Day 43: Courtyard, Third Shift

[oftemptation.livejournal.com]

Once again, Endrance's nurse interfered with his plans. He had been planning to look around the Game Room, but the moment he began to move towards the Sun Room, she had taken him by the arm. "Your family has asked that we make sure you get as much fresh air and sunshine has possible, and you won't get that by staying inside playing video games all day."

He had thought for a moment about protesting, but decided against it. After all, if what had happened to Haseo was punishment for having spoken too strongly the day before, he didn't want to make that worse somehow. So, when given the choice of going out to the recreational field or the courtyard, he chose the latter.

There were a few reasons behind the decision, the most salient being that he wanted to see what the area looked like for a second time - this time without the threat of a brainwashed patient surprising him. The second reason was just as strong as the first, and it had to do with the presence of a second former Demon Palace Emperor. As energetic as she was normally in The World, he couldn't imagine Alkaid not wanting to spend some time outside.

Just as before, he sat down under a tree by the side of the pond, keeping one eye on the door.

[closed to Alkaid]

Comments

[pseudovirtueman.livejournal.com]

It was hard to think about anything in the current state. Whether it was I.R.I.S, his encounter with Snake, or the institute and their staff in general.

Whatever they had injected him with, it was stronger and kicked in much quicker than any of the sedatives they'd developed and tested in Zanzibar for interrogation purposes. And whatever signals and impulses his brain was sending to the artificial nerve system, they didn't quite match up with his conscious decisions most of the time, so he figured the relaxant wasn't at all compatible with the prosthetics. Writing on the bulletin board had turned out to be an almost impossible task, and seeing himself -- or rather those subsitute parts of himself -- break so easily under a simple drug, as well as the fact that he had little control over what was going on and himself was infuriating, to put it mildly. But even then, he had no outlet to express his anger. And he figured he wouldn't have one anytime soon, even with Snake around.

The longer he thought about it, the funnier it was. Had they no use for him anymore, either? Had they played around enough and chosen to discard their pawns in such a way, leaving them to themselves and the hatred they had sown--

Big Boss just sat there, on a random bench near the pond, for a long while, staring at the cold metallic hands laying in his lap which just --

-- weren't his, anymore. The first two years with these things had been pure, constant pain. His body kept on rejecting them, and Madnar had to do dozens of adjustments, and exchanging his own blood for artificial, modified blood had helped to speed up the process a bit. It had still taken another year until he got used to it and was able to fully operate again. And yet another until Snake destroyed it all once more. On Christmas, no less.

Snake. It all came back to Snake. It must be hilarious to watch this unfold. And like so often, he was lacking control when he wished he'd possessed it.


[Snake]

[stiffserpent.livejournal.com]

While Snake hadn't been able to recognise the writer of that scrawl on the bulletin, he was smart enough to have a few ideas. On some level, he understood that Big Boss was always under everything. He was always the person waiting in that last room. It had been a long time before his nightmares would end without a voice screaming you've gone too far.

Drugged, his lagging mind didn't even question why he was going out of his way to see Big Boss again, but by the time he reached the bench where Big Boss was sitting, he realised he knew. The sense of sorrow surrounding him as he stared down at his hands smothered the air like a cloud, and Snake was reminded of all the times he'd looked into Big Boss's eyes and thought he'd seen something very sad hiding in there.

He supposed he probably had sad-looking eyes himself. That was blood relation for you.

"You told me to come," he said, as neutrally as possible, but there was still a serrated knife-blade of intimidation on the edge of each word. "I don't know why I raised a weapon at you, because even if I'm here, I'm still free." He'd only got a comparatively light dose of the drug, but his head was still spinning. "I don't need to kill any more, and I know it sounds insane, but... I want to save you. Not that if you start trying to build your mercenary nation here, I won't do everything I can to stop you - " he gritted his teeth - "but, for now, we need to work together if we're going to live through this. And I don't want to kill you again."

[number1smiley.livejournal.com]

[free tallmore to a good home!]

That knowing little smile was still on Teresa's face when her handler directed her to what she called the courtyard. It was refreshing to be outside, the wind playing with her hair, and she casually walked around the area. As she was being held captive here, she may as well get a decent look around; it would be useful later.

After making a circuit of the large space, she stopped near the shed and turned back to take in the building itself. Several stories high, it was much bigger than the barracks, but it still stirred memories of those times and the training they endured. She still needed to decide what it was she wanted to do once she left this place. Teresa was a free woman, even if she was deceased; her decisions were her own and no leash held her in check.

And yet, she still wished to kill the very creatures like she'd been created to do. No, not quite. Sometimes, youma were the lesser evil and one youma can keep despicable humans at bay. Combat was what Teresa had been created for, so it was hard for her to fathom doing anything else.

