"Listen, you flat-headed tosser, I knew you were a daft knobhead, but how in the bloody hell did you manage to get yourself thrown into Janus Thickey? Are there absolutely no limits to your incompetency?" came the voice of the Head of Being Division as the door opened with a loud bang. "Is it that hard to deal with a hag without getting yourself hexed, you pillock?" the woman continued muttering, while lost in a pile of forms meant to deal with the release of what was probably the most idiotic worker in the entire Ministry. And, of course, he just happened to be in her division.

"And yet again you fail to reach the very low expectation I have of you... Now I have to drag my arse down here, explain to these complete plonkers that you are in fact not off your nuts - just inept at your job - and sign all these forms to release you back into the wild. I swear to Merlin Greenberg, I will have your head if you bollock it one more time" the woman continued in her furious rant, scribbling violently, page after page.

"Ordinarily people live and learn. You just live, you worthless piece of–" Skylar froze with her quill in her hand as her face took a confused expression and she slowly turned her head around, only to rest back on the man. She tilted her head sideways and narrowed her eyes, looking at the individual like she couldn't quite make out what the hell she was looking at.

"You're not Greenberg" she said after a while, still eyeing the stranger with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. Well, this was awkward.

Through the dedication of the healers on the fourth floor, Daniel had become more coherent. Most days, anyway. Healer Thorpe had been more successful with her potions; it made him more pleasant to be around, for a concentrated time. As opposed to being in his little room, he had been sitting in the recreational area while the wizarding wireless droned on about news. He rocked himself side to side in the chair as he stared absentmindedly at the window in front of him.

Fleeting thoughts had been slipping through his brain; it was nice to remember himself now and again. Then again, the rare realization that he was a former Auror, now crazy resident of the Janus Thickey Ward had sent him into a panic attack that required sedation and restraints.

It had been a couple days since he was that clear.

Not that that was important. The here and now... that was important. Daniel’s head swung around, the back of it resting on the chair as he eyed the people behind him. There was some commotion going on (and a small crowd was gathering to watch). It was all the... flashy jewelry that caught his eye. Daniel sat up straighter, eyes focusing as jumbled memories were pushed aside for something better.

He ran his tongue over his dried lips, working a little moisture into them in case he needed to speak. Or just because they had felt as if they would crack if he smiled. When would he need a reason to smile, though? Fingertips scratched at his shadow of a beard before they made their way to the top of his head - his eyes closed in momentary bliss; that felt great.

After a few moments, he finally pushed himself up from the chair, suddenly, straightening out the handsome robes they gave all the patients. Once his trousers were straightened and in place, and he checked his socks to make sure they were evenly pulled up and matching, Daniel set off after the flashy, noisy woman. The Healers and guards were busy with a fumbling moaner; the poor git hadn’t been able to speak one intelligible word since coming in.

Dan shook his head and kept on, slipping past a couple of fellow residents. Once it was just him and the woman, he let his arms swing side to side with his steps, wide and with little care; she wasn’t very happy with him, was she?

Greenberg... An eyebrow rose as he considered that, mumbling to himself under his breath as his feet padded quietly behind. When she stopped, having been so focused on the ground in front of him, he nearly ran into her back. Looking up at her face, he was momentarily surprised to find it was... appealing. His hand reached over and scratched his other arm. “You don’t know that.” Merlin, maybe he had been Greenberg all along! Or even better, maybe that was the other half of who he was. His Mr. Hyde.

A hand wrapped around his chin, rubbing against the stubble. “Who do you think you are?”

It didn't take long for Sky to realize that the man was a resident, if the robes didn't give him off, his words certainly did. Sky found herself in a bit of a predicament. How did one apologize and reason with what was obviously an individual that was very much off his rails. She was having a complete shite today, however, and she wasn't above arguing with a nutcase.

"Because if you were Greenberg, you would be cowering, simpering and stuttering by now" she dead-panned, with narrowed curious eyes fixed on the man. "And even if you could polyjuice, you still don't seem like a flat-headed tosser. All evidence point towards you not being Greenberg" she continued talking absently, as she tilted her head to analyze the man better. Well, he didn't look crazy, but then again how did crazy even look?

