The Sun Room was dark when Taura re-entered it; her eyes adjusted quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid one of the 'techs coming over to talk to her.

"Were you going to join us for the movie, Kitty?" she asked, waving a hand at what appeared to be a 2-D projector screen.

"Movie?" This was, apparently, the wrong question to ask, as the woman's face fell into a moue of practiced disappointment.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Kitty." Doing what, exactly, was something 'Kitty' was evidently supposed to know. Then the screen flicked on, and some sort of advertisement was playing while a staffer adjusted the volume. Oh. The term was unfamiliar, but entertainment hadn't changed that much.

"I mean, er, what movie is it?" Taura rumbled, keeping her voice low so as not to interrupt. That must have been the right question; the woman brightened back up and started explaining.

"King Kong!" she said, clearly expecting a reply. Then she sighed, and continued. "It's about a giant ape, brought back from an exploration," she began. "It's also a love story -- oh, just trust me. It's a classic."

"The ape falls in love?" That sounded a little outré, at least by Institute standards of entertainment. Not by Jacksonian ones, but those Taura had been just as pleased to leave behind.

"Oh, nothing like that. Well, the ape does fall in love -- but it's just a beast. Why, Fay Wray doesn't even come up to its waist." Taura blinked at her again. What did height have to do with it, anyway? She was leaning, just a little, without even realizing it. Perhaps looming would be a better word. The 'tech blinked back, and then finally the penny dropped. "Oh...oh. Maybe it wouldn't be to your taste, dear." And with that, she scurried off to adjust a chair that was already facing the screen quite adequately. Taura sighed, and slipped through the gathering crowd to the bulletin board.

[Zack]

[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]

[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.

The week was almost over, and hopefully the next would be back to normal; Makiko rather disliked having her routine disturbed, even when said routine was as newly established as this one was. All of her annoyance disappeared, however, as soon as she heard the news that morning. Dr. Burroughs had apparently left, her patients distributed among the remaining doctors, and the one assigned to her? One Matthew Derringer.

Even the fact that it was another one of those ridiculous doubled sessions couldn't bother her at the moment, not with news of this nature. This "Violet Cloud" would either be interesting or she wouldn't; it was promising that she finally had another female patient, though, and she did have some hope. But Mr. Derringer, the younger brother of Eric Derringer, could be very, very interesting indeed.

She set the two files on the desk before her, carefully and neatly side-by-side, then lowered herself into the chair and absently hit the "play" button on the CD player. The faint sounds of Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu" drifted into the air as she paged through the files, lips pursed thoughtfully as she awaited the first of the pair.

[From here]

Ascending the stairs and leaving the fight behind them, Yukari once more relaxed and let the conversation go back to the strange, floating "Stand" that followed Michelangelo. As a manifestation of his spirit that was controlled by his mind, it didn't seem to have a will of its own. So it was less of a summoned demon, as it wasn't really a separate entity, as it was an avatar, an embodiment of powers that were, at their core, Michelangelo's.

"So these 'Stands', they're manifestations of one's spirit? Does this mean they're all different and have unique powers?" asked Yukari. The man had somewhat implied that when he remarked that not only she had abilities, but they were quite similar to his own. Well, unique as her own abilities were, she shared slightly in his astonishment, so it would be strange to think there were others who could do this as well.

"And obviously, as you can see from my questions, I don't have such an avatar of my abilities," she added, since that had been his original observation. "Do all people with 'powers', you might say, have 'Stands' where you come from?"

Cloud knew he should be taking the opportunity to check out the rec field during the day. The fresh air would be a welcome change from the crowded stuffiness the Institute usually provided, and he would have a chance to scope out the area when it wasn't all under the cover of darkness. When offered a choice, however, he remained in the sun room. He told himself it was so that he could watch the bulletin, him still being fairly new and needing all the information he could get, but the thought rang hollow.

The real reason he was here, he knew, was because he would be out there. Maybe it was weak of him, but he needed a chance to breathe. Ever since he'd arrived it had been nothing but one shock after another, and seeing Zack standing in the cafeteria that morning talking to Aerith had been the final card that caused his tower to crumble. He needed to just sit back somewhere out of the way and start rebuilding.

Being able to watch the bulletin from here was just a perk. Cloud made himself comfortable on one of the sofas, watching people come and go but not really paying attention to them. He took the time to try and rate this on a scale of the biggest messes he'd ever gotten thrown into.

(for Sheena)

[From here.]

Cautious, L pushed open the door, peeking around it, scanning the patio and sweeping the beam of his flashlight across it, even glancing above his head.

He didn't see anything, but he knew it was no guarantee that nothing was waiting in the dark. Two nights earlier, in the Entry Room, he hadn't seen the clockwork assassin in spite of having performed the same kind of visual examination; it was as if the man had materialized from thin air. L continued to wonder if his survey had been too cursory. He might always wonder.

He had thought that his own instinct for physical danger was decent, that he was wary and that it served him well. His sense wasn't infallible, and it was far from the only security he relied on. Even so, it had always been useful as both a first line of defense and a last resort.

In this place, it had failed him over and over. There was no sense in paying much attention to a prickle at the nape of his neck and the sensation of being watched when they were both constant companions. Only the escalation of inexplicable dread might be useful, and then, he could not afford to make the mistake of assuming that such an escalation would happen when he needed it.

