Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lexiel had visited Happy Home only once before, and that was when she was Institutionalized, but she remembered a flyer posted on one of the billboards, as she was staring about in one of the waiting rooms, stating that Happy Home was going to be holding a small Tea Party thearapy session so that everyone could meet and get to know eachother. She had jotted down the date in her little pocket journal when she saw it, and the day finally arrived when it was to be held.

The party was supposed to start at 10:00am and go till about 3:00 pm, and it was to be held out in the garden. Lunch was to be served around 12:00. She remembered all of the details and had begged the two women who ran the orphanage to let her go. They were hesitant at first, worried of her learning more bad habbits from the other people who were also institutionalized and of her last dissapearance when she went galavanting about to see a parade, but they finally let her go.

Stepping out of the Orphanage company car she said good bye to the woman who drove her there, and after Lexiel was mothered by the woman into a rebelious disposition she told her that she would be late if she kept her there any longer. The woman drived off, leaving her there alone to enter the great building, somewhat upset with how she was treated. Walking up the stairs to the front door she was a bit nervous, having been here only once before and not really knowing anyone but a certain nurse, and only a couple of the others.

She knocked on the door, but no one answered her, so she gathered up the courage and entered herself. The floorboards creaked as she walked on them and on the old age stained wallpaper were hand made paper arrows directing anyone, who arrived for the tea party, where to go. She followed them cautiously, keeping her wits about her for she had no clue who she was going to meet along the way.

Lexiel continued through the dim lit hallways following the arrows, becoming even more curious as to how far this was going to lead her, twisting and turning in almost every direction. Finally she saw the light of day through an open door. Excitedly she ran twords it, only for her 3 and a 1/2 inch shoes to catch on the door molding, making her trip and fall face forward.

With a loud 'Umph' She fell to the ground smooth concrete ground. More embarrased then anything she stood up and checked herself over, dusting off her dress of anything that might have clung to it during the fall. She was a little sore, but nothing that wouldn't wear off in a few minutes, and she was in luck that her stockings didn't tear.

Looking around she spotted a head over a very long table that was set up with dishes of all sorts. No tea pots were in sight though and the food trays were void of any kind of edible food. Upon examining the head that showed over the table more she started to recognize the hair color, it being from someone she has already met. She smiles happily and walks over.

"Autumn!" She said happily, appearing from around the table."

Lexiel seemed a little bit out of sorts as Autumn introduced her to the new person that she did not see. Autumn had explained to her when they first met what Ati was, and how normal people couldn't see them. Squinting slightly to blurr her vision, she once again saw the faint outline of what seemed to be a human figure of some sort. She curtsied, to it whatever it was, as not be impolite, but when she heard the boy speak she almost jumped back in shock.

"It spoke!" She cried, eyes wide. "The last time I couldn't even see them.. but Now I can hear them?" She looked a little worried, gripping onto her skirts slightly. Shaking her head she looked back and smiled at the empty air in front of her, where she knew Ati stood.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you Ati, I'm just a little shocked that I could hear you is all. It's a pleasure to meet you, I assure you. Oh, and dredfully sorry for calling you an it." She felt so embarrased but she smiled anyways and then hugged Autumn in a quick squeeze. After releasing she looked around and wondered where everyone else could have been.

"Were you the first ones here?" She asked, keeping in mind that there were technically two of them.

Lexiel shrugged at her question.

"I've been alright I suppose. When we were caught together hidding in the church the police took it easy on me, knowing that I now knew someone outside of the Orphanage, and that if any word seeped out of them treating me wrongly, it would surely put a dent in their perfect record. So I was dropped off at the Orphanage without a rough grip or any name calling and was accepted into by the two old biddies that own the place and then I was sent straight to my room without any supper." She shrugged smiling, kind of tilting on her high shoes. "In the morning though it was things as ussual and we were back to the ol' stay-away-from-the-other-kids-because-you're-insane routine.

"How have you been Autumn?" She asked smiling.

"I've been...a bit better lately, especially since Ati started talking.." Autumn replied with a weak smile, then glanced at the girl with a small frown. "They really do that to you...? That's horrible! I'd...I'd offer to ave you come stay with me, but there's barely enough room in my apartment for Ati and I. I'm sorry.."

