Three days after the fiasco at the garden you sat at a little round two-person table in the main room of the eighth floor of the institution. It was currently now free time among the patients. They already had courtyard time and their lunch, so now it was time for them to do whatever they pleased, allowed by the institute of coarse.
You sat across from Eliot at that small little table, playing the simple yet entertaining game of connect four. Elliot did not like complex games, as he got frustrated very easily. You Looked down at your wrapped up left hand. It would take a while to heal, but you were just glad that no bones were broken.
Even though it hurt like Hell, in the end, it was worth it, after all, you gained a friend. Well, actually you were still working on that, but now he actually let you be around him and do things with him.
You smiled at him as you let him win another match of the small game. His eyes flicked up to you, wide and full of what seemed to be a little confusion. It was like he did not know what it meant to win. Which was understandable with what you heard from his past.
" Well, Elliot, what would you like to do now." You asked the giant across from you. As usual, though he made no move or any noise other than that big breathing of his. He just continued to stare at you with slightly wide eyes.
You hummed in thought for a second before a light went off in your head, you knew something that might be fun! if the institute had it of course.
" Oh! I know, wait here I will be right back." You stood up from your chair and headed to the other side of the room where a big shelf filled with books stood. You looked through the books, trying to see if they had the one you had in mind. You didn't find it after a minute and huffed.
You looked to your right and saw Willy sitting in a chair a few feet away reading a book himself. He had his muzzle wrapped tightly around his face and you noticed with surprise that he was actually chained to the chair.
Taking a quick glance to the sides you saw a few more guards were around this area than anywhere else in the room. Coming here you thought Elliot or Joshua was the most dangerous, but maybe it really was Willy.
Well, you figured if anyone would know if that book was here it would be him, might as well give it a try. After all, he wouldn't bite, right?
You mentally punched yourself in the face for that one.
you took a deep breath and walked over to the intimidating man. From the corner of your eye, you could see Eliot still at the table watching you.
Willy did not acknowledge your presence at all as you walked up to him, you stood by his chair for a minute, not quite knowing how to word your question to him.
" Um... Hi Willy, do you know if there is a-"
" Bottom of the shelf, very left." He said quickly, not even looking up at you. He flipped to the next page of his book. You stood in the same spot for a minute, dumbfounded. You had not even told him what you were looking for. You eyed him suspiciously for another second before turning around and following his directions.
You knelt down at the end of the bookshelf and started reading the titles. Your eye's almost immediately landed on the book you were looking for. A guide on Garden Flowers.
You pulled it out with wide eyes and then quickly walked back over to Willy, holding it out as you got to him.
" How did you know what I was looking for?" You asked quickly, and to be honest, a little bit frightened too. He sighed through his nostrils before putting his book down, using a finger to keep his page. He looked up at you with his frigid blue eyes, obvious annoyance in his blue orbs.
" My dear Y/N, I have noticed you have made yourself friendly to our dear Elliot, and our dear Elliot has never shown interest in anything other than plants, now you have made friends with him during garden care have known this yourself. Now when you ask Dear Elliot what he wants to do, then get an idea yourself an make your way over here, it's not hard to figure what for." He said, not missing a beat in any part of that.
You stood frozen for a second, feeling awkward around the cannibal. After a moment, you nodded your head.
" Well, thanks, Willy." You said. He gave you a slight nod before turning his attention back to his book. You quickly turned on your heels and made your way back to the table where Elliot was. You took your seat across from him, ignoring how he was watching you very much like a wolf. You opened the book and set it at an angle to where you both could see it well.
" I was thinking we could look through this book for flowers we like, So maybe we could use our good points to get the seeds if they will let us." You said with a smile.
- -
You sipped your soup as you sat next to Elliot, watching him flip through the pages of the book. You were surprised they let him take the book into the cafeteria during dinner time. Yet again, when they told him no and tried to take it away from him he got aggressive.
You were sure Elliot was seconds away from grabbing the nurse that reached out to take it from him and pop her head of like a dandelion head. But Doctor Valeski came in and saved the day, telling everyone it was ok for him to take it for now.
He was so entranced in the book, seeing such beautiful, colorful and exotic flowers for the first time. Willy was right, plants really were Elliot's world.
You happily munched on the meat and onions of your french onion soup, smelling the steam that wafted up into your face from it, it smelled like salt and tasted that way too. You could have gotten the main course of pasta instead, but Elliot could not have anything but soup for the time being, and you wanted to get closer to him, so you were gonna be stuck with soup with him.
Elliot had not even touched his soup though, He was looking at the book much like a young kid would with their favorite TV show. He slowly flipped through the pages. Gazing with his very soul into each and every flower.
You finished up your dinner and let out a small belch. At least the food was really good here, it would suck if it was not. Well, it sucked anyway with being here at all.
You got up, heading back over to the counter to put your tray away. You stacked your tray on the others and started to make your way back to Elliots table, You were stopped by a male voice.
" Can't say it's very wise to hang around big boy over there, but you seem to be doing ok...for now at least." You turned in the direction of the voice and saw another eighth-floor patient.
He was not someone you knew, for he was not in your group. He was an overweight fellow with shaved dark brown hair. He was looking at you with dull blue eyes. as you looked at him he raised his eyebrows, expecting a response.
" Oh, um yeah, I'm doing fine." You replied to him, unsure of the whole situation. He gave you a little smile before looking down with a hint of sadness.
" Can't say I'm not envious of the guy, everyone here but the twins stick to themselves, I'm probably not the only one jealous of the big guy that the pretty new girl chose him to try and be friends with, but I guess it's understandable since he is in your own group." You widened your eyes, was what he was saying true? you took a slight step back, getting a slight chill in your spine from this guy.
You went to open your mouth to say something but a loud bell rang through the cafeteria, signaling that Dinner was done, and it was time to shower. The guy stood up and smiled at you.
" I guess I will see you later Y/N." He said, then turned and left the cafeteria. You stood there for a second, wondering how on earth he knew your name. You looked back at Elliot's table, seeing that he was already gone. You started to walk to the entrance, only to see that it was blocked by a figure.
they were leaned on one of the open doors with their arms crossed over their chest. Facing slightly inward, as if they were waiting for someone. There was no one else left in the cafeteria though, so it could only be you then. As you got closer to the door, finally being in front of it and not to the side of it, you finally saw who it was. It was Joshua.
You stopped in front of him, waiting for him to move so you could leave. He only looked at you distantly with calculating eyes.
" Careful around Henry Y/N." He said, and that was all he said, before turning around and walking in the direction of the men's shower room.
Henry? was that the man you were just talking to? What was going on? You did not even know Joshua, but you knew this Henry guy even less. You had seen both sides of the coin of patients here, the actual bad ones, and the misunderstood ones. Maybe Henry was a misunderstood one like you and Elliot.
But maybe, just maybe, it would be best to take Joshua's word on that for now. However, it was not like you weren't going to be careful anyway. After all, this Henry guy did give you the chills.
You looked at Joshua's distant figure for a second, before turning around and heading to the woman's shower yourself.