Snippet #2718795

The day was coming to an end.

Jekyll slowly opened the door, and quietly stepped in. Closing the door behind him, he could feel Belle tense up. Jekyll wondered if his presence was truly beneficial to this place, or if he was merely holding back the floodgates that would inevitably break apart and devour him whole. The chemical split between Jekyll and Hyde meant that he could be unwavering in his virtue, but Jekyll understood that didn't make him any less flawed. He was just a fragment of himself, and how could someone that isn't even 'whole' try to fix all that was wrong with this place?

Taking a deep breath, he added a gentle smile to his face and turned to Belle. Hers was a case of tragedy, one that had slowly twisted her mind out of self control over her entire life. Jekyll found it extraordinarily distasteful. The vices of men bring out their beasts, and are brought out by others. Perhaps it was easier to have inmates who brought about their own downfall into madness, such as Jekyll's own, as it was cases such as these that heralded innocence despite the horrific losses.

Dr. Jekyll's sense of dread was interrupted as Belle appeared to turn away and whisper something. As per usual he thought. Schizophrenia brought its own storm of problems by itself, and if the patient didn't believe they had it then it would become even more monstrous to deal with. Jekyll found it best to move slowly, and delicately. If Belle had to stay here, he wanted to be sure she wouldn't be treated like Hyde. Or, God forbid, the Cheshire.

He let out an exasperated sigh, leaning against the door with his hands in his pants pockets. His eyes held sympathy.
"I hope they weren't so hard on you. This place is... Relentless, I think would be the best word for it. Either way," Jekyll took his hands out of his pockets and waved to the other side of the room with his right."Hi. I'd like you to know that I was an inmate here once. Or rather, my other self. So I'm not trying to belittle you when I say I know what this part feels like." He took a moment to turn on the recorder on his tablet before placing it back in his pocket.

The room was so white. So bland. No wonder the inmates become absorbed in their imagination to get by. Jekyll could sense Belle's reluctance like an inverse lighthouse, trying to stay so dark it leeches light from the moon. He hated the negativity this institute produced. Anything else he thought, and his face faded to match the friendlier tone in his voice "Most call me Jekyll. I'm a fan of Victorian architecture and European literature. A snob, I know." He gave a short laugh and produced his tablet, displaying it to Belle. "Everything's becoming digital nowadays, eh? So, Belle. Do tell me about yourself. What do you like?"

Jekyll aimed to make loose eye contact with Belle that moved between the tablet in his palm and her. If she were to speak, Jekyll would occasionally note a key word or two down but never dictate.