//------------------------------// // Meeting Suzan // Story: Pleasant Trees // by Michael Hudson //------------------------------//         Richard nodded to himself, glancing at his desk again. He wasn’t going to bring the bios with him, that would just be irresponsible. However, he didn’t want to leave them unguarded either.         He then glanced to his backpack, and, with a shrug, decided that that was probably his best shot. It wasn’t like he had a safe or anything, just the small lockbox. With that decided, he began to walk, humming to himself as he made his way down the halls.         The main halls didn’t change that much from the entrance of the hospital, or… at all really. In fact, Richard thought, if he didn’t have his little tablet to help him, there would be no chance of finding his way back to the guard station, let alone to any of the patient’s rooms. It didn’t help of course that the hallways still had doors on them periodically, for if the hospital ever got a large amount of patients.         Richard didn’t dwell on it long though. He had other things to do, and a patient to introduce himself to. Suzan Megra. Like most of them, she sounded pretty normal to be honest. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her, as he doubted they did group therapy as often as she might want if she really hated being alone.         He turned past one more corner, still humming, when he saw her room come up on the tablet. A key appeared at the same time, letting him know that the camera icon was indeed hers, and that it showed where her room was at any time. It definitely helped it stand out to say the least.         With a small slide on the tiled floor, Richard stopped in front of the door. It was just like all the rest, and, from what he could tell, there wasn’t any light in this room either. Maybe it was because she liked the dark? That, or she was sleeping, and he was about to be pretty rude. He could knock softly instead, just in case, but she might not hear it-         “You can come in.”         Richard stopped for a moment, staring at the door. He’d barely heard the voice through the heavy metal door, but that was less disconcerting than the fact that she knew he was there. He hadn’t been exactly stealthy upon his approach though, so maybe…         He shook his head furiously, dispelling the worries from his head. He was just being paranoid after all. The bio said nothing about her being a psychic, or a threat, so why should he start assuming as such?         Instead, Richard slowly opened the door, smiling a little as he saw the woman on the bed. Just like her bio said, she did indeed have pink hair that came down her back in a long, wild ponytail. Not that he could see it all too well, as the only light in the place was a candle that she held.         Suzan turned towards him, her legs slipping from being up to her chest to hanging off the side of the bed. She wore a thin, white dress over her body, more like a nightgown really, but the low light made sure it was enough to hide herself. When he raised his eyes from her dress, looking into the girl’s blue eyes, he couldn’t help but blush, as they seemed trained on him. “Umm, hello. My name is Richard, and you’re Suzan, right?”         The woman nodded slightly, her eyes not moving from him. “Yes, I am. Are you… are you the new nightguard?”         Richard squared his shoulders behind him, trying to make sure he looked competent, as so far he felt like he was doing a pretty terrible job to show her that he would be able to protect the hospital. “Yep! And, if there’s anything I need to know to do my job better, just let me know.”         Suzan smiled a little bit, placing the candle on her nightstand, before she reached into it. Richard couldn’t see what she was up to, but he did take it as a chance to step into the room. Looking closer at her, he could tell that she was actually really pretty, despite being so pale as to look like a ghost. If she was in a bar, rather than a hospital, he could even imagine trying to ask her out.         Suzan turned around, a large, expensive looking camera in her hands. She fidgeted a bit, pulling back a little as she realized he had come into the room, before she stood up herself. Richard flipped his thoughts from beautiful, to cute, what with her being almost a foot shorter than him.         She fidgeted with the camera more, turning it over in her hands, before he could hear the sounds of inner mechanics whirring to life. No glow came from it though, so it had to be old. He didn’t even know when the last time he had seen a camera without a screen was.         Suzan finally lifted it up, not quite yet to her face, staring up at him with a small smile. “I… I like to take pictures of new friends. I find it helps me not forget them, a-and to feel like they’re with me, even if they aren’t. A-are you w-willing to be my friend? I know some people get mad when you take their picture, but you aren’t like that, right?”         Richard glanced around the room, his brow furrowing as he thought about the idea of his picture being taken. He couldn’t even see the walls with how dark it was in the place, even with the light that poured in from the hallways. “Umm, should I turn on the light first?”         Suzan slowly shook her head, her smile growing. “No! I-I like it dark, and I think the pictures come out better that way. I know it’s a little odd, but you don’t mind it, do you? Do… you?”         Richard swallowed hard, realizing that she must have noticed his smile drop. It seemed silly to be afraid of something as insignificant as a picture, but it also seemed so odd to just let someone take it in the dark. Still, if it helped with her recovery… `1) The Picture A) Say yes      B) Say no  2) Who should he see next?         A)Marse Mirolen         B)Kiara Araqui         C)Xira Xelfin