Day 41: Courtyard (4th shift)

[guyslikegames.livejournal.com]

Jiraiya had been right about the bulletin, at least. Yousuke guessed that meant he'd probably have to take some of the other things he'd said a bit more seriously as well. Like the monsters at night.

Hopefully his questions would all be answered when he met up with Kanji and Naoto. (At least he was pretty sure it was Naoto. No one else from their group spoke like a textbook.)

He was led out to the courtyard to mingle, saved from the showers due to his newbness, it seemed. Should he be grateful? If they expected him to play catch with someone, they were going to be disappointed. (Though if they got an actual game of soccer going that might be another story...) Mostly, he just wanted to find a familiar face as soon as possible, despite the promised meeting later.

[closed to his bff Adachi]

Comments

[numberonemonkey.livejournal.com]

[Completely open]

The nurse kept discouraging Chihaya's questions and only seemed interested in where he'd like to sit. Indoors or outdoors. Chihaya chose the latter and smiled, watching her leave. Although she still lingered, watching him.

For a few moments he sat and looked at the flowers before deciding that he'd leave a message on the bulletin board her saw, regardless of whether or not the nurse wished to observe.

With his note tacked in place, he returned to the flowers, burying his fingertips in the soil.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/625717.html?thread=52607797#t52607797).]

[fooledintuition.livejournal.com]

When his nurse asked where he wanted to stay for the shift, Adachi's first choice was outside, and he was kind of surprised the bitch actually let him go. With as much trouble as he'd given her, he'd expect her to pick something for him. That was how women were, wasn't it? At least he could try to use it to his advantage. If he was outside, maybe he could look around and try to figure out what was going on.

She left him with a rather pointed comment about playing nice, and he glared at her back as she left before wandering around. So much for outside telling him where he was and what was going on. It wasn't like he could see much of anything. Except...

The Junes kid, wasn't it? Hanamura was the last name, if he remembered right. Not like the name mattered, just the face. He was definitely one of the brats who was always getting in his way. So what the fuck was he doing here? Might as well find out. The detective readied his act again, then headed over.

"Hey, don't I know you?"

[guyslikegames.livejournal.com]

That voice.

Yousuke froze, afraid for a moment to turn and face the owner. That man belonged in a real mental institute, not... whatever this was. (Partner, why'd you have to be gone now?) Finally, he scowled over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

This was bad. His fists clenched at his side. They were both unarmed, weren't they? Could he take him on his own? ...Sure. Sure he could, without Ameno-Sagiri to back him up. This wasn't the TV world, and Adachi wasn't that tough.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

The end of lunch seemed to take far too long in Brainiac 5's mind. Luxord's attention had been bad enough to begin with, but at least he'd been able to keep a good grip on his reactions.

Until Luxord had produced the deck of cards. Just the sight of them alone had brought back memories of the night before, of Clark and his choice... And his failure. One object had been enough to undo all of his effort and leave him a sobbing mess while Luxord watched.

His nurse had come to collect him soon afterwards, tutting to herself about worrying too much and missing Kal. Eventually she declared that some fresh air might do him some good and wheeled him out a little way into the courtyard, eventually stopping the wheelchair in a patch of shade under a tree.

"I'll see if I can find someone else for you to talk to now, Michael," she said as she left. He felt like telling her not to bother, but he doubted she'd listen. If he was lucky, there was a chance that whoever she found for him to spend time with would be more than happy to find company elsewhere, or to simply let him sleep. But considering his luck so far, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd returned with Grell in tow.

[closed to Ciel]

[deadlynoble.livejournal.com]

With the nurses remaining constantly vigilant, it made it all the more difficult for Ciel to steal away and explore, thus leaving him loitering around trying to keep himself occupied. His desire to actually socialize with most of the patients was rather low, but he supposed it was still his only window to more information about the institution and his captors.

Even more disconcerting was Sebastian's continual absence. Ciel had had the opportunity to check under the eye patch to make sure the contract was still in tact. However, considering the circumstances and the fact that he had apparently traveled through time, it meant there was a strong possibility that even Sebastian's supernatural abilities couldn't carry him this far even at Ciel's behest. The result left Ciel out of sorts, something he was unwilling to admit even to himself, and constantly reinforcing his personal opinion that he would be able to investigate on his own if he had to.

Once the nurses had left his side, he sat himself down under one of the trees in the courtyard and subtly eyed the people around him. The boy nearest to him caught his interest -or rather, the fact that he way in a wheel chair. Was he permanently impaired or had his injuries been that drastic from this dreaded night time he'd heard so much about?

