[REVISED SOMEWHAT - 1/31/18]

[A young hawk, an unfledged nestling taken from the nest for training.]

(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ

Days passed. My schedual changed, changed again.

Therepy groups were broken up, reassigned. Elle stayed with me, other faces were shuffled. We were moved to another room. Board games in the evening with Nick and Heather... The next day there was a fight, I think, I could sense some of it, picked it up through vibrations traveling through the floor.

Later, there was a fight in our own group. One of the patients picked up chairs and threw them at the rest of us. Another started to grow glowing yellow tendrils out of every surface she touched, they attempted to entangle anyone nearby and the room had to be evacuated until they dissipated. We were shuffled again, in the next group there was a brawl, two patients- one generating small minions that seemed to be made of animate glue and the other with bursts of speed and flight that left behind tangible illusions.

The doctors and nurses were frazzled, and I heard one nurse exclaiming in bewilderment, close to tears, that it was shaping into one of the worst years Alchemilla had ever experienced.

I found it hard to concentrate. I didn't see anything coming. My power just returned a low grade of chaos, vague warnings and hints of friction. I was on my back foot now, and I kept thinking about the worst case, my mind conjuring up increasingly terrible possibilities.

After lunch a nurse came to call me up to the little conference room the second time, my heart fell to my stomach, which surprised me. I thought as I walked, trying to pin down why.

It was different this time, because my understanding was different... The atmosphere had changed. The first time I had not known what I was walking into, but I had not been anticipating something unpleasant. Seeing Elle and Mimi had been a pleasant surprise. I'd anticipated helping them. That had changed. My heart had settled uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach.

I opened the door and stepped in and even though my power already alerted me, it still felt like I'd been doused in cold water. Doctor Yamada, Fox, and Werneck occupied one side of the table. Elle was there as well, but Mimi was nowhere to be seen and my heart fell from the pit of my stomach to my feet.

She was still in in the infirmary, and due a visit from Wine. She'd be out tomorrow, but the knowledge felt hollow. If we were having this conversation without her, I guessed what it might mean.

And it was my fault.

"Auspice, why don't you have a seat?" Doctor Werneck asked. Was it my imagination, or was that sympathy I felt from him? It made me stop and take notice, and I tried to puzzle through it as I took my seat.

Doctor Werneck cleared his throat and shuffled a sheaf of papers in front of him. I could sense... Displeasure from him. Hesitation. Like the last time we'd met, there was his businesslike directness. Blunt. And still, sympathy, but not like I'd seen it from Doctor Yamada.

"Right, now this is week one, review of the mentoring program." He said, "Our first order of business is touching base."

He looked over at me, and the intensity of his gaze again drew a comparison to a hawk, "Auspice, how are you holding up?"

"I'm doing fine," I said, cautiously.

"Good..." he said, "I understand two of your friends are in the infirmary?"

Heather was out already, her self-inflicted injuries were fairly minor and had her back on her feet grousing and scowling over her weakness and the fresh reminder. Nick told me it happened every once in a while, she'd forget, or try to ignore it. Hurt herself a little in the process. The conversation had germinated a suspicion, that her mania and more callous moods stemmed from that frustration. But I didn't say that.

"Yeah..." I was still puzzling out his emotions, I never knew exactly where I stood with Doctor Werneck- I didn't interact with him enough to clarify my power. It made me hesitant, "Heather and Mimi..."

"Hmm... Yes." Doctor Werneck said, glancing down at his papers, "Burnscar has had a rough couple of days." I guessed the papers were reports from the Infirmary. Maybe a summary of Burnscar's condition, or her psychological evaluation. Perhaps it was an assessment of the likelihood of Agent Interjection.

Doctor Werneck was still talking, "Board support for the mentor initiative was low to begin with. Since this last accident a memo has been circulating. It calls for a suspension and reevaluation of the program. I have deffered direct action for the time being."

