damned_institute | Day 30: Staff, Morning

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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! ]

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"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."

Haku smiled and shook his head. "No, I most certainly would not," he agreed. "But look on the bright side. You won't be tied down there forever. They have to let you out to mess with you at night, right?"

"Of course..." Artemis trailed off. He didn't like thinking about what Hitsugaya probably had in store for him tonight. More things that he couldn't handle, probably. More unexpected and dangerous surprises. It scared him to think about what they would be doing, and what horrors waited to cut into his flesh until he couldn't bleed anymore.

"God forbid they don't maim or injure Artemis Fowl for one night..." The boy stared at the ceiling.

Haku frowned and bit back a sigh. He had only been trying to tease the boy, and had made things worse. He bent down and kissed the other's forehead. He seemed to respond well enough to that at least.

"I think you'll be fine. If three nurses couldn't take down Artemis Fowl, I don't think you have much to worry about."

Artemis' jaw clenched, trying to fight back the panic that he could feel starting to wrap around his brain yet again. Haku meant well, and Artemis knew that, but for some reason the kiss only made him shake with the effort of holding back tears.

"They did take me down, Haku... I took eight syringes filled with poison, a shoulder injury and a facial injury. I passed out before the fight was over. If it weren't for the Captain, Tsukiyono, and another woman who was obviously a skilled fighter, I wouldn't be here right now."

Haku frowned and then gently placed the palm of his hand against Artemis' cheek. "Shh. Listen to me. You are not a fighter. For someone who has grown up like you have, has the skills you do, you have done amazingly well. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't waste my time on getting to know them, since they would be dead and gone long before I even had the chance. But you? You are stronger than you seem to think you are."

"It's hard not to be, here," Artemis said between sharp breaths. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't. "Everyone around me can handle themselves in a battle. I'm consistently the one who is reprimanded or shouted at for not knowing what to do. I have to be told exactly what to do, otherwise I'm unable to act. That kind of obstacle just boggles my mind. It frustrates and scares me to think that I can't do anything without wondering if I'm doing it right."

He turned his head away from Haku, unable to hide his face any other way. "I'm strong in other areas, but being here--existing here from day-to-day, isn't one of them."

"You aren't a fighter Artemis." He allowed the boy to turn away and took his hand back. "You shouldn't be fighting at all. It's silly to expect you to. You are a thinker, you're the kind of person who plans, plots, right? You aren't someone who fights. Not like this."

Haku sighed. "The people you are with right now, maybe they're desperate for man power, but you should be given a task you are better suited for."

Artemis looked back at his roommate when Haku had removed his hand, almost as though he hadn't expected it to leave anytime soon.

"I know... the first day I was here, I was told I would be completing a map of the second floor. Suddenly, I found myself in a bathroom gathering pipes and spraying a swarm of winged lizards with a shower head. I was extremely displeased after that little escapade," He gave a hollow laugh. "I was virtually useless in that situation, as I have no physical strength to speak of, and no fighting prowess at all. I carried a flashlight, for Freud's sake!"

He glowered at the ceiling. Somehow, it was all the ceiling's fault. Entirely. He hated that ceiling. He hated waking up to it every morning, because it meant that he was both injured and that he would be injured again that coming night.

"If it was obvious that such a thing wasn't for you, why do you keep doing it? Are you being ordered to?" Haku watched Artemis carefully.

"Because I'm terrified, of course," Artemis responded immediately. "If I'm not backed by something powerful and deadly, I'm like a minnow flopping on the shore, begging for a bird of prey to scoop me up and rip me to pieces and eat what's left." Slightly morbid metaphor, but direct if anything.

"I respect the Captain. I honestly do. But sometimes I wonder if I'm just along to be his personal lock-pick and bait," He sighed and tried to shift in his restraints. "I wonder if he actually likes me--cares about me enough to be concerned for my safety. Even the smallest bit.

"But it's business. I'm one of his pawns, and I'll do what he tells me to until I reach the other side and freedom."

Hopefully.

"If he's worth his rank, he cares about you, but he probably cares more about the group as a whole." Haku shifted on the bed and looked over at his own with a thoughtful expression.

"Business I can understand, but this is an arrangement that's doing neither of you any good. You aren't able to use the skills that would be most benificial and, in turn, your lack of experiance is slowing down those who need all their skills to keep themselves alive. The arrangement will not end well." Haku turned back to Artemis.

"You're a business man. Speak to him about this. If he demands a body to throw to the fires each night, I'm sure I could find someone willing and much more able than you are in that respect."

Artemis blanched and swallowed when Haku stated that the current arrangement he had with Hitsugaya was going to go south. The only way he could think of something going poorly was his untimely death. Or the whole group's.

"I should speak to him about it. If I'm a hindrance to a combat group, I should be placed elsewhere," Artemis agreed. "I should feel safe, and not terrified in a group, right...?"

He wasn't sure if anywhere else would be any safer, honestly.

"You shouldn't feel terrified at all Artemis." Haku hadn't missed how pale the other boy had gotten (quite the feat when he was already quite fair).

"Once you get a better agreement, one that will suit you both, I'm sure you'll find that you'll feel a lot better."

He offered a warm, small smile. "Besides, anytime you feel overwhelmed or scared, I'm around. I may not be too much help, but... I'm willing to try."

"Haku, you have no idea how much I appreciate you," Artemis said, trying to shift closer to Haku. His restraints made it very difficult to move anywhere, so he just ended up moving about a centimeter closer. "If you call what you did last night 'not too much help', I'm hesitant to show you what condition I would have been in if you didn't comfort me."

He looked back up at the ceiling in thought. "Yesterday was the culmination of everything awful that had built up. If you hadn't been there... I probably would have needed to see an actual doctor afterwards I was so traumatized. I'm scared now, and I probably will be for a long time, but I'll never be overwhelmed." He smiled at Haku, "Not when I know you're waiting for me to come back here at the end of the day."

Haku smiled, glad to see Artemis looking a bit better. He moved closer to him when the other boy wasn't able to move at all and he placed his hand on his unbandaged shoulder.

"Of course I'll be here," he said with an honest smile. "Me and my blanket."

"I appreciate you more than the blanket, honestly," He said with a small laugh. Artemis tilted his head to rest his cheek on Haku's hand. It was awkward, but it was the only way he could return the sign of affection, currently.

"Blankets are horrible conversationalists."

Haku laughed softly. "I think I'm glad for that," he said. "Just think of all the secrets a blanket would know. It might go and tell everyone what it knew."

He watched Artemis for a moment. "I'm glad you're my friend," he said finally. "And I am thankful for your friendship too."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Artemis said with a smile. "Because if you weren't, you'd have a hard time getting a moment's peace from me!" He laughed. "But I hope I haven't upset or bored you with any of this. I tend to have my little moments of panic, but they usually aren't as frequent."

He gave Haku a kind of wistful, sad smile, "I'd hate to lose you to something as petty as my inability to refrain from panicking. I'd hate to lose you at all, honestly."

Haku shook his head. "Not at all. We all have our certain issues and traits, and it's kind of nice to be able to get to know you better too."

He smiled, laughed softly and shook his head. "It's hard to get rid of me," he said. "So, don't worry. You won't lose me at all."

"I'm glad... because I'm certain that if I actually slept, I would have nightmares about losing your friendship. Or you..." Artemis thought for a moment, then started laughing.

"Good lord, I don't even want to consider your original thoughts on me. I was so coarse!"

Haku laughed again. "No, you were nosey. That's why I threw the scalpel at you." He winked teasingly. "Just to get you to think about something else."

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