Peach Tree Showing 701-750 of 1,113

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

Yvette recognized that name. Silas Frost. He came to help his sister...

"You're Cat, then?"

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

"Yeah. I'm Cat." Dark blue eyes--still wide with stress and flighty in their movements--landed on Yvette's face. She hadn't seen the other girl around before, and in an effort to distract herself from her mood asked, "Who're you? I don't think I've seen you around."

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

"I'm Yvette." She offered a hand, her upside down face breaking into a grin. "I've met your brother; that's how I knew you."

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

"Oh." Cat nodded, and with a shaking hand reached out to take Yvette's in greeting. Her voice was hopeful when she said, "Do you know where he is?"

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

The trapeze artist shook her head. "No, sorry."

She unhooked her legs and landed gracefully next to Cat, a warm, friendly smile in place. "I'd be willing to help as much as I can, though?"

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

"Well..." Cat trailed off, tapping the tips of her index fingers together--a nervous tic of hers. "Talk," she suggested. "Talking is a distraction you could give me. I don't care about the subject."

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

Yvette wracked her brain a little. "Okay. Well, as I said, I'm Yvette. Um, I grew up in the circus. That's usually a conversation starter." The blonde laughed, her giddy, child-like giggle.

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

"You grew up in a circus?" Cat gave her a look of wondermnent. "Wow, that's pretty freaking cool. I guess it would make sense with your figure--ten bucks says you're an acrobat of some sort." Though she still looked tese, already she could feel the panic being pushed to the back of her mind. Intrest had always had a way of taking over her thoughts--after all, wasn't it said that curiosity killed the cat?

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

Yvette laughed a little, and nodded. "I was a trapeze artist. Born and bred to fly through the air." The blonde smiled, her gray gaze warm and friendly, an amiable smirk glued to her lips. "People always take interest in that."

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

"Well, it's not every day that you meet a former circus performer." Cat, too, offered a smile. Slowly, almost without realizing it, she began to relax, leaning against the trunk of the tree in a more comfortable pose. "Thanks," she said. "For helping me out. Not many people would have. Everyone here is so...hostile. It's kind of sad, really." Especially when you were her, and cheerfulness came as easily as breathing.

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

Yvette smiled. "I know what you mean. We've got some scary people here."

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

"So I've heard. I don't think I've ever met any of them, though." Cat shook her head a little. She wasn't one to pop up where she wasn't wanted, and had never exactly gotten into the habit of provoking patients. She supposed she just wasn't the kind of person who would know--or want to learn--about their triggers. Now she grinned, a more teasing light in her eye. "Have any tips for who to avoid?" she asked. Her tone was playful, and it was clear she wasn't really asking Yvette to speak of anything she didn't want to speak of.

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

Yvette chuckled, keeping the mood light. "Honestly, keep away from most everyone. I don't think anyone is safe." Her tone was light and friendly, sarcasm and jest tainting her words.

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

"Makes sense," Cat agreed, laughing. "I bet the kids are dangerous too, aren't they?" Keeping up the good spirits, as Yvette was. Of course, she recalled her conversation with Felix several weeks ago in this very spot, how he'd said he was a killer and had made many bad mistakes. Not all of the children in St. Peter's, she figured, were saints themselves.

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

"Oh, obviously ," she said with a giddy laugh. "The kids are the most dangerous."

Yvette recalled her old patient, Alayna. There were children like her, like Felix, and a few others, who could certainly be considered dangerous. But Cat didn't need to worry about that, and so Yvette certainly didn't bring it up.

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

((Alayna: Shhh. I got out. Tell no one.))

"Mmm." Cat chuckled a little, then favored Yvette with a more curious look. "But now I'm being serious: who are the dangerous ones? Like, besides the Indian--everybody says to stay away from him. Whenever I ask, no one brings up many names besides his. He can't be the only dangerous one here though, can he? There's got to be others."

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

She snorted. "Raven is definitely bad-guy number one, everyone is afraid of him." At the mentions of Raven, Yvette pursed her lips a little, and almost instinctively ran a hand up to cover her scars.

She continued, the fleeting concern disappearing and being smothered with a smile. "There's only a few to avoid entirely. Most everyone will be okay, given you stay on their good side."

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

"Huh." Cat looked slightly doubtful, but let it go; relieved on some level, of course, that Yvette was kind enough not to mention Silas. Since word had gotten out that he was more prone to attacking rather than simply berating people when he got upset, it had gotten harder and harder to find people willing to talk to her for fear of provoking his wrath. He meant well, but sometimes Cat couldn't help but wish her brother were just a little different. Sometimes it was hard being the violent boy's sister.

