"It's a very good thing we have Nurse Lydia, isn't it?" the Head Doctor chuckled by way of self-deprecation as he creaked into the seat of his usual chair. "Always picking up my slack whenever I'm bombarded with paperwork. Astounding! If only all employees were so efficient."

As if realizing his words might be taken as an insult by some of the other senior staffmembers, he cleared his throat and continued: "Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed your free time today, and we will be sorting through your suggestions to rework some of our usual activities to fit more specific needs! Until then, good night!"

The intercom clicked off. Then clicked on again.

"Oh, right, and – nurses, if you'd escort our Special Counseling patients to their proper places? Thank you!"

The intercom clicked off, for real this time. (Or at least for a few minutes.)

The Head Doctor's chuckle began the same as it had during his last daytime announcement, though now his mirth came from a completely different source.

"Speaking of enjoyment, I hope all of you are enjoying my little reward for venturing out last night. Of course, not all of you have one; these rewards are... very difficult to manufacture, so we've only been able to give one prize to one representative who was in a traveling group of two or more last night. We want to emphasize teamwork, don't we?

"You see, last night wasn't just for disorienting the lot of you. Well – okay, maybe it was a little of that. But the real reason was to set up a... system that you all might benefit from in the coming days, or indeed, the entire stretch of time that you remain here. Let's just say that the alien object that some of you will find in your desk drawer is useful beyond measure, and should you break its 'jewel' while wearing it, you and any people in contact with you – along with the items you and those people might be carrying – will be transported to the last area you were in last night."

He paused for emphasis, then continued: "Of course, it won't be so easy to activate your Portal Ring after tonight. You'll have to make a deliberate effort to mark an area as next night's location for teleportation, and it won't be quite as... simple as this first time.

"Oh, right, and any of you who went to a particularly... special location last night will find themselves in the last location they were in on this world." After a moment's consideration, he added: "And those of you who were in a certain private meeting last night will find that your ring takes you to town – literally. Time to begin your investigation, hmm?"

He let out another chuckle, adjusting the microphone slightly.

"Anyway, I think that I'll leave you some time to play with your new toys before I explain how to use them later tonight in more detail. For now, so long, but I'll make sure to keep you updated."

The intercom's crackle faded. The doors unlocked.

[ If you're introducing your new character during the night, you may do so whenever you wish; if they don't have a room assignment yet, please have them wake up in a random, unoccupied room consistent with their gender (compare this and this to this) and make your character's introduction post in response to the appropriate hallway post (you'll be able to find it here or in one of the recent posts to the comm). However, when you do post, please reply to this intercom post with a link to the introduction for organization's sake. ]

As soon as he heard the telltale click, Matt, despite still being a little out of it, got to his feet, deciding that it would be wise tonight to follow Mello's example from the night before. Glancing over at Claude every couple minutes, he grabbed the boots and coat out of the closet, slipping the coat on before starting on the boots. As soon they were on, he grabbed the flashlight from under his pillow and his keys out of the drawer. He wasn't sure if Claude was going to head out or not, with his condition, but it was always better to be prepared.

To his surprise, there was something beside the keys that hadn't been there before; it was a small ring. Picking it up, he looked it over for a moment before dropping it in his coat pocket. It probably wouldn't be long before he found out what it did, as quickly as that sadistic prick Landel seemed to move.

And what the hell, he grabbed the pillow too and shook it free of the pillowcase; it would come in handy sometime in the night, he was sure. Especially if it turned out anything like the last.

Walking straight to the door, Matt took one last look at his roommate. He didn't know what to say in that situation, so he said nothing at all. He just left.

[from here]

This was where his skill with stalking people came in handy; Matt crept along as quietly as he could, relieved to see that the hallways still seemed to be pretty empty. He liked this turn of events. It put him at ease as he strode determinedly down the hall, images of his mental map of the ground floor of Landel's running through his head. He wasn't entirely sure still which room Mello was in, but he felt confident that he could find him before he ran off to do... whatever he had planned.

Which was probably crazy, knowing Mello.

[to here]

[F18→Hallway]

The indignation Natalia had felt following her conversation with Anise had faded, minutely, during dinner. It returned with a vengeance as that man's voice disturbed the air. How could he? What nerve, what absolute unfathomable gall to lie throughout the day, then speak so frankly when night fell. Why pretend at all? Why paint an inferior portrait of an Institution, then unleash such monstrosities at night? (Some were experimented on, Anise had said, of all the horrible--)

This place can wear you down, Guy had told her. At this moment, as she exchanged slippers for boots and moved through the room with an intense, restrained energy, she felt anything but.

