Day 46: Sun Room

[human_sponge]

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that

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[unheroed]

Right as Harvey and Jason had been gearing up to break open yet another door, Harvey's vision had gone completely black and the next thing he knew, it was morning. Just like always.

Except not. It did feel like there was something of a delay, like he'd "slept" for longer. When he tuned in and heard the voice of Martin Landel, he realized that he was talking about the Sun Room rather than describing their breakfast for the day. (A breakfast he never really got to eat.)

Still, he was more focused on last night than his missed meal. He and Jason had made some good headway both in searching the institute and forming a new plan. While he hadn't gotten as many details about Tim Drake as he would have liked, he had enough to work with. He'd have to track him down today.

It sounded like this shift wouldn't work, though, since there was a chance the kid would be in therapy. Harvey thought that over as the nurse took him to the Sun Room. Was he going to get roped into the tell-me-how-you-feel crap too? No way. He wasn't doing it.

Upon reaching the room, which was still fairly empty, Harvey first looked around for Jason. When he didn't see him, he went over to the board to leave a note for his current partner in crime before finding a couch and taking a seat. He'd need to think about how he was going to approach Robin once he found him at lunch. That would be the best time to do it, when all of the patients were gathered in the same place.

[For von Karma; possible open to one more?]

[perfectrecord]

[OOC: Sure, one more should be fine, though caveat: I'm probably going to be slooooow. And vK here won't be the greatest company as if he ever really were. X3 ]

"Mr. Fuchs! Come on! You've already missed breakfast. Are you planning to stay in this dreary room all day?"

Manfred von Karma shot the blasted nurse a defiant look, his arms folded and anger rumbling in his chest. Like hell was he willing to show his face in public today. Not after what had happened yesterday and the night prior to that. Never mind that this was all Martin Landel's doing. Oh, he would make the insolent bastard pay for the humiliating torture two nights ago... and for the mind-tampering that had manifested yesterday, in front of five too many people at that.

Worst of all, his daughter would never again regain the esteem she had once held for him, not after their apoplectic meeting during lunch. von Karma had already been losing his iron-fisted grip on Franziska ever since she arrived at this hellhole, but yesterday's incident would most likely clinch it. At the thought of possibly encountering her again, a muscle twitched under his left eye.

Squeezing his upper left arm perhaps a bit too tightly, he responded through clenched teeth, each word deliberate. "I need some quiet time to think, Nurse. This is perhaps the first chance I've had to do so in several days. Leave me here."

His demand was in vain. The nurse shook her head at him and waved her finger at him, as one might do to a misbehaving child. "Oh no, you don't! You're coming with me!"

How... how dare she mock me like this?! von Karma was just about to voice his irate thought when he saw the glint of thin metal extending from her hand. A syringe. That convinced him; the events of two nights ago were still painfully fresh in his mind.

Still, the prosecutor would not be completely outdone here. "Hmph. Very well. But first, I need a minute before leaving this room. I have a note I must post for an acquaintance."

"Oh, okay!" the damned nurse chirped. "Take your time, Mr. Fuchs. I'll wait right here while you write your note for your friend."

Of course, she also felt the need to watch him do so. Oh, how he hated people who hovered so close that he could feel their disgusting breath mist onto his shoulder. Aware of her scrutiny, the older man took special care not to include any questionable wording in his note.

She then led him to the Sun Room, where there were already a number of people gathered. He pinned his note to Ms. Taura onto the board, then looked around to ensure that there were no familiar faces present. There was one that... seemed familiar. A gray-haired young man sitting next to an even younger blond man. Neither seemed to notice him as he studied the former, trying to recall precisely why he initially thought he knew him. A chill ran through von Karma as he realized that his memory was just as unreliable as it had been yesterday. Disturbing.

As he emerged from his daze, he discovered that he was sitting on one of the couches, next to a man he was sure he had never met before. ...Or had he? Oh, curse this hellhole! Instead of advertising his uncertainty of this other man's identity, von Karma merely gave him the same greeting he tended to give everyone else: a forbidding glare.

