damned_institute | DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

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DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

Gluttony didn't want to leave his Lust, not after he'd just found her! But the mean tasty nurses said he had to. "You can't join her in the women's showers" was a bad excuse. He didn't like the mean tasty nurses. Maybe Lust would let him eat them later. Still, he knew he would see his Lust again, and that was good. He liked Lust. She was good and beautiful and smart and kind. Why did they have to take him away from his Lust?

Still, he would see her again. And she would tell him it was okay to eat the tasty nurses, and that would be good. His new friend liked eating people, too. That made him happy to find a friend who shared a love for eating people. Today was a very good day.

As he entered the showers, he stood under a shower head and opened his mouth wide to drink up the water. It wasn't as good as eating people, or eating waffles that didn't scream when he bit into them so weren't nearly as good as eating people, but it was still swallowing something, and that made him feel better.

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Kyle's actions earlier had been enough of a warning for the nurses. They were accustomed to rowdy patients, but this one was one of the more belligerent ones. It was understandable, then, that a pair of orderlies remained nearby this shift, just in case.

Their concerns were well founded. Two large male nurses rushed in the moment Renji threw the first punch. "Stop this, Mr. Brothers!" one of them shouted above the sound of the showers while the other rushed in to grab the other patient around the waist and swing him away from the other patient. The one who spoke pulled out a syringe, just in case. He'd really hate to have to sedate this patient again, but they weren't taking any chances.

['tis a David]

"No!" Daemon called, quickly, holding up a hand to show he was alright. "It's alright! I'm fine! It was my fault, I said something I shouldn't!"

So much for keeping a low profile today.

He mentally cursed the fact that he'd pushed Renji too far, and didn't want the other man to deal with the consequences of his own lack of tact.

Renji's face went white as the nurse grabbed him, his eyes going wide. While still obviously caught in an uncontrollable rage, there was no mistaking the fear and something like horror now in his expression. His hands went down to the nurse's, attempting to dislocate and break fingers; he also tried to come down on the man's foot, the way he'd done to Muraki before, when--

when

when

"Don't touch me!" he screamed.

The nurses might have listened to Andrew's protests if not for the fact that Kyle was clearly having a psychotic episode, and their duties were to prevent him from harming the other patients or himself. They didn't have time to respond or react to Andrew. Their attentions had to remain entirely focused on the belligerent patient in front of them.

The nurse's grip on Kyle was rock-hard. While Kyle's actions could have forced a weaker nurse to let go, this one wasn't budging. "Sedate him!" he shouted, moving his foot out of the way of Kyle's stomp and pushing the patient up against the nearest wall. The nurse kept his full weight against Kyle, keeping him pinned for the other nurse.

The nurse with the needle stepped forward, being wary of Renji's struggling. He forcefully grabbed onto Renji's arm and stuck the needle into his tricep, injecting him with the powerful sedative.

Daemon's temper snapped at the sight of Renji pushed up against the wall by the male nurse and the terrified scream that reverberated off the tiles. While his conversation with Renji and even the punch had done nothing to test his patience or rouse his ire, this jolted him into an instant icy fury, his emotions riding the Killing Edge.

Golden eyes snapping with fury, he gave one rage-strengthened yank to tug the nurse off of him, his expression sharp with dangerous intent. "Don't touch him," Daemon echoed, his voice a low croon. For all it lacked the threat that most resort to in anger, there was still a warning edge to his sing-song tone.

All around them, the temperature began to drop, the hot water from the nearest shower heads turning significantly cooler as the Sadist came out to play.

It was a nightmare, that feeling of helplessness again; as soon as they had him against the wall, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't stop them from grabbing his arm, and couldn't do anything about the familiar burn of the needle. "Don't touch me!" he snarled again, though it was useless.

Then suddenly, they did. He dropped down to his knees, hands scrabbling against the wall. He clumsily pushed himself up and back, to his feet, but things were already beginning to feel strange and distant. He fell back against the wall, simply trying to keep his feet, now.

The nurses were not expecting the assaulted patient to step in to defend his assailant, so his efforts to push them back were successful. If they noticed the change in temperature, they gave no indication. "It's ok," the nurse who had injected Kyle with the sedative said. "We just gave him a sedative to calm him down. Step away so we can get him dressed and out of here."

The drugs were already taking effect on Kyle and the crisis was hopefully resolved. It was just a question of what Andrew planned to do next. They both knew better than to assume anything when it came to potentially belligerent patients.

_{[from over here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/173704.html?thread=11719560#t11783304)]}

Ren didn't hesitate; once he saw the change in Daemon, he immediately moved away from Farfarello with a quick nod. Putting himself in between Daemon and the nurses, he gave his focus to the former. He'd known the red-haired men would undoubtedly be dealt with by the orderlies when he'd started the attack, and there was nothing he could do about that - but he couldn't sit idly by and let Daemon go at them too. He'd end up sedated too - or worse. There was no point in that.

The temperature had dropped to a frigid coldness, but the look in Daemon's eyes was colder still. The doll steeled himself for a nasty confrontation.

