damned_institute | Day 46: Doctor's Office 7 (Dr. Suresh) [Second Shift]

Entry tags:

mohinder,
tyki

Day 46: Doctor's Office 7 (Dr. Suresh) [Second Shift]

Mohinder's office was fully set up now - books all in order and lined up neatly on the shelves, floor clear of all boxes. The world map pinned to a bulletin board on one wall remained unmarked and had been joined by a life-size model of a skeleton, the sort you might find in a high school biology classroom. Sitting on top of one of the bookshelves was a small aquarium housing a single lizard, currently basking on a piece of driftwood.

The man himself stood behind his desk, in the middle of reorganizing some of his files since there'd been a change in patients since the previous week. He didn't recall authorizing the release of any of the ones he no longer had, but then he was also beginning to think he didn't have nearly as much authority as a patient's 'doctor' should have. It was just as well. Their sessions seemed terribly short sometimes.

There didn't seem to have been much progress made with the patients he still had, either, though a couple were on record for having been recently on the mend. He was curious to see how far they really had come, if they'd actually made any improvements at all.

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Tyki had thought he could lounge around in the sun room until lunch, but it looked like they had other plans for him this morning. While he hurriedly shoved the last piece of his waffle into his mouth, his nurse announced he was scheduled for therapy instead. Ah well, this seemed only once a week and he might as well get it over with early, not that he had any say about it. At least it hadn't been as bad as the visitors or something, so it wasn't really worth it to get all fussy about it. And it looked like he had the same guy as last time, too.

"Mornin'," the now-hobo said as he entered the office.

"Good morning, João." Mohinder smiled at his first patient's arrival and gestured to the seat in front of his desk. At least his first session was with someone well behaved and, better yet, someone who wasn't going to profess to being someone he already knew. "How has your week been?"

He tried to keep his tone friendly, but not to the point of patronizing. This was a facility for the mentally unstable, but that didn't mean they were all complete babbling lunatics. Though he did wonder if perhaps Mr. dos Santos needed a new pair of glasses. The ones he had were ridiculously thick and didn't help with the issue of at least appearing sane.

"Eh, it's been alright I guess," Tyki said with a shrug as he ungracefully plopped down into the seat (well, he was a tramp, so...). It wasn't that far from the truth; other than getting fried, stabbed and bitten, the week had been interesting enough. It looked like this place wasn't going to bore him just yet, which was good in the Noah's book. And those bothersome injuries would heal sooner or later anyway.

"Well, that's certainly better than 'it's been terrible,'" which he was sure he was going to get from at least a couple patients, along with comments about their names being wrong and arguments that they were being held there against their will. Mohinder felt that perhaps he could pry further with this one into getting a general feel for the atmosphere during a typical day.

"Do you think that you've been doing better or worse since you arrived here?" He hadn't been released, so apparently the staff didn't believe he was well enough yet, but their opinions and João's opinions could certainly differ.

The only reason Tyki wasn't going to argue about which name to use was because it'd be a pain to do so. Not to mention a wasted effort, so he might as well play along. As for the question, there was only one possible answer: "Worse."

He raised his index finger. "For starters, they still don't let me smoke in this place yet. And a man like me enjoys his freedom, ya know?"

The Noah was very well aware that it wasn't what Suresh had meant.

Mohinder had been about to respond to the man's answer with careful questions, but then João went on to make it obvious that he wasn't being serious at all. That wasn't really an answer, but the doctor smiled wryly anyway. He couldn't begrudge someone trying to keep a sense of humor when put into this position. Still, if all his questions ended up being answered this way they weren't going to get anywhere.

"I believe we discussed this last time," he said, his smile becoming sympathetic. "I understand that would grate on your nerves after a while, but the sooner you make a recovery the sooner you can get back to old freedoms, yes?"

Recovery, huh? This fake life of him seemed to rely on his white side, his humanity, for some reason. His 'friends' visiting, Portuguese name...it all seemed to exclude any sign of his Noah. But it was implied to be there, if the reaction to his 'part-time job' from the trio that had visited back then told him anything.

Perhaps he should snag his file away sometime when he was bored.

"Ya know, I doubt it's gonna be all of those old freedoms," Tyki answered, studying the man behind the desk from behind his glasses. "Only a few, but definitely not all of 'em." Because this fake life seemed to rely on his white side so much, perhaps it could be seen as an opportunity to return to his humanity. But Tyki was still the Noah of Pleasure. It wouldn't be fun without the other. There wouldn't be white without the black, just a boring shade of grey.

