[[from here]]

Tonight, Sasuke resolved, he would bleed on the ring to make it easier to start where they left off, even if it meant he would have to bleed in every room they entered. A door was far from a formidable opponent, but seconds were precious in the night shift, and ever more so the more he lost to forced sleep.

Nothing about these rooms in the Institute seemed to change by night, even though by all rights they should have been damaged more than once -- by monsters, by patients, by both. Whatever the patients were doing, the building was waking into the same day and night over and over.

"I will give up a sense first," he said, turning to Aidou as he pushed the heavy door open. "I have experience going without."

After exchanging radio numbers, Uryuu picked at the salad in relative silence. Once sure he really couldn't be bothered with another bite, he set about arranging his things for the night. The sound of the intercom stirred his attention, and he looked up, waiting for the static. As ever, a nice addition to the atmosphere. He could still appreciate that, despite himself.

Grateful, indeed. Nook or cranny probably referred to the newly found passage in the library, which stirred Uryuu's curiosity further. Tomorrow, perhaps, unless Kratos-san did the unexpected and really did call. The very thought had his mouth curling with dry amusement, which failed to reach his eyes, narrowing with irritation. The doctor's spiel was the usual, and yet...

"Someday," he groused, "I'm going to put an arrow in that man's throat."

Uryuu said it, but did not swear -- not to his pride as a Quincy, not to anything. Not because he doubted he could, but because it wouldn't be practical in the moment. Much as he would aim to maim, not kill, to make speaking impossible, that would be a problem. They would want him to speak, after all.

As gratifying as imagining that future was, it only wasted time in the moment. The door unlocked, and almost simultaneously, Uryuu felt the pressure of the spirit particles filling the air. He reached, seeking Inoue-san, and felt nothing like. Pressing his teeth together, he nodded to Tsurugi-kun (expecting him off) and stood, to set about changing into the uniform. It was an obnoxious thing to have to choose, but unfortunately, better than the sweater and ill-fitting pants he'd be forced to wear during the day. Placing the toy radio in his pocket alongside the key ring and two pens, he lifted his pillowcase turned bag(with its two sweatshirts, journal, and his room radio) and slid it over his shoulder.

Wasteful as it was, he left the bat in the closet. Vantas-kun seemed to have disappeared as well, and it had never properly gotten to Inoue-san. Tonight it would just get in the way. Ready, he started into and down the hall, clutching his flashlight switched off.

[ to here ]

[From here.]

And here he was.

Castiel had made it to the meeting spot without any complications, which also meant that he was the first to arrive. Not only out of him and Kratos, but out of the entire patient body. There wasn't another soul here, and Castiel wasn't even in a position where he could sense if others were close or not. With no other recourse, he leaned against the north wall and pulled his new radio out of his trenchcoat with his free hand.

He glanced down at the three numbers printed at the bottom -- 77.7. It caused him to twist his mouth, because he knew the meaning behind it, at least from a human's perspective. It had to be a coincidence -- there was no other logical explanation for it -- and yet he still had to wonder.

He turned it on, but there was still only static. Castiel imagined that the radio wouldn't be of much use unless he had someone else's number to switch it to.

[For Kratos.]

Unlike the previous week, everything went smoothly for the patients on the bus ride back. No rowdy patients causing a crash, no sudden onslaught of monsters, just a pleasant ride back up the mountain. When they reached the unloading area in front of the institute, the nurses were quick to shuttle all of the patients off of the vehicles and then indoors to get to their rooms for dinner. If the nurses seemed rushed, they didn't appear willing to explain why, but anyone who'd noticed the quickly dimming sky would understand what the hurry was about.

But everything went as planned and all the patients made it safely back to their rooms. Better than that, dinner was waiting for them: a plate of lamb curry with some basmati rice and a salad on the side.

As they started to eat, the intercom came on, a little bit later than it usually would have. "Welcome back, everyone, welcome back! I have to admit, it was almost too quiet while you were all gone, but I'm glad to hear that you've made it back safely. Please feel free to dig into your dinner and get some rest. I'm sure you're all tired out after a busy day down in Doyleton."

It seemed that the patients couldn't get away from hearing the Head Doctor's cheerful voice at least once in the space of a day, but thankfully the message was short. The intercoms shut off, leaving the patients to discuss the day with their roommates.

