Day 43: Sun Room, Second Shift

[arc-wrench.livejournal.com]

When the shift changed, HK stayed put. Even after a long night of zombie killing, he had no interest in meatbag fuel, especially after all the discussion of chocolate with that rather strange meatbag. It was just making him crave the stuff even more than he had previously, if that was possible.

Oh, right. He was supposed to be looking for someone who was "VERY LARGE, WITH DARK HAIR." And also seemed to not know what lower-case letters were on the bulletin. As if that would help. He'd seen a likely candidate last shift, but talk of chocolate had distracted him.

Comments

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

At least Justice wasn't as slow as a lot of the other patients. He'd made some interesting points, enough to give her something to think about. Sakura's nurse didn't give her much time to talk though, and she'd only barely finished her meal when she was escorted off to the Sun Room.

It was fine with her, really. Much easier to check the bulletin in here. It was more or less empty now, but that just meant she ought to be able to spot Naruto or Jiraiya should they appear. Or Sai or Shikamaru or of course, Sasuke, for that matter. She had to check up on that strange wound from last night. The fact that she hadn't seen the cranky ninja yet was troubling, to say the least.

And then there was the drama on the bulletin board itself. Seemed like there was only a handful of people with any sort of handle on the situation. She'd made mental note of the ones that appeared competent. Lelouch, Edgeworth, Lunge, and maybe a couple others. It wasn't a bad start though, while their information network was lacking, at least there was one.

She sighed and sat back on one of the couches, cooing at one of the cats and wiggling her fingers as she tried to lure it close enough to pull into her lap.

[One narcissistic wizard?]

[slipperymagic.livejournal.com]

Howl had opted to see a different location within the facility, but was disappointed to find that the security was vigilant. It was looking as though he would need to wait for nightfall in order to get some time to himself, and even then he was skeptical. At this point, he was expecting to be chained to his bed and stared at all night just to make sure he couldn't get his hands on a proper comb.

As the nurse escorted him into the sun room, she kept a close eye on him while Howl looked extremely put upon. His nurse was immune to every explanation of why this situation was patently ridiculous, and Howl was growing aware that his voice had turned into a whine. Unfortunately, it wasn't merely his vanity taking a toll on his nerves. 'Bob' from earlier had left Howl feeling uncomfortable, and a cursory glance at the bulletin board showed an eerily elaborate story that every single one of the patients apparently subscribed to.

"I think it'll really help you to form some new friendships," his American nurse told him. The more Howl whined, the more she sounded as though she were addressing a child. "Look, Courtney is by herself. Courtney, Howell is new and in need of a friendly face."

Howl tensed very slightly. There was far too much socialization going on today. A part of him desperately just wanted to be left alone to sort himself out... but Courtney was a very pretty girl. She looked athletic and graceful, and reminded him a bit of the women that ran track back at his university. (Of course, it was apparent that Courtney was not of university age.) Either way, none of those girls had a wash of bright pink hair like hers. Courtney's dye job was absolutely impeccable from root to tip. It made Howl more jealous than he'd like to admit, that she was able to keep (and upkeep) her color while he was not.

Still, he smiled his best smile, and remained politely standing. "I've always had a fondness for cats," he said, watching the feline. Cats were an excellent shape to imitate for a quick escape. "Though I've never owned one. May I join you?"

[host-club-honey.livejournal.com]

Just when they were having fun, the nurses had to go and separate everyone all over again! At least he knew they were all doing well. Honey's nurse was quick to hurry him on into the Sun Room for some reason. Maybe they were being too noisy in the chapel? But no one had seemed to mind very much.

He sighed and toted Usa-chan behind him. The room was almost empty and felt so lonely without any people in it! He decided to try sitting down near the kittens, setting Usa-chan beside him and reaching into the box to pick up one of the soft little animals. He wasn't quite as good with them as Takashi was, and ended up with a scratch on the back of his hand, but soon the kitten was settling into his lap, content to let him pet it.

[Tsubaki-chan~!]

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

She’d hoped having someone to talk to had helped Endrance in the end, if only to keep him from shedding tears without anyone around, but by the time they separated for a shift change and she got her chance to peruse the bulletin board, Tsubaki felt like she was the one who needed someone to keep her from weeping.

But there was no one to talk to, no one who could change the way of it and bring the two other shinigami who’d vanished back from wherever they’d gone. No one could do anything.

The nurse seemed not to notice a difference in Tsubaki’s demeanor if she happened to be quieter than usual, as she tried not to let the loss of Matsumoto show through. The woman was more concerned in getting Tsubaki something for brunch, though in truth, Tsubaki’s appetite was still mostly absent, like it‘d been for a few days already. That’s not good, a part of her said, the pragmatic tone of the ninja that stood apart from the grief and the wariness generated by the new intercom theme. You have to keep yourself healthy. You need all your strength. But Tsubaki just didn’t have the heart to sit in the cafeteria and eat, so with a promise to snack later and eat all her dinner, she walked away with a pear.

With no destination in mind, she wandered out the cafeteria doors, turning the pear over in her hands. How could basic things like fruit be the same when everything else was so different in this world? She’d seen nothing but terrible things here. Only fellow prisoners, trapped just like she was, provided any kind of relief.

Tsubaki missed Black☆Star with a sudden vengeance, a deep, painful longing that cut to the core of her.

He might not have been able to change the fate of all the people she’d met and witnessed disappear, or the crises that had happened, but just his presence… She knew, she knew, not a thing about Landel’s Institute would break him. And she knew she had to be as strong, in her own way. She wouldn’t lose sight.

