damned_institute | Nightshift 40: Doctor's Office 3 (Dr. Kisugi)

Nightshift 40: Doctor's Office 3 (Dr. Kisugi)

[from here]

Nothing leaped out at him right away, so he did a quick check of the office with his flashlight. Her desk was back in place obviously, but other than that it looked just like it had during the day; everything was neat and impersonal to the point of being slightly creepy. On the upside it didn't leave a lot of places for her to hide. (His imagination was pretty vivid but he couldn't really come up with anything creepier than Makiko herself, maybe wearing a dominatrix getup and feeding on the blood of the innocent since it was nightshift and all. God he'd have nightmares for weeks.)

The titles on her bookshelf only made him more sure of his theory. He should have noticed them sooner, but he wasn't exactly the most logical person when he got that pissed off. He left it up to Artemis if he wanted to come in or not. "I'll be a few of minutes."

Badou settled in her chair and yanked the drawer open to rifle through it.

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"Be careful," Artemis warned, having watched Badou walk into the office before him. (Honestly if anyone had a chance of dodging booby traps, it wasn't the rich boy in the suit.) "I've heard of some doctors leaving traps in their offices. Opening..."

Artemis swayed on his feet rather violently. He felt like he was getting motion sickness, even though he was standing still. Groping for the back of the chair, Artemis found it and stabilized himself. His face was nearly white and very drawn. Internally, the boy was trying very hard not to throw up.

I'm not allowed in here, he realized. This is a private office, I had to break in, I haven't been invited.

Artemis remembered reading the passage in the Book--he'd even used it to his advantage. No fairy could enter a human dwelling without permission. The rules could be bent, of course. If there was an open door that was usually an invitation. The plaque above the Taipei 101 building had invited people to come and go as they pleased, so the team had worked that into a pseudo-invitation. Artemis, however, was trespassing in a place he wasn't wanted in. And thus, fairy law was exacting its own form of punishment.

"Opening..." Artemis couldn't remember what he was going to say. So he went with a better option: "Don'tgetanycloserI'mgoingtobesick...!"

And he ducked behind the chair, out of sight, and did just that.

Badou, who was busy sorting through mundane paperwork, didn't look up right away. Where was it?

"Opening...?" Peripherally he saw Artemis grip the back of the chair but he still didn't think too much of it. The kid was probably just going to laze around for a while too. Was that his name down there?

"Opening what?" Badou asked, sounding slightly annoyed when Artemis just trailed off a second time. He had no idea what the rest of the sentence was supposed to be, but it wasn't overly difficult to interpret the sound of retching that followed soon after. He dropped the handful of papers and leaned over the desk. "Arty? What's wrong?"

Was it the magic he used earlier? Badou wouldn't be terribly surprised if he'd been lying about that after all but he'd be pissed.

Edited 2009-05-05 04:38 (UTC)

Artemis spat on the floor, still feeling dizzy, but unable to vomit anymore. He hadn't eaten much during dinner, after all. Pulling out his handkerchief and wiping his mouth with it, Artemis managed to find the back of the chair again and pull himself up.

"It's alright, I'm fine," he said. And he really was--he'd just broken magical law and was being punished for it. Physically he was fine. "I just... can't be in places I'm not allowed in. If it were my own doctor's office, I suspect I would be fine but..."

Carefully, he made his way around the chair and sat down. The room was still spinning, but he found closing his eyes helped. "You've seen quite a few side-effects tonight. I'm sorry. That was probably the worst, though. Fairies--" Oh God he was a fairy. Irony was a cruel mistress. "--can't enter a human dwelling unless they are invited. I suspect that I can roam the hallways without issue because I've been brought here. But private living and working spaces are another story. I have to be invited inside by another human.

"It's magical law," he explained. "A sort of... curse established by magical authority to prevent fairies from being seen and interacting with humans. The second a fairy enters a human dwelling--especially if they've been forbidden from entering... that," Artemis gestured behind him. "Happens. And the offending party continues to feel this way until they leave."

