Day 36: Waiting Room/Lobby 2

[notachick.livejournal.com]

Okita hadn't been expecting it when his nurse suddenly appeared in the Game Room. He'd expected to be left alone like last week, but instead she gently took him by the arm and told him he needed to say goodbye to Kaden for now. Okita assumed it was time for his visitor and waved goodbye to him, only to be led off himself. The swordsman had followed obediently into the Sun Room, but when he tried to go off to another room, she stopped him. "Not today, Julian."

Not today? Something about his nurse's demeanor seemed off, almost as if she were worried about something. It wasn't until she led him out of the Sun Room that he understood what was going on. He had a visitor. There were only so many people that would come to visit him in a place like this. His sisters, Tetsu, Kondou or... Okita didn't want to think about the last option.

Taking a step into the waiting room, he stopped at the door and turned to look at his nurse. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?" he asked, feeling actual fear for the first time in a long while. If this wasn't some strange punishment/joke for behaving poorly in the chapel, he didn't know what to do. Badou's graffiti was still on his hand and he quickly slipped that hand into his pocket. He could feel the pen there, clipped to the inside of his waistband. The nurse shook her head and moved to the side of the room, keeping a close watch on him as he stayed by the door, trying to hide his anxiety by feigning interest in the strange magazines on a table nearby.

Comments

[mrmewmaker.livejournal.com]

Shiki grew more nervous the closer she got to the waiting room. She hadn't been expecting a visitor, and the information she had gleaned from the bulletin board had told her it might not be the most pleasant experience. She didn't say much, though her nurse was happy to fill the air with quiet talking.

"Won't this be nice? You have such thoughtful friends, Nicole, to come out here to see you. I'm sure you'll be happy to see them."

Friends? Eri? Neku? Beat? It could even be Rhyme. Or... She didn't want to think that it might be one of the Reapers. They weren't friends of hers.

Shiki frowned as her nurse wheeled her up to one of the tables. "They'll be along in a minute, dear. Just be patient."

[4lulzngiggles.livejournal.com]

Joshua had been rather amused when a nurse had come up to him and said that there was a friend coming to visit him. A 'friend' was not likely to show up, primarily because Joshua really didn't have any. So the question became one of 'who was the visitor going to be'? Chances were good it was either Mr. H or Mr. K, with a good chance to the former. Though he'd have found it intensely amusing if none other than Sho Minamimoto, the Grim Heaper himself, had been the one. He doubted they'd be able to get through ten sentences before one tried to shoot, strangle, or bludgeon the other to death.

Seeing Shiki in the same room, he made his way over to her, grinning as always and looking utterly comfortable even in this new situation. "Hello there, Shiki. Funny that we're both here, don't you think?" Though he was willing to bet that their visitors were different... otherwise, there was only one person who could fit the bill. And that just wouldn't be any fun at all.

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

The nurses had insisted he finish another glass of juice and some vitamins after he'd almost passed out in the Sun Room. If he didn't get to feeling better, they told him, they'd have to send his visitor away and he wouldn't be able to see him until next time.

He'd complied, trying to focus and remember the things he'd read in his file. Maybe, just maybe, if he seemed like he was getting better, they'd let him go this time.

The room was still fairly empty when he was wheeled in. Just himself, Shiki, and Okita he remembered, was a friend of Homura. He watched the door carefully, like a dog waiting for his master to come home, sitting up a little straighter each time it opened, only to sink back into his seat when it was just a nurse or another patient.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

He had arrived early, but there were always procedures. He smiled to the nurses, patiently waiting his turn before at last they let him into the room. Had it already been a week, or only a week? It seemed to him a paradox, each second moving at a maddening pace, though if it were slow or quick depended on the circumstances.

There were times when he couldn't make time stop. There were times when he couldn't push it forward.

But now at last the amount had finally passed, and there was his ward, young Robin waiting. His smile was real as he walked over, his hands by his side in an open gesture, but not one that would force the young man in.

"Good afternoon, Robin." His heart beat faster, just a touch, but undeniably so.

[notaghostreally.livejournal.com]

"You're very lucky, Danny, to have two visitors in a row!"

