Night 52: Main Hallway, 1-West

[lookitmemama.livejournal.com]

[To here]

"Made it..." She whispered triumphantly as she walked quietly into the dark and quiet hallway first. It was hard to decide where the best place would be to stand since once others began to flood in, Asuka could easily be overshadowed by the taller adults. "Hmmm..." The best she could guess was to hug the opposite wall by the doorway and hope she would pick out the two members once they entered.

Remember, Asuka, you aren't the veteran here.

This wasn't NERV anymore. She had no one under her to display her impressive and extensive training to. The redhead was a newbie like the ones she was going to be working with, though perhaps a bit more intelligent. This first mission was important for popularity's sake. She needed to play nice for now, gauge their strengths and weaknesses until she knew who she could topple the easiest.

[Waiting on Agatha and Zevran]

Comments

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988475.html?thread=73444411#t73444411)]

Straight down the hallway, right onto the main thoroughfare, left, straight ahead, through the doorway, blah, blah, blah.

By the time Yuffie'd reached the main hallway, she'd graduated from lazy twirling to energetic cartwheels, somersaults, and flips. The various items and weapons she carried weren't so much a hindrance a… no, wait, no; it wasn't even a challenge, really.

She had enough presence of mind to stay alert, but awareness of her surroundings totally didn't have to come at the expense of making a boring trip a little more interesting.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/990258.html?view=73444914#t73444914)]

[scavengerbird.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73451500#t73451500).]

Zevran approached slowly, and forced himself to rely on what little his eyes could make out in the darkness without the aid of his torch. Sadly, it was very little, and he had to rely largely on the silhouette holding her own light for information. He thought he could make out long hair, too dark to be blond. Asuka, he would have guessed, and she appeared to be alone. The other, Agatha, was missing. Still on her way, he mused, or off scouting? Asuka held herself confidently, but without much caution. Perhaps she was a mage. Zevran didn't associate caution or subtlety with the magical. Either way, she was not like Zevran, slinking around behind corners and obscuring herself from the eyes of potential allies.

That behavior would probably not speak well of his trustworthiness. Accordingly, Zevran pulled back around the corner to prepare for his grand entrance. After an awkward moment that took too long for his ego's tastes, the torch lit up in his hands. He kept the beam of light pointed in close to his chest, so as to not reveal his position too suddenly. Now all that was left was to abandon his secretiveness.

He turned the light outwards, and let it guide him. It blinded him to all outside its reach, but finally he could see details. Asuka indeed had brilliantly red hair, and she was very slight of build. For a moment, Zevran was ready to label her an elf, but the light revealed her as a human child, just on the cusp of adulthood. She would doubtlessly one day be a beautiful woman, but her childlike features were unmistakable. Whatever her specialty was, she was likely a fledgling at it, but Zevran would need to make sure that he didn't show he thought so.

"I hope I have not kept you waiting for long," he called to her cheerfully and sauntered closer to her position. "It is Asuka, yes?"

[lookitmemama.livejournal.com]

When her eyes caught another patient's, Asuka remained completely still as he or she came to her (it was difficult to tell by the long hair and short stature). The voice, however, was unmistakably masculine and that accent was rather unique as well. Now that Asuka thought about it, she couldn't recall a single patient she had talked with that had an identifiable accent. It was rather strange, considering the "background" of these patients, there should be a wider variety than simply Japanese or German. The eva pilot had spoken with Gant who was from Los Angelos, and something told her he probably didn't go out of his way to learn Japanese or German, yet she understood him perfectly. It was a question for another day, unfortunately.

"Yes, I'm Asuka Langley Soryu! And no, it hasn't been very long,--" Though she had gotten tired of carrying all her crap. Her radio was sitting on the floor to her left and her flashlight had been set to shine up to the ceiling. The only thing remaining in her hands was the baseball bat balance on her right shoulder. "--Z, was it?" Asuka could only assume, but he talked the way he wrote, so it was a logical assumption.

[bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com]

When Rita reached the main hall, she noticed some signs of activity in the nearby hallways, but it didn't seem to be anything more than her fellow patients. So long as it wasn't monsters or any other sort of immediate threat, she had no reason to be concerned over it.

The atmosphere of the institute at night certainly was... different, though. Rita was usually too occupied with other thoughts and activities to think much of it, but with nothing but silence to accompany her now, she was more aware of the abrupt shift from bland to creepy. Almost like a place from a ghost story...

