damned_institute | Day 43: Sun Room, Second Shift

Unfortunately for Brainiac 5, X could be more intelligent and quiet than he led on. The moment Nursey proclaimed brunch was over and he should give James more space, the Nobody immediately spotted his target and followed him, weaving through the crowd without a single noise to pinpoint his own location (which, in his own opinion, was a sign of major skill what with the wounds II had given him), all while keeping himself out of the robot's field of vision.

After all, he wasn't as dense as to miss both the note this brat had given Celes, nor the one she had left for him. He knew this brat and his desire to place a wedge between he and one of the few in this asylum that he actually liked. Celes' hostility towards him this morning and the day before? Only had one, logical source.

Without proper warning, the Gambler placed a hand on the boy's shoulder from behind. He leaned in, just close enough to whisper a greeting. "Brainiac. I do believe we need to discuss something, don't you?"

He'd been feeling better after the few brief games of chess. More relaxed and in control of himself at least.

And then the hand had dropped onto his shoulder and Luxord's voice was in his ear and what precious little peace he'd obtained was obliterated with a few whispered words. For a panicked moment, he considered screaming, despite how little he knew it would do for the situation, but he couldn't seem to get his mouth or throat to give anything but a sharp gasp of shock.

His body had tensed up automatically at the touch, and if Brainiac 5 could have pulled away from the contact, he would have. As it was, he knew it would have been obvious how much he wanted to be elsewhere in the painfully long seconds it took for him to recover enough to speak. "Luxord."

What an adorable reaction. He let his fingers press deeper into the robot's skin, watching intently for any other signs of fear with a cruel smirk. "So you haven't forgotten the man you seemed so fond of badgering, hm? How wonderful." How could anyone forget the Gambler of Fate? He made sure to give lasting impressions, if that gasp from his conversational partner said anything.

X laughed, releasing his grip on 5's shoulder to slowly circle around him, causally gesturing with his hands as he spoke. Despite all pretenses, this was a civil conversation between the two of them, wasn't it? There was no need for behaving rudely, was there? "I only came to request a simple, simple thing from you, dear boy." He stopped for a moment to fully face the other blond before continuing on his slow pace. "Celes? She is off-limits. Call it a bit of... personal interest on my part wishing you to cease your silly attempts at being a naughty little bird unable to keep a secret.

"Or..." He stopped in front of the fearful child, this time completely, pulling five cards from his right sleeve to idly shuffle between his hands. Brainiac knew what it meant. Brainiac would be able to see from the empty stare in the Nobody's eyes that this was not something he should bet on. "Would you rather play another game?"

Brainiac 5 flinched as Luxord's fingers dug into his shoulder and the heartless man continued speaking in a soft, dangerous voice. He wasn't going to rise to that bait, however. Luxord knew that he wasn't going to be able to simply forget him or what happened easily. There was something more to this.

The older man laughed and let go of him, circling his chair and coming into sight. Brainiac 5 resisted the urge to massage his shoulder, not wanting to give the other the satisfaction. He supposed in one way he was lucky that Luxord hadn't grabbed his injured shoulder, though more likely than not it was simply because he didn't want to inadvertently bring a nurse over to disrupt them. Unfortunately for him, none of them were close enough that he felt he could get their attention without making it obvious he was signalling for help. He'd simply have to deal with this on his own.

Luxord paused in his circling, and Brainiac 5 tensed up again, not sure what to expect, but the other man simply continued pacing and talking. Celes? Confusion flickered over his features for a moment before he recalled why the name was familiar. The woman Luxord had been meeting with, the one he'd tried to establish contact with. One of two people he'd tried to find some way to warn, though Luxord apparently didn't know that part. Except apparently his notes to Celes had been intercepted.

Which meant it was most likely Luxord who had been responsible for that. This was a bad situation. He couldn't explain his interest as anything else, so his only other option was to agree to the other's demands or maybe...

Luxord stopped again, and before Brainiac 5 had a chance to do or say anything, he produced five cards from his sleeve and had them dancing in an intricate pattern between his hands.

He couldn't help it, the mere sight of those cards in Luxord's hands and his whole body tensed up again, trembling in fear, his eyes widening and a noise that he was ashamed to admit might be a faint whimper dying in his throat. It was like he was back in that hallway again, helpless to save Clark's life again, and having to watch him die again...

