Day 52: Sun Room

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

No better way to start the day than with a bucket full of sunshine, huh? Too bad that'd been the opposite.

In the end, Yuffie had been more than glad to escape. All the angst and sap and drama; it'd been too much, and way too personal. She'd done her best, for her friend's sake, but that Tomoe chick was gonna be hard work. Why couldn't Kenshin have asked for her help in something simple, like killing the big bad of the day?

… Oh, wait.

Groaning, the young ninja gave up on just walking through the sun room. What kind of a way to cheer herself up was that? No, she needed something interesting—she needed a distraction. Walking on her hands wasn't a whole lot better than walking on her feet, but it did get Plucky going.

"Hanna, stop that this instant! You'll break your neck."

"Oh, come on; only a moron'd kill themselves doin' a handstand. They're child's play!" Yuffie, after shifting her weight to her left hand, waggled a finger at her nurse. "It's a waste of my prodigious talent, actually. You really should be grateful." She hopped forward several more paces before dropping her hand back down.

"Be that as it may," Plucky replied, doubtfully. "I must insist."

"Insist away," said Yuffie, nonchalantly, pausing just long enough to let a cat stroll past her.

"You'll disturb the other patients!"

"Your face'll disturb the other patients." It was petty, and it was childish, but Yuffie didn't care; it was getting her what she wanted. And what she wanted was something to laugh at, something to poke at, something that, while it kept her wandering attention in the here and now, didn't really require her to think.

[For Kaito~]

Comments

[sortaheadstrong.livejournal.com]

Breakfast had been missed. Not because Celty hadn't been at it - she knew she'd been sitting there, staring at food with something that may've looked like interest - but because she wasn't sure that her mind had caught up with her yet to process everything. Last night. Last night...! Like a horror movie playing out right in front of her and trying to kill her and some other guy and...!

She'd tried more times than she could count the moment she'd woken up. Pinching, shaking her head, smacking it. There was nothing she could have done to make herself believe that it wasn't there, but there was less she could have attempted in terms of trying to wake herself up! Because she had tried nearly everything!

Including talking which... she didn't know. Just getting out "Where...?" had been a shock in itself, even if she'd managed that solitary letter the night before. Everything going on around her was already too much, so trying to use the surprise that was her head was taking a back seat. For the moment, it was all she could do just to clutch onto her notebook - this one seemingly brand new - and hope that not only would a creepy girl start clawing her way out of it, but that it would work well enough if someone wanted to talk to her. After last night, she didn't know what she'd do if things got any weirder than this!

[potential spoiler warnings: readers beware!]

[propheteer]

Seeing Shizuo during breakfast had been unexpected, to say the least, and the whole encounter had put off Izaya's mood. It had ended in his favor (he'd survived it, after all), but the idea that it even could go the way it had was wrong. The strength of the staff was not to be trifled with, and Izaya now knew that even better than before.

What a shame that they hadn't been armed with knives instead of needles.

Nevertheless, he'd come out of breakfast with a bad taste lingering in his mouth, only to spot another surprise on the other side of the sun room: the familiar head of a certain dullahan, only it was attached to a body... And that body was not Harima Mika's.

Celty, then, with her head restored a step further than it should have been? Or another subject of cosmetic surgery to match the looks of that head, the one that should have been stored away safely in his possession. There was only one way to find out, and that was to talk to her.

Izaya headed in her direction, though not straight for her. If it was Celty she'd recognize him, and if not... If not, there wouldn't be any harm in recognizing her. Once he got close, he began to loiter, looking around as if trying to decide where to go and what to do.

[threepwood]

The morning had been going so well until Guybrush spotted that note on the bulletin board.

Elaine? Missing? Nuh uh. Noooo way. She was just... washing her hair. Again. She'd gone out last night, so she definitely needed a second shower in the morning, which they'd allowed her to take because...

She made a very convincing argument?
She was the Governor of the Tri-Island Area?
She'd been swallowed by a beast with breath bad enough to make a ship take a dirt road and needed to wash the stench off?

