Einladung Hospital

[Ashbringer he/him]

On 5/10/2021 at 4:08 AM, Rushu42 said:

Aln watched Ben carefully, looking for any signs of change. Were his eyelids moving? Probably just blinking. Still, any movement was it good sign - it seemed to indicate that Ben was at least conscious within the bubble. Aln didn't want to think about what would happen if he were trapped in this state while unconscious. She looked around the room, considering her next move.

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Do you have a plan for how Aln would be able to free Byron, or are you just intending that she moves on? Aln doesn't have anything to dispel investiture on her at the moment, and she doesn't want to ask the hospital staff lest she accidentally reveal her position to the DA. Probably if nothing further changes she'll just leave a note explaining things for when the hospital staff comes back, and head off to the Cognitive Ward without him.

 

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I don't think Aln's able to stop Byron's burn unfortunately. Really only an Investiture dispel would bring him out of it. Leaving a note would be fine; I can have an NPC Leech him if need be or wait for 18th to bring in Sanax. Aln being there is convincing him enough to bring down the burn on his own, but that would still take more time than we probably have. Theoretically he could break it with cytonics... but he doesn't really know that yet.

Also... sorry for being absent for a while. It was finals week, and I'm likely going to be busy or mobile-only next week as I'm on vacation. After then I'm pretty much free for the summer!

 

On 5/8/2021 at 2:16 PM, mathiau said:

Neither was Folorian, he generally left human interactions to Alanis, though even her wasn't that good

"A nurse will come for us when someone can take care of us, it could take a lot of time depending on how overwork they are"

He remembered the minds of Savant looked different from the Cognitive and decided to peer into it, like with most thing his bane made the process harder as his brain didn't readily accepted the flames in the CR and the bodies of the PR to be the same and he had to peer slowly to convince it

 

On 5/11/2021 at 2:05 PM, 18th Shard said:

Emily looked over the forms quickly. Poller, adult male, ethnically Scadrian. Bronze ferring. Narcolepsy. Came in because he had passed out and injured his head. The receptionist had dashed a mark on the side indicating he was having hallucinations, hence why he was checking into the Cognitive ward. Emily sighed. Hopefully, this wouldn't be too complicated; they only had so many open beds.

Emily washed her hands again, activated the chromium medallion at the door to clear any Investiture from her body, and then opened the door to the waiting room. "Poller!" she called out. A young man, early twenties, with bronze earrings and a cane, walked up toward her, accompanied by another man who was probably in his thirties. The second was dressed like a Terrisman, with shining earrings. Probably Poller's emergency contact - she glanced down at her clipboard - Folorian? She vaguely remembered hearing about him from another nurse, John. He'd said Folorian had come in due to a unique bane from Roshar - no peripheral vision or something like that.

“Hi, come on back,” she said. She led the two to an examination room, where Poller sat on the exam chair, Folorian sitting on a chair off to the side. Emily began a basic orientation check. “Alright, so I just have some basic information to get from you. What’s your full name?” 

Poller answered, “Poller.” Emily made a checkmark, then asked, “Ok, and could you tell me where you are right now?” “Einladung Hopsital.” Another check. “Alright, and could you tell me what the date and time is right now?” “4th of Scholus, like 8:30 am?” “Okay. Could you tell me what’s brought you in today?”

Poller started telling his story. As he spoke, Emily made a note on the clipboard: A&O x4. Poller seemed fairly aware; he was speaking clearly with no slurring and only a little stumbling. His eyes seemed to be focusing on her correctly, with regularly shaped pupils. Emily made another couple of notes: GCS E4, V4-5. She’d check on his motor skills after he finished talking.

@Ashbringer @mathiau

Okay. Don't stutter, don't make a fool of yourself. You're wide awake.

“Alright, so I just have some basic information to get from you. What’s your full name?”  "Poller. No surname." "Ok, and could you tell me where you are right now?” “Einladung Hopsital.” “Alright, and could you tell me what the date and time is right now?” “4th of Scholus... not sure the exact time.” Checking a pocketwatch would be cheating, wouldn't it... "Like 9:00 or 10:00 or so?" 

“Okay. Could you tell me what’s brought you in today?”

That was the question, wasn't it.

"Well... I've had narcolepsy ever since I was little. Really it's just the narcolepsy not... catplexy? No, cataplexy. I don't have cataplexy, so my muscles work alright, I just get the sleep-related things. But the thing is, I'm also a Bronze Ferring, so I can store sleep. So if I can't sleep at night, I store bronze to sleep, and if I can't stay awake, then I tap bronze... which works pretty well to keep me on a normal sleep schedule. But without bronze, my symptoms can get pretty bad. And yesterday, I ended up just falling asleep because I wasn't tapping enough. Fell over, dropped my cane - my main metalmind - and then whacked my head on a chair. There was a Truthwatcher nearby, so the actual bruise got healed almost immediately, but I still feel a bit... different."

"Oh, and while I was out I had a dream about... I don't even know if it was a dream. But it was a battle... it looked like the the Seven Day War. I would have been a kid, but I was fighting... and there was a... monster, I was fighting... and it was so real. And I... someone attacked me with a Shardblade..."