[moral-liberty.livejournal.com]

Kaworu trailed after his nurse placidly, but found himself distracted by all of the Lilim as they walked. The hum of voices and footsteps was otherworldly, and as reassuring as it was upsetting. The Third Impact had not been realized. It couldn't, after all. Not while he still existed. Everything reminded him that his dying wish hadn't been granted, and he didn't understand why. He had trusted Shinji, and still did.

When he started to fall behind, his nurse patiently took to guiding him with one firm hand on the small of his back. The sudden flash of sunlight through the windows made him shield his eyes, and he realized she was taking him outside. There had been no occasion for him to go to a garden before, and he felt curiosity replace anxiety. The light, wet greens contrasted with the hot orange landscape that he had grown accustomed to. A cool breeze pushed his hair into his eyes, and the sun felt gentle and distant. It was beautiful, but it was not Japan. It could not even be anywhere near Japan. His steps sped up so that his escort no longer had to keep a hand on him. He scarcely noticed that the woman had stopped following him at all. Where was he?

[Open to anyone, no limits!]

[meitantei.livejournal.com]

Shinichi had been so traumatized by his time in the shower that it was no wonder he hadn't really wanted to mingle during lunch. He'd fucked up last night, even worse than he'd originally thought. He'd blown his cover right out of the water, and it was only a matter of time before Kuroba started asking questions. Shinichi would be surprised if he didn't.

He'd spent all of lunch shift pouring over his fuzzy memories of last night, scribbling everything down in his journal and trying to come up with something vaguely approximating order. He wasn't doing very well.

He was still frustrated when the nurse demanded he get back in the dreaded wheelchair and rolled him out to the courtyard, claiming that the fresh air would do him some good. She made him wear a coat, draping it over his injured shoulder to help hide the sling. The detective kind of hoped she would cover the bandages on his neck too, but no luck.

"Now, see what a pretty day today is?" she said in that simpering, condescending voice of hers. "See how blue the sky is? There's so much to live for, Jimmy!" Oh great. Now she was back on her 'you tried to kill yourself last night' spiel. Shinichi successfully tuned her out until she rolled him to a stop next to a pale-haired boy about his age or a little younger.

"Jimmy, sweetheart, Addison is new today. Why don't you make friends? I'm sure you'll find you have a lot in common."

With that, she turned smartly on her heel and left the two boys alone.

[the-clown-king.livejournal.com]

Tamaki was still trying to recover from the day he'd had, even after lunch. His cheek was bruised, but the swelling had gone down and at least it wasn't permanent! He had enough scars. More than enough, really!

It was just this place. It got into people and it made them act differently. They lashed out and even Tamaki and his own friends weren't immune.

But he had things he needed to take care of. 1) Work out a Host Club meeting. 2) Figure out what to do about the clinic now that he had been moved to a new room. These were really the kinds of things Kyouya was best at. Tamaki wasn't a planner. But he tried his best. He always did.

Taking a seat on a bench in the courtyard - oh, how many things had happened to him here! - Tamaki pulled out his journal and opened it on his lap.

[Free!]

[numberonemonkey.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/625717.html?thread=52602933#t52602933).]

There seemed to be a lot young people around, all in identical pyjamas! It still made Chihaya feel a little better to see the bright yellow face.

However, there was one boy that suddenly caught his attention. he was quite beautiful and he had lovely blond hair.

After what Chihaya had done, he could really assume that the boy was an angel, but he looked friendly enough, though a little bruised and sad. At worst, Chihaya would simply be making a new friend.

He stood up and wiped the dirt from his hand before going to the bench and smiling.

"Hello, I'm Chihaya... Could I sit with you?"

[himetsuru.livejournal.com]

Recluse hadn't been too bad, Falis decided - more in line with some of the clients she'd worked for in the past, before she even started working the Elude Forest. Maybe he'd approach her in the future with a potential job. She wasn't holding her breath, but the man gave off the impression that he could recognize the best when he saw it. She was the best.

Thankfully, the princess' hair was dry (enough), so she laid down on the grass, he mass of blonde hair fanned out beneath her, as she stared up at the sky. The night was getting closer, which meant her time to kick that man's ass was approaching. She felt the wild grin tug at her lips at the anticipation.

[free - limit any]

[blackestate.livejournal.com]

So in the end, it hadn't been a misunderstanding.

It hadn't even been a joke, or remotely humorous, or designed in any part in any way to amuse humans and demons and the like.

