[ from here ]

She'd kind of been expecting to run into someone by now -- hell, with the amount of people who'd been in the cafeteria? But maybe they were hiding out from the monsters that they weren't equipped to handle. After all, if Ruby hadn't been through what she had and lived as long as she had, she'd probably be curled up in her room for safety, too. It wasn't like she was excited to tangle with these freaks.

But, it was a necessary evil, just like most of what she was doing these days. The nurse's station that Roxas referred to was on her right as she headed down the hall with slow, purposeful steps, following the path that the nurse had taken her out through while the lights were up.

A part of her wanted to know how aware they were of this shit -- of the fact that they were basically leading the patients through the paths they'd need to know to screw them over. Probably. Judging by Landel's taunts, they knew a lot of what went on. Security cameras, maybe? She hadn't seen any -- yet -- but she couldn't eliminate the possibility.

[ to here ]

And that was just a weird jumble of nonsense. She wondered if that Marc guy knew anything about the name that Landel mentioned, or if it was just more bullshit being thrown around. She wouldn't doubt it. The girl shook her head, sighing a bit, and straightened, snagging her sword from its leaning position. Tucking it securely into her waist band, she turned to her roommate, giving her a small smile and a wave.

Then she grabbed her flashlight, tucked it into the other side, and moved to leave. She had a date, after all, didn't she? Wouldn't do well to be late. Like always.

[to here]

[from here]

And again, quiet. Silence broken only by far off footsteps and the creak of a building settling. There was more in the darkness, Ayanami knew this, but currently nothing had stepped forward to show itself. This night was too similar to another, and her hand raised to her neck without meaning to. There was nothing like trauma in this, she told herself. It was only that she had become wary of empty halls, had become distrustful of others in the dark.

More than before, it seemed. Still, Rei moved slowly, satisfied with checking the hall thoroughly before passing through.

[Eva pilots!~]

[from here]

None seemed to have fled their rooms yet. It was both beneficial and a hindrance. Ayanami could move without hesitance in this manner, but she still wondered about the girl she had come to know. With little to none in the halls yet, there was a slim and lowering likelihood that she would actually see Aigis this night.

There was tomorrow, still. And the time after that. Until they completed the purpose here, they had limitless time, until they fell to another’s machinations.

[to here]

The commotion just after the intercom's jingle displayed the same kind of erratic energy that the Head Doctor had been exuding all day.

"Come on, get those papers out of the way – no, I don't...! Ah! Good evening, everyone, and I hope you all enjoyed the activities we had to–"

Someone whispered something in the background. The Head Doctor sighed and muttered: "Yes, Lydia, I know we don't have many organized activities...

"...But anyway! Next up is dinner with your roommates! Tonight, we'll be having turkey and gravy, which will consist of some moist slices of turkey breast and garlic mashed potatoes, garnished with steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus, and topped with delicious gravy. We'll be serving the dinners with small side salads and our dessert will be pumpkin pie – as per usual, we have alternate meals for alternate dietary needs."

The Head Doctor took a long pause. Lydia mumbled something in the background.

"No, I'm not dawdling–! Er... I'll talk to you shortly, everyone!"

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. Thank you! ]

Well, if it wasn't his favorite time of the week. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Of course in this case, distance makes Klavier feel like an abused, neglected animal who was only now being allowed a taste of actual food. These people were such savages. It was still absolutely absurd that they were allowed access to this room so rarely. But the tactic was also brilliant on their part, sad to say. Klavier was always at his quietest and most obedient on Music Room days. The perfect model patient. He would give them no excuse to deprive him of this precious time.

