For the first time in a long time, Sora woke up in a comfortable bed outfitted with sheets and pillows. It wasn't like the Landel's standard beds were even that nice, but after sleeping in various places in Farwell (generally not in anything bed-like), it was definitely a change.

Sora's eyes opened slowly -- blinking once, twice, and then taking in the white ceiling above him. Of course, he'd expected this. He'd asked for it, even. Now that he was back in the institute, though, he had to admit that he felt his stomach churn with the knowledge that he'd been caught once again, even if it was by choice.

That feeling was what got him up out of bed, but as he stood up he heard something fall to the ground. Right, it was that bone bracelet that the skeleton had given them! He'd said that it would take them right back to that underground lake area, which meant that Sora would be able to return to Farwell pretty easily. The question was, would he be able to take someone with him?

For now, though, he was really only focused on one thing, and that was getting back to his friends. Speaking of which, one such friend was laying in the bed opposite his. "Link," Sora said quietly, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to wake up his roommate. He'd just have to catch him later on in the day.

Instead, Sora quickly hid the bracelet, making a face as he was reminded of where the materials for it had probably come from. There wasn't much he could do about that, though.

A nurse stepped into the room and sent him a bright smile. "Matthew!" she greeted, as if he had never been gone. "Where would you like to go this morning, the chapel or the Sun Room?"

Sora needed to get to the bulletin board first and foremost, so the answer to that question was easy. The trip from his room to the Sun Room was one that he still remembered in perfect detail, but it was weird having to fall right back into this routine when he'd had a break from it for a few days.

Once there, Sora moved over to the bulletin, grabbing for a pen as he started to draft up a note. He was really looking forward to seeing all of his friends again, so it was too bad that none of them were here yet...

[For Tsurugi.]

While his initial way of meeting Korra hadn't been ideal, Guy ended up enjoying a nice meal with her, so he couldn't call that experience a total loss. Any friend he made was bound to learn about his phobia, so at least the two of them had gotten that out of the way from the start. Not that he could necessarily call her a friend yet, but she did seem like a nice girl.

The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, though, and Guy knew that if he was going to stock up on any supplies, he had to do so now. The main thing that he and Anise had agreed that they needed was food, in the event that they couldn't make it back to the institute after following that tunnel tonight, and so Guy did the logical thing and headed for the grocery store.

He didn't know how much twenty-five dollars would buy him, but he also had to keep other factors in mind. He couldn't buy anything that was going to spoil, and it also had to be easy to carry. So any fresh produce was out of the question. He wanted to make sure that they would have enough to live on for a few days, at least, so he started to make his way up and down the aisles in search of something appropriate.

[For Tolten.]

Kratos firmly ignored Landel's usual nighttime rant as he got dressed, a task that required a little more thought than usual. Usually, he would shrug into his old military fatigues rather than deal with all the minute details of his clothes from home, but tonight, he was meeting Lloyd, and it was probably better to look more familiar: Lloyd hadn't been around during the military occupation, and even though the specifics of that weren't personal, Kratos wasn't in the mood to delve into the institute's past.

It was strange to be fumbling once again with all the belts and buckles on his Cruxis uniform, but even after a month away, the muscle memory was still there, guiding everything into proper position even as his mind blanked on the next step in the complicated procedure. Thus, it wasn't too long before he was, for the first time in over a month, actually looking the part of a seraph of Cruxis. It actually felt comforting, never mind that everything now hung a shade loose on him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind before he headed out. He would just be teaming up with Lloyd. That was all. There was nothing more to it. He'd asked for help. He was getting it. Enough. Simple. He opened his eyes and tried to pretend that had done something for his confidence as he gathered his things.

With a brief nod to Tolten, Kratos headed out the door.

[to here]

Patients might hear the wind blowing outside as the intercom turned on and they were gradually moved from the courtyard or somewhere surrounding the Sun Room and back to their rooms. The wind made a howling noise, something that almost seemed to hint at what was to come when darkness hit and night began.

But for now, everything was as pleasant as it always was during the day, with the Head Doctor chiming in to explain what was on the menu this evening.

"I'm sure you all had a nice, relaxing day as you continue on your journey toward good health, but now it's time to head back to your rooms and have dinner with your roommate before lights out. Tonight we're serving some seasoned salmon with rice pilaf on the side, and for those of you who are vegetarians we have a black eyed pea soup along with a dinner roll.

"Whatever you're having tonight, eat up and get some rest! We'll be seeing you again tomorrow!"

