{A bird hatched in an undeveloped state, requiring care and feeding by the parents}
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
Lizard Prince left Alchemilla with little fanfare, the doctors didn't make an announcement, one day he was there, the next he was gone. He wasn't alone either, after asking around a bit I discovered Elephant was gone too; little chance of rehabilitation and a murder on her record. Second chances were all used up.
I couldn't find it in my heart to feel bad for her, not after Benny. but I felt bad for Inkling. I still saw her- and Quilt, and Frog, and Prowler -in the cafeteria. I didn't see Marionette. I guess she was in solitary, like Summer had said she would be. She, at least, hadn't gone out with Lizard Prince and Elephant. Maybe she had been in solitary before too, and Labyrinth's world let her out? I didn't know.
The next week was full of schedules getting shuffled as a new routines were built around refurbishing the damage. Which actually meant there were materials shipped in, and work crews augmented by dozens upon dozens of Kudzu clones moving through to other sections of the hospital at irregular intervals. Security was really tight.
A lot of my time was spent in the common rooms, in the sun-room, and working in the exercise room experimenting with my power. Not like I had before- turning it on and off, or focusing on one thing. I was trying to use it on a larger scale, but also to use it more specifically, switching between them, effortlessly using both.
Being burnt by Mimi, and surprised by Marionette, had happened because I was not using my power in its broader application. But I couldn't ignore the information that more specific applications provided. And I wanted to know the full extent of what using my power on myself could do with enough practice. Three different ranges of application with different effects.
I set my sights on a balance between all three.
Even though I saw her a few times, I didn't try talking to Inkling again. It... didn't feel right. I hadn't meant to intrude on a private moment, butt in to her mourning, I'd just been curious. But I didn't have any right to be sticking my nose in her business. Maybe, later, after she had some time to grieve.
In that time, two more patients arrived at Alchemilla and passed through observation. Both of them capes with mutations. The staff called them Oilbloom and Mantellum.
Oilbloom was lanky, with fluffy hair and a mane or scruff around her neck that shortened into velvety down over the rest of her body, all of which was cotton-candy pink. She also had a pair of short horns and eyes with black sclera. Her coloring complimented her orange scrubs.
Mantellum looked like a human manta ray, or maybe a snake with a human torso on the end. A cobra with an enormous hood, or a caped lizard or something, it fell in layered folds around him, with a thick tail extending from the base of his spine. He was mostly mottled green and brown, but his face and belly- his underside was pale yellow. He wore blue, but he couldn't wear a pair of regular scrubs like the rest of us, he needed a hole to accommodate the tail and the mantle meant he couldn't wear a shirt at all.
Quilt took them both under her wing, and incorporated them into Lizard Prince's gang immediately. I was surprised how quickly the gang folded them in.
When I asked her about it, Quilt looked at me sadly, "Case fifty-threes stick together." she said, and gave me a brittle smile, "Prince looked after us, we gotta keep up the tradition."
I had to look that up. 'Case fifty-three' was a term derived from a string of related cases, capes with severe mutations or physical abnormalities and- this was the point that tied them all together -no memories. They had no pasts prior to having powers, and usually prominent physical mutations. The phrase had been coined after the fifty-third concurrent case was recorded.
There were a lot of theories why they existed, but nothing concrete; and a long, long list of parahumans known to be, or speculated to be.
Mantellum himself seemed nice enough. He had the strangest accent, I could not for the life of me place it. If it wasn't for the whole has-a-tail thing, I'd say he was attractive. It helped that he walked around without a shirt. But his power, it was eerie- it interfered with mine. He could project fields in layers, each successive layer denied sensory input, at about fifteen to twenty feet it dulled touch and smell, made Thinker powers (like mine) unreliable. Further in, my power outright ceased functioning and it felt like I was numbed and peering through a fog. At five feet no senses worked at all.
It was a strange sensation, after working to acclimate myself to all the extra sensory input from my power, to have everything, even my mundane senses stripped away... the state was unnerving. It reminded me of the Masked Man and made goosebumps rise on my arms.
Oilbloom seemed pretty cheerful and friendly. Her power was similar to Inkling's in some ways, it created streams of acid instead of ink and she had some kind of body enhancement. Strength or reflexes, or both. I talked to her during lunch once, and she got along well with Heather, which was a plus.
With that exception, the week went slowly, the big surprise didn't come until the next Thursday, when Doctor Yamada stepped in to talk to me after breakfast, interrupting my morning workshop.
