So the nurse had smiled and bustled over at Alkaid after breakfast, and said it was her turn to go to the greenhouse. In fact, it was all the ladies' turn at the greenhouse, and that people were heading there right now.

Which made Alkaid blanch. Like hell she was going to stand around potting plants for an hour or more. She didn't feel very up to standing on her feet in the first place, seeing as she was still kind of dizzy from last night's encounter. So she searched her mind for some lame excuse she could give to prevent her from going out there into the heat.

"Uhh," she started, trying to come up with some good bullshit. "I, uh.. don't feel good, so. If there's any chance that I could, you know, stay inside, I think that'd be much better for my constitution. A .. uh, nap, maybe?" Alkaid rubbed at her bandaged neck, trying to garner some form of sympathy from the stupid woman who she'd never stop thinking of as an NPC.

Alkaid was a terrible actress. She knew this. She couldn't even hide her true feelings in a video game, but somehow (joy of joys) the NPC took pity on her, pausing in the Sun Room. "All right, hon, you can take a nap here."

Heh. Score. Like she was told, she made her way over to one of the couches and sprawled out on it, feigning sleep until she was sure the nurse was gone to escort some other patient somewhere else. Then she hopped right back up, ripping the bandage from her neck. (The dark toothmarks would blend in with her tattoos, right? And she didn't want proof of last night's injury to be that noticeable.) Then she walked around a little, finally edging over to the bulletin board, hands on her hips.

What have we here?

[waiting for some silver-haired rpg protagonist]

Renamon blinked, and suddenly she was laying flat in the bed she had originally woke up in. The timing was impeccable, accenting Orihime's explanation perfectly. She just hoped that she hadn't freaked the girl out with her little disappearing act. She quickly shifted out of bed, and grabbed the journal she had wrote notes in last night, and jotted down another page. No sooner did she finish did her ever-so-friendly nurse come to collect her. Renamon didn't respond to the nurse's excited talk of making friends and breakfast, and simply followed her, journal in hand.

She paused at the Sunroom to leave a message on the Bulletin Board to Toboe. Hopefully the wolf had simply gotten lost, and wasn't truly gone. On the other hand, maybe she should be hoping that the boy had found a way out, and a way home. No use overly worrying about it now.

She continued to the Cafeteria, only pausing to take a plain muffin and water. It seemed she was early. She sat at a table near the wall, scanning over her notes and waiting for her breakfast date.

[Waiting for Kairi and Sora]

[from here]

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Archer had initially thought that the warm air felt welcoming, but upon entering the room, he was clearly wrong. The unbearable heat from the lava below and off to the sides were gargoyle heads spewing flames, quickly began drying his clothes and warming him up. He took a moment to take this all in and evaluate the situation.

"First it was earth, air, and water. Now it's fire," he spoke calmly. "Hopefully this is the last one."

Despite his depressing words, Archer remained stoic on the surface. He couldn't allow his team to see any weakness in him; it wouldn't be good for morale. While he wasn't really depressed, Archer was annoyed at this little obstacle course they'd been dragged into.

Looking at the small platforms floating in the air in front of them, Archer surmised they could only carry about one or two people from their size, but two people was really pushing it. Not to mention the "floating" part really didn't inspire his confidence in them. He wasn't even really surprised that they were floating and didn't care how either.

As if that wasn't enough, their path was obstructed by infrequent bursts of fireballs, courtesy of the golden gargoyle heads along the walls.

This really sucks. One wrong step and we're crispy critters.

"I think we should try to cross one at a time, like the last room," he said before shifting to slightly more sarcastic tone. "Unless, you guys don't want to see me test run this little death trap first?"

[from here]

As soon as the door cracked open, Archer felt a wave of cold air wash over him like a torrent. When the door was completely open, he was greeted with an icy scene. Everything in the room seemed to be composed of ice. The frozen floor was covered with icy stalagmites, and similar stalactites hung from the cold ceiling. Archer might not have glanced up their initially, but he'd learned from his experience with the rolling boulders. Even along the walls sharp icicles protruded like the hungry fangs of some monster, drooling for warm meat. There were also walls of ice, making it look like a fun house of mirrors at the circus.

