Day 60: Intercom, Evening

[damned-intercom.livejournal.com]

The intercom jingled at its standard time, with the Head Doctor still in his over-the-top, jovial mood. It seemed not even the evening light could keep down the love he held for his job.

"Good evening, everyone! I hope your soul is filled with music from last shift; I know mine is."

There again was a stretch of silence. When the Head Doctor continued, he sounded marginally disappointed.

"But now it's time to wind down the day with a bit of dinner. Tonight, we'll be serving turkey breasts and quality gravy, with sides of garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus, and a small salad. For dessert, we will be having pumpkin pie with optional whipped creme. As per usual, we will have our vegetarian alternatives and a wide selection of drinks available. Turkey lovers, be sure to take advantage of the food; it'll be an entire week before you can have this delectable meat again."

He chuckled at the statement. One might have labeled it as dark.

"Anyway, enjoy! I will wish you all a good night momentarily!"

The intercom clicked off.

Comments

F16

[avengingfists.livejournal.com]

Despite her waking up in a good mood Ilia found herself pensive about the night to come. She would meet with Rose and Gamzee, but did they dare move further into the basement? Did she dare test Claude and Anise's warnings? In normal circumstances that would be cause for her to have trouble eating, but this was real food and Ilia couldn't afford to waste it. Or time. She had promised Lana she would teach her a thing or two about self-defense before the night came and she would need her strength.

At least I can think of it as a warm-up, Ilia consoled herself then stuffed a bite of turkey and potatoes into her mouth. Politeness would call for her to wait for her roommate to arrive but tonight she could sacrifice a few etiquette points.

Still chewing, Ilia moved to her closet, intent on preparing herself for the rest of the night as quickly as possible. Her bottles of juice were obscured by the shadows in the far corner, and next to them were another few bottles Ilia didn't recognize as well as a package of some sort. Bending down, Ilia found there were two bottles of alcohol, a carton of fruit concentrate and a package of Nutter Butters. That... wasn't anything she had picked up herself.

A chilling thought struck her and she stood up quickly, shutting the closet door. She would finish her preparations later. For now, she just needed a moment to sit and think. Getting out her journal, she attempted to work on the mission list she had promised Tsubaki, Rapunzel and Rose she would work on. Hopefully thinking of some cold, hard facts would clear her head.

[fourstonewalls]

Ilia didn't have long to wait.  Lana appeared in the doorway, the nurse behind her peppering her with idle question, each of which Lana answered with one word.  Finally, the door was shut, and her expression softened.  It wasn't a smile -- another death wasn't anything to smile about -- but it was nice to be around someone who would both understand and only press if she needed to know.  Lana had made the mistake of asking the woman -- the nurse, not Ilia -- about Gant's whereabouts, and while she'd gotten the expected lie, it had also prompted the woman into attempting conversation.  

She hadn't been very good at picking up a hint, or professionally oblivious, and Lana couldn't decide which was more annoying.  Let it go, Skye, she told herself.  Ilia was going to be showing her a few things, and both focusing and relaxing were key in this sort of lesson.

She ate a bit of dinner, quietly.  The asparagus, and a bit of the potatoes.  Then she launched into the conversation without preamble.  "All of the self-defense training I've had predicated, first, a human opponent, and, second, that the ideal outcome was to escape."  

Well, aside from only a fool is his own lawyer, but that was rather a different kind of fight.  "Generally the uniform was enough."  She looked down at her sweats with mild, intentionally telegraphed, distaste.  They wouldn't restrict motion, true, but she couldn't say much else good about them.

F21

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Rei had returned. She had returned to the institute! Aigis felt such joy and sorrow for her friend's return. These appearances were a double-edged sword that she had not yet grown used to. Perhaps she would never be used to them. But it happened all the same and she would have to deal with it regardless.

For now, she wanted to enjoy her dinner and perhaps have a nice chat with Ema before she returned to the basement with her companions from last night. The dinner offered was certainly delicious. Aigis savored the flavors despite Landel's obvious dark tones. He thought he was clever but she would never be fooled by him.

She hoped he enjoyed his stay. Someday she would make him regret his return to power.

sorry, I am a failure of a roommate! ;;

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

Ema was not arguing about the improved menu since Dr. Landel's return, especially since she had something resembling an appetite again after spending the day working through her emotions and issues. Even if Dr. Landel's return was a smack in the face after everything that had happened last night, she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. Real food was a luxury she didn't plan on taking for granted.

She felt the same way about having a roommate who was still awake and aware. Once the two girls were settled in with their food, Ema gave Aigis a small smile. "I'm glad that you're okay after last night. You weren't attacked or anything, were you?"

F19

[requitedfate.livejournal.com]

Shiina walked thankfully back to the dorm having felt restless all day long. Shou was planning something big again. She shouldn't have been surprised since he wasn't one to sit idly by as others did the dangerous stuff. Still, why couldn't he have a little consideration for her worries.

Oh right. The world was more important that she was in the long run. Her existence was insignificant while still being significant. Because what happened to her did matter. Just not as much as the patient body as a whole. She understood the reasoning well, but it still frustrated her to no end!

Sitting down with a bit of an indulgent huff, Shiina started in on her pie first. It wasn't as sweet as most Western desserts which suited Shiina just fine. She just needed a moment to feel selfish about something. Her dessert was probably going to be her only solace tonight.

Re: F19

[melodists.livejournal.com]

Gone. Peter, the man who had put effort into creating a working paramedic group, was gone. The blow did not cripple the setup, but coupled with Javert's death, it dealt a substantial loss. Though Tear could find some relief in his life being spared, she remembered his absence placed their efforts close to the beginning. Majority of the supplies that were meant for the group had disappeared with Peter while the lack of a second coordinator would make it difficult to guide multiple mobile units. Furthermore, until the Search and Rescue team could regroup, they would likely have to handle tomorrow's M-U sessions alone.