Today was going to be a little different, however. Not only was he given access to music today, but a bout of entertainment as well. Apparently that band that had been setting up tryouts for the last week was ready to get the show on the road and start their auditions. Normally, this was the sort of project he wouldn't hesitate to take part in. But aside from the injury to his left hand and shoulder, there were three critical factors keeping him from doing so:

1. The band was named "Sex Bob-Omb." Klavier may have missed the band scene, but he had no intention of attaching his name to some Tom Jones cover band.
2. There weren't many actual instruments in the Music Room; certainly not enough variety to form the type of band they want. The one who made the poster said something about improvising instruments through whatever means necessary. A noble goal, but again, Klavier was not so desperate yet as to reduce himself to playing with a box of tissues strung up with rubber bands. That was too pathetic an image to ever place himself into.
3. The person who had posted placed up a sample music sheet of one of their songs. Klavier had no idea how many people here could actually read music enough to know what it was they were looking at there, but he had been able to decipher it perfectly. Their music... it was kind of god-awful.

In short, this was basically a disaster waiting to happen. The hints were enough to tell him this was likely going to be something akin to nails on a chalkboard... amplified by five. So honestly, he should be as far away from this room as humanly possible.

But he was not going to let these people ruin his rare access time to the Music Room. No, instead he took one of their old CD players and a carefully selected CD of choice (for the sake of his sanity) and took a seat at one of the tables, turning the chair so as to get an optimal view of the show. Why not? No harm in indulging in a little "entertainment," yes?

[free to anyone who wants to watch this train wreck with him :D ]

There was little to be said of the daily business that went on. He allowed himself to be shuffled, mind embedded too deeply in things he shouldn't be dwelling on. The night was over, the shadows had vanished, and there was little more than bad memories to be left in their stead. This was logic, pure and simple, and should have been reassuring but for the whispered accusations made by his own. Of all things that his mind moved to unconsciously focus on, it was one of the first things spoken. That he could kill himself and nothing would stop him.

Which was pointless. In the whole of its entirety. Gaara had not truly moved in that way for time past--And now, even, he had goals and aspirations that he would see come to pass before he gave anything of himself away. He was working for what he believed in; he was working to become acknowledged by others as himself, and not as what he was created for. And there was no point to anything that thing had said.

His thoughts shifted, moved over the night, each dark statement echoed by an internal vow of his own, a denial of returning to what he once was. He still had yet to seek out Temari--his sister, too, would have been confronted by her demons, and there was a edge of concern in that thought. Considering all of this, he seated himself in a place near the wall, glancing at the doorway every few moments.

[sister dear.]

[from here]

Lana marched up to the door to F28, raised a hand to knock, and stopped, her knuckles bare inches from connecting. Tonight would reveal what she'd thrown away a promising career, the career she'd always dreamed of, to hide. Never mind that she appeared to have it all -- she knew, and Gant knew, and before the night was over, Ema would as well.

She wasn't going to take it well. Ema, that was. Lana could weather it; she'd always been a quick learner, and while dissembling hadn't been natural, but she'd had an excellent teacher.

Then she thought about Ema finding out from Chief Gant, or worse -- her friend Kay, or much-admired Prosecutor Edgeworth, if the Institute saw fit to recapture him. She deserved, at a minimum, to hear it from Lana herself. On the witness stand, or on the blood-drenched tile of the Institute, it was all the same.

Her hand moved, almost of its own accord, and rapped twice.

[from here]

Naruto made his way into the bigger hallway. He still hadn't seen a familiar face, or really much of anyone at all. That was kind of annoying, but he was sure he'd find someone sooner or later!

[to here]

[from here]

One of these days, he was definitely going to have to ask everyone where their rooms were. As it was, he was stuck just running around without much direction. He was just that kind of person, though. It wasn't that he was against planning. There just didn't seem to be an easy way to get everyone together, so he had to find them one by one.

[to here]

[From here]

Another bare hallway, Asuka observed once she poked her head out of the F-A block and shined her light back and forth. Even when she left her room rather promptly, there was almost always a handful of patients coming or going. Maybe she had just been way too uptight tonight for this mission. But was that such a terrible thing? This initiative clearly displayed her commitment to the club. The eva pilot had to show Okita that she was determined, that she showed leadership qualities so she could rise through the ranks. Higher rank gave her access to better resources, which got her closer to getting the hell out of this place.

