[Drama] The Muir the Merrier

[Will Stanton]

The lump of clay sat in the corner of the room, pointedly ignoring the bed and desk provided in the glass-walled observation area. He hadn't fought being put into the room, but he also hadn't answered the initial questions from the doctors who admitted him, and was generally being unresponsive and unhelpful.

So, you know, a typical Tuesday.

[Will Stanton]

"Good afternoon, Mr. Stanton. Will? Do you prefer Will?"

The man in the white doctor's coat walked down the hallway, pressing the intercom so he could talk with the new patient.

"I'm doctor..."


"Wayne Cole. It's Wayne, right? I can smell you from here. If Wayne Cole is what passes for a scientist in this world, we're more fucked than I thought."



The man shifted his weight from one foot to another.

"That's right; I'm Dr. Cole. It's a pleasure to meet you, though it sounds like we've met before, in a manner of speaking? And I'm not a scientist; I'm one of the staff's counselors."


"Even peachier. A reprobate and ASBO-earning punk now's in charge of trying to unravel my deep, inner mysteries. My God save our souls."


"Will, you're under the influence of a drug at the moment, do you remember? We were able to remove the source of the MGH, but your body is producing it now. We believe that constant flow is impairing your judgment and making you upset; we're working on a way to help you. Can you help us? We would like to help you return to normal."

"Normal. You don't even know what normal IS; Wayne. It's the tyranny of normal that drove me to this in the first place."

"Will, we're just trying to help you. That's what we do here at Muir; we want to help you better adapt to the world around you, and give you the tools you need to be a productive member of society..."

"Well, the world will have to adapt to me, won't it? Or I'll just wait it out -- four years, 40 years, 4000 years, whatever it takes. I'll be home again, where I'm accepted for what I am."

"Will, your friends are concerned. Miss McManus and Mr. Narumi expressed significant concern..."

"My friends are on the other side of a dimensional breach, Wayne. Their...carbon copies here don't understand me like they do."

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh and unfair there, Will? That's probably the drug talking..."

"You would know a thing or two about unfairness, wouldn't you, Wayne? I can taste your tattoo from here. Tell me, does Muir Island's HR department know about your connection with..."



Dr. Cole removed his hand from the intercom, and took a step back. "I'll record this conversation in our files, Mr. Stanton. I'm afraid that, until you're a little more cooperative with us, there's not...all that much we can do for you."

He turned and walked down the hallway, leaving the blob alone once more.

[Nailah Weaver]

The day after the semi-voluntary committing of the drugged up blob there's a knock on the wall as a confused Nailah looks in through the glass.

[Will Stanton]

The room, as far as Nailah could tell, was empty...but the one of the pillows from the bed flopped off, and hit the ground.

"What is it," it grunted at her.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I'm... visiting? That's what friends do, yeah?"

[Will Stanton]

"I suppose everyone back at Xavier's throwing a little party, aren't they?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Not exactly, no. I'm feeling like I'm the only one who's not all... despondent about things and it's weirding me out."

[Will Stanton]

"Ah, so you're here to point and laugh at the zoo animals because no one else will. I get it now."

The pillow quivered for a moment, before ballooning up into a full elephant, which trumpeted it's trunk at Nailah.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Noo, I'm here to check up on my friend cause I heard he got thrown in big baby jail for being a jerk." Nailah responds very maturely.

[Will Stanton]

"Oh? And what jerk-like things did they say that I had done, Weaver?" the elephant said, turning around and walking towards the back of the cell.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I dunno, but they probably meant all of... this." she gestures vaguely at Will.

"Did I do something wrong?"

[Will Stanton]

"Of course they meant all of this. They're fine with wolves and sharks and ferrets, but get just one tiny, infinitesimal percent outside what they consider normal, and you're a pariah. 'Keep it in private, Will; you're acting strangely, Will; why can't you just be normal Will," the elephant sang in a sing-song voice, before collapsing in on itself into a bouncing, bobbing jack-and-the-box. "Do what we say when we say and you're a hero; do what you want when you want and you're a freak."