The nurses didn't say much about the fact that some patients had roommates who had been missing for a few days now. Normally there would be someone to take their place, but that didn't seem to be the case for a few people. The mystery behind that was clearly one that was going to remain unanswered, but at least the patients had a hot plate of food waiting for them on their desks.

[ Respond with your character's room number in the subject line. Check here if you don't know which room your character is in. ]

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!]

"Helloooo~? Is anyone here?" Fai held a gloved hand up to his mouth as he bellowed, peeking his head out the bedroom door and glancing down the rather stark hallway. Having woken up in an unusual bedroom was really not that strange to him, but waking up without his normal traveling companions did strike him as a little odd.

"Kuro-rin? Syaoran?" Even Mokona seemed to be missing and usually the small white creature was not far from his side. For a moment, Fai wondered if perhaps something had happened as they were transferring worlds. It wouldn't be the first time their group had gotten split up. It would be the first time he was left on his own when it happened though.

Taking a step into the hallway he placed his hands on his hips as he let his one golden eye wander and take in the scenery. They certainly had found themselves in a bizarre world this time. He wondered just what it was going to take to locate the others. If nothing else he could usually sense Kurogane, many thanks to the bond of blood that they now shared. However, even the familiar presence of the ninja seemed to be lacking. There was a hint of worry that pinged deep inside of him but he tried not to get too worked up yet. "It's not nice to start playing hide and seek without telling me first!"

Deciding it was time to continue his search, he started down the hallway, placing his hands behind his head as he strolled in a rather relaxed manner, despite the uncertainty that was boiling inside of him.. He could sense something about this place that was a bit off but it was going to take a little time to figure out exactly what it was. He didn't sense any magic, or at least none that he had ever felt before. "It's not like Kuro-tan to play games. This isn't quite the Clow Country that I had envisioned either. I wonder if something went wrong while we were traveling. Nothing felt different.."

Now Fai was starting to worry a bit. Not letting it show quite yet though, he placed that energetic smile on his face that was his norm and called out once again, "Excuse me~? I appear to be lost? Is anyone around? I could use some help! It would be greatly appreciated!" Fai wasn't sure if he was really yelling to anyone at all, but he figured if he kept hunting he would run into someone eventually. And if he kept talking, someone might hear him and come to him. He knew that it wasn't time to get worried yet. He just had to keep on walking and eventually something was bound to happen! Of course..he wasn't sure if it would be something good or bad..but he tried not to dwell on the specifics too much.


[OOC: Free. Goes to here]

When the last of the announcement faded from the air, Lloyd frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. So they wouldn't be eating in the cafeteria after all. It was a good thing he'd arranged a backup plan with Kratos, but he kind of wished there was a way to know in case he wanted to meet with someone else another time. Letting out a breath, he decided it didn't really matter right now. This time, at least, he was prepared.

Once the teen was given his bag lunch, he headed to a table in the Sun Room to sit down and started scanning the room. He didn't know where Kratos had been during the last shift, but he expected to see him any minute. Expected and hoped. Curiosity gnawed at him with each passing moment. Why had the man taken down part of his note the day before then asked to talk to him later? He must have really meant it, too, because he'd written another note to Lloyd today to arrange to meet up with him.

And yet, some part of Lloyd that sat curled and bitter in the back of his throat wondered. Wondered if he'd actually show up.

[For Kratos.]

What Guy had seen on that scan resulted in some mixed feelings. While he had expected to find something in Claude, seeing how he was sick, it hadn't been quite the same as what they'd seen when they had scanned that other ill patient two nights ago. What did that mean? It was possible that the shape of it just looked different because of where it was in Claude's stomach, but Guy couldn't help but feel that there was a deeper meaning to it.

Yet another thing that he didn't understand, then. With a sigh, he got himself up out of bed and went searching immediately for the single leaf that he'd taken from the X-ray room last night. It was stored carefully in his possessions box, which meant that he didn't have to worry too much about that.

While he wanted to quickly sketch the leaf's general shape to post on the bulletin, Guy wasn't given that chance, as his nurse showed up before he could even grab for his journal. He had to relent and let her lead him to the cafeteria for breakfast. While Guy considered stopping by the bulletin to leave a note, that could wait until after he ate. He suspected that Anise or Luke would try to find him as soon as possible to tell him about their findings, so leaving a note for them would be redundant.

He did need to ask about the clue from last night and see if anyone else had further insight on it, but that might be something Claude wanted to do, seeing how he had a better idea of who that baptist was and what it all might signify.

