[From here (with mod permission for three).]

Sechs jolted awake, instantly aware that everything had changed around him -- yet he had no idea on what exactly was different now. For some reason he had fallen and was flat out on his stomach upon what felt like sand. He was completely dazed by the suddenness of it all. Had he just woken up from a dream? Coughing, the perturbed Replica lifted his head up and shook the dirt out of his shaggy hair. "...Wuh?"

Blinking at the disturbed sand beneath him, Sechs' brain scrambled to catch up with what had just happened, feeling as though he had inexplicably crashed like a computer and was just rebooting with fragmented memories. The hell...? The last thing he remembered was being in that darkened hallway with Aigis and Soushi, just after the stone snake received their blood in exchange for entry. He was sure he was just standing a second ago, waiting for the door to open before them... Now why was he suddenly dumped out in some dirt?

Compared to the pitch-black corridor from before, this new environment was brightly lit, leading Sechs to think that he was outside. Digging his hands into the sand, the Replica thought -- even hoped -- that he was back at the wastelands surrounding the Scrapyard. Yet he quickly found that to be untrue once he pushed himself up to his knees and got a good look around himself.

He was in an arena of some sorts, one which dwarfed the first one he and his allies encountered after discovering the armory two nights ago. Squinting his eyes against the overwhelming light, Sechs could somewhat make out the walls encircling him and the rows of seats above. It was like the feature presentation to the basement's glorified ballroom. Was this arena the whole purpose of the basement? A place of glamor and battle for Landel to entertain his guests with?

Sechs wasn't able to contemplate further on this question, as he realized that his whereabouts wasn't the only thing that had changed. Something inside him felt different -- no, not different, restored. The last time he felt this freeing sensation was during that one night when the institute's control over its prisoner's abilities had been lifted. Did this mean...?

[from here]

This hall was much shorter than the other two she and Sechs had traversed together. Much shorter. And all they had here was one large door, and it was much more ominous than their last one. The creatures there reminded her of Shadows while the ones on the other reminded her of Personas. What would this lead them to...

There was even some writing above the head of the snake that protruded out at them. An offering of blood was needed, but did the message mean that only two of them could pass through? Aigis wondered. By all accounts, she and Sechs were the leaders of their party.

"Sechs-san and I should give the offering," Aigis stated, her eyes turning to Soushi. "We appreciate your company, Soushi-san, but if there is something dangerous on the other side then we will be leading you into further darkness."

[From here.]

A dizzying moment later and Sechs found himself once again beneath the glorious chandelier of the basement's impressive ballroom. The sudden brightness of his new surroundings stung his eyes at first. Once his senses adapted, Sechs turned to check to see if his allies had made it through ok. "You two alright?"

Seeing they had arrived in one piece, the Replica promptly redid the usual procedure of feeding the teleportation ring a drop of his blood. By then Sechs had less difficulty using his machete to cut into the base of his thumb, but the sharp pain and the nagging ache which followed afterwards still bugged him. Just how many more times would he have to do this bloody routine before he found freedom from this damned place?

Once the ring was fed, Sechs turned his attention towards the imposing door from across the ballroom. The marble-set gateway loomed before them, like a silent opponent awaiting their first move. Sechs' curiosity had been vexed by the enigmatic door ever since he laid eyes on it two nights ago. Unsheathing the ornamental sword from his belt, Sechs made a predatory bee-line for the door and held up the artifact beside one of its empty indentations. The sword made a perfect fit.

Grinning, Sechs turned towards his allies. "Hey! This sword definitely fits as a key!" he called. Turning his attention to Aigis, he added, "Now let's give that shield a try!"

When Sora woke up, he was so worked up that he practically thrashed his way out of bed. He probably would have fallen straight out of it and onto the floor if he hadn't caught his foot against the ground and then forced himself upward into a sitting position.

But it didn't feel like he'd slept at all. His heart was pounding, his face flushed with worry. Tsurugi... It had been Tsurugi, but he'd looked different. And he'd barely even been able to talk, he'd been so out of it. What had this place done to him?

If Sora went out to the cafeteria, would he end up talking to a Tsurugi who had purple hair? And what would that mean? Would Tsurugi even show up for breakfast this morning?

There was just too much he didn't know, but sitting around in his room worrying about it wasn't going to do any good. Sora stood and let out a bracing breath, glancing over to Link's sleeping form in the opposite bed before he approached the door and anticipated his nurse.

She seemed to sense that he was worried, because she didn't chat with him too much on the way over to the cafeteria. Sora didn't even have the presence of mind to stop by the bulletin. He just went straight to the mess hall and got a tray of food while half-distracted, parking himself right near the entrance from the Sun Room. He barely ate his food, instead keeping an eye out for Tsurugi with two shades of hair in mind.

[For Tsurugi.]

Soushi was quite surprised to hear that someone had come to visit him. Having seen some of the other patients leave for their visits, he was sure he'd been forgotten. Though, according to most, being forgotten was perhaps better than the alternative. What then, to expect?