Sebastian was trapped in a strange dimension, unable to access many of his original powers and rendered in so, so, so many ways to resemble a typical human being except for one. Crucial. Exception.

The Contract.

Were Sebastian not so irritated, he would've perhaps found the ridiculous black markings on his hand amusing. The lines had little power behind them: mere ink etched between cells of skin. He had no claws anymore and the thinly-boned fingers on his hands were nothing but soft and breakable. His senses felt if they'd been stuck in a thick bowl of impenetrable slime or stew--Sebastian cared for neither--and his eyes felt partially blinded in such a way that he could no longer see what he used to. Nor smell, nor hear...never mind, as he could imagine, taste.

In short, the demon had been rendered so very nearly helpless, and seeing as the helplessness seemed apparently to include being unable to find the one person he desired to see, Sebastian was in a word angry. Or perhaps just very, very powerfully irritated, but to the nurses who'd addressed him all morning as human...it made no difference.

Yes. How irritating.

Under the given circumstances, it hadn't taken long for the last drop of Sebastian's patience to run dry. The nurse attending to him seemed rather easily distracted, and Sebastian'd called upon every talent for persuasion he'd possessed to point her in wrong directions again and again and again. Left to his own devices, Sebastian had tried venturing outside or further down the hallways inside to search and explore. It had been a futile effort: there was Institute staff present at nearly every location, and it hadn't been worth the effort to destroy the facade to gain but a few hours.

He'd stayed long enough in the Cafeteria during lunch to know that none of the dishes were up to par (in fact, some were so very far from par that Sebastian was quite confident his pets in Hell could whip up something more satisfactory--while missing limbs and eyesight, even), so Sebastian'd spent the rest of his time in the Sun Room, perusing the posts on the bulletin and making one of his own--tracking the increasingly interesting responses and learning all that was available to know about the Institute, its history, the infamous "Nightshift," and the various organizations and hierarchy present among the patient population.

It had been fourth shift that he'd first felt it--the slight surging again in the power carved into his hands. The slow and internal pulsating of the call, pleading and needy like the child it was. Sebastian smiled genuinely for the first time all day, knowing now that he'd no reason to believe the words of Miss Sheena. His master was here, in fact--

--somewhere out from the Sun Room.

He'd had to wander a bit before finding where the Contract felt strongest: he'd been in the Courtyard briefly during second shift, but in the light of the hunt, all looked different. It didn't take him to long to spot the boy and even less time to hide; Master Ciel was as small and nervous as ever. A mass of delicate bone and destructive force bundled up with fear and silent terror into a slender mess of a person. Sebastian couldn't help the fond look as he watched him. The look on Ciel's face was too priceless to shatter so easily; they'd only been apart a few hours, after all, and Sebastian'd always been interested in what'd it take for the young boy to finally break.

[liveforthispart.livejournal.com]

Figures. You know, he was actually enjoying that talk before the same freaking nurse popped in to drag him off somewhere. She was really getting on his nerves, man. And worse yet, she interrupted just so she could drag him outside. And just what the hell was he supposed to do out here? Far as he could tell, everyone was just getting shoved outside.

Kanji sighed in exasperation before plopping himself down on a bench. So what, he was supposed to just sit here until they felt like dragging him somewhere else? This was lame. He should be doing something, not hanging around wasting time like this. Maybe he should think about what he should be doing next?

Far as he could figure, all they really had to do was find this Martin guy. Kanji didn't even know where to start with that though. That bulletin board thing had been such a colossal waste of space... Aside from the jerk making a stink while he was trying to read it, he didn't see anything useful on it this morning. Just a bunch of people gossiping. They probably never put anything good up on that thing.

So what did that leave left? Man, he didn't know what to do with himself at all. Naoto had to have a plan or something, right? Or some kind of idea of things they should be doing. Should he maybe be getting information? ...Nah, he was no good at that stuff.

He leaned forward on the bench, elbows against his knees, and looked down at the ground as he thought about this. Man, by the time he figured out what he should be doing, the nurse was going to be fetching him again. Maybe he shouldn't even bother.

[Reserved for Chidori; more can join in later on if one asks]

[fear-attachment.livejournal.com]

There weren't many benches left free, so Chidori rather reluctantly sat down next to a rough-looking young man. It wasn't that she cared one way or another about the other person's appearance--she certainly wasn't intimidated by it--but she hadn't really wanted to sit with anyone.

Chidori had already opened her sketchpad to a fresh page and started sketching before she realised that she probably should say something, at least acknowledge that yes, she did see the other person on the bench. "... Was someone supposed to sit here?"