"Auspice, can I borrow you for a moment?"
I hadn't invested myself all that deeply in my sketch of a sunset as seen through a window; all I had done was draw a square and find myself at a loss, adding additional squares until it became a window and I started trying to fill in what was beyond the panes. It was probably a lost effort. I stood and followed Yamada out into the hall.
"Taylor, how have you been doing?" she asked.
"Okay." I shrugged.
A smile ghosted its way across her lips, "Not much to report?" she asked.
I shrugged again.
"Well, they say that no news is good news. Though I suppose that would make me the bearer of bad news." She said, "A couple of the staff wanted to talk to you. They were going to put it off until next week, but I'm going to be on the Northeast circuit at the end of the month. I wanted to get this out of the way first."
"Sure... Um, what is it about?"
"It's..." She hesitated, I sensed faint amusement-humor-coy, "Well, maybe it ought to be a surprise."
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
Doctor Yamada led me to a small conference room, the really little one at the end of the hall where my regular therapy group met. It was kind of this placeholder room that took up the space left over after the larger workshops and meeting rooms had been made, and was only about half their size. Most of it was dominated by a table, a sturdy conference table surrounded by a ring of chairs.
There were two other doctors waiting for us- nervous and bespectacled Fox; and severe, hawkish Werneck. Doctor Yamada rounded them out, warmer and more open, and gave me a smile. But the faces that caught me off guard were sitting across from them.
Mimi sat slightly hunched, staring at her knees with her feet tucked under her chair. Two seats to her left, Elle sat gazing absently at the florescent lights.
"Mimi, Elle!" I said, and broke into a wide grin.
Mimi looked up and straightened, her body language changed immediately. Her feet came forward and rested on the floor, her shoulders squared. She looked threadbare and exhausted but her expression transformed and went from sallow to bright, "T-Taylor!"
Elle's eyes drifted down from the lights too, and settled on me. Her expression didn't change, but I could feel her emotions, they were a counterpart to Mimi's shy joy. I could feel Doctor Yamada's warm sentiments radiating off her as she sat down beside Fox and Werneck.
"Let's all have a seat," Doctor Werneck said, clearing his throat and nodding to the empty chair beside Elle. I sat down smiling.
"Auspice." Doctor Yamada said, "We're looking to try something, a collaborative project between you and Burnscar and Labyrinth. A sponsor program."
"Yes. A number of staff have noted how you've reached out to other patients." Doctor Werneck added, "Doctors Yamada and Selmy recommended you very highly."
"Well, Doctor Selmy was pitching the idea. The interim director didn't like it, of course, But Doctor Ferris backed him up," Doctor Yamada said, "When I heard about it, I was sure it could work."
Doctor Fox adjusted his glasses, "Burnscar and Labyrinth in particular are patients that we've been looking to get more socialization, Labyrinth hasn't had many opportunities to socialize with the broader resident population. Both have mixed histories here." He paused and cleared his throat, "And while Burnscar has undergone brief exposure to lower security wings, it was never on or intended to be on a permanent basis. We are hoping that this would be something to build on."
I straightened, "I'd love to help!"
Doctor Fox nodded, "Burnscar, would you be willing to work with Auspice?"
"Y-yes!" Mimi said.
Elle turned to look at me, staring blankly. I reached out and took her hand. There was uncertainty there, but also, faintly, hope, interest, and curiosity. She hadn't been to the low security wards, I remembered.
"Labyrinth has already expressed a desire to undertake this program," Doctor Yamada said, and smiled for me. Doctor Fox also nodded, returning my smile more cautiously.
"I know, I can sense it," I said, and smiled for her, giving her hand a little squeeze.
Doctor Werneck was pleased, a businesslike emotion from him. He clapped his hands once, and lifted a clipboard. "Good, good. Now, Burnscar, Labyrinth. This is not going to be a one-sided effort. Auspice is going to help you get oriented and help you. But you are going to have to make a concerted effort of your own."
Elle looked at Doctor Werneck blankly, but Mimi's eyes dropped to her hands. Her pleasant emotions faded rapidly until she was full of bleak resignation, "Yes sir."
He continued talking. Burnscar was to be kept away from open flames, lit cigarettes and lighters. She was not allowed to use her pyrokinesis without permission from one of the senior doctors. If she did use it, I was to find security and inform them. Security was aware she would be present, but if her eyes started glowing, or she became violent, report it to security immediately.
