InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Luke, I am your father."

Lorne (i_host) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2011-01-02 10:48:00

Entry tags:

in arkham, jake, lorne

somewhere over the rainbow (open)
The iv in Lorne's arm dispensed an orange liquid. When the nurse changed the plastic bags full of the orange liquid, the change neither stung nor smelled like oranges.

His room had a nice big window and a view of the courtyard, and it seemed to only be the second floor. He got to leave, sometimes, and chatter with the nurses at the nurses station. He got to walk around, taking his iv on a little wheeled trolly with him, and watch TV in the common room. He got to sing if he felt like it, which hadn't been too often, but Lorne knew he'd done it and the acoustics were lovely here.

He couldn't tell when he'd gotten here, or how. Hadn't he just been with Angel? He didn't know. The orange stuff kept him in a state akin to human drunkenness--just out of it enough not to put two and two together, but his empathic abilities not really impeded. Asylum orderlies made sure to give him sleeping meds, too... they knew, somehow, what depriving Lorne of sleep would do and weren't prepared to deal with it.

As long as everyone was nice to him, Lorne didn't seem to mind what was going on. No one sang here, but him, and no one really hummed--at least not orderlies or nurses.

His connection to the Powers that Be was effectively severed. Lorne was just a green demon that liked to sing and picked up on the moods of others.

Today he stood in the hallway chatting up a pretty nurse named Emily, talking all about Judy Garland's career.

"Emily, do you think we could get a copy of 'The Wizard of Oz' out in the common room?" He didn't quite ask her with as much brightness in his voice as was normal, but it was close.

Emily considered. "Uh, I'll see what I can do, alright?" She didn't see the harm in it. It was just a movie. And Lorne would just sing, and the others would ignore it. No one had even asked why he was green, or what was wrong with him.

"That'd be swell, sweetie," Lorne said, walking past her and continuing down the hall. There was a library room down to the left, and he meant to find it.

(Post a new comment)

i_meow
2011-01-02 11:34 pm UTC (link)

Jake was terribly uncomfortable. Someone had put one of those cones over his neck to prevent him from licking at his hind leg (where they had injected him with some sort of medication.) Jake didn't know what the medication was, but it made his fur stand on end and his head all loopy. The cone around his neck was heavy! And he kept having to lie down to give his body a break from carrying it about. He wasn't locked up. Not like some of the other residents of the asylum. But he was still watched carefully. And he was still given his shots. (Though on a few occasions he'd given those doctors a run for their money.) He might not have been strong or tall or human. But he was fast!

Except for right now. Right now he wasn't feeling so fast. And his mind felt all jumbled and confused.

How did I get here? Where's Jennifer? What about my ship? Frank? Oh, Frank! Why couldn't you be here in The City with me! Then I wouldn't be so lonely! Even if you aren't a cat. I miss you, Frank! And Snowball. I miss Snowball! Mrow!

The library, or what posed as a library in this confining institution, helped to calm Jake's nerves. He was reading a book on gardening. Not exactly his first choice in literature, but there didn't seem to be much else on the bottom shelves. And since the drugs had distorted his use of telekinesis, he couldn't reach anything up higher. Maybe it was all mundane reading so as not to stir riots among the prisoners.

Gardening is good enough.

Oh, what he wouldn't do for some catnip right about now.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-03 06:00 am UTC (link)

Lorne liked the fluffy blue slippers they'd given him here. He knew they weren't his, just as he knew the fluffy blue robe he wore all the time wasn't his--because they simply weren't bright enough. But everything coordinated, and everything felt nice.

The slippers shuffled down the hall in a way that the demon would've mocked, had he been less drugged. It was the shuffle of an old man.

He hummed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as he walked into the library, intent on finding some entertaining reading material. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he really loved reading Variety magazine.

There was a cat in the library. Lorne smiled--he didn't know there was a cat anywhere about here. It looked really, REALLY tired, and had its poor head in one of those Cones of Shame. The cat must be hurt, to be wearing a thing like that. At present, it lounged with its face sort of in a book. The book was open to a page with brightly colored flowers that Lorne could see from where he was standing.

"What's new, pussycat," the demon said. He shuffled over to the cat and patted its head. "Where'd you come from?"

As if the thing would answer.

Lorne checked the cat for a nametag, but couldn't see one because of the damn cone.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-03 03:09 pm UTC (link)

Jake was so out of it. He was staring into the book, looking at the brightly colored photos of various flowers and foliage, but the words were all a blur. He was just too tired to read. If only he could get this cone off his neck, he would feel so much better. He reached forward with his hind leg and tried to scratch it off, but his attempts were futile.

