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Sun wouldn't have believed it if you had told her so before, but she enjoyed the company of every single one of her cluster mates. Where the hours spent alone in her cell had been lonely and dreary before, they were now filled with the colorful company of her cluster.
Lito made her laugh. The way he reenacted the battles he'd seen her fight, complete with sounds and karate-chops that looked more like flailing arms than actual martial arts, had her sniggering. After an especially ridiculous performance she sometimes even found herself rolling on the floor, tears streaming down her face and holding her laughter-abused stomach muscles. Sun's apparent enjoyment of his shows, in turn, had Lito crowing in victory at his audience's appreciation. One time, trying and spectacularly failing to imitate one of Sun's kicks with too much momentum, he'd fallen flat on his nose. Blinking in surprise he'd taken one look at his cluster mate almost bursting with laughter, he'd joined right in and they had both giggled for what felt like hours on the ground lying next to each other.
Nomi made her think. They compared cultural and social differences between the US and South Korea. Long discussions identified the pros and cons of both worlds. Between the two of them they found many differences but also some surprising analogies. Sun cherished the stimulating conversations, admired Nomi's fearlessness to challenge and scrutinize all the rules put in place by society. Both their pasts held overcome obstacles and they were aware of each other's bravery that had been necessary to conquer those hurdles. Another common ground betwixt Nomi and Sun were complicated relationships with their families and while or maybe even because those troubles were so different, they could offer the other one new perspectives on them respectively.
Capheus made her hope. His attitude towards life itself was infectious. He saw every glass half full, found positives and light where Sun had only been able to see negatives and darkness. Capheus loved playing a game with her; Sun would come up with an issue or a problem which, in her mind, had no upside and Capheus would find its single, tiny sliver of silver lining. She marveled at his joie de vivre, at his easy smile and seeming carefreeness in the face of evil as well as pain. She envied him for this gift.
Riley made her sing. With Riley, music was ubiquitous. She introduced Sun to thousands of tunes, genres of music she'd never heard of and even told Sun about her secret love of K-Pop. Some songs they listened to together reminded her of long forgotten lullabies sung by her mother. Helped by Riley's soft encouragement Sun sang a few of the melodies she was able to piece together from her faded memories. In return Riley gifted her with quiet humming of Icelandic carols and, to Sun's surprise, even a nursery rhyme Riley had planned on passing on from her mother to her baby.
Will made her care. He was the kind of brother she'd wished for, the sort of person she had hoped her brother would grow up to be. He was there whenever she needed help or someone to sound off to about something. His patience and calm were a contrast to her fire and inner tumult. His ability to assuage and soothe had her reaching out to him whenever the prison's unfairness or double standards made her apoplectic with rage. Will was able to talk her down faster and more rationally than anyone else. She gladly repaid him by taking down criminals safely and without the need to shoot and Will was equally as thankful for her assistance as she was grateful for his guidance.
Wolfgang made her learn. He'd immediately voiced a rare interest for the Korean language and asked for lessons, offering to teach her German in compensation. Although she'd never thought about mastering that particular language, Sun was intrigued by the thought of making use of her time in jail by acquiring new skills. They'd soon found themselves in a rhythm of educating and learning - writing down instructions, grammar and vocabulary in the other's body and then silently studying together, only disturbing their concentration if one of them had a question. Sun was taken aback by how much she enjoyed these times reminiscent of school but discovered that she didn't care. Being a so-called nerd was nothing to be ashamed of.
Kala made her remember. The other woman's gentle nature sparked an immediate sense of trust in Sun towards her, no doubt because her compassion and good-heartedness were traits shared with Sun's late mother. Sun didn't mind talking about her mom with Kala and relished the rare feeling of being able to verbalize anything on her mind. Her cluster companion hoped to become a mother herself someday and was glad to hear of a different bond between mother and child other than the one from her own experience. Sun was steadfast in her believe that Kala would be a wonderful parent, assured her of the imperfectness of every mother and father but at the same time insisted on the single most important principle being already an innate part of Kala's personality: love. Kala had an abundance of love to give, was proving it every day by showering all members of her cluster with it. Yes, Kala would indeed become an amazing mother.
Although Sun wasn't sure if she was able to give back to her 7 new unexpected friends just as much as she felt she received from and was given by them, she would certainly try. They were her cluster after all.