Whatever the reason, she wasn't gone. It was true that people disappeared all the time- sailed into the Bermuda Triangle, kidnapped as some part of a revenge quest, tied to a golden idol and dropped to the bottom of the sea, etc.- but this was Elaine. She didn't just vanish. And if she did, it was because someone had taken her, kidnapped her from her kidnapper in some kind of a double kidnapping that would ultimately result in her escaping of her own volition when the time was just right. She was a master at it, having done it her whole life... well, except for a few times, like when she ended up as a statue, which was coincidentally the point from which DeLandel had decided to pluck her from her life.

Okay, none of this was painting a comforting picture. After scanning the library for his Snookie-Wookums of the High Seas, he returned to the Sun Room, taking a seat on one of the chairs and watching the door. Her nurse had to bring her through sometime.

[Free]

[stellarregions]

The nurse had tried to take him to the library again. He seemed like such an intelligent young man... didn't he want to spend some time reading? He might have actually taken her up on the suggestion, but he had no interest in reading anything as old as what they had there, and it had been very hard not to laugh when she reminded him that they'd acquired some new science fiction books.

But after several polite refusals, she'd finally relented and escorted him to the sun room instead. There were a few other people around, but it didn't seem too busy.

He was slightly put off by the blond staring at the doorway until Gren realized he was probably just waiting for someone to arrive. He blinked. Wait. Did he have a hook for a hand? He'd seen some cut-rate prosthetics before but that took the cake. ...and he may have been staring at it a little. Woops. He covered it up with a friendly smile, and glanced from the man back to the door.

"Waiting on someone?" He'd just make some polite conversation and then move on if he was interrupting. Hopefully that would be enough to cover for any social faux pas he might have made.

[fangirlfatale.livejournal.com]

Morgan hated being idle. (It had nothing to do with the devil's work; idle hands just didn't get filled with more pieces o' eight than they could carry.) Unfortunately there wasn't much she could do right now. She needed to find Rotgut and figure out why her payment hadn't shown up last night--and if that got resolved, she needed to find LeChuck and tell him to back off the old guy. But she hadn't seen either of them so far this morning, and she didn't have anything else interesting planned until nightfall. The closest thing to actual work she could think of to do was watching the Sun Room bulletin board in case either one of the pirates showed up, so that's where she headed.

The Sun Room was pretty deserted when she got there; either she was ahead of the game or this crowd was seriously interested in reading. (The latter wouldn't surprise her, given how tough most of them looked.) She did spot Guybrush sitting by himself, but with the way he was staring at the door, Morgan would've bet big coinage that he was waiting for Elaine. So she nodded as she passed him and found a seat by herself on one of the couches. After a moment she folded her eyes and sunk down into a relaxed posture, but it would probably be obvious to anyone who looked her way that she was still keeping a close eye on what was going on around her.

[for Zevran!]

[scavengerbird.livejournal.com]

Zevran was growing fond of the large atrium room that his uniformed nurse referred to as the Sun Room. It was the place he went in lieu of the mundane activities that they tried so hard to corner him into. He had yet to actually participate in any of them, and planned to keep up this pattern. He was not here for help and kind words and drawing silly pictures. No, he was biding his time, like he imagined many of them were. It was foolish to think that he was the only one pacing like some kind of caged animal, but some were better than others at putting aside their instincts. Some of them were probably even genuinely innocent souls, waiting to be rescued. They'd be disappointed when no one came for them, which was the most likely scenario.

The woman that was sitting on the nearest couch was not one of those. He knew that set of the shoulders. There was a look to her that said she was ready to jump, to strike, to move, even as she lounged so alluringly. Zevran knew that ever ready feeling all too well. If you never truly relaxed, it cut down on the unpleasant surprises. It was something they had in common. Of course, he would be lying if he claimed that was all that drew him to her. The full bow lips, the heavily lidded eyes, and the sighing curves of her figure also had something to do with it. To say she was a beautiful woman was something of an understatement.

Before he knew it, he was gravitating towards her. He knew she was probably watching, although she didn't seem to be inviting in anyone's company. Even if she wasn't looking for pleasant conversation, Zevran believed this was a woman worth knowing. Perhaps that was simply his hopefulness speaking, but there was no harm in trying. Or perhaps there was, but Zevran was willing to take the risk.

"I hope you do not mind if I join you," he announced, and crossed his slippered feet to show his intentions to stay. "It can be so dull to sit all by one's self, don't you think?"