Her own tears were there, though, aching in her chest.

Without really meaning to, Tsubaki found herself lingering in the Sun Room again, noting the people present. Ah, there was that young boy she’d met, Albedo. And over there--Honey! Logically, if she’d woken up okay there should’ve no reason why Honey or Takashi wouldn‘t experience the same, but there was no reason why they would, either. Last night seemed proof of that. Even if she’d seen their bulletin board notes, relief was still visible in her expression when she’d approached. Keeping those around her safe was the least she should be able to do…

“Honey-san!” she called out behind him, honorific back in place. “Thank goodness.”

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

Galvin’s testimony had been useful to him. From it (as well as the sources on the bulletin board) Lunge had been able to determine that there were scientific forces at worth here that he did not yet fully understand. For now, at least, the logical paradox that came with the existence of monsters had been resolved and he could move on to wrapping his head around the Institute and its inner workings- no mean feat, considering that he had neither a crime scene to inspect nor a witness to interview, let alone evidence or even a definite victim.

But first: meeting this ‘Ryuuzaki’. The name was Japanese and male, that much he knew, but other than that the man was a complete mystery. Ordinarily, Lunge would have ignored it; the beginning of an investigation was always the most difficult part, Institute notwithstanding, and he still had a lot of research to do. But the note had… interested him. There had been a curious level of urgency attached to the wording, not to mention the use of code. Apparently, they felt they had a reason to hide. And no one hid from Inspector Lunge.

Now that he thought about it, concealing himself wasn’t something that had particularly worried Lunge. The information network here seemed more than a little loose; tug enough threads and finding a name and description would have been child’s play. He didn’t have a reason to actively try and withhold his identity. Yet.

He settled himself down in a chair near the door, rapping his fingers lightly on the arm. ‘Ryuuzaki’ had his description. So long as he showed, the reason for their appointment would soon become apparent.

[ryuuzaki]

As the nurse escorted him from brunch back to the Sun Room, L began to scan the people in it, looking for a tall, dark-haired man in his early fifties. Appearances might be deceiving, but in his own experience, that description, and the knowledge that Lunge claimed to be an inspector for Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, made it seem unlikely that he would choose the wrong man to speak to by mistake.

If Lunge was telling the truth about his identity and occupation, it seemed possible that he and L might be able to combine forces to come to a greater understanding of their situation -- perhaps even to do something about it. In that case, scheduling a meeting as soon as possible had seemed the best course; he had jumped at the chance.

A man fitting the description sat in a chair by the door, and L approached him quietly, looking casual. After taking a seat (perched on his feet with his knees drawn up to his chest) in the chair next to Lunge, L spoke in German.

"You are Inspector Lunge? Please be telling me the date you last remember, before your arrival here. It will be necessary mutually to prove the identity credentials."

It wasn't his first language -- or even his second or third -- and he knew himself to sound polite and awkward in it at best; his listening and reading comprehension was stronger than his fluency, particularly after months spent in Japan. The rust may flake off in time -- but we do not have time. He elected to try English, to see if he could be understood.

"Do you speak English? It might be easier."

[runner-up-robot.livejournal.com]

Forte was wheeled back into the sun room, near the bulletin board, at his request. He'd always ignored the nurses as much as possible, and having to have one feed him was something he'd rather put behind him. Now he could at least read the bulletin board... well, the posts at the bottom. His right hand was held against his chest by the sling, and his left was hampered by the bandages (and pain), so he could pull a message down to read, but he couldn't write one of his own. He could barely write with his right hand, anyway.

[scalyfishman.livejournal.com]

After that awkward conversation, Depth Charge was just about ready to curl up and drop into stasis lock for the rest of the day. Pit, make that the rest of the week. Once Scourge and Lugnut were gone he settled back into his armchair, sighing. This place was starting to get into his processor. Make him do stupid things. Maybe they put something in the painkillers that turned you into a mellow sap and shot your rear strut for scrap.

That was the trouble with the Institute; he couldn't get his head around the sudden changes. Every spark-pounding night warped into a sleepy day and back again, all without a moment's warning. He was lucky he hadn't started to see things ye-

In a wheelchair, by the bulletin board, was Forte.

Slowly, Depth Charge sat up. Forte didn't flicker, simply went on reading the notices. The younger bot was bandaged and bundled like a soldier after the final push.

He had a right to be. He was dead. Slag it, he'd seen him die, watched the light leave his eyes. This had to be a trick. Some kind of sick mind-smelt the resident psychotic shrink thought would be fun to play out. Or maybe he was just imagining things the way he'd imagined them after Colony Omicron. Faces, voices, movements in the corner of his optic, all belonging to people long dead.

Forte was still there.

Slowly, Depth Charge got to his feet. He had to prove he wasn't real. That this was all in his head. Casually moving to the bulletin board, he came up behind the illusion and reached out to touch its arm.

[reallyshortfuse.livejournal.com]

Before the nurse even got to ask her charge if she'd prefer the Sun Room or the chapel, the order to take her to the Sun Room had already been voiced. The nurse shook her head in response, but led the fireworks master through the doors into the lounge.

There were a few punks sitting around, but Kuukaku didn't pay them any mind. She walked straight over to the bulletin board to scribble a note in case her good-for-nothing brother might be around. If not, so be it. Only it throw a wrench into his training schedule (she didn't trust the lazy ass to take the initiative to go and train by himself, even when being useless during the second half of the whole Soul Society stuff proved he definitely needed it), but she figured she'd need to have him train extra hard to make up for it whenever she got back.