"Please," he said, voice low. "Don't do it."

He didn't hold high hopes for this to end quickly and quietly, but Ren also had no intention of moving aside. Better to let himself take the brunt of it. There was just no telling what the staff would do beyond sedation.

Daemon registered Ren's arrival and his words without even a flicker of expression, his glare still locked on the orderly. The words, did, however restore some slight semblance of control on the icy temper.

"He's calm," Daemon answered the man who'd spoken to him, his voice still a low, dangerous-edged croon as he placed himself between the orderly he'd yanked away and the unsteady redhead leaning against the wall behind him. "As I said, it was just a misunderstanding. I'll see that he finishes getting clean and dressed, I can assure you we'll be careful not to have any further disagreements."

He didn't know if the orderly would listen, but he was not going to easily relinquish a drugged Renji to be led off to Darkness-knows-where, not after the panic he'd flown into when the orderlies had started to manhandle him.

The one thing that the sedatives did do that was positive, from Renji's viewpoint, was quickly muffling all of the emotion as if it had never existed. Now he just felt tired, dizzy, and apathetic. Still, as a point of pride, he kept on his feet, even if he felt like sitting and going to sleep. This was probably really, really embarrassing, he thought, and he'd be unhappy about it later.

"'sokay," he murmured, though he wasn't really certain to who. "'sokay. 'm sorry. Rukia..." He reached up unsteadily to press his fingertips against his forehead.

"That's not necessary," one of the nurses said to Andrew, grateful that a different patient came in to calm him. He wasn't good at calming. He was good at restraining when necessary and administering the proper medication when needed. "Mr. Brothers needs to be escorted to his room to rest. We'll take it from here."

Neither nurse moved towards Kyle yet, hoping that Andrew would play it smart and move aside.

Despite enjoying making jokes of bets, he wasn't willing to put money on a choice between the two orderlies against two of their prisoners. But it was a poor comparison, because if he was going to come to heads with anyone, it looked like it was going to be Daemon.

He couldn't blame the guy. Even so, he had to do something.

Ren stepped further into the group of men, keeping his position between the two groups. "Tannin-san and I are finished in here anyway - would it be all right for us to see he gets out safely? He looks like he's had a time of it." Ren didn't believe for an instant that the staff members that worked here hadn't been manipulated in some way by whoever ran Landel's, but if they truly wanted to inflict harm, the methods they used were superfluous. That, and realistic to a fault.

"Excuse me," he added, speaking to the nearest nurse, "but when could we expect to see Brothers-san again?" The servant fixed his gaze on Daemon, hoping he would understand and consider the options they had. The nurses - as rightful nurses would - seemed determined to remove the red-haired men from the equation and take him to his room. If Daemon resisted and had the same happen to him, that hindered more than helped his acquaintance.

The temperature was still much cooler than any normal shower should be, but Daemon didn't act. Not yet. His body was tense and coiled to spring despite the fact that otherwise he looked perfectly at ease, other than that same dangerous glint in his eyes.

He didn't speak. Part of his mind acknowledged the fact that he had no idea what had just happened to Renji, other than the orderly had stabbed him with something that injected some substance in a way similar to his snake tooth. That made him wary and distrustful, especially since Renji was now left nearly nonsensical behind him. Was it a venom or a sedative? Either way, Daemon had no wish to experience it himself, but he wasn't about to just hand Renji over to the very people responsible for his state, either.

Ren's words penetrated his rage-hazed mind and he held off his temper a little longer, struggling to rein himself in from the Killing Edge, although not too far, in case he should need it. Not that he thought finding his way back to it again would be difficult. Just one of those screams from Renji had been enough to nearly shatter his control completely.

He knew the tone of those screams all too well and they haunted his nightmares still.

So he waited, golden gaze narrowed and glittering, focused on the orderly and waiting for an answer before taking another step of action. He knew Ren was trying to solve this peaceably, but Daemon was not backing down until he was satisfied over the drugged man's safety.

Going to his room an laying down actually sounded really, really good, in Renji's opinion. He was just so tired, and at this point, standing seemed like far too much effort. But another thought stirred in his mind, at the forefront because it had also been the source of his attack on Daemon. And the thought was:

the last time they drugged me and took me somewhere, it...

He licked his lips, hands pressed firmly against the wall as if that would help keep him upright and help him think. He put every ounce of concentration (not that he had a lot, at this point) in to spreaking clearly, though his words were still heavy and slurred. "I'd like to finish taking my shower, please."

That was the best he could manage, and it didn't sound all that convincing. If the nurses insisted on taking him off, he'd go quietly, and save his strength for whatever fight might be coming.

The nurse who seemed to do all of the speaking for the pair smiled at the newest patient. Rhett, he believed his name was. It was nice to have a patient try to resolve things peacefully for once. "We'll bring him back out for Lunch. He just needs a little time in his room to cool off. Now, if you'd kindly move aside, Mr. Brothers needs his rest."