Danny wasn't sure what to make of the statement. He didn't know whether to be glad to see familiar faces who weren't Vlad, or to be anxious in case they might've been brainwashed or clueless or whatever was up with Jazz last week.

Once he stepped into the waiting room, he began to wonder who would be visiting him. Tucker? Sam? His parents? Not like it really mattered, since Danny had no idea what he would say anyway. "Help, I'm stuck in a crazy house that's trying to kill me" hadn't gone over so well last time.

Sitting up straight in his seat, unintentionally on alert, he waited for his visitor, praying that they wouldn't act the same way Jazz did.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Well this was going to be awkward. Though really, Victoria supposed that visiting a mental hospital always would be. No matter how well you knew the person or how happy you were to see them, it didn't change the fact that they were stuck in a home for crazies.

All right. Smile now. Look friendly. Don't look at the other people.

He was easy enough to spot, fairly normal looking compared to some of the patients here, and Vikky waved at him. Grin like you mean it. "Hey, Danny! Good to see you!"

[spirit-forge.livejournal.com]

Archer was fairly content until his nurse came for him. Well, as content as he could be in this hellhole. She was apparently leading him to the waiting room for his visitor. If the Institute thought he would be moved by a fake, they were sorely mistaken.

"Why don't you wait here for a moment Eric, while I get your visitor?" she asked. It wasn't like he could do anything else unless he wanted to be sedated, which was always really fun.

"Sure, I'll be right here," Archer half-heartedly answered, after taking a seat. He might as well get comfortable, since there wasn't a view to admire like in the courtyard. So who would it be today? Saber, Rin, or Sakura? Sigh. As he thought about it, the list continued to grow, but Archer did so in order to mentally prepare himself for his visitor.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Eric's visitor was waiting impatiently outside of the waiting room. Those nurses sure made her wait long! Isabella - Izzy for friends - pouted a bit as she put her hands on her hips, as if that was going to work. It apparently did, because the nurse soon came to get her. "You can go in now, dear. Eric is waiting for you."

The lady didn't have to say that twice.

Izzy immediately headed passed the nurse into the waiting room, easily spotting the one she was looking for before moving over.

"Hello, Eriiiic!" Izzy exclaimed, stopping a small distance away from where he was sitting. She did one of those small bows characteristic to her.

"Are you surprised to see me?"

[diamondstorm]

Last shift Renamon had just curled in a corner and thought over everything about the new theory that her and Jiraiya, and Edgeworth in a way, had compiled. She would have been content to spend this shift the same, but a nurse appeared, leading her away. This new room was close to the file rooms, it was the only way she knew it.

Per usual, Renamon had been ignoring the intercom announcements, only catching bits and pieces about the brunch menu and visitors. And now she was suspicious. Visitors? Did they think her so weak minded to believe that anyone they threw at her was from her past life? She made a sound of annoyance, and resigned herself to sit and wait for whatever they had planned now.

Renamon had things to do tonight, errands to run, and she was getting closer to understanding this Institute because of the people she was refering to as friends. She would be patient for this one shift. It would be a waste of time, but she could relax and calm her mind. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Rika hadn't been sure about visiting at first -- she'd been surprised to say the least when the news had arrived that Reiko had ended up in a mental institution with some kind of made-up memory. And when she'd been informed that she could visit, she'd been unsure exactly how much she could help.

But she'd been there for Reiko, and Reiko for her, too many times in the past for her to say no.

At least the nurse looked nice enough, even if she pretty much conformed to the usual squares who wound up working in these places. Rika glanced around at the different people in the room before her gaze caught on a familiar figure. Wearing the same weird uniform. And looking incredibly normal despite it.

Rika abruptly felt awkward about her own choice of clothing. She'd picked out the shirt with the broken heart that she'd worn a lot back when they'd run together, hoping that maybe it would help jog Reiko's memory, but she tugged a little self-consciously on it before straightening up and trying to look nonchalant: "... hey."

[blurred-divide.livejournal.com]

There was no way this could end well. There was no way this could start well. Because this was edging entirely way too close onto personal territory and the best case scenario involved Angel getting a visitor he didn't recognize at all. Someone they made up for him the same way they'd made up his name. Which he was hoping for.

