After the couple glasses of water Leon managed to gulp down during breakfast, the mage felt immensely better. He was still a bit tired, but that was nothing a little lounging on one of the sofas wouldn't cure. Stretching his arms above his head, he couldn't help but wish he'd had the chance to grab one of his new doctor's coats before leaving his room that morning. Maybe they would have let him get away with wearing it. Maybe.

He grabbed an empty sofa, pulling out the journal he tried to keep on him at all times. It was nearly complete now. Just a couple more pages to go. It might not improve his spellcasting that much, but any improvement was better than none. It was getting to where it might be too dangerous for him to use spells at all, if it left him so worn out without even finishing a monster off.

Lunch had definitely been an interesting encounter. Maggie was in need of a little encouragement about the wonders of science, and those two others needed a little lesson in how to properly go about getting their answers, but all in all the new batch wasn't disappointing.

But now it was time to get back to work. Humming to herself as she waited for the next patient to come in, Washu sat down in her chair and cracked open the file. It seemed that her next subject patient seemed to be normal, other than thinking that his name was 'Kyon'. Hm... okay, so what made him go 'round the bend, and what could be done to solve it?

With a low giggle, Washu began plotting. It was time... for science!

[Scoobies + Bella's epic field day: readystartgo]

Taking his pick between sun and no sun wasn't that hard of a choice, really. Angel ended up in the Sun Room on a couch near the back, facing the entrance to keep an eye on anyone coming in. And by the window. The window and its resulting sunlight was important.

A part of him felt as if it wasn't quite right to actually like something about this place, but then again, after everything, didn't he kind of deserve to find at least a small source of enjoyment? For a little while, at least? While he sorted everything out after his conversation at breakfast. It was a theory he'd have to ask Willow about when he found her.

He flipped open his journal, looking idly at the half-finished sketch. Sometimes he became worried he'd wake up one day and forget the faces he knew. Drawing was more than just a hobby for him, in that way.

And then he was back in his room again. Sai frowned at the ceiling momentarily, but was soon sitting up. He was back in the Landel's uniform again, which really saved him the trouble of having to change, didn't it?

It was disappointing that he hadn't had the opportunity to finish his discussion with Usopp, but luckily they'd already made plans for the morning meal - to include their new cohort, of course. Hopefully whatever had been responsible for making Usopp act the way he had the night before had worn off with the sunrise. Otherwise things would get troublesome.

The moment his nurse came to get him he was ready to leave, and as usual she was pleased with how willing to go along with the daily routine he was, though he hardly offered her any attention. Breakfast was... unpleasant looking, so Sai stuck to milk and fruit. Finding a table, he didn't yet take a seat but stood so that the two men he'd be meeting with could spot him easier.

Time to get down to business.

[waiting for Usopp and Mello]

Oh. Oh dear. Despite knowing little of the man on the radio in a personal sense, the news hit him hard. He wasn't sure if it was true, but... why would the doctor lie? If it weren't true, they'd find out easily enough, so it would be pointless. Right?

Oh, he was a horrible man! A part of Tamaki wished that he could fight, so he could help take down that awful person himself. But he knew it was just a flight of fancy. But what would they do now? Without any clues at all?

Sighing, he hung up the sign for the clinic. He needed to talk to Ed so badly, but he had his duties here. Even if he wasn't the best or the fastest, he could still do things. And he had to. So he sat down and waited, for either arrivals or some contradiction to what the Head Doctor had said.

Just in case.

[M39]

Being dragged away from ZEX mid-conversation was something of a mixed blessing. On the upside, it meant that Zelnick would have at least few minutes to regain emotional balance before spending the whole night with the guy....

Well, perhaps it was more of a mixed curse. Normally Zelnick didn't begrudge allies their oddities, but ZEX had this amazing ability to jump straight from normal conversation to oh-god-awkward innuendo-laden flirting, and Zelnick couldn't do much but hope that he'd keep away from the latter.

In any case, he paid closer attention to where they took him, this time, not just his room number, and he realized he was actually really close to Yuber's room. Wasn't that convenient?

Once he was in his room, he started to get ready for the night; skillet, knife, pestle, all loaded into the apple basket that had wound up in his closet, along with a couple pens and the radio (hadn't Yuber said it spilled hints at night?). This meant he couldn't take all the apples with him, so Zelnick wrapped them in one of the extra shirts and left them in the corner of the closet. All that was left was to get the flashlight, which he found under his pillow like he did last night.

Then the intercom clicked on.

So that was their lord and master, in this place? After spending the first night confused and the first day hearing the voice of the Head Nurse, he found that the guy sounded pretty sane, until he admitted to killing someone. "The man on the radio--" did he mean whoever was on the other side of the little antique, sending out hints? And the method of death sounded... frighteningly personal.

He unloaded the skillet from the basket and held on to it as the doors unlocked, and sat at his desk to wait for ZEX.

