Day 22, Waiting Room 1, Evening Shift

[lustful_thing]

Lust had believed herself spared from the entire visitors event. But no sooner than the announcement had been made, her nurse was at her side and gibbering excitedly about the chance to see a loved one

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[repolarization]

Ginji walked nervously into the waiting room and sat down. He scanned the room looking for any sign of his partner's spikey brown hair. He did not want to see a brainwashed Ban, but he also couldn't help but also want to see the other Getbacker.

The chair wasn't super comfy, but at least it kept his knees from giving out from under him when he sat down.

He sighed and waited. If it was Ban, he would have to do everything to reach his partner. He didn't like the idea of him being hurt by the people here.

[damned_visitors]

The door to the room opened, and the first of the second shift visitors entered. It was a middle aged woman, blond and tall and dressed in a tailored pant suit. She had the look of a professional about her, and she was being led by a nurse.

"He's right here, Ms. Meadows," the nurse was saying, as the blond woman was led towards Ginji. There was a smile on her face as she approached the young man.

"Gregory, your mother's here to see you." The nurse beamed and then retreated some, to allow for as private a reunion as possible.

"Gregory," the blond woman said, "it's so good to see you."

[repolarization]

Ginji looked up at the woman. She was a stranger to him. He blinked. Still... there was something about her. Something unsettling.

"Who are you?" he asked, too stunned by whatever it was about her to be polite.

[damned_visitors]

"Who am I?" She blinked. "I'm Angela Meadows, your mother." Angela tilted her head. She knew that her son was in the grip of a rather serious fugue, but she hadn't realized it was this bad.

"You really don't remember me, Greg? Not even at all?"

[braidless]

Obi-Wan had noticed that the majority of prisoners weren't being called in for visitations, if the number of people called away during the earlier shift was any indication. Statistically, Obi-Wan felt his chances of being left alone were fairly high. After all, it wasn't like he had any family they could torment him with, though he privately admitted he did have friends whom he didn't want to see here.

Needless to say, he was a little surprised to learn from a nurse that he did, in fact, have a visitor. Before he could even get a word in to Qui-Gon about the issue, he was being escorted to a waiting room. Martin Landel's comments about the visitors came to mind, and Obi-Wan wondered if he'd learn anymore after all of this was over with. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he made sure his expression remained neutral as he settled down in a chair.

There was very little else for him to do except wait. He was just thankful he had the opportunity to meditate more fully during the last shift.

[damned_visitors]

"It's alright, don't be shy."

A matronly nurse was leading in a young boy, who seemed to hold back. Unsurprising, as he didn't seem to have an adult with him. Other than a nurse. And to a ten year old boy, hospitals of any kind weren't exactly fun places. But still, he was led over to Obi-Wan, big eyed and shy.

"Come along," the nurse urged. "Uncle Ezra is right over here. Go on and say hello, Andrew."

[braidless]

Obi-Wan had taken to leafing through one of the periodicals from a rack, suddenly very interested in discovering anything he could about Earthian geography and culture. He didn't get too far in his attempt, however. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a nurse leading in what appeared to be a young boy. The Jedi turned to look at the pair more fully...

...and almost let the article he was holding slip from his hands.

Anakin.

Obi-Wan briefly closed his eyes at this startling turn of events, and he was unsure of whether he could look at the boy or not. Out of all of the people he'd expected Landel's to bring here, he hadn't anticipated this. Fortunately, he managed to keep his composure for the time being, and he turned to look at him with a calm, polite gaze.

Yes, the boy definitely looked like Anakin. Taking in a soft breath, Obi-Wan tried to reach out with the Force, to feel what should have been the former slave's unmistakable Force signature. But no matter how hard he tried, Obi-Wan came up with nothing, as if his

[damned_visitors]

Andrew took a few steps forward and looked up at the calm seeming patient.

"Hello," he said, finally, a bit formally. Everything about him was stiff and formal. He'd been told he had to be on his best behavior. But...

It wasn't like he was meeting some stranger. So he gave a sigh and his shoulders relaxed and he scrunched up his face before speaking.

"Everybody tells me you're sick, but you don't look sick at all. And the kids at school say you're crazy, and this is a nuthouse. I don't think any of that's right, though. When are you coming home?"

