Red hair, longer than Lucy's and only pushed out of his face by a small clip, barely noticeable in the strands. Red eyes, brighter than her own.

Katsuragi Adamu was, by all rights, a Diclonius in appearance, even if he was missing the signature horns.

It confused Lucy. How could the Director of the institute look so much like her kind? That made no sense. Not only that, but she'd seen several male Diclonii before, and none looked even remotely like the females. They were always bald, with conical horns and dark eyes, but Adamu looked far more feminine.

Well, his face did, at least. His face was angular, and if it wasn't for his body she'd have mistaken him for a full Diclonius. She voiced her thoughts, after hesitating while she sorted out the information.

"Are you one of us?" she asked, trying and failing to keep her voice level. The surprise at his appearance was just too great to ignore.

Adamu grinned, lowering his hands, now holding the last of the bandages. "You are as human as I am." he said simply. "But no, I do not possess your abnormal gene, nor do I have any kind of pituitary mutation. I bet my looks surprised you, but I assure you I am indeed a member of homo sapiens sapiens."

"How is that possible?" Lucy breathed. "How can you look so much like us if you are human?"

Adamu sighed, speaking slowly, clearly used to this conversation. "No idea, honestly. I've been like this since birth. I've been touched by Vectors from other individuals before, perhaps they've influenced me as well. I don't really know, but in any case, I don't particularly care either way. I make no distinction between Diclonii and Sapients, so to me, it does not matter which I am, or if I am some third species." He laughed. "Not that that's very likely. I mean, I think we both know how the Institute treats Diclonii."

His smile dropped, and he looked down. "I hate that. I hate how you and the others are treated here. But I understand the reasons as well. We are fundamentally different, though that's no reaon to be capturing everyone with your mutations."

Lucy tilted her head. "From what I understand, most of the prisoners here are due to our inherent violent behavior." she stated, and Katsuragi simply laughed in response.

"Violent behavior?! I have never once met a Diclonius who IS violent. Ignorant and afraid, yes, that's completely understandable, but violent? No, the only truly violent people I've ever met are Sapients. And they have no excuse."

He sighed, and without warning, sat down on the bed beside her, making her jump in surprise. She almost instinctively attacked him, but managed to hold back just in time. She knew that had she tried she'd have to feel that splitting headache again, and he'd just stop her again like he had last time, however he'd done it. Besides, she still had plenty to ask, and she knew she'd be stuck here for a long time.

She thought about the first time he'd come. How had he blocked her Vectors? She was certain, now that she had a good look at the room, that he hadn't been behind anything, and she had been functioning somewhat properly at the time, so there was no reason to have failed.

"How did you survive my attack when you first came here?" she asked him. "No one can block a Diclonius' Vectors."

Katsuragi grinned, running a finger along his mouth in a zipping motion. "That's a secret you'll have to find out yourself...in due time." he said cryptically. "No need to take things out of order."

Lucy frowned in response, before sighing, shrugging as she stared at him. She would get her answer, she knew it. She'd just have to play along until she could tease it out of him.

She wasn't exactly famous for her patience, but she'd just have to try the unfamiliar feeling, because for some reason, she had a feeling that this boy, who was Director of the most secretive organization on the planet and yet was barely a sprout if he was as young as he looked, was a far bigger threat than he seemed. She'd learned long ago to never trust anyone, be they Diclonius or human, and while Katsuragi was clearly not a sinister person in the slightest, in fact, he was a bit too happy, she had a feeling that he was more powerful than he let on.

She hated to admit it, but she had a feeling he could be contender even against someone as proficient with Vectors as she was at full power. The thought of a mere human being able to match her was terrifying, and she sincerely hoped she was wrong in that regard.

Looking at him gave no answers. All she saw was that slightly annoyingly wide grin, like he had not a care in the world.

Perhaps he didn't. After all, he was casually talking to the greatest serial killer in the last several decades as if she was a close friend. Either he was extremely brave, or he was incredibly stupid.