No, there was nothing wrong with a little hustle at all. The other new members could learn from her, certainly. Keeping her objectives in sight, Asuka kept following the hallway until it split into the common area that most patients used to rendezvous with others.

[To here]

[From here]

It was surprising to see that no one else had left yet. All the doors were closed as she walked down her block and into the hallway on her left, though she could clearly hear a few voices here and there, probably talking with their fellow roommate. While she would never admit it openly, being the only one in the hallway was rather creepy. The comfort of knowing people were around, regardless if that gap was a few feet or a few hallways away, was still comforting. Well, there was no point in whining over it. Fear of the dark was for children and ignorant adults, and she was neither.

With a new, determined stride, the eva pilot quickly ate up the corridor to the next door; her only company was the echoing slap of her rubber soles against the linoleum.

[To here]

The intercom jingle was slightly different for this shift, almost as if it had gone up in quality. The Head Doctor gave a sigh of relief, his own voice clear as a bell despite the usual electronic buzz.

"Hello, everyone – from our new and improved intercom system! We've had electronics rehauling our circuitry, and you can hear the result quite nicely! A whole bunch of improvement! Right, anyway...

"As I'm sure you've noticed, we have a whole new bunch of patients that have joined us recently, and because of the changes in our roster, we've updated our roommate assignments, so some of you might be enjoying the company of someone entirely new tonight! Please be polite and friendly to anyone you might encounter!

"Which brings us to... dinner! Tonight, we'll be having a delicious 'bento box' meal consisting of fish and vegetable tempura along with chicken teriyaki, a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, salad, and... green tea! Decaffeinated, of course. We can't have you bouncing from wall to wall when there's sleep to be had! Our usual assorted drinks and alternative meals are also available. Oh, and... dessert! Green tea ice cream, with a topping of red bean paste.

"I think that's all for now! I'll speak to you once more before bed time."

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. Please refer to the updated room assignments before posting. Thank you! ]

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

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

… Oh, wait.

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

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

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

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

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

"You'll disturb the other patients!"

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

[For Kaito~]

How one's body could maintain a waking schedule when sleep came unnaturally and in a room without windows, must surely be a mystery. Yet, as if working on cue, Natalia stirred well before her nurse arrived. That was normal. Less so, the weight that sought to press her eyelids closed again, the heaviness of her limbs that made lifting her hands to her face an effort. She put her wrist to her forehead with a frown, then attempted a jolt of energy – to swiftly dig her hands into the mattress and shove herself into a seated position, and from there, to her feet.

Not to overexert herself once again, but to refuse that it could be possible after sleeping. Happily, though all still felt leaden, her head did not swim. Encouraged, Natalia put on her slippers, rearranged the bedding, and waited. There came the announcement (reminding her, suddenly, of what she had last heard, and the guilt that had twisted in her gut, Jill--), and her face wrinkled with disgust at the hacking sound. Therapy and breakfast. Food would surely help.

Natalia did not wait long before her nurse opened the door, and after exchanging cursory “Good Morning”s (with rather more enthusiasm on the other woman's part), they began the walk to the Cafeteria. With, of course, the essential rest room stop, where water was splashed and scrubbed over her face, and her hair toyed with to no great satisfaction. At least the shower had renewed its body.

Separating in the Cafeteria, Natalia took her place in line and loaded her plate: eggs, fruit salad, fried “tater tots” (potatoes?), and curious meat wrapped in cooked dough. Some of everything, with juice and water. She thanked her servers, collected utensils and napkins, and found a seat at an empty table. It was early yet.

Sparing a brief look around to be sure no one she recognized had arrived – though she remained eager to greet every patient, at the moment she chose to focus on the possible strength gained from the meal – Natalia began to cut up the items and eat with a refined gusto. Entirely possible!

[Claude!]

[from here.]

Here was that right turn. About the only place Logan could get to with no confusion was the bulletin board, and by extension the cafeteria: straight down the hall, take two lefts. Once he got there, there was a possibility that he'd get held up - a handful of people had all said the same thing: trying to go through that room at night was a bad idea.