"Well, I'd like to say Queen of England, but that's just a nightmare I had once" she replied with narrowed eyes and a gobsmacked expression. She blinked a few times and absently ran her tongue over her lips. "I'm a Division Head at the Ministry. Creatures Regulation & Control" she replied eventually, after clearing her voice. "So, who are you and where's Greenberg?" she asked more seriously, eyebrows drawn at the middle and lips pursed. Just where was that grub?

He made a face before his hand dropped from his chin. “Well I’m definitely not Greenberg, then.” Daniel tapped his chin in thought before shaking his head and setting his hand on his hip. Eyes looked up, as if he could see the top of his head, smirking before he shrugged a little. “Fairly round-headed. You have a good sense of judgement.” At least, right now.

“God save the Queen!” He stood straight and saluted her before grinning and crossing his arms over his chest. His grin slipped away and he frowned, pursing his lips to the side. “Do you do a good job of regulating and controlling creatures?” Hands clasped behind his back loosely before he stood comfortably.

Was she allowed to ask him who he was? He shrugged a little and stepped towards her two steps before stopping, hands staying behind his back. “Daniel. I don’t know where Greenberg is, or who ... they are?” Hands came back in front as he showed them to her, open, palms up. “I’m sure he’s around.” He frowned as he waved a hand at her before he crossed them over his chest, one hand holding his chin and fingers tapping against it.

“Are you pureblood?” The other voice in his head insisted on the question, even if the actual Dan tried to stop it from slipping out. It was often the hardest thing to do, to find his real voice under all the anger and resentment and pure craziness that was whatever alter ego that had attached itself to him. There was a hint of craziness in his eyes that threatened to be unleashed.

"Yes, it would appear you aren't" Skylar said, her eyebrows low and menacing and her lips pursed in a tight line. Her expression relaxed at the man's next words, only to take a slightly confused appearance... Well, it appeared manners of speech just completely went over his head, didn't they? Poor sod.

Her eyebrows only drew together more at the lunatic's fierce salute and she merely nodded, at a complete lack of words... or actions. The conversation turned to a more comfortable subject - her work - and she let out a long sigh. "Well, I certainly try to run my division as competently as possible. Fat lot of good that does, when the department's run like a loonyb–" her voice stopped in her throat. That would be rather insensitive... "Like a kindergarten" she quickly redressed her words, smiling tightly.

Skylar's back straightened stiffly, stopping short of taking two steps back as the man drew closer and she nodded her acknowledgement at his introduction. "Carstairs" she said stiffly. "Skylar Carstairs.

He's the department's nightmare. My intern" she scowled ugly and muttered something through her teeth. Skylar sometimes had dreams that a memo would land on her desk saying that Greenberg had been tragically killed... She might actually have a drink for that one. "Well, then, I should go find h–" she started only to be rudely interrupted by Daniel.

She stared in confusion at him, one eyebrow climbing high on her forehead, not quite believing someone would actually just casually address such a question. Well, not anyone with their entire wits, anyway. Which appeared to not quite be the case here. "What" she merely managed - not quite question, not quite statement -, still gaping at the nutter. "Not that it's any of your business, quite frankly, but yes" she tipped her head to the side, eyes narrowed at the man. "What does that have to do with anything? Are you?" she now responded with the same rudeness, crossing her arms over her chest and pursing her lips.

Daniel rubbed his ear, cupping the top of it between his fingers as he did. Department... division... it all stemmed from the way the boss behaved, yeah? Daniel shrugged and yawned. “A healthy amount of inner-department competitiveness is good for the flow of each division. As an Auror, you have to be able to mesh well with your colleagues. It helps-” He stopped mid sentence as he considered what he had said, face screwing up momentarily from confusion to anger, finally settling on a flat affect.

When he was an Auror was the correct phrasing. His eyes unfocused for a moment as his brain tried to wrap itself around everything that had slipped out of him in the few moments he’d been him. Sometimes it was maddening, being in his own head.

