[from here]

The room they entered was full of tools, and Heat was reminded for a moment of vendors he'd known in the past. The ones in the Junkyard had been far easier to sort through than this mess, though it helped that they'd had a better idea of what to look for then. This was just shelves and racks of various odds and ends, some which seemed a little out of place given the overall theme.

He wasn't sure why they'd been sent to look through shops without being given some form of currency. The coupons they'd been handed didn't appear to be for anything besides food and some sort of service that would be entirely not useful to him. Even if he'd still had his karma ring, it was doubtful the shop here accepted macca for their wares. The ones in the real world before hadn't.

The workers in here didn't look any more friendly than the people on the street, and Heat unconsciously kept closer to Aigis just in case one of them decided to try something.

[From here.]

Easily forgiven? Unlikely. A pair of (presumably) mental patient committing theft. No, it was highly unlikely they would be easily forgiven. Conscience-wise? It wouldn't even stain his thoughts, really. Nothing like ten years of judgemental slaughter to make your mind jaded against the simpler crimes in the world.

Either way, it could prove to be... okay, he didn't want to say fun because not much about Venom was even slightly amusing (and Edward was very much ignoring the teenage part of him that was all ready to rebel), but it could prove to be adventurous. Especially since he didn't have the agility nor the power to make the feat easy. Having Alice play the stock market wasn't exactly the most hands-on way of stealing after all. It couldn't really be called stealing, after all... it was just using her naturally-created gifts to further the family's fortune.

So his morals were a little skewed. That was okay with him.

Once he'd left the polluted bus behind him - fresh air, thank god - he smiled to see the sky completely overcast, the smallest drops of water misting through the air. He shrugged into the obnoxiously bright raincoat he'd been given, tucking the coupons and the untouched breakfast into one of the pockets, covering his face with the hood. The suit he was wearing was a little worse for wear, but the vampire wasn't exactly looking forward to marching around damp.

Waiting just off to the side for Venom, Edward surveyed what he could see of the town so far. It didn't seen very big... which was good, he supposed. That way it would be easier to navigate. Now that the first order of business had been planned, they would need to find the right outlet for their theft opportunity.

Lingering around where the buses were parked made him feel too much like a lost tourist—especially with that woman looking at him like that—so Sam headed off to the park instead. Not too far since he knew Dean would want to see him. Not for anything specific, obviously. It'd just always been automatic to find each other after whatever crazy stuff happened to go down in the night.

Though what they were gonna talk about this time was beyond him. Oh sure, he could ask Dean what went on last night and Dean would probably ask him the same (to which he'd leave out any mentions of Ruby), but that only took up so many minutes. Then what? The job? Not much hunting was getting done. Just another thing that bothered him because yeah, being surrounded by the supernatural wasn't anything new, but a few memorable occasions aside, they looked for these things, not the other way around. Picking up a job or chasing down a trail wasn't the same as having that trail chase you down. It was hard to appreciate the role reversal.

Besides, any discussion of all of this was superficial at best. They were talking around things, not about them, and he knew Dean must've noticed, too.

Still. Screw it. Maybe it was time he pushed all that aside. Dean might've already made the deal—hell, for all Sam knew, Dean's contract might already be up—but he didn't remember the last year. They could...start over, as much as they were able to. Wasn't that the whole reason why he'd decided to keep all this quiet? To make sure Dean didn't have to deal with his crap?

Frowning to himself, he leaned back against a tree, resting his foot flat against the trunk. The skies were seriously looking grey and heavy, but man, he almost wanted to say he missed getting caught in the rain or other generally bad weather conditions. There was something so insanely controlled about the institute, it creeped him out. Kinda nice to see that at least the weather was one part that hadn't gone all The Giver on them.

Well. That and a communal breeding program. Presumably.

[say hi, big brother. :( ]

[from here]

Usopp did his best to survey the place with the light as soon as he started to move inside, hoping to avoid unhappy surprises later. His will to stay alert unfortunately broke down at the sight of the shed, filled with recognizable tools. Granted, they were gardening tools, but Usopp didn't feel like being picky. He didn't know what other people had been struggling into the shed for; he felt satisfied with these prizes.