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

Usually Naruto was around to shake her out of her moping, but she hadn't seen much of him today. Really, she was sick of thinking about how bleak things were and when they let her go outside, it was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.

Since it was still pretty empty, she started going through her basic forms. Kicks, punches, blocks; it was necessary to make sure she'd completely adjusted to her strengths and weaknesses in this new place. That and it was probably better than taking out her frustrations on an actual person.

[Eventual threading with Sasuke when he's off hiatus, but anyone is welcome in the meantime! Limit: 3 ]

[noneedforsanity.livejournal.com]

[has a kenpachi briefly until Sasuke arrives?]

It wasn't a bad meal, really. It was almost fun, talking to the man who also had no real name. Not as fun as a good fight, but still not bad.

The opportunity to head out into the courtyard sounded ideal. If he was going to try to scale the wall and jump from the balcony, he'd need to see what it looked like. His strength was weakened in this place, he knew, but jumping from the balcony seemed a prime opportunity to test just how weak it made him...if it seemed even remotely reasonable.

He stepped into the courtyard and glanced up at the balcony, paying careful mind to the distance of the drop. Really, if he just heaved himself over the edge then dropped from hanging, it wouldn't be too bad of a drop at all...and certainly a lot quicker than trying to follow HK's directions.

He scanned the courtyard, looking for the wall that would lead to the rec field, but his eyes stopped as he saw a woman practicing her forms. He didn't need to watch for long to note the obvious skill with which she practiced. It didn't matter if she were mortal or not: she knew what she was doing, and in this place that could be potentially very interesting.

"I ain't seen that style before," Kenpachi interjected. "Close to a couplea different techniques, but you got a flair all yer own."

[mitase.livejournal.com]

They didn't even bother to ask this time if Hanatarou wanted to go outside; he found himself herded out into the courtyard with the admonition to get some fresh air and sun, since he was looking awfully pale. The nurse even checked his forehead for a moment, wondering out loud if he was "coming down with something," since he seemed to have lost his appetite as well.

He'd forced a smile and insisted he was fine long enough to reassure the woman, but once alone Hanatarou flopped down to sit by the pond, idly pulling at the blades of grass without really seeing them. The messages on the board had left him wondering, and though he hated that constant niggling doubt he couldn't get it to go away. If people needed a healer, it was his duty to help them, no matter who they were. But at the same time...

The shinigami gave a gusty sigh and flopped onto his back, staring up at the sky with his brow creased in thought. If a captain had to show up, why couldn't it have been his captain? Then he wouldn't have to decide these things for himself.

[for Senna? limit after: idk]

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

[so sorry for lateness. T_T]

Being taken to the courtyard showed Senna one thing. She had been here a week. One week entirely. She almost expected to see Shion waiting for her on a bench to discuss hair. But that... She sighed. Sometimes she expected too much.

On the other hand, the courtyard meant outside, and the purple-haired girl wasted no time in taking off into the grass, sliding into a few cartwheels. Outside was where she wanted to be. Outside meant the sky. And everything else--she could pretend everything else was okay. Yeah. She stood silent, hands clasped behind her back and looked up. Everything was okay.

After a moment of this, Senna started looking around. Close, actually, really close, she hoped she hadn't scared him with her acrobatics, was the Shinigami from last night. Senna took a few steps closer, leaning over him with a smile. "Hey," she said by way of greeting. "Hanatarou, right? How you doing?"

[giftofstars.livejournal.com]

... I will find you.

Yue’s last written words on the bulletin board resonated clearly in Sakura’s mind as she paced around the courtyard. The short, yet simple conversation was the only connection she had found to her hometown, and instinctively, her mind clung to it. All the medical staff kept insisting that she was dreaming, and that everything she thought she knew was a figment of her imagination. But, something which felt so real couldn’t be a dream, and Yue’s messages were proof enough to her world wasn’t simply a dream.

The young magician plopped down onto the grass and sighed, exhausted from thought. There wasn’t much she could do at the moment, so she decided to enjoy the sunlight and breeze before they were corralled indoors once more.

[winged_moon]

[angst incoming from here]

There had been no sign of the girl in the Sun Room, and fortunately the nurse had only put up a token resistance to letting him go out into the courtyard, for...there she was.

At least it looked convincingly enough like her. And felt like her as well, but so had the "visitor" the other day, the one who hadn't recognized him at all as her guardian. He'd taken that to mean she had rejected and abandoned him, much as Clow had the night before that, but - was it possible he had been wrong?

