Nightshift 55: Main Hallway, 1-West

[tightsofmight]

[From here.]

All righty. First one here. Surprise surprise.

Peter took a thin breath and took up a post across from the hall, where he could watch both entrances for the gang. His arms crossed and he leaned against the wall. The whole thing was rather broody-looking, to be honest. Not the kind of chipper attitude you expected from a guy dressed like a cast member of Cirque du Soleil.

He was allowed to have bad moods. They happened. He hadn't started the night in one, but he'd tripped into it easily enough on his own. That sort of thing happened when your life sucked this much, okay. There was no sanctuary from the suckage. He sighed yet again. It'd be easier to perk up once somebody else showed up. Then he could push his mind away from all of this garbage and pound some small talk out of it.

Not to mention that waiting out here alone in the big hallway was twice as creepy as it was moving alone through the little ones. His flashlight swung back and forth. Please don't let anything be creeping on me in the dark. Please please please...

He was so not in the mood for whatever monstrosities were lying in wait for him. And knowing Landel's, they were.

[For the Platonic Family!! Y'all know who you are.]

Comments

[savagesolitude.livejournal.com]

[From here, (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html) and timewarping so that she doesn't stare at Peter in his spandex and no playercest occurs al;sjajdsf. ALSO FOR KLAVIER AND BATTLER? 8D]

Klavier hadn't arrived yet. His room might be a bit further away than hers. Her map wasn't well labeled, but it looked like there were two men's blocks just above hers. It would make sense that he would need some extra time to get here if he was sleeping in one of those.

Claire found a spot where she could keep an eye on the exits - and the other patients. Soldiers. Some of them were still wearing the rigid uniforms from the day. Others wore different outfits. Some of them made sense, and others...less so. They looked kind of clownish, to be honest, but she guessed anything was better than wearing the stuff they gave you. She felt much more comfortable in her old clothes. Ragged as they were. The fit was better, and it seemed to give her a measure of control.

If you ignored the fact that they had stuffed these very clothes into a box and gifted it to her at dinner.

Claire scowled out at the corridor. Unbelievable.

[rocksthecourt]

[from here]

The main corridor. This was where he was supposed to be meeting Claire. She was new, but she was sharp, so he was sure she wasn't going to have any trouble moving from the patient rooms to this point. What he hadn't been expecting, however, was that she'd get there before he did.

Klavier spotted her quickly enough, momentarily surprised by that fact, but soon shifted to a bright smile. He approached, lifting the pipe in his right hand slightly in a sort of distracted greeting. "My, you move quickly, Fräulein. I didn't keep you waiting for too long, I hope?"

He vaguely noted the girl's clothes as he got closer. Judging by their condition, she must have found them lying around here somewhere. Personally, Klavier wouldn't have even considered taking clothes in that kind of condition let alone wearing them, but he also fully understood the desperation to have something... "normal" in this place. Something familiar. Anything. So even if they were in horrible condition, they were still a more normal alternative to the uniforms they'd been provided. Well, regardless of motive, Klavier wasn't going to be so rude as to comment on them or her appearance. His expression didn't shift at all.

[dualistic]

[From here.]

As it turned out, the first thing Harvey saw was that blue and red spandex and not much else. So it looked like he was second after all. That was all well and good, though this costumed kid was probably the one out of their basement exploration group (god, it sounded like the Boy Scouts) who he knew the least.

Then again, maybe this meant that they could take a moment to fix that. Not that Harvey was the sharing and caring type, but knowing a thing or two about the people he was working with was just a matter of smarts.

Not to mention someone who covered his face like that had to be hiding a few things, and Harvey was curious. He still wasn't sure how the kid had moved around so quickly in that Sun Room fight, for instance.

He lifted his hand in a wave, the only sign of greeting that he gave as he joined the boy. (It had to be a kid; height, build, and tone of voice made all of that clear, at least.) "So I don't think I ever got your name. If you have one." It was clearly phrased sarcastically. Of course Spandex Kid had a name; what he was questioning was the boy's willingness to hand it out. He wasn't expecting much.