"Excellent work! Now, we plunder the treasure, and... wow, I wish I had a wrench." Maybe he could get the whole lawnmower into his room somehow, if he could just come up with a really creative idea. Even getting gasoline or the engine out of it would be nice. He'd have to find something to carry things in, and it'd be hard to do with both his hands generally occupied. Hopefully Scourge would help. "Now, loyal follower, let's start figuring out what to plunder first and how." Usopp stepped further into the shed, kneeling next to the lawnmower. "I should probably get out of the habit of calling you loyal follower before your hearing comes back, shouldn't I?"

[from here]

Landing, Usopp leaned over to pick up the weapon, looking around as he did to try and see if there were any more signs of trouble. It was a little eerie to be coming right back to this spot after what had happened, especially considering that Usopp didn't really remember the route he'd taken yesterday to get here. At least the fight on the other side seemed contained for the moment. Usopp had noticed a distinct pattern of violence in his life, and thought yesterday's dose ought to last him for more than a while. Then again, the hand-held lights and the moon weren't enough to illuminate the entire space, with too many shadows for it to really feel safe at all. Actually, it looked like a good place for ambushing people, particularly if you weren't worried at all about hurting them.

The shed itself was sitting temptingly quiet and alone, and Usopp was eager to head toward it as soon as Scourge followed. Somehow, it just felt safer to be indoors, even if it really seemed more dangerous for the patients there.

[from here]

Just before stepping outside, Anise turned her flashlight off, so the light wouldn't draw any lurking monsters straight to her. Once she was out, she eased the door shut behind her, so it made as little noise as possible.

With how dark and still the rest of the field was, she imagined even the slightest movements would stand out, and immediately she had the feeling she needed to get away from the door, in case something came to investigate the soft yet audible noises it made when she passed through. Tiptoeing over the grass, Anise followed the wall to the west side of the field, then walked a little bit north so she could vaguely make out both doors to the institute from where she stood.

There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, like maybe this was a bad idea. Didn't she scold Tsukasa for doing this just last night? Even so, Anise just tried her best to ignore that uneasy feeling. If something bad happened, she could just run back, or duck into the shed. She'd be okay.

The girl pressed her back to the wall, watching quietly as she waited for another patient to come her way.

[Skipping one room from here]

Ugh. The prosecutor could not get out of the patient block hallway fast enough. He could practically still taste the putrid tobacco from there. For once, he was thankful that he was wearing the hideous coat over his precious garments. But if one single fume of that blasted cigarette smoke filling the previous hallway had leached into his suit, he would personally convict the insolent smoker of reckless endangerment -- of both his health and his valuable property.

Unlike the patient block corridor, this hallway seemed to be unoccupied for the moment. Not wanting to make any more unnecessary noise (the soft tapping from his cane already creating more sound than he preferred), von Karma stifled his residual wheezing from the noxious smoke as he cautiously headed south towards the main hallway.

[Skipping one more room to unknowingly meet up with Xemnas here]

[M57]

Having no roommate pretty much sucked. Even if the first guy who'd been in here with him had just slept the whole time, at least there'd been someone else around. It was one small thing to focus on, even if only as a perplexity. Tieria had actually given him someone to talk to after that, but this evening the man had just never shown up. Did that mean he was gone? Or maybe the nurses switched things around sometime. If not, though, that'd make the second roommate of his who'd just up and disappeared.

Was he bad luck or something?

It looked like he had the room to himself for the moment, but that wasn't something Zack liked. He'd prefer to have someone to chat with over dinner, but instead he'd been forced to eat in silence and then scribble in his journal to pass the time. He'd made sure to get a hold of his flashlight before the lights went out, but since that was really the only thing he needed at this point, it wasn't like he'd had to do much preparation.

The announcements from the Head Doc spiced things up a little, but it was hard to care too much when Zack had barely any idea of what the man was going on about. Jill, a rebel... what was all that? Maybe he could ask Aidou, since the kid seemed to be well-informed. If they got the chance, anyway. He didn't know how much effort this task of theirs was going to take, but he'd stay focused on the matter at hand if that was what it came to. He was nothing if not a good soldier, as much as it hurt him to admit these days.