[unheroed]

Harvey had been so busy thinking about how he was going to handle his encounter with Tim that there was something of a delay in him noticing that someone had sat down nearby. When he did have the presence of mind to glance over, all he saw was an older man glaring at him.

On one hand, it was nice not having to deal with yet another kid. A lot of the people here were young, and the generation gap could both make things awkward and make him feel old. Still, this stranger looked downright cantankerous, and Harvey wasn't sure if the man was looking at him like that because of the bandages wrapped around half of his face or just because he felt like it.

Still, no manner book said that it was okay to just stare at someone like that, and so Harvey let out a half-angry sigh as he regarded the older man.

"I was here first, if you hadn't noticed." He wasn't going to get up and move just because this guy had an attitude problem.

[perfectrecord]

By now, von Karma was certain that he had never met this man after all. Though his attempt to scowl an identity out of his seatmate proved ineffective, the voice and diction were neither that he recognized. It was most likely safe enough to continue sitting here -- even though this stranger seemed to want to claim territorial rights to the entire couch.

Making no move to get up, the older man closed his eyes as he finally responded. "I beg your pardon. There is a conspicuous lack of unoccupied seating in this room." Which, to him, was true; a number of those furry little nuisances were needlessly taking up what would have been otherwise available seats. "The past few days have been especially trying for me. Were it up to me, I wouldn't even be in here right now. However, the blasted nurse gave me no choice." The lines in his forehead deepened at these words, and he clenched onto his left arm.

Opening his eyes again, he looked over at the man, his expression less austere (but still hardly congenial). He had already noted the bandages on the stranger's face but hadn't yet given them much thought. After all, many of the other patients sported bandages, crutches, slings, and a number of other medical devices meant to treat injuries sustained during the night shift (but for which the nurses gave ludicrous excuses). Perhaps this was the case for the man, as well.

"I suppose the same has been true for you?" A ridiculous "small talk" question, indeed, but there were too many nurses standing around for von Karma to risk a potential altercation from asking something that most people tended to consider "too demanding."

[unheroed]

While Harvey could understand perfectly well that there weren't all that many places to sit in a room like this, that didn't defeat the fact that this guy had taken a seat and then glared at him as if Harvey shouldn't be there. Looks like it had been for a different reason, but at this point he didn't really care either way. The guy was doing less glaring and more talking now, which wasn't necessarily better, but...

As far as he was concerned, a trying last few days was more or less everyone's story, but he didn't really care to hear the details. He didn't need someone sobbing on his shoulder (not that this stranger looked like the sort of person to do that, but figuratively speaking). "Yeah, guess they haven't heard of sick days," he said with a shrug.

Now he could tell that the man was really studying him, and Harvey just looked away until the stare didn't feel quite so invasive. He was used to people looking at his face, was used to even standing in front of crowds of people and talking while they all listened and watched, but this was entirely different. People were examining his weaknesses, and he didn't appreciate it.

"Could have been worse," he responded, although at the same time it could have been a lot better. If things had worked out, if he and Jason had actually snared Batman, Harvey might have been on top of the world right now. "Didn't get bit by any of those things in town the other night, so that's one thing." Luckily, neither man knew that the girl Harvey had refused to help that night due to the coin's decision was in fact this man's daughter.

[perfectrecord]

"Oh, believe me, they have heard of 'sick days.' They just seem to force them on us only when it is least convenient for us," von Karma said, frowning. Bah, a stroke, of all the most pathetic, implausible explanations for a six-day stay in the infirmary, he grumbled to himself. Yet they won't allow me to remain in my room for one whole day just to think.

Used to the same reaction from most other people, von Karma was hardly ruffled as the man averted his gaze from the prosecutor's scrutiny. After all, few people could tolerate it. But unlike the typical weaklings who were unable to bear von Karma's intense eye contact for any period of time, this one seemed to have intrinsic fortitude. Ergo, someone possibly worth his valuable time to learn more about.

