- Everyone else may be sitting around while time passes, but Gen actually has work to do. Not only does practically everyone ask him to translate, but the Generals expect him to act as a secretary too. They get him to write down long lists of demands to the government. Sure, the government isn't listening, but that doesn't seem to stop them.
- Gen thinks that only he and the priest are expected to work. It's kind of like getting stuck with the chores while your siblings lounge around. To be fair, the vice president actually works a lot, since he feels obliged to be a good host even though his home has been taken over by terrorists. But no one is making him do it.
- One day while Gen is working for the Generals, Ruben Iglesias asks if Gen can come and translate for Roxane and Kato (the guy who we just found out can play piano).
- The Generals want to keep the opera singer happy and maybe get her to sing again, so they agree.
- Mr. Hosokawa listens in on the conversations Roxane and Kato have about music through Gen. They're happy for him to listen, and he's glad to learn even more about opera from them.
- Everyone hovers around the living room, hoping some music may start. Carmen is watching Roxane, since she's kind of decided to be Roxane's bodyguard.
- Roxane starts planning practice sessions, but Kato reminds her that they may not be able to get sheet music. That could be a problem: piano accompanists need their sheet music like electric guitarists need their amps. The only difference is most sheet music doesn't go up to eleven.
- Roxane is confident that they can get someone to bring them sheet music and that the Generals will allow it in, so she asks Kato what he wants.
- Roxane needs a piece of paper to write a list of music, and Mr. Hosokawa offers her his notebook and pen. He really is good at helping people out. Especially Roxane.
- They have some friendly (and flirtatious?) banter about gifts, and then Mr. Hosokawa seriously says that what little he's got, it's all Roxane's.
- Mr. Hosokawa is sure glad to be part of all this. He even wants to give Kato a raise for being the one who could play piano. Study those scales, Shmoopers! Who knows when it will advance your international business career?
- Things go on pretty much as they have been after this, except the foot soldiers among the terrorists are losing discipline. They watch TV and stay in the shower for a long time. They are teenagers, after all.
- Messner still pops in from time to time, and one time the terrorist who's supposed to search him tickles him.
- Messner thinks that he's never met such unprofessional terrorists.
- Messner is pretty professional, though. He's been brushing up on his Spanish, and he's stayed in town to negotiate even though he should have been home a week ago.
- One of the Generals complains about how long it's taking the government, and he threatens to start killing hostages to get attention. It's unclear how serious he is.
- Messner basically says, "Not my fault. Not my government. I'm just here to help." Which isn't very helpful.
- General Benjamin says they can't go home until their brothers are released. Backstory alert: we find out that General Benjamin's brother, Luis, is in prison for distributing flyers for a political protest. General Benjamin used to teach grade school, and he lived near the ocean. Life took a turn when his brother was imprisoned and he went down the terrorist route. Not your typical career path, but it shows a very different dimension to his character.
- That's nice and all, but it's clear no progress is being made on ending the standoff.
- General Benjamin does say there's something Roxane Coss wants, though. Maybe it's dresses. That's his idea of how kidnapping women is different from kidnapping men. Feminism may not be the terrorists' strong suit, even if they do enlist women in their army.
- Messner talks to Roxane. She says there's good news.
- It's that Mr. Kato plays piano. That may not be the good news Messner was hoping for.
- But when Roxane says she'll be practicing again, Messner does hope he can hear it. Turns out, he's become a fan. He even listens to her CDs. (Yeah, this was before Spotify.)
- We find out that Messner is a pretty big deal in Switzerland and at the Red Cross, where he's on a fancy arbitration team. But here everyone treats him like an errand boy. At least he's down to try to get Roxane her music.
- Father Arguedas figures out that something is up. He says he knows a music teacher less than two miles away who will have what they want. This sounds easier than getting music shipped from Roxane Coss' manager on a different continent.
- Messner gets to work on it. Most of the terrorist leaders are enjoying a soap opera—believe it or not, the very same one that the president stayed home to watch. Soap opera, opera, is there something there? Anyway, they don't mind about the priest calling his friend.