Even though Archer was wearing a sweater and overcoat, he still felt the freeze biting into him. Tugging the flaps of the coat close, he took a few experimental steps forward. He didn't think he was going to slide into certain doom, but then again, it was still ice he was walking on. Plus, you never really knew with Landel's.

"Watch out. Take your time with slow and cautious steps," he instructed his team. "Ice is naturally slippery, and there are lots of sharp things surrounding us." He felt that the obvious cold factor didn't need to be mentioned.

A few steps later, Archer almost slipped a little, but he regained his balance by grabbing onto a stalagmite. Go figure, they were good for something other than an icy death.

When Archer took his first step into the hall of mirrors, he stopped. Looking at his reflection, Archer worried they might get lost or tricked by their reflections, so he made a thin slash at the icy mirror with his sword.

"Just in case we get lost," he explained before immediately moving on, instead of staring in admiration at his handiwork.

His action left a relatively small but noticeable mark, which was completely fine with Archer. He wasn't trying to destroy the mirrors, just leave a sign that they had already been there.

[from here]

"This is different," he said softly.

The next room was a complete change from the last one. The previous room was loud with visible danger, and this room was the complete opposite. A heavy layer of mist shrouded their vision, and Archer wondered just what exactly could be waiting for them? The silence was eerie; the only sounds came from his team's breathing. On the other hand, he couldn't hear anything dangerous, nor did he sense anything with his other senses, although they were limited in his human form.

"Since visibility's low, let's take it slow," Archer said, but made no immediate move forward. "Somehow, I doubt mist is the only thing in this room." The last room had been enough of a testament.

Like he had mentally promised his team, Archer gave them some more time to recuperate, waiting until they were fine. He took the time to adjust his bandage while he spoke. "Let me know when you guys are ready to move."

[from here]

As the door rumbled open, Mark's first thought was that it was awfully... loud. The noise didn't lower as the door opened further, either. Instead, it seemed to be getting worse. As the door finally gave way and they got a glimpse of their new barrier, Mark had to pause for a moment and simply gawk in silence.

"All right. This is ridiculous." Mark announced out loud, as he watched the boulders merrily make their way across the hallway, blocking their path. He wasn't sure if the others would even hear him over the noise of those things. Where the hell were they coming from?!

Some kind of conveyor belt behind the scenes to cycle the boulders around, make it more efficient...? Not that figuring it out would help much. Timing. If they could just get the timing right, it'd be fine, practically like playing a kid's jumping game.

He couldn't discern any reliable patterns.

[from here]

Once all three of them were inside, the double doors closed behind them. Archer didn't even try to go back and check them, they were most likely locked. Left with no other option, the team moved forward.

After a few moments Archer's eyes adjusted, and he could see the path, with the aid of the candles, barely providing illuminating the hall. There were still plenty of shadowy areas, so Archer covered them with his flashlight, slowly and cautiously scanning the areas where enemies might be.

Along the wall, he noticed a series of macabre tapestries. Although they looked ancient, Archer recognized some of the scenes from relatively modern wars. The oldest scenery depicted was maybe the Ardennes Offensive, a major German offensive move, near the end of World War II.

"The Battle of the Bulge, a World War II scene," he revealed, more to himself than the others. "Hitler's last major offensive before the war's end. They actually succeeded but due to lack of resources they had to retreat."

Since he'd been to war himself, Archer wasn't particularly disturbed by the massive body count due to foolish human ideals.

Shaking his head, Archer spoke, "Moving on."

They didn't have time to waste, but Archer walked slowly, weary of the possible, unseen dangers in the shadows.

[from here]

Into the depths of darkness, Archer descended the staircase. Their trip took longer than he thought, in total silence, which wasn't actually that troubling for Archer. His flashlight was of no help at all, except for illuminating the steps. It couldn't even begin to pierce the darkness around them, almost as if they really had stepped into the abyss. After awhile, Archer noticed a light at the bottom of the stairs; upon reaching the bottom, he stepped into the impressively large room.