Perhaps, she would travel. She did always enjoy learning the lay of the land. And she could still kill youma as she saw fit during her travels. She liked that idea.

[madeinthehrl]

So Euphy already considered her a friend. That was strangely encouraging, as quickly as it had happened. There was something about having friends that was a little different from having allies or wingmates, and Soma decided she liked it.

She had originally wanted to go to the recreational field afterward, intending to look for her Arts and Crafts teammates and perhaps try another race. But her nurse had stopped her, asking with a tone Soma understood immediately whether or not she'd like to try getting fresh air somewhere else today, because Jude was on the field and she didn't want another incident. Soma had backed down grudgingly. It was pointless to engage in a fight with E-0057 in public if it only meant she'd get sedated like he had last time.

Stepping out into the courtyard, the supersoldier spotted a tall woman contemplating the building a short distance away. Curious, she approached, turning to face the building herself. "What are you looking at?"

[constellates.livejournal.com]

[Demon Palace Emperor Twin Powers... ACTIVATE]

Alkaid's nurse had also pushed her outside, telling her she needed to get a little exercise after laying around for so long. Yeah, like they had to ask her twice!! This body was made for moving. Still, next shift, if she didn't have some stupid visitor or something, she'd definitely make it to the library. Then she could surround herself with a little bit of home, and maybe sorta kinda relax.

But for now, she wasn't gonna argue. Exercise was necessary.

Her thoughts drifted as she was led out the door. That guy last shift... Dorian... There had been something strange and mystifying about him. What he'd done with just a simple butter knife had kinda made her heart catch in her throat, or something like that. Not like it was anything special, or anything! Probably just a regular parlor trick!! Still, though, he'd managed to impress her. But she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, nonetheless. Like she'd talked herself into something, or something like that.

She snapped out of her confusing thoughts the moment she got outside, jogging away from her nurse without a word to her. And, wouldn't you know it! Right over there, a guy by the pond... Well, that looked like the face and the hair she knew.

Alkaid slowed her jog to a walk as she got closer to her successor, then put her hands on her hips.

"Endrance."

This could possibly get reeeeally weird.

[oftemptation.livejournal.com]

The fact that Endrance knew about Alkaid's presence didn't stop it from startling him just a bit when she walked up to him, though he tried not to let his expression betray that fact. He looked up a moment later, brushing his bangs out of his eyes and looking at her. She was...exactly the same as the last time he had seen her.

"So...you are here, Alkaid. Haseo told me you were..." He paused, considering how to phrase what, to him, was the obvious next question. It didn't feel right to come straight out and ask about the coma; that felt too indelicate.

"May I ask what your last memory is?"

Endrance fell quiet again, then looked up at the redhead.

"I should thank you, by the way...the last thing I remember is Haseo coming to find me after you asked him to."

That would either be awkward, or...he preferred not to think of the alternative.

[thirdboywonder.livejournal.com]

To your console? What the hell was this I.R.I.S. thing going on about? And what had happened to the actual head doctor? The nurses sure didn't seem to notice anything weird, which wasn't as unexpected as it might have been. They were all in on all of this anyway, Tim was convinced. He wondered about these so-called visitors. He hadn't actually heard anything about them, but he doubted they were "graduates" of the "program," either. They were probably just people playing roles, or something like that. Or more brainwashed people; that was a possibility.

He was almost disappointed when he realized that he wasn't set up for one of these visitors. But then, that made sense, didn't it? Anyone who would have visited him was already at Landel's, somehow, with the exception of Nightwing or Batgirl. Oh, all right, or maybe Spoiler, but they weren't exactly on good terms.

His nurse came and ushered him out of the cafeteria and toward a door. This was...the courtyard, if he remembered correctly from his map. She offered to introduce him to a new friend, but he convinced her that he wanted to sit down and enjoy the sunshine. Even though it wasn't exactly the warmest day ever, there was a little of that, and she seemed to accept this, and toddled off on her merry little way.

He rolled his eyes after her and looked around. He hadn't been out here before. There weren't too many other people out here for the time being, either - and the ones that were here weren't familiar faces.

He thought about Wally, and about Bart, and about Bruce. He thought about the unknown quantity on the bulletin board that claimed to have a score to settle with Commissioner Gordon. Who was that person, exactly? They could be anyone, really. He didn't know how many actual lunatics were here, but one thing was for sure - there were lunatics from Gotham here. He'd seen Harley's post, for instance. She was less dangerous without Joker around (and he hoped to god that Joker wasn't around), but she was still someone to be wary of. The other, with the score to settle, well...he'd just have to find out somehow.

[Waiting for Superboy, though he doesn't know it.]

