Night 50: Main Hallway, 1-Center

[lawful_perfect]

[From here]

Unlike the western section, the central portion of this hallway was completely deserted. On any other night, von Karma would have used this to his advantage to arrive at one of the upstairs locations before anyone else did. The Janitor's Closet, for one, contained a large cache of metal that he could use to compensate Mr. Geeste for the work he would do for him three nights later.

But for now, von Karma merely had to go as far as the very first doorway to his right, which led straight into Waiting Room 1. This was far more important -- though less pleasant -- than his prospective metal scavenger hunt. Besides, by the time he had replied to Mr. Geeste's notice, Ms. Taura had already accepted an assignment from that blasted History Club. He would simply have to try to contact her tomorrow morning as soon as possible before she could accept another one.

Shaking his head, von Karma turned the door knob, expecting to have to jimmy it open, but instead discovering that the door wasn't locked after all.

[To here (with Court's permission to just go on ahead <3 ) ]

Comments

[its-the-mileage.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/936745.html?thread=70889513#t70889513)]

Indy swept the light around as he approached the center of the main hallway, making a slow, careful arc, but it didn't pick up anything moving or any shadows that shouldn't have been there. Looked like the coast was clear then, at least for now.

He moved as quietly as possible over to the Sun Room doors and listened. If there was anyone--or anything--in there lying in wait for hapless would-be adventurers, they were being quiet about it. An easy trip might be too much to hope for, but you never knew; maybe they'd get lucky. In fact, now Indy wondered if the bigger problem wouldn't be getting all these people to pay attention, get along with each other and not do anything stupid.

He took a few steps back to stand by the wall next to the doors, on the side nearer the patient blocks. Then he waited.

[vstheworld]

[From here]

Between the 1-B halls and the main one, Scott had done his best to beat down his nervousness to a bloody pulp. Somehow, like a veritable cockroach of inner terror, it still survived, but he had managed to wipe (most) traces of said nervousness off his face, at least. Good, too, because there was the first of his partymates up ahead by the Sun Room door. It wouldn't do well to go up to Indy and say "Hi! I think I might have made a huge mistake and am going to die tonight! So how's things?", now would it? He shook his head in answer to his own question. So, again, Scott forced himself not to think that way. Their group was going to be big; tonight was going to be okay. No, it was going to be epic.

Probably.

Scott summoned a grin and waved ahead. "Hey, Indy! Fancy meeting you here," he called out as he ran up in approach. Again, the limp was still apparent in his stride, but Scott was managing well enough. "Ahhh, is it ever good to see you back in The Fedora. That Yankees hat didn't suit you at all, dude," said Scott once he had stopped, tipping the brim of an invisible hat Indy's way.

"So, excited?" he asked, hoping that maybe if he acted more confident, he would magically feel more confident too.

[swornandbroken.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=70998601#t70998601)]

So now it had come to it, the conversation that Mello had half dreaded and half hoped for, and he still didn't know how to explain, much less how to spin it so it wouldn't sound pathetic. He realized he needed Matt more than Matt needed him, here and now, anyway; needed someone he could trust. Needed someone to help him get the hell out of here, since going it alone had, for once in his life, proved a pretty crappy idea. All the arguments with himself in the world, and all the force of will he could muster, wouldn't change that. The evidence was staring him in the face constantly, with every step he took still trapped in the Institute. Mello shoved the thought to the back of his mind, and hoped Matt wouldn't figure it out for himself.

"You're going to think I'm a lot more fucked up than I really am, after you hear this. I'm handling it." Matt didn't have to know how much of a lie that was, either. "They underestimated how damn stubborn I am."

[gamingsostfu.livejournal.com]

The next hallway they traipsed through was less occupied, but that didn't settle the bad feeling that was building in Matt's gut. So I was right all along, he thought with a slight shake to his head. There is something wrong with Mello. They got to him, and it just made the fear Matt had been fighting seem more reasonable.

If they can do something like this to Mello - something so serious it throws off the entire basis of Mello's personality - then think about what they could do to me. It was a disturbing thought, and one Matt wanted to pursue in full with the total privacy.