The request to finish his shower struck the nurse as an odd one. The patients had had plenty of time to shower. "That's really not necessary, Mr. Brothers. Come along, we're just going to go to your room for the rest of the shift."

The other nurse looked directly at Andrew. "Step aside, Mr. Tanin."

"Ah, lunch, huh? That's not too far away at all; this shift's almost over. "

He watched Daemon, waiting with baited breath for that rush of power. It wasn't situation as with the leeches. These were people. And what if they were normal human people? What then? For Daemon's benefit, he said, "I guess sedatives don't wear off that fast, so his appetite might be a little off.

Just follow me, just let it go... Of course, the truth was he had no idea what would happen should they let the other man be led away, out of their sight. But it was the lesser of two evils, wasn't it?

He'd always hated that phrase, too

Daemon ignored the nurses after their reply, turning instead to Renji. They weren't going to let him stay, they'd made it quite obvious, but Ren had said it wouldn't be long until lunch. He could find him there, make sure he was alright, if that's what Renji wanted. If Renji didn't want to go, however...

Well, Daemon wouldn't let them take him easily, then.

"Renji?" he spoke, his voice low and quiet as he met the redhead's gaze. "Do you want to go lay down until lunch time or would you rather stay here?"

He could tell the effort it was taking for Renji to focus and concentrate, and it was impossible to miss the way he slurred his words. In truth, Renji might feel better after laying down - if that's really what the orderlies planned - but Daemon was determined Renji get a say in the matter, even if he had to fight to make it happen.

It was difficult to think, very difficult. He really did just want to give in and sleep, and forget. But he also couldn't help the small, cowardly thread of fear that still sound through his mind, because he knew what had happened last time, and...

He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, slowly forcing his thoughts in to a logical order.
Last time he'd been drugged and put in the hands of the orderlies, something terrible had happened.
But... if he balked more, it was probably going to lead to Daemon fighting. And maybe Daemon's friend.
And then they would all end up sedated.
And that might lead to a bad thing happening to the other two men.

It was simple, and unpleasant, and reminded him just how powerless they all were. If he was about to get hauled off for something bad, there wasn't a thing he could do to change it, at this point. Once again, he'd done it to himself. But if he went willingly, he wouldn't drag anyone else down with him. Once he thought about it like that, the answer became very, very clear.

"Think... I could use a nap," he said, looking down at the tile floor. He did his best to smile reassuringly; it was a miserable failure. He really just looked like he really felt; like he wanted to throw up. He took a wobbly step away from the wall and grabbed the nurse's shoulder. It wasn't a hostile action; he just needed to lean on the man.

This could have gone a lot worse. The nurse whose shoulder Kyle grabbed smiled and grabbed hold of him for added support. "Let's get you dressed and to your room," he said, guiding the patient towards his clothes so that he could get dressed.

The other nurse looked to the other two patients briefly. "Finish your showers," he said authoritatively, then turned to join the other nurse and escort Kyle to his room. Kyle was sedated and so shouldn't be much of a problem, but it was better to be safe with this one.

Ren watched the proceedings, smiling absently at the nurses as they gave their orders, his visible eye closed and seemingly at ease. A lot of people would have mistaken it for placidity, but they couldn't have known better. In truth, Ren was watching the man sandwiched between the two male orderlies.

He was messed up pretty badly, and the doll was also reluctant to let him go...

Exhaling slowly, he glanced to Daemon and away again. "Your friends will be waiting for you."

Daemon reached out along the psychic threads once more, knowing the effort to do so would cost him energy, but needing to do it all the same.

He found Renji's presence, already receding, but distance mattered little when Daemon was determined. He brushed over Renji's consciousness, breaking his own limits of what was permissible and not, and sending the thought to Renji's mind, his mental voice as warm and comforting as he could make it.

You memorized my thread and I know yours. I'm here if you need me. Not even the pair of gorillas would hold me off for long. I don't know what happened, Renji, but I will help how I can. I apologize for angering you, and drawing their attention.

"My friends?" Daemon asked aloud absently, his golden gaze turning from where Renji had disappeared into the locker rooms and turning back to Ren at his side.

This time he gave a much more audible sign, and rubbed the crown of his head. His toes were kind of chilly after that. But more importantly, a fight had been avoided, which was the main thing to be worried about. He watched as the man Daemon had called Renji was led out of the showers.

Huh?

Daemon had mumbled a reply, and Ren turned back, smoothing out his features into something calm. "Your friends too, pal," he said, and gave Daemon's shoulder a light, friendly smack without thinking. Then it was kind of hard to ignore that they were both wet and naked, and Ren gave a single awkward laugh and began to follow the nurses. "Um. Well, I think I'm done too. Glad to see you're okay now."

Daemon blinked in confusion, golden eyes watching Ren edge away. He hadn't missed the faint embarrassment coming from the other man, but didn't really understand it.

Half his attention still lingering on Renji in the distance, Daemon merely shrugged, a small frown on his face as he followed Ren towards the locker room, deciding he'd had more than enough of the showers himself for one day.

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DAY 26: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

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