Maiden

Twisted Redux

@ Shin: [e-mail], please and thanks. That probably would have helped, huh? Also, were you wanting to submit a character sheet? I'm sure we have one more spot for a Twisted Alumni.

@ Tigre: Yes or no on the blurb for Greg? If I don't hear from you, I'll write it up and PM it to you during the week. (I should be able to manage something small!)

I posted another little bit, to give you guys some guidance. If anyone would like nurse dialogue, feel free to PM me and we can do a quick collaboration. I'm planning to write a post for Cadence and Jax next weekend. Questions, comments? Everyone awake and still with us?! Vampiric, Oblivion, Syblyx? If you're having issues, please do let me know!!

Twisted Redux

» Nurse Buck «

Now you don't know me:
Lightning above and a fire below me.
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me,
You cannot stop, much less control me!

Though he might catch hell for it later, hitting Greg really put an upswing on the Roman’s mood. It felt good to unleash a little of his frustration on an unsuspecting victim… even if it wasn’t in the manner to which he was accustomed.

Cadie’s blindness was a little worrisome. Even in her limited state the Mutant’s telekinesis was nothing to be trifled with. If Dante could set her off, keeping them apart would make life easier for everyone involved. Especially Dante. Cadie’s last …interest, so to speak… had lost both his eyes when he’d looked at another female patient a certain way in the waif’s presence. The female’s hands had been severely mangled as well.

Buck was also worried about Aniella. He’d meant what he said to her: if she didn’t have the inner strength and will to survive Osmond’s, it would kill her. And probably sooner than later. A newborn monster’s self-hatred could drive it to the grave: a phenomenon Buck had witnessed many times in fledgling vampires long before he’d ever come to this place. They just couldn’t work up the nerve to do what they needed to do in order to survive, or they went mad with the horror of it afterwards. All the Head Nurse could do was speak honestly to the Ragdoll, and hope she was able to pay him heed.

These thoughts and many more spun through Buck’s ancient head as he meandered slowly from Cadie’s table towards the wall where Clara, Sara and Farrah were standing watch. Unlike Jean’s trio, Buck’s three nurses heeled like a team of highly trained Border Collies.

“Anything I should know?” came the smooth, businesslike tone from his thin lips.

“All quiet on the Western Front,” Farrah said mildly. “Aleksandrina bit Clara, and Hanneli tried to catch me up in her dreams, which felt icky, but nothing we can’t handle.”

“Good work as usual, ladies,” he said with a small nod. He’d never needed to strike his girls… but he never forgot that they were Morgan’s creatures, and no matter how well they performed he’d never really trust them.

He took his place beside the trio of women, casually leaning against the wall, taking a sideways glance at Aniella to see what she might have consumed from her multiple-choice meal. Everyone else seemed to be behaving, talking or eating quietly, so he folded his arms to wait until his patient for the day was ready to proceed with her tour.

-----

As patients finished their breakfasts, the nurses came off the walls one by one to escort them on the next parts of their Institute tour. They’d be shown the large two-story Library stuffed with books from many dimensions, pages filled with fact and fiction that could warp or wilt lesser minds. Equally impressive was the gymnasium complex; complete with basketball court, swimming pool, weight room, several normal and oddly-sized treadmills and exercise bikes and even a small sauna. There was the Recreation Room: table tennis and hockey, foosball, a pair of card tables, an overstuffed grey couch and two equally comfy looking armchairs… all of it bolted to the floor, of course.

In the Music Room new patients would find a raised dais against the far wall where a gleaming black grand piano sat waiting. Several grey armchairs -smaller versions of the plush ones in the Rec Room- were placed in a semi-circle on the left side of the room. Behind them, a large stereo programmed with hundreds of thousands of songs (digitized, of course) from every dimension imaginable was pressed against the wall. The right side was an open space edged by shelves holding drums and closed instrument cases. Folding chairs and sheet music stands were closed and stacked neatly in the corner.

Last but not least on the tour was the Great Room. At the moment it was totally empty and the walls were completely bare. The only feature of the room was on the wall opposite the door. Two floor-length windows with arced tops flanked a massive stone fireplace. The stone was rough, and in shades of grey and black. On either side of the dark maw, black wrought-iron candelabras were bolted into the rock and mortar. Candles …and curtains, for that matter… were absent.

There was much more to the Institute than the first and second floors of the patient care areas, but the tour included everywhere the patients could freely move during daylight hours. The Medication room would only be seen by the patients who’d need to go there, and the Treatment Rooms on Basement Level 1 were on the schedule for tomorrow.