Elle's reaction was more muted, less involved. I glanced at her. She seemed... bored. The meeting hadn't struck any strong chords with her, and even now she wasn't listening. She was bored- maybe this was all more of the same for her, retreading old ground? She hadn't been surprised, and I couldn't sense any distress at Mimi's exclusion.

Mimi didn't want to hurt anyone, but that didn't matter much. I could feel her power teetering back and forth, always balanced on an edge. That balance required constant upkeep. And when her control failed her, she burnt. Blake's words came to mind, and I still wasn't certain I believed them... How could anyone expect Elle to rein in Mimi? Would they actually do that? It seemed a stretch. Elle had difficulty speaking, even walking from time to time. The idea that a therapist would do that, try and use Elle as a lever against Mimi deliberately sounded surreal. What could she do?

It occurred to me. I didn't know which doctors had set that up. Or which doctors she had in the past. I didn't know enough about them, the rest of the faculty.

"... As of now, it is my recommendation that Labyrinth continue in the program." Werneck continued, "Protocol dictates that Burnscar be evaluated, but I consider suspension to be premature."

"Mimi can do this. She wants to take control of her life, get out of here." I said, and my own voice startled me. I took a deep breath, "She hates it here."

Doctor Yamada looked pained, "It is a precaution. And it's out of our hands, events like patients harming themselves with powers have to go through the PRT board, and it warrants an automatic review."

I thought about that. The outrage slowly simmering in the back of my mind was steadily growing.

"Did that board have anything to say about Elle being used to control Mimi?" I asked.

For a moment, the table was silent.

"Who told you that?" Doctor Werneck said.

I shrugged warily. I didn't want to give Blake away, didn't want to get him in trouble. I was already regretting saying anything, my eyes drifted to the table as I felt them out.

To my dismay I didn't sense surprise from Doctor Yamada. She had known? I considered...

Well, that didn't mean she had a say in the decision. I sensed... Grim determination, resolve, and the warm sentiments I tended to associate with talking to her. Empathy, compassion. Doctor Fox was nervous, twitchy, but also slightly confused, which I guess meant he hadn't known, or at least was not immediately familiar with what I was talking about. Werneck was neither surprised, nor empathetic the way Doctor Yamada was.

I was still having trouble pinning down where he stood.

My mind raced, and I remained sitting silent. It silence stretched on a little too long, and Doctor Werneck cleared his throat, "If there are no other items of concern, we will adjourn?"

(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ

I felt distant, removed from what was happening, like the meeting had flown by while I was not looking. While I was not paying attention. I realized I felt numb. I hardly noticed when Doctor Yamada asked me if I was feeling well, and barely remembered to nod when she reminded me of our next appointment. I felt her worry, but it was distant.

I took Elle's hand and walked out the door. I felt angry, frustrated and helpless.

"Auspice?" I wasn't paying attention, so when Doctor Werneck caught up to us, I jumped.

I'd never spoken at great length with Werneck before, and found myself a little intimidated. He was tall, but so was I, so he didn't tower over me too much.

He spoke from experience, I could tell. His face was lined, not like Doctor Selmy, but the hawkish nose was flanked with a few creases of its own.

His hairline was receding slightly, but he'd probably keep most of it, I guessed. He was younger, much younger than Doctor Selmy, but not a young man... With his severe expression and crossed arms lent a hard front; one far removed from what I was used to, working with Doctor Yamada and Doctor Selmy.

"I wanted to let you know I've noticed your efforts." He said, "Even if it doesn't come across, I want you to understand I am very impressed with the progress you have made."

I blinked at him, "Okay." But, then, I reconsidered, "Elle and Mimi have been trying to put in at least as much effort." I glanced at Elle, still holding my hand, she was listening now too, even if her eyes were a bit vacant. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

He gave me a shrewd look, "That is good to hear. You are used to working with Yamada and Selmy, That is probably fortunate. I don't have the soft touch they do..." He said.

That was when I sensed something, something I never expected to feel from Doctor Werneck. Empathy.