How much did this place know about him, anyway? They couldn't possibly know...

Wishful thinking, probably. Damn it.

He swept his gaze briefly over the room, attention lingering for a moment over the magazines. It bothered him, how American this setup was when they were obviously elsewhere given the skewed laws of the universe. Unless something even whackier was going on. He'd have liked to say that that wasn't possible, but it...actually was.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Brittany knew she wasn't really supposed to be here. Forget having a cow, her mother would have an entire pasture if she found out that Brittany was actually visiting her "violent, dangerous stalker." One of the up sides of living in the dorms at UC Santa Barbara, though, was that her mother never had to know. It was good to finally be 18!

Granted, Sean had hurt her pretty badly and it probably wasn't very smart to be coming here, but very few people had ever accused Brittany of being a genius. Okay, no one had ever accused Brittany of being a genius. Besides, the doctors wouldn't have let her come if it was still dangerous... right? And she had to make sure he was okay. Yeah, he was creepy, but she still felt guilty about letting things go quite this far--if she'd said something about his weird behaviour sooner, maybe he could have gotten voluntary help and wouldn't have ended up in a nuthouse.

[OOC: Please forgive me for not being as witty as Joss. ;_;]

[winged_moon]

When the nurse came to get him, cheerfully informing him that his "visitor" had arrived, Yukito had felt a sudden weight settle into the pit of his stomach. All the warnings he'd read on the bulletin board or heard from his roommate echoed in his mind as he accompanied the woman to the waiting room, drowning out her chattering about how pleasant it must be to have someone from home, how nice it was that he had friends who cared about him.

Yukito barely even noticed the others in the room when he arrived, only peripherally noting Fai's presence as he settled onto one of the chairs. Who could be coming to see him? And would they be expecting this "Alex" to be him or Yue? He closed his eyes against a wash of dizziness, hands in his lap closing into tight fists. Was he even ready to cope with something like this right now, on top of everything else?

After a long moment he finally drew in a breath and slowly opened his eyes again, focusing on the door and waiting with mingled fear and anticipation to see who would enter.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Thomas pushed open the door, once they'd made it through all the visitor's paperwork just to get in to the place. It was a pain, but Alex needed them now that he was trying to get better. It couldn't be easy.

Lily kept trying to peek around her older brother's long legs to catch a peek at Alex. She hugged a handmade card and cookies tightly to her chest and seemed eager to be the first one to say hello.

"You're gonna make me trip you little monster," Thomas teased her, trying to look stern as they walked over to greet Alex. He wasn't sure exactly what he should say, which was at least part of the reason he'd let Lily tag along too.

Speaking of, his energetic little sister was quick to pipe up. "Alex!" she gave him a genuine smile as a blush started to color her cheeks. "We missed you! Are you doing okay?"

Thomas greeted Alex in his own way, giving the other boy a half-smile and a wave. "Hey."

[wantsyourzex.livejournal.com]

ZEX had expected to be allowed to wander freely this shift, as he had before for visiting day, and was not at all prepared when a nurse guided him to an unfamiliar area. She explained, in that irritating, condescending way that most nurses used, that he was somehow expecting a visitor.

A visitor? Who would visit him? Visit him here?

His crew on Cerenkov, surely they'd be worried, but if they knew his location they would have staged a rescue by this point. While he had a professional relationship with Trademaster Greenish, there was no way the Melnorme would come to see him for a personal chat. There were no goods to exchange. And his Captain, he was here already...

Who would come to see him here? Could a VUX even walk in here without sparking a panic? Perhaps this was another mindgame played by the institute...

ZEX sat down in one of the chairs, puzzled and still not completely expecting his visitor to actually show up.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

But show up Dexter Favin did; after all the footwork he'd done to find out just where his former charge had been taken, he could hardly pass up the chance to see him. Still, it was...disturbing, to see the state Mr. Vyer had fallen into. Dexter didn't quite know what he had expected. It would be foolish to look for the Max he'd known for so many years, especially after one of the nurses informed him of Mr. Vyer's progress, or distinct lack thereof.

