Anise Tatlin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gald_digger) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2009-06-29 10:57 pm
gald_digger) wrote in damned_institute2009-06-29 10:57 pm
Day 42: Wicker Street
As soon as Anise hopped off the bus, she was handed a bundle of coupons, as was routine for these trips, though her nurse stopped her before she could run off and do her own thing. Telling the girl she would surely catch a cold in just a t-shirt, the woman handed Anise a pale purple jacket. It was pretty chilly, so Anise slipped it on without any complaints. Naturally, Tokunaga went over top of it, hanging from its usual spot on her back.
Once she was free to wander around, Anise headed over to Wicker Street. Though she had walked down it once before while searching for a post office, she never really took the time to see what shops were there.
Immediately, a shop window caught her eye - one displaying a row of elegant-looking porcelain dolls. They sort of reminded her of the kinds she used to see the daughters of rich tourists carrying with them... the kinds that were way too expensive for a girl like Anise to have.
Tokunaga was much better than any of them, of course.
Still, the girl couldn't help but gravitate over to the window to get a closer look. The styles of dresses they wore were different from what she usually saw on Auldrant, and the quality and detail were way beyond that of anything Anise considered affordable. It was a little depressing, in a way.
[taken ♥]
Once she was free to wander around, Anise headed over to Wicker Street. Though she had walked down it once before while searching for a post office, she never really took the time to see what shops were there.
Immediately, a shop window caught her eye - one displaying a row of elegant-looking porcelain dolls. They sort of reminded her of the kinds she used to see the daughters of rich tourists carrying with them... the kinds that were way too expensive for a girl like Anise to have.
Tokunaga was much better than any of them, of course.
Still, the girl couldn't help but gravitate over to the window to get a closer look. The styles of dresses they wore were different from what she usually saw on Auldrant, and the quality and detail were way beyond that of anything Anise considered affordable. It was a little depressing, in a way.
[taken ♥]
no subject
There were a few commonalities between patient and doctor, and one of them was being a foreigner in an alien town. Of course, Daedalus had been living in Doyleton for over eleven days now, which was more than enough time to become acquainted with his temporary residence and for the residents to become acquainted with him. With his position, at least. An affiliate with the hospital that sat high on the mountain. All things considered, however, he dared to say he had the advantage of exposure compared to the patients, who came to visit once a week and once a week only. But a superficial advantage was not an advantage at all, as there was nothing truly remarkable about the town or the things in it. At least nothing that would offset Daedalus’s intentions, which was what mattered.
Still, he did find himself at something of a loss when it came to dressing for the day. He would have preferred wearing his professional apparel at all times, as was only appropriate, but this was a rural community, and he recognized how much he stood out while doing so. His lab coat was also unsuited for outdoor climates. So the young doctor found himself watching the buses unload from the corner of Germaine Street, dressed in his familiar trousers, with a dark blue sweater. The insulted jacket he had over top was informal wear, to be sure, but was a grey color bordering on white and looked far more prim than it could have. His own personal joke.
He didn’t want to interfere with the patients just then, and instead headed up the street at a leisurely pace. The day was an excellent and rare opportunity to see how the patients were when outside of the Institute, if not out from under supervision. They would probably congregate on Main Street… As he took a look down one of the other streets, Wicker, he noticed a figure that most certainly wasn’t one of the regular townspeople’s children on an early morning stroll. It was the doll on her back that gave her away almost immediately. It was rather unsubtle.
The distance between them wasn’t so great that he couldn’t speak and fear going unheard. “Good morning,” called Daedalus.
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"D-Dr. Yumeno!" she stammered. "You came here, too!?" It was hard not to be a little nervous, with the encounter being so out of the ordinary. Maybe it wasn't that weird that a doctor would come along for the field trip, but Anise hadn't run into any on her last two trips. She thought maybe they just took the day off.
This wasn't going to turn into an on-the-spot therapy session or something weird, was it?
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Yes, seeing one’s doctor in a casual setting like this was sure to raise some questions.
“Hello,” Daedalus said, nodding, though it wasn’t in response to her question. He returned his hand to its previous position and moved towards her. “So you’re on your visit. Actually, I don’t know if you’re aware, but this is where I’m staying when I’m not at the hospital.” If he wasn’t, then the likelihood of him making the decision to join in on an outing was slim to none; he preferred his natural environments. Offices and medical laboratories. This would work, however. “Meeting you like this is still quite a coincidence.
Daedalus could only make predictions for so much.
no subject
It was a little weird seeing the doctor in casual clothes, though it was just as weird to see all the patients in almost-normal clothes, despite having seen it plenty of times before. It felt like they were in a completely different place than that lousy prison... even though Anise knew they were still just as trapped.
