[EVENT] ▫ แล้วสอนว่าอย่าไว้ใจมนุษย์ มันแสนสุดลึกล้ำเหลือกำหนด... ▫

[jivitadana]

Who: Seta Souji [eatsyourscience] and Arisato Minato [jivitadana]
Where: Second Floor [The Asylum]
When: Saturday, March 22, 2014
Rating: PG-13 to R for violence and other questionable medical treatments
Summary: Souji and Minato find themselves in the asylum, then find themselves falling into certain patient/doctor roles.
The Story:

This time was a first for Minato as he was experiencing just how complicated Wonderland could be. All of a sudden, the whole world had changed, shards of different universes smashed all together, and yet neatly separated into sections or compartments. It was more than what Minato had originally thought Wonderland was capable of, though he shouldn't have underestimated it in the first place.

The playground was fun. In the beginning Minato had been apprehensive, thrown back to a place in time that part of him didn't want to remember, but after being in the company of the friends he made here, he slowly began to open up and realize that it wasn't so bad. He wasn't alone, and he didn't have to be. Even the Carnival that played tricks on him, showing him fleeting visions of people he hadn't seen in a while and hadn't quite wanted to see, wasn't something he couldn't handle either. The dreams and traversing through them was also more fun too, especially as a little boy who never got to see anything so fantastical or do something even so simple like playing with a best friend.

By now, he had his share of exploring outside. Now it was time to see the other transformed parts of the Mansion. Souji had accompanied him as they made their way through the building, as it was always better to travel as a team instead of by one's self. It was safer.

They discovered at the second floor had changed to what looked like a hospital of sorts. It was quiet, perhaps too quiet. The further they went, the more Minato had the suspicion that this wasn't an ordinary hospital.

He indicated down the hallway. "How much farther do you think this goes?"

If it were anything like the hallways of the Mansion itself, it might've gone on for what seemed like forever.

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

Souji clenched his teeth.

"...Stopping me from summoning them doesn't mean they stop existing."

[jivitadana]

But to Souji, they still existed, which meant he needed more treatment. For that, Minato went ahead and healed Souji more with Dia again, to lock the scalpels where they were. He could always inflict more damage again by pulling them out with a good twist.

"I'm not doing enough for you."

To ameliorate that, Minato inspected the machinery nearby. He figured out a way to power it on, and somehow, he knew how to operate the device. It'd spark nicely, that's what it would do.

[eatsyourscience]

Souji wondered if he should have lied. But Minato, even Minato influenced by the Mansion, could probably tell when he was lying, even after only a few weeks.

He looked with concern at his healed but still impaled hands until he head the machine power on again and craned his neck to see what Minato was doing. Somehow, he paled as he began to realize what that device was for.

"...Then let's keep talking." He had to do what he could to avoid more pain--and to avoid Minato having to live with causing more pain. "Let's talk about the difference between delusions and reality."

[jivitadana]

Minato paused, and turned his head slightly over his shoulder. Now Souji wanted to talk? But why? It was because he was trying to avoid treatment, that was all.

It didn't stop Minato from continuing what he was doing, setting everything up so if he had to send a shock through Souji, he could. He didn't really think about the scalpels in Souji's hands and how they would affect him, but it wasn't really that important either.

"Tell me then what the difference is."

[eatsyourscience]

Souji didn't try to evade it when Minato put the electrodes on him, though he did tense.

"...Delusions aren't real, even if I think they are. Reality is what's actually real."

[jivitadana]

"Your perception of reality is distorted."

How would Souji know what a delusion was versus reality then? That was part of the problem.

"Do you have a better explanation?"

[eatsyourscience]

Souji's mind raced, but after a moment he shook his head.

"Please explain it to me."

[jivitadana]

"It's a reality that you have delusions. You believe those things in your head are real."

But that could easily be fixed. Minato pulled the switch down, sending an electric shock through Souji.

[eatsyourscience]

Souji didn't have a chance to respond before his muscles seized up. The involuntary noise that came out of his throat wasn't a scream, but a long, high whine as air was forced through his larynx. He clenched his fists helplessly around the blades of the scalpels extruding from his palms, cutting and burning himself as the metal heated.

[jivitadana]

Minato pulled the switch back up, turning the power off and stopping the surge of electric from pulsing through Souji. He looked up and down the other boy, checking for any injuries and any sign of being cured.

"Is there more you'd like to say?"

[eatsyourscience]

Souji gasped as his muscles were finally able to relax. He painfully unclenched his burned, lacerated hands as blood trickled down his chin--he'd bitten his tongue.

It was sometime before he could respond, and the time between Minato's question and him finally framing his answer and speaking it out loud was spent trying not to vomit as his muscles twitched involuntarily.

"....Not....again. Please...." His words were slurred, impeded by his already-swelling tongue.

