Day 66: Intercom, Dinner

[damned_intercom]

As the sun began to inch closer to the horizon, dark clouds gathered overhead. Even so, the Head Doctor didn't let that damper his enthusiasm.

"Good evening, everyone! I hope you've all had an enjoyable day, particularly our newcomers. Here at Landel's Institute, we're eager to welcome you into our big, warm family, so make yourselves right at home!

"For dinner, we're serving teriyaki & tempura, with our usual assortment drinks, including water, milk, and several kinds of juices. Enjoy your meals!"

As the nurses escorted patients to their assigned rooms, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sound of rain tapping against the outside of the building echoed through the halls. Some of the staff would comment about the sudden change in weather, but no one let it interfere with their duties.

((Respond to this post with your character's room number in the subject line. New room assignments are listed here. If you have any questions, let us know!))

Comments

M9

[repelling]

Time flew to tonal blips and the roar of digital engines. Uryuu knew he shouldn't feel quite so satisfied -- especially given that Poole-san had assuredly been cheating the entire time, and in almost every go beat him -- but by the time the Head Doctor's voice sounded, he felt quite confident in his skills at Super Mario Kart. Passingly familiar with each character's attributes! A little better at not swerving his whole body with the car on the screen!

The intercom served as a rude awakening, and he sobered considerably as his nurse collected him. One more stop at the bulletin board, and an unproductive one at that. It bit at him, and it surprised him how much it bothered him: knowing the terrible thing that would happen to some portion of the other "patients," and his own helplessness in the face of it. As if he had any responsibility. Kratos-san had not posted for his help -- and really, he wasn't a surgeon, so why would he -- and that was all there was to it. He would focus on finally reaching the file rooms.

Thunder sounded, and his nurse gave an exaggerated shiver. "You know," she chirped, leading him down a different hall from this morning, "my favorite stories begin with 'It was a dark and stormy night...'"

Uryuu was beginning to suspect she said things just for the look he would inevitably give her. He refused to reward that sort of manipulative goading, instead answering blandly, "Really? Mine too."

She stopped in front of M9, and Uryuu could not muster much surprise. Because the other side of his room last night and this morning had born no signs of another patient, he'd suspected this might happen. He'd been resituated and Inoue-san was new; though he'd had them exchange room numbers for precaution's sake, they'd planned to meet in the main hallway. Reluctant as he was to look forward to anything provided by this place, he weakened to the smell that welcomed him as his nurse opened the door.

Teriyaki and tempura, the doctor had said. A nice dash of familiarity.

After she bid him a good night (and he responded in cordial kind), his nurse left, and Uryuu crossed to his closet to confirm that his case-bag had survived the transfer. Not only had it followed, but he blinked with pleased surprise to find the bat that had been missing this morning. An idea sprouted, but before that--

Dinner.

Taking a seat at his desk, he began. He wondered, idly, just who would be his roommate... and what had happened to Kudou-san.

M9

[thisisyourgod]

Karkat's poor, unwary new roommate would have probably been able to hear him arriving long before he actually reached the doorway. (Hoped in vain, perhaps, that the obnoxious patient outside wouldn't be headed his way.) The troll was arguing for the sake of arguing at this point, his insistence that he be lead to people he actually knew being met with patronizing answers and pats on the shoulder that were about as far from comforting as they could get.

He had resorted to asking about adding a clown nose to the smiley on his shirt just for a touch of familiarity (as annoying as that familiarity could be) when she opened the door for him. When he saw that way laid beyond was not, in fact, an empty room but one that already had an occupant, he cut off his ranting with an abrupt "Nope!" and turned around to flee only to be grabbed oh so gently by the back of his shirt and redirected inside.

"How about I just have the room I was in this morning? There was nothing wrong with that room. In fact it was far superior to this room." Superior only in that it had been empty, since otherwise it was exactly the same.

The nurse, of course, couldn't even afford him a proper rebuttal or reasoning for the transfer. She simply continued to give him that irritatingly friendly-except-not smile before promptly locking him inside. And it wasn't a lock he was easily getting past, since he almost immediately attempted to do so, yanking hard on the handle and banging several times with no response from the other side.

Angrily, he turned and pointed at the poor sod he now shared a room with. "And you. Don't you dare think of trying anything funny with me, because I will gnaw your arm apart at the joint."

M73

[ryuuzaki]

L had spent the day resting in the Sun Room, except for eating his breakfast in the cafeteria. He had also asked to be taken into the courtyard for lunch, but had shown a chagrined change of heart almost immediately upon arrival. He still wasn't feeling well, he explained to the nurse, and while he'd thought that fresh air might be good for him, he now realized he had been mistaken. It was too chilly by half, wasn't it? He would risk prolonging his cold! She had given him a sharp look--none of these nurses thought they were anyone's fool, and they were all happy to let you know it--but had taken him back inside.

He had gotten what he wanted out of it: he had learned what the temperature was. That suggested how cold it might be after the sun went down, if no fronts passed through the area. The sky had been clear. The thunder and rain that came later was unexpected, and annoying and disheartening. He understood that it would complicate his task.

Now he was back in the room again. It had become a ritual for him to stow anything interesting that had been returned in the metal container out of sight in the locked desk drawer. Once that was accomplished, he moved a coat and the more weatherproof of the pairs of boots to a place in the closet where they would be more accessible after dinner, then turned his attention to the tray of food on the desk.

The nurse had mentioned a surprise waiting for him. He'd understood what it was at once, even as she'd gestured to the desk; the smell had hit him as he'd walked in and had continued to distract him as he'd shuffled through rings and trophies and bullets.

