Sticks and stones, kid.

Jonas looked back down at the notebook he had scribbled on and wrote some more. THANK YOU. WE’RE NEW AND THEY WERE WONDERING IF YOU KNEW HOW TO GET TO THE LIBRARY. I’VE TRIED TO GET THERE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT I KEEP ENDING UP AT THE INFIRMARY INSTEAD OF THERE. He offered a gentle smile to the older man. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET A MAP FROM? The young male had added to the paper.

Aric’s eyes looked over the words and he blinked once, twice, before looking back up. Weird pronoun, to be referring to oneself, wasn’t it? “We?” He asked in a simple manner before puling the map from his back pocket. He had just gotten here himself and immediately got the layout of the place. He opened the folded paper and scanned the various rooms and floors before he caught the first letter of the library. Up and to the left. Perhaps he was supposed to escort the patient there, he still didn’t have their schedule yet anyway. 

“I thought I was just going to rehab, not this kind of shit. And what, the mentally ill can’t have coffee that tastes good and doesn’t look like this?” Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “You must work here. Meaning you have access to good coffee, and if you were a woman, good bras, but you’re even further privileged and can let your boobs roam free without ridicule, so why are you so pissy?”

“This still is rehab. If you wanted someone to pamper you while you got admitted you should have gone to a Hollywood rehab center instead. The coffee is against the rules due to the burn hazard it causes if someone unstable decided to throw it at another patient, or staff.” His tone was cold and uncaring towards her whining, not a muscle moving to change his expression. He wanted to make a case of ‘if you weren’t so damn dysfunctional in society you wouldn’t even be here’ but decided to keep it to himself. “I do work here. There is nothing that stops you from letting, quote, your boobs roam free. People have more important things to care about in here than a loose rack. Like getting better.” Pissy. why did everyone always assume he was pissy or grumpy? It was a natural thing, a professional thing to not be friendly in his position. It was work.

He’s a bit surprised to hear what his fellow staff member had to say. Sure, it’s a passing comment but he thought most of his collagues would prefer to not just admit their chagrin like that, apparently he’s wrong. Either this place gives a horrendous first impression or this guy is just one of those grumpy ones. “It’s quite a trip.” He agrees softly. “You doing okay? Do you need a moment to take this all in?”

Quite a trip. That was an odd choice of words and Aric let his suspicion voice itself through a light lift of a brow. “No, I don’t need time to take it in. It’s a mental hospital, I haven’t gotten my hopes up.” He replied monotonously, his lips drawing into a tight line as he watched another guard stroll around like he was on vacation. “Do you work here as well?” Aric questioned, turning to scan the man with an analytical expression. A coworker, perhaps? Or a polite patient?

Jonas had been trying his best to get away from the screaming patients. It wasn’t pleasant to him or his chattering friends upstairs. When he finally saw a security guard, he approached cautiously and held up his notebook that he had already written on. HELLO. MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION?

A notebook? If Aric hadn’t been in a complete professional stance his face would have expressed some confusion but for now he only crossed his hands behind his back and nodded. “If you must. Is there a problem?” Deep down Aric just wanted to say ‘nope’ and walk away, not interested in squabbles with patients on his very first day, yet this one seemed relatively harmless.

“Well, I’ve been through airport security times a billion, I’m detoxing, I’m down to two bras, and now I’m drinking coffee that resembles water from a pothole in I-495. And it’s decaf. Already beaten down, first day.”

“It’s a mental hospital, what did you expect?” Aric sighed and signed off the last of contraband he had found in various patient rooms. “It’s always gonna be decaf so get used to it. Rules are rules.”