[tightsofmight]

And the mummy returns.

...Okay that one was unintentional. At least the guy didn't look like Brendan Fraser or he'd really feel like a dick.

Not that he wasn't in the first place, getting flashed with a barren eyeball exposed muscle and...aaaaugh seriously Mr. Dent, why do you do this to yourself? You could have so many diseases in so little time. What if someone threw salt at his face? Wouldn't even the air be stinging at that? God he looked like something from a nightmare, and Peter couldn't imagine how much it must hurt to rip off the bandages every single night.

He just couldn't understand why. And he would probably never know. The first thing about people with mangled injuries is that you left that stuff alone. You did not ask. If they shared it with you, that was okay. Otherwise your lips were zipped.

That didn't stop him from feeling wholeheartedly sorry for the guy.

He waved back, pushing away from the wall to stand properly and not give off the airs of a pouty teenager. He might be one at times, but adults did not like or appreciate that. "I never got yours either. Indy said it was Dent?" Peter cocked his head, curious. "I'm assuming that's a surname. I'd like to believe no parent would be that cruel."

Though honestly, he was a little surprised that Dent here hadn't gone and figured it out for himself. There was a giant spider on his chest. How many motifs for that could there possibly be? And his name was the laziest of all.

"I'm Spider-Man." There was a beat. "And I'm aware of how lame that sounds. Trust me, it makes sense where I come from."

If only vaguely.

[swornandbroken.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?thread=76880378#t76880378)]

Mello made his way quickly, but not running anymore, to the main thoroughfare south of the prisoner's cells. He was looking for a petite (and, he assumed, female) person with red hair. No use transporting outside the Institute now, but Mordio had sounded like someone useful to know regardless. If she had the slightest interest in the torture sessions, Mello planned to exploit that. He'd arranged to meet up with Javert as well, a meeting he hoped would prove beneficial for all involved, not least himself for bringing it about.

Back to waiting, his impatience working against him, making him restrain the urge to pace or tap his boot on the floor, or do something, and he switched the flashlight on and off, jittery, watching the light appear and disappear on the floor.

[for Rita!]

[bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com]

Walking with a slight limp, Rita entered the main hallway and immediately began looking around for anyone who matched the description from the bulletin board. From what she could see, there was one blond male standing alone who seemed to be around the right height. Rita drew nearer to get a closer look.

His face seemed to fit the age she was told, but... what was that? It looked like a good portion of his face was covered in some massive scar. Wouldn't that have made a good distinguishing feature to mention on the bulletin? Maybe this wasn't the right guy after all. There could be a lot of blond males in their 20s at Landel's, after all. Still, it was best to check.

Stopping in front of him, Rita crossed her arms, looked him over once more, and asked, "Are you Morgan?"

[lighthearted]

[From here.]

Sora raced into the hall, looking this way and that for a familiar head of red hair. But while there were a number of other patients who were waiting around, some in their new uniform and others in their own clothes, there was no sign of Kairi -- or Roxas, for that matter.

"Phew!" Sora exclaimed to himself with a small smile. His title would remain his; even after the time he'd wasted changing, he was still here first. It made him wonder why the others tended to take longer, but maybe it was just a matter of being further away. Kairi wasn't really, though. Maybe she had to do some sort of girl stuff before leaving? Who knew.

Either way, he'd made it and he was first and that was the important thing. It was a silly thing to get hung up on, but things were always so bad here; sometimes he just wanted to focus on the stuff that didn't matter.

So after settling himself against the wall, maybe even a bit smugly, Sora kept an eye out for Kairi and Roxas, wondering which one would show up first.

[For Kairi and Roxas.]

[rischiarare.livejournal.com]

Finally, the main hallway. Roxas wondered where they were planning on going tonight, since he hadn't really said. Since Sora was the leader of the Arts & Crafts club, it had to be somewhere exciting, right? He probably knew almost every inch of the institute which was why he could give assignments so easily. That was a lot better than Roxas knew, but somehow he wasn't surprised.

