damned_institute | Day 41: Sun Room

Haseo's steps were heavy with the weight of righteous anger as he was escorted into the Sun Room, his posture so sullen and reluctant you could almost hear the nostalgic cry of an electric guitar. He was seething, and though perhaps it was a bit harder to be intimidating while wearing the uniform of an insane asylum and flanked by a bored-looking orderly, it was not for lack of trying.

Unfortunately, his nurse seemed unaffected by the act, and even with the cloud of failing to keep "Kai" away from "Peyton" hanging over her, remained determinedly cheerful. She merely said something about receiving a lecture later on, ignored his retorts, and assured him that it would be alright even though his internet stalker was in the same building. For the most part, Haseo tuned her babbling out after that, dismissing it as hopeless.

"...and usually this would be the time children would be taking showers, but you don't have to worry about that right now. Now then, le--"

"Wait. What?"

"Oh, all the children seventeen or under are separated right now while the adults go to the courtyard..."

"Hey, I'm not a kid you old--!"

"Oh of course you aren't dear, but you're not eighteen yet either, now are you?"

Haseo resisted the urge to do something rash, literally biting his tongue to keep quiet. But upon having the bulletin board pointed out to him, he shrugged off his anger for the most part and headed that way, fully intending to get more answers than he'd had time to receive during breakfast.

Well... at least Endrance is in another shower group, he thought, Thank god.

[Closed to Tsukasa, for now!]

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Ha ha! As he thought. The kid wasn't stupid. He was certainly sharp enough to pick up on his tone. So why did Nigredo actually attribute this as a mental wavelength power or whatever it was he wanted to call it? There were 'limitations.' If you ask someone to do something --sometimes they do it, sometimes they don't-- that would hardly constitute as a power.

Ha. He wasn't expecting much out this, and maybe he should have been a little nicer considering this was just a little kid. But this was far too amusing a scenario to pass up.

"A demonstration?" His hand ran through his hair again like he was really thinking about it. "Why, yes. I'd love one. If you think you can here, that is." It was solely because this was a child that he was going along with this. And it was solely for that fact that he warned himself against laughing. He didn't want to hurt the kid's feelings, after all.

Oh, goodness. Barring any barriers, this could get a little messy. Nigredo straightened in his seat, frowning slightly at the swishing in his ears. After this, he should request some sort of swab.

There was an intake of breath. The U.R.T.V. needed to think of a suggestion which Klavier wouldn't take up easily. Something odd, maybe even embarrassing. The man appeared to be confident in all nuances of the word. A bout of humiliation would probably do him some good. It would certainly help tone down the level in that voice of his.

The answer came to him a moment later, thanks to an old article he once found on the U.M.N. He exhaled slowly and smiled carefully. "You know what a rooster is?" he asked, almost too casually. "It produces a certain crow at dawn to announce the morning."

And then: "That sound. I want you to make it for everyone to hear."

The voice was low, almost a whisper, but unusually firm. Unlike the usual expectations of a controlling element, there was no song. No obvious entry. It came as a thief in the night, stealing what hopes of control Klavier might have wanted in this situation. It urged him to do as Nigredo said, in a voice that belonged not to the child but another. Someone familiar, someone the boy shouldn't be able to mimic.

A flash of blond hair and spectacles should take the man's vision and leave Klavier with the implications and no room to argue the semantics. The source did not approve of disobedience, did he not? A straight out 'no' would lead to condemnation. Disapproval.

But how could Nigredo ever know? He was only using his power.

Klavier blinked as though only registering the words just now. Though in reality, he didn't even hear them as words... or rather, he hadn't heard them, period. It was a concept suddenly made manifest, too quickly to consider where it came from or to consider much of anything at all.

But that command was barely even noticeable. Not compared to the tightening in his chest, that feeling in his stomach, the heavy weight of stress and apprehension he only ever really felt around one particular individual.

