[From here.]

The Colonel found it tempting to check on his Majesty before he continued on his way to Roy’s room, but with Guy having been roomed nearby he really saw no use in further tangling himself in trifling matters. Of course, that wasn’t to say that he was completely comfortable with the idea, but he had a strict schedule he needed to follow to keep a lasting impression.

But this also brought up the point of a head count. It was true that he’d been relatively lax with attendance, yet he knew that they were all due for a gathering – at least on the bulletin – any day now.

Jade sighed as he pressed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose before continuing along his way.

[To here.]

[Coming from here.]

Daemon slipped out into the large, empty corridor, pausing in the doorway for a long moment to sweep the beam of his flashlight up and down either direction to make sure the path was clear, before motioning for his brother to follow him. Turning to his right, he headed for the next hall, knowing that if their father was heading out anywhere this night, he would have to come through there first.

[Going here.]

[From here.]

[Specifically outside M1]

Nope, no one here either.

Axel sighed loudly. It wasn’t like he wanted to frolic around with two dozen or so people scrambling about, but he didn’t want to become bait for anything that was hiding in the corners either. He didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, but someone was bound to crawl out of their rooms at some point.

It didn’t take long to reach the end of the hall, but he made no move to knock at Roy’s door. It looked like the guy was expecting a few visitors and he was pretty sure that he wasn’t one of them. Nah, all he had to do was wait for the rest of his teammates to arrive, drop off whatever they gathered up and off they’d go.

Leaning his weapon against the wall, Axel followed suit and nestled back against the hard surface.

[from here]

Anya finally arrived at her destination - front of the Sun Room, where Kimbley had said he'd meet her. She hadn't planned on being here first, but she couldn't help it if she was motivated and liked to take initiative, could she?

He could come from any direction, see the sword she was carrying, and run. On the other hand, if she tried to hide it, he'd know she was acting suspicious, whereas if she kept it in plain sight, he might just assume that she had it for protection against creepy-crawlies.

That was probably the best idea. The vengeance demon leaned the sword against the wall, close to her hand but not obviously threatening, and then leaned against the wall next to it.

After a couple of seconds, she looked down the hallway in both directions. The feeble beam of her flashlight couldn't penetrate far enough down the hall to see anything interesting, but Kimbley should've been here by now.

"Ever heard of punctuality, mister?" she muttered sarcastically to herself.

And then he was back in his room again. Sai frowned at the ceiling momentarily, but was soon sitting up. He was back in the Landel's uniform again, which really saved him the trouble of having to change, didn't it?

It was disappointing that he hadn't had the opportunity to finish his discussion with Usopp, but luckily they'd already made plans for the morning meal - to include their new cohort, of course. Hopefully whatever had been responsible for making Usopp act the way he had the night before had worn off with the sunrise. Otherwise things would get troublesome.

The moment his nurse came to get him he was ready to leave, and as usual she was pleased with how willing to go along with the daily routine he was, though he hardly offered her any attention. Breakfast was... unpleasant looking, so Sai stuck to milk and fruit. Finding a table, he didn't yet take a seat but stood so that the two men he'd be meeting with could spot him easier.

Time to get down to business.

[waiting for Usopp and Mello]

The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet.

Quietly, he collected dinner and a big glass of orange juice, and chose a seat near the food-serving counters. Talking for so long had made him thirsty... and, well, fruit juice was a luxury he had missed.

[Stalk away, my dearest Admiral. <3 ]

The lockdown had been interesting. The fact that the staff had enough power to put down a rebellion that quickly and then lock people into their rooms just as fast was something of a feat to be admired. Their efficiency would have been much more impressive if Okita had been on the other side of it, however. As it stood, he had to keep his assessment to himself and when the nurses came and escorted the men out to the showers, he was ready to play the role of model prisoner for a little while.

The last thing he needed was another needle in the neck, after all.

He followed his nurse, smiling pleasantly at her as she led him through the Sun Room and toward the men's showers. Despite arriving almost a week ago, this was his first time experiencing these strange Western bathrooms. He'd explored them at night, but the smell had kept him far from the spigets and fixtures except when absolutely necessary. His nurse pointed out the changing room and politely turned around, trusting that he'd be good for now.