Once Landel was done talking, all Zack could do was wait. He stood in the center of the room and started in on some squats, figuring that he could limber up while he waited for Aidou to arrive. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.

[from here]

Another hallway, which meant that he needed to slow his steps to a jog and turn on his flashlight. His light shifted over the walls quickly, up, down, around him, and even toward the floor, as if little black heads with yellow beady eyes would suddenly pop out and attack him. Though he didn't have any idea what most of the monsters looked like here, Riku doubted that he would see anything like the heartless. They may have the Darkness to change Kairi completely, but it didn't seem like the type of thing they would use against their patients. Making them into heartless would only be useful in the situations where Nobodies might be involved. Some people here might be strong in heart, much like Sora had been, much like Kairi had been, but he doubted that would be the intended result of their experiments. No, they were probably going for something else.

But what?

Riku shook his head uncertainly before he picked up his pace again. Nothing seemed to be clear. Not even the Darkness of this place seemed like that Darkness, even as he tried to see if it was the same way. But with every aspect of him feeling relatively weaker, it was no surprise he couldn't really check, couldn't really differentiate to tell for certain. He also knew there was a possibility that his senses were weakened. That would slow him down more, but they didn't bother to remove his experience or knowledge. Those were still things Riku pocketed and kept. They were what would help him help his friends.

[to here]

[from here]

The thing about Asch was that he wouldn't have done the same in return. It was made obvious time and time again that he didn't need Luke's help in this place; if he needed it, he would have accepted the offer the first time. That didn't keep Luke from being worried. He thought that maybe if he found Asch and explained the situation, he would understand. Then again, it was possible that Asch saw Luke as some pathetic replica who really couldn't make any decisions for himself. Really, it probably looked like he had a shaky resolve. One moment he wanted to save everyone, and the next, it was as if Master Van had talked him into something again.

Even so, he remembered how Asch lashed out at him for possibly dying, too. It was surprising to see that Asch cared about such a thing. Hadn't he wanted Luke dead all along? If that was a lie, if Asch cared about something else, then maybe Luke needed to go to him. After ditching him against his will last night, he couldn't help but feel as if he needed to make it up to him in some way. He felt a little bad making Asch wait for him, and it was possible that the original of the pair just wanted to avoid him. It could have been a one-chance-and-that's-it mentality.

But even so, Luke refused to give up.

Some part of him realized that Guy probably didn't want to spend his evening doing this, either. Even through the medium of the notes, he remembered how Guy acted when Luke said he'd be spending the evening with Asch. It was just a good thing that Guy managed to get something done, even if Luke's accomplishments of the evening were very much in the negatives range. He was glad his best friend would stick by him when he did go to look for Asch, though. It couldn't be easy for Guy. The history between Guy's family and Luke's was bloody, and he couldn't imagine that it would be easy for Guy to ever disconnect that with the actual Duke's son. Luke's father had destroyed everything that was precious to Guy; Luke realized that the only reason things were different with him was because he was a replica. In some ways, it wasn't fair, but in many others, he understood.

Still, he wanted to get there quickly, before Guy would be burdened with having to speak to Asch. Plus, the idea of getting there before Asch dangerously descended into the dark hallways of the institute urged him to move quickly. He wouldn't let Asch get away. He would corner him and make him talk to him.

Luke's fingers wrapped tightly around the items he held as he continued on, shoes hitting the floor as he moved to round the corner quickly. It was a little surprising that the hallway he hit was currently empty, but maybe that was just a sign that he was making good time. Either way, he didn't hesitate in moving on. Wondering over how empty it was would give Asch a chance to get away. He wouldn't let him do that.

[to here]

[outside M36, from here]

Once he'd made it away from his room Yue tried to switch on his flashlight, but was rewarded with only a dim, flickering beam of light that was almost worse than having no light at all. He frowned at the thing, giving it a sharp blow that made the light brighten for only a handful of seconds, then sighed and moved on. Touya should have a light, shouldn't he? They could just share that, if his wasn't sufficient.