Twisted Redux

Since everyone seems to be struggling for material, I'll write a bit of a post to move things along. Glad you got your essay done, Elsa! :)

Twisted Redux

@ Shin: The posts I'm interested in were towards the end of the Kidney arc, and the final versions of Buck and Remy's character sheets. I wouldn't turn down a copy of the first ten pages, though: it's more than what I've got access to right now!

@ Elsa: Take care of your school stuff first, and post when you can. It doesn't appear that anyone around here is in any hurry. Thanks for checking in and letting us know what's going on!

I didn't get anything written or make any graphics today... we had a lame horse (Opal) and a minor trailer incident (It fell off the block after Mom set it down, thankfully it landed on the weight distribution hitch and not her bumper or her foot!!) so most of my day got eaten up by that. I'm sore and tired, but I feel like a boss for handling bidness. Good news is that tomorrow my Ebil Sister is borrowing the truck to move furniture, so we can't tow anything anywhere. Writing tomorrow. Now... sleep. :)

Twisted Redux

@ Shin: I tried the Wayback Machine, and I couldn't get it to load more than the first 3 or 4 pages of whichever threads I visited. If you plug in the specific URL does it bring up the page? (This would be a miracle for me, seriously.)

@ Tigre: Yes, Leeloo is adorable. But my avatar is quickie junk, and I'm kind of a graphics snob. I think I'm gonna make something new tonight. (Maybe lol.) And sorry about your creativity issues. Have you ever done character exercises? They usually help me. Try Fuck Yeah Character Development. Also, I'd intended for Dante's tour of the Institute to continue, and for Greg to come retrieve him. (Tony will be coming to fetch Simone.) They'll continue being shown around the Institute. If you'd like me to write a paragraph or two of Greg's actions to get you rolling, I'm happy to oblige!

@ Kally: Guuuuuurlll I am slackin'. Be right with you after this post.

@ Thread In General: I'm still being quieter than I should be, but it's tough for me to find time on weeknights. I get up so early that I start getting sleepy at 9 these days. (I had lots of coffee today though, so I'm up late lol!) Tomorrow is a writing day, and it's not time for me to post again yet, so I think I'm going to try a Twisted Tale. Pum, Kally, Vampiric and Shin all know what this is. They're short(ish) stories from your character's backstory. Helps get over blocks, also great for character development. Buck and Cadie both have some pretty rich moments just waiting to be elaborated upon. I wonder who I'll pick first. Eenie...meenie...

Now, back to the Maidencave! Huzzah!

Twisted Redux

@ Elsa: When it rains it pours, huh? Just feel better and get caught up on your course work.

@ Pum: LMAO! Playing Buck is very different this time around, and I'm not really sure I was ready for it. It's a good thing, but it's gonna take some getting used to.

@ Oblivion: No rush, take your time and enjoy yourself. Also, I'm sorry I didn't reply to your PM... I just noticed it last night after I posted. This site still lacks a lot of basic features, and I just didn't realize my PM count had gone up by one! Also, thanks. Always good to be home!

@ Syblyx: Well, you lucked out this time. Since you went ahead and posted, I'll assume you're still interested, and we'll let bygones be bygones. :)

@ Kally: I'm going to have to PM you about Anna. It's too much for the OOC. ;) But, tomorrow after work...because now it's my bedtime and I'm a tired Maiden. ^_^

PS I really gotta do something about the sig set. I dunno who told me this Fifth Element crap was cute... but it's not.

Twisted Redux

Bump. Post is up at last! Hurrah!

Pumira & Tigre: As I said, Buck made me change my plans. So your assigned Siblings will be coming to fetch you, and continue your Institute tour. (And a pity you won't really see Greg's swollen face through his beard!)

Questions or comments? :) I'm off to bed now, I'll be back tomorrow evening!

Twisted Redux

Of course there was someone watching. There was always someone watching. Be it Nurse Jean, hunched over a monitor at the Central Nurse’s Station… or the tidy row of Sibling nurses standing along the far left wall of the Cafeteria… or perhaps the Administrator himself, before a wall of television screens somewhere in the dark recesses of his locked wing.

Nothing went unseen.

But nobody took any action. They could have thrown Dante to the ground for trying to cast an illusion on Sasha, but why do that when she simply burned his little card? Notes would be made, and additional measures taken if needed, of course… but for today, nothing would be done.