[notachick.livejournal.com]

After his meeting with Asuka, Okita was feeling a little brighter about the day. Although little could make up for the sudden losses and his incident last night, being recognized as the new leader and recruiting another person for certain had been a bit of a boost. His fingers didn't ache as badly either, although he couldn't see them beneath the bandages the nurses had wrapped around them. It looked like he'd burnt himself. He suppose he had in a way.

Taking the fever medications his nurse pressed on him with a glass of water, Okita swallowed them and moved into the Sun Room. He had need to meet with Kenshin since he had asked yesterday, made all the more pressing due to the events of the previous evening. Thoughts of that vanished momentarily, however, when he saw who else was in the room and just what she was doing.

Yuffie was bothering her nurse in a most amusing manner and Okita couldn't help but stop and watch, allowing the momentary reprieve to alleviate his worries. She was so acrobatic, walking around on her hands and snubbing her nurse's chiding with practiced, if not somewhat childish, ease. He admired her for that. Her ability to push on. He needed to do the same, really, but it was becoming so much harder than he'd first expected.

Still, no use dwelling. He took a breath, eased into a smile and found his way over to a sofa. Okita pulled his legs up onto the cushions and tucked himself into a corner, watching the door for his next appointment.

[Kenshin]

[degozaruyo.livejournal.com]

Kenshin felt about thirty years older as he walked into the Sun Room, haggard and exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and go to sleep, away from everyone else, but he had an appointment to keep. No matter how upset he was, he still had duties to perform. Duties that had increased overnight, it seemed, with Homura's disappearance. Now Okita was in charge of the History Club and Kenshin was...what? Second in command? A person of no great importance?

He supposed he would find out right now, wouldn't he?

But...Tomoe. Why Tomoe? Of all people, why her? Just looking at her was painful. It dredged up too many memories, too many feelings far better left in the past, impossible though that was now. She was here. As much as he didn't want her to be, she was. And he had to deal with the consequences.

The rurouni shook himself and headed over to where Okita was sitting.

"Good morning, Okita-dono," he said somewhat stiffly. "May this one join you?"

[divinebrushwork.livejournal.com]

As if the man named 'Russia' hadn't annoyed her enough, now Ammy's nurse seemed to be acting strangely. All she had done was ask about Honey. She had done well not to reveal she was out during the night. Rather, the sun goddess had inquired about her friend, the patient in M60.
Her nurse looked thoughtful for a few moments, then smiled forgivingly at Amaterasu.

"I'm sorry, Amari. But your friend was released last night. He went home with his family."

Released? What did that mean?
It was hard to understand the staff members in the institute. Their words almost held double meanings and it was probably unwise to trust what they told her.

Amaterasu left a hopeful note on the bulletin board, then found a seat in a couch. Just like yesterday, the sun seemed to be shining. The day hadn't started off amazingly well, but she was glad to be in the Sun Room again. So far, she had met some good friends there and nothing was better than soaking up some sunshine.

[For her darling son, Japan!]

[osoreirimasu.livejournal.com]

Canada. Canada? That was who that man at breakfast had been. Japan tried to commit the name to memory, attaching it to the unfamiliar-yet-familiar face, but as soon as he entered the Sun Room, it seemed his memory failed him yet again. He had vague recollections of meeting Canada and now knew he was here, but if asked to pick the man out of a crowd? Japan would have to point and hope he was right. Or perhaps say he was unable to see because he was short.

Wow, he hated using that excuse.

"Mr. Honda? Hello?"

"Ah! Y-yes?" He hadn't realized they'd stopped or that his nurse was looking at him curiously.

"Would you like to go to the library or stay here in the Sun Room?"

"....here would be just fine." He could keep an eye on the board and possibly see what had happened to America. Or even see who else had arrived. A quick check of the bulletin from the morning revealed that Prussia had noticed his bulletin, too. That meant Germany, Russia, England and Prussia were all here. ....and Canada. Right. Canada.

Moving away from the bulletin, Japan searched for a couch that had a good vantage point of the board only to find the perfect one occupied. By a woman who was very definitely Japanese. But not someone he recognized as a cosplayer. Not that...everyone here was a cosplayer, but that was the only way Japan could really wrap his mind around the Institute. Approaching cautiously, he glanced at her and then at the bulletin before bring his gaze back to the woman.

"Ah...pardon me for my intrusion, but would you mind if I sat beside you?"

