Peter scrambled to put on a calm facade. He had his moments as an actor, but sadly, this wasn't one of them. "I'm fine. I just forgot something." Brainy was just trying to be nice, but there was no point in dumping his problems on him. He didn't want the other boy to think he was a burden (which he wasn't), and there was nothing to be done about Harry except run as fast as he could to M98, and hope to god that Eddie hadn't been reading the bulletin board.

The intercom sounded, and he nearly vaulted straight from his chair to the door. His hand clasped around the handle, then suddenly faltered. Flashlight. Right. There was the radio and the map, too, he couldn't leave without those.

The tray was carefully set aside as he lifted the top of his desk. Well, there was the radio, just like that guy had said. And for some inexplicable reason, his map had been set next to it. Who put it there? He'd been keeping it tucked in his waistband...

He shook his head. No time for that. He quickly strode around his bed and lifted the pillow away. There was nothing there. Not even a flashlight shaped dent. Baffled, he began to tug the sheets off, then dropped to his knees and peered under the bed. Still nothing.

"Um, this may sound crazy, but have you seen a flashlight around here somewhere?"

Kio's breakfast ended on a much happier note than it had started. However, for once the announcement truly surprised him. He blinked as his nurse came to pick him up. Recreational Field? But.. but if they had a greenhouse, he wanted to go there. The prospect of gardening was a truly liberating one, an island of joy in this hellhole. He thought about going to the Sun Room and lying down, but it occurred to him that he hadn't had proper fresh air since being here. With a cheery goodbye wave to Honey, he followed his torturer outside.

It was much better than he had expected. The sun wasn't too hot (what time of the year were they in, anyway?), so he walked slowly along the walls, fascinated by the size of the field. He wondered if Sou-chan was alright. He hadn't even checked the board. Well, if Soubi wanted to apologize, Kio would be willing to listen. The place was so crisp and clean. He had to think if anyone had ever gone over the walls. What was out there? Freedom? Or a different sort of monster?

Leaning against one of the walls, Kio took as much advantage of the sun as he could. He desperately wanted a lollipop. One was quietly nestled in his pocket, but he would need to wait until the nurses were busy with other patients before he tried anything. Soubi had gone to some trouble to get them, the least he could do was make sure they didn't get confiscated. So with bated breath, Kio waited for a shift in the mood. He was, for once, content. Not happy, but not going crazy either.

[Sou-chan! Team Loveless deploy!]

Utena's second night seemed to have ended even sooner than the first had, which greatly disappointed her. She had been hoping that at some point, she could have coaxed her friend into telling her what was so horrible that happened in her future. Then again, curiosity aside, she was also somewhat relieved that she didn't have to hear it just yet. She half-wondered if Landel had ended both of their previous nights early on purpose, too, just to make certain that Utena didn't spend enough time with her friend to potentially hear of that future.

Almost as soon as she thought of Landel, Utena heard his voice crackle over the intercom again. Hearing him yawn through his announcement almost made her sleepy as well; she'd had no idea that yawns could be contagious over speaker systems. Physically, she did feel rested, though she certainly couldn't remember sleeping or dreaming between the end of night and her waking up.

As her nurse came to collect her for breakfast, Utena felt conflicted over whether she ought to see Himemiya again that night. On the one hand, she wanted to be there for her friend and try to coax some of the girl's old self out of her. Either that or at least try to console her about whatever was troubling her. On the other hand, she knew that it would be stupid to waste too many nights on talk. She could be helping Seiya or the clubs or finding metal to store for whenever Skuld was ready for her, something that would help her and Himemiya break out faster.