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]}

"Close the door behind you," was the first thing out of Aidou's mouth.

The last thing he needed was anyone, or anything, barging in behind him, not when he was intent on other business. And for once, Aidou felt some semblance of satisfaction--this wasn't what he'd been seeking, exactly, but ultimately it was still part of the answer.

Counters, a surgical table, equipment, and most importantly... cages. Cages all around the room. The vile stench emanated from them, utterly empty though they were. Aidou approached the nearest, curling his fingers in the wire mesh, peering inside with a furrow brow. Could this room really the one he'd pondered on, the place where the monsters were kept (assumedly) during the day, and released from during the night? Certainly, the room was too small to match their numbers, but it still seemed likely...

The vampire considered some of the dumb inanity playing out over the intercom, and wondered if all these empty cages had something to do with it.

[[From Here]]

They seemed to be having good fortune thus far.  The shouting and voices died out as they hurried further down the hall; luckily that area was already on their map.  It looked like there were a few doors ahead though, that had yet to be added.  He hadn't seen any Akuma yet, but his eye didn't work nearly as well here as it once had.  Nothing seemed to.  Allen lead the way through the darkness, treading cautiously into the unfamiliar territory.

[Coming from here.]

Daemon paid little attention to any of the doors he passed, taking no time to watch where he was going or check if there was anyone or anything in his way. His attention was completely focused on that one distant pulse, which was growing ever closer. He could feel her, she wasn't far away. After all this time.

It was all he could do not to just spend his magic and take down the walls that separated him from her in order to be there more quickly.

[Racing here.]

Another unexciting dinner led into to another shot at busting out of the institution as Nightshift rolled around. Of course, Jack had other plans to attend to first. He had been rather interested in crashing paying a visit to M98 after the bulletin promised "cigarettes, booze, and sandwiches". The "manflesh" he could do without, but even if he wasn't welcome (last time he checked, he wasn't a hot lady, though the way things were going, who knew what tomorrow held?), he'd strong arm his way in and take what he wanted!

Sliding from his room into the hall with his maps and flashlight, the Fable set out to find his way to the party and may score some liquor and smokes.

[Still in Room M23]

He'd gone to the closet to search for a new hiding place to dump the cigarettes, and instead, found something very unexpected.

Hanging in the closet was a set of very unmistakable clothes. Sanzo stared for a second.

What the hell?

It had to have arrived very recently, because he hadn't seen it earlier. He wasn't even going to ask how, only whether it was actually Landels doing (he didn't see any point in that, it had to be some fuck up), or if it was that hag in the sky actually doing something right for a change and not laughing her/his ass off at him.

Everything looked to be in order. The breastplate was there, the sandles, everything...

Sanzo began stripping off the Landel uniform.

He felt more awake with each piece that he put on, not nearly as lost in the sheer mindlessness of the dayshift anymore. Sometimes the robes were a pain in the ass on the road - especially in hot weather - but right now, it was the only familiar thing he could grasp onto.

Just like holding that heavy weight of the gun in his hands.

Sanzo slipped on the sandles last, and dropped the matches and cigarettes into a sleeve. The map, radio and pens soon joined them, although the last was more of an afterthought. Pens probably wouldn't do shit as weapons, but at the rate things were going, it was better to be prepared.

No sutra on his shoulders and no gun, but everything else was almost as it should be.

And thus the intercom jingle sounded once again, marking an end to the easy socializing for the day.

"Sorry to break into your leisurely activities, patients, but it's time for you to all be escorted back to your rooms. We do, however, have a scrumptious meal planned for all of you: Salmon fillets stuffed with garlic, chives, and other spices, along with sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots. Feel free to liberally apply butter, ha ha... ha. You of course may ask your nurse for whatever drink you choose from our stock.

"I do hope that our new patients had a good time meeting new faces and exploring the Landel's environment today! Unfortunately, the rest of you won't be meeting the new members of our population that we'll be bringing in tonight, but... ah, well, you'll see them in the morning, right?

"But it isn't lights out quite yet, is it? Oh, no... In any case, nurses, please escort our patients back to their rooms, and escort those who don't yet have assigned rooms to the empty rooms marked on the lists that were given to you this shift.

"Also, I'd like to say that I look forward to reading all of the notes that I have heard were put in the Suggestion Box! In any case, ta-ta for now and have a wonderful dinner."

The intercom clicked off.

[ As per usual, all dinner shift posts should be in response to this post. Please put your character's room number in your subject line unless you don't know it yet. Thanks! ]

When Kyon entered the Arts and Crafts room, he was not only feeling physically fatigued, but mentally as well. The last few shifts had not gone well at all. Kyon had spent the better part of the last shift staring at his food, wondering what the hell he was going to do about the coming night. Aidou's intentions had to be anything but good, and he'd stupidly given his room number to him under a slight panic.

Couldn't he just stop time for a few minutes so that he could rest?

