"Just because you may have found some unusual little nook or cranny somewhere..." Ah, that was clearly directed toward him, and anyone else who would be poking their nose into someplace it presumably didn't belong tonight. Kratos smiled grimly as he worked his way through all of the belts lining his old uniform. As tedious as the process was, it was comforting to go through an old, familiar routine, and it forced him to stop and take the time to think through the night's plans clearly while he buckled everything into place. Hopefully, Castiel wouldn't ask too many questions about his choice of clothing, even though he probably had good reason to ask.

He finished up his preparations by inserting the batteries he'd bought into the radio. It took a few tries to get everything to match up, but eventually, it was cheerily playing the advertised children's songs. Of course, he'd make sure to try out its other, far more useful function, but he could wait. Satisfied, Kratos turned off the radio and headed out the door.

[to here]

[From here.]

And here he was.

Castiel had made it to the meeting spot without any complications, which also meant that he was the first to arrive. Not only out of him and Kratos, but out of the entire patient body. There wasn't another soul here, and Castiel wasn't even in a position where he could sense if others were close or not. With no other recourse, he leaned against the north wall and pulled his new radio out of his trenchcoat with his free hand.

He glanced down at the three numbers printed at the bottom -- 77.7. It caused him to twist his mouth, because he knew the meaning behind it, at least from a human's perspective. It had to be a coincidence -- there was no other logical explanation for it -- and yet he still had to wonder.

He turned it on, but there was still only static. Castiel imagined that the radio wouldn't be of much use unless he had someone else's number to switch it to.

[For Kratos.]

During lunch, some of the staff of Lil' Tykes Toys had taken it upon themselves to decorate the store with an assortment of balloons. The variety of colors would have been enough to remind most people of bubblegum drops.

On top of that, a new face -- perhaps someone temporarily hired for the event -- sat behind a small table near the cash register. The festive balloons surrounding her seemed to match her cheerful disposition, as she wasn't shy about beckoning both children and adults over so they could receive their free gift.

The ad on the town bulletin wasn't lying, but what were they handing out?

((NOTE: Please read the lounge post for more details.))

Not particularly hungry despite the time of day, Edgar decided to keep inspecting the stores, enjoying whatever freedom he could find in Doyleton. It wasn't much: while away from the prying eyes of the nurses, his questionable clothing and status as a patient of Landel's drew the attention of the residents of the town, and as usual, they didn't seem terribly thrilled to deal with their visitors. At least the weather was pleasant, a nice shift from the bitter cold it had been several nights before. It was still a far cry from the heat of the desert winds and the fiery forge of his homeland- it wasn't sure he'd ever fully adjust.

Even if there had been a chill, he'd have been kept warm by the fire in his chest, the blood of the Esper still scorching him from the inside out. It had been on his mind all morning, brought back to the surface with the thoughts of the Coliseum and the fight that awaited them, should they ever manage to gain access. Would he be fighting? And if so, would he be able to control the magic he'd had forced upon him? He wasn't one to doubt himself often, but it had happened once already- his skin was still healing from the burns he'd acquired earlier in the week, the bandages having receded to cover only those wounds under his clothing. His hands were scarred over, but a dull ache ran through them every now and then, reminding him of just how mortal he was.

What hadn't healed was his pride, guilt still knotting its way onto his features when he looked at his hands- Locke had died because of him.

As would someone else, should Ryuuzaki's knowledge of the Coliseum prove true. There was no way to know who would fight, who would lose, and who would have to go through the temporary death and whatever consequences come from it. Edgar's sense of self-preservation was usually high: the people of Figaro were strong, but they ultimately depended on him, needed his leadership to survive.

However, if the death truly was temporary, as Ryuuzaki said, then he knew he'd be the best suited for dealing with whatever came afterward. He'd been through worse, surely. The end of the world was fairly hard to top. Besides that, he couldn't, in good conscience, let a woman suffer like that, especially those like Lana or Nina, who didn't strike him as hardened warriors.