"That's pretty much it."

[18th Shard he/him]

Narcolepsy combined with being a Sentry? That would be an interesting combination. Somewhat self regulating, assuming he could store enough wakefulness. Emily wasn’t sure how circadian rhythms would work with that scenario though. And a head injury too - lots of issues that might affect each other. A head injury leading to hallucinations of another world? That’s … oddly specific. 

Emily pulled out a penlight. “Are you on any medications or other Investiture right now?” Poller said no. “Any previous head or eye injuries?” Poller shook his head again. Emily held up the penlight and explained, “I’m going to use this light to determine if your eyes are focusing properly. First, I’ll check your pupils’ reaction to light by shining it in your eyes. Then, I’ll have you look at the pen and then the wall in front of you.” She clicked the light on, moving it closer to each of his eyes, watching his pupils dilate. Everything seemed normal there. “Could you cover one of your eyes with a hand?” Poller covered his left eye. Emily held the light on the far side of his head. “Tell me when you can see this.” She began moving the light closer to the center of his face. “There,” Poller said. “Alright, now follow the light with your eyes.” Emily moved the light across his vision, watching his eye follow it normally. She checked the other eye, which also seemed average. “Okay, I’m going to put my hand in between your eyes to block the other one from seeing the light. I’m going to check the far eye’s response when I shine the light in the close eye, okay?” Emily moved the light toward Poller’s right eye, which constricted as expected. She checked with the other eye - same reaction. Emily noted down that his eyes were reacting normally, with no issues. Emily asked Poller to flex and then relax his hand. She finished the notation for his GCS: GCS 14-15, E4 V4-5, M6. So far, the head injury seems to have been mild, with no side effects or causes for concern.

“Have you had any pain or headaches? Any bruising where you hit your head?”

@Ashbringer @mathiau

Edited May 15, 2021 by 18th Shard

[Rushu42 she/her]

On 5/15/2021 at 3:45 PM, Ashbringer said:

I don't think Aln's able to stop Byron's burn unfortunately. Really only an Investiture dispel would bring him out of it. Leaving a note would be fine; I can have an NPC Leech him if need be or wait for 18th to bring in Sanax. Aln being there is convincing him enough to bring down the burn on his own, but that would still take more time than we probably have. Theoretically he could break it with cytonics... but he doesn't really know that yet.

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Alright, I'll move on. Good luck with your finals!

Voidus, if you want Laurelai to spot Aln, that wouldn't be too hard - she's not nearly as stealthy as she thinks she is. Up to you.

Aln sighed, looking down at Byron. I don't think we can snap him out of this, Pel. Instead, she pulled out a bit of paper and scribbled a quick note explaining his condition and recommending the cautious use of A-chromium. She placed this conspicuously on the bedside table, unsigned, and hurried off toward the Cognitive Ward.

@Voidus

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

Vivica sat on her bed and stared at the wall. The sunlight moved and shifted as it filtered out from behind clouds, first illuminating the white wall, then casting it into shadow once more. She pointedly avoided looking at the thick leather straps that had anchored her to the bed as recently as that morning. It had been a bad couple of days, and Vivica had been very unpleasant to one of the nurses. They had taken all of her pens and pencils after she had attempted to extract one of his eyes. Such lovely light green eyes. 

Something moved in the corner of her vision, settling down on her desk. 

“Not now, Bennington,” she said, still not looking at him. The octopus pulsed once and drifted deliberately across her line of sight. Vivica sighed. It would be days, if not weeks before the staff would let her have another visitor. 
 

At least I managed to give the Professor his drawing. It was a very important drawing, even though he hadn’t seemed to like it very much. Vivica couldn’t understand why. It was just a picture of him baking with this friend, the man with the one eye. Vivica smiled as she recalled the man with the one eye. He, like Vivica herself, appreciated the liberal use of frosting.

She started. Something was moving out in the hallway, and out of habit she stood up to peer out her little window. The familiar but unexpected figure of the Professor’s daughter strode past, and Vivica cocked her head.

Curious, she thought, sure that there was something… different about her today. Vivica did not like Laurelai as much as she liked the Professor, but today the young woman felt more companionable. Why, Vivica could almost picture her in a Baking Coat of her own.

Laurelai seemed to be alone out there in the hallway, and with a look back towards Bennington - who gave an encouraging loop and wiggled his tentacles - Vivica tapped loudly on the reinforced glass of her window just as the young woman walked by.

@Voidus

[mathiau he/him]

NullBlade entered the Einladung and walked to the receptionist, he had removed his chainmail and weapons, as he expected they weren't authorised inside

"Excuse me, I'm an Allomantic Savant, I would like to know if it were possible to see someone see if I was starting to suffer from metallic poisoning and if I'm not damaging my soul too much." He asked, low enough that no one but her would hear.

"May I know which of which metal you're a Savant?"

"Aluminium"

"Oh, that's a rare one. You can go to the waiting room, someone will come for you."

He sat and decided to stop burning aluminium of a moment. As he did he felt a soft pressure on his torso, similar to a hug. He tired to put his hand on her harms but there were none, this was barely an echo from the past.