It took a very brief time indeed for him to reach the hallway he sought, and he really didn't need a light to show him the way after walking it so many times. Yue silently counted the doors as he passed, then paused outside of Touya's -- but hesitated a moment before knocking. He listened to the noises of the hallway, senses alert for any sign of danger, and only then rapped sharply against the door with the end of his flashlight.

[From here, and waiting on a certain chain smoking patch face.]

Was he early? It looked like he was early. It was just him by his lonesome in this big dark hallway, and the night had only begun a scant few minutes ago. At least now he was in his regular patient grays instead of the old red and blues, so he shouldn't draw too many stares as everybody drifted out of their rooms. Just another prepubescent mystical boy, pay no mind to him. There's dozens of them around.

Peter settled against a patch of wall where he could keep an eye on all four corridors and the entrance to the main hall. He'd have an exit available should the need arise, and he'd be able to spot Ginger Spice coming a mile away.

"AACHOO! Ahem!" The Head Doctor's slightly-better-but-still-congested voice came on clearly over the intercom. The sound of Nurse Lydia sighing and pulling out a tissue from somewhere in the background was also audible.

"Ah! Yes, thank you..." the Head Doctor muttered before continuing: "Well, it seems like today, like all days, must come to an end, even if it wasn't quite as bright and cheerful as we would like, hmmm? In any case, everyone will now be escorted to their quarters.... mmaahh... AAACHOO! Ah! Erb– yes, to their quarters, where they'll be served some Atlantic wild-caught salmon seasoned with garlic and herbs, along with mashed potatoes and a small garden salad. Our usual vegetarian alternatives and drinks are also available, along with a chocolate mousse dessert.

"And that's all... all ...aaaachoo!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. I think Court said something about the new roomies not being completely sorted out yet? :O She'll probably post about that later, so hang tight! ]

[From here]

His mane was still damp from the ridiculous human cleaning ritual, something that Scar found rather dissatisfying. At the very least he had been able to leave the showers quickly, so the change in tactic had at least worked for now. There was a major downside, however; he had to put up with a certain female's well-meant praise as he was escorted back into the still-empty sun room. It almost made Zazu or a certain trio of hyenas mute in comparison.

The display of 'good behavior' didn't allow him to locate a seat upon the floor. After an annoyed sigh and a glare the King located what they called a couch. Perhaps in spite, he simply decided to lay down on it rather than sitting on it, probably taking more space than what the nurse considered appropriate. Well, he could hardly help it if he wasn't aware of any 'etiquette' on using this silly furniture. The argument of 'others that may want to take a seat there' was only counter-productive, and he hardly cared about whether he lay down like a proper human or not. How disastrous if he didn't. Pity he didn't recall ever agreeing to switch bodies, much less 'act human'. And it wasn't like the shower had left him in a particularly cheerful or cooperative mood. As it was, the nurse's nerves were easier to get on than Mufasa's had been.

A feigned innocent look did the trick, however, as the nurse shook her head and finally left.

[For that old man von Karma~]

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.]

The world seemed to move more slowly in the showers. Kaworu believed it was the strange half-realized familiarity. He could remember the feeling from before. His mind reached for similarities, of which there were many, but each one was slightly inaccurate. The size was different, the tiles were not the same colors as either the facilities at SEELE, or those at NERV. The only two places he had bathed during his life.

He had spent years in the rooms SEELE had set aside for him, and so it would have been reasonable if that was what he remembered first. A small, practical room with very clean faucets, attached to the room where he slept. Beyond that, the laboratories. One of the spaces had been cleared out, and a piano had been moved in. That was years ago, but Kaworu wasn't precisely sure of the numbers. Ten years ago, possibly? But it was rare that he thought of these places now. Even when they had been the extent of his life, the very limits of his world, he had rarely looked at them. Now they only served as a comparison. Those memories seemed lifeless, and brought him no happiness, except in their passing.