Natalia would not stand for it. Clutching the map Mori had drawn for her, she sifted through her other "belongings" one last time. Would she need the "radio"? According to Guy, at times it sent out messages. In the end, it won the debate, and she left the room with pens in one pocket (and a page torn from her journal, folded), flashlight in the other, the radio under one arm, and Mori's map in her other hand.

Though she exited in an angry march, her steps slowed with caution as she entered the hall and her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Having paid more attention during the day, she understood that she needed to turn right to reach the main hallway. And from there--

[to here ]

[M12]

Klavier felt a wave of sickness as soon as that man's voice came over the intercom again. It was less apprehension and more bubbling anger than anything else. It wasn't so much the mocking that was grating as it was the sound of him sounding so smug, so satisfied with everything that was happening. So safe. Klavier told himself it was fine. Let the man believe he was untouchable. It would make it all the more satisfying when he was ripped down from his pedestal and made to face the consequences.

So last night's events had been done intentionally, after all. Herr Doktor was setting up a new system. A system of what, no one could say at this point, but if it resulted in anything like the previous night, it would prove to make things even more complicated than they already were. If anyone was to do anything, it would have to be now before they finished setting up whatever it was they were doing.

Herr Doktor was already mocking them to investigate to their heart's content, probably confident there was nothing to be found out there. But there was bound to be something overlooked. There had to be cracks in the system. And Klavier would find them all and see this place ripped down.

But first he needed to validate this claim about jewels and rings and whatnot. A teleportation ring? It didn't seem possible... But a lot of what didn't seem possible was fact in this place. Klavier opened the drawer on his side of the room and searched the inside. His good hand shuffled the contents about a little in search for anything like what the man had described, but there was nothing. The only "ring" in there was the small keyring. ...What were these keys for anyway? He picked them up questioningly and looked over the drawer again.

"...Nothing."

[from here]

Like a ghost story, Natalia told herself as one hallway opened into another. Reminding herself that these were the same halls she had been escorted through during the day had not served to ease the hairs on the neck, nor her quickening heartbeat. An adventure, a quest through haunted rooms to find the one responsible. That she was not, in fact, looking for Dr. Landel, but heading to a meeting of the Cake Club, she opted not to consider.

Simply thinking of that man emboldened her heart, hastened her hesitant pace, threw back her shoulders. In short order she stood before the doors that opened into the next hall, and was not afraid. Would not be afraid. Had she not faced many beasts during her travels? True, she no longer had her bow, and in that she was at an extreme disadvantage.

Then, be sure to escape. Then, be wary, but not afraid.

[though i walk in the valley...]

[from here]

With the ring on his finger and no meeting planned for the evening, Luke realized he was more aware of his surroundings than ever. The typical need to slip through the halls automatically left him, and was replaced by his eyes open and body ready to approach anyone he saw before him. Luke knew that most people would be going about their evenings the same way as always. Some would be expecting friends, and others would be following up on leads. The jumble of information in his head since he arrived made him wonder if any of these people would hesitate to talk to him, and to listen. Only during these hours did it feel like they could communicate without the censorship of the nurses. Only during these hours did they have the opportunity to talk, and maybe even to understand.

But there was still a daunting fear in the back of his mind about everyone being too stubborn to work together. They were all trapped here, and in the end, they might turn out to be idiots like Asch could be sometimes. Not that Asch was an easy subject to consider. As easily as he considered his original, he pushed all thoughts of him out of his mind. He knew Asch didn't decide to suddenly leave once they decided to work together, but he couldn't help but wish they had reconciled some understanding sooner. If so, maybe the two of them could work together for everyone. They could have had a lot more done before Natalia was pulled here. Stubbornness aside, Luke knew that would be the last thing that his original would want.

Surely there was someone else here who would be receptive to what he had to say, and what theories he had bouncing around his head. Were Jade still around—and given the man's lack of response and otherwise stalwart behavior, Luke realized the odds that he was gone were high—he would produce these theories for him, but he was gone now. Support was good, but he needed to move on these things, and he worried that Guy and Anise were too embittered by their time there to try and slide the facets of information together like the puzzle pieces they seemed to be.

