The Inhuman Condition (IC)

[Legens Legentis]

Wren had dropped to the floor so suddenly that Gabriel barely had time to blink. Another emergency just played out right before his eyes, like some cruel twist of fate was pulling the strings, constantly adding to the asylum's misfortunes. He dropped down on one knee, looking up to the nurse with the expression of an angered lion. "Don't just stand there! Get help!" the doctor commanded, finding his patience all withered up and out the window. He frantically searched his coat for a bottle of pills that helped out substantially in moments like these.

Handing out the bottle to the writhing patient, Gabriel felt the presence of some ethereal form lurking close by. An amorphous thing from beyond the constraints of time and space, gnawing at the flesh of an innocent woman. Its malice rivaled his own, and that was unacceptable. The doctor placed his hand behind Wren's head, finding himself moved to her plight. The Hippocratic Oath was barely worth its parchment in his eyes, yet Gabriel was obliged to lend his expertise nonetheless. "Ms. Lydian, I urge you to take this pills at once!" His hand contained two. "They will ease the pain."

Eventually two orderlies arrived, standing by the sides of the nurse who had brought them in. They would be the ones to bring Wren to her room once she was able to stand again. If she had failed to stand, then she would be hauled there regardless. Their faces were cold and unsympathetic. They had given witness to this routine dozens of times before; the groaning and the moaning started to get old very quickly when it became part of your job. In the end, that was the funniest thing about Lehane. All the suffering everywhere was simply part of the job. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[arcadian.gael]

Wren lifted her small and shaky hand out to the doctor, palm up. Her face was beyond contorted in pain, her teeth grinding against each other. The frame of the girl was visibly quivering, knees pressed close to her aching torso. Wren was desperate, she'd do anything to rid herself of this monster named Cassius.

The same devil floated above her, his abyssopelagic eyes taking in her suffering. Slowly, Cassius allowed his eyes to travel to the girl's outstretched hand. His once devious smirk dissipated into an anger filled snarl. He let a snarl hiss out like steam, making Wren flinch away. Cassius reached down, grabbing onto Wren's small wrist and digging his claws into the flesh.

"If you touch the pills I swear you'll wish you were fucking dead." Cassius leaned down close to her ear, the anger quite evident in his voice. Wren tugged her wrist away with a jerk and a gasp, Cassius watched her in complete and utter fury. "Don't I already?" She hoarsely whispered, quickly reaching up and snatching the pills out of the doctor's hands and shoving them into her mouth. Wren coughed a bit after forcing the pills down her dry throat. She smiled in relief, she had actually stood up to Cassius physically! Normally once Cassius got physical, Wren gave up, but not this time. Triumphantly, Wren let herself relax a tad bit, naturally leaning towards the doctor. Wren let her eyes flutter shut and she sighed out as a sign of relief, weakly lifting her head to look at the doctor again. "T-Thank you.." She whispered, her eyes still slightly dulled from the pain she had suffer through.​

 

[Nater Taters]

@King

TJ nodded when the Doctor bif him farewell. He exhaled heavily, not really noticing he had been holding his breath while the Doc was speaking with him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked around, noticing the man he wished to speak with had vanished. Frowning to himself, he decided to head to the Library, perhaps he could read a book to pass the time.

As soon as TJ stepped into the library, he smelt....a scent, it was a strange, but pleasent scent. It was the scent of.

"Flesh.......must feed." TJ said, not entirely there for a moment, his lips pulled back into a feral sneer, his teeth sharp, his eyes glazed and unfocused, his hair standing on end, this transformation gave him a terrifying animalistic appearence, it seemed he was more beast than man. He made slow, calculating steps, a growl emitting from his form.

Timothy, enough, now isn't the time to feed, that time will come soon enough...remember, we are here to speak with Cary, not to eat him.

TJ paused, listening to what Inky had to say. Slowly but surely, TJ returned to normal, his appearence returned to that of a man in his late 20s, rather than a primal beast.

