[ Continued from here. ]

The damn burger place was actually the last place Haseo would have wanted to revisit after the previous week, but there was little other choice when practically dragging the distraught Endrance along with him and trying to find an appropriate shelter: he couldn't be certain anywhere else close would have somewhere to sit down, and the only other place he'd actually been inside of - the grocery store - had been somewhere Endrance had also been in when the town had been full of zombies.

This was where Haseo had been with Leon and Kibitoshin when the nightmare started, but... well, he couldn't remember if he'd ever mentioned that particular piece of information to Endrance or not, and at the moment going somewhere that wasn't as bad to Endrance, even if it was more unsettling to Haseo, was more important. Most of the places were enough to make Haseo feel secretly sick to his stomach anyway.

Hurrying through the door, he immediately guided the Blade Brandier to the side, behind a dividing booth and by a window sporting a display that mostly blocked it. He couldn't keep from staring around a bit (was that chair over there the one he'd used as a weapon?), and his mind was strangely blank, but he'd gotten alright at doing things without thinking. If only that could work all the time.

"Sit," he said seriously, and made to do the same.

Lingering around where the buses were parked made him feel too much like a lost tourist—especially with that woman looking at him like that—so Sam headed off to the park instead. Not too far since he knew Dean would want to see him. Not for anything specific, obviously. It'd just always been automatic to find each other after whatever crazy stuff happened to go down in the night.

Though what they were gonna talk about this time was beyond him. Oh sure, he could ask Dean what went on last night and Dean would probably ask him the same (to which he'd leave out any mentions of Ruby), but that only took up so many minutes. Then what? The job? Not much hunting was getting done. Just another thing that bothered him because yeah, being surrounded by the supernatural wasn't anything new, but a few memorable occasions aside, they looked for these things, not the other way around. Picking up a job or chasing down a trail wasn't the same as having that trail chase you down. It was hard to appreciate the role reversal.

Besides, any discussion of all of this was superficial at best. They were talking around things, not about them, and he knew Dean must've noticed, too.

Still. Screw it. Maybe it was time he pushed all that aside. Dean might've already made the deal—hell, for all Sam knew, Dean's contract might already be up—but he didn't remember the last year. They could...start over, as much as they were able to. Wasn't that the whole reason why he'd decided to keep all this quiet? To make sure Dean didn't have to deal with his crap?

Frowning to himself, he leaned back against a tree, resting his foot flat against the trunk. The skies were seriously looking grey and heavy, but man, he almost wanted to say he missed getting caught in the rain or other generally bad weather conditions. There was something so insanely controlled about the institute, it creeped him out. Kinda nice to see that at least the weather was one part that hadn't gone all The Giver on them.

Well. That and a communal breeding program. Presumably.

[say hi, big brother. :( ]

The transition was too disquieting. She remained where she was, staring at the ceiling. Appearing in one place after being in another wasn't entirely new. Blacking out in Unit 00 led her to open her eyes in the hospital ward more times than she cared about. This, though. Rei would say that this wasn't the same, if only for the lack of injuries. The strange events of the night had added to that--echoes of memories flashing in a hall too real to be only that. And a boy in an unlocked room resting in something that seemed strange in this place.

All of that, really. The other, the entry plug, the cool metal that remained in her hand. Almost hesitantly, Rei slid it under her mattress, some sort of instinct hiding what she should not have. Like glasses that were no longer near. When the nurse came in with a change of clothes, Rei acquiesced quietly, sliding the dress and jacket on efficiently. A passing whim thought to question the woman, but after the name argument from the day prior simply had the girl walking forward. Ikari's words and last night slid distrust in place of neutrality. There was something strange about the place she found herself in.

She quietly seated herself on the bus, staring out the window blandly.

[for Sai]

Even with the nasty weather, Zack still felt refreshed after going outside. Humidity would have reminded him of Gongaga, but he wasn't sure he needed that. Not now, not when he wasn't even sure if he'd be able to get back home and see his parents again. Not that he should have the chance at all, but it was hard to think about nonetheless. Seeing how Gaia hadn't even gotten a rocket into space yet, the idea of figuring out how to get home was one huge question mark in Zack's head.

He already felt hungry again, but after his talk with Aidou the soldier knew that he needed to get that bulletin note up as soon as possible. For that reason, he gave the nurse who was currently herding him his best pleading eyes as he asked to be taken into the Sun Room for a quick second. Once there, he scribbled out a note as fast as he could (he hoped his friends would be able to read his writing) and then tacked it up.

Also, what was with the guy on the intercom all of a sudden? Had he gotten a spontaneous cold? It seemed ridiculous considering he was their captor, but it also meant he was at least somewhat human. He could get a stuffy nose. That meant he was probably weak in other ways.

