With breakfast finished and a new acquaintance made, the Scarecrow's mind turned to his other friends. The disappearance of Depth Charge's friend had brought back memories of how he'd felt when Kaiji went missing: helpless, useless, as though he should have and could have done something more to find him. If only he had his brain, then maybe he could have thought of something!

As much as he didn't like to admit it, it was unlikely his former roommate was still within the Institute's walls at this point, though the Scarecrow wouldn't know for sure unless Kaiji returned to visit him as Dorothy had, encouraging his supposed recovery. There was still the concern that Landel, despite his vile methods, was actually right and he was suffering from the delusion of having been a scarecrow in Oz. After all, that movie had been a pretty elaborate trick. Would he have planted it in town on purpose, knowing the Scarecrow would be taken there the night of the enchanted doors? And how could he guarantee that once he did find it, he'd take it and actually watch it? There was so much guesswork involved- it seemed the Wizard Landel either liked coincidences or he had more power on his side than any of the patients could have guessed.

The Scarecrow stopped by the bulletin board before heading for a seat, considering writing a note to his friends to check on them. He'd heard from Depth Charge, Remy, and Kibitoshin within a day's time, so he figured they were probably fine (as fine as Depth Charge could have been after last night, anyway). He'd seen Mele and Scar the day before. He put a finger to his head, thinking- he'd not heard from Abe or Sangamon in a day or so, but being professionals, they were probably very busy. Perhaps a note would be best for them.

[Kibby]

[M85]

One ominous announcement from De Landel later, Guybrush was ready to bolt out the door, pausing only to take one more quick bite of his meal. He grabbed the doorknob dramatically, showing that door that he meant business. Elaine was out there somewhere, kidnapped and helpless and possibly being tortured in some horrible way...

All right, maybe not those last two. Even with the sole thought of rescuing his beloved Plunderbunny on the brain, Guybrush could admit that "helpless" was never an accurate way to describe Elaine. She always knew just what to do, and when to do it so it would be either the most beneficial or would move the plot along. Then again, she did have her occasional misstep, and in the rare occasion something was out of her control, it was always monumentally bad.

He couldn't wait any longer. He was not willing to lose her again.

He stepped out and slammed the door shut, only to open it a second later. "Sorrytocuttheconversationshortgottorescuemywifehavefunnotdying," he called to Scott before slamming the door a second time.

[To here.]

The intercom jingle was slightly different for this shift, almost as if it had gone up in quality. The Head Doctor gave a sigh of relief, his own voice clear as a bell despite the usual electronic buzz.

"Hello, everyone – from our new and improved intercom system! We've had electronics rehauling our circuitry, and you can hear the result quite nicely! A whole bunch of improvement! Right, anyway...

"As I'm sure you've noticed, we have a whole new bunch of patients that have joined us recently, and because of the changes in our roster, we've updated our roommate assignments, so some of you might be enjoying the company of someone entirely new tonight! Please be polite and friendly to anyone you might encounter!

"Which brings us to... dinner! Tonight, we'll be having a delicious 'bento box' meal consisting of fish and vegetable tempura along with chicken teriyaki, a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, salad, and... green tea! Decaffeinated, of course. We can't have you bouncing from wall to wall when there's sleep to be had! Our usual assorted drinks and alternative meals are also available. Oh, and... dessert! Green tea ice cream, with a topping of red bean paste.

"I think that's all for now! I'll speak to you once more before bed time."

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Please refer to the updated room assignments before posting. Thank you! ]

How one's body could maintain a waking schedule when sleep came unnaturally and in a room without windows, must surely be a mystery. Yet, as if working on cue, Natalia stirred well before her nurse arrived. That was normal. Less so, the weight that sought to press her eyelids closed again, the heaviness of her limbs that made lifting her hands to her face an effort. She put her wrist to her forehead with a frown, then attempted a jolt of energy – to swiftly dig her hands into the mattress and shove herself into a seated position, and from there, to her feet.

