"Ok, Rachel. A lot of the patients here hear voices. No one's going to think you're strange." Dr. Moran said gently, grinning at her. "These dreams, however....did you say that it helped when you had a room mate? Perhaps...." He sighed, glancing at Luna quickly. "...perhaps, if Miss Byrd is willing, I could arrange for the two of you to share a room. What do you think?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna's gaze snapped to Dr. Moran as he suggested that the girl stay with her, her eyes narrowing briefly. She didn't have any objection to Rachel being her room mate - in fact, it would make a welcome change to the solitude - rather, she objected to the fact that Dr. Moran had been the one to suggest it. Luna sighed, pushing the bitter thoughts out of her head. She should welcome this opportunity - wasn't it a sign that the doctors thought she was 'getting better'? She could be trusted with a room mate now, apparently.
Luna smiled genuinely at Rachel, allowing her growing excitement to show on her face.
"That would be delightful!" She exclaimed, grinning at her. "If you're amenable that is, Miss Devenport?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(You can have your doctor come in whenever you want, or I could come up with a reason for Dr. Moran to call her?)

Rachel grinned at Dr. Moran's words, then looked at Luna. "I would love that! But are you sure I wouldn't be a bother to you, Luna...?" she asked, worried that Luna was only accepting this offer because she was afraid of offending her. "I don't wanna piss anyone off."
Then again, Rachel was dying for a roommate. She hated being alone more than anything, it gave her more time to think of things that she would rather forget. And besides, she really liked Luna, and saw herself being really good friends with her.

(You could come up with a reason for Dr. Moran to call her if you want to!)

Luna smiled at Rachel.
"No, not at all! I would like it very much; I haven't had a roommate in a very long time. Of course," She said, turning to Dr. Moran, "Dr. Moran will have to clear it with my new doctor."
Luna had recently switched doctors yet again, to Dr. Vaughn, and she hadn't met her yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Moran stood up, having finished attending to Rachel's wounds. His eyes burned into Luna suspiciously, sure that she was playing some game. When she mentioned her doctor, he nodded, unwillingly agreeing with her. He took his phone out of his pocket.
"Yes, I'll call her now and ask her - in fact, you have an appointment with her later, don't you Byrd?" Luna nodded reluctantly, and he smiled. "Well then, I'll call and ask her to come and collect you for the appointment, and we can discuss the roommate situation when she arrives."
Dr. Moran flipped open his phone and made the neccessary call, noting with some pleasure the irritated look on Luna's face. She clearly didn't like being reminded of her position - that of a patient.
Dr. Vaughn said she would come down straight away, so he shut the device again and slipped it back into his pocket, and then turned back to Rachel.
"Dr. Vaughn is on her way here now, and if she agrees, then we can hopefully get you moved in here today. The paperwork won't take long - I'll do it myself." He smiled and winked at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yay! This is gonna be great, I promise, I'm not gonna piss you off or anything!" Rachel grinned at Luna, then looked at Dr. Moran again, hoping that she wasn't blushing. "Thank you."
You probably look like the biggest love struck freak right now. So what? Rachel asked herself, then looked down at her hands, playing with an onyx ring on her middle finger. So freaking what. She liked someone. It's not the end of the world, she mentally told herself sternly. Normal people like other people. Yeah, but not the damn doctor!

* * *

Dr. Vaughn shoved the black iPhone in her back pocket as soon as she hung up with Dr. Moran, then made her way out of her office and down the hall in quick, high-heeled steps. She was looking forward to meeting her new patient, but she was not expecting to do so this early.
When she reached the room she was supposed to come to, she planted three quick knocks on the door before walking in, then smiled at Dr. Moran and the two girls. "Hello," she greeted in a light voice, closing the door behind her. She glanced over at the girl sitting in the chair, analyzing her bandages, then at the other girl, who must be her patient. "I would be Dr. Vaughn," she said in a calm and friendly voice, smiling slightly.

