damned_institute | Day 43: Intercom, Evening

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Day 43: Intercom, Evening

Hello! I.R.I.S. here once more to announce to you, our honored guests, that you have officially made it through a day of our typical Landel's treatment. Of course, it isn't quite over: we will now have you retire to our designated patient quarters with one of your agency partners to inspect their sleeping area and the tools that we provide them with for the true bulk of our behavioral testing. On an added note, we would like you to notice once again that the meals we provide to our subjects are of the highest quality.

For those of you feeling apprehensive about taking part in our more intensive methods, please be aware that we would never imagine putting all of you in any danger whatsoever. This last shift will be your last at our Institute; afterward, we will escort you to our Head Doctor's personal observation station to survey some of our test Next-Wave participants in the rigorous trials we put them through – all for their betterment, of course.

Once again, we hope that you are satisfied with what you find, and as always, direct any questions you may have to your console.

The nurses began to escort the patients to their rooms. They didn't even seem to be brought to awareness by words such as "testing" and "subjects."

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. (Find all of the newly changed room assignments and shift introductions here.) If you are introducing your character during this shift, you may either choose for them character to wake up before their roommate gets back, or after. ]

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Maybe it was because Harley had been distracted or maybe it was because Raine was just always so freaking quiet, but it took Harley several moments to realize Raine had been escorted in, taken a seat, and was working on her chow already. As soon as Harley noticed her roommate's presence, she turned and stared at her, face deadpan and eyes wide. She wasn't even blinking.

See, the problem with quiet people, or ONE of the bigger problems, was that you could never tell how it was they felt or what it was they were thinking until they'd said something. Or at least looked at you. Raine was especially tough in this department and today wasn't looking much better. So Harley simply stared for the sake of trying to figure out what could possibly be going on in that fat between the girl's ears.

The fact that Raine just walked in and quietly sat down to dinner didn't bode well. She probably felt like she lying at the bottom of a pit. A whole asylum full of inmates... and not one responded in interest to Raine. At least, no one on the board. Maybe someone had responded and met her personally?

This possibility craked an instant hopeful smile. Well. Might as well see for herself, right? "Hey Rainy! ...Anything ex~cit~ing happen today?"

Raine resisted the urge to throw her book at her; too bad she didn't have much else on hand for use as a projectile. "No... why do you ask?" she asked, a little tightly. There was little doubt Harley had seen the post on the bulletin.

...is there any chance she wrote it? If she had, tonight was not going to be pleasant for Harley if Raine had anything to say about it.

She really missed rooming with Reinforce.

"Juuuuust wondering," she droned with a patented oh-so-innocent smile on.

"Nothin' happened at all? Really?" She was clarifying because sometimes Raine could be a little slow, and didn't seem to grasp exactly what Harley was saying. "No one special or nice came to talk to you or anything?"

If that was really true, this was starting to get sad. How could you be trapped in a building where everyone could die at any moment, trapped with over a hundred perceptively warped social rejects, and still not get a date? This was turning into a challenge. She might have to try harder.

Though it would help if Raine tried a little on her end. "...Wait, let me guess: You sat int he library all day with yer nose in a book." She sighed in exasperation. "You're never gonna get a boyfriend at this rate, ya know."

Raine's grip on the book tightened, in an effort to not give in to temptation. "I'm not looking for one. I have enough stress in my life without adding romantic tension to the list."

She gave the girl a very flat look. "Did you put that post up?" She didn't really think so, but Harley just might know who did, and either way she could likely be startled into blurting out who was responsible.

Harley blew a huff of air up through the corner of her mouth, blowing her bangs up for a second. "Love isn't stressful. It's supposed to make you happy. You know? That thing with the smiling and not being a grouch?" The girlie could say otherwise, but the more angry and miserable she appeared, the more convinced Harley was that she needed someone bad.

At that question, Harley hesitated in a rather obvious manner. She thought she did a pretty good job disguising her handwriting. How was it that her roommate saw through her so quickly? Not that Harley really cared if she knew it was her or not, but it made the whole thing so much more FUN to be set up by a mystery matchmaker. Harley had planned to reveal herself after Raine had found her Mr. Right. It was too early for thank yous.

Maybe... Was she only bluffing? To see if Harley confessed on her own? Harley put a finger to her mouth, eyes doing a good job of feigning shock. Her mouth, though, was still grinning. "Me? Why... wouldja think that?"