"I love you, little princess" he whispered before starting to burn again, a few tears coming to his eyes.

Why did she have to die?

Edited March 2, 2022 by mathiau

[Ashbringer he/him]

Byron's moment of clarity had passed. The lights were on. They hurt. Fortunately they weren't being turned on and off repeatedly, but it still hurt his open eyes. A few people ran in and out.

Then suddenly someone reached over and touched him, and the world slowed down. Byron twitched, finishing the recoiling motion he'd began before his cadmium had kicked in. It didn't work right. His cadmium was off. And if the lack of any sinking feeling in his gut was any indication, he wasn't being poisoned either. A Leecher. They'd listened to Aln's note. The orderly had apparently not listened to the full details, however, because she jumped back and shouted incoherently.

"Ah! Sorry. I was... ah... cadmium. It's weird. This is the hospital, right? I need to find someone. Sorry," Byron stammered, then tried to stretch off the hospital bed. His legs gave out almost immediately. No cadmium. Right. Rusts, his brain was moving too fast.

"Maybe you should lie back down," the orderly said, reaching her hand out again. She wanted to Leech him again. Maybe she was a savant too. Could Leech away pain. Or maybe that was just a Truthwatcher thing.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. Just... used to cadmium. A lot. But that's not an urgent thing," he said. "Do you have a cane? Or crutches would be good. Or a lot of cadmium."

Where even in the hospital was he?

[Voidus]

In.
Laurelai resisted the impulse to check the rooms and hallways she passed, ignored the tickling sensation on her neck that screamed that someone was watching, someone would notice.
Out.
Smooth breathing, unhurried gait, eyes forward. Not at all out of place, not doing anything suspicious. Pay no attention to her anxiety or fears, her mind running through every worst-case scenario. Don't fidget, don't play with the necklace.
In.
That helped, matching breathing with someone was always a quick way to begin understanding their psyche, that most basic of actions influenced so much biochemistry, so much psychology, calm your breath and your mind would follow. Almost as fast as Forging myself calm. She mused with a smile.
-
Forging? Fast? What in the world had made her think that so naturally? Even under the best of circumstances with a premade stamp Forgery could hardly be called fast, especially for something like calming emotions. Very occasionally if medication was not working for a patient and Laurelai had worked with them for a long time she might make a stamp to help stabilize them.
Out.
More ragged now, but she could control it. Nobody was watching, and only one more corridor to make it through before she was in the records room. Despite her own efforts her hand rose almost unconsciously to feel the coin again as she moved forwards, her eyes briefly fluttered closed as she took that momentary comfort. What had even startled her? It was a momentary panic but that would pass, even already the memory faded.

In. Out. In. Out. We are calm, we are just working like we do every day. In. Out. In-
Tap Tap Tap.

"Nights!" She swore, jumping a half foot into the air and abandoning all of her calm demeanour in an instant, searching around to find the source of the noise and anybody who might be trying to find her. She even found one of her hands raised into the air with an extended finger as though she could draw a Stamp in midair, did she think herself Elantrian now?

Her panicked gaze found one of the patient rooms, these were the long term care rooms in the cognitive ward and it took her barely a moment to recognize Vivica on the other side. Her father seemed oddly fond of the woman but almost the entire rest of the staff found her deeply unnerving, she had proven resilient to almost every form of therapy that had been tested, seemed to oddly be aware that she was suffering from hallucinations but refused to treat them as anything other than perfectly real and had frequently become violent with the staff.

"Okay there?" Someone asked from further along the hall, one of the nurses pushing a trolley had noticed her starting.

"Yes, yes." She reassured him quickly. "Must have been half-asleep while walking."

"Ain't we all." The nurse replied, shooting her a dazzling if somewhat tired smile back. "Watch yourself with her though, tried to stab into my brain after telling me I had nice eyes. She's still got suspended privileges."

Laurelai attempted to give a sympathetic look as she waited for her racing heart to calm. She spared a momentary glance at the window where Vivica was still intently peering through at her. Merciful Domi did that woman ever blink?

"Yes I saw the incident report." She said, vaguely recalling a dangerous incident had been filed in amongst all the usual paperwork. "Thought we should probably drop in and see how she's managing."

"Need restraints?" The nurse offered, already reaching for a nearby storage container.

"No that won't be necessary." Laurelai said, thinking quickly. "Just a quick check in after all, restraints all need to be filed and it's already looking like a long day."

She saw the nurse off with a strained smile, half-turning to Vivica's door and raising her voice a little louder than was necessary.

"Excuse me miss, if you could just step back to your desk so I can come in. We just wanted to talk about the incident yesterday."

Her hand reached for the door, as she watched the nurse move out the corner of her eyes. Once he was gone the hallway would be clear, she could just say something briefly to Vivica to placate her in case anyone checked in later and then be into the records room seconds later without any further eyes on her.
@ZincAboutIt

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

10 hours ago, Voidus said:

"Excuse me miss, if you could just step back to your desk so I can come in. We just wanted to talk about the incident yesterday."

