Welcome to Pokeberry Ward (1x1 w/Paisanu)

It's an Asylum.
A “mental hospital” if you listen to the quacks who take care of you.
It’s your home. Your neighborhood. Your world. Even your family.

Some of us can’t remember another place.
Some of us remember the outside world in dreams.
Some of us knew life before Poke.
But they are encouraged to forget.

If there is one thing that is exactly what it seems in this place,
Its that we all belong here.




Setting:
There are three buildings, one is completely off limits to patients. The other two have things like the dining hall, library, lounge and treatment rooms. Outside there is a jungle gym and a garden. Some rubber kickballs and chalk are available for general use.

The facility is near the ocean. In fact the waves can be heard from the hospital if you listen hard enough. There are excursions permitted occasionally. Most of the beaches are rocky, but a few are sandy. Because of the proximity to the ocean it is overcast, foggy, and rainy frequently. To the north crags and snow capped peaks are hidden by mist the majority of the time. To the east there is a lazy river, some meadows, a small lake, as well as a forbidding fence that no one is allowed near. To the west there is a small superstitious town, and then wilderness for an unknown distance.

Several trucks arrive with food once every few months to deliver food, new members, and sometimes offers jobs for residents.


Some workers and their nicknames:

Spoiler:

There are three classes in the mental ward:

Spoiler:

Characters:

Spoiler:

(( If you want something changed just say so. ^^
I'll add more detail as we fill in the world.

Intros coming soon. ^_~))

Spoiler:

"Noooo!" howled the youth as he fought against the workers who were holding him against the cot. He clenched his teeth and kicked so hard that he sent one of the cot's pitiful frame posts sailing across the room to collide with a white will. It left a small dark smudge before clattering to the floor.
"Can't you hurry up?!" Grunted the stronger of the two hands who were restraining him with no little effort.

A woman with a syringe sighed irritably and made an effort to get ready faster. She came over to the bed, her heels thudding briskly and her light blue skirt swished. She pursed her lips, surveyed her patient who glared at her out of the one eye that wasn't buried in the limp pillow as he continued to try and thrash his way free. With a swift movement she jabbed his arm and punching the fluid in mercilessly. The juvenile yelled and tried to resist the iron grip of the two men one last time before falling into furious hisses and laying still. The seventeen year old's chest heaved from the fruitless exertion, and he allowed himself to be roughly brought to his feet and escorted down the clean, well-lit hallway.

The woman, still holding the needle, stood watching even after they rounded a corner. Before long shouts erupted and sounds of a struggle were cut off by a door slam. She turned around and rearranged the articles on the small table while thumps and drowned-out yells continued. "30 seconds....." She whispered to herself.

In his room Zed's yellowish eyes flashed bitterly as he slammed his fist into the wall with the last of his pent up anger. *I can't stand this place! I have to get out somehow. I hated my life in the slum, but at least I had a little more freedom. Everything about this place feels like I'm being hemmed in.* He whirled, his black trench coat flaring out from his thin yellow t-shirt, and slunk to a corner to crouch in. His head was angled so he was staring at his black boots between his scuffed dark pants when it happened. The world lurched crazily and his balance was completely evaporated. He rolled on the floor his eyes rolling and his head spinning, unable to tell what was up and what was down as his mouth was near to frothing. The room seemed to slam into the ground and it was over.

He stood up, the fierce independence replaced by a blank stare. Everything he sensed was stifled, including his own body. It was as if a lead blanket had been draped over him, hindering him at every turn. Even his emotions seemed to be wiped out; he couldn't feel the anger he had just been consumed with. The door opened and he was led out of his quarters down stairs to the general room.

Others were already there. Some playing board games, some were watching TV, some were just staring into space. The woman who had injected him come out of one of the adjacent rooms and clipped over. She placed a hand under his chin and lifted so he stared into her eyes. Unexpectedly she whipped her hand around and slapped him across the cheek. She smiled at his lack of reaction before leaving satisfied. The spiky white haired rebel continued to stand there as his attendant shrugged and left him to follow the doctor.

Zed's lips moved, soundlessly pronouncing a word.

