When the bus had lurched to life, Okita was barely able to contain his scream of terror. He was lucky no one was sitting next to him or he would have died of embarrassment at his actions. Never having seen or even been in a modern transportation vehicle, he spent most of the trip curled up in his seat, gripping it like it was his only lifeline. The bus terrified him - the sounds it made and the way it jolted along the road. When it had become apparent that it wasn't going to explode, though, he'd relaxed enough to realize that unlike riding a horse, this metal monstrosity made him motion sick.

As soon as the thing stopped, Okita was off it, looking a little green. He remembered to take his sack breakfast and the coupon book, though, and quickly fled the area to find the closest place to hide. It ended up being a beautiful park with carefully sculpted lawns and what looked like play equipment. The fresh air did him some good and he quickly moved to the swings, setting the brown bag in his lap as he lazily moved to and fro on them.

He still had a lot to think about, he'd been able to supress most of his worst homocidal urges on the bus. Hijikata couldn't just disappear like that. Perhaps he'd been rescued earlier and would be somewhere in town today. All Okita had to do was get up the courage and start moving - no matter how difficult that seemed to be.

[from here]

Momo headed down what she suspected was the center street for the town. She noted the various businesses as she walked, as well as the increased staff presence, and kept to herself. If she was going to be wandering around lost in her own thoughts, she might as well get a feel for the town.

Maybe she'd make a map once she had a better idea.

[to Kelley Street]

There was, Naomi decided, some sort of cosmic irony in all of this. Not that she was trapped in a deranged and possibly other-worldly asylum with a man she'd idolized for years and a boy who was being investigated for - among other things - the murder of her fiance. No, at this point, those were perfectly normal occurrences. Rather it was the soft, pretty, feminine pink sweater dress she'd been stuffed into in the morning. A chance to wear normal clothes, and she looked like a soccer mom. The white blazer and white boots only made her look like a soccer mom who maybe hadn't given up gogo boots.

It was humiliating. Why couldn't she have jeans and a sweater? And sneakers? Something she would conceivably wear? Not this damned pink monstrosity. And her nurse kept saying how pretty she was.

She didn't care if she looked pretty.

Grumbling to herself, and taking it out on her muffin, Naomi was shoved onto an empty bus and told to 'sit tight'. Oh, she'd sit tight alright....

At least she was relatively certain L was alright. She'd spent the whole night with him, and other than falling on his ass, nothing had happened to him. And hopefully nothing would happen to him in town, either....

_{[from over here]}

The area he had traversed only yesterday was empty, devoid of the wicked phantom and her godawful touch. Still, Aidou couldn't help but to be tense when passing through - he kept watching the stairs and the people behind him more than anything else. Better sense told him she was no longer there, but the part of him that was just about to snap from the violation couldn't calm itself.

Hesitation had never suited him, and it only made him angry. Cold, tired, and angry.

At the faint red glow that illuminated the open square over top of the Sun Room, the vampire looked up through one of the windows. And right into the eye of the moon, which was red and bloody.

"A sanguine moon that holds no delight for creatures of the light."

His mouth curved into a dark sneer. It didn't portend good fortune for denizens of the night, either.

[ From here ]

The last room he passed was apparently Meeting Room 1. Kain glanced back the way he came and crossed to the railing, looking in on the Sun Room as he stepped forward. When he could see into the Chapel he stopped and frowned. At heart places to worship were basically the same, and he didn't think he needed to go inside. Attention drawn back to the scene below he stepped forward --

-- and halted. The blood scent, mild throughout the evening, overwhelmed everything else as it rose from somewhere below him. The people that were fighting that monster hadn't looked very badly injured, so where was it coming from? Head twisting to look around, he didn't move forward as the pipes shrieked. There was blood running through the building. There just wasn't another explanation that made as much sense, not with the scent being as strong as it was.

It was a bit disturbing to think about, and he ignored it as best he could as he passed the Chapel to walk to the wall in front of him. If he happened to come across the bathrooms on the second floor he'd test his theory.

[From here.]

No sooner had Soubi stepped into this supposedly dangerous room, when the radio clicked on. He stopped dead in his tracks, fists clenched, and waited. He let out his breath after five long seconds and moved deeper into the darkness. Another pause, his hand resuming it's place on Ritsuka's chest to keep him close, and then he moved on.
The room was silent, which he was going to assume meant it was safe for the moment.

"Alright," he said, quietly, "I think the coast is clear."
She switched his torch one, sweeping it over the room, taking in the rows of lockers and benches. "Let's see what we can find."

Ritsuka's worries seemed to have spread to Soubi. He wasn't so much scared as... concerned for Ritsuka's well being.

[from here]

Once they were safely at the top of the stairs, Ritsuka flicked on his flashlight and swept the area. It was probably unwise to announce their position, but he needed to know where he was. For all the times Ritsuka had been up here, he had never really gotten very far and his memory was fuzzy. Somewhere to his right was the pharmacy, near the railing, where he needed to stop for supplies for Tamaki.

Whether he should stop there first or after their explorations, however, was the problem. Turning to the right, he started forward and tried not to show any fear. He wanted to get things done tonight, even if it meant facing the worst that Landel's had to offer. He just hoped he wouldn't have to do that just yet.

[from here]

Approaching the stairs, Ritsuka looked up at the dark tunnel that headed both up and down now. He remembered the Head Doctor's announcement, but he didn't want to trust the man. He was, after all, responsible for the misery of the patients and it would make sense that his 'clue' was nothing more than a trap.