[flashyaudacity]

Not only had last night's plan to lead the detectives on a merry chase failed, Kaito had spent the morning sleeping in. His nurse had scolded him for missing breakfast, but he'd done his best to just tune her out—apart from telling her he wasn't hungry in hopes that would satisfy her. It hadn't.

He wasn't in the best of moods when she finally left him alone in the sun room, but it drastically improved at the sight of someone doing handstands in the midst of the room, a nurse standing by and trying to get her to stop. He tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at who it was: Yuffie.

Kaito headed for her, chuckling. Her antics had saved his mood, so the least he could do would be to try to save her from the nurse. He could catch a few words of their argument as he approached and decided to interrupt it, ignoring the nurse completely.

"Hey; I've been looking everywhere for you!" he said to Yuffie, acting like they'd had plans. Maybe the nurse would take the hint and buzz off, regardless of whether Yuffie was doing gymnastics or not.

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Poor ol' Plucky didn't stand a chance, Yuffie thought victoriously. The kill-joy old bat was falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

… 'Cept, maybe she was falling a little too far.

The argument was looking ready to escalate; Plucky looked harried, and two wrong words short of going for the needles. Yuffie just grinned, blasé, a whole repertoire of choice insults and asides waiting in the wings. She wasn't looking to get sedated, but geez; she needed to do something…

"Hey; I've been looking everywhere for you!"

She knew that voice! And—yeah, there he was, striding over casually… Kuroba Kaito. But what was he playing at? He wasn't seriously trying to help her out, was he? Surprise flashed across Yuffie's face, too quickly for her to stop it—and, luckily, too quickly for Plucky to catch it. The nurse was startled, too, anyway; she'd puffed up like a chocobo, whirling around to face the interloper.

"Yeah, and you sure took your time about it," Yuffie replied, affecting amiable exasperation, before Plucky could get a word in. If Kaito was offering her a save, she wasn't gonna turn him down. It wasn't like she'd be losing out on much, since he'd make just as good a distraction as the nurse.

"I— oh, very well," Plucky snapped. "I'll leave you to it. Behave, Hanna. I will be watching."

The nurse walked away, shaking her head. Yuffie waved cheerfully after her, calling out a chirpy "don't break any mirrors!", before swivelling around to eye her unexpected aid. "Feeling generous this morning?" she asked, with just a hint of gratitude mixed in with her casualness.

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

At least at breakfast he'd been able to see Chise. It'd been a few days and the last thing he wanted was another innocent child getting caught up in this. How to continue though, without revealing too much? It would be difficult, but he'd lied his way through before.

The other part was finding out more information about Marc. There'd been a notice from him somewhere last night, he'd said as much in his radio post. So then, someone had to have found it. If he was lucky, that someone was the one on the bulletin. And he had an odd inkling he already knew who that was. The good news was, Fai was fairly sure he had the man's trust, so if he knew something important, getting him to divulge it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Thinking about things so objectively left him with a bad taste in his mouth, but the longer it was before they found something concrete, the higher the risk to their friends and...

He took a seat within easy distance of the bulletin, just to be sure he didn't miss any of the newer messages.

[Free!]

[zip-it-good.livejournal.com]

[Sechs' current roommate here. Got any juicy tidbits?]

Following a healthy breakfast, Bucciarati opted to spend some time in the sun room. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy reading, but he felt as if some time in the open air would be more therapeutic then being cooped up in some musty old room. Vitamin D did a body good, after all. He stretched his arms out wide as he walked into the room, basking in the sun's warm rays.

"Ah, it's good to be alive," Bucciarati sighed, scratching his head as he smiled. In a place such as this, one had to keep positive. Sure, they were stuck in a horrible asylum where monsters attacked them at night, but...well, perhaps it was harder to be positive than Bucciarati thought. Still, it was a very nice day! Bucciarati scanned the room, looking for an empty seat. It wasn't long before he finally found one, the seat in question being right next to a rather somber looking fellow.

"Hello!" Bucciarati said cheerfully, "Nice day, isn't it?"

[hat_einen_vogel]

By the time breakfast had ended, Prussia was already feeling worn out. He followed the nurse into the sun room without fuss—like he really needed an escort to move through one door—and tried to even talk to her a bit. He hadn't been able to spot Raphael anywhere and had never heard back from him yesterday, but the staff would surely know about their prisoners. Whether or not they'd be willing to share was another matter.