[ Put your character's room number in the comment's subject line. Check for room assignments here! ]

During lunch, some of the staff of Lil' Tykes Toys had taken it upon themselves to decorate the store with an assortment of balloons. The variety of colors would have been enough to remind most people of bubblegum drops.

On top of that, a new face -- perhaps someone temporarily hired for the event -- sat behind a small table near the cash register. The festive balloons surrounding her seemed to match her cheerful disposition, as she wasn't shy about beckoning both children and adults over so they could receive their free gift.

The ad on the town bulletin wasn't lying, but what were they handing out?

((NOTE: Please read the lounge post for more details.))

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Aidou found himself on the main street that ran through the center of town. Logic dictated that if he had the Institute's ridiculous charge card, he might as well use it, but he'd been to Doyleton so many times that the place had become rather dull, zombies or no zombies. He'd been in the shops multiple times before, and nothing came to mind when he thought of going somewhere to entertain himself.

Should he buy some candy and hide from the daylight? Hmm... There was the new store he kept hearing about, too...

Even while he considered his options, Aidou caught himself watching the people on the street and the soft, naked expanse of their throats. Better than candy, better than idle entertainment, there was blood. Regretful that he couldn't actually get to it. Not without making quite the public fuss, anyway.

Soushi startled awake, and in a panic felt around the blankets and sheets. Ririchiyo's photograph. Where was it? He remembered to breathe a moment later when he found the photo, stuck between the sheets along with the bag he'd found in his box of supposed belongings. Now that it was daytime, it was easier to see the picture; Ririchiyo's cute round cheeks, her long hair, the soft pout of her lips, there was no mistaking it for a fraud. But why then, didn't he recognize when the photo had been taken or the outfit she was wearing? There were none like it in his collection, and he was sure he knew most of what was in her closet...

He tucked the scrap into his shirt when the radio came to life. Doyleton? They were taking a trip? Soushi was sorely tempted to look through the bag, now that he could see it, but if the staff here saw it, wouldn't they confiscate it? Rather than take the chance, he stuffed the bag back under his mattress, keeping the single photograph with him as the nurse opened the door to greet him.

While the clothing was much more acceptable than the pajamas they were usually assigned, the jeans were a little too big, but luckily included a belt. The plaid shirt was like nothing in his previous wardrobe, but at least it had a pocket on the chest, which he slipped the photograph into as he turned his back on the nurse to dress. He was accustomed to wearing what he was told, and managed to make even the jeans and patterned shirt look somewhat natural. Last, he was given a jacket, tan in color(though there were a few stubborn stains here and there), with buttons running down the front.

Once he was dressed and ready to go, he was led outside to the buses. It was strange being outside the institution like this. It certainly gave the illusion of freedom. How did they manage to control so many patients on a trip such as this? Surely, he wanted to believe, they wouldn't notice one missing. Not until the end of the day, at least. Did they take attendance?

Though if it were that simple, other patients would have made their escape by now. And of all those he'd spoken with, not one could cite a patient that had successfully escaped. The goal, he reminded himself, was not to escape at all, but to find his master and make certain she was safe. If escape was a key factor in determining that, so be it, but he'd yet to find proof of where to even begin his search for the girl. The notebook might have something more to it, but now it was out of reach. He resigned himself to the bus, accepting the bagged breakfast with a smile.

[Loki]

[From here]

Just as last night, Link stood and waited along the wall of the main hallway. Nobody else was out, yet. Good. He had made good time. One never truly knew, here.

He didn't expect to wait long. They all seemed to be very competent people, perhaps with the slight exception of the Once-ler. Though Link could not complain. He had been a bumbling fool the first time he had faced a true monster.

[The Green Team!]

Scar was still sitting at his desk, listening to the wind howl outside when the intercom came on once again for the night. He scowled, listening while going about the nightly routine he had missed the previous night. His robe, sash, and pathetic weapons, followed by the photograph, slipped quickly and discretely into his robe. That was when he heard the Head Bastard mention the third floor.

His attention snapped directly up to the intercom and he stopped in his tracks. He needed to get there. That was where everything was, where they must have been keeping the secrets of this damned place. Landel's sinister warnings were completely ignored. If it was a possible route, he was finding it and taking it.

Perhaps one of his allies would know something. First, he would check in with Alphonse since he was so close. But it would be more likely for Lust to know of this sort of thing. God knew they had hardly discussed anything productive, earlier.

Scar pushed out into the hallway with his flashlight in hand, leaning lightly against the wall to wait for the younger Elric.