Not to overexert herself once again, but to refuse that it could be possible after sleeping. Happily, though all still felt leaden, her head did not swim. Encouraged, Natalia put on her slippers, rearranged the bedding, and waited. There came the announcement (reminding her, suddenly, of what she had last heard, and the guilt that had twisted in her gut, Jill--), and her face wrinkled with disgust at the hacking sound. Therapy and breakfast. Food would surely help.

Natalia did not wait long before her nurse opened the door, and after exchanging cursory “Good Morning”s (with rather more enthusiasm on the other woman's part), they began the walk to the Cafeteria. With, of course, the essential rest room stop, where water was splashed and scrubbed over her face, and her hair toyed with to no great satisfaction. At least the shower had renewed its body.

Separating in the Cafeteria, Natalia took her place in line and loaded her plate: eggs, fruit salad, fried “tater tots” (potatoes?), and curious meat wrapped in cooked dough. Some of everything, with juice and water. She thanked her servers, collected utensils and napkins, and found a seat at an empty table. It was early yet.

Sparing a brief look around to be sure no one she recognized had arrived – though she remained eager to greet every patient, at the moment she chose to focus on the possible strength gained from the meal – Natalia began to cut up the items and eat with a refined gusto. Entirely possible!

[Claude!]

Given a choice, as should have been implied by the whole "Free Choice Day" thing, Scott would have gone straight for the Game Room. Maybe it didn't have the greatest selection of games, but he was raring for another epic Tetris match with Indy or anyone else who cared to challenge him. Unfortunately for him, however, his nurse was already onto his line of thinking.

"Now Bryan, I know how much you love your games, but don't you think some more time away from them would be good for you?" the woman asked him in a soothing tone, gently taking his shoulder when he turned toward the Game Room.

"Uh, why would I think that?" he asked, blinking at her in honest confusion.

"Well, I know your family was worried about more than just your condition before you came here. They're hoping you can start to wean yourself down to a more healthy level of enjoyment with your games, too," the nurse explained with continuing gentleness.

"Yeah. And?" Scott raised an eyebrow. "It's Free Choice Day, isn't it? Don't I get to choose and stuff?"

"Of course, Bryan. But I'm still here to make suggestions, and I think you'd do well with a different activity today." The woman smiled at him, genuine care and concern in her expression. "You can always come here later in the week. It'll probably be more rewarding if you wait, too."

Scott was silent, considering the advice. He raised an index finger. "Well, I suppose... Uh, yeah no. Please to be going to the Game Room now, thanks."

The nurse frowned.

Five minutes of irritatingly gentle coaxing later, and Scott found himself in the patient library. "Stupid guilt tripping never even talked to my real mom and dad I bet I could be playing Tetris right now they don't even have any cool books in here..." he grumbled to himself under his breath as he lazily perused the shelves. He picked a book completely at random, The Oxford Book of English Verse. He was half-hoping that maybe pulling the book out would trigger something more exciting, like a secret item appearing, a bonus stage unlocking, or a new shortcut tunnel opening. But no, Landel's reality was boring as ever. "Maybe there'll be an awesome poem or something in here, at least," he told himself as he headed over to an empty seat with a short sigh.

[Unknowingly waiting for Sam]

[from here]

Endrance had been bracing for impact, both physical and emotional, to the point where his eyes were closed as he stepped out the door. When he opened them, though, it was to a scene he hadn't been prepared for. It wasn't an unfamiliar one, and that was the strange part.

It was a place he'd been countless times, - the Warring City, Lumina Cloth. It would normally be a bustling city, filled with people going to the Arena. It was eerily quiet, but...either way, this was home. His footsteps echoed off the concrete as he took a few steps away from the Chaos Gate. Had this place been so beautiful before?

Endrance turned in a slow circle, taking in the scene. The lights, the night sky, the majestic-looking Arena in the distance...perhaps it was a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, but he didn't think so. He hadn't really looked at this area in that level of detail before now. It really was beautiful, but more than that...home. Home, and it felt wonderful beyond words to be there.