"Freedom."

~~~~~~~~

Spoiler:

Salam sad holding a book upside down and stared at its pages. He looked to ba a young boy about seven or eight, but in reality was closer to eleven. He had never known a place beside Pokeberry.

He set the book down and fished in his pocket, finally pulling out a grasshopper. Adsorbed in his work, he pulled off one of its legs, sniffed it experimentally, and then set id down meticulously on an open picture book beside him. He proceeded to pull the insect apart and lay each individual appendage down until the unlucky insect quit its death throes. After he was through he set his hands on either side of the book and leaned down so his large brown eyes could see every detail of the mutilated insect. He was so close that his light brown hair almost brushed the page.

Then he got up and humbly walked over to a wall and solemnly did a handstand against it. His over sized brown bracelet fell down before he toppled over. Whimpering, large tears began to roll down his soft cheeks, although he had suffered no apparent injury. He curled up in a miserable ball and started to weep and rock quietly. No one paid him the least bit of attention to the bare-footed boy in the corner wearing the slate shirt and light grey shorts.

Aldan stared at the white walls of his room and trembled. He had no clue where he was, or why. He felt as though he had been taken prisoner, and there was no escape. It was so hard to breathe, so hard.

Trying to remember the details of his 'capture', he whimpered and tried to claw at the wall. He'd always thought better when he could drag his nails on something. He couldn't move his arms. He was in a strange shirt...

'Wait...I went here. I wanted help, and...'

He blinked. He'd come here, asked for some help with his horrible memory lapses, and then...

He couldn't think.

Before that, then.

Ah...that had been some place far away, in some city he didn't know. He was walking, and then someone ran in front of him. They had a sweater that was a lovely shade of gre-

He screamed. It was quickly followed by his slamming his head on the bed several times. When he rose from his sudden self-violence, his eyes were narrowed.

"Fat lot of good that will do you, peabrain." He said in an airy sort of rage to himself. "You can't even hurt yourself properly! You must be an ultimate failure!"

He sat up on his (rather uncomfortable) bed and waited patiently to give a piece of his mind to whoever was in charge.

He, of course, didn't feel any pain at all where his unusual shirt had a semi-large red stain.

It wasn't HIS wound, how the hell should he feel it?

Spoiler:

---

Reith was sitting with a small group of people, watching the television with eyes that sparkled like a child's.

"I think I like Marcia's dress today..." He mumbled to himself, smiling.

Of course, there was no 'Marcia' on the show.

He watched a little while longer, then stood up and walked, stepping on some people's feet on the way, but paying no attention. He kept going, and going, and...WHUMP! Bumped stomach-first into a table.

Feeling the pain rush through him, he yowled like a homeless puppy. But that was a normal sound in this place, so, of course, nobody paid any attention.

A moment later, he was off the floor again and just walking around, nibbling the index finger of his right hand as he went.

It seemed this time that perhaps he was TRYING to step on people to get to whatever aimless destination he was headed to.

Still will tear-stained cheeks, Salam lifted his head and tilted it as if straining to listen to a conversation. It apparently eluded him as he soon shook his head and stood up to stumble forward, taking large blinks so he could see clearly. His eyes were still puffy and he curled one hand in a fist to rub his eye. Stopping to cast around the room, he found no one looking his direction. His face scrunched again, and still more droplets fell, splattering on his grubby bare feet.

Moaning and snuffling, he shuffled toward the door and past Zed. He raised his eyes, and suddenly seemed to take an uncanny interest in the teenage boy. Salam’s face smoothed over as he intently stared into Zed’s flat eyes. As if possessed he reached out one hand and placed it on Zed’s chest.

Zed at first stared straight ahead, but his gaze slowly lowered to look at the hand and Salam’s now serene face. “You don’t think you care about anything right now, huh?” Zed kept a steady hold on Salam’s eyes, appearing to be looking right through him. “But you do. There is one thing you still care about.” A blink was the only recognition the medicated boy showed that he was being addressed at all. Salam was still staring at Zed when unexpectedly a wholesome smile spread across his face. He appeared completely delighted by the events in some unknown way.

“You think everything is worthless, you think you’ve lost even that most precious.” The tempo of his speech had been methodical, but now he sped up, excited. “But even though you can’t feel anything, there is still one fire remaining that can't be put out.”

Salam gave an astoundingly hard shove on Zed’s chest, sending him reeling to regain his balance.

A quiet, adult chuckle came from Salam as he looked at Zed. “Self preservation is automatic, but it's also is in your blood just as much.”