After that she began reading the other stuff. Most of it was asking if so and so was safe.

[Free!]

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

Touya wasn't particularly happy to leave Yukito in the Cafeteria, but he'd had all he was going to eat and he figured looking for Sakura was his next priority. He and Yukito would cover more ground if they split up.

Unfortunately, he didn't see Sakura yet, but maybe she'd just slept in. Maybe he should check the board to see if Sakura had posted anything...

The young man moved next to a woman he hadn't seen before (but given that he'd only arrived a few days ago, that wasn't terribly surprising). He scanned the bulletin for Sakura's sloppy writing, but didn't see it immediately.

He glanced over at the woman who seemed to be doing the same thing he was. "Looking for someone?" he asked.

[razmaspaz.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/691284.html?thread=56300372#t56300372)]

Now that Dahlia was taken care of... sorta, Raz wandered aimlessly around the room some more, not sure what to do next, or what to make of the situation he was in. Maaaybe it wasn't the brightest idea to antagonize the very first person he met, but surely there were others worth talking to. He'd already posted on the bulletin board and arranged meet ups with two people: one was called 'Porky' (he felt really bad about the terrible childhood that guy probably had), and another was some math freak that he was going to duel with.

But that was all stuff happening later. What about now?

[vstheworld]

There hadn't been any signs of items to pick up so far, disappointingly. Also, whenever Scott had tried to wander away from his nurse to check for openable doors, she dutifully took him gently by the wrist and steered him back on track. Lame! Why even make this part playable if it's just a linear path with nothing to do? There aren't even tutorial windows around! Scott thought with an annoyed pout on his face.

His spirits were lifted, however, when they reached what was apparently the Sun Room. The place was crawling with other grey-uniformed patients, and he heard his nurse encouraging him to make friends. That was as good a way as any to say, "Talk to everybody and find your first objective!"

The patients seemed to come in all shapes, sizes, and hair colours. Some he could even swore he recognized (developer in-jokes, maybe?). Picking a patient at random - a very short boy -he made his approach. Soon, he was standing right in front of the boy. In his mind, he pressed a confirmation button to begin a dialogue, not realizing that he was not actually pressing anything. "Hey. I'm Scott," he said with a grin, guessing from the opening exposition that the name the nurse had given him wasn't real. If the goal of the game was indeed to beat the Head Doctor, no way would the identity given to him by the nurse be real. Well, not unless there was a really good twist, but what came later would come later. "I just woke up here, and I don't think I was supposed to. What is this place?" he asked in-character, waiting expectantly for the NPC's dialogue to kick in.  

[hailmegatron.livejournal.com]

Someone very large, with dark hair, loomed up from the couch he'd been sitting on and looked around for someone with copper skin and dark hair and orange eyes.

He spotted a likely human and limped over, looming gloomily by him and asking, "Are you the 'bot from the board?"

[arc-wrench.livejournal.com]

Aah, so it was him! "Affirmative: Yes, I am HK-47," HK said, having to almost look straight up to talk to the Decepticon from where he was sitting. "I have been wanting to meet Decepticons for some time now. What I have heard was entirely admirable." Well, the bits coming from one source, anyway. The bulletin board was... terrifying to watch, sometimes.

[phasings]

[Waiting for Scott, but will be free after a couple posts. Once she's free, I'll put that in the subject heading.]

The nurse continued to go on about various things throughout the short trek; Kitty caught the name 'Dr. Landel' and 'Landel's Institute', but other than that the woman talked about the weather and what was on the menu for brunch. Thankfully she didn't seem too concerned with Kitty's lack of responses, so the teen was able to use the time to look at her surroundings. Nothing seemed familiar, and she didn't recognize the name Landel, so she must've been pretty far from Bayville. Just wonderful...

Kitty wasn't sure she wanted to eat any food this place gave her, so when the time came to choose, she opted to spend some time in the Sun Room. Despite the nurse's effort to coax her into speaking with some of the others already there, she found herself an empty seat. She had no idea what to say to anyone, so keeping to herself seemed a good idea at the moment.

[vstheworld]

[From here]

The next person Scott tried was a brunette with a high ponytail who bore an almost uncanny resemblance to Kitty Pryde from X-Men (in fact, the resemblance was part of what made Scott pick her; what right-thinking guy wouldn't want to talk to Kitty Pryde?). "Hey! I'm Scott," he said, waving and repeating the standard greeting he had given to Raz. From there, he launched right into his question: "Soooo. I hear there are monsters around here. Know anything about that?"   

[sewenteen-sir.livejournal.com]

He supposed the rations were decent enough to keep him in fit condition (even if they were rather ancient foods, he couldn't deny that the pancakes at least had been tasty), even if the question Arlene had asked him before his nurse had pulled him away was weighing on him.

No, those people probably couldn't redraw the star charts and sector charts from memory. They probably weren't even Starfleet--Chekov could have done a much better job. Really, the crew that had banded together to fight against Nero was being assigned to the Enterprise again (if Commander Spock's recollection was to be believed, and Chekov didn't see why the Vulcan would lie to him), so would it have killed Spock to feel a little... oh, camaraderie?

Worse, Chekov still hadn't heard from Kirk. He began to wonder if he had dreamed it all. But Spock's experiences corroborated his experiences. Had those things gotten Kirk too?

The Ensign flopped down on one of the empty couches and, after being provided with a journal and a pen, began idly drawing the relevant star charts and looking out the windows at the sky.

[Free!]