He followed the blond closely still, glancing around discreetly. "Let's wait 'til we find the doc's office," he commented meaningfully.

[hasnomeaning]

[from here]

Few were in this hall compared to the nights prior. A few men, talking close to the opposite doors. Staying near to the outside wall, Ayanami continued discretely. She had no need for more people coming up to her to make useless small talk. The location she sought was near, the doors that they had passed through when they had went to that town.

That the Second had been so against trying them was a wonder. It was something that should be seen. If they could walk out. There would be almost nowhere to go, but it would reveal if the aspect was of a freedom or a forced cage. She moved to the door, reaching to the handle.

[idolism]

_{[Due to an unintentional OOC delay (fail is me!), scenario is being ICly played out as though the hall’s still essentially empty as it was before.]}

Aidou considered his options. He wasn’t as concerned about subduing one prisoner as he was about being spotted in the act, and normally he wouldn’t consider attacking in an open area unless the conditions were perfect. What he’d done with Sohma Kagura had been risky, almost too risky for him now. Still, when the main corridor was as deserted as this, it had its advantages: he could come and go undetected. In tighter corridors, if he veered too close, even a human would be able to sense that something was near.

Here, though, a vampire could easily slip his actions past the three by the Sun Room… He still had some of his natural speed.

Once the girl started toward the entry room, he had only a few moments to make up his mind. Pick her or pick another. Chance the opportunity or wait. In the end, he decided to bet on time rather than total security. If he held back until he could be certain of the variables, he didn’t think he would ever be satisfied.

Calling on the remnants of his vampiric speed and strength, Aidou let his physicality take the lead as he hadn’t in a while. He rushed the slender girl from behind like a blast of wind, staying well out of her field of vision. Too late, he was on her now, and even if she tried to turn--

One hit to drop her, one hand over her lower face to silence her, that was all it’d take.

[freewill]

[From here.]

As they moved down the hall, Castiel spotted more people in matching attire who were either standing around and conversing or waiting on their own. He didn't understand why these humans were being so inactive when they were clearly being held here against their will, much like him and his current traveling partner, but he didn't have the time to try and puzzle through it.

Before long, he spotted a door to his right, though it looked like there were also a few more up ahead. He was relying far too much on his flashlight to see, but he was going to have to adapt to his limits quickly if he was going to have any chance of getting out of this situation.

Without delay, he moved over to the door and opened it, pointing a flashlight inside. What he saw was what seemed to be a pointless room. All it had in it were some chairs, tables, and a few magazines. Castiel had tried to read those a few times, but most of it was completely foreign to him. Why was everyone so taken with some young boy named Justin Bieber?

However, there was also a faint light coming from one part of the room, and Castiel then caught sight of a figure inside. Another patient, it seemed, and the older man (who looked physically in the age range of Zachariah's vessel, he unfortunately noticed) was apparently waiting there on his own and not doing much in particular.

But that was all irrelevant, as there was no sign of an easy exit through that room. Castiel pulled away from the door, seeing no reason to even step inside.

[propheteer]

Oh, Castiel had given an answer this time, and a bit of extra information, too! If he was looking for an exit, he must not have wanted to be here, either. Izaya smiled to himself as he walked with the man down the hallway.

"So, are you from America?" he asked, deciding to ask directly to confirm his assumptions.

He kept his flashlight on as they walked; he couldn't move as stealthily as before now that he was no longer alone, but there were so many people out of doors anyway... It wasn't exactly a crowd, but one more person wouldn't stand out, either. He swung the light back and forth to look for anything particularly noteworthy. They passed a hall branching off to the left—possibly where Castiel had come from, in which case it might lead to more rooms—and another set of stairs to the right.

Castiel had stopped to check a door on the right. By his own admission the other man didn't know his way around the building, so Izaya continued walking.

"I'll check around up ahead," Izaya said as he passed him, keeping a friendly note to his voice. If Castiel found the way out or anything of interest through that door, Izaya would find out one way or another: either the man would tell him or else he would go inside. Either would be telling enough.

