The Common Room Showing 551-600 of 1,208

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Again, her lips were pursed in thought. She cocked her head to the side a little, furrowing her brows.

Finally, she came to a decision. "I don't think so," she murmured with a shake of her head.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Well, that was certainly an unusual response. Raven had never met anyone who'd not been afraid of him, let alone thought that they shouldn't be in the first place--even Rosemarie, who he considered a friend, was at least a little cautious around him. "Hmmm," was all he said., after a few moments of silence. "I don't usually hear that, you know."

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"Should I be?"

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Perhaps." Raven leaned back against the couch to observe the comings and goings of the common room for a moment. Nurses and patients alike were staring at him suspiciously, the patients with interest and the staff with wary attention--it wasn't often that he was so gentle, and when he was it never lasted. They were all waiting for him to snap. Finally he turned back to Morgan with a shrug, saying nothing more.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

The little girl paused, but she didn't think anything of it and shrugged herself. "Well I'm not."

She had a little smile in place and lifted a hand to play with one of her long curls.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Another chuckle escaped him, and he gave Morgan a long, almost gentle look. "You're a rarity, you know that? Truly a rarity."

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

She giggled. "Thank you."

"Why are people afraid of you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Morgan was aware of the many pairs of eyes, and she heard the hushed whispers around the room. From the stories she had heard, this situation in itself was a rarity.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

This time, the sadist outright laughed. He couldn't help it, sitting there with his head tilted back against the pillows; the way Morgan had asked the question, with no hint of fear, just with innocent, childlike curiosity, was something he just found amusing. "I do things," he said when he recovered himself, turning towards her again. "To their heads. I guess you could say I make them think bad thoughts. Really, really bad thoughts."

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Her smile grew a little wider, and Morgan pulled her legs up, crossing then underneath her.

"Oh. Well that doesn't sound too bad."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Ah, but you misunderstand." Raven tapped her head gently, a gesture that said he wanted the little girl to turn and look at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a nurse tense. "You've never had very many bad thoughts, have you, Morgan?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Blue gaze looked right at Raven, but didn't see a thing. Didn't see the boy in front of her. Didn't see the terrified nurses.

Didn't see the danger.

She shook her head. "Nope," she murmured, popping the p.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Have you ever wondered about...bad things?" The way he said the words, his voice coated with innocence, definitely couldn't have earned him good points with the nurses--he saw many inch towards the couch, and some even for the door. "Men who take people's lives? Things that go bump in the night?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

A little purse of her lips. "Sometimes?" She phrased it as a question, unsure whether or not it was the correct response, and not wanting to be wrong.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Consider it for a moment." Raven leaned back leisurely into the couch to study her with a gaze that was now more catlike, more predatory. "Ganiyegi," he murmured. Danger.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Morgan certainly did consider it. She didn't understand the word, and she didn't bother asking. Her lips were pursed in thought, brows furrowed in a sense of confusion.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Now," Raven said, "what do you see?" He wasn't referring to what she could actually see, of course--he was referring to what the little girl saw in her head, or perhaps even her mind's eye. She looked quite thoughtful, and had for several moments. So it was time to see how far he could go.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Of course, Morgan's first thought was her father. As much as she feigned that she was okay with it, she truly resented get father for placing her here.

She didn't say so, however, and flushed a little at the thought.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Firmer now, at the lack of response: "What do you see, Morgan?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Quietly spoken: "My daddy."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Your daddy?" Raven raised his eyebrows. He remembered now--Morgan's father was the one who had sent her into the asylum, for being blind and believing the devil was inside her. "What's your daddy doing, Morgan?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Another little frown. Despite her imagination, Morgan hadn't been able to place an image to her father. She didn't really want to.

"I can't tell. I can't see."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Adanvtesgv," Raven told her. His voice had changed just slightly: the gentle prodding of his tone was still there, but it had become harder, more sharp. "Think."

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"I'm trying ," she insisted.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Raven crossed his bare arms over his chest and gave her another long look. "Good. What do you see?" Another brief glance around the common room revealed that they were still being watched. The nurses had crept just a bit closer to the pair on the couch, and the patients had leaned in--it seemed that he was giving them what they'd been waiting for when he prodded just a little harder. Now, it seemed, they were waiting for things to get worse.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"Um... It's black. I can't see anything."

She winced a little, hoping she didn't disappoint. "I feel it more than I see it."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Okay." Raven nodded--he could live with that. "Then what do you feel?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

A little flinch. "It hurts."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Is your daddy hurting you?" Raven tilted his head at the flinch, distant approval flickering in his eyes. The slight fear was good, even if it wasn't directed at him. He couldn't play his usual games with Morgan, for she was too young--so, instead, he had decided to go about desensitizing her, just as he told Rosemarie he wanted to do. "What's daddy doing?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"I don't know."

A common answer from the girl. "I don't know but it hurts."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Raven gave a brief 'hmm' of acknowledgement, and then he stood. He tapped her on the head once more, tilting her head up just slightly so that her cloudy blue gaze met his. "The world isn't just sugar plums and fairy dances," he murmured. "Remember that, Morgan." And with that, he was gone.

((Fade?))

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

((sure.))

