It was hard for Guy to believe that a farfetched idea of his might actually work out in the end, seeing how rare that was in this place. Still, he had found the leather and had been allowed to buy it, which meant that the toughest part at this point would be finding tools to work with and also blocking out enough time to work on making the sheath. He realized that he could just as easily go without it, but it would be more comfortable and safer if he had one. He only wished he'd been able to buy some more leather so that he could make sheaths for some of his friends (Claude, specifically), but he hadn't wanted to push his luck.

So with the leather draped over his shoulder and the bag holding his book in the other hand, Guy allowed himself to be escorted back to the buses. There he was informed that their items would temporarily be taken from them and then returned at dinner. He honestly didn't see what the point of that was, except that the buses might get crowded if everyone had their purchases in their laps.

However, he wasn't let go that easily, since it turned out that every patient had to be searched before being allowed onto the bus. Guy could have put up a fuss, but in the end he was just relieved that it was a male doing it. He'd been searched a few times while a servant when something in the Fabre manor had gone missing and every worker had been suspected, so at least this wasn't completely new to him.

He wasn't sure how someone like Natalia would handle it, though. The fact that he could have that thought, that she was still here to get indignant, put a smile on his face.

Once the search was over with, Guy quickly moved onto one of the buses, keeping an eye out for Claude since he hadn't seen his friend all day. He wasn't worried, but he did want to talk to him and perhaps put a plan together for the night. He had no luck, though, which meant he'd just have to apprehend him once the doors opened after dark.

[To be tormented by Sync and Erika.]

Okay, so it had taken a little longer than Wally had thought, but eventually he'd found the restaurant he'd been aiming for and gotten himself inside and settled with a pot of coffee and what would hopefully be a steaming hot meal on the way pretty soon. He'd picked a seat next to the window so he could look out at the snow, feeling a little regretful that, with how much his arm was aching, he couldn't go out and try making a snow man or something today. Cold and broken bones didn't exactly go hand in hand, after all.

Still, at least there was the bright light known as coffee in his life again, in the form of a pot he'd had the pretty, way too young to be giving him that kind of smile, waitress leave at the table along with a cup and a container full of those little sugar packets he really liked. It was one of those things that he probably shouldn't be spending the little money he'd been given on, but... In a town like this, Wally had to wonder what exactly he could get that would be useful and also cheap enough to be paid for with a whole twenty bucks and a book of vouchers to his name. He wasn't like Bats, able to create some kind of workable plan out of that little; he hadn't the first idea what he could rig up out of stuff found in a small town hardware or electronics store, for one thing. His field was chemistry, and he seriously doubted there was going to be much of anything there.

Then there was the whole problem where it seemed like, even if he did somehow get everything and rig up a few basics like some simple explosives or whatever, nothing seemed to make a dent on the institute. Any kind of damage was gone the next day and when it came to the monsters, he'd probably be better to rely on what he was already. It'd be better than running the risk of hurting someone else.

Still, he couldn't quite suppress the feeling that he should be trying something, even if he couldn't think of what, exactly.

His arm throbbed as Wally unconsciously rolled his shoulders, reminding him of the other reason he was probably better to take it easy for the next day or so. While people still seemed to heal way faster than normal here, it wasn't like what his body normally did when his powers were messed up. He really didn't like the idea of having to deal with one arm out of commission and reminding him that, hey, it was broken, for the next few weeks or however long.

Just the idea of it being weeks like this was difficult to wrap his head around, and Wally elected to distract himself by carefully pouring himself a cup of the hopefully cooler coffee and reaching for the sugar packets, grabbing out a handful to get started with. Unfortunately the same broken arm he was trying not to think too much about was going to make the simple act of opening said packets that little bit more difficult, just enough for it to frustrate him.

"This bites," Wally grumbled aloud.

[Sora!]

