Sterility surrounded her, as it always did. The young girl in her white gown, large eyes downcast and sleepy; looking over books on a table, an extended finger tracing lines as she read them half-aloud. Between half-hearted mumbles she would bite her lip and use her free hand to toy with locks of her long black hair. Really, her head wasn't at all in the books before her; it was roaming somewhere beyond the clouds, reaching out to the moon and stars she hadn't seen in months.

Since learning of her sickness, Piper had become more withdrawn...and more aware. Things that had never concerned her were now things she couldn't ignore. One such thing gnawed at the back of her mind, wrapping skeletal fingers around gray matter with ruthless demands. In just a minute, someone should come check on me. Five minutes ago she had covered one of the devices used to monitor her. It would be too crude to call it a 'camera'; a gross mislabeling of the complicated instrument her 'doctors' used to watch her.

A sheet, her own, had been enough to cover the device during shift-change. Something that endlessly analytical part of her had picked up on a few days prior. Wrapping it around the thing had proven slightly more difficult, given her lack of height and its odd position on the wall. That's what the books were for. Piper didn't have any interest in old world architecture and could hardly stand to read about it. With a sigh, she stood and stretched; brushing her hair behind her ears and letting the rest fall to her back.

I should ask Miss Tenbruem for a haircut...it's really getting out of hand.

She took light steps across her room, bare feet tapping quietly against the uninterrupted white that seamlessly transitioned to become walls and farther up, the ceiling. She made sure her gown was properly laced, so as not to make another embarrassing mistake. Stopping, she took a moment to observe herself in the reflective plastic they had provided her as a mirror. Several soft make-up brushes and containers were half-organized beneath it, untouched for several days. She hadn't felt like it, after last week's test. It had left her tired, unable and unwilling to leave her bed. Thinking back on it made her skin feel hot, despite the slight shiver it sent to all the parts beneath. Even as she stared Piper could see how much paler she'd become since then...and the strange discoloration at the edge of her iris.

It's a pretty color, though...I always liked that shade.

A male voice sounded over the intercom. “It’s Bertran. Are you ready for me to come in?”

“Yeah, come on in!” Her enthusiasm was real, Mister Bertran being one of the few visitors she looked forward to; even though his visits were sporadic. Quickly, she bound her hair and turned to face the entrance; smiling in her crooked way. A metallic, stainless steel door whirred open and a young man entered. He was youthful and handsome, but a weariness tugged on him; dark circles haunted the shadows beneath his eyes, and a heavy mantle of guilt draped over his shoulders. He wore a button-down shirt with black pants and a black tie, protected by a simple white lab coat. Embroidered above the pocket in dark lettering was ‘B.E.R.M. Laboratories.’

Mr. Bertran studied a clipboard. His brows furrowed. “Changes in…” He mumbled to himself. “Patient shows signs of increased mental acuity...” He scribbled something on the clipboard, a grim expression on his face. Zino looked up at her, lips drawn in a stern line, almost disappearing into a frown. “Oh, right.” He caught himself, remembering the subject in the room. Bertan attempted to smile. “Piper, how are you? I brought you a little gift.” The agent sat the clipboard down beside her cosmetics. He reached into a pocket on lab coat and retrieved a lollipop from inside it. Zino held it out to the girl. “Orange creme, your favorite, right?”

The door had slid open with a hiss; the noise Piper imagined a sedated dragon would make if poked in the gums. Mister Bertran came through with his usual heavy air, one that his frame never quite seemed to match. At least it didn't in Piper's eyes. When she thought of Bertran, which was surprisingly often, she liked to imagine him smiling; maybe with his collar unbuttoned and his tie loosened. Like he was actually having fun. Those thoughts, in these analytical moments, made her heart hurt in ways she didn't think a heart could.

I have an affinity for this man. Do I look up to him? It was odd to be asking herself such a question, as the man she observed muttered observations from his clipboard; another thing she wished she could see him without. She let her thoughts roam as he quickly scribbled. Or is it something else? There's definitely a gap between us that I don't want there. Of course, she had no clearer answer. Her smile held, but wavered around the edges for a bare moment.