[jivitadana]

The answers Souji gave to Minato's questions would determine if the treatment was going to happen again. It was quite simple, really.

"How many of those things can you see? How many do you have?"

Souji was bleeding too. Minato would have to take care of that in a second.

[eatsyourscience]

"Let's...let's talk about something else."

It shouldn't have seemed so strange to lie about his Personas; he'd kept them a secret at home and lied to several people about the investigation. So why was it so hard to lie now and give in to Minato?

Because Minato's behavior was the real lie--Sraosha seemed to whisper that to him. It was his duty to call his friend back from the haze the Mansion had engulfed him in.

[jivitadana]

That answer wasn't good enough. Minato had a reason for asking his questions. They weren't out in the air like that for nothing.

Souji couldn't dictate where the conversation would go either.

And therefore, Minato pulled the switch down once more, letting the shock last longer than the first before he let up.

"Answer my questions."

[eatsyourscience]

When the current shut off a second time, Souji did vomit, twisting in his seat as well as he could to at least throw up on the floor instead of himself. He was only partially successful; the spasms in his muscles made it difficult to control even larger movements.

The skin around the scalpels was starting the blister and peel away. If nothing else, the heated metal had cauterized the lacerations on his fingers from when his hands had clenched against his will.

When he was finally able to form thoughts, he nodded. Words took longer, and his hazy memory of the last hour or so didn't help him focus. He was starting to feel like maybe he was crazy, or at least that he was going crazy now.

In the face of his confusion, it was Pyro Jack who suggested that he lie, and though the others were divided on the issue, Souji went with it.

"They're not...not real."

[jivitadana]

Better.

"Was it really that hard to admit?"

Really, did Minato have to resort to lengths like this to have Souji admit something that was so obvious and simple? Some people liked to have their lives complicated even more, and it was only compounded with stubbornness and delusions. Again with the delusions.

Minato was glad that he could do something about those. All in the name of scientific progress. Maybe he did have to resort to this. It was the only way so far to cure Souji. Like purification.

He made a mental note that things were better. Perhaps not entirely well yet, but better.

"One last question: When will you be free for next session?"

Patients always needed the appropriate recheck and follow up appointment, after all.

[eatsyourscience]

Souji closed his eyes, allowing himself some feeling of relief. It seemed like it was over, or nearly so. He only needed to get rid of the scalpels in his hands and heal himself.

"...Whenever you'd like." As long as he said the things that would placate Minato, he could get out of this.

[jivitadana]

Souji had the right idea. Minato was satisfied, and powered down the machine. He ended up by Souji's side, hands holding onto both scalpels.

"Tomorrow first thing in the morning."

And in one smooth movement, Minato yanked the scalpels straight out of Souji's hands, watching as red burst out of them.

"Don't make me come and find you."

[eatsyourscience]

Souji winced, then opened his eyes, looking at his burned, bleeding hands. They were still twitching, sprinkling droplets of blood.

"...I understand."

[jivitadana]

"Your cooperation is appreciated."

Minato didn't free Souji yet, not until he summoned Messiah to cast Salvation. He was still so very much unaware of his own abilities versus what he said about Souji's. Only then was Souji free to leave his seat.

"Don't be late."

[eatsyourscience]

Minato's healing spell relaxed Souji's spasming muscles and healed the burns and cuts, but he didn't get up right away when Minato freed his hands. When he did drag himself to his feet, he looked at Minato for only a moment before nodding and looking away.

"...I promise."

He moved toward the door quickly, before Minato could change his mind.

[jivitadana]

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Minato was cleaning up the room after the mess Souji had made with his blood and vomit. Such was the life of a physician.

"You didn't thank me for today."

[eatsyourscience]

Souji froze with his hand on the doorknob. He clenched his teeth and for a long moment, considered saying nothing at all. But being rebellious now wouldn't do any good, he told himself--the two of them just needed to get out of this area.

He didn't want to leave Minato behind when he didn't know how long it would take him to leave, though. So he finally turned back toward Minato and gave a small bow.

"Thank you, sensei." He wanted to punch himself in the face. "Will you...walk with me?"

[jivitadana]

Minato washed his hands and made sure the room was spotless for tomorrow's session. There was hardly any evidence that anything had happened in this room at all.

He let Souji's question roll around in his head for a second before nodding. He could afford and should walk with Souji. He'd be able to monitor his condition.

"I suppose so. Shall we?"

Minato took off the labcoat and hung it back up where the other labcoats were before going to meet up with Souji at the door.

[eatsyourscience]

Souji nodded. He went back into the hallway with Minato, feeling a little anxious standing next to him. That would disappear, he told himself, when they left this area.

Purposefully, he started down the hallway with Minato, heading back toward the parts of the Mansion that still look right.