[gottabetactile.livejournal.com]

Kon felt weird when he finally woke up, like his head was stuffed with cotton wool. He didn't remember what had happened yesterday after he got split off from Robin and Impulse in the town but he was pretty sure they hadn't been brought back here while he was awake. Which was just- Why would they let them be awake for the trip down but knock them out on the way back?

....And the intercom announcement had changed too. Listening to the electronic voice going on about test-subjects he scowled, shoving himself up and heading over to hammer on the door. It wasn't that he hadn't already heard that this was some sort of messed up experimental facility but having it confirmed made him uncomfortable. He really wanted to find the loser in charge and punch him now.

Finally his nurse came along, looking tired and irritated as she unlocked the door. "Don't be so impatient Caleb, you've been sleeping all morning, I don't see why there's an emergency now."

"How did-"

"I don't really have time for questions right now, we're very busy organising people's visitors and the new patients. Whatever it is can wait. Here, why don't you get some fresh air and meet someone new?" And before he even got a chance to say anything else, she'd dragged him out to the courtyard and dumped him there. This sucked.

Maybe someone else would know what was going on here. Or maybe not but at least he could find someone to be confused with. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looked around. Brightening as he spotted Robin, he trotted over. "Hey, R- Tim!"

[dualistic]

As usual, Harvey made sure to search out a shady spot the moment he got outside. The UV rays really did nothing to help his burns, even if they were covered at the moment, and so he made sure to sit himself down on a bench under one of the larger trees. Jason should still be able to spot him, seeing how the bandages made him impossible to miss most of the time.

His mind was swimming with ideas of what they could do with the Batman, although most of them wouldn't actually be possible here in the institute. Cornering the man wasn't going to be as satisfying as it could be here, and yet Harvey still felt his heart pumping the way it used to when he was making a flawless argument in the courtroom.

Without really thinking about it, he pulled his coin out of his pocket and started toying with it. His hands were itching for the gun back in his room, but he couldn't get ahead of himself.

Jason had better hurry up.

[He's actually going to be stood up by Jason, so he's free! Come say hi. :3]

[notachick.livejournal.com]

If there was ever anywhere he wanted to be during these free days, it was outside. The cold air didn't exactly help his condition, but he felt somehow freer out here, where he could see the sky stretching infinitely overhead. It was better than watching it pass him by through the skylight of the sun room, and here, he had a better chance that people wouldn't listen in. And he had a better chance to find someone. Unfortunately, when Okita emerged into the sunlight, he realized that certain someone wasn't here.

Moving toward the flowerbeds, Okita kneeled and touched the green leaves, noting that the flowers were all but gone now. The leaves themselves felt fragile to the touch, as if they might snap from their stems at any moment should a particularly strong wind come by. Perhaps that was why the man wasn't here. He watched the flowers when they were blooming, but who would want to see them when they were withered and gone? Sighing, Okita settled back on his haunches and wrapped his arms around his knees. He was worried for Homura, not only because of the news he was set to receive, but because of Okita's own conversation with the demi-god earlier. He still wasn't certain what exactly had transpired, but he knew he needed to talk to him about it.

"...but the problem is, how?" he murmured to himself, reaching out to tap a single white flower.

[For Homura, I think?]

[screwthegods]

It was colder than it'd been yesterday.

Unconsciously Homura folded his arms over his chest, a barrier against the chill in the air. A reflex, a gesture that almost bordered on a show of weakness, something that Homura wouldn't have done except...except. He wasn't thinking of outward appearances just then. He wasn't thinking of anything, except that one thing he couldn't stop thinking of.

Genjyo Sanzo--Konzen--Sanzo was dead.

He should have been planning for that night. Putting up a reminder, dividing the members into groups. He still had Adelheid's condition to consider, and his own goals. And the new patients: some had already shown interest, and Homura had--his group had suffered too many losses to ignore them.

But there was still time. Perhaps the nurse had seen something wrong, found something different in his silence. She'd made a guess, apologizing that no one was coming for him today. It wasn't the reason, and Homura didn't feel better for the comfort offered.

All Homura wanted to do was think. All he wanted to do was not think. Just like shielding himself against the cold, it was more reflex than anything else that drew him outside. The flowers had always been a place he could be alone in his thoughts. Most of the gods had what they considered better ways to spend their time. That was why those fields had become their safe place, their haven against the hatred of the gods, where they could have the simple love and pleasures that they wished.

A familiar figure was already crouched down by the mostly-barren beds. Homura was surprised to see Okita out there. Had he been waiting?

After their talk on the bulletin, Homura expected anything but the willing company of the other man. Okita typically avoided such issues, which was, in Homura's opinion, part of the problem to begin with. The demi-god had suffered from so many restrictions, the willingness Okita showed to deny his feelings made no sense.

