toxicspiderman: Photo of a grassy, tree-lined riverbank.  (Specifically, The Charles River) (bucolic)
Sangamon Taylor ([personal profile] toxicspiderman) wrote in [community profile] damned_institute2009-04-09 05:01 pm

Day 40: Greenhouse [Fourth Shift]

Most days, fish and chips (and a cold beer or three) was pretty goddamned high on S.T.'s list of perfect expense-account lunches. Today, the idea of picking at greasy hunks of unidentified bottom-feeder odds-and-ends (politely known as scrod, to the delight of teenagers all across the Northeast) didn't appeal.

He begged off and collapsed into his bed, after using his damp shirt as an excuse to surreptiously check the contents of his closet. Bingo. His nurse watched his little show, unimpressed but (more importantly) unsuspicious. Not that his hairy chest was much of a catch today, pale and sweating from fever. At least she didn't tuck him in.

The intercom woke up up right on schedule, and pulling the sheets back over his head almost won. But a handful of unanswered missives and a vague sense of duty dragged him out to the bulletin, and from there it was easier to stagger over to the greenhouse.

It was warm inside -- a deep, humid warmth that actually penetrated to the aches in more joints and muscles than he could remember the names of. Like a sauna, without the hassle of finding someplace to look that wasn't a mound of pasty middle-management cellulite. Or a sweat lodge, without the opposite hassle of being conscious that he was the only white guy in the room. In fact, besides the nurses in holding patterns, he was the only person in the room.

He located a tray of tomato seedlings going rootbound in their tiny six-packs, and a potting bench whose location was a quick-and-dirty approximation of equidistantly far from anything blooming. He assured his nurse he knew what he was doing, and after a couple of successful repottings, gently sliding the little seedlings out and loosening the tangled roots, she seemed to agree and backed off. It was, by far, the most fucking theraputic thing he'd found in this hellhole so far, and he let himself sink into the rhythm of the task.

[Free!]

[identity profile] k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com 2009-04-12 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, please," Schuldig muttered, keeping his eyes shut. "Who needs flowers, anyway?" It wasn't terribly convincing, and Schuldig hadn't bothered trying to make it so; Arty would have considered any response of his suspect, probably, given how he'd reacted just a moment ago. And it was far easier to let him believe that it was the flowers he wanted than try to explain the fact that he couldn't even begin to imagine a life that had such simple, uncomplicated pleasures in it.

...Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He'd seen lives like that quite often, from the outside - usually right before he ruined those lives out of spite. He simply couldn't imagine such a life for himself.

[identity profile] byname-bynature.livejournal.com 2009-04-12 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
A difficult choice lay before Artemis now: call Schuldig on his rather obvious and bad attempt to fix the situation, or just accept that Schuldig would only be angrier if he tried to fight him. And honestly, would anything he said change Schuldig's mind or heart? Would anything he said right now convince him that if Artemis had the chance, he would keep his promises? He couldn't think of anything that would.

And so, for what seemed to be the first time in his life, Artemis Fowl dropped the subject.

"I believe I'm closing in on the side effects of the experiment," Artemis said after a long (and unintentional) pause. The boy sighed and looked up at the sky. "Any ideas on how to keep me as calm as possible?"

[identity profile] k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com 2009-04-13 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
"I already told you," Schuldig muttered irritably, "I don't doubt your sincerity. I doubt your ability." There was a considerable difference between believing Artemis was feeding him a line and simply feeling he'd never get a chance to fulfill such a promise, regardless of genuine intent.

Hopefully that clarification hadn't reopened the subject, however. It was more than he wanted to get into, with Arty or anyone else.

In regards for what could keep the boy relaxed in the face of what had been done to him, and what side effects it might have... "Drugs," he offered, opening one eye to glance sidelong at him. "Lots of them. Beyond that, I suppose Haku and Badou and I are, sadly, your best alternatives."

[identity profile] byname-bynature.livejournal.com 2009-04-13 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
Artemis sighed, but didn't say anything. Apparently, he didn't have to say anything to irritate Schuldig. And he'd been so good to verbally drop the subject as well--but he couldn't help his thoughts. Artemis often wondered why Schuldig liked his mind--no doubt it was very noisy in there. Even moreso as of late.

The boy scowled. "I'm not going to drug myself into a coma. I think everyone involved with me would be a little upset by that--including you. If I calculated wrong, I might not wake up.

"And there's no 'sadly' to it. Haku can keep me calm--and so can you. On occasion. When you're in a good mood. And Badou..." Badou couldn't keep himself together without a lighter and cigarettes, so perhaps that wasn't a good example. "Badou treats me like Renji did. Like his... nephew, or something," he smiled.

[identity profile] k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com 2009-04-15 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
"If you rely on people like Badou and myself to keep you balanced, believe me, that's sad." He couldn't help raising an eyebrow at Arty at his comparison, however. "But Badou as an uncle? I suppose every family has at least one uncle like that, but he tends to be the one who doesn't get invited to family reunions."

Of course, now his curiosity was piqued. "Do I even want to know what familial comparison you'd draw with me?"

[identity profile] byname-bynature.livejournal.com 2009-04-15 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Simple," Artemis smirked slightly. "You're the other uncle that no one invites to the family reunion because he set the last one on fire. Badou might have helped you do it, too.

"But all the younger relatives like you nonetheless--because the adults tell us to 'stay away from Uncle Schu--he's a bad influence'. So of course, we all flock to you and Uncle Badou."

[identity profile] k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com 2009-04-18 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm too young to be an uncle," Schuldig complained. "Let Badou be Uncle Pedophilia; I'll just be Cousin Collateral Damage." He shot Arty a sidelong grin. "I would be the cool one, though. Plus you wouldn't stink of cigarettes for a week after hanging around me."