 Vivica sighed but dutifully stepped back towards her desk, brightening slightly as she noticed a small satsuma on the desktop. She must not have seen it at breakfast, and she picked it up, turning it over and over in her hands.

”What a nice day it’s turning out to be, isn’t it Bennington?”

Bennington did an affirmative loop and then drifted over towards Laurelai, who was entering the door with no small amount of trepidation. Vivica was used to trepidation in her visitors - all except the Professor. He was special.

”You don’t need to worry,” she said to Laurelai, smiling what she hoped was a calm, reassuring smile. Vivica made sure not to show her teeth in the smile. That made people nervous. “I won’t try to extract your eyes. Your father would never forgive me. I’d probably get disintegrated.”

She giggled, then began to peel the satsuma, digging her thumb into the skin and ripping off a strip. “There’s something different about you today Miss Laurelai, isn’t there, Bennington?” 
Bennington agreed, though of course Laurelai couldn’t see him.
“You remind me of the other you,” Vivica continued. “In the other life.” She plucked out a segment of orange and popped it into her mouth. It was sweet.  

[Voidus]

Just stay long enough that she'll remember it. Laurelai reminded herself. Then slip out and we're right there, even if someone else comes along reviewing her previous admittances would make sense.

Breathing shallowly she slipped into the room, reluctantly allowing the door to close since leaving it open would attract too much attention.  She looked up to Vivica with a classic doctors smile, reassuring, calming. The smile faltered immediately as she met Vivica's eyes, bloodshot and wide staring straight back and through her in an incredibly unnerving manner. A wide smile that showed none of her teeth but did stretch her mouth unnaturally.

Nights she's unnerving. Why is dad always so interested in her?

Laurelai's father didn't often speak of any details of his visits, which had previously only raised her suspicions even further. She was not the only person who had wondered if perhaps he was in an incredibly ill-advised relationship with the woman, despite the difference in their ages. But it was unlikely, hospitals did not afford privacy to dangerously unstable patients after all.

”You don’t need to worry,” Vivica said through her smile of stretched skin. “I won’t try to extract your eyes. Your father would never forgive me. I’d probably get disintegrated.”

Laurelai cocked her head at that, she had heard that Vivica had some interesting ideas about Professor Esserethel but disintegrated? A part of Laurelai tried to examine the curious behaviour immediately, was it because Vivica viewed him as a friend and protector? That would make sense, sometimes patients painted a much grander picture of those who were friendly to them than reality had. A good number of people were admitted here because people had abused those kinds of relationships.

Not your job tonight. She reminded herself, breaking off the psychoanalysis. Brief conversation then records.

"Of course, I know you wouldn't try to hurt me." Laurelai said, trying to demonstrate a trust that she most certainly did not feel.

 “There’s something different about you today Miss Laurelai, isn’t there, Bennington?” Vivica said, possibly not having heard at all.

It was said that there was a fine line between genius and insanity, and Vivica's perception may have shown it. Others dismissed her as an irredeemable case but she was strangely insightful at times.

“You remind me of the other you,” Vivica continued.

Laurelai looked back to the door, wondering if she should perhaps just make for the records room now, but nodded politely as though listening to Vivica.

“In the other life.”

Vivica revealed teeth at last as they bit into the soft flesh of an orange. The simple act felt vastly more violent than it should and Laurelai almost had to repress an involuntary shudder but after a moment realised it was not coming. Perhaps she was growing slowly desensitized to such things? She had not been in the hospital all that long but those who had a tenure of decades were rarely surprised or disturbed even by the more violent patients.

What did she just say? Laurelai said, head snapping back to look at Vivica as her words slowly sunk in. Another life? Some signs of recovering from retrograde amnesia?

She had almost made one of the most basic of mistakes, being so focussed on where she thought she needed to go that she had forgotten what her actual goal was. Mysterious people, frequent patients of the cognitive word, memory loss. Wasn't Vivica exactly the kind of person that she would be researching if she had made it to the records room? And here she had the person herself, willing as always to talk about such things. But what had she meant by the other Laurelai? Had they met before?

"The other me?" Laurelai said, forcibly levelling her voice. "I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Have we met somewhere outside the hospital? I'm so sorry I must have forgotten."

It was almost impossible, Vivica had been in the hospital nearly her entire life. But then why did it sound so convincing?

[Ashbringer he/him]

Cassandra Adama tried not to limp as she walked past the first secretary. She wasn't sure how much the limp was from the damage of the battle, or the Soulcasting, or just her own perception. She hadn't had it before. Or at least she hadn't noticed it before. But there were more important things to worry about. Like the contents of her shoulder bag, which may give security some pause. Aluminum lining, a few buttons and pockets cleverly hiding small razors, various coins, and a rather large amethyst. Lord had apparently been holding out on her - she'd managed to transport and hide the more unseemly loot that she'd collected, but the massive amount of amethysts and trade contacts, those were sometimes even more important. And the Soulcaster, of course. She wasn't going to leave that behind. She had checked in most of her dirks and knives, but better safe than sorry.