"Perhaps not," Mohinder admitted. It was doubtful the young man's life would return to just the way it was before, but then it may have been some of those 'freedoms' he'd miss that had gotten him put in the Institution to begin with. The transition was never going to be easy, but it would hopefully be better for him in the long run. "Is your reluctance to give them up part of the reason you remain here, do you think? And if so, would you like to discuss it?"

The doctor sat with his hands clasped in front of him on the desk, studying the patient with the clear gaze of someone honestly interested in helping him to recover. If he wasn't going to be put in charge of their actual dismissal, than the least he could do was try and help them reach that point sooner. He was going to have to approach other staff members about how they judged someone as fit to leave.

Tyki brushed a hand through his messy black hair. "I guess that's one way of putting it." he said. If he gave everything up, he could live out his life with his friends - or a version thereof - in relative normalcy. He wouldn't have to be afraid to lose that side of him, but it'd be all he had.

And where was the fun in that?

If this João guy had a black self like he had, it'd be in the file right? What would be there to discuss? Did Suresh want to hear it all out of his own mouth or something? "Maybe," he answered eventually. "Then again, maybe you already know what I'm talkin' about, doc." Because he sure as hell wasn't going to specify it.

The doctor nodded. He did indeed have João's file. In fact, he pulled the folder out and placed it directly in front of himself, but didn't open it. "I believe I know what you're talking about, yes."

And the Noah's thoughts were right. "But I would like to hear from you. I need to know how much or how little you've come to terms with your own predicament in order to figure out what sort of help I can offer you." If any.

"Makes sense, I guess," Tyki answered, shooting a curious glance at the file as he spoke. Either way, João's life seemed to mirror his own so there almost wasn't a point in secrecy. But he couldn't outright tell, could he? Black and white were only separated by a thin, fragile line. But on that thin line he could play around, he could bend it, as long as it wouldn't snap.

Which meant he could have a little fun with it. He chuckled a bit, before he asked: "Do you know what happens when you mix black and white?"

Black and white? Was he talking chromatically or racially? What sort of answer did he expect to get? Given as Mohinder was determined to step over as few boundaries as possible when dealing with his patients, he we straight for the more careful answer. "I suppose you'd get gray."

But what did that have to do with the information in his file? He knew the man suffered from duel personalities, but he didn't know if João himself was directly aware of the other or which one he was actually talking to at the moment. Perhaps he was about to see the reason why this patient wasn't scheduled for release yet.

At least the doctor seemed to be getting his drift. Not that it had been a very difficult question or anything.

"Yeah, you get grey," Tyki answered. "Grey's not very interesting, right? That's 'cause it doesn't have any contrast anymore after you mix it. It just looks the same no matter how ya look, and it's kinda boring."

So that's how it was.

"...I think I understand what you're saying." Mohinder frowned, glancing down at his still clasped hands. It was no wonder João came across the way he did. His madness was a purposeful one, and it must then be Tyki he was really speaking with at the moment. "I'm sure there are plenty of ways to keep your life from getting boring without becoming destructive, however."

He'd have to phrase things carefully. "When was it, do you think, that you first... divided yourself, so to speak? Why did you originally find it necessary? Or was it something that just happened?"

When he was his black self, Tyki destroyed humans. He killed them, and he enjoyed it. After all, he loved destroying the humans he loved. But his white self made it possible to enjoy a card game with those same humans. And they were both Tyki.

But how detailed would the description be in the file, anyway? It certainly made Tyki wonder about how much the Head Doctor actually knew about the people he threw in here, and what the hell did he do to get all those juicy bits of information? The idea was a bit weird, to think some person knew everything there was to know about you. That guy definitely needed a hobby.

Either way, he was not going into detail about that. Dangling a toy in front of one's nose was one thing, outright handing it over was another.

"It's human nature to be destructive, ya know?" he eventually answered, purposely moving the topic to something less personal. "Not that it justifies anything what a human does, that's not what I'm sayin', but it's their nature. Just like they keep repeatin' their mistakes, they're flawed like that."

The tone of his voice wasn't bitter or hateful in an sense, despite what he said. He didn't hate humans, and it was something he had long since discovered even before his Noah genes had awakened. A life on the streets meant you didn't always see the pretty side of humanity.

"But that's what makes them interesting, right?"

That wasn't an answer to his question. It was possible the man didn't even know the answer, and that's why he was avoiding it. It was equally possible he was just being toyed with. Mohinder wasn't a fan of being made a fool of for someone else's enjoyment, but João was a patient and he couldn't afford to get irritated with him. He'd lose what small bit of high ground he might have.