After a moment, he turned back to the others, looking - and feeling - happier than he had in a very, very long time.

"Haseo...we're...we're back. We're back in The World, this is...this is Lumina Cloth. But how...?"

[ From here! ]

Haseo let out a small breath once the now-familiar moment of disorientation had gone and he got a look around at his new surroundings. It might have been yet another room he didn't recognize, but if nothing else he was glad just to be out of the one with the caged monsters. What was irritating was how the more they explored the institute in this manner, the more Haseo realized just how little he'd managed to get around during the week he'd been there. It might have been a reasonably large building, but come on... most dungeons were bigger.

At least there wasn't any immediate danger to be seen, though he wasn't to be fooled again and made sure to shine his flashlight into the corners of the floor and ceiling in search of zombies or giant arthropods or-- whatever else might decide his party looked tastier than the dust they'd apparently been eating instead. Seeing the things in the previous room had definitely made his imagination a little more active.

"Well... now what?" he asked after that, leaning on the counter and throwing an exasperated look at the two accompanying him. As much as he wanted to have enough answers to be effective, the whole thing with the doors behaving like Chaos Gates gone random made his head hurt a little. If there was a pattern, it was lost on him.

[warped from here.]

This couldn't be good for Porky's stomach. With every warp, an extremely uncomfortable wave of nausea washed over him, and, while they weren't getting more intense, having so many so quickly made it seem like they were. Still reeling from the latest warp, Porky shut his eyes and held a hand out to steady himself. Ah, well. Maybe it would be worth it. If Porky could be warped anywhere, then there was a chance that he could end up somewhere with valuable loot.

Now, where did he end up this time? Porky tentatively opened his eyes, only to shut them again. Maybe there had been a mistake. Landel was an evil mastermind, but he certainly wasn't that much of an asshole, was he? Desperately hoping that he had been mistaken initially, Porky opened his eyes once more.

"Oh, come on!" Porky shouted, "You've got to be fucking kidding me! Another bathroom?! And it's not even the guys' bathroom!"

Porky squeezed his temples and sighed. What the fuck, Landel? How many times was Porky supposed to warp before he ended up somewhere good? He leaned against a wall, taking a few mints from his pillowcase and sucking on them as he rested himself. Those previous warps had really taken a toll on him, and if he just jumped into the next one, Porky wasn't so sure that he'd make it through intact.

"Alright." Porky muttered as he pushed himself off the wall, "It's go time."

Porky braced himself and ran through the doorway.

[warped in from here.]

The minute Endrance stepped through the door, he felt the pit of his stomach drop. He recognized this place from one of the first nights he'd been there, and he had hoped never to wind up there again. "This place..."

He couldn't turn and look at the cages lining the walls. Instead, he kept his eyes down, staring at the floor as if it would suddenly turn into a warp point - or wishing that it would.

"I was here one of the first nights I was in this place. It's...it's horrible. I don't know why it exists here, but I know I..."

Endrance finally lifted his head, though he closed his eyes not long after. "I'd turn it to dust in a moment if I could. I..."

[ From here. ]

One moment Haseo was stepping through what should have been an entirely innocent doorway, rushed by the urgency of tasks to be done and people to be avoided. In the next, he suddenly found himself with his bearings swept out from underneath him- just a second or two of confusion, maybe, but just enough to cause him to over-correct for a stumble he hadn't taken as he half-slid into the next room.

"What the...?" he started, mildly annoyed. The feeling strongly resembled something else, except that regardless of his appearance this wasn't 'The World', and this time there was no Sign or other awry gating method to explain the anomaly. Preoccupied by his confusion, Haseo didn't even notice the really troubling difference at first.

Unfortunately, that didn't last long. The entry room was a reasonably large area, but nowhere near the space of the one they were in now. Silently, Haseo aimed his flashlight into the darkness, feeling odd as it landed on the shapes of long tables that definitely didn't go where he'd meant to enter.

