[from here]

The flickering glow of torches seeped up the stairs as Momo lead her group down into the belly of the beast. It was a warmer glow, inviting almost, though the shinigami knew better than to expect such a welcome. On the contrary, the warmth was a warning unto itself.

Slowly the expanse came into view, the columns and fountains belaying any thoughts that this was underneath an insane asylum, a place of horror. Marble, vaulted ceiling, silver sconces... this was decisively out of place when compared to the rest of the institute. No wonder this was where Landel chose to allow others to see him face to face.

Laevatein at the ready, Momo scanned for any monsters, hoping there were none. She skirted to the side once off the stairs, to get a different angle so anything hidden by the pillars would be revealed. The far door, the one they wanted, was cleanly in view.

"Sage-sensei, you will be needed soon. Be careful with those. Should something happen to them, it will be a very long night."

[from here]

Momo carefully entered the kitchen after making quick work of the lock on the door. She stayed low to the ground, eyes scanning for any presence. Anything within this room would be hostile as they were the first within. Seeing nothing immediately, she relaxed her stance just a bit and quickly crossed the room to where the large cold storage room was.

"Our captors do not leave any useful knives in this kitchen, so it is a waste of time to look for them. Our destination in in here," the shinigami said, gesturing to the door.

Raine didn't have exactly much setup to do when she wasn't even leaving her room; this proved to be a very good thing when she opened a desk drawer and saw the ring, just before the Head Doctor informed them exactly what it was. As it sank in as to just what having it could mean, her eyes got very wide and she nearly squealed; this was marvelous!

The fact that she was expecting someone was promptly pushed to the back of her mind as she grabbed the maps she had copied and started poring over them, looking for places that were especially hard to get to. The biggest obstacle facing them during Nightshift was lack of time, and now they seemed to have a way around that. It wasn't perfect, each ring was apparently one use only and that probably wasn't the only catch, but it was still very promising.

[from here]

Sheena used the force of her kick to carry her into what she thought was the clinic place Raine had indicated she wanted to see inside. Being as the ninja had never been to therapy or even in this particular room at night, she didn't immediately notice they had moved from Doyleton back to the institute proper.

"So what are we looking for, Raine?"

And then that's when she noticed it. The difference in the slight sound of the weather outside, the faint scent in the room. "...I think we're back in the ranch."

[From here.]

And this was not the Sun Room. Or any room at Landel's that he'd seen. The odd twisting feeling made Abe's hand slip from the door handle against his will and it slammed shut, leaving him in a far more cramped room that smelled faintly of animal food and wood shavings. "What in the world?" he whispered as he reached for his flashlight.

It looked like some kind of storeroom or shop, with a counter and things sitting on shelves. A bag at Abe's feet was labeled as kitty litter (a substance that Abe was, unfortunately, fairly familiar with)

Tobias still held on his arm, Abe crept forward into the new place. "I don't suppose this is familiar to you?" he asked, holding his arm out slightly as if to give the hawk a better view. Doors that went to more than one place weren't unfamiliar to him, but he hadn't done anything unusual this time. Save carrying a bird, but the bird hadn't seemed to expect a change either.

With her torso wrapped once again to hide the disfigurement left behind from her hybridization, Teresa found she was the first in the showers. It figured that the handlers would take care of her and her... unsightly mark before anyone else had a chance to catch a glimpse. It wasn't as if Teresa cared, unless it was someone she knew personally, but she did not feel like complaining.

Standing under the cascading water, Teresa let her mind wander back to a time when she was but a whelp and snuck away from the barracks into the woods. To where the waterfall was.

[free]

Hmph. While this Rude was the proverbial "man of few words," von Karma found more potential use from him than a number of the other patients he had met put together. He would still ask Franziska about the man... as well as the other people he had learned that she had been spending time around. Many of them were utter fools, especially that Kibitoshin.

He ignored the nurse as she insisted that he stay indoors, lest he "catch his death of pneumonia." Already having planned to meet his daughter in the Sun Room, the prosecutor had no intention of spending the cold, gloomy morning in the Courtyard anyway.

It appeared that he was the first to arrive in the spacious room. Gray light from the overcast sky filtered in through the glass windows high above, making it somewhat more difficult for von Karma to peruse the notes on the bulletin board as he awaited Franziska's arrival.