Tonight would make or break their situation. Tear would have to obtain enough supplies to handle up to ten injured bodies and investigate the chapel before dawn. Neither should be harrowing, but with the inclusion of monsters, one could not predict success rates. Here, then, was the hope for competence.

Here, then, was the hope for fortune.

With a grim face, Tear crossed the threshold to her side of the room. One glance toward her roommate revealed at least one positive aspect: it seemed the food had returned to normal. "Good evening," she greeted as the girl took her seat for dinner. Given the amount of strength she will have to produce later on, Tear might as well get started on gathering energy. "I hope your day has been well."

M3

[train-tracer.livejournal.com]

Finally, finally, it was dinner time. The distressed nurse from this morning was back and huffier than ever, but this time, it was because Claire barely allowed her a chance to stay caught up to his pace. Before the end of the shift, Claire had seen the response from Miss Utena on the bulletin board. They would be heading for the ballroom place again tonight after all! Last night had been an amazing adventure, so of course Claire would be looking forward to it!

He couldn't wait.... though perhaps he could wait if this was the sort of dinner they were serving, after so many endless days of pink gruel. And he'd thought the chicken sandwich from lunch time had been like a breath of fresh air!

There was still no roommate in M3 when they arrived, though Claire couldn't be bothered to care when there was turkey and pumpkin pie to distract him. His nurse gave a sigh of relief when she closed the door on him digging into his mashed potatoes with gusto. He could set aside his impatience until after the meal.

SORRY I'M LATE ROOMIE ;A;

[strayfag]

If he wasn't so familiar with these halls by now, Badou might have wondered if his nurse was leading him down some lesser-known corridor to finally do away with him in a way that looked accidental enough for the institute. (So something with teeth and knives and maybe 'this guy was such an ass' graffitied onto the walls in his blood.) Thankfully, after a lot of prodding the woman he suspected capable of gory murder, she'd informed him tersely that he'd been moved since 'Lance' had been discharged some time this morning.

Oh. Well. Damn.

Badou shut up after that. There wasn't really anything else to say. At least once he got inside, his roommate looked like a normal enough guy, so maybe he'd get lucky twice or something.

"Hey," Badou waved once before he set the tray down on the unclaimed desk and sank into the chair. He'd been pigging out all day, but he still had plenty of room to shovel gravy and mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Gotta say," He swallowed. "I missed the food. I'm Badou, been here a few weeks... you gonna eat that pie?"

M1

[fuukaenbujin.livejournal.com]

At the end of the shift, the intercom had announced dinner as Kurama's nurse appeared by his side, ready to lead him back to his room. It certainly did seem like he wouldn't go lacking in the food department while here, at least. The person (http://damned-bulletin.livejournal.com/878514.html?thread=21581490#t21581490) on the bulletin board had certainly known what they were talking about.

Kurama didn't question where his nurse led him, but he noted with interest that they weren't heading to the room he'd woken up in. Was he being relocated then, perhaps into a room that a roommate was already occupying? He had to admit -- he really didn't have much knowledge on the procedures of insane asylums; for this was what this place seemed to be masquerading as, right, an insane asylum? It seemed like a proper conclusion to make, not that there was any doubt in him anymore that the real purpose of Landel's Institute was hardly the curing and caring for of mentally-ailing patients. There was something darker and stranger at work here. But as of yet, Kurama did know what that might be.

They turned down a hallway and walked all the way to the end. 'M1' the door said, and the nurse opened it for him. There was no reason the patient 'Abe Seimei' should have to resist, so Kurama stepped past the woman and into his new room. It was immediately obvious that there would be a roommate, though there was no sign of him (the chances of co-ed rooming was low, at best). Perhaps later, then. His dinner was waiting on his desk, so Kurama took the side of the room that looked unoccupied -- the right side, as it was -- and obediently sat down. There was a metal box on his desk beside him. There was nothing inside.

His nurse left him alone after that. It seemed the doors were normally locked from the inside, so it was not yet time for him to take action then. Fine by him. He hadn't gotten a chance to really examine his room this morning. He would at least need to know what sorts of hiding places were possible in room such as this, right? That was important. A fox always needed a secure den to hide in.

He started with the closet. Sliding the door open revealed a row of gray uniforms, (ten shirts and two sweatshirts), just like the one he was currently wearing. ...They were atrocious, really, and Kurama wasn't just judging them because he happened to pride himself in having a slightly more refined taste in wardrobe than others. They truly were atrocious. Were the smiling faces supposed to be ironic? It was horribly executed if so, though perhaps that was the point.

There was also a thick coat, an extra pair of indoor slippers aside from the one he was wearing currently, a pair of regular sneakers, and boots. ... Well, at least they seemed to be well provided for. There was a dresser in between the two beds opposite the door that Kurama assumed would contain the rest of his clothing. Spread among just his standard-issue clothing, there was material he could use to his advantage if he ever needed to improvise anything.

Next was the dresser. The bottom two drawers were seemed to be his roommate's, so Kurama left those alone and looked through the top two drawers. As he'd expected, the rest of his clothing was there: undergarments and sweatpants. Nothing else of interest here. A spontaneous decision to check under his pillow and blanket covers resulted in an interesting find -- a flashlight, quite durable, it seemed. Interesting.

Kurama took the flashlight with him back to his desk and set it next to the radio and the journal that was next to the metal box. His roommate still wasn't here yet. What kind of person would he be, he wondered? Perhaps he could be a valuable source of information. Ah, in that case, it would perhaps be easier to save his questions for when his roommate arrived. It would take less time than trying to find everything on his own.

Re: M1

[monkeyboy]

The door inevitably opened to the sounds of a nurse and young boy arguing. A woman entered first with a tray, next came a boy that only came up to about the nurse's upper thigh and stared longingly at the plate just above his head.

"Did you give me extra?"

"We've had this discussion before, Billy, and do you remember what I said last time?"

There was a long pause as he tried to think that far back so he hazarded a guess. "... Yes?"

"No. You get the same amount as everyone else."

"But--!" His hands grabbed onto the woman's white skirt, pleading with her before they made it to his bed.

