damned_institute | Day 32: Intercom, Dawn

The sky was slightly cloudly as the sun began to rise into the sky, but not enough to put a damper on the Head Doctor's daytime mood. The sound of him humming the intercom jingle came on just as the jingle itself ended, and he paused as he realized his silly antics had been caught on the microphone.

"Ah..hem. Good morning, Landel's Institute! Patients, staff, and everyone else... I am sad to say that the ruckus last night was about a certain something being stolen from our upper levels. While some of our guards received minor wounds during the attack, no one was seriously injured and none of our patients or doctors were involved.

"To get our minds off this horrible event, however, let me announce something very happy, and that is... you guessed it: the arrival of new patients! We have a very large batch coming in this morning, so I hope that all the nurses will be patient--but firm!--with their new charges while our patients will, as always, welcome their new friends with open arms.

"In any case, today's breakfast will be delicious Belgian waffles with your choice of toppings--syrup, butter, whipped cream, and assorted fresh fruits are all available. As sides, we have bacon, sausage, tater tots, and scrambled eggs, and as always, we have assorted juices and milk.

"We hope that you all enjoy breakfast and the new members of the patient body. I will speak to you all after breakfast!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All introduction posts for this shift's group of new characters should be made in response to this post. (Have your new character wake up in a random empty room, as we aren't yet able to officially assign rooms.) Thanks! ]

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Haku's smile never faltered. "That would be because I was," he said. The girl that had attacked him had not intended to actually kill him, but make him suffer. He took his hand back and used it to tug up the blanket from his lower legs. Similar bruises wound around his ankles. "Five points."

Artemis looked rather uncomfortable when Haku revealed the extent of his injuries. He had looked bad before, but now Artemis was trying very hard not to imagine Haku tied down to a medical table and stabbed repeatedly in the same spots.

"Will you be able to move? Or is it so bad that you can't...?"

Haku shook his head. "I can move, but I will wait for the nurse to come. I'm sure she will either force me into a wheeled chair or allow me to move under my own power." He smiled and reached up to lightly tap Artemis on the forehead. "Don't worry about me. I've had much worse."

He forced the sudden image of that gaping hole in the ground. That could be dealt with later.

"I think that's going to be very difficult to do, all things considered," Artemis said with a wry smile. "Whether or not you've had worse doesn't concern me--what does is that currently, you are injured when just a few hours ago you were fine..."

And clinging to his coat. He had been so close, and Artemis had the opportunity to hold him. That had felt nice as well. But he refrained for now--who knew what injuries he could possibly aggravate.

"That seems to be the way of things," Haku pointed out. "Things happen that we can't control. All we can do right now is survive and mantain our sanity as best as we can."

His smile was warm. He rather liked spending time with Artemis,so a quick chat in the morning was already serving to improve what could have been a very unpleasent morning. On the other hand, he was still waiting for one of those over-bearing women to come barging in here and throw a fuss.

He nodded, "Yes, that's probably the only thing we can do..."

And right now, something was definitely driving Artemis crazy. He was trying, he really was, but the thought had been at the back of his mind all night. He had to make an effort to stop being so indecisive and wondering about whether or not what he was doing was okay or not--because he really had no idea what he was feeling. All he knew was what he wanted, and being so used to taking what he wanted, he was loathe to do so when it could lose him what was most important right now.

"Before..." Artemis started, already starting to blush at the thought. "You asked me if you could give me anything in return for not telling Zabuza-san about the doll and Muraki... does that offer still stand?"

Haku nodded without thinking about it. "Of course. Whatever you want, if I can give it to you, I will." He smiled and studied Artemis for a moment.

"Have you thought of something?"

He nodded, suddenly wishing that he hadn't asked in the first place. No turning back, no turning back, no turning back... he had to go through with it and be decisive.

"I... have," he said finally, pulling his courage off the floor for one last hurrah. "I...would like another kiss..." His voice dropped sharply to a barely audible whisper at the last two words.

Haku blinked, surprised, then smiled. "That isn't worth a favor," he said. "Something like that, you only have to ask." Shifting slightly, he placed his free hand under Artemis' chin. "It's also okay even if you don't ask."

Unless Zabuza-san was around or Haku was trying to do something important. But he felt that his friend was intelligent enough to understand those two points and they weren't worth saying aloud.

Keeping an ear out for any staff (it wouldn't do for them to walk in on this. They might separate them.), Haku tilted Artemis' face gently and leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against the other boy's, giving him the chance to pull away if he changed his mind.

"I'd prefer to ask, though," Artemis said lamely. "I wouldn't want to kiss you when you didn't want me to. That wouldn't be polite."

Artemis was ready for this one more so than the ones before, since Haku had given him plenty of time to prepare. He closed his eyes and leaned in, realizing how soft Haku's lips were and how rigid and unsure his own probably were. He'd have to work on this.

But that was really the only thought he could think at that moment, and the rest was converted to pleased bliss and elation. He reached up to touch Haku's face like he'd seen in movies and pictures, but he stopped at his friend's sleeve and lightly grabbed that instead.

Damn. Obviously this was going to be a problem not so easily overcome. But that prospect only made Artemis even more eager to trounce the obstacle as quickly and effectively as possible.

This kiss was getting rather long, but Artemis didn't seem to mind at all. So much so that he didn't hear the nurse coming down the hallway.

Artemis might not have heard the nurse, but Haku picked up the sounds and signs right as she got to their door. Thanking Zabuza-san's training to hone his hearing and observational skills, Haku pulled away, smiling at Artemis and reaching up to run a thumb along his friend's lips, taking advantage of the situation to disengage his hand from the other.

Both hands folded in his lap and he glanced towards the door, annoyed at the inturruption, but not showing it.

When Haku pulled away, Artemis very nearly begged for another one. Until Haku disengaged their hands. Then he realized that he hadn't been paying attention at all.

He looked back over his shoulder when the door opened, startled stiff as a board.

"Sean!" His nurse exclaimed, obviously shocked to find her charge out of bed so early. "Sean, don't bother Chris, he needs his rest. Come with me, let's get you breakfast."

"My arm hurts," Artemis replied automatically, complete with holding his upper arm in mock pain. "I want to stay here."

"It will hurt occasionally, that means it's healing. Now come here and I'll put you in your sling."

Well, apparently there were some things he couldn't change no matter how much he stated what he wanted. Artemis looked back at Haku with a painfully longing expression, but stood up and trudged to his nurse. She quickly helped him into the all-too-familiar sling.

"See you tonight, Chris," he called lamely as his nurse turned him towards the door. "I'll tell you about... that thing you asked about, tonight."

By then he could probably figure out a way to quell Haku's inevitable cool, terrifying rage.

Haku bit back a sigh at the nurse's tone, but sat back with a smile in his bed. "He wasn't bothering me," he pointed out. "He was worried." He waved at 'Sean' and beamed. "I look forward to it. I'll see you later Sean!"

His own nurse chose that moment to appear, and, sure enough, she had the hated chair. His smile faltered. "I can walk," he began only to be stopped by the woman.

"I know you think you can, but let's just take it easy." The chair was pushed up to the side of the bed and Haku was helped into it.

Day 32: Intercom, Dawn

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