Well, it was a good idea; it just also happened to be dangerous. It sounded like the crew that'd tried to hit the basement last night had gotten held up, and there was nowhere else that could happen. There were two doors in the cafeteria that indicated there was some other way to get in, but Logan had no idea what that was. There was a door way behind him, but that was the wrong direction. With any luck, Kurt would have an idea.

With his luck, both doors led to goddamn broom closets.

[To here.]

[From here.]

Walking through the darkness, Sechs reluctantly admitted to himself that going alone to somewhere dangerous as the second floor with his condition wasn't exactly the smartest idea in the world. Heck, he could easily picture Kibitoshin having some spectacular fret fest if he knew about what Sechs was doing right then! Still, whatever he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? Sechs intended on reaching his goal without interruptions and surviving in the process. Besides, he had two weapons and (most of) his battle suit to protect him! Sechs wanted to believe that his white-haired friend wouldn't have to worry; it was thanks to him that Sechs could muster up the confidence to approach the second floor again in the first place...

The liquid parasite in Sechs' spine wasn't so keen on his plan though. "Trying to find that Original of yours is nothing but a suicide mission!" it snarled in Sechs' head, "Why don't you just get it over with now and take that machete of yours and impale yourself on it again like what you did the first time we met!"

Ignoring the drug's scathing taunts and the unpleasant memory it brought up, Sechs shook his head and moved on.

Ignore it... Ignore it... Not yet...

[To here.]

[From here.]

Locke made a point to be as careful and quiet as possible, looking past the hallway to make sure no one else was trailing him. Well, anyone with hostile intent, anyway. Once the cost was clear, he stepped quietly into the hallway, prioritizing in the most rational way as possible. He didn't have a weapon to protect himself with, nor much of anything else but a makeshift (and probably terrible) pick, just in case. Along with the other supplies that he had picked up from his room, Locke found that he didn't have much to work with at all.

His first priority was to get out of here; barring that, to find a weapon. Simple enough, right? Seeing a door on one end, and one just across the hallway, Locke took a chance with his luck and pushed the door in front of him open as he checked the room. A... bathroom. Maybe he'd check here more thoroughly at a later point in time, but right now, he was looking for a way out. He wanted to focus on the big picture, and focus on the details later.

"Not creepy at all," he murmured to himself as he let the door shut, and looked towards the other door, just a couple of steps beyond him.

It was the same with the other visible hallways, as well. As he made his way towards the other door, all he saw were rooms, just as identical as the one he came from, but no doors beyond that. At least... there was a path to take, he figured, feigning optimism.

[To here.]

[from here]

In contrast to the main hallway in the block behind her, this section of hallway seemed to be completely quiet. Creepily so, and dark with the sort of darkness that scared children (and, okay, maybe some teenagers who were completely mature and rational otherwise, which group definitely didn't include her) and made them jump from the center of the floor to the bed rather than step too close to the thick shadows underneath it. Minako paused a moment to turn in a complete circle, shining her light around the hallway to make certain there wasn't anything lurking... at least, not within the range of her flashlight's beam.

...yeah, okay, thinking about it too much was just going to freak her out, wasn't it. Minako sniffed and flipped her hair back over her shoulder, looking the picture of absolute indifference just in case anything watching might care if she was worried or something, then flounced off down the hallway without a sideways nervous glance. She did, of course, remain entirely alert and listening for sounds of movement, but that was kind of habit by now.

[to here]

[from here and waiting for the opposite one.~]

The hall was as empty as she had seen it. Silence glistened as severe as any palpable source. Voices echoed in the distance, but here there was nothing. No one. No sounds, but the dull creaks of a settling building and shifting ghosts. Last night gave rise to a new awareness. She did not take the emptiness at face value, did not trust the lack of others for what it was. The one on the board had offered the possibility of a monster, but Rei knew the feel of another body against her.

No, her assailant had been human. This remained fact. Over the edge of her plug suit, the bandage felt heavy. Weighted. A reminder to be productive if nothing else. She needed no other reason to devalue her own worth.

[down to here]