... Ridiculous. Rita was spending far too much time around idiots if she was starting to think of things like that. With a light shake of her head, Rita continued forward, walking towards the central part of the hall.

[idkmybfframen.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988984.html?thread=73456440#t73456440)]

Naruto was pretty sure this was the hallway he usually found Sakura in. That meant that if he just stayed here for a few minute, he was bound to find her!

Seeing nothing flawed at all in his, plan, he stood against the wall and waited, shining his flashlight around now and then to make sure he wasn't missing one of his friends.

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/992361.html?thread=73496169#t73496169)]

Sai wasn't Sakura, but Naruto would be meeting up with one of his teammates all the same. At catching the familiar head of blond hair, the pale ninja broke all rules regarding personal boundaries and ran straight up to the boy, grabbing him in a hug. He considered it appropriate in that he'd definitely been worried for his friend, and when you were worried for someone it wasn't out of the question to give them a hug upon finding out they were safe.

He did release him quickly, however. "Naruto! I'm glad to see you're all right." Perhaps he shouldn't say he was glad to see him in the Institute, despite the fact that this was true.

"My roommate is gone," he quickly clarified, "and Haku and his roommate have been released as well."

[vitale.livejournal.com]

"Besides, I can't do anything even back home," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, continuing down the hallway and towards Claire's Uncle's room. "I mean, Edward used to call me a magnet for danger, but I don't really think that's so much a talent. It's more like I just got a really bad luck spin or something."

There were a few more patients in this hallway, which caused Bella to calm slightly. She remembered hearing something on the intercom about having something waiting for them, but by the looks of things, everything appeared to be normal for the moment. That was good, right?

She couldn't dwell on it. She didn't want to do what the Head Doctor was capable of doing, especially after last night.

"I ... think the rooms are that way?" Bella questioned, pointing down the hallway and towards the Sun Room. "Maybe. I mean, I've never been allowed down there, since there's so desperate to keep the genders separate, like we're back in high school or something."

[autophoenix.livejournal.com]

"You probably know better than I do, I mean, I haven't been over there either. I'm just going off what I saw on your map." She hesitated to mention that she'd lent it out to her uncle -- hopefully, he'd get the chance to return it when they met up with him and they'd be fine after that. If not, well, they'd find his room somehow. Couldn't be too hard.

"Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the whole … lack of ability thing. As nice as it can be for when I accidentally impale myself, it's just one big complication after another. Life would be easier without it." She wouldn't have to worry about running away from the Company. Or Sylar. Or all of her dad's lies. Shoving the grim thoughts back, she just gave an awkward smile.

"The talents aren't worth the hassle they bring." But, that was the best Bella was going to get in terms of explanation. She wasn't that comfortable with her yet. In fact, she was pretty sure there wasn't anyone she was that comfortable with who hadn't been through it themselves already.

[zack-fair.livejournal.com]

So here was where it got crowded. Zack spotted at least five other patients who were also waiting around for someone to meet them, which meant that they were probably in the clear in terms of any possible monster attacks. The monsters here seemed to stick to groups that were pretty isolated, which made sense. Maybe that was why he'd gotten attacked so often during his missions, now that he thought about it. Not that he'd needed any help...

He didn't recognize any of the patients who were hanging around, but that was fine. Zack took his own spot up against one of the walls, leaning the pry bar against it so that he could pull the Thunder materia out of his pocket and roll it around in his hand idly. It was one way to pass the time, and while he knew that Gaia had been injured for the sake of producing the item, he couldn't help marveling at how stray flashlight beams reflected off of it and caused a green glow to project itself onto his skin. The raw power contained within the small marble-shaped object was really remarkable, though he imagined that would all be cut down here.

Glancing up periodically, he scanned the area for Tifa's approach. He hoped that her leg was doing better. A day wasn't really very long for someone to heal, but maybe someone had helped her out.

[36-24-35.livejournal.com]

Tifa dipped her head around the corner of the hall to gauge the level of safety after coming out of her room so early this night. The crowd so far was rather small, but there were enough patients to keep any anxiety she had in check. The last thing she wanted was to skip down another deserted hall, devil may care to the ominous darkness around her, and get hamstrung by a scalpel-wielding bitch from out of nowhere. She learned the lesson well enough the first time, it did not need to be repeated.

