damned_institute | Day 43: Courtyard, Third Shift

Once again, Endrance's nurse interfered with his plans. He had been planning to look around the Game Room, but the moment he began to move towards the Sun Room, she had taken him by the arm. "Your family has asked that we make sure you get as much fresh air and sunshine has possible, and you won't get that by staying inside playing video games all day."

He had thought for a moment about protesting, but decided against it. After all, if what had happened to Haseo was punishment for having spoken too strongly the day before, he didn't want to make that worse somehow. So, when given the choice of going out to the recreational field or the courtyard, he chose the latter.

There were a few reasons behind the decision, the most salient being that he wanted to see what the area looked like for a second time - this time without the threat of a brainwashed patient surprising him. The second reason was just as strong as the first, and it had to do with the presence of a second former Demon Palace Emperor. As energetic as she was normally in The World, he couldn't imagine Alkaid not wanting to spend some time outside.

Just as before, he sat down under a tree by the side of the pond, keeping one eye on the door.

[closed to Alkaid]

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"Guess these doctors work fast," Leonard said with a nod. "Or they move people they can't handle elsewhere." He wasn't sure where that 'elsewhere' would be- possibly a bigger facility, or an asylum. He fiddled with his pen between his fingers, remembering some of his visits to institutions during claims investigations. If only I knew then what I know now.

"Not everyone in an institute can be cured or fixed."

Moving them elsewhere? It was possible, she guessed. Anise didn't want to think that everyone eventually gave in to the institute, but seeing how they'd even brainwashed her that one night, and so easily...

Anise left the grass alone, and wrapped both her arms around her legs, her fingers grasping the fabric of her pants. "Maybe. But... from what I hear, everyone who leaves here is either dead or brainwashed. You know about special counseling, right? If they can do that to most people in under a night, they can probably do it to anyone."

Graduates, they called them. Her parents were among them... and they were probably coming to see her again today. She had to be ready to put on a brave face for them, to pretend everything was all right...

As though suddenly affected by the cold air of the courtyard, Anise tightened her embrace around her legs.

Edited 2009-08-21 05:20 (UTC)

"I'd rather be dead than brainwashed, though I don't think they'll have much luck with the latter on me as it is." Not that leaving dead is a better option. I'd rather just leave.

Leonard watched Anise, noticing her previously cheerful demeanor slipping, and felt a pang of guilt for even bringing up the topic. It's got to be hard to be a kid in a place like this, especially one that's been here for half a month. At least I can't remember how long I've been here. One of those rare occasions where my condition works in my favor.

"Tell me about special counseling," he said, hoping the topic would take her mind off her troubles.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Talking about dying so easily, and acting like he knew he couldn't be brainwashed like everyone else was. He was seriously underestimating them! How did somebody this clueless manage to save her life?

"You don't know!?" she cried, incredulous. "It's when--" Anise paused to look around, then lowered her voice in case the staff was listening. "--when they take patients away at night, and brainwash them. They get planted around the institute, and attack people who come near them. Then... most of them are back to normal the next morning." She wanted to say all of them, but she still hadn't heard from her roommate since the night she was taken. Did something go really wrong? It had been several days now...

Not only monsters, but setting the patients against each other? Leonard grabbed his journal and scanned his notes- No mention of when the monsters supposedly appear. Night would make sense. Why would an institute let patients roam at night with whatever the hell else is out there? It doesn't make sense. Not for an institute, anyway.

He could see the nurses rounding up people. He went ahead and got to his feet, tucking his journal into his pocket as he did. "Sorry, I... " he said, not sure what to say. "I didn't know. It's more serious than I imagined."

He offered her a hand. "Let's both do our best to stay out of harm's way, okay?"

What a weirdo. He sounded pretty sincere, though. It was hard for Anise to keep giving Leonard a hard time if he was going to say something like that. Hopefully this meant he was going to get serious about keeping up with information about threats and other scary stuff.

The girl looked at the offered hand for a moment, then forced herself to bring out one of her better smiles for the guy. Hey, he earned it. It wasn't often that Anise was the one getting encouraged by someone else. "Right!" She took his hand and pulled herself up to her feet. Once she finished brushing the grass and dirt off of her clothes, she looked up at the man's face again.

"Don't get yourself killed, okay? I'll be really disappointed in you if you do." Despite talking about something so morbid, she was back to wearing a bright, childish smile. "I'll see you again later!" In a way, it was a promise that she'd stay alive, and that she fully expected him to do the same.

Day 43: Courtyard, Third Shift

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