"So that makes you what? A glowing pervert rage magnet fairy in the middle of puberty?" Badou snorted, though to his credit he didn't burst out laughing. He really wasn't the most sensitive guy in the world and that was pretty damn funny. He may or may not have added fairy to his list of irritating nicknames.

Since Artemis seemed to be done vomiting for now, he went back to work, keeping half an eye on Artemis and the door beyond him. Artemis was looking pale even for him and the door was looking ominous even for a door in this place.

"Does it work if I invite you?" He asked, scanning Makiko's notes while he spoke. "Otherwise you should probably wait just outside. I'm almost done here." His file didn't seem to be in the drawers and he couldn't think of anywhere else she could have put it. Dammit. He'd have to visit the file room sometime later after all.

"If it doesn't work like that," Artemis said with a hollow laugh. "I'm going to have a serious problem when it comes to gathering information, breaking and entering, and so on."

He couldn't just invite Holly and No. 1 into the Taipei 101 building, he thought. And it was different for his own house--he was a regular resident of that place.

"But," he reasoned aloud. "If you're a patient who comes in here regularly--who's invited in here, perhaps you could bring me as an acquaintance...?" Artemis felt like a moron--reasoning with magical law out loud. Apparently it didn't work like that, because he still felt a little woozy.

"'N I'm not a glowing pervert... fairy in puberty. Whatever you said," Artemis moaned, covering his face. "I'm a glowing freak of nature. It's like if you woke up one day and you were half rhinoceros. And you were expected to act like a rhinoceros, but you'd only briefly read the manual on how to be a rhinoceros."

Something like that anyway.

Suddenly, Artemis had something he hadn't in a long time: a brilliant idea. A way to create a safe zone in a forbidden territory. It was a place that Badou and everyone else owned no matter where they were. Personal space.

"I think I know how to get by this," Artemis said, grinning into his hands. "Quick, before I start up again--ask me to come over to you."

Well if he wanted to use the common name for it, then Badou supposed freak of nature would do.

"...What?" Unfortunately, even Badou couldn't quite follow that train of thought...metaphor...whatever, which made it somewhat legendary in terms of how little sense it made. At least Arty had something of an excuse. Magical puberty kicking up and all of that.

He glanced over. Well, if Artemis thought it would help... "Ok, come here."

"I know it's strange, but bear with me," Artemis said, shakily getting to his feet. He felt like he was going to go a second round if he didn't do something. A normal person might use this opportunity to get out instead of test theories. But Artemis was far from a normal person.

He came very close to Badou, waiting for the sick feeling to dissipate. He didn't feel like he was going to vomit again (which was good, considering his proximity), but apparently a theoretical space didn't count. Artemis still felt dizzy. It was disheartening--this meant that he wouldn't be able to enter any dwelling he wasn't invited into without becoming violently ill. He'd have to stock up on motion sickness tablets. Did they even carry those in the pharmacy.

He shook his head, turning around to leave the room. "It's not working--personal space isn't good enough. I suppose I'll wait for you outside, then. If you need my help I'll try to counsel you from the door frame."

Artemis felt rather humiliated and helpless. The healing was useful, to be certain, but how was he supposed to escape from a prison he was locked in if he couldn't set foot past locked doors and the like? He had to be clever about this--figure out a way to invite himself into places he wasn't allowed in.

But now, he felt like the dog on a leash, tied to the fire hydrant outside a restaurant.

"You said something about personal space?" Badou interrupted, reaching out to catch his sleeve before he went off again. "Maybe you need to be in contact. Come here. Just don't throw up on me."

He pulled Artemis back into his lap (careful of the sword of course - he didn't want anything important sliced off). It was probably the worst position in the world if they got into a fight but it was only for a few minutes at most. Besides, he wasn't sure he really liked the idea of Artemis sulking outside. If his back started glowing it'd be like holding up a neon sign that said 'Fresh Meat'.