Leaning over with only the shortest of hesitations, she hugged Lexiel comfortingly, laughing merrily as Ati moved through Lex to be included in the hug. Such a sweet thing, she thought affectionatly....how had she had the luck to have such sweet hallucinations?

The newest - temporary - resident began her foray among the hallways during her first morning of 'treatment'. It was hard to wear an expression other than bemused scowl at the way things had been proceeding as yet - so eager was she to meet one on one with some professional to get her observation underway, but why had the time so far been such a waste?

And now "group session" of all things, as some orderly informed her when she tried to figure out where she was supposed to be today. After an initial perk at making some progress towards her case, she came down with a slump at recognizing it for what it was - as a low-cost alternative to actual psychological care, this group session was probably run by someone in the equivalent of high school pep squad.

Hand-made paper arrows, eh? Hard to decide whether they struck her as creative or sloppy, but she adhered to their directions nonetheless. No doubt anything truly private such as offices rather than common space were protected, by orderlies and supervision if not by traditional locks and clearances. This not-so-voluntary patient needed little shepherding in any case.

"... Okay, then." Apathetic had been knocking at the door for some time now, and had totally failed to attract anyone's attention; either the door was just too thick for the sound to penetrate it or there just wasn't anyone around to hear. Pausing for a moment, Apathy rubbed his knuckles, musing that the gloves he wore had failed completely to dull the blow; he'd resorted to knocking after ringing the doorbell had failed, but neither option seemed to be turning up a positive result.

Running a hand through his hair, he glanced around him, noting that as nicely-landscaped and carefully-greened as the area seemed to be, it was surprisingly empty-- After all, this might've been an asylum, but was there really not a single outpatient? Or were all of the inhabitants so... unhinged that they'd been confined to their rooms? Apathy still didn't see anyone else...

And, he noticed suddenly, he didn't see Stigma, either.

"Stigma?" he called, voice low-- Just in case. No response. That was unusual; normally, she seemed to know when and where he was, but maybe she was just ignoring him. "Stigma?" A little louder this time, but still no response.

"Stigma!"

"You don't have to shout," she pouted, materializing on the step just below the one on which he stood. "I could hear you fine, you know."

Rolling his eyes - there was no point arguing, he'd learned - Apathy merely shook his head. "So?" he asked, figuring that she'd probably gone looking around the place. "Did you see anyone else?"

"Some people," she said, nodding as she pointed in the direction of what looked like the gardens. "Some ladies, three of them-- I think they're not doctors, though. One of them's carrying a big plate, with teacups and stuff on it."

"Teacups?" Okay, then; maybe there're some outside-worthy patients around, and maybe an orderly or something. Putting his hands back in his pockets, he glanced down at Stigma with a small sigh, saying, "Come on, then-- Maybe they can tell us where to find a physician, or someone with a license, or maybe just anyone who can sign my release-form." He fingered the folded paper in his pocket as they started off down the garden-path, Stigma remaining by his side (though her feet were a few inches off the floor); all he needed was the signature and they could be off.

((Should be okay; Vis hasn't put up a concrete floorplan or anything, after all. ^^))

Ati smiled and blushed (could hallucinations blush? Autumn wasn't sure..), and nodded to the kind lady who kept squinting at him and making him check to see if he was all still there. "Thank you, Miss Lexiel..", he replied with a hesitant smile, "Most people can't even see me." He gave a nervous giggle, and then hid behind a rosebush, only peeking out as he saw a man and a little girl -a little girl like him!- walking down the path. Shortly afterwards, however, he sunk down into the bush, watching them from between two blooms and a tangle of thorny branches.

Autumn, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content just to sit there and talk to Lexiel. Presently, she was discussing the absence of tea at this 'tea party'...as well as the lack of 'party'. So wrapped up in this was she that she didn't notice the tea-bearer until she was practically on top of them. When she did notice, it was only because her shadow had fallen on them...and then, she screeched in alarm, hiding behind the thin form of her younger friend.