The next room that he and Howell needed to pass through was the food counter, a short distance to their left and through another door. The sooner they could accomplish it, the better; he only hoped that nothing would be waiting for them inside.

Uneasy, but unwilling to retreat, he stepped onto the patio.

Dinner—cake included—sat untouched on the desk, surrounded by her growing collection of colorful origami animals and guarded by her notebook. Her three knives were lined up on the bed in order of size alongside her old outfit, with the wakizashi next to them; the Four Point was propped up carefully on the side of the bed.

Yuffie, hands on her hips, eyed the ensemble critically. It really was gonna be a shame to lose some of this kit, but it was going to a good cause. Her conscience would never allow her to leave her teammates unarmed when she had weapons to spare, no matter what her hoarding instincts had to say about it. She'd just have to suck it up and deal, and make sure they knew just how bad an idea it'd be to lose anything she gave them.

Especially the wakizashi.

She twirled on heel, paced the length of the room and back again in swift little waltz steps. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach. Nervous? Her? The Great Ninja Yuffie? No! No way! It was just—the anticipation. Restless energy and restless thoughts. How, exactly, was she gonna deal with this? It was Aerith, back from the dead, and… and…. And that was good, totally awesome, but Yuffie couldn't banish the feeling of that up close and personal re-enactment she'd been forced to go through. Looking Cloud in the eye had been hard enough.

For the second time, Rika found herself waking with a start. She blinked at the grey light streaming through the windows, and looked across the room. Anise was still asleep. So. I'm still here. Let me just check...

Rika put on her slippers and walked over to the desk, checking the drawer and breathing a light sigh of relief. Good, the knife was still there. She wasn't sure why it would be there - shouldn't they have confiscated the weapon? Either way, though, as much as she was reluctant to use it, she was glad to have it still there.

Just then, she heard the creak of the open door, and quickly closed the drawer. Her nurse peeked in, whispering, "Rachel? Time for breakfast. You should put on a sweatshirt, it's a bit chilly." Rika nodded, quickly adding the extra layer and following the nurse out into the hall and to the cafeteria.

She was used to a Japanese-style breakfast, so the idea of something sweet - which the nurse was avidly describing, with the waffles and fruit and syrup - was a bit odd. Once she walked in, though, she had to admit it smelled good. She filled her plate with waffles topped with blueberries, some sausage, and eggs, took a glass of orange juice, and took a seat. It seemed she was early, so she took a seat close to one of the windows and waited.

[For Ange.]

The intercom had come on.

The lights had gone off. The intercom had come on.

Again.

Hanna hadn't known what to do. Sure, she'd tried sneaking out at night before; who hadn't? It was the natural thing to do! But just now, the doors had unlocked. On their own. No need for tedious, tongue-between-teeth picking, they'd just — on their own. Almost like the patients were expected to go gallivanting out into the darkened hallways.

But then, natural curiosity had taken over. What an awesome opportunity!, it had said to her. Get off your lazy butt and go! The voice had sounded a little too ninja-like to be entirely comfortable, but nonetheless, the call was irresistible. It was just like how she felt when presented with a patch of pristine snow, or an old abandoned anything, just waiting to be explored. With her heart hammering its way up her throat, she'd rallied herself, poking her head out of the door.

And now, here she was. In the musty—since when had this place been musty?—old corridor right outside her room, each footstep taking her closer to the institute at large. The darkness was pitch; Hanna wished she had a flashlight, or something, anything to give herself a little more to work with than feel and memory. The atmosphere wound its way 'round her, wrapping her up and sending shivers down her spine. This… This was amazing! Crazy, but amazing.

[To here]

Beatrix barely noticed that her roommate had never shown up. Her and Daphne had spoken so little, she could honestly say she didn't care. Her concerns were with who she might get saddled with this upcoming night or if she'd be given the privilege of being in a single room for a while. It would be nice, that's for certain.

She hadn't seen much of the other assassins that day, but they should show. As much fun as killing Ophelia had been, they hadn't gotten into the basement. With Rika's return, the Bride was much more intent on killing Landel; the girl's presence added another level of urgency to the situation.

Slinging her katana across her back, the oven mitt full of knives strapped to her side (she was going to need to pick a new glove up soon as the current one was getting a bit ratty), Beatrix left her room and headed down the hallway. There was ice in her eyes as she thought about who they might have to kill on their way to the basement tonight.

The intercom's jingle signaled yet another announcement.

"And our excellent behavior continues! Well, I am extremely impressed indeed!

"In any case, it's time to stop our socializing, unfortunately, and for the patients to return to their quarters for dinner. Be aware that new roommates have been assigned due to our influx of new patients and discharged old ones, so please be hospitable should you find yourself with someone new!

"As for dinner itself: tonight, we'll be serving shrimp and vegetable tempura along with delicious chicken teriyaki. Yum, yum, yum! As sides, we will also be serving boiled, salted soybeans, rice, and of course the appropriate soy and tempura sauces. Our regular assorted drinks and vegetarian substitutes are also available.

"I hope you enjoy your meal!"

The intercom clicked off.

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