It was fortunate that she did or she might have seen the extra five pens he'd stuck in his waistband to be used later if he needed a weapon. He undressed, hiding the pens away along with his journal and allowed his nurse to remove the bandages around his chest. The scratches had scabbed over and were mostly healed by now. He took the towel she offered him and went into the showers, glad to see he was the first one. It would make finding him easier if anyone needed to speak with him.

Stepping over to the shower furthest away from the door, he fiddled with the knobs and nearly screamed when cold water hit him full on. Stupid Western plumbing! He hadn't been expecting that from what everyone had told him about showering. It took a few minutes, but the hot water began to run and he calmed down, peering at the showerhead and marveling at how water came from the wall directly. Such innovation. With little else to do but enjoy a nice warm bath, Okita began to wash, feeling the stress slip off him along with the week's accumulated sweat and grime.

[open for anyone]

As much as Nia didn't want to leave her new friend alone she didn't have much choice in the matter when her nurse coerced her out of her room. She'd always been the type that wore her emotions on her sleeve, so it was easy to spot the look of dismay written on her face. Try as she might, Nia couldn't bring herself to smile, feeling like she let someone very dear to her down, and to her that was the worse feeling she could have ever felt.

But oh, did she try! It wasn't until they reached the Sun Room did she manage to smile for her nurse, trying to look for the silver lining in the clouds. At least no one was killed, or even seriously hurt for that matter, but she hoped no one would be punished too severely for his or her actions. Everyone must have had good reasons to fight, and until she was convinced otherwise she would only hope for their safety.

When her nurse offered her a choice of rooms to go to, the girl pursed her lips and thought hard, but it didn't take long for her gaze to land on a big board with several notes pinned on the surface. Her curiosity piqued immensely, and with her nurse's question long forgotten, Nia raised her arm and pointed over at the aforementioned object.

"If I may ask, what is that?" The woman followed her patient's gaze before laughing lightly, letting her hand rest on the child's head.

"Why, that's the bulletin board. It's an awfully popular place for patients to go to, especially if they want to talk to someone they can't seem to find. But the things they write there..." The nurse shook her head, but that was enough for Nia. She was already walking over to it, but she caught herself and offered the latter a cheerful smile.

"May I stay here?"

"Of course you can, Rachel. Just don't get in the wrong crowd, okay?" Nia hadn't the slightest clue of what the nurse was talking about, but she nodded nonetheless and sat herself on one of the chairs and began to read. However, not even a minute into it she found herself tilting her head out of habit.

What was a club?

Hitsugaya woke with a start.

His entire body ached, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as it had been the night before. His injuries had been tended two with clean gauze and bandages, and he found every movement wasn't agony. He wasn't in the best of shape, but thanks to the miracle of landel's strange time distortion, he had mostly recovered from the vile poison without having to waste anyone else's talents.

And in his hand, still...there was the key.

He dressed quickly, sliding the key onto the key ring from his desk drawer and stuck it into his pocket. Whether the key stood to gain them anything or not, it stood as a vital reminder that they could succeed in this place. There was hope, as insignificant as it often seemed. They could beat this place.

That small shred of hope made getting up worth it.

The nurse who escorted him to breakfast was cheerful, and commented idly about how wonderful it was to see young Tommy Winters up and about again after his unfortunate run-in with a bad case of food poisoning. He smirked slightly, knowing that any lies the institute forced into their heads were only that: lies. He wouldn't buy it for a second. And on top of that, the concept of muffins sounded almost appetizing. While he still preferred his authentic Japanese cuisine, the food here was slowly becoming more and more bearable. He would have preferred a warm bowl of sweet nattou over rice over the mufffins, but they would do. The plain yogurt and fruit, on the other hand, was excellent. He piled his plate high with fruit as usual, and got several small bowls of yogurt as well.

Finding the most convenient table to the end of the food line, he took a seat and scanned for the new arrivals. New arrivals meant people who would be lost and confused. Renji did a good job of making a bulliten post last time...he should recommend abarai-fukutaicho do the same again this time.