Maybe it was the sudden influx of normality (or what passed as such a thing here) along with the townspeople, but it barely took a few minutes before Hope couldn't stand to be walking along the shops down the street anymore. He didn't want to listen to people laugh and coo over gossip and shopping lists, with their smiles and happily ever after.

Instead, it was the iciness of the snow that interested him, even as he shivered within his oversized hoodie. He had never experienced weather this cold before, enough to freeze the puddles around street corners and rain ice from the skies. He would stick to the empty streets and fields, covered in a layer of white that seemed so deceptive. The noise of the town seemed to fade away these two streets away, giving way to the chirping of birds in the morning and the slight crunch of snow under his shoes. It made such a strange sound when he stepped in an untouched pile, and Hope deliberately took his time making his way down the street just so he could stick with stepping on piles of untouched snow as opposed to the areas where the snow had been cleared into a path.

He found an old bench outside the fields and tried to brush the snow off the seat with a sleeve, rubbing his hands together every few seconds to try to warm them up again. It took a few tries before he sat down, wincing at the cold before drawing his legs up and finally getting to the bag that had been given to him.

There, in the hush of the streets and the cold, he finally allowed himself to breathe freely. Before, it had been running and running... and even when he got here, it felt like he was still running. Running away and trying to figure out what was going on... not that he felt he knew anymore than he did before.

He pulled out the muffin from the bag as his stomach grumbled, thoughts continuously going over what he had learned this morning. While the food turned out to be cold (he really should have expected that), it was a welcome distraction from everything.

[For Elfangor.]

Waking carried a sense of disappointment along with it for the first time in a long time. Klavier actually sighed in irritation when he realized where he was. Damn it all. So they hadn't managed to move quickly enough to cover as much ground as they had hoped. It was a shame, really. Last night had actually proven to be relatively productive. If they'd had the chance to continue on for longer, they might have been able to gather a lot of very good information. That was probably the point. As it stood, however, maybe he shouldn't be all that unhappy. It's not as though he came away from it completely empty-handed, after all.

He sat up just as "Lieutenant General Berg" was making his announcement regarding the day's proceedings. So they were still going on this scheduled trip of theirs, hm? Strange. He'd never understood the point of these trips, and it made even less sense now with the new management. Maybe there was actually some kind of point to these trips that he hadn't been able to grasp just yet. That none of them had. Hmm. And... they were giving them access to money? Granted, it wasn't terribly much, but it was still more than one would expect to be allowed. Why would they be encouraging them to actually buy materials?

These mysteries would have to wait, it seemed. Shortly after the announcement finished, Klavier's escort from yesterday entered the room, dressed in a hospital uniform rather than anything even remotely military. Without waiting for any kind of question or greeting, the man simply nodded at him and handed him a bag with his change of clothes and supplies, telling him to be quick about changing. ...Huh. It seemed the routine hadn't changed at all despite everything else. Looking down at the contents of the bag, he could see they'd decided to go back to giving him the thrift store, grunge-rock look rather than that ugly monstrosity from last week. Not that a mismatched plaid shirt and worn jeans made all that much better of an option, but... Well, at least he wouldn't look like some sort of derelict this time.

After changing and putting on the ragged jacket and black gloves provided, Klavier followed his escort to the usual set of buses. He wasn't exactly happy about going on this trip again, especially since it just dug up a mess of horrible memories. But he went along with it quietly, determined to play the part of the observer on this trip. This opportunity came about only once a week, and he wasn't going to give them any excuses to keep an extra close eye on him. He was actually in a surprisingly calm state today. Not chipper-looking, but collected enough. Much better than how he'd been most of the week. Though he was still positively famished. Which was why the calm mask completely slipped when he was actually handed a paper bag... of food. Normal food! He almost could have snatched it from the man giving them out. He hadn't actually had any kind of proper meal in days. Mostly his own fault. And now in the face of real food, he could feel it all that much more severely.