She paused on the steps. What was she even going to say? There'd been a note that her assistant had been injured? That she was injured? She should be, but she wasn't, she'd checked. The worst thing she'd suffered was a dent in her side and arm... and the fact that such a dent could exist. But Cassie had an idea for the first and could live with the second.

Well, she had an idea for the second too. Which was another task that could happen at the hospital. But she'd need to get to the Cognitive Ward, the one place she was certain that her condition would not let her go. Perhaps Poller was there, if they'd tried to treat his narcolepsy directly.

Well. No way of figuring out like this.

She opened the door, just in time to watch NullBlade head to the waiting room, looking... distracted? More like distraught. Strange. You don't usually get a terminal diagnosis at the front desk, so this was something... different. No matter.

"I'm Cassandra Adama," she said, walking up to one of the receptionists. "I'm here for... a few reasons, actually. My assistant Poller may have came for an appointment earlier today, he left a note saying he had a potential head injury? I'd like to make sure he's alright. And...". She sighed, then waved her Soulcaster. "I've been using this for a long time. Metal soulcaster savantism... relatively advanced. I'd like to at least get an opinion on what that might mean for the future. I'm largely dependent on it for my income, and I seem to have been managing better than expected, but I'm not really sure what options I have."

The receptionist paused from writing, pencil somewhat twitching in his hands. "Alright... those may have to be resolved seperately. Go ahead and find a spot in the waiting room and I'll see if I can find a spot."

Cassie nodded, then followed the pathway to where NullBlade was sitting, slowly, keeping care to rest her arm.

"Well, here we go," she said simply. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

@mathiau

[AonEne he/him]

1 hour ago, Ashbringer said:

pencil somewhat twitching in his hands. 

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Ah, how easy it is to get back into the habit of wondering if this is Alleycant  

I'm enjoying everyone's posts so far! 

 

[Ashbringer he/him]

3 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Ah, how easy it is to get back into the habit of wondering if this is Alleycant  

I'm enjoying everyone's posts so far! 

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… yes, I definitely know what Alleycant is 

But maybe! I’ve been meaning to ask if the DA or other forces have people in the hospital looking for certain symptoms 

And getting back to Cassie is certainly fun!

 

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

3 hours ago, Voidus said:

Have we met somewhere outside the hospital? I'm so sorry I must have forgotten."

Vivica shook her head and tore off another strip of orange peel. She grinned when she felt the slight mist of orange oil on her hands. It was a poor substitute for frosting, but it was nice. “No no silly. Not outside the hospital - in the other life. With the shifting skies and the Baking Coats and the warm, thick frosting. I never had to worry about sleeping then. Not like here. They make me sleep.”

She plucked out another orange segment and slowly squeezed it in her hand, feeling the juice drip between her fingers. “In my good dreams I remember the other life. You were there, we all were. You, and Gray, and Sierra, and the red haired girl with the gold Coin, and the man with the one eye, and the man with the bowler hat, and your father, and Bennington of course. That was a long time ago. Or maybe it was yesterday.”

She shrugged, then looked up at Laurelai, forgetting to hide her teeth. It was just so lovely to talk to someone after a few days in isolation. “You’ve seen it again, haven’t you? The sky. They tell you not to look but everyone looks. We have to look. We have to know. The Void. Grey and black and white and grey and black and grey and dark dark dark dark dark Dark Alley.”

Vivica jabbed her finger into the center of the orange. It was good to practice her bindpoints again. Even if she never got to use them.

”Oranges smell so nice, don’t they?”

Edited March 7, 2022 by ZincAboutIt

[Voidus]

Shifting skies? The darkened pathway that Lita had led her through nights before had many such skies, had Vivica been following them somehow? Or was this something else? Laurelai wasn't sure what she meant by baking coats but most of the staff had learned to have either physical or chemical restraints to hand when Vivica started talking about frosting. Was she simply mad? Her mind broken by endless attempts to avoid sleep and reality.

"You were there, we all were." Vivica continued, looking as relaxed as Laurelai had ever seen her, though still manic as she squeezed pulpy flesh in one hand. "You, and Gray, and Sierra"

Those names, were they familiar? No, if she'd met people like that then she had forgotten them since. But something about Vivica's certainty, the force of her statements felt almost physical and Laurelai found herself staggering back a step, leaning against a wall for support.

"The red haired girl with the gold Coin, and the man with the one eye, and the man with the bowler hat." Vivica continued.

These resonated, the red haired girl, Lita? But even as Vivica hurled the other less-familiar descriptions at her Laurelai felt flashes of... something. An image? It felt more like an impression, like people wearing festival costumes only for these people they were no costumes. Her gaze drifted, unsteady until it locked onto Vivica again, a flash of predatory teeth with a small trickle of juice down her mouth that seemed for a moment somehow deep crimson.

“You’ve seen it again, haven’t you? The sky. They tell you not to look but everyone looks. We have to look. We have to know. The Void. Grey and black and white and grey and black and grey and dark dark dark dark dark Dark Alley.”