NERV's showers had shown signs of rusting, hidden around the edges of the metal pipes. He had noticed it for a second, but he couldn't bring up any other specific images that didn't include Shinji. And when Shinji was present, he absorbed all of Kaworu's attention. Kaworu would only be passively aware of the setting then.

Kaworu shed his clothing when asked, stopping to fold them haphazardly in an imitation of what Lilim had often done for him in the past. The folds were lumpy, but he left them as they were and walked across the cool tiles. They were still dry, and the bare skin of his feet felt almost sticky on them, having been too warm in his slippers earlier. Soon the room would be heavy and damp with steam.

He reached to the first available faucet, and bowing his head and closing his eyes, he let the stream of cold water hit him. The same ritual as before. Kaworu felt awake for a second, and shuddered in the cold until it slowly climbed to higher temperatures.

[For Shinji, strict reserve.]

[from here]

With a little push from her hands on the top of the wall, Teresa gained enough momentum in her vault from the greenhouse yard to be a good couple feet away from the wall. Landing in a three-point stance, the large metal weapon barely clearing the ground, Teresa too a quick look around. She didn't see anything, didn't sense anything, but that didn't mean it was perfectly safe. Most humans would be cautious at that moment, but Teresa was not human.

Without hesitation, she darted directly from her position to the door leading to the cafeteria, not once stepping away from the shadow of the building. Let some foolish human be food for the nightly beasts. Teresa kicked the door down and entered the cafeteria mere moments after she had arrived.

[to here]

Yet another intercom jingle sounded, and the nurses, anticipating the Head Doctor's orders, already began grouping around the patients as he began to speak.

"Good evening, everyone and I trust you all enjoyed your fun day of physical activity! I sure wish I had! Aha! Anyway, our dinner tonight is some spaghetti with our ol' homemade Landel's marinara sauce, served with garlic bread and a Caesar salad. Our usual assortment of drinks and vegetarian alternatives is available, and our dessert for tonight is vanilla gelato ice cream with chocolate sauce.

"I do hope that sounds palatable to everyone! I will be speaking with you again shortly!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Find new room assignments here. This shift's intro group is here. ]

[For Yuna!]

Fish and chips weren't his favorite thing ever, but he did make sure to eat it all. He just liked to think of the fish as the Filet'o Fish without the bun and it made it easier to eat. The french fries had been pretty well cleaned off and he'd even managed a bit of fruit, although he avoided the oranges and other sour things his nurse had insisted on putting on his plate. But the fries had been good and he felt a little better having eaten something. With everything that had been going on lately, Ritsuka had been shirking on his meals more than usual and it'd all but made him sick.

Now, as he flopped onto a sofa in the Sun Room, he felt sick in a different way. He really shouldn't have eaten as much as he did, but there was no helping it. He'd been hungry. Wasn't hi fault the grease was starting to get to him.

Pulling his legs up onto the seat cushions, Ritsuka leaned back and asked his nurse to bring him the book he'd checked out from the library last time. She returned soon enough and he curled up with the book, ignoring her curious looks at his choice in literature. He hadn't seen Soubi at lunch and now that it was the fourth shift, he figured most of the men would be out in the Greenhouse. He'd have to catch up with the Fighter later, now that he'd calmed down.

Heat was able to ignore the still faintly throbbing spot on his head as he was led back into the cafeteria for another meal he had no intention of eating. He kept himself from rubbing at what he knew would be a small bump because dammit it didn't hurt that much. It was embarrassing, was what it was.

At the fishy odor filling the room when he entered, the demon wrinkled his nose. How that was supposed to be the slightest bit appealing he had no idea. Then again, it wasn't always the taste that mattered. Whatever this cod was, it could very well taste better than the rotting flesh he'd gotten down the night before.

His nurse made some comment about his lack of appetite, but he wasn't paying attention. She could eat his damn lunch if she was worried about it going to waste. It wasn't his fault they didn't inform their staff properly of their patients' eating habits. The room was fairly empty too, so Heat wasn't picky with where he sat. He just hoped one of his tribemates found him before he was stuck with some other pest for the duration of the meal.

[Sasuke?]