damned_institute | Day 30: Staff, Morning

Entry tags:

Day 30: Staff, Morning

Burly orderlies and agile Calm Effect nurses flooded the cafeteria from the Courtyard while regular hall nurses filed in from the Sun Room and ushered out those not involved in the rebellion. It indeed seemed as if Landel was sending out all the cavalry, and an effective cavalry they were: The riot didn't continue for much longer after the alarm sounded, though it seemed strange just how quickly all of the mutinous patients fell, even the ones who hadn't been injected with anything.

The hall nurses were quick to escort their well-behaved charges back to their rooms, praising those who hadn't joined in and chiding those who muttered under their breath in response. There were some exceptions, of course: One nice young man had even defended one of the nurses from the violent patients! Now, wasn't that exemplary behavior? Dr. Landel would be so proud to hear about it...

Within half an hour, all of the so-called "loyal" patients had been safely deposited in their rooms, and it was then that the alarm finally stopped and the true difficulty of the situation was tackled. There certainly weren't enough rooms in solitary to accommodate such rampant disobedience, and yet measures would have to be taken to ensure proper consequences for each and every patient involved. After all, something like this couldn't be allowed to happen again!

Different options were considered. Perhaps they should make an example out of the girl who had sparked the riot, but then again, perhaps not. This certainly wasn't the first case of patients attacking nurses or their peers in a crowded area, but what had been different this time was the sheer support that the other patients had shown for her. Should the staff then make examples of all those who had tried to "protect" her from the well-meaning nurses? No, there were too many for that...

In the end, it was decided that the best immediate solution would be to treat the rebellious patients in the Medical Wing while they were unconscious and then move them back to their rooms to await punishment. To ensure the safety of both their roommates and the patients themselves, however, the staff decided to securely fasten their limbs to their beds and keep them heavily drugged. Such a sad sight they were to see, but... it was necessary.

Finally, when each and every patient had been escorted back to their respective rooms, the staff hurried off to an emergency meeting upstairs. Strangely, Head Nurse Lydia was the one taking care of the proceedings in the Head Doctor's stead. She calmly told them that he was preoccupied with more urgent matters, and as she began to speak to the crowd, the staff could only wonder what could possibly be more important than an unprecedented patient riot...

[ Comment to this post with separate threads for each patient room, and please put your character's room number in the subject line. Thank you! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Artemis nodded, "Then you may very well be right. The only sane, and I use the term loosely, explanation for keeping you two apart yet allowing people to instigate fights would be an abuse situation. Or perhaps he kidnapped you, tortured you, et cetera. All ridiculous, but no more ridiculous than me producing fake identification at a high school," Artemis snorted.

He was still thrown concerning that little revelation. Was that the most mild illegal activity Landel and his lackeys could come up with? False identification for minors? Please. He was insulted. He could have done such a thing at the age of five.

"That man, Jack Horner, hit me in a library, and he wasn't so much as reprimanded! I try to escape a dangerous riot, and I'm sedated and chained to a bed." He made a sharp noise of disgust. "No justice."

Haku nodded. The way things are set up here is very odd. I will admit, I don't know much about how a hospital like this is run, but things seem to be just far too strange."

Haku put the slipper back on and moved to the other foot and then leg. "If it makes you feel any better, I could always try to get Zabuza-san to break his nose again." He offered Artemis a warm smile.

Artemis laughed, "You have no remorse, don't you?" The boy grinned, "No, no, Momochi-san would surely be sedated and confined after doing something like that. I figure, Mr. Horner got away with it once--but the next time he won't be so lucky. I spared him calling for help in the Library because I was interested in his mental faculties, but now that I know he is nothing more than a lump of muscle and no brain I've lost interest." The boy flashed Haku a smug smirk. "If he touches me again, though, I'll let you know. I may just take you up on the offer if he decides that once wasn't enough to satisfy him.

"After all," He put on his best pained, innocent 14-year-old mask, "What kind of man hits a little, defenseless child twice?"

Haku laughed and slid the slipper back on Artemis' foot, patting his leg lightly and moving back up the bed to sit closer to Artemis.

"The same kind of man that hits on a defenseless child more than once or twice?" Haku amiled and tilted his head, considering the other boy.

"Feeling better?"

He laughed, "Very true, very true. He hit on you more than two times?" Artemis shook his head, chuckling low. "What a complete idiot. He's begging for someone to beat some sense into him."

Artemis nodded, sighing and settling back into the bed. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't chained to his bed. "Yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you Haku."

Haku smiled and shrugged. "I'll admit to provoking him each time, but he really should have known better." He laughed behind a hand. "And from what I understand, he has been beaten quite a few times by many different large, unhappy men."

Haku placed a cool hand on Artemis' chest and smiled. "Good. I was worried when you came in."