In a place like Osmond’s, everything you say (or do, for that matter) can and will be used against you… eventually.

-----

» Nurse Buck «

The shoulder you cry on,
The dose that you die on:
I can be your painkiller.

The scent of Lycan blood reached Buck’s delicate olfactories as he escorted Aniella towards her table. It made him glance sideways at the white-haired, red-eyed girl he’d assumed was a type of vampire. He was almost certain he’d seen that in her file… but if she was drinking werewolf blood she was definitely not a member of his own species. Of course, different dimensions had different types of vampires. Inwardly, Buck cursed not having the time to read his patient files thoroughly before breakfast. The ancient man was even angrier because he’d done it to himself by failing to wake up in a timely manner.

He shrugged it off and returned his focus to Aniella. She followed him mutely, just as she’d done in the hallways during the trip to breakfast… though now that they were in a room full of other patients her slender body was rigid with fear. Of course there had been disgust in her eyes when he set the tray down in front of her, mixed with hunger and self-hatred for being the sort of beast who wanted to eat those things. He didn’t need to read her mind to know what was going on up there: she hated the monster she’d become. And how many hundreds of patients had the good doctor treated in his career at Osmond’s who felt exactly the same?

“Thank you very much for this selection, Nurse Buck, this is so much more than I need, you have been much too kind,” the girl murmured.

At least this one spoke Italian, so the Roman was able to enjoy conversing in something close to his native tongue. He’d used flimsier excuses to give frank words to someone. Buck sat down at the table beside Aniella and fixed her with a look of both weariness and pity.

“I am not kind, Aniella. I am doing my job, which is to ensure that you are fed and clothed properly, and are oriented to your surroundings. This is also far less than what you should eat, and far more than what you will. You need three of these steaks and four cups of this blood, if not more. And tomorrow morning, you’ll be expected to see to your own breakfast.”

He paused to press his lips into a thin line briefly, deciding how to continue in a way that would motivate her instead of being berating. If he’d seemed distant or rehearsed before, there was genuine gravity and spontaneity to his words now.

“If you believe that you do not deserve to eat, or to live,” Buck continued, “you simply will not. This place will destroy you. We are all monsters here, myself included, and you will not change what you are by refusing to eat the food your body now needs. You will only starve… and die.”

As he said ‘and die’, the ancient man might have sounded like Aniella’s passing would make him sad. Or perhaps he would only be sad to lose such a valuable specimen.

Letting his words of wisdom hang heavy in the air between them, Buck stood up again and took a step back from the table.

“Bon appétit, young lady,” the vampire said, French and Italian blending harmoniously on his lips. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some other duties to attend while you eat.” With that, he turned to saunter towards the line of Sibling nurses.

-----

I know what you want so desperately;
You know I'll give you one for free.
Forever you're coming back to me,
Now I'm gonna give you what you need!

-----

What had happened in the cafeteria around him while Nurse Buck was speaking to Aniella had not gone unnoticed. He’d heard, and seen from the corners of his eyes. Dante had cursed in Italian, slammed his tray down on the table and stormed out. He’d also tossed some kind of card at Sasha, and she’d simply burned it. (It was magical fire, best as he could guess, since she was a witch and not a pyrokinetic.) The silver-haired wolfeater, Simone, had said something to Jax and Cadie before following Dante out. None of the Siblings had followed them… and that was a problem.

Sara was already stepping in the Head Nurse’s direction to draw his attention to the matter but he stopped her course with a small hand gesture. Jean’s triplets were gathered around Darlene’s little desk in a corner near the door, backs to the patients, paying them no heed. The petite vampire stopped behind them soundlessly.

“Tony, Greg. Where are your patients?”

The two men turned to look over Buck’s head at the surrounding area. Greg, the bearded one, even started to speak.

“Dante? He’s right…”

But the table where Greg was looking now contained only Sasha. Dante and Simone were nowhere to be seen. The bearded man laughed.

“I’ll be damned. Oh well, we’ll go hunting for them in a minute,” he said, turning back towards Darlene.

Buck’s jaw tightened. “You’ll go now.”

“Relax, bloodsucker. Where the fuck are they gonna go, huh?”

Unless they were looking at Buck and Greg when it happened, the patients and the other nurses wouldn’t have seen the swift backhanded strike Buck delivered to the curve of Greg’s bearded jaw. They might have heard the meaty thwack that the blow made, and they certainly would have heard the clatter as Greg staggered backwards into a trash bin, knocking it over. Tony took his cue and hauled ass out of the Caf, not saying goodbye to Darlene or even looking at Buck.