It wasn't going to be an easy choice, especially if they were all pitted against one another in the ring. He wasn't one to trust what he hadn't seen with his own eyes, but he was willing to put that sort of faith into Ryuuzaki for now. His help had been invaluable; Edgar owed him that much.

Stopping in front of the antique store, Edgar brushed his hair back as the wind blew and considered going in. He recognized the view through the windows immediately, the large tiger inside hard to forget, especially when he'd first seen it almost immediately after his fight with the catlike abomination in the basement. Between that creature and Locke's appearance as a coeurl, Edgar had to admit he didn't seem to be having much luck with cats at Landel's.

[Free]

[From here.]

L hated to be the first to enter a room. The necessity of sometimes doing it anyway had come hand in hand with his abduction; while he could occasionally alternate the job with a companion, or could simply subtly manipulate the person he was with to always be in a position to open the door, it was impossible to keep it up indefinitely. Someone would notice after a while, and it would be bad for his alliances, which would render him largely impotent in terms of trying to bring an end to the place -- that would require collaboration, which required doing things he would ordinarily prefer not to do.

He had already taken the lead with this group, as much as anyone had, and so he opened the big golden door a crack to see what might be inside.

After a moment, he pulled it open to allow the others through, relieved that they had found something that probably wouldn't try to kill them on sight. But that didn't mean it wouldn't try to kill them eventually, and either way, his relief was short-lived.

The room was as he remembered it: gold upon gold, ornate, opulent. The low ceiling made it lean, in his mind, towards oppressive, an impression that wasn't helped by the large animal resting on a central dais. It had a remarkably human face, remarkably intelligent, and the body of a lion, including the claws.

In his stomach, he felt the same heaviness as before, the same certainty that he had come across another of Landel's prisoners, someone it was unlikely that anyone would think to liberate, and someone it might not be a good idea to liberate.

The Sphinx might or might not recognize him. He'd find out soon enough. He was confident that he could answer any riddle the creature might set, but that was all; conversing with it made him acutely uncomfortable.

"Good evening." His voice didn't betray his unease.

Kratos firmly ignored Landel's usual nighttime rant as he got dressed, a task that required a little more thought than usual. Usually, he would shrug into his old military fatigues rather than deal with all the minute details of his clothes from home, but tonight, he was meeting Lloyd, and it was probably better to look more familiar: Lloyd hadn't been around during the military occupation, and even though the specifics of that weren't personal, Kratos wasn't in the mood to delve into the institute's past.

It was strange to be fumbling once again with all the belts and buckles on his Cruxis uniform, but even after a month away, the muscle memory was still there, guiding everything into proper position even as his mind blanked on the next step in the complicated procedure. Thus, it wasn't too long before he was, for the first time in over a month, actually looking the part of a seraph of Cruxis. It actually felt comforting, never mind that everything now hung a shade loose on him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind before he headed out. He would just be teaming up with Lloyd. That was all. There was nothing more to it. He'd asked for help. He was getting it. Enough. Simple. He opened his eyes and tried to pretend that had done something for his confidence as he gathered his things.

With a brief nod to Tolten, Kratos headed out the door.

[to here]

[From here]

Just as last night, Link stood and waited along the wall of the main hallway. Nobody else was out, yet. Good. He had made good time. One never truly knew, here.

He didn't expect to wait long. They all seemed to be very competent people, perhaps with the slight exception of the Once-ler. Though Link could not complain. He had been a bumbling fool the first time he had faced a true monster.

[The Green Team!]

Patients might hear the wind blowing outside as the intercom turned on and they were gradually moved from the courtyard or somewhere surrounding the Sun Room and back to their rooms. The wind made a howling noise, something that almost seemed to hint at what was to come when darkness hit and night began.

But for now, everything was as pleasant as it always was during the day, with the Head Doctor chiming in to explain what was on the menu this evening.