"Wow, so this is where all the money's going," Archer whistled, not really surprised as far as the list of things he'd seen before. "This is nice setup they've got here."

He took a moment to appreciate the place, looking around and soaking in the immaculate beauty of it all. Ornate fountains produced crystal blue water near the ceiling, vanishing into the floor. Turning around, he could see the massive pillars supporting this underground cavern. At the top was a expensively, tasteful chandelier, decorated with candles There were also candles along the walls, held in silver holders. Besides that, there didn't seem to be anything else in the room of importance.

[from here]

As he walked inside, Archer could see his own breath take shape in the cold environment. It was kinda chilly in here; good thing he brought his coat. Grasping for the light switch, he flipped it, but nothing happened. Well, that wasn't very surprising.

"Damn, light's out," he whispered, thankful he had his trusty flashlight.

He headed to the northeastern corner, avoiding the hanging meats, swinging like punching bags. His flashlight illuminated the vegetables, dairy products, and juices that lined the shelves. So this was what they ate during the day huh? Archer was tempted to procure some food of his own, so he could cook later but realized this wasn't the time. He had a mission after all.

[from here]

It was hard to see in here at night. Archer tucked his bat under his arm as he grabbed his flashlight. Flipping it on, he scanned the kitchen area. The place seemed surprisingly, spotlessly clean with creamy white walls matching the cabinets and floor. There didn't seem to be anything of particular interest, and Archer had already spotted the refrigerator.

"Let's go," he said simply, moving towards the fridge.

[from here]

A quiet night, with no other sounds of patients from this direction, although they might have just been focusing on being quiet as well. Mark hit the ground on both feet and one hand, not bothering to try to catch himself standing, although he stood quickly afterwards and glanced around. Even in the moonlight, it was hard to be sure things here were safe. Close to the wall for now, to allow the others to recreate their decided upon marching order. And to avoid letting anything sneak up against his back. Yesterday had been quick, and simple. Tonight had already failed to qualify as either.

[from here]

The cool night breeze greeted Archer as he stepped outside. Breathing in the fresh air, Archer felt thankful that he remembered to wear his sweater; it was chilly tonight. He swept his flashlight across the open field, searching for enemies and the activities shed.

"Bingo," Archer said softly, spotting his goal in the distance. "Come on, let's go pick up some supplies."

He began slowly moving towards the shed, making sure his partner kept up with him. Well, that and to make sure Brook didn't run.

[From here.]

Meandering about like this was really just a waste of his time, but Sync strove forward anyway with that same bored expression as he made his way into the next area.

It was true that he wanted to explore outside and examine any weak spots for escape, yet it wasn’t on the top of his list of things to do. No, instead he was more curious about what ludicrous lives the staff plastered on top of them. The God-General was used to shadowing his own identity, so it was interesting from his point to see what they’ve managed to conjure up in their spare time.

Call it an acquired taste.

He followed the wall from the time he entered the room, allowing the tips of his fingers to run along the surface before he exited into another hallway.

[To here.]

Sync slipped out of his room without a sound, pressing up against the wall as he listened for anything within the hallway. Even after what he’d read on the bulletin the God-General couldn’t afford to make stupid mistakes, treading cautiously until he was absolutely sure that nothing else was lingering there alongside him.

He made quick work with the distance between himself and the door, being mindful of the other patient rooms incase one of them swung open without warning. He’d slipped his notebook into the waistband of his pants, already knowing what his route was for the night. Sync was also tempted to make a stop at the Chapel at some point, but it was low priority for now.

Taking one last look behind him, the God-General pushed through the door and slipped into the next hall.

[To here.]

[[From here]]
It didn't take long for Yuuhi to hobble through the darkened hallway toward the main hall.  He'd left as soon as he'd heard the door unlock and just kept going, quickly as he could, fear and anxiety driving him on.  Much as he was afraid of what Sakura might know, it was even worse not knowing at all.

His flashlight bounced shakily in his free hand as he walked, scanning the hallway.  There usually weren't any beasties out this early in the night, but he wasn't about to take any chances.  In his current state, he was probably easy prey for whatever might be lurking, which wasn't exactly a comforting thought.  He put it aside, instead concentrating on getting down the hall and to where the princess was waiting.

