The Common Room Showing 701-750 of 1,208

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

Serafima found herself in a rather good mood on this fine day, and had made it her mission to track down her own patient. She had heard about the attack on the young girl, and wasn't necessarily angry, but more so disappointed. And yet, the young brunette had a big smile in place as she entered the common room with a little knock. "Knock knock, sunshine," said the brunette with a little chuckle. "Mind if I join you?" Serafima wore dark, tight jeans and a baby blue tank top that ran a little high in the front. Her scarred arms were up fixing her high pony, and her dark gaze landed upon her patient. Her smile reached her eyes, and without waiting for an answer, Serafima plopped down onto the couch in front of Carlos and kicked her legs up onto the arm of the couch.

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

At his nurse's enthusiastic entrance, a smile crept up onto Carlos's face. It looked out of place there when coupled with the worry in his dark eyes. Nonetheless, his voice was cheerful. "Hi, Sera." A nickname--one that he was fairly sure his nurse didn't mind him using. "I guess you heard about what happened?"

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

The brunette began twirling the loose strands of hair around her index finger, and tapped her foot out of habit. She nodded, though the smile didn't disappear. "Yep. Wanna tell me about it before I give you the basic rundown?" Her voice was tinged with the slightest of sarcasm, and she offered an encouraging smile to her patient.

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

Carlos shook his head, a silent refusal. Now that Serafima was here, the guilt was coming back full force, and this time, it did find a foothold. In all reality, he didn't want to talk about what had happened, because the truth of it was so undeniably simple: he had lost control. Again. He had lost control and beat the tar out of a five-year-old. For a moment, he felt just like Jack Torrence. Morgan, he thought. Morgan with her arm in a cast.

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

Serafima sighed a little, and turned her head to the side, locking gazes with Carlos. She cocked her head closer to her shoulder, and bit down on her lip as she thought about what to say.

"You know that lot's of people are upset, right?" Serafima said quietly, but she didn't wait for an answer. "I mean, it makes some sense as to why. You sort of beat the shit out of the most innocent girl here."

"But I'm not here to make you feel terrible about what you did," the brunette continued. "You already do, I can see it. My job is to help you through it; that's what a nurse does, right?" Serafima smiled a little, a comforting smile. "You knew what you did was wrong, right? So then, don't dwell on it anymore. Just leave it at that, hon."

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

Leave it at that. For some reason, the words did nothing but enrage him. "How the fuck am I supposed to leave it that?!" Carlos shouted. He was on his feet in an instant, hands raised and clenched into tight fits, lips pulled back from his teeth in what was not a smile but a snarl. He saw red, and for a moment he was sure he was going to hit her. Hit her for saying that, for goading him. How much of an idiot did she think he was? How much of his conscience did she think had left him? Judging from her words, a lot more than he liked. A lot more.

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

Serafima held her hands up in surrender. "Woah, now, hon, calm down for a minute. Don't get your panties in a twist." Of course, Serafima wasn't afraid. This was a common occurrence with Carlos, and the brunette was certainly used to it. She sat calmly, hands providing a space between her and the patient, and her dark brows were arched. "Calm down, Carlos." Her tone was little more than demanding, firm, and strict. It wasn't an option.

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

It took a moment, but eventually he did sit down again. The heels of his hands--still balled into fists--pressed against closed eyes, a gesture that usually meant exhaustion but now hinted only at anger. Carlos took deep, heaving breaths. "Why the hell would you even say that?" The words were spoken through gritted teeth. "She's not one of the brutes, Sera. She's a little girl. A little. Girl. She's a fucking child. How do you expect me to just walk away, ho-hum, like absolutely nothing happened? What kind of a monster do you think I am?"

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

Serafima set her hands down, now that the threat was gone, and gave Carlos a disdaining look, accompanied by arched eyebrows. "Because dwelling on it isn't going to do you any good. What's done is done, and killing yourself over it isn't gonna be any good for you."