If she was a prisoner here as well, perhaps so. And perhaps...perhaps she still needed him.

Yue moved forward and paused not too far away, allowing his shadow to fall across the girl to announce his presence, and then just stood there. Waiting, with arms folded across his chest, for her to acknowledge him, if she cared to.

[cannotlogout.livejournal.com]

The conversation with Endrance had really left Tsukasa with more questions than it answered and had left his head spinning with the info-dump that had been done. Time out in the fresh air sounded rather good to him and he followed the nurse obediently outdoors, looking hopefully around himself for any sign of one of his friends. He desperately wanted to see Subaru right now, or Mimiru or Bear. Even BT or Crim. Anyone who knew him properly. Elk... Endrance now, was nice, but they barely knew each other.

He found himself heading over to the lake, large pond really, walking along the edge and peering in at his reflection. It was odd to see himself like this. He knew what his PC looked like of course, but it was one thing to know because you'd seen screenshots, and another to see yourself reflected in a surface. The wavemarks were there, the silver hair which was being blown a little in the breeze, and he'd never thought his eyes would be so vivid in real life.

He didn't even want to think about anything below the neck. How did men walk like this all the time?

[Totally free!]

[lastlovesong]

Chise was still feeling down after lunch ended. This was the second time she spilt food on a complete stranger. Oh yeah, she was suppose to meet 'Lelouch' today.

To her dismay, her nurse dragged her towards a boy who was walking around a lake. Chise protested but her nurse wouldn't have any of it. She sighed, nothing else she can do right now.

Slowly approaching the other boy, she gave him a small "H-Hello"

[fencing-captain.livejournal.com]

Juri welcomed another chance to get out of the building, though she was less thrilled when she realized that they wouldn't be allowed into the recreation field. Between only being allowed one shower since she arrived and getting so little exercise, she was beginning to feel flabby and restless. Her vigorous attention to fencing practice, defeating challenger after challenger, usually burned off enough of her energy to keep her merely a terror the staff, instead of an outright bitch.

The courtyard was nice, she supposed. Benches. Trees. Bushes. Pond. Everything you'd expect from an institution that thought it knew better how to run your mind than you did. Just seeing it made Juri seethe instead of be soothed. She paced the area like a caged animal. Everything about living here rubbed her the wrong way. She longed for an opportunity to flex her claws into an unsuspecting victim. Not a fellow prisoner, but the staff. Her eyes idly roamed around the crowd, looking for familiar faces by instinct more than conscious choice.

[closed to Utena and Anthy]

[fourtharcana.livejournal.com]

It didn't take a lot of effort on Akihiko's part to convince his nurse to let him head outside after showering, seeing as he'd spent the second shift inside. Just asking her for a little bit of fresh air had done the trick.

He took a minute to stretch out - it'd be nice to take a few laps around the perimeter of the courtyard to burn off some more of that nervous energy before night fell. And that's what he did, breaking into a light jog.

[closed to Ken Amada]

[rectifies.livejournal.com]

Silence encompassed Ken Amada as he was escorted to the courtyard. He had been in this state since the conversation with Yukari-- The child just couldn't bring himself to properly answer her last request and thus, chose to remain quiet. If the circumstance could change from simply agreeing, he would have been happy to forget. As it stood, however, things couldn't be resolved. His teammate was still in the danger zone, and once again, there was really nothing he could do.

Ken paused in his steps as a bout of nausea reached his head. "Ugh." Suddenly it felt horrible to even stand. He coughed once and in vain, struggled over to a nearby bench, a hand stretched tentatively over his forehead.

[2cute2bkira.livejournal.com]

Misa let her nurse guide her outdoors with a single nod, the nurse explaining how a girl her age needed fresh air and sunshine. She supposed she could agree on that last point, given that it would bring out the highlights in her hair, but wasn't so sure on the first. Either way, it was kind of nice out here, even if it was a little chilly.

She sat near the edge of the pond, picking a flower and starting to twirl it between two fingers.

[closed for former-roomie-glomping-time.]

[jokers-wildcard.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/626443.html?thread=52728075#t52728075)]

Whew... Okay, now that that barrel of laughs was out of the way, maybe she could actually relax a little. But she really really didn't want to wind up stuck in the Sun Room again. No matter how pretty it might be during the day, you were still cooped up in a room with nothing to do.