Maybe I'll post a message for her later if I don't see her again during the day. It's not perfect, but at least it'll let us talk and then leave me an opening to go out and do . . . whatever it is that might need doing, she thought as she was escorted into the cafeteria to pick up breakfast (english muffins that morning). Remembering the clubs again, Utena thought about the message exchange she had had with that girl from Arts & Crafts, Momo Hinamori. They were supposed to be meeting over breakfast, right? Utena didn't see anyone who matched Hinamori's description yet, but then, the girl had said that it would be easier for her to find Utena than the other way around. She sat down at a nearby table for the time being and waited, running the previous night's short conversation in her head over and over.

[For Momo]

Lunch had been fruitful. Celes had chosen not to eat, but that was fine enough for her; she’d eaten plenty at breakfast and it was not very good manners to eat while discussing war (for Celes, it’d always given her a bit of a stomachache), or plotting. Especially if one was in mixed company. Her nurse escorted her to the Music room, citing that her ‘sister’ had suggested that musical therapy would be good for her. Celes rolled her eyes. This was no music room, with their ‘electronic’ instruments; where were the violas and the harpsichords and phonographs? She’d been past this room before, but had never been interested enough to go into it.

The general sat down at the keyboard, staring at the odd device before prodding the buttons with a nail. On, off, rumba, tango, Caribbean (what in the world was ‘Caribbean?’), little numbers that changed the tone. It was the first time Celes wished that there was a real instrument before her, instead of this ridiculous thing. Still, it didn’t stop her from curiously stringing notes together with one hand, and the only song she could bring to mind was the Aria di Mezzo Carattere.

How dreadfully delightful.

[for Adel~]

That really hadn't been the breakfast she'd been expecting, but Yuffie couldn't bring herself to complain. The kid made for good company, and was, if nothing else, pretty entertaining. She could've just done without the whole choking thing. That… That had been embarrassing. A bit. Okay, a lot. Yuffie was starting to get a feeling that this day was -- for once-- actually going to ping on her ‘interesting!’ meter.

Whether or not that was a good thing, she didn’t know.

By the time she’d reached the Sun Room's bulletin board, a kitten on her shoulder and a pen twirling between her fingers, Yuffie was starting to put her finger on why she had that weird, nagging feeling. Though on second thought, it was less like putting her finger on it and more like it had jumped up and punched her right in the nose; the feeling wasn’t just about waffles, magicians, or tricky candy thieves. Sagara hadn't answered her bulletin post; he hadn't answered any bulletin posts. She hadn't seen that stupid, spiky head of his all morning. It was like radio silence without a radio.

Agai-- No, Yuffie cut herself off sharply, frowning. She was just jumping to conclusions. It wouldn't be the first time, right? Right! And yet… instincts were instincts for a reason, and in a dump like this, who knew what could happen?

[for Okita?]

Ah, that was right. He should roll up-- Huh?

Cross blinked his eyes open to stare up at the ceiling, then sat up quickly. That was odd. Hadn't he just been in the hallway? This was the second time he'd woken in a room like this and it was baffling. He didn't even recall anything that would cause him to fall unconscious again. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took a moment to scratch his head and try to put together pieces of a puzzle that had no intention of fitting.

This was ridiculous.

He wasn't allowed much more time before a boisterous woman arrived saying something about breakfast. Too surprised to put up much of an argument, Cross allowed her to lead him out of the room to a familiar and yet unfamiliar hallway. This wasn't the same room he'd been in the night before.

Trying to ask what was going on proved to be fruitless, and he decided to just take the food he was served and sit down. There had to be someone around here who knew something. And what had happened to Ryuuzaki?

[free]

[From here]

Clark did his best to ignore his stinging finger. It hurt, but it wasn't as bad as nearly getting gored that time with Claire, to put things in perspective. Still, if he was supposed to be as powerless as a human, he wished it'd gone all the way; right now it seemed to be in this uncomfortable halfway point and he had no idea if he still got sick around kryptonite. That time he'd lost his powers, he'd actually been able to get within five feet of Lana Lang and not feel weak.

Stepping over the remants of the lock, kicking it a little to the side so Brainy wouldn't trip on it, Clark looked around. His flashlight kept flickering, making the shadows of boxes and the cabinets appear to leap. Would there be any flashlights here?