The lines in his forehead furrowed as he saw Kibitoshin's note to her, asking her whether she was "feeling better." What made that blasted oaf think that it was any of his business how she was doing or to worry about her?! She had been raised to take care of herself, damn it! ...Did Franziska say or do something that would lead the clumsy idiot to think otherwise? This, among other things, von Karma would ask her.

After removing his daughter's response to his original note from the board -- and noting that Ms. Taura had yet to reply to his other note -- he sat down at a table in a remote corner of the room, claiming this space that would afford him and his daughter the most privacy.

Mew?

What was that noise? And what was that tugging sensation at the leg of his pants? He peered down in the direction from which the irritating sound had come and was greeted by a tiny orange kitten that had the mistaken notion that his leg was a climbing post. Infernal creature! One glance at his face, and the furry little nuisance was suddenly at the other end of the room, having cleared it within several skittish bounds. Good riddance!

[Waiting for his Dear Daughter]

Raine was glad to have plans, but she really wished they didn't involve so much improvising. She'd barely had time to put up a note on that board that the clinic would be in her room, and she had no idea where it would be the next night, especially since the girl she'd been hoping to hear from had gone quiet. That was never good.

She needed to meet Hitsugaya soon, but because she never knew when she might get someone, when the doors unlocked she took a few minutes to set out the supplies she was most likely to need and update her lists on what was presumably still in M35. He would need time to get to their meeting place, and she wanted the clinic (no matter how temporary this location was) to be ready for after she got back.

( from here. )

There was the stairwell. Kairi couldn't help but smile to herself as she rounded the corner and spotted the familiar hallway, still shrouded in darkness like she remembered it. She could see down the hallway and slightly into the Sun Room from where she was standing, and she lowered her flashlight, not wanting whatever it was that was lurking inside it that night to spot her.

At the thought of that, she looked down at the sword that she held in her hand, feeling ready to take on whatever it was that they were going to do tonight. Though, she had a feeling that even with her own weapon, the two boys wouldn't exactly let her help out all that much. Still, she'd try. The sword she had was real and with her at all times, not like a keyblade that would appear seconds before being attacked.

And to think, back when they used to play on the island with wooden swords, they had never given her one. Well, now she had a real sword, so hah!

For the second time, Rika found herself waking with a start. She blinked at the grey light streaming through the windows, and looked across the room. Anise was still asleep. So. I'm still here. Let me just check...

Rika put on her slippers and walked over to the desk, checking the drawer and breathing a light sigh of relief. Good, the knife was still there. She wasn't sure why it would be there - shouldn't they have confiscated the weapon? Either way, though, as much as she was reluctant to use it, she was glad to have it still there.

Just then, she heard the creak of the open door, and quickly closed the drawer. Her nurse peeked in, whispering, "Rachel? Time for breakfast. You should put on a sweatshirt, it's a bit chilly." Rika nodded, quickly adding the extra layer and following the nurse out into the hall and to the cafeteria.

She was used to a Japanese-style breakfast, so the idea of something sweet - which the nurse was avidly describing, with the waffles and fruit and syrup - was a bit odd. Once she walked in, though, she had to admit it smelled good. She filled her plate with waffles topped with blueberries, some sausage, and eggs, took a glass of orange juice, and took a seat. It seemed she was early, so she took a seat close to one of the windows and waited.

[For Ange.]

Beatrix barely noticed that her roommate had never shown up. Her and Daphne had spoken so little, she could honestly say she didn't care. Her concerns were with who she might get saddled with this upcoming night or if she'd be given the privilege of being in a single room for a while. It would be nice, that's for certain.

She hadn't seen much of the other assassins that day, but they should show. As much fun as killing Ophelia had been, they hadn't gotten into the basement. With Rika's return, the Bride was much more intent on killing Landel; the girl's presence added another level of urgency to the situation.

Slinging her katana across her back, the oven mitt full of knives strapped to her side (she was going to need to pick a new glove up soon as the current one was getting a bit ratty), Beatrix left her room and headed down the hallway. There was ice in her eyes as she thought about who they might have to kill on their way to the basement tonight.

Even before he got sick, Sean had enjoyed reading. His teachers had always said that he read 'ahead of his age group', but he figured that was just because he read more than most kids his age did. He liked everything: fantasy, science fiction, biographies, journal articles... There was just something satisfying about holding a book--something someone poured a lot of effort into producing--to Sean.

