[from here]

Sheena silently slipped into the hallway at the end of the block. Taking up a spot where she could be easily seen, and the gun-like weapon she was carrying, she waited for Aigis. She wanted to get this over with so she could00

What? So she could what? Go see to her summon, the one that left her with so many stitches in her neck, left her unable to just go back to her room and sleep because of the nightmares she knew were going to come?

Maybe she should just go check on Ritsuka instead. That was safer. Far safer. But then she'd be running away again...

Sheena looked up at the intercom when it went off. So, Landel had captured Jill. Sheena felt a bit of a wish to help the woman, save her, but she didn't know where Jill was being held, what she looked like or even if she should help her. Or could. Not with the way the ninja was injured - both physical and mental. She wished she'd talked Raine into healing her as everything was so tender and the ninja didn't like stitches. Not at all. And she was worried about the scarring to her lip.

Picking up the unusual metal weapon her former roommate had, the ninja left the room to meet Aigis and hand it over. Once she'd done that... she had a decision to make.

[to here]

"—na-"

… Viridian red buildings; clear water rushing—blood red running and then somewhere else; raining now, raining so hard it rained through bones, sounded like a drum-beat or a klaxon or Cait with his tail stuck in a socket…

"Han—"

… Insistent rain, more like Barret's gun-fire or pebbled sand against glass or both, loud and pounding and drowning but not, and somewhere overhead hung a second moon with a Tonberry leering…

"Hanna!"

… "Shut up," Yuffie mumbled thickly, her voice sticking in her throat like molasses.

"Oh, dear," said the trumpet in her ear. "You do have to wake up now, you know. Can't have you missing anything."

"Can too." Cracking her eyes open was going to be a chore like none other, Yuffie was quickly realizing. She didn't want to wake up. Sleep tugged at her, jostled her, clung to her. It called her back, pulled her under, but the trumpet—the voice; the nurse—was insistent. Had to get up, had to go face the day, and dear, oh dear, perhaps you're running a tad bit of a temperature, just a little, nothing to worry about.

It was then that Yuffie realized the problems.

One, it was morning. She wasn't in a locker room and she (mostly) didn't feel like she was gonna hack up a bowl of innards stew. That was… good. And bad. And it was awesome and it sucked, so point number two, please. Two: she didn't feel like somebody'd set up a blender in her stomach so much as she felt like somebody'd stuffed her head and limbs full of down-feathers and sticky toffee and socks. The cloying sensation was reseeding, but it lingered maddeningly. Point three, and this was the kicker: Plucky had been close enough to shake her shoulder, had been shaking her shoulder, and didn't have a black eye or a broken wrist to show for it.

"Oh, hell," Yuffie groaned.

Plucky tutted. "Language, young lady. Now, up you get."

Up Yuffie got, quick enough to almost send herself stumbling. She would not get sick. Not, not, not! It just wasn't gonna happen. After throwing on a sweater, Yuffie grabbed the two squishy balls—one orange and the other purple (both sporting stupid smiley faces)—from inside her desk drawer before she, Plucky in tow, left for the sun room. If she had something physical to focus on, something more than chatting or people-watching or cuddling with Fuzzbutt, she'd have a better chance of jump-starting herself into gear. Maybe. Hopefully.

Before long, Yuffie was perched cross-legged on one of the sun room's many sofas, Fuzzbutt the kitten languishing cosily in her lap. One hand rested against her knee—in that hand sat the purple ball. The other hand, her left hand, was up and moving, manipulating the orange ball into small tricks and sleights. Nothin' fancy. Nothin' even interesting, as far as the ninja was concerned. Just a quick warm up to get her fingers—and her brain, ugh; it was still fuzzier than she'd like—going.

[For Kaito and Yukari!]

[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.

[From here]

It had been a longer walk to the Inn from the park than some of the other buildings they could have taken shelter in, but the reward of the crackling fire was more than enough to make up for it. Bidding the orderly who had guided them there farewell so he and his umbrella could go round up other sopping patients, Yukari, still holding Sheena's hand, immediately gravitated towards the flame.

