[From here]

Jack continued to proceed towards the door he knew his key fit, but stopped in the hall, pouting his lips slightly. It was mostly deserted in this area, at least for the moment, which meant it would serve his purposes. Whistling casually, he peered over the railing into the sunroom, as if sight seeing, then back at Lust, waiting for her to ask the obvious question as to why they had stopped advancing.

[Coming from here.]

Daemon slipped out of the stairwell into the dark hall on the second floor, shining his flashlight around to illuminate the blackness that lay thick and heavy in the corridor. Stepping out of the doorway, he kept on his guard and alert, waiting for his father and brother to join him while he watched for any sort of attack.

[Waiting for Daemon and Renji.]

After spending the last shift in discussion in the library, Rukia had a lot on her mind. Speaking with Captain Harkness had been somewhat informative, but only increased her worry. How easily were they all being controlled by Landel? And by what means? Too many questions.

Since she was still confined to a wheelchair, Rukia asked a nurse to get her some fruit, salad, and a big bowl of rice. She could have easily done it herself, but wanted to find a spot in one of the corners near the door to wait for Renji. She hadn't spoken to him for long the previous day, and had been very upset at the time. Maybe they could just have a nice lunch together.

Rukia thanked the nurse who brought her food and began to eat, looking up at the door every so often.

And then he was back in his room again. Sai frowned at the ceiling momentarily, but was soon sitting up. He was back in the Landel's uniform again, which really saved him the trouble of having to change, didn't it?

It was disappointing that he hadn't had the opportunity to finish his discussion with Usopp, but luckily they'd already made plans for the morning meal - to include their new cohort, of course. Hopefully whatever had been responsible for making Usopp act the way he had the night before had worn off with the sunrise. Otherwise things would get troublesome.

The moment his nurse came to get him he was ready to leave, and as usual she was pleased with how willing to go along with the daily routine he was, though he hardly offered her any attention. Breakfast was... unpleasant looking, so Sai stuck to milk and fruit. Finding a table, he didn't yet take a seat but stood so that the two men he'd be meeting with could spot him easier.

Time to get down to business.

[waiting for Usopp and Mello]

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]

Hiei easily grew sick of the same walls--not to mention the same idiots always within those walls--and while not perfect, the chance to go outside was better than lingering in the boundaries of that damned prison. So when the chance came, the demon was quick to leap on it, heading outside almost quick enough to make a nurse wonder if he was attempting escape.

Almost.

But there were things Hiei had to take care of before he left this place, and first came sorting through his thoughts. Kurama was gone; the demon was sure of it, even without the use of his Jagan. The fox was one of the people Hiei was closest to, one of the few Hiei would admit being close to, and his presence weighed heavily on the demon, nearly as heavy as his absence.

It made him angry, that Kurama had vanished. Be it by escape or some other circumstance (which Hiei barely considered possible, only by his own refusal), the fox should be there with him, fighting with him. That was how they worked, supposedly. As a team.

Now Hiei would have to do without. And he would be fine with that, eventually. For now it was annoying, but that would pass. Perhaps quicker with a nap, and the demon moved under one of the trees. He didn't care that it was colder in the shade; his contrasting origins mixed with his stubbornness kept the weather from bothering him too much. Closing his eyes, he relaxed against the bark, as much as he could given the circumstances, and hoped for a lack of bothering.

Having nothing else to do during the daytime, Recluse opted for the library. Upon arrival, he remembered how pathetic the selection here was. Would it really be so difficult for them to at least get a decent science fiction section? All but one of the books available in that genre were ones he’d already read before he'd joined the army to fight in the Great War, now more commonly known as World War I. Recluse made an irritated hiss. Whoever put this library together seems to think science fiction became a lost art after Edgar Rice Burroghs died.

Recluse sighed, picking up the most recent science fiction book he could find--Brave New World, published in 1932--and started reading.

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

Hiei didn't give a damn about religious services, meditation, or pretending to be social. The always sudden waking after night put him in a bad mood, this one particularly so. Even with Kurikara licking him like some perverted moron, the warmth the dragon provided was welcome in Hiei's bed, and missing when he woke, giving the surrounding air a greater sense of chill.

But the perfect thing to relieve his anger might just be making an appearance that morning, and that at least gave Hiei hope for a decent day.

Hopefully Kurikara and Kurama both would be clever enough to figure it out for themselves. Without hesitation, Hiei demanded to be led to the temple, taking a seat in one of the rear pews. Humans had a way of overdoing things, and this place wasn't really much exception to that. Granted Hiei's limited knowledge prevented him from realizing there were much more outrageous churches, but to the demon, the colored pieces of glass and polished wood seemed to be much.