"I'm sure you all had a nice, relaxing day as you continue on your journey toward good health, but now it's time to head back to your rooms and have dinner with your roommate before lights out. Tonight we're serving some seasoned salmon with rice pilaf on the side, and for those of you who are vegetarians we have a black eyed pea soup along with a dinner roll.

"Whatever you're having tonight, eat up and get some rest! We'll be seeing you again tomorrow!"

The nurses didn't say much about the fact that some patients had roommates who had been missing for a few days now. Normally there would be someone to take their place, but that didn't seem to be the case for a few people. The mystery behind that was clearly one that was going to remain unanswered, but at least the patients had a hot plate of food waiting for them on their desks.

[ Respond with your character's room number in the subject line. Check here if you don't know which room your character is in. ]

Kratos grimaced as Landel gave his usual little speech to begin the night. Having kept a close eye on the board, he hadn't failed to notice the influx of notes subtly telling of another death, another person that had succumbed despite all the advances they'd made in finding a cure. It was frustrating, and it hurt: he had contributed to that influx himself, killing Sora in self-defense the other night. Truth be told, he had been utterly useless the past two days, and unfortunately, he couldn't say that tonight would be the night where he'd turn things around--well, perhaps it would be, if he could actually accomplish what he wanted to do. That would be something to be satisfied about.

Neither of his old uniforms tonight; Kratos chose instead the old military gear left over from Aguilar's tenure, careful as he tugged one of the gloves on over his still-healing hand. Without the bulk of the Key Crest, it fit far more easily, but the victory meant nothing. At the very least, though, the long sleeves of the shirt and the glove served to hide the bandage from prying eyes.

He gave a slight nod to his roommate before turning to leave. Time to find Tsurugi.

[to here]

[From here]

And there he was. Link stood near the wall, idly tapping the toe of his boot against the ground as he waited for Soma and the others she had recruited. He doubted they would take long. Soma seemed like a competent young woman. Hopefully that meant that she would have found strong allies to take with them.

He stood with his flashlight, along with the katana she had allowed him to borrow. Link was in his tunic from home, as he always was at night.

[For Soma and the Green Team!]

Link took his lunch into the Sun Room, preferring a quiet place to think rather than going into one of rooms he had yet to properly explore. He felt tired, physically and emotionally, but he needed to devise a plan for tonight. Tracking down Soma would be for another day; curing the other patients came before basement exploration.

He settled onto a couch with his lunch, picking out his sandwich and drink. Tuna fish- finally a food he could recognize!

[Soushi!~]

"Helloooo~? Is anyone here?" Fai held a gloved hand up to his mouth as he bellowed, peeking his head out the bedroom door and glancing down the rather stark hallway. Having woken up in an unusual bedroom was really not that strange to him, but waking up without his normal traveling companions did strike him as a little odd.

"Kuro-rin? Syaoran?" Even Mokona seemed to be missing and usually the small white creature was not far from his side. For a moment, Fai wondered if perhaps something had happened as they were transferring worlds. It wouldn't be the first time their group had gotten split up. It would be the first time he was left on his own when it happened though.

Taking a step into the hallway he placed his hands on his hips as he let his one golden eye wander and take in the scenery. They certainly had found themselves in a bizarre world this time. He wondered just what it was going to take to locate the others. If nothing else he could usually sense Kurogane, many thanks to the bond of blood that they now shared. However, even the familiar presence of the ninja seemed to be lacking. There was a hint of worry that pinged deep inside of him but he tried not to get too worked up yet. "It's not nice to start playing hide and seek without telling me first!"

Deciding it was time to continue his search, he started down the hallway, placing his hands behind his head as he strolled in a rather relaxed manner, despite the uncertainty that was boiling inside of him.. He could sense something about this place that was a bit off but it was going to take a little time to figure out exactly what it was. He didn't sense any magic, or at least none that he had ever felt before. "It's not like Kuro-tan to play games. This isn't quite the Clow Country that I had envisioned either. I wonder if something went wrong while we were traveling. Nothing felt different.."