"Ah, like coming back to life~" she said happily as they came within the radius of its warmth. Throwing back the hood on her jacket, she pulled off the scarf which had gone from warming accessory to neck-chilling sponge. Borders of hot and cold, wet and dry, it seemed she'd be forced to get rid of the chill the old-fashioned way - sitting in front of a roaring fire. Finally letting go of the ninja, Yukari plopped down on the rug before the fire, holding her hands out towards it to bask in its glow.

[To be crashed by some pink dead thing]

Once she'd found she wasn't in any danger whatsoever of hopping aboard the Pukemobile, Yuffie had gotten kinda peckish. She'd ditched the bagged breakfast ages ago, way back on the bus, and, haha, like hell was she trekking back over that way to get it. Too much to see in a town without a lot in it.

So, here she was. Sitting at a plastic table in a plastic chair, in the almost completely plastic 'Tasty Burger', with fries, chicken strips, and a banana shake to wash it down with. Yuffie wrinkled her nose, more put off by the Eastern-style 'meal' than the reproachful stares of the staff and patrons. The latter she was way, way more than used to. Came with the job description. All of the job descriptions.

"Should've gone to the Twin Pine," Yuffie muttered around the (plastic!) straw, slumping forward onto her damp, denim-clad elbows. Taking a long pull of vaguely banana-flavored gloop, she cast a deft, if bored, eye around the establishment. As always, she'd gone for the most strategic seat; one that let her see as much as possible, without cutting off her access to at least one viable escape route. Not that she wanted to look at the place. Eurgh.

It was still hard to reconcile how this place should have looked with how it did look. Quick repair jobs were one thing, but something about the set-up rubbed Yuffie the wrong way. It was the same the whole town over. Chips, here and there, cracks in windows and doodles on walls. But no scorch marks, no sign that there'd been a no-holds-barred battle tearing up the place from top to bottom. The residents were pissy and suspicious, but not in that way—not in a way that'd suggest they remembered what they'd done, what they'd turned into, and what the patients had done in return.

[Cloud and Nanaki~.]

[From here]

Coming into the kitchen, Yukari scanned the area with her flashlight. It looked... well, ordinary, in a word. Full of all the modern conveniences and appliances one might find in a kitchen outside Gensokyo. Suitably large for the staff that stayed here. It seems Sheena wouldn't have any problems cooking, as long as nothing unforeseen - or unseen, for the moment - decided to intrude.

Setting the bag down on a counter, Yukari also placed the flashlight on its end, pointing up to give ambient lighting. She then opened up a gap, rooting around for a few minutes until she came up with what she was looking for - another pair of flashlights and the batteries to go with them. Soon enough, the kitchen was actually decently lit enough that one might be able to let it slip from their mind that they were in some creepy mental institute, sneaking around in the middle of the night.

"Well, have everything you need to work your magic?" she asked the girl with playful smile.

[from here]

Moving quickly seemed to have been a wise move as Sheena and Yukari made it back inside the building without the ninja's presence provoking any of the birds. The ninja scanned the room before turning back to shut the door securely behind them. She knew the door to the kitchen had a lock on it, so she wasn't in any real hurry.

In fact, she drew in a deep breath and looked over at the youkai with an odd expression on her face.

[From here]

The chill air of the patio made Yukari glad she had chosen this outfit; even if it wasn't particularly suited for cold weather, it was much more insulated than her dress, leaving her less exposed to the errant breeze.

The youkai's attention, however, was not on the weather but the roof top. She stared up at the rooftop, trying to discern if another of those birds was hiding up there for them or not, but the shadows and the angle made it impossible to tell. Well, considering the last attack hadn't occurred until after they made a significant amount of noise, hopefully they'd be able to sneak by.

[from here]

Moving carefully down the hallway, Sheena flicked her wrist and a single card appeared in it. She really, really hoped nothing would be waiting outside.

"Stay close," she said.

[From here]

"Well, let's hope it's not lying in wait for its own revenge tonight," said Yukari, only half-joking this time. "Or anything else lying in wait for them, for that matter."