It didn't matter, however. Either could be turned into weapons, perfect objects to slice into that damned head doctor's throat or bash in his skull. That was a thought worth grinning about.



[Feel free to pester. Just, uh, be aware that he's not exactly nice.]

Shana’s head jerked up as the carriages screeched to a halt and an awful, thick tension fell over all of them. Feeling her hair stand on end at the nape of her neck, she glanced around the outside of the bus, searching for whatever had given her the awful feeling of dread but seeing nothing out of the ordinary in the waning light of…

There wasn’t even time to complete the thought before day slipped into night and the peaceful twilight melted into nightmare. For one endless, dizzying moment, everything around her warped, shifted, leaving her disoriented and grabbing for Shadow to keep her balance, and then darkness fell and they were surrounded by the screams of tortured beings as their watchers… changed, turning into grotesque monsters Shana had never seen the like of before. Valyn hadn’t been joking when he’d told her of the horrors that stalked the darkness here, but not even her imagination could come close to inventing these.

Gasping in horror, she recoiled, darting to her feet, even as startled cries and exclamations rose from the other patients on the bus and eerie, unearthly sounds echoed from outside in the darkness. They were trapped in here, with the monsters at the exits, and none of them armed!

Her mind racing frantically, Shana summoned just enough of her power to send magelight dancing along the roof of the carriage, enough to illuminate the inside of the bus. This would possibly draw unwanted attention, yes, but at least the rest of them trapped on the bus wouldn’t have to fight blindly.

What a waste of a trip.

That was Anise's first thought as she was ushered onto one of the buses, taking a window seat along the left side. In the end, she hadn't been able to get any information besides rumors and conjecture. Among them, the only information worth considering was the doctor's suggestion of Doyleton being an extension of Landel's. Could it have really been a fake town? She hadn't had a chance to meet any of the townsfolk, or even see the insides of any of those buildings, so it was hard to say whether anything was off or not. Although the lack of a post office really was strange...

...Which made her realize. The blond man she met earlier on Main Street said he had heard there certainly was a post office, but there was no sign of it when she actually searched. No trace of the white-haired man he had told her about, either. As frustrating as it was, she had no choice but to acknowledge it now: he had deceived her.

He'll pay for that, she thought grudgingly.

Forcing away a sour expression that took hold of her face for just a brief moment, she started on the sandwich and milk (a natural choice for a growing girl) she had been given. Having spent the entire day running around town without stopping for lunch, she was admittedly pretty hungry.

[ from here ]

The landen behind the counter was badly dressed and watched him. He paused in the only clear spot to look through his coupons. It didn't look like the staff wanted them to come back with any books. Ah well, he could look. There could be something to learn there.

Saetan found the spaces between the shelves a bit clausterphobic, and all the books seemed worn and well-read. He didn't recognize any titles since he only knew books from his own Realms. He ended up in the section that, by the lurid art on the covers, held romances and what the witches in the Coven had called sniffle books. The memory made him smile, and he pulled one off the shelf to flip through it.

Momo tugged on the collar of the light blue sweater she was wearing as she followed her nurse to wherever these buses were, winding her hair up into its customary bun as she went. It was an odd feeling, knowing she was about to go outside of the institute's borders. Maybe the Head Doctor was about to make an error and the shinigami, as well as everyone else, would no longer be limited and they could finish what they started several nights back.

That was probably too much to hope for. She was feeling better this morning, even with the blood moon, and was mildly looking forward to the bus ride. Captain Jack said he was going to be here this morning and even if it wasn't customary breakfast in the cafeteria, she's be satisfied with him sitting next to her on the bus.


The nurse handed her a muffin, some napkins, and a small box with a straw. She stared at this box for a moment before shaking it. From the sound it contained liquid. How odd... Momo wasn't sure why they would but liquid inside a small paper box - it didn't make any sense to her and she wasn't sure how one was supposed to get it out of the box.

Clambering onto an empty bus, Momo chose to sit in the very back near the emergency exit. Maybe she could force her way out of it as they were moving and escape the limiter enough to come back and level the institute, freeing everyone. Or maybe she just wanted to be able to see everyone that was on the same bus as her. Wishful thinking versus reality.

[from here]

The hallway was empty here as well. Just how much earlier had she headed out tonight? Probably not by much. The absence of others in the hallway barely bothered Rhode as did the presence of others. Her mind was usually so dead focused on getting somewhere or finding someone that she had never really paid attention to what other things happened around her.

A left at the next hallway and down a bit for the doors on the left. That should be right. She hoped the ghost woman's influence on her wasn't messing with her memory.

[to here]