[From here.]

The inside of the shop was even more colorful and cluttered than the window. Small airplanes spun and whirred above them, dolls lined the shelves, and small, squeaking, furry things bounced on the floor. Careful not to step on one, Rukia took a few steps into the shop, then spotted the candy counter.

Staring at all the strange objects, she asked Allen, "Do you think those are really food?"

Rukia filed out of the bus with the other prisoners, shivering a little in the cool autumn air. She was a little irked that the nurses hadn't given her mittens on this trip. Forced to stuff her hands in to the pockets of her jeans, Rukia hunched her shoulders and wandered to the edge of the park before turning around to look for anyone she knew.

Nurses and orderlies were already milling about, supervising and watching the prisoners. Rukia's plan was to get a hold of something - anything - that she could use as a weapon when they returned to the Institute that night. It would be difficult with so many staff members around, but she was determined; the last thing she wanted was to be trapped on the buses again with no weapon.

[from here]

The sound of the dog lead Sheena to a building on the corner of the street. Seeing the name of it and the animals in the windows, she giggled, imagining how if Colette was here they'd never be able to get her to leave. The sweet angel would insist on staying until she held and played with every single puppy in the plac eand given them all names.

She'd only been gone a day and already Sheena was missing the simple things she'd come to accept traveling with her companions. She put her hand to the window, smiling softly (if a little lonely) at the puppy that noticed her and started wagging tis tail and licking the glass right where her hand was.

[Awaiting a chance to run into a sweet-toothed warlord!]

[from here]

Sheena slipped the coupon book into the back pocket of her pants and wandered down the road. It was good to see the familar sight of an inn, but she didn't have any need to go inside; she was full of energy but she'd keep it in mind if she exhausted herself playing tag later on.

The sounds of a dog barking drew the ninja's attention and she turned down the next street, following the sound.

[to here]

Wally woke as the intercom crackled to life and was surprised to find himself back in his room. The last thing he'd remembered was feeling relieved at finally beating off those dragonfly-lizard things. There'd been that weird intercom message, then... he wasn't quite sure what had happened after that, but he was certain it hadn't involved falling asleep. He'd be half-wondering if he'd dreamed the whole thing if it hadn't been for the nagging ache on his back and ankle from where he'd been bitten. A quick check revealed they'd been bandaged, apparently while he'd slept. He wondered if he had Kal to thank for that. Maybe he'd get the chance to ask later.

He jumped as the door swung open to admit the familiar face of the nurse who'd woken him yesterday. "Up already, are we?" she said cheerfully as she busied herself pulling out clothes. A blue shirt and a pair of jeans were passed to him. Wally blinked, he hadn't been here long, but he'd gotten the impression that the grey-and-smiley-face combo was standard.

"Does this mean I'm being released?" he asked, hope creeping into his voice.

The nurse turned back to him, pity etched on her features. "I'm afraid not, dear." She smiled brightly as she continued, "but today's when all the patients get a special field trip into town! Won't that be a treat!"

Wally stared at the clothes, his mind working away. He'd been trying to get into town and to a phone last night before he'd been attacked. But if they were going in today, this might be the perfect chance for him to contact the Justice League. He smiled warmly and thanked the nurse as she left to allow him to change, then happily allowed himself to be led to one of the buses, picking a seat about halfway down and sliding in to look out the window. It seemed like today was going to be brighter than yesterday, at least in the area of possible phone calls and rescues. About the only dark patch he could see was that the contents of his paper-bag breakfast were going to be nowhere near enough to fill the yawning pit that had taken the place of his stomach, and even that was tolerable when he was positive he wasn't going to be here much longer.

"And you say that time goes rushing by, but it seems so slow to me, and you see a blur around you fly, but it takes too long, it seems so slow to me..." he sung absently.

[Oh Captain, my Captain~]

[From here. Reposting because I realized late that I missed a room.]

Sanzo shut the door behind him with a slam, and unsteadily made his way inside, putting one of the tables between him and the entry way. He whirled, gun pointed at the door.

Several long seconds passed. The door didn't burst open. That man didn't come busting through. He kept the gun up still, a full minute passing, before he let it drop.

He finally risked a glance down at his left shoulder.

"Shit..."

It was a mess of torn flesh, gaping holes, and blood everywhere. The liquid was working its way down his left arm, and down his chest at an alarming rate. The wounds on his stomach and other arm weren't doing that much better.

( Read more... )

[From here]

And so Tyki stepped forward, through the wall, into the courtyard. Without getting stuck, as expected.

What the Noah hadn't expected was the sudden dizziness that washed over him. The world suddenly began moving the way it shouldn't. It was like it had taken a tumble or something, and Tyki couldn't quite make out what was below and what was above. He swayed on his feet, a shaking hand reaching for his head while the other tried to find the wall for support. That wasn't a very easy task because that wall wouldn't stop moving. His whole body trembled as he somehow managed to locate it and slumped against it.

Alright, he should have just climbed the wall already. Got it. Ugh, this was worse than a hangover. And this probably wasn't the best place for these kinds of things, either.