"No, buts! Sit and eat your meal. And mind your roommate." The woman felt a sliver of pity for the young man who had to tolerate Billy and his eccentricities. Once the boy jumped up and made himself comfortable on his bed, the nurse placed his food in front of him before exiting.

Goku didn't bother with greetings until he had most of his meal shoved down his gullet. Even still, he didn't wait until his mouth was empty to ask. "Wuh yuhhr nmmm omnommm?"

M21

[thesadist]

Normally Daemon would have fully enjoyed the dinner selection for the night, but the Doctor's little chuckle made his suddenly wonder if the delicious looking plate brought to his room was actually what they'd said it was. There was no way to probe it however, so after a moment of thought he sighed, sinking down on the edge of his bed and picking up the fork.

Whatever it was, dinner was delicious indeed, and after days of the pink gruel, this almost reminded him of home. Without the day of chaos preceding it of course, trying to keep the wolf puppies out of the kitchens while Mrs. Beale cooked, as any type of bird had quickly become the Pack's favorite. Kaelas might have been an issue as well, if the big cat hadn't been more afraid of being scolded by Jaenelle than any desire to pilfer dinner. The thought brought a small wistful smile to his lips as he worked on dinner.

He wished there was wine...

Re: M21

[osoreirimasu.livejournal.com]

Japan was wary of returning his room. After spending a blissfully...well, okay, it had been stressful and full of him standing at the bulletin board for far too long as he fielded questions from the patient populace about the division of the Institute grounds among the Nations, but it hadn't been quiet and that was enough for him. He'd only just begun to grow accustomed to the silence when it had been broken by the surge from home last night; and now it was gone again. The entirety of his country, stripped from him without a second thought, again. It was painful and while Japan didn't exactly enjoy being called crazy and being forced to field every sort of question as if the bulletin board had devolved into some ink-based 2CH, it had been noisy and had filled up the hole for a short while.

Now it was gone again and Japan was being ushered through quiet halls toward his roommate. The roommate who had turned into some sort of demon tank and disappeared out the door last night. Japan wasn't certain if he should be afraid or not, but he was certainly going to be cautious. His stomach began to twist in knots as he realized he was entering England's territory as well, especially after Abarai Renji had called them "buddies." He and England...were probably very far from being buddies, despite Japan's best efforts. The Nation sighed and pressed a hand against his stomach as he was let into his room, bowing his head to Daemon to be polite, before heading to his--

...American dinner? This was definitely American. He had seen such foods at America's house in November before... "But..." he murmured, staring at his food as if it was neon green and pink instead of the delectable browns and whites they were. "...It isn't...the right season...."

F22

[ex_rosebuds752]

And that hadn't been at all creepy, Rose thought of the dinner announcement as she was escorted back into her room. She didn't touch her tray, even though the sight of it was certainly more tempting than the gruel had been. Instead, she sprawled out on her stomach on the bed and grabbed her journal, flipping open to the maps she'd copied down from the board today and set about memorizing it. She was tired of not knowing where she was going in this place when she finally got the chance. It was time to fix that.

[selfnighted.livejournal.com]

Someone sounded as if he enjoyed describing food. Perhaps the doctor-administrator's true calling had been a chef-novelist. The mental image was amusing, at least.

"I hope you aren't injured?" Maya asked as she took a seat at her desk. Really, though—despite the bloody mess Maya had witnessed last night, she still hadn't seen any of the alleged monsters with her own eyes. She was beginning to suspect she simply couldn't see them; though of course, she had to be attacked by one to know for sure. Perhaps she needed to wait in one place in the dark hallways for a few minutes.

All the more reason not to do it. Curiosity killed the... she thought, amused, as she looked at dinner. It did look good. That was one point in the doctor's favor, but if he'd expected anyone to treat tonight's meal with anything but caution, he was far too optimistic. On that note, Maya must be optimistic as well, to wonder what happened to the Radio Man. "Not hungry?" she asked Rose.

M14

[norainu]

Well, the talk with Tolten had sure been weird, but it also felt like a sign that there were some things in this place that were basically... normal. Renji felt amused more than anything by the entire idea. Of all the norms there could be in the Institute, he supposed having weird conversations with kids was probably one of the best.

In the room, there was a pleasant surprise waiting for him - his uniform, sitting on the bed that he guessed was going to be his. Renji grinned at the sight. Sure, he still didn't have any weapons, but at least he got to wear something that it was easy to fight in. Since his roommate wasn't there yet, he stripped and changed his clothes, ignoring the dinner tray for now.

Just wearing his uniform made him feel better. It was stupid, but true.

M73 eventually

[complicatedliar]

Loki had found his talk with Rita fascinating and even a little enlightening. He didn't often get to have conversations like that. And it was odd, really, that there was turning out to be a definite up side to being kidnapped while falling through space to likely unpleasant death via spaghettification in a black hole.

Though when he put it like that, the list of things that were better than being slowly torn apart by the differential gravity of a singularity was probably a very long one.

Either way, he already had plans forming in his mind, directions he might be able to go to make this captivity more bearable and ultimately something that he could turn to his advantage. It was a hazy, long-term notion, but ground work needed to be laid while he was finding out more information and hammering out the details necessary for an eventual take over. More information needed. He attempted to extract a little form his personal nurse. She was relentlessly cheerful and useless both. Loki resolved to try a different nurse, one who didn't seem to be on some sort of reality-altering regiment of happy pills, the next day.

The meat portion of the dinner was somewhat familiar, though he was pleased to see more vegetables on his plate than anything else. Big thoughts required biological regularity, after all. No one had ever written a truly good theorem while battling constipation, of that he was certain, though it certainly seemed to contribute to the rage that powered meat-headed warriors.

There were two beds in the room, he noted as he began methodically tasting his dinner. That likely meant he had some sort of roommate. Which could be good for some cheap entertainment.