Now that he was sprawled in the desk chair, feet on the floor, he frowned at the cup of coffee, then lifted it and sniffed it. His total consumption of coffee since his abduction had been approximately equivalent to what he would have had at a typical breakfast; taken on its own merits, the cup was very welcome. On the other hand, between Aguilar and this epidemic of Landel's, any dietary changes were suspect... tempting ones more so.

It would be a cold, difficult night, although if he were lucky, and Harrington could be trusted, and everything went well, he and Lana Skye might both be in better shape in a day or two. If things went badly, it could be his last few hours, an argument for not worrying much about what might or might not be in the coffee. That understanding, the feeling that his time could be running out, had become an old friend over the previous year... common enough that it was not in itself something that he regarded as a good reason for profligate day-seizing.

The chances were that there was nothing wrong with the coffee to begin with, in the same way there was nothing wrong with the lollipops. Yet if it had something in it that made it impossible for him to go out for the night, or that impaired him, it could be the end of him. Ultimately, some people had apparently been allowed coffee lately, and there were no reports that it had been drugged. It would also have been easier to slip something unpleasant into his regular drink; he usually finished the juices.

If he was going to drink the coffee at all, it would be better if he drank it while it was hot. He tasted a few drops. It didn't taste off... it tasted delicious. He took a real pull of it.

When Lingormr returned, L greeted him with a nod of acknowledgment and the hint of a smile, none of which had anything to do with anything at all. However, the coffee made the smile easier to muster.

[Still hiatused; just leaving this setup post so that Loki knows what he's coming home to!]

M73

[complicatedliar]

Loki was beginning to like his roommate. He was so quiet. It provided him with valuable time to think before the night started, time where he didn't have to simultaneously play the game.

With cures showing up, it was time to raise the stakes. Time to start hunting and lead people to the conclusion that they couldn't simply wait for everyone to get their gut cut open.

Time to plan.

M79

[dividedby]

The good news: it seemed as though Zero hadn't missed much today. He'd been able to get to the bulletin board and read everything that was discussed, including definite proof that there was a cure for the infection, and he'd also been able to get in contact with X, Harpuia, and Leanne to ensure that they were all doing well.

The bad news: nothing changed the fact that he'd slept so long without meaning to, not to mention the answers he'd received over the board for his question about sleeping were cause for concern. People were either being brainwashed or outright ceasing to exist...and no one seemed to know the reason why. Why would Landel get rid of certain prisoners but keep others? Was he looking for something that only certain prisoners had? Was he merely getting bored of certain 'toys'? The lack of an answer was worrisome when Zero thought of people like Ema and Woody who were no longer here... What really happened to them?

What the once-Reploid found in his room at evening meal time did nothing but raise further concerns.

Few could miss a bright pink coat sticking out of their closet, just suddenly there without any explanation, and Zero wasn't one of those few. But it wasn't the color or simply the why that bothered him when he noticed it. It was the fact that he recognized it - the fact that it belonged to someone he knew well.

Someone who might be here somewhere, but brainwashed.

Zero quietly pulled the coat out of the closet and dragged it over to his desk with him so he could stare at it and ponder over it while sitting down. Why did they give this to him? Was this a sick joke? Was it supposed to be a present from the girl who looked and sounded like Ciel? The patch of the Resistance was even on the sleeve... It didn't make any sense...

If his roommate had entered the room by now, he didn't even notice. Too lost in thought. All of these questions, and no answers...there was little else that was more frustrating than this.

[impudentsongbird]

All in all, today had been a very good day. The only thing was that Gabriel felt strangely exhausted, and it took him a little while to realise it was because of the rampant emotions of the last shift. Not that he blamed Murphy in the least for it; the Archangel just hadn't been expecting the effect such turbulent emotions would have on him.

When Rachel ushered him into his room he was already yawning, and the nurse scolded him gently, all but ordering him to go to sleep right after dinner. Gabe had smiled vaguely and hadn't responded.

"Good evening," he said to his room-mate with a smile as he kicked off his shoes and padded over to his desk, laying out the herbs he'd picked onto the desk. At his first glance over the bed nothing new registered to his tired eyes, but then he stopped and looked back, startled by the fact he'd missed anything at all. There was a five-stringed, open-back banjo resting on his pillow.

The Archangel exclaimed in wordless delight and abandoned the chair he'd been about to sit in for the bed. With a broad grin Gabe sat, his fingers finding their places and playing an easy, light-hearted riff. It didn't even need tuning.

F15

[thecamellia]

Rain...

Every time it'd been rainy, it'd seemed to accompany a long, trying night. Tsubaki hoped that would not be the case this time, but all signs were pointing to the opposite, much to her dismay. Rain was supposed to be cool and soothing, but to Tsubaki it only felt a little oppressing. Like the world itself was sad.

She wouldn't have been shocked if it were true.

Once her nurse had left her alone in her room, Tsubaki wasted no time getting to work. She went straight for one particular little vial she had hidden amongst her things, and knelt on the floor with it cradled in her hands.

She knew what she had to do. Ever since meeting Scar outside of the Medical Wing, an idea had been forming in her head, an idea to test once and for all if she had something useful to give to her friends if they were injured and needed it. Although the vial and the yellowish substance in it had come from a questionable source, if it could heal as promised... if it could improve their situation even in a tiny way... Well, she was obligated to give it a shot, right? Not on someone else, not before she knew it was safe, but on herself first. If it worked on her and the injuries she'd gotten from Sora, then she'd know.

Likewise, if something bad happened, she'd also know it was unsafe. But Tsubaki prayed that wouldn't be the case, knowing that Leanne would be waiting for her when the lights went down.