[Alphonse]

Patients might hear the wind blowing outside as the intercom turned on and they were gradually moved from the courtyard or somewhere surrounding the Sun Room and back to their rooms. The wind made a howling noise, something that almost seemed to hint at what was to come when darkness hit and night began.

But for now, everything was as pleasant as it always was during the day, with the Head Doctor chiming in to explain what was on the menu this evening.

"I'm sure you all had a nice, relaxing day as you continue on your journey toward good health, but now it's time to head back to your rooms and have dinner with your roommate before lights out. Tonight we're serving some seasoned salmon with rice pilaf on the side, and for those of you who are vegetarians we have a black eyed pea soup along with a dinner roll.

"Whatever you're having tonight, eat up and get some rest! We'll be seeing you again tomorrow!"

The nurses didn't say much about the fact that some patients had roommates who had been missing for a few days now. Normally there would be someone to take their place, but that didn't seem to be the case for a few people. The mystery behind that was clearly one that was going to remain unanswered, but at least the patients had a hot plate of food waiting for them on their desks.

[ Respond with your character's room number in the subject line. Check here if you don't know which room your character is in. ]

Tomatoes in both choices. Lloyd's face fell the moment he heard the announcement, and with a groan he let his forehead thunk against the table in the Sun Room. He couldn't even ask if he could have a sandwich made without tomatoes in it. The lunches were already made, his nurse holding one of each in her hands. Unhappily, he accepted the one that had meat. Maybe something could be salvaged from it.

Ignoring his nurse's cheerful parting words to enjoy his meal, the teen waited until she'd stepped away before he took his lunch out of the bag and started picking it apart - only to freeze, heart pounding unevenly. A deep, rattling breath had just- Lloyd didn't even finish the thought. Something was here! He whipped around, not even sure how he was going to defend himself. The only thing he had was one of those plastic spoon-forks, and if he was up against that same thing they'd run from last night-

There was nothing. Nothing but nurses and patients passing by. Not even any cats. No one else looked like they'd even heard anything. Lloyd's eyes darted around, but still nothing showed up.

Come on, I know I heard it...

[For Ed and Al!]

[[from here]]

The crunch of sand and bones underfoot punctuated Sasuke's question, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dim light and coming to focus on the figure at the water's margin. It was the same creature -- or skeleton, or whatever it was supposed to be -- in very nearly the same pose, hunched in the small paddle boat bobbing slightly on the current.

There was something to think about: if the water moved, then it had to start and end somewhere, and most likely it ended aboveground. Konohagakure's forests had had very few mountain springs, their water usually rich wide rivers by the time it reached the giant trees, but Sasuke had spent time in Rock country with Orochimaru and had seen plenty of mountain streams.

No point considering it before they could get properly in the water to test it, however; and even then, with the trade Charon wanted ...

Sasuke stopped thinking about it and marched forward with more determination, listening for Aidou's sure footsteps nearby without looking -- habit, by now.

[[from here]]

It was, by now, impossible not to be grateful that the vampire's impatience overrode his decorum. Sasuke gritted his teeth through the nausea and had his hand on the heavy knob before it was fully faded, turning his attention instead to Aidou beside him: "You checked on Aigis first? How was she?"

The question came not so much from real concern as necessary curiosity as to what Landel's latest pet project had turned into, if patients were frantically rooting for the cure in the Greenhouse during daytime hours. If it was really that easily found, surely the majority of the population would be cured sooner rather than later, before the threatening scent that Aidou seemed to catch off of them came to fruition.

[From here]

And there he was. Link stood near the wall, idly tapping the toe of his boot against the ground as he waited for Soma and the others she had recruited. He doubted they would take long. Soma seemed like a competent young woman. Hopefully that meant that she would have found strong allies to take with them.

He stood with his flashlight, along with the katana she had allowed him to borrow. Link was in his tunic from home, as he always was at night.

[For Soma and the Green Team!]

[In M1]

The second intercom message had startled Alphonse, and the chilling change to the doctor's voice threw him off more (though if he were honest he had expected something of the sort). He didn't waste much time, grabbing the 'magic torch' Link had told him about and searching around the rest of his side of the room.

A keyring in the desk and what he could only assume were batteries for the flashlight were the only really useful things he found. Still, it was better than nothing, and after he switched the slippers for shoes he slipped out of his room. Setting down the hallway at a trot, he turned down toward the entrance to the block.