But there he was, resorting to violence again. It was difficult not to, when that was what he was used to. Besides, Zack was getting the feeling that this Landel guy deserved it.

Shrugging to himself, he entered the cafeteria again and got in line for his lunch. He had to admit he was glad that the food didn't seem to be drugged, seeing how it was downright delicious. Zack got a whiff of the fried poultry as it was put onto his tray and let out a happy sigh. Chow time!

Seeing how the cafeteria was still pretty empty, the young man found the closest empty spot and then sat down. Hopefully one of his friends would spot him and head on over. For now, though, Zack picked up one of the pieces of meat, bit into it, and leaned back into his chair with a content look on his face. So much better than the slop Shin-Ra had called food...

[For Tobias! Let us know if you want to join.]

The last day of his workweek came much later than anticipated, however Jizabel found no problems with the later date. Honestly it was much more normal to finish out the week on a Friday than their usual Thursday. That left the proper weekend where no one could question as to why they were not working. This "weekend" would be shorter though as Jizabel knew they would be back to their usual schedule come the next Tuesday. He would have to be careful not to extend his research this time around. One too many tardies and his position could end up compromised.

For today though, he was prompt and already well into reading his first patient's file when it came time for sessions to begin. He'd even had enough time to prepare himself prior to the knock on the door, and called almost immediately for the nurse to bring his patient in.

As the static faded out, Carter was left staring up at the ceiling in confusion. Dr. Landel had seemed like such a nice guy a minute ago and now it seemed he'd gone off the crazy cliff in a tank made of whiskey-laced coffee. The institute had found many ways to amaze him but this was the first thing that had actually come close to scaring him.

Still, he had a Mr. SWM 29 (people had such weird names in the future) to go see about things that exploded. Kommandant Landel wasn't paying him any mind and therefore it wasn't really Carter's problem. The young sergeant gathered up a flashlight someone had left in his room and struck out eagerly for M30.

Maybe he'd run into one of those monsters people kept talking about. Wouldn't that be neat?

[To here.]

_{[From here.]}

Shinji emerged into another familiar hallway. At the same time, everything was off. He'd learned this his first night, but it seemed to get worse each time. He hated this feeling, but he had to press on. He couldn't run away. He couldn't hide. He didn't have any other choice. He paused for a brief moment to steel himself and then moved on. He had to keep moving. He had to keep going. He moved on.

_{[To here.]}

As he made the changeover from mild-mannered mental patient to impeccably-hatted archaeologist, Indy was compelled to admit to himself that he wasn't sorry Ryuuzaki and Lunge were coming along for the ride that night. As little as he trusted those two, his methods hadn't been having a lot of success, and a couple of inspectors who'd be more likely to approach the place as a crime scene than a site of potential historical significance might at least shed some light on things from a different perspective. If nothing else, the three of them might be able to make a call on whether the whole thing was a waste of time. Indy enjoyed working in (or maybe it was just puttering around) the ruins, but not as much as he'd enjoy getting out of here and back to his real work.

Once dressed, he picked up the usual set of effects (dog leash/whip coiled over the right shoulder, scalpel and gardening gloves in one jacket pocket and map, journal and pen in the other; flashlight. Nothing he'd seen out there so far convinced him that he'd need the pipe). Tonight he decided to carry the little radio with his free hand--Landel's announcement made it sound like it might actually be good for something for once, and there was always the chance that it could pick up some different stations (news, maybe) some distance away from the compound. If nothing else, he could bash it against the killer plant.

That was everything. Indy headed out.

[to here]

Yet another intercom jingle sounded, and the nurses, anticipating the Head Doctor's orders, already began grouping around the patients as he began to speak.

"Good evening, everyone and I trust you all enjoyed your fun day of physical activity! I sure wish I had! Aha! Anyway, our dinner tonight is some spaghetti with our ol' homemade Landel's marinara sauce, served with garlic bread and a Caesar salad. Our usual assortment of drinks and vegetarian alternatives is available, and our dessert for tonight is vanilla gelato ice cream with chocolate sauce.

"I do hope that sounds palatable to everyone! I will be speaking with you again shortly!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Find new room assignments here. This shift's intro group is here. ]

Once again the doors had opened. Cloud believed most of what Yuffie had told him, but it was still unreal the way this place operated. They were clearly being tested, mocked, or both with the nightly routine, yet they didn't have many other options but to take the chances they were given.

Still unarmed, but hopefully ready to deal with anything, the blond nodded a goodbye to his roommate before stepping out into the hall with nothing but his flashlight. Yuffie's room was in the single female block, which was on the other side of the block he was currently in. It wouldn't take long to get there, but knowing that creatures could attack the patients even within the patient block caused him to keep his guard up right from the start.

[to here]

For the second time, Rika found herself waking with a start. She blinked at the grey light streaming through the windows, and looked across the room. Anise was still asleep. So. I'm still here. Let me just check...

