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Post by dri on Jan 20, 2013 21:50:53 GMT -5
He took the days for pageant
Became as mad as rabbits
With bushels of bad habits
Violet was not much of a morning person, and a few people could tell you just that. She, like many other adults trying to make a living with a stressful job, spent most of her nights awake until early morning. So being ready to function properly at 8 a.m. wasnt in her mind at all. She woke up at 7, her usual time, and went through the steps she often repeated. She ate a cup of yogurt, took a multivitamin, then retreated to the bathroom. Here she brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and debated on fixing it. There wasnt anyone she wanted to impress, and decided pulling it into a ponytail would suffice. Violet dabbled on a bit of makeup, a soft pink gloss to her lips and a coal-colored shadow to her eyelids. Put in her contacts and stared hard at herself in the mirror. Her appearance hadn't changed since yesterday it seemed, and that was enough for her.
She zipped up the sides of her suede wedge boots, making sure to adjust her black dress pants over them and brushing off any lint that might have gathered. She buttoned up her white blouse and pushed her thin arms through the sleeves of her white coat. She secured her name tag to her breast pocket and headed out.
In the halls of the building, her footsteps seemed to echo. This didn't bother her much as she sipped on the coffee, it was steaming and black, just how it was every other day. She slid the key into her office and wiped a hand across the plate to ensure it's cleanliness.
Inside, she placed a book and a stack of medical records on the desk close to the window. She would get to those later in the day. But for now she had other things to do, and instead turned to her computer. Violet turned it on and began typing away. She was making out her schedule and itinerary for the rest of the week.
She paused when she heard a knock at the door. She took a slow sip of coffee and cleared her throat. "Come in."
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Jan 22, 2013 4:54:22 GMT -5
Tobias was one of those hopeless cases that most psychiatrists dreaded speaking with. He didn't see anything wrong with what he had done, having completely justified the crime, and that was that. It probably didn't help that he skipped most of his scheduled sessions, and then, on the rare occasion he did attend, spent the hour snarking at his psychiatrist. Today, however, the unfortunate boy had been found sneaking medications from the doctor's medicine cabinets, and when a nurse had caught him in the act, he'd immediately been escorted to the cluster of offices by a security guard. Quite honestly, he would have preferred an hour in solitary. Then again, maybe they knew that.
Knowing very well he was being watched, and having absolutely no choice in the matter, Tobias knocked on the first door he came to. Eyes narrowed, he peered inside, wondering who he'd be set up with today. The woman at the desk wasn't the psychiatrist he usually saw, but he had no protests about that. He was growing sick of the old, bearded man he normally met with. This woman was his opposite in every way, and her youthful appearance caused Tobias to underestimate her.
"The Hulk is standing behind me, and he's gonna kick my ass if I don't talk to you," he stated bluntly, not bothering to be shy about it. He was sure the guard in back of him was giving him a dirty look, but he didn't give a shit. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go back to his room. Chewing on his lower lip, Tobias eyed the female at the desk for a long moment, and then reluctantly stepped inside the office, plopping routinely down into one of the chairs. Yeah. He knew the drill. Same old, same old. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
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Post by dri on Jan 22, 2013 16:34:37 GMT -5
From the other side of the door she heard a man's voice in reply. "The Hulk is standing behind me, and he's gonna kick my ass if I don't talk to you." That was a different statement, to say the least. She didn't know what he meant by hulk, and took a moment to think it over. The young man could suffer from MPD, and the "hulk" could be his angry persona. In a place like this, that was a very good possibility. Violet saved the file on her computer and closed out of it, leaving the plain blue background staring back at her.
The door opened, and there stood a young man, no older than 21 Violet guessed, and a bulky older gentleman. She recognized him to be one of the guards, and inferred that he was who the boy was talking about. He certainly was a hulk of a man.
Violet smiled warmly at the two of them. Wordlessly the boy came in and sat on a couch. The guard stepped in a few feet and stood to the side. She stood from her desk and walked to him, taking the file from his large and calloused hands. The tab read "T. Blackthorn" and it was covered in a transparent red film. It appeared that he was a high-risk patient. Interesting.
She went back to her desk and sat down. Violet opened the file and read through the first few pages. "Alright then. I'm Dr. Glass, you must be Mister Blackthorn. Would you mind giving me a quick run down as to why you're in my office today?" She tried to speak softly and warmly. Violet was a rookie, she didn't want to develop a bad reputation with the patients. |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Jan 23, 2013 7:36:06 GMT -5
Tobias noticed the woman looking at him somewhat peculiarly, and he rolled his eyes in response. "The security guard," he muttered, enlightening the woman to the identity of the 'hulk' he spoke of. No one here seemed to grasp his sense of humor. Then again, no one ever had. Probably because everything he said was drenched in crass sarcasm.