Dr. Moran interjected before Luna could come out with the most likely scathing remark she had planned. He ignored her irritated growl as he stepped in front of her, shaking hands with Dr. Vaughn.
"It's a pleasure, I'm sure." He smiled at her. "I'm Dr. Moran, this is Miss Byrd, your patient," He nodded his head in Luna's direction, "And this is Miss Devenport, the potential roommate." Dr. Moran gestured towards Rachel, winking at her again as he turned his head, out of the sight of Dr. Vaughn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna stepped forwards herself as soon as Dr. Moron stopped speaking, smiling warmly at her new doctor, sizing her up.
"Good morning, Doctor. I'm Luna Byrd, as he said." She bobbed a quick curtsey. "But you may call me Luna."
She stepped back, returning to her place at the end of the bed, and resumed her blank expression. In reality, her mind was whirring, her heart racing. Dr. Vaughn seemed friendly enough - but then, he had seemed friendly, to begin with. Luna flinched almost imperceptibly. It was too early to tell whether Dr. Vaughn's friendliness was fake or not, but - she looked the woman over again - yes, she could overpower her with just a little difficulty, if the need arose.
She hoped against hope that Dr. Vaughn would turn out be as nice as she appeared. Not that it made any difference for the doctor; Luna wasn't talking either way. Oh, no. She had never talked, not to any of them, and she never would.
There's nothing wrong with me.
Her fists clenched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rachel looked up at the woman who just walked in, and greeted her quietly. She was pretty. But her gaze always turned back to Dr. Moran, much like a sunflower seeks out the sun. She was most definetely used to the heat in her cheeks by now, seeing as everytime Dr. Moran was around, it seemed to be permanently soaked into her skin.

* * *

"Hello, Luna," Dr. Vaughn smiled, then cocked her head to the side as she watched the girl sit back down. Flipping her long, glossy brown hair over her shoulders, she stuck her hands in her back pockets and turned to Dr. Moran. "I think that if Rachel and Luna really get along, there is no reason why they shouldn't be roommates," she mused in her light voice.
Dr. Vaughn's voice was just as petite as the rest of her, and a lot of times, people thought they were speaking on the phone with a child when they were talking to her. But that did not mean that she was a push-over. Looking at Luna now, she hoped that the girl would at least give her a chance.

Dr. Moran beamed at Dr. Vaughn.
"Excellent. I'll go and sort the paperwork now." He strode to the door, and then paused, turning round. "Unless...that is, unless you want to come and talk to me, Rachel. About these dreams." He added quickly, smiling at her.
What had possessed him to say that? He didn't know. That had been almost out of character for him. But - he couldn't leave her there, looking so....fragile, and upset, and lost, and really, that perpetual blush was adorable - All right, that's enough, James. She's a patient, and you, as her doctor, will help her through her problems. And that is all. No emotional attachment.
Dr. Moran raised a quizzical eyebrow at the girl, unaware of the internal battle his subconscious was having.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna smiled at her new doctor.
"Thank you, doctor." She said, her tone and expression perfectly polite. As of yet, she hadn't come to any conclusion about her, but.....the woman seemed pleasant enough. She hadn't jumped at the chance to deny her permission for the room change, at least.
This doesn't change anything. Don't let her fool you. Don't let any of them fool you. She growled at herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay!" Rachel exploded before Dr. Moran even had a chance to finish, then jumped out of her chair, skipping over to where he was, then out the door in front of him. Jesus, calm down before you fall flat on your face and make the biggest fool of yourself right in front him...
Ignoring the voice in the back of her head, Rachel slowed down her pace, then wrapped her arms around herself. Despite the lack of sleep, she did not feel all that bad, and could actually focus now.

* * *

"Anytime," Dr. Vaughn responded to Luna, then crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around the room. "Would you like to follow me? I know we were supposed to have our appointment later, but now is as good a time as any," she mused, resting her brown eyes on Luna once more.
It was hard to read the expression on Luna's face, but as Dr. Vaughn already knew, that was the case with many of the patients.

Dr. Moran turned around slowly, chuckling slightly at the girl's enthusiasm.
"Come on, then." He set off down the corridor quickly, glancing back at her with a smile. "I hope you don't mind, but I have to stop off really quickly first to grab those papers for your room change. It won't take long, I'll fill them in when we get to my office. Five minutes at the most." He promised.

(I'm going to create separate offices for Dr. Moran and Dr. Vaughn, so that this doesn't get really confusing. I know it means more complicated posting, but it also makes it easier to separate the different storylines. Hope you don't mind :) )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna raised her eyebrow at the doctor, trying to quell the sudden fear that rose in her.
"Of course." She nodded calmly at the door. "Lead the way. It's not as if I have any other arrangements." Luna smiled grimly, and had to fight the sudden urge to giggle at the ridiculousness of it all. She was a patient at a mental asylum - what choice did she have? It was all for show, the doctor asking her opinion as if it was her decision. All the time analysing, analysing, analysing. Was the patient cooperative? Were they withdrawn? Were they regressing?
Luna shook her head and sighed, renewing the smile aimed at the doctor.
"Shall we?" She said, gesturing towards the door.
Just another silent, fruitless therapy session.
Hold on to your sanity, Luna.