"Uh, this is the cafeteria, right...?" he asked, sounding equal parts surprised and irritated.

[from here]

When he rounded the corner into the larger hallway, Kurogane determined to put the thoughts of being the only patient there aside. Even if that were the case, it didn't change his final goal for the night. The magician would have been helpful, but he was confident enough in his own ability to get things done.

Finding the feather remained a difficult task though. The basement had been less than helpful when it had come to locating the source of this place's power. But the third floor... no one had ever been able to reach it, yet they all knew it existed. The outside of the building proved enough. They just had to find the way to get up. If that meant forcing a hole through the floor, then fine, because right now it was the last place to go.

[gone here]

Although the trip was longer than usual on account of the rain and wind, the buses did eventually – and safely – reach Landel's Institute. No strange happenings yet; the patients were escorted off the buses according to the usual protocol and made to go to their rooms and change back into their normal uniforms while the nurses temporarily left them to retrieve their dinners and, in some cases, new roommates.

It wasn't long before the Head Doctor made one of his usual announcements:

"Welcome back, everyone! I regret I was unable to join you on your foray today, but you'll soon find that we had some new guests to attend to in your absence! And now, for your dinner: lamb curry, spicy, but served with naan and mildly seasoned steamed vegetables for anyone who might have a sensitive tongue! For dessert, we'll be serving each patient a slice of banana cream pie, and our usual drinks and dietary alternatives are available.

"I'm hoping you all didn't get too wet, and hopefully the hot dinner will warm you up in no time. Nurses, please escort our newer patients to their new rooms, and everybody, I'll speak to you again soon!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Find new room assignments here. ]

[ Continued from here. ]

The damn burger place was actually the last place Haseo would have wanted to revisit after the previous week, but there was little other choice when practically dragging the distraught Endrance along with him and trying to find an appropriate shelter: he couldn't be certain anywhere else close would have somewhere to sit down, and the only other place he'd actually been inside of - the grocery store - had been somewhere Endrance had also been in when the town had been full of zombies.

This was where Haseo had been with Leon and Kibitoshin when the nightmare started, but... well, he couldn't remember if he'd ever mentioned that particular piece of information to Endrance or not, and at the moment going somewhere that wasn't as bad to Endrance, even if it was more unsettling to Haseo, was more important. Most of the places were enough to make Haseo feel secretly sick to his stomach anyway.

Hurrying through the door, he immediately guided the Blade Brandier to the side, behind a dividing booth and by a window sporting a display that mostly blocked it. He couldn't keep from staring around a bit (was that chair over there the one he'd used as a weapon?), and his mind was strangely blank, but he'd gotten alright at doing things without thinking. If only that could work all the time.

"Sit," he said seriously, and made to do the same.

The town did show signs of damage, but not the kind Indy would have expected--it looked more like petty vandalism than the aftereffects of an onslaught of the living dead. The yellow symbols, the same as the ones on the Institute's uniforms, seemed to be meant to suggest Landel's, but he wasn't sure what the point was. A patient causing trouble, or a half-hearted attempt by someone else to explain the residual damage?

He didn't have any particular destination in mind, so Indy ambled through town and turned in at the electronics shop. Might as well make a day out of learning about the future, he decided, and it was as good a place to get out of the drizzle as any. He took off his cap as he entered and nodded at the woman behind the counter. She didn't look pleased to see him. Since his pockets were empty except for a handful of coupons, Indy couldn't blame her.

Idly, he wandered over to the display of television sets and inspected what looked like the nearest model. "Look at the size of that screen," Indy marveled quietly to himself. The picture was in color--almost astoundingly natural-looking in comparison to the Technicolor films that had been getting more popular lately--and so clear you practically felt like you could step into it. Things had come a long way since 1938.