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

"Well what am I supposed to do, hotshot?" Immediately Carlos's hands flew down, slapping against his thighs. He glared at her, his eyes bright with anger. "You're so full of ideas that aren't going to help me--so you say--so tell me, what is?" In all honesty, the Hispanic himself wasn't all that enthusiastic. It was as he'd told Roxanne: there was no getting better. Not for him. There was no escape when your mind was home to the beast.

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

Serafima arched her brows, unamused by Carlos' anger that may have frightened anyone else. "Carlos..." she said firmly, cocking her head to the side a little. "Calm down, and then maybe I'll answer."

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

For God's sake, I am calm! Carlos bit his lip to stop the words from coming out--he knew perfectly well that he wasn't calm and that Sera was right, he ought to make an effort to get there--but that didn't mean he had to like it. Nonetheless, some of the heat left his eyes, and by sheer force of will, he unclenched his fists. His jaw clenched in their place. He refused to allow himself to speak, for fear of what might come out.

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

"You good now?" Serafima crossed one leg over the other, and turned to face her patient with a firm stare. Once she was assured that her patient was fine, Serafima spoke.

"Carlos, you're right, and we've discussed this. Getting better isn't really an option in our specific situation. I never said you'd get better. But you can manage things. And don't get mad at me for telling you that, because it's the truth. You know it is."

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

Carlos knew immediately why she'd added on the lat sentence--the anger came back in a rolling wave. His hands balled into fists again. "How, Sera?" His was the voice of a boy who was trying very hard not to shout. "How am I supposed to manage one goddamn thing without confining myself to my room for the rest of forever? You know as well as I do that those stupid peace-of-mind exercises don't do shit for me."

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

She sighed in exasperation. "Carlos, I told you not to get mad at me." The brunette rolled her eyes, and then followed with a shrug. "I don't know, Carlos. I don't know what you can do to manage. You have to put some effort into it, and try to find something that does work."

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

Carlos, too, raised an eyebrow. His smirk was a cynical one. "I'll tell you what works, Serafima. Beating the tar out of people works. But I don't think there's much good that can come from that, do you?" The smirk widened, and the boy barked out what sounded suspiciously like laughter. "Aren't you a nurse? Isn't it your job to figure out what I can do to manage? Because if it's not, me and my preschool teacher need to have a talk about feeding children lies."

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

Serafima sighed again, and rolled her eyes a little. "Damnit, Carlos, you're being unreasonable. I can't tell you to do shit. You and I both know you're not gonna do what I tell you to."

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

Carlos crossed one leg over the other and sat back in his chair, lacing his fingers together over his stomach. He raised his eyebrows, an act that made him look rather like a businessman who was trying not to kick a vain client out of the room. "That, mi amiga, is up for debate. I don't mind you because I've already tried what you come up with more often than not, is all. Start thinking outside the box and maybe we'll get somewhere." He was being unfair, and he knew it, but the boy couldn't help himself. Sometimes it was so hard to work with his nurse. Sometimes he thought the only thing she cared about was getting her paycheck. Unfair? Definitely. But did thinking such thoughts make him feel better? Absolutely.

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

Serafima rolled her eyes, and gave Carlos a glare. "I try, hon, I do. But, you know, whatever floats your boat. If you wanna think that I don't try, then be my guest."

Sera waved it aside, however, and pursed her lips into a little tiny pout. "But we're straying from the focus here. You might wanna lay low for a while. You're in big trouble with some big people."

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

"So what ring of hell are they sending me through this time?" Over the span of two seconds, the boy's entire demeanor changed. The smirk on his lips disappeared. The scorn in his eyes was replaced by a guilty weariness, and when he sighed he sounded not annoyed but ashamed. Incredibly ashamed. He shut his eyes, and for a moment Carlos looked as if he had aged fifty years in two moments. When he spoke, his lips barely moved, and he sounded tired. "Isolation? Therapy? God, don't send me back to therapy. Mami will cry. I doubt she knows how much of a bad boy I've been." Again he sighed. His words weren't pleas, just the opposite--they were signs of defeat, of resignation.