[from here]

Allen took a few steps back and then threw his weight against the door.  It stung, but with the previous hits, the door finally gave, causing him to stumble as he entered the little room.  Once he had his bearings he gave the room a few quick glances, just in case there might be something nasty lying in wait for them, but so far it looked like they were safe.    Whatever Sora was looking for, he hoped they could find it quickly and continue on their way.

[From here.]

Soubi was certain he knew the way now. He'd come along here with Ritsuka, alone....teasing the boy with that can. Oh yes. He'd enjoyed that, though they'd had discussions about things Soubi would rather have hidden from. But you can't win them all.

Finding the door, he gave the handle a twist and a push but, like last time, it was a job for his shoulder. He stepped back before forcing his weight into it. The door opened and he shone the light in from the torch, checking for monsters.

[Going here.]

[here.]

Soubi remembered the way relatively well and was sure to keep an ear and eye out for any monsters. But the dread was still settling in his stomach and he was desperate for a distraction. There was one that had proved rather nice walking just behind him. But... well, he still wasn't sure about it all. It had been nice to be close to someone for a moment though. If only it could have been Ritsuka. Not that he would have done that to the boy, but...if things were different. If Ritsuka was older. A little more confident and sure of himself. A little less sweet....

"It's just up the end of this next hall, I believe."

[From here.]

Soubi trained his lights along the stairs and began to climb them. His nerves were settling a little now, though that wasn't saying a whole lot. He was still worried about seeing Ritsuka and still unsure about the MU Hall. He barely wanted to face it at all, let alone in the company of the one person he had to prove himself to.

And then there was Demyx. Soubi didn't know the guy well, but his actions had been unexpected and, really, Soubi was wondering if he wanted to try and control Demyx at all or just BE controlled. Either way, he needed to find out more about the Heartless.

They'd be alone upstairs for a while. If they were lucky, anyway. Of course, Soubi would certainly love to see that power again.

[Going here.]

[from here]

And here was the balcony overlooking the sun room. Stray thoughts and tastes rose up from whatever was going on down there, but Melissa was able to ignore them for the most part. Up here, she was the only one. The only human, anyway. Who knew what else was creeping around up here?

Considering this was also the part where they'd ran into that prisoner fighting on the Institute's side last time, Melissa did finally slow down a little bit and scan ahead before moving forward. If she remembered right, the chapel should be right...

There. She was almost there. Wouldn't it just be fitting if the night ended as soon as her hand was on the door handles? If you dare... she aimed at the ceiling, clenching her left fist so hard her nails were digging into the flesh.

[from here]

On the second floor, and she hadn't blacked out yet. The complete darkness, instead of slowing her down to a cautionary walk, allowed her to speed up. Melissa was too sensitive to light to be able to see much unless she was in total darkness, a fact which had only annoyed her up until this point. Now she could just run through the halls without fear of bumping into anything.

[For Soubi and Demyx]

With dinner over and the click of the door, Kaido Kio drew a deep breath. His third night in this wonderful place and like Sanosuke had pointed out he hadn't gotten killed. Which is not to say it wouldn't happen, of course, but at least he had Sou-chan and a plan.

After the haphazard previous night, Kio was determined to find his things. His patient file, for one, because it would serve as proof to get out of here. His earrings and lollipops would be a great catch as well, obviously, depending on what the others had planned. So far it seemed they would pick up Ritsuka and then choose the way. From what he'd seen of the map, the files and possessions weren't that far apart.

Taking his leave from his roommate with a good luck, Kio took out the flashlight and gripped it tightly. Opening the door, he went out into the corridor and waited for Sou-chan and Demyx. They were in M76 anyway, so it wouldn't be too long. He hoped the rats had been fed tonight.