As his name was read from the file in the brunette's hands, he interrupted with a curt, "Tobias." There was a pause, and then he added, "Or Toby -- if you wanna get real personal."
[/i] His lips twitched into a faint smirk, and he leaned back in the chair. He waited until the guard had left the room before saying any more on the matter. Only after the bulky man had disappeared from sight, letting the door fall shut, did Tobias speak again. "I'm here 'cause some bitch caught me stealing the doctor's meds. Guess that's a no no." He made a soft 'tch' sound with his tongue and looked to the psychiatrist expectantly, waiting for the next question he was sure she'd ask. It was the woman's lucky day (or unlucky day, depending on how you chose to look at it) because Tobias was feeling rather talkative for a change. "Now you're gonna ask me why I wanted to take 'em, right?"[/div][/center] |
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Post by dri on Jan 23, 2013 13:08:34 GMT -5
Violet continued to flip through the file. Maybe it was out of habit, she didn't really know. She liked to know patients inside and out, preferably before they showed up in her office. But beggars can't be choosers, she recalled her brother saying many a time on the subject of moving away from his night terrors. Tobias, or Toby, was an interesting character. Later on Violet might look into his medical records a bit more, talk to his regular psychiatrist, maybe exchange notes on him. Of course, he wasn't some experiment, but he was different and she didn't want to go into a dark room without so much as a flashlight.
The guard left, shutting the door behind him. Violet assumed he was standing just outside, but either way she didn't care very much. Toby didn't seem hostile to her. He was smirking as she looked up again. At this she continued her smile and nodded. "Alright then, let's be personal Toby. You can call me Violet."
He said he'd stolen medicine, nonchalantly commenting that it was a "no no". It certainly was a no no, and how a high risk patient was able to sneak away like that was beyond her. She would have to talk to someone about that, Violet did not want that flying around here. "Yes, that is a no no. And please, enlighten me on why you wanted to take them. You seem physically healthy, and I know you receive medication when needed. So why take extra?" She felt like this was turning into a therapy session, but Violet had to get to know the boy before she could delve deep into his mind. |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Jan 24, 2013 15:12:04 GMT -5
Tobias studied the woman carefully. While she was taking mental notes on him, he was also taking notes on her. He took notes on all his psychiatrists. "If you say so, Vi-o-let." He hadn't expected her to follow his lead so easily, as most psychiatrists tended to take the more 'high and mighty' approach, but it seemed like she was cooperating.
Then, as predicted, the woman proceeded to inquire about why he'd had his nose in the medicine cabinet. Always the same questions. Tobias didn't answer right away, grazing his teeth over his lower lip thoughtfully. It was too late to pretend to be a deaf mute, wasn't it? So, he might as well keep talking. I mean, it wasn't like what he'd been doing was a huge mystery. "Why do you think I took extra?" he asked with a snort, presenting a question of his own. He gave the brunette a moment to think it over, and then went on, "You know, if you take enough Oxycodone, you can get high?" He grinned smugly. "Or, just between you and me, you know what's really ironic? One too many antidepressants and you'll end up in the morgue."
It was unclear which Tobias had been trying to accomplish, and he left it at that. It'd be no fun if he was too blunt, would it? He'd let the psychiatrist keep guessing. Give her some detective work to do.
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Post by dri on Jan 24, 2013 21:32:47 GMT -5
Of course, Violet could think of many reasons why he would steal medicine. At one point he'd attempted suicide, and that was reason enough. The right amount of any drug could kill a person, but then there were other ways a smart boy like him could figure out if he really wanted to kill himself. And yet, Violet couldn't be 100% sure on that. He stretched out her name as he said it, a fact that would normally bother the woman. But not today, she was far too deep in her mind to really care about that.
She was rather thankful he was talking. She hated when she had to pry things out of patients, it took up far too much time. But instead of receiving a straightforward answer, he left her with two alternatives. Violet nodded and folded her hands across her lap as she gazed at Toby. "High risk patients don't get a lot of free time. You're wasting most of yours in my office, and maybe that's what you want. Maybe you want to go back to your quiet little room and sit alone for the rest of the day, that's fine as well. But while you're here, you should make the most of it. I'm sure you don't want to come back and be asked the very same questions tomorrow."
Violet readjusted herself in her chair and put Toby's file back together neatly. I just want a straightforward answer, I'm no detective. I'm not going to hunt for clues, or play games. Getting high and killing yourself are two very different uses for drugs. I'm sure you know that." She paused again and smiled, taking a glance at the clock before back to the boy. "But if you don't want to tell me why, will you tell me what drugs you took?" |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Jan 26, 2013 4:17:23 GMT -5
"Sorry Vi, but detective work is all part of the job description. You have to --" He grinned darkly and tapped his head, "y'know, get inside my mind."