[coldest-blood.livejournal.com]

He'd overslept. That simple fact bothered Bond more than it should have, and he was aware enough of his own mind to know this was because it was far easier to focus on that minor irritation than it was to focus on what he was half-convinced had to have been a hallucination, a bad reaction to some chemical he'd been slipped unawares. The dead couldn't rise. And yet, he had the ebbing ache of muscle fatigue to prove they had.

Though he had no real interest in food, with the scent of rot still lingering psychosomatically despite being gone in truth, but it took several minutes to convince the nurse who'd come to rouse him to let him linger in the Sun Room. His first stop was the bulletin board, but without much to hold his attention, he soon found himself circling the room. The young man with his notebook caught his eye, and he didn't bother to hide the glance angled toward the pages. "Interesting hobby," Bond noted, muting curiosity beneath bland pleasantry.

[piggy-king.livejournal.com]

Breakfast had been a rousing success. Not only had Porky gorged himself on delicious bacon and sausage, but he had also managed to make his first friend at the institute! Wait...was Harley his first friend period? ...No, that couldn't be right. In any case, Porky was ecstatic. With a huge grin on his face, he waddled into the sun room and plopped down into one of the chairs, content to let his stomach quietly digest his massive meal.

Finally Porky had a chance to relax. Having nothing else to do, Porky leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and in a few minutes he fell asleep, snoring rather loudly.

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Raine managed a light breakfast, then went back to the Sun Room to try to relax for a while. The new intercom speaker was concerning, but as with most things here, she couldn't do anything about it.

There were a few people she needed to talk to/check up on, but in the meantime she settled in a chair and opened her book again. She noticed the loud snorer, but considering how involved she tended to get in her reading, it shouldn't bother her.

[whos-da-man.livejournal.com]

"No. I'm stayin right here," Junpei told his nurse.

"Josh, dear, you need to eat. Since you spent the early morning in here, you must go get something from the cafeteria," his nurse replied, the woman trying to be logical. "If you miss this meal, you won't be getting anything until dinner tonight."

"I said no," he napped back. "You have wax in your ears or something? I told Chidori I'd be here until I saw her, so I'm going to stay here until I do, damnit!"

The woman sighed and crossed her arms. "I would prefer it if you would refer to her by her real name, not this made-up one. I believe hse stayed in her room this morning, so she'll be brought to the cafeteria for brunch as well. You can see her there."

Junpei stared at her for a long moment. "No," he repeated slowly as if the woman was stupid (which he was pretty sure she was). "I said this was where I'd be, so this is where she'll come. If you want me to move, you're going to have to drag me out of here!"

"That can be arranged," the woman said, finally losing her patience. "With new patients coming in today, some in your age group, you should be setting a good example for them..."

The arguement continued, but Junpei was refusing to budge. This was not going to end well the longer it continued.

[for Ryouji!]

[nonametrump.livejournal.com]

Ryoji had chatted with the mysterious dream-woman as she led him around the (equally mysterious) building, but the things she said made less and less sense, even for a dream. For one, she claimed his name was really 'Horace Mooney'. Two, she said he was in some kind of mental hospital... which was nonsense. Ryoji was, if he said so himself, the very picture of good mental health.

He was rather disappointed to learn that the nurse and this 'Horace' guy didn't have something going on between them. That, at least, would have been a wonderful silver lining to an increasingly bizarre situation.

Even more disappointing was the fact that the pretty nurse excused herself as soon as they had arrived at their destination--the Sun Room, she called it. He'd been about to try his hand at convincing her to stay when his attention was drawn away from her by a familiar voice.

It didn't take long for Ryoji to spot Junpei arguing with an older woman (another nurse, by the looks of things). The nurse who had escorted him already forgotten, he headed straight for his friend. He wasn't sure what they were arguing about, but the atmosphere seemed pretty serious.

"Hey, Junpei-kun!" he said cheerfully when he got close, trying to lighten the mood. He gave the nurse a glance and a friendly smile. "What's going on?"

[purgatio]

He had left the dressings alone, content to wait until he was out of the woman's sight to try again. The nurses, as well, reiterated to leave them alone. Time to heal, and all. But if there needed to be time for healing... Well. Then Albedo was in a whole new ballpark. The slower healing was still more fascinating than most--a tinge of fear, a dip of excitement, but time to heal said nothing about the length of time necessary. He wondered.

This, of course, allowed Albedo to focus on something simple instead of the multitude of other things the sedation was currently making complicated. It was different from before, that was a surety--not only was cognitive thought sliding back in faster, but the nurse escorting him mentioned it herself in passing to another. Wouldn't want him to be too out of it for later. Later, hmm? What fine delights would be waiting then?

This, too, passed too much like water through his mind. His limbs continued to be weighted, and an overbearing feeling of loneliness coalesced through him. Something drummed a refrain into his mind--alone, alone. Too much alone. Despite the nurses saying both brothers were fine, he didn't see them anywhere. He couldn't... call to Rubedo, but he knew he could talk to Nigredo. Not... now, of course. His head still hurt. Maybe... later. Maybe not at all. Should he touch there? Why shouldn't he? His mind shifted back and forth but settled on nothing. Too much thinking. Too sad. Something hurt.

The boy awkwardly made it to a couch and curled up instantly, mimicking the cats found throughout. Albedo's right arm was curled in the middle, hopefully out of sight of nurses, as his finger flicked at a corner. Inch by inch, line by line. Little ducks marching in a row. There was something he was still forgetting but he couldn't care to know.

