[ @here ]

Stepping inside the dim room, Masaomi turned on his flashlight and shone it around. Holding onto their stuff seemed to be a bare bones operation for the facility, things presumably organized into the cardboard boxes stacked on shelves and dull for it. Since he hadn't expected to discover El Dorado or the Cave of Wonders, this was pretty much as anticlimactic an entrance as he thought it would be.

Another quick moment of scanning for the obvious (which included but wasn't limited to: a. anything moving; b. heaps of skeletons piled in the corners; or c. blood-splattered warnings on the walls), he spun aside with a gentlemanly bow for his companion. "We've made it to the room where the boxes are Full of Happy!! How about you take up being the Dainty Sweet Bonnie to my Clyde? Once we rob what we can, there's a romantic, moonlit retreat waiting for us a long way away from here! Watching the sun rise with the appreciation of hard up criminals starting our lives anew sounds good, doesn't it?!"

[From here]

It was before long Xemnas reached the final corridor he required to pass through in order to reach his destination. Though he was only three doors away from his goal, it hardly meant that the Nobody would already delusion himself with the fact that he had accomplished all this easily. Furthermore, he couldn't tell with certainty whether the Janitor's Closet would hold the supplies he required.

The Superior paused at the third door, discovering it to be locked. A rather weak and useless lock, however; a lock that would easily break under the pressure of force. It was only but a small hindrance that would be easy to take care of. Were they present, it might have been amusing to his subordinates that their leader would have to resort to breaking open a door by physical force, but Xemnas hardly considered such a fact relevant. The lock gave in easily, the door sweeping open and allowing him entrance to the room that lay beyond.

He had doubtlessly caused a significant amount of noise by breaking open this door, alerting potential threats lying in wait within the darkness of his presence. The Nobody didn't waste time going through the newly acquired entrance and close the door behind him.

[To here]

[from here]

The stairwell was quiet.

... That was really all there was to it. It was identical to the one Rita climbed the previous night, but it didn't look like anyone else had come this way yet. Fortunately for Rita, that meant there would be less competition and less obstacles ahead... as far as people went, anyway. Monsters were another story.

Stepping lightly, so as not to make any unnecessary noise, the mage made her way up the stairs, using her flashlight to guide her. There didn't appear to be any threats nearby, but Rita knew it was never safe to let her guard down, especially in a place like this.

[From here]

The amount of thin lights and hushed voices thinned greatly as Xemnas made his way further down the corridor, cloaking the area in a silent and deserted darkness. Silence was what drifted even from beyond the doors leading to the Sun room, a silence that may have been eerie to those who had the essence to be gripped by such a primal emotion. As one that wasn't part of such a measure of existence, such a thing held little meaning. The Superior passed those doors without so much as a second glance.

Still, orange eyes searched the darkness as he walked this familiar path, prepared for possible threats lingering within those shadowy depths, seeking to devour those who who passed by. The night had only just began, and he himself was likely among the first to walk these empty corridors; there would naturally be no battles to alert him of any undesired presences. Though time was of the essence in this world, a sense of caution was indeed something holding more importance.

[To here]

((From here.))

As Claude made his way through the dark, he considered the message he'd seen on the bulletin just before dinner. Guy had invited him to come along for...whatever he'd had planned. To be honest, he wasn't too sure of what he'd agreed to do tonight. But with how crazy everything had been the past several days, he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd made plans with his friend and somehow forgotten it. The thought made him feel kind of embarrassed, and he hadn't wanted to draw more attention to that kind of slip than was necessary. After all, he didn't want anyone thinking he was unreliable, especially after how much time and care Guy had put into looking after Claude during the last two nights.

Even if the trip hadn't been planned before today, though, Claude was still glad to get a chance to help out and make himself useful. He didn't want to get rusty with his sword or anything, after all. Plus it was hard to imagine his friends going off to face the institute's dangers without him, even if part of him realized that things very well could have played out that way if it hadn't been for Natalia.