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

It was moments like this, moments where the patient truly let you inside their head to admire the exhibit, that made Sera really love her job. She pursed her lips into a pout, and arched her eyebrows. The brunette reached a hands across the space between her and her patient, and gently rested her hand upon his knee.

"Carlos, hon, we're not gonna send you to any of those things. Just be careful for a while until everybody calms down, okay?"

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

Carlos sighed. It was a long, tired sigh. "I'll be careful," he said. He didn't open his eyes. "I always try. You know that, don't you? I don't like the beast. I don't like what I do when it takes over...most of me doesn't." His eyes didn't open, but the hand on his knee was felt and, he supposed, appreciated (though he wasn't a big fan of the expression he could imagine on Sera's face.) "I'm not a monster, Sera." A pause, and Carlos tensed as if he'd just been smacked. "I don't want to be a monster."

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

Sera imitated his sigh almost perfectly. "I know, Carlos. I know you aren't, and I certainly know you don't." The brunette knit her brows together; it wasn't often that she saw this side of Carlos, and it hurt her to see him so upset. "I do know that you try. And I appreciate it."

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

"I know." For a moment, Carlos frowned, as if he was having an argument with himself. Then he shook his head and the crease between his brows smoothed out. "Estoy cansado," he told her. I'm tired.

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

Sera nodded a little, and stood, offering her hand to Carlos. "C'mon, let's get you back to your room then. Sleep on it, and hang out in your room for a bit. Everything will be okay, hon."

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

Carlos opened his eyes, took her hand, allowed himself to be pulled up. Everything will be okay. The words tumbled end over end in his mind, taunting him, pounding against his temples, making his head hurt. He said nothing, didn't even glance Sera's way, but the words he wanted to speak were obvious: No. It won't be okay.

((Fade.))

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

The common room was strangely empty, and it was the perfect place for Calix to relax for a while. The doctors had prescribed him with a "trial drug" that could be a placebo or real drug that was supposed to help him with his "blindness", but all it had managed to do was give him a raging headache, leaving him sprawled across the couch with one arm draped over his tightly shut eyes. As he did this, strange visions flashed through his mind of strange things he had only seen small flashes of in his dreams and when he was having a bad day and the doctors had to see him.

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

Bennett herself was rather perky today, having already finished her doll projects bright and early. She found herself wandering the asylum, and was pleased to find Calix in one of the first places she looked. With a rather wide grin in place, the brunette made her way over to the boy and plopped onto the carpet beside him. As she sat, her dark curls bounced around her shoulders. Bennett gently poked Calix's stomach and offered a bright, wide-lipped smile. "Hey, you."

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Calix startled himself up, propping up on his elbow, his olive green eyes locking with Bennet's and all of a sudden it seemed that his headache was gone. "Oh, good morrow, m'lady. How doth thou fair this fine evening?" He placed a soft kiss onto her temple in greeting.

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

Bennett flushed automatically, and her smile grew even wider. "I'm doing pretty well, and yourself?" One of her hands found his and snaked through it, interlocking fingers with fingers. She tossed her hair out of her eyes and offered a warm grin to the young boy.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Calix smiled himself and squeezed their hands gently. "Alas, my head has the pain of a million swords piercing through it. I feel much better, now, thank you."

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

Bennett frowned, and cocked her head to the side. "Why, may I ask? Did they try and put you on medication again?"

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

"Sadly, the answer is a yes. They forceth rotten medication down my throat, but it only maketh my health worse." He cocked his head to the side and ran his hand through her dark locks. They were so soft, and felt beautiful against his fingers as he locked them around her dark curls.

