Honey was relieved when breakfast was over.  Even though there'd been plenty of sticky-sweet french toast to be had, the company left him feeling a little inadequate.  Usually girls fawned all over him, but Callisto had been downright mean.  Had he done something wrong?  What kind of girl wanted to fight rather than play?  It'd only been a few days, he shouldn't be that rusty when it came to hosting. 

Heaving a sigh, he followed his nurse to the Arts and Crafts room.  He would've liked to spend some time with Takashi, but the nurse said it was time for the grown ups to go shower.  When he protested yet again that he was in fact eighteen, the nurse just laughed and led him away by the hand.

So he sat at one of the round plastic tables, letting Usa-chan take the seat next to him so he could get messy with the fingerpaints.  He was up to his elbows in blues and greens and he'd only just started. 

[Free Loli-shota type!]

[for Sylar, I believe]

At the sound of the intercom, Wally jerked awake and blinked around at the room. He’d fallen asleep. He should have been up and keeping an eye open for ZEX, but he’d fallen asleep waiting on his bed.

“Idiot,” he groaned, ruffling his hair and sighing in annoyance. “Way to help a guy out, hotshot.” Hopefully ZEX hadn’t dropped by and thought he’d left or something, or wouldn’t be too mad at him for just forgetting about it like that. If he was lucky, he’d be able to catch up with the other patient at some point and explain what had happened.

Rolling himself a little awkwardly out of the bed, Wally took the opportunity to stretch his injured leg and test how well it was holding up. It was feeling a bit better, not so much that he could abandon his crutch or that it didn’t pull painfully if he wasn’t careful, but better. Tony had apparently made it through the night in one piece as well, which was a relief. He really didn’t feel comfortable about the thought of his roommate wandering about on his own with an injured arm. Not when Wally himself could relax and fall asleep in the apparent safety of their room.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to let himself forget that one in a hurry.

It was at that moment that the door swung open to admit one of the nurses. She seemed surprised to find him awake and ready to go already, but smiled warmly. “Hungry, are we Mr. West? Well in that case, let’s get you to the cafeteria. The staff have provided some delicious French Toast as well as a range of other foods I’m sure you’ll like. Now will you be needing a hand with your leg, dear?”

“No thanks, I can handle it,” Wally replied, smiling back. After all, it probably wasn’t the nurses’ fault that this place was so messed up, so it wasn’t like picking fights with them would do anything. With a cheery wave goodbye, Wally slowly made his way to the cafeteria, keeping a tight grip on his crutch all the while. Obtaining a plate of food was only slightly less difficult than it had been yesterday – he didn’t have the painkillers to work around this time – but he managed well enough, coming away from the buffet with a tray containing a plate piled high with slices of French Toast and slathered in maple syrup, butter, and sugar, as well as a glass of juice. Not quite as good as some coffee would be right now, but the sugar would hopefully make up for it. And, with how few people were here at the moment, he could afford to take more food than might have been considered ‘normal’ – he’d have most of it gone by the time anyone came to keep him company, then he could just worry about how many extra serves would be allowed before he aroused suspicion.

Feeling pretty happy with how things were looking so far, Wally hummed faintly to himself as he dug in to his breakfast.

[from here]

The second hallway was at least better lit than the first, due to the light from some others' flashlights. So it's not the Dark Hour. That still didn't provide much of an explanation as to where he had awakened, though.

He didn't recognize any of the passing silhouettes...until he caught sight of one that looked awfully familiar. Short person, with a spear. Akihiko was about to call out to ask whether it was Ken, but the door at the end of the hallway opened a moment later, and the figure stepped out and was gone before he could ask.

He turned and walked the length of the hallway, peering down each of the connected hallways. Most of them appeared identical to the one he had come from. That was a little reassuring, because it meant that this likely wasn't a labyrinth like Tartarus was.

With that, he walked over to the door, opening it and heading out.

[to here]

"But I suppose they'll be plenty of nights after this, yes? Yes..."

There was a loud crackle of static, and then silence.

Akihiko sat upright in bed, awakened by what he had thought was just a tree branch hitting his window, but wasn't. There weren't any windows in the room he was currently in, and that meant it couldn't possibly be his own.

"...where the hell am I?"