His empathy was not like Doctor Yamada's, warm and full of compassion. It wasn't like Doctor Selmy's either- which was as much a challenge as support, daring you to do better and then helping you do so. Werneck was tightly contained and focused, not an emotional response as much as an intellectual understanding of my condition, a choice to help; more a sense of duty, and commitment. It was so different from the other doctors. I wasn't used to therapists that weren't warm, Doctor Werneck was strange.

I took a deep breath, taking a step back. He was trying. That had to mean something.

"...I don't suppose I could ask you to pass a message on to whoever told you about Burnscar and Labyrinth getting paired up?"

"Suuuure..." I said, tentatively.

Doctor Werneck sighed, exasperated, "I think I know who it is, but his name is beside the point." Doctor Werneck gave me a very knowing look, "Tell him he shouldn't be spreading that around. That information is confidential."

I squinted at him, "But it is true?"

"That happened several years ago. For the record, the Doctors involved have been remanded and blacklisted, and an inquiry was launched."

I lifted my chin, challenging him back, "What about Mimi? Burnscar, whatever. Is she going to be staying with the sponsor program? I liked her, I wanted to work with her."

He leaned back a little, considering, "Loss of control and impulsive risk taking are symptoms of an impending Interjection Event. And, in Burnscar's case, increased oscillation in her emotional state. In my experience, the past few weeks of relative calm are building up to an outburst."

"You didn't answer my question."

I sensed exasperation with my stubbornness and Doctor Werneck sighed, "The program is rooted in older psychiatric practices, in the same vein as a support group, or addiction recovery. Those are rarely enough- parahuman ability is as much an unknown as a studied discipline."

"My professional opinion is that Burnscar's power follows a pattern, one that makes it difficult to curtail by any conventional means. That includes medication, physical therapy, emotional counseling, structured and controlled environments, meditation..." He shook his head, "Most parahumans have at least some drive to use their powers. It takes a great deal of willpower to simply not use them entirely."

I took a deep breath and refused to become angry- I could feel that same impression of duty, a dry, clinical sort of compassion, but his own. There had to be something, Doctor Werneck was right there.

I tried to think back, when he'd first mentioned and explained Interjection Events, Agent Interjections. What they entailed. Bouts of paranoia. Delusions, dissociation...

And violence.

But that couldn't be all there was to it. Could it?

The feelings I had pulled off the doctors throughout the meeting... Concern. Apprehension. They were still worried- afraid, they were afraid of Mimi. Of what she could do.

I... I understood that- I remembered how it had felt, my arm burning, skin peeling back and blackening...

"I'm sorry if I didn't have the answer you wanted." Doctor Werneck said slowly, thoughtfully. And he was sorry, I could feel it.

He glanced at his wristwatch, "I have an appointment in ten minutes. We'll talk again."

My resolve grew brittle, the slightest test would crush it. I dropped my gaze to the carpet in shame. I didn't know what to say, or what to do. I was afraid too- I admitted it quietly. Afraid, and I'd pushed too hard.

Afraid it was my fault that Mimi blew it. Or, almost blew it. It felt like a 'blew it'.

Werneck left, I let him.

(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ

Frustration simmered and stewed, just shy of boiling over as I walked through the doors of the exercise room- looking for something- anything, really, to do. To blow it off.

Elle trailed in my wake, I slowed to accommodate her slower pace and it only added to the tension, to the notion I was standing still when I needed to be doing something. Anything.

I felt slow and useless and completely inadequate. I felt like a coward, for not standing my ground and forcing Werneck to listen and talk to me and find a solution- even... even if I had no idea what I could have said, or what he could have realistically done.

Ignoring the exercise machines, I pushed open the big double doors, walking into the gymnasium. I sat Elle down on benches by the wall and raked my hands through my hair.

"What am I going to do?" I asked Elle.

She blinked back at me- this was one of her uncommunicative days, and she hadn't said a word to me or anyone. But I was getting very good at reading her by now.