Easily hiding his distress behind a mask of professionalism (his "default expression" as Max had once called it) Dexter crossed the room and seated himself across from Max with a short nod. "Sir," he said calmly, by way of greeting.

[dasgift.livejournal.com]

The nurse had returned sooner than expected, cutting his conversation with Adelheid fairly short. Shorter than most exchanges he'd had since arrival, but Kristoph could hardly count that as bad. Chances of repeat encounters were higher here than in Central Prison; provided neither died, they could continue at a later date.

Besides, the woman had mentioned a visitor. It was not like him to choose passing words over a familiar face. Kristoph, of course, had read about visitations on the bulletin: how every caller seemed manipulated or brainwashed by this Head Doctor, enough to break even the stouthearted of patients. The lawyer should have no problem, given he sought information, not emotional attachment.

As directed by the nurse, Kristoph entered into the lobby, claiming one of the chairs by the entrance. Unlike other patients who seemed perplex or frightened, he remained unusually calm, as if weekly visits were protocol, not an exception.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

The minute Konrad Godfrey stepped into the room, at least three nurses could be seen turning their heads to look, and at least one of those three batted her eyelashes in his direction. He flashed a bright smile at each of them in turn, then took the chair opposite his brother's. "Guten Tag, Bruno. You certainly don't have any shortage of nice scenery here, do you?"

[gald_digger]

Spending the previous shift on her own had given Anise a chance to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. Even though it wasn't a big surprise when a nurse came to take her to the waiting room, Anise still felt a lump form in her throat. As much as she wanted to see a familiar face, it was still scary to think about how much this place had changed the people she loved.

Anise returned to her room briefly to drop off the journal she had been carrying around all day, now with new recipes and near-complete maps copied onto its pages. Tokunaga remained on her shoulders - she hoped whoever visited her would recognize it. They had to.

The waiting room already had quite a few people in it when Anise entered. She felt a little small in the crowd, so she opted not to sit. Instead, she stood with her hands on her hips, keeping her gaze fixed on the door.

Was it going to be her parents again? Or someone else who had disappeared? Anise wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do or say in either case. There was only one thing she did feel certain of, something she had promised herself: this time, no matter what happened, she wasn't going to cry.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

They knew some people didn't visit every week, but for Carmela and Grover Haze, there was no question where they would be going this Sunday. How could they not come see their precious little girl? Once they'd left the Institute last week, it was all Carmela could do to keep herself from falling apart, but Grover kept gently reminding her through the week that Sunday would come again soon.

With no way to get in touch with Dolores between visits -- not even a phone call or a letter! -- they simply had to come see her again.

Thankfully, finding the place was a lot easier this time around, and the couple made their way into the lobby. "They have the best doctors in the nation working here, so I'm sure she'll be coming home any day now," Grover quietly said to his wife. But anything she might have said in response was forgotten as soon as she laid eyes on her dear Dolores.

And the doll that was on her shoulders.

"Oh!" she said, apparently surprised to see the toy. "I don't remember you having that with you last week." She'd carried it around since she was little, and the doctors had said they'd needed to take it away from her to help alleviate her wild fantasies of being some kind of magical puppeteer. It wasn't something Carmela and Grover liked to talk about, but as Grover laid a hand on her shoulder, they both realized that maybe this was a sign of improvement.

"And it looks like they let you paint your nails, too," Carmela added with a smile. "How nice!"

"You're looking more and more like your old self everyday," Grover spoke up, fatherly affection evident in his voice as he gazed at his daughter. "I'll bet the doctors will be sending you home in no time." He'd always known Dolores would recover -- she was a fighter like that. It was just a matter of time, he was certain. "How're you holding up?" Hopefully she'd adjusted a little more since they'd last seen her.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

By the time Peter had made it to the waiting room with his nurse, his stomach was bunching up due to nerves. Nathan disappearing from this place was one thing, but having to face him under these circumstances just couldn't end well.

They had a history of this, after all. He could still remember how angry he had been the night his brother had held that press conference and dragged his name through the dirt for his own benefit. It was probably the most upset he'd ever been with Nathan, and all of those times afterward when his brother had hinted that he could have him committed hadn't helped.