With a handful of flashlights lighting the way through the small gathering, the brunette turned hers off to conserve the battery. It was still hard to recognize faces in the patchy dark, though. If anything, the flashlights only made the blackness more abysmal. And while Tifa couldn't locate Zack by his black hair or face, his mako-infused eyes were all the beacon she needed to pick him out of the dark. Walking swiftly, she stopped beside him with her usual, pleasant smile.

"Hey, sorry if it took me awhile to get here..." Her brown eyes panned down his face to his chest, where her gaze caught the muddled shine of green in Zack's hand. "Oh good, I brought mine too!" They would be well equipped tonight to catch any undead bastards that waited for them in Doyleton. "And the ring..." She held her right hand up where it sat on her pinky finger. The next question was what was the best way to activate this device. "So, what do you think? Should I just punch a wall and hope it breaks, or...?"

[hes-deadjim.livejournal.com]

He managed to reach the stairs without any statues sneaking up on him. A part of him couldn't believe that had become a valid fear in the first place. It sounded mad. Statues didn't move, and he'd have no problem saying that until last night. Now it felt like he was seeing that damned thing out on the edge of his vision, and it wasn't making this traveling any easier.

[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73484268#t73484268).))

Spock's flashlight beam fell onto a familiar figure dressed in a blue Starfleet medical uniform -- Dr. McCoy. They had not spoken to each other in person since the evening they had been transported to the Enterprise, but a quick glance seemed to indicate he was in good condition. As he approached the CMO, Spock gave a brief nod in way of greeting.

"Doctor," he quietly said. "I trust you are ready to begin our ascent up the stairs."

He had not forgotten Jim's warnings regarding McCoy's desire to give him a medical exam, but it was obvious there would be no need for such matters tonight. Furthermore, Spock did not see any reason to remind him, instead choosing to focus on their task at hand.

[lighthearted]

[From here.]

So, he'd made it here first. No surprise there, and yet Sora wouldn't have had it any other way. He moved over to his usual spot -- against the wall, by the stairs -- and let himself relax as he waited for both Neku and Soma to show themselves.

As he waited, he couldn't help glancing around at the other patients, and he was shocked to see that he didn't personally recognize any of them, even if the grand majority looked familiar. He'd probably seem them around, but he didn't know any of their names, and that was weird; that he'd been here so long, and yet there were still so many that he didn't know. It was because so many patients got shuffled in and out faster than he could keep track of, which was a pretty upsetting thought on its own.

Which was why Sora wasn't going to dwell on it. He was making the best of all of this; he was running a club now, and he was going to work at it until it was as good as it could be. He was going to do it with his friends at his side, how he'd always wanted it.

Even if Riku and Kairi were off somewhere else on their own mission, they were still with him in spirit, in heart, which was what mattered.

[For Neku and Soma.]

[madeinthehrl]

[from here]

The hallway was still relatively clear as Soma rounded the corner, and she spotted Sora immediately. There was no sign of the other member of their group yet, which came as something of a relief. At least she wasn't late.

"Sora," she said, inclining her head slightly. "Good evening."

[ai-no-minako.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988984.html?thread=73506104#t73506104)]

This part of the hallway seemed to be used as a meeting place by a lot of people, though Minako was never quite sure just how good of an idea that really was. After all, it was a pretty open area, so if any of the rumored monsters decided to show up this would probably be a good choice for it. Maybe monsters liked to stick to smaller hallways where there was less room for people to run away? She certainly didn't know, given how little she'd seen of any monster-type beings here. Although there was that one time....

Minako paused briefly to shine her light toward where she'd encountered someone Alfred had claimed wasn't him, even though he looked exactly like the crazy country guy. Well, except for the whole chewing-on-Arthur bit, which he hadn't ever tried at any other point in time. And he'd usually seemed to have normal teeth and not sharp people-chewy fangs. Maybe it had been a monster with Alfred's face -- she'd seen weirder, after all. She considered a moment longer, then shrugged and started to move on again. It probably wasn't all that important in the end.

[teabastard.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/992361.html?thread=73544041#t73544041)]

It wasn't the twisted version of America that he encountered (thankfully), but he did recognise a familiar figure down the hallway when he shone his flashlight, letting it drift over the spot where he'd been attacked that night. He blinked in surprised, a little amused by the coincidence, and, well, what the hell. It couldn't hurt, could it? Not to mention, Minako was alone and that just didn't seem wise. Not normally and especially not when Landel was attempting to prove how big his dick was by terrorising the unarmed masses.

"Minako?" he asked, approaching slowly so as not to startle the girl. "I thought it was you."