It took him a moment longer to find his Other (it was almost instinctual to find him immediately) because the Nobody was expecting him to be wearing that weird uniform from before. He'd never seen Sora at night, and he certainly didn't remember... that.

"Hey Sora!" He waved, pushing the coat's hood back from his face as he ran over to him. The hair was like a beacon, calling out from beyond the mass of other people. The red of the outfit helped, too. Roxas looked over it for a moment, frowning a bit. There was... "What's with all the belts?"

[falseblack]

[From here.]

It seemed Nigredo came too late. Pockets of people had already gathered in the main area, and more appeared to be on the way. He even recognized a couple of faces in passing: Klavier with a woman and Sora with what were probably his friends. The pain his head piqued momentarily, and without sparing any needless attention, he rounded the next corner.

[To here.]

[sainted]

[from here]

Last night, during the surprise encounter with Marc, it had occurred to Stefan that not carrying a flashlight seemed like a strange habit if he wanted to pretend to be human. As he stepped into the main hallway of the hospital, he was granted a very reason to keep doing it: a petite woman stood here, her halo of tangled blonde hair as unmistakable as the axe in her hand. That... Yes. That was an axe. Stefan froze and considered taking another route, but she appeared distracted by an unfamiliar man who was talking to her.

Stefan unconsciously closed his right hand into a fist, feeling the silver ring dig into his skin, but he wasn't about to waste the opportunity, no matter what the risk that she might look up and notice him at any moment. This was the fastest route to Elena's room, anyway. He sped up, grateful that the darkness masked his movements, and quickly turned the corner to reach the female patient block.

[to here]

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html)]

There were more people out here now, but Wally was starting to feel more worried about how much further the kitchen was than what kind of attention the red and yellow would earn. Distances that seemed pretty short in the daylight seemed a lot further of a night, when he couldn't see where he was going very well and was half afraid of getting attacked at any moment.

Without quite meaning to, he added just a touch of speed to his footsteps, not quite running as fast as he was capable of, but moving at a weird, slightly too fast rate that probably looked stranger than if he'd just been running.

Or at least, that had been his intention. He only made it a short distance before his powers apparently decided that, hey, slow was boring, and those few steps became a burst of speed that propelled him out into the next hallway before he really knew what was happening.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1069168.html)]

[diamondstorm]

[from here]

She slid out to the main halls to find the normal crowd for the early time. Her eyes slid over the crowd restlessly, and her free hand moved to the zipper of her jacket, sliding it up quietly. At the least, the black of the coat would give her more cover. Cover for what, she might wonder, but at the least she would focus on normal tasks while moving. She had a few boxes of scalpels and blades still, but there was no reason not to gather more. And if possible, she could go and gather batteries as well. Something simple, and by then, she would solidify her movements.

Upstairs then. That was simple enough.

[to here]

[melodists.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html?thread=76939527#t76939527) and about to nosebleed over Ritsuka.]

Two sets of groups gathered in this corridor, but Tear paid them no mind. Instead, she pushed forward, sweeping the light from the fontech across the walls, all in hopes of finding the needed door. The darkness made the task a bit difficult, to the point where she wished she had investigated its location earlier in the day. That would have made this much easier.

She sighed and moved closer to the opposite wall. It has to be here somewhere...

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?thread=76993530#t76993530)]

Jeez it was cold. Ritsuka had never noticed the dropping temperature before, but he'd had sweats and a jacket on then. Since the new military uniform had long-sleeves, he'd thought he would be okay, even with the snow outside. He'd forgotten that with the electricity off at night, it meant the heating was off, too. Now he was too far from his room to go back and grab the leather jacket, so he'd just have to grin and bear it.

"Stupid cold..." he muttered to himself, pausing halfway across the hallway to turn on his flashlight. The beam was weak and it took a few shakes to get it to glow any brighter, but soon enough it was cutting at least a meager lifeline across the floor. Ritsuka's cat ears flicked this way and that as he listened for anything that might be lurking on the stairs and frowned when he thought he picked up the sounds of someone fighting up there. He swore these stairs were out to eat him or something.