Before she could second guess her plan, she put the vial to her lips and took a tiny sip.

M7

[lighthearted]

As tough as Sora's day had been, between having to deal with his symptoms and also face all the people he'd hurt last night, he still wished it had gone on forever. He would have endured all of that for as long as he needed to, if it meant avoiding the coming night. But it didn't work that way -- time kept moving, and dinner shift meant that he was one step closer to changing again.

It would be good to see Link, at least. Really, all of Sora's friends had been extremely supportive, even after he'd injured some of them. He could only be thankful for that, but he didn't want to now take that and throw it back in their faces when he transformed.

But Tsurugi and Kratos would help him, and if they had any luck they would be able to restrain him for long enough that Kratos could carve that device out of his stomach. His wounds when he was a Heartless seemed to just disappear in the morning, so it wasn't like they even had to be that careful about how they did it.

When Sora reached his room, he realized that after skipping so many meals, he was starving. He wanted to dig right into his meal, but he couldn't eat when someone was about to operate on him, which meant doing his best to ignore the smell. He went and flopped onto his bed and waiting anxiously for Link to appear.

Re: M7

[his_legacy]

Night was coming. Link felt slightly jittery as his nurse lead him back to his room for dinner. Much as he wanted to take a night for his own exploration, there was no question in Link's mind that the other patients needed to come first. Would Sora transform again? Time could only tell. For now, Link would prepare himself.

"Sora?" He walked into the room they shared and settled on the edge of his own bed, facing his roommate's. "How are you feeling?" Consideration before business. Urgent as things were, Link knew how Sora must feel right now. He wasn't going to bombard him with questions, yet. The Hylian's conversation with Sechs had gotten him thinking- had given him the information he needed to at least have somewhere to start looking for answers.

M39

[freewill]

After his conversation with Ryuugamine Mikado, Castiel's nurse finally took pity on him and wheeled him into a corner where he could rest and wasn't likely to be bothered. He didn't know if it was due to the exhaustion of being in constant pain, or if he was drained from vomiting a number of times throughout the day, or if maybe the medicine was to blame, but Castiel slept through the entire fourth shift.

He only woke when the screeching sound of the intercom came on, and struggled through a strange groggy phase as his nurse came over and told him it was time for dinner.

"And Mr. Collins, you really should try to eat something tonight! I know it's hard to keep things down, but a little rice wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Maybe she was right. Castiel didn't know. He had no idea how to deal with a human body post-surgery, which was why he'd spent most of the day suffering quietly.

Once back in his room, the nurse left him with a few more pain pills and told him it would be best to take them once he'd eaten. Castiel was left to stare at his plate of food as if it was an insurmountable task. If he couldn't even eat dinner, what was he supposed to do with himself tonight?

M2

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar took a glance out the window as he made his way back to his room. The clouds gathering overhead were unsettling. He hated the weather here- unpredictable and often so uncomfortably damp.

The head doctor's announcement was ignored as always. The bastard never said anything worth hearing during the day. It was when he came on after dinner that the hints and teasing clues began to arise.

It had been a relatively uneventful day, but that had allowed Scar's mind to wander, beating paths in circles and circles from which he had thought he had moved on. He grumbled to himself, setting his dinner on his lap as he settled into bed, only picking at it. His stomach was still upset and hurting, and his unpleasant thoughts weren't helping. Scar knew that he ought to not eat anything. The surgery worked, according to those people on the bulletin board, and he was heavily considering simply trying it on his own. The only other way he had considered being able to get it done had been through Lust, who was now insisting that they tiptoe through the issue and avoid the inevitable outcome. He had gone to her for a detached 'yes or no' answer, because that was, from what he had gathered, how she dealt with things. It was one of the few matters he could actually agree with her on. Irritating as she was, Lust was not some bleeding heart like nearly all of the other people with whom he had allied himself.

Apparently, that assumption had been off, which only brought him back to the circles once again. A homunculus acted only upon necessity- motivated by instincts, as they had no souls with which to pull emotions. What, then, was the point? What was the higher purpose? He couldn't even remotely think of one, which put him back at square one. Scar would just have to assume that he wouldn't understand until it caught him off guard and he was full of holes all over again, as everything seemed to work when it came to Lust.

And if that damnable nurse called him that moronic fake name one more time...

Re: M2

[unpriest]

It seemed the weather had adjusted itself to the threat that came with sunset, the monotonous tapping sound of the rain outside only interrupted by the ominous thunder rumbling in the distance. Was this a sign? Seishin couldn't help but frown.

His roommate was already there when Seishin entered the room. He appeared to be lost in thought, but the former priest nonetheless offered a polite bow of his head in greeting before moving to his side of the room. The scarred man still appeared to be suffering from the illness. How much time did he have left?

Seishin offered the man a sympathetic glance as he picked at his dinner, but otherwise remained silent.

M3

[knightspirit]

... Time was up. Kyousuke could have mentally kept trying to go after the cure, but his plan with Sora was already set, so there was no turning his back on it now. There was a faint possibility he might be able to look into things later tonight, but depending on how things went, that chance might not come at all. He would have liked to stay positive and optimistic, but it would only be blind, and it was best to be prepared.

He felt a bit drained as he entered his room for the night, and was half considering simply sleeping until the doors unlocked, both for the sake of his broken rib, and so he wouldn't have to deal with the increasing dread of what he'd have to face tonight. But to his surprise, there was actually something nice waiting for him there—a framed photograph resting on his desk.