[From here]

Tyki casually glanced around for monster activity as he stepped into the next hallway. There were patients nor monsters around, but he hadn't really expected otherwise anyway. After discarding some of the ash from his cigarette on the floor, he headed for the double doors on his right.

[To here]

[From here]

Aside from his own footsteps, it was completely silent when Tyki slipped into the next hallway. Not that he'd particularly minded or anything. At least he wouldn't be held up by some bothersome monsters this way.

The Noah only paused to lit a cigarette before heading towards the next door. Thankfully their meeting spot wasn't on the other side of the building, because that would have been a waste on playing time.

[To here]

Well-behaved. Fuck that noise. An image sprung briefly to mind -- Tess, wandering around in the old kitchen, pre-morning caffeine, in flannel pants and a T-shirt reading "Well-behaved women seldom make history" in letters that were slowly peeling off. He'd offered her coffee and she'd about taken his head off. Some sort of detox crap about switching to green tea. Fuck that, too. S.T. hadn't had anything with a statistically significant amount of caffeine in days, and he was feeling it. Pounding headache, dry mouth, like a hangover without the good part.

Maybe the kitchen would have a secret stash. Then again, this would wear off in a few more days, though, if he kept with the cold turkey. Six of one. He'd see what the kitchen had, first.

He rubbed his temples as he collected his gear -- same as last night. Flashlight, pillowcase, radio-belt, maps, paper, pens, shopping list. All in place. He sat down briefly to add his one new addition -- some strips of cloth binding his slippers on more tightly.

He stood up, and walked out the door of M90, slamming it behind him.

[skipping a hall to here]

[From here]

Quite thankfully, Ophelia had made it to the entrance of the Sun Room with no interruptions. She leaned against the wall on the right-hand side of the room's entrance, making sure to stay in the shadows and keep an ear out for any sudden noises.

Now there was naught but to wait. She crossed her arms, a self-satisfied grin crossing her face. Apart from their basement mission, Ophelia was looking forward to mentioning a little interesting something that Kio had pointed out to her during their bulletin board exploration earlier. She was certain that she would get a fun reaction out of at least Arlene, and perhaps the others too, though she didn't know how well acquainted HK and SubZero were with the other woman.

[From here]

Ophelia slowed back to a walk as she entered the main hallway. It was a ways off in the dark, but she could just make out a small patch of light further down in the center of the hall, presumably streaming in from the Sun Room's glass ceiling. She didn't see anything yet, but there was no telling when something might suddenly jump out at her. That large glowing thing before had seemed to come out of nowhere, hadn't it? Who knew how Landel inserted his creatures into the building when night fell. For all she knew, he had some sort of magical location abilities, transporting creatures to wherever he desired on a whim. Power great enough to bring so many types of beings to a place like this was surely great enough for such feats.

Keeping her wits about her, Ophelia moved slowly down the hallway.

[To here]

The Head Doctor sounded rushed, as usual, as he began speaking on the intercom.

"Good evening, everyone, and I once again express my highest hopes that your collective therapy sessions and good, old fashioned relaxing went well! Now, perhaps we shouldn't excite you at the end of the day, but... I fear I must! You see, we're just beginning to bring in our new batch of patients, and they will join their new roommates come dinner. Yes, yes – apologies for the slight disorganization, but we can only accommodate so many people at once, right? Right.

"As for dinner itself, I'm sure many of you will enjoy it, even if it isn't quite authentic. We have shrimp and vegetable tempura along with chicken teriyaki; there is dipping sauce included, along with a bowl of rice, bean sprouts, and edamame – that's soybeans. In addition, your dessert is some delicious green tea ice cream. Mmm!

"I hope you all enjoy dinner as much as I suspect you shall, and I bid you farewell until I say goodnight."

Just after the redundant statement, the intercom clicked off.

[ If you would like to introduce your character during this shift, please respond to this post. You can either choose for your character to wake up before their roommate gets back, or after they do. Find your character's room assignments here.

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! ]