Laurelai shrank under Vivica's questions, she knew she shouldn't answer, couldn't answer. She had been given great secrets and was expected to keep them, why would she reveal those answers to a madwoman? It was likely that this had all been setup to begin with wasn't it? To ensure that Laurelai had the capacity to lie and hide this truth from others. Lita certainly seemed like a sort capable and willing to set something like that up. She braced herself on the desk, hand crumpling up a loose sheet of paper as she looked back into those horrifying bloodshot eyes.

"Yes." She whispered quietly, afraid. "She told me not to but I looked."

Mottled shades of darkness, every patch seeming darker than any glimpse into the night that Laurelai had ever taken but some seeming even darker than that.

None of this made sense, another life? She might have been speaking about reincarnation but Laurelai somehow knew that was not the case, or at least that it was not quite so simple. What was she to make of this? A Forger with no idea as to the history that she was working with.

Loose paper gently drifted to the floor, it had been knocked from its place as Laurelai steadied herself on the desk and now twisted to show the image on the other side. Bright purple and seeming to smile though it had no mouth, an octopus though Vivica had drawn it swimming through air rather than water. Next to the octopus were two figures, one Laurelai assumed was Vivica herself though the figure seemed abstracted. But standing next to her a tall, blonde-haired man in a white coat, simply drawn but conveying a deep loneliness somehow.

"Vivica." Laurelai said again, bending to pick up the paper and staring at the familiar figure on it. "Who was my father?"

@ZincAboutIt

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

Oh dear, I’ve frightened her, Vivica thought as she watched the young woman’s eyes widen, watched her stagger backwards and brace herself against the wall.

Bennington floated down towards Laurelai and wiggled his tentacles at Vivica reproachfully, his color darkening slightly. She cast him a withering look. Now was not the time for reproach. Vivica felt a great elation begin to grow in her chest. Finally! Perhaps someone else would be able to understand. The baking. The science. The frosting! 
“Yes,” Laurelai whispered. “She told me not to, but I looked.”

Vivica nodded, unsurprised. Of course she had looked. Everyone looked. That was the idea. 
Laurelai did not seem to share Vivica’s mounting sense of joy. If anything, she looked terrified. She had made rather a mess, leaning on Vivica’s desk, crumpling her latest drawing of Bennington and the Professor in the other life. Vivica felt a moment of irritation, felt her hand twitch towards the pocket of a coat she was not wearing that contained a spike that did not exist. But no. That was not very good hospitality. One did not stab ones guests - well. At least not this guest.
“Vivica,” Laurelai said, picking up the drawing. She was staring at it as though it might swallow her up. “Who was my father?”

Bennington froze in midair, then streaked away across the room to hover in the far corner. Vivica wanted to do the same, but that would be rude. And it would not do to be rude to company, especially the Peofessor’s daughter. But this was a delicate matter. This was a secret that was not hers to tell. Vivica may have been mad, but she was no gossip.

She looked down at the drawing in Laurelai’s hand, at the face of the Professor. So lonely. Much lonelier than he was in this life. And yet, the Professor was lonely now too, in his own way. Perhaps because he missed his friend. There was nothing like a good friend.

”Nox,” she said softly, smiling at the drawing. A broken smile, and yet it felt right. “That is what I called him. He was so kind to me, a true gentleman. I’m afraid I lied to him, Miss Laurelai. I just… well. I just couldn’t admit to him that he wasn’t a hallucination. It seemed much kinder to let him pretend for a while.”

Vivica sat down at her desk and removed a single black crayon from a drawer before sliding a fresh sheet of paper towards herself. She began to draw, hand flying over the page as she spoke. She could almost feel the image trying to push its way out of her hand.

”It is hard to be oneself, Miss Laurelai. It is much simpler to pretend, to tell a story in your mind. To paint over all the darkness, all the pain. All the loneliness. It is much easier to simply go mad.”

Vivica handed the new drawing to Laurelai, a simple image, familiar. The stylized face of a man, impassive but for the hint of a furrowed brow over two eyes that were solid black. Like wells of night. 
 

Or holes in a mask. The mask of the Lonely God.

”Your father was very lonely, Miss Laurelai,” Vivica said, still staring down at the crayon in her hands, cheeks hot with shame at revealing Nox’s secret. But then again, if anyone could help the Professor, surely it was his daughter. “He was the loneliest person in the world.”

@Voidus

[mathiau he/him]

15 hours ago, Ashbringer said:

Cassie nodded, then followed the pathway to where NullBlade was sitting, slowly, keeping care to rest her arm.

"Well, here we go," she said simply. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

NullBlade dryed his tears. Find what he was looking for? What was he even looking for something? Answers? Peace maybe?

"I hope you do too."

A male nurse came to then

"Are you the two persons coming for a Savantism check up?

"We are" NullBlade said

"Then follow me"

[Voidus]

18 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

”Your father was very lonely, Miss Laurelai,” Vivica said, still staring down at the crayon in her hands, cheeks hot with shame at revealing Nox’s secret. But then again, if anyone could help the Professor, surely it was his daughter. “He was the loneliest person in the world.”