... This was the picture that taken after they'd won the Holy Road, and abolished Fifth Sector for good. It had only been a few days now, so seeing this brought all those feelings of weightlessness and accomplishment and genuine excitement back in full force, like he was still standing there in with everyone, helping Tenma hold up the proof of their victory. Unconsciously, he mirrored the lopsided smirk he was giving in the picture, letting himself relive the warmth that had been buried away and forgotten in the face of the horrors this place.

It was refreshing, but in a bittersweet way, because as he looked at the smiling faces of these unbelievable guys he called his friends, he was beginning to realize for the first time that he missed them. For all the time he'd spent shoving people away and making no effort to get along prior to Raimon, now that he was away from them, the days were too quiet. He made a noise somewhere in-between a snort and chuckle. ... Now there was a thought he'd never thought he'd have.

After that, he simply began to eat, slightly torn in how he felt about this, but trying to focus more on the good. Why bother getting lonely? ... It wasn't like he'd be stuck here forever. He'd see to that.

M67

[asteroidbelt]

Ryusei's first act when his nurse pointed out which side of the room was his was to open all the drawers and closet door. Pretty standard living things, minus toothbrush, but he supposed those were kept elsewhere. Actually, he should have asked if he could go when the nurse pointed out the bathroom; he'd forgotten their movements would be restricted.

His clothes weren't in the closet; he'd expected that. But there were outside boots for some reason.... One of the intercom announcements had said something about a greenhouse, hadn't it? He'd find out. Or, ideally, he wouldn't, having been released before he could.

That done, he closed the drawers and sat at the desk, considering the dinner. He hadn't done much but sit all day, so he wasn't especially hungry. He normally ate dinner after practicing, but... Here, there wasn't an option to save it for later, was there? The only exercise he could get in this small room was pacing, but he wasn't nervous enough for that. Changing his accustomed schedule was beginning to seem a pain.

Re: M67

[seekingmystrength]

The night before, no one had been in his room when he'd either arrived or left. He hadn't thought the red-haired nuisance to be gone from just one occurrence, however when he entered his room to find a new person entirely, Kurogane could at least hope that Grell was out of there.

He never wanted to see that man again.

He said nothing to the newcomer, but did observe him a moment before continuing his usual routine. A kid this time... he noted, taking his seat to eat.

As long as he had been there, his numerous roommates had been at least a little older - closer to his age. This one looked like the youngest of the group though, and Kurogane could only hope he'd get sent home before anything happened to him.

F9

[madeinthehrl]

Apparently she hadn't recovered nearly as well as she thought she had, or perhaps she'd overexerted herself today. Either way, Soma was exhausted by the time she arrived at her room. For once, though, the nurse seemed to sense her mood, and left her alone with nothing more than a quiet, apparently heartfelt "Good night."

Maybe, regardless of whatever the woman turned into after sundown, she honestly believed Maria Medvedeva had tried to kill herself last night. Not that it mattered very much in the long run.

They'd been thoughtful enough to move her chair out of the way, and Soma eyed the meal on her desk with some trepidation. She wasn't sure if it was safe to try eating now, but it looked a little more appetizing than her breakfast and lunch had. She'd try the rice, at least, and drink the water.

She opened her storage box as she ate, and blinked in faint surprise at the object resting at the top. A belt holster, she realized, setting down her fork and lifting it out. Sturdy build, black leather, and a perfect fit for the handgun in her possession. A perfect fit for her, too, which hadn't always been easy to find back home.

Pleased as she was at the discovery, she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. A careful search of the box revealed no signs of a note, or anything else that might have tipped her off as to the identity of her mysterious benefactor. People here got clothes, sometimes--she'd known that for a while--but she wouldn't have known what to do with her old uniform, familiar as it might have been. This was much more practical. Was that what it was? Just a gift, turned up out of the blue? Or...some kind of reward? She'd gotten twenty rounds in return for that drug trial...

Pushing the thought out of her mind with a shudder, she adjusted the holster around her waist and turned her attention back to her dinner. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

[survives]

It was with a slight sense of trepidation that Leanne followed the nurse back to her room that evening. She still remembered what she'd spoken of with her roommate the day before and, added on to what Zero had told her that afternoon, it left her with rather mixed feelings. Hope, of course, was foremost among them, but her fear hadn't quite left her yet, not when she knew what this cure would require. But if it really had worked...

Did any of them have a choice?

She immediately spotted Soma when she entered, already in the middle of her dinner. Leanne couldn't exactly tell just by looking at her, but... she certainly seemed to be doing better than the night before. "Soma!" she gasped out, barely allowing herself to think about it. "You're really okay?"

M16

[stellarregions]

Breakfast hadn't gone well, and admitting defeat, Gren had spent most of the rest of the day resting in his room. At least there were enough ill patients around that he hadn't had to argue much to be left alone.

He did feel marginally better, enough to get up and retrieve dinner at least, although he wasn't going to place any bets on how much he was actually going to be able to eat. It gave him something to focus on, at least, beyond the ominous rumble of thunder in the distance.

F14

[gald_digger]

Anise made sure to check the bulletin after talking to Barnaby. Just as he said, there was a diagram including illustrations of butterflies... including something that looked a lot like the object from the x-ray. But even more importantly... someone had been cured. Removing that thing could cure them!

Now, if only Anise could know how much time she had left...

Upon entering her room that evening, she didn't give the food more than a short glance before throwing herself onto the bed behind it. Life in the institute was exhausting enough when she was healthy, but with her illness, she was constantly feeling fatigued. It was probably best to get a little rest in whenever she could.

Anise rolled over to one side as she lay on the bed, hugging Tokunaga close to her chest. She wasn't sure if she could relax enough to manage a nap, but for the time being, she closed her eyes.

