or twice. He had slipped into the habit of nodding to show attentiveness after spending too much time with America, because if he seemed to be 'zoning out' he would often find a hand in too close proximity to his face (or the blond's face; he really was louder than he thought). "Hai, understood, Finland-san."

A long, calculated blink masked his concern. "I will attempt not to trouble you for too long, Finland-san. Ah, if you do not mind...are there any records here in the lab that I could read? Perhaps knowing what has already been discovered, or what is already known will help. I am afraid that I am not particularly skilled in dealings with the undead except for through fiction."

[[x] Finland]

((Awesome~ Thanks again. Also, sorry this took so long! My posts just weren't coming close in length :/ ))

"You're not troubling me, I promise." Finland assured with a smile. "We're working together, so always feel free to talk. As for records..."

He started to walk, motioning for Japan to follow. He stopped in front of a tall filing cabinet and yanked it open, the weight of all of the papers in it causing him to exert a bit more force than one normally would to open a drawer.

"This is everything I've gathered so far." He explained. "Most of these are from online sources, because no one has really been able to publish books in the midst of all this... but there are scholarly articles. I tagged them with a teal sticker." He gestured to a dot-sticker on the corner of each grouping.

"These are best ones to look at- there isn't many of them, though." He sighed. "Hell, there's barely any time to write anymore. But at least it's something."

He placed those files back in the cabinet and pulled out a folder with a green dot. "These ones don't focus on zombies, but are ones I have related to them. I took notes in the margins and folder to explain why. These are actually pretty useful, but they're mostly my hypothesis- so I'm wary. There's no guarantee I'm even half-right."

After returning that one to it's spot he pulled out a folder with a red-dot in the corner. "There are from more unreliable sources- popular online forums, blogs, etcetera. I'm taking anything I can get, but these ones should be handled carefully, you know, with a grain of salt."

[Japan]

((ASFKJAKLSDJF I'm so sorry this reply took so long! This is the first time in days I haven't been dead tired after work...or dead tired and needing to get up the next day at a reasonable hour for more tortu--er, work XD And don't worry about matching post length. If yours is like, one sentence I'd be like "FINLAND IS SO AWESOME EVEN ONE SENTENCE IS BOSS!" so just do what you can whenever you can. I know you're busy <3 And sorry if this post is a little weird...my brain is kinda tired/funny x.x))

Japan listened to Finland's explanation quietly, mentally taking note of the various documents and their color coding. He paid special attention to those with green dots, wondering what theories Finland had come up with so far. Perhaps he had discovered some small breakthrough and simply needed reassurance that it was a good one, or his notes would inspire Japan to think of something useful. Either way, he made a mental note to look at them first and thoroughly absorb the information, theory or not. If they did not possess many scholarly articles, then the next best thing would be what they came up with on their own anyway.

He figured he knew enough about the undead from his development of them for his video games. Therefore, he would focus more of his attention on the documents with green dots. He guessed that Finland probably marked medical documents, or other scientific articles relating to the human anatomy. Japan admittedly had knowledge of these things already (living thousands of years certainly had plenty to do with that), but he would not turn down a chance to read on more recent developments or breakthroughs, particularly if they originated in Europe. After the epidemic, communications from the European nations had slipped considerably, which meant that barely any news reached his island home other than rushed blog entries or military intelligence.

"Hai, I understand Finland-san. I will take time to read through everything, but I will do my best to catch up quickly with the information you have found and add anything that I can." The sooner he came up to speed with everything Finland and the others knew, the sooner he could truly begin to be of help to them all. Until then, he felt unsettled, more of a burden than anything else. After all, supplies were limited. However, he could not deny that he had missed his fellow nations, their raucous arguing at World Meetings or their constant calls for things at ridiculous hours that left him with a headache.

He never thought he would miss their smiles more too. Japan was even surprised to find that he missed his 'siblings', despite the awkward atmosphere that always hung in the air whenever they got just a little too close to the past in the present. He missed the different laughs that filled the air; he could identify without fail, from soft and sweet to loud and almost wince-worthy. And now that he was with his fellow nations once more, he wanted to do everything within his power not to lose any of them, regardless of their pasts or presents.

He had fallen silent...more silent than usual as he became lost in his thoughts. He pushed them away, smiling apologetically at Finland. "Ah, please forgive me. I did not mean to become so lost in thought. Ah, is there anything else that I should know?" He hastily changed the subject, knowing that Finland would soon have to return to his samples.