Rika put on her slippers and walked over to the desk, checking the drawer and breathing a light sigh of relief. Good, the knife was still there. She wasn't sure why it would be there - shouldn't they have confiscated the weapon? Either way, though, as much as she was reluctant to use it, she was glad to have it still there.

Just then, she heard the creak of the open door, and quickly closed the drawer. Her nurse peeked in, whispering, "Rachel? Time for breakfast. You should put on a sweatshirt, it's a bit chilly." Rika nodded, quickly adding the extra layer and following the nurse out into the hall and to the cafeteria.

She was used to a Japanese-style breakfast, so the idea of something sweet - which the nurse was avidly describing, with the waffles and fruit and syrup - was a bit odd. Once she walked in, though, she had to admit it smelled good. She filled her plate with waffles topped with blueberries, some sausage, and eggs, took a glass of orange juice, and took a seat. It seemed she was early, so she took a seat close to one of the windows and waited.

[For Ange.]

[from here]
Oh, so this was the hall he needed to be in. At least, he was pretty sure it was the right place. If he remembered right, the man on the bulletin board talking about Search and Rescue, his name was Phillip Hunt. If there were only two people in a room, though, it shouldn't be too hard finding him.

Allen shone the flashlight up on the wall, following the numbers. M14, where was M14...

[moving down to here]

...apparently being vampired made the zombie go away. Junpei wasn't sure what to make of this development. yes, he was quite happy that he no longer wanted to go gnaw on someone's arm, but... vampire. He'd seriously swallowed vampire flesh (complete with vampire blood) and then that same vampire drank his blood. That was a bad combination, according to movies, books and other folklore. Not that Junpei could really remember a whole ton of vampire lore that would be useful in determining if he'd been properly vampirized. As it was, Evangeline didn't exactly come across as a typical vampire, so anything he he knew may very well be useless. That didn't make him feel any better. He supposed he'd find out if he started wanting to suck on people's necks in a non-sexual manner.

As it was, the teen was terrified he'd feel some kind of mystical pull dragging him to Evangeline to do her menial work, like carrying her shit and laying down over a puddle of mud so she could walk across him or something equally as lame and humiliating for a servant to do. Seriously, he did not want to find himself calling her Master and holding her purse at the mall while she tried on a bunch of dresses and shit.

...what if she made him do, like, evil things? Now he really wished he hadn't told her about Persona and let her see him burninate that unholy drain clog. She could do all sorts of things, make him do them, and he might be vampirically driven to do them. Evangeline would be a cruel master. Gods, she terrified him.

It was a good thing he was giving Yukari the Evoker that night. He set out to meet her once he decided that he wasn't getting called to be Evangeline's bitch that night. His armor, baseball bat, jersey and the closet rod were all in the mesh bag slung over his shoulder.

...his arm itched. Stupid vampire.

[to here]

The intercom's jingle signaled yet another announcement.

"And our excellent behavior continues! Well, I am extremely impressed indeed!

"In any case, it's time to stop our socializing, unfortunately, and for the patients to return to their quarters for dinner. Be aware that new roommates have been assigned due to our influx of new patients and discharged old ones, so please be hospitable should you find yourself with someone new!

"As for dinner itself: tonight, we'll be serving shrimp and vegetable tempura along with delicious chicken teriyaki. Yum, yum, yum! As sides, we will also be serving boiled, salted soybeans, rice, and of course the appropriate soy and tempura sauces. Our regular assorted drinks and vegetarian substitutes are also available.

"I hope you enjoy your meal!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Find new room assignments here. ]

Despite the bit of bravado he'd displayed for Yuffie's sake, seeing her that way really had done a number on him. It was a good thing he'd found the bulletin board afterward. Having it confirmed that this state wasn't normal (was, in fact, new as of that morning) made it much easier to think positive. They'd get back the Yuffie they knew one way or another.

The girl had gone into the other activity room, so when Cloud was offered a choice he picked the room she wasn't in. He wouldn't be able to keep a watch on her this way, but neither would she be able to throw another fit over being stalked. This also gave him a chance to keep an eye on the board for anything else important that might show up.

Sighing, the blond made himself comfortable on one of the sofas, watching both the nurses and the cats roaming the floor. What were the people in charge of this place trying to accomplish?

[free]

Today was really trying to rain on her parade, wasn't it?