[stylebythemile]

She'd read a lot of interesting things on the noticeboard today. The problem was that she didn't know how much of it was actually true. But it was the only info she had, so she had to look into it. And having a lot of unverified info was better than having no info at all.

Though if Kratos was right and Soma had been cured, it meant that that other stuff--about the cause of it all being some kind of device--might be true!

...She was really worried about Sora. If Kratos and this Tsurugi person didn't handle it right...

She was quickly reminded of Mokona when they went past room 20. Upon entering room 14, she froze when she saw a girl she didn't recognize lying on one of the beds. Was she sleeping? Instead of sitting at her desk and focusing on dinner like she knew she should, the princess stared at the other girl, wide-eyed and curious. 'Should I wake her? She may know something about what happened to Mokona!' Other than that, Sonia also needed to know whether her new roommate was infected!

F21

[overlimit]

The day had been quiet and uneventful, due mostly to Rita's own lack of interest in socializing. She'd made plans for the night and that was all that really needed to be talked about.

When she returned to her room, she immediately set about starting preparations for the night, gathering whatever supplies she felt she'd need. But when she looked inside her closet, she found something that wasn't there before.

Was that... her clothes? Her actual clothes? Rita lifted up one piece from the folded pile, confirming that it was indeed her own clothing. And among the cloth garments, there was one solid object: a gold choker, adorned with a red jewel in the center. Rita was speechless at first, but once the shock subsided, she scooped it up into her hands and lovingly pressed the gem against her cheek.

"You've come back!" she cried, elated. Though she wondered why her blastia had been returned to her, for just a moment, it didn't seem to matter.

[no_dont_go]

Aigis was returned to her room much slower than the majority of the patient body. Her nurse, while certainly aware of the situation of the patient body as a whole, seemed concerned with Aigis' recent fatigue upon the rest of her symptoms. The former android wasn't opposed to stopping at the women's bathroom, though she only splashed a bit of water on her face and insisted on returning to her room for the night.

Aigis noted her roommate was busy with some things she had in her closet. Heading to her own desk, Aigis flopped down into her chair and stared at her tray of food. Tempura. Something familiar and she should be happy to consume it. But her stomach probably wouldn't allow much. Even so, it had a pleasing scent.

At the sound of an exclamation from Rita, Aigis looked up, one piece of tempura-fried broccoli at the end of her fork. "You found something, Rita-san?"

M11

[longlivetheking]

The room was still empty when Scar entered. There was the small hope of actually not having to share it with some dimwitted fool, but he knew fate would soon prove him wrong. Little else remained but to enjoy what little stupidity-free silence there was left, for now.

It would seem those bald monkeys had not even tried to make his dinner seem remotely edible, but he was hungry enough to resign to the institute's bizarre meals. Before making an attempt to eat it, however, he decided to check whether his weapon was still there. He was relieved to find it in the closet, and he was about to close the door when his gaze fell upon a square-shaped item.

That hadn't been here before...

Deciding that his dinner could wait, he decided to investigate the little surprise. He knelt before the closet and picked it up, hearing something slide on the inside as he lifted the object. The logical conclusion was that this could be opened, somehow...

It took several moments of fiddling with the infuriating object - Scar quite nearly lost his patience and was about to simply throw it back into the closet and forget about its existence - before it finally opened and its contents dropped onto his lap. He eyed it for a moment before he carefully picked it up; it looked like one of those eating utensils, only heavier and larger, and much sturdier. It was a so-called knife, wasn't it? Link had carried one last night, and the former lion knew what sort of purpose it would serve in a place like this.

How awfully generous of the head doctor. Especially because the idiot had gone out of his way to deprive him of his former weapon, only to make him fetch a new one before giving him another one. Hnn. He supposed a second one wouldn't do any harm, especially if it did the very thing his current nails just so happened to fail doing.

Still, the former lion couldn't help but to feel a little suspicious. Nonetheless, he placed the weapon and its container back where he found it for the time being, and returned his attention to his dinner. He clumsily picked up the plate and took a relatively comfortable seat on the bed, prodding the laughable dinner in search of what appeared to be the most edible.

Surprises or not, he still wished to spend the night in some relatively productive manner...

M11 (he is in the room first!)

[somesoulsearching]

"But I was certain...!" Brook was still trying to explain to his nurse that not only was this not the way to his room, but not his room either by the time the nurse shoved him in to a number very much separated from what should have been an 83.

Moreover, his roommate looked nothing like Michelangelo! Unless something very strange had happened between last night and now.

With the door shutting in his face, Brook frowned at how cold his nurse was being before putting the frown on the strange person in what might have been his room. Honestly, he'd been seeing things earlier, so maybe he was doing the same thing now? He couldn't be sure.

"Good... evening?" he provided, wondering if the voice might match his roommate's somehow. Then he'd be able to see if he was hallucinating or not.

Maybe.

M8

[albuquerquesnorkel]

Ishida, Riley decided, was weird. Way too mature to be a teenager, and probably slightly insane even by the apparent standards in this place. But beating the hell out of him at Mario Kart had definitely been fun, and even managed to distract Riley from what everyone seemed to be saying happened at night.

Giant birds and salamanders on fire.

Riley frowned and tried again. Giant murderous birds and salamanders on fire.

Nope. Still didn't sound any more believable. Properly spooky, though. The sound of the rain outside and the darkening sky were combining to thoroughly unsettle Riley, and he was actually glad to get into the windowless, brightly lit room. M8. There was probably something wrong with being more comfortable in what basically amounted to a cell, but Riley couldn't really care at the moment.