TJ groaned in pain and leaned against a bookcase, bringing a hand to his temple in order to soothe his migraine. What was happing to him? Maybe the Doc should increase the amount of medicine he takes.

"H-hello....C-Cary, are you in here?" He called out.

 

[King]

C A R Y C O P E L A N D

♦

The library was fairly quiet. Cary found a small table in the corner of the large room to sulk at. He slid into the chair, two bowls of jelly placed in front of him. He looked around, the room smelt like musty old books. There was only one other nurse in the room. He assumed it was her time off, because she hadn't lifted her eyes from the novel in front of her. Cary watched her for a second before he was interrupted.

"Hey now Cary, that wasn't the worst that could have happened!" The childish voice coed. Cary looked in front of him. Bobo was sitting on the chair opposite, mechanically still. The old painted face couldn't express much emotion, but Cary could sense it. It wasn't malicious anymore, at least for now. "I know Bo, I should have listened to you." Cary pouted, pressing his cheek against his hand. The puppet always had a way of convincing Cary he made the wrong decision. Although, Bobo did want him out of that room, hopefully the nurses wouldn't find him in time to give him his meds. Cary without his medicine wasn't Cary.

Poking at the jelly, Cary looked around, he hadn't read a book in a while and now he kinda felt like it. Like Bobo had read his mind, he twisted his wooden head to the bookshelf directly next to them. "Maybe something a little fun would be good!" Bobo pressed his wooden finger against a seemingly random book. Cary smiled as he peered at the title. He didn't even get time to pick it out as he heard a male voice call for him. It wasn't loud and Godly like the doctors, but it certainly wasn't childish like Bobo's. Cary hesitated to reply. After all the trouble he had got himself into, he wasn't sure if he should speak to another person. But the temptation of conversation reeled him in as he stuck his head around the corner of a bookshelf. He saw a dark haired man, rubbing his head like he was in pain. Cary slowly raised a hand. "Hey, I'm over here." He tried to say quietly. He could see the nurse shifting uncomfortably as he was louder than libraries usually allow. Cary didn't recognize the man, but he wasn't afraid of new people.​

 

[Legens Legentis]

Gabriel took notice of Wren's gratitude as he motioned for the orderlies to get her back on her feet. He sighed in relief to have averted some unforeseen calamity with a newcomer. He secretly envied anyone who had never before stepped foot in the asylum. Oh, how they marveled at the pillars and decorative glass! How they explored the premises in wonder and excitement! The first week in Lehane tended to either be the very best or the very worst. Those who viewed it favorably were akin to a child watching fireworks for the first time. Those who dreaded the place at the very start were often homesick, or understandably paranoid.

The doctor stood and leaned over the front desk and grabbed two separate items. The first was a pair of keys, detailing which room belonged to Wren, and the other was a brochure-styled map so that she would not get lost on arrival. "You're welcome, madam," Gabriel flashed a counterfeit smile. "I cannot say precisely how long those pills will last. If you are ever in need of more, simply stop by my office during the day. But with all that said, we have much work to do." It was the unbroken confidence that the doctor emanated which drew away any suspicion towards him. He mastered the demeanor of an everyday physician, knowing when to pretend a concern for the patients.

"Your case might be one of the most severe of them all. Your treatment will be very rigorous, I can assure you that. But worry not! You will feel like a new person by the time you step out of these doors, so to speak." It never hurt to be honest.

 

[Crackshot]

[fieldbox="Kaesha Volkova, #4b5320, solid, 50, Vivaldi"]

Amity's Speech | "Kae's Speech." | "Other Speech." | "Spoken in Russian."​

Interactions: @Uncle Legens Legentis & @arcadian.gael
Khaki colored combat boots hit the steaming concrete as Kaesha crawled out of the dark blue sedan parked in front of the grand castle-looking mad house. She shut the door as it shuddered and turned off, quickly making her way around back. She didn't want the older man up front coming around just to help her pull out two measly bags. Yet still she saw his slowly graying hair coming out of the driver's side. Kae ducked down to look into the open trunk. She tried not to look him in the eyes; this--her problem--was hard enough as it was, but seeing her father, how much it pained him for Kae to make this decision, only made things a whole lot worse.