It even angered him.

Or was he angry because Sanzo had been murdered?

Both?

"I'm surprised to see you here." Homura didn't look at Okita even when he spoke to the other man. What would he see there in person that he wanted to face even less than the earlier rejection? He didn't say more, however, knowing that Okita had a reason for his choice. If the man wanted to talk, then Homura would let him. He would listen.

He had wanted to listen all along.

[dahliahasthorns.livejournal.com]

Alright, fine then. Sync wasn't going to tell her anything new (wow, a man being useless! What a surprise!), and as long as he gave her what she wanted, she could care less about his basement-plots or whatever he was doing. Even following him around and pretending to be fascinated was marginally more interesting than playing someone who wasn't a challenge all night. He knew how she really was and he still put himself in danger by sticking around with her. If something bad happened to him, it wasn't her fault (well, it might be, but he was still the idiot).

Just like yesterday morning, Dahlia made her way back into the Courtyard, giggling with her nurse over girly-things, and waving happily when the woman left. She found a nice bench to sit on, right under a perfect beam of sunlight to reflect off her red hair, and relaxed. The calm, quiet sounds of nature, the warmth of the sun, the smell of the flowers, and the occasional butterfly fluttering around her in curiosity... It was all so perfect.

It was like a trap waiting to go off. And unlike that little brat, Razputin? Whoever got caught in it this time was not going to escape. Her plans depended on that.

[The Juri is still out on this one. /bad pun]

[fencing-captain.livejournal.com]

Eating two breakfasts, even if they were both healthy, made Juri feel bloated. So she jumped at the chance to get outside. She first asked to get her outdoor shoes and a sweatshirt, then she was eagerly out in the cool air.

The nurse, though, seemed to have something against a girl exercising by herself at the field. Juri couldn't bully her way there either. So when the nurse deposited her near a pretty young woman who also had red hair, she began to suspect some kind of motive in it. There was no way the people here could know the inner working of her heart, and it wasn't just any girl that was going to trigger it either.

She crossed her arms, and tried to pretend she wasn't angry. She scorned the pretty just on principle. "Just so you know, I didn't ask for this," she said, deciding to be rude right off to see if that granted her any kind of reprieve.

[otnemememento.livejournal.com]

Leonard's nurse left him alone in the Courtyard, claiming that the fresh air would serve him well. The sun was warm, the smell of grass hanging in the air. Guess I can't complain. Could be worse.

His hand trailed to his right arm, scratching at an irritated spot under a bandage. He flipped his journal open, scanning his notes. Whatever I did sure itches like h--

His thoughts were cut off as a dirtied, blood-stained picture dropped from his journal. He wasn't sure what to make of it- Looks like a great makeup job. God, it looks absolutely real. The note on the page from which the Polaroid had fallen was even more disturbing. It's my writing. God, what is this?

He looked around for a vacant spot, taking a seat on an empty patch of grass. He pulled two more polaroids from his pocket, returning the one of the monster to its appropriate page. It's hard to trust yourself when you're ranting about monsters in scribbled writing. Surely it was important at the time.

[For Anise]

[gald_digger]

The intercom announcements just kept getting more and more disturbing. Graduates, it said... Anise had feared as much, but it felt unreal to hear it confirmed like that. Did that mean her parents had been through what she was going through now? The thought made her feel a little sick.

Anise picked the Courtyard for her free shift, hoping to get a short break from the stale hospital air. Shortly after stepping outside, she spotted Leonard, the man from the previous night. He looked kind of occupied, but he wasn't with anyone. Maybe it was worth paying him a visit.

She kind of wondered if he was okay, after hearing about that weird illness that was getting spread by the monsters. He hadn't been bitten as far as she knew, but he had been scratched, and bled on, and even puked on. Who knew how that sickness was supposed to spread? Although, she kinda liked to think she would notice if the guy was suffering from any of the symptoms she heard about.

Since he looked pretty engrossed in whatever he was studying, Anise took the opportunity to try to sneak up on the guy. No situation was too serious for a little teasing, right? Once she was standing behind him, she leaned down over his shoulder and announced herself with an abrupt yet cutesy "What'cha doing?"

[tofindherwings.livejournal.com]

She'd spent her time after being separated from Rude people watching for the most part. Nurses, other 'patients' of this place. It was all good research since she didn't intend to be trapped here for too long, no matter what Rude had said. She trusted him, really she did, but they were Turks. They didn't get trapped. They were usually the ones doing the trapping after all.

The chance to go outside was something that she wouldn't pass up. The Courtyard seemed as good a place to start as anything. The walls were high, but not high enough to prevent someone scaling them. There had to be something else though to keep people from just bolting if the night was as bad as it was made out to be. It just wasn't visible which was a little irritating.