Then came a voice. He tilted his attention to the -- goodness! Was that man green?

Jake blinked and stared up at the bipedal creature which was far from the humans he was accustomed to. The man was strange, to say the least, but his voice was pleasant. Actually, Jake really liked the sound of the man's voice. It had a musical quality to it.

"I'm from outer space," Jake said. Well, he didn't actually say anything. He spoke telepathically through the use of his collar, which was hidden beneath the cone. "Do you think you could get this cone off my neck? It hurts."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-05 08:40 pm UTC (link)

Lorne's eyebrows drew together.

Did the cat... did it... did it just...

Stranger things had happened in Lorne's life than the discovery of the existence of talking cats. From outer space.

That was saying something.

"I don't know if it's the juice talking, or you," he said aloud, looking at the orange stuff attached to his arm. "But even if you didn't say it, I know you're not happy with that thing on."

He could feel it. And the staff here could get mad if they wanted, but Lorne wasn't big on watching nice creatures suffer.

Lorne took a look at the cone, eyeballing it until he could figure out how to remove it. Once it was off, Lorne put it aside.

"There you go, little guy. Hope that makes you feel better."

He patted the cat's head again.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-08 12:57 am UTC (link)

What a relief! Jake was so grateful to have that cone off his neck. He could barely contain his appreciation. And he wasn't afraid to show it either. When the tall green man patted him on the head, Jake purred.

"Thank you so much! Gosh, you wouldn't believe the kink I've had in my neck for the last few days. It was beginning to go numb. I thought I was going to lose all feeling my limbs!"

And all because those enslaving healthcare providers wanted to prevent him from licking at his hind leg, where they had been injecting him with who-knows-what. Well, Jake would show them. He craned his head, pointed his right hind leg out in front of him, and licked the injection sight on his thigh. Ha! He thought. Take that!

"Thank you so much! I owe you! If you ever need anything, let me know! My name is Zunar J5/9 Doric 4-7. But most people call me Jake."

Jake paused for a moment.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get out of here, would you?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-08 01:44 am UTC (link)

Lorne suddenly felt happy. Very happy. Good. The cat felt better.

"Da... uh... Jake?" Lorne sat down next to the cat and eyed him. "Are you talking to me?" He smiled pleasantly. "Because I'm pretty sure this is what drunk feels like. And I can't really tell."

There were these other things, too. Some bunch of numbers Lorne would never remember.

Out?

The demon looked around the library. He figured the cat wanted out of here because they'd put the cone on him. But Lorne was pretty happy, here. He knew he didn't really belong here, but he didn't have a driving need to get up and leave.

"I don't know," he said, genuinely troubled that he couldn't give a a better answer. He was normally so good at answers. "I don't even know how I got here, or where 'here' is."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-08 02:47 pm UTC (link)

"Yes. Jake."

Most people had difficulty with his real name, but he couldn't blame them. It was a foreign name, and it was really impossible to say without speaking the feline language. Frank had done good by coming up with the name Jake. And Jake was beginning to like it. It fit. It was his human identity. Well, as human as a cat could get.

"You're not intoxicated. I speak telepathically, directly into your mind. And your mind translates my words into whatever language you best understand. You wouldn't be able to understand my true language. My species invented this means of communication. It has served us well."

Could cats frown? Jake looked upset suddenly.

"I don't remember how I got here either. I was with Jennifer. I remember that. I was going to go to the fish market and pick us up some lunch. Then I was going to do some repairs on my ship..."

Jake sighed.

"I wish I had some tuna. Tuna helps me think."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-10 09:31 pm UTC (link)

"You're not intoxicated. I speak telepathically, directly into your mind. And your mind translates my words into whatever language you best understand. You wouldn't be able to understand my true language. My species invented this means of communication. It has served us well."

Lorne smiled. "Well, that's something, at least. I was kind of hoping for drunk. It looks so much fun on everyone else."

He let the fact that a cat was going to repair some kind of ship just breeze right by. He wasn't going to be the one to point out how difficult that'd be for the fuzzball without thumbs.

"I wish I had a Sea Breeze. Those help me... everything."

Lorne wondered what the orange liquid's purpose was. He watched it traveling into his arm with a pensive expression on his face.

"Did Jennifer come here with you?" He'd come in here for some reading, but maybe he could help the cat get to his person.

"And... can you sing?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-14 03:16 pm UTC (link)

"I'm not sure..."