M73

[teabastard.livejournal.com]

It had been an interesting day and wasn't that a curse? China's people certainly had it right with the curse of 'may you live in interesting times' hadn't they? And now he had to face America at some point. America from possibly the worst point in time he could be from. Why couldn't the Institute have brought him from a more pliable time? Like 1700 or so, although he would have felt bad for his dear little boy being thrown into this mess.

But Prussia first. That argument had... well, best not to think about it until he had to.

He stopped dead in the door when he saw someone in there. Someone who decidedly wasn't his roommate. Not his usual roommate at least. But he had heard of people disappearing so all that happened was his lips thinned and he stepped inside, forcing down as much reaction as he could.

"You're new, I assume."

M7

[tightsofmight]

Peter was drifting again when his nurse collected him from the Sun Room, gaze lost and dizzy. Peter - the other one - he was dead. Gone. And Sam was a wreck. Maybe he was better at holding it in than most, but he was feeling it. The guys seemed like best friends, and it hit a little too close to home to watch how his eyes glazed over. He looked like he was sleepwalking, and he might as well have been.

And Claire. He didn't get a chance to check the board before leaving, too worried to leave Sam's side for anything, but first thing tomorrow morning he was hunting her down and talking to her. Whether she knew about her uncle already or not was irrelevant. He'd tell her if she didn't know, and help her if she did. A flash of her crying in the chapel that Sunday struck him, and his gut twisted. She didn't deserve this. And Peter Petrelli, he definitely did not deserve this. It was a one time meeting, but the guy had been good. Calm, patient, itching to help out. Last he'd heard of him he had been working out some kind of paramedic gig on the bulletin, something Peter admired. If he had any kind of medical expertise he'd be right there with him.

Except that wasn't what Peter did here. What Peter did here apparently was run head first into the basement and drag along a gaggle of sacrificial lambs with him. God, the last thing he ever wanted to do was go back down there. Or see them all together again, in one place. It was too much. And Scott was suggesting they all saunter back down there again? Worse still, Indy was coming?

Yeah, staying in tonight seemed like a good...

The nurse had turned sharply to the left. Peter boggled. "Why are we stopping here?"

"We're going to your new room," she said pleasantly, and placed her hand on his back as she walked. The world went blank to him. He slowed, blinking dumbly and cast a look over his shoulder at the hall they left behind.

"What?"

"Michael was released, dear. You're in M7 now with Matthew - you'll like, him, he's a very sweet-"

"What?"

She looked down at him with a wrinkle growing between her brows. "Tyler-"

"No. He's not." Peter met her gaze with a strained, unblinking stare. He lost control of his feet and nearly stumbled as she switched to a grip on his arm and dragged him forward. "No. No, Brainy's not - he was there this morning."

"His name is Michael, not Brainy, Tyler. And he's just fine. He was doing quite well when we saw him off, there's no need to worry. He might come back for a visit sometime."

"His name is Brainy!!" Peter shouted. They had pulled up to a room. M7. She was opening the door and he was skittering back. "No!"

An orderly, seemingly materializing from nowhere, had him by the shoulder with a thick fingered hand in no time at all and pushed him back towards the door. Peter could see inside. It looked exactly the same as M71. The same beds, the same sheets and dressers and desks. They all started to spin in his vision as they came closer. "This isn't my room, you can't-"

"Tyler, enough." A clipped tone and a final shove, then he was in the nurse's hands again and being set on the bed. She had him by both arms and bore into his eyes with a hardened look. Peter couldn't seem to catch the air right. He was gasping in fits. "Just stay here and calm down. I'll talk to Michael's parents, all right? It's not the last you'll see of each other. You'll be fine."

Peter's mouth opened by a fraction. Nothing came out.

"Calm down, and eat your supper. And straighten up for Matthew. He's a very nice boy, you'll be good friends in no time. I promise."

She let go and smoothed out her apron, turning her back coolly on the sight.

"This isn't my room."

She was out the door. Peter gaped after her, pale and frozen in place. "This isn't...this isn't my..."

[lighthearted]

In the end, Sora hadn't been able to ask Chipp all of the questions that had formed after hearing his story. He wanted to give Venom the benefit of the doubt and it had helped to talk to him over the bulletin, but he couldn't help feeling a little put out even as he was led back to his room. Maybe Venom really didn't think of them as proper friends after all...

Not that Sora was going to let that deter him. Venom seemed like the sort of person who needed others to look out for him, even if he didn't want to admit it. Sora wasn't going to turn his back on him just because of a snag like this. Besides, he wanted to speak with the man face-to-face before he assumed too much.

In the end, Sora realized that he had to shift his focus to the coming night. He'd managed to get the Arts and Crafts assignments up, not that he'd ever failed to do so. Maybe he was doing okay at this leader thing after all! More than that, though, he'd decided that he was going to spend a night with just Kairi. It was long overdue, seeing how he'd bought those gifts for her almost a week ago and still hadn't delivered them.

Hopefully Riku wouldn't think it was weird that Sora was putting him somewhere else. He figured his friend would want a change of pace, and more than that, he needed someone he trusted to pair up with the newest member.

Of course, there was one person who had been missing from today's assignments, and that was Neku. Had his roommate just forgotten to respond, or was he still not feeling well? Sora realized that he'd find out just as soon as he walked through the door...

But it wasn't Neku who was sitting on the bed. It was a complete stranger, and suddenly it was like the day when he'd walked in and found Bridget there. Neku hadn't even been his roommate as long as Hanatarou had been -- not even close -- but they had been friends before then. If he'd been replaced, Sora knew exactly what that meant.

So Renji came back and Neku left. It was almost like there had to be a trade, which wasn't fair. Sora took another step into the room, his fists balled, and stared into the face of the new boy. It didn't take him long to notice that he looked even more gutted than he felt.

"You're... not new, are you? I think I've seen you around before. So that means..." Both of them had lost their roommates. Sora frowned and stared at his feet. "I'm sorry."