But now wasn't the time to think about stuff like that, and Claude did his best to focus on what was right in front of him. There wasn't a single soul in the hallway yet. He passed by the entrance to Guy's hallway, his steps slowing down. Maybe they could walk to the meeting place together? It was what they usually did for things like this, anyway. Not only that, but after what had happened in the library this morning, Claude knew he owed Guy a proper explanation. Even though he probably wouldn't have been able to explain much until tomorrow, he at least wanted to acknowledge that he appreciated Guy's support today.

There was also everything that had happened with some of Guy's missing memories. His friend hadn't given him an update about that for awhile now, though Claude assumed part of it was because he hadn't want to be a burden to someone who was recovering from experimentation. Now that he was better, he intended to find out if anything had changed since their talk in the sun room that day. Like the mess with Mom, though, he'd probably have to wait to delve into that, too. Talking about heavy stuff while walking around at night usually didn't work out too well for them.

Frowning to himself, Claude leaned against the wall and waited for Guy to appear.

[from here]

She remembered the last time she'd been down this way. With Yukari in tow, she'd headed over to Mori's room to exchange a closet rod for her shuriken. Okita'd popped out of his own room—man, she hadn't expected that.

But, this time…

Maybe it was a little weird, that she was willing to work with the same guy who'd stabbed a pen through Sagara's lung. That she was being polite enough to set her shuriken point-down on the floor, and to keep it slightly behind herself, with her fingers clasped loosely around the top-most blade. It was a big weapon and not exactly something she could sheathe; keeping it in a non-threatening but easy to manoeuvre from position was a courtesy, though not a deference.

… Kinda weird how interacting with Okita made her actually think about these things, too.

Shaking off any further thoughts of weirdness for the time being, Yuffie knocked on the door. "Special delivery," she announced

[From here.]

Even though the hallway seemed especially quiet tonight, Zack wasn't bothered. He was used to moving around in quiet areas on his own, from caverns to wide open fields to shorelines. He didn't get spooked very easily, and if anything, he felt like he was in his element. He had a weapon in hand was was moving at his own pace, not trailing after anyone else or being followed by someone. As much as he realized that working solo wasn't possible here, sometimes he wished he could still have the luxury of only having to rely on himself.

"Ahh well," he muttered to himself as he took a few testing swings with the pry bar. This was yet another thing he had to thank Tifa for. He was hoping the metal wouldn't bend when he actually started to pummel monsters with it, but there was really only one way to test that. Though he also had to wonder if it could double as a way to get doors open when they were being difficult.

Zack was still jealous of Cloud's sword, but he had to remind himself that he had a materia to test out. He still didn't think that sizzled zombie flesh sounded like something he wanted to be exposed to, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

He'd set the meeting spot as the hallway by the stairs, and so Zack continued down the corridor. At this rate, he'd probably beat Tifa there.

[To here.]

[To here]

"Made it..." She whispered triumphantly as she walked quietly into the dark and quiet hallway first. It was hard to decide where the best place would be to stand since once others began to flood in, Asuka could easily be overshadowed by the taller adults. "Hmmm..." The best she could guess was to hug the opposite wall by the doorway and hope she would pick out the two members once they entered.

Remember, Asuka, you aren't the veteran here.

This wasn't NERV anymore. She had no one under her to display her impressive and extensive training to. The redhead was a newbie like the ones she was going to be working with, though perhaps a bit more intelligent. This first mission was important for popularity's sake. She needed to play nice for now, gauge their strengths and weaknesses until she knew who she could topple the easiest.

[Waiting on Agatha and Zevran]

[From here]

"Ah...!" This wasn't the right hallway yet, but he could tell it was close from the fresh smell of patients off in the distance. He continued to jog briskly down the hallway, making sure to control his breathing so he didn't get winded so easily. There would be a lot of running (he hoped, at least) this night and it would be good for him to return to his basics in order to ration his stamina. Unfortunately, honing his stamina did nothing for his irregularly terrible night vision. Out of nowhere, he bumped into the wall beside him, squawking like a bird at the sudden impact.

"Jeez..." At least he only got hit on his forehead, that was the thickest part of him really. Keeping one small hand on the side of the hallway for safety, he continued forward, grumbling softly.