With a sigh, Ritsuka hefted the backpack up a little more and started forward again.

[threepwood]

[From here.]

For a second, Guybrush thought he heard familiar voices as he reached the main hallway: definitely Scott, maybe Burned-Face Patient, and was that Indiana Jones? He was definitely going to have to catch Dr. Jones again and apologize for not believing he was actually who he claimed to be, especially now that it had been revealed that Landel collected protagonists (and side characters, and probably anyone else he could get his psycho mitts on). Maybe he'd be lucky and upon second meeting find out that the entire conversation had been forgotten.

Nah. If Indy was who he said he was, he probably remembered that chat all too well. By the time Guybrush reached the center of the hall, all of the recognizable voices were gone. He scratched his head with his hook. "Okay, so now I'm hearing things. So much for thinking I'm not the crazy one here."

[To here.]

[stlg13bomber.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1062608.html?thread=76933072#t76933072)]

It was a bit of a drive to Doyleton, Carter recalled, but he'd walked the Hammelburg/Stalag 13 path plenty of times. For a decent candy bar it would be worth it and he had nothing better to do tonight. If the guards were so intent on letting them wander as they please they surely would have left the doors to the institute wide open...Carter had walked past them so many times but he'd never considered just trying the lock.

[To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1069168.html)]

[notachick.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?thread=76958458#t76958458)]

The main hall was a bit more crowded, but not by much. No battles as far as Okita could tell, but he knew that didn't mean much. Anything could come at them from any angle at any time now that they were in the open. Casually, he settled a hand on the hilt of his sword and kept walking.

Hijikata didn't intend to take over, which was natural, he supposed. He was the newest of the members and so to turn over the reins so quickly would cause unnecessary ripples. Still, Okita felt uncomfortable dealing orders to his superior officer even if he was the one now in charge. Of course, that would change eventually, once Hijikata had a chance to settle more and Okita was no longer capable of leading, but he didn't need to say that yet. "I wonder which one that makes me then? The Demon or the Saint?"

[terriblehaiku]

"Not in the immediate future, no. You're doing fine." It was probably far easier for people to trust Souji than it would be for them to trust him. It was understandable, and it worked in their favor. If it became more practical to have him take the reigns at some later date, he would, but he saw no reason to upset the balance that existed now.

That remark, however, caught him like a fist to the gut. It wasn't Souji's fault--as far as he knew, Sannan was still alive and well, if not in agreement with him on ...well, anything. He had no idea the man was dead, or the role either of them had played in his seppuku. "It... makes you the practical one," he replied after a moment of hesitation he hoped the younger man wouldn't notice.

[scarefaux]

[From here.]

The Scarecrow clicked his flashlight off and on as he crossed into the main hall, taking a left and heading for the Entry Room. He leapt behind the corner for a second, so sure that he heard Depth Charge's voice float through the corridor. Of course, it wasn't that he was avoiding his roommate- it was just that he'd promised he'd be careful, and heading outside was probably one of those activities he ought not to do.

He spent the pause pulling off his boots and socks, tying the laces together into several awkward knots and tossing them across his shoulders. Knowing the soldiers and how they were about the hats, it wasn't a stretch to believe they'd chastise him if he lost his shoes. Still, it would be nice to see how the snow felt below his bare feet- he reasoned he might not get another opportunity, so it was best to try it while he could.

After another moment, it seemed Depth Charge had moved on, given that he was nowhere in sight or within earshot. Turning off his flashlight again, the Scarecrow made a quick run for the door to the Entry Room.

[To here.]

[monkeyboy]

[From here]

Wow, where was everyone? Usually he could smell everyone before he got to this hallway like a pack of cattle sweating out on a hot day. Tonight, though, there were hardly any. In fact, Goku would hazard a guess that he could actually count everyone. So, six. About six, yeah. He could get up that high. He thought maybe one of them smelled familiar, but it was hard to say. There were just so many men and their manly stink clogged up his sensitive little nose.