Elle was concerned, but not afraid... her attention was closely centered on me, and I realized she might have been concerned for me, as opposed to my discussion with Werneck, or the implications of the meeting and the sponsorship program.

"I'll be all right, Elle." I said, "I'm just... I'm supposed to be helping you and Mimi, and... It feels like I'm failing you. Like I'm failing right out of the gate."

I stared at my hands, on her lap, holding hers, "I just expected it to be... I don't know... easier? After fighting that guy..."

I remembered the powerlessness, the stifling fear, and the pain. The sense of the hungry intelligence searching, always searching...

"I thought I'd be able to do this." I said, "And now, it's like... I'm wondering if I made it worse. What am I supposed to do?"

I looked at Elle, and I could sense a complicated mess of guilt, embarrassment, and fear. I tried to puzzle them out, but it was all muffled behind the drifting clouds her power drew across her mind. The indistinct impressions were growing clearer through her fugues, but specifics remained frustratingly out of reach.

I felt detached, hollow again. I... I needed to do something. I shook off the feeling of emptiness, and let go of Elle's hands to stand

There was a rack in the corner with basketballs on it, I picked one up, pausing to probe with my power- returning the elasticity of the rubber, the tension in the ball from the air pressure inside, and the weight relative to my arms. I lifted it and tossed it in the air once, catching it. The range of motion in my arms was highlighted by my power, the friction of my palms and fingers and the surface of the ball returned- a sense of proportion and the force of gravity, inertia and momentum as it clashed.

I looked at the hoop at the far end of the court. After a moment, I bent my knees, and uncoiled, letting the ball go. It bounced off the backboard. I was too angry, I'd put too much force behind it.

The ball bounced, I felt the ball glance off the floor and rebound, and I moved to catch it. I almost saw something in my mind's eye- a premonitory image of the ball's path, a second ahead of where it would be. I shot again, adjusting the force I applied.

I remembered playing here with Heather the one time, feeling a vague impression of her intentions, of her feinting and lunging for the basket. It was like night and day. I wanted to feel satisfied with the improvement, with the progress, of my power going from something abstract and vague to something more concrete. But it felt so hollow. Like, it was beside the point, or not enough.

After the ninth hoop in a row, I dropped the ball to the gymnasium floor, and let it bounce away- still tracking its future path a second ahead of the ball -and took deep breaths, clenching and relaxing my hands. But there was nowhere for the energy to go; I breathed in through my nose, arms so tense that they shook. I walked to the benches and sat, leaning back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling above.

I was a coward. I was powerless. I was at a loss.

It felt claustrophobic, uncomfortable. It reminded me of the restless nights after arriving at Alchemilla. But when I'd fucked up... I'd gotten someone killed. Mimi burning herself wasn't a fuck up. It was stupid.

It felt like this was a fuck up. And I had no idea what to do.

Elle watched from her bench against the wall, staring at me.

I sat down on the gymnasium floor, arms draped over my knees, gazing blankly at the floor between my slippers. Elle and I had the rest of the morning off, but I didn't think I could talk to Heather right now, I was still too angry at her for being so stupid. Nick was still working with his group- they had been more manageable than mine, so far. I considered looking for Charnel, or Blake. That was when the door opened.

I couldn't identify who it was immediately; someone I wasn't very familiar with. But I could feel something from them, a glimmer of recognition.

"Hey."

I looked up. It was Feral.

I'd met her in the Infirmary a few days ago, but my preoccupation with Heather and Mimi's injuries, as well as a brief resurgence in Elle's power (and my own shyness) had prevented us from talking. She was tall, very tall, and the most heavily muscled woman I had ever met. Yet somehow, she still managed to come across as feminine.

Even if I hadn't been sitting on the floor, wallowing at one of my lowest points, Feral would have been intimidating. But she smiled widely and squatted down, with one hand on the floor in front of me.

