damned_institute | Day 53: Intercom, Dawn

Although the day was sunny and warm, there seemed to be a strange tension within the walls of Landel's Institute. The nurses seemed a little more on-edge than usual, and they were already bustling to-and-fro in the hallways before the Head Doctor even made his announcement. It seemed that they'd all been roused early today by Nurse Lydia – but for what reason? The Head Doctor had been making calls all morning, it seemed, regarding a situation that he himself had not anticipated.

Finally, the intercom jingle sounded.

"Hello, everyone!" his voice finally said through the intercom. Although trying very hard for a cheery tone, it was clear he was under some kind of great stress. "Today, we'll be having waffles – the usual toppings are available: syrup, butter, whipped cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon, jam, and fresh fruits. We also have cereal and assorted drinks, along with coff– wait..." He murmured: "No, no, not coffee, he'll..."

After a moment of contemplation, he continued: "Ah! Anyway, I believe that's all for now. Just... go on with everything and stay behaved! Yes!"

The intercom clicked on without his usual farewell.

[ Any newly accepted character can be introduced in response to this post, waking up in their assigned room. Put the room number in the subject line. ]

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He sprung up from his reclined position, moving to swing himself out of bed only to face… a wall. Huh. Well, that made things perfectly clear, didn’t it? Definitely not any place he was familiar with because it was his habit to swing out of bed on the left. The bunk he had shared with Luck when they were kids had been oriented that way against the wall and he had gotten used to it enough that even at the circus, he had preferred having the tent wall at his right.

Shrugging, he turned the other way, launching himself off his bed to stand in the middle of his new room. The first thing he noticed was the overload of white. Kind of boring, wasn’t it? Whosever place this was, Claire decided that they really needed to rehash the color scheme. The other bed in the room was unoccupied, but from the looks of it, he wasn’t the only person inhabiting this room.

And the second thing he noticed? This truly atrocious pick of clothing he was now wearing. Especially this color. What was this?! Was he expected to look his best for the ladies in this gray mass of cotton? This wouldn’t do. There was a closet on his side of the room near the door. Claire moved towards it and pulled the door open to behold… a whole rack of these abominations. Just swell, really. What if Chane appeared here and saw him like this? The thought was painful to imagine. He looked best in black trenchcoats or dyed in bloody color that matched his hair, not in gray bulky things with yellow smiley-faces.

When the door opened, Claire was still busy sulking about his wardrobe. The nurse blinked at the empty bed and looked around, finding her newest patient in front of his closet, looking rather dissatisfied with what he had found. Well, what had he expected, she thought, annoyed at the fact that she had not been allowed her morning coffee at the institute today. This was an asylum and they were stocking the patients with their basic necessities already. They had a budget to keep, after all! Did he think they were some sort of

Brusquely, she walked forward and placed an arm on his shoulder.

“Mr. Felix Walken, is it?” she asked in as amiable a voice as she could manage, what with the head doctor’s antics this morning and the early start all the nurses had been put through. “Yes, those are the only kinds of clothing we have available, so since you’re already up, please come with me to the cafeteria. It’s breakfast now.”

She gave a tug on his arm when he didn’t move.

“Mr. Walken,” she said again, her tone slipping further and further towards irritated. Claire finally turned to glance at her, seemingly surprised that there was someone else in the room with him.

“Ah… who are you? I don’t think I know you, do I?” The finger he waved in her face made her want to whack it away with her clipboard, but that would be unprofessional. Even without caffeine, she was always on her best professional behavior, though not necessarily her best nurse behavior. Her lips thinned as she realized this patient might take a bit more time than she had thought.

“Please, Mr. Walken. Of course you don’t know me. You just arrived today. Now, to breakfast please. I am a very busy woman and it would be nice if you would please cooperate!” She pulled on his arm again, turning towards the door.

Claire was bemused, but he allowed himself to be distracted by this nurse lady. Truth be told, she wasn’t that bad-looking either, though she definitely wasn’t his type. He could humor a good-looking lady every once in a while, couldn’t he?

But what was the deal with that name? Did he wake up in a new place that his mind had conjured up? Claire might have been surprised, but this new “predicament” he now found himself in was hardly reason for alarm. After all, the entire world was an illusion anyway. This new place was yet another conjured vision from his mind, yet another game for him to play in.

He followed her out the door, all wardrobe grievances forgotten for the moment.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1009002.html?thread=74121834#t74121834).]

Day 53: Intercom, Dawn

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