Luckily, the stiff decided she'd have a soul and let her outside again. Much better. Hopefully, she could enjoy the scenery without Hood hanging around to ruin the whole thing. Harley scanned the area to make doubley he wasn't crawling around somewhere. Cause really that was the last thing she ne--

She froze. That girlie by the water looked really, really, really familiar. From the hair anyway. But as Harley started to walk over, she managed to get a good look at her face. It was... It was...!

A little happy squeal escaped before Harley ran right over to the girl and practically tackled her, wrapping her good arm around her. It wasn't the smartest thing to do for the sake of her other arm but who cared?! "MEESY!!" Harley yelled, as soon as she made contact. "You're back! You're really back! Welcome hooome!!"

[feartehreaper.livejournal.com]

The chill air in the courtyard was rather disorienting to Haseo, not just because his current body shouldn't have been able to feel it in the first place, but because even if it was true that his time outside had been short of late, it had been summer, and definitely warmer, the last he knew. He wasn't exactly cold though, considering his nurse had brought back some mercifully warmer clothing in addition to the journal he'd asked for... and so really he was just irritated and mentally occupied as he wandered along the edge of the area, trying to calculate how effective the walls actually were in terms of containment.

[lighthearted]

Seeing Demyx actually hadn't been so bad, and Sora was glad that he could at least converse with one of the Nobodies without it being either unpleasant or dangerous. It didn't seem like Demyx had any plans to make things hard for Sora, so the boy could be grateful for that.

It really seemed like Luxord, Xigbar, and Demyx were the only members of the Organization who were still here. Then again, none of Sora's old friends were around, so they still out-numbered him. He didn't want to think of it that way, though -- and he knew he had made a lot of new friends here, too.

Sora had mixed feelings about being taken out onto the courtyard, since his habit of being injured whenever he went outside seemed to be continuing. He hobbled out onto the dirt path and started looking around with a sigh.

As he was searching for a place to sit down, he spotted someone lurking near the wall who looked familiar. Was that Haseo? He hadn't seen the boy around in a while, and had almost forgotten about him since they'd only spoken once. Still, it would be good to see him again...

Provided the other boy remembered him.

Figuring he might as well find out, Sora headed over and called out once he got within range. "Haseo?"

[flash-of-blue.livejournal.com]

Elfangor stood up from the wheelchair as soon as he was outside. His legs were still shaky, as if he hadn't been using them for a long time, but it was worth it to stand on the ground outside. He ignored the gate caging him in and looked up at the sky, feeling it center him almost automatically.

It cleared his head and allowed him to rethink his situation. He had never thought he had escaped Landel's, but the blank, dark spots in his memory were disconcerting. Finally he looked around the courtyard, searching for a familiar face, but found now.

Somehow he couldn't bring himself to care enough to go back inside to search for one. Answers could come later, for now he wanted to stay outdoors, striving off the feeling of being trapped for as long as possible.

[free for bugging!]

[broken-exorcist.livejournal.com]

Allen was still pretty sore and tired by the time the shift changed, but at least he'd been able to talk to that boy for a bit. Hopefully he'd do alright. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten so much as a name from him. Well, if he really needed to get a hold of him for something, he could always try drawing a portrait on the bulletin. Rukia had said he'd some talent at least.

The nurse escorted him outside after the meal though, and walked him over to another new face. This one was a wobbly man standing near a wheelchair, but once again, Allen had a feeling he wasn't or hadn't been entirely human. His left eye went black as they neared him, but Allen would do his best to give the man the benefit of the doubt. So many people here seemed like Akuma, but weren't.

"Pardon," he said, clearing his throat. "Would you be bothered if I came and ah-... walked with you for a bit? I'm Allen," he offered, despite how the nurse corrected him with "Jamie."

[for-marian.livejournal.com]

Another outdoor shift. Good. It wasn't as open and roomy here as the sports field, but Leon was still able to find a small space where he could move freely. He started doing a few easy stretches, since nightfall was approaching and the cramped bedrooms were not exactly ideal for preparing one's body for a night of possible battle. As long as he was careful not to allow his muscles to stiffen up again, getting ready now shouldn't be too much of a problem.

His potential new roommate, on the other hand, could quite possibly be a very real problem. What if it was someone nosier and pushier than Clark? Or someone violent? At least Clark, for all his naif lunkheadedness, hadn't forced conversation or company on Leon very often.

[for Touya! Ask if you want to join, but Serey is on v. slow-posting for convention weekend, so be warned.]

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

After his shower, Touya asked if he could dry off in the sun. Fortunately, he'd been on rather good behavior (responding to his false name and all that), so she allowed him--but only this once. After all, he'd been cooped up inside since he got to the institute, and some sun might do him good.

