The intercom gave its jingle on schedule, which happened to be a strange contrast given the contents of the Head Doctor's opening.

"Hello there, everyone! I apologize for the wait – needed time to set up the Sun Room and all, didn't we? Of course, it doesn't exactly seem like the 'Sun Room' at the moment; in fact, the lights have been dimmed and the ceiling's windows have been covered so as to private a good movie-watching experience! Our nurses and orderlies have arranged a projection screen in the room and have rearranged all the furniture to face it..."

Again, there was a beat of static.

"...so that's what we will be viewing today.

"Of course, you don't have to view it! Today is our free day, which means that all our activity rooms – as well as the Recreational Field and Courtyard, with proper escorting from your nurse, are available for use! Of course, some of you do have visitors ready to see you, which our staff will take you to very shortly! Unfortunately, we have not yet finished reviewing the suggestions in our box, but we will be finishing shortly!

"I believe that's all! Enjoy your day, everyone!"

The intercom clicked off.

The air inside the Institute was getting stifling. It wasn't much different than usual, really, but knowing about all the changes done under the Institute's hood in her absence, Utena could barely stand it. The staff were so stiff, even as they pretended to be the same caring nurses as always. Landel's regurgitated voice recordings crept under her skin like skittering bugs. And there was still no sign of Himemiya anywhere.

At least today was still Free Choice Day. As soon as she was allowed, Utena went back to her room for a coat, and made her way outside. That was another change to contend with — the temperatures had been dropping before, but it hadn't snowed yet when last she'd checked. Still, that wasn't such a huge deal to Utena. In fact, the snow was actually kind of refreshing; it was something she hadn't seen much since entering Ohtori. And even if she had hated the snow, she bet that she would have gone out anyway. If she didn't get some fresh air, she knew she was going to get a headache. Or kick something. Whichever came first.

Utena followed the path out through the courtyard. She breathed in deep as she walked, then let the breath back out, watching it dissipate in the cool air. She stared out into the empty, walled space. "Guess it's not so easy to get out of here for good, huh?" she said to herself, pushing her hands into her coat pockets and wandering over to a bench.

She sat for a while, staring up at the white-blue sky. Thoughts from the day ran through her mind on a loop, filling her vision. Eventually, she got restless. Arms raised above her head, Utena laced her fingers together and pushed her palms up toward that sky, glad to feel that soothing burn of stretching. She brushed snow off the bench next, swinging her legs up onto it and starting in on toe-touching stretches. This was what she needed right now, Utena thought. Something to focus on for the moment, take the heavier thoughts away for a little while. So, she kept stretching.

Eventually, Utena (being Utena) got into some of the more complicated streches. Meaning that eventually, she was leaning upside-down against the wall behind the bench, hands pressed into the cold ground as she alternated stretching one leg away from the wall, then the other. Nothing unusual about that. Not at all.

[Jessica~ ♥]

Having already met two new people today, Zack found that his mood was slowly starting to improve, if only out of necessity. While he didn't like dumping his problems on his friends, he was even less willing to do so with a stranger. More than that, Rose had been very personable and he'd felt good about himself for being to help her with a few things. It was remarkable how something as small as a good conversation could help so much.

And even better was the fact that he could now go wherever he wanted. It was probably the best part about Sunday. Better than that was that he hadn't been scheduled to see a visitor today. He had an idea of who might have come to see him, and while he missed her, he didn't need to see her the way she would probably be now.

So, the question remained: where to go? He would need to get outside at some point, but he figured he'd leave that until the end of the day. At the moment he just wanted to keep his mind busy, which led him to deciding on the Game Room. Even if he couldn't find someone to play with, enough of the stuff kept there was also usable for one person. Once he got bored of that, he could head out onto the recreational field and run some laps.

Those guys didn't even have to order him to do that. Still, Zack preferred that: to do something for himself rather than because he was told to.

The Game Room was completely empty when he entered, but Zack hoped that it would fill up before long. In the meantime, he grabbed a deck of cards and sat down to deal out a game of Solitaire.

[For Tifa.]

Somehow, he'd managed to eat all of his food, and grudgingly, Niikura had to admit that he felt a lot better after brunch. That pink stuff tasted like crap, but it did its job, which was to keep him alive. Still...what did he have to do around here to get some food, short of raiding the kitchen at night? Not that he couldn't do that, it was just that he liked to reserve his evenings for more productive things...

...food was productive.

Niikura growled under his breath and shook his head. He really needed something to take his mind off things right now before he started daydreaming about burgers or something. Maybe a nap or...a movie sounded nice. He'd seen the suggestion box at the board, but hadn't really been in the right state of mind to answer it, too caught up with some other conversations. But really, the more he thought about it, the better it sounded. Alright then, off to the Sun Room--

--or not. The soldier pushed him straight through toward one of the lobbies, calmly explaining that today, he had a visitor. The news was so stunning that Niikura couldn't find it in himself to complain until he was already sitting down in one of the chairs by himself - at which point, it was kind of useless to complain.

A visitor, huh? Had Hazama or Takasugi or someone figured out where he was? He wouldn't put it past them, although he would've liked it more if they'd managed to swoop down for the rescue a little earlier - like, say, a whole week earlier. Other than that, he couldn't think of anyone who'd actually take out the effort to visit him. Some cop? A classmate? This was almost getting nerve-wracking. Niikura's foot tapped as he stared anxiously at the door. Who was it going to be...?