The few photos and other items he'd found in his bag of possessions only a couple nights prior had been enough to make him suspicious that some of the others were already here, or at least near enough that they could have appeared in the photographs. There'd been no time or dates on the images, but judging by the length of Ririchiyo's hair, what he estimated her height to be, and the look of the clothing he hadn't seen her in before, he could fairly assume the picture was taken between the last time he saw her and now. How long exactly that had been, he had no way of knowing.

Confused as ever, he followed the nurse to the waiting room, glancing it over as she ushered him to an empty seat. It was exactly what it appeared to be, a simple room, clearly meant for them to receive guests. He was torn between hoping he would see his master and hoping that she was far from here. The point, some had said, was to cause emotional turmoil. The more he worried, the more he was playing into their hands. Still, he kept his eyes trained on the door, heart beating loudly in his chest despite the calm exterior he presented.

Soushi startled awake, and in a panic felt around the blankets and sheets. Ririchiyo's photograph. Where was it? He remembered to breathe a moment later when he found the photo, stuck between the sheets along with the bag he'd found in his box of supposed belongings. Now that it was daytime, it was easier to see the picture; Ririchiyo's cute round cheeks, her long hair, the soft pout of her lips, there was no mistaking it for a fraud. But why then, didn't he recognize when the photo had been taken or the outfit she was wearing? There were none like it in his collection, and he was sure he knew most of what was in her closet...

He tucked the scrap into his shirt when the radio came to life. Doyleton? They were taking a trip? Soushi was sorely tempted to look through the bag, now that he could see it, but if the staff here saw it, wouldn't they confiscate it? Rather than take the chance, he stuffed the bag back under his mattress, keeping the single photograph with him as the nurse opened the door to greet him.

While the clothing was much more acceptable than the pajamas they were usually assigned, the jeans were a little too big, but luckily included a belt. The plaid shirt was like nothing in his previous wardrobe, but at least it had a pocket on the chest, which he slipped the photograph into as he turned his back on the nurse to dress. He was accustomed to wearing what he was told, and managed to make even the jeans and patterned shirt look somewhat natural. Last, he was given a jacket, tan in color(though there were a few stubborn stains here and there), with buttons running down the front.

Once he was dressed and ready to go, he was led outside to the buses. It was strange being outside the institution like this. It certainly gave the illusion of freedom. How did they manage to control so many patients on a trip such as this? Surely, he wanted to believe, they wouldn't notice one missing. Not until the end of the day, at least. Did they take attendance?

Though if it were that simple, other patients would have made their escape by now. And of all those he'd spoken with, not one could cite a patient that had successfully escaped. The goal, he reminded himself, was not to escape at all, but to find his master and make certain she was safe. If escape was a key factor in determining that, so be it, but he'd yet to find proof of where to even begin his search for the girl. The notebook might have something more to it, but now it was out of reach. He resigned himself to the bus, accepting the bagged breakfast with a smile.

[Loki]

[from here]

Soushi peered into the room, not exactly certain what he ought to be expecting. There were fairly ordinary shelves, lined with what looked like cardboard boxes. Either it was the place they were looking for, or there were a lot more uniforms and bandages to go through. The organization of the room was slightly different, so he let out a slow breath and hoped for the best.

"Maybe if we're lucky we can find you a bag for all of those supplies Castiel-san," he offered as he approached the nearest set of shelves. Anything, he wished silently, anything to lead me closer to her.

[from here]

It took a few more swings than he'd thought, and his bat had a few new dents in it, but it still served its purpose and the door creaked open. He waited a moment for Castiel's light to give them a vague idea of the room's contents before stepping inside.

The room itself was not terribly large, but contained many cabinets and neatly stacked boxes. Storage? If so, what was being stored?

The shadows seemed to dance and behave strangely, enough to make him wary of another incident like the previous night, but he continued on regardless. Demon, monster, or spirit, he wouldn't let it get in the way of any clue that might lead him closer to his master.

[from here]

Soushi was somewhat surprised when the door opened easily and though it was hard to tell if they had wound up in the room they ought to have and not some strange portal through time and space, it did look normal enough. There was the same bland carpet and a few shelves, though not much of note. It seemed like some sort of inter-office mail system and as his eyes fell on the letters that dotted the shelves, he couldn't but be reminded of the letters he'd shared with his own master. It didn't seem to be the room they were looking for, but it still held promise.

"I'm not certain if this is the room, but would you mind terribly if we had a look around?" he asked as he turned toward Castiel.

[from here]

Another nondescript hallway with doors that all looked the same gave Soushi little hope, but Castiel had insisted the room he was looking for was this way. And injuries withstanding, even if they didn't make it tonight, the route was simple enough he'd have no trouble repeating it.

"Do you know which one it is? Or shall we just start eliminating them as we go?" he asked, turning to Castiel.

[From here.]

Castiel had done what he could to study the maps in the short time that he'd had, and he had a near-perfect memory, so he continued down the hall with a fair amount of confidence, even if he was still hobbling.

