((From here. ))

Claude had only been on the second floor one other time, but he hadn't run into anything nasty that time. Maybe they'd be lucky tonight, too. Then again, if they were keeping prisoners up there, it'd make sense for it to be heavily guarded.

Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anything lurking around in the stairwell (yet), but Claude kept their path well-lit just in case. He didn't intend to hang around here for very long anyway.

The sooner they found Ashton, the better.

The end of day announcement set Homura into motion as always. The night before had been rewarding, and he had a few things to get together before he headed out. Though he was reluctant to leave what he couldn't take with Ken in no hurry to vacate, there was little choice, as Homura had appointments to keep.

Especially the one involving his sword.

So once the items he was going to take had been gathered, the demi-god headed out, sword in hand, and took pause at his door. The stray thought concerning Kyouya hadn't left his mind, and Homura looked towards the other's room.

Would the boy emerge, or should Homura take the effort to seek him out?

Either way, the war prince wouldn't wait long.

Larsa knew far too well the routine that occurred with Nightshift nowadays. With his own roommate having been taken by the Institute two nights prior, he could not afford to risk the assumption that his Guardian had not been met with the same fate. And so, he only found it fitting to traverse to the latter's room and check himself.

The Hallway was still empty when he stepped out, clutching at his flashlight as he cautiously descended down the area. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to traverse about this early, but he felt that if he maneuvered by quickly enough he could avoid an encounter all together.

With his mindset firmly planted to that belief, Larsa wasted no time making his way down to the set of doors that led to the next Hallway.

[To here.]

From here.

Logan recognized this hallway from the night before. He gave pause to think about Keigo, about how the kid might be faring tonight, and whether or not he'd found anyone he knew, or at least, anyone to run with. There was no time for that now. As much as he would have liked to be able to keep all of the seemingly helpless kids from harm, he didn't think he could do it alone. Maybe if he could develop a network from the more talented and reliable 'patients' in this place, he could begin to feel better about those who were less adept at fending for themselves. He didn't slow as he moved through this hallway; he knew where he was going now.

Yuber had gotten the items from Cloud previously, before the shorter blonde had disappeared back in the hallways. Where ever they had gone was of no matter to the knight considering he had received what he needed, and if he was trusted enough with these potential weapons Yuber wasn't certain if he should consider this Cloud to be a fool yet or not. Yet again that would depend on just how inventive Usopp could be with what was provided. It would be interesting to say the least.

Toying with the few long blades in his possession, Yuber remained casually sprawled out on his mattress as the radio clicked off after the doctor’s announcement. If he had heard it correctly, Yuber summarised that the locations given were of some form of interest, and it left the knight wondering just what way this interest fell.

Was if towards Chaos or more towards Order?

The fact that it was now the night time lead him to believe that it was more the former than the latter, and with an amused smile pulling at his lips, Yuber elegantly pushed himself up from the bed. He stretched out his muscles before turning his attention down to his pillow, and after withdrawing the flashlight from beneath it Yuber set out with one destination in mind.

He needed to meet back up with Usopp.

This corridor looked almost the same. Still quiet, though now he noticed more people about. At least that meant he hadn't run into any monsters. He ran along the hall until he saw the door that had caused him and Dr. Birkin so much trouble. From the day now, he knew that at the end of this hall was almost a lobby with the hall to the Sun Room and Cafeteria to the left. He didn't want to go there, so this was the end of the blocks. Right? No bathroom. He must have missed something.

Armand backtracked until he found another door that opened easily.

Homura was as eager as his roommate to get things started, knowing that there was much to do, and so little time. The frying pan that had been his makeshift weapon before still in Kenshin's possession, Homura got his flashlight once again, hopefully for the last time as a fighting tool.

He didn't rush out of the room as Ken had, taking time while still in an area of safety to close his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness. Hopefully this would let him travel easier without the use of the flashlight, save for a periodic check or two.

Finally, Homura left his room, a bit surprised to discover he was one of the first in the hall. No matter; moving alone was best, as it was quickest, and left him with no one else to watch out for.

[To here.]

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.

Night came, but Penelo was actually surprised to hear the Head Doctor say what he did. No rant? Maybe he just didn't feel like it tonight, which made Penelo wonder if something had happened to him. Maybe something that would be in their favor, but that seemed like wishful thinking.

Penelo grabbed her things, mentally repeating Protoman's room number in her head. M44. Kazuo had been absent for the whole day, so it was possible it would just be the two of them that night. She really hoped he was alright. He survived through the night... maybe he just stirred up some trouble.