[spacer]He's not the only one who's pained Kae, a rougher, deeper feminine voice echoed around her. It came across as a low growl from somewhere to the blonde woman's left. When she stopped to look from her bent over position, she finally saw the wolf, also blonde in coloration, weaving around people walking in and out of the building. None of them were running or screaming by the large canid creature in their midst. Kae noticed that above all else. Their expressions remained either neutral or just in awe at the sheer splendor of the palace. A family nearby huddled away from another young woman that said something Kae couldn't quite catch. Kae turned her attention back to the trunk of the car as soon as her father wandered to her side. A mental hospital is for those who are sick and dying for help from monsters in their heads. I'm no monster. You've always admired wolves. I'm a beautiful creature; I'm a companion. The growl became more prominent in the she-wolf's throat. As Kae straightened, slinging the backpack over her shoulder and pulling the duffle bag out of the trunk, she noticed the wolf's lips twitching, wanting to curl back, to show off white canines and molars that could tear off a limb. I was there for you in your weakest, darkest hours and this is how you repay me?

[spacer]At the thunk of the trunk, Kae mumbled, "Not now, please, Amity." Exactly. Kae turned towards the wolf and began walking towards the building, about to follow the girl she had seen earlier when a hand came down on her shoulder. The touch was gentle but firm, not meaning to harm her, but catch her attention and maybe even comfort her. It sent Kae into panic mode; the blonde girl spun around quickly, smacking the hand away, her fists curled up and held up like she was going fight. The blonde first saw her father's own green eyes widening and then heard the she-wolf sigh behind her. "Sweetheart," the man began cautiously in Russian as his daughter lowered her defenses. Silence ensued. Kae was about to say goodbye and walk away as per the impatiently grumbling wolf behind her wished, when Kae was embraced in strong arms. "I'll miss you... so much." A son that lost his life and a daughter that's lost her mind; Kae was sure she would be on the verge of breaking down as well. But she remained stiff in her own father's arms until he let her go. With only a simple goodbye, Kae turned with her head down and walked inside. The wolf followed like an obedient dog, though with a snarky huff as she turned.

[spacer]Kae could only be one of the crowd that stood in awe at the interior. The lobby alone looked like a frickin' ballroom, which was enough description. Even Amity, the blonde she-wolf, stood silent at Kae's side. Kae shook off the stun of the lobby's incredible features and noticed the girl she had seen earlier being picked up from the ground, another man standing at the desk and talking to her. As she and Amity slowly got closer and within earshot, they heard the man's words. This guy must be the boss. That's where Kae stopped, brows creasing together in worry. She didn't really want to talk to anybody—anybody except me of course—and just thinking about it made her heart rate pick up the pace. This was her problem: she hated interacting. It made her uneasy no matter what—even if Amity was by her side. Today, Amity wasn't having any of it, and with a frustrated growl pushed against the back of Kae's legs so she stumbled forwards towards the man at the desk. Kaesha cleared her throat awkwardly, looking back for the canine but seeing she had evaporated into thin air like a Cheshire Cat, and then looked to the man in silence. Frozen in a moment of anxiety, Kae lost her words as she stared at him.