[toxicspiderman]

[from here]

Betty and her can-can partner hadn't boop-boop-a-dooped their way onto the scene, so S.T. sat down and went over his gear. The radio and flashlight didn't need their duct tape refreshed, which was a plus. He was going to need another roll sooner rather than later. The inside was as he'd left it. Two medkits, one for each of the guys coming, if they wanted them. The aforementioned remains of a roll of duct tape. An old T-shirt, blood splashed across the smile.

And something plastic-slick behind the shirt. He tugged it out. Had there always been a couple of Hefty bags stuffed down in the corner of the toolbox? He felt like an idiot. Again. He could cross off accidental teleportation to worlds filled with homicidal robots in search of a few baggies off tonight's to-do list. Zip-locs would still be better, and/or rubber gloves, but at least this would keep his own grubby mitts off the evidence.

[Team Pour Some Sugar On Me L and Lunge]

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

The main hallway was still relatively busy as things went around here: people waiting for their partners, still, hanging around uncertainly in the light as though they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have. Interesting how something as simple as turning on the lights, however dimly, could automatically instill such a level of suspicion.

The something twitched and Lunge stiffened. It was only barely in the corner of his eye, a flicker that could have been convincingly argued away by the lighting but that had him looking twice anyway. There was nothing there, of course, nothing but the other patients. But-

"What does Taylor look like, by the way?" he asked abruptly, returning his glance to L. Was that what he'd seen earlier? That flickering? ... no. More likely, his mind was playing tricks on him- not something he wanted L to know or decide about him. Doubting his senses or admitting something was wrong with him at this stage was unthinkable. Unless this was perhaps what Landel had planned (though why? It's not damaging in itself), in which case- well, they'd see soon enough, wouldn't they?

[rischiarare.livejournal.com]

This hallway always seemed to be bustling with extra activity in comparison to the ones before. He wasn't the only one standing around, waiting for company it seemed. Or maybe the other patients just didn't know where to go.

... Roxas kind of didn't know about that, either. He hoped Scott had an idea.

He didn't see anyone that matched the description - brown hair, blue coat (with patch?) - so the Nobody wondered for a brief moment if he was in the right place. The darkness kind of made everything look the same, though that detail didn't change much during the day, either. Everything was white and smelled bitter and looked dank and uncleaned, even despite the bleached colors. West... west... this was west, right? And it was bigger than the others.

He didn't exactly have a map to check, but the night had only just begun and he wasn't sure where Scott was coming from. He could be patient.

[vstheworld]

[From here]

"Black coat, blond hair, black coat, blond hair..." Scott repeated to himself under his breath as he sprinted down into the main hallway. Looking for his A&C partner wasn't exactly easy considering his flashlight was starting to flicker on him again. Damn, and he was at the end of his reserve batteries, too. Where the heck was he supposed to get new ones?

Thankfully, Scott was able to spot someone matching the description from the board amidst the crowd. That was blond he saw, right? It was hard to tell in the dark, but he was pretty sure. The black coat was there, anyway, hiding just about everything below the neck in the shadows. The young guy might as well have been a floating head if Scott didn't know better. Creepy.

"Hey," he said as he approached, raising a hand in that kind of lazy half-wave only twenty-something layabouts do. "Scott Pilgrim. Are you the guy I'm supposed to meet? Roxie, right?" Then Scott tensed, realizing what name he had just said. He was getting chubby half-ninja flashbacks already. "I-I mean! Rocky! Rocks! Rockman?" he corrected, the smoothness not with him tonight.

[stlg13bomber.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989839.html?view=73514127#t73514127)]

Well! Now here he was. Carter rubbed his ring nervously, watching the passing shadows of the other patients in their ones and twos and threes. He could just break it now, of course, but then he wouldn't know what he was looking at...

Maybe he'd just ask the next girl who came along. That was what Colonel Hogan did and there wasn't a woman in Europe who could say no to Colonel Hogan.

(Except Frauelein Linkmeyer, and who'd want to say yes to her?)

[savagesolitude.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988984.html?thread=73524024#t73524024)]

The hallway was packed, just like last time. Claire scowled and ducked through the huddles of people, all waiting on one another or milling around uselessly. Why were so many of the patients happy to just waste their damn time standing around like that? No one was even trying to get out.

They could suit themselves, then. Claire was as good as gone once she found her way.