Not bothering to be picky at all, he climbed into the bus, took one of the first seats he spotted, and immediately opened the bag to start eating. He didn't even care how he might have looked while doing so. Forget propriety. He was starving. And this... This was... The best. Muffin. Ever.

[for the stupid demon-child]

As the sun peeked over the white horizon, snow continued to fall over the quiet countryside surrounding the institute. Though it wasn't as heavy as last night, patients planning to go to Doyleton were going to need heavy coats and gloves.

The silence was broken by the intercom once more, though patients waking up would once again feel as though little time had passed since the General spoke. Instead of Aguilar, or even the woman who'd dictated yesterday's activities, however, a somewhat familiar voice addressed the patients. Those who had listened to the intercom the night before last would recognize the speaker as the man who'd first talked to them after Landel had been fired.

“Attention all personnel and subjects,” he said, tone clear and strong. “Good morning. This is Lieutenant General Berg speaking. As many of you are aware, today is the scheduled trip to Doyleton. We will be following standard procedure and giving each patient a set of civilian clothing, after which everyone will be escorted to the buses waiting out front. Coupons and cards will be distributed prior to departure. The D-Class subjects will be allotted an allowance of five dollars, C-Class subjects ten dollars, B-Class fifteen, and so on. ”

A brief pause. “To all subjects, regardless of rank, I will offer you a word of caution: do not interpret today's trip as a sign that our priorities have shifted, or that our standards for perfection have relaxed. While we've granted you extra privileges, these can easily be revoked, and you may find tomorrow much more...unpleasant if you misbehave in town.

You'll also notice more orderlies and nurses today. These are General Aguilar's best men and women. They will tolerate less disrespect than Dr. Landel's former staff, I assure you. However, so long as you stay in line, today should be a nice reprieve from our usual activities.”

There was a quiet sound of shuffling papers. “That is all.”

The intercom clicked off.

[ NEWLY ACCEPTED CHARACTERS are free to reply to this with their introduction post. Please have your character wake up in a random room if we have not yet assigned them. Thank you! ]

Jiraiya had been right about the bulletin, at least. Yousuke guessed that meant he'd probably have to take some of the other things he'd said a bit more seriously as well. Like the monsters at night.

Hopefully his questions would all be answered when he met up with Kanji and Naoto. (At least he was pretty sure it was Naoto. No one else from their group spoke like a textbook.)

He was led out to the courtyard to mingle, saved from the showers due to his newbness, it seemed. Should he be grateful? If they expected him to play catch with someone, they were going to be disappointed. (Though if they got an actual game of soccer going that might be another story...) Mostly, he just wanted to find a familiar face as soon as possible, despite the promised meeting later.

[closed to his bff Adachi]

When the intercom's jingle rang through the Institute's speakers, the Head Doctor sounded a little more rushed than usual.

"Paperwork, paperwork," he sighed. There was a scratching sound, as if he was rubbing his face. "In any case, this activity shift, as per usual, is a reverse of the last; children in the Courtyard and adults in their respective showers. Newcomers have already been cleaned upon arrival; as such, they may spend their shift with the children in the Courtyard or relaxing in the Sun Room."

The Head Doctor paused, as if realizing how he was sounding more like a certain other person who also did intercom announcements. Still, it did nothing to help his brevity.

"In any case, I'll talk to you after the next shift!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All introduction posts for this shift's group of new characters should be made in response to this post.

Have your character wake up in a random room as we don't have roommates sorted out yet. Putting M??/F?? in the subject line is fine. ]

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun.

His head hurt, but that was nothing new. After all, the last thing he remembered from the night before was fighting a homunculus off of Lust and then having a conversation about events best left forgotten. The man hadn't been his brother. He just hadn't. And if what Lust had said they'd done to her was true...

