***
The sounds of steady beeping. The somehow sterilized lightning that burned her aching eyes, despite having them closed. And just how fucking miserably cold the rooms often are.
Calypso hated how this was all so familiar to her. She shouldn’t be used to knowing if she’s in a hospital, so immediately.
First things first. Glancing down at her hand, she summoned the Illuminator, the modified leather glove that held her soul gem appeared. Good. That means that she’s not in some dream or walking nightmare. Or, she can summon it in the dream and the nightmare is going to begin any second now. She sighed, at least finding solace in being armed this time.
Calypso was so ravaged by her thoughts, she absentmindedly wiped her face with her glove. If anything, she wasn’t so much in physical pain or tired. It was the dull ache of her racing mind, stewing in this… Predicament.
When it finally occurred to her, Calypso quickly felt her side. Y’know, the self-inflicted wound that brought her into this ER in the first place.
Considering that she buried her entire claw into her body, so suddenly that it caused her to pass out, Calypso was more relieved than she thought she would be. A long, ugly bit stitched together wound—but nothing too out of the ordinary. Believable.
Now, it was time for her to come up with an equally believable story…
“Mrs. Grriiiiimes~?”
Calypso jumped in her pale skin, darting her gaze towards the nurse that came into her room. It was a split second of panic, before she realized that her hand that was covered in the glove was tucked under the covers, feeling her wound. She was thankful for her stony face, sometimes, how it couldn’t be broken.
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And thank goodness she couldn’t be read unless scrutinized. Because this person was a complete mess.
Her short brown hair, that was desperately pressed down via her scarf, spilled out all over her face. Her eyes had bags under them, her smile being forced. It was like she hadn’t slept in days.
“I-I’m 18…” Calypso eked out. “Not married…”
Almost like a sitcom, the nurse glanced at her clipboard, and then trained her eyes back on the girl. “Ah well—aaaaaanyways~ So glad you’ve pulled through! Your friends brought you in and it wasn’t a pretty sight, not at all… But hey! We’ve patched you up all nice and good~”
“I’m… Glad,” Calypso shook her head briefly, to free herself from this person’s lexicon. “No, I… It’s all still such a blur… All I could see was… That person…”
Calypso winced, holding her head, for added value. “A-and… Suddenly sharp pain and seeing my blood pour out and—”
“Sssssh-sh-sh-sheeeeeee-weee-ussssh…” the nurse… Tried to ease her patient. “We’ll figure everything out later on. I’m gonna send in your friends and I’ve got word that your familial unit’s on their way as well~ So I’ll go and do that! …Se-sending in your friends, I mean—”
And with a bow, the nurse backed into the door, leaving Calypso rather stumped. She knew that maybe a small-town hospital might be a tad strange, but that was… Something. In a way, she was frustrated. She more or less wasted a performance…
Then came the crushing blow. Her innerworkings that can render unstable, the only thing that can break her stony façade. Calypso questioned why she would be proud of faking this entire thing in the first place. Had she lost her humanity so quickly, that she never thought twice about the implications that’ll result from this? She didn’t even have a consul with her cohorts. The monster had the thought, it made sense to her. She knew that she could heal from this, that she’s willing to hurt herself and risk possible death.
What a pathetic creature, Calypso was.
As she sat in her squalor, the monster girl didn’t bother lifting her head up when the door open.
But she certainly did snap her head towards it, once she didn’t hear any footfalls. But wheels against the floor.
“Oh, Ms. Grimes…” Mrs. Moses wheeled herself into her room. “What a deplorable state of affairs, you’ve managed so far with the kindness I’ve offered you.”