(It's cool! (: )

"That's totally fine with me," Rachel mused, biting her lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. She spun a strand of hair around her index finger as she walked; a habit of hers. She honestly did not care where he took her, as long as she got to spend more time with him.
She realized that she was falling; for she was not stupid. But it was just another one of Rachel's flaws. When she fell for someone, she fell hard. To add to the pain, her blushing problem did not help anything. You REALLY did it this time...
Okay, so maybe she did. But she was sure as hell going to try her best and keep a poker face. Even if it was a rather flushed poker face.

"Yes, of course! Excellent," Dr. Vaughn said, then quickly made her way down the corridor, the sound of her high heels echoing off the walls.
"Right this way," she said when they were almost there, then opened the door to her office, holding it open for Luna to step in. Dr. Vaughn's office held just the essentials: her black desk, a black and white rug, an extensive bookshelf, and two black chairs. A small glass dolphin statue stood on one side of her desk, and a slightly larger statue of a penguin stood on the other, both gifts from her older brother. She didn't quite cherish them, but they were the only thing that reminded her of her family.
Instead of sitting at her desk, Dr. Vaughn sat in one of the chairs in front of it, gesturing for Luna to sit next to her. She found that it was easier to connect with people if they were sitting on the same side of the table.

Luna paused at the door, before sighing and walking the rest of the way in. She remained standing as Dr. Vaughn seated herself, only moving reluctantly when she gestured for her to sit as well.
She lowered herself gracefully into the chair, sitting with her knees demurely together. Her arms, however, lolled over the sides, giving an impression of negligence and boredom. Luna looked around the room slowly, taking in the books on the case as well as the two statues on the desk, which she thought didn't quite go with the rest of the decor. Gifts, she surmised, as by the look of the woman her taste wouldn't have permitted her to have them in the room otherwise.
Luna didn't miss the doctor's tactics as she seated herself in one of the chairs in front of the desk rather than behind it, but had to give her credit for it.
She's making an effort to connect, Luna thought, amused at the obviousness of the manipulative ploy. A nice try, but I can still see the badge hanging around your neck, Doctor.
She smiled rather grimly at Dr. Vaughn, and crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair.
"Lovely colour scheme, Doctor." Luna commented blandly, "Did you choose it yourself?"

Daniel was in the patient's lounge, stretched out on one of the sofas, one arm hanging off the edge, asleep, but not completely still. He tossed and turned and moaned and groaned. Then his eyes popped wide open and he got up in a jolt.

"Dr. Ruckus is up to his old tricks!" He stood up and moved towards the window, looking out into the gardens. "I have to stop him before--" He stopped as he took notice of his surroundings. His posture became more relaxed, the sound in his voice, less urgent. "I'm just an actor." He reminded himself. "I have no powers and the world is in no danger."

He began to move back to the sofa, at a much slower pace than he had left it. He constantly had to remind himself what was real and what wasn't, though it wasn't always easy. Daniel thought about the dream he had, how vivid it was. "It was just a dream." He told himself.

But what if it wasn't? Daniel approached the sofa, but couldn't get himself to sit. Instead he began to pace, accelerating his speed as his mind raced. The dream, it was far too vivid to be just a dream. But it must be a dream, he'd remind himself. Dr. Ruckus didn't exist, and neither did he, as he thought of himself as his character, Captain Splendid. He was a patient in this hospital, trying to get well, trying to live like a normal human being. But what if this was the dream? What if this was an illusion? Dr. Ruckus could've hypnotized him into believing himself to be an actor to get him out of the way. Madame Sinister could've set up this whole operation to convince him that he was an insane person. Dick Evil could've warped him into an alternate dimension where he was no longer a hero. Professor Demented could've altered the space time continuum so that he no longer was what he truly was. He was now convinced that the world he was living in was a lie, and that everyone around him was in on the ruse. He had no idea who to trust, and was convinced everyone was watching him. He could fight back, but he couldn't, not until he knew who the enemy was and how powerful they were. He had to escape.