"Don't--!" A shudder shook him and he jerked back in his wheelchair and buried his face in his hands, anything rather than look at those cards right now. "...what else do you want from me?" he asked quietly, hoping more than anything that Luxord would just leave him alone now.

What else did he want? That was obvious in of itself, but that was neither here nor there. Besides, it wasn't Brainiac's place to give it to him. Brainiac only had one very easy task he was obligated to follow before Luxord grew upset with him.

The cowering was all well and good, but X needed him to pay more attention. What use would this lecture be if dear 5 wasn't about to listen, none the less too afraid to even look at the Nobody? He would need to make sure the message was strong and easily not dismissed. "I'm well aware you've plans to see her later." He leaned in, four cards sliding back into his sleeve while he kept the last, the two of hearts, to trail it slowly across the boy's knuckles and fingers. With the edge of the card, he began drawing lines (nothing to damage the skin in any way, just to let the robot feel it) across Brainiac's hands, letting them form words as he spoke.

"Of course, it would be suspicious if you did not show..."

Learn to be quiet.

"But I must ask of you to say nothing incriminating, hm?"

Don't say a word.

"I'm awfully fond of her, as you must know," otherwise, they would not be having this discussion, "and I would be very displeased if you decided to sing such an unhappy song to her."

Death is not the worst punishment for you.

He pulled back with a smile, even taking a few, kind steps away. He held out the card in his hand to him, like some sick memento for 5 to keep. "Are we at an understanding?"

Brainiac 5 shuddered, but there was nowhere for him to go when Luxord dragged the card lightly across his hands, taunting him with the memory of his failure to Clark. The edge of it slid across his skin, a parody of the injuries he'd been given by Luxord before-- no. There was something different now. A pattern to the sensations.

Words. He went quiet, perfectly still and almost all his awareness focussed on his skin and the feeling there. As he'd suspected, the touch of the card conveyed a message that reinforced what Luxord was saying. The threat of what would happen to him if he didn't keep to himself was obvious. Death is not the worst punishment for you.

The touch of the card disappeared, and Brainiac 5 shuddered again and, to his surprise, became aware of a wetness against his fingers. Tears. Not only had Luxord managed to corner him in such a way that he was powerless to prevent it, but he'd started crying again without even realising it.

He dropped his hands away as Luxord drew back, but purposefully didn't look at him or the card being offered to him. "I understand," he said, voice rougher than he would have liked. "Is that all you wanted?"

If X was pleased with himself for making a small boy cry, he didn't show it. Instead, he just kept a polite smile on his face and slid the ignored card back down to join the rest of them. If Brainiac was not going to take it, there was little he could do. "Precisely," he answered, clasping his hands together. "I suppose I should take my leave, then." He resisted the urge to pat him on the head before turning on his heel and giving a small, careless wave as he walked away.

That was that, then. Really, he wasn't as trusting as to think the boy would give up that easily, but if it came to sabotaging 5's hand, then no one could say he gave no warnings. Without anything else to occupy his time with, the Gambler moved on to find a nice couch to rest on and visit with Tyche. She must have had such a busy night!

[exit thread, stage right~]

Kio had left the Chapel for the Sun Room, the gloom for the need for sunshine. His nurse seemed happy that he was out and about, although he didn't feel that happy. His promise to Soubi was starting to weigh heavily on his mind and the lack of Dr Landel's voice was enough to unsettle him. He knew better than to ask his nurse, for all her cheerful demeanour.

"No more food?" He blinked at her in surprise. "No... no thank you." He wanted peace, not sun. He walked into the main patient room and looked around. Like a radar, the sight of the blond man tipped him and he nearly expected to see Soubi teasing Ritsuka. Instead, it was a strange pair and the younger of the two seemed to be in a lot of pain. Kio's eyes quickly scanned the scene, his brows furrowing. It wasn't right.

He could feel annoyance building up inside him. He'd been to passive. Striding purposefully across the room, Kio shot death glares at the man, only to soften his expression when he reached the boy. "Hey now, don't cry. Are you okay?" He tried to smile, ready to pick a fight if the adult came back. A passive fight, yes, but he wouldn't have this much sadness happen any more.

Brainiac 5 jumped as someone else approached, and he half expected that it was Grell deciding to mock him next or maybe Luxord returning to do something else to him, but was surprised to see it was a complete stranger instead.

"I'm not--" he began, but the roughness of his voice and dampness on his face would have made that an obvious lie, so he shook his head and glanced away instead. "I'm fine. It's nothing you need concern yourself with."