[ going to be honest, i've never seen myself write this much in one post so way to go me!! <high fives self> ]
[/spacer][/spacer][/spacer][spacer][/spacer]

[spacer][spacer][spacer][/spacer][/spacer][spacer][spacer][/spacer][/spacer][/spacer][/fieldbox][spacer][spacer][spacer][/spacer][/spacer][/spacer]

 

[Legens Legentis]

As if fortune was not done with the doctor, the first thing to greet Gabriel's eyes after turning around was another patient. Another unfamiliar face. This was perhaps the closest thing he would ever have to a holiday when working at Lehane (he never bothered with vacations, nor did he see the purpose to them). Although he did not even know her name, Gabriel saw the terror looming behind Kaesha's beguiling green eyes. He had seen it in every patient, sometimes more than once. In silence he stood there for the longest time, savoring her trepidation. What else was there to do but admire the sight? The doctor pondered on this question until he realized that a dossier did not exist for her.

"Hello there, madam. How can I assist you today?" he grinned and bowed slightly. Wren was in good hands. There was nothing to worry about in those regards, but the possibility of her mind rejecting the more intense treatments hung in the air like an infinite number of other outcomes. Time was of the essence and not a second could be spared on entertaining Schrodinger's omnipresence. Nevertheless, if Wren's imaginary friend was dangerous enough to cause injury to its host, there was no telling what it might do to asylum staff or equipment. Gabriel planned to take matters into his own hands when the time was ready. Wren will surely be ready to give up the ghost by then.

"Ah, a thousand pardons! I have forgotten to introduce myself! I am Dr. Gabriel Alenes, and I run the institution. It's always a pleasure to meet new people when the reach the mountaintop. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are comfortable during your stay with us, and I urge you to leave all troubles behind."

@Crackshot

 

[Crackshot]

[fieldbox="Kaesha Volkova, #4b5320, solid, 50, Vivaldi"]

Amity's Speech | "Kae's Speech." | "Other Speech." | "Spoken in Russian."​

Interactions: @Uncle Legens Legentis
[ rushed(ish) sorry ]
Kaesha stared at the man. It was a long while before he said anything. When he did, his greeting was in a polite, kind manner. Almost over done (in Kae's eyes) to the point of being fake. The blonde was silent staring at the dark-haired man as another pause was followed by an introduction. Dr. Alenes was indeed the "boss"--as Amity put it. He said he wanted Kae to leave all her troubles behind her. As much as she wished she could, it was impossible to in her mind. One were the hellish memories that haunted her day in and day out; two was the voice only she could hear and being only she could see, Amity the tan wolf. How did someone leave memories like Kaesha's behind? Kae only hoped Dr. Alenes and the team here had those answers.

[spacer]Kaesha had gotten the introduction she had been waiting for, but even after he greeted her, Kae was frozen. It was like her whole body shut down and left her to watch herself look like a fool. It wasn't her fault, really. Finally realizing she had control, Kae took a look around at the floor. She was looking for an invisible canine. Of course, she failed to find Amity; when the canine left in situations like these, it was usually to watch from some distance and test Kae's social skills. Honestly, Kae was confused by Amity, unsure if the "friend" was there to help Kae or be a pain in her ass. The blonde cleared her dry throat, reached for a silver chain around her neckline out of habit, and let her gaze return to the doctor. "Ah, yes, th-thank you," Kaesha began with an uneven, slightly Russian-accented voice. "M-My... My name is Kaesha Volkova. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Alenes. I hope- I heard- I-" I'm running out of things to say. The young blonde gave a sort of sheepish smile at her own stuttering and murmured a quick and quiet thank you.[/spacer][spacer][/spacer][spacer][/spacer]

[/fieldbox]

 

[Nater Taters]

@King

The pain in TJ's head cleared as he seemed to get a second wind of energy. He looked around a moment, a little confused, why was he here, what was he doing? Then...all of it came back to him, he shook his head a few times to clear the haziness and looked up at Cary, looking as freindly as he could as he grabbed a random book from the shelf. He walked over to Cary, before he stopped in his tracks and looked down at the man.

