The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet.

Quietly, he collected dinner and a big glass of orange juice, and chose a seat near the food-serving counters. Talking for so long had made him thirsty... and, well, fruit juice was a luxury he had missed.

[Stalk away, my dearest Admiral. <3 ]

The lockdown had been interesting. The fact that the staff had enough power to put down a rebellion that quickly and then lock people into their rooms just as fast was something of a feat to be admired. Their efficiency would have been much more impressive if Okita had been on the other side of it, however. As it stood, he had to keep his assessment to himself and when the nurses came and escorted the men out to the showers, he was ready to play the role of model prisoner for a little while.

The last thing he needed was another needle in the neck, after all.

He followed his nurse, smiling pleasantly at her as she led him through the Sun Room and toward the men's showers. Despite arriving almost a week ago, this was his first time experiencing these strange Western bathrooms. He'd explored them at night, but the smell had kept him far from the spigets and fixtures except when absolutely necessary. His nurse pointed out the changing room and politely turned around, trusting that he'd be good for now.

It was fortunate that she did or she might have seen the extra five pens he'd stuck in his waistband to be used later if he needed a weapon. He undressed, hiding the pens away along with his journal and allowed his nurse to remove the bandages around his chest. The scratches had scabbed over and were mostly healed by now. He took the towel she offered him and went into the showers, glad to see he was the first one. It would make finding him easier if anyone needed to speak with him.

Stepping over to the shower furthest away from the door, he fiddled with the knobs and nearly screamed when cold water hit him full on. Stupid Western plumbing! He hadn't been expecting that from what everyone had told him about showering. It took a few minutes, but the hot water began to run and he calmed down, peering at the showerhead and marveling at how water came from the wall directly. Such innovation. With little else to do but enjoy a nice warm bath, Okita began to wash, feeling the stress slip off him along with the week's accumulated sweat and grime.

[open for anyone]

As much as Nia didn't want to leave her new friend alone she didn't have much choice in the matter when her nurse coerced her out of her room. She'd always been the type that wore her emotions on her sleeve, so it was easy to spot the look of dismay written on her face. Try as she might, Nia couldn't bring herself to smile, feeling like she let someone very dear to her down, and to her that was the worse feeling she could have ever felt.

But oh, did she try! It wasn't until they reached the Sun Room did she manage to smile for her nurse, trying to look for the silver lining in the clouds. At least no one was killed, or even seriously hurt for that matter, but she hoped no one would be punished too severely for his or her actions. Everyone must have had good reasons to fight, and until she was convinced otherwise she would only hope for their safety.

When her nurse offered her a choice of rooms to go to, the girl pursed her lips and thought hard, but it didn't take long for her gaze to land on a big board with several notes pinned on the surface. Her curiosity piqued immensely, and with her nurse's question long forgotten, Nia raised her arm and pointed over at the aforementioned object.

"If I may ask, what is that?" The woman followed her patient's gaze before laughing lightly, letting her hand rest on the child's head.

"Why, that's the bulletin board. It's an awfully popular place for patients to go to, especially if they want to talk to someone they can't seem to find. But the things they write there..." The nurse shook her head, but that was enough for Nia. She was already walking over to it, but she caught herself and offered the latter a cheerful smile.

"May I stay here?"

"Of course you can, Rachel. Just don't get in the wrong crowd, okay?" Nia hadn't the slightest clue of what the nurse was talking about, but she nodded nonetheless and sat herself on one of the chairs and began to read. However, not even a minute into it she found herself tilting her head out of habit.

What was a club?

Burly orderlies and agile Calm Effect nurses flooded the cafeteria from the Courtyard while regular hall nurses filed in from the Sun Room and ushered out those not involved in the rebellion. It indeed seemed as if Landel was sending out all the cavalry, and an effective cavalry they were: The riot didn't continue for much longer after the alarm sounded, though it seemed strange just how quickly all of the mutinous patients fell, even the ones who hadn't been injected with anything.

The hall nurses were quick to escort their well-behaved charges back to their rooms, praising those who hadn't joined in and chiding those who muttered under their breath in response. There were some exceptions, of course: One nice young man had even defended one of the nurses from the violent patients! Now, wasn't that exemplary behavior? Dr. Landel would be so proud to hear about it...

Within half an hour, all of the so-called "loyal" patients had been safely deposited in their rooms, and it was then that the alarm finally stopped and the true difficulty of the situation was tackled. There certainly weren't enough rooms in solitary to accommodate such rampant disobedience, and yet measures would have to be taken to ensure proper consequences for each and every patient involved. After all, something like this couldn't be allowed to happen again!

Different options were considered. Perhaps they should make an example out of the girl who had sparked the riot, but then again, perhaps not. This certainly wasn't the first case of patients attacking nurses or their peers in a crowded area, but what had been different this time was the sheer support that the other patients had shown for her. Should the staff then make examples of all those who had tried to "protect" her from the well-meaning nurses? No, there were too many for that...

In the end, it was decided that the best immediate solution would be to treat the rebellious patients in the Medical Wing while they were unconscious and then move them back to their rooms to await punishment. To ensure the safety of both their roommates and the patients themselves, however, the staff decided to securely fasten their limbs to their beds and keep them heavily drugged. Such a sad sight they were to see, but... it was necessary.

Finally, when each and every patient had been escorted back to their respective rooms, the staff hurried off to an emergency meeting upstairs. Strangely, Head Nurse Lydia was the one taking care of the proceedings in the Head Doctor's stead. She calmly told them that he was preoccupied with more urgent matters, and as she began to speak to the crowd, the staff could only wonder what could possibly be more important than an unprecedented patient riot...

[ Comment to this post with separate threads for each patient room, and please put your character's room number in the subject line. Thank you! ]

"Good morning, Landel's!" The Head Doctor's voice blared over the intercom with a little more feedback than usual. He seemed rushed, and his voice was far less calm and controlled as it usually was during the daytime. He seemed rushed, tired. "I don't have much time at the moment, unfortunately; some troubles last night have forced the staff to convene an emergency meeting, though I hope your usual schedule won't be interrupted. For breakfast, the cafeteria has baked for you a delicious choice of hot cinnamon rolls and muffins - blueberry, banana nut, chocolate chip, you name it. We also have yogurt and fruits as sides, along with our usual choice of cereals and drinks. I hope to speak to you again soon!"

The intercom clattered, then clicked off. After a few seconds, it clicked on again.

"Oh, and nurses, could you please escort our new patients into the cafeteria along with the regular population, as per usual? Thank you very much!"

The intercom jingled again and turned off, this time for good.

[ All character introduction posts should be made in response to this post with your character's room number as the subject line. If your character has a roommate who has already been introduced, act as if that roommate has already left when your character wakes up. If your character has a roommate who is being introduced during the same shift, act as if that roommate is still asleep/has already left, depending on whether their player has posted their introduction yet or not. If you are unsure of your character's room or roommate, check here. Thanks! ]