Piper took a few steps forward as Mister Bertran tried to feign a smile for her, a gesture that brought her uneven grin new life. "I'm doing great, Mister Bertran," she lied easily, fluidly and without any doubt about its efficiency, "though, I have to admit that I've been very tired since my last field test. I figure you already know that, though!" She motioned to the clipboard, eyes dipping down to see what she could glean with a veiled glance. "Oh, and I've been having some real weird dreams the last couple of nights..."

She had intended to continue, but Mister Bertran's words stopped her immediately. "A gift?!" Piper was a sucker for gifts, even moreso for what was produced from Bertran's coat. Her eyes widened and the fingers on her left hand curled, the right reaching out to snatch the gift without her usual polite grace. "Faaaank yoh sho muuuuch!" She spoke around the lollipop, noises of contentment escaping her as she took steps back and gave a little twirl; pulling the candy from her mouth with a loud pop and holding it aloft. Her face had flushed, slightly. "I-I'm sorry. Yes, it's my favorite! I'm so glad you remembered! Thank you!"

The girl took a step forward, the sucker back in her mouth and gave Mister Bertran the quickest of hugs. Backing away, she smiled broadly. "So, what's today's visit about, Mister Bertran?"

Zino cleared his throat, doing his best to ignore her overwhelming youth. He opened his mouth, glanced down at the clipboard, and then reconsidered. He knew he was supposed analyze how the planar radiation had affected her faculties in a stress test, but… The agent closed his eyes thoughtfully. 'She’s lost so much weight… And her complexion.’ “Strange dreams...? Perhaps you would like to tell me more about them during a trip to the courtyard?” He gave an overzealous grin. ‘I shouldn’t push her… She clearly needs a break. I’m sure fresh air will do wonders for her spirit.’

He grabbed his clipboard, swiped his badge on a security mechanism by the door, then stood in the doorway, waiting on Piper.

"The courtyard?" She said it slowly, as though rolling the words through her teeth for the first time. "I'd...I'd love to, Mister Bertran!" Thoughts of the sky, the smell of grass and air that wasn't perpetually conditioned and recycled excited her; but it wasn't what she had expected. That surprise had thrown her out of sync. Her smile widened, the sucker suddenly sweeter. Piper put on her most regal air. "I would very much enjoy a sojourn to survey my domain!" She tilted her head back, looking as imperious as possible; giggling quickly afterward.

Mister Bertran was ahead of her, opening the door; producing another dreamy dragon noise. Piper ran across the room, heedless, stopping on the other side of the doorway, quickly looking from side to side. There weren't many others in the long hallway, but that hardly concerned her. "This wasn't scheduled for today, was it?" Her eyes settled on him, blue and bright; save for the tinge of orange growing at their edges. Worry wormed its way through her words.

Slowly, her gaze found the floor. "My dreams..." silence followed the statement, as she took barely audible steps in the directions he knew they were heading, "they were about a lady. A lady that..." she swallowed hard, bringing her eyes up to Bertran before glancing away, "scares me."

Bertran nodded slowly, walking down the maze of sterile, white, steel, and glass hallways that made up the bureau’s complex. The air was cold and smelled of chemical cleaner and xeroxed papers. The hum of the fluorescent bulbs and their sickly green light filled the atmosphere. A security guard in a bullet-proof vest greeted them at the end of the corridor. “Good morning, Bailey.” The guard returned the greeting then waved at the test subject. Zino swiped his card again by the elevator and waited. It dinged, and the doors opened. It wasn’t until inside the confines of the elevator that he replied. “A lady? Why does she scare you?” He frowned and made a note on the clipboard before pressing a button for the ground level.

The agent placed his hand on Piper’s shoulder, guiding her out of the elevator and beyond the atrium to a central courtyard. “All right, your domain awaits you, kahuna.” He opened the doors with another swipe of his name badge and breathed in the fresh air. Salt and sunlight wafted across the pair. There was the smell and sound of the ocean, distant, roaring. There were scattered picnic tables and various tropical plants. The flowerbeds with well-groomed, and the thick, sandy grass was freshly cut. A few tall palm trees waved in the wind.

At the guard's, Bailey's wave, Piper smiled. She had seen them and many like them in her outward excursions. They were always kind to her, though she had seen instances of the unkind nature of their profession. She had been told plenty of times, by her various observers, that she was among the most well-behaved of ‘their’ number. Piper could understand why others would want to run. I don't have anywhere to run to. If I did, would I be the same? She doubted it, returning the wave and continuing on; disregarding the sour thoughts in favor of her sweet treat.