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

Bennett frowned, and knit her brows together. "That's stupid. The nurses can be so stupid some times, god." Bennett stood and hopped up onto the couch, laying on Calix so that her side was pressed against his chest. "I'm sorry to hear that, hon." Bennett ran a finger through the young boy's pale hair and twirled strands around her finger.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Claud's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Most women weren't so forward with a man, it was frowned upon. Even holding hands could be thought of as scandalous. But if Bennett was comfortable, he could find himself to be. His arm found his way around her back, resting on her spine. "I agree, some apothecaries can be lacking in intelligence, but we do not have much of a choice but to fall victim to their sorcery."

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

"Exactly. It's not fair." Bennett pursed her lips, and chuckled a little at Calix's reaction. The boy was so innocent and even childish at times, but it certainly made her laugh. She continued playing with his hair, a warm smile in place. "Well I smuggled in some Advil if you want some."

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Confusion clouded his vision. Advil? What was Advil? "What exactly is the purpose of Advil?" He asked somewhat timidly, reaching up higher on her back to comically pull on the ends of her hair.

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

"Oh. It kills headaches." Oftentimes Bennett forgot the simple things Calix didn't know of and didn't understand, and she only embarrassed herself by bringing them up. "It's a little red pill."

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

"And no, uhh, unpleasant side effects?" He asked worriedly, his eyebrows creasing together again. He wasn't sure he could handle anymore side effects, they were unpredictable and sometimes very bad.

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

She shook her head with a wide smile. "Nope! I take it all the time for my wrists, and it works wonders on your head." The brunette grinned and laid her head down where it comfortably fit underneath his, a content smile in place.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

"M'lady, that sounds perfect." He cuddled up closer to her on the shelf. "You're such an intelligent young maiden," he said admirably. "Thou has a head filled not only with beauty, but anything and everything important to man."

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

The blushing was an automatic thing now, and Bennett wasn't embarrassed by it anymore. She chuckled a little, and pressed a gentle kiss to Calix's jaw. "Well I would certainly hope so," said the brunette with a warm smile.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

The kiss brought light shivers to his body, but made him smile pleasantly all the same. "Thou arth welcome, m'lady." He looked onto her back where he saw the strings of her make believe bodice that his eyes made him think he saw that was barely hidden by an equally imaginary dress.

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

"Mmm. Is such chivalry common for young men of your time? It certainly isn't so often found in mine." Another gentle kiss, this one to the edge of Calix's lips, followed her quiet words.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Calix smiled wider, but he knew that if he moved his hands at all from their spots they would certainly shake from nerves. "To be honest, my dear, not one thing about our current situation is chivalrous. Why, if we were to be caught, i 'twould be quite scandalous, and I am not sure if I were to be permitted to see thee. Tragic, of course."

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

Bennett rolled her eyes. "Oh pah, that's not our problem, now is it? Screw other people's opinions." A gentle, almost teasing kiss was pressed to Calix's lips, and Bennett pulled nearly only an inch away. "We're already scandalous, why not have a little fun while we're at it?"

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Calix attempted to follow, hoping to finish what he thought to be an unfinished kiss. "Ah, the sweet, inviting words that cometh from thou gorgeous lips is oh so tempting, I can barely find a reason to refuse thy will."

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

Another gentle kiss made it's way to Calix's lips, and traveled in a curve down to his neck, where an even gentler kiss was left. "Then don't," Bennett answered simply.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Life's a dance, you learn as you go.]

Calix wanted nothing more than to do so, and he figured it could be an easy thing to do. So what if he had engrained years of self-belief of chivalrous attitude into himself for years? He wasn't sure what was to come out of Bennett's teasing, and he was dying to find out. "If it is the wishes of thine lady, then it shall be." He pressed a kiss to her lips, then to her nose, resting on the curve underneath her jawline.

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

Bennett grinned a little, proud of her little knight in shining armour, and pressed her lips back to his, turning only so slightly so that her chest was resting upon his. She ran her fingers through his hair gently, a small smile crossing her lips.