Scar stood with shakiness that he wanted to attribute more to a bizarrely weakened physical state than a mental one. Had he been knocked out by some kind of lurking monster before the morning had come? He felt as if he had been out for days, being a veteran of such circumstances, though as he took the practiced role of being an obedient follower behind the nurse and orderlies that came for him, it didn't seem as if much had changed.

This place was probably just playing tricks on him again, and he was tired of being the man left out of the loop. He grabbed some food he didn't really care for and sat down, not seeing anyone he knew already seated. On one hand, he wished he had someone to talk to, and on the other, it scared him that he was no longer used to being alone.

He dug his fork into his food and tried to block out any related thought.

Gluttony didn't want to leave his Lust, not after he'd just found her!  But the mean tasty nurses said he had to.  "You can't join her in the women's showers" was a bad excuse.  He didn't like the mean tasty nurses.  Maybe Lust would let him eat them later.  Still, he knew he would see his Lust again, and that was good.  He liked Lust.  She was good and beautiful and smart and kind.  Why did they have to take him away from his Lust?

Still, he would see her again.  And she would tell him it was okay to eat the tasty nurses, and that would be good.  His new friend liked eating people, too.  That made him happy to find a friend who shared a love for eating people.  Today was a very good day.

As he entered the showers, he stood under a shower head and opened his mouth wide to drink up the water.  It wasn't as good as eating people, or eating waffles that didn't scream when he bit into them so weren't nearly as good as eating people, but it was still swallowing something, and that made him feel better.

Rabastan was on a mission to try to please Severus Snape. Someone should really stop and pity the poor Potions Master. So far, Bast had managed to lose just about everyone he had gotten attached to, and he was determined to not lose Severus. Severus was real after all.

Radio tucked into the crook of his arm, he grinned and shook his head when the nurses tried to get him to play, going for the sweet and cute thing. He did seem to be listening to their warnings to stay off the field then so he wouldn't get hit accidentally by people playing their various games. Heading to the sidelines, he began poking around at the grass and other small plants, trying hard to remember Potion classes from back at Hogwarts. Was that a good one? Or a bad one? Maybe it was a weed.

Either way, Bast plucked it gently and cupped it in his hand as he settled down on the grass and began fully inspecting the area around him. His radio was lectured to as he looked around.

"Mr Head Doctor, do you think we could go to the Arts and Crafts room later today? Severus might like some of the things in there. I'd like to get some of that faerie glitter if you don't mind."

Kuja was, in fact, quite surprised to suddenly find himself in bed. An odd turn of events, as he previously remembered investigating the contents of a closet. If the genome hadn't known any better, he would have thought he hadn't even left the room. However, the items he was still holding obviously proved such thoughts untrue; he had left his room.

This cage was a peculiar one.

In any case, unlike the night the day seemed the appropriate time to perhaps take a rest from all the danger lurking in the darkness. While he was resting his wings, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to "socialize" with the other patients, as allies would certainly be more useful during the night (and not merely to open doors for him). Perhaps he had made a fool out of himself tonight, but such wouldn't happen twice. Not everyone was fond of an encore, after all.

The sorcerer silently stepped out of bed, noticing his roommate was still asleep. The man didn't waste any time, however, as he hastily stored the items into his own closet, camouflaging it with clothes. Nurses finding his newly acquired items was the last thing Kuja needed, after all.

After he had closed the doors of said closet, another door opened as an extremely cheerful woman came in. Such contrast with the night, but the actors played their parts well.

Perhaps too well...

Kuja allowed himself to be escorted to the cafeteria, his attempt to gain more information from the nurse proving to be completely fruitless. Halfway, he had given up, as the staff seemed not as stupid as the Alexandrian court. Either they were acting, or they were unaware of the role they were playing. Regardless, they were mere pawns.

After he had filled his plate with some food, he seated himself at one of the tables, purposely choosing a place where he could easily watch the others patients entering. Blue eyes studying the various canaries flying within their cage as they were finally allowed an opportunity to rest their wings, he picked up a fork and began eating his breakfast.