But then again, there was no one out in the hall when Luke stepped out and plodded through. His steps were careful, and he mentally noted how strange it felt for the ring on his finger to clink against the flashlight that finger wrapped around. Better to keep moving then. No one was here, and though people were undoubtedly preparing to leave their rooms at this moment, he didn't want to ambush anyone awkwardly.

[to here]

[M74]

Huh, well look at that. Snow hadn't been expecting them to actually have the guts to talk to them directly. Looked like they didn't want to show their face, though, since all they did was make an announcement over a speaker. Weird they wouldn't use a teleprompter. Actually, what was with all the old technology here anyway? Guess l'Cie weren't worth the resources and they just threw a bunch of old relics in this place. Real nice.

Anyway, the door clicked open just like Badou said it would. Guess it was go time!

He threw on a big grin and gave his companion a quick thumbs up. "Don't you worry, alright? No one's gonna end up food tonight. I'll go scout ahead and find us a way outta here. You just hang tight."

Without hanging around to hear any thank yous or good luck wishes, Snow threw up his hand in farewell and ran out the door. No time to waste!

[to here]

[M37]

Another night like this, huh?

Dinner had been quiet enough, with Riku poking at his meal and wondering if Battler was some guy who just liked to sleep at that time of the day. It was two nights in a row now that Battler was passed out, but he saw him around from time to time in the day, so he knew that something terrible couldn't have been wrong. It occurred to him to grab the other guy's shoulder and jerk him awake, but he decided against it. Maybe he got hurt at some point and was trying to keep that to himself. Or maybe he just didn't want to deal with the small talk that could occur over a plate of food. It didn't matter in the long run.

After all, it wasn't like Riku had much to say. Yeah, I didn't do anything last night. That would go over well.

Landel's announcement kicked him into gear, though. Tonight, he and his friends would do something. The what or how was still up in the air, but he'd still try. He grabbed his flashlight and checked the desk to find a ring sitting there. Why he got one, he didn't know, but he realized that maybe Naminé couldn't use it like he could. Then again, chances were that someone like Sora would get one. He was the type to always end up with things like that. But then again, maybe that Neku guy got it instead, and if that was the case, maybe he could be useful for once. Getting back to the electronics store wouldn't be entirely useful, but they could explore the town without the nurses watching them. Sure, there were zombies, but other things could be found there, right?

Then again, that was only if Sora and Kairi didn't get rings. Chances were, one of the two did, right? They were both people of light, and they deserved something like that—even if it was a gift from someone he didn't particularly like.

Riku held the ring within his hand, clutched his flashlight, and started out into the hall. Maybe Battler would get the hint and wake up. Who knew. It wasn't his problem. He needed to find his friends, and maybe tonight, they really would get something done.

[to here]

A ring. Like she did with the Exsphere earlier, Rita attempted to bring up the interface that would allow her to examine the gem's properties in better detail, but it was no use. All she had to go off of was the Head Doctor's explanation, and whether that could be trusted or not remained to be seen.

If the ring worked as he said, then using it would transport her back to that lake. On the one hand, it would mean getting away from the institute, but on the other... she and whoever was with her would have to brave the freezing water a second time.

The idea of escape was tempting, but there was a problem. Why would the Head Doctor give them these items if it could allow them to get that far? Clearly, the man's sphere of influence extended much farther than Rita initially thought.

Sitting around in her room wasn't going to accomplish anything, and it looked like the ring was going to have a limited period of usefulness, so Rita decided to leave, taking it with her. She could decide what to do once she was out in the hallways. Her flashlight seemed to have been replaced since the previous night, so she brought that with her as well.

...They even replaced lost supplies for them? Maybe this really was just a game to them.

[to here]

[from here]

A bigger hallway. Just how big was this place supposed to be, anyway? Not that it mattered since he'd find his way out regardless, but Sanctum facilities tended to be huge. He still wasn't seeing any signs of monsters. Wasn't seeing too many people either. ...Actually, Snow wasn't seeing much of anything with how dark it was. Not that he was going to let that handicap him.

Feeling along the wall for a moment, it wasn't too hard to find another door right next to him. Well, that was as good a direction as any.