Now Fai was starting to worry a bit. Not letting it show quite yet though, he placed that energetic smile on his face that was his norm and called out once again, "Excuse me~? I appear to be lost? Is anyone around? I could use some help! It would be greatly appreciated!" Fai wasn't sure if he was really yelling to anyone at all, but he figured if he kept hunting he would run into someone eventually. And if he kept talking, someone might hear him and come to him. He knew that it wasn't time to get worried yet. He just had to keep on walking and eventually something was bound to happen! Of course..he wasn't sure if it would be something good or bad..but he tried not to dwell on the specifics too much.


[OOC: Free. Goes to here]

The day had been an exercise in control for Edgar. For every polite smile he offered his nurse, he spared her a moment of self-doubt, the lines of concern etched into his face; she believed his insistence that he was feeling well enough to wander on his own and left him to his own devices in the Sun Room for the afternoon, never seeing as he rubbed at his bandaged palms, gritting his teeth from the pain of the injuries they covered.

The burns trailing up his forearms were nothing compared to the silent anguish of what had happened in the night, of the fact one of his closest friends and allies was dead. Locke's demise hit Edgar hard, especially considering he was the one who'd caused it. Yes, Locke had been changed into a monster, and yes, Edgar was confident it was what he would have wanted- death was preferable to losing one's self completely, and he knew Locke well enough to know he would never forgive himself for his transgressions, even those that weren't entirely his fault.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing, even if the end had been an accident, one neither of them could have anticipated. They couldn't leave him to wander, but they were never going to find the cure by being his watchdogs. And even if they did know what the cure was— someone suggested on the board it was a plant, but the answer was already a day too late— they would have had to leave him unattended to fetch it. It was an unfortunate situation.

Or it had been, rather. Edgar sighed, knowing there was nothing to be done for Locke. Picking up the pieces and moving on, making sure it happened to no one else... that was all he could do for the time being.

Deciding he might have a better chance of finding one of his other contacts if he stayed in the Sun Room— Tolten would have been ideal, perhaps, or Ryuuzaki— Edgar made himself as comfortable as possible on one of the couches, keeping an eye on the door to the Music Room as he took a deep breath to swallow down the dull ache in his arms. Even if he had wanted to follow the other patients, the chances were he couldn't hold a delicate instrument with his injuries, anyway.

[His BFF Ryuuzaki]

[M13]

When the doors unlocked throughout the hallways, Facilier was more than ready to begin his exploration of the institute once Rock Lee arrived as planned. However, he wasn't so eagerly prepared for what could happen with his roommate Hakkai...

The Bokor gathered his things in silence so tense that it nearly solidified the air surrounding him. He constantly kept his eye fixated on his roommate, ever watching for any change emerging from the corner of his suspicious vision. Meanwhile, Facilier's Shadow remained inconspicuously natural, yet he could feel its energy tingling as it was ready to leap into action at the slightest sign of danger towards its master.

Thoughts of killing off his roommate now before anything happened did cross Facilier's mind -- if not dozens of times by now! But he dared not dirty his hands unless it was absolutely necessary. It didn't help that Rock Lee was sure to show up any moment now either; Facilier couldn't trust the boy to remain silent about finding Hakkai's untransformed dead body in his room. He would just have to deal with this unbearable tension until he could exit to the hallway or fight once things became dire.

For now, Facilier took out his costume cane from his closet and leaned it against his desk close to where he rested his hand. Keeping Hakkai within his sight, Facilier sat down to eat the rest of his dinner, his finger constantly twitching towards the handle of his cane as he waited.

[From here.]

This was a trip that had gotten old ages ago, and so Harvey tried to make it as short as possible by falling into a brisk walk. He didn't go so far as to jog, since he didn't need to tire himself out before the action even started, but it was a good idea to save time where he could.