"Mnnngah..." Goku's head flopped to the side aimlessly now that he came all the way here and found no one he knew. Hmmm. Well, the kitchen was always there for him. It was a true friend. Making a sudden U-turn as he trottted down the hallway, Goku planned to take a short-cut through the big sunny room and just faceplant into the fridge.

[Kibi!]

[bitpartgod.livejournal.com]

Kibitoshin was barely a few hallways away from his room and already he could feel himself starting to get nervous. After last night's attack he wasn't sure that he felt safe anywhere at all, especially not with his injuries. He'd almost been tempted to heal them once he discovered that walking as quickly as he'd planned to wasn't exactly going to be on the menu for tonight, but he didn't want to waste his energy so early.

It was still dark but Kibitoshin could just about make out shapes in the upcoming hallway: people he thought he recognised from the cafeteria or Sun Room and a couple he'd spoken to already, but they all seemed fairly preoccupied, either talking to other people or heading off towards some unseen goal.

Except, that was, for one. He didn't even notice him at first, small as he was, but when he did it was the silhouette of his hair that tipped him off more than anything. "Goku!"

He hurried over, flashlight bobbing back and forth with his wobbly steps- only to notice that Goku wasn't exactly in the best shape either. Well. He looked healthy enough, but with the way he was staring into space and his trousers were slipping down, he could hardly say the young saiyan looked alert. He slowed down, uncertain as he approached. "... Goku? Are you okay?"

[propheteer]

[From to here]

Once he reached the main hall, Izaya stepped off to the side, shining the flashlight around and trying to decide where to go from here. He'd decided to make the most of the night, but what would the best way to go about that be? He'd seen a map on the bulletin before, but other than providing the layout of the building itself, it had seemed to be rather vague about what was where.

That could be how he spent the night, then: finally having a good look around the building to see what went where. If anything in particular caught his eye, he could always change his plans then... Maybe he could even find someone interesting to keep an eye on along the way...

The question, then, was where to start. There were stairs ahead, but the hall stretched on further to the left, past the Sun Room... Was it to be upstairs or downstairs that he checked out first?

[brb-burgers.livejournal.com]

from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?view=76977402#t76977402)

A bright flash of light hit him square in the face and his eyes squinted briefly from it. It was the first sign of a person he'd seen since he'd left for his room-- which given the explanation for why he was here, seemed a little odd. If the nurses and orderlies were supposed to be keeping them in line they were sure as hell failing at their jobs.

Not a one to be seen.

"Hello? Hey... you, there!" the figure behind the light looked human (as opposed to alien or robot or... something else) so he put on his most charming smile on approach. Seriously, he needed to make more friends in this place. Making friends was sometimes a problem but he knew that given the right circumstances things could work out.

"D'you work here? Name's Alfred, but friends call me Al. You can call me that, too. What's your name?" Sure he may be coming on a bit strong in the introduction department but he really was looking to make some acquaintances. Especially now, it was... for lack of a better term, kinda eerie in the dark here.

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html?thread=77017095#t77017095)]

Speaking of useless uniforms, there was Battler talking with that prosecutor Klavier Gavin, and some blond who looked like she'd missed three years worth of bathing. How wonderful that they should all find each other. Franziska rolled her eyes and kept going, more than willing to ignore them for the time being and get further along in her trip for the night. Every time she hung out with those two something bad happened - a scorpion, a rat, getting teleported about, being forgotten - and she was not about to put up with it again. Not as long as she could help it.

Thanks to the dark and her flashlight being off, she skirted past and moved on further into the hall. Once she began to approach the stairs - up there, somewhere, a body had been found - she slowed and clicked the torch on, aiming the faulty yellow beam at the darkened hall. Would it be wise to go up there on her own? She could, conceivably con Klavier's group into going with her, but then she'd never hear the end of it. Klavier Gavin was flashy enough as it was. He didn't need a leg up on her.

Instead, Franziska swept her flashlight back over the hall, looking for someone who didn't seem particularly busy tonight. Maybe they could be her lackey for the evening, or perhaps they'd even prove themselves useful for once.

[for Lion!]