F2

[hasnomeaning]

Her room was now located in a different hall. Perhaps it should not have been a surprise. She supposedly had been 'gone,' and she had at least been 'somewhere else.' She had been 'missing,' and that was the only defining feature in all's explanations. Rei Ayanami had been done. And was reported to have vanished like the rest.

But she was still here. Still here and herself, like Aigis had said. Her memories were not disrupted, the only hole three days of unconsciousness, but Rei remained Rei. She was herself. She was only herself. The nurse dropped her off to an empty room, and she wondered briefly about Anise. However, there was nothing to be done about it now. She eyed the metal box near the closet, wondering if her things had been moved with her, and gave her attentions to the meal left for her.

She had missed too much on time. She would eat, regain energy, and give productivity tonight. She was not so willing to sleep again.

[rainboompow]

After the weirdly calming talk with Hawkeye (or whatever his name was), Rainbow Dash had spent the remainder of the afternoon between the Music Room and her new best friend/worst enemy: the bulletin board. Even after her nurse had forced her to stop writing with her pen in her mouth, and encouraged her to instead write by hand (Just pretend you're writing the way Spike writes, she had told herself grudgingly), the amount of information she had gotten had been extremely useful. Not to mention incredibly scary. But she hadn't been able to stop going back for more anyway.

If she had to rank the information, the scariest bits she'd come across were probably the bit from Aoyagi about being stuck for up to a month, and the bits from Renji about how people tended to be kidnapped alone and had to band together against zombie cats or something. She still wasn't sure if she believed Renji's information, but it kept creeping into her mind all the same. She couldn't help considering it. What if he was right? What if Discord really wasn't behind this place? No one knew what she was talking about whenever she brought him up. Well, that one person Tsuneo maybe had. Even then, the description he'd given wasn't totally perfect. Either way, the only way Rainbow could think to explain the lack of knowedge was the idea that maybe only Celestia and her sister knew about Discord before today. Neither Rainbow nor her friends had known who the draconequus was, after all. Maybe people just didn't know what to call Discord when they suffered the effects of his powers...?

Ow. My brain hurts. Where's Twilight to figure all this out when you need her? Rainbow thought, scrunching her eyes shut as the nurse wheeled her back toward the room she'd started out the day in.

Turned out there was already another human girl waiting for her by the time they got there. Rainbow blinked in surprise. She hadn't really been expecting a roommate. Despite the whole two beds thing. ...Okay maybe it should have been obvious at that, but hey, she'd kind of had to think about more important stuff during the day than the number of beds in a bedroom.

After telling her something about getting a "vegetarian option" for her dinner, the nurse wished "Corrie" a good night before closing the door behind her. Rainbow still twitched every time the lady brought that name up. Twitch twitch.

In any case, the first thing Rainbow set about doing after the nurse left was trying to stand up. She hadn't gotten the chance since the Rec Field and she was itching to try again now. "Hey there! Be with you in a sec, Whoever-You-Are!" Rainbow called over to the blue-haired girl as she pushed down on the armrests of her chair, lifting her rump out of the seat. "I just wanna try something first!"

M18

[ofthemotions]

There was far too much to think about by the end of the day. The boy's head was both spinning and compartmentalizing in the same breath. Magic, worlds, Dollars, clubs.... All of it was a bit too much, and at the same time, he was smiling unconsciously. There was so much. So much he hadn't gotten used to yet. And there was even more that he was just learning. It was incredible. Crazy, maybe insane, but completely incredible.

However, he needed to focus on one thing. If at all possible he needed to find this Tear person tonight, and tag along with them to see how they were. If they seemed decent and the first aid stuff legitimate.... He'd definitely start taking steps to ensure Dollars started out on the right foot. It was more difficult to be anonymous here, but not yet impossible. It was even... A little fun.

Thinking those thoughts, Mikado smiled quietly to himself as he started to eat.

F34

[kingofknights.livejournal.com]

The day had been quieter than Saber might've liked. She'd intended to discuss much with her fellow prisoners but had ended up having only two conversations. It was hardly the result she had hoped for, but at least she knew more of her predicament than she had the night before. Blindly following two others into battle had hardly been ideal. Still, Saber wondered as she silently stepped into the room her "nurse" escorted her to, would it have been better to be uninformed yet in control of her full potential as a Servant?

There were two beds in the new room that she entered. Her nurse had mentioned something about a roommate but little else. For now, she was alone with her meal and her thoughts. Night would fall shortly, and everything would change. The horrors that might await the young woman, and she truly was little beyond that at this point, did little to disturb her as she quietly worked on her dinner. No, all the unanswered questions were the ghosts that haunted Saber's mind. What little she knew now paled in comparison to everything she feared she would never know. Why was she here? How had she been summoned without an obvious master to guide her?

M39

[freewill]

As usual, Castiel's conversation with Renamon had been productive. Sitting around and talking wasn't his usual method of doing things, but there wasn't much else that they were permitted to do during the daytime hours. He could only be grateful at this point that the first two unpleasant meetings of the day had been outweighed by his discussions with Kratos and Renamon. He felt that he could trust both of them to spread his message to others who they trusted.

It occurred to him that despite all of his efforts to convey that information, he had neglected to make any plans for the night. He should have at least contacted Sam or Dean over the bulletin, but there was no guarantee that either of them would have wanted to meet up with him, let alone give him their room number. He remembered a time when he could have called either one on a cell phone and asked them where they were and they would have responded without hesitation. And it wasn't that things had deteriorated; rather, they had regressed.

He was certain that he could find something to do with his time. Even if it meant wandering on his own, he had his angel blade on hand now. It wasn't as potent without the divine power behind it, but he would still be able to spill the blood of anything that came after him. He had no doubts about that.

Dinner came first, however, and the meal that they were being served was worlds better than what he'd been forcing down his throat the past few days. Since Stefan had yet to show himself, Castiel took a seat and started to cut up the turkey. Poultry wasn't quite as good as red meat, but it was steaming hot -- and for whatever reason, food tasted better when it was warm.