The grip on the knife tightened more than ever as she squeezed through the crowd. She didn't want to accidentally graze someone as she walked. She also didn't want someone to notice she had a knife and try to take it from her. Good weapons seemed like they would be a rarity around here. She doubted any of the locks besides the ones on the bedrooms were undone. They wouldn't want the patients to start supplying themselves if they could help it.

Though Claire did her best to watch where she was going, she still brushed far too close to one of the loiterers for comfort. If you could call it a 'brush' - her shoulder had slammed pretty heavily into his. Immediately, Claire tensed. Being around this many people at once was unnerving in the dark. Touching them made that feeling all the worse. She swung the torch upwards, shining it just to the side of the man's face.

No one she knew.

"...Sorry."

[doneinthree]

[from here]

Although he'd expected it, there was still a jarring moment as he stepped out of the emptiness of the last hallway and into the bustle of the main corridor. Bustle, that is, in Landel's terms: muted voices and dark silhouettes moving in the dense blackness of the hall, distinguishable only in the beams of their flashlights. Almost enough to make a person feel like a ghost, what with the way most of the other patients ignored him as he moved between them, but Kirk knew they were actually too intent on their own goals to care.

Like he was. Kirk's pace slowed as he walked towards the Sun Room, in case Uhura happened to be nearby and he risked missing her, but didn't halt. In the relative safety of the crowd, he let the bat he'd collected from Spock's room hung loosely by his side, but still kept a sharp eye out.

The Head Doctor intended something for them tonight. He wasn't about to be caught off-guard.

[xenolingual.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988120.html?thread=73611736#t73611736)]

She was a little surprised by the number of people passing through the main hallway, but it made sense. She half-hoped to simply bump into Kirk, if just for the sake of not wandering alone anymore, but their meeting point was nearby anyway. It was strange, being almost surrounded by darkened faces of people she'd never met, and possibly never would meet. Maybe she had spent too much time wandering the Academy late at night to use the labs, but she was used to socializing in these kinds of situations. Anything to make people feel more at ease.

This was not the case at Landel's. Everybody kept to themselves, and that was fine. Just. Different. It was easy to shake off though, and her posture straightened out again, not realizing she had been ducking her face to keep from glancing around too much to begin with. This wasn't like her.

When she spotted Kirk, her resolve brightened a little. And-- Wow, that was the first time she ever felt that way about seeing Kirk. Look at that. Either way, she caught up to him, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder to make him aware of her presence before saying anything.

"It's me." And then she noticed the bat. "... Really?"

[itneverwas.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73528812#t73528812)]

The hushed voices breaking through the silence and the growing amount of radiance breaking up the institute's darkness in the following area were expected, but Xemnas payed them no mind. Orange eyes kept watch for threats, even though he had yet to observe any of the abominations wandering the halls so close to the patient blocks. A pattern that wasn't broken did not mean its truthfulness was an absolute certainty, especially considering his knowledge of the monsters thus far was one that was still limited.

[itneverwas.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/994622.html)]

[degozaruyo.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73541356#t73541356).]

There were only few hundred feet of hallway separating Kenshin from his wife and the long conversation that they were, undoubtedly, going to have after he got there.

It was a strange word, "wife." Kenshin thought about Tomoe every day, but it had been years since he'd actually considered himself married. Especially not now, not when he was starting to envision a new life with another woman...

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/987879.html?thread=73474023#t73474023).]

[repelling.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?view=73545964#t73545964)]

Already this section of the hallway had a good amount of activity. It had been that way on his first night with Kida-san; it was here that they'd encountered the flamboyant whirlwind that was Maito-san. Uryuu hadn't seen much of that man around, and unable to imagine that he'd be easy to miss, wondered briefly if he'd been released. He hadn't been looking for him, either, and the patient population was considerable. Not that it mattered, outside of a curiosity about his world, about how he'd sound while they spoke the same language properly.

As he stepped into the wider area, Uryuu looked right, down to a door, then left, down into darkness--the hallway too long for him to see without light. It wasn't a mystery; his mind supplied the day's images. Most of those here seemed to be waiting, or else stationary in small groups. They weren't likely to remain that way; this would be a strange place to stay for the night. Now he switched on the flashlight, darting the beam over walls and patients alike, attending to the colors of hair.