He approached a stretch of hall with doors on either side; the doors to the left were open wide and seemed unlikely to be an exit because of it, but the door on the right was shut. Izaya pulled open that door and pointed his flashlight inside, shining it around the area. He could see a couple more doors and a pair of desks with no one manning them, but that was it. But abandoned though the room was, it looked like a reception area; surely an exit couldn't be too far off, if they really were on the ground floor as he thought.

He looked back at Castiel, who seemed to have lost interest in his own door. "This one could be promising!"

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71087689#t71087689)]]

Footsteps in every direction. On the bright side, his destination was usually considerably more deserted than this. Enough for an uninterrupted murder, at any rate.

Taking care to keep to the side of the wall opposite to the Sun Room doors, Sasuke continued at full speed.

[doctorbadtouch.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71167305#t71167305)]

He avoided the sunroom as Ritsuka had warned him, pace slowing as he got to the further end of the hall. Wait for something single and pretty to walk by, or pick up a pair? He shifted the chainsaw off and rolled his shoulder once.

Decisions decisions.

He assessed the few patients in the hall critically. Single and pretty presented itself first. Though he couldn't make out the features quickly enough, the lines of his body were nice, and he was heading in the proper direction.

He quickened his pace so he wouldn't be overtaken. All it took was getting the back of the chainsaw in the boy's way, just a quick accidental bump to slow him down.

[zip-it-good.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71109705#t71109705).]

He had settled on a story. Bucciarati, or Michelangelo, rather, had witnessed an alien's spacecraft crashing into the sea. The injured extraterrestrial, on the brink of death, had merged with Michelangelo and fused their minds to survive. It would require some fine-tuning, but it would surely work. It had the perfect mix of plausibility and impossibility to be believable.

After all, stranger things had happened, right?

[tartaros-avatar.livejournal.com]

[here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71027017#t71027017)]

Recluse strode forward at the head of the small group, glad for the lights behind him, not potentially in his eyes. Yes, it meant taking point, but that was entirely acceptable. He had the weapons that he'd made to protect him.

"There is often a guard of some variety stationed in the entrance area, which we will be entering next. Be on your guard," he warned to the two. There was no sense in losing one of them so quickly, after all.

[gargantuanlaugh.livejournal.com]

A guard. Great. In a place like this, Gant had no problems imagining some three-headed hound of doom blocking their exit. Or maybe he was giving Landel too much credit. There would probably be just a normal security guard, and if that was the case he could easily take him down by flashing his light in the man's eyes then smashing him in the head with the candlestick. Gant hoped that it wouldn't turn out to be his job. He didn't take the possibility of murdering someone lightly; he had to be guaranteed a reward.

He gripped the candlestick tighter, but kept behind Recluse. What he wouldn't give for a pistol right about now.

[36-24-35.livejournal.com]

Flashlight in hand, Tifa made quick work of the women's block and the main hallways, having walked through them several times with her friends. This time through, however, she came better prepared. She brought along her modified sweatshirt to keep her findings in and her new treasure that Tifa had a strange inkling she would be using before the night was over.

Vaguely recalling what the map had looked like in her mind, Tifa was pretty sure she needed to keep moving forward and eventually there would be a staircase to her right.

[repeatingfate.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?view=71209801#t71209801)]

The next hallway was a little quieter, and that set Rika's nerves on edge. But at least she wasn't alone in this one, and didn't have anyone poking at her about being a witch. Still, the darkness was eerie and she'd heard stories about the things that could lurk in the dark. She decided following her own advice would be for the best - not staying somewhere too long.

"Which way from here?"

[savagesolitude.livejournal.com]

That seemed to have cleared it up. Turned out the boy had known about electricity all along. How he still could have mistaken the torch for witchcraft in the first place was mind-boggling, but he had stopped fussing and that was all the mattered for now. He even gave her a high five.

Claire had blinked when the tiny hand smacked against her palm, eyes going wide. The boy was already sauntering ahead when the girl (Rika, it was Rika) took her hand the way she'd meant to offer it, and Claire almost laughed. More like an incredulous huff, and the briefest of smiles shared with the girl. They made such a strange pair. She was so calm and he was all over the place.