[to here]

As it turned out, all of the female patients were wise enough to remain indoors, so the nurses didn't have as much work to do as the intercom came on and the end of the day officially hit.

"Hello, patients! This storm put a wrench into some of our planned activities, but I hope that all of you stayed dry and safe, especially those of you who are sick!" The Head Doctor did a spectacular job of sounding like he was truly worried for the patients' well-being.

"For dinner, we'll be serving some gourmet spaghetti with marinara sauce. There'll be parmesen cheese and some crushed red peppers on the side to add if you wish, not to mention a salad! I hope that you all eat well before lights out, and those of you who've been paired up with some of our new arrivals, make sure to make them feel welcome."

The announcement echoed through the halls as the patients were led back to their assigned rooms, and Landel finished it all off as most of them arrived to their doors.

"That's all for now. Sleep well, everyone, and we'll be talking again come tomorrow."

The intercom turned off, leaving patients with only their roommates as company.

[Post a comment with your room number in the subject line. Look here for room assignments.]

Link took his lunch into the Sun Room, preferring a quiet place to think rather than going into one of rooms he had yet to properly explore. He felt tired, physically and emotionally, but he needed to devise a plan for tonight. Tracking down Soma would be for another day; curing the other patients came before basement exploration.

He settled onto a couch with his lunch, picking out his sandwich and drink. Tuna fish- finally a food he could recognize!

[Soushi!~]

Soccer, huh... That actually sounded nice about now, as far as Kyousuke was concerned. Not counting that mishap during the night, it had been too long since he'd been able to kick a ball around, and as a result, he was completely behind in his training. He couldn't afford to be slacking off, especially now that they were Japan's best team. ... Or so he'd normally think, but he knew it couldn't be helped, and that it was hardly the right priority now. Even so, he was beginning to get restless, from accomplishing so little.

Of course, when it came down to it, that wouldn't be an option anyway. He was in no state to be so active, and because of that, the nurse deemed it best he didn't go outside period. It left Kyousuke annoyed, but maybe this was for the best. The sidelines didn't suit him.

The sun room was both quiet and empty, a fact that he might normally appreciate, but at the moment, he couldn't say he was thrilled. It was too easy to let his mind wander to unpleasant things like this... What he needed right now was to be busy, doing something useful or worthwhile, if only in a vague sense. Certainly not sitting around like this.

Well, whatever. Maybe it would ended sooner if he slept through it.

[ Flora! ]

_{[from here]}

Given their limited time, he and Sasuke had little excuse not to proceed through the ballroom doors with as much haste as possible. The caverns were a new challenge, another bothersome game, but it was also not unlike a race to the finish. There was no telling when nightshift might end; they would have to work fast if they wanted to stick a pin in this latest mystery.

With that thought in mind, Aidou didn't hesitate to step onto the white sands. He hadn't forgotten a word of the skeleton's rather insulting invitation the last time, but if there was a way to avoid dealing with him, Aidou wasn't sure what it was other than to simply turn back. He didn't know enough of this trial's "rules" yet. Had he more power, perhaps they could have simply travelled to the other side of the lake by creating their own bridge... but even if he did have the energy to spare, there was something worrisome about the water. Something sickly.

A feeling he had toward the entire cavernous area, as a matter of fact.

"Have you given thought to what this creature proposes?" Aidou asked while they walked, voice low. He suspected he already knew the answer. He, for one, had had the skeleton on his mind for some time.

[[from here]]

The transportation nausea -- it was at once familiar, something he'd grown accustomed to, and somehow worse, perhaps due to anticipation. Sasuke squinted his eyes shut against the yellow light of the chandeliers that dangled over the space for a moment, resisting the urge to press the heel of his palm against a temple, and then forced himself to straighten and look around a second time.

It was as inexplicably large with improved vision as it had been the first time he'd properly seen it, as improbable a space as it had ever been when his knowledge of it was limited to fire and echoes and the trudge of bare feet over floor. That old, old suspicion resurfaced briefly -- genjutsu, and on a scale unimaginable -- and faded as quickly. Even if it were, there was no way of breaking it with chakra. The only way out was sheer force or destruction of the caster.

Assuming it were, anyway.

Accustomed by now to continuing conversation through the heady confusion of relocation, Sasuke turned even as he headed for the heavy doors that were their destination. "A cure," he repeated, voice skeptical. "A real cure, or just Landel's whimsy ending this particular round of amusement?"