His powers shouldn't have drained him so much, especially because he had only used it once. This definitely sucked...

((From here.))

And here she was. GLaDOS stopped just outside the doorway to the Sun Room and pressed her back against the wall. She could hear no screaming, no fighting, no splattering of blood or hissing of acidic pools or beeping of a rocket turret finding its target in a laser sight and preparing to fire. It was very quiet, for the moment, unhindered by monstrosities of any kind.

She was sure, however, that there would be someone inside, just waiting for a hapless, worthless human to come slinking by, trying to get through to find their way past all those rooms and into the basement. For her, there was no use for the basement yet. Once she knew where all the cake was hidden, or had made her own, then it might pose some interest. After all, there were rumors of weapons, useful items, and mysteries that originated down there. It piqued her curiosity, but only so much. Very little could surpass her desire for cake.

So she waited for the tall, skinny man called Nny. He'd agreed to meet her, with some hesitation. If he failed to arrive, she'd beat him to death with his own arm the next day.

((Waiting for Johnny.))

[from here]

This was a bit more like it. Definitely a different outside area than she'd been earlier. It looked a bit like a football field, but why a hospital would have one of those... Although, why a hospital would be staffed by cats was an equally good question, but New New York had those, didn't it?

The beam of her flashlight didn't go very far, so Rose moved deeper into the field, looking around for some form of life, alien or otherwise.

[From Here]

Passing through the open doorway, he flashed his light around to make certain that there was nothing potentially dangerous lurking in the hallway. It seemed clear as far as his eyes could tell, so he hurried on. Well, he hurried as much as an old man like himself with things to do would hurry. There was no point in running, as he would save such activities for if he was being chased.

He hoped that Yuuri would be alright making it to the Recreational Field by himself. The youth seemed good-hearted even if a little absentminded. The boy would be fine, he told himself.

[To Here]

Okay... that was creepy, thought Sheena as she stared up at the intercom. She glanced around her room nervously, balled up pieces of discarded paper strewn all over the floor by her. The man sounded like a seriously screwed up Desian that liked to toy with people... like Kvar did. Shuddering, the guardian picked up the cards she'd made with an ink-stained hand and fanned them out.

Alright... not the greatest work she'd ever done, she had to admit, but only three of them felt a little off when she concentrated on them. A few smudges of ink shouldn't matter anyways. Fanning herself once, she then folded the cards back up and looked down at her inky hands. "Stupid pen. Why did it have to break so easily? I was just trying to figure out where the ink was, NOT get it all over me. I hope I don't have any on my face..."

If she did, she was certain Raine would point it out to her. As long as the half-elf didn't do that weird lick her thumb and wipe it off thing she'd seen her do to Genis more than enough times, Sheena would be fine. If not... well... she'd glare at Raine or something. Grabbing her flashlight and cards, Sheena lamented the lack of an obi as she left her room.

Now where was F18?

[to here]

[from here]

A hand upon the left wall, Momo paused and looked around. Empty. No monsters, so it was clear. She hoped the colonel wasn't going to be too angry at her for not getting the key back to him at breakfast. She didn't have the heart to tell him it was because she'd simply refused to leave her room that morning after having her own silent fit about the frustrating results of the previous night.

It would be kind of embarassing.

[to here]

[from here]

The shinigami padded silently down the hallway, keeping to the left-side wall and her hand upon her sword's hilt. Her eyes scanned the area surorunding her as she continued on to the next hallway, especially the nurses' stations as she neared them. This would be a horrible time for her to get attacked by a nurse or two. Thankfully, the halls were empty, btu she didn't drop her guard. She knew better.

Almost there.

[to here]

The intercom came on, and as it did, it seemed to carry a little more interference than usual for a daytime announcement, a little more static. While the patients might have thought for a moment that once again the elusive woman on the radio had hacked into the Head Doctor's system, the man himself soon proved that theory faulty as he laughed over the broadcast.

"Hello, hello, everyone, and I'm sorry for the bad quality of this broadcast; we've been having some technical difficulties lately, you see, and we wanted to make sure everything was fixed by tomo...."

His voice crackled out into inaudibility for a moment before fading back in.

"Yes, hopefully that will be done soon. In any case, now's the time that you all head back to your rooms to enjoy a delicious meal... seasoned salmon! Yes, we have filets of very tasty, very juicy salmon seasoned with herbs and garlic; on the side, we have mashed potatoes, peas, and to drink, our usual assortment of beverages. For dinner, you'll all be enjoying vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce."

The intercom's broadcast crackled again. The Head Doctor laughed, seemingly a little nervously.

"Ah, yes, perhaps we'll be able to finish the repairing tomorrow, when all of you are away at... Doyleton! Yes, yes, you're all in for a fun and exciting day, a day whose activities will be new for some and a welcome familiarity to others. You'll be under strict supervision, of course, but... well, I suppose you'll find out all about the circumstances tomorrow, before you set off, mm? Yes! In any case... I hope you all enjoy dinner!"