"Another question, then," he tried, calmly. "Would I be right in saying that I'm speaking to Tyki right now?" If it was indeed the more dangerous personality that had come to the front for this session, he was going to need to make sure and take more detailed than before. They needed to learn everything they could about both sides so he could prepare a better diagnosis. (If the rest of the staff decided they even wanted it, that is...)

Eh? Tyki gave the man on the other side of the desk a questionable glance. Black and white may have been different, but they were both Tyki Mikk. He guessed the file disagreed with that.

"I'm Tyki, alright," he said, smiling, before continuing innocently: "A sticky-fingered tramp from the streets." This may or may not make the situation more difficult, but that hardly was any of the Noah's problem, was it?

((*more detailes notes than before - typo, argh))

So he'd been right. That made things a little more complicated. Should he continue the session as it was, even though João's less friendly personality appeared to be in control? As his doctor, it was his job to address both sides of him. In a case of multiple personalities, one side couldn't simply be ignored. Nikki Sanders was a good example of that.

"All right, then. Tyki. Now that I'm getting to know you and your philosophies better... tell me a little about the kind of man you see yourself as."

"Didn't I just tell ya?" Tyki asked, titling his head. "Just a sticky-fingered tramp from the streets."

Though that was obviously just one part of him, but if the doctor hoped he'd go and talk in details about the black side of his life, the other man was going to be disappointed. Perhaps if they'd ever have a therapy session during the night, Suresh may be more lucky.

Mohinder held in a sigh, figuring he shouldn't have expected to get any real answers from this half of the patient. 'Sticky-fingered tramp' was sure an interesting way to label what he really was, that was for sure.

"All right." He'd do his best to try and steer the subject properly, but he might end up having to find a different tangent to go on if 'Tyki' continued to be uncooperative in that regard. "And what about your friends? My records say they paid you a visit recently. Do they also enjoy a similar lifestyle?"

"Yeah, they did about a week ago," Tyki said, resisting the urge to bite his lipe. That wasn't something he particularly liked discussing either. He wasn't sure whether to find the whole visiting thing painful, or appreciate the stunt the head doctor had managed to pull. It was right after Rhode had died, too. That was almost too good of a timing, now that he thought about it.

Despite that, he smiled. "They do. We travel around a lot together 'n such." he said. He had to wonder why Suresh brought them up.

Here, it seemed, 'Tyki' was in denial of a couple key points. As far as it was known, his friends hadn't been involved in the more shady aspects of the life his other half led, and they had been the ones to admit him to Landel's in the first place. Had he forgiven them for this, or did he even know?

"I see..." He tapped the end of a pen against the top of his desk as he thought. "And were they aware of both sides of you?"

Tricky question. Not only because he couldn't be sure right now (they weren't supposed to be aware, but the ones that visited - real or not - definitely implied they were), but also because it meant he had to directly admit it.

Like hell he would. He'd jump around the subject as long as he needed.

"Ya know," he said, pointing towards the file on the other man's desk. "whatever I remember is pretty different from what you guys put in there from what I can figure."

He was avoiding the subject entirely. That should have been expected. Mohinder sighed, taking the file off his desk because of the small chance that 'Tyki' might become forceful and returning it to the drawer he'd pulled it from. He wouldn't be showing it directly to the patient. Not today.

"What information I have is what they give me." And he did trust that information a little more than the memory of a confused patient in a mental hospital. "I assume you believe what you remember over anything that you've been told?"

What, did the doctor think he was stupid enough to snag the file away from right under the man's nose with nurses standing right behind the door? He'd prefer the kind of approach where the victim wouldn't notice his stealing, simply because that'd improve his chances of succeeding. Would the nurses stand right next to him already with their needles if he had tried to grab it instead of just pointing at it?

It really wasn't worth getting sedated over, especially if he could just as easily steal it from the file room during the night if he wanted it. But Suresh probably wasn't aware of that, was he?

"I dun' think we'd have this conversation if I didn't," Tyki said. He found his own memories a bit more reliable than whatever someone else had written down.

It was going to be difficult to get anything done as long as he was faced with João's other half. This was the source of the problem, the stubborn entity that fueled the man's madness. Unless he could be isolated and João's original personality brought to the surface again, trying to work with him would just lead to chats that went nowhere. This, he imagined, was why this patient was still in the asylum despite apparent reasonable behavior.

"Well. I just want you to know that we have only your best interests in mind and absolutely no reason to lie to you. However, unless I'm going to be allowed to speak with both sides of you I might as well call this session finished." And that might be want he wanted.

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Day 46: Doctor's Office 7 (Dr. Suresh) [Second Shift]

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