Glancing up and down the dark hallway, Yukari opened up a gap and reached inside. After a few moments of fumbling, she came out with a flashlight in one hand and her parasol in the other. The latter was still a bit bent and sad-looking, but at least the former worked fine.

What forces might conspire to ruin their lovely evening? Hopefully none.

[from here]

Oh yeah, Yukari had asked about her injuries. There was still some gauze wrapped about her left hand, currently holding the pillowcase, but it wasn't anywhere as heavily bandaged as it had been the day before.

"Mostly healed. Saw the bird again last night, so I made it pay for its debut."

This was it. This was the night she'd been working toward since she'd learned what youkai were. This was... going to fail horribly because Sheena was so damn nervous. Or so she thought it would. Yes, she'd gone over everything a couple times, but she couldn't get past the part where the fact that Yukari was, well, Yukari. Such an unpredictable and fickle youkai made predicting what was going to happen practically impossible. Which only made Sheena's confidence plummet straight down a dreaded trapdoor. Still, she'd planned and she... at the least she should have a nice... date.

For what had to be the thirtieth time since she'd been in her room, Sheena undid her hair, combed her fingers through it, and retied it with her pink ribbon. She had her usual yayoi on, but made extra sure that the layers rested how they were supposed to, and was really glad this was a day they'd been afforded showers. Not that she was planning on anything happening that being extra clean was a good thing, but at least she knew she didn't have any greasy hair and smelled good. Yes, the ninja was being a bit... girly.

Once she checked the ingredients she had procured the other night and made sure to secure them inside a pillowcase, Sheena slid the large kitchen knife into concealment, hiding it from prying eyes using her obi's bow. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any monsters along the way, or in the kitchen itself. Nothing ruined a date better than an unwanted guest. At least she was a bit better off here in that she didn't have to worry about Zelos having a case of bad timing or something.

Easing the door open, Sheena moved the few doors down the hallway to Yukari's room. And there she stood, staring at the door. She stared and stared and stared. Once she raised her hand to knock, but let it drop to her side before making contact. She turned away from the door, walked a bit down the hallway before she came back to it, trying to work up the nerve to knock. She was so nervous.

"Just knock, damnit," she grumbled to herself. "It's not hard. Raise hand, curl fingers inward and rap with knuckles. Easy. Simple. Do it, Mizuho."

And finally, after staring at the door for at least one more full minute, the ninja knocked.

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]

Even with the nasty weather, Zack still felt refreshed after going outside. Humidity would have reminded him of Gongaga, but he wasn't sure he needed that. Not now, not when he wasn't even sure if he'd be able to get back home and see his parents again. Not that he should have the chance at all, but it was hard to think about nonetheless. Seeing how Gaia hadn't even gotten a rocket into space yet, the idea of figuring out how to get home was one huge question mark in Zack's head.

He already felt hungry again, but after his talk with Aidou the soldier knew that he needed to get that bulletin note up as soon as possible. For that reason, he gave the nurse who was currently herding him his best pleading eyes as he asked to be taken into the Sun Room for a quick second. Once there, he scribbled out a note as fast as he could (he hoped his friends would be able to read his writing) and then tacked it up.

Also, what was with the guy on the intercom all of a sudden? Had he gotten a spontaneous cold? It seemed ridiculous considering he was their captor, but it also meant he was at least somewhat human. He could get a stuffy nose. That meant he was probably weak in other ways.

But there he was, resorting to violence again. It was difficult not to, when that was what he was used to. Besides, Zack was getting the feeling that this Landel guy deserved it.

Shrugging to himself, he entered the cafeteria again and got in line for his lunch. He had to admit he was glad that the food didn't seem to be drugged, seeing how it was downright delicious. Zack got a whiff of the fried poultry as it was put onto his tray and let out a happy sigh. Chow time!

Seeing how the cafeteria was still pretty empty, the young man found the closest empty spot and then sat down. Hopefully one of his friends would spot him and head on over. For now, though, Zack picked up one of the pieces of meat, bit into it, and leaned back into his chair with a content look on his face. So much better than the slop Shin-Ra had called food...

[For Tobias! Let us know if you want to join.]