No tall red-haired man. Uryuu noted, but did not pause on, spiky brown hair: Sora-san, already in his group. Recognizing no one else from the brief scan, he sought a stretch of unoccupied wall and stood, but did not lean, against it. Once again in the position of waiting for someone else, Uryuu considered how to be seen without standing out. He wasn't about to shine the light on his face until the other guy showed. The best bet seemed to be keeping his eyes open; snapping off the light, Uryuu waited for his eyes to readjust, and for Kratos-san.

Another focus: with a greater number of people, with Sora-san nearby -- nothing. That answered that question.

[waiting for Kratos]

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73568236#t73568236)]

This next hallway was more busy as usual, and that always made identifying people difficult--but at least he'd had the sense this time around to ask for a brief, personal description before attempting to find Ishida in this mess. Finding Hitsugaya, Sora, and Faize that one night had been sheer luck in his opinion.

Average height, black hair, glasses: it was a fairly standard description, with the exception of the glasses. Those had to be easy to pick out, so Kratos focused his search on them exclusively. With all the flashlight beams getting thrown about, he would hopefully catch sight of them.

And see them he did. A brief second of illumination was all it took for Kratos to catch sigh of black frames somewhere along the wall of the hallway, the only ones he'd seen thus far. He approached cautiously, not wishing to deal with a case of mistaken identity, but as he drew closer, he could see that the description he'd been given matched perfectly (Although, did he always need to be working with children?) to the patient he'd picked out as Ishida.

"Good evening." He slid up to the wall space next to Ishida, arms crossed. The motion was slightly hampered by the brace, but Kratos paid it no mind. "You are...Ishida?" He inclined his head shortly. "I'm Kratos."

[bothersomewoman.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/990785.html?thread=73563201#t73563201)]

Despite having only been in the Institute the short time, Temari remembered from her first night where she wanted to go. With no obstacles in her way, the kunoichi quickly traversed the halls to the place where Shikamaru had found her the first time. From traveling the area with her nurse during the day, she knew this was the central hall connecting the bedrooms, and thus the most likely route the idiot would take to find her. Now she only had to wait, keeping an eye out for both her target and her brother, albeit for completely different reasons.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/993185.html?thread=73683105#t73683105)]

It didn't take long to find the first one, but much to Shikamaru's surprise, Temari actually looked like she was waiting for someone. Was it possible that she'd actually developed a sense of caution?

"Hey," he said as he approached. If she'd actually made plans for the night, that would be one less thing for him to worry about.

[incaution.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988984.html?thread=73573944#t73573944)]

Sure enough, there were some people lurking around the area. They all seemed pretty deep in conversations with other people, though, so Jo lingered toward the middle of the area and simply tried to listen in to things being said. She turned off her flashlight and went to lean up against a wall, trying to see if any of the people she had met during her first day were walking around or talking to other people.

The warnings she had been given from multiple people were now ringing in the back of her mind, telling her that maybe just standing around wasn't the best idea. But the people here seemed to know one another, which meant they had been there longer, and knew what they were doing. And as much as she hated following along with other people, this was probably one of the better times to play monkey see, monkey do.

So he heaved a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for someone who was by themselves to walk past her. That lucky soul would be the person she jumped out at and questioned.

[]

[affictitious]

[From here.]

Oh, joy. Pinpoints of light and reason within his previous dark and urine-scented previous life. There was actually a population above the zeros in this hallway, and their flashlights were enough light for the archangel to somewhat navigate through the hallway. At first, the blade had been a good blind stick to click along the wall so he could find his way better than random gropey hands in front of him, but seeing as some fine hipsters liked using the wall as a meet-up spot, it wasn't the best idea for now.

Not that a few accidentally impaled crazies was a tragedy, but someone would find out and possibly assault his face again. That was a big no-no. Even if that someone was still stuck a few years in the past and believed a little stick of wood would be enough to kill him.

Cute.

One of the aforementioned potential victim slash mistaken hipsters was one he made his way past, giving a brief peripheral glance in time with a stray flashlight's beam -

- a glance to a face he recognized. If there was an episode of Smarter than a Fifth Grader on Winchester knowledge (and all the strings attached), this angel would be in the top five. At least.

So he wasn't the only dead thing coming back to life. Maybe this was purgatory.

Gabriel stopped in front of her, putting the point of the blade against his chin, tapping it twice, than lazily pointing to her with it. He looked contemplative as he said, "You waiting for someone?" If she was, three guesses as to who it was. First two don't count.

