Iago Incarnate

Perception Becomes Reality - Part 41

Weeks having passed since the untimely deaths of Emelie and Bianca, and Nick was slowly returning to the version of himself everyone recognized and adored. The masquerade had proven more difficult than anticipated, the need to keep up the slow process of recovery. While it might have been something he could shake off like a stubbed toe, it was crucial that his recovery progressed more akin to that last bite of a Nashville hot chicken sandwich; an intense (though, perhaps welcome) discomfort that faded slowly until no longer noticeable.As Dr. Malvagio began to regain some sense of wit and humor, those around the Center, who had been treading lightly around him, had begun to let their guard down, once again reveling in the comfortable joy their beloved colleague inspired. If anything, Nick was hampered by his natural charm, having let go of the outward sorrow and struggle while trying to keep from allowing himself to become too gregarious or playful. At least, not yet.Then there was Dr. Cassius. Michael always seemed to have a weight around his neck. While an excellent psychiatrist, he never quite figured out how to work through his own issues, leaving himself bound by emotional chains that were never even locked, hardly requiring a Houdini-esque escape. Yet he dragged the weight around, seeming only mildly burdened, much more awkward and unsure of himself. With Nick returning more to form and drawing the attention of the Center staff, Michael was largely overlooked and tended to end up blending into the background. To a degree, he found comfort in this, though also a heightened sense of loneliness and obscurity. From this manipulated sense of meaninglessness, an air of malaise began infecting Dr. Cassius, who was no longer seeing patients as his role as Center director kept him occupied. Fortunately, the Center believed in upward mobility and promoting from within, one of the enduring effects of Dr. Olsen's time at the helm. By creating, and fostering, such opportunities for the loyal Center staff, Olsen unwittingly created a system ripe for manipulation on multiple levels.What was, perhaps, the simplest level, was also the most benign. Center employees knew they had the inside path when new positions opened up, or existing ones were to become vacant. For stalwart receptionist Melanie Stark, opportunity proved more seductive than chasing goals with hard work. Having worked herself through an undergraduate degree in healthcare at Peirce College, taking classes online and in the evenings after her shifts at the Center. Her goal was to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and move away from the front of house and into the trenches, working with patients in meaningful ways. Though it had been a long running goal of hers, Mel opted to switch tracks when the internal posting for Executive Assistant to the Director came through. She would make good money as Dr. Cassius' assistant, and knew that he needed just enough babysitting to get things accomplished that she would easily be able to render herself essential.When looking for the more sophisticated levels of systematic manipulation, Mel would also serve as a perfect example, though in ways she would never be privy to. As one of the ladies who often interacted with Dr. Malvagio, she enjoyed believing she was one of his favorites. She was, of course, because a very little bit of attention went a long way with her. Might have also helped that her secret crush on Nick wasn't all that secret and he was keenly aware and able to play to it as needed. Take right now, for instance. There was little coincidence that Nick was seemingly coming into his own as she took on the new role as Michael's confidant and professional caretaker. Whenever Nick spoke to her about Michael it always came through the lens of concern for his friend and colleague's well being, which always struck Melanie as sweet, only further endearing her to her office crush. Mel wouldn't have even dared to assume that Michael's assumed best friend was actually using her as an information ATM, able to make withdrawals with little more than a smile and small talk. Nothing at the Center was top secret, and while some information might be privileged in nature, Nick seemed to always have the clearance needed to gain access. Armed with an Italian hoagie and prebiotic root beer, Nick arrived just before lunch to the Director's Suite, otherwise referred to as the Principal's Office, to drop off the goods for Michael and Melanie. He didn't stay to make small talk, only making the appearance as both parties' favorite colleague. Where conversation became unnecessary, Nick resuming his use of colorful clothing served as a visible sign of his recovery. A lavender shirt on an unusually cold Philadelphia spring day made the popular doctor stand out in a sea of peers in varying shades of drab North Face layers. Had the utilization of color been an act of war, the Center would have become strewn with the bodies of those too meager to engage in the conflict. A sea of tan and charcoal grey misery.While the inhabitants of the Principal's Office enjoyed their treats, the lively purple-clad Dr. Malvagio retreated to the break room to rekindle his anything-but-meaningless small talk sessions with his delighted coworkers who were happy to see even a hint of his smile begin to return. There wasn't a mental health professional who was unaware of the strain their work saddled on each of them, and finding opportunities to laugh helped every last one of them soldier on and keep chugging ahead. Even as Nick flourished in his inward-focused nature, there were times when he became nurturing and helpful, even if entirely unintentionally. The inner fortitude required to talk the struggling off their emotional ledges could be enough to steal the spirit from anyone. There had always been, and would always remain an inherent struggle of all those in this line of work to keep their own heads above water while being there for those lost in struggle of their own. Humor that verged on inappropriate was often just what the doctor ordered, at times even literally. Might one find a degree of unwelcome inner conflict to accept the realization of their friendly acceptance of the devil walking among them? If there was anything Dr. Malvagio was the unquestioned best at, it was ensuring those realities never became realized. Which reality was better, being the blissfully ignorant smoker of the 1940s who had no idea what miserable suffering their hobby was bringing onto themselves, or the acceptance of the 2020s smoker who knew what awaited them and chose not to acknowledge it as they preferred the benefits of a good nicotine rush? Whether they would ever realize it or not, Niccolo Malvagio was the cancer that each and every last member of the Philadelphia Behavioral and Mental Health Center staff embraced unapologetically. Some, like Melanie Stark, would happily take a hit even if it came with a dangerous cost. Many afternoons found her balancing her increasing need to babysit the Director with an increasing desire to seduce the man who believed himself to be the rightful leader of the Center's team. Michael happened to wander his way into the title he struggled to find the confidence to believe he deserved. Would Miss Stark manage to wander her way into what she too might never truly deserved, but wanted with an expanding, unhealthy desire?