Carstairs... It tickled at something in the back of his head, but nothing more than that. Daniel would probably forget it the moment she was out of his sight. Or he’d send her an owl at every waking opportunity; at this point, it was all up in the air. Daniel tsked over the unfortunate intern. Ever department had its fair share of workers who didn’t belong.

When she got hold of herself and answered yes, Daniel visibly relaxed. He even gave her a grin, briefly, before it slipped away. “Oh, oh good.” Surely that would appease that voice. Surely he could focus on just being him, now, and maybe she’d want to hang out and talk. Maybe they could-

“Are you?”

Daniel’s lip twitched at the corner before he chewed on his bottom one. “N-n-no...” His voice was a little fearful; he looked over his shoulder and took in a shaky breath. He didn’t want to do this right here, right now. She was pretty. She was tolerating him. That voice inside came screaming out of him, through his lips, off his tongue. “FILTHY, TAINTED, NO-GOOD-HALF-BLOOD-TRAITOR!” Daniel shouted against the walls, his chest heaving as he drew breath after breath, hands clenched tight at his sides.

A few more choice sentences were sprouted off before he turned his attention back to Skylar. “He’s just - It just... It is just important.” Daniel’s voice grew soft at the end as he lightly clasped his hands in front of him and turned his back to her.

Skylar's confusion was growing by the second. Had he been an auror? Before he went bonkers, that was... The poor knob seemed just as confused with himself as she was. She would've liked to inquire, but his face went through a range of emotions that told Sky she better not. At least he seemed to agree her intern was Satan's personal gift to her, so... there was that.

But then shit hit the bloody fan, and there was no prettier way of saying it. If her eyebrows could go any higher, they'd crawl up her forehead and live into her bloody hairline. Her body leaned back in the face of his... screeching. There really was no other word for that either. She blinked furiously while the man breathed as if he was a damn feral beast, and Sky knew those. She was one herself, at times. If she swallowed audibly, a jolt of fear raising up inside her, she would never have admitted to it. He didn't have a wand at least, right? And if he were to attack her, she could always just transform into 100 pounds of lethal feline... Right?

When Daniel eventually seemed to calm down, Skylar followed suis, but there were suddenly about two feet between them, and his back was turned. Thank Morgana. At least she could sneak-attack if nothing else. "H—" her voice suddenly meek and lost and she cleared her throat to get rid of that feeling of complete helplessness. She was not used to not being in control and she'd never felt less in control than now. "He?" she eventually managed, hoping she sounded as cool and casual as she hoped.

But upon closer inspection, that was simply not something she'd like to get to. "Are you okay—" she asked softly, the voice she'd use for Rosie, her baby sister. "Daniel?" she added after a beat in a warmer toner, maybe even a little worried. Something about  lost tormented strays, her sister had once said... Couldn't be any truer than now.

Sometimes Daniel really resented the fact that treatment worked. It meant that he was more lucid, and thus more understanding of the things that were happening to him. The feeling of a loss of control was more panic-inducing than he could explain. Being himself for a moment was only compounded by the times that he wasn’t. And remembering more of it was scary.

It meant that he had to be responsible for it, in some way. Even if he couldn’t control it. Why had he wandered after the woman? Why couldn’t he just stay where he was? There were a lot of questions that he had no answers to. There were a lot of dead end roads in his brain. Hearing the way she said a simple word was enough to tell him what a mess he’d made himself look like.

His shoulders slumped briefly before he stood up straighter, not meeting her gaze as he kept his back to her. It was easier that way. Her question slipped through after a few moments of him staring at the wall; he finally nodded and licked his lips. “Yes. I’m okay.” Daniel blinked and stepped away from her, just in time to see the two in white robes coming towards him. “It was... it was nice to meet someone new.”

Hands went up as he saw their faces, head leaned over a little before he was ushered back inside, the healer with them talking very quickly about how he shouldn’t try to leave. Daniel understood this was his home; he just wondered if he had preferred it when he was completely crazy. At least then he didn’t realize what was wrong. Finally he looked over his shoulder. "Ciao." And then the door closed, and that was that.