Suddenly, fake memories cut in of Thanksgiving dinners with a pair of parents who he'd never had. Castiel frowned, his fork pausing in the air for a moment.

F8

[ninelivesonce]

A mission, a real dinner, and her arm felt almost as good as new. Taura was grateful for everything she had, and today she had more than she'd had yesterday. She sat down at her desk, stretched, and started tucking into her dinner. It was small, but breakfast had been back to Landel's generosity, and that she couldn't fault him for.

She did hope Goku would stay focused tonight; the fight last time they'd gone upstairs had been brutal, and he'd need to listen to her. Which might have been difficult the night after she'd tried to eat him, but if anyone would forgive her, it was him.

M63

[notachick.livejournal.com]

He didn't understand it, but since breakfast he'd been feeling unwell. The nurses had begun to hover at the edges of his vision all day, watching him and so Okita had decided to take it easy and rest for the day. But still, the strange feverish feeling and the odd way the nurses were staring at him when they thought he wasn't looking didn't abate, only lending to Okita's own unease. Was he really getting sick? If it was just a cold, he could sleep tonight and be ready again for tomorrow, but would the nurses be so clingy if it was just a cold?

Again, before entering his room, Okita was given a cup of pills and told to take them. Unlike the previous nights, however, he did as asked and then the nurse put her hand to his forehead. Apparently he had a 'slight temperature,' whatever that meant, and she recommended he rest up well tonight since tomorrow would be another 'fun-filled day.' Okita, despite hating the feeling of someone unknown touching him, simply smiled at her and bowed as he was let into his room.

It was empty still, but there was a meal waiting for Guy and so Okita sat down at his desk. Turkey wasn't a meal he would have had in his own country, but it was close enough to chicken that he had become used to it over time. He simply wished that it wasn't always covered in that thick sauce they used. It really covered up the flavor of the meat. Rather than start in on that first, however, Okita began on his salad, watching the door from the corner of his eye for his roommate.

[nobleman]

Getting to talk openly with someone about the coliseum was definitely liberating, and Guy could only hope that Sai had gotten something out of it as well. He'd at least been able to explain the strange mental block to him, though Guy was still shocked that Sai hadn't figured that out on his own by now. He'd had a couple days to, after all.

Then again, he could also understand why someone would want to keep that information to themselves.

Having caught up with both Tear and Luke today, Guy didn't have much that was bothering him other than the lingering question of Natalia. He would be seeing Anise and Claude tonight, so he wasn't too bothered by the fact that he'd missed them today. He'd caught sight of them around, after all.

He couldn't help but dwell on the fact that nothing ever seemed to change here, even when there were upheavals among the men who ruled over them. Guy kept waiting for an opening to come, and he'd thought last night had been it, but it hadn't amounted to much in the end. So long as everyone else kept trying, though, he was going to too.

Upon reaching his room, Guy found that Okita was already there and working on his food, even if he was only eating the lightest part of it. He smiled at his roommate and then went to take his seat. "Good evening, Okita," he greeted, figuring that it was his turn to use those words.

M20

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Well, he had told one person already, at least, although the contents of Castiel's note weren't exactly bulletin board material. Barring any distractions, he could likely spring it on Tolten as well during dinner.

However, the younger man was not in the room by the time his nurse escorted him in. It was no trouble, of course; he could simply start on dinner and eat as much as he could before the rest of the short interlude between day and night was devoted to explaining all that he had learned throughout the day.

Kratos sighed as he sat down, pushing aside the pumpkin pie for his dinner proper, and began cutting up his turkey.

Re: M20

[age-of-kings.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been...an interesting day.

Tolten was quiet as his nurse returned him to his room, though he smiled when he saw Kratos already seated to dinner. He worried, now and again, that he'd come back and find the man gone like in the horrible stories he heard. He couldn't say he counted the warrior an intimate companion, but...

He was kind and Tolten liked him.

"Good evening," he said, as he took a seat with his own meal. "I hope last night wasn't terrible for you."

And if Kratos wished conversation, there was more than enough opening for it. If he didn't, the young king was just as content to eat in silence.

M50

[dualistic]

So it seemed like against all of their better judgment, they were going to be going down into the basement again tonight. Harvey still wasn't sure if everyone was on board, but enough of them were that they were bound to get somewhere. "Somewhere" might end up being a very painful place, but there was only one way to find out.

His assumption was that the meeting spot was the same as always, and he was sure that Sangamon would be there with his sacrificial warping ring. (The amount of utterly baffling things that had become the norm in his life was pretty astonishing these days.) Harvey would have been lying if he said he was completely calm about it, but no one seemed to be expecting him to say as much, at the least.

At least he didn't have to play the shining hero anymore.

Harvey reached his room, and strangely enough, found Lunge fast asleep in his bed. That was hardly the norm, but he remembered how the man hadn't been chatty the night before. It seemed like they had been drifting away from each other lately, though not in a tense way. It was more that Lunge hadn't had the same presence lately, which made Harvey wonder if his roommate might be on his way out.

Or maybe he was just having a bad few days. It was hard to tell. Either way, the privacy at least meant that he'd be able to force his food down without feeling ridiculous, so there was that.

m35

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

Peter was gone. His nurse had seemed so proud of him when Ritsuka had asked that the boy had to fake a smile to get away from her. Of course he was happy "Peter" had gone home to be with his family. That was what the nurses wanted to hear and so Ritsuka had said it, but the words were like ash on his tongue and left a sour taste behind. Peter was gone and that meant Tear was the leader of the paramedics now. And what could Ritsuka do without Soubi around to help? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to keep relying on people when they just kept leaving.

Worse, he had heard that people had died last night again. More people lost to this stupid place where the staff kept a phony smile and refused to acknowledge reality, let alone everything that had happened only a day ago. They staunchly refused to recognize anyone called Aguilar or Berg or anyone else and became worried for Ritsuka's own "mental health" when he insisted they were real. He really shouldn't be surprised, he thought, but it was frustrating nonetheless how easily they had the wool pulled over their eyes. Maybe it was because they wanted it that way.