[to here]

[M66]

Kirk went rummaging through his desk the moment Landel mentioned the "reward" in the drawer, but unless "Portal Ring" was some obtuse term for the metal circle which held the two keys which locked his drawer and the door to their room, there wasn't anything worth noting. (Although he had forgotten about the power packs in there, and quickly switched them out with the old ones on his flashlight.) But also according to the Head Doctor, only one person per group had received this mysterious "alien" item, which meant it must have gone to either Chekov or Roxas.

Chekov. The Head Doctor kept talking as Kirk pushed himself away from the desk to change into his coat and boots, and unlike usual, it seemed as though their warden was actually in a mood to tell them something useful. His group's ring, if it existed, would take them back to either Doyleton where he and Roxas had last been, or the foggy labyrinth where Chekov had separated from them. Either way, he was loathe to admit that it sounded exactly as valuable as Landel was suggesting.

Spock and McCoy would have one too, but right now, idle thoughts of where that ring would lead them wasn't priority. First item on his list was Chekov's room, M108. Like hell if Kirk was going to accept that a member of his crew had "disappeared" without confirming it with his own eyes. There hadn't been any of the signs — sleeping, memory loss — which had apparently marked other disappearances before now. There was no reason for Chekov to be gone.

Grabbing the last of his supplies for tonight, including the scalpel he'd picked up yesterday, Kirk wished ZEX good luck, and headed out.

[to here]

[F23]

Once finished with her dinner Nunnally had reached into her desk drawer in search of her journal, thinking to make some notes while she had nothing more to do than wait for the approach of night (for that was all she had to wait for, certainly-- they wouldn't return again tonight... would they?). Though the journal was there, she found something else that she hadn't expected: a plain silver ring, set with a red stone. It quite willingly distracted from her original purpose and worries, and she drew the ring out instead and turned it over in her hands, curiously examining it for any kind of mark or identifying engraving, but found none.

It seemed a peculiar thing to her, as everything else in the drawers served some kind of known purpose-- pens for writing made sense, as did a notebook for writing in, but what use would a supposed mental patient have for a ring? She tried it on and found that it fit, so apparently it was meant for her, though she'd no idea why. Well. As with all unexpected gifts from a place such as this, perhaps she should be wary of it? Though what a ring could do, she'd no idea.

When the intercom announcement came her curiosity only increased further, but so did her concerns. The last place she'd been the night before? The memory flashed before her eyes all unwilling, and she shuddered lightly before firmly placing the ring on the surface of her desk. Lelouch was sure to stop by her room as soon as he could, and perhaps this would make more sense to him.

[from here]

Nothing in here either. Snow was starting to wonder if maybe Badou had been exaggerating when he said all of the staff turn into monsters. The place'd probably be crawling with Cie'th if that were really the case, or maybe they were all off in another part of the building. At least there wasn't anyone getting attacked or anything yet. He'd just keep an ear out for any trouble.

In the meantime, Snow made his way down the hallway, running a hand along the wall as he tried to get his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Wonder how many people got thrown in here.

[to here]

Yuffie had found a ring.

She'd poked it and prodded it all throughout dinner, rolling it around on the palm of her hand. She'd tilted it this way and that, peering around the band to see if there was an inscription. There wasn't.

There was, however, a red stone.

Now, Yuffie was a materia hunter. And a treasure hunter. And a bounty hunter. And—well, she was a lot of things. She knew that it was all kinds of useless to try matching up with what she knew from home to what she found here, but she couldn't help trying.

So, she'd thought to herself, what do red stones usually mean? First up, and most obviously: summon materia. This… definitely wasn't a summon materia. Second, fairy ring. It wasn't one of those, either. The stone was the wrong shape, the ring was the wrong metal, and it was completely the wrong design. Wasn't a fury ring, either… Could it be a regular ol' ruby? No way, no way; that'd be too easy for Landel, too dull…

A quick change of clothes (she'd gone for the nostalgia kick today, just for a change of pace; the green turtleneck outfit still fit like a glove, though she made a point to leave the clunky shoulder, arm, and leg armor behind in the closet) and a bite to eat later, and the intercom answered her question.

I-It was… oh, man, this could be—it could mean…. "Holy crap," Yuffie whispered, laughing incredulously under her breath. Goldmine! Jackpot! Godsend!