So speak of the day's events as one would speak of the week. They hadn't parted ways, yet, and despite the growing annoyance in Albedo's mien, he had no thoughts to separate from Nigredo. Though, speak plainly, and Albedo wouldn't--not if people were around as much as were seen. He spent a moment in irritation, considering, then decided to flee the normal haunts to move outside--to a place he'd prefer against otherwise. Nigredo's wheelchair came to the end of the hall, and then his brother attempted to walk outside. An attempt that near failed halfway, and Albedo took the weight of his sibling without a word until they were inside. The heat was a sharp contrast, greenery and pastels to snow and white outside.

And now. Where to begin? On the night prior, or on their strange business with the woman? On Nigredo's reaction to that night, or Nigredo's denial of emotions Albedo would have preferred never to say. None of it, perhaps; a slip and a slide and he could let it all go forever, never to be spoke of. Yes. He could.

The boy wandered briefly, left Nigredo at a bench and table for a minute before looping back around. He stood there for a moment, then seated himself across from him. "Grant me a boon--" And then, less false in tones. "Answer me a question."

He stared at wood and organics, at a leaf of something unknown that could be familiar if he let it. To speak opposite to mistakes, Albedo nearly quoted his brother's words; something burned into him to not yet be forgotten. "You said... 'I can't be without you. That's why, that night--'" He glanced up at his brother, something inexplicably tired in his expression, something closed and old. Separated. "...That night what?"

Anise wasn't sure what to think when she was escorted to the waiting room. It was disturbing enough that Landel mixed up her family - and Ion! - in his stupid schemes, but the military was going to do it too? While it looked like they were pretending to follow the Head Doctor's schedule, she still felt uneasy, like they might do something unexpected and horrible to her loved ones.

Well, more horrible than what was already done to them, that was...

Despite that uneasiness, though, Anise really wanted to see Ion or her parents, even if they'd still be brainwashed. After getting no visitors the previous week, she was worried about how they were doing. Even if it hurt to hear them say all those crazy things, it meant a lot just to see their faces.

She wished they would at least tell her who was coming beforehand, so she didn't have to get all anxious while wondering... Anise didn't even have Tokunaga to comfort herself right now. All she could do was clench and tug at the gray fabric at her knees as she sat waiting in a chair, her feet dangling just above the floor.

The meal shift had come to an end without being able to ease Seishin's confusion. In fact, the conversation with Vino-san had only served to raise even more questions than he initially had. It had all sounded so strange and unreal, though he didn't think the other man had any reason to lie to him. He couldn't help but to be a little skeptical, however.

Though, he had been as equally skeptical when Toshio had first told him about the Shiki.

Toshio...he wondered what his former friend was doing right now. Had he been among the group chasing him? He and the villagers would've killed Sunako on sight. Toshio hated losing, though the former priest was no longer certain how well he knew him anymore. They had grown apart, as if a gap had formed between them during the last couple of months, one they were unable to cross. Seishin could only hope that Toshio and the others hadn't been the ones to find them, that Sunako was safe.

There was a certain irony in the situation. All his life he had been doing what was expected of him, but in the end he had forsaken the village, had wished destruction upon them. According to them, their village priest had done the unforgivable. He had betrayed them. Were he to find himself in Sotoba once more, he would face persecution and exile, if not death. He had already been facing it as he fled from them with Sunako.

Then, had he become Cain?

The male nurse from before had returned - though with the new information the former priest had to wonder whether this person really was a nurse, though it would explain the cold behavior - to escort him towards a new area. Seishin managed a quick stop in the lounge he had passed through earlier, which now had been set up as a movie theater in accordance to the announcement. On the wall he noticed a bulletin board. The darkness made it a little difficult to read any of the notices on it, but he had managed to make a quick copy of the maps someone had posted upon it. If he was indeed free to wander the halls at night, then these would surely come in handy.

He briefly considered asking if anyone knew about Sotoba, but he decided against it. Considering the circumstances in that tiny village, it may be best to keep a low profile for now. Asking about Sunako on such a public place may be far too risky as well -- she hardly needed others to find out what she was. Furthermore, the "nurse" grew increasingly more impatient with him and his 'dwindling'. The apology he offered was ignored as the other man brought him to the library, as he had requested.

Seishin wasn't certain what he hoped to find here, so he began wandering between the shelves as he scanned the titles of the books.

[Free to a good home.]

As soon as brunch was through, Kratos knew exactly where he wanted to go. For the past two nights, he had not done anything beyond brisk walking. In order to be at his best later on, and to decrease the risk of re-injury, he needed to do some serious stretching, or at least some activity that actually required physical exertion.

...actually, he was simply getting restless - going two days without a fight or at least running was something of a heresy - but he would never admit that sort of juvenile behavior to himself.

He half-expected to be stopped once he'd exited the cafeteria and directed toward one of the waiting rooms, but like last week, no such luck - or rather, "luck". The last thing he needed was a distraction in the form of a false family or friend; he was still struggling with the repercussions of a visit that had taken place over two weeks ago, which was unacceptable in its own right. Thus undeterred, Kratos continued on to the recreational field, stopping by his room briefly to change into more appropriate clothing for the weather.

The field was completely empty upon his arrival, which was to his preference; he stood by loosely for a few moments to see if the nurse would leave. When he didn't, Kratos shrugged lightly, and started stretching, going through all the ones he could remember before he broke into a jog around the field. It was slightly difficult going since the coat went all the way down to his knees, but just being able to do something familiar was good enough for him.

[for Rita]