The boy was on edge and Kio could feel his cheer slipping. But he was sad, so sad, how could he leave him here? He dug his hands in his pocket, his fingers easily finding the hidden lollipop. Should he? Kio looked over his shoulder and took it out, handing it to the boy.

"You say that but I can see different. Here, have this. Lollies always make people smile. Mind if I sit next to you?" Kio smiled warmly. He wanted to make this boy forget some of his troubles. "I'm Kio."

When the newcomer reached into his pocket, Brainiac 5 tensed up slightly, suddenly wondering if this was something else organised by Luxord or Grell, but instead all that was produced was a candy of some sort. He blinked at it before doubtfully accepting the gift.

"Brainiac 5," he said automatically, still staring doubtfully at the treat. He glanced up at Kio, nodded at the request to join him, and continued uncertainly. "Thank you, but I don't see how this could be of any help to me. It's largely sugars and additives; nothing of any nutritional value. I appreciate the thought but..."

He sniffled without meaning to and a look of irritation crossed his face as he tried to wipe away the last of the tears without seeming too obvious. "Really, I'm capable of handling this on my own."

Kio sat down, unfazed by the unusual name. He was slowly getting used to it, the way the others seemed to call themselves. Maybe he was the fifth son of a guy called Brainiac? Westerners could be so strange sometimes.

The refusal of candy only heightened Kio's pain. He frowned for a moment, saddened. "You don't like lollies? They always cheer people up. It might not be food, but it sure tastes better than the stuff they give us here, doesn't it?"

Kio wanted to wipe the boy's tears away and hug him, but Ophelia's reaction stopped him. The memory of that flinch was enough to make him stay still. "You don't look like it, you know," he replied blankly. "Who was that guy?"

"It's not that I don't like them," Brainiac 5 clarified, "it's that I don't see the point in them. They offer nothing of any real benefit, and they don't really cheer people up on their own." He frowned slightly. "Though chocolate does have some affect on the brain, I suppose. But this," he raised the lollipop a little, though was careful not to let the nurses see it, "won't really have any similar effect."

He sighed, looking away from Kio and down at his hands and the brightly coloured candy. His fingers played with the edges of the wrapper absently as he spoke. "If you must know, he's someone I had a... disagreement with. But it's no longer much of an issue."

He couldn't afford to say anything more, not when Luxord might still be close at hand, keeping an eye on the situation. He couldn't help but shudder at that thought, and try to surreptitiously check the room again. But from what he could see, either Luxord had left the room, or he'd positioned himself so that he was out of Brainiac 5's field of vision. He had a sinking feeling it was the second.

Kio face fell flat. So this kid was perfectly content with wallowing in the river of moe, stranded on the channel islands of ronery, crying himself to sleep every night, all because he saw no nutritional value in a lolly? He wasn't asking for his soul, good grief. "Lollies have always made me happy. It gives you something to focus on, the burst of sunshine and strawberry flavour. It isn't like they serve a higher purpose or anything, but then, what does?" He finished with a shrug, careful not to have a nurse bustle over and steal the precious thing away.

"He seemed like he knew you. And enjoyed tormenting you." As ever, his eyes were his greatest weapon of recognition. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Kio didn't care much for enemies. He didn't have a deathwish, but he was pretty sure that he could handle this guy. With words, not punches. Scooting closer to Brainiac, he smiled again. "Look, Brainiac-chan, you seem like a nice kid. What could you have done to get a bully like him on your tail?"

Brainiac 5 cocked his head to the side, fixing Kio with an incredulous look. "It really means that much to you?" he asked. "Then why did you give it to me? Why not keep it for yourself?"

He was beginning to think it might be simpler to agree to eating the candy, if only to get some peace about the matter, or else to return it to Kio since he seemed to like it so much. But... debating the matter might mean that he didn't have to answer any questions about Luxord...

Or not. Apparently that had been too much to hope for. "As I said, we had a disagreement," he repeated uncomfortably. He flinched at the name, though the 'chan' part threw him off. "Please, it's Brainiac 5, or simply 'Brainy' if you prefer. Not Brainiac."

"And if you must know, I suppose all I did was inadvertently cause him to meet with someone."

Kio blinked in surprise. He had always enjoyed lollipops and they offered a welcome distraction during more difficult projects. He could say that lollies were to him what cigarettes were to Soubi, except perhaps with less danger to his health. "It's... it's to make you happy," he replied somewhat subdued. "It's something that reminds me of being a child, so it's meant to make people nostalgic and happy. I can find others tonight." It was a bold-faced lie, because if everything went according to plan, he would be doing somewhat more dangerous things.