Beyond that, Ritsuka had his own goal in mind.

Stepping into the stairwell, he turned to Soubi and said, "Be careful here. We'll go up and to the right again because I want to keep trying that direction first."

[From here. Unknowingly waiting for Star Dragon Sword, so please don't interrupt without permission unless you're a nightshifter]

As Scar stood in the door opening, he found himself to be quite surprised to inhale the outside air. Being in a prison, he hardly expected part of this Landels to be outside. Not that the former lion minded; it was certainly something he preferred. Unlike the small spaces and hallways, outside seemed to be less of an confinement. More of what he was used to, even though it was still quite the difference.

Shutting the door behind him, he swept the lights-tick across the area. The darkness made it difficult for only his eyes to see what kind of area it was. He noticed the area was made out of grass. He could also see the faint outlines of things further on the area; things he couldn't quite identify.

He hesitated to move further. If he proceeded, there was no wall to support him which would make walking all the more difficult.

[From here]

Scar stumbled into yet another empty hallway. The nurse had taken him into the right direction this morning, which had led to the sun room and all the other connecting rooms. He wondered what happened to be located in the opposite direction.

Continuing, the king eventually noticed the door at the end of the hall. Fiddling around with the handle, he managed to push it open and felt the cold breeze from outside on his skin.

[To here]

[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]

_{[from over here]}

Although, he didn't need a room number to know where he was going, that much was true. The blood scent was strong, stronger than the average person's. And even if it wasn't, he was still competent enough to track it - a vampire's senses were superior, after all. They had no true weaknesses beyond a hunter's weaponry.

The tattoo stung him in rhythmic intervals, reminding of all the little things that made him doubt. Today along two people had called him weak, both children, both with their own visible injuries. And yet they'd both had the

Shut up, he spat in his own head, and kept moving through the shadows.

The only reason he hadn't outright refused Bella's request was that he had been planning to head in that direction all along. Where the humans went to the cafeteria for their food, Aidou went to the female cell block. It was the only place to find a good meal; that girl Claire had to be around somewhere.

_{[and making his way down the hallway 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! ]

Libraries, he'd found, were rarely as dull as people made them out to be.  Though he felt no magic in these tomes, they were still full of useful information.  Maybe some of them could tell him a little bit more about this world he'd landed himself in. 

For that matter, why hadn't he run into any of the others yet?  They'd all been fairly close together when they'd left Rekord, but he hadn't seen a trace of any of them.  He was able to communicate easily with the people here though, which led him to believe Mokona was within a mile or so.  Unless the ones running this little game had some other way to let all these other-worldly people communicate amongst themselves.  In which case, the others could be very far away indeed.

The library had that wonderful smell of old books, and Fai traced his fingers along the shelves, skimming titles and pulling books that struck his fancy.  Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The War of the Worlds, and with a smile, he found Bram Stoker's Dracula as well.  Raven had been telling the truth then, in spite of his own lies.  Ought to be a good start.  He sat leisurely at one of the tables and began flipping through his selections.

[waiting for Tamaki~]

Renji wasn't so certain what this grilled cheese thing was all about, but he liked the sound of some soup. Even if it was strange western soup, well... there wasn't anything bad people could do to soup, in his experience. His good mood was starting to fray at the edges, a little, from the strain of dealing with the Ichimaru issue, and even more from what had been on the bulletin board earlier.

He'd never had difficulty simply writing something before. But...

He shook his head as he entered the line. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to hold on to the tenuous equilibrium he'd managed to find.

Renji got himself a large bowl of soup, water, and even one of those sandwiches, just to try it. Old habit, recently awakened, had him over to one side of the cafeteria, where the fewest people possible would have the chance to pass behind him. He sat there with his back toward the wall and started eating.

With the nurse's guidance, Rinali was the first one into the room.  Along the way she did her best to make note of what she saw, but everything seemed to fit what the nurse had said.  This looked for all intents and purposes to be a mental asylum.  Still, everything was off.  Why did the nurse say her name was Mei Dianfu?

"Here's everything you need to get going," the nurse said with a warm smile, leading her to a table with cheap scissors, glue, and an assortment of glitter and other tools to draw or build.  "I'll be right over here if you need anything, hun," the nurse said with a warm smile.  "The other patients will be coming in shortly.  Try and make some friends."

Rinali smiled slightly to the nurse in thanks.  The nurse seemed genuine enough, so there wasn't any point in being rude until she understood what was going on.  "Thank you very much," she said, then took a seat at the table.  She didn't bother to look at the art supplies, instead waiting for the rest of the 'patients' to filter in.  Maybe one of them would know why she was here, or better yet, where her brother was.

Brother, she thought.  Where are you?

The intercom's jingle went off as the Head Doctor cleared his throat.

"I hope that all of you enjoyed that delicious meal! Mmm! It's now time for something a little more productive, though a little less filling, and that is... Arts and Crafts! As always, patients may lounge in the Sun Room and are allowed bathroom breaks if they request one of the overseeing nurses beforehand.

"As far as patients who will be attending different rooms this shift, if the nurses could escort Dr. Wilson's patients to him at the appropriate time? It would seem that Dr. House's patients were all canceled or rescheduled, mysteriously... Ah, and of course, we have even more new patients coming in this shift, if the nurses could also escort our new patients from Group 2 to the rest of our population...?

"I do believe that's all for now! Here's hoping for another pleasant day at the Institute."

The intercom clicked off.