Claire hesitantly let the boy take the lead as she held Rika's hand tightly in her own, making certain they all kept the same urgent pace. Further up the hall there were more doors and less people. The crowds were slowly thinning out as each group meandered in their own direction. They were farther out from the prison blocks now so blindly following everyone wouldn't do. Everyone would be looking for a way out - none of them could be sure where it was.

"I dunno," she answered Rika. "I've never been out to this station before."

Claire's gaze narrowed in on their options. A door to their right and three on their left, one more up ahead, and another turn in the corridor. Looked like they would have to take their chances.

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

As soon as they'd stepped within striking distance of the Sun Room doors, Lana regretted dropping Ema's hand. She tossed an arm out to forestall any headlong runs. "I'll take the opposite side of the door. Thumbs down if you hear signs of a struggle, thumbs up for all clear." She hated the thought of forcing Ema to use her damaged senses, but they needed every advantage they could get. She darted across the doorframe and pressed herself to the other side.

Nothing more than perhaps a muffled word or two reached her ears -- butterfly? Really? This was neither the time nor the place to be standing around discussing insect life. After another long moment of relative peace and quiet, she flashed a thumbs up and then immediately held up one finger, carefully illuminated, and hoped Ema would take the hint to stay back one more moment. She peered around the door, giving her a view of several men's shoulders and little else. One of them was Inspector Lunge; she couldn't pick any of the others out of the gloom.

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

For once, Ema let the sting of Lana's retort roll off her back, especially since Lana both reciprocated the information-sharing and was prepared to move on. Moving was the important thing here, not interpersonal drama; Ema wouldn't be able to face Agatha in the morning if they failed to find her because they spent the whole night bickering in the hallways. Agatha needed them before something happened.

As per her sister's instructions, Ema concentrated on listening to what was going on beyond the door. She didn't see the request as Lana taking advantage of her so much as the both of them taking advantage of what the Institute did to her, which was a far less negatively charged attitude. If Landel was stupid enough to allow one of his doctors to give her an improved ability, then it was only fair that she use it against him. Ema wasn't a strong believer in karma, but it seemed to apply here.

Judging from the sounds of bodies shuffling, there was a group of people already in the Sun Room. Only one of them actually said anything, a voice she didn't recognize. The first bit didn't make any sense to her--one of them was in a unitard, apparently?--and the next was too soft for her to pick up. The last statement, however, Ema caught loud and clear: Everyone—the center of the room. The butterfly.

Ema returned Lana's thumbs-up signal with one of her own, then waved for her to come back over to her side of the door. Unless that butterfly was mechanical--and Ema couldn't hear any grinding of gears--the Special Counseling patient in the Sun Room wasn't Agatha.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

There were quite a few other patients in this area, but that wasn't much of a surprise. The Sun Room seemed to be a popular place to go, even though it was notorious for being dangerous. Peter figured that was because of the rumors about there being useful information hidden somewhere in the basement, but it wasn't something he'd looked into too much himself. There seemed to be as many people who insisted that it wasn't worth the amount of danger involved.

Right now, he had an equally important task to focus on. As they moved down the hall, Peter glanced back over his shoulder to make sure that Hanatarou was keeping up. "So," he said, figuring that they were in a safe enough area that he could strike up a conversation, "what are the other healers doing tonight? Were they busy doing something else?" Peter couldn't blame anyone for that. He probably would have dropped this all like a sack of potatoes if it had turned out that Claire had needed him, for instance.

Speaking of which, he really hoped that she was taking care of herself. He hadn't even been able to get a room number out of her, so there was no way of knowing, but just being aware that she was out there trying to find a weapon set him on edge. He'd wanted to go with her, but she'd been so stubborn about it...