[for someone else with sibling issues. =P]

[rocksthecourt]

Klavier knew he should probably go eat something, but frankly, the last thing he wanted to be around was food. That was made terribly clear by the wave of nausea that washed over him as soon as his escort so much as mentioned brunch. Thinking of the scent of seared meat only brought back memories of rotten flesh and blood-stained mouths... At this rate, he might not be able to stomach a meal all week.

He swallowed down that sensation and was able to, honestly, tell the woman he wasn't feeling well and would prefer to go elsewhere. Which, evidently meant the Sun Room. Apparently, this seemed to be where they dumped people when they weren't sure what else to do with them. He could think of worse alternatives.

After a small smile of feigned gratitude, he headed inside and searched for an available seat. The room was strangely empty compared to how he usually saw it, so it wasn't very difficult to find spots away from everyone else (if he had wanted such a thing). But his eyes were actually drawn to one of the few occupied couches nearby.

Never would he be used to the idea of children being dragged here. And it wasn't only a few, it seemed. This child, however, drew his attention for several reasons, first of which being the shocking color of his hair. Second was of course the fact that he had curled himself into a ball on the couch. Normally, Klavier might assume he planned to nap and would leave it be, but a large section of the boy's forearm had been tightly wrapped and he seemed set in a manner more withdrawn than relaxing.

It didn't take much forethought to come and at least check up on the child. Though it was an upsetting sight, he at least tried to place on a small friendly smile before finally opening his mouth. "'Cuse me," he said carefully so as to not startle him, in the event he had his eyes closed. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything?"

[quickdrawbkiddo.livejournal.com]

[assassin available - limit:any]

That had been ridiculous. Starfleet? Phasers? If Beatrix had been a cruel person she'd have informed Chekov his precious space organization came to be from a bunch of fans of a horrible show from the 1970s. Wait. That needed to be rephrased. If Beatrix had been a person that was cruel to children...

Finding herself in the Sun Room, the Bride took up position against the wall not too far from the bulletin board so she could keep an eye on the people coming and going. As she watched the room, her eyes found HK-47 speaking to one of the Cybertronians. At least she assumed he was one of those Decepticons given his large stature, the way he moved, and how much the assassin droid seemed to be sucking up to him.

She kept a discret eye on the pair. This was something she was going to have to relay to SubZero. She was forseeing problems coming from this droid/Decepticon interaction.

[scarefaux]

[Hope this is okay!]

For someone who rather enjoyed eating, the Scarecrow really hadn't eaten much in the past two days- first was the skipped meals the day before, and then his breakfast with a man who apparently harvested body parts from the bodies of his enemies. The grisly mental imagery that accompanied that description was hopefully worse than reality, but it was still disturbing. Having one's straw and lower half thrown about was a far smaller concern. While he'd still wanted to get some food down before the shift was over and the nurse retrieved him, the Scarecrow wasn't sure he actually could handle any more. He had somehow lost his appetite.

The Scarecrow took a quick look at the bulletin board as he entered the room. Something caught his eye- something more interesting than the usual notes about clubs and such. He only skimmed the notice, but it was enough to entice him.

He turned to ask his nurse a question, but she'd already disappeared from sight. He turned again, looking for the nearest person who didn't seem busy already talking to two or three more people. The room wasn't as full as usual, but he did spot a woman along the wall. She didn't look too busy, unless she was busy thinking. That was the sort of busy that didn't need to be interrupted, but he figured it couldn't hurt too much to try.

"Excuse me, Miss?" he addressed with a smile, taking two steps toward her.

[mister-fine.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, it'd been kind of refreshing to talk to someone sort of sane for a change. That plus the fact he'd put something a little more substantial than a rotting burger in his stomach helped calm Apollo's nerves to an extent. He still wanted to thank Asch personally at some point, but right now he really needed to roll up his sleeves and do some serious research about this place. After all, just because people were freely posting messages now didn't mean the staff wouldn't start removing some of them after a point.

Still, even with something important to occupy his attention, Apollo still felt tense and unsettled. His typical daily routine had been knocked off kilter (oh, it was awful -- this was his second morning without any voice training!), and his hair fell pitifully over his eyes if he wasn't careful. Part of him wanted to grab the gel he'd left in his room and sit in front of a mirror for as long as the nurses would allow, but he had to get cracking on his investigations. After all, the sooner he got to the bottom of this stuff, the sooner he'd get to go back to his normal life.

And yet far more experienced people had been on the case for longer than Apollo could even imagine. Prosecutors Gavin and Edgeworth, Mr. Wright...if they couldn't uncover the truth, what made him think he'd have any better luck?

That isn't any excuse to throw in the towel, Justice! he sharply reminded himself. After taking a moment to give the bulletin a determine stare, Apollo stepped up to it. It was time to get this show on the road.

Journal and pen in hand, he took a small breath and started scanning through the messages.

[Free, no limits!]

[catstreetblues.livejournal.com]

Sanae strolled into the Sun Room feeling much better now that he'd gotten a quick brunch. No company, but that was alright: he could fly solo sometimes if he wanted. No, nothing could flick him off of cloud nine, now that he had paint. Alright, so pen drawings weren't that bad, but really, you could only get so much dimension. The way the spray paint just spread out, that was him, not those tight, thin lines pens gave.

He checked the board and posted a quick reply to Tony Stark, Flamethrower Building Extraordinaire - common courtesy, after all - and happened to notice a young man scanning the board with a fairly high degree of intensity.

Oooh, young, aspiring professional right there. Yup, no doubt about it - just look at that determined face. "Y'know, there's not going to be a quiz later." Sanae couldn't help but laugh a bit.