"So I can definitely see a doctor tomorrow?" he asked the nurse quickly, before she had a chance to hurry off and leave him alone again.

She gave him a patient, if somewhat patronizing, smile. "We'll see. You're definitely on the therapy list. We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes."

Riley debated playing the Do you know who I am? card again, but no one here seemed to care, so he just nodded. "Okay. Great. Therapy." To be perfectly honest with himself, Riley was still clinging to the idea that this must all be some horrible mistake, because the alternative was just much too horrible to contemplate.

With the nurse gone and a double room, apparently, to himself, Riley flopped at his desk and began eating. For a mental hospital that was supposed to be so very frightening, the food all day had been absolutely delicious.

M8

[voiceofthanatos]

Yuri returned to his room with a dull look on his face. This afternoon had gone by really uneventfully after Barnaby had talked to him. After leaving a note upon the bulletin board he decided he had nothing else of importance to complete.

Spotting his roommate on the other bed, he gave him a greeting of acknowledgement. "Good evening." A quick glance had revealed nothing odd about him, at least from what he could tell.. So Yuri decided to return to what he was doing in peace.

He sat down at the desk, eating his first bites of food. As always the food was fine and settled in well but he much preferred his own cooked meals.

His thoughts traveled to tonight. While he could easily handle himself here in theory, he'd rather not go lax on using his possibly weakened powers without a disguise of some sort.

F19

[requitedfate]

Shiina was hardly aware that a full day had passed by. She hadn't even noticed when the nurses had come to check on her, or when they placed the lunch sack down, or when they came and took that away only to replace it with a dinner tray. In fact, she was practically dead to the world.

She had yet to wake fully since her surgery the night before. Unfortunately, the procedure had not smooth, even if it was successful in removing the object from her gut. Her pain was only beginning.

The sleeping girl moaned softly in her sleep and she clutched at the blankets. Sweat beaded along her brow-line. On occasion, her murmurs were vaguely coherent. Something about a "Shou-kun" and a "Mike-san."

M44

[redcladidealist]

When the call to dinner came, interrupting his conversation with Tsurugi, the realization that he was about to go back to his room reminded Lloyd of the conversation he'd had with Guy just the shift before. With that thought fresh in his mind, Lloyd followed his nurse back to his room without protest, a little bit lost in thought. He'd never really envied his friends who could heal, since he had his own strengths and abilities, but as near as he could tell, Kratos was the only person from his world here - and the fact that there were other worlds besides the two he knew was still amazing in and of itself. Kratos wasn't as good at healing as Professor Raine was, though. Lloyd doubted the healing magic the older man knew could be used to fix something like this. This wasn't a cut or a blow to the head, there was something that had been put inside of the people who were sick. Inoue was supposed to be able to heal, too, and Flora had hinted at something, but again, he didn't know if they could really fix something as complicated as this. They weren't around to ask right now, either. Damn, he wished he'd known a little bit sooner what he knew about the sickness now.

Oh well, there was no point now complaining about something he couldn't change. He'd just have to keep it in mind for the next time he saw Flora or Inoue again. He could talk to Claude, too, and see what he thought.

Thunder rumbled overhead, distracting him for a moment, and the sound of rain that followed soon after made it clear that it was just as well he wasn't planning on going outside tonight. Even when he was fully prepared and had all of his equipment, traveling in the rain was still a pain at best. In this situation, he wouldn't have any of that. As cold as it was, it would be miserable just walking, and he'd be lucky if the worst he caught was a cold, and that wasn't even bringing up the monsters that were out there lurking in the dark.

No, he'd be much better off staying indoors tonight. Not that he planned on staying still, but he'd get to that part of his plans after dinner. Right now his priority was filling his stomach with the teriyaki and tempura he could practically small all the way out in the hall. Stomach growling, he set to eating his food with enthusiasm. He wasn't sure what all he'd get up to tonight, but he knew he didn't want to do anything on an empty stomach. Besides, the food was good!

As he ate, he waited, expecting Claude to come in.

M55

[sixth_attack]

By the time Sechs was brought back to his room, he was almost shaking with adrenaline. Tonight he was going to leave the boundaries of the institute and head out into the dark woods with too many risks and barely enough concrete evidence to prove that such an endeavor was even worth it. The forest was the only place Sechs could think of that was being pointed to by the second clue. It was all too much for the Replica, the potent mix of anxiety and excitement made sitting still too much for him to bear. He didn't think he would be able to eat his dinner, as important as it was for his energy. Even if he had a new found ally to explore the night with, he knew getting to their destination wouldn't be free of obstacles of some sort, whether they were from outside or within...

As soon as the door closed behind, Sechs was met with an unexpected surprise that completely derailed his thoughts. Sitting on top of his pillow was a doll he didn't think he would ever see again.

"Wah? My... My interactive interface doll?" Perturbed and not entirely sure if this was just a mirage, Sechs approached his bed and plucked up the petite robot. "But why...?"

In his hands the doll was limp and unmoving, as though in the midst of a deep sleep. Sechs checked the doll over, feeling she was just as top-heavy as ever and finding nothing different from the last time he had her connected to him via cable. The doll's back was untouched, the M.I.B biochip absent as it should be, leaving the input slot open but with nothing to link with. The only thing missing from the doll was any source of life or power, as her eye was shut and her toothy mouth remained closed and silent.

At first Sechs wasn't sure how to feel about this. He sat down on the edge of his bed, holding the little robot in his hands as he continued to appraise her. Was this like the time he found his battle gear in the closet without any apparent reason for its return? Why was he given back his interactive interface doll now? Was this some sort of trick?