Now, here Peter was, supposedly crazy once again, and Nathan had been forced onto the wrong side. Or that was what Peter had gathered from his questions about this whole process on the bulletin, at least.

As he was led to a chair, Peter slowly sat down and glanced around at all the other patients who were also expecting friends or family. There was even someone he recognized - Soujirou - and Peter took some small consolation out of knowing that there were so many other people in the same boat as him. They were all just going to have to work through it somehow.

And he couldn't give up hope that maybe he could get through to Nathan and snap him out of it.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

Harrison Campbell was a busy man, and he showed this through the business suit cut to fit his figure and the souped-up phone in the palm of his hand. He showed off both as he walked into the waiting room, in the process of finishing up an email when he looked up from the screen to see his kid brother slumped in a chair.

He rolled his eyes, holstering the phone and walking towards him.

"You've made a hell of a mess out of things, you know that, Ethan?" he snapped as quietly as he could.

[runner-up-robot.livejournal.com]

One of the nurses had, of course, helped Forte up after his leg cramped, and led him inside. He cursed loudly on the way inside, wondering just why this body couldn't have come with a manual or some instructions. There was always some little thing he didn't know. At least when he was a robot, he had Wily to do all the upkeep and repairs.

Forte had heard something about visitors, and there was some talk about them on the communication board, but he didn't pay any particular attention because he knew no-one would visit him - whether this was some kind of prison or research facility, even if someone knew he was here, none would care.

So, when the nurse said he should act more civilized for his family, he was confused. She led him into a room down the hall from the one he'd walked through the night before, and sat him down at a table to wait for his 'visitor.'

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

It became apparent whom the nurse was referring to when a man walked up to the table, but didn't sit down. Instead, he seemed quite content with looking down on Forte with an unreadable expression. It wasn't hateful, but it wasn't welcoming, either. He seemed to be inspecting Forte, instead.

"You look well enough," the man finally concluded before his eyes narrowed slightly. "I suppose you still don't remember who I am, don't you?"

[innovator-skuld.livejournal.com]

So much for talking to Hughes. Skuld was a little... apprehensive as she waited; why would Belldandy visit? Technically it could be Urd or Peorth, too, but she kind of had a feeling.

Maybe she's checking up on me? This is a lot different than most tests... like, a whole lot longer. For starters. She hoped she was doing well enough--she hadn't missed a night of weapon-making yet, after all.

She was disappointed to see that Artemis wasn't here, since she'd been hoping to introduce Belldandy to him. Of course, if Urd came too, maybe that wouldn't have been such a great idea anyway...

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

It bothered Astrid that visiting hours were only once a week, at Landel's Institute. She did understand, intellectually, that the patients needed isolation and time alone with their doctors and nurses in order to get better, but it was agonising not being able to see her little sister more often. But the day had finally come, and now Astrid was about to see precious Dalia again for the first time since she had been taken away.

Usually so unflappable, Astrid found herself wringing her hands just slightly as the nurse guided her over to Dalia. Would there be noticeable improvement? Could she take Dalia home soon? The doctors were vague, but hopeful...

[brightlyshine.livejournal.com]

A visitor? But that didn't make sense... She'd barely been here three days and she didn't know anyone in this world. Elena was more than a little confused. And Reno and Rude were already here, so who else would..?

The nurse said that she was in for a surprise, so Elena allowed herself to be escorted into the waiting room, studying the layout and looking for anything that would make a useful container for their mission tonight.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

She wasn't made to wait long. Her visitor was a man who was never late to an appointment, and that applied even in a case like this.

Wearing a suit that was in perfect order, with not a single wrinkle, he crossed the room, barely sparing a glance to any of the other patients. They weren't his concern, and this was more or less a routine check-up in his eyes. This girl was his responsibility in one way or another - perhaps he wasn't as fitting of a visitor as a family member might have been, but apparently no one else had been available.

His hair was neat without a strand out of place, and he was the image of confidence despite the unknown territory he had just stepped into. He didn't know what Lauren was doing, as she appeared to be looking around the room in a daze, but it seemed to indicate that she was still acting like herself to an extent.