[ruthless-hunter.livejournal.com]

Lockdown chose to go to the Sun Room after he'd eaten. The less time he spent around human fuel the better. Although at least he'd had some nice entertainment during his meal. Creeping out the Scarecrow had been quite fun.

The bounty hunter found himself a couch to settle down into and wait for that potential client. He just hoped that whatever they wanted could wait for a few hours, since he didn't think he could go another night without relieving HK-47 of his untouched status. He probably should have thought of that before he'd responded to that person's request, but accepting jobs like that was one of those hard-to-break habits. Then again, if the client proved to not be worth his time and effort, then he'd have no problems whatsoever with his current plans tonight.

[Eileen]

[themotherreborn.livejournal.com]

Eileen still couldn't believe she was doing something like this. Her eyes never stayed in one place as she moved from the cafeteria to the Sun Room. He was here, somewhere. It wasn't fair! Bad enough to jump at every noise and shadow at night, but to not even have the daylight safe?

Well, she was hopefully going to meet the one person who had responded to her little note. Or the one person who had responded favorably, anyway.

The description hadn't been much, but Eileen liked to think she was pretty good at figuring out who people were. And she thought just maybe she'd spotted who she was looking for.

"Excuse me?" she said, walking over with her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. "I think we spoke on the notice board...?"

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Sheena had departed, and while Miku knew she should probably get up and fill her belly again, she was hardly in the mood for eating. Her heavy, dark hair fell in a curtain that she hoped would make her invisible to the rest of the world. The kitten that had plagued her hair earlier had sat on it, curled up, and gone to sleep. Miku wondered if she could be a little jealous over that; how nice it must've been to sleep without something troubling interrupting your dreams.

She sighed, hicced, and went back to trying to make herself the smallest, most insignificant body in the sun room.

[Subaru!]

[broken-babylon.livejournal.com]

Making oneself small and insignificant only works so well when someone is looking for you specifically. Having slept through the first shift, and apparently the entire previous night--he wasn't even sure how he got back to the Institute at all--Subaru was quite lost as to what was going on with the announcements and whatever had happened in town last night, but on seeing Hinasaki-san's post to the bulletin board that all became rather unimportant. So, here he was, searching the rooms for her because he foolishly had forgotten the name the nurses called her by and couldn't ask them where she was.

Finally, though, he managed to find her. ... And realised he had no idea what he could possibly say. "Hinasaki-san..."

[lostonlifesroad.livejournal.com]

Overall, Kakashi couldn't complain about brunch, aside from his company. And even then, it wasn't so much the boy himself that had bothered Kakashi, but his presence there. No one should be brought to such a place, but some people were obviously less suited for it than others. Whoever he'd been, that kid was one of the people who'd suffer the most here, if only because he seemed the least prepared to go up against all the horrors the prison could put him through. Kakashi was a genius ninja, had been trained and fighting one war or another for nearly his entire life, and Landel's was a trial on his patience. How much worse was it on a kid like that?

Still, he couldn't keep too focused on it. Kakashi let himself be led into the Sun Room, and asked the nurse for a favor while he checked the bulletin for any updates. He'd just finished adding a few new notes when the woman returned, obviously more cooperative than the first nurse who had gone. Though Kakashi had never heard of Harlequin Romance, the lady promised it was just what he was looking for--or at least, that's what Kakashi thought she said between all the giggles. Keeping the urge to roll his eye in check, he politely thanked the nurse, then claimed a couch for himself as he settled in to read.

It only took a few pages for Kakashi to realize he wasn't going to be disappointed.

Though it seemed more geared towards a woman, Kakashi's inner fanatic was already cheering in excitement. While White Fang had been an interesting diversion, this new novel was exactly what the jounin had been seeking. The drama, the romance, the scenes he wouldn't read out loud under any circumstances: it was everything Kakashi had hoped. Eagerly he focused on the pages, maybe more than he should, but he'd still be able to keep an eye out on his surroundings. Enough to know what was going on.

But what was going on with Patricia was important too. What would she do now that her childhood friend Raul had once again shown up, and only a week before her wedding?

[Free! If you'd like to try diverting his attention from the book.]

[heraldric.livejournal.com]

Well-revitalized after breakfast, Leon let himself be led to the sun room without complaint. He kept his eye out for anyone familiar, but in the end he didn't really feel like chatting much. Perhaps he could just find himself a kitten to cuddle and relax for a while.

He didn't succeed in snatching up a cat, but he did find an empty seat. He was in the process of stretching out and making himself comfortable, when he noticed a man nearby with a book. He hadn't thought to ask for a book while he was in the sun room. It could be a reasonable way to pass the time despite there not being much nonfiction there.

The mage scooted to one end of the sofa, peering over the side and trying to catch a glimpse of what the man might be reading. "Is it interesting?" he asked without preamble.

[dualistic]

There was something extremely exhilarating about waking up with the feel of a handgun's recoil still lingering in his arm. It was enough to get Harvey up and out of bed within seconds despite the muscle soreness from booking it around Doyleton dodging undead all last night.

The gun. Where was it?! His breath started to escalate as he ran both hands over his sheets, and his relief was almost enough to frighten him when he felt the hard handle of the weapon touch against his palm.

He snatched it up and wedged it under the mattress within seconds. Part of him was tempted to just take it and shoot his way out, but he definitely didn't have the ammunition for something like that. Besides, these people weren't mindless, even if they were possibly brainwashed (or just that clueless, or in on it). He would have to flip a coin for each and every one, which meant busting out guns blazing was never going to be his style.