[/i] Thoughtfully, Tobias narrowed his eyes at the woman, noting that he had not seen her face before. Could this be her first time? "You new or something?" he asked, even though he knew very well he wasn't meant to be the one asking the questions. "'Cause most of us -- we don't like to talk much. It's a lot of guess work on your part." Normally, Tobias was one of the stubborn patients who refused say a word. He was feeling rather lively today, though. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, however, was somewhat unclear. "Tell ya what, if you're really the new girl to this house of horrors, I'll be on my best behavior for you," he piped up with a smile that was clearly feigned and sarcastic. If he wanted to, Tobias was sure he could send the woman running from the institution, never to return. Unfortunately, that would end their little session, and he'd be left bored out of his mind again, so he opted out. For now. "I snagged a bottle of the guy's lithium, right? You know, that shit for bi-polar or whatever. Barely got the lid off when some bitch stopped me. Spilled it all over the floor." No, he hadn't actually gotten to take any of the medication. He never did. That's why, unbeknownst to the faculty, he had been tonguing the pills they gave him and stashing them in a special place. Of course, Tobias was smarter than to tell the woman that. It was his best kept secret. [/div][/center] |
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Post by dri on Feb 1, 2013 15:10:06 GMT -5
If Violet could rewind her life ten years or so, she wondered if she still would have chosen the career path she did. It was dangerous to work in a place like this, and definitely thought-consuming. She barely had any time when she felt thoroughly happy, as now she always questioned everything of herself. Her damned conscience was acting as her very own psychiatrist. Try getting drunk and loose with a voice like that nagging you at all hours of the day.
All thoughts aside, Violet chose to focus in on Toby. He figured out she was new, and she didn't mind answering his questions. "Yes, I'm new here. I've worked in the psych ward of a hospital before, I know patients can be tough eggs to crack." She paused and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "But everything cracks under enough pressure." She could remember times when patients were pinned to seats by burly men in sterile white suits, and sitting by a hospital bed getting answers from a patient being forced drugs that made them talk. Violet didn't always agree with the way she found her answers, but here maybe she could make the rules instead of her superiors abusing her patients to get what they want.
When Toby called it a house of horrors, she had to think about it. She didn't know very much of it yet, but Violet would definitely be watching where she stepped.
Lithium seemed to be an odd drug to take. "Lithium huh? I've prescribed lithium to patients before, for manic depression. It's never given a person a legitimate high before, so why would you want it? Doesn't say in your file you were addicted to any drugs." |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Feb 1, 2013 17:31:49 GMT -5
Tobias snorted, amused with the woman's egg analogy. "Well, I ain't gonna crack, missy," he told her. "They can take away my sanity, but they'll never take my pride." The boy had already been here a decent amount of time, verging on a year now. Sometimes he talked, other days he didn't, but no one had been able to get to the bottom of the mystery that was Tobias. He wanted to keep it that way. He was a puzzle that could not be solved -- not unless he chose to be. If this woman thought she was going to put him together on day one, she was mistaken. They could strip him down, and they could lock him up, but what they couldn't do was read his mind. Tobias enjoyed having the power of knowledge, and he held that smugly over their heads.
"Doesn't say I'm addicted to drugs 'cause I'm not a druggie. So, then, I guess we're left with option b, aren't we?" Yeah, maybe he was being a smart-ass about it, but it was better than other things he could be, and other patients she could get. He wasn't a good person, but there were more dangerous folk roaming the hallways. Just last week a psychiatrist had been stabbed through the hand with a pen. Tobias knew better than to do that. He had control. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't want to be punished for it.
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Post by dri on Feb 2, 2013 10:47:50 GMT -5
She couldn't help but to smile, as he stubbornly told her he wouldn't crack. Of course, she expected that of him like she expected it of everyone else. People were stubborn, it was in their nature. If someone told Violet that they could make her crack, she'd hardly believe it too. Maybe Toby wouldn't crack, maybe he would rather die with his own secrets and hidden agendas than talk to somebody about it. But she wasn't a therapist, she wasn't here to sit and listen to him talk for an hour then leave. That's now how she worked.
Pride, a very ugly thing. It could cause people to do things they would regret for the rest of their lives, and a prideful person was often ignorant of the rest of the world, and often the social laws that came with that. Toby was, she assumed, ignorant of a few human laws, but that was part of his nature. She couldn't hold that against him, and wouldn't.