"Auspice, right? We talked in the infirmary." She offered me her hand, which I shook. Her face was open and honest, and her eyes were solid green, with narrow, slit pupils, they reminded me of a cat' 's proportions were a little unusual, with long limbs that made her look even taller. Her hands were gloved, but the gloves were finger-less and with good reason, each ended in claws that made her fingers look even longer.

"Hello."

"So here I was checking out my old haunts, and I run into you..." She peered closely at me, her nostrils flared, sniffing, "You holding up all right, kiddo?"

That struck a chord in me. I couldn't be certain it if it was simply how emotionally raw and drained I felt, the stress of the past few days catching up with me all at once, or the reminder of dad- but that hit me hard, harder than it should have. The last bit of strength deserted me and my face crumpled.

"Oh, oh, hey, kid!" Feral exclaimed. I cried- It wasn't very hard or very long, but Feral looked like she might have a panic attack, "It's okay, it's, um- stop? Please?"

"I'm sorry," I sniffled, "I'm sorry, it's- it's just... Dad used to call me That."

"Deep breaths." Feral cautioned.

It was good advice, I did so, deep and even counting off five seconds pulling in and five seconds letting them out. Nice and slow. The tension left my shoulders and the tightness in my fists, I opened my hands and lay them on the floor.

"... You need me to get anyone? You need your meds?" Feral asked, a hair calmer now that I had a grip on myself, but still kind of anxious.

I shook my head and she leaned back a little, "...Are you okay?" she asked, and blinked, looking over at Elle, who had wandered over. Her face was blank, swaying where she stood. Elle plopped down on the floor beside me. I could feel her concern. Got a sense of the solidarity she was trying to convey, even if her face was blank.

I reached up and hugged Elle around the shoulder with one arm, I could feel her gratitude, empathy, reciprocation, through her fugue and the distance and the numbness, "Yeah, that's... Elle's like that, she's fine."

Feral looked at Elle a moment, then back at me, "Is it something you want to talk about?"

Not really... "You lived here, right?" I asked.

"Well, yeah..." Feral said.

"Did you ever work with Doctor Werneck?"

Recognition, faint, but Feral was slowly growing clearer. She knew Werneck, "I've met Doc Werneck. Yeah, why?"

"You remember in the infirmary?"

"Yeah?"

"... You remember how Burnscar got hurt?"

"Yeah, I remember."

I sighed, "Werneck thinks Mimi's headed for an Interjection Event. He took her off the sponsor program and I think it might end up being permanent."

Feral was quiet for a moment, then ran a hand through the loose hair around her forehead before she glanced at Elle, "You too, sweetheart?" Elle stared back and Feral smiled, "Cool."

She looked at me again, and tilted her head, "He can be a little difficult to work with. He doesn't do people real good, ya know? Staff or patients, doesn't really care about either. A real prick, when he wants to be." She grinned for me.

I coughed- barked a laugh, but sobered quickly, it wasn't funny that Mimi's future was so uncertain. Doctor Werneck had been... not personable, and not pleasant to talk with. Sympathetic, I think, though not the way Doctor Yamada and Doctor Selmy were. The idea of him being one of the doctors that decided if Mimi was going to stay in the program or be sent back to medium security was distressing. I just couldn't reconcile the idea, of someone that dispassionate and dry. But the contradiction- I had felt something from him, sympathy for his patients. Even if it wasn't the same kind. I tried to reconcile the two, the things I had felt from him and what I had seen from him.

Feral lifted one hand to her face, idly scratching her cheek with one of those claws. I could feel rumination from her, contemplation, I think she was more aware of what I was thinking about than I knew.

"He's a brilliant doctor, you know. And I guess being prickly isn't the worst thing to be."

"He doesn't really care about much." I said, "That's what I felt when I got here, the first time I talked to him. He was really interested in my power, in learning about powers, but not really about the other patients."

Feral gave me a long look, "Werneck's a dick, but... He doesn't need to come up here and work with patients, he does it because his work has a purpose, you know?"