After collecting a small amount of food onto a plate, Guy took a seat near the cafeteria's entrance, keeping an eye out for any of his friends so he could flag them down as they walked in.

[For Anise and Claude.]

[From here]

Link rounded the corner without slowing down to even look over his shoulder. He wanted to get to the medical wing first and get out of there before there was any potential chaos. It was a good thing Sora had shown him the way last night.

The Hylian rounded the corner into the larger hallways.

[To here]

His nurse had whisked him away from breakfast as soon as the intercom’s voice faded.  Surprisingly, she didn’t take him to the shower rooms, instead bringing him to the Sun Room (as she called it), explaining that since this was his first day he would be allowed to skip the showers.  Besides, it would be good to let his injuries heal a little more.

 

He’d passed through this room on the way to breakfast, but hadn’t really paid much attention to it the first time.  Now that he was standing here, the Once-ler understood why it was called the Sun Room.

 

Despite the fact that it was cloudy outside, there was still far more natural light coming in through the ceiling windows than he had seen in a long time.  The Once-ler stood still for a few moments, simply staring up.  It seemed almost like a dream, really.  The valley never got brighter than twilight, even at noon.  There was too much smog in the air to let any more light through.

 

After a few minutes, he shook his head.  Anybody who saw him just standing in the middle of the room would probably have questions about it, and he did not relish the thought of explaining himself to a stranger.  He glanced around the room itself, spotting the bulletin board Soma had talked about during breakfast.  The Once-ler decided that was a good place to start, and hobbled on over to get a closer look.

 

[For Nina, I believe?]

It wasn't as though Tolten could ignore the (no longer just) implications. But regardless, there was work to be done. And while he felt miserable, he was certainly still very much himself now that night had fallen.

He was not about to allow this place to break him. He knew he was a rather soft and sometimes timid thing, given to strange fits of emotion and often questioning himself. But he also knew he was the last son of Uhra, blood of the ancient golden knights, containing all the strength of of his holy ancestors. He bent and bent but he would not break.

Fueled more by anger than anything else, the young king took up his pipe - he would give it to Locke, as he'd have a sword now - and headed into the hallway.

He didn't allow himself to consider the possibility of Locke not meeting with him tonight. The other man had never failed before, he certainly wouldn't now. And they would go to the Medical Wing and try and decipher the only clue they'd been given.

Failure was simply not an option.

[to here]

When the cheery jingle sounded over the speakers, the Head Doctor could be heard humming a song that suspiciously sounded like pieces of "Superstar" from today's movie. Then, as if realizing people were listening, he abruptly cleared his throat.

"Good evening, patients!" he greeted after a quick recovery. "I do hope everyone had a pleasant day. And what better way to end things than with a scrumptious steak dinner? We'll be including fries on the side, as well as offering our usual assortment of water, milk, and juices. Of course, we also carry vegetarian options for those of you who don't eat meat. Enjoy!"

The intercom turned off, leaving the nurses to escort patients to their rooms.

((Please make all dinner threads under this post with your character's room number in the subject line. For updated roommate assignments, refer to the latest Lounge Post. Thanks!))

... ... ... ...

It was shock, like failing to recognize some heavy injury following a traumatic accident. Zero's mind was reeling, still trying to accept the fact that Ciel - or else, someone who looked and sounded exactly like her - had been standing right before him, calling him by a different name. She'd spoken untruths, supporting the Institute's idea that he was mad, but her face, her voice, her mannerisms...! It had undeniably been Ciel!

No, his mind couldn't accept that. Not yet. The so-called superior thinking power of the human brain couldn't do anything to help him.

And so the once-Reploid slowly walked out of the visitation room as if in a trance, following behind his forever cheerful nurse. She, of course, thought that there was nothing wrong and began chattering to herself about how healthy that visit must have been for him.

'Healthy'.

On any other day, he would have let out some sort of displeased grunt or, better yet, some rude remark about just how 'healthy' such a visit had been for him, but any sort of response became impossible when his brain was too busy just trying to process simple facts. So he simply stared past the nurse instead, only vaguely aware that she even existed. (Not that she seemed to notice. In fact, she probably took his lack of rudeness as a good sign. Wouldn't be surprising.)

Thankfully, it was only a very short walk back to the Sun Room and, therefore, only a short amount of time spent with that woman. Zero abandoned her and then slipped into the library in order to find some peace and quiet. He could sit in a chair somewhere and try to think about what just happened...