[mitase.livejournal.com]

It was a relief to have Peter take the lead, and not just because he was the one with a functional light. Of course, that put Hanatarou in the rear of their two-person group, and what if some monster decided to show up and pick them off from behind? Or... maybe he shouldn't be thinking about that kind of thing, because it'd just make him even more nervous than he already was. They were going to get supplies and then come back and nothing bad would happen. Right. Focus on that.

The shinigami glanced up at Peter and blinked at the question; he'd been wondering much the same thing himself, since he hadn't seen most of the others that day and nobody else had responded to the note on the bulletin. "Um, I... guess so...." he replied, giving a tiny shrug. "Sakura-san is usually busy at night, and Nataku-san said he couldn't come, and... I haven't heard from, er, Kibitoshin-san or Tsukasa-san...."

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/943152.html?thread=71242288#t71242288)]

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71239753#t71239753)]

Ugh! Shikamaru should have known better than to expect anything like mature rationality from someone like Temari, but how the hell did she survive this long back home if she just ignored any and all information about her surroundings? His loud grunt should have indicated that he was perfectly fine with watching her waltz off to a gruesome death, but Shikamaru wasn't a great actor.

"The guy in charge takes us from different times," he called after her as explanation for their age difference, but when that didn't stop her, Shikamaru pressed his hand to his forehead and started after her. He should have expected that the earlier relief would be temporary....and even if he hadn't been newly prone to them, Temari was enough to give anyone a headache.

"You don't even know where you're going," he said, catching up. Did she really have to make this so difficult? "And what do you think you can accomplish, anyway? Escape? If it were that easy, do you think I'd still be here?"

She probably did, actually.

[bothersomewoman.livejournal.com]

That had been predictable. Temari hardly made it halfway down the hall before Shikamaru came running after her, just as planned. The kid could be stubborn when he wanted, and while he was still trying to lecture Temari about her actions, he was following her to do it. That counted as a win in her book, or at least, the first step toward one.

"No, I don't have a clue where I'm going, or what exactly I should be doing at this moment. But you should, if you really know as much as you say you do." And that, ultimately, was what Temari hoped to drag out of the Leaf-nin, even if the information had to come with some kicking and screaming. "Which means that I can at least work with you on whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, unless you were going to cower under your blanket for the night.

"You shouldn't be here. Not if you've actually grown any." Temari couldn't say that he had for certain, outside of his height. But given the physical difference, and how much time it represented if Shikamaru really was right about them being drawn from different times, she expected a lot more of the guy who all but defeated her at the chuunin exams. "Which either means you're still a crybaby, or this place is formidable. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now, but only because I'm feeling gracious. Just don't expect my patience to last if you keep acting this way."

[idolism]

_{[from here]}

The exchange happening in the far corner of the hall had escalated to a confrontation, and Aidou chose to retrace his steps back the way he’d come instead of trying to get around it.

Better, also, for staying within distance of the lobby.

The vampire had no intention of sticking around for too long, but for the moment he deemed it safe. No one had seen him--and no one was seeing him, as far as he could tell. Nearly impossible as it was to find one of his kind when they didn’t want to be found, the blood newly introduced into his system made Aidou feel… more aware. Every sense felt stronger, more enhanced. He really had needed to eat something. It was both admirable and pathetic that he was getting used to living on almost nothing.

_{[to here]}

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Here, Aigis did pause for a moment, contemplating her options. She knew if she went through the north door she would wind up in the Sun Room. She could continue through that room and find either a series of smaller rooms, some of which she had been in already and some she had not, or perhaps move to the cafeteria. But neither of those options appealed to her. She had no desire to search rooms used for menial activities during the day. A more productive approach would be to search out the sleep study rooms or Landel's office, or even just a safe way for the patients to escape.

To the south, Aigis imagined she would find the same exit they had been taken through when they had the day trip to Doyleton. While it was a direct route out, she saw no merit in risking running into a guard or security camera. And, if it had been an easy way to escape, surely other patients would have already used it to leave. No, she would need to look elsewhere.

She turned back to the hallway. If she continued on, she would find herself in places she had yet to see of the institute even during the day. Certainly there would be something new awaiting her. Having decided, Aigis once again struck out down the hallway, keeping up a brisk pace.

