Renji wasn't so certain what this grilled cheese thing was all about, but he liked the sound of some soup. Even if it was strange western soup, well... there wasn't anything bad people could do to soup, in his experience. His good mood was starting to fray at the edges, a little, from the strain of dealing with the Ichimaru issue, and even more from what had been on the bulletin board earlier.

He'd never had difficulty simply writing something before. But...

He shook his head as he entered the line. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to hold on to the tenuous equilibrium he'd managed to find.

Renji got himself a large bowl of soup, water, and even one of those sandwiches, just to try it. Old habit, recently awakened, had him over to one side of the cafeteria, where the fewest people possible would have the chance to pass behind him. He sat there with his back toward the wall and started eating.

Day came too soon.

Sora hadn't been able to find Rena, had instead been forced to crumple onto the grass of the recreational field and bleed all over himself, and hadn't even accomplished what he'd been sent out to do. What he'd been entrusted to do. He didn't know how he was going to be able to face Renji and the others, but he also knew he wasn't going to hide from them, either. That would just be low, after all, and he was ready to face up to the consequences.

He didn't try to make excuses for himself. Even though there had been a Special Counseling patient, they had managed to take her down by sheer numbers. The fact that he hadn't seen any sign of Rena was what had him the most worried. He hoped he could find her today.

The boy laid in his bed for a good while that morning before his nurse finally came in to collect him. She clucked over the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and leg, and asked him if he was okay to walk.

Once Sora assured her he was fine (he didn't really want to use crutches, as that would just attract attention to himself, and he didn't need others worrying over him), they made their way to the cafeteria. Sora yawned and winced against the bright light of morning - it seemed even earlier than usual, and he realized why when they entered the cafeteria and found it empty.

The boy shuffled over to grab a chocolate chip pancake, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk (good for the bones, or so his mom had always told him) before settling at a table. He kept an eye on the door, hoping he would see Rena walking in soon.

[From here]

Nothing like getting to smash something with a metal pipe to relieve a girl's stress! Anise was in high spirits as she entered the dark room, holding the door for her charming companion, and consequentially the other girl as well.

As she did so, she fiddled with the flashlight in her left hand. It took a moment to find the button again, but soon it was back on! Pointing it around, she tried to identify the objects it illuminated. Even in the darkness, Anise could tell the room was bland--even by the institution's standards. The only pieces of furniture in sight were a set of benches and a single locker.

...A locker! That was good, maybe. Hopefully somebody had been forgetful enough to leave something nice in there. Or at the very least, some spare change. Not that it would be of much use within the institution, but money was always a welcome sight for Anise.

[From here.]

The door opened into another hallway. Hijikata followed Homura silently, always on alert for whatever would be lurking in the darkness. He hadn't noticed the uncertainty yet because of Homura's concealment, the darkness and the fact that his senses were focused elsewhere he kept moving.

[From here.]

The territory was only familiar up to the door that led to where the battle had taken place the night before. Homura would've gone there to get a bit of hunting done, but he didn't have any vials with him, and Hijikata didn't have a sword. Having no intention of handing his katana over to the man with him, the demi-god instead moved forward, his light sweeping the halls slowly, his guard always up.

It wasn't long before they came to a door, locked and baring their passage. Homura recognized the lock as the type he had seen so often before, one that could be broken with force. Still, perhaps it wouldn't be necessary. Looking to Hijikata, he grinned. "Do you have an experience picking locks?"

( From here. )

God, she was tired.

She had long since blocked out Edward's voice in her head, and instead made her way upstairs. A few voices were heard to her right, yet she ignored them and looked around, flashing her flashlight wherever she was looking.

She had yet to see a monster. Maybe Haruhi had been lying? Who knew, really? Bella could tell that something was wrong with the girl anyway, so it only made sense.

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.

From here

Logan stepped into the hallway. He was sure that Parker would be fine by himself. There was no time to wait around, he had a rendezvous to keep. Moving swiftly, silently, he all but tore down the hallway.

_{[from here]}

Aidou paused for the second time that night, listening half-heartedly to the radio announcement. The volume was painfully low, so that it didn't attract any unwanted attention. None of it interested him, even as the riddles came easily enough. None of it was useful to him. So far nothing the monkey on the radio had offered had caught his eye, and he doubted that would change.

Stepping into the stairwell, he glanced to the floor. He was willing to bet the other three stairwells on this floor were the same - no stairs leading to the basement, and no stairs leading past the second floor.

So where were the access points? It was a good question.

[From here.]

Rounding the corner by the nurse's station, Rukia shined her flashlight around and went through the door to the first M-Block.

The only reason Momo decided to go to the Game Room was the fact that she hadn't been there yet. She really didn't have much desire to play any games, but Hitsugaya would be in the showers for at least the first part of the shift; she could at least look the room and what it has to offer over before relocating to the Sun Room to give her report to him.

The meeting at lunch was productive, and yet, it wasn't. Maybe she was taking the wrong approach or perhaps she was just lacking the right person. As much as the thought abhorred her, she would have loved to have Unahana-taichou or, at the very least, Isane here to do the work for her. Never mind the fact that she'd taken the task upon herself to get things started. If she had things to do, she didn't have much time to think about Aizen.

And speaking of not having things to do...

One look around the game room and the shinigami didn't recognize any of the games. She'd been kind of hoping for a Go board, but after a quick rummage through the games, gave up searching any further and sat in one of the couches. She curled her legs up underneath her and, using the couch's arm as an uncomfortable headrest, laid her head against her arm. She was tired still and too many things were turning over in her mind.

Trying not to fall asleep, lest she forget to go give her report, Momo kept an eye on the door wondering who all would venture into the room.

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun.

His head hurt, but that was nothing new. After all, the last thing he remembered from the night before was fighting a homunculus off of Lust and then having a conversation about events best left forgotten. The man hadn't been his brother. He just hadn't. And if what Lust had said they'd done to her was true...

Scar stood with shakiness that he wanted to attribute more to a bizarrely weakened physical state than a mental one. Had he been knocked out by some kind of lurking monster before the morning had come? He felt as if he had been out for days, being a veteran of such circumstances, though as he took the practiced role of being an obedient follower behind the nurse and orderlies that came for him, it didn't seem as if much had changed.

This place was probably just playing tricks on him again, and he was tired of being the man left out of the loop. He grabbed some food he didn't really care for and sat down, not seeing anyone he knew already seated. On one hand, he wished he had someone to talk to, and on the other, it scared him that he was no longer used to being alone.

He dug his fork into his food and tried to block out any related thought.

As the sun rose up into the blue, cloudless sky, it seemed as if this day would be a particularly warm one. The Head Doctor, at least, seemed happy about it as the intercom clicked on and he began his first announcement on a cheery note.

"New faces, new places! Well, more new faces than new places, but there are plenty of them for you befriend and make connections with, which helps everyone in the end, doesn't it? So, nurses, if you'd please awake the members of our first group for the day? Thank you very much!

"In any case, the breakfast that you'll be sharing with our new patients will consist of belgian waffles with your choice of butter, syrup, whipped cream, and assorted fruits to put on top! Our regular sides are of course available; sausages, tater tots, and toast should be in the same area as the waffles, and our salad bar should be piled high with fresh fruit and healthy cereals to choose from! Our regular drinks of milk, water, and assorted juices are there for the taking, and... I do believe that's all! Good day, everybody!"

The intercom clicked off as the delicious smell of warm food wafted throughout the institute.