"You? Did you do something wrong? I remember, don't think I don't remember. You were super keen about punching the weird parts of me when I recruited you to join my team, remember? You were grossed out at the idea that I might be in a room without broadcasting my presence. Gotta bell the cat, or else who knows what they're up to."

[Nailah Weaver]

"What?" Nailah blinks, taking a couple seconds to connect the dots of what Will is talking about.

"You were talking about watching people in the shower. It's... it's not about the 'being a bottle of shampoo' part, you know."

[Will Stanton]

"And, what, you think just because I don't have eyes, I can't see? That just because I don't have ears, I can't hear?

I can smell your confusion from in here, Nailah. I'm above and beyond that."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Okay A, that's some Hannibal Lecter shit and you know it. And B, just because you don't care about getting a look at peoples naughty bits doesn't mean they don't. You can't just... do what you want and blame everyone else for taking it the wrong way. That's what villains do." she says, sounding more sad and disappointed than angry. "You're not a villain, Will. At least I didn't think you were..."

[Will Stanton]

"No, no, you're right. It's best if I stay in my little box, and everyone else can drag me out to do my little song and dance whenever I'm required, and then shove me back in and forget about it. You're right, that's much more heroic."

[Nailah Weaver]

"What do you mean forget about it? I don't... I don't understand what you're saying. You can't just demand people accept you when some of that is something that you called weird and creepy yourself. I don't get it! And it's not fair that you expect me to just because somewhere out there is a me that got it once. And it's not fair that you're face to face with... with missing that all the time, but you can't take that out on us. You just can't. That's not right."

[Will Stanton]

"Me. Forget about me. You're all fine when I'm walking around with arms and legs, but when I get too far outside what you consider 'normal', well, then it's all 'weird and creepy'. Of course. Of course. Gotta live up to your standards of what a normal person is, right? Just like you're an outcast among 'normal' people for having wings and talons. And yet you have a place where you're encouraged to spread your wings and fly.

And you're right. It's unfair for me to expect any of you to get it. At all. Monoforms can never really understand..."

[Nailah Weaver]

"My parents barely let me go outside for years because of how I looked." she frowns at Will, crossing her arms. "If one of the things I did was fly over, like... a... nudist beach or something then yeah people would be hesitant to tell me to spread my wings. You dunked so hard on yourself about how much of a weirdo creep he is, you can't really complain that people listened to you, yeah?"

"I'm sorry we don't know you as well as you'd like us to but if you set us up to either stuff you in a box or cheer you on when you spending the day as a roll of toilet paper then you're just setting yourself up to be disappointed. And maybe that's what you want. Maybe that way it hurts less to see the people you love not recognize and understand you, but if that's what you want then maybe find a way to do it that doesn't hurt those people. We're not just some pale shadows or reflections of the 'real' versions. I came here cause I was worried about my friend, but apparently I was wrong about that. The Will you're choosing to be right now is not my friend." she finishes her rant with a sad glare at Will before spinning around and catching her breath.

[Will Stanton]

"The Will I'm choosing to be now is what I am. I am sick and tired of being...of being held to standards that don't apply to me, just so I can fit in your sheltered little worldview. You probably came here on the train, yet you weren't upset with the seat for being underneath you. Maybe you had a bagel this morning; you likely weren't disgusted with the cream cheese you spread on top of it. But because I sometimes have a face, then oh, no, we can't possibly let him be anything other than that; that's against the natural order of things.

You don't understand how much clearer everything is since I took that MGH -- all my senses are that much sharper. The tiredness I've felt for days, weeks, months is gone, replaced by this...this fount of energy. I'm more me than I ever have been. And if the me that I am is not your friend, then that just goes to show how little you cared about your 'friend' to begin with."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Fuck you!" she snaps, spinning around and punching one fist against the glass, snarling enough her incisors are showing. Her eyes on the other hand are unfocused, staring off into the middle distance.

