04-26-2022, 01:14 AM
Meera nodded dutifully at 'Mara’s' words, adding just a touch of worry lines for effect – not that the patient had been looking up. If it had not been for the setting, Meera could have dispensed completely with the mask and this small thing before her would have been none the wiser.
It was going to be a long day.
The patient spoke softly about her ‘pets.’ They would surely have to cut back on the cocktail of pharmaceuticals that the orderlies had been pumping her with. How else would they be able to discover whether or not the hallucinations were due to un-diagnosed narcolepsy when it very well could have been schizophrenia or even the pills themselves? It certainly sounded as if it had been the pills, but she could not be certain until the girl had been cut off. The dissociative disorder was all well and good, but that really only accounted for this ‘Mara.’
It was incredibly cruel for God to put Meera in such a position. It had been months since she had been able to use her whip upon a patient with multiple impairments – but then, this was a test. She sighed internally before taking a sip of her tea. Daiyu was right; it was out of date.
Meera set the cup and saucer aside before signaling for the orderly to take it away. She murmured to him an order for mineral water with two slices of lemon. That would wash the rank taste away at the very least. The mineral water had been a personal and necessary expense of hers. Drinking nuclear waste would have been more preferable than the stuff that had come out of the faucets at the Guardian.
Daiyu declared her ‘pets’ dislike of Meera, which brought a curious expression to her face.
“Oh? Well, that certainly saddens me to hear, Mara,” Meera went on in her sickeningly sweet tones, “I would only like to be your friend and their friend. Why, I am sure we all have more in common than you could possibly imagine. Do they dislike many people?”
The orderly returned with the tall glass of lemon water and placed it quietly onto the side table next to Meera’s right arm. She did not acknowledge the man before taking the glass and indulging her senses in the cool, refreshing taste of citrus. The orderly had coughed quietly behind Meera. She kept her mask smooth, despite her irritation, as she begged Daiyu’s forgiveness before turning to the orderly.
“Yes, Orderly Artemy?” Meera asked in that same honeyed tone, although there most assuredly had been a bite to the man’s name as it left her tongue. The orderly leaned down to speak into her ear – a thing she would normally have not allowed, but it was a concession demanded of the mother mask.
“Apologies, Doctor, but a man has come to visit Daiyu.”
“My dear man,” Meera said with a wide, vicious smile, “The patient is receiving treatment. Surely this can wait. What is this visitors name?” They would most certainly wait, but Meera would have their name if only to use as a tool upon the patient. Perhaps it was a parent or an ex-lover or a manager. Whoever it was, their name alone might help to bring Daiyu back and chase this ‘Mara’ away.
“Erm – Beto, Doctor Alam. I didn’t catch a last name.”
The world stood still for half of a heartbeat. It couldn't be the same man. But then again, how common was the name 'Beto'?
“Beto?” Meera asked in an uncharacteristically clear tone. She kept her mask as smooth as satin.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Bring him in,” Meera said without thought. It couldn't be the same man.
God really had been testing her today.
It was going to be a long day.
The patient spoke softly about her ‘pets.’ They would surely have to cut back on the cocktail of pharmaceuticals that the orderlies had been pumping her with. How else would they be able to discover whether or not the hallucinations were due to un-diagnosed narcolepsy when it very well could have been schizophrenia or even the pills themselves? It certainly sounded as if it had been the pills, but she could not be certain until the girl had been cut off. The dissociative disorder was all well and good, but that really only accounted for this ‘Mara.’
It was incredibly cruel for God to put Meera in such a position. It had been months since she had been able to use her whip upon a patient with multiple impairments – but then, this was a test. She sighed internally before taking a sip of her tea. Daiyu was right; it was out of date.
Meera set the cup and saucer aside before signaling for the orderly to take it away. She murmured to him an order for mineral water with two slices of lemon. That would wash the rank taste away at the very least. The mineral water had been a personal and necessary expense of hers. Drinking nuclear waste would have been more preferable than the stuff that had come out of the faucets at the Guardian.
Daiyu declared her ‘pets’ dislike of Meera, which brought a curious expression to her face.
“Oh? Well, that certainly saddens me to hear, Mara,” Meera went on in her sickeningly sweet tones, “I would only like to be your friend and their friend. Why, I am sure we all have more in common than you could possibly imagine. Do they dislike many people?”
The orderly returned with the tall glass of lemon water and placed it quietly onto the side table next to Meera’s right arm. She did not acknowledge the man before taking the glass and indulging her senses in the cool, refreshing taste of citrus. The orderly had coughed quietly behind Meera. She kept her mask smooth, despite her irritation, as she begged Daiyu’s forgiveness before turning to the orderly.
“Yes, Orderly Artemy?” Meera asked in that same honeyed tone, although there most assuredly had been a bite to the man’s name as it left her tongue. The orderly leaned down to speak into her ear – a thing she would normally have not allowed, but it was a concession demanded of the mother mask.
“Apologies, Doctor, but a man has come to visit Daiyu.”
“My dear man,” Meera said with a wide, vicious smile, “The patient is receiving treatment. Surely this can wait. What is this visitors name?” They would most certainly wait, but Meera would have their name if only to use as a tool upon the patient. Perhaps it was a parent or an ex-lover or a manager. Whoever it was, their name alone might help to bring Daiyu back and chase this ‘Mara’ away.
“Erm – Beto, Doctor Alam. I didn’t catch a last name.”
The world stood still for half of a heartbeat. It couldn't be the same man. But then again, how common was the name 'Beto'?
“Beto?” Meera asked in an uncharacteristically clear tone. She kept her mask as smooth as satin.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Bring him in,” Meera said without thought. It couldn't be the same man.
God really had been testing her today.
"She had tortured hundreds, maybe thousands, in the name of understanding and reason. Torture made sense. You truly saw what a person was made of, in more ways than one, when you began to slice into them. That was a phrase she'd used on numerous occasions. It usually made her smile."
- The Wheel of Time, The Gathering Storm, Chapter 22, Robert Jordan