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

Yvette smiled a little. "You'll be fine. A sweetheart like you will be pretty safe here, especially with your brother protecting you." Yvette offered a smile. She didn't bring up what he had done, nor what had happened. She only smiled. "He seems to care a lot for you."

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

Cat nodded in agreement, but in a rare turn of events didn't return the smile. "He does" was all she said. "He does care." A little sigh came with the thought, but quickly the girl shook her head and dismissed the thoughts with a wave of a slender hand. "But this topic is kind of depressing. Let's change the subject: how have you been doing lately?" She knew she was one of few patients who would bother to ask after a nurse, and figured it couldn't hurt to be polite and express her genuine interest.

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

Yvette chuckled, catching the oddity of the question in itself. She shrugged, however, running a hand rather nonchalantly through her hair. "I'm doing okay, you know. My days are pretty boring, since my old patient... Got excused."

Yvette was well aware of what had happened with Alayna, but she of course didn't mention it.

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

Cat raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused. "She what? You mean she got better?"

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

Yvette shrugged. "Kind of. We duent

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

((ugh hang on))

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

Yvette shrugged. "Kind of... We never made much progress with her, and so she got out."

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

"Oh. Huh. That's strange--if you don't make any progress with your patients, you just let them go? I've never heard of an asylum doing that before." Did that mean Silas would get out, then, before she did? Cat didn't know, but hoped desperately that she was misunderstanding; what would happen if he left before she did? Because they certainly weren't going to make progress with him, she knew that for a fact. He wasn't the kind of person who could be changed with a stay at a hospital, even one like St. Peter's.

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

"It depends on the severity. We'll usually send them somewhere else if they still need the structure, but there are a few we can just let go."

Yvette smiled sadly. "We get through to a lot of patients, but it takes a long time. A very long time."

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

"Makes sense in a place like this." Cat's smile was rueful, mirroring Yvette's. "Definitely makes sense."

((Derping. Fade?))

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

((fade.))

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

Felix was always good at escaping the nurses, especially when a day off came into the picture. High-security patients such as himself certainly weren't allowed outside without accompaniment, although he would admit that the nurses were a little more lenient towards him than towards the other high-security patients. They weren't as careful with him as they were with others, and so this made it so much easier to escape.

The young killer sat underneath the large peach tree, everything except for his outstretched legs covered by the shade. He sat with his head resting against the bark of the tree trunk, and an out-of-place expression of peace in place.

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

Ruby, meanwhile, had been scampering about outside, enjoying the sunshine and the company of a shadow that was--for once--pleasant. She had been playing tag with it and was having a fine time of that, but soon enough her gaze caught on something much more interesting: the lone tree at the top of the hill, the only lush one she'd seen on the grounds, falling with fruit and peach blossoms. She'd never been up there before. Eagerly, Ruby hurried off to ask a nurse for permission to head up, and when she received the all-clear wasted no time in running to the hill. As she pushed open the gate, the little girl's eyes found yet another pleasant surprise, and her smile widened. "Felix! Hi!"

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

The brown-haired boy peeked his eyes open a little, to see who it was that had called his name, and when they fell upon Ruby he sat up with a smile. "Ruby, hey." His words were warm, as was his grin, and he gently patted the ground beside him. "How are you, my dear?"

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

"I'm okay." Ruby plopped down beside Felix, and scooted close to him, so that her shoulder brushed his. It was true: she had been doing okay. She hadn't seen Raven for nearly a week, and in that time the shadows had become kinder, friendlier. They allowed her to play with them again, and they no longer whispered and pointed and mocked when she passed. The young girl would never, of course, make the connection between Raven and the behavior changes of the shadows, but she was happy they had changed nonetheless. "How are you?"

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

Felix smiled a little. "That's certainly a good thing." He could sense that Ruby truly was okay; there was just a happy aura about the girl that made the young killer smile.

"I'm good," Felix answered, and he was, as well. So much better than he had been, as the young boy, too, had avoided encounters with the Indian. "Yeah, I'm good."

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

"Well good!" Ruby beamed. "Today's such a nice day," she said, looking up at the clear blue of the sky. "Everything's all sunshiny. The shadows don't even care anymore if we play in the light." When Raven had been talking to her, the shadow girl's two-dimensional companions never went anywhere near the sun. It was nice to see them out and about again.

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

Felix smiled, Ruby's own happiness infectious and spreading to his own. He chuckled a little, and flicked his hair out of his gaze. "That's good, that's very good. I'm glad to hear it, hon."