In fact, Jake hadn't even thought about it. Jennifer! Goodness, she might be here, also! And she might be hurt! He was trying to remember. Trying oh-so-hard to remember how he arrived in this prison. What if she's hurt? What if she's alone? Jennifer had always been so nice to him. So sweet. And, in another world or another lifetime, the two of them might have had something special between them. She did give the most wonderful neck scratches.

"I have been so worried about getting that cone off my head that I didn't even think about her! This is horrible. I can't believe I was so thoughtless. Jennifer is always so kind to me. She always keeps the kitchen stock with tuna and catnip."

Jake had an itch. He reached around and chewed at a spot on his hind leg.

"I should look for h-- What?"

Jake tilted his head to the side.

"Sing? Well, I do so just about every night! Of course, most of the neighbors don't seem to appreciate it. But that's mostly because they don't stop to listen to the words."

Cats were fabulous singers, after all. Especially on fences at night.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-17 05:48 am UTC (link)

Tuna and catnip. Lorne giggled. That didn't seem like a half bad life, and he wasn't even a cat.

And he could sing!

"Fantastic! Listen, kitten, if you can sing me a little something, I might be able to help you out."

Was he slurring his speech? This orange stuff was really getting on Lorne's nerves.

"This junk they've got me on might make it tougher, but I can help read people's..." He was talking to a cat. "...creature's paths and destinies when they sing. I might be able to lead you to Jennifer, if you're meant to find her."

Lorne made a face, and pulled the IV needle out of his arm. "Yeowch."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-17 09:23 pm UTC (link)

"You mean like ... You can see somebody's future? Just by listening to them sing?"

Well, wasn't that interesting? Jake's people had a lot of abilities, but clairvoyance certainly wasn't one of them. How fascinating to meet someone with such an extreme talent!

But what was that orange stuff? It looked unpleasant. Almost as unpleasant as that cone he'd had on his head. Goodness, that had been so uncomfortable.

He almost jumped when Lorne ripped the IV out of his arm. The quick motion had set off his animal alert sensors.

"That ... looked like it hurt."

Not to state the obvious or anything, but -- What was he supposed to be doing? Oh, right! Singing! So that he could find Jennifer.

Jake cleared his throat with a half-growling sound and then began to howl.

"MMMEEEOOOWWWWWW MRROWWW MEWWWWWW MEOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_host
2011-01-18 04:48 am UTC (link)

"Ehhh... not their future. Not exactly. More like the path they're on right now. That can usually be changed. Unless someone's a hero or something."

That... looked like it hurt.

"You're not kidding. I'll scratch that off my to-do list for my lifetime," Lorne said.

He smiled at the cat when it started singing, then fought the urge to laugh, since singing for the cat meant meowing. How had he not seen that one coming?

But he listened, and felt, and did what he was trying to do, anyway. It felt like he was underwater, still. That orange juice had definitely been more than juice, and he really did suspect it was keeping him in an almost drunken state.

Lorne narrowed his eyes, listening.

Jake loved Jennifer. She took wonderful care of him. Lorne smiled. He wasn't getting much about Jennifer and whether they'd arrived together, so he gathered that hadn't happened. They'd arrived separately. He tried to feel out how Jake had come here, but he couldn't do that, either.

"Hm. Well, that's a lovely purr you've got goin'," Lorne said. "It doesn't sound like you came here with Jennifer. Or remember how you got here. But also, I'm operating about at half capacity."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_meow
2011-01-19 03:38 pm UTC (link)

When Jake finished singing (or doing what it was that his species considered to be singing -- which, to some people, might have been nails on a chalkboard,) he looked to Lorne for immediate response. But Lorne's abilities seemed to be just as useless as Jake's. It was those darn doctors and their darn drugs! What use was there in drugging an entire population of people (and cats!)? Jake hung his head a little.

"That is alright. I will find her. And my other friends. Soon, I hope. Perhaps, when I do, we can all figure out a way to get out of this dreadful place. I hate feeling so confined. It's making me claustrophobic."

A cat? Claustrophobic? Well, this one was accustomed to traveling light years across space! He wasn't exactly the average Felinus domesticus. Jake was something special.

"I should probably start looking now. Before the nurses find me and try to put that thing on my head again. You be careful, alright? I don't think that orange stuff is doing you any good. And thank you again! I owe you one. Seriously. If you ever need me."

He reached around suddenly and bit at his hind leg.

"Goodness. I think I have fleas."

He shook his head and then scurried across the library to the door. Ever elusive, just like any good-natured feline.

(Reply to this) (Parent)