Huh. Just like Ritsuka, a stubborn one. "Okay, Brainy it is." He threw what he hoped would be a casual glance around the room. No sign of the other. It didn't mean they were safe. "I have disagreements with my friend all the time. That looked like something more."

So... Brainy had caused Blondie to meet someone? So? It wasn't like people didn't meet others here all the time. "Well, he caused me to meet you, is that a bad thing?"

Brainiac 5 didn't raise the point that he found it highly unlikely that there would be a candy store or something similar here, even at night. Kio obviously honestly wanted him to have the treat, if his change in attitude was anything to go by, and it... reminded him somewhat of the Legion. The times Bouncing Boy would decide they needed to have a movie night, and insisted in dragging Brainy away from whatever he was working on to join them. Saying that they wanted to make sure he was okay...

He missed them.

Brainiac 5 glanced down at the treat so that he could try and get the prickling in his eyes under control and, after a moment, slowly began undoing the wrapper around it. "...I never had these when I was younger," he said quietly. "But it does remind me of my friends from before, in a way."

He paused in what he was doing as Kio scanned the area, taking another look around himself just to be sure. Luxord was still out of sight, but unfortunately not out of mind.

"The problem was more with the person he met with," he said eventually. He shot Kio a faintly pleading look. "I understand and appreciate your concern, but please. You don't want to get involved in this."

Whatever changed Brainy's mind, it tugged at Kio's heartstrings. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder, gripping it tightly for a moment before releasing him. It was his first real success. Chi had been a nice detour, but there was no sadness there. Here, though, it was tangible and real. Kio wanted to help.

His smile widened slightly. He could remind him of better times. That was good. "Don't worry about taking that. When they took me in here, I had lollies on me. I heard there's a storage room with our things. I can get some there." His head cocked to the side, he added, "Your planet must be strange, if you never had a lolly before. I'm glad you're reminded of better places, though."

Oh, nonsense. Brainy was like a child of Sou-chan, honestly. So stubborn. But he could play that game, too. "I won't get hurt, honestly." He had protection. He could take care of himself. "What happened to this friend of yours?" From the concern Brainy showed, the person was someone he'd cared about. "This blond guy... what did he do to you and why won't he stop?"

Normally, he would have alerted the nurses, but in a place like this, it seemed utterly futile.

The grip on his shoulder surprised him, but it was over before he really had time to react and wasn't that dissimilar from being around the Legion, so Brainiac 5 didn't mind so much. "Oh, the patient possessions room?" he said. He did remember seeing on the maps some time ago, and he had been intending to go there with Clark before... before everything.

He briefly wondered how Kio had figured out he was from an entirely different planet, but considering his name, discussions on the bulletin board about other aliens and the like, and other key pieces of information, perhaps it wasn't such a stretch after all.

And besides, he had more pressing concerns, such as trying to prevent others from getting hurt by Grell and Luxord. "The person I meant isn't a friend of mine," he said darkly. "The complete opposite in fact. They're dangerous, and they don't care about hurting others..."

His voice wavered and Brainiac 5 stopped and glanced away, the lollipop forgotten in his hand. "...I'm sorry. It's not something I want to talk about."

Kio nodded once, opening his notebook to where one of the maps had been rendered perfectly. "Yes, that's where. They still have my piercings. I... I agreed to help a friend out tonight, but if that doesn't happen, I'm going there. Do you have anything you'd like back?" Sou-chan had taken the file, but Kio had the pictures. He would hold on to them for as long as he could.

His eyes narrowed when Brainy explained about the one Blondie had met. Someone dangerous. Someone who would stop at nothing to hurt others. It sounded so much like Seimei he couldn't help but feel a shiver travel up and down his spine. "I knew someone like that. He hurt a friend of mine, hurt him beyond repair." His voice held the same monotone as in the car, with Ritsuka. He sounded like a machine, soulless. "I could hurt him for that, were I not against violence." His eyes focused on Brainy.

"Sometimes, the best thing to do is talk about it. I told no one about the pain my friend was in. I held it inside and then hurt someone innocent with my callous words. I'm your friend. I wouldn't hurt you. Your secret is safe with me." No matter what, Kio could be a loyal friend and a good listener, if that's what was needed.