I understood. A procedure only existed because something had happened before. But by the time we left the room Mimi had already hit a deep low point.
Doctor Werneck reminded her of failures, his involvement and mannerisms did not inspire confidence in Mimi the way Yamada did in me. Mimi was already wilted under the weight of his dry, impartial, clinical voice. Doctor Werneck didn't seem to notice, or care. Was he one of her doctors? I found myself beginning to actually dislike him.
He started us off on the wrong foot and it hurt Mimi's chances before she even began.
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
"Soooo…" Heather said slowly, she glanced to her right, and to her left with eyes narrowed at my table guests. Mimi looked intensely uncomfortable. Elle looked… pensive?
I took that as a good sign.
Cafeteria staff were bustling with pans and steaming serving trays behind the glass on the serving wall. I felt a little attention on us from attentive orderlies and security, but overall we had the room to ourselves. There were only a handful of patients in the cafeteria, lunch wasn't for another half hour so most of the patients present were at my table.
Heather and Nick sat beside me on one side of the table, with the others across from us. Nick looked like he was about to have a panic attack, and kept shooting glances Mimi's way, I could feel his power active and reading. I was actually pleased that Heather had come over and joined us. Her moods had been up and down ever since our last group meeting. She wasn't avoiding me exactly, but she was mercurial and fickle. It wasn't until she sat across from a wilting Mimi, with eyes narrowed, exuding speculation and consideration, that I realized the potential for this becoming a truly dire disaster.
"Soooo," Heather repeated, "You guys going to be regulars in our little clique now?"
"U-um…" Mimi stuttered.
"Yes, probably." I said.
"So, wait, why does Burnscar have to follow you around?" Heather asked, "She's been up here before."
Anger from Mimi, "Don't call me that!" she snapped in response. She clamped down hard on her emotions, the anger stifled almost at once.
Heather leaned back, "Heh, yeah..." she said, not pushing now. She'd poke again, though.
"Mimi's trying to make a permanent move to low-security." I said.
"What?" Heather replied, heavily emphasizing the 'wh' and somehow sounding both outraged and curious. Heather and Nick digested that and Mimi stared at the table. Elle sat kicking her feet lightly.
"Well, I guess the docs are looking to try something new for you?" Heather said at last- which impressed me, it wasn't particularly sensitive, but for her that was trying.
Mimi had been kind of down ever since the meeting with the doctors, and regardless of Heather's intentions, I could feel her wilting further.
"It's a chance for both of them to get out of medium security and try something different with a little more support." I said diplomatically, "I'll just be helping them adjust for a few weeks."
It was interesting, I had a sense that if I outright sided with Mimi, then Heather would poke and see how far she could push. If I agreed with Heather, it would weigh down Mimi's emotional roller coaster and prompt her to descend further, faster, and it would rebound the other direction even more quickly and abruptly.
Nick gave a nervous smile, "Well, I hope it-it goes well for you."
Heather turned away from Mimi and looked at Elle, "And you're Labyrinth?"
Elle looked up and met her eyes, but didn't speak.
More patients were starting to filter in for lunch, and the serving line was set up. It looked like lunch was ready.
"Well," Heather said, "This is gonna be something. Some kind of thing." I could feel how gleeful she was. Oh dear...
Mimi looked like she couldn't decide if she wanted to be intimidated or not. She wasn't used to all the attention, and I could tell it was wearing her down. I wondered when the last time she'd had a meaningful conversation with more than one person had been.
"... We can hang out after breakfast tomorrow, if you like?" I asked.
"Cool." Heather said, grinning. Shit.
Neither Heather nor Nick had anything until ten. I didn't mind hanging out with them, even with Elle and Mimi in tow, but I needed a way to rein Heather in. I could feel her getting worked up to an outrageous fit, it would probably end in tears for someone.
"That's great." Nick said, "We'll head out after meds... Actually, that kind of reminds me, Heather. I think Doctor Armando was looking for you."
"Lay off." Heather said, who looked both defiant and guilty and caught out. "Those pills make me feel sick."
"You've been skipping your medication?" I asked. How had she managed that?
Well, I guess with all the chaos of the last week, skipping out on meds was actually pretty understandable.
"You need to take your pills, Heather." Nick said, then looked over her shoulder. I followed his gaze out over the tables. The cafeteria was still pretty empty, so it wasn't hard to pick out who he'd seen. There was a doctor was walking towards our table, a barrel-chested man with caramel-brown skin and short, black hair. Heather didn't see him immediately. His attention was not directed at me, it was directed at Heather, and what I could read off him was stern...