The intercom clicked on and the Head Doctor spoke with his usual fervor.

"Good evening, patients and staff! I am pleased to announce that the arrival of nearly all of our new patients will conclude this shift. In addition, we have a very delicious dinner in store for you: carved Turkey with a side of mashed potatoes and steamed, seasoned vegetables. For drinks, we have our usual assortment available, and as a dessert included with your dinner, we will be serving a slice of warm apple pie with each meal.

"I trust that those of you enjoying the company of new roommates will give them a warm Landel's welcome, and I also hope that those of you who participated in therapy today were able to find a productive time with their doctors.

"That's all for now! Enjoy dinner, everyone!"

The intercom clicked off again.

[ Please respond to this post with all dinner shift threads between roommate, putting your character's respective room in the subject line. While we have none scheduled for this shift at this time: all introduction posts for this shift's group of new characters should be made in response to this post; the introduction may then continue on to be a regular roommate thread. ]

Sanosuke hadn't quite been ready to part ways from Kenshin, but his nurse was insistent, and she was offering food. That second thing was what really got Sano off the couch and headed to the cafeteria. And at the very least, the thing about Okita had been settled, which meant the fighter could focus on his meal.

That may or may not have been a good thing, though.

What the hell was it with these people and their obsession with flat folding things to eat with? Sanosuke had thought that western countries could at least figure out chopsticks at some point. Simple, easy, uncomplicated, glorious chopsticks. But no, instead it was all weird bread things that randomly exploded all over Sanosuke without it being his fault whatsoever. And orange rice, which was just impossible to forgive, but thankfully had yet to reappear.

And as if that hadn't been bad enough, now the weird flat bread things weren't even round anymore. No, Sanosuke was left with some odd triangle shape, peppers that smelled a lot hotter than the kinds he was used to, and this sort of dust that Pinky called cheese, and promised would be good if Sanosuke just tried it.

Which Sano had heard before, plenty of times. Oh yes, he could count the number pretty easily, when Jo-chan tried her hand at some new recipe, some old recipe, or some recipe so simple that even Sanosuke could make it in his sleep, all of which she promised would be good this time, and none of which actually were.

Never stopped Sanosuke from eating them though. Free food was free food.

And dust or no, he'd eat this stuff too. The man had already decided to by the time he'd gotten to his seat. Between the smell and the rumbling in his stomach, Sano didn't figure he had much choice. He would just have to take his time, figure out the best way to go about eating it without getting the stuff all over his face again.

Simple. Had to be.

[Waiting for Zuko?]

[From here]


The room was warmer than the hallway had been, and smaller than the ballroom, with walls that seemed to be brushed with gold. She stepped quietly, feet making no noise on the stone floor as she looked around warily.

She stopped dead, a soft gasp escaping her throat and her eyes widening at the sight in the centre of the room. On a massive plinth there sat a creature, huge and golden itself, lion bodied and human faced. For a moment she almost thought that it was a statue, but its face was too lifelike and its tail twitched slowly as she watched.

[From here]

The corridor was much darker than the ballroom and Rangiku was glad for the candle she was holding. It saved her from using her torch more then necessary and she should have enough candles to last for a while if she kept lighting them when one ran out. And if they didn't get blown out.

She glanced behind herself to wait for Mark and Leon to follow her, her free hand going to rest on the sword hilt in case anything was waiting for them, but the hall at least seemed to be quiet for now.

[Coming from here.]

Max descended the staircase - which stretched on far long than she'd anticipated - in near silence, her eyes searching the darkness ahead with alert wariness. Luckily, their descent went uninterrupted until they came out at the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the immense room below.

She stared around them in awe for a moment, taking in the water that fell from the ceilings and vanished further below, the flickering of the lights from the candlesticks on the wall and on the great chandelier that hung suspended from the center of the room.

"What the heck is this place?" she whispered to her two companions, her dark eyes wide. She'd had no idea there were places like this beneath the institute.