All of that was made very easy by the fact that there weren't any other patients around. He didn't know if it was because they were busy going through a painful transformation into some deadly monster, but if that was it, then he also wanted to get to a more open area sooner rather than later.

Harvey reached the end of the hall and rounded the corner into the main hall.

[To here.]

[From here.]

Harvey stepped out of the block and then took the usual right down the hall, pondering over the coming challenge as he went. While he, Sangamon, and Scott had successfully passed that trial last night, it hadn't led to anything. Had they made a misstep somewhere? Or was there more that they had to do? They were going to have to try and get answers out of that damn skeleton again.

Speaking of which, the toll would be going to Sangamon tonight. Harvey wondered what he'd end up choosing. He figured it was between touch and voice, but it wasn't really his problem.

On one hand, Harvey was getting sick of going down into that dank cavern every night. On the other, it was good to always know what he was doing when the doors unlocked. He just hoped that all of this effort actually led somewhere.

[To here.]

Link wasn't in the mood for 'rest and relaxation,' as the boss had put it. Daytime here was completely unproductive, and it was frustrating. There was little he could do, other than keep up with recording his map. He supposed he ought to take the chance to get to know the other patients: Who was powerful, who needed help, who knew what... Perhaps some of the people who had been here longer. Link was lucky he had Sora as a friend, who seemed to know a good deal about how things worked.

It was a two-edged sword, though, that the boy had to have been trapped here for quite some time to be as settled as he was.

The Hylian settled into a chair with his journal, tapping the strange sort of writing device he had been given against his chin. It had become evident last night that the building was relatively organized, the second floor being similar in its main layout to the first floor. That was somewhere to start, at least.

[Nina, dearest!]

[M16]

As wretched as he was already feeling, the taunting intercom messages did nothing to improve Gren's mood. What it did do was inspire enough anger to rouse him from the corner he'd huddled in and force him to collect his things and get moving.

He was really in no shape to be out and about. He felt shaky and lightheaded, hardly able to keep himself moving, let alone fight. But he also knew that it was his own fault, and that absolutely nothing good would come of hiding in his room waiting for his own thoughts to consume him whole. Going out wasn't going to do a damned thing for his physical condition, but it just might be enough to distract him from the chaos in his head for a little while longer. And maybe if he could find Hakkai, he might have a chance of working out just how much of this was really the fault of whatever that thing was they'd encountered the night before.

Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe it was just the drugs and the ghost and this place. Maybe he really wasn't losing his mind all over again.

It was the only thing he had to cling to. That, and the thought that maybe, somewhere, there was a way out of this hell. He had to try.

It took too long to get his things sorted, too long to get out the door and stop there, leaning against the wall while he tried to keep focused. No one was around, now. There was nothing but darkness and silence to welcome him.

[In M63]

Despite the nurses efforts to 'wake him up' he still felt as sluggish as before. The little bite of food he'd ventured during dinner just made his stomach twist more unpleasantly but he willed himself to keep it down. He couldn't just go a day without eating, that would only make things worse.

He knew he had to get up. He had to meet Tolten and get back to the X-Ray room maybe, this time, the clue they found wouldn't result in them arguing the night away. Besides, the sooner he got moving the sooner they could get there and the sooner they might be able to find a cure to make this feeling go away.

He just hoped his friend was doing better than he was, if they were both in this state, they might not be getting anywhere tonight. As it was, Locke had only gotten so far as thinking that he should get up. Hell, sitting up would be an improvement, but all he'd managed was to dig the heels of his palms into his eyes as if that might relieve his pounding head.

It wasn't doing a very good job.

[From here]

Link rounded the corner without slowing down to even look over his shoulder. He wanted to get to the medical wing first and get out of there before there was any potential chaos. It was a good thing Sora had shown him the way last night.

The Hylian rounded the corner into the larger hallways.

[To here]