Transported to the area you were in last night… Yuffie wasn't exactly in a hurry to go back to that grotty, smelly old locker room, but if she could use it some other night, the possibilities were almost too good to be true. Ah, as long as Cloud didn't go demandin' she fork it over, anyway… he wouldn't, would he? Well. Yeah, he might. Maybe. … Probably. Which was totes fine, of course, as long as he didn’t start up a brand new game of keep the shinies from the ninja.

There were tons of questions still without answers, like whether or not the rings were one-use only, but she could think about those later. After slipping the ring carefully away and grabbing her shuriken, Yuffie left to find Tifa.

[from here]

Was she really the only one out in the hallway right now? Minako certainly couldn't hear anyone else, and she didn't see any flashlights out there in the darkness. Brr. That was kind of... creepy. When it was dark the hallways seemed a lot more echo-y, and she couldn't help but think about the stories about monsters and things that might be lurking where she couldn't see.

"Stop being a scaredy-cat," she muttered to herself, then turned to her right and resolutely marched onward. Out to the main hall there, down a bit, then left. That would take her to the hall where she'd run into Arthur and the fake-Alfred the night before, which thought reminded her that she hadn't talked to either of them today. Maybe she should've left them a note or something on that bulletin. Oh, well. Tomorrow.

[to here]

[M85]

Guybrush stared at the intercom for a minute after DeLandel was done talking. "Portal Ring?" he asked more to himself than to Scott, looking back toward his desk. He hadn't seen any ring among his collection of assorted knickknacks. It looked like someone else had gotten it from his group- probably LeChuck, knowing his luck. Well, that was just fine- the dread pirate could be taken back to Mudville for all he cared. Guybrush Threepwood was through with rings of questionable origin, no matter how expensively tempting they seemed. He'd learned his lesson years ago.

Speaking of his collection, what else was he taking tonight? Oh yeah! Javert's sword! The experienced inspector was probably ready to tear out his hair by now: being without a tangible weapon for long periods of time did that to some people- his Cuddly Kitten of the Caribbean included. Guybrush's foot was feeling well enough for running- good thing, since he would be doing just that. With any luck, he'd dodge LeChuck and make it to M14 before Javert left for the night.

Grabbing the sword from his closet, he stuck it through a loop in his sash and took his flashlight in hand- er, hook. "Sorry to run," he said to Scott as he pulled the door open, "but I've got a sword to return. Let's talk more about the room and fire and old farts tomorrow, okay?"

Annnnnd he was out the door and down the hall as fast as his slippered feet would allow.

[Booking it to here.]

Raine didn't have exactly much setup to do when she wasn't even leaving her room; this proved to be a very good thing when she opened a desk drawer and saw the ring, just before the Head Doctor informed them exactly what it was. As it sank in as to just what having it could mean, her eyes got very wide and she nearly squealed; this was marvelous!

The fact that she was expecting someone was promptly pushed to the back of her mind as she grabbed the maps she had copied and started poring over them, looking for places that were especially hard to get to. The biggest obstacle facing them during Nightshift was lack of time, and now they seemed to have a way around that. It wasn't perfect, each ring was apparently one use only and that probably wasn't the only catch, but it was still very promising.

[from here]

It looked like the hallway opened up over here. Guess he couldn't expect to just run around and follow a linear corridor forever, but now he had to figure out which way he wanted to go. Normally, he'd just run down whatever hallway he happened to lay eye on first, but again, he was running a liiittle blind here.

He still wasn't seeing any people anywhere. Maybe everyone was hiding. If everyone knew the staff turned into monsters and tried to eat them, then it'd make sense that they'd try to keep low. Thankfully, he'd be taking care of whatever was wandering around this place, so they wouldn't have to stay hiding for long. Once that was done, they could blast their way out of there and he could find his way back to the others. Couldn't keep everyone waiting on account of him, right?

[running across Rita, The Trickster, and hopefully, a freaking flashlight]

[In M93]

Heiji hid under the covers until his roommate left, dinner untouched, hands clamped over his ears. He had been pretending to sleep all throughout dinner, but in reality he'd just been listening to the wet footprints run the length of the room. It was looking for him, it had to be. But why could he hear it through his hands?

He couldn't go out like this, he was going to kill Himura, he knew it. Someone was going to get hurt, at the very least. Honestly, he didn't know if he could stand both survivor's guilt and hurting someone else against his will.

Though the idea was that no one would have to be hurt. Himura might be able to keep him in check. He might be worrying over nothing.

He might snap Himura's neck from behind.