Before he could so much as consider what it was he was doing, he sat up in his seat, inhaled, opened his mouth.

"Cock-a-doodle-DOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

As a singer, he had plenty of the vocal strength needed to make the caw echo throughout the otherwise quiet Sun Room. A few nurses along the wall literally jumped, startled. Strangely enough... the sound was actually extremely accurate.

A stretch of silence came from Nigredo's side of the couch. The boy blinked once, then twice, before his lips tightened into a single thin line. The water in his ear as well as the former conversation vanished from his mind as he realized that, yes, this particular power worked. Almost too perfectly.

Something like a choke finally escaped from the child's lips, only to have it be accompanied by a sound appropriate for this situation: laughter. A good deal of laughter, in fact. The kind that had him leaning back and grabbing his stomach in mock pain.

It was well after that echo faded in the room and Nigredo's laughter started that Klavier seemed to realize what it was he had just done. He immediately clapped a hand to his mouth (as if that would somehow take that back) and turned his back toward the rest of the room's staring inhabitants, as best he could while still sitting in any case. Here was hoping his hand was also covering a tinge of pink spreading across his face as well.

What just happened? Did he just...? Klavier didn't have the courage to look back over those in the room to see if anyone familiar had born witness to that. Particularly his brother. If Kristoph had seen that, he might have just resigned himself to his room and never come out ever again.

Was that... Had that been... It kind of wasn't very clear. It didn't seem like a hypnosis. It felt like something he'd done on his own. Only he'd never have done something like that. He was at such a loss, he he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

The howl eventually subsided into a snicker, though a part of Nigredo was still shaking from the effects. It also didn't help that Klavier looked absolutely mortified at his 'actions'. The expression was nearly enough to send the variant into another burst of laughter. Nearly.

He straightened in his seat, a sly smile stretching across his features. "So," he began, voice hitching from silent giggles, "convinced now?" Or was another demonstration in store?

He pulled his hand from his mouth, the completely bewildered look remaining exactly in place. Again, he still wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't think of many times in which he was at such a loss for words.

"Y-You... You really did that?" he asked incredulously. How was that even possible? He hadn't... well, he hadn't seen him DO anything. He expected a wiggle of the fingers or a magic spell being uttered or something glowing or something. What the heck...?

"I did." What had he expected? A grand exhibition of his powers? Hypnosis was, first and foremost, a subtle ability. And yet, people were generally surprised at its subdued nature. He should really explain the entire process next time.

"Although--" Nigredo snickered, suddenly noting the onlookers. "--everyone else might believe otherwise."

Klavier froze at that moment. He still wasn't looking, but he could practically feel all those eyes looking at him. He bowed his head down, hoping his hair would cover up his face. It didn't help though.

He hadn't taken note of who was in there, but now... all those people had seen him do that. And heard him! Oh, god. They were all going to think he was some kind of weirdo. Or psycho. Nigredo was right. It LOOKED like it was all him. How was he supposed to know that... that...

He suddenly stood up, still trying to keep his face out of view. He was so freaking ashamed. "I... I'm not staying here anymore," he blurted out, all composure completely gone. He was almost sounded like a five year old about to throw a fit. Right then he wanted to be anywhere but there. Anywhere. Though... No. Not yet. He needed answers from this kid. Straight answers. And...

"David?" Klavier was so unguarded, he actually jumped when the nurse approached and spoke up. She looked genuinely concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"

It took everything in his power not to snap back that he was perfectly fine, thank you. Maybe if she hadn't been a woman or a nurse, he might have broken his composure. Instead, he simply pursed his lips together. "...No. Actually, I'm not okay." He said it as calmly as possible. The staff thought they were all crazy anyway, right? Why not use this? "I think I need some fresh air. ...Actually, we both do."

He turned to Nigredo, hoping he wouldn't disagree or make a fuss. "Come on, let's... get out of here."

[to here]

Edited 2009-05-18 05:28 (UTC)

Day 41: Sun Room

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