"Yeah, I felt something like that... But, he doesn't really care. Or.. I don't know. He wasn't sympathetic, not for Mimi." I frowned, "How can someone want to help us here, without being sympathetic?"

Feral's eyes bored into me, then started to talk. She spoke slowly, and I couldn't quite tease out what emotion she was feeling. Except it was a lot. "Not everyone dreams of being something... A-a household name or whatever. Maybe we can't all change the world. We just gotta do good. No one's going to sing Doc Werneck's praises when he's gone. But he's probably saved more lives than I ever will..."

I blinked at Feral, an actual hero in the Protectorate. I had looked her history up, after we met in the infirmary. A high-tier regenerator, in the top ten percentile for Brutes with a handful of minor powers backing her durability up. Superhuman senses, night vision, stuff like that. Her regeneration was so potent it bordered on a Breaker ability, and she could augment it further by directing it for a short duration, 'sprinting' her healing. She had participated in Endbringer fights and a number of high-profile villain battles, and led a team out in New York and once out in Boston. She was a big deal and saying Werneck had saved more lives than her boggled me.

"More people than you?"

"Yeah. Werneck's a big parahuman studies guy, he didn't start out at Alchemilla. He started out in the Boston Cornell PRC faculty, he asked for a transfer out here because he thought he'd be able to do more good if he studied parahuman medical and psychological issues in person."

"Anyway, he helped develop a bunch of meds- specialized stuff for parahumans. The stuff he's worked on is used all around the world, he helps thousands of people every year. He's been involved in most of the success stories coming out of Alchemilla. He helped work on the power suppressants they use in the PRT, you know? That saves lives on both side of the law all the time." I stared at her, and all I could do was shake my head. Feral shrugged, "He's a great man. He's just more concerned with doing things, than how he does them."

I looked back down at my slippers, face burning with something. Shame? I didn't know what to feel. Doctor Werneck rubbed me every wrong way, but I'd known there was more to it. Hearing someone else say it too just made it worse.

I hated myself for wanting to hate Doctor Werneck, and I was ashamed because I knew better. I did.

"Hey." Feral reached out and- she booped me on the nose! My eyes crossed at the claw resting on the tip of my nose, "You're all wound up, it's more than Werneck being a dick, huh?"

I leaned back and Feral withdrew her finger. I felt Elle laughing at me, and I gave her a narrow-eyed glare. Elle stared back blankly, without any expression whatsoever.

Shut up, I know you're laughing!

"I'm supposed to be helping Mimi and Elle..." I gave Elle's shoulder a little squeeze, and I felt an answering pulse of warm sentiment, "They both want to leave medium security. And I... I wanted to help them. I thought I'd really like doing it. Having that... It felt like... Like I was working towards something, like we're working toward something more important than just being here and getting better."

"But, I think I wanted it too much." I said, quietly, "I wanted it too much."

Feral gave a commiserating hum, and Elle's gaze wandered. "You want to know something?"

"What?"

"Back when I was here in Alchemilla, it was a lot like it is now. Everything was pretty chaotic... And... You know, dad always says, Alchemilla makes him cynical."

"Yeah." Doctor Werneck had certainly been pessimistic about Mimi and her chances. Doctor Selmy, and Doctor Yamada had been supportive- but that didn't mean Mimi's chances were good. I remembered what Werneck had said. Parahuman inability to remain on standby...

I wondered if my power could pick up on that? I'd never tried differentiating the power and the parahuman specifically. While I had picked up on Elle and Mimi's mental interference, their fugues... But there was a layer there I hadn't attempted before.

"... You know, if you'd like, I can find out if I can work with her." Feral said, "I mean, everything's pretty up in the air right now, but I'm basically indestructible, it'd take something a lot quicker than fire to hurt me permanently."

"She's already working with me, though." Would that work, I knew there was a limit to available staff.

Feral shrugged, "If they're that worried about someone flipping out, the board'll probably be looking for an excuse to stick her with someone a little more durable any way."