"Glassboom." Heather froze, and then slowly turned to look up at him, "Glassboom, can you come with me for a minute please?"
Heather looked up at the doctor with a mutinous expression, but stood with only a minimal allowance of grumbling. And I noticed Nick... He watched Heather leave, neutral, strangely so. I detected satisfaction and deception too- and most of all a distinct lack of surprise.
I mulled on that, "You set that up, didn't you?"
Nick looked carefully, deliberately, and completely unconvincingly innocent, "I'm uh..."
"You and Doctor Armando." I said, then thought about that a bit, "You're helping her the same way I'm helping Mimi and Elle, aren't you?"
Nick fidgeted where he stood, and Mimi looked surprised. "Um. Sort of, I guess." Nick said.
I thought about that.
"It's good to know," I said, "That I'm not the only one trying to run herd on these guys." I smiled for Mimi.
Nick shrugged, but I could sense he was pleased, and his ears pinked a bit, "Heather... She doesn't have any self-control, she thinks life is all one big game. She thinks that she'll get out of Alchemilla and go back to the Wards like nothing's happened. But the doctors decide when you leave, and even if you do leave, she might get sent to-to the Mississippi Crater. Or something. I dunno."
Mimi shifted a little, "Would that be so bad?" She asked softly, "I just want to get out some day. I might even get to use my power in Mississippi..."
Nick sighed, "Heroes die in Mississippi, you know? A lot of them. The attrition rate for new arrivals isn't as bad as fighting Endbringers, but it's high. It's not the only place, there's Gary, Indianna... and Gallup. Those are war zones. Capes that refuse to cooperate, that aren't team players, they get sent there. And they leave to come to places like this when they're all used up and burnt out. I look at them and my power... I just see their hopelessness."
"But, but Heather doesn't even think about any of that." He sighed, "She... She just doesn't care."
"Care..." Elle said.
All of us turned to look at her, surprised.
Elle stared vacantly across the table. She felt... pensive. She was a lot more aware then she looked. She was sad, sympathetic? She understood, or wanted to understand.
"Elle's trying to comfort you." I said at last, turning to Nick.
He looked taken aback and was at a loss for words. Mimi was speechless.
"Thanks, Elle." He said at length.
Nick sat silently stewing after that, the emotions I felt off of him were all muted variations of frustrated and desperate. I thought about what he was doing, enlisting me to make sure another of his crazy friends actually took their pills and obeyed the rules. That... That was actually pretty funny. Nick, well, he was probably the most grounded of any of us, but he was always thinking so pessimistically.
Did he really think Heather would end up sent to the Mississippi Crater?
Heather came back to us in a foul mood, growling and muttering to herself, along with a very stern Doctor Armando. She also had that characteristic pinched expression that I associated with her after she took her meds. I could sense nausea off her too- and that same odd dizzying confusion I had come to associate with trying to read other patients' brains... Brain chemistry? Was that what it was? It was confusing... sensing it made my head hurt.
Doctor Armando was talking, "-ing worse. You know better Glassboom."
"Are you my mom?" Heather groused, crossing her arms back and glaring up at him from where she was sitting.
"Yes, it's my job to mother you." Doctor Armando said, unmoved. He raised his eyebrows as if daring Heather to keep arguing, and Heather's retorts died on her lips with a sputter.
Doctor Armando was not like Doctor Selmy or Doctor Yamada, I couldn't see them dealing with Heather the way he did. Bur Armando's no-nonsense approach seemed to be working for her, sometimes at least.
Heather plopped down at the table, muttering; and with a last meaningful look, Doctor Armando turned and left us once more.
"Fucking, musclebound PHD gorilla."
Nick looked reproachful, "Heather, do you want to go write graffiti on the walls and steal sodas like Lizard Prince? Look where it got him!"
"Don't compare me to the goddamn Lizard!" Heather replied.
"Lizard!" Elle added in the same tone.
Once more there was a brief incredulous pause.
Slowly, Heather smiled.
"Heh. I like you."
I turned and stared at Elle. She was... Gleeful. She was doing it on purpose and it just blew my mind. Mimi was dumbstruck, eyebrows making a bid for her hairline and mouth hanging slack. Was... Elle teasing us? I stifled a laugh, it had to be the funniest thing I'd seen in months.
