Nina follows along with the group, feeling much like an ambulant corpse. This makes no sense, and it sends the low level dread that has been her constant companion lately into overdrive. She can trust nothing, not even herself, and she can feel the siren call to simply give up. To think nothing and let herself be herded like a sheep...
It's only sheer will power that keeps her gaze as sharp as it is. She refuses to eat or drink anything offered, her eyes flashing with suspicion and menace--a face that once made a Nazi crime boss piss himself.
She does her best to follow along with the instructions about the aXess Link, and when it comes time to play the mini-games, the realization that she isn't going through this alone, but with a whole group of people just as confused as her, hits her. She makes the effort to unclench her jaw, to take a deep breath. It makes her look a little less scary, though the story-telling activity has her frowning again, burrowing into herself...
No, now is not the time for that.
When it's her turn, she forces a smile. "Okay, how about this? Once upon a time, in ancient Japan, there lived a little princess who wanted to be a samurai..."
A stylized hologram of a small Asian girl in beautiful flowing robes appears. Nina can't help but laugh, a little breathless.
"Wow, all right. Does anyone have any ideas for how to continue, or should I keep going?"
II. Waters of Seeing
She has been doing her best not to get distracted, difficult as it is in a place like this, but when she passes by the waters, something catches her eye:
Three smiling, happy people. A middle-aged man and woman, and a blonde girl of about thirteen--clearly a younger Nina--wearing a martial arts uniform and holding up a trophy for everyone to see.
She remembers that day, though not nearly as vividly as what's being shown. She'd forgotten her mother ever owned a dress like that, or how her father had patted her on the back as they headed out to the car...
Her expression as she watches is at first stricken, then simply sad--the type of mute, all-consuming sadness that for a moment, even makes her forget she's been abducted to another world.
III. Welcoming Party
She keeps to herself at the party, still avoiding eating or drinking anything, suspicious eyes scanning the crowd like she's waiting for a bomb to go off. But any other wallflowers joining her on the sidelines, she'll acknowledge with a nod. They're in this together, after all.
Nina Fortner | Naoki Urasawa's Monster
II. Waters of Seeing
III. Welcoming Party