Brainiac 5 hesitated, but shook his head. "I doubt they'd have anything of mine there," he said. "I didn't exactly have much on me when I was... brought here." Nonetheless, he made a mental note about the room. While he may not have anything here, there was a chance that Clark's things were still around somewhere...

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop as Kio's voice changed, becoming more distant. Cold. He didn't know why exactly, but the change bothered him more than he liked to admit. "Is that person... here?" he asked carefully, watching the other's reaction.

While he was relatively certain that Kio meant no harm, Brainiac 5 still couldn't bring himself to trust him enough to share what was really bothering him. It was too personal, too sensitive, and he'd only just met the man. And while Kio seemed harmless, so too had Grell.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't."

Kio smiled again. "Well, if you ever need me for anything, let me know. I didn't have a lot, but those lollies mean something and I want my earrings." He touched the empty holes in his ears. "I did most of these myself. I know the nurse will take them away if she finds them. I intend for her not to," he added with a grin and a wink.

His eyes nearly became unfocused, but he fought. He fought the images of Sou-chan hurt, unconscious, utterly alone. "No. I don't know if he was ever here or not. But I want to find out, somehow. Have you ever heard of someone called Seimei?" It was worth a shot.

He understood. It hurt that Brainy couldn't trust him, like others did at home. He meant the child no harm, but wasn't that what all the nurses said? "If you don't trust me now, I understand. It's okay, Brainy." He sighed softly. "I'm in M75, if you ever need a partner for the night. I won't let Blondie hurt you. You have my word." He gave him another small smile. Kio wanted them to be friends. He needed someone to take care of.

"Seimei?" Brainiac 5 thought for a moment, and eventually shook his head. "No, I haven't heard anyone by that name. But considering how some try and keep their real names hidden for various reasons, I'm afraid that doesn't mean much." He hesitated for a moment, debating asking anything further on what was clearly a touchy subject, but eventually added, "what does he look like?"

If there were others here as dangerous as Grell and Luxord - and he knew that there likely would be - it would be best if he had some idea who to keep an eye out for. His experiences in the Institute had been bad enough already, he'd rather they didn't become worse.

Kio's acceptance of his refusal to share what was really bothering him, as well as his offer of assistance, caused a faint twinge of guilt, but he just... couldn't do it. Trusting had gotten him hurt, had gotten Clark--

His jaw tightened and Brainiac 5 glanced away. "M75," he said eventually, though his voice was oddly distant. "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you."

It had been worth a shot. Kio hadn't really expected a "EUREKA" type of response, but he needed to find out. The bulletin would be too conspicuous and he couldn't afford to have Sou-chan and Ritsuka on his back. "I don't know the name the nurses gave him, so I can't be sure what he would call himself. He's maybe a year or two younger than me, black hair, always seems to be dressed well. Although that hardly makes a difference here. He's dangerous. He will hurt you to get to what he wants." Kio's hands balled up into fists. "Ruthless."

Kio wanted to help. He'd wanted to help Soubi too, and where had that taken him? To a mental institution, running from monsters and trying not to lose whatever sanity there was left. Whatever this boy had gone through here, it was somehow worse than Kio's fate. "You're welcome. M75's not that far from your room, I hope? I wouldn't want people getting hurt."

Brainiac 5 thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't think of anyone who fits that description," he apologised. At least he hadn't met anyone with black hair of the right age who struck him as particularly ruthless. "But I'll keep an eye out, just to be certain."

To be honest, he wasn't surprised to learn there were others like that here. He just had to hope that they were all largely unaware of each other or unlikely to try working together to achieve their goals, otherwise the rest of the patient population would have some serious problems.

He directed his attention back to Kio as the man spoke again. M75 was in the same hallway as his room, though he didn't feel comfortable revealing that to the other man. All because Grell had managed to discover his location didn't mean that he wanted to invite all and sundry there as well. "It's close enough," he said evasively. "But thank you for your concern."

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stalksperverts.livejournal.com - 2009-08-30 20:57 (UTC) - Expand

Day 43: Sun Room, Second Shift

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SCREW MY INTERNET! >_> Backthread?

Sure!

Kio, our Lolly Lord

Sadly a wasted effort, Kio Dx

You've never seen him stubborn, obviously

Might be a case of irresistible force + immoveable object T___T

Does he have to turn on the puppy face?

Worth a shot. T___T

Don't say I didn't warn you ;)

Huh. Apparently it's super effective.

\o/

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