"Nobody would care about you being a train seat if you hadn't made it abundantly clear that you get off on it! And until you can properly explain to people when you do and don't they're going to protect themselves by assuming the worst! Keep dancing around it and you will end up forgotten in a box. That's a god damn promise!" Her fist against the glass loosens and she swipes her claws over it, leaving four scratches on it's surface before she storms out.

[Will Stanton]

"Make sure you tell everyone back home what their ticket to the zoo buys them. Maybe you can throw peanuts next time," the jack in the box said, flopping over and turning into a puddle on the floor.

[Will Stanton]

A few minutes after Nailah left, the other pillow on the bed spoke up.

"What was her problem?"

"Man, I don't even know."

[Will Stanton]

__________________________________________________________________

After a few days, the situation had not improved.

By this point, the original bed and desk had vanished, though there was still (usually) a bed and desk in the room.

At the moment, there was a card table and a spirited game of poker going on, though no one appeared to be sitting in any of the chairs.

[Toshiro Narumi]

It was then that a sheepish Tosh came knocking. No, not a new weresheep version.

[Will Stanton]

The game did not pause or acknowledge Tosh in any notable way; at least, not at first.

Will could be quite sulky when he wanted to be.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I know you know I'm here," he said patiently.

[Will Stanton]

"Must be all that book-learning we've heard so much about," a voice from the general direction of the bed replied.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I came to see how you're doing. Still sarcastic, at the very least."

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, I'm doing peachy in here. Did you know Muir has a bridge club on Tuesday afternoons?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Look, I get that you're mad at Sam and me for putting you in here. But I still think we made the right call. I can only hope you'll understand why when you're off the MGH."

[Will Stanton]

"I understand. I think I understand just fine," the voice said, this time coming from the desk.

"A lot easier to let other people deal with the problem. Too strange, wash your hands of it. Why wouldn't you?

And of course, let's assume that getting Will off the MGH is a Good Thing, as long as we're being arbiters of Rightness."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"First, there's nothing wrong with letting experts deal with things I know little about. Second, yes, getting someone off of an addictive, mood-altering chemical with unpredictable side-effects that makes people a danger to themselves and others is a good thing. Any doctor would tell you the same."

[Will Stanton]

"I am not a danger to myself or others," the deck of playing cards scoffed at Tosh. "Did you see me hurt anyone on the plane? Did you see me hurt myself?

Did you see me fighting to contain the breakout that happened here?

Danger to myself and others. Good lord. They probably said the same thing about you the first time you Sharked out."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"You flushed yourself out of the plane into the middle of the ocean rather than admit you took something from the crater. You might have been physically fine, but that is not a sane response."

"And in a way I was, until I got control of it. But a mutation is not the same as under the influence."

[Will Stanton]

"Nuh-uh, no, no, no, no.

No one mentioned anything about the crater until we got here. I left the plane because you and Sam were mocking and disgusted by me. Sam told me to go somewhere private, and so I did, and then you came back and grabbed me so you could drag me here rather than let me go home, remember?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Yeeaaah, that's not remotely what we were doing. You were acting like you were on drugs, which you were I might add, and I said as much. And I don't recall Sam mocking you in any way."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm sure you heard the crack about keeping my shifting in private. You were right there. Don't try to cover for her; you have your own 'he's acting strange' burden to carry. If I want to act loopy, I can do that. I'm old enough. I'm, like, a hojillion times older than you; I can make my own counsel."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Under normal circumstances, I'd agree. But these aren't normal circumstances. Whether you'll admit it or not, you need help. That is the only reason you're in rehab."

[Will Stanton]

"They haven't exactly done any 'rehabbing' in here," the voice said, this time coming from underneath the bed. "They're trash, is what they are.

They took the chunk out, but that's just about it."