Lunch had taken his mind from his worries, if only for a few minutes. But after the intercom sounded and the nurses began leading patients onto the next activity, one look at the bulletin board brought everything back in full force. No replies from Ashton, Dias or Dad. By now Claude felt like he was practically counting down until the end of the day, when he was going to have to finally grapple with the real possibility that most of his friends from before Landel's, as well as his own father, had fallen victim to the institute.

And now he was going to have to deal with his mother being here on top of that. It didn't seem like a coincidence that she'd show up right when his father's whereabouts were so up in the air. But what did it mean? Why couldn't Landel leave his family out of this?

Normally, the announcement about new video games would have made him perk up, but his eyebrows only knit together with concern as his nurse led him into the game room. That didn't seem to stop her from trying to get him to unwind, though.

"Oh, come now, Thomas, you've worn that expression for most of the day!" she told him with a frown. "Why don't you have a bit of fun now that your eyes are all better? I'm sure you could use it."

The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of his "sleep studies", he darkly thought to himself. But before he could protest, his nurse had sat him down in front of one of the television screens. There was an old gaming console, one Claude had never seen before, and he glanced at her with a confused expression. "Go on," she encouraged as she placed one of the controllers in his hands. "I know how much you enjoy these kinds of things. Someone will come play with you soon, too, I'm sure. Doesn't that sound nice?"

He didn't have time to answer her, because she'd soon bustled off to tend to some of the other patients. Claude watched her leave with a sigh. He realized the daytime staff meant well, which made knowing what they turned into at night even worse to think about. But now he was just being negative for the sake of it, wasn't he?

Taking in a small breath, he reached over to the console and turned it on. As long as he was waiting for some kind of answer from the bulletin, there probably wasn't much he could do except pass the time. Claude watched the title screen appear on the television, his expression growing more curious in spite of himself. Super Mario Bros....

[For Prussia!]

[from here]

It was a race. A fight against patience and a Song's call. Still, the sedation's dredges churned through him. Two close at hand had a potent effect--much like the night that they were left in that town, and the morning after. Rubedo had came then. Came for them like something out of place, and wasn't that so ironic afterwards--when Albedo knew what he knew now? How many times would a twin appear to abandon him to harshly? How many times would Rubedo make promises only to break them--tear them to pieces like he did Albedo--in the perfectly precise way of those who knew how to break you down because they knew you so perfectly.

Was that how Rubedo had killed him? Or had Albedo forced him to it? His twin wouldn't say before, and asking now was too much like dead blood rotting in veins--he no longer cared, no longer needed to know how easily it was for his twin to rip him asunder. How joyous Rubedo must have been. If that night was any hint, his twin hated him with a passion to rival man's hatred toward god. And wasn't it the same. This. In ways it was the same. An existence meted out, for what it's worth, and then you were simply trapped in it. Trapped in it and stuck stagnant where you were, bound by that other, unless you forced your hatred forward to strike down the other.

To kill god? It seemed too quaint to entertain.

Be it that he woke as the last shift was ending, Albedo had been escorted to the cafeteria early. He took what was offered without a word, sat in the back without a sound, and sipped at the water put in front of him politely; a hand curled around the cup lightly, fingers loose. Eyes burned into the entrance--for Nigredo or Rubedo, either would suffice. The doubt that his twin would come to him was faulty--to ignore them for a week and then vanish as if they were nothing spoke of only distain, whatever Nigredo chose to believe. The eldest of them hated them both. This was truth. The only truth that Rubedo had shown Albedo, in thought, word, action, and deed, in the two weeks that they had shared here.

So Rubedo was to kill him. Well. Never say Albedo accepted his destiny. Yes, he would die by his twin's hand. But first he would rip Rubedo's throat out, claw out his eyes and press them into his beloved's mouth--see the lies you spew--lift his tenderly beating heart for all to see and then crush it.

This, Rubedo, is what you've done to me.

[...for the twin.]