The nurse was happy to say, however, when he asked about 'Roy'. "Roy was released the other day," she answered cheerfully. "I was hoping you boys could become friends, but I'm so pleased that he's able to be with his family again. Do you want to go to the library this morning?"

Prussia declined; the library might have been useful if the bookstore in town had been, but the announcement seemed to be a good indicator that there would be no history books here, either, and he'd already had just about enough of science fiction. Once the nurse left him alone in the sun room, he headed for the bulletin board to kill some time.

He found a few notes of interest and left one of his own, but it wasn't long before he decided he was bored of it. Prussia headed for the nearest empty couch, dropping onto it and shutting his eyes.

[Free]

[neuepolitik.livejournal.com]

The conversation with England had, at the same time, given Ludwig some hope and made him feel a lot worse about the situation. There was, at least for now, a plan of action to take. He could perhaps convince Austria that there was some way to proceed in all of this- if not as they were, then perhaps forming a new understanding given the desperation of their situation. But at the same time, the ways to do so were difficult to manage. Either he had to trust the word of others to convince Austria, or he somehow had to get on equal standing with Austria. The only way he'd acknowledge that would be in regards to Prussia, and that wasn't likely at all.

It was difficult. It was definitely not what Ludwig wanted to go through. Alas, it seemed like there was no other way. Leaving the situation as it was was inexcusable.

Upon being led to the sun room, Ludwig saw his brother sprawled out on a couch. It looked like he was sleeping, which Ludwig couldn't blame him for. However... they did need to discuss this. For that reason, the younger brother strode in front of the couch, looking down at Prussia before he spoke. "...can I talk with you?"

[mateswithnobody.livejournal.com]

Donna hadn't known up from down since the moment the nurses had come to get her, so it was a wonder she was even able to get as far as one of the couches they led her to come the second shift. The woman wasn't able to do much except take up the whole couch for laying on it and stare at the ceiling. Forget trying to get her thoughts straight either for the headache and bandages that were far too tight to be legal.

But there was something she could hold to at least. Something that, probably like her headache and the damn scars on her hands, felt like it would never be leaving her - a certain sense of anger that would forever be unrivaled the moment Donna could get herself together. Whenever that was. And the moment that time did come not even the devil would have been able to stop the warpath she'd be on!

For now though, she just stared at the ceiling and tried like mad to make her head stop pounding.

[kindalikedit]

She looked like crap, and that was saying it nicely. Dean stood by the door for a second.

Donna wasn't much like he'd imagined the Doctor's fuck buddy to look like (ignoring the whole...ass kicked by some psycho doctor part). Not only that, but she had to have some of the worst luck he'd ever seen to get picked out of everyone for those "sleep studies". He couldn't help staring at the mess of bandages covering her partially shaved head as he headed toward her, taking a seat next to her and remembering right at the last moment not to flop down like he normally would. He knew that look. It wasn't exactly the I've-got-a-hangover look, but way he figured it, the less jostling around, the better. Same probably went with loud noises.

When Dean spoke, his voice was lowered, “Don’t suppose they gave you something for that,” he said with a sympathetic grin, gesturing at all over her. There wasn’t one thing in particular he could point at. Donna’s head was probably killig her and those ritualistic cuts on the back of her hands were deep. He still couldn’t identify what the markings meant. They looked like something you’d use in a cult or some kind of summoning, except cutting that kind of thing into your flesh wasn’t that usual for summoning.

Still, he figured there was one plus to this. Donna was alive, which was really something to shoot for when you were surrounded by spirits and bloodsuckers. Usually there weren’t much in the way of survivors.

[oneman-onekill.livejournal.com]

Niikura laughed to himself as he exited the cafeteria: alas, no nonfiction? Excuses were excuses...either way you looked at them, they were inexcusable. They were a disguise, a cheap trick to divert blame. They were also totally expected from the average human being. But the transparency of the lie! Well, the staff was supposed to be talking to a bunch of lunatics, weren't they? So the patients weren't meant to complain about it anyway.