Artemis made a sort of strangled, surprised noise when Badou pulled him back and down into his lap. He hadn't been expecting that, and he was a little afraid of what more contact would do in the healing department.

"Badou, I don't think--" Artemis blinked. It was gone. Why? Why did contact work, but being in the general vicinity didn't? He had been about to leave, though. And then Badou had called him back. Brought him back forcefully even.

"That must be it," Artemis said, shifting in Badou's lap to make eye contact. "It wouldn't make sense to punish someone for being dragged into a situation against their intention. I was about to leave, but you pulled me back--negating the punishment and essentially issuing an obligatory invitation. Which means that--"

Which meant that Badou would be carrying Artemis over forbidden thresholds. D'arvit.

"That I'm brilliant? Well yeah." Badou replied, turning away momentarily exhale smoke and pick up the sheets of paper again. "You're just getting too worked up over this to figure it out yourself. Some genius." He was grinning slightly. Actually the most he'd expected was for Artemis to stop sulking as much but this was an added bonus.

"Ok, now stay put and let uncle Badou read. Here, hold my flashlight." He passed the flashlight off to Artemis and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist to keep him from accidentally throwing them both off the chair. There wasn't enough room between them to hold the notes there so he ended up holding them in front of Artemis and leaning over his shoulder to read.

It was just a summary of their session more or less with some notes about treatment and possible medications. She'd conveniently skipped over the parts where she baited him and noted his reactions to the topic of his brother and the incident seven years ago. At first evasive, then angry and violent. She didn't leave any details on what they were both referring to though it was fairly obvious that his brother's death was a part of it.

She was interested in what would come up in later sessions. Did that mean she didn't really know after all?

Artemis felt a little ridiculous, sitting on Badou's lap with Badou's flashlight pointed at the notes he was reading. But at the same time, it was nice to be held. It had been something sadly lacking from his childhood, considering the expectations placed upon him by his father. There was more talk of stocks and profits than of family and love. The best he'd received before the incident in the Arctic was a pat on the shoulder.

He gave Badou a petulant look at the 'Uncle Badou' comment, but he still settled himself in to enjoy not feeling ill anymore. He even took the liberty of reading the notes in front of him.

Seven years ago. And Badou had a brother? Considering his reactions to it, Artemis didn't think it wise to discuss the subject at length. ...unless Badou wanted to.

"Why were you angry?" he asked, feeling it was the safest question to ask in the meantime.

As for holding Artemis, Badou just didn't think much of it. As far as he was concerned it just kept his adopted nephew out of trouble for a few minutes. It was awkward but not entirely unpleasant.

He figured Artemis would read along but telling him not to would just make this look like a bigger deal than it was. "Didn't have any smokes." He replied automatically. He tossed the notes back onto the pile of papers on the table and leaned back in the chair.

"It's not in her notes but she made it sound like she'd been there seven years ago and she was still getting a kick out of it. I thought she might have been one of those soldiers." So actually I was trying to kill her. "I guess she was just laughing at my reactions. Or she could really be connected to it... I don't know."

You seemed to be fine without them before, Artemis thought, Badou's reaction confirming that it was something that was a sensitive subject. The boy thought that the only reason Badou would be visibly and definitively angry would be if someone took away his cigarettes. Badou wasn't dumb enough to smoke in front of his doctor, so he couldn't see why they would be.

Which meant that it was something else. Artemis only wondered if pressing Badou for information would be useful at all, or if it would result in him being dumped on the floor and left.

"One of those soldiers?" Artemis asked. "What happened with soldiers seven years ago?"

No one would have noticed the tension that ran through him...unless, like Artemis, they happened to be sitting in his lap. Those weren't exactly pleasant memories.

"They killed my brother." He tried to sound casual or pissed or something but it just came out tired. He held up his free hand, the one with the scar running through his palm. "That's when this happened too. One of them stabbed me in the eye. I tried to cover it and, you know, that didn't work out too well."

