Snippet #2355308

Room 1.
1310.

"Oh, I know." Tori's smile was unsettling, and he watched Xavier with his strange eyes; he seemed to see far too much and nothing at all, all at once. "Can I really be confused if I know I am, I wonder? Now isn't that a debate that would last forever. We could rip the world apart trying to prove one way or the other."

He giggled, skipping back and forth on light feet as if the floor was electric and he was some sort of anthropomorphic tram-car. Strange, living monorail that wobbled in pidgin-steps across Asylum lino. "People say a lot of things about the first signs of madness, do you know that? I've heard all sorts of things. Growing hairs on your palms, for example. Matt has those, did you know that? Dogs have these little fuzzy bits between their pads. But I think you know that. Surely you've cut a dog up before? I know Devan has, and you wouldn't want to be second best to him. That'd mean he'd win."

Mauve eyes glittered as Tori swanned forwards, peeking out into the corridor, peeking back at Xavier. "But you know what the second sign is, right? It's looking for them. I've looked for them, see?" He held out his hands, dark and strange, but quite hairless. "No hairs, but I'll keep on looking until some appear, just to prove you wrong."

It was all utter nonsense, but Tori spoke with perfect certainty, as if he were speaking the Gospel. "Or maybe it's doing the same thing, over and over and OVER, and hoping something different will happen. People say that's madness." Maliciousness; there was a subtle suggestion that Tori might just be dangerous, before it was swept away by his vapid good-humor. "But they classify mental illness by looking at the 'norm', then try to treat it. And they fail. And fail. And fail and fail and FAIL! But they keep on trying. Who's mad, Xavier? Can you tell me?"

Control Room.
1310.

The control room wasn't quite Icarus's place, but it had been designed more to her specifications than those of the Instigator, who had no real talent for the technical sides of exploitation. She found him amusing, for all of his flaws, and let him have his fun; it was sweet, to see him think he was in control. That his fluid existence and the claims to this little idea made him in some way superior to others. As if his walls could keep her out of a Control Room that she had built.

There had been a schedule for this day, but that had been abandoned by the wayside long ago, along with bodies in the bathrooms and several unfortunates who were no longer in play. Icarus wondered how long it would take the children to realize that several rooms that had been filled were now empty. Like lambs to the slaughter, all of them. Perhaps that proved The Instigator's silly little point, but Icarus had larger plans in mind.

From her perch, she watched Xavier talk with the occupant of Room 1, and laughed to herself. Discussions of madness, while outside the children formed sides. They were heading towards warfare, as predicted, and that was fascinating. She enjoyed this game for that reason alone; it would be fascinating to see where they would end up.

For now, however, she would observe; holing off the nurses and the call for breakfast until she had seen the potential confrontation come to its conclusion. Jack, who even now was screaming himself into hysterics in the Infirmary beside a corpse, seemed to be on the forefront of several minds, and that was interesting; the boy was becoming something of a linchpin. She looked forwards to seeing where he fell within the evolving society.

Chess pieces falling into place, and people taking sides- she smiled, knowing that in the bowels of The Asylum, The Instigator was doing the same- the opening gambit was almost over. Soon, they would be playing for keeps.