Bertran asked her about the Lady, the woman clad in otherness. She waited until they were in the elevator, its door closed firmly with a different noise, before beginning to articulate the scars of fear left on her. He pressed the button before the words came to her. "She was...different. So different, like she was something wearing human skin. Her voice was like ice-water, but she said the kindest things. Those were the things that scared me..." She knew he would ask her what the words were, but the doors opened.

Things that would scare anyone...but I listened to her. I had to...

Piper giggled at his joke, taking a few skipping steps forward and throwing her arms out wide; embracing her small slice of the world. Grass beneath her feet, ruffled by her curled toes, soft and stern all at once. Salt was heavy on the air, sighed their way by a lazy breeze that set broad leaves to slowly dancing. Dancing! What a wonderful idea! So she did as the leaves did, her wide eyes watching them as her body moved in ways she imagined a leaf would; were it possessed of such articulated joints and the level of dexterity Piper held.

The sunlight was warm on her skin, unfamiliar to her now as it had never been before coming into B.E.R.M.'s care. It was a boon greater than any she could have asked for, aside from the Orange Creme Lollipop. Nothing's better than that, though! Continuing her dance, she made her way to a picnic table; finishing with a flourish and barely controlled panting as she sat. With a sigh she wiped the sweat from her brow, already tired from the admittedly short exertion. Still, despite the evidence of her weakness; Piper felt alive and nearly carefree. She propped her elbows on the table, looking to Mister Bertran. "It's very nice, today! Thank you so much for bringing me out! That little room can be so depressing..."

Mr. Bertran nodded again, taking a seat at the picnic table. He adjusted his tie, straightened his glasses, and brushed off his lab coat. Zino sat the clipboard down and tapped the pen against it thoughtfully. “Of course. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself… His brow knitted. “Now, can you tell me about the dream? Who is the woman?”

Enjoying herself, that much was true. Even if it were just a momentary diversion. The dream. Or whatever it had been, since Piper had opted to use that term instead of what she believed it to be. "They were contiguous, with both the Lady and location being the connecting factors. The first," she began tracing a circle on the table, staring through it, "started with me waking up. My bed, from here, in the middle of a field. The Lady was waiting, staring off at something above my head." She had thought about that, a few times. Was it really over my head? It felt like we had locked stares... A light cough escaped her, one that brought her momentarily from that circle. "When my eyes were open and adjusted to the sun, she clapped and welcomed me; saying that she had been there 'for the longest time'. I asked her 'what for?' and she told me 'for whoever was sleeping in that bed, somewhere else.', at the time I suppose I didn't think much of that answer."

Her fingers folded over themselves. "I started walking. The dirt had been tilled. I remember not seeing a lot of grass. Or trees." Almost lazily, she glanced around. The trees still swayed. Someone across the courtyard stood smoking, looking over a clipboard similar to Mister Bertran's. B.E.R.M issued? Different information? It didn't matter. Piper wiggled her toes as the next part came to mind. "There were weak spots in the ground. Each time my foot went through, I would pull it back and immediately started kicking." She began tracing her circle from where it had broken first. "They were insects, of some kind. Flat and numerous, bone-white and speckled by cracks and missing pieces. They disappeared when I kicked them away. In little clouds."

She let her eyes trail to the clipboard. "The Lady laughed at me, each time it happened. When I asked her 'what was so funny'...she told me." The circle, again. Eyes down. "'Child, those are lost souls. Each step you take that breaks the ground, they will appear. Once you cast them aside, you're free of them. ' She didn't break the ground. For some reason I took that to mean she had crossed the field before. I started to walk more carefully." Despite her earlier exertion, Piper had paled and her breathing was steady. "'Do you wonder why you're here?', she asked me, after...a minute." It was a much longer time. "'I do, but that doesn't matter.' I had started to think about the bugs less...and more, 'What matters is whether or not I cross this field. Because if they were lost souls...and if I stopped, I might become one of them. The Lady told me I was right, so I decided to walk with her for a while."

Eyes up. A sort of expectation, the sudden cessation of movement