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

Out of pure curiosity, Ruby asked, "So what's Raven been doing, anyway? Why isn't he messing with us anymore?" She had no desire for the games to start up again, of course, but she couldn't help but wonder what was so important that the Indian stopped trying to terrify her. He seemed to enjoy doing so very much, after all, and so the little girl could only figure that he had either been caught--the thought brought a smile to her lips--or he had been sidetracked. She was curious now.

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

A little roll of the young boy's eyes at the mentioning of the Indian. "Oh, who knows? He's probably found something else to entertain him for a while." More like someone else. Felix didn't necessarily want to wish such terror upon another person, but he was for once glad it wasn't on him.

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

"Maybe he got in trouble!" Ruby grinned as she spoke and gave a little excited bounce. "Do you think? Maybe he's not gonna be allowed to scare people anymore 'cause he got caught." The little girl saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head slightly to look. Felix's shadow was shaking its head, slowly, ruefully. Don't be stupid, it seemed to say (though Ruby couldn't say she heard any whispering.) Don't be stupid.

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

Felix himself internally agreed with his shadow, and yet he wouldn't deny Ruby of her happiness. Instead of blatantly lying, Felix simply shrugged. "Who knows? It's certainly a possibility." Felix offered a smile to the young girl, and then gently nudged her with his shoulder. "Well, I'm glad to see you in such a good mood, hon," he said with a wide grin.

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

Ruby nudged him back, as a kitten might swat a paw at her mother when she was teased. "So am I," she said, returning his smile. "It's nice to be happy again. I feel...floaty." She frowned a moment, shook her head, held up a finger. That wasn't exactly what she was trying to say, the gestures said. "Light, kind of. Like how I felt when my mommy would help me take my bookbag off when I was really little and it was too heavy."

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

Again, Felix smiled. He couldn't seem to wipe it off of his face; Ruby's happiness was infectious, and Felix momentarily pushed his own troubles aside, letting Ruby's joy take over. "I get what you mean," he said with a little chuckle as the girl struggled over her words. "That's good, that's very good."

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

"You know what else is good?" Ruby turned to him, her smile widening along with his--it was so wonderful to see Felix smile so freely; it was certainly a welcome change from the broody pouts and concerned frowns. "I talked to a nurse lady earlier, and she said someone new was gonna come work here! And she's not even a grownup." The reason for the excitement was simple: the little girl loved meeting new people, and was constantly on the lookout for potential friends. The patients at St. Peter's were often very intimidating, but the staff often weren't--and she could hardly wait to find out who this new employee was. She needed more friends.

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

Again, the young killer chuckled, and cocked his head to the side in interest. "Really, now? Well, that certainly sounds like fun." He grinned a little, entertaining the young girl, and crossed his legs in criss-cross applesauce, much like a child. He smiled. "Maybe you two will be friends."

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

Ruby giggled and nodded her agreement. "Maybe we can all be friends together," she said. "The nurse lady told me that the new person was gonna come for training, or something. 'Cause she wants to be a nurse too. She just said to be ready to see someone new around, so that you wouldn't be surprised and stuff. She doesn't want you to...you know." Ruby looked down at her hands, ashamed of what she was saying. She would trust Felix with her life, and having to warn him against having a breakdown made her hurt inside. She knew he was good at heart. She knew he wasn't as dangerous as the staff thought.

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

Felix shrugged a little, though his smile wore a little thin. He of course regretted telling Ruby of what he had done, and he tried to deal with the regret every day. He chuckled, though, taking it lightheartedly, and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Nah, it's fine. I appreciate the concern."

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

"Well I don't." Ruby's smile had turned into what might have been an angry pout. Felix might be okay with it, but she didn't like the way that others treated him at all. "It's not fair that the nurse ladies treat you like that, like you're gonna blow up for no reason," she said. "It's mean. They're being meanies."

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

Felix knit his dark brows together. "But the thing is, I might. I might go crazy any second, and they're doing me a favor by protecting you. If I hurt you..." Felix frowned a little, and shook his head. "If I hurt you I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

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

Ruby took his hand in hers, looking almost exasperated. "Felix, you won't," she told him. "I know you won't. 'Cause if you do, you're letting Raven win. He said that was what he wanted to do, make you really go crazy. Right? Didn't he? So you won't. You won't because you can't let him win. I know that, and that's why I'm not scared of you or your shadow." And in the back of her mind, Ruby had a feeling that Felix knew it, too.

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

Felix shook his head again, and gently squeezed her hand. "I try, Ruby. I definitely try. But it's better safe then sorry, right?" Felix sighed a little at the sudden turn of events. "I don't let Raven get to me, I certainly try my best. But it's good that they're protecting you, just in case."