She settled for walking around the perimeter for now, looking for all the world like she was merely out for a stroll.

[For Reno]

[offduty.livejournal.com]

Rude had said she'd be here, but it was still kinda a surprise. Been a hell of a long time, at least.

But hey, Reno was never gonna say no to having another Turk or another chick around. Two-in-one? Even better. Especially with what Yuffie had mentioned earlier about Kadaj being here. Goddamn. Little bastard just didn't stay dead, did he?

He hadn't been specifically looking for Cissnei when he decided to go for some fresh air (real fresh air, unlike the smog of Midgar), but when he spotted her wandering along, he made his way over. He walked forward, not slowing down even when it looked like they were about to crash into each other.

He flicked two fingers in a lazy salute. "Enjoying your impromptu R&R?"

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos waited with almost bated breath for his nurse to once again lead him to one of the waiting rooms; he'd assumed that her silence on visitors was just accidental. However, as she led him out of the cafeteria, there was no word, so he ignored the tiny stab of disappointment and asked for some fresh air and the courtyard.

As he paced back and forth, try as he might, his mind kept straying to the sudden break in routine. The colder part of him argued that he could hardly be bothered with visitors in the first place: not only did they leave him drained and more melancholy than usual, but they were also fake. But he had to admit that it was almost reassuring to know that in at least one world, some version of him had not played out the same life.

In the end, logic won, and Kratos drove previous visits from his mind in favor of recent events. He hadn't spoken to Sheena since their fight, but for some reason today, she had been present in some form in the two conversations he'd had thus far - which was far more attention than he usually granted her. Of course, he could see where this was heading: an eventual, awkward confrontation that most likely would end in the same way their meetings always did - messily.

[for Leon]

[for-marian.livejournal.com]

For his part, Leon was nothing but relieved when he was not led to either of the waiting rooms. That didn't mean he wouldn't have a visitor next shift, but at least this shift he was safe from that particular experience. Seeing this world's version of Hugo and Marian--still playing out the same awful roles--would be even worse if he had to face Stahn immediately afterwards. It had been bad enough when there was noone here who understood or knew anything about Leon's background.

Wandering out into the courtyard for some fresh air, Leon spotted a familiar form that he was rather happier to see. ... Though Kratos had seen Leon embarass himself completely after getting off the dratted bus, yesterday, he did also seem to be aware that Stahn was mostly to blame for the incident. Hopefully he wouldn't judge Leon too harshly for the moment of weakness. "Kratos."

[superdynamic.livejournal.com]

At the end of brunch, it had become pretty clear Suzaku wasn't going to eat anything. There was no way his nurse could just keep him here, was there? She seemed insistent, though, and he didn't feel like getting into a pointless argument, so Suzaku shoved some eggs in his mouth, tried not to gag, and stomped off to the Sun Room to check the bulletin.

That had been a bad idea. As if Suzaku hadn't been furious enough with Lelouch already. Did Lelouch think he wanted to abandon Euphie in favor of her killer? Did he think it was easy to put aside the person he loved in favor of the world that needed him, in favor of righting his wrongs? He'd been prepared to keep working with Lelouch in spite of everything, to swallow all his hatred and all his selfishness, and it was the hardest decision he'd ever made. He was prepared to do the exact same thing Lelouch was planning to do, dammit! And then Lelouch had to go and make it so much more difficult. It's not like he even cared about what happened to Euphie, so why was he making this so painful over something of so little importance to him? Was it just some whim, some feeble attempt to make up for what he'd done? But no, Lelouch didn't work like that. Every time Suzaku thought he understood his former friend. . .

The only decent thing about the day so far, however, was that they were allowed to go anywhere. And Suzaku really needed some fresh air, so he wandered out to the courtyard. Of course, being out under the sky reminded him of yesterday, which reminded him of being mauled by the living dead. It was still better than being trapped in there, though. Suzaku found an empty bench and sank onto it with what had to be the hundredth sigh of the day, burying his head in his hands again. He really should be doing something productive, but -- was there even a point to following Lelouch's orders anymore, if Lelouch didn't want him around?

[closed to Ayumu]

[tostepforward.livejournal.com]

There was no visitor in sight so far, for which Ayumu was quite grateful. She'd read over the discussions of patients (or "graduates"?) on the bulletin board but found no indication of how it was decided whether or not someone would get one. This was her first visitor day, so would that make her more or less likely to have someone visit her? Or was it perhaps determined by how receptive a person was to the Institute's lies? She'd have to consider it, and perhaps see if Okita or his allies had any further information to add to her observations.

Discussion of a possible third floor had come up on the board again, and so Ayumu had chosen to head outside when given the opportunity. Studying the outer facade of the building while it was still daylight would give her a chance to compare it to the maps she'd already memorized, and perhaps notice somewhere that needed further exploration in the future.