[hersalvation.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html?thread=77116167#t77116167) oh god i've finally arrived /screams]

Ah, there we go.

Now it wasn't feeling so empty anymore. Lion paused in her tracks regardless after entering this hall further, looking up and down it; she wasn't entirely sure where she should head next, although her thoughts were quickly derailed when the light of someone else's flashlight had gotten into her eyes.

Lifting a hand to shield them, Lion briefly squinted to get a better look at the owner of said flashlight. "Pardon me, but that's a little bright," she called, lightheartedly; given how dark it was, she would probably get caught in these often. "Are you looking for someone?"

[unmocked-lawr.livejournal.com]

The main hallway was already bustling when Javert stepped out into it, which was both worrying and reassuring. On one hand, a significant amount of time had already passed; on the other, they had less time to wait before the experiments ended.

He decided to pay it no mind--there was, after all, little he could do about it now--and headed for the stairs.

"So what happened to you?" The question was abrupt, but there was a flicker of curiosity behind it. As far as he knew, extensive bruising was hardly the modus operandi of most of the creatures here.

[threepwood]

Guybrush followed Javert through the halls quietly, keeping his hisses of pain to himself. The last thing he needed (besides every thing that wasn't an attempt to speed up the healing process, including exactly what he was setting out to do at that second) was for the experienced inspector to send him to his room with a scolding for wandering while he was so battered. He could hear it now: go back to your room, Guybrush. Fighting in your condition is just being foolish, Guybrush. Just because we put out the fine silverware doesn't mean you have to steal it, Guybrush.

All right, that last one sounded more like Elaine than Javert, but the tone was right.

"Just a fight with my roommate," Guybrush answered as they crossed the hall. "They took him for special counseling, gave him super powers, and he punched a couch into me. Nothing too exciting."

[To here.]

[lovecraftcomplex]

[> Rose: Get trolled.]

The larger hallway was full of ordinary people, talking amongst themselves. This was something of a disappointment. People, laughing and chatting and waiting, as if the world had just kept ticking on and on, in the manner of a pocketwatch, daintily wound around a supple wrist. Not like a bomb, though the latter was distinctly more commonplace, in an upheaval of the normal order.

"I think we should hurry. It might just be recent experience talking, but open-ended areas like this make me nervous." She used small words, given the increasingly blank-eyed stares she'd been met with so far. Properly-directed verbal barrages were an essential part of intelligent conversation, but it took two to tango, so to speak.

[mirthful]

Gamzee wasn't in any hurry at all - just the opposite, in fact, as he was far more interested in finding his companions than anything else. If they rushed through hallways they might just miss them. On the other hand, he didn't much have it in him to argue, and the girl at least seemed to have more of an idea of what she was doing than he did. (Though this could generally be said of just about anyone.)

He just nodded in response to her statement, looking over the gathered people (all hornless, just as they were) and still seeing no one he knew. Most were older, too. It was a strange thing, after their world filled with youth and then being left with a group all the same age, to suddenly be witness to such a collection. He might have stared longer if it wasn't clear that the girl wanted to keep going.

> ==>

[madeinthehrl]

[from here]

It was much busier here than in the previous hallway. Hopefully it didn't mean much--healing Kratos was important, but it was also important to find Rapunzel a weapon. With luck, they'd have the time to do both.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She lifted the double-ended spear and held it out to Rapunzel. "This is for you, until we can find something better. Although," she added, suddenly realizing, "I understand if you don't have room to hold it."

[hairraising]

Ouch. Soma had hit it pretty much right on the mark. "Yeah, exactly," Rapunzel answered with a shrinking of her shoulders downward, clutching her hair a little tighter to her chest. She was silent for a little while after that as they moved into the next hall, not really wanting to get into the details of her and Gothel's relationship. If Soma was as smart as she seemed, Rapunzel figured she could probably guess at a lot of those anyway.

She was a shaken back into awareness, though, when Soma offered her something. "What?" She looked up over the bundle in her arms, eyes widening a bit. "Oh! Oh, thank you! You didn't have to, again," she said, making a movement to grab it... before realizing that no, with the flashlight in one hand already, she really didn't have room to hold it. She supposed she could just let her hair drop again; she was used to doing that. But with this many people in the hall, doing so didn't seem like a good idea at the moment.