Today, though, he didn't want to get into anything particularly heavy or involved. No psychology textbooks for him today--he was going to read something fictional. Pulling what looked like an interesting science fiction novel off the shelves, he cracked it open and began to read happily. Oliver would find him soon enough and no doubt interrupt him, so he'd just read as much as he could for now.

[For Badou]

Mori woke with a start. He lay on the bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling and sighed quietly. Another day, another round of shifts and people and-- Wait a minute. Breathing in carefully, Mori's brow knit together as he realized that his ribs were no longer broken. After testing his collarbone, he found that it, too, was healing faster than it should have. Not that he was complaining, but there was something odd about broken bones setting so quickly. Pushing himself up out of bed, the teen shook his head, knowing that he'd have another day or two of the sling and then he'd be free from it.

But more important than that was finding out how Mitsukuni was doing. The last thing he remembered was the bathroom and gathering metal. Since they were together at the end of the night, Mori was certain that Mitsukuni would be fine, but...well, he still liked to confirm such things with his own eyes. With the twins gone and Tamaki still missing, Mori didn't want to take any chances anymore. Especially not with the strange announcements this morning.

As usual, his nurse came to collect him and helped him into his sling. Then he followed her quietly into the cafeteria, taking notice of the unusually empty bulletin board. They really were cracking down on it already. Weird. Even weirder? For once, he was the first into the room. Picking up a tray, he pointed out what he wanted, making sure to take double of the pancakes (asking to keep them away from the sausages for now), double of the strawberry jam and biscuits, and an extra helping of fruit. To top it off? Milk. It'd help his bones mend. Hopefully.

Going to a nearby seat, Mori took a look around the empty room and shivered. Kind of eerie in here without anyone else but the nurses. Someone was certain to come sooner or later though, right? He hoped so at least.

[for Chihaya]

As soon as she had the chance, Sheena ninja'd herself out of the cafeteria and away from the conversation she'd been semi-forced to have. She probably could have just clammed up and told the boys to go away, but she'd kind of owed at least Endrance some kind of explanation. It wasn't everyday the embodiment of darkness pops up and delivers a mighty bitch slap.

She stayed close to the door, out of immediate sight, as people left the cafeteria. As soon as she saw him, the ninja grabbed Soubi's sleeve and pulled him quickly to a corner away from the general area where there were only a few chairs. When she let go and turned to say something to him, words failed her and she just stared at him, a little lost about how to talk about what she wanted to talk about.

Then again, did she really want to talk to Soubi about Yukari and what had happened? Soubi obviously knew about these kind of things, but he'd tease her about them. Sheena idly played with the small round bell at the end of a string hanging about her neck, a bright red ribbon that was clearly not her usual pale pink ribbon holding her hair back.

"Umm... Hey."

[closed to Soubi with a later thread-crashing youkai]

Kibitoshin left the cafeteria in what could only have been described as a state of sheer, unleaded anxiety. Why did he have to be the one Dory had spoken to first? With everything he’d said and failed to say she’d probably ended up with a reverse education. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she came out of it knowing even less than she had when she arrived.

Hopefully- and he really did hope, more than anything- someone else would be able to start over and tell her what she needed to know, especially since she hadn’t exactly seem altogether… well… there. To be fair, she had been a fish until today. Expecting her to be perfectly normal was maybe a little much.

What he needed now was some peace and quiet. Maybe if he had a chance to calm down he wouldn’t make such a fool of himself in his meeting later that afternoon. The library would do for that, right? If he was lucky (which he never was, but he had to be positive) they’d have that book he hadn’t quite finished in Doyleton (even if he couldn't think of the town without shuddering), the odd one about Lady Esmeralda (which hadn't been very good anyway, but...). A quick scan of the shelves on arrival didn’t turn anything up, but he did manage to find a battered old book called ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to settle down with. Apparently, it was about a girl finding herself in a strange new world. Why did that ring a bell...?

Satisfied, he took a seat and began to flick through the pages.

[free for unlimited poking!]

When the shift changed, HK stayed put. Even after a long night of zombie killing, he had no interest in meatbag fuel, especially after all the discussion of chocolate with that rather strange meatbag. It was just making him crave the stuff even more than he had previously, if that was possible.

Oh, right. He was supposed to be looking for someone who was "VERY LARGE, WITH DARK HAIR." And also seemed to not know what lower-case letters were on the bulletin. As if that would help. He'd seen a likely candidate last shift, but talk of chocolate had distracted him.