The intercom clicked off again as the nurses began ushering patients back to their quarters.

[ All introduction posts for this shift's group of new characters should be made in response to this post. (You can find your character's room assignment here.) Remember, everyone responds to this post with their character's room number in the subject line. ]

Yuffie bounced all the way through collecting her lunch, all the way to a good seat- one with a nice view of the whole cafeteria, which was something she'd been missing out on during the past day or so that she'd been stuck in the Institute- and hell, she even bounced into her seat.

A good mood? No, really?

Despite the occasional blip, talking to Sagara had been awesome. He was a fun guy; he wasn't a prude, didn't have a stick shoved so far up his ass it was poking out his eyeballs, and he'd actually had a conversation with her. One that hadn't revolved around doom, gloom or how much life sucked. If she could find other people like that and keep in touch with Sagara, maybe there was a little hope for this place.

After a quick gulp of pink lemonade, Yuffie settled to munching through her food and keeping an eye on the door.

[Waiting for Dean, I think? :x]

There was one exceedingly good thing about going into the showers, Falis decided; she did't have to wear a shirt. Not having the irritating fabric rubbing across her acid burns was going to be wonderful. There was also one exceedingly bad thing about going into the showers; water on said acid burns was going to hurt.

Furrowing her brow in contemplation and staring at the empty shower room for as long as the vulture assigned to hover over her allowed, the bounty hunter decided the need to clean the residue from the alien she could still feel clinging to her body as well as the blood she knew was dried in the depths of her mane of blonde hair outweighed the pain she'd feel. The look then turned to a lazy smile as she remembered the last time she'd been in the showers. That was when she'd met Hokuto.

Carefulyl stipping the shirt off and, against the wishes of the nurse, the princess divested herself of the bandages, displaying both the moderate acid burns as well as the near foot long stitcched up gash on her right thigh, Falis grabbed a towel and limped to a shower more towards the back. The further away from the vultures, the better.

She hissed as the water (properly temperatured this time) hit her burns and she quickly drenched the towel in water and carefully laid the wet cloth over her left shoulder, covering most of the burns. It still hurt, but it was tolerable. Barely. One hand up against the wall to support herself, she let the water run over her head and through her hair as she looked down at the tiled floor trying to enjoy the feeling of having filth washed from her body.

Oh, look at that - the water was already tinged a dull red.

[Here, Hokuto, Hokuto, Hokuto...]

[from dinner post]

... the doctor sounded tired. Shawn wasn't sure if he preferred that voice or the more youthful one in the second announcement but either way, he figured, this guy's still fucking nuts.

Talk about Sci-Fi gone wrong. Gus would've loved this, even if Shawn knew the other wouldn't have been able to stop shaking in his slippers long enough to go into full dweeb mode. Shawn committed both announcements to memory-- just because authenticity sounded verified, it didn't mean he could trust anything that was being said especially when it involved so-called advanced technology, a "shield", and some kind of super hacker. Hackers, honestly. If the act didn't involve Angelina Jolie in any way Shawn just wasn't interested.

He held pushed at the prematurely opened door, looking out into the dark hallway warily. Pulling back in, he cast an almost-cautious grin at Peter. "After you...?"

Like he was going to go out there first. Yeah. Right.

Yuffie carefully tightened and tested the knot at the back of her head. The long strip of torn and folded bed sheet was a lousy replacement for her usual headband, but she could deal with it. For now, anyway.

Frowning, she dropped her hand to pick briefly at the grey material of her pants. It was so tempting to rip them, to modify them into shorts... The young ninja shook her head, blowing a raspberry at nothing in particular. Later, maybe, when she'd have a use for the extra material. Right now, she had better things to do.

Picking up the already turned-on the flashlight she'd left sitting on the desk, Yuffie checked the five pens she'd shoved in the waistband of her pants. They weren’t exactly her weapon of choice, but...

... Well, they'd have to do for now. Cloud had promised her those Hira shuriken, so it wasn't like she'd be relying on writing utensils for too long, anyway! And besides, no way was she gonna waste tonight sleeping, not like last night. The intercom and radio announcements had been totally weird, but weird was interesting- sounded to her like the Head Doctor was having a bit of trouble. And where there was trouble, there was the chance for an advantage.

Or maybe just a bit of fun. Whatever.

Yuffie span on heel, heading towards the exit. After one final glance over her shoulder at the bedroom, one last deep breath, one last moment to steel herself, she swung the door open and stepped outside.

[Going here]

[Coming from here.]

Max didn't slow down or even pause to look around her as she slipped out of her hall and headed onwards, a determined expression on her face. If anything was stupid enough to pick a fight with her right now, she'd be more than happy to oblige it.

[Going here.]

[from here]

Upon entering this hallway, he did slow his movements a little just to be more careful. He did know the way, but this was not a hallway he was used to traversing and that was reason enough to be more careful. The trip through it was quick enough though as he slipped into what was the only female block he was aware of. F3 wasn't far now.

[gone here]