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"You... just watched people?" Photinus asked. "What about sand castles and shells and crabs and starfish?" He listened to her speak of how far from popular she was. He ran into people all the time just wandering around. Sometimes wandering was the only way he could keep from losing his mind with fear. He was still always terrified though. Dimas, how long have you been here? he wondered to himself. He wondered if he should show her reflection to the jellyfish girl, or offer to wander with her. Those halls were best filled with companions.

His flushed cheeks had cooled but they flared briefly again. She wasn't that rash, was she? "Well, right, of course not..." he stuttered. He reached out for her hand when she pulled it away from his knee. They were both nervous but they didn't need to be, and she did not need to hide from him. The fact that she had brought him to her room proved that she did not want to hide. He smiled tentatively. "We'll go as slow as we can," his grin broadened, "in a place like this!"

He squeezed her hand. "Don't need to thank me, you know. If we're going to be friends, we need to support each other without expecting anything in return. I'm happy to help." And beside that, it gave him something to think about instead of fear. Any excuse was good, but this was a cause. This was a friend. This was something he could possibly help with! Possibly...

Photinus' eyes widened at the thought of a whole bucket of clams. Don't those usually live deeply in the sand? She must have good fortune. Perhaps she was also good at hiding her fears by diverting the attention of others. It seemed strange that she would open up to a stranger.

These thoughts evaporated a moment later. Perhaps another diversion? This impression was lost as something moist and blood-stained came hurtling at his face; he froze in shock, absolutely rigid until he realized that it was nothing of the sort. Then his face and shoulders sank a little into what could only be described as pillows. Warm, soft, comforting pillows. His hands grasped tightly at the back of her shirt and her long hair, his body beginning to shake with something like grief and relief all at once. He started to take a deep, cleansing breath -- and discovered that he couldn't inhale.

Scrambling back, red-faced and huffing a little, he sat bolt upright, as if embarrassed. He was, when he thought about what pillow he had been leaning into. But he was overreacting too frequently; he was beginning to feel like he was afraid of every little thing and jumping at shadows. "Watch out, those can be used as deadly weapons!" he chuckled weakly, attempting to gain some semblance of control. He took a deep breath a moment later and tilting his head down gently leaned his ear against her chest. "This... this is nice."

Photinus was surprised by Dimas' reaction, particularly the fingers running through his hair. But this time he did not jump, it was just the sort of situation he could hardly remember experiencing. Not the awkwardness but the womanly, (dare I say motherly?) embrace when comforting another. His fierce grip relaxed into a proper hug. His voice deepened with strong, sobering emotions: "You have the same offer from me." He looked up, though from this angle he could hardly glimpse anything but her shoulder, breast, and some strands of hair. "I admit I am rather small, but my shoulder is yours to lean on anytime." He reached up to bat at her hair gently and found that the red ones felt a little differently from the others. He had never played with another's hair before but hers was long and beautiful, shot through with thicker strands of candy rope. I like your hair, he thought, though it would have seemed odd to actually say aloud.

Size? It seemed like a strange reply for her to make, and perhaps her reaction was to something equally strange. But he felt so small, even in this strange girl's arms (this very word kept coming to mind), that is until he felt her lower her head over his. She needed the same kind of comfort he did. He was surprised when he felt her pull away and when he looked up found what could have been blush spread across her face. Ah... this isn't normal, was his thought of agreement. He flushed a little too, embarrassed. But is this embrace really so abnormal or forward in our situation?

He smiled sadly and kissed her cheek before he too pulled away. "I think nobody gets enough of that in a place like this. Comfort." But the question was, what were they supposed to do now?

Photinus chuckled ruefully. "A place to heal? Like a real asylum? Don't be silly." His attempt at irony came out unintentionally bitter. An asylum is supposed to heal, eventually, or at the very least provide shelter from a would that is ill-equipped to deal with the fringes of society... and sanity. He frowned thoughtfully and looked down at his hands. "Maybe it really is up to the patients to stick together and heal each other." He glanced back up at her and wondered if it was possible. Perhaps it is possible... for some? Perhaps it is possible to find more allies interested in that kind of goal?

His eyes widened. The change of subject was logical enough, but his mind took a moment to grasp it. He shook his head and glanced off, recalling. He frowned and blushed faintly. "No... books were my closest friends, though I tried to get along with everyone. And I have no family anymore. Some of the others used to sneak in and 'keep each other company' but I wasn't interested because I saw what happened when things didn't work out, and how difficult it was to live with someone who's jealous or angry. Sometimes they really did like each other, but were torn apart by adults..." Did it seem ironic that people might be more likely to forge lasting bonds at the Asylum than in a mainstream sort of Home like his group home? Absolutely.

Tearing his foggy gaze away from the floor, he smiled up at Dimas. "I guess... we've got some interesting things in common."

"You think so? Even if patients band together it won't be enough?" Would it be best to adopt the bleak outlook? Or remain optimistic and keep fighting? Or perhaps a 'what the hell' attitude, do whatever one wanted for as long as possible, until the doctors drag you away? "I keep fighting with what I think on the matter..."

Suddenly he reached for her hand and lay his over the top. "Dimas... I would like to think that it's possible that we can find comfort in each other no matter what happens. Who knows, maybe they never take notice of certain 'quiet' patients and we can live almost happy lives. We can at least be happy in each other's company right? Isn't it possible to find others with the same desire? Books can only do so much," he added quietly. "We can't just hide from what's around us right? But we can try to cope. And I think we can still live our lives, for what that's worth..."

Photinus nodded to Dimas as she replied to what he had just blurted out. His words sounded naive and rash to his own ears, but she seemed to accept what he was saying. At least some of what he said could be taken to heart. No one with their physical inflictions could get along in normal society. They would be labeled, or forced to live in solitude. Perhaps in a small ironic way this was actually the right place for them. At least there were some otherwise normal people here, who just happened to look like monsters. People like Dimas, who, contrary to his own fears, was just a normal girl with hopes and fears and wishes for the future.

He probably would have pulled his hand away in embarrassment if she was not holding his so tightly. It was easy to be optimistic in a tiny, cozy room with just one other person, whom happens to have similar views. So, though they were speaking in general terms for coping in a hellacious place, and looking for more friends, and being there for one's friend, when she kissed his cheek he found himself blushing a little darker than he probably should have and his eyes fell down to his knees.

"Dimas... do you think it's possible..." He frowned and shook his head to clear his mind. He looked up at the pretty jellyfish girl, smiled broadly and said something completely different from what he had been struggling to say. "I'm sure there are plenty of people like us here. We just have to go for it. We'll show them it's worth it to try and we'll live our lives."

Photinus nodded in agreement. Ah, good, he had saved himself from saying something truly embarrassing. And together they had found something to hope for, if not a goal to strive for.

She let go of his hand and it seemed as if a light switch had been flipped off. Had he been wrong? How could she guess what he had been thinking? No, he certainly had not been thinking of this! His face was even darker than it had been a moment before. He jumped to his feet. "W...what? What are you saying?"

He tried to think rationally, and to take her words at face value. She was offering to walk him home, or to let him stay, instead of walking alone. He tried to recover. He tried to focus on one thing at a time. "But you can't do that. If you walked me home, you would have to walk home alone. Or... stay at my place." Well, he hadn't meant to say that. He was trying desperately not to think of what she meant when she called herself a bed hog. She couldn't possibly mean to share her bed when any self-respecting man would sleep on the floor. The chilly, wet, stained, bug-infested floor... Ugh, no...