No one answered. It was too dark to see much of anything, and the silence in the room was more than a bit unnerving. The fact that this couldn't be the work of a Shadow, unless they were breaking their pattern of only appearing on full moons, only added to that feeling. It wasn't that he was scared - concerned, yes, on edge, yes, but not scared - it was that he was honestly perplexed. This couldn't be Strega's doing, either. They wouldn't try kidnapping any of SEES' members a second time, not after the first time had led to them losing one of their own. They also weren't stupid; they wouldn't come anywhere near the dormitory, not after what had happened the night before last. They knew better than to do that.

There was only one thing to do, and that was to figure out what had happened. Akihiko threw off the covers, bracing one hand against the pillow and swinging his legs off the side of the bed - and that was when he realized that not only was the setting unfamiliar, the clothes he was wearing were unfamiliar. That didn't matter, though; as long as they didn't hinder his ability to fight if he needed to, and they wouldn't, that was fine. There was something else that struck him - the hard object underneath the pillow. A...flashlight? Why would there be a flashlight under his pillow? It certainly couldn't hurt to take it with him, he thought, then paused. If this was the Dark Hour, it wouldn't work, but more importantly, it would keep him from fighting effectively. He decided to leave it there, thinking that if he needed it, he could always come back for it.

He nodded. This was just like any other challenge, and he hadn't met one yet that he didn't think he could face. If anything, he was more resolved to face them head-on now. It's what you would want me to do, isn't that right, Miki and Shinji?

With that, he stood and walked to the door, turning the handle. There didn't seem to be anyone outside when he stepped out. He took a few steps forward, looking in both directions. The end of the hallway wasn't too far away, it seemed. He nodded to himself and then walked in that direction.

[to here]

[From here.]

For once, this hall was devoid of traffic, though people were beginning to appear in the adjacent areas. Ken simply looked on and ran, seeing little point in staying in one place.

[To here.]

[From here.]

The corridors were silent aside from atmospheric noise and the occasional wisp of activity a far off. Ken continued on, finding no reason to linger.

[To here.]

[from here]

Another moment, another mandatory sweep of the light, and then she continued. The lack of knowing when the night would end ate at her.

[to here]

[from here]

The bathrooms smelled just as horrible as Dib remembered, but at least there weren't any giant leeches around. He walked up to one of the sinks and turned on the faucet. Instead of blood, rusty water came out. "Well, that's weird," Dib said. "Maybe it's a lunar cycle thing..."

With nothing else to do, Dib leaned back against the cracked, tile wall and waited for the man named Jack Skellington to arrive.

Yuuhi sat up from his bed when the doors unlocked.  Dinner had passed harmlessly enough, despite the angry glares he'd been given by Kuro.  And when it came to his plans for the evening, once again, he was indecisive.  He might've gone with Inoue, but she was already meeting with Rukia and Ururu, so he knew she'd be much safer than she'd be around him.  He'd pestered Rukia this morning, but hoped to stay clear of the shinigami if at all possible.  This morning had been a fluke.  He'd make sure it didn't happen again. 

He hurriedly picked up his flashlight and pressed his hand against the door.  Kuro already knew where his room was so it was pointless to stay.  He wasn't ready to face the man again, not after their earlier conversation.  It was better that he go by himself. 

There had been plenty of maps posted on the bulletin board earlier today and only one place really stuck out in his mind.  There was some kind of file storage on the second floor.  If it had information on Robin, the one he was supposed to be, it might get him one step closer to leaving this place.

[[to here]]

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?

Burly orderlies and agile Calm Effect nurses flooded the cafeteria from the Courtyard while regular hall nurses filed in from the Sun Room and ushered out those not involved in the rebellion. It indeed seemed as if Landel was sending out all the cavalry, and an effective cavalry they were: The riot didn't continue for much longer after the alarm sounded, though it seemed strange just how quickly all of the mutinous patients fell, even the ones who hadn't been injected with anything.

The hall nurses were quick to escort their well-behaved charges back to their rooms, praising those who hadn't joined in and chiding those who muttered under their breath in response. There were some exceptions, of course: One nice young man had even defended one of the nurses from the violent patients! Now, wasn't that exemplary behavior? Dr. Landel would be so proud to hear about it...

Within half an hour, all of the so-called "loyal" patients had been safely deposited in their rooms, and it was then that the alarm finally stopped and the true difficulty of the situation was tackled. There certainly weren't enough rooms in solitary to accommodate such rampant disobedience, and yet measures would have to be taken to ensure proper consequences for each and every patient involved. After all, something like this couldn't be allowed to happen again!

