soul_campaign | [video] 2/6, evening - Megumi vs. the modern HMO

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[video] 2/6, evening - Megumi vs. the modern HMO

[The video feed comes on to the office Megumi has now occupied in the General Hospital. You can see tatami flooring and a pot simmering on a hot plate. A timer dings in the background and there is the sound of her speaking:]

This is ridiculous. What is the need for all of these papers, I'm up to my ears in them. Taking the time to fill them all out takes time away from where we should be-- the patient's bedside. And why is this "medical board" having us perform so many tests on each patient even when the diagnosis is already clear? No one gets better from running all of these unnecessary tests, but we have to bill them anyway. It's a waste of time and money-- ours and the patients'.

[A man's voice can be heard, it's an NPC supervisor] That's not my concern, Doctor Tanaka. Fill out the files or-- do what the rest of them do, get yourself an assistant and make them do it. I don't care, just get it done. Good day.

[The door closes and Megumi turns around and shuffles back towards where the communicator is. She can be heard cracking an egg into a bowl and muttering something that sounds very much like:]

It's Takani, you stupid ass.

[She cracks another egg for her tamagoyaki, and that's when she notices the mirror was on that whole time.]

Hmph. Figures.

If you are out there, and you're injured-- and I know there are many of you after all of that. Come to the clinic at the hospital tonight or tomorrow. I won't give you the same nonsense or run-around that they are recommending us to. It's my job to get you well and back home.

[Open to action threads here, or you can tag in to this log!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She snorts.]

I don't need a man to be happy. Frankly, I think that might make it worse.

Maybe not a man. But what about a cat!

[Megumi makes a face.]

Are you trying to call me an old lady, Haru. I'll fix you good for that.

I wouldn't want to be owned by some old lady, so no! Of course not!

I don't need any pets, they get the floor dirty and scratch the furniture. And you have to clean up their stools.

That's not very nice. I'm potty trained, you know.

I don't need a man-pet, either. Loafing around all day and doing nothing useful, eats your food and won't say anything nice, uses up all of your bandages, borrows your money, and all without a goddamn thank you-- no, sir.

[Okay, that was clearly out of nowhere. And slightly exaggerated. Some times Sano did say nice things, it was just... hidden under his backwards-talk. If he insulted her, sometimes he meant the opposite, she suspected.]

[All the same, it felt good to get it off her chest. She hmphs and tosses her hair over her shoulder.]

Edited 2012-04-22 03:36 (UTC)

[ Haru stares at her for a moment before branching off into a laugh. ]

Sounds like someone has a crush~

[ All those little irritations -- some so specific that they had to be talking about someone in particular -- in Haru's eyes they were tell-tale signs of a crush. ]

A crush? Absolutely not. The man has barely spoken to me since I arrived. The time he did talk to me, it was because he wanted food...

[Megumi glowers, clearly hurt.]

Men are unreliable and unable to understand important things. They only try to get things from you or control your life. I don't need them.

Edited 2012-04-24 07:23 (UTC)

I dunno ~ still sounds kinda like a crush to me!

[ The hurt speaks volumes. But Haru offers a little smile. ]

C'mon now. Not all of us are that bad. Don't lump me in with those big bad men.

Nope. They're all controlling. Even you.

That's why I didn't like it when you said you were going to "fix me," by the way. I don't want a man to be my savior and fix me. I want to do it myself.

Edited 2012-04-25 07:32 (UTC)

You don't really know me, so I guess you don't know. Do you.

[ A nerve has been struck. Haru's been judged all his life by humans. And just when he thought he'd escaped it, it came reeling right back to slap him in the face. ]

If that's the assumption you're gonna make of people, then it's no wonder you haven't fixed yourself yet. Sounds an awful lot to me like you don't even wanna be fixed.

You're right, I don't know for sure what you are like. I apologize.

I think that you seemed to have kind intentions, but I need to tell you: that was how it felt, at first, controlling. And I'm telling you that I didn't like how that felt. So please try to avoid it with me if you can.

I want to do it myself, so that I can be proud of myself for having overcome something. I spent so many years feeling powerless and hoping someone else would come in and save me. It's because of that that I wish to try to...

[She can't think of the right word, so she trails off.]

I don't know how to explain it. I don't think I am making sense, am I.

[ He puffs his cheek, looking for all the world like a sulky child. ]

How can you think that when I told you the reason I wanna help?

[ He doesn't look back at the camera, listening to her have her own speech of empowerment. ]

No. It makes sense. But it starts with trust. Trusting other people. That's the foundation of rehabilitation. [ A wan smile crosses his lips as he glances back at the screen. ] At least that's what they told me in narcotics anonymous.

Did it work?

I'll get back to ya on that. I'm only a few weeks into the program.

I've read that that's a support program for stopping unhealthy drug use.... If you need any support, or perhaps someone to talk to during a weak moment or a withdrawal... you should let me know. I've experience in that area, from home.

[Gently, by way of apology for her earlier sharpness:]

You could let me help you fix yourself. Then it'd be an even exchange. I'm much more comfortable with that, Haru-san.

[ Haru regards her for a moment before his eyes flicker upward. ]

That's the thing, Megumi-chan. I don't want to fix myself.

[ He wouldn't even be doing this if it weren't for the people who were worried about him. He was much more content to just get high and live with the risk. ]

Ah.... I see.... [She's entirely sympathetic here, as opposed to judgemental like one might expect.]

Is it against your will, then, that you are in the group? I read that sometimes when people are arrested or convicted of charges, in this country, a judge will tell them they must go to such meetings to get help to change their ways.

Yeah. It is.

[ There's no point in hiding it. Not after he made a big production on the network once he got out. ]

Weekly drug testing, meetings, and sponsors.

Hmmmm. I see.

May I ask what it is you were taking? I'm not going to lecture you, I'm sure you get enough of that.

Haha you could, but it's kind of hard to answer. I don't even know what most of what I was taking was.

A lot of the time I'd exchange sexual favors for pain meds some of my clients had. I got my hands on some smack once. I used cough syrup and cold medicine too. But none of it comes close to Fire Candy.

Cough syrup and cold medicine is simply alcohol, I don't see how that would give you any sort of withdrawal relief. Was it a depressant or a stimulant?

[ He shakes his head. ]

When you get desperate, you'll try just about anything.

[ He cants his head. ]

Umm...dunno. It didn't make me depressed. If anything I felt on top of the world, so I guess it'd be the other one? [ He scratches his cheek idly. Haru doesn't know all these doctorly terms! ]

A depressant makes a person feel very calm, slow, and sedated. Opium or morphine is a depressant. A stimulant is the sort of thing that makes you feel as if your heart is beating rapidly, your thoughts are racing, you just can't stay still. Think about caffeine or cocaine.

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