That didn't sound exactly reassuring, but I could feel her intentions, all earnest good will. I wondered if it was something involved with her power- the throwaway attitude towards injury and her own life. I hadn't met any other high-level brutes, I wondered if that was typical...

Still...

"Thanks."

Feral gave me a smile, and stood, "You'll make it. Don't worry about it too much, that's my job."

She looked around, "Hey, I was waiting for someone, if she pokes in later, could you let her know I showed up?"

"Uh, sure..."

She ruffled my hair, and walked out the door.

(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ

I bounced a basketball against the wall and caught it, thinking about what Feral had said. About Werneck and the power he had over the sponsor program and how much I wanted it to work.

Feral thought Werneck knew what he was doing, knew what he was saying about powers. But, also, that he wanted to help us. To help Mimi.

Mimi had been here for years, and when I'd met her she had lost hope that she would get out of Alchemilla. That hope had returned, a little, lately. I desperately wanted to nurture it in her.

And now, maybe it actually was impossible for her to leave. Maybe her power really was too dangerous. But she couldn't remain here either.

She couldn't use her powers outside Alchemilla and her powers wouldn't let her remain idle.

They needed to be used, they couldn't remain on standby.

What if that was a good thing? If I could find something to direct Mimi to use them for... "I need to find something that she could use her powers in, something that satisfies her power's requirements for action..." I muttered.

Elle blinked at me from the floor where she sat. I turned and looked at her, "Elle, I've got to find a way for Mimi to use her powers, something that prevents her from having big blowups."

Elle stared back at me. I sensed bewilderment, incredulity, humor.

"Tall order, huh?"

That was definitely agreement I felt. Elle tilted her head, and a handful of flowers sprouted from the floor around her. I sat down and considered the sprouting flowers. On an Impulse I rolled the ball across the Court to Elle, where it bumped against her knees.

Elle looked down at it, then slowly reached out and picked it up.

"Right here, Elle!" I said holding out my hands, like I expected an energetic mid court pass.

"Mimi, she's bad." Elle said solemnly.

My hands drooped to the floor. "What do you mean?"

Elle blinked back at me. She was there, I could feel her mind. It was intact behind the fugue of her power, that disconnect. But she wasn't there enough...

"Do you mean Mimi is bad? Mimi's power is bad?"

"Mimi... She's bad." Elle struggled, "She'll.. burn you again."

The look I gave Elle was sharp, I could sense her worry, fear concern. "She might, but she's my friend, same as you."

"She'll hurt you..." Elle said, struggling, "Always hurts everyone."

"I've hurt people too." I said, softly, "That's no reason to give up on her. What's gotten into you? She's your friend too, isn't she?"

Elle regarded me with a blank expression, but dubious sentiment, before awkwardly kind of... dropping the ball in my direction. It bounced once and rolled to me, slightly off-center, and I caught it in one hand and rolled it back.

Why had anyone thought Elle could rein Mimi in? Elle could barely handle herself, let alone Mimi's intense extremes.

Though... I wanted to try. She was frightening, but I remembered her in the cafeteria. Sad, lonely, and afraid. Maybe it wasn't fair to expect the doctors and nurses here at Alchemilla to be able to rein in Mimi either? Elle herself was dangerous in her own way. I'd seen what both of them could do without even intending to. I wondered who had fielded the idea.

I sighed sadly, the entire situation was just...

"Hey!"

I jumped. Elle's eyes went wide and she tipped over backwards with a startled squeak. A girl's head was sticking out of the floor between us. I leaned back, almost tipping over like Elle, and the ball fell to the floor, rolling through the girl's head.

"Hey, yeah, you. Sorry, do you know if Feral passed through here? There's a nurse in the other room, I don't want to peek in there."

I blinked at her. She was... "Gretchen." I remembered. I'd seen her just after Benny died. Short hair, red, like Emma...

"Yeah, or Tulpa." She leaned forward, and folded her arms on the floor, the rest of her body still hidden in the floor like she was in a pool. It was a little odd to see, how casual she was. But, then, I'd seen stranger by this point.