It was for completely different reasons, though, that he brushed off the idea of going to the library. The truth was that, even if there was some supposedly "quality" literature in there, there were no comics. No manga. Inexcusable. Not that he wasn't capable of reading a good novel about the darker side of humanity (He'd read Katsuragi's stuff, after all.), but Niikura didn't usually pick those types up of his own volition.

So the Sun Room it was, again. Mele had come calling last time, and he entertained the idea of seeking her out again, but really...she'd seek him out on her own eventually. He had that feeling.

With a smile, Niikura flopped down onto one of the sofas and laced his hands behind his head, making sure to keep an eye on the bulletin board. Something had caught his eye--something more interesting than a free list of law enforcement in the building.

[for clone buddy X-23]

[playswellwith.livejournal.com]

Having (at least for the moment) decided to cooperate with the game her captors were playing, Laura allowed a nurse to escort her into the sun room. It was quieter than the cafeteria; many of the prisoners were not there, and the room was carefully constructed to create a calming atmosphere. Once again, none of the people were familiar, and once again, Laura was uninterested in engaging them.

Catching sight of the bulletin board, Laura broke away from her nurse to investigate it--but she didn't make it three steps toward her destination before the woman stopped her with a firm hand on her elbow and a concerned frown. "Now, Jessica. What did I tell you about making friends? It'll make you happier, you know!"

Before she was even finished speaking, the nurse was already dragging Laura off toward a sofa where a silver-haired man was seated, her voice rising in cheery excitement. "There's no need to be shy! Everyone here is very nice. Look, Tsuneo is sitting over there by himself. I'm sure he'd love to talk to you!"

Laura doubted it. She'd kept herself from reacting violently to her guard's attempts at control, but she did not like this game, and she did not want to make friends. This was a waste of time and a distraction from her objective.

But she allowed herself to be dragged; she did not want to play, but neither did she want to confront the nurse. Not yet.

Stopping a few feet away from the man on the sofa, the nurse released Laura's arm and gave her a gentle push. "Go on, say hello!" She smiled encouragingly.

Laura stepped forward, expressionless. "Hello."


[SORRY 19320392 HOURS LATER ALDKJ]

[thestormishere]

Although its effects had tapered off slightly, as Lightning was removed from Taura and ushered from the large eating area to the nearly-as-large room outside of it, she noted with distant irritation that whatever they'd done to her definitely continued to make that process far too disorienting for comfort. Coupled with the strange behavior of the people ordering everyone around, she didn't know what to think. Especially not when, within the would-be soothing chatter and admonishment about not eating from the woman stringing her around, there was mention of a name that wasn't only not her own, but one she'd never even heard before: Elysia.

She remained quiet about it, however, and eventually found her way into an odd chair near one of the walls. Unless it was a strange title of some sort, it just seemed like further proof of them not knowing who or what she was. How in the world would that have happened, anyway? Without really thinking about it, she placed a hand on her chest, as if feeling for her own heartbeat. Her Brand was still there, wasn't it? For some reason it was hard to care, though she wouldn't have moved to check it amidst others anyway.

And so she just sat straight-backed, head forward and hands in her lap as she watched the others around her- gathering mostly about a suspicious rectangular area on one of the other walls. It was all very, very strange to her. As if to just make that clearer, a minute later she suddenly caught something in the corner of her eye, much smaller than everything else moving about. Glancing aside at it, Lightning noticed a small white animal with darker-colored ears and limbs, standing and staring back at her from a distance of several paces away. So... they had cats here? Interesting.

[doneinthree]

Science fiction, huh? Hilarious. Kirk kept Nurse Lydia's announcement in mind as he moved into the Sun Room, but while others were getting shuffled towards the library, he stopped before the bulletin board. "Science fiction" or no, he actually was interested in checking out what sorts of books this world had stocked, but first... he had to get some actual work done. He'd talked to Bones and spotted Spock already this morning, but the routine of these posts was still a good habit to get into.

Kirk grabbed a sheet from the pile beside the board and started writing, the first couple of lines coming instinctively now from having posted so many of these check-ins before. No nurse stopped him to direct him away to a doctor's office — it seemed he'd have to anticipate another session with Doctor Kisugi awhile longer. Which was plenty alright. Jim wasn't exactly itching for a second shot with his Landel's-appointed psychologist, even if she was the only staff doctor he'd met in this place.