[from here.]

Shaking his head at Elfangor's response, the replica opened the door to the waiting room, not expecting much.

Which was pretty much what he got.

He took a hesitant step in, scanning the room quickly with the light. Against one wall was a line of cushioned chairs, with a very casual table sitting in front of them. Next to the door he had entered through was a magazine rack, stacked in an orderly manner with all sorts of magazines he had never heard of. He picked one up, frowning at the title The New York Times. The pages seemed yellowed with age. The room looked like it hadn't been used in ages - or it was the feeling he got from it. Thankfully, it looked empty of bats. Or anything else that might nibble an ear off.

He turned back to the two. "I don't think we'll find much here."

Too goddamn tired, huh? Kimbley smirked up at the intercom sealed in the corner of the room and continued rifling through his drawer. Under his pillow he'd found the flashlight; in here, there were pens, a radio, a journal ... they were actually giving them supplies here. Clearly, this was not a real mental hospital ... or prison. More of hell than home.

The door was unlocked. He ignored his roommate almost entirely as he opened the door and stalked out, flashlight in one hand and radio in his pocket. (Who knew when he could disassemble it and use the parts inside for a makeshift bomb?) He'd said he'd meet Wesker here, but there was no way Kimbley was going to just hang around and wait for the man; no, he would make his way somewhere else. Wait for him at the door to the cellblock, maybe. Surprise him.

With an attack.

Ginji peered around before he started to walk again. This place was pretty empty. It was still pretty early in the night so he wasn't too worried. He wanted to get to Kurama as soon as he could. That way he could also find the stuff he needed to find tonight.

"Do you mind if I ask how old you are?" he whispered to Haku, in a voice that could probably only be heard by the boy with him. He didn't like the idea of so many young people stuck here. He was still moving pretty soundlessly but that didn't mean he didn't want to learn something about the person he was traveling with temporarily.

The intercom jingle rang out both inside and outside the institute on speakers loud enough to broadcast clearly across the recreational field.

"It's been a busy day, hasn't it? Well, fortunately for all of us, it's nearly over, and we can all look forward to some rejuvenating shut-eye--that is, after dinner, of course."

The Head Doctor chuckled.

"Supper for tonight is going to consist of individual servings of chicken pot pie, with mashed potatoes and peas as sides. You may ask your nurse about the usual selection of drinks, and... Oh! Some of you might find that you have some new guests in your rooms belonging to... Group 5, I believe...? Please see to it that our new patients spend their first night at Landel's Institute as peacefully as possible!"

He paused, then added:

"Oh, and Nurse Hondor? Could you please report to my office? Thank you."

The intercom clicked off.

[ OOC: Remember how dinner shift works--everyone posts to this post with individual threads for each room. New characters waking up during this shift will do so in their respective threads, though if your roommate's player is unable to play with you during your intro, feel free to work something out so that your roommate is taking a nap or something. XD; ]

And once again the intercom's jingle rang out through the rooms and halls as the Head Doctor took a breath and repeated what by now must have been a fairly tedious endeavor.

"And I believe it's time for another activity period! Now that you've gotten some sun in the courtyard, perhaps it's time to take in more fresh air with a trip to the recreational field! After all, I believe tomorrow is the day when all of you will have structured activities in the greenhouse and courtyard, so now would be a good time for you to familiarize yourselves with at least one of those areas!"

The Head Doctor clearly wasn't taking into account any midnight explorations that his patients might had made. He continued, just as cheerily:

"As for nurses, please make sure to introduce Group 4's members to our current patients? I hope they all find a pleasant time here at Landel's, and I hope you all have a fun time on the field! If you want any balls or equipment, you may ask nurses for them--but nurses, I believe you know which items would be safe for patients and which wouldn't be, hmm?

"In any case, I believe that's all for today. Farewell for now!"

The intercom clicked off and the routine ended, just the same as always.