Laurelai stared into the face on the page, she didn't remember grabbing the page, it seemed to just be there all of a sudden, two dark wells on a page, eyes staring back at her, past her and through her all at once. That face that was both familiar and not, someone she'd seen a hundred times just yesterday but also never in her life. There had been thousands of people wearing this mask, but was there someone else in the city who had taken it off? Someone who had once worn this visage not as a mask but as their identity and then somehow changed?

Laurelai's lips curled into a smile, a soft chuckle escaping her mouth. For a moment she had been considering something truly incredible, that Vivica of all people could be the sole voice of reason in the city. That wit everything that had been happening lately, the confusion that had begun to spring up could all be solved by talking to someone who could charitably be described as the one of the most unstable patients in the hospital.

"But it can't be can it?" She asked quietly, not to Vivica but herself. "Answers are never that easy."

Her hand drifted back to the necklace again, pulling at the coin. Wishing that she could believe that she could finally find the answer to this mystery, finally scratch that itch of an unsolved problem that had been distracting her for nearly a lifetime. That she could put her mother's memory to rest. But her father, the Lonely God? That was all she could have expected when she went to Vivica for answers. Still, perhaps it was worth asking about-

Knock knock knock.

Her head twisted suddenly to the door, heartrate skyrocketing again until she saw the nurse at the door, a warm tray of food in hand. She gave a nervous smile and moved to the door, opening it smoothly as she felt herself calm. Out of time to talk now, but she found herself oddly relieved at that. She felt her previous tension fading as she allowed herself to chuckle at the situation.

"Thank you." She said to the nurse, letting them brush past her and into the room. "And thank you Vivica, I'll speak with you again later."

She gave a small nod and exited the room, calmly slipping past the final door until she found herself in the records room. Time to get back on track, Vivica's memories were likely worth reporting but they shouldn't be taken at face value. But for the sake of verifying as much as she could, perhaps she should...

Hi dad, Laurelai messaged. I was just speaking with-

Flicker.

What was she doing? Laurelai stared down at her phone. Had she been texting her father about something? She tucked it back into a pocket and rubbed her eyes. Must need some more sleep. She thought, about to dismiss the thought before noticing the piece of paper still held in her other hand, had she taken one of Vivica's drawings? With a shrug she stuffed it into the other pocket and started combing through records. Beginning her search for strange patterns in the cognitive ward.

[Rushu42 she/her]

Quote

I'm going to be honest, I don't entirely remember what Aln was trying to do here. I'm excited to see this come back, though, so I'd love to jump back in! Please forgive any continuity errors.

Aln hurried through the hallways of the hospital. With her Lightwoven doctor's coat and badge, no one gave her a second glance, but she still jumped every time someone rounded a corner. Storms, lying felt unnatural. She felt a surge of relief when the signs on the walls finally proclaimed "Cognitive Ward". If all had gone according to plan, Folorian would be in here somewhere, being treated as a patient. Her job was to look through the backend - hospitals preserved records of nearly every treatment administered. If anomalous memory recovery was occurring across the city, as she suspected, then there would have to be evidence in the paperwork.

Scanning the intersection, Aln spotted a plain door set into the corner. "Records Room". Perfect. She walked over and grabbed the doorknob. Miraculously, it was unlocked. She marveled at her luck - she thought for sure someone would have stopped her by now - then froze. On the other side of the door was a blond haired woman currently combing through paperwork. For a split second Aln considered just closing the door and leaving, but it was too late. She'd clearly been noticed.

@Voidus

[Voidus]

Nights why does nothing ever go smoothly? Laurelai lamented as she forced her face to impassivity. Three minutes in the room and someone else bursts in, I'd barely even begun to pull out the current patient files let alone start cross referencing.

She gave a tired smile and a nod towards the doctor before pausing and tilting her head a fraction. Was she new? Laurelai was not deeply involved enough with any of the administration to be a part of the hiring process but there was usually some chatter when there was a recent hire. Perhaps she'd simply missed it with everything else that had been going on recently.

"Hey." She said, attempting to noncommittally greet her. "Are you new here? Looking for anything in particular?"

Just find her what she needs and get her out of here as quickly as possible.

[Rushu42 she/her]

1 hour ago, Voidus said:

"Hey." She said, attempting to noncommittally greet her. "Are you new here? Looking for anything in particular?"

"I - yes, I am new. I mean, um, hello. Just- just looking for some records for a patient." Aln desperately shoved her hands into her pockets to disguise their shaking. It was just lying. The woman didn't have any reason to be suspicious yet. She could do this. She had to do this. 

She took a step forward, clearing her throat unnecessarily. "Specifically, I have a patient who's exhibiting some odd symptoms, and I was hoping to check old records to see if there has been anything like them reported before. To see if there's precedent for treatment methods, you see." 

[Voidus]

Poor thing's shakier than a newborn foal. Laurelai thought, empathy breaking through her own fear of discovery.

"I see." Laurelai replied lightly humming as she settled into the comfortable day-to-day interactions of life at the hospital. "I understand wanting to try to find the answer yourself but combing through old records is time consuming and it can be a bit of a long shot. Nothing wrong with asking someone else for a consult if you need one, especially if there's any risk to the patient."