Greg, on the other hand, put a hand over his injured jaw and glared at the smallish vampire.

“What the fuck did you do that for?!” he protested angrily.

“Insubordination,” said vampire replied in a tone laced with nonchalant menace. “If you speak to me again in such a manner, you will pay for it with your tongue and be thereafter mute. So it will not happen a third time. Now get up off your lazy ass and go finish your patient’s orientation.”

It was clear from Greg’s face that he had something he very much would have liked to say to Buck, but he wisely refrained and did as the Head Nurse demanded.

From over his left shoulder, Buck heard a voice… one little more than a whisper, one that only he could hear over such a distance as the one between them.

“What just happened? I’m so confused.”

-----

» Cadence «

I'm well aware I'm a danger to myself,
Are you aware I'm a danger to others?
There's a crack in my soul
You thought was a smile.

“The bloody muffin is right in front of you,” said a voice from over her right shoulder. It sounded female, and cruel. It was also totally unexpected, and Cadie jumped. She couldn’t see what was going on around her anymore, thanks to Blondie, so hadn’t realized someone was approaching their table.

“You should help your friend more… if she is your friend,” that unfamiliar voice continued.

Cadence couldn’t help the words that rolled off her tongue, she could only be thankful that they were whispered so softly that the speaker didn’t hear her.

“And you should mind your own goddamn business,” she said, licking her lips several times.

Being blind, she couldn’t see if she’d offended the speaker, but she didn’t hear the voice again and assumed whoever it was had gone. Jax had been handing Cadie the muffin when they’d been interrupted, so she took a huge bite and chewed it slowly, savoring. She loved the rich, chocolately baked goods nearly as much as life itself.

Again, she was interrupted, and huffed a sigh of frustration. It was a strange series of crashing sounds, punctuated by angry words between what sounded like Buck and one of the Terrible Trio. Dante? Was that Blondie’s name?

“What just happened? I’m so confused.” Cadie said aloud, turning her face in the direction of the commotion.

“Don’t worry, Cadie,” came Buck’s voice, and it seemed he moved closer as he spoke. “We had an issue, but it’s all sorted now. You can go back to your breakfast.”

“No,” the telekinetic said, shaking her head. “I mean, literally, what just happened? Did something fall over? What was the Triplet yelling at you about?”

She licked her lips twice, and then nibbled the bottom one a little.

“I knocked Greg into a trash can. Cadie, are you blind today?”

Mutely, she nodded, and winced a little. She knew that Buck knew what that meant.

“Let me guess; the new blonde.” She could hear the amusement in the Head Nurse’s voice.

Cadie wished she could melt into the floor, slide away from the vampire’s scrutiny. She forced herself be thankful that she was blind and did not have to see what sort of judgment or mirth was on his lean, angular face. Once more, her voice had vanished. She only licked her lips, and nodded.

“I’ll do my best to keep him away from you, then,” the nurse said a little more gently.

She nodded again, and this time managed a very quiet ‘thank you’, followed by several lickings of her lips. There was nothing more from the vampire, and Cadie assumed he’d gone back to whatever else he’d been doing.

“Gone.” Jax croaked, and Cadie nodded. She’d figured that part out, but her vision stayed dark. Sometimes it took a while to come back.

She took another big bite of her muffin. Today was a two muffin day, she'd ask Jax to fetch her another one and some more milk in just a moment… and maybe in a little while, she’d ask for more pain medicine so she could take a long, drug-induced nap.

Twisted Redux

Buck's such a bastard sometimes. What he wants to do isn't what I want him to do... But I can't deny that vampire anything.

Kalleh, I owe you a proper response to your OOC posts... When I get back from the barn in a couple hours, I will lol!

Twisted Redux

Okay, guys. I am truly and deeply sorry I've been quiet so long. I didn't realize how much this new work schedule would affect all the other schedules in my life. It's tough to go from nights to days, especially when you've been on nights for three long years! The good news is that my body is finally getting in sync with the switch and since I'm actually sleeping, I can think and write again lol!

From here on out, I should be checking the OOC daily and writing/posting on weekends. I will have my post up by Sunday evening, if not sooner, and everyone is good to go again. I'm still sending Buck to the courtyard, so only Simone and Dante will be on my list of 'to interact with'.

Apologies again. Now, to the Maidencave!!