It took tremendous willpower not to hurt her. "Because you're a terrible liar," Raine snapped. "What precisely was your motivation? You have no idea what my culture or my life is like, which makes this doubly inappropriate."

Would one of them get assigned to a different room if violence broke out? It would be worth the sedation that resulted if it did.

Blah blah blah blah. Raine was going off about something meaningless again. Harley didn't care about whatever sob story Raine had going about how she went nuts and what it was like growing up in grumpy, half-elf, we-make-glowy-balls-come-out-of-our-hands land. Harley was a good enough listener, but she wasn't a shrink anymore, you know. Raine's background had absolutely nothing to do with anything as far as she was concerned.

She tilted her head exaggeratedly, looking confused by everything that just came out of the girl's mouth. Yes, Harley noticed the anger, but she didn't look the least bit concerned or phased by it. "My motive? You did actually read the post, didn'tcha? It was to get you a date. What'd you think it was about?"

Sigh. Why didn't Raine pay attention when things were important?

"And would you appreciate it if I did the same for you?" Raine asked tightly. "I don't date, and there are reasons for that. None of which are any of your business."

This would be why she wouldn't mind rumors that she and Sheena were involved; it might cut down on this.

Harley actually laughed. "You set me up? Aww, that'd be real sweeta you, but I already have a boyfriend, ya know." She HAD mentioned him before. It'd actually be kind of interesting to see what kind of person Raine would try to set her up with... and how she would even go about doing something like that.

She lifted her hands and folded them behind her head, rocking back and forth slightly. "And it's not like I'd need settin' up. Not like I sit around readin' books and stink at talkin' to people even when they're tryin'." Though Raine was doing fine now. Maybe she was the type who only really interacted with people when she was angry. "You sit around mopin' like that, and yer always in such a lousy mood. You kinda need someone to bring you outta yer slump."

It was Harley's business because they were roommates. So Harley was forced to see her moping every single day. Plus, she figured she kind of owed Raine one in advance anyway.

Edited 2009-08-31 06:12 (UTC)

"I really would have to be crazy to be in a decent mood here. I have friends at home who are in serious danger, as well as my little brother, and I'm their healer. And that's in addition to the usual stress of being held against one's will and the trauma of a place like this."

As for the accusation of "moping" and being unsocial? I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.

Harley stopped her rocking and simply stared. ...Huh. Was she one of those who didn't realize they were actually crazy? Poor, poor Rainy. She was more messed up than Harley realized.

"Uh huuuuh..." she said, giving the girl a sidelong look. "How long you been here again?" Maybe this was her first time ever in an asylum. She pulled her hands down, placed them on her knees and leaned her weight forward, trying to get a slightly better look at Raine's expressions.

You know, a big reason people went crazy in the first place was because they were trying to cope with something or other. At least, in a lot of cases. So adjusting to new environments kind of came natural. Why was it Raine was having such an issue? Maybe it had to do with her thinking she wasn't nuts.

"Listen, kiddo, no one's sayin' you gotta be happy to be here. No one likes gettin' locked up, 'specially when you got friends waitin' for ya back home. I miss everyone, too." She just tried not to think about it too much. "But sittin' here all depressed ain't exactly gonna help."

Raine shot her a Look. "If you think I'm starting to become insane, allow me to disabuse you of that notion." Despite everything, she was still managing to keep a grasp on sanity. ~~So far.~~

"And I'm perfectly occupied during the day and night, so I don't need anyone interfering with my social life, especially without permission. The reason I'm so quiet at dinner is because you're the only other person in here."

...Um. What? She was quiet because there was someone else in the room? Did that mean if she was all alone, she could gab on and on to herself? Huh. Interesting. So she maybe didn't trust anyone but herself and whoever it was she spoke to in her head. ...Poor Rainy. No wonder she was so secluded. Frankly, Harley was starting to become even MORE convinced the poor girl couldn't get a date without outside help, even if her life depended on it.

Then a slow, slow grin started to spread over her face. "...You know what'd make you feel better?" Besides a boyfriend. "If you just tried putting on a nice big SMILE." She poked both pointer fingers into her cheeks as she grinned and tilted her head at her roommie. "Come on, Rainy! Give a smile! A big one. I know you caaan~"

Raine just stared at her for a second; was Harley honestly that dense? She would have expected a reaction to the insult at least... but she was acting like she hadn't recognized it as one.

"No." With that, she got back to her book.

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Day 43: Intercom, Evening

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