His pen paused on the sheet, and he looked up to read the board. He was seated on the arm of a chair near the bulletin, one slippered foot perched on the well-worn seat. A quick scan of the tacked-up notes revealed two... no, three disappearances since yesterday, along with...

Was that a map?

[Uhura]

[xenolingual.livejournal.com]

Uhura also found the announcement about science fiction books a little odd, but her curiosity faded fast. There were bigger things to worry about, like the actual location of the facility, and the fact she still really had no idea what the stardate was, or if they even went by stardates here. Everytime she asked she got the same strange look from both the nurses and residents. Not to mention everything just seemed entirely different, from the faces around her to the sheer fact that there were still doorknobs on every door. The more time she spent observing everything, the less confidence she gained in her situation. It was all she could focus on.

As she was lead to the Sun Room she did more peeking around, not bothering to ask the nurse any questions due to the fact that she knew she wouldn't get any straight answers. The way the nurses avoided giving many straight answers was enough to drive her up a wall, so she stopped trying. If nothing else, Uhura thought that maybe if she kept her head down and followed the rules, she'd be able to find a way out more easily.

Once in the Sun Room, she was quick to find a seat against one of the walls, away from the more densely populated areas, and tried to think it all out. But really, what was there to think about? The situation was--

Was that Kirk? Oh, of course. Of all the-

Uhura was up out of her chair and heading his way in a flash, ponytail swishing in a way that would probably let people know she was on a mission, until she stopped right next to where James T. Kirk, the acting captain, sat perched on a chair. Like this was normal or something.

"Kirk." Was all she could bring herself to say, but her tone said a lot of things. Like 'explain.' and 'what is going on here.' and 'I blame you for this.'

[moral-liberty.livejournal.com]

Kaworu found that he now smiled even when he was not being watched. It served no purpose. There was no one whom he desired to communicate his happiness to. However, the emotions from his time with Shinji stayed with him, even as they were pulled apart. He knew then that he would not be allowed to see Shinji again until the day had ended. At night, the chaos provided them with freedom, and Kaworu would find him then.

Although there was nothing to accomplish in Shinji's presence, he already preferred it to time alone, and sometimes to time with others. He could recall hours spent on his own, with the Lilim satisfied to move around him without ever engaging him. He had not minded, and only sought their attention when he was in need. In need of something to survive or alleviate boredom, or simply curious and in need of information. But now company was not only preferable, but it gave him something more than any tangible need. Often he knew more after speaking with them, but that was no longer all he felt.

The nurse led him to the sun room. They had taken Shinji somewhere else, and his request to accompany him had been softly denied, as he knew it would be. She commented on his lack of friends, on how Sean needed space, on how he ought to practice independence. She had said these things before. They reminded him of those past conversations, and the repeated kind sentiments that he didn't care for. Still, Kaworu found a place to sit at her command, and as the nurse followed him she picked one of the cats off the floor. Kaworu had been peripherally aware of their presence, but they had never been relevant to him.

When he sat, he was shocked when she held out the animal towards him. She indicated for him to take it, but Kaworu leaned away immediately.

"He won't bite," she chided him with a laugh. "In fact, he's very friendly. I think you'll get along." Sensing her conviction, Kaworu relaxed and allowed her to place the animal in his lap. As he held out his hand, the cat moved its head into contact with him of its own accord. He held still for several moments, only watching as it reacted to him. Kaworu laid a hand lightly over its back, where he felt the bones underneath, moving in a way so unlike a human. He thought he ought to do more, but could only remain poised with his hands hovering over it motionless. It did not seem to mind.

[Stefan!]

[sainted]

It was a woman speaking now on the intercom, calm and measured, soothing in her professional certainty but... cold, almost. Perhaps he was imagining it, and looking for sinister overtones in all that surrounded him, to reassure himself that what happened at night had happened. Their surroundings were too... normal: the fresh-painted halls, the helpful but firm nurses, the sun filtering through the windows.

By unconscious reflex, Stefan fiddled with the ring on his finger as he stood in the bright light of the Sun Room. He'd gotten it refitted some years into his new life, but it still always felt too loose to him. Or maybe that was what happened when a small piece of jewelry was all that stood between him and daylight incineration.

The light glinted on the lapis lazuli. They'd let him keep it, and Damon's too. They'd changed their clothing but left them their rings, knowing the significance. Whoever had them contained here were no ordinary vampire hunters.