For a split second, a feeling quite foreign to him pervaded his awareness as he continued to study the bandaged man. Perhaps he should quit staring so directly. After all, were he the one coerced into making a public appearance in such a visible condition, he, too, would... Blast it! he swore internally as he caught his own thoughts. This was the second time in as many days that he had experienced these strange emotions. What the hell had the Head Lunatic done to him the other night?! Vowing to investigate this at a more suitable time, von Karma filed it away in the back of his mind and returned his full attention back to his seatmate.

He listened to what the man had to say, then nodded. "So you were in Doyleton that night. It seems that all of the patients were trapped there, save for a few -- including myself -- who somehow found themselves back at the Institute. Those vile creatures infiltrated this building, as well. You were fortunate, indeed, to have avoided them." For a moment, he clenched his hand in disgust and anger at the memory of that night. If Mr. Scar dares to tell anyone what really happened...

Before the other could ask whether he had been less fortunate, von Karma quickly changed the subject. He glanced around to ensure that no one he knew was eavesdropping. "By the way, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Manfred von Karma." He extended his right hand in a cursory gesture of formality. "Your name, please?"

[unheroed]

That was an interesting tidbit that Harvey hadn't come across before. From the sounds of it, this man had been forced to stay in his room at one point. That had never been the case for Harvey, but he was glad for it. While he definitely had his share of moments where he would rather be by himself than dealing with all of the clueless people in the institute, he wouldn't get nearly as much done if he didn't bear through some of the pointless shifts.

Just like he was talking with this man while he waited for lunch, when he could really get down to business.

Before he got the chance to question the man further about his sick days, he started talking about the night at Doyleton. For a moment Harvey was going to be bitter over the fact that the stranger had somehow dodged that insanity, but then it turned out that the undead had been around even on the institute grounds. It was hardly an encouraging piece of information, especially when he started to wonder about where all of those bodies had come from.

Then it got around to introductions. The guy's bad mood seemed to have simmered down at least somewhat, so after a moment of deliberation Harvey grasped Manfred's hand. What the hell kind of name was that? It was a good thing Harvey was used to going by last names. "Harvey Dent," he replied, leaving it at that. It wasn't as if this was a pleasure, after all. "And are you saying you managed to get bitten?"

It was a good thing he'd avoided that. He already looked enough like the damn things -- it didn't need to get any worse because of some infection.

[perfectrecord]

"Mr. Dent," von Karma nodded as he gave his seatmate's hand a firm, businesslike shake before releasing it. He was about to go through the customary motion of declaring this a "pleasure" when Mr. Dent asked him the last question he cared to answer right now. Blast it!

Still, as the older man strove to conceal his dismay, he had to admit to himself that this Mr. Dent wasn't merely an ordinary patient with the intelligence to match. Something about how the man queried him was reminiscent of his days in the courtroom. von Karma couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet, but until he was certain of just who this man was, he would have to exercise more caution around him.

After a moment of quiet deliberation, von Karma responded in a calm and steady voice, his face betraying no emotion as he looked straight at Mr. Dent. "No, I avoided their attacks, thankfully. The one accompanying me that night was less fortunate. However, aside from a nasty wound, he seemed to have suffered from none of the alleged ill effects mentioned on the board. It all sounded like poppycock to me, anyway," he scoffed. "Have you happened to encounter anyone who actually has suffered from those effects?"

[unheroed]

It was good to know that Harvey didn't have to ditch his current seatmate due to wanting to stay, well, properly alive. Much like von Karma, he didn't know what to think about all of that buzz that had gone around regarding some sort of infection from the zombie bites. It just seemed too ridiculous and sensational, but the fact that those things had attacked them in the first place was its own answer, in a way. If the things themselves existed, why shouldn't their bites be infectious?

When the man asked if Harvey had actually encountered anyone who was sick from those monsters, he gave a vehement shake of his head. "Nothing like that," he quickly said. "No one I was with even got bitten." Franziska had gotten scratches down her back, but she'd seemed more or less recovered when he'd run into the girl yesterday. Not that she seemed the sort to show any signs of pain even if she was feeling it. "A girl I was with got scratched by one, but if I'm up on my horror movie knowledge" -- which he wasn't, really, but this was basic enough -- "then I think only the bites spread infection."

"Let's just hope I don't have to test that theory," he said with an irritated exhale as he leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.