The other patient had ended up in a half-crouch, his feet spread for balance. He had locked his eyes on Salam, and now something feral burned behind them. It was scattered almost as soon as it appeared but he kept staring as Salam ambled past. The small child’s expression had lost its merriment and began to shrivel into melancholy once again. “I knew it.” Salam murmured mournfully to no one.

As if realizing that he had been crouched for the first time, Zed corrected his posture. He was like a vagrant with no place to go as he stood, simply listening to the sounds of the activities taking place around him. Finally he took the initiative and walked over to the floor in front of the TV to sit down with a few others who were mildly occupied by watching it. A few looked over, made jeering comments before ignoring him. They seemed disappointed by his monotonous behavior, but satisfied in a bleak way.

He was staring straight ahead, not even at the TV. His brain began to activate, making plan after plan but discarding them all. He had no desire to act on any of them, but he was completely focused in a way he had never been before, working ideas out at a feverish rate. He was so involved in it that he was oblivious to the environment around him, including the dark haired boy who was meandering towards him and almost stepping on everyone in his path.

((Please bear with the hackneyed "you have a destiny" speech. x\
I wanted Zed's condition to be clear that barely one thing transcends the effects of the injection without him outright ignoring the effects of the drug, and a bit why. Salam needed to do more than weep and 'know' something. |3
It was the solution I could come up with, even though I don't like it a whole lot.

Oyes, and Alden = win. I want to interact with him /noaw/!!! xP Why couldn't he be where I can get to him. ;-;
I mean, besides the fact that he's crazy. 9-9

Mmmm, Reith intrigues me. :] ))

(( Oh, yes. Without a doubt Aldie's an interesting guy. And since you seem to like him, I'll try and find a way for him to see someone a brief moment at the very least.

Reith's not really fleshed out yet. Thing is, I don't think even the doctors are entirely sure what's wrong with him. XP ))

Reith continued walking forward until a leg, as opposed to a hand or foot, was what he stepped on. He fell back, even though it hadn't been enough for him to trip.

Looking confused, he observed the male in front of him.

"Darla, what an unusual mink hat." He said softly. "I wouldn't wear that inside if I were you, little one."

He pushed his hair from his eyes, smiling at the male in front of him. He began to gather himself up.

---
Meanwhile...

Jaden stood up and observed the room about him, tapping a foot in agitation as he waited.

"Oi! Can't a guy get a little room service in here?!?!" He called out, angrily.

A nurse promptly walked in, holding a shining syringe.

Jaden blanched a little. "Lady, put that disgusting thing away! It makes me freaking sick!"

The nurse blinked in surprise, but did as she was asked.

"What is it you wanted, sir?"

"Yeah...this room's really uncomfortable. I want out."

The nurse considered this a moment, and nodded. "Alright, we'll take you to the general room, sir."

She reached out and held his arm to lead him out.

As soon as the hand touched him, Jaden's eyes widened and he yowled like a man burned. His head fell, and when he lifted it again, his eyes seemed much colder.

But he said nothing and allowed her to take him away.

---

It wasn't long before he arrived...

Clinging to the wall Salam lurched down the hallway. His hair was a ruffled topsy turvy, his hands trembled, and he seemed barely able to tell what was up and what was down. His small form was pulled in tightly to hold off the overwhelming tide of nightmares and tragedies that whirled about him in dirges. He peered out of reddened and half-closed eyes while he continued to stagger through the building haphazardly. A few of the staff noticed him, but paid no mind, merely passing by with nary a second glance. Only one stopped, asked a question about whether he wanted some assistance before shrugging and moving on.

Salam's behavior was typical and of no significance to anyone that had been at Poke for more than a month. He ended up in one of the far wings and collapsed, still sobbing heart-wrenching bouts. His clammy face and entire torso was damp from watery tears.

At the sound of approaching foot steps he curled tighter and eyes welled over with a fresh supply. Broken and nonsensical words were intermitten between harsh intakes of breath, "enslaved ... demons ... ... kill, maim, destroy, pain ... control ... drowning ..." Each word was more and more despairing as he panted out his woes. Rocking back and forth he coddled his head and waited while the two humans came nearer. They were a pair, evidently a nurse escorting a patient to the general room. When they were only a few feet away he launched himself forward to latch onto the attendant's leg. Hysterically he screamed and moaned, hugging tightly as if he was afraid of being swept away.

His terrified eyes paused only a moment to glimmer at the blood-stained patient before zoning in on the nurse and claiming her attention with heightened howls. They could go no further together if the staff member didn't try to dislodge the nuisance child. It would take a few precious moments of the nurse's attention to detach Salam, especially the way he had clamped around her leg.