After a while Sechs slowly warmed up to this little surprise. The doll gave him some hope, that there was still a home to come back to after all these weeks of torment and turmoil. He may not be able to link with his smaller counterpart and have her as an extra pair of eyes and hands like he used to, but at least she was something familiar to him.

Slowly, a small smile came to Sechs' lips. If the doll's sudden appearance was some sick joke from Landel to bring down Sechs' spirit, he had failed.

[oneman_onekill]

"Ughhhhhhurrgghahaaaaaaaauuuuuhhhhh..."

Niikura slowly pushed himself upright with a garbled noise that sounded as gross as it actually was. What time was it even...?

"'m up, 'm up," he said sleepily, waving a hand at what he supposed would be his nurse standing by, about to chide him. He rubbed his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "Didn't miss breakfast, did I...?" The teen looked around and stared as he caught sight of his roommate and--was that dinner sitting on his desk?

"...oh hell no." He'd slept all day?! Crap. That wasn't a good sign, right? How had he even--had the surgery worked, then? It hadn't taken that much out of him; how had he managed to sleep for more than twelve hours straight? More pressing on his mind, though, was Shiina. Even though he'd been able to remove the device, the night had ended before he could make sure that she'd been properly tended to in her regained human form. He needed to check on her. Stat.

"Hey, Sechs-san, I didn't...miss anything today, did I?" Niikura yawned as he pushed himself to his feet. "No weird surprises or anything?" What did his roommate--what was he looking at, even? He tried to look over Sechs's shoulder from a distance - he hadn't forgotten about yesterday - and see what it was. Some kind of...doll?

F1

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust's mood had been all day as it had been the night before - differing at every moment, it seemed. Sometimes she hated the balance that claimed to rule her life. For every good thing, something miserable happened. She knew full well that were people who lived with stretches of either joy or sorrow, not both of them constantly switching off like dance hall partners at the end of each song!

At least it had been pleasant to chat with Brook.

What was she going to do? She had to do something. Scar had seemed so angry that she didn't wish to do him harm in trying to help him...

But he was always angry. And she hadn't been able to speak with Lingormr at all today.

Lips set in a thin line, Lust waved away her nurse when she was ushered back to her room. At least the girl they'd stuck her with was quiet and kept to herself. Small favors and all of that.

[she_is_ruin]

Yomi was not long in returning to her cell--rather, her shared cell, now that she had a new roommate.

Perhaps it was strange, that Yomi felt a sense of calm return to her only after committing the kind of heinous act she and Albedo had. Days of tumultuous emotions had left her unwilling (and at times, unable) to hold a conversation more than a few words long with her nurse, but on the walk back Yomi was content to make small talk with her, smiling as if nothing at all was amiss. The woman, for her part, seemed genuinely pleased that Yomi was in a more talkative mood.

Laughable, really, how murder could soothe the soul. The fall from grace was indeed a long, hard one.

She held the smile until her nurse was ready to leave, seeing her out the door with a jaunty little goodbye wave. When the door closed, Yomi let the innocent facade go, smile becoming more amused. What would her dear nurse say if she knew what Yomi had done? That she'd let a child blow a hole in another man for fun and for profit?

"Hey, pretty lady," Yomi greeted Lust playfully, crossing to her own side of the room where her dinner sat. Being essentially nothing more than a host for the sesshouseki, food wasn't all that necessary for her survival. But there was still that small sliver of humanity left that required some kind of nourishment, so a few bites were in order.

She needed to keep her strength up if they were going to go hunting for more sick prisoners, after all.

M99

[fallenbeanpole]

Skulduggery's advice regarding the library was wasted on the Once-ler, he thought as his nurse lead him back to his room. Soma was the one going to investigate the jammed book. He would simply be accompanying her to Rapunzel, where they would (ideally) both be healed, and then he'd return to his room for the night while Soma went to the library.

That had been the plan, at least. But now, the Once-ler had a far different goal. He needed to know where Landel might keep possessions taken from their homes when they were abducted. The man took the tray with his dinner from his nurse and absently thanked her, not bothering to wait until she left before turning to his desk. He set the food down on the desk as the door closed.

The Once-ler settled at his desk, briefly ignoring his dinner. He opened the drawer where he had seen the blank journal his first night, and pulled the book out. It was going with him, tonight. The man intended to copy Soma's map for his own use. He was going to need it if his plans to find out if the seed had been taken with him were to work.

He set the book down on the desk next to a small wrapped object. Hold on. That hadn't been there before. Curious, the Once-ler picked it up and unwrapped the small package.

His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the last Truffula seed.

For a long moment he remained silent, his mind trying to determine if this was actually happening. Then it felt as though a weight he hadn't realized was there lifted from his shoulders as relief flooded through his veins. The seed wasn't left unguarded or in Landel's hands. He didn't care how it arrived, or why it had been returned to him. It was here, with him, and that was all that mattered.

M13

[doctor_voodoo]

Another day finished and another night on the way. Facilier ignored his dinner for now, not having the appetite for fish dinner done in a way that he could have cared less for, (didn't this place ever serve even the most basic Gumbo?), instead he focused his attention on preparing for the night before his infected roommate arrived. He was quick to change into his purple garb and take out some of his newly looted items from the closet.

He had decided to make use of the giant claw he came across after his encounter with that pack of mouthy, armless monsters. Using a needle, he dug a small hole through the base of the nail until he had it thick enough for string to be threaded through it. Facilier carefully collected the shaved pieces from the claw into one of the gris-gris he made the other day; he was sure the nail had magical properties he could make use of later. With that finished, Facilier undid his own necklace of alligator teeth and added the heavy claw to his collection. He tied the necklace back on and looked down at his new jewelry with sly pride. The darkened claw was so huge that it dwarfed the gator teeth dangling on each side of it! If this didn't scare off other monsters from Facilier, it at least made him look good!