...He ended up standing in front of a random bookshelf mindlessly staring at the rows of paper-made novels in front of him rather than sitting, but oh well. His mind was in the same place either way.

[Long Hair Brigadiers UNITE!]

By the time the darkness fell and the strange fluxing of air swept across the buses, Tolten still wasn't certain what was going on. Only that there was some problem with the final bus, and that they had been waiting to resume.

Of course now it was very certain that there would be no return trip tonight. Whatever the implications of that were, the young king had no idea. Nor did he spare a thought to it. Rather he found himself lurching to his feet and losing his lunch in the empty seat space behind him.

It was the only reaction his body could offer to what he saw unfold before his eyes, a twisted carnival show of gore and depravity the likes of which he had never imagined. Even the creatures in the sewers were less violent and torturous than this!

He knew he didn't have time for pity or wonderment as to whether or not the staff was always like that, under the surface, but his mind was slow to follow. He could only stare, shaking, his mind buzzing with fear and disgust and sorrow.

This was simply wrong!

[For Locke!]

After acquiring a feel for the small town, perhaps it was no surprise that Seishin ended up making his way towards the bookstore that he had passed earlier today. It was a fairly large building made of wood, and it did not take the former priest much effort to locate it. The sign on the front read 'The Bookworm' in green and red letters, with a worm crawling through the two O's.

Once inside, Seishin could appreciate the silence the store provided. It seemed more as though he had just walked into a library rather than a bookstore, he guessed. Near the entrance was a metal stand with the local newspaper, but upon investigation it didn't provide the novelist with any significant information. He passed the front desk, offering a polite nod towards the pair standing behind it before wandering further into the store. The wooden floor creaking as he walked, giving the place an old feel.

The large shelves that made up most of the store were crammed with books. Most appeared to be used copies in some way, but that hardly stopped Seishin from navigating the shelves, his eyes going from spine to spine as he read the titles. The store was divided in four sections, including a non-fiction setting. Remarkably, there was no section containing books related to history or traveling. The library in the institute was the same; it was as though someone had deliberately removed anything that could possibly tell them more about the surrounding area. He had to wonder how far Landel-san's influence extended.

He ended up pausing before the section containing general fiction and literature. The former priest wasn't quite sure what he was looking for -- it was mostly curiosity and his interest in books that had led him here, but it was not as though he had anything specific in mind. He had been given money to spend, but Seishin wasn't quite sure what to use it for. He didn't really need anything, did he? Though Landel's was not the most desirable environment for casual reading, plenty of books could be found in the institute's library.

[Free!]

Once the buses had rolled to a stop and the engines cut, Kotetsu waited impatiently with a sore neck for his turn to get off this clunker. He stood up from his row, stretching back and forth with a loud, tired heave. He didn't remember falling asleep and he felt a little embarrassed since he was the one who had volunteered to watch the scenery.

Ah well, his partner probably would have had to help him anyway. His attention span would make a gnat laugh. Once the row in front of them stood up to leave, Kotetsu shimmied out of his seat and into the main aisle ahead of Barnaby. The cold, crisp air of an early morning hit him in the face as he staggered down the bus stairs, but he didn't get any further than that.

"Kotetsu T. Kaburagi!" A sharp female voice cut through the peaceful murmurings of the passing patients. He turned around to see an irate looking nurse staring him down by the driver's seat. "You come back on this bus and pick up your trash! We are not your mothers, picking up after your messes!"

For once, Kotetsu had nothing to say, constructive or otherwise. Maybe it was the early morning or the fact he had just waken up, but that woman completely shook him off his guard. Slack-jawed and more than a little put out for being called out like a kid, the former Hero stomped back onto the bus with a terribly immature pout frozen on his dark face. After about ten rows, Kotetsu found his discarded muffin wrapper tossed on the floor and picked it back up with a quick and spiteful swipe before coming back to the screeching harpy.

"Thank you, Kotetsu. Hoenstly... How old are you? You should be setting a better example for the other patients."

Kotetsu grumbled something under his breath before finally getting off the bus and meeting up with his partner that had that look on his face. Sighing, he waited for the inevitable lecture as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept walking.

[Bunny and then Niikura~!]

The night hadn't been nearly as productive as Loki would have liked, though he didn't feel all that upset about it. He had all the time in the world, as far as he was concerned.

He would have to keep an eye out for those showing very visible signs of infection. It seemed to be a very rapidly progressing disease, which was interesting, but not necessarily all that helpful. Of course, the question of humanity was cute in terms of philosophy, but considering that Loki had never been human and had no desire to lower himself to that level, he found it amusing more than threatening. It would probably set the mortals into mental paroxysms, though.