Entering his room, Ritsuka glanced to the side to check if Gamzee was already there, and upon seeing no one, went to his bed and flopped face down into the pillow. Even if he was hungry and the food smelled appetizing, knowing that he was slowly losing everyone to this stupid place was enough to kill off any desire to eat. "...Soubi, you idiot." Ritsuka pulled his pillow closer and then rolled onto his back, leaving it over his face.

m35

[mirthful]

Gamzee was far more... well cheerful might not be the word, but content, when he entered the room. He was his usual self, in other words. Upon being handed his tray, his eyes lit up slightly. This was also not that pink gruel from before, and wow did it smell good! Ritsuka went ignored for a bit as he got settled with his meal.

It was only after a bit of silence that he looked over. The other boy sure was bummed looking. Maybe he'd preferred the pink stuff to what they had now? Nah, even Gamzee was pretty sure that wasn't the case. If he was feeling bad, it was the troll's job as a good roommate to check up on him. Though he ate a little more of his turkey before he did.

"Somethin' got you down, my brother?"

M55

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

The fact that Sechs was led back to room M55 once again despite all that had happened the night before deeply troubled him. Instead of soldiers, Sechs was escorted by the usual orderlies flanking him on both sides. The voices of the military were replaced by the jeering tone of Landel. It was as though the military's presence and the chaos that ended their reign never even happened in the first place...

Not even a good turkey dinner could raise Sechs' spirits. He half-heartedly ate his meal, barely registering the huge improvement in taste and texture compared to that awful pink gruel he was fed for nearly a week straight. He and everyone else were back to square one; no amount of good food could make up for that.

The only bit of hope Sechs had to keep him chewing his meal was the promise of another attempt at the basement again. Maybe his roommate Sai might have some good news to help?

Re: M55

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

Said roommate arrived shortly after. He sat heavily at his desk looking over the dinner laid out before him. It was nice to know he didn't need to worry about trading his anymore, but given that this was about the only nice thing to make of the day that wasn't saying much. It wasn't a meal they were given often, but he found he had a hard time giving a damn.

He was still running the conversation with Guy over in his mind. He needed to be able to warn others about the dangers of the basement, but according to the other man this would be an impossibility. The only way to find out for sure would be to try. The fact that he hadn't already tried was troubling enough, but that could always be blamed on his current state of weariness.

The ninja gave his roommate a half-hearted glance and nod of greeting. He wasn't even certain what he was going to do that night, but he might as well eat his dinner while he pondered it.

M85

[threepwood]

Guybrush's day of furious pacing continued as the nurse showed him to his room. Though she'd been chattier that day than she had been in her entire time of acting as his ward, she was clearly beginning to tire of his antics. She turned and handed him his tray as they neared M85. "Have a good night, Mr. Moriarty. And try to get some sleep. You've been pacing all day, and that's not good on your legs."

"Not good on my legs?" Guybrush asked. "You know what isn't good for my legs? Or my back? Or my mental stability? Getting mauled by a Nightmarish Being of Literally Indescribable Terror, then watching it kill a man you respected. And to top it off, the nurse who keeps shooting you dirty looks says you scratched your back too hard. Have you seen this hook you guys gave me? I couldn't poke a hole in a wet napkin!"

A slight noise of disapproval escaped the nurse as she opened his door, her lips pursing in annoyance. "No more talking about these delusions, Mr. Moriarty. I can see I'm going to have to tell the doctors your condition has worsened."

"My condition?" he cut back, incredulous. "What about Javert? I'm pretty sure his 'condition' is the kind you don't just chalk up to delusions!"

"I've already told you that Mr. Hunt is just fine. He was released this morning, and you should be happy for him. He was here for quite some time."

"And now he's dead. Very encouraging."

She put a hand to his back, pushing him into the room. "Goodnight, Mr. Moriarty." And with that, she closed the door.

While Guybrush wasn't often one to fume, that was exactly what he did. Setting his tray on the desk, he was ready to prepare himself for the night, heading for his closet to retrieve his things. He wasn't sure what he was going to do yet, aside from deliver the goods to the Voodoo Doctor, but he was ready to blow off steam with a night of adventuring. He wasn't even going to have to head to the inspector's room for a change, which was something he'd been doing almost every night since his arrival, so that would save—

His fevered thoughts came to a halt as he threw open the closet. He'd expected to find his usual possessions: Elaine's sword, his underwear sash, other seemingly useless knickknacks. Hanging in the closet was Javert's greatcoat. Tentatively, Guybrush pulled the garment from the hanger; it acted as a final sign that his comrade was really gone. Elaine, Morgan, Javert- even LeChuck, in a way. How many more would come and go?

[vstheworld]

So they were going, then.

Scott's stomach hung in a weird state of half-tension on his way back to his room. Even with Harvey's explanations and Indy's assurance that he was all right to go, he still didn't know how to feel about going back to the basement. There was still so much emotion tied to that place. So what if the damage done there hadn't lasted? It had happened. And who knew what new damages awaited them beyond the Coliseum?

Still, he knew Harvey was right. If they didn't go on, Indy would have died for nothing. And he knew his own exploration instincts had a point too. Whatever was down there, not many people had checked out yet. Or if they had, no one had talked about it. He wasn't sure if that was just a byproduct of the whole Ziplocked lips thing, but he would've figured someone would have at least hinted at there being something else down there. Scott wasn't sure if he was on the right track with his thinking or not, but so far as he could tell, that told him they were breaking new or mostly-new ground. That was rare in Landel's, and it excited the hell out of his inner adventurer. A weird state that really clashed with his ever-present dread of the place.

Guess I'll figure out how to feel when we actually get there, Scott thought as he was shut into M85. The nap he had taken during fourth shift hadn't really helped him feel better about things, and neither did the constant lingering worry over Ramona in the back of his mind, so all he really could do was wait it out until nightfall. And maybe talk to Guybrush. From the look on the Mighty Pirate™'s face, though, it looked like there were more troubles than just Scott's brewing in the room.