~~~~

Zed's thoughts were interrupted by a body tripping over his legs. He registered it as a hindrance to the pursuit of his project, but soon changed it to a beneficent encounter. This other peer might be able to do things he could not, and would improve his chances to succeed in escaping. If only he could get some support, and maybe even free the both of them.

"How long have you been here?" Zed asked. If it was a new member he would know less about patrols and keys. Zed wondered as he waited whether the boy ---his first impression was that the other was in a strange daze--- was aware of his reputation as a rabble-rouser and rule breaker. That behavior seemed impossible to him now. It was not very productive. He blinked, surprised to find that the idea of trying to dive through a window still appealed to him. Even though he could hardly register the emotion, it was still there and... was he imagining it, or was it increasing in strength?

Not that any of it mattered really. The doctors could do anything to him, even kill him. Nothing mattered too much, after all. If he had to, he could wait for another day, another week, another year before trying anything. Certainly he still cared about escape, and craved Freedom. But he felt no rush. There was no motivation either. No hate, no fear, not much caring of any sort.

As an after thought he asked, "What is your name?" He was going to reach lady Freedom. She would bless him. The drug had not lessened that absolute certainty; It was only a matter of time.

The personality that had apparently switched itself for Jaden observed the small child with those same cold eyes.

Apparently understanding the chance to be free, the personality tore off straight ahead.

The Nurse, still very gentle, as she hadn't been here for all that long, removed Salam from her. She tried to comfort him a very short moment with a pat to the head before she ran after the runaway.

Alden's new personality was biting at his jacket, trying to get it off as he burst into the general room. On seeing all the other people, he blinked and, expression unchanging, slowly and with purpose strolled to one of the watching doctors.

"Sir, this is a most annoying shirt. Could you help me remove it?"

The doctor sighed a little. "Sir, it's for your own protection. I can't."

The personality sighed a little melodramatically. "Then how in the world am I to feed this boy?"

The doctor attempted to be polite. "I'm sorry. It's not meal time yet. Please be patient."

The personality sighed softly, agitated, but not saying a thing and walking around to observe its surroundings just as the nurse came in.

Spoiler:

---

Reith blinked.

"My name is Reith, though I'd really prefer to be called Florence." He said with a bright smile. "I've only been on this spot on the floor for a moment or two, but since it's changing colors, I think I've been here about five years."

He looked very joyful, his eyes closed in such a way as they made happy, upside-down 'U' shapes. His mouth almost formed a perfect smile as he spoke.

He was totally sincere about things.

"What do you think about wednesday, Darla?" He asked sweetly.

Left behind in the hallway, Salam continued his moaning until the footsteps died away. Then he turned and again made his way around and through the white hallways. He passed a few treatment rooms, where cries of various sorts echoed but they held his interest for no more than a moment.

He found himself upstairs, and finally turned into an unused closet where he closed the door and sat in the dark. His eyes stared sightlessly, buried in his own woes as he worked them out by himself in the pitch darkness. Only the line of light from the door penetrated his small cell.

~~~~~~~~~

"Florence." Zed repeated. Seems absolutely useless right now, he categorized him. Zed would have been content to sit there, continuing his preoccupation with thinking of foolproof escape plans, when Reith, or Florence, started to talk animatedly to people who were not there.

Narrowing his eyes, Zed stared at Florence, and lowered the delusional's status to 'an unfathomable persona' and probably an 'unpredictable obstacle.' After standing up and carefully stepping around the carefree patient, Zed stalked away, already embedding his focus back into his scheming.

"Sir, this is a most annoying shirt. Could you help me remove it?"

Taking in the situation, Zed quickly noted the makeshift straight jacket, the unrecognizable patient enfolded withing, and the approaching nurse. Instantly becoming interested, he stopped short and considered his options. Getting involved might or might not help, and he didn't even have an idea of the other's personality.

I've been such an idiot, why didn't I realize before that incognito escape by force was pointless. I should have been watching everyone to find out who could make it possible. Now I have no help, and a reputation that makes me stand out as a suspect. Frustration would have been the appropriate response, but of course he was lacking that sort of mood.

From the crack in the window behind him a short gust of wind puffed, and like an animal reaction his eyes took on a gleam. He headed toward the bound boy, his eyes trained on the other as intensely as a hawk circling prey.