Where was Elena? Stefan scanned the room for her, ignoring the nurse who was trying to suggest the library as a venue. However, instead of long dark hair and olive skin, his gaze caught on someone much paler. Even from a short distance, it was easy to recognize the boy from his first night here. Stefan walked over.

"Kaworu, hey," he greeted. He knew the boy couldn't speak English, but wanted nonetheless to check that he was alright, and let him know in return that Stefan was doing... well as could be expected. Something suddenly shifted in Kaworu's lap — a cat.

When had Stefan last ate? Two days ago, right before the Founder's Day festival. It had been a long time since he'd had to feed every day to feel strong, but keeping himself full helped curb the cravings. Even human food would do if he was desperate, although there was no dish even half as effective as blood.

Blood.

Stefan blinked, and turned away by instinct, but there was no pressure behind his vision, no throbbing around the eyes. Still, he breathed and calmed himself for a second before looking back at Kaworu. He folded his hands behind his back, and forced himself to smile. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, hoping Kaworu got the meaning despite their language barrier.

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_[Mori!]

If nothing overly much had been accomplished last night, it seemed today was making up for it. Only none of the changes were good ones, not at all.

The layout of the rooms were so eerily similar that at first, Tsubaki hadn’t noticed that she was no longer inside F31 until the moment she was walking out the door with her nurse. An empty bed opposite hers wasn’t so strange, but then she’d glimpsed the number on the door. F15? “I’ve moved?” she’d asked the nurse, disappointment with the night’s events replaced by alarm at the realization. If she’d changed rooms, then what had happened to--?

Reinforce had yet to answer her note, and then to find out that Honey, one of her good friends in the hospital, had been another victim of the unexplained disappearances… More of the surety she so wanted to believe in was crumbling beneath her. It seemed anything could change at any given moment. Anything. Exactly what were Landel’s limits that he could kidnap everyone, torture them, make her hallucinate her brother, show her versions of her parents, make Professor Stein think he was working for him, take her friends, hold a girl hostage…

It was enough already!

Come second shift, Tsubaki didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Adding a message to the bulletin board, she sighed and stepped back to look up at the growing collection of paper notes. She didn’t understand what the Head Doctor was trying to do.

[mukuchi.livejournal.com]

He was gone. Mori had no idea what to do with himself. Last night, as he'd headed out of the room, he'd just known. Mitsukuni was gone. His cousin was gone. His scent, everything about him, everything was simply...missing. It had stopped Mori in his tracks, and he didn't remember anything else until he woke up this morning.

It wasn't until he saw Amaterasu's message on the board that his cousin's absence hit him again. Each time it was like a nail being driven into his heart. He had failed Mitsukuni. He had failed to protect him and keep his promise to him and...

"Oh, Will. You'll see him again soon enough," his nurse reassured him, leading him into the Sun Room. "Why don't you sit with one of your other friends here?"

Mori nodded absently, tripping over a chair as he started his way across the room. He hit an empty table and barely managed to catch it before it fell over, but instead he was the one that hit the ground. Right behind a very familiar person. With a very loud bang.

[future-games.livejournal.com]

After his none-too pleasant conversation with Peter, Isaac's attitude had shifted ever so slightly. Seeing Peter again brought back a lot of painful memories, but the other man had also pointed out things that the painter had first overlooked, forcing him to rethink his previously suicidal thoughts. He was no longer angry; he was just...miserable. Simone wouldn't have wanted him dead, and that was all he was still running on.

When the nurse came around again, gently scolding Isaac for not having eaten a single bite of his breakfast when he was "already so thin", Isaac quietly refused to be taken to the library. He assumed Peter was already heading that direction and he didn't particularly want to follow. Truth be told, he hadn't expected there to be any other option, but the nurse smiled and led Isaac--or "Diego" as his name apparently was here--to another large room that she referred to as "The Sun Room", painted in pastel green with wide windows. Isaac mentally scoffed at the name, but said nothing as he took a seat as far away from the other patients as he could manage. He drew his legs up and rested his cheek against his hand, staring listlessly at the generic seaside paintings on the wall. He shouldn't have been so quick to accept this place, but how could anywhere that was sheer hell during the night look so innocent during the day?

[Free~]