So he wasn't addicted to drugs. Violet didn't suspect that he was, but all the same it was a good question to ask. She nodded as he said they were left with option B, but she wasn't going to let him off that easy. "Okay Toby. What, in your opinion, is option B?" |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Feb 4, 2013 17:25:05 GMT -5
"Don't patronize me," Tobias snorted. He hated that. It made him feel like he was in primary school. 'Now Toby, what comes next in the alphabet?' "You know what option B is. You just want to hear me say it, don't you?" They always wanted to hear him say it, and he'd gladly say it again, if that's what she wanted. Suicide wasn't something he was ashamed of. People looked down upon it, called it an act of cowardice, but Tobias saw it differently. In his twisted mind, it was one, last heroic act. Sometimes, you had to be your own hero. You had to save yourself. You had to try. "I want to die," he told the woman across from him with a smirk, putting careful emphasis on the words. "My weapon of choice? Lithium. What are you gonna do about that?" There was nothing anyone could do to change his mind, nothing they could say to make him want to live in this hellhole. The doctors might up his dosage of antidepressants, but that was fucking fine with him. I mean, it's not like he actually swallowed them. More for his stash.
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Post by dri on Feb 7, 2013 19:20:35 GMT -5
Violet was almost surprised that he accused her of patronizing him. She knew he was a suicide risk, based on his file that sat in front of her. She also knew that he was a clever boy, and he was smart enough to know what he was doing.
Suicide seemed to be a popular thing nowadays. She was utterly uncomfortable with the high rate of teenage suicides, and she didn't exactly understand all of their motives. With Toby, she could somewhat see it. He was an unhappy person, he wasn't right in his mind, he lived in a world of different colors. Toby was different than Violet. He didn't see the world the way she saw it, he didn't understand the morals and rules of society the way she understood them. But that was what she expected.
"There's nothing I can do about it on my own, you have to want to help yourself. Let's be honest here Toby. I want to get inside of your mind, I want to see what makes you tick, how you think, and anticipate every move you make before you make it. I want to give you medication and the help you need to see the world in a different light, to see yourself in a different light. I don't trust you though, I don't trust these doctors and I don't trust the nurses. How do I know you take your meds, or sleep at night, or get something warm to eat? I don't. I'd expect you to open up to me, I don't have to tell the doctors anything, I answer to myself and to you. Can't you loosen the reins on yourself and let someone help you?" |
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Post by tobias blackthorn on Feb 10, 2013 16:25:33 GMT -5
"I don't wanna help myself," Tobias shot back somewhat haughtily. "I told you what I want." Yes, he was being difficult. He always was. Usually that meant giving his psychiatrist the silent treatment and sitting with his arms crossed and lips sewed shut. He wasn't sure why he had decided to find his voice today. Maybe because this woman was new, and he was curious. He was testing the waters. Feeling her out.
"Well, good. That makes two of us," he muttered under his breath. "I don't trust you either." Or anyone, for that matter. He'd heard the rumors that floated down the hallways in eerily hushed whispers. At first he'd scoffed and called it a load of bullshit, but now he wasn't so sure. "I'll talk to you, Violet, but I ain't gonna be your guinea pig or lab rat. I'm not going to just 'tell you.' Like it or not, it's your job to figure that out for yourself. It makes things more fun, you know?" He smirked cockily, eyes narrowing from behind his mop of blond hair. "Like putting together a thousand piece puzzle." If this lady thought anyone at Ravenwood was just going to pour their heart out to her, she was mistaken. Every person here was an intricate puzzle, and most were too crazy to even realise they needed help.
"Better get sleuthing, Nancy Drew. Next question?"
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Post by dri on Feb 11, 2013 20:19:02 GMT -5
So, pouring her heart out to the boy didn't exactly work. No one could say she didn't try though. Boys were tougher anyway, she reminded herself, and hoped that if she got a female patient they would be a little more compliant to her emotions. Toby didn't want to help himself, not many patients did. Violet heaved a sigh and rested her back against her chair, drumming her fingers against the desk as she listened as he continued his reply. Naturally she didn't want him to commit suicide, but she had a feeling there were at least a few of the staff that did. Not everyone enjoyed their job and the people they worked with. Violet liked to believe that she liked everyone she worked with: coworkers and patients.
Puzzles were a favorite pastime of Violet's, and she couldn't help but smile a bit at the comment. "Lucky for us, I happen to love puzzles." After being shot down by the boy to open up, she tried to lighten the mood with this comment. She wasn't sure it would work, but she didn't want to be on Toby's bad side, she didn't believe it was very wise.
Being called Nancy Drew, now that was a new one. At her old job the patients didn't even call her anything. They just talked or sat there and thrashed about until someone doped them up to the point they were practically sleeping sitting up. At least Toby was smart and responsive, she was certainly thankful for that. "Well, while I'm not exactly Nancy Drew, I guess I'll be somewhat of a detective." She looked over to the digital clock on her computer, and time was quickly slipping away. An hour really wasn't enough, not in Violet's opinion.
"Since we're running out of time, you can ask me questions if you'd like. Get to know me better, since I've got this nice file here to know more about you." She patted the file with a smile. "I would like to meet with you again, unless you'd prefer to talk to your old psychiatrist." |
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