Different options were considered. Perhaps they should make an example out of the girl who had sparked the riot, but then again, perhaps not. This certainly wasn't the first case of patients attacking nurses or their peers in a crowded area, but what had been different this time was the sheer support that the other patients had shown for her. Should the staff then make examples of all those who had tried to "protect" her from the well-meaning nurses? No, there were too many for that...

In the end, it was decided that the best immediate solution would be to treat the rebellious patients in the Medical Wing while they were unconscious and then move them back to their rooms to await punishment. To ensure the safety of both their roommates and the patients themselves, however, the staff decided to securely fasten their limbs to their beds and keep them heavily drugged. Such a sad sight they were to see, but... it was necessary.

Finally, when each and every patient had been escorted back to their respective rooms, the staff hurried off to an emergency meeting upstairs. Strangely, Head Nurse Lydia was the one taking care of the proceedings in the Head Doctor's stead. She calmly told them that he was preoccupied with more urgent matters, and as she began to speak to the crowd, the staff could only wonder what could possibly be more important than an unprecedented patient riot...

[ Comment to this post with separate threads for each patient room, and please put your character's room number in the subject line. Thank you! ]

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]

As he opened the door, Dib cried out in disgust. "Eugh! It REEKS!" Clamping his nose with his free hand, Dib scanned the place with the flashlight. The light wasn't as strong as Dib would have liked, but he could still see the rusty sinks and stalls. "I think it's safe to say we're in a bathroom," Dib remarked sheepishly, his voice plugged up comically. "That'll explain the horrible smell. But even the Skool bathrooms don't smell this bad. Casually, he walked up to one of the sinks and turned on the faucet.

Instead of rusty bathroom water, rusty blood came out.

Dib jumped back in shock. However, he swiftly then took out the notebook he had been carrying in his coat and jotted down some notes. "Maybe the institution is a feeding ground for vampires," he speculated, with both terror and excitement, "or maybe it's haunted by Chupacabra ghosts from the beyond! Man, if I live through this, the Swollen Eyeball Society will have a field day with this... and maybe Agent Dark Booty will forgive me for annoying him yesterday!"

[From here]

622 methodically swept the light from his glowstick across the hall, carefully watching for hostiles. After having to act 'normal' during the daytime, this was almost a relief. Even though he had no armor, no real weapons, and no back-up, at least he didn't have to pretend to like it anymore.

[to here]

It had been about an hour since the nurse stuffed Dib's mouth with something she claimed was 'chicken pot pie,' but he was pretty sure that it wasn't. The way he was strapped down left him completely defenseless, so it wasn't like he could have resisted. Heck, even when he spat it out, she just kept feeding him more, assuring him that it was for 'his own good.'

This was definitely his dad's doing.

Once he was laid to rest in his bed, Dib closed his eyes and waited until he had decided the coast was clear, which he decided, was now.

"Alright," he started as he got up to his feet to explore. "Let's see what we have here." He lifted up his pillow. "A flashlight. Good, good." The boy continued to check every single spot in his room until he had (hopefully) gathered everything he needed. "So," he got out his notebook and pen, "I've got a key ring, a flashlight, this really big coat, some pens, and batteries." Dib gave a small grimace. "Not enough to escape this place, but it's definitely a start. Now all I need to do is sneak out of my room and map out the asylum so I can make my grand escape!"

He put on the coat, grabbed the notebook and flashlight, and went out the door.

[to here]

The intercom gave its cheery jingle just before the Head Doctor's equally buoyant voice rang through the halls.

"Ah, and finally, our day is coming to a close! Rooms and roommates have been reassigned with care, though what great partnership can start without a good meal? Ah, yes, after the nurses escort all of our patients, new and old, back to their proper rooms, everyone will have the chance to enjoy a savory chicken pot pie, full of peas, carrots, potatoes, and of course, chicken. On the side, we'll have buttery corn on the cob and green beans, and to drink, you may choose from the regular slew of water, milk, or assorted juices, which your nurse will bring to you.

"I believe that's all for now! Phew, long day, huh? I know I'll be happy to get some sleep, and thank you to all our vigilant doctors and nurses, although Dr. House seems to have gone AWOL... Hmm... Well, in any case, have a good dinner, everyone!"

The intercom clicked off again as the nurses began organizing the patients for the small trek back to their rooms.

[ OOC: Remember, room threads go in response to THIS post, and please put your respective room number in the subject line of your first post. Thanks! ]