It really was no use standing there and thinking of horrible things that could have happened to her friend (she supposed she could think of him as that for now), not to mention it was probably bad luck, so Penelo exited her room. Quietly, so she wouldn't disturb her sleeping roommate.

((OOC: Starting off in M13, moving into the hall.))
Homura closed his eyes as that familiar voice filled the air, let out a slow breath to ease into the proper mindset for what was about to happen. Short this time, which was good, as he didn't have any desire to listen to the head doctor prattle on endlessly. No, Homura was eager to get things underway, excited at the prospect of feeling a hilt in his hand again.

It only took a moment to retrieve the skillet from the night before, the one piece Homura had managed to save for himself. Kyouya's room wasn't far, and he could likely get to Adel's quickly enough to avoid being attacked while hindered with the burden. Everything was ready, and Homura couldn't hold back an anxious grin as he reviewed the pieces of the puzzle, so close to falling into place.

Oh, but there was one new factor, a potential burden which might try to attach itself to him. He looked back over his shoulder at Ken, with a grin that betrayed nothing but confidence, without a lack of fear.

"You're free to do what you wish from this point on. Perhaps if you look, you'll find your friends." But I won't be responsible for you. His mind added on the words he left unsaid, what in his mind should be assumed by all unless agreed otherwise. And with that Homura left his room, and headed into the hall, turning left to cover the short distance to Kyouya's room.

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; ]

Aidou was, above all, obstinate in his decision not to interact with any more idiotic people. Going outside to join the herd? Yeah, he'd just be asking for it in doing such a thing. So he chose the only other option given to him by his nurse - if not for being too smart to ignore the potential repercussions, he would've backhanded her long ago - and stayed indoors.

The Sun Room, as a common lounge, was really no better than being outside. As a vampire, sunlight wasn't harmful. It was just being awake when he should be asleep that was the most irritating thing. Asleep, in his own dormitory. In his four poster. With his duvet pulled up over his head, and the scent of lavender. What a pain, making do with all these commoner things! He moved into the Sun Room without much concern; no one appeared to be in there, leaving only the annoyingly observant faces peering down from the second floor hallways.

Baring his fangs at them wouldn't aid him much, either. But it was tempting, so tempting.

Being treated as a celebrity provided the benefits of personal space, whether it was provided by the intervention of Guardians, or the general consensus that he was too blatantly a member of the upper echelons to approach (although even the most coy girls tended to gravitate towards him, the same for shy guys and Night Class girls. Hormones were like that). Being imprisoned as the others, and degraded in the same manner, was seriously annoying in that it voided the status quo.

Aidou gave a harsh sigh, ruffling his hair. Two days. Two days.

Something had to change soon. Or else.

Not wanting to be dragged along on whatever Mission of Annoyance Schuldig had planned for himself at lunch, Farfarello instead headed straight into the cafeteria, alone.

The tranquil haze of the drugs was fading and the thought of being stuck in a room with dozens and dozens of strangers was starting to make the hair on the back of Farfarello's neck stand on end. He'd spent the last year and change mostly in solitary confinement, except for visits from Schuldig and the times he was let out for missions, and being expected to sit calmly and have his lunch while surrounded by potential threats was not something the Irishman wanted to deal with; unfortunately, he had no choice, so at least he could get there early and find a table close to a wall.

Much to Farfarello's surprise he was not only early, but the earliest patient to arrive in the cafeteria. He almost expected to find rank, disgusting food, as a result--if patients were so reluctant to come to lunch, surely there was a reason--but instead was reasonably pleased by what he found. Two sloppy joes and a token piece of fruit later, Farfarello retreated towards the tables, only to find that not one of them was isolated enough for him. So, he grabbed a chair, dragged it into a corner, and sat down with his back to the wall and his tray balanced on his lap.

He would get through lunch without getting sedated again, no matter what it took.

Renji's quasi-peaceful mood from breakfast was well and gone by the time he got out to the courtyard. Rather than dwell on the all-new problems with Rukia - and the fact that he had absolutely no idea how to deal with any of it - he tried to occupy himself with a mental checklist of the things he needed to do today. Meet with Roy Mustang at lunch, introduce Hitsugaya around, hopefully speak with Qui-Gon at some point in the day, figure out who would be doing what in the night...

He'd gotten seperated from the rest of the Shinigami during the shuffle out to the courtyard, so he found himself somewhere out of the way where he could work out what else he needed to do.

It wasn't that he was avoiding Rukia, really.