- Ring, ring! Father Arguedas and his buddy have a touching conversation about missing each other. The friend, Manuel, is saying mass for Father Arguedas every day.
- The friend has heard some misinformation: he thinks that the terrorists murdered the accompanist and cut off his hands. Father Arguedas is shocked (remember the diabetes thing?). He tells his friend that. He also says it really isn't that bad being held prisoner by terrorists.
- Not only is Manuel happy to provide music, he's so honored to be giving it to Roxane Coss he decides to skip lunch to get it there more quickly. That's a real hunger for art (heh).
- Roxane says the names of the operas to his friend, and everyone has a moment of silently pondering the mystery of art.
- Simon Thibault insists on calling his wife, even though the Generals said to make only one call. He gets away with it, but he gets the answering machine. He tells his wife he loves her and adores her, in French. No surprise, since they're French. It's all very sweet. We bet she's getting something amazing for Valentine's Day. If Simon is free by February.
- Scene change. Carmen is watching Gen.
- Gen kinda wants to talk to her, but realizes he's not that good at saying his own words, even though he's fantastic at translating other people's.
- Carmen kinda wants to talk to Gen too, but doesn't know how either. It's sort of like being at a junior high dance where everyone wants to talk to the guy or girl across the room, but no one wants to make the first move. Except this is a hostage situation, so even more complicated.
- Messner interrupts all this staring across the room to talk to Gen. He's surprised to notice that there's a girl terrorist.
- He says he wants to talk to Carmen, and asks Gen to translate. Problem solved! Messner could be a Red Cross rep and a matchmaker rolled into one.
- Gen doesn't get it though, or at least he's got a case of the butterflies. He tries to tell Messner that he can get by in Spanish fine, which Messner denies. Plus, the girl obviously wants to talk to Gen.
- When they get close, Carmen touches her gun. So much for the matchmaking.
- Messner asks if Carmen plans to shoot them.
- Fortunately, no. It just takes a while to figure out the language. Her first language turns out to be Quechua, but she also speaks Spanish.
- Gen compliments her Spanish, which makes her happy. Hopefully that means she forgets about the gun.
- Messner asks if she's in good health and being treated well. She says she is. He tells her to let them know if she needs anything.
- They talk about music for a bit, and it looks like Carmen might be pretty moved by it—she even starts to cry.
- A large boy named Gilbert calls to her from across the room and she leaves.
- Gen and Messner decide being part of a terrorist army might be hard on a girl.
- Scene change again. Messner leaves and comes back with the music. He comes at a different time than usual, and the Generals are hoping he's made a breakthrough on getting their demands met. He hasn't, so they get cranky about the music. A debate starts, and Roxane is worried she won't get her music.
- As Messner is about to give up and leave, she launches into "O Mio Babbino Caro." See "Allusions" for why it's the perfect song for her to sing here.
- Then she says that's the last music they'll hear from her or the piano if they don't give her the box.
- Gen thinks she's bluffing.
- She's really not.
- After more deliberation, the terrorists let her keep the music, but they insist on searching the box to be sure nothing else is hidden in it.
- Kato reorganizes the music after the search.
- Mr. Hosokawa sits with Roxane while she looks through the music. Kato asks if he can play without disturbing her, and when the answer is yes he does.
- Carmen loves the music. She is astonished to be living in such a beautiful place and hearing such beautiful things, and she prays that they can continue in this existence surrounded by beauty.
- Inspiring, huh?
- That evening, Carmen is on sentry duty.
- In the middle of the night, she plucks up the courage to ask Gen for something she desperately wants: to learn how to read and write in Spanish. Oh, and also English.
- This request for language tutoring also sounds very much like two people agreeing on a first date. Gen realizes he feels that way, at least. The narrator isn't as clear whether Carmen wants romance or just the ESL prep, but it seems like she might want something more than just lessons.