[damned_visitors]

Unfortunately it was a bit longer, though it wasn't so long as to run close to the end of the session. She waved off the nurse who was attempting to direct her, snapping that she knew what her son looked like, thank you, and that not everyone needed someone to follow them around and tell them what to do. The poor nurse looked completely baffled as to how to respond to that but the woman didn't seem to notice or care, instead gliding(well, walking, but she certainly appeared to glide) over to Kadaj's table and seating herself across from him.

"Kaden," she said, her voice changing from harsh to soothing without any sort of transition in between. She reached out to touch his cheek, a plate bracelet with her medical information on it sliding down on her wrist. "Are you doing any better? Any of your memories coming back? I'm having that man who did this to you taken care of, so you don't need to worry about that."

[damned_visitors]

The woman looked vaguely baffled for several moments before her face twisted angrily. "I will kill him for you," she said, her voice low. "For you and the others who are here because of him. He's caused us far too much grief..." She shook her head. "But I know the people here. You will recover, Kaden, believe me. You all will, and then we can be together again."

[damned_visitors]

"You cut your hair."

It was very unlikely that the woman had intended to sneak up on her like that, but she was sitting in a chair next to the blonde before she was really through speaking. There was a very strong resemblance between the two, though the visitor was very obviously older. "Hey, Regina... I wanted to see how you were feeling."

[damned_visitors]

The woman blinked slowly, her expression completely baffled. "Regina, are... are you okay?" The poor girl looked something between terrified and sick, and she was going on about people with knives... "I suppose not," she answered herself, voice quiet. If her sister had been all right, she wouldn't still be here. "...My name's Judy," she offered uncertainly; she wasn't sure what she'd expected, but this reaction wasn't it. "Remember?"

[theheirshinra]

Rufus Shinra was in a relatively good mood. Seeing the catboy had remarkably cheered him up, giving him a view of something pleasant in a place where there was nothing at all worth it. Perhaps it was the creature's resemblance to Dark Nation. Out of all the things and people had met and seen on Gaia, the only one that he had ever said he loved was Dark Nation. After all, it was the only creature thing that couldn't and wouldn't turn on him.

Taking a seat, Rufus picked up one of the idiotic magazines to flip through while he waited. What was next out of the bag of tricks? A good actor playing his father? That would figure with this place. Scarlet? A shudder went through him at that. He had been quite happy to see her go. Sighing in annoyance, he flipped another page.

"Most likely, some bad actor dressed as some person I've never seen before who will be claiming to be my long lost brother or the like," he muttered to himself. "Probably want me to sign over all of Shin-Ra to get out of here."

[damned_visitors]

If the man who then entered was indeed a bad actor, he was certainly dressed well for the part. A neat blue suit fit his form as if tailored for it, his long hair slicked back and falling tidily behind his folders.

"This way, Mr. Ling," a nurse gestured towards where the man's president sat in the Waiting Room. The man immediately strode forward, standing in front of the president with his hands held behind his back.

"President Marlowe, sir," said the man who in all ways looked like Tseng, "It's good to see you."

[theheirshinra]

Rufus stared up at the man who could have been Tseng for the space of a few breaths, stunned momentarily. He was struck by the strangeness of it all, that creeping horror that this could be a madness brought on by Geostigma sneaking back in.

But no, there was Reno, Elena, and even Kadaj. They were real proof that he was not insane, that this was not an aftereffect of that disease.

Leaning back in his chair, Rufus tilted his head thoughtfully, blue eyes cold and dismissive. He might have been in his boardroom instead of the waiting room of an insane asylum for all the care he showed.

"I suppose it would be worthless for me to insist that I am President Rufus Shinra of Shin-Ra Electric Power Company?"

[damned_visitors]

The Tseng-lookalike gave something of a tight-lipped smile, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes. He took a seat next to Mr. Marlowe, folding his hands neatly in his lap.

"And I suppose it would be equally futile for me to insist I am named Ling Zhen, rather than this... 'Tseng' you insist on referring to me as."

The man took a pause, then glanced at his President.

"They are treating you well here, I trust? We are paying very good money for your treatment."