Once in the courtyard, though, a particular young man already present caught her attention. Though it had been dark in the hallway, that night she'd seen Lelouch and his friend upstairs, that could very well be him - the "Suzaku" who exchanged messages with her target on the bulletin board. Which meant that he could potentially be a source of information on Lelouch, as well.

He didn't seem to be in a mood for talking, though, given that as she watched he slumped onto a bench and put his face in his hands. But then, if her work was easy she wouldn't be the one assigned to do it.

Ayumu moved over to join him, lowering herself onto the edge of the bench with a hesitant air and reaching a hand toward him that paused part of the way there, resting on the surface of the bench rather than touching him. "Are you all right?" she asked, with sympathy and concern clear to be read in her voice.

[instaheal.livejournal.com]

The conversation she'd been having ended quickly as the shift changed. Claire tried to appeal to the nurse again, but she was met with the same story-- she was here for her own good, and she was sick, and worst of all her family had put her here.

The blonde she had been speaking to at breakfast seemed to have been telling the truth, and that was more unnerving. There were still a lot of questions she had, not the least of which was why had she been brought here, exactly? And what was the point of creating a lie like this?

She requested to be lead outdoors, and the nurse thankfully agreed that some fresh air would do her good. Claire's eyes immediately went towards the huge brick wall surrounding the area-- daunting at first, until she noted the thick vines covering it. Maybe escape wasn't entirely impossible.

[Eyebrows Sylar]

[darwinism]

Sylar hit the bulletin board as soon as he was able, intending to find out just what exactly had happened last night (or at least what people were theorizing about it). While he did find a useful transcript of what had happened over the intercom while almost everyone had been fighting for their lives back in town, he'd also found an anonymous note left specifically for him.

Someone from the Courtyard altercation. Just what he needed, and the bastard refused to even give their name. He wondered whether or not he'd agree to the damn meeting they were proposing, and if he did, if it'd just be to relieve some frustration... and maybe do a little experimenting. He was curious about how much he could do with his newfound electricity, and if this guy was offering himself up as a test subject... well, Sylar wasn't about to question it.

Still, the message only reminded him of the abilities he had wielded that night, and the lingering migraine from his last, minor surge of power only reinforced the feeling of uselessness that had been pervading his thoughts from the moment he'd first woken up here. He hated the feeling and he wanted to shake it off – fast – especially when his talk with the Faize kid had reminded him that pursuing other, more unfamiliar forms of power use might prove very fruitful.

So he headed to the Courtyard, the place where he'd last felt like his true, whole self. The air was crisper here, anyway, and did wonders for his headache despite the increase in light, and he found himself standing in the shade of a tree as he mulled over his thoughts in ways he generally didn't like to. His eyes wandered over the area, remembering how it'd looked in the light of his radioactivity and reflective ice, how it'd felt to pin the cheerleader down, to finally cut her open, to be seconds away from taking her power, when Peter Petrelli had ruined it all.

Sylar scowled as his eyes found the back of some blonde girl around the cheerleader's height. It wasn't doing much good for his mood, and–

Wait.

Sylar's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the girl's profile. A smirk slowly grew on his face as he pushed himself off the tree and began walking towards her as casually as any other patient roaming the area.

She was alone. No Peter or Daddy to protect her now.

He stopped a few feet behind her and sighed as he stared at the back of her head. To think that inside this little girl's head was the key to escaping death, to becoming invincible. So close and yet so far.

"You really shouldn't go off on your own, Claire," he said, shaking his head like an admonishing parent. "You never know who could be skulking about."

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

[For Frey!]

Escape. Franziska hadn't wanted to escape any situation as much as she had wanted to leave that lunch with Phoenix Wright. Now that she had her evidence waiting for her on the horizon, her father hanging in the balance, she wanted...away from the whole case. She knew she couldn't turn her face away from the truth or the law, but that didn't change her - pitiful as they were - feelings. She needed time to organize her thoughts, record what she had heard, and decide her strategy for the night, and so she headed outside.

A bit of cool air and a breeze might help her. Normally she ferreted away in her office, where she could work in the absolute silence it afforded, but here she was stripped of that luxury. The Sun Room was noisy, every room was noisy, the only option was to go to the one place where the sky might swallow the incessant droning of the other patients around her. And, as she stepped out into the courtyard, she was relieved to find that it did just that.

Taking a seat on a bench, Franziska opened her journal and put pen to paper - only to find that she couldn't write anything. Still, she attempted to look somewhat busy, tapping her pen against the page idly as she thought.