"Hey," said Scott, heading over to his plate of turkey, then peering around into Guybrush's closet to see what was getting the other man so forlorn-looking. A coat? Huh. "That's some coat. Where'd you get it?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.

F9

[madeinthehrl]

The day had gone fairly well, despite the change in routine. Soma supposed she was one of the few people who had preferred the military takeover; the return to coddling nurses and smiley-faced stickers on bulletin posts irritated her more than they probably should have. As far as she was concerned, she would have preferred pink gruel and something approaching straight talk to real food and another layer of lies.

Still, there wasn't much she could do about it now. Besides, it was more important to focus on her upcoming mission tonight. Following the radio clues might give her a chance to investigate last night's events from Marc's point of view, and that was as much as she could ask for.

As the door shut behind her, she checked her closet to make sure her possessions were all there, then closed the doors. Seating herself at her desk, she started in on her dinner. With any luck, she'd find some answers tonight.

[survives]

Her first day without the military, while strange, had gone well enough. ...Or as well as it could possibly go, considering she was still effectively a prisoner. Definitely not ideal, but it was enough for now. A few friendly faces, an entire day without any of those soldiers, and most important of all, after her conversation with Renamon...

She'd finally have a way to defend herself during the night. Just having that small measure of control back made everything seem somewhat more bearable, made Leanne feel lighter even.

Even seeing an unfamiliar face when she returned to her room that night (Her roommate, right? She had to be, though she hadn't exactly had a chance to talk to her before) was a welcome change.

"Oh! Sorry!" she began, keeping a smile on her face. "I guess this is your room too, huh?"

m99

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

After so long one day tended to blend into another. It could've been any other day here, save for running into patients who'd disappeared here weeks ago. He was starting to wonder if there was much point to running around looking. For what, he wasn't sure anymore. Information on the doctor, Marc, what would any of it do?

Above all, it was his link to his brother, he reminded himself, that he had to seek out. Landel had promised him that much, had delivered even, and Yuuhi had done nothing but fail time after time. There'd been no new orders and the others seemed almost as confused as he was.

Yuuhi followed his nurse back to his room, keeping up light conversation. He was the first one back, so he took a seat and started eating his dinner, glad for something vaguely familiar.

M99

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

Considering he was still stuck in this place, the day hadn't been too bad. He'd certainly had worse days and the information that he'd got from Soma had been useful. But still, after the exhilaration of last night it was almost a disappointment to realise that tonight was likely to be much the same as every other night, restricted to this normal human way of doing things. He missed it really, the speed and strength of last night, the realisation of what he could be.

Fai was waiting and Allelujah entered the room almost shyly, awkward now about showing the change in him. Fai had seen Hallelujah though, so perhaps it wouldn't be quite so much of a shock?

"Hello," he said, giving an awkward smile.

F1

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

Sakura returned to her room in good spirits. While Sai wasn't in the best shape at the moment, it was infinitely better than being dead. It wasn't necessarily the how that bothered her; Chiyo had been able to raise Gaara with forbidden jutsu and her studies with Tsunade were enough to tell her that wasn't the first or only case of it happening. It didn't, however, mean that she was any less pissed off about the incident itself.

She took a seat on her bed, tray in her lap. The food here was almost ridiculously rich at times. While she was no supporter of the pink gruel of the last several days, this almost seemed too decadent afterward. She picked at it with her fork, eating the meat and vegetables first.

M6

[zanuff]

Although the day started out pretty crappy, it would have been hard to tell looking at Chipp now. Sometime after he was done talking to Sora, when that stupid nurse decided it was best to separate him from the kid (the hell did she think he was, some kind of asshole who made shit up to scare kids?), he decided to look at that bulletin board thing. And was he glad he did, because he ended up walking away with bonafide Japanese citizenship. The paper in his hand was the most precious thing in the world to him, as Chipp was practically hugging it when he walked into his room.

It was just a shame that they didn't have any proper Japanese food for him to celebrate with. Turkey was alright, he guessed... but still, he finally got his Japanese citizenship! Who the hell would celebrate with Western holiday food?!

"Hey, nurse, you got some Japanese food? I can't eat this, today's special!"

Well, he tried, but apparently the nurse who had been following him around all day had reached her limit and just stared at him with a tired expression before she shook her head, as if giving up reasoning with him.

"No, Robert, but we will have teriyaki next week."

"Why not now?"

"Because. Now, eat your dinner and get some rest, okay?" She said, ducking out of the room was quickly as possible and leaving Chipp somewhat confused. If they had teriyaki for next week, why not have it this week? For all of the days! Still, he couldn't scowl too much as he looked at the paper once again, a look of triumph on his face.

Now he definitely had to find that Gear girl and set her straight! It was duty as a citizen, after all! Well, that and figure out what she was doing there and if the military had plans for her. Chipp didn't like Gears any more then the next guy, but he couldn't help but think about the one Gear who had a bounty set on her a year ago. Would this girl be in trouble too?

[dispersive]

Luke came in without much fuss. There was nothing he could do about being manhandled into a confined space with a stranger. He was getting fed and not by gun point; there were other things to strike out at with his anger. Speaking of...

He stood awkwardly by his bed while the woman neatly placed his tray on the table near the headboard and locked them in. Instantly he picked up momentum and ran over to his wardrobe. In it stood his sword and the replica could heave a sigh of relief. He would be so screwed if he had lost it somewhere, maybe during the blanks in his memory from last night. The redhead had wanted to ask his friend Guy about, he really had, but he was scared of the answer as much as the impact it could have on him and the others.

If he could just get Tear by herself and ask evasive questions, maybe he could piece it all together without anyone being any the wiser.

Closing the doors to his wardrobe, he came back to sit on his bed and tried to look amiable to Chipp. "So, uhh..." It was a nice start, but he couldn't think of anything to ask. How was your day sounded rather dumb. So the redhead sat, scratching his cheek as he thought.