"Once we reach the end of this hall, we'll turn left. The room you're searching for should be somewhere in that area," he explained. While their night hadn't been all that eventful so far, Castiel had to admit that Soushi had proved himself a decent enough traveling partner.

[From here.]

As they moved further down the hall, Castiel caught sight of the chapel to the left. It had been some time since he'd traversed there and he had no reason to now, but he hadn't forgotten that specter of Jimmy Novak that he'd run into in that place. He'd also encountered Aigis while she was brainwashed somewhere in this area. It wasn't a place he had much fondness for, but he wasn't fond of Landel's in general.

No reason to comment on it, then. There was something else he was more curious about, and so he looked over his shoulder at Soushi for a brief moment.

"You mentioned you were with some others when you encountered that ghost. Was one of them called Gabriel?" Castiel had no particular reason to keep tabs on the other angel, but he felt it was prudent to do so anyway. Gabriel seemed to be a good soul, someone he didn't need to be suspicious of, but this wasn't suspicion in the first place. He was both baffled and intrigued by Gabriel; while they were both angels, he felt like they were about as different from each other as they could be.

[From here]

Scar shone his flashlight down the second floor hallway. It seemed to be deserted as always, but God only knew what might come out at them.

"I don't think there's anything down this first hall. I woke in one of the rooms there last night."

[from here]

He paused at the stairs, turning his head to catch a glimpse of Castiel behind him. Was the man really up for this? Unfortunately, Soushi couldn't afford to lose another night. It was hard enough to keep from dwelling on just how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds it had been since he last saw Ririchiyo. If this was one step closer to her, he would take it, regardless of risk.

Soushi didn't waste time with words, and instead followed Castiel's lighted path up the stairs.

[From here]

Just as last night, Link stood and waited along the wall of the main hallway. Nobody else was out, yet. Good. He had made good time. One never truly knew, here.

He didn't expect to wait long. They all seemed to be very competent people, perhaps with the slight exception of the Once-ler. Though Link could not complain. He had been a bumbling fool the first time he had faced a true monster.

[The Green Team!]

[From here]

The same tedious route as always. It was so frustrating for Link to have to reset his progress night after night. It would be so much quicker if he could simply blow through this place in one run.

But this place was different than any temple of dungeon he had ever faced before. It was the same, yes, in many ways. But it was still much more tedious in its own little ways. And much more deadly.

[To here]

[From here]

Link made his way briskly toward the main hallway and the meeting point with his allies. They had begun work in the basement, and they would continue it, yes. But the thought of breaching the third floor was tempting, oh so tempting.

He needed to focus on the task at hand. There was much to be seen in the dungeons of Landel's, and he planned on exploring it thoroughly. It was in the darkest corners that the greatest secrets were always held.

[To here]

Scar was still sitting at his desk, listening to the wind howl outside when the intercom came on once again for the night. He scowled, listening while going about the nightly routine he had missed the previous night. His robe, sash, and pathetic weapons, followed by the photograph, slipped quickly and discretely into his robe. That was when he heard the Head Bastard mention the third floor.

His attention snapped directly up to the intercom and he stopped in his tracks. He needed to get there. That was where everything was, where they must have been keeping the secrets of this damned place. Landel's sinister warnings were completely ignored. If it was a possible route, he was finding it and taking it.

Perhaps one of his allies would know something. First, he would check in with Alphonse since he was so close. But it would be more likely for Lust to know of this sort of thing. God knew they had hardly discussed anything productive, earlier.

Scar pushed out into the hallway with his flashlight in hand, leaning lightly against the wall to wait for the younger Elric.

[Alphonse]

Link was feeling overall good as he was escorted outside after breakfast. The food had been good, and the weather was nice. It wasn't so cold anymore, but still comfortable. He much preferred coming outside to being cooped up in that stuffy, dull building. The Hylian was trying to remain positive. They had the cure now, did they not? People were getting better.

The death toll was impossible to ignore, though.

He sighed, hands in his pockets as he shuffled through the grass and settled himself on the lawn. This was nice. At least, it was as nice as things could get around here. Link's mind drifted back home, back to Ordon and Hyrule and Midna and Zelda. Everything was okay there, now. And he couldn't even see it for himself.

[Free!]

Scar scowled, both relieved and angry that he had woken up once again in his own bed. That lanky man who had become his new roommate on the night of his death was sound asleep one bed over.

This was coming to be the new "normal." It was infuriating.

As always, he begrudgingly followed his nurse into the cafeteria and took a seat. He preferred to file in with the majority of the patients in order to avoid sticking out, but no such luck this morning.

Scar stared at his food rather than starting in on it, despite the newly found appetite that had been lost thanks to that blasted sickness. He had a lot to think about. He hadn't managed to find Frank last night. The damn intercom had beaten him to it. And judging by Tsubaki's reaction to him, he had been out for at least a day's time. How many had noticed? Cared? It couldn't have been many.

But it was the few who did whose detection Scar was desperate to avoid.

[Eddyyyy!]