[dawn-rune.livejournal.com]

It was colder here than anywhere but the glacier had been, back home, but Frey still preferred the outdoors to the strangely-lit and suffocating indoors, given the choice. The sports field was larger, more open, but the courtyard had the advantage of having the pond--nothing compared to the Feitas river, much less the ocean, but a little water was always a welcome sight to Frey.

He spotted a vaguely familiar form sitting on one of the benches, and recalled his interesting conversation with that woman a few days back. Was it even that long? Certainly before yesterday, since they'd been in town. Time tended to blur very disconcertingly, here.

Since Franziska seemed to be caught up in her own thoughts, Frey approached a bit hesitantly, stopping a polite distance away and asking softly, "Miss von Karma?"

[faile.livejournal.com]

It was a relief to see that Zach was doing well after what had happened the previous night. Faize didn't see the woman he had encountered along with him, but she was likely also in good health. He hoped the same could be said for his other acquaintances.

When the shift changed, Faize listened with curiosity to the peculiar voice on the intercom, and once the announcement was finished, he was presented with a few choices by his nurse. He decided on the courtyard, and was soon escorted there.

The air was still a bit chilly, but the sun felt warm on his face. It was somewhat surreal, how this planet could be so beautiful at times, yet so horrific at others. Even so, it was discouraging to think that even at its worst, this planet's conditions were still more accommodating to humans than Eldar's had been throughout Faize's lifetime. There was a clear difference between the forces of nature and the schemes of men, however.

The Eldarian took a seat on a bench, and stared up at the blue sky as he allowed himself to become lost in thought.

[grosse-sklaven.livejournal.com]

This... this wasn't good. Adelheid could feel that virus still inside of him, the heat in his blood telling of the war between virus and Orochi blood. It felt like he was on fire inside, and for the previous two shifts, he had suffered through it as best he could. But now? Now he felt a tiny bit better; still pale and feverish, but at least not in quite so much pain. Some painkillers certainly had something to do with that.

Now that he was outside, with a nice breeze going- it felt wonderful, even with the chilly air- he felt a world better. With the earth beneath his feet and the open sky above him, it was much easier to go with it.

Adelheid wandered aimlessly for awhile, trying to think of a way to get around this. He didn't believe for a moment that he would be in control of himself when the night came, so for now... he was concerned, not sure what to do. That was why he stopped short when he saw Faize, having not realized he was there until he nearly walked past him. "...hello, Faize," he said with a quiet smile. At least the other man had managed to survive last night?

[stiffserpent.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/693673.html?thread=57058217#t57058217). Closed to Otacon.]

Snake seated himself on the lawn, as far away from Big Boss as he could find, and watched him from a distance. He didn't seem in any worse shape than when they'd been talking, but for some reason he was unable to turn his head away.

So, what is it? he asked himself. Spy's instinct? Protectiveness? Trying to keep people away from your prey?

That thought made him realise how unhealthily he was acting, and so he forced himself to ignore his commander and turned to face the pond. With the weather calmer than anything he was used to in the Yukon and the light glancing off the clear water, it was almost relaxing here. He drew in a deep breath -

- and, when he felt the pain erupt in his nose again, immediately wished he hadn't. He dabbed at his bleeding nostrils through the gauze, self-pityingly.

[141-12.livejournal.com]

Even though he'd eaten recently, Otacon's stomach still felt unsettled. It wasn't the zombies anymore — as horrifying as that had been, being back here, in the pristine oblivious halls of the institute, had a way of making those hours seem hazier, as if they'd occurred weeks ago instead of just last night.

And it wasn't what had happened to Snake either. If anything, Big Boss' appearance was an almost welcome distraction.

Once outside, he spotted Snake within seconds, and made his way toward the pond. "Snake." Otacon crouched down beside him instinctively, one hand on his arm as he tried to get a better look at the extent of his injuries. "You look awful," he sighed, but at least he'd confirmed that Snake wasn't dying. He held out several paper napkins he'd picked up in the cafeteria. "Here."

[should-be-dead.livejournal.com]

There were several curiosities in the announcement of this I.R.I.S. The peculiar voice used rather interesting terms, which begged the question why they were being kept here. Truly for the sake of experiments then?

Another interesting thing to note had been the so-called visitors.

When asked where he would like to spend the free shift, Tenzen asked to be taken outside. The ninja approached an unoccupied bench and sat down. Provided there wouldn't be hordes of walking corpses, he would need to think of a strategy for tonight. His gaze rested upon one of the walls. He had attempted to go beyond the walls the night before last, though the trip to that town had only proved that the immediate outside area wasn't safe from the influence of whoever in charge of this facility.