Well, it wasn't gonna work! Hanna was determined to stay strong and cheerful, in spite of Kenshin throwing a mega bitchfit and that the chick from the library being… Yeah. Her flightiness had been bad enough, but the half glossed-over memories had bordered on terrifying. Had she really been that far gone? It had to have been the meds. Just the meds. Yuffie was a douchey, semi-sociopathic klepto ninja thing, but even in that imagined world of hers, she hadn't gone around slashing people to ribbons for fun. Had she? Ugh, Hanna didn't even know anymore. Crazy people were capable of crazy stuff

Hanna's gut clenched just thinking about it, and she turned determinedly back to her lunch. The food wasn't exactly great, but it was better than some of the stuff she'd eaten. Like Stan's Deep fried Twinkie and mashed banana hot pot. Or, y'know, the normal stuff that teenage semi-runaways ate. Craptastic sandwiches and super economy potato chips, when she could get them, and whatever was in Tiffany's fridge when she couldn't. Dignity was dignity, and dignity was important, but being able to scratch a living from a rock was a handy life skill to have.

Stuffing another few chips in her mouth, Hanna did her best to ignore the door—and, by proxy, anybody who happened to come through it. Nostalgia trip aside, hadn't the Head Nurse said something about a whole new batch of crazycakes? Now she'd feel even more like a sardine than ever. Great.

[ For Cloud? :D ]

Mori woke with a start. He lay on the bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling and sighed quietly. Another day, another round of shifts and people and-- Wait a minute. Breathing in carefully, Mori's brow knit together as he realized that his ribs were no longer broken. After testing his collarbone, he found that it, too, was healing faster than it should have. Not that he was complaining, but there was something odd about broken bones setting so quickly. Pushing himself up out of bed, the teen shook his head, knowing that he'd have another day or two of the sling and then he'd be free from it.

But more important than that was finding out how Mitsukuni was doing. The last thing he remembered was the bathroom and gathering metal. Since they were together at the end of the night, Mori was certain that Mitsukuni would be fine, but...well, he still liked to confirm such things with his own eyes. With the twins gone and Tamaki still missing, Mori didn't want to take any chances anymore. Especially not with the strange announcements this morning.

As usual, his nurse came to collect him and helped him into his sling. Then he followed her quietly into the cafeteria, taking notice of the unusually empty bulletin board. They really were cracking down on it already. Weird. Even weirder? For once, he was the first into the room. Picking up a tray, he pointed out what he wanted, making sure to take double of the pancakes (asking to keep them away from the sausages for now), double of the strawberry jam and biscuits, and an extra helping of fruit. To top it off? Milk. It'd help his bones mend. Hopefully.

Going to a nearby seat, Mori took a look around the empty room and shivered. Kind of eerie in here without anyone else but the nurses. Someone was certain to come sooner or later though, right? He hoped so at least.

[for Chihaya]

[from here]

...why didn't the locks in this place operate by some other mechanism? It wasn't that Endrance really minded having to break the lock, but...it was just so messy. He supposed kicking around small imaginary creatures for the lights atop their head and then using those to unlock doors wasn't really much better, though.

He stepped into the hallway, sword pointed forward. If he had thought the previous hall was too quiet, that was nothing compared to this one. He could hear his own footsteps echoing against the tile floor, each of them seeming louder than the last. The strange part was that he couldn't hear anything from most of the rooms. That was a blessing and a curse, he thought - blessing because he wasn't sure he wanted to hear anything, but a curse because he couldn't tell which room Haseo was in.

That is, until he reached the end of the hallway. One door was open, and he hesitantly stepped inside, more than a little afraid of what he might find.

[to here]

[from here]

The stairwell was empty, but Heat wasn't too surprised. Despite all those milling about already, he'd still left his room as soon as he was able. That the others hadn't been as fast was still well within the realm of possibility. He didn't like it, but he'd give them time. Seraph apparently wasn't here to set the pace, so someone had to do it.

Still, he was impatient. A lack of any real sustenance over the past day and night already had the demon roaring at the back of his psyche. Shackled as he was, the feeling was unbearable. He stood just a moment with his back against the wall in some small attempt at restraint, but was soon pacing back and forth in what little space was provided.

They all needed to hurry the hell up.

Oh gods, it was back. He was going to end up trying to eat someone. Junpei just knew it. last night he managed to avoid that by not leaving his room, mostly because he was waiting for Ryouji who never showed, but that didn't matter. What mattered was Junpei couldn't stay put in his room this night. He needed to blow off some steam. He needed to get some armor for tomorrow's training. He needed to go meet Evangeline before she decided to turn him into a newt.

Being a newt would suck.

At least he had jeans, a t-shirt that didn't have a stupid smiley face on it and a hat to wear. That made him feel moderately better, even if he was the walking dead with a taste for human flesh. At least he still looked like himself, the rotting flesh only visible on his ankle, which was covered up by his pants. With a pair of heavy boots on, walking didn't hurt much. Oh, it still hurt, but he wasn't limping about. It seemed Trismegistos still had some regenerating punch in this damned place.

Grabbing his baseball bat, Junpei gave a pathetic sigh before he left his room. Time to get the evoker.

[to here]