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

[voodooanonymous.livejournal.com]

Yes, it might seem a shame that he put that fine mind and spirit to use scrubbing his socks and cooking his dinner, but that was part of the appeal, after all. Elaine wasn't just a spoil to claimed - she was a challenge to be conquered. Ah, to finally have her fiery spirit subservient to his own... of course, he had her in his grasp already, a loyal demon bride planning their wedding until Guybrush had to screw it up!

Even at the apex of LeChuck's victory, Threepwood had found a way to thwart him. And that was why, no matter how useful the oaf might seem in this hospital trap, he had to find a way to take his revenge. He would find a way to make that bufoonish buccaneer suffer - hopefully with the help of whoever he was meeting tonight.

That was when LeChuck stopped to look where he was going, and realized that he'd already passed the entrance to the Sun Room.

He'd taken his time in getting here, but it looked like the hallway was already crowded. There were people just passing through, milling around, even a fight starting to break out at one end. It was hard to tell if anyone had particularly pale skin by flashlight, but hopefully his own clue was enough for his mysterious appointment to find him.

Unless, of course, this "Paula" wasn't an enemy of Guybrush's that had played along, and was in fact a poor girl that he had traumatized with his advances. Which would not be terribly surprising, and would only add to the list of his sins.

[piggy-king.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71291721#t71291721).]

As Porky strode into the center of the main hallway, he couldn't help but idly wonder what his companion would actually look like. True, they had used a (sometimes) female name and equally feminine handwriting in the bulletin post, but then, so had Porky. It would be nice if Porky's mysterious rendezvous was actually a girl, though.

And then Porky saw him and all hopes of having an attractive partner to work with were violently crushed beneath a massive (and admittedly magnificent) beard. Chris really hadn't been kidding when he had said he hadn't been able to shave his beard here. What's more, that beard was attached to what looked like over 200 pounds of muscle and intimidation. In short..."Christ" was not Porky's type, to say the least.

Porky waved his torch at the towering figure as he approached.

"Good Lord!" Porky said, a grin on his face, "You've really let yourself go, Chris! What ever happened to maintaining that girlish figure of yours?"

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]

"Looks like we've got a bit of a crowd, yeah? I wonder what's in the Sun Room tonight." Taura didn't look afraid; neither did the people ranged around the hallway. No-one was injured, or fleeing. Just waiting for someone else to make the first move. They could do that. Even if there was someone inside, it'd just give Asuka a few minutes to catch up.

One of the groups held a familiar face -- the little girl, Rika, from last night. She seemed cheerful enough -- Taura smiled as she passed. Let Teresa and Yomi laugh at her; it was nice to have friends. It was a little strange how easy it had been to make them. Or, if she was honest with herself, not strange at all, given that she no longer terrified most people just by smiling. So few people could see beyond appearances; how many of those she'd met here would?

Would she trade them for her own body? There was a question; not in the sense of a hostage negotiation, but their appreciation. The lack of averted eyes and sharp breaths when she walked into a room weighed against the ability to know the people who did look her in the eye were truly her friends. Put that way, it was no choice at all.

[number1smiley.livejournal.com]

"Whatever it is, it will be dealt with as needed. Or avoided."

Teresa didn't laugh at the friendships Taura seemed to have. Not at all. The hybrid was just reminded that the one she would actually call a friendship in this place was no more. Seeing the good cheer, the greetings, was just making Teresa more sour. Not that any of that showed.

Stopping outside the Sun Room, Teresa handed the map back to Taura. "As for what I know - three are required for passage beyond the initial room and Landel likes to taunt us with gifts while there."

[aperfectbloom.livejournal.com]

[From Main Hallway, 1-West. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?view=71323977#t71323977)]

Another length of hall passed with no acquaintances found or swift dispatch from the realm of the living incurred, and Yuyuko approached her goal. Just through the Sun Room lay the cafeteria, source of all food at Landel's and the only suitable nighttime goal for a lone hungry ghost.