"You don't mind if I sit here with you..right?" He asked

 

[Legens Legentis]

Dr. Alenes was humored by the look on Ms. Volkova's face, thinking that she had seen right through his façade, as if something would change in her fortune as a result. Kaesha was a rat in a maze now. Gabriel fired back with a smile of his own, daring her to run the maze like all the other rats. The only real question is what she would think about the unspeakable fate awaiting her at the end. But the doctor, ever so kind, chose to delay this unstoppable end. "The pleasure is all mine!" Looking back over to the main desk, he snatched a brass key that would serve as her own henceforth.

"This is your room key, ma'am. 406, eastern side of the castle. It's very easy to find." It was in close proximity to the swimming pool, although it was one floor below it. A window placed in a hallway beneath the water allowed visitors and patients alike to witness the peak athletic ability in a handful of the residents. Hydrotherapy never failed, despite persistent rumors of individuals drowning under mysterious circumstances. "By all means, feel free to explore to your hearts content. Make friends, exercise, read, undergo treatment, it's all very welcome here. My only recommendation is to avoid all rooms marked for the staff."

"If you need me at any time, please head over to my office immediately. Room 115, you can't miss it."

That is to say, she never could miss it, as an appointment with the doctor proved to be a matter of when, not if. Gabriel waved his stiff arm as he walked away by the grand stairwell. He had begun looking for Kaesha's dossier.

@Crackshot

 

[King]

C A R Y C O P E L A N D

♦

Cary watched his new friend walk over. He looked confused, tired and like he wasn't there to read a book. Cary wondered why he wanted to sit with him. He heard the creaking of Bobo looking over too. "Looks like a friend Cary! He sure does look nice!" Bobo said, Cary just shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so." He wouldn't push away the chance of a conversation. Although the last time he tried the pixie girl almost choked to death. Cary sat back in his seat as he tried not to think about it. He wondered why Bobo wanted him to befriend this guy and not the other girl.

His friend appeared at the table with a book. In response to his question Cary nodded quickly, "Of course!" He was feeling very positive to have someone to talk to. He looked at the seat the man took, where Bobo was. Instead of wondering where Bobo had got to, Cary decided to clean the table. The spoons in his jelly clattered as he scooped them towards him, giving his friend more room. He heard the nurse sigh very loudly as he made the noise. Cary gritted his teeth as he looked up to the man sitting opposite him. His eyes were almost pitch black, the opposite of Cary's almost neon eyes. They seemed so looming and dark, Cary wondered why he was put in here. Hopefully not a violent crime..

"How do you know my name?" Cary asked with innocent curiosity. "It's not a bad thing!" He quickly added, "I just thought I have never spoken to you before. Or have we? Sometimes I forget!" It was possible he had conversed with the man when he was off his medication. Cary looked down at his knuckles again, the bruises still purple. Hopefully not.​

 

[Legens Legentis]

Despite the urgency in Gabriel's quest for knowledge, his treading ever so slowly. He was carefully listening in every direction with profound caution. His hand glided along the wooden railway up the grand stairwell, gaze locked onto the windows looking outside of the castle. At times like these he could remember what the outside world looked like. Such a vicious place, devoid of even the illusion of comfort, a stark contrast to Dr. Alene's manmade paradise. The clouds were grey and lifeless. For as dead as they looked, the large monotone accumulations grew in size exponentially.

Soon enough, droplets were falling onto the glass panes. Diana was right all along, as Gabriel was loathe to admit. He shrugged at the gloomy sight and pressed on towards his office. The room itself was a temple to his prestige. The doctor sat down, still hearing the rain inside of his head, angering him more than all of the day's troubles combined. Someone else had proven him wrong. Yes, the storm that the nurse had predicted arrived on schedule. Running electricity up the mountain was already a precarious thing, and the backup generators were far from reliable.

He could only wait. If the power were to go out, there was no telling what might be unleashed.