He darted out the door and into the hall, running, trying to avoid the eyes, trying to find a place of peace where he can make sense of what was going on, and possibly transform into his alter ego without giving away his secret identity.

"Yes I did," Dr. Vaughn retorted at Luna's comment in a bland manner.
Truth be told, Dr. Vaughn didn't care for colors, her office could have been yellow and orange and it she wouldn't have given it any more attention. Crossing her arms over her chest and smiling slightly, she rested her gaze on Luna in an nonchalant way. "Well, I guess we can start with the basic questions, as boring as they may be...tell me about you."
Dr. Vaughn didn't particulary sound professional half the time, because in reality, she barely knew how to sound professional. She had tried to establish power over her patients various amounts of times, but it just didn't work. Force didn't do anything but turn people against you.

Luna's lips twisted into a sort of smile as Dr. Vaughn talked, and she leaned back, settling into her chair more comfortably.
"Well, Doctor. That wasn't a question, but I won't insult you by pretending to misunderstand." Her smile broadened, and she closed her eyes briefly, steepling her fingers together under her chin. "Let me see...Where should I start?" She regarded Dr. Vaughn intensely for a moment. "Well, I had a mother, a father, and eventually a step-father and a half-brother. I was an intelligent, if slightly odd, child. Somewhere between there and here things went wrong." Luna paused for a moment, seemingly lost in memory. When she started speaking again, her tone was still flat, sounding slightly bored. "I was admitted to my first institute aged fifteen. Approximately five years later, I was removed temporarily to a prison for the criminally insane, because I attacked and almost killed four members of staff before attempting to escape. Four months ago, I was transferred here. As far as I am aware, doctors have been unable to complete a diagnosis of my condition." The last part came out with a slight sneer. Then she blinked, and seemed to refocus on Dr. Vaughn. "But of course, you already knew most of that."
Luna sat back, watching the doctor with mild interest. She knew from past experience that at first most doctors were confused, or even encouraged by her seeming openness. Of course, they had all realised, eventually. And tried every trick in the book to crack her.
It would be interesting to see which method this one used. Perhaps she would even succeed.
Stranger things have happened.

James was walking down the hallway, listening to the dull hum of indigo voices, voices which took on cool colors, voices that never seemed happy at all. They were hushed, and they were many. He wondered what it was like for those people, then. Were they ever happy in their lives? Had they ever fallen in love, like in the movies? The movies where they kiss in the rain and make hot cocoa and walk in the park when it's fall and the sound of the crunching of leaves always makes him jolt. Then his brother laughed and his mother and his father too.

His inanely deep thoughts were interrupting by the orange pitter-patter of footsteps. Perhaps running. They sounded urgent. He looked up from staring at the floor to see a familiar face. Not in a friendly way, but in a way where you see their faces all the time but don't really talk to them, like in school, or around the neighborhood, or on television and in magazines.

Television... now he remembered.

"Hey, guy!" he yelped, holding out his hands, gesturing for the other person to stop. 

Memories came flooding back. He and his younger brother loved watching Captain Splendid as kids. They always woke up early at Saturdays to watch it. They had it recorded on VHS.

"Are you alright?"

He had a lunchbox of Captain Splendid and he carried it around everywhere when he got it.

"Do you have an appointment with a doctor or something?"

He remembered being very disappointed when it was cancelled.

As Daniel ran through the halls, his path zig zagging from one wall to the other, he struggled with the idea of dual realities. On the one hand, he recognized this place as a hospital. But on the other, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was some sinister being having a hold on him.

As he came across another man, Daniel stopped his frantic running. As the man spoke, Daniel found that he could not hear a thing being said. It all came off as incoherent mumbling in his mind. But the mumbling came off his friendly, maybe even kind. The demeanor of the man appeared to be one of a helping hand. But all Daniel could think about was this unseen danger that surrounded him at every moment, and now this man may also be in danger.

"Citizen!" Daniel addressed him, straining his voice. "We must get out of here. We must find someplace safe. But I have no idea where I am. Can you lead me some place?" He had no idea where he had wanted to go, but had a feeling that this man might have a good idea.

James frowned slightly. So that's why he's in here, he thought. Turns out he's just like everyone else here. But he did not blame him. There must have been an explanation. He shuffled awkwardly, and tried to take the actor Daniel Hazard---the name was still fresh in his head--- to a place where he always felt safe.