Thankfully picking a slightly quieter room than the rest, Kyon sat down at one of the ables and put his head down. He didn't want to think anymore. He just wanted to peace for once since his stay at this damned institute.

[OOC: Awaiting Hokuto~]

[OOC: Waiting for Kenren, I think...? Daddy!?!]

It was the second time she'd needed to be sedated since being dumped in this awful place. The fight hadn't even really been a fight either, just a refusal to move or do anything that the nurses wanted her to do after "Tyki" had left. It was just the adamant resistance that had gotten her injected and then carted off to whatever place the nurses decided would be best. Apparently some fresh air was thought to be best right now.

She was settled on the grass and given a ball, she didn't know what kind, and told to cheer up before being left alone. That's all she had wanted in the first place, to be left alone! Why did they have to drag her to this place for that?!

Her hands settled on top of the ball and she began rolled it back and forwards beneath her palms. The anger was still with her, but it was no longer flaring thanks to the drugs, so Rhode had nothing else to do than just sit there and wait for the drugs to wear off. Once they did, the poor ball would probably be suffering a much harsher action than being rolled back and forth.

Ginji was shocked, stunned, overjoyed. Here they had just provided an entire "All-You-Can-Eat" meal and yet... and yet.... there was still more food. He knew there were people who could eat and eat and eat and eat because they had the money, but he had never, ever been one of those people. And now he was able to eat and eat and eat. Real meals. Snacks. So much food. Ginji was the type of person to enjoy whatever he could, and food was something he really, really, really enjoyed.

He grabbed as much snacks as he could and went back to a table to enjoy it. Keeping some of his manners, he called out his thanks before going to munch on some fresh vegetables. So delicious. He was grinning despite the fact he was in a horrible place, that friends he had made had disappeared, that he was still too injured to really walk very well on his own, and that he had had to explain to someone else about Raitei. He got the feeling that Roland understood it a lot better than other people. For one he hadn't tried to tell Ginji that anything Raitei did "wasn't his fault". Ginji didn't like talking about it and didn't want to think about it, so he focused on the food in front of him.

"Yummy!" he said cheerfully, after he had finished chewing what he had shoved into his mouth.

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

Hiei didn't give a damn about religious services, meditation, or pretending to be social. The always sudden waking after night put him in a bad mood, this one particularly so. Even with Kurikara licking him like some perverted moron, the warmth the dragon provided was welcome in Hiei's bed, and missing when he woke, giving the surrounding air a greater sense of chill.

But the perfect thing to relieve his anger might just be making an appearance that morning, and that at least gave Hiei hope for a decent day.

Hopefully Kurikara and Kurama both would be clever enough to figure it out for themselves. Without hesitation, Hiei demanded to be led to the temple, taking a seat in one of the rear pews. Humans had a way of overdoing things, and this place wasn't really much exception to that. Granted Hiei's limited knowledge prevented him from realizing there were much more outrageous churches, but to the demon, the colored pieces of glass and polished wood seemed to be much.

It didn't matter, however. Either could be turned into weapons, perfect objects to slice into that damned head doctor's throat or bash in his skull. That was a thought worth grinning about.



[Feel free to pester. Just, uh, be aware that he's not exactly nice.]

[Dropping down from Bus 3.]

Shana dropped into the darkness from the open window above, keeping her back to the carraige as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness surrounding her. It must have been a cloudy night, for she could make out no stars or moon above. Eerie sounds filled the night and she shivered, not liking the sound of it, nor the fact that she was out here alone with no idea of what could be lurking in the shadows.

Shadow was still trapped in the bus somewhere above and behind her, and she had no idea where Valyn and Keman were. Focusing her magic, she tried to reach out and feel for them, wondering if they'd felt her cast her magelight spell, wondering if they'd cast anything in return for her to find them. She had no desire to spend the night separated from them, especially since she hadn't been here long enough to know her way about the place, let alone the extent of dangers it could hold

What a waste of a trip.

That was Anise's first thought as she was ushered onto one of the buses, taking a window seat along the left side. In the end, she hadn't been able to get any information besides rumors and conjecture. Among them, the only information worth considering was the doctor's suggestion of Doyleton being an extension of Landel's. Could it have really been a fake town? She hadn't had a chance to meet any of the townsfolk, or even see the insides of any of those buildings, so it was hard to say whether anything was off or not. Although the lack of a post office really was strange...

...Which made her realize. The blond man she met earlier on Main Street said he had heard there certainly was a post office, but there was no sign of it when she actually searched. No trace of the white-haired man he had told her about, either. As frustrating as it was, she had no choice but to acknowledge it now: he had deceived her.

He'll pay for that, she thought grudgingly.

Forcing away a sour expression that took hold of her face for just a brief moment, she started on the sandwich and milk (a natural choice for a growing girl) she had been given. Having spent the entire day running around town without stopping for lunch, she was admittedly pretty hungry.