 

[Crackshot]

[fieldbox="Kaesha Volkova, #4b5320, solid, 50, Vivaldi"]

Amity's Speech | "Kae's Speech." | "Other Speech." | "Spoken in Russian."​

Interactions: open to anyone
[ once again rushed rip ]

[spacer]Kae held out her open palm and let the keys fall into it. While Dr. Alenes spoke—I wish he would quit that incessant kind tone. No one can be that happy to see a mentally screwed person.—she stared and examined the keys made of brass. As he was walking away, which Kae failed to notice, she pretty instinctively said, "Yes, sir." Then she looked up and realized he was already to far to hear her quiet words. In addition to the doctor's back and he walked, she took notice of the golden wolf in the path he had been walking in, just a few feet away. Amity wordlessly began walking towards Kae, around her, and then began walking in the easterly direction where her room was supposed to be.[/spacer]

[/fieldbox]

 

[Nater Taters]

C A R Y C O P E L A N D

♦

Cary watched his new friend walk over. He looked confused, tired and like he wasn't there to read a book. Cary wondered why he wanted to sit with him. He heard the creaking of Bobo looking over too. "Looks like a friend Cary! He sure does look nice!" Bobo said, Cary just shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so." He wouldn't push away the chance of a conversation. Although the last time he tried the pixie girl almost choked to death. Cary sat back in his seat as he tried not to think about it. He wondered why Bobo wanted him to befriend this guy and not the other girl.

His friend appeared at the table with a book. In response to his question Cary nodded quickly, "Of course!" He was feeling very positive to have someone to talk to. He looked at the seat the man took, where Bobo was. Instead of wondering where Bobo had got to, Cary decided to clean the table. The spoons in his jelly clattered as he scooped them towards him, giving his friend more room. He heard the nurse sigh very loudly as he made the noise. Cary gritted his teeth as he looked up to the man sitting opposite him. His eyes were almost pitch black, the opposite of Cary's almost neon eyes. They seemed so looming and dark, Cary wondered why he was put in here. Hopefully not a violent crime..

"How do you know my name?" Cary asked with innocent curiosity. "It's not a bad thing!" He quickly added, "I just thought I have never spoken to you before. Or have we? Sometimes I forget!" It was possible he had conversed with the man when he was off his medication. Cary looked down at his knuckles again, the bruises still purple. Hopefully not.​

TJ looked at Cary curiously, whoever this guy was, he sure did like to talk, he almost reminded TJ of his brother Wade, who was quite the chatterbox, more so than the reserved TJ, who was content with keeping to himself.

"Can't say we have...but I've been hear a long time, so I've pretty much heard everyone called by theur name at least once...and one thing about me, is I am really good at placing a name to a face." TJ explained , pausing a moment before continuing

"What are you doing in here anyway? This is no place to have a meal." He asked.

 

[King]

C A R Y C O P E L A N D

♦

TJ seemed a little reserved, and seemed uncomfortable in Cary's energetic conversation. Cary just nodded along, trying to bite his tongue. Usually a reserved friend would succumb to his energy, so Cary would talk them into a friendship. However, TJ didn't seem too friend-worthy. Not in a bad way, he just seemed a little suspicious. Nobody ever came to Cary, Cary went to people. He did smile though, it didn't matter who he was talking to, he just enjoyed conversation honestly. Cary would probably enjoy conversation with wolves.

He blinked when the question was asked. Cary looked down at the bowl of jello in front of him. It wasn't exactly a meal. But Cary ate anything, anywhere. There was a pause as he pulled up his knee's to his chest. Despite his original feeling of suspicion, Cary bit the bait. "The jello?" Cary asked as he held up the bowl, putting it on his knees, "Well, I didn't want everyone to stare at me in the canteen." Cary pouted, putting some jello into his mouth. "A girl started choking-" His mouth full of jello, "And the big boss thought it was my fault!" He sighed, feeling all upset again. He swallowed the food as he nodded, "It totally sucks! I hope she's okay!"​