[To the Sun Room. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/946197.html)]

[chainsaw-royal.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71039305#t71039305)]

As far as staring was concerned, Hime could really care less. As a Royal, she was used to others focusing their attention on her. As a teenage girl who walked around in public wearing a black gothic lolita dress and a silver tiara, she had complete immunity to any looks she might get. So if Depth Charge was going to keep an eye on her so they didn't get separated, so be it.

[scalyfishman.livejournal.com]

All clear still. If he hadn't known any better Depth Charge might have put it down to it balancing out the various inconveniences of the night, but no, fate was never that kind. Couldn't trust Lady Luck for a slagging thing, unless you were talking about her robbing you blind when your back was turned and then tripping you on the way out. Tch. Typical woman.

[timeseal.livejournal.com]

[ what (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71364425#t71364425) ]

An eerie sort of calm came over Rolo's features, probably noticeable to anyone who was good at reading body language. Sure, he was still stiff and annoyed, but his expression remained fixed as he searched the sides of the hallway, looking opposite from the Sun Room. Rolo hadn't been to that part of the Institute before, but was it far away enough for what he was planning?

As long as Stephen was still following him, then it didn't really matter, but Rolo preferred to stay on the safe side. Not that he thought anyone was going to miss Stephen - after all, he acted like a moron most of the time and seemed to have nothing better to do than stalk people during the night when they were trying to get things done. Stephen was clearly a waste. He was probably going to do this place a favor.

[godforsaken]

Well that was boring.

Under different circumstances Sync might've been annoyed by this sudden barrier between his acquaintances, though Spike could hardly be considered someone worth his time. Not a single evening passed in the brunet's company where anything useful happened, and he wasn't sure if the latter was in denial or simply incompetent. He almost felt sorry for the sad sap that had to deal with him, but it really wasn't his problem.

What was his problem, however, was how he could hear others at the end of the hall. Sync's eyes narrowed as he listened in, every one of them speaking in some kind of barbaric gibberish he couldn't make any sense of. It was then that the God-General realized that his little theory was plausible, though he was half tempted to still use Spike as his guinea pig anyway.

"You really can't understand anything I'm saying, can you?" Of course, the replica wasn't expecting the latter to respond. It didn't really matter to him; it wasn't like Spike said anything smart back when he could understand him. However, just how was Landel able to conjure the means of accomplishing something like this? Granted, after what he'd experienced already this was probably low tier compared to everything else.

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71445321#t71445321)]

As the pair made their way through the hallway, it occurred to Yuffie that running into a friendly face had been an awesome stroke of luck. How, exactly, had she been planning to find her file, let alone anybody else's, without a flashlight?

It was a stupid oversight, but Yuffie didn't waste any time brooding over it. Dumb things happened, the end.

She glanced at Shinichi. "Not far now," she said, before reiterating the words with a mime—she held up her free hand, thumb and index finger spread wider apart, before bringing them together, stopping when only a small gap was left.

[meitantei.livejournal.com]

Shinichi’s flashlight was going dimmer again. Obviously, the little trick with the runaway battery hadn’t worked as well as he wanted it to. He’d managed to fool the batteries into thinking that they had more juice left than they did, but it had only really given them an extra five or six minutes of light. The beam wasn’t flickering, yet, but it was really only a matter of time.

Maybe he could bum some off Heiji tomorrow. If the other detective wasn’t using them, of course. Or maybe even if he were. Shinichi could be awfully persuasive sometimes, or so he liked to think.

Yuffie started motioning at him again as they got into the next hallway, continuing their awkward game of charades. The meaning, at least, was easy enough to understand. They were almost there. Where “there” was the detective could only guess, though they seemed to be heading towards the file room from a few nights ago. Did Yuffie want her file? It made a certain amount of sense, and yet there was no way to be certain. There were other rooms off in this direction as well, and another set of stairs. Shinichi sighed, waving his flagging flashlight at his incomprehensible guide.

“Lead on, MacDuff.”