She had to wonder if their meeting in town really was a coincidence, though. With her initial surprise wearing off, the girl eased into a casual, cute grin. "Yeah, it sure is! Were you on your way somewhere?"
no subject
But Daedalus merely nodded again, in affirmation this time. “Yes.” For now. And then he would be back where he belonged, unlike here, where he didn’t. Perhaps the same could be said of her, depending on how one looked at it. “I’m not headed anywhere in particular,” he went on. Since where was there to go? His task at hand was right here for the day, milling about the small community. “But you? Do you have plans for the day?”
Window shopping, from the looks of it.
He smiled back at her, a flash of good humor. Two adolescents speaking as companions in the early morning streets, they certainly were not. “If I ask how you’ve been, would that threaten to put a damper on your day, coming from me?”
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His last question got a nervous giggle out of her. "Eheh. I guess it's okay. I'm doing well!" It wasn't exactly true, considering there was still a lot wrong with her situation, especially since Ion had disappeared. But it wasn't entirely a lie, either. Anise had been a lot worse than she was today.
no subject
Externally, Daedalus let out a laugh faintly edged with disbelieve. Doctors were not supposed to become bored or pick favorites, after all. “I don’t know about that,” he hedged indefinitely, but then added a little wryly, “You seem so.” Even if he was oblivious to all but the face value of her answer regarding her status, the girl’s antics deserved a response. “But no hospital for today, so that can only be good.” Not that the town was too lenient a place to spend time outside of the Institute, as she’d said…
He looked up and down the street as though considering what was around them. “For security purposes, I imagine,” Daedalus continued. “But the day staff do give you something to use in town, don’t they?” He knew of the coupon system--unique passes that the townspeople would accept in lieu of payment. Probably not for the most diverting activities.
no subject
"Boooo. Just because some people are too unstable to buy their own stuff, doesn't mean all of us are! It's totally unfair," she whined, hoping the doctor would at least understand her feelings. He didn't think she was weird like that, did he?
no subject
Safety needed to be taken into account. Fairness…
His gaze returned to her face, animated with put-on petulance. She had it right. A smile returned to his lips. “So you’re saying you’re the one who’s bored,” he said at first, amused, before adding more seriously, “But dependence isn’t merited for all of you, I know. It’s just how things must be done.” There remained an element of sympathy in his tone despite the reality of the situation, which he couldn’t rationally deny.
But there was an opportunity here. Daedalus had seen the potential for it the moment she’d spun away from that window.
He looked passed her, to the shop in question, and like something was occurring to him, he said, “And not everything would cause harm. At least I don‘t believe in your case,” in the same way. Then he looked back at her again, with a new decisiveness. “Why don’t you get something, then?” Short of theft, she didn’t have the means to, but he did.
no subject
Her face fell a little as Daedalus spoke about the necessity of the policies. It was the same kind of disappointment she felt when her parents told her each week why they couldn't take her away from this place - though not as bad, since she never fully expected the doctor to be on her side.
It was kind of a shame. Daedalus seemed like a decent guy, and Anise even liked him a little, but if he worked for Landel, he probably was an enemy... maybe even a seriously dangerous, deceptive one. Anise had to remember that, no matter what.
When the doctor made his suggestion, Anise was confused at first. "Huh? But I can't..."
It clicked. In an instant, the girl's face lit up once again. "Y-you mean...!?"
no subject
Impulsiveness was for people with more fire to their emotions than him.
That was why he rarely needed to backtrack once he’d made a proposition--variables at play could change, but he had an eye on the game as a whole. A nod was his answer. “Sure, I think it’d be fine. Something to cheer up your stay, maybe.” Daedalus was no stranger to bending rules set down for the common good. There was laughter in his voice when he said, “You’re probably better off making the suggestions, though,” because she assumedly had a more appropriate idea of what young girls would be happy with.
This one was not Re-l, after all.
no subject
It was possible he was just trying to buy her trust so she'd let her guard down around him, but who cared about the motive if it meant she was getting free stuff? Besides, the closer she got to the doctor, the more information she could hope to get that wasn't accessible to patients.
What a chance!
With a gleeful squeal, Anise wrapped an arm around her doctor's. "You'll really get me something? That's so sweet of you! Oh, I'm starting to feel better already." She began tugging the doctor's arm, pulling him closer to the store. "Let's go in here, then! There's something I want to get a closer look at."
Anise would have liked to buy something useful, but she knew just about anything worth having was off-limits, even if this guy was willing to bend the rules a little. But she could still hope to walk away with something cute or valuable. Or both!
[dragging him here]