[From here]

The head doctor's mocking during the announcement had been infuriating, as if he was but a mere toy to be played with. At the very least it confirmed the theory of Landel being obviously behind last night's nonsense, something Ratchet had pointedly denied being possible. Had the ignorant fool been present, Tenzen wouldn't have had any reservations in pointing this out. But the man wasn't, depriving the ninja of even such small amusement.

Yet, Tenzen couldn't ignore the potential this piece of jewelry possessed. Were the man's claims true and he had gifted them with something like this out of mere arrogance, it could be useful. For tonight, he had little interest in returning to the cafeteria, but were it usable after tonight, it would certainly be useful when traveling beyond the walls as he had intended. But the ninja was no fool; after all, this sounded too good to be true, a form of luck that seemed to be so nonexistent since arriving in this ridiculous hellhole. Barring how the man even did it, everything in the immediate area was under Landel's control, was it not? Something the smug tone of the head doctor hadn't failed to rub in, in any case, which was why the ninja was so skeptical.

The ninja moved quietly through the halls that were part of the patient block, taking note of the lack of any presence of patient and monster alike. But it was still early; chances were that many were still lingering in their rooms. Nothing Tenzen should concern himself with, in any case.

[To here]

[from here]

There was no one here yet. And wasn't that strange? If she remembered correctly, there was a male patient block here. Even if it was away from the others, it should still be fairly well occupied. Were they all just staying in for the night? It was also odd that no one from the female block had come up this way yet either. Either it was just too early, or something had happened in her absence that kept others from coming this way unless they had a larger group with them (or not at all).

Callisto stopped to shine her light down into the adjacent hall, seeing if she could pick out anyone heading out of their room. She thought she heard the sounds of people moving about on the other side of the wall, so it couldn't be completely empty. Was there any point in waiting around? She didn't need someone to accompany her, and it had only slowed her up in the past anyway.

She would wait a bit, perhaps, if only to sate her own curiosity before moving on.

Weapons in hand, Heat was out in the hall the moment the doors opened. There had to be something, a scent in the air that might alert him to the presence of one of Landel's creations. His hunger wouldn't be denied for another night. Though he was still without his flashlight, that didn't really matter. His other senses should be enough to find what he needed. And he would find something. No other patients were even going to be looked at until he had.

Whatever the head doctor meant about those rings, it didn't matter to Heat. He hadn't been in a group the night before, and even if he had been he hadn't gotten more than a couple halls. What would be the point of being able to transport himself there when he could walk the distance just as quickly? No, it couldn't help him, and if it couldn't help him it didn't interest him. Chances were they were all just another trick of the Institute's anyway.

The demon paused outside his doorway, nose to the air as he decided on a direction.

[from here]

It looked like the hallway opened up over here. Guess he couldn't expect to just run around and follow a linear corridor forever, but now he had to figure out which way he wanted to go. Normally, he'd just run down whatever hallway he happened to lay eye on first, but again, he was running a liiittle blind here.

He still wasn't seeing any people anywhere. Maybe everyone was hiding. If everyone knew the staff turned into monsters and tried to eat them, then it'd make sense that they'd try to keep low. Thankfully, he'd be taking care of whatever was wandering around this place, so they wouldn't have to stay hiding for long. Once that was done, they could blast their way out of there and he could find his way back to the others. Couldn't keep everyone waiting on account of him, right?

[running across Rita, The Trickster, and hopefully, a freaking flashlight]

[from here]

Was she really the only one out in the hallway right now? Minako certainly couldn't hear anyone else, and she didn't see any flashlights out there in the darkness. Brr. That was kind of... creepy. When it was dark the hallways seemed a lot more echo-y, and she couldn't help but think about the stories about monsters and things that might be lurking where she couldn't see.

"Stop being a scaredy-cat," she muttered to herself, then turned to her right and resolutely marched onward. Out to the main hall there, down a bit, then left. That would take her to the hall where she'd run into Arthur and the fake-Alfred the night before, which thought reminded her that she hadn't talked to either of them today. Maybe she should've left them a note or something on that bulletin. Oh, well. Tomorrow.

[to here]