The young man sighed happily as he stepped into the warm rays of the sun. The courtyard was rather spacious--it even had a lake in it. He decided that a short walk along the path would be nice before dinner, so he started on his way.

Before long, he came upon someone stretching. He looked rather serious about it, too, so Touya could only infer that the young man was getting ready to fight during the night. Curious, though, Touya approached him.

"You okay there?" he asked, tilting his head a little as he watched the boy doing his serious stretch-routine. "You have dinnertime to get ready too, y'know."

[dawn-rune.livejournal.com]

It was a little strange to think that he'd ended up talking about his family and his role in the war twice already today, and gotten along quite pleasantly with both the women he'd been speaking with, but Frey found that he wasn't quite as melancholy as he would have expected. Maybe he was finally learning to accept the tragedies in his past and move forward. Or maybe he'd just run out of energy to put into being miserable.

Either way, it had been a fairly decent day and Frey was glad to be outdoors again. This was the area with the pond, too, which was doubly pleasant--Frey missed living by the water, and at least this sad little pond was something. Sitting by the side of the pond so that he could lose himself in the sparkle of the sun on the water, Frey settled in for what would hopefully be another quiet shift.

[for fuzzyelf Kurt! Ask if you want to join, but Serey is on v. slow-posting for convention weekend, so be warned.]

[fuzzy-diablo.livejournal.com]

"Here you are, Kurt," Kurt's nurse said, wheeling him out to the courtyard. "Some nice fresh air will do you good. Just let me know if you want to be wheeled around."

Kurt thanked her, and thought that wheeling him and his IV around was just too much trouble to deal with, so he resolved himself to staying put. Besides--sky was sky and air was air.

He looked down at the pond, wishing vaguely that he could go down there, but no doubt grass and his chair wouldn't agree, sadly. So he had to appreciate it from afar.

[lost-metal.livejournal.com]

Finally, a lunch which wasn't interrupted by people. Ed had been quite happy spending the entire meal eating, even managing to wheedle a second helping out of his nurse, despite her grumping that he'd start to put on weight. Heh, like that would happen when it took so much energy just to keep his automail running. That burned up any excess that he had, especially when alchemy took so much extra energy here too. He'd be surprised if he wasn't losing weight!

The chance to go outside was eagerly accepted. He wanted the chance to run for a bit, just to get some proper exercise. Once he got into the courtyard, he set off at a jog around the perimeter.

[Free]

[sekishi-keiou.livejournal.com]

Youko looked around the area she'd been herded into after being separated from Enki. No sign of the kirin, so hopefully that meant he'd been able to stay in the room with the message board--one of them had to be able to spend some time reading it, or they'd be quite in the dark.

Most people out here seemed to already be involved in conversations, but one young man was jogging around the perimeter of the walled-in area. That suggested that he was, at the very least, somewhat settled in here--a new person, lost and seeking information, probably wouldn't be involved in such a solitary activity. Or maybe he was an ordinary patient and had actually checked himself in, so he didn't see any need to get information. Only one way to find out.

Though it was a little bit challenging to match her pace to the boy's, being as he was significantly shorter than she was, Youko made the effort as she came up alongside the jogger. "I don't mean to intrude, but could you possibly answer some questions for me?"

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

While she would have liked a shower (she did place cleanliness next to perfection), the nurses were right in that she had one just before waking up here. Or as they liked to put it, "arrived." It would be wasteful to go take a shower now after having one so soon. She remembered taking one just before going to her desk at her home office, so it couldn't have been more than a few hours since her last. Unless the things people had been telling her were an absolute lie and she really had been drugged and transported across the ocean.

Highly unlikely.

Taking a seat on a free bench, Franziska cracked her notebook open and started reviewing and assessing her notes and the maps she had copied down. Memorizing all this information before the night came would be a bother, but she could and would do it. Perhaps she'd even get Rude of the Turks to come see her and serve as a bodyguard for the evening. After looking things over, she had learned of a room on the second floor labeled - patient possessions - and even though she also knew that her true belongings would not be there, she could hope that a whip (or a suitable substitute) would be. She felt unnatural without it in her hands and she would correct that issue as soon as she could.

[free; limit: any]

[bitpartgod.livejournal.com]

Kibitoshin honestly hadn’t realised just how many different types of people there were here. They had everything from Earthlings to ‘youkai’ (that was what Yukari had called herself, right?) here. And now they had a Kaioshin too. That was worthy of some kind of congratulations, he supposed. Oh dear.