Artemis laughed, rattling his restraints. "No wonder he's aggravated! He's been beaten up so many times on the account of small boys, so he must want to let out his anger. Unfortunately on me."

He smiled, blushing slightly. "You don't need to worry about me."

"You're my friend," Haku pointed out. "Of course I'm going to worry about you." He smiled again. "And if you're off running over people in a wheelchair or confronting crazy nurses at night, I think that worrying is something I will be doing a lot of."

"I wouldn't want that," Artemis frowned slightly. "You have a great deal of things to worry about--the least of all me." He didn't want Haku to consistently worry about his well-being, or worse, be distracted during the night.

Haku laughed and shook his head. "If I already have a lot to worry about, I might as well include you too." He reached up and lightly tapped the tip of his finger on Artemis' forehead.

"No, no you shouldn't!" Artemis protested, his eyebrows coming together. "Haku, I'm not worth worrying over--especially when a moment's distraction can cost you so much here. Your own well-being is much more important."

"Artemis." Haku moved and placed both hands on either side of the other boys head and frowned down at him.

"Being concerned for you will not distract me in a fight. I am trained to fight no matter what. I am trained to dismiss all distractions while fighting. So, I will worry about you because you're my friend. Got it?"

Artemis stiffened when Haku touched him, the tone of his voice startling him. He didn't say anything as Haku spoke, but began wondering why people were falling all over themselves to be his friend lately. Renji and Ken just hadn't explained it well enough.

Haku finished with a question, but he wasn't going to answer it directly. He looked up at his friend with an almost pained expression. "Why are you my friend, Haku?"

Haku's smile softened. "Because I like you, and I respect you. I also feel like maybe you and I can understand each other and, well..." He shrugged and slid his hands away from Artemis and placed them on his lap. A light blush colored his cheeks. It was silly to be embarrassed to admit to being a social neophyte but ...

"I've never actually had a friend before. Or anyone that I felt like this about either."

Artemis could understand what Haku was telling him. He respected and liked Haku as well, and he knew he and Haku had quite a bit of common ground. Especially when it came to being mature beyond their years.

The only thing that differed, he supposed, was that Artemis had friends back home. But he'd known them for years... he and Haku had only been roommates for about six days, and the first day hadn't gone so well. It was strange, this friend business. He wasn't sure he still knew how to deal with making new friends.

But he could do his best, now. "I haven't felt like this about anyone else, either," Artemis admitted. "I'm happy and honored to be your first friend."

Haku smiled slightly, one of his few, real smiles. "Good, I'm glad. I... didn't scare you, did I?" He hadn't missed the startled look Artemis had given him earlier.

"A little, yes," He gave Haku an embarrassed smile. "I suppose being restrained has made me a little jumpy. And I didn't know if I'd made you angry or not."

"I'm sorry then. I wasn't angry though." Haku laughed softly. "Trust me, you'd know if I was angry." The memory of crushing that man's arm was a pleascent one, though it was still colored with anger.

He laced his hands together. "I won't touch you again though." His smile turned slightly teasing. "At least not while you're strapped down like that."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want to anger you--especially after seeing what you could do with so little effort the first night we met."

Artemis laughed. "I must have done something to anger you if you're leaving me to my restraints!" He joked. "Momochi-san was right, you are a sadist!"

Haku laughed behind his hand and then looked up at the bindings on Artemis' wrists. He pretended to consider then carefully, then grinned down at the other boy.

"Yes, I am." He laughed again, his tone teasing.

"Oh, come on!" Artemis pulled on his restraints, rattling them against his bedframe. "Have pity on a poor, trapped friend! This whole mess wasn't even my fault! I shouldn't be strapped to my bed like this!"

He'd done the right thing in that cafeteria, and here he was being teased mercilessly by Haku. No justice at all.

"But if I remove them, and the nurse comes back, I could get into trouble." Haku placed a hand on his chest.

"What kind of boy would 'Chris' be if he just went and let such a bad boy as 'Sean' free?"

Artemis flashed Haku his trademark smirk, "He'd be equally bad as 'Sean', supposedly. But who knows? 'Chris' might like it.

"But you're right." Artemis sighed dramatically, "Then we'd both be chained to our beds, and that wouldn't be productive at all. We wouldn't be able to talk like we are now."

"And that would be terrible," Haku agreed. "And I much prefer speaking with you face to face." He smiled. "Or from the comfort of a warm blanket," he added.

Artemis blushed again, remembering how much he'd wanted to stay with Haku all night and hide from what he was going to be facing. In retrospect, perhaps that would have been the best option.

Or maybe not, since Zabuza would have found them like that. Which probably would have been worse... maybe. He didn't know anymore.

"I prefer that as well," Artemis said with a smile. "I don't think you'd appreciate being tied down, anyway."

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47

Re: M47