Mostly.

Because avoiding someone in this place, at these times, was pretty much impossible.

His normally grouchy expression seemed just a bit more sour.

Aidou Hanabusa, a vampire, was one of the first into the cafeteria, which was swimming in dim sunlight. A grey morning suited his mood.

The fact that his biological clock was pitching fits was only the cherry on top of the cake; the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. "Waking up", once again, with no memory of how or why he'd been brought back to room M52 infuriated him, on top of getting absolutely nothing done during the night. In the (miniscule) self-deprecating part of his mind, he thought it served him right for making concessions for humans. He wasn't going to make that mistake again, no matter how alone he was.

Aidou secluded himself in a corner. Solid food couldn't replace what he was missing, but it would keep his appetite in check. For a while. If his better sense told him not to repeat yesterday's mistakes, then at least he could forget tablets and go hunting tonight. It wasn't like Aidou was required to follow protocol during Landel's fine nightshift. No one else did.

No one from home would think less of him for cutting corners, either. If they hadn't been able to find him by now, then things were worse than he imagined. With a table piled high with food, he cupped his chin in his hand and let his gaze wander. He had a fair idea where the female cell block was. It wouldn't be difficult to overpower a young girl...

Eventually grabbing the knife, Aidou poked at one of his many bagels. He'd been right about to find a suitable instrument in the mail room, something long and sharp enough to cut into a bat and allow him to see what similarities remained on the inside... The plastic blade sank through the bread, went through the paper plate underneath it, and finally snapped in two against the plastic tray.

More new "patients". A day of "doctor consultations". It was nothing he'd ever experienced before, nothing he'd ever heard about before, and it was seriously driving him nuts. For the first time in his life, he just wanted to be left alone, without feeling a set of eyes on him.

((From here.))

It took several swift kicks before the door opened, but Homura wasn't about to let a weak lock stop him. The kitchen, at last, and anyone who looked could see the satisfaction in their arrival in Homura's posture. While he didn't drop his guard, he stood a touch taller, empty hand on his hip as he looked around the dimly lit room.

Finally there, and only a monster would delay them further. The thought was strangely comforting in it's own way, and Homura addressed those who had chosen to follow him as he still savored this small victory.

"Get what you want, but be on guard." Something he shouldn't have to tell them, but at this point, he wanted to be very clear. "And don't wander too far away from each other. We don't know what's waiting for us."

His fixed gaze on Kyouya should have made it evident who that last part was meant to reach. But Homura would not be responsible for the boy should he choose to be foolish after this advisement, and set out to explore the drawers to see what could be found.

((From here.))

Closer and closer still, and all the while without creatures to deal with. Homura knew that sort of luck would only last for so long, and it was best to make as much progress as possible while it lingered.

But Landel's certainly wasn't built to encourage easy traveling, especially for the mind. Only darkness and a memory of the day's layout greeted the group once they opened the cafeteria doors, so effectively hiding whatever might be waiting for them.

"Ootori Kyouya." Homura's voice was firm despite being quiet, leaving little question that Homura's words were to be taken as an order. "Turn on your flashlight. We'll need the light in here."

But Homura's own flashlight remained off as he stepped into the room, despite the observation. While he didn't have any desire to expose the weakest member of the group, Homura's light would have to be used as a weapon should they fall under attack. Better that Kyouya's already be on, and lessen the chance of accidental blinding.

[from here]

The Sun Room was comforting to Penelo during the day, since she seemed to spend so much of her time in there, but at night, it managed to look quite eerie. The moonlight gave everything a dull shine and the large expanse of the room gave the impression of a black abyss that was waiting to suck her inside.

Needless to say, she wasn't too eager to enter. But the Game Room was here, so enter she must. Penelo reminded herself that once she entered the Sun Room, she could just run into the Game Room and safely hide there until Kazuo made his way there. It was a good plan.

Of course, when Penelo actually entered the room, that plan was quickly ignored. A quick scouting of the area showed it to be relatively safe (at the moment) and ... well, empty.

It was far different from last night, where there were quite a few people gathered here. Perhaps she just moved too hastily and the others hadn't arrived yet. Taking light steps, Penelo started to walk towards the Game Room.

[from here]

Zabuza left the M-Block and continued down the wide open hallway towards the other end of the hospital. This was the path they took every morning to get to breakfast so it was familiar enough for him to do in the dark. It was whatever lie further down that was a mystery. Zabuza couldn't help but like it that way.

He was leading Haku into the unknown.