A gentle chime sounded overhead-
"Attention, Lunch is now being served in Cafeteria B. Today we have tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, or chicken nuggets and green beans."
"Heh. We'll talk later," Heather said, popping to her feet. "Let's get some lunch."
"Lunch!" Elle paused for a moment, then she looked right at me. "Hi..."
"Hello, Elle." I replied, bemused. I was the only one who got what she was doing, it was like sharing a secret... Her face was blank, but I could feel a smile underneath...
Across the room, Heather called, "Labyrinth! Come on!"
I glanced at Heather as she walked to the line forming to get food, then at the still mildly stunned Mimi, and a frustrated Nick. "Come on guys."
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
Heather was surprisingly patient with Elle, I hadn't expected it, but she was.
Elle wasn't very responsive today, and at first I'd worried that Heather would take that as some kind of challenge- or game. Heather could be very cruel when she was bored. Maybe it was because Elle had been at Alchemilla as long as she had, because she had a mystique, and maybe that would pass eventually. Heather didn't have a lot of staying power, but I was grateful for it while it lasted.
After lunch we sat down in the sunroom. Nick, Elle, and Heather were on the couches picking out a movie. Mimi and I were sitting at the back wall watching. Mimi perched on the edge of the cushions like she was afraid they'd bite her, hugging her knees to herself.
The couches were new, since the previous ones had been smashed. Except for that one old easy chair in the corner of the room that Blake was snoozing on. I could feel his attention drifting between the group on the couch and me; looked like he was back to pretending to nap again.
Mimi insisted on something not too violent, an older adventure movie with an ancient temple in a jungle, and an explorer with a whip and wide-brimmed hat. I didn't pay close attention. It was much more interesting to let my power drift over the people watching. Mimi was torn between uncertainty, fretful nervousness, and joy. She liked being out of medium security, liked being part of a group. It was humbling to feel how much joy that small, simple thing gave her. Elle drifted in and out. It might have been my imagination, but I thought she paid more attention during the temple sequence with the booby traps.
I was distracted when Mimi nudged me, pointed. Blake had one eye open. When he saw me watching, his mouth split into a toothy grin and he gave me a lazy wave.
"Hey." I said.
Blake's smile only widened as I walked over, my sense of him was coy, amused, languid, and a lot more intelligent than I would have ever guessed. Even speaking to him before didn't do justice to what I picked up off him now.
"Little birdy told me you got yourself a couple of lost souls to guide." he said.
I frowned, "Who told you?"
"You let two patients out of medium security you gotta let me know, straight from the top." He shrugged, glancing lazily at Mimi. Mimi seesawed between anger and resignation before stabilizing.
I narrowed my eyes, I could sense the honesty from him, but also a touch of deception. That was mostly the truth, but he also had another source? I filed that away for later, but it didn't fool Blake, "Alchemilla is an awfully small place once you've been here a couple years. If you stick around that long, you'll figure it out." He said, "In the meantime, I got a couple words of warning for you."
He glanced at Mimi.
"You know what happened with Burnscar?"
Mimi flinched. I blinked, glancing between the two of them, "What about her?"
"She and Labyrinth were kinda doing the same thing, once upon a time. One of the doctors paired them together after Burnscar hurt a therapist and some security. Burnt up some rooms. Almost killed a couple people." He said, "They wanted to leverage her emotionally, wanted to try and get her invested in another patient."
"I-I met Labyrinth when I got here." Mimi protested.
"Yeah. You did, that's what gave them the idea." Blake said, eyes hooded, "Just letting you know I have my eye on you."
Mimi's eyes dropped to her feet. "If I mess up again, burn some more people... Am I going to the Birdcage? Do you know?" she whispered.
Blake didn't answer immediately, "I don't know. I haven't heard anything about you being caged. And, if it makes you feel any better, the shrinks know you're trying to cooperate."
"...How often do patients get sent to the Birdcage?" I asked.
"Often enough." Blake said, "Lizard Prince and Elephant aren't the first. Won't be the last." he added with finality.
Mimi remained staring at the floor.
Blake cleared his throat awkwardly, "Good kid like you has a chance. You got friends looking out for you, and that counts for something. A lot of something." Blake leaned back, "I had guys I depended on, up in Jersey. Still owe a couple of them. Even in a bad place, if you have people, you have something worth having. You know?" He gave Mimi a smile.