Besides, he didn't really want the gun for the nurses and orderlies so much as the vigilante who Jason promised him was here. Wasn't the kid going to be thrilled when he found out about this?

The nurse tried to tell him that brunch would be his only chance to eat before dinner, but Harvey didn't care. He never ate during the public meals and he especially didn't have an appetite after last night. His main goal now was to find Jason so that their plan could really progress. Now he had a gun to put to Batman's head, and that made cornering him even more enticing. They had to act fast.

He left a note on the bulletin and then found somewhere to wait restlessly.

[For Indiana Jones! Contact us if you want to join?]

[its-the-mileage.livejournal.com]

Indy'd already had breakfast and it didn't seem like there was much chance of Mr. Head Doctor appearing in church today, so he headed for the Sun Room to check the bulletin board and see if anyone else he knew had been traumatized by the events of last night. He'd been most worried about the girl, but a note with her name on it had gotten a few replies in a feminine-looking hand, so Indy felt fairly confident that she was all right. Not that he was surprised--she had a good arm, that Prosecuting Prodigy. There probably wasn't a Zombi left in the town without whip marks on it.

When he turned back, he saw the other person he'd been wondering about--Dent. The guy looked a little on edge. Indy wasn't sure whether to interpret that as good or bad news, so he headed over to find out which. There was always the off-chance that Dent had had a fit of generosity and picked up a spare gun for him. Indy, though, knew enough not to get his hopes up.

"How'd you two manage?" he asked as he approached. He took a seat near Dent and noted the positions of the nurses--couldn't hurt to be careful about what they said, although the bulletin board seemed strangely unmonitored to him. "Find what you were looking for?"

[More company is fine by me.]

[should-be-dead.livejournal.com]

Tenzen ignored the nurse's chatter as she escorted him to the sun room. Long, extended discussions about irrelevant matters such as the weather or how his food had tasted were not relevant. Though the intercom announcements were rather curious, were they not? Were the people on the board right, and had the headdoctor been bitten by his own dog? Or was this merely a set-up? Either way, it seemed it made no difference to this place's activities. Or even the reaction of the nurses; any questions about the matter were merely waved off.

There also seemed to be talk of visitors. The ninja had to wonder to how many lengths this so-called mental hospital would go to convince their prisoners of their ridiculous story. Or did they have another purpose? The odd replacement had mentioned 'federal training' earlier this morning.

For what sort of nonsense were they keeping him here and delaying his plans?

He settled down upon a couch near the bulletin board. Not necessarily responding to the messages himself, he still kept watch in case something of use had been posted.

[Free! Limit: any]

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

Breakfast could have gone much better, but at least the situation hadn't led to any further conflicts, so he supposed that counted as a plus as well. Unfortunately in the rush of people moving to different parts of the Institute or looking to continue their meals in the cafeteria, he'd lost track of Luxord's location.

While the patient he'd spoken with earlier may have been correct that he wasn't likely to get attacked during the day, that wasn't what bothered him so much about seeing the self-proclaimed heartless man. For some reason Brainiac 5 found Luxord's presence deeply disconcerting and the idea of being alone with him for any amount of time and any reason was...

It scared him.

It scared him, and he hated that. He'd do almost anything to avoid feeling that way again. So, as his nurse moved him into the sun room and Brainiac 5 decided to entertain himself with a few impromptu chess games via the information board, he also tried to keep a careful eye on the area around him, just in case.

[Luxord and eventually Kio?]

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately for Brainiac 5, X could be more intelligent and quiet than he led on. The moment Nursey proclaimed brunch was over and he should give James more space, the Nobody immediately spotted his target and followed him, weaving through the crowd without a single noise to pinpoint his own location (which, in his own opinion, was a sign of major skill what with the wounds II had given him), all while keeping himself out of the robot's field of vision.

After all, he wasn't as dense as to miss both the note this brat had given Celes, nor the one she had left for him. He knew this brat and his desire to place a wedge between he and one of the few in this asylum that he actually liked. Celes' hostility towards him this morning and the day before? Only had one, logical source.

Without proper warning, the Gambler placed a hand on the boy's shoulder from behind. He leaned in, just close enough to whisper a greeting. "Brainiac. I do believe we need to discuss something, don't you?"

[euphemise.livejournal.com]

A decidedly unhappy Euphemia walked into the Sun Room in a manner that was very uncharacteristic for her. She was usually sunshine and happiness, but she had a lot on her mind. She'd been forcefully separated from Suzaku despite all of her protests, and...

What had that look on Lelouch's face meant? It almost looked like he had seen a ghost, and that in and of itself was a surprise. She understood that in his other persona he had a lot of weight on his shoulders, but as it was now, she couldn't understand why he would look so shocked and horrified. Maybe it was someone else he was looking at? She didn't think so, though. His eyes had locked onto her for a moment.

She took one of the seats near the window and looked out, trying to cheer herself up.

[free as far as I know!]

[madeinthehrl]

Soma had to admit that she felt a little better after talking to Senna. The other girl always had something reassuring to say, and brunch had been no exception. Even if the injury came back tonight, at least she had friends to rely on. All things considered, she counted herself fairly lucky.

She didn't require a lot of food, and after the intercom switched off--she made a mental note to look into that; it was decidedly strange, even if this place really was three centuries behind what she was used to--she requested that she be taken to the Sun Room. She could do with a little sunlight. There was a girl who looked about her age, possibly a little younger, seated by the windows and looking about as happy as Soma felt. Taking a seat next to her, Soma tilted her head slightly.