[Waiting for Angel]

[[from here]]


Akabane had been expecting a challenger, or perhaps a guardian of some sort. But... rolling boulders? It was enough to surprise even Dr. Jackal. On the far side of the room, he could see another door. So the objective was to get past the boulders, then. But the rocks seemed to lack any sort of pattern, suddenly tumbling out of holes near the ceiling and speeding across the room. There was no doubt in Akabane's mind; this would be tricky.

So, Schuldig-san. Is this the great mystery of the basement? If it was, Akabane considered turning on the telepath. Had he passed up two battles that could have provided him with much entertainment, all for a room with rolling stones? Well, there is an exit to this room. Maybe that's where I'll find something... interesting. He didn't think too highly of the chances of that happening, though.

[From here.]

It took a moment for Dairine to take in the hallway in its entirety. The basement seemed to be a completely different animal from the rest of the Institute. The style down here reminded her of pictures she'd seen of Versailles, as opposed to the clinical conditions upstairs. The rift in interior design was strange, but she'd seen weirder things, and this would no doubt be topped by something even stranger by the end of the night.

The tapestries on the walls caught her eye, and she moved closer to one, waiting for her companions to follow her through. She looked, but didn't touch; she knew enough to at least take proper precautions before dealing with something that was potentially deadly.

(From here)

Citan led the way down the stairs, all senses on alert. He was tense and his muscles were tightened as he made his way down. He didn't know what was waiting for them, but he knew that whatever was down here was important.

And when he finished the stairs and found himself in the basement for the first time, he knew he was right.

A great ballroom, something right out of the highest classes of Solaris, lay beneath the institute. Even in the dark, with only the beam of his flashlight, even with the wear and slight strange film of macabre that clung to the institute, it reminded him of a life left long ago.

"My god," he breathed, feeling impressed despite himself.

[from here]

Running his hands through his hair, Mason desperately looked around, trying to find something that could help out against a two-headed fire-breathing knife-having monster thing.

"Oh fuck fuck fuck," the reaper muttered. "Fuck me we are so very fucking fucked."

His eyes lighted on a freezer compartment. Frozen things were hard. Mason ran to it, pulled out a carton of ice cream, and dashed back to the kitchen door.

[back out here]

"Hit a nerve, did I, Alec?"

The Head Doctor spoke so quickly after switching on the intercom that there was nary a sound of static until his words had already been broadcasted. Laughs echoed through the halls, low and deliberate, before a steady pounding sound came through the static.

"I'd have thought you'd figured it out by now. Really, you've let your brain degenerate without enough stimulation, haven't you? Not that I can't say the same of our dear, dear old friend. After all, they're the reason you turned on me, isn't that right? The reason you betrayed our cause?

He paused, as if checking something in the middle of his speech.

"Unfortunately, the time I have allotted for rebutting you is short, and I do have other matters to attend to. Dear nurses, would you be kind enough to open the doors for our newest batch of patients? Poor bastards, really, being thrown into hell with no clue of what hell is. But then again, Alec, you made this hell, so perhaps the evil in itself is indecipherable.

"Alas, I don't have time to trade insults with you all night. After all, there are experimentations to oversee, patients whose limits need testing... I'll be around, though, old friend, so should you decide to share more of your decidedly lacking threats..."

The intercom slowly crackled back into silence.

[ All introduction posts for this round of new patients go here! Just pick a random, unoccupied room for your new character (one in the higher numbers would probably be best) and have them start from there, as we haven't yet assigned rooms. ]

[from here]

Mason stepped into the kitchen, hoping to find a convenient stack of waffles lying around. Or at least a better weapon than his empty whiskey bottle. But nothing really leapt out at him.

... Hopefully nothing was going to literally leap out at him. Mason gulped. He really didn't want to run into any monster-type things.

"Zel?" he called. The kitchen was a bit eerie, and he didn't want to be all alone in the dark. Without a flashlight. Why hadn't he brought his own flashlight?

[[From here]]

SubZero cautiously stepped inside the sun room, "Do you see anything?" SubZero was trained to operate in darkness, but even with the light coming in over head HK still had an advantage over him when it came to detecting things.

There were a lot of obstructions for monsters to hide behind in here, unlike the hallways, which were usually clear of such obstacles.

He did not want to get jumped on by a giant cat, though the monsters in this place seemed to favor attacking HK instead. Another good reason to keep him around.