[Free and limitless]

[silent-shades.livejournal.com]

[Pervy Hermit]

Today was freaking weird. He woke up with a bottle of booze nabbed last night, he bumped into Cissnei, had a bulletin conversation that lacked most of the hostility he was used to with Yuffie and then found out they had a fan/stalker that might not actually be from their world, so he had to have some sort of link to inter-dimensional shit.

Jesus, his head was starting to hurt.

Out in the courtyard, he sat on a bench, journal on his lap and eyes closed behind the shades.

[toadally4boobs.livejournal.com]

[And with only two words, people know EXACTLY whom you're talking about! XD]

Jiraiya groaned, rubbing his neck as he was led into the courtyard. For most of the day, he had kept to himself, working on his latest masterpiece. After many failed attempts and discarded pages, he hadn't made much progress. While maybe he was just in a bit of a rut, or maybe it was because what happened last night was a source of distraction.

His nurse finally had enough of this and declared he was not only going to get some fresh air, but was also going to be social. Jiraiya actually didn't complain--too much--about her decision, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he just forced himself to continue trying to write. It had to come naturally or not at all.

So, in the end, he found himself out in the courtyard in front of a man whose head was bald, unlike his own. Jiraiya was secretly grateful that he hadn't of gone prematurely bald like this man. Poor guy.

"Now Randy, I want to spend some time with another person instead of working on just your... stories. Please behave!" The nurse smiled at them both, then walked off.

Jiraiya sighed and watched her leave. Mostly, he watched her ass, but he was still glad to see her go all the same. Having her around only made his feeling of being constantly watched all the worse, even if she was pretty. Just because the packaging was nice...

"Sorry about that--you know how the nurses are when they get some idea stuck in their head," Jiraiya sat opposite of Rude on a nearby bench. "Name's Jiraiya, not Randy."

[prisonerofdeath.livejournal.com]

The machine speaking over the intercom was a lot more informative than Landel ever had been, but the fact that the head doctor was no longer in the picture was troubling. They'd made it through last night, which was always a good thing, but it seemed as though the routine had been shaken up by a lot more than a delayed bus trip and a zombie invasion.

He needed some time to think about what was going on, based on the information he'd read on the bulletin. The fact that he didn't have any visitors today was surprising, but it had been quite a while since Big Boss had come to visit him. Fox wasn't sure what he would have had to say with him anyway, and he didn't want his sister to visit him. That would mean that she had gone through already.

Just thinking about it made his stomach and chest tighten uncomfortably. Too many people he cared about had been through this horrible place already. Fox went over to a quieter area of the courtyard and took a seat beneath one of the trees.

[For Big Boss, limit: Big Boss]

[pseudovirtueman.livejournal.com]

The relaxant had made him tired, but just sitting around and doing nothing only managed to bring him closer to that state he'd just recently left behind him. He wasn't a quiet observer, and no drug in the world would change that. Not as long as he was still addicted to that other one.

He didn't know why, but he hoped Snake did follow his advice and went someplace he wasn't likely to run across him again. His former subordinate had gotten off cheaply this time; next time might look a little different, depending on who (or what) interfered, and Big Boss knew that he could rarely hold himself back once he had started with something. Always see it through to the end. And now that he knew that Fox was here --

Now that he knew that, his first impulse was to look for him -- naturally, and pretend that the separation at Zanzibar had never occurred. One of the few persons he could count on, no matter what. He smiled bitterly. Originally, he'd planned to check his room first -- M59, Snake had said -- but when he was about to leave the courtyard, chest still aching where he'd been stabbed, he spotted a familiar looking figure (like a ghost, even during the day) under one of the trees.

It was hard to say if it was really him from this distance, so he approached silently to make sure.

[akarusa.livejournal.com]

Hokuto stretched out on the grass and closed her eyes, just enjoying the subtle warmth of sunlight on her face. After sleeping in much later than usual and having a leisurely brunch, she was in a very good mood.

And why not? Even here, love can bloom... She smiled at the thought. All she had for sure was this moment, but right now, it was all she wanted.

[Free!]

[doneinthree]

The moment the nurse suggested getting some sunshine, Kirk jumped at the chance. He hadn't seen a familiar face in some time— well, okay, technically he had, but he hadn't seen anyone— oh, forget it. Maybe he really did need some sunshine.

He noticed the walls first, tall and thick enough to pen them all in, but covered in strong-looking vines that would probably only take him a few seconds to scale. He might've been tempted to try it, if he didn't know that at least one member of his crew was trapped in this place as well.

Kirk looked around for Chekov, catching sight of a similarly built dark-haired figure a short distance away. "Hey—!" The figure turned out to be a teenage girl rather than a teenage boy once he'd come close enough, but as long as he was there anyway, Kirk figured he might as well say hello. Never know who else might be here... "Hi there," he greeted. "You... wouldn't happen to be an ensign aboard a starship, would you?"