"Maybe once we're done with Kratos," she said with a slightly easier laugh. The laugh was cut short, however, as they approached the next hall. That was the hall she had seen the terrible monster battle the night before. Instinctively, Rapunzel hung back some, wondering if maybe she ought to take the spear anyway, regardless of awkwardness. "It's not this next hall we have to turn into, is it?" she asked warily, listening out for anything out of the ordinary (for the Institute, anyway).

[oneman-onekill.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1066589.html?thread=77050973#t77050973)]

As soon as he got into the hall, Niikura began searching for any sign of Mike and his easily recognizable arm - or lack thereof. Two hasty turns down the hall later, though, he hadn't seen the man at all; he must have arrived first.

On one hand, that was good: he hated holding people up. On the other, he sure hoped Mike wasn't taking his sweet time or had been swiped for Special Counseling or something along those lines. The latter especially would just be really awkward.

He backed up against the wall at around the middle of the hall, now and then raising his flashlight to check the people walking by. C'mon, Mike...

[obviously for a mutant ninja turtle - and now eventually for Mr. Phoenix Wright!]

[hiddenbadass]

[From here.]

And there was the man of the hour. Teenager. Whatever.

Niikura would be happy to see that Michelangelo had arrived in one piece, minus the hat he had left in his room. Stupid hat. It would probably make good kindling.

"Hope I didn't keep you waitin'," Mike nodded to him as he half-jogged, half-walked up to the teen and stopped in front of him.

[mugenreppa.livejournal.com]

These were the same people who took away stuff and then brought them back again. What was the point? Mele thought as she shined her light several ways. Where was she going again?

Might as well just pick a direction. That way was the way she'd just come from, that way was the second floor, that way was the Sun Room.... Mele tilted her head as she remembered a door opposite the Sun Room she'd passed countless times before. It was as good a goal as any, so she set off that way.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?thread=77073402#t77073402)]]

The problem, of course, was more than breaking the locks -- it was finding the locks in the first place. Until then, they were trapped in the rat maze, hoping only that what information they could find and what challenges they completed meant more information toward the goal.

Tonight, perhaps, a greater piece of the challenge. Sasuke swept the hall with the Sharingan for an instant, satisfied that Sakura had yet to arrive, and leaned against a wall in wait.

It took effort to avoid trying to tug at the necklace resting around his neck: years of wearing nothing even close to it made the metal heavier than it felt in his hands, a niggling presence to which his skin failed to completely acclimate. Sasuke turned to balancing the weight of the two weapons in each hand to occupy them, the one well-crafted, useless, and the other a rough-made point of vision in Sasuke's world of darkness.

[waiting for Sakura!]

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html?thread=77109255#t77109767)]

It didn't take long to find him, not for a set of eyes used to seeking him out. She smiled to herself, but remembered that they were here to be serious, to make progress. It was with much more grace, though, that she was able to approach, her boots sounding almost silently on the tile beneath her feet, trained for stealth.

"Sorry to make you wait Sasuke-kun," she began, hoping he hadn't been here long. Though she'd left as soon as night had fallen, time had a way of playing with them, especially after dark.

"I brought the prize from last night, but all of my other things were gone," she said, more to inform than in any sort of plea for sympathy. There was a loud cracking of her knuckles and a jingle of the dogtags around her neck that followed the motion. "But I don't think I'll slow anyone down tonight."

[wantsyourzex.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063418.html?thread=77094394#t77094394)]

There, that was better. Now he could decide what it was he wanted to do. There were a number of patients flickering in and out of the dark, although his poor night vision didn't make them terribly obvious. The new darker clothes they were wearing didn't help in this department either, but it wasn't terribly important. ZEX had things to do, after all.