When he felt the tension in Badou's back, Artemis was ready for Badou to throw him off in a fury. He readied himself to guard against face-planting into the desk, but it didn't come. Instead, Artemis felt a chill rise in him that he couldn't suppress. The thought of someone stabbing him in the eye, through his hand... it was the sort of thing Artemis couldn't imagine without feeling sick.

In addition, he couldn't think of anything to say to that. It was entirely possible that Badou's doctor had found out about this simply through Landel--but did they have that sort of connection to the Head Doctor? Were they his direct underlings, next to the head nurse? How could Badou's doctor know about the incident if the case were anything different?

That could wait, though. Now, Artemis had been silent and troubled for a long while. He seemed to always have an answer for every question, except when it came to matters of loss and love. Then, he never knew the answer. He found himself asking the stupidest questions.

"What was your brother like?"

Badou seemed to shake himself out of the mood that had come over him while Artemis stayed silent. He wrapped his other hand around the boy's stomach and rested his chin on Artemis' shoulder - a position he'd always found really annoying when he was in Artemis' place. "Sorry, that wasn't really a story for kids."

Badou shrugged. "He was a pretty useless guy. He blew all his money on smokes and stupid shit but I guess I thought he was cool because I followed him around like a retarded duckling." He didn't really want to get into that, so it sounded like it was about time he changed the subject. He cocked his head at the door. "Now that you know about my tragic past, want to go find your file?"

If I had an older sibling, I probably would have done the same.

Artemis wanted to say that, but Badou suggested going to find his own file. He couldn't very well say that now--especially if Badou wanted the subject to go away.

"I don't trust Disraeli's office during the day, and I trust it even less at night," Artemis said, laying still in Badou's arms. "Most likely, it will be an extremely dangerous venture. I wouldn't want to put you in that position without any information, or without telling you the risks."

Considering that he wasn't squirming Artemis must be petty serious about this...or still thinking about what he'd said too much. Then again, Badou wasn't really one to talk when it came to obsessing over the past. He couldn't seem to shake Dave's bad habits no matter how often he swore them off.

Ah well. He'd picked up recklessness too. "It's fine. It's not like you can go in there by yourself if it's that dangerous."

Artemis couldn't deny that he was curious. He wanted to read Disraeli's notes on his session, but he wondered if they were worth any traps that Disraeli had laid.

He'd never know until he tried, though.

"You're right," Artemis conceded, though he was still reluctant to leave the comfortable position his was in. He sat up, signaling to Badou that the man could let go, since he was going to get up. "I've been curious about him, and I suppose now that he's Haku's doctor as well, the more information, the better."

Badou released Artemis so he could scramble off and dumped most of the papers back into Makiko's desk drawer. Badou frowned, though he was currently setting the edge of her notes on fire his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.

"Damn, you think he knows about you two?"

"No, I don't believe so. I think he just thinks we're--BADOU!" Artemis had turned around from getting off Badou's lap, and found the man plotting to set the whole desk on fire. Well, the plotting part was over now--the desk would be on fire soon. The drawers were wood, weren't they?

"...if you wanted to burn the notes, couldn't you have... I don't know, put them in the wastebin?" he asked, exasperated. The whole hallway could go up in flames if the night wasn't about to end. Artemis didn't think the fire would jump across the hall and down, but he was thinking about the smoke.

"Yeah, I could have." Badou replied, nonplussed. Once he had the notes burning properly (not hard since they were paper) he made sure they had the merry little bed of Makiko's Paperwork to eat away. At the least everything in her desk would be ash.

Ah, that smoke was really good..! Sure it was a petty thing to do but he didn't care particularly. He stood up and tossed away the filter from his last cigarette before lighting another one in the rapidly growing fire.

Artemis got a little push in the back. "Come on, out you go Arty. Smoke is bad for your health."

Artemis sighed, looking annoyed as he was herded out of the room. "The irony of that statement is profound, I'll have you know."

(And shepherded out to here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/615532.html?thread=51475052#t51475052))

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Nightshift 40: Doctor's Office 3 (Dr. Kisugi)

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