A nurse reappeared at the cafeteria doors to lead him back out again, this time taking him outside into the courtyard. Perhaps it was the somewhat overwhelmed expression on his face that made her take him gently by the shoulder and march him over to a young woman sitting on a bench, flicking through a notebook.

“Here we go! Why don’t you talk to Miss von Richter? I’m sure you have lots in common.” The nurse smiled at the pair of then encouragingly. “It’ll be dinner afterwards, so try and work up an appetite, okay?” And then, good deed for the day done, she was gone again, leaving Kibitoshin stranded once again.

Hopefully 'Miss von Richter' didn’t mind having company. Putting on his best smile he gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” Manners, Kibitoshin, manners! He held out a hand quickly, hoping that he didn’t seem too forward. “I’m Kibitoshin.“

[hangenki.livejournal.com]

Kaoru had been dragged away after Lunch and forced to sit in the same small room as at breakfast and eat some food. Just a small amount. But the pressure and everything was still....just.... he'd be fine if they left him alone. But he'd forced it down, almost brought it back up, and then staggered out to the rest of the patient population.

He'd found himself sat on the grass before he could realise Hikaru was out here too. A fight was brewing and he knew it was his fault. But Hikaru didn't have to be so- so jerk like.

He was talking to Tamaki (thank god the idiot was alive) and some girl/guy/trap. Kaoru didn't want to interrupt for once.

[Miku and...no idea. Ping us if you want to play?]

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

[After her shower, of course]

Though her shower had been somewhat stressful (it was rather difficult to argue your point while nude and incapcitated), Miku felt good. She dried her hair briskly, until it was just barely damp and curled slightly at the ends. She could do with damp hair.

Again, she found herself out in the courtyard, despite her nurse's resignations. After all, what if she caught a cold? "Don't worry," Miku told her nurse and hurried out to join Kaoru. She stopped short before the younger boy, hairbrush in one hand and smiled, "I'm sorry I can't tell you apart yet: are you Kaoru-kun?" He'd been thinner than Hikaru, but now she couldn't remember just how thin.

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_{[free and limitless]}

Tsubaki breathed in fresh air and unthinkingly rubbing her arms against the chill as she stepped out into the courtyard. But she didn’t feel like exercising anymore.

After saying goodbye to Albedo, Tsubaki asked if she couldn’t visit the bulletin board on her way outside, and since it was a habit a lot of ‘patients’ had, her nurse had allowed her with a smile. There were people like that everywhere, but seeing the new posts about the experiments, about nominating people… She thought she understood the point, if there was a rational point to making up a thing like that, and it did nothing to soften the blow. It always hurt to see such mistaken attitudes. It always would.

They were wrong, she knew. It wasn’t impossible to see the world for what it was and still look forward--that was strength. What was weak was someone turning what they thought they knew of human nature into a joke or using it to undermine the other side. Tsubaki wouldn’t ever let herself become one of the latter. Couldn’t ever. There was nothing worthwhile in that direction.

Even though she knew her feelings would do nothing to change the immediate situation, she needed to feel that hurt. Just for a moment before she let it go.

She found an empty bench to sit on, where the breeze was slightly perfumed from the displays of flowers surrounding it, and drew her knees up in front of her, wrapping her hands around her shins. Her two long braids pooled on the wood when she rested her head against the back of the bench. Black☆Star, I know the kind of things you’d write in return… She smiled to herself faintly, wistfully.

[bullygeneraleva.livejournal.com]

[[For Kagura]]

The day couldn't end soon enough for Evangeline. She'd done her little bit for the day, talked to Stars, confirmed that he was someone she could use... if she could bring herself to. She had no desire to cooperate with anyone who doubted her worth... and to her, doubting her understanding of evil was also doubting he worth, since it was in the bloody struggles of her 'youth' that she had grown powerful.

Wasn't in the mood to make another attempt at networking, was tired of picking at the other patients for today... she could always practice her forms out in the courtyard, she supposed. The Institute didn't exactly lack for opportunities for combat practice, but they were brief and unmeasured. You also needed to dedicate some serious time to it if you didn't want to start forgetting things, and after that little scuffle with baldy on her first night she felt like she was anyway. And besides, it helped clear her mind of the many, many annoyances that built up when you dealt with such a noisy and thoughtless bunch of humans as these.

She wandered out onto the grass. Maybe, maybe not... there were a lot of people around, and she didn't really like being watched.