[Carter}

Morning hit without warning, with the sheer knowledge hitting the Digimon before anything else that today they were going back to Doyletown. Her feet hit the floor and she rotated her right shoulder experimentally. The skin stretched tight, soreness persevering, but it moved fine. She stretched her fingers then curled them into a fist, staring at the tanned skin that was her right arm. If something happened this time... She would be more useful. Her mind replayed the events of last week, and Renamon stilled, considering.

There wasn't much time left to her as the nurse bustled in with an armful of clothes, the same shade as the weeks before. The woman murmured a cheery complaint that it was too cold for skirts and left Renamon to change. The pants were preferable to the past two weeks, though the other item she was left with gave too much to irony. She frowned at it for a minute, then slid it over her head, reflecting that this motion in days or weeks past would have left her shuddering. It meant she was becoming used to this human body, and that was nothing that boded well. She grabbed her notebook before being led to a bus, and slid into a seat halfway down the aisle, pressing against the window. Again, the previous night had been more than short. Was it just her, or was there something more to it?

[for Haseo!]

[M88]

Leon told himself not to be disappointed that he would be working again tonight rather than getting an extra break. If Jun hadn't disappeared he would have been working anyway. Now he had the opportunity to take care of the offer he'd made Guy a while back. (Which was good, since then he wouldn't have to worry about it any longer.)

He didn't even know if Claude's friend was bringing any metal, and his own supplies were dwindling. Soon he might have to call in a favor from Haseo. The older boy had wanted something to do, hadn't he? The pillowcase was pulled out once more, and the young mage went over his inventory to make certain he'd have enough for a sword of a decent size and weight (assuming that was what Guy wanted). When he was certain he'd be able to manage one more bit of alchemy with what he had, he moved everything aside and sat waiting at his desk.

[M88]

The same routine again. Leon didn't want to admit he was still feeling a little tired; he'd be able to do what was asked of him tonight at least. It hadn't appeared to be that complicated of an order. Hopefully, some of those that had promised to pay back the metal he'd used for their weapons would show up as well. It would be nice to know he could count on others to be true to their word.

His own very diminished supply was dragged out once more, in the event that whoever was coming tonight would have need of it. He hoped not, since that would be four out of four that had come unprepared.

The young mage sat patiently at his desk, ears twitching every so often. It was a pleasant reminder that they were there. The announcements were also worth thinking over, since he hadn't heard about the people on the radio for some time now. An interesting name for a group, wasn't it? P.A.I.L.? (He'd thought for a moment that Landel had said "fail," but that didn't make much sense in the context. Not that "pail" made a whole lot more.) It would be worth bringing up with Claude if he could get the opportunity to speak with him again soon.

Heat was able to ignore the still faintly throbbing spot on his head as he was led back into the cafeteria for another meal he had no intention of eating. He kept himself from rubbing at what he knew would be a small bump because dammit it didn't hurt that much. It was embarrassing, was what it was.

At the fishy odor filling the room when he entered, the demon wrinkled his nose. How that was supposed to be the slightest bit appealing he had no idea. Then again, it wasn't always the taste that mattered. Whatever this cod was, it could very well taste better than the rotting flesh he'd gotten down the night before.

His nurse made some comment about his lack of appetite, but he wasn't paying attention. She could eat his damn lunch if she was worried about it going to waste. It wasn't his fault they didn't inform their staff properly of their patients' eating habits. The room was fairly empty too, so Heat wasn't picky with where he sat. He just hoped one of his tribemates found him before he was stuck with some other pest for the duration of the meal.

[Sasuke?]

Scott wasn't really what one would call the sporty type, at least not currently. In the past, maybe. He could have called himself a hockey player at one point - in grade two (it totally counted). And he had been a jock in high school, hadn't he (he had at least played a lot of Track & Field for the NES, anyway)? Regardless of what his athletic status may or may not have been, sports weren't really what the Scott Pilgrim of nowadays was associated with. He was a fighter, not a lover sports guy. Still, he was surprisingly excited to be going out to the Rec Field. Maybe he wouldn't get any games on, but he could still work off those pesky bullet wounds, right?