Well, as soon as he decided what it was he exactly wanted to do. He still wanted to retrieve the components of the bomb for the doors upstairs, but he wasn't entirely sure where he could find the materials... there were a few places he could look, but he didn't have a strong lead. He could explore and see if he found something interesting, perhaps another way to get through the doors... or he could network and see if he could find himself a new bodyguard, or at least an alternate one if Teisel had indeed vanished for good. Such a shame, that... Teisel was quite good at his job. And so attractive!

That was the curse of this place, he supposed. People came and went without much warning. ZEX stood in the hallway, trying to make up his mind as to what exactly he wanted to do, on occasion batting at things that only he could see, or wincing as a cut mysteriously appeared across his skin. Horrible little invisible monsters. They certainly didn't make this any easier.

[Leela?]

[shorttank.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1064711.html?thread=77098503#t77098503)]

She didn't want to totally emulate Bender, though it was more than true that a beer or three would go down really nicely right about now. She'd skip the cigars and the hookerbots given the choice, which was good, since there probably weren't any of either around here. What she wanted was real food, preferably something bad for her.

There were a few people waiting here, as usual. Too many kids, also a given. Leela didn't feel like wandering alone, so she looked around for someone who sort of looked like they knew what they were doing. The guy she noticed, though, looked more like someone who needed a hand, skinny, beat-up, and kind of twitchy. Silently lamenting her protective instincts, Leela approached him.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1063021.html?thread=77099373)]

As usual, this was the central location for patients wanting to meet up before exploring the place further. Unlike other times, he wasn't going to be one of those waiting there. Actually, he was sure he spent less time waiting there than most. This was a benefit of the company he kept, it seemed.

He made his way through the crowd quickly, but doing his best not to leave his taller friend behind. Though, given just how tall the pirate was, it might actually be rather difficult for him to get out of his sight. Nevertheless, one must always extend a common courtesy. He'd read that in a book once.

[promisedawhale.livejournal.com]

Brook was more than ready to follow after Sai's usual pace now that he was more familiar with it. Last night had really proven what not only Sai, but his ninja friends were capable of. He kept up well enough until they were having to avoid others in the hallway, but thankfully Sai was decent enough to slow down a little in light of that fact. The young man was good at leading, he had to admit.

"Are you used to this where you're from, Sai-san?" he questioned suddenly, curious as to what else Sai might have done as a Ninja.

[hat_einen_vogel]

[From here]

Prussia turned left, glancing over at England and Japan to make sure they were really coming along with him instead of sticking around to check out the ghosts. Not that it would be any great loss if they did... He did want to make sure Japan got himself properly armed if he was the only ally he had left here, but he couldn't care less about England.

...Which wasn't entirely true. If he tried hard enough, Prussia could probably be able to care about England less, but it really wasn't worth the effort. England might have been a bastard now, but they'd gotten along alright in the past and he couldn't entirely forget that. As slim as the chances seemed at present, maybe they'd get along again in the future, since he was going to have a future.

Shaking his head, Prussia looked ahead once more, turning the light of his torch there as well. They would just need to head through the sun room to the mess, and from there they could figure out how to get into the kitchens. He was pretty sure he'd seen an extra door somewhere around there.

[osoreirimasu.livejournal.com]

England was always so composed about spirits and the unexplained. Japan still didn't know who England had been speaking to when he stayed at his house all those years ago, but after getting to know the island nation better, he had his theories. Of course, theories could only go so far and, to be polite, he couldn't assume anything based on them, but...well. Japan sighed as he hurried after Prussia, trying to keep up with him and England.

There was something strange going on between them. Japan, with his hears of reading between the lines, was able to sense that much. Things had been odd since last night, but he simply had no idea how to breach the subject without sounding invasive or nosy. It was something about the way Prussia would look back at them, the way he shook his head for seemingly no reason, and the almost determined way Prussia seemed to be avoiding conversation with England.

But how to break the tension? Japan wanted to find neutral ground for them to discuss, but he wasn't sure what would be the most appropriate thing to discuss. Shuffling after Prussia, he switched the pillowcase to his opposite hand away from England and looked over at him as they walked into the next hall.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1069168.html?thread=77182064#t77182064)]