To top it all off, Facilier added the large black feather he found the other night to his hat, leaving his first purple feather looking pathetically small in comparison. There! Now he was all groomed and ready for the night. All he had to do now was wait for dinner to finish and for Rock Lee to arrive. He could only hope that there would be no complications from his roommate...

F2

[faeth]

It's raining.

Yes.

What a waste of the good weather.

Mm.

It suddenly got so dark. It's a little frightening how quickly the weather changed, don't you think?

She tried not to think anything of it.

Orihime stood in front of the door, hands folded and shoulders squared, expression set into an unusually grim line. The number was different, and she spared a glance further down the corridor where her other room had been. There was nothing there of noteworthy importance, of course -- and she definitely did not possess any lasting attachment to a room that she merely woke up in, nor a fondness for an unfamiliar bed in a nightmarish location. Still, it was worrisome to think that there was a gap in her information, nothing more than a hallway to reunite her and Ishida-kun when night finally hit. Unknowns were dangerous things, she knew, which made it all the more distressing that they were all she had to go by.

"Go on, dinner is waiting for you," her nurse had smiled, cordial and (un)inviting. "And have a good night, Miss Highwell."

Dinner came as a small comfort. Unsurprisingly, eating sparingly throughout the day had not only attributed to her dampened spirits, but it left her famished by the time she stepped into the room, mouth watering and vision swimming as the smell assaulted her senses. Table manners well forgotten, Orihime sat on her bed, balancing the tray on her lap as she dug in without a second thought. Could use a little mayo, maybe some ketchup, too -- but it would do.

[showmeyourwreath]

There was a storm outside, weather that could have been welcome or terrible, depending. Today, rather, tonight, it would be the latter. It didn't seem like tonight was a good idea to go back to the greenhouse. That would have to be fine. She clutched her journal and barely touched lunch bag to her chest. Besides, she'd gotten plenty already. She just hoped that it would be enough, whatever that turned out to be.

Her nurse led her back to her room, commenting on the state outside, and while Flora answered, she was far away, thinking of what she needed to get done for tonight, and better yet, if she could. Blood, broken and helplessnesses came to her, and she remembered last night. There was only so much she could do--which wasn't a lot--and she had yet to discover new limitations. Her fingers dug into her arms, her grip growing tighter still.

She hoped her excursion wouldn't be for nothing.

They came to her room, and her nurse had smiled at her in a stiff way that seemed to invoke the rest of this place.

"Have a nice dinner! Don't let the weather get you so down, Valencia."

If only it were that simple.

She sighed, for a great many reasons, but the immediate was relief at seeing the woman leave. Flora turned to head to her desk to place her things on it. At least she had some priv--

Or not!

"Oh! This is a surprise!" But not an unwelcome one, not at all. Flora smiled brightly at what appeared to be her room mate, earlier weariness forgotten, for the moment.

M42

[skeletonenigma]

This would be the first time Skulduggery had any idea of what to expect when he and Rita arrived at the library. A possible woman in a wheelchair. There shouldn't be a monster in the way either - or if there was, they'd be prepared for it. Would a snake survive being run over by a wheelchair? Or having a wheelchair thrown at it? Skulduggery rather doubted it.

But there was something to do before he left after dinner, and that was talk to his roommate. The Scarecrow. Possibly stay for a few minutes to help him out if tonight turned out to be the night he changed. Skulduggery had to admit, he wasn't relishing the idea of watching the straw man getting killed by a fellow prisoner who meant well, no matter how dangerous the Scarecrow turned out to be; it would really put a damper on any potential Wizard of Oz sequels, for one thing.

But it looked like he was the first one here. Skulduggery turned right before Stephanie left and caught her on the arm. "Has my roommate been discharged?"

The nurse smiled gently. "Mr. Howard? No, he should be along shortly. Still very sick, the poor man."

That was a relief. But yes. Food. Another minor challenge to tackle while Skulduggery waited. He nodded to Stephanie as she left - tried to smile, but stopped when he remembered that it apparently looked 'creepy' whenever he tried.

[scarefaux]

[I AM SO LATE TO THIS PARTY. FORGIVE ME. :(]

And indeed, he was along shortly and was still very sick. The Scarecrow's nurse tried to encourage him to eat something before sending him into the room, but he assured her he wasn't hungry. While he felt terrible, it all sort of mixed together after a while, and it wasn't so bad then. Or at lest that was what he was telling himself for the time being. He had to keep moving forward, especially if there was a chance he would turn into a monster that night, or the next night, or even the next. How long did he have? And how could he be sure he was even going to change?

As frustrating as it was to know so little about the human body, it was even worse knowing so many of his friends who could have helped him had disappeared. There had to be something he could do, but it was harder and harder to think, what with the sickness and all. He could only hope he and Scar would be able to find some way to rid his body of it, before it was too late.

The Scarecrow gave Skulduggery a smile as he stepped inside, glad to see a familiar face. The day had brought him a few surprises in that way, namely in Scar (the lion, not the man)'s reappearance. Perhaps there was a way to bring back those who had seemingly disappeared after all. Once he got rid of the infection, he would concentrate on that, he decided.

But for now, dinner. He did have a few things he wanted to talk to Skulduggery about, especially since he'd been so ill that he hadn't gotten the chance to get to know him very well. "I'm glad to see you're still here, Skulduggery," he admitted.