[livesbyinstinct.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73539820#t73539820)]

Kiba turned into the next hall, his footsteps slowing for only a brief moment, turning his head and breathing in, straining his nose to see if he it picked up anything familiar. It took him a moment, but there was a sudden flash of recognition that registered in his brain, making him slid to a stop. Sai and Naruto had been here. Had being the keyword. The scent was new and strong enough he could pick out without difficulty, but it was already fading, fast blending in with the rest of the odors that clouded the air like pollen. Kiba, however, had no intention of following them. He had an entirely different destination in mind.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/994622.html?thread=73581886#t73581886)]

[sainted]

[from here]

It was in coming to the main hall that Stefan finally slowed, surprised by the number of people milling around here. Ordinarily, he could see through the dark as clear as if it were the middle of the day, and could hear even further than that, but this time it wasn't that — mostly not that. It was the crowd itself. He'd noticed them yesterday while following Damon through the halls, but his attention had been focused on other things.

This time, he let himself wonder why. That it wasn't a simple matter of walking out the front door was clear enough to him now, but if that wasn't an option, then what? Stefan could spot groups and individuals moving in every possible direction from this end of the main hall: down the hall, back up through the patient blocks, up the stairs, out towards the entry room...

Stefan looked around, almost expecting to see Damon insinuating himself with a powerful party somewhere, as he always did when settling somewhere new. Settling. He remembered the barrier blocking their way into F30, the barrier which told them that the little room was Elena's residence now.

Elena. As ever, his thoughts returned to her.

[to here]

[justthedealer.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/989420.html?thread=73584108#t73584108)]

And here Remy stopped. He didn't see Logan yet, and his stumpy little form would be easy to pick out of any crowd, but he also didn't appear to be the only one waiting here. As he'd figured, this was the location of choice for meeting up with other patients. Hopefully, Logan would have the same idea in mind as well.

He leaned up against the wall, fingering the deck of cards in his pocket. It was a new deck, as most of the ones he picked up were. He never felt bad about blowing up a new deck of cards. It was the older ones who'd seen much use and had traveled to lord knew how many places that he always felt a little bad destroying. As he thought about this, he pulled a single card out of the box and held it up in front of him, flipping it over in his hand. Eight of spades.

With a thought, the card lit up with a burst of biokinetic energy before dissolving away into nothing. Well. That was an answer to that question. The limitations on their abilities were lowered after dark, it seemed, though he could tell that had taken much more out of him then it had any right to.

[thestormishere]

[ From here.]

This was the place where Lightning had stopped the night before, then just long enough to pick out and ambush the kid who called himself 'Neku.' He didn't seem to be here this time, although Lightning certainly wasn't surprised after what she'd done to him. Remorse was pretty scarce at the moment though- she'd done what she thought she'd had to at the time to secure answers, and for the most part it had worked. She figured an odd impression on one of the other prisoners was not that big of a deal. If what she'd learned during the day was true, then most of the people here were pretty confused at first about the whole thing too anyway.

With so many others here as well, she decided to turn off her own lighting-device again-- at least until reaching the lobby-like area she knew lied ahead off the main hall. It made her rely a little more on her night vision, but it wasn't that bad of a trade-off... especially when it earned her a glimpse of something quite interesting: a flare of light, quickly fading in the hands of a man off by himself against one of the walls.

Had he just--? It was a small demonstration, true, but it looked a lot like magic and was enough to give Lightning pause in thought. She suddenly slowed from her brisk pace, a rather intense stare focused quite squarely on the man only a few paces away.

[stellarregions]

[From here.]

There was more traffic out in the main hall, which was to be expected, but none of it looked particularly threatening at the moment. Just other patients going about their own business. He briefly wondered what they might have been able to accomplish if everyone could be persuaded to act en mass, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Someone had to have thought of that already... it was just too obvious.

A quick glance around showed no sign of the guy he'd run into last night. Maybe he'd found a better place for his tagging? Gren paused briefly near the entrance to the stairwell to consider his options. He could try the upstairs again and hope he had more success that he had last night, he could explore the main floor, or he could head outside. All had their pros and cons, and it was hard to decide just what to go with.

[angeritself.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/988984.html?thread=73604152#t73604152); with permission to assume Gren's flashlight as on despite no previous mention ♥]

After the deserted previous halls (any moving through them having passed by the time Shizuo reached them), the contrast of this one, with not a few other people moving through it, gave Shizuo pause. The scattered lights made the darkness blacker, and made it harder to discern any details not caught in those beams. Not everyone wore the uniform, reminding Shizuo that he did, clenching his teeth together.