"You'll make it. I know them when I see them. You won't let this place wear you down."
Mimi straightened a little at that. Even so, something unsettling churned in the pit of my stomach. I had never connected the Birdcage to one of my friends. To hear Mimi was afraid of being sent there shook my own confidence. I turned to back to the movie, but didn't watch it.
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
My somber mood continued after the movie, as we wandered over to the patient rooms. Elle walked with one hand fisted in my sleeve. Half my attention was on Mimi with Nick and Heather, as all three were walking a little ahead. Heather was pestering Mimi about her life prior to Alchemilla. Mimi... Mimi felt slightly overwhelmed, she was very low spirited following Blake's grim assessment. I could feel her guilt simmering, distress rising and falling and kept in check constantly.
I looked up, blinking away morose thoughts to find myself in familiar territory, "...Hey, this is my room." I said.
Heather glanced back, she was standing by an open door, "Yeah? Mine is across the hall."
"You live right across the hall?"
Heather turned and looked at me, "Yeah, you didn't know?" she replied, "I woulda thought you'd have noticed."
I stared at her. Well, now I knew she'd been avoiding me. I wasn't sure how I'd overlooked her room being so close to mine, though. I knew my power responded to my intent, but how had I overlooked her? True, I wasn't as close to her as my other friends, but still...
Elle tugged at my sleeve, eyes fixed on my door. 108.
"You want to see my room?" I asked.
She looked at me, and I felt... assent. Sure. I opened my door with a shrug.
I imagined Elle was underwhelmed. I was underwhelmed, and it was my room. Well, I guess it still didn't really feel like it was mine. My room was at home in Brockton, it had a comfortable bed with Hero sheets and an Alexandria duvet, and bookshelves with lots of books... I needed to ask for more books...
Elle walked forward and sat down on my bed. After a moment, I sat beside her.
"Well, this is my room. I don't have much. It's not interesting." I trailed off, "What's it like down in medium security? I guess I never really thought about that..."
I looked at Elle. There was a sense of... sarcasm? Irony? Hmm. Elle's focus was on me, directly; and her intent was directed, like communicated speech. Was... was Elle snarking at me?
Heather poked her head in. "Oh, hey. Sweet!" she brightened and grabbed the soda on my table. That was the dented can of soda I'd picked up after Lizard Prince dropped them all over the place. I hadn't touched it since because I could still sense the pent-up pressure from its shaking. Heather popped the tab before I could warn her.
The soda fountained in a massive, carbonated jet, spraying all down her face and front. When the fountain finally subsided Heather was left sputtering. Most of the soda was on her, or on the floor.
"Taylor! The fuck?"
"Fuck." Elle enunciated carefully.
I tried to not laugh, I really did. Nick hid his smile behind his hand. "I would have warned you if you'd asked." I offered Heather my towel for her face, I could sense subtle undercurrents of amusement from her too.
Mimi fidgeted uncomfortably by the door, I got the impression that she wanted to smile and chuckle along with Nick and I, but was worried it'd be rude. She really didn't want to be rude. Her emotions swung back and forth rapidly, but she was still in control.
"Thanks for showing us around," she said, awkwardly looking away.
"Don't worry about it." I said.
"Uh, yeah." Nick added, "No problem. We're friends here, right? It's what friends do."
Elle shifted a little beside me, I sensed a complicated mingling of... a little pride, and curiosity. But it was contrasted with embarrassment or shame? I puzzled on that, "I think Elle's saying the same thing."
Mimi's eyes watered a bit, she nodded without saying a word and her emotions were all over the place.
"T-thanks guys."
I stood up, frowning at what I sensed from her. Mimi was fighting a battle with her power, I could feel the peaks and lows, building up and then crashing. She was rallying a supreme effort to keep her moods in check. "Hey, Mimi... You all right?"
"Y-yeah." Mimi lifted her head and gave me a weak smile.
"Take deep breaths," I stood up and walked to her, putting my hand on her shoulder. I made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Heather whenever she was with Mimi. Where Heather was more settled as the day progressed, I'd definitely noticed Mimi was more stressed, more tense.
I remembered Quilt comforting Inkling, and reached out to rub her back, "Breathe, Mimi."
Mimi closed her eyes and breathed deep and even. It helped, some, but I could feel her power in there bucking under her control. After a moment she spoke up, "Thanks, Taylor." She said.
"Mimi," I said, "That was all you."