He drew up to her side, and not wanting to startle her, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

[littlegoblinjr.livejournal.com]

Thanks to Brock getting him sedated, it took Harry a while to remember that he was supposed to have a visitor. Who the hell would be coming to see him? Peter was already here and he was sure MJ wouldn't be visiting him. Maybe it was Bernard? If it was, maybe he could convince him to get Peter and him out of there

Addled by the drugs and distracted by the possibility of leaving, it took Harry a while to notice the nurse was scolding him. Tuning in he heard her say "You be on your best behaviour, now. No more causing trouble or he'll think you're not happy to see him."

Sitting down heavily, Harry waited expectantly to see Bernard, barely aware of his surroundings thanks to the fog dulling his mind.

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

"Yes, up by three percent," the voice said as he approached. "Couldn't be happier. I have another project in the works but I can't reveal too much until we have a working prototype."

His father, Norman Oswell, placed a hand on his shoulder as he stepped by and took a seat across from him, talking into a small black cell phone. "Yes, well, I can't leak anything here. I'm visiting my son, you see, but I think our investors will be very happy once we're ready to unveil it."

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

It hadn't been that long since he was here last, had it? Part of him didn't want to come back so soon. It seemed unreal that he had believed like he had, fallen into delusion so deeply. But he had been brought to Landel's, and cured of that. Now he knew who he was, the life he had lived.

And he understood, now, why it was so important that he come. He hadn't wanted to, but for that person, it was necessary.

He followed the nurse quietly, wondering how many times he'd done so during his own tenure. Never to this room, however, for better or worse. His pride certainly was thankful that no one he had known had seen him in this place, being that way. Would Julian resent him later for this visit, for the same reason?

Maybe. But it was necessary. He reminded himself of that time and again, even as he looked at the walls that reminded him how far he had fallen.

Julian was there, waiting for him. There wasn't much unusual about that. When they worked together Julian would always get there early, and make some teasing remark about his lateness.

The thought made him smile a bit, despite himself.

"Julian." Michael Sugiyama went to where the man was waiting. Seeing how nervous the man was (no, the magazine act wasn't fooling anyone, certainly not him), Michael sighed. "Relax. This isn't exactly what either of us wanted, but here we are. We should make the most of it."

Said as if he had any clue about what he was doing at all.

[notachick.livejournal.com]

He'd gotten through one of the magazines without ever seeing the words written across the page by the time anyone showed up. Until then, any noise, any movement caught his attention, making him jumpy. He didn't like being in this room. As other patients filtered in and their visitors came to see them, Okita had begun to realize just how terrible this could really be. He was about to start on a new magazine when he saw him out of the corner of his eye.

But it wasn't him. Not with what he was wearing, the way he walked, the--

"Julian."

The name he called him. It wasn't his own and this wasn't Hijikata, it was someone else. It had to be. Hijikata wouldn't have given up. Hijikata would have gone home to prevent the war from going to the Choushuu. Hijikata wouldn't have abandoned him in this place. Not like this; not with him dying with no one to turn to.

Okita's hand stopped rifling through the pages, but he didn't look up. How could he look up knowing whose face he was going to see? He thought he'd been ready for everything, but he hadn't been ready for his heart to break like this. "...that isn't you, is it, Hijikata-san..." His fingers left the magazine and he stared down at it, refusing to meet Hijikata's gaze. What was his 'real' name? Would he answer by it? "...Sugiyama-san?"

[damned-visitors.livejournal.com]

"Right this way, Miss Loiseau."

If she were anyone else, Mary wouldn't have been able to believe her luck. Got lost and ended up driving about half an hour in the wrong direction trying to find this place; according to the nurses, visiting hours were almost over, but Mary was insistent on seeing him anyway. Even if it was just for a little bit... the Detective would be happy to know that someone from back home still cared, right?!

"I'll get Mr. Coleman for you, so if you would wait right here...?" The nurse started to turn after she led Mary to one of the empty chairs, blinking as the (former) policewoman nodded and saluted the nurse so promptly that she smacked her forehead.

"Ooh! Er, yeah, that'd be great..."

[ for Gumshoe <3 ]