Wait, this could be perfect. She thought, jolting slightly under a sudden idea. Perfect chance to be here for an extended period combing through old records.

"Why don't you tell me a little about it?" Laurelai prompted, clearing some space on a nearby desk and starting to lay out some files, she took one of the uncomfortable metallic stools for herself before gesturing at the other. "Maybe I can help you out or at least find some older patients that might be relevant. What was the patient's name?"

[Rushu42 she/her]

"Well, it's-it's not an urgent matter. The patient - name of, um, Smith - doesn't seem to be in danger. It's partially just for my own curiosity that I'm here. I wouldn't want to interrupt your work with this." 

Should she risk asking about any symptoms directly? It could speed up the investigation, true, but if there was a DA presence in the hospital it would surely get their attention. Part of Aln just wanted to blurt everything out and hope that the doctor would be sympathetic. 

"Caution," hummed Pel within her mind. So she bit her tongue and waited, still standing, hoping that the woman would just get on with her own work and leave Aln to her investigation.

[Voidus]

Laurelai's curiosity began to climb as the young woman continued to stammer nervously. If there was no danger then what was she so worried about? Had she made some kind of mistake that she was trying to cover up?

"Smith?" She asked to confirm, beginning to flip through a list of current patients. "Not Enedar surely, he's been here so long he's practically built into the mortar."

As her long, slender fingers flicked rapidly from file to file her mind moved just as quickly. Watching the woman out of the corner of her eye as she tried to conclude what could be happening. If she had done something wrong and Laurelai mentioned that fact then they would need to speak to the administrators, who would no doubt ask Laurelai why she was here when she wasn't rostered on for several more hours yet.

But she is suspicious. Even if she were covering up a mistake why come here? None of her own patient files would have been moved to storage yet they'd still be in the room. The only reason to come here is for information gathering, or to hide someone's old records.

"Don't worry about me, I've got a few hours worth to get through, a couple of minutes spent helping a new colleague won't kill anyone." She added with a reassuring smile, using the opportunity to more closely examine the woman.

Her eyes paused briefly on the hospital logo on the breast pocket before travelling down the sleeves. The worn sleeves of a coat worn for many years, not the crisp freshly-starched coats that were provided to new doctors. So how did a new doctor acquire a coat with the hospital's logo but worn as though by someone who had worked here for years?

Can't afford to get caught up in any problems but I can't just let a potential criminal break into the records room without consequence. Should I just tell Lita that I couldn't manage it today? If only we could find someone else we'd have more flexibility to investigate this.

"Ah, Jenny Smith?" Laurelai asked, inventing a name wholecloth to see the reaction. "Yes that could be a tricky one, forcibly broken Nahel bonds can cause a troubling amount of cognitive damage. We did have a patient a few years back with similar symptoms, though I don't recall what the treatment was. But you should be able to pull the record from box 1346 over there."

Try to keep an eye on her for now, if she knows you're watching then she might just leave without incident and you can make an anonymous tip later.

[Rushu42 she/her]

Aln forced herself to step further into the room, allowing her eyes to flick to the indicated box, then to the papers on the table. "No, no, neither of them - he's a new patient, just admitted today." 

Was the other woman suspicious? It was hard to tell. Come to think of it, what was she doing in the records room that would take a few hours? Was it standard procedure to spend so long reviewing old files? Aln breathed in, then continued, "He reported odd recurring dreams, apparently linked with selective retrograde amnesia. It doesn't seem associated with substance abuse or trauma I, um, just wondered if that particular combination had come up before."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Aln?" asked her spren. We knew there'd be risks, she returned. If I try to invent more lies I'll just dig myself deeper. Besides, if she does happen to know something about this, those symptoms could bait her into tipping her hand. 

[Voidus]

Crem. Laurelai thought. Storming, Rusting Crem in a bucket.

"It's not an unusual combination for certain cognitive problems." Laurelai replied calmly.

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem.

"Selective retrograde amnesia is almost always associated with some particular trauma however. A crack in the spiritweb surrounding a particular event." She continued, giving an almost textbook response. "Recurring dreams could point towards the same possibility, or potentially repressed memories that are surfacing subconsciously."

Too much, this isn't a quiz it's a conversation. Just breathe and focus. Why would she mention that combination? Far too coincidental to be an accident, the odds of a criminal trying to cover for themselves picking that specific set of symptoms must be astronomical. So is she really treating a patient? If so then that's another data point that we can talk to, she said recently admitted so at least it's not Vivica. But whoever it is if we can find them and talk to them then we may be able to work something out.

"Either way it's usually an even involving the patient's personal history that can be discovered." Laurelai concluded. "It might be best if I spoke with them, I'm a Forger so I tend to help out on cases like that."

It's all okay, just concentrate and think this through. What possible motivation could someone have for breaking into the records room and asking questions about dreams and retrograde amnesia?

Her eyes dropped to the set of files she'd just liberated from a box, she'd already sorted them by symptom with any mention of amnesia or momentary blackouts on top. It was only a moment before her eyes widened slightly and looked back to the 'Doctor'.

Crem.