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza sat close to the fireplace, bundled up under a few blankets and her short blonde locks in her hands. Her feet, which were pulled up on the cushions next to her, tapped rather anxiously, and she was maintaining her nervous habit of biting her bottom lip.

It had only been a few hours since the incident with Yvette and Dominic, and Cadenza was not fairing well. Her room, a near mess in her eyes, had nearly sent her into a panic attack, and so she left to the common room. The fire kept her shaking form warm, and the blankets were bundled up close to her face.

Under the blankets, the small girl was wearing simple jeans and a plain white blouse. Her icy gaze scanned the room, finding flaws despite her struggle to relax.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

It wasn't long before Julie's own gaze caught--for what must have been the sixth time--on the small form of the girl by the fire. She had looked rather the worse for wear for hours now, her blue eyes never still and her form close to shaking. So finally she stood and made her way over, he bare feet passing soundlessly over the carpet, and gave a slight frown of concern. "Hello there," she said, quietly so as not to startle the stranger. "You don't look so well. Is there something wrong?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

The young girl took a deep breath, and struggled to calm her shaking, which she achieved long enough to murmur out: "I'm fine."

She wasn't fine, and both of then knew that. At this point, it was hardly about the situation in the basement. It was just a bad day, and she hadn't seen her Dominic, who could work his magic of calming her down, in a long while. Cadenza pulled her knees up closer to her chest, as to give Julie more room, and she wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm fine," she repeated.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

Julie knelt down beside her. "Okay," she said--though it was clear that she didn't believe the small blonde. Instead of prying, however, she just gave a little smile and held out her hand. "My name is Juliana, but you may call me Julie. Who are you?" If this stranger didn't want outside help, then maybe she could benefit from a new friend instead. The Colombian figured it couldn't hurt to try.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza greeted the Colombian's hand with her own, which was much paler in comparison. "Cadenza."

A gentle smile was offered, icy eyes lighting up with the smile for a moment.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Good to meet you, Cadenza." You seem like one of the less crazy people here. Of course, Julie didn't speak the words out loud, but nonetheless she gave a glance around the asylum that might have betrayed the thought. She was, still, rather nervous about this place and its inhabitants--and pats from smiling nurses had done little to reassure her. Terrible things happened here all the time, obvious or subtle; who knew when she would become the next target?

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"The same to you."

A similar thought ran through Cadenza's mind as she took in the girl before her. She didn't seem very dangerous, and she was certainly friendly enough.

"What're you in for, Julie?" A gentle question, not prying but full of simple curiosity.

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Post-traumatic stress disorder." Julie shrugged a little. The fact wasn't all too evident today--there weren't any boys in the common room right now, after all--and she turned back to Cadenza a moment later with slight curiosity in her own eyes. "What about you?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

"OCD." Cadenza smirked a little; where Julie seemed as fine as ever, her own condition seemed rather evident. "It gets really bad."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"I can tell," Julie murmured, sympathy lacing her voice. "Is there something I can do to help?" she asked. She paused a moment, bushing her dark hair behind her ears, biting her lip gently in thought as she wondered how to go on without sounding rude. "Or, if not, something I could do to take your mind off of your anxiety?" After all, distraction was always welcome whenever she was feeling uptight. Who was to say that it wouldn't help Cadenza too?

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza smiled a little. "We can just talk."

Pulling the blanket up to underneath her chin, Cadenza continued. "How long have you been here?"

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Um..." Julie trailed off for a moment, holding up one finger in the universal gesture for give me a moment. "A few months," she finished. "Sorry, sometimes the weeks blend together. I used to keep track very diligently, in case something happened that I would need to tell someone about, but so far nothing has. So I've stopped." A slight smile came with the little semi-rant. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to ramble. I just haven't spoken to someone in so long--" She cut herself off there. Saying you don't mean to ramble and then not stopping is just as rude, she reminded herself, firmly. "And you?" She finally managed to return the question. "You seem rather used to the asylum."

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza laughed a little at the flustered girl. She seemed sweet. In answer, Cadenza pondered for a moment. "Uh, four or five years, I believe."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

The lithe Colombian's eyes widened. "My goodness," she breathed. Everyone here seemed to have been around a while--it made her feel even more out-of-place. "Five years? How do you stand it? This place is so awful!" Her voice lowered on her last words--though they were true, she didn't want to offend any nearby nurses--but there was still emotion in them. She was sure that if she had to remain here for so long, she really would lose her mind.

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza nodded, and she smirked. "It's not that bad for me, because it gives me a daily routine. But there are plenty who have been here longer, and don't enjoy any second of it."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"I couldn't even imagine staying her for years." Julie tucked her knees up under her shin and wrapped her arms around her legs to hide a shudder. "I'd really go insane then. This place is just so...so sad and the people here are so dangerous." Not, of course, counting those like her, who were simply afraid. "How do you get through it?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza shrugged. "I don't leave my room often. I kind of forget about the other people here."

[Hope , I belong here more than they do.]

"Oh. Is there a lot to do in your room or something?"

[Annie, Have no fear of perfection-- you'll never reach it.]

Cadenza laughed, a little dryly. "To me there is. Always something to clean, or organize... Yeah."