"I could tell you some stories," Yuffie suggested brightly, "of unquestionable legality." Illegality, that was. Petty little things like the law didn't usually mean very much to her, except for the times when she had to uphold it. Always fun for the breaking, though, the law, and messy for the clean-up. Just the way she liked it.

Her nurse looked like she wanted to rub her temples. With sandpaper. "No, thank you," she said instead. "Why don't you run along, now?" Please!, was the unspoken request. Before I spontaneously combust. Or commit various acts of violence that would have me arrested, or placed in a loony bin. Like this one. Yuffie had quite a bit of fun filling in the blanks other people left. Sometimes she did it outloud, just to see the reaction; sometimes she kept it to herself. It really, really depended.

"Don't mind if I do!"

She took off, bolting out into the Courtyard. The weather was dour, overcast and threatening rain, but Yuffie didn't care. She'd refused a coat on principle, and had found herself bargaining: Fine, fine, Plucky had conced she could go without a coat, but unless she had at least a sweatshirt on, there'd be no outside-time for her. She ran a little ways down the dirt path, then toppled herself into a series of cartwheels. Straighten, run. Cartwheel. Straighten, run, just for the sheer sake of movement, and the whip of the wind. She laughed a little giddily, checking her gait down to a jog. Gawd, Leviathan, she'd needed this. Right from the get-go, she'd needed this. Every day she spent cooped up in side, the more nervous energy she had.

Nanaki had helped, she realized. Sort of. He'd…helped. In a way. His presence and everything that was wrong with it weighed on her, for sure, but he was still Nanaki. He didn't deserve to be here, didn't deserve to be stuck in a body that he hated and couldn't use, but all the same, she found herself glad to have him.

Yuffie started to hum, as she jogged leisurely around the Courtyard. A cheery little tune, one of her favorites; no, it was her favorite. A Wutaian walking song, with the roughly translated title of Pathway After the Rain. The pace stayed even but the tune picked up, and she found herself half-singing snatches of the lyrics to herself. It felt like ages since she'd last said anything in her native tongue, at least outloud; she wrote in it all the time.

[The Doctor]

[from here]

Pocketing her makeshift lock picks, Sheena closed the door behind her and finally clicked her flashlight on. The sudden light made her blink until she had adjusted to having light again. She'd gotten so used to not using a flashlight, that it felt weird to use one. Still, if she was going to find a file that she would need to read, she'd need the illumination.

Casting the light around the room including the ceiling, the ninja didn't see any monsters, so she moved to the file cabinets. Jordan Becker. That was the name she wanted. Yanking open a rusty cabinet, flinching just a bit at the grating squeal that came from them, she started sifting through the folders. At least it looked like she'd chosen the correct room, assuming the files were in alphabetical order.

[from here]

Quietly, the door to the Entry Room opened and a lone ninja slipped through it. Sheena immediately shifted to the right and pressed her back against the wall. Going still, she controlled her breathing and took the time to listen and look around, peering through the thick darkness for signs of any monsters.

She waited a few more heartbeats before silently moving along the perimeter toward the file room. She needed that name.

When nothing made a sound and movement was not detected, Sheena quietly crept around the perimeter of the room to the right. When she came to the door of the file room on her right, she tried the handle. Locked. She'd expected that, so she slipped a few thin pieces of metal out of her obi and went to work picking the door's lock.

Given how poor of quality her makeshift lock picks were, it took the ninja a bit longer than she would have liked before she heard the click. With another furtive glance around, Sheena eased the door open and moved inside.

[to here]

[from here]

Sheena eased the door open and peered carefully out. So far there wasn't anything circling overhead or waiting, but that would only last for so long. Stepping outside, she drew in a deep breath, preferring the chilly air to the stuffiness of inside.

As the breeze played across the patio, tugging on the strands of her hair, Sheena half-closed her eyes as she automatically searched for her pact with the Sylph. It was there but not - so close yet so frustratingly far away. Gods, she missed her pacts. She could only hope tomorrow night went well and Yukari agreed to the summoner's proposition. But enough of that; she needed to focus on the here and now.

"Look up," Sheena said, nodding her chin toward the third floor towering above them.