His annoying roommate had a different outfit, but he was as much a prisoner. Probably. So those not in gray weren't the people he was going to kill. Probably. That shred of logic didn't make every muscle any less tense, or do anything to quell his irritation.

Flashlight. Shizuo tried to pinpoint and focus on a light, fighting futile, wasted fury. He walked quickly toward the person who stood by a door, so to catch them before they went through.

"Hey," he said with a foot between them, and not mincing words: "Where'd you get it?" It might've helped to specify the flashlight as opposed to the shovel, but set as he was on the former, the latter barely existed for him.

[mugenreppa.livejournal.com]

And here. She'd bumped into Yakushiji here both times, and the last time, at least, he hadn't seemed all that eager to move on until she'd arrived. Possibly he lingered here every night to find someone to drag along with him. Well, before they'd gotten whooshed off to someplace else, this had been the last place she'd been with him, so it was only natural he'd come here to find her, to get his ring back. And Mele fully intended on using it as leverage.

Mele looked around, listening carefully, then walked a few paces. Without a light, though, walking too far in this hall wasn't a good idea. She stopped, and after a moment, leaned against the wall. Mele wasn't easy to sneak up on, and in the case someone could, they'd have to know she was here first. She adjusted her grip in the knife, settling it comfortably in her palm, and settled down to wait.

[mugenreppa.livejournal.com]

And then of course the place decided to foil her plans. Mele jumped as the intercom went on again, having gotten used to the relative stillness, and then again as the lights went all bright.

—the hell?!

She'd discovered two things now, at least. One, that Landel, or intercom guy, or whatever, liked to toy with his victims. She'd almost admire that, if that kind of thinking hadn't all but worn away from her stay here.

Hypocrite yourself, loser!

The second thing she'd discovered was there was no point to staying here. In the dark, she was waiting in ambush; in a lit place (no matter how poorly lit), she was a sitting duck. A quick glance around: nope, tall, dark, and broody was still a no-show—and then she moved to the next hall.

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

Lana nodded to Harvey as the sisters passed through; when they'd moved past him and out of easy earshot, she broke the silence. "That's Mr. Dent, who put up the survey this morning. He's a former defense attorney, and he's been very kind."

There. That should point Ema in the direction of the closest thing Lana had to a friend she had here. Should such a thing be necessary. First, they had to get through this evening without Ema freaking out; the fact she'd brought her notebook might be a big plus. If Lana could talk her into taking notes of the meeting, the responsibility might keep her from running off into the night.

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

Instinctively, Ema stopped walking and turned back to get a better look at the man Lana just pointed out. The darkness of the hallway and the distance away from him that they've already moved, however, made even something as simple as that pretty much impossible. She let out a huff of frustration before she resumed walking. Part of her wanted to throw a hissy fit, if she had to be honest with herself, but that would be both embarrassing and unproductive. Besides, she and Lana had more important things to deal with tonight.

At least Lana's statement had successfully broken the silence between them. Ema felt more comfortable talking. "I talked to Mr. Dent on the bulletin board earlier today. He was asking about law enforcement here at the institute. There are a lot of us." The first-person pronoun was, of course, intentional. Even if she wasn't due to be assigned for another three years, she was practically a scientific investigator herself!

[freewill]

[From here.]

Much like his first night in this place, this particular part of the hall was crowded with patients; some had their own clothing on, but most were in the same gray-toned uniform that he was currently wearing. The coat changed it up at least somewhat, but it was used mainly for convenience, and he wondered why more patients didn't take advantage of it.

Not that that had anything to do with his current task, but his mind had to go somewhere as he made his way through the halls. He was still so unused to having to travel the long way, but he spotted the stairs soon enough.

It didn't seem like many other patients were heading that way thus far, and so Castiel moved toward them unhindered; this time, without a sibling to slow him down.

[timedork]

The Doctor continued as the hall had emptied out into a larger hallway. It seemed that more people were milling about here as usual, perhaps waiting to meet friends or deciding where to go, but tonight he wouldn't be one of them. He swung his torch back and forth to have a look around as he walked to see if there were any familiar faces (for his peace of mind), but it didn't look like those he was most concerned for were here. He hoped they were staying in to rest, at least for tonight.

When the beam from his torch landed on the stairs ahead, the Doctor picked up the pace by a beat. He didn't need to rush, exactly, but the sooner he saw for himself what sort of statue was in the chapel, the better. A little more speed wouldn't hurt.