[runner-up-robot.livejournal.com]

The next stretch of the hallway may have been new territory at night, but it was pretty much the same as the first part, and he'd been led this way countless times in the day. But he could feel his blood pumping loudly in his ear - he was getting excited, and his body was no doubt responding as he approached the doorway. He was sure he'd be attacked as soon as he entered, probably by some overpowered guardian that outmatched him significantly, and he'd have to fight for his life. It didn't matter if he won or lost, or what had happened before, or would happen after - he was about to enter the battlefield, and once all he had to worry about was the opponent in front of him, he'd be happy.

[diamondstorm]

[from here]

The halls were the same as usual, filled with people moving in groups or alone to other places. She wasted no time in scrutinizing the people, simply moved to the door needed, and then moved through it.

[diamondstorm]

[to here]

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938786.html?thread=71508002#t71508002)]}

It was clear sailing all the way past the Sun Room, at least as far as Tsubaki could tell. There weren’t even a lot of people to thread around; she kept a nearly straight line down the hall until she started to pass into the less familiar east end.

And then before she could take one more step, her radio started to buzz.

Coming to a stumbling halt, her hand reflexively went to cover it where it sat tucked away in her clothing. Find me the man on the radio, the Head Doctor had said. Could it be…? After a few seconds of listening to the unfamiliar voice, breath held, she realized he must be. Jill had mentioned someone new, someone who needed help, and Landel had also said the new man on the radio.

Taking her radio out, she held it with both hands and silently repeated the name to herself. Marc. This was the person Landel wanted found? She couldn’t say if the radio people’s motives were any more trustworthy, but she nonetheless felt a knot in her chest at the idea of bringing the stranger before Landel and leaving him to whatever punishment the Head Doctor had in mind--because Landel certainly didn’t seem friendly toward him. And if Marc was out to help the prisoners, then Landel was recruiting those very same prisoners to hunt him…

Tsubaki winced and turned her head away when Marc’s voice was suddenly cut off. In the silence, it seemed obvious who had done it. If I don’t try to find him, what will happen to the others? To that girl? I… Her fingers tightened around the radio. Moments passed before she finally moved to put it away and turn back to the corridor.

She was willing to commit, but how was she to know what to do? No one path seemed less dangerous than the other.

_{[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/943482.html?thread=71508858#t71508858)]}

[whos-da-man.livejournal.com]

[from here] ()

"It's usually what I carry around in Tartarus with me. Okay, maybe I tend to go for the European stle two-handed swords, but I do know how to use this," Junpei replied. "I am taking lessons too."

[whos-da-man.livejournal.com]

[from here actually] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71378761#t71378761)

[gamingsostfu.livejournal.com]

As soon as they stepped into the next hallway, Matt reached over and gripped Mello's elbow - lightly at first, a sign of hesitation. Then, after another moment, he looked up at the blond's eyes, giving him his usual blank look, and tightened his grip for barely a moment. Then he let go and started walking forward, down the hallway. He knew they would have headed upstairs after the doctor's office - what for, he wasn't sure, but Matt needed something - anything - to help him work off the adrenaline and fear that was still coursing through him from the sight of Mello running into the fight with his tight leather pants around his ankles.

Taking the lead in the hopes that he would be able to burn off the anxiety that was probably rolling off him in waves, Matt glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "When you catch your breath, mind lettin' me know what he said?" It was a long shot, but he figured Mello had paid more attention learning German than he had; it took all sorts of random skills for someone to be number one, after all. Or try to be, anyway.

[swornandbroken.livejournal.com]

Mello rubbed at his elbow, mostly for show. "Fuck you." It still came out as a gasp. "We had an out." Sure we did. If I'd had my way, we would've been forced to use it when it was strategically unnecessary, and been shit out of luck if we really needed it later. Way to think things through, Keehl.

"And I've no idea what he said. That's never happened before." He drew a deep breath, finally, and caught up to Matt. He'd never habitually carried his radio around, and so was unaware of the specifics that had prompted that move on the head bastard's part. The general situation was easy enough to deduce: the resistance was making noise again. Mello still wasn't sure if he trusted them any more than he trusted the obvious enemies.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938569.html?thread=71550025#t71550025)]