She looked up at me, then at the room. Everyone was looking at us, Heather, Nick, even Elle. Mimi looked back at me again, "I don't want to go to the Birdcage, but it's so hard." she whispered, "I just want it to stop and go away."
I thought about Lizard Prince, and Inkling bawling her eyes out; again, about Quilt as she tried to hold her friends together, and... I think I understood Quilt just a little bit.
I could feel how much effort Mimi put into that struggle, I could feel her fear, of herself, of going to the Birdcage. Mimi had been here too long, she needed to make some progress, get her feet under her, get out. This place wasn't any good for her. I could also feel Nick's bleak depression, general disinterest that he beat back. Heather's unconstrained overabundance of energy and her nausea, her illness and the medications that made her head hurt. Elle's frustrated desire to be part of the world, to talk to us, be part of us too.
"Mimi, you aren't going to the Birdcage." I said. Mimi looked at me a moment, and then looked away. "I promise."
Maybe she'd heard that before, but I tried to inject the resolve that statement warranted. I would make that happen. It's what a hero would do, what the hero I wanted to be would do, and it was what they needed. These were friends of mine, and they needed my help.
Mimi rubbed her eyes and tried to smile, but it was wasted on her slippers, "Promise?"
"Yeah, here." I raised my hand. I grabbed Mimi's hand and lifted it to my other, and linked our pinkies. Just like Emma had shown me.
"Haven't made a pinkie promise with anyone but Emma," I said, feeling a little shy, but Mimi needed this, "You're getting out of here, and not going to the Birdcage. All right?"
"Alright." Mimi said, looking uncomfortable, bashful.
I turned to look at the others. Everyone's eyes were on me. "We are all getting out, we can do this." I said, "but we are going to need to work together."
All of them were looking at me, all of them, I could feel their attention and their emotions. Rapt, focused and receptive; for the first time I thought maybe I was feeling what Doctor Yamada might feel, what it was like to counsel patients.
"Heather, Nick, you too." I held out my hands.
Pinkie swears all around. Nick was a little bemused, a little awed, and very shy but pleased all the same. Heather went along with it just because, but even in that, I could detect more. A bit of camaraderie, a bit of adventurous spirit...
I blinked away the impression and let go of their hands, "You too, Elle."
Elle watched me as I knelt down in front of her on my bed, blankly staring at me, and didn't move as I offered her my pinkie.
"Come on, Elle." Nick said.
"Yeah, Elle, you can do it!" Heather cheered.
Slowly, Elle raised one fist. And little by little, her pinky extended. I hooked it in my own.
"There. Emma said that made us best friends, and that includes you guys too." I said, "So we're in this together, all of us, to get better and get out of here. All right?"
"Y... Yes." Elle said.
All of us.
(•͈⌔•͈ ﾂ
Mimi was definitely wrung out by the emotional roller coaster and I didn't want to push her. Not on her first day. Elle was starting to look tired too. Best to end the day on a high note and have them eager to come back tomorrow. They checked in at the floor nursing station not long after. We followed them as far as the last checkpoint, before the elevators.
Mimi gave me a small wave, smiling wanly. They wouldn't be staying up here overnight, not yet. Heather and Nick stayed with me and helped me show them off.
"It was fun to meet them." Nick said, looking meaningfully at Heather.
She grumbled a little, but it had been more interesting than just going about a regular day I guess, she felt a lot more settled and mellow than she had that morning.
"They were all right, weren't they?" I asked. Heather's emotions were erratic, but I was certain she had enjoyed having Mimi and Elle join us. I was sure of that much, so why was I sensing such contradictory emotions from her?
"Yeah, sure..." Heather said.
She was being honest, but I could sense she didn't like admitting it. She'd been dissapointed. She didn't like how mundane it had been, wanted something more interesting. More exciting. I could also get a sense of... An echo? In her power?
What was that?
In the safety of my own mind, I sighed, "Give them some time." I said out loud, "You'll like them."
I'd need Heather and Nick too. Mimi had been here for years, and all her efforts hadn't gotten her released. Her power was difficult for her to control. And Elle, I simply couldn't see getting out on her own.
I might be able to cheat, using my power. I could communicate with her, through her fugues. In spite of her power. I could work with her in ways that her therapists never could... I needed to talk to Doctor Yamada or Doctor Selmy and tell them. I'd never thought of any of this! There was so much I needed to do!
I told myself this would work, I could do this.
All of them could do this, I was sure of it.