"What's the matter?" Her voice was quiet and didn't carry much emotion, but that didn't mean she didn't care.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Going back to his room for Roger had given Bridget even more time with his thoughts. Talking with Venom hadn't really helped him any, but he was proud of the fact that he'd managed to both not break down and cry as well as lead the older man around while not answering any of his questions. It was best that the Head of the Guild still think of him as a useless kid rather than a hunter.

Bridget smiled at his nurse,glanced at the board, then promptly sat down as far as possible from it, hugging the stuffed bear to him tightly and not looking at anyone. Maybe he'd make it to dinner without crying...

[kagurazuki.livejournal.com]

Kagura was no closer to feeling like eating anything, so when the nurse let her leave the cafeteria, she was glad for the change in scenery. Gavin seemed like a very nice person and Kagura was sure he'd offered good advice.

When she entered the Sun Room, most of the people were already sitting with others or involved in their own conversations, so Bridget wasn't hard to spot, sitting alone with Roger. She wrung her hands in hesitation. Would it be alright? It was fine to show affection to people in her family, but outsiders? That was another story.

Kagura walked over, apprehensively rubbing her arm. He hadn't even looked up. While she was saddened and frightened by what had happened last night, it wasn't her close friend that was gone.

"Bridget," she said quietly, pausing when she stood in front of him. She had to bend down just to reach him, but she carefully put her arms around him, leaning low so her head was beside his. Be there, Gavin had told her, for the people you care about. "I'm sorry."

She wanted to say it would be okay, that they would make it through everything and find their way home, but it just wasn't that simple. Maybe it sounded trite and maybe it wouldn't help, but she wanted to try. She had to try.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

In a way, this morning was nearly as hectic as the night before. Hughes felt like he was drowning under all of the new information and oddities. They'd broken the routine, and that meant something big. The routine was half of their control, and now....

Well, it was a good thing for them. It would shake up the folks who'd gotten complacent. Hell, it was shaking him up. The penny novel army of last night, the strange intercom messages today... if nothing else, at least everyone would be on their toes today.

It was, he had to admit, exciting. He wished Roy was here to go over everything with, or even just to share a pleased smile with. He'd said for weeks that someone like Martin Landel was bound to screw up sometime, they'd just have to wait and watch. And now the day had come, and Hughes found himself missing old friends. Hell, even old not-quite-friends.

It was only him and Ed left now. How many had there been? And why the hell was he still around when Roy was gone? Crap, he was going to bring himself down if he kept this up. Maybe another trip to the notice board would take his mind off it all....

(Free!)

[brokenweapon.livejournal.com]

The night had been insane. Insane. Jason was beginning to wonder if he was actually losing his grip on reality. Zombies. He couldn't remember having seen Night of the Living Dead before - but he knew about it, Marie had told him, and they had been trying to find a copy - but as soon as he saw the creatures, he'd known what they were and what their weaknesses were. And the night had become a blur of activity and smashing heads.

When he woke up, Bourne noticed the different announcement. This was not the Head Doctor, or any of the nurses. It sounded almost like an auto-responding phone system (press 7 for more options, etc.), but how the voice sounded was secondary by far to what it said.

Federal training sponsorship. What the fuck was that?

Oh, things had changed. And likely not for the better. Once he was taken to the Sun Room, he accosted the nearest person. "Do you know what's going on with the intercom?" he asked, trying his best to sound concerned rather than cold.

[sir-savien.livejournal.com]

Having no interest in the Chapel (he was never a very religious person at the best of times), Kvothe asked to go to the Sun Room when the shift changed. There at least he could take a quiet corner to mull over the events of the previous night and the exchange on the bulletin board. He didn't really want to discuss that night with anyone, he and Tony had certainly argued over that enough (and the whereabouts of his former roommate worried him, he hadn't bothered asking a nurse because he doubted he'd believe anything they told him), but a little time had passed now, not much but perhaps enough. That didn't mean he was looking forward to it, though.

He half curled up on a couch and silently watched the other people in the room. He wished he had something to read. Or an instrument--

He looked down at the cast on his still-broken right hand. No, better not think about that.

[Free]

[deadlynoble.livejournal.com]

[ Ah sorry ? Have a bitter shota =_= ? ]

Ciel wasn't in a better state after the events of last night. His arm had to be bandaged tightly until it was barely mobile, making it an effort to even pick his fork up and eat as normal, something which now caused him to avoid lunch for the sake of not having to ask someone -of all things- to feed him. His appetite had further been aggravated by the memories that accompanied him still, the stench of those creatures and the way their flesh had been decaying and hanging loosely from their bones.

He felt nauseous just thinking about it, his face more pallid than usual as he shuffled into the sun room. There were a few people sparsely seated, perhaps those that also couldn't fathom the thought of eating after the events of last night. Everyone had been visibly shaken and there was still no explanation for where those creatures had originated from. He suspected it was all orchestrated by the institution, considering the fact that it had ended during the morning hour as scheduled. Then they'd brought back here without a word. The one knife he had acquired was gone, left lodged into the body of one of the creatures that had attacked him, which meant he was unarmed again, something he would have to rectify soon before night fall.

Wearing an obviously foul expression on his face, he took one of the few available seats, pondering on checking the bulletin again after a bit of rest. His body hadn't had any adequate sleep since his arrival, and he was close to passing out on his feet. The occupant on the couch closest to him looked to be in a similar situation, curled up and obviously taking advantage of the reprieve while he could.

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

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