He walked as fast as the crutch would let him despite the protests of his nurse and his injured limbs. His hand could grip just well enough to keep the crutch steady under his right arm (gravity did most of the work), and he was thus able to keep a good pace. "All right, not doing bad so far," Scott said to himself with a grin as he hobbled quickly across the field, heading for the goalposts on the far end. He had worked up a surprisingly steady stride by the time he got close to them. Crutch forward, then left leg swung out in front of it. Crutch, leg, crutch, leg, crutch, leg. Nothing to it! Sure, his shoulder was hurting like burning. Sure, his right leg was still giving him similar pain on a smaller scale despite not having weight put on it. Sure, his animal brain was constantly shouting, "WHY WON'T YOU STOP?!" Other than that, though, he was a-okay. He was determined to be. Otherwise, it was Game Over, wasn't it?

Soon he reached the goalposts and stopped, much to the relief of his limbs. He hadn't really gone to this spot for any specific reason. He had just wanted to prove to himself that he wasn't that hampered by his injuries. For now, he seemed to have made a good case for the affirmative on that point. He knew that he couldn't just stop at moving forward, though. He had to see how good he was going to be at fighting in this condition. How was his moveset going to be modified with a crutch added and an arm taken away? That was the million dollar ($1176470.59 CDN) question, wasn't it?

He tried something simple to start - a standing kick with his good leg. He quickly raised his left leg while leaning his armpit against the crutch, lightly touching the goalpost with the sole of his foot. Nothing bad so far. He did the same thing again, only harder. A small wave of pain shot from one leg to the other, causing him to wobble on his crutch a bit. Scott grit his teeth, not liking that result at all. This time he decided to try a small jump kick, just to spite that stupid injury. After backing up a good few inches, he pushed both feet off the ground. "Hiiiiya!" With the end of his crutch still on the ground, he gave himself a bit of extra momentum, letting it fling him toward the goalpost with his left leg outstretched.

One didn't have to be able to predict the future to know what that the result of that was going to be. Foot connected hard with goalpost. Rebound pushed him back against the crutch. Center of gravity over the crutch shifted too far back. Pain shot through both his legs and his injured arm again. This and the gravity shift caused him to let go of the crutch entirely. Body flew back over the crutch and crashed on the ground slightly behind it. Bum (among other things) ended up stinging and covered in grass stains.

"Owwwwww," Scott groaned to himself, fumbling for the crutch. It was in an awkward position, just beyond the reach of his good arm. ". . . Well, could've gone worse, I guess," he told himself as he used his left foot to start pushing the crutch back toward his hand.

[For Keman at first, then Peter and Indy later.]

"Hzhwzut?!" Scott jerked awake, unconsciously kicking the blanket off his bed as the intercom crackled out and the door clicked open. He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling with groggy, half-open eyes. 

How long had he slept? Scott tried to remember. He vaguely recalled being woken on the couch in the Sun Room and told to stop snoring. When he thought hard enough, he could hear a nurse in his mind, telling him to come along for dinner. Even the prospect of food hadn't been enough to keep him from falling right back asleep, apparently. Why had he been so tired all of a sudden? It almost felt as though Christmas had come and sucker punched him in the face. Usually only copious amounts of turkey could make him so tired. Well, during the day, anyway. 

Funnily enough, he could smell cold turkey somewhere nearby. Scott narrowed his eyes. "I'm on to your game, Landel." 

Scott sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. "Owowow sleep headache..." He stumbled out of his bed toward the closet. It was night, wasn't it? He was going to need his ass-kicking implements. After changing into his real clothes (and after realizing his shirt was inside out and fixing that), Scott grabbed his pipe, flashlight, and the various little tools he had taken to putting in his jacket pockets. With that all ready, Scott rubbed his eyes, yawned, and headed out for the night.   

[To here]