"Now, I don't know if where we're going will help you---" he began, "---my doctor said that everyone has a different "quiet place"--- but the gardens help me. There's lots of plants and trees and sometimes there are butterflies, too. At night it gets really dark except for the moon. It's a great place to listen."

Daniel followed the man into the garden and looked around. "What have you done?" He asked, a sense of urgency in his voice. "Why did you bring me out here? It's too open. Enemies could get us from every angle. They could drop in from the sky. They could dig up from underground. They could be hiding in any of these trees, bushes, and shrubs. The plants themselves could be alive. We're in more danger here than ever." He started running back towards the door. "You're not trying to help me. You're trying to lead me into a trap. You're an agent of evil. I've got to get out of here."

"I knew you wouldn't feel safe here," he sighed, motioning for the other person to stop. "Calm down. You're not Captain Splendid. And besdies; we can't get out. Nobody gets out." He then pointed to the large fence topped with broken glass. "There is nobody in this garden but you and me." He was starting to sound more annoyed, but he was desperately trying to stay calm. "You are a goshdarn actor. Sorry. I'm not allowed to swear anymore."
His muscles were tensing up, and he did a little neck roll to calm himself down.

Daniel stopped with one hand at the door's handle leading back inside. He wanted to rush back in into safety, but stopped to hear the man's words. They didn't sound like the words of an evil man either. If they were, they'd be threatening music playing in the background. But something the man said resonated with him. "You are a goshdarn actor." As soon as he said this, memories whooshed back into his head. Memories of a man sitting with a doctor, being explained his situation. Life of his younger self, back stage of a television set, reading a script. A vision of a much younger self, in school, with friends. Reality began to seize control. "My name is Daniel Hazard." He whispered to himself. "I am just an actor." He reminded himself. "I have no super powers, and no body is out to get me." He said, in just the manner the doctors had advised him to.

He removed his hand from the door and turned to face the man. His demeanor was much less frantic and much more controlled. He looked around the garden, and smiled, actually finding it quite peaceful. He had very little recollection of what he had just gone through, but he knew that the man now standing in front of him had helped him through it.

"Sorry about that." He apologized. "I sometimes forget where I am and who I am. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble. I tend to get violent while in that state. I didn't punch anybody, did I?"

He smiled. "It's... It's okay." he said, half-laughing. He always tried to help the other patients around him, but this was the first time he had actually helped. His doctor had convinced him to stop, but he felt the old him surge a little inside. "And I don't think you... punched anybody. You were just running around the hall." He paused for a bit. "Why don't I show you around the garden for a bit?"

He loved the garden. It reminded him of his mother's garden. But that one didn't have trees. This one did. And his mother grew some vegetables. They would have pumpkins for Halloween, but the idea of going up to strangers and getting candy terrified him, so he always stayed at home to give out Snickers and Milk Duds. His mom always told him to eat his vegetables.

It made him sad that there were no vegetables in the garden. "They ought to put some spinach--- or carrots, maybe..." he blurted.

Daniel smiled at the new friend. He was mostly glad he didn't cause an unsightly commotion, but also appreciated the kindness and patience of this fellow patient. "I'll look around the garden with you," He answered the man's offer, "But you don't have to show me around. I've been here before. I actually quite like it, you know, when I'm not being overly paranoid about everything. But I'll walk with you." He said, trying to be friendly. He's actually been at this hospital for a couple years now, though his progress has seemed to have taken a stand still for most of it. "If you want spinach," He said, responding to the man's second comment, "I'm sure they have some in the kitchen. I'm not sure if those type of plants would fit in with the rest of the plants." He said, still trying to sound kind.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced." Daniel told him, realizing he didn't know this man's name. He held out his hand as he prepared his introduction. "My name's Daniel." He told him. "David." He said, correcting himself. "Darwin?" He guessed again, doubting himself. He pulled his hand back and used it to rub his forehead as he scrunched his eyes, trying to remember. "What was it?" His eyes started to become moist, as Daniel began to face the realization that this small piece of his identity was lost to him. Panicking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet and looked inside at his driver's license, which he still kept around just for this purpose. "Daniel." He said with a sigh of relief. "My name is Daniel. That was my first guess." He looked up at his new friend. "That was rather embarrassing." He told him. "Hopefully that doesn't happen to you."