The prospect of visiting the town Soma had told him about, that was certainly more interesting, and possibly useful. Particularly considering they were apparently to be given some money to spend. There had to be a book store in the town at the very least, an possibly something more useful. He had serious doubts that he'd be allowed to purchase anything overtly useful like specialized tools, but the knowledge was far more important and books were the best place to focus.

Loki smiled prettily enough for the nurse when she showed up and took the clothing offered. It was slightly less painful to look at than the normal horrible uniform - jeans and a green flannel shirt, though he wasn't enamored of the plaid pattern. The outfit also included a black jacket and gloves, necessary since the weather was still cold. He made certain to tuck his notebook and a few pens into the jacket, since even if he wasn't allowed to purchase useful books, there would no doubt be an opportunity to take notes.

And he had a message he wished to pass around as well. Hopefully there would be some sort of bulletin board in the town. If not, it could always wait another day he supposed. That didn't tend to make people less dead.

Loki went quietly to the bus, accepting the sack of food and the little booklet of coupons. He examined the card that came with it for a moment - apparently that was the money equivalent - then looked through the coupons. Really, of the choices the massage and the manicure sounded the nicest. He was particularly wary of the 'tasty meal' since in his experience, anything with 'tasty' actually in the name was destined to be anything but.

With his normal air of amusement mixed with despair at the general state of food in this place, he started picking through what passed for breakfast.

[Send me an angel!]

After bidding good night and good luck to Kratos and being left alone in his room, Tolten stood and decided that he may as well make use of his time. It was rather like being in prison, or so he fancied. He'd never been imprisoned before, but he'd listened to the stories around the fire and the dinner table. And while he couldn't do much insofar as putting his mind to work, he could do his best to stay in top physical shape.

Even if he was (perhaps) under the weather. He didn't know what to think of the announcements that were made, either during the day or after dark. But he didn't trust them one bit. And until he could discuss it with someone else or read the bulletin, he was going to ignore it. It was really easier that way.

But in the meantime he would set himself a routine. Which would involve stretching and warming up each evening between dinner and whatever was to be done that night. Even if he was staying in. Really, especially if he was staying in. At least running about and fighting was physically invigorating!

The young king managed to strip off his shirt and stretch a handful of times before he felt light headed and decided to lay down on his bed for a moment. Just to catch his breath.

He truly hoped this wasn't warning signs of some horrible thing...

[Locke!]

He'd spent his time during second shift in the Sun Room observing, primarily, the nurses. He'd been hoping to spot something, anything, that could point to where he'd need to look for those keys. Disappointingly, he'd come up with nothing. Not that that really surprised Locke too much. It wasn't likely they'd keep something like that out in the open where just anyone could find it.

He'd have to dig around a bit more. And that had been his intentions for lunch, until he'd started feeling...off. At first, he'd been able to ignore it, but as the shift wore on, he could feel his face warming like when he'd spend too much time out in the sun and he just didn't want to be around as many people as there were in the Sun room.

So, he'd made his 'escape' to the only place that sounded good: the Green House. He'd always felt better with nature and this was no exception. Although the 'offness' didn't go away, he was able to concentrate on the plants and the quiet, which helped.

Hopefully, once he got more than the few bites of sugary pancakes he'd had that morning into his system, he'd start to feel more normal.



[Robin]

Renji was in a weirdly good mood as breakfast finished. Brook was one of the stranger conversations he'd had in a while, and maybe that's what made it easier to feel less like punching everyone in the face.

Even with a light headache starting to build behind his eyes - maybe there was a storm coming or something - Renji managed to be something approaching polite to his nurse as she took him back to the room so he could grab his coat.

He also realized that he hadn't seen Sora at breakfast and asked the nurse if she knew what happened to him. He had to resort to describing Sora, since he couldn't remember the kid's fake name. But the nurse knew who it was and told Renji he was sleeping.

That was worrying. But Renji told himself it was nothing to freak out about yet. Maybe. He'd sure be checking in with Sora as soon as the kid woke up, and he wasn't going to stop feeling worried until he did. But until then, that also meant someone had to deal with Arts and Crafts for the day. One the way back out, Renji took a quick detour to the bulletin board. It was better to concentrate on business than worry anyway.

Out in the courtyard he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started wandering around, just trying to keep the blood moving. The cold didn't really help the headache, but he used to everything just sucking at random.

[Free to a good home]