"Tay..." I glanced up, Elle was on her hands and knees, carefully and laboriously pulling herself up with great effort, her brow furrowed in concentration. She made it to a sitting position, before she stalled while trying to pull her feet under her.

"Come on Elle..." I stood and walked to Elle's side, stepping around the head and arms in the floor.

"Sorry about that," Gretchen said, now floating a few feet above the gym floor. Her hair was longer now, and floated in the hair above her. Her scrubs morphed, changed color. They became a black and pink bodysuit with a flower motif and a tree print up one leg.

"Is that your hero costume?"

Gretchen - Tulpa -shrugged, "I like to experiment with looking different. It gets boring around here..."

It was a little strange, looking at her. I couldn't really sense her. I hadn't been in the right frame of mind to poke or wonder when I'd seen her before, but I couldn't sense her properly. Usually someone, even a new someone standing (floating?) this close to me would be giving me something to work with. Maybe an impression of emotion... Or something about the nature of her power. But it was like she was transparent.

I could sense something, but it was the opposite of presence, like a negative space.

"But, seriously, did Feral come down here? We were going to meet up. I was running late." Gretchen said.

"She was here a few minutes ago. She might still be in the machine room."

"Thanks!" Gretchen said, "Sorry for making you fall over-

Elle stuck out her tongue. Gretchen stopped, and behind the domino mask her eyes narrowed reproachfully.

I sighed. "Elle, please, be polite."

Gretchen shook her head, "Anyway, sorry. I'll see you around."

She drifted up, up through the ceiling. Elle and I watched her go, Elle faintly vindictive, for my part I was left faintly mystified.

"Hey, Elle," I grabbed her hand, "Come on."

(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ

The machine room was empty- I pushed through the doors with Elle in tow, looking for Gretchen. Feral was gone, and as I looked, Gretchen had vanished as well.

I sighed.

Well, I felt a little better now, but I still didn't know what to do. Didn't know what I'd do. I felt like I'd been crying, hard, and now I was all drained out...

The bulletin board set against the wall was still covered in fliers. It was full and cluttered. I wandered over and started to leaf through.

There was the yoga. There was also a flyer for a fundraiser to get a pool built.

And the play- Romeo and Juliet.

There was a post for Protectorate ride-alongs every month. It looked like I'd missed this month's, it was only open to patients with filed approval, so I probably wouldn't have been able to any way- I was still in my trial period, I think. But it was good to know for next time. Another post offered monetary incentives for Thinkers and Tinkers that had been cleared to use their powers. Something about analysis and consultation support roles...

I made a note of those for later, that definitely sounded interesting.

I looked back at the other flyers.

"Hmm." I'd never seen it, not as a play, or even a movie or adaptation. Romeo and Juliet was one of those things that was just there, people... They knew it, but they didn't really seek it out. "... A play... It does say to ask Doctor Widmark for more information." I said.

I could feel a flicker of interest from Elle, she turned to look at me, "A play... Wh... When?"

"Three weeks from now." I said, reading.

"Can anyone... Anyone do it?" Elle said.

"Be in the play? I think so."

Elle grabbed my sleeve and started bouncing in place, then she let go of my sleeve and grabbed both my cheeks and smooshed my face in excitement.

"Ow, Elle." I complained.

Prying Elle's hands off my face took a little more wrangling than I expected, and keeping them off took holding onto them; I gave Elle's fingers a quick squeeze and Elle squeezed back, a little smile on her face.

She was really excited, and it was infectious. Theater had never been something I had any investment in, and I'd never met someone who reacted that strongly to the idea of being in a play. But maybe if I was stuck in medium security for a year or two I'd appreciate what it meant to her more.

"You really want to be in the play, don't you?"

Elle opened her mouth, struggling, "Y-yes..." She said at last. She stared at the flyer, glowing with a medley of pleasant emotions.

Hmm.

An idea had sprouted and begun to take root.