Day 53: Intercom, Evening

[damned_intercom]

The commotion just after the intercom's jingle displayed the same kind of erratic energy that the Head Doctor had been exuding all day.

"Come on, get those papers out of the way - no, I don't...! Ah! Good evening, everyone, and I hope you all enjoyed the activities we had to

Comments

M39

[poorexample]

Leaving the Music Room turned out to be a relief for Castiel, as that constant noise had been wearing on him more than he'd realized. Having to deal with his brother in that sort of environment hadn't helped the situation either. Even if Gabriel had come to speak with him for a reason, he was glad that their conversation had been brief

Re: M39

[broodings]

So it was decided. Both of them would spend tonight finding some way to feed themselves: Stefan by heading out in search of animals to hunt, and Damon by following an anonymous tip on the bulletin board to... who knows what. He should have been feeling relief, or something very near to it - he had no doubt that his unpredictable moodswings would even out once he drank some blood. And the sooner he could go back to thinking clearly, the sooner he could go back to protecting Elena and figuring out a way out of this place.

But the day wasn't over just yet. First, Stefan had to survive dinner, and as the nurse led him to M39, there was a brief moment where panic threatened to set in. An entire hour locked into a small room with a human, and without any nurses or orderlies around to make sure nothing happen. Could something happen? I wouldn't, Stefan told himself, but there was no way say for certain, was there? Three times today, he'd been on the brink of attacking someone, and fought it, but what if three times was his limit

[poorexample]

As the door opened, Castiel half-turned in his seat to watch the young man enter. Stefan's greeting was polite enough, but what stood out more was the way that he immediately moved into some sort of exercise regimen

[broodings]

It was hard to say what effect exercise had (or didn't have) on his body. He was technically dead, having been killed by a gunshot wound in 1864, but it wouldn't be correct either to say that his body was essentially unchanged from what it was the night he first transitioned into a vampire. On one hand, his hair still grew and he digested food, but then on the other, he still looked seventeen, and only blood offered him any nutritional value.

He probably didn't need to exercise (Stefan knew of vampires who hadn't worked out a day in their unlives and still looked as lean as ever) but certain routines helped regulate his hunger. Maybe it was all in the mind: food and alcohol made him feel like he was alleviating his hunger, and doing pull-ups made him feel like he was working off his aggression - even if, deep down, Stefan knew that the only dragging a person to the ground and drinking them dry would sate either need.

And that wasn't going to happen, and so he didn't stop his push-ups even when Castiel addressed him. "I'm fine,"

[poorexample]

When Stefan replied that he was fine, Castiel immediately recognized the tone. It was one that Dean used, and whenever he did Sam would usually glance over at him with an unimpressed look on his face. It wasn't fooling anyone, including Castiel now that he had learned by example

[broodings]

Stefan could read the intent in that silent stare. He'd known, even before Castiel spoke, that all he'd done with his warnings was ensure his roommate's interest, and that said roommate wasn't the type to not care, no matter how he seemed on the surface. It would be easier if that odd tendency to speak in monotone really did signal apathy, but Castiel had warned him before about keeping himself safe. He wouldn't be able to let this go - and without being entirely aware of what he was doing, Stefan scooted along the floor until his back hit the dresser, as far away as he could get without huddling on his bed

[poorexample]

With the way that Stefan ended up wedging himself against the dresser, Castiel couldn't help thinking that he looked like a cornered animal. He could only make guesses about what was wrong with his roommate, but he didn't have enough information to really know with any certainty. Was it a mental problem? Physical? Or something else entirely? Whether Stefan was even completely human was up in the air right now, so Castiel had no idea where to start

[broodings]

Stefan let his gaze fall again when Castiel seemed to at least accept his words, if not accept the fact that he should leave well enough alone. He couldn't really hold it against the man, however - were their situations reversed, it would probably take a lot more than a few vague warnings to dissuade him from wanting to help his roommate. But then, Stefan knew his strengths and limits. The average human couldn't do much to hurt him, and even a human with a wooden stake would have to be able to contend with Stefan's reflexes. The only real threat to him were other vampires, and he was aware of his self-inflicted disadvantages in that arena - but he could hold his own when at full strength, and he healed fast if given the chance. If Castiel had been suffering from an unknown condition which made him dangerous, Stefan didn't doubt that he could defend himself enough to help him

[poorexample]

As much as Castiel attempted to judge from the young man's body language and behavior, he couldn't say for certain what he was. He was no diagnostician, at least not when the patient wasn't cooperating and wanted to keep his troubles to himself. Though he couldn't entirely blame Stefan for it, seeing how some secrets could lead to a large deal of trouble if they were revealed