Why does this place always have to spoil my fun? was the first thing HK thought when he realized he was back in his cell in the Institute. Oh well. This meant his nurse would be coming soon to lead him off to whatever boring place he was supposed to go to now.

The meatbag arrived a few moments later, asking him in an overly cheerful tone if he slept well. HK responded with and equally cheerful "Statement: I was having the most wonderful dream. A dream of killing all humans." He managed to make a facial expression for best effect: A happy, terrifying grin. "And I think you were in it," he finished with an especially gleeful note.

The nurse nearly dragged him all the way down to the Sun Room. Success! He took a seat in one of the chairs, feeling smug.

[Free!]

Snake jerked his head away from Fox's hand and shot to his feet, disorientated slightly by the sudden shift. The grout in the tiles was black with what looked like old blood, and the stench of rot heaved in his throat. Something was badly wrong. He sensed threats - left, faint shapes in the dark outside the large windows - Fox - something creaking in the ceiling - a long groaning voice off to the right, past the walls - and something moving in the back of the room -

It staggered towards him, and before he fully knew what he was doing he ripped the match from the book and struck it with his left hand alone, popped the cap off the hairspray, and blasted a tongue of flame at the aggressor, aiming for its face. He saw, in the flickering light, long hair and long nails and the skin on its rotten face peeling and cracking and bubbling in the heat. It gave a long, screaming cry, and toppled to the floor. Its arms and legs writhed and kicked furiously, an automatic, animal gesture, before it finally lay still.

"Here?" he snapped at Fox, wrapping his fingers around the can of hairspray. "This place gets better and better. It's like a theme park." His voice quaked with anger. The place now stunk of something far worse than rotten meat, and for a fraction of a second he thought he could hear Big Boss's voice saying something he couldn't make out before he realised that it had come from inside his own head.

"At least I don't have to be the only thing here back from the dead," he growled. The woman zombie was leaking something he didn't want to think about. He guessed that the decomposition must have trapped methane and other flammable gasses inside the body, hence why it went up like a candle.

That said, he didn't really think he could burn anything else again. For a while.

Godot versus the coffee pot, round seven.

The prosecutor felt more like himself with every sip, and by the third pot, he'd began giving advice to the waitress on just how to prepare each new carafe. She'd been resistant at first, asking if she should bring out the coffeemaker for his personal use (and then explaining it had been a joke when he told her he wouldn't mind cutting out the middleman). Now, he sat relaxed in his side of the booth, eyes closed, breathing in the vapors of the first new mug of this brew. Even from the same blend, the final products had subtle differences in character. Was it a heavy hand that poured the grounds into the filter? Had the water gotten just a degree colder since the last time the machine was used?

Now that he'd been able to calm the cravings, Godot enjoyed picking apart the subtleties. It was a passion few understood, and even fewer dared to master. But producing fine coffee was nothing short of an art, and he intended to be the Da Vinci of his time. Certainly there were other ways he could be spending his time in the town, trying to explore or arm himself, trying to find those illusive answers. But that sort of work could be left to people like the Wild Filly; Godot would feel no great loss if she drove herself to insanity by refusing to slow her pace.

Godot knew better. He knew his limits. And he knew he could only avoid the work until the coffee ran out.

Ha! He really had slept for far too long. Now he was trying to hold on to a pleasant dream in the middle of the day.


[For Edgeworth]

[from here]

The smell of old paper, leather and cardboard was oddly comforting. It had been too long since Ritsuka had been able to visit the patient library and since he was only able to check out one book, he usually had way too much time on his hand. Ritsuka was used to reading at least one or two books a day, so having just one for an entire week was almost painful.

As soon as he entered the store, however, he was keenly aware of the clerks at the back - the ones who likely would be guarding this shop. Even if he was just a kid by all appearances, he knew they'd likely keep an eye on him. He was still a patient, so how could they trust him, right?

Moving through the aisles, Ritsuka let his gaze wander the different titles lined up, or rather stacked and wedged into every single available place. The cramped quarters made it hard to get comfortable, but the presence of books alone was enough to put Ritsuka at ease. Reaching out, he traced a finger along the spines of the books, trying to figure out what sort of order they were in. So far it seemed they were divided into the normal sections, but the books were just piled everywhere.

Finally coming to rest on the non-fiction section, Ritsuka pulled out a book on the science of flight. He sat down and opened the book carefully so as not to break the spine, then started reading.

[for Rude]