[from here]

Lucivar paused at the bottom of the wall, waiting for the others to cross. It was the first time he'd been here during the evening and he took a moment to look around him. The area was quiet but not the strange stillness that felt as though everything was waiting for something to happen. Lucivar had no desire to be around when that something decided to show up.

"Which is the closest door?" he asked Renji, glancing around him. "Does it lead directly to the cafeteria or is there another wall we have to jump?"

[from here]

Wally took a quick look around the hallway before looking back at Tony. "Maintenance closet, nurses' station and maybe a doctor's office? I'm guessing most of that stuff'll be on the second floor, right?" He hadn't seen much of the institute last night, as this was when he'd kicked into superspeed on his way out. Things were mostly a dark blur at that point and even if there had been signs around, he probably wouldn't have noticed them. Though if there were signs, he wasn't sure if he'd trust them at this point.

[from here]

The warm night air kissed Archer's face as he stepped outside. A half moon was out, giving considerable illumination. On the bright side, it meant that he could see pretty well, even at night, but on the other hand, it meant hiding wouldn't be as easy, especially out in the field, without any cover. Nonetheless, he cautiously made his way over to the shed.

[to here]

The announcement screeched on and off twice, once for the Doctor and once for Martin Landel. He didn't seem to give the patients any clues tonight though, other than his usual taunting and hints that he was omnipotent. He wasn't though. The Radio People had power as well and it didn't sit well with Okita how no one was actually sharing any with the rats in the maze. Guy was getting ready to go, so Okita did the same. He shed his Institute clothing and dressed himself in his yukata, still wincing slightly as he pulled the obi tight around him. He hid a few pens in his sleeve nonetheless.

Guy was not fortunate enough to receive his old clothes, but perhaps that wouldn't put him at too much of a tactical disadvantage. Western clothing still didn't sit right on Okita. When he fought, it pulled at his knees and slowed him down. He preferred the openness of his yukata or even the wide legs of his hakama over pants and slacks. Even the t-shirts were tight. Once he was dressed, he looked over in time to see Guy leaving with a meat cleaver instead of his old weapon. Good to see that his roommate was upgrading. "Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."

It was a promise, a thin one, but a promise nonetheless. They would meet each other again and they'd have another dinner together. Okita would survive through the night and the day. Now he had to. Waving to Guy, Okita started toward the bed when he suddenly felt his chest constrict and he faltered, coughing. It wasn't hard, more like something got caught in his throat, but the action didn't exactly help his broken ribs and the wound in his side. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he sat down on the bed and tried to ride it out so Guy wouldn't see.

[Coming from here]

So they still had to deal with one of the brainwashed patients tonight; the rest were being carted off for experimentation. Something had changed in the routine. There'd been a pattern earlier, one night to those "trials", the others for the brain-washed patients. But tonight was different for some reason.

So what made it change?

Sanzo was suspicious of sudden change, mostly because it always signaled something was up.

Was it because of that "Jill" pissing Landel off? Or just pure whim?

Whatever the reason, it wouldn't do the patients any favors.

[from here]

Now this place, Tokito kinda liked. It really was just like a McDonald's. There was even a ball pit! Though it was pretty crowded with what Tokito assumed were locals--but how could he tell, since everyone was in normal clothes today?--it was a kind of crowded that he could deal with; everyone had their own thing going, their own friends or family or food, and they weren't too interested in bothering other people, especially strangers.

So Tokito pulled out the coupon for the Tasty Meal (and ice cream!) and approached the counter to order.

[also, free for poking]

Rukia filed out of the bus with the other prisoners, shivering a little in the cool autumn air. She was a little irked that the nurses hadn't given her mittens on this trip. Forced to stuff her hands in to the pockets of her jeans, Rukia hunched her shoulders and wandered to the edge of the park before turning around to look for anyone she knew.

Nurses and orderlies were already milling about, supervising and watching the prisoners. Rukia's plan was to get a hold of something - anything - that she could use as a weapon when they returned to the Institute that night. It would be difficult with so many staff members around, but she was determined; the last thing she wanted was to be trapped on the buses again with no weapon.

Sanji woke up groggily to find his nurse already in his room. He gave a sleepy and half-hearted "Buh?" before realizing that nurse meant dayshift, and he'd fallen asleep after dinner.

"Shit!" He sat up abruptly, which gave his nurse a start. "Nami-swan!" How had he allowed himself to sleep through an entire night? What if she'd tried to return to the basement? What if she'd been waiting for him to appear and protect her? He'd let her down!

"There, there. Calm down." His nurse set a familiar flannel shirt down on the bed and Sanji eyed it with confusion. The last time he'd worn that had been... "Sorry I didn't knock or anything, but I was so excited~!" A pair of jeans followed the shirt. "Today is the field trip into town! Aren't you looking forward to it?"

The chef had to admit, the town had been an interesting enough place the last time he'd been. If he could find Nami early on he might even be able to lead her around... So he didn't complain too much as he changed into the other outfit (which he really wished they'd let him keep - anything was better than the regular gray) and was led out to the first of the buses.

He took a seat near the front, hopefully easily visible to any of his crew - especially to a certain member of his crew.

[for Usopp!]

The intercom came on, and as it did, it seemed to carry a little more interference than usual for a daytime announcement, a little more static. While the patients might have thought for a moment that once again the elusive woman on the radio had hacked into the Head Doctor's system, the man himself soon proved that theory faulty as he laughed over the broadcast.

"Hello, hello, everyone, and I'm sorry for the bad quality of this broadcast; we've been having some technical difficulties lately, you see, and we wanted to make sure everything was fixed by tomo...."

His voice crackled out into inaudibility for a moment before fading back in.

"Yes, hopefully that will be done soon. In any case, now's the time that you all head back to your rooms to enjoy a delicious meal... seasoned salmon! Yes, we have filets of very tasty, very juicy salmon seasoned with herbs and garlic; on the side, we have mashed potatoes, peas, and to drink, our usual assortment of beverages. For dinner, you'll all be enjoying vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce."

The intercom's broadcast crackled again. The Head Doctor laughed, seemingly a little nervously.

"Ah, yes, perhaps we'll be able to finish the repairing tomorrow, when all of you are away at... Doyleton! Yes, yes, you're all in for a fun and exciting day, a day whose activities will be new for some and a welcome familiarity to others. You'll be under strict supervision, of course, but... well, I suppose you'll find out all about the circumstances tomorrow, before you set off, mm? Yes! In any case... I hope you all enjoy dinner!"

The intercom clicked off again as the nurses began ushering patients back to their quarters.

[ All introduction posts for this shift's group of new characters should be made in response to this post. (You can find your character's room assignment here.) Remember, everyone responds to this post with their character's room number in the subject line. ]

_{[from here]}

If there was one thing that made Aidou the best person in the whole damn Institute to be partnered up with during a night time adventure, it was that he was a vampire. A genius vampire, at that.

The vampire part just meant that he could clearly see that the cafeteria was unoccupied, from his position just inside the doors. The genius part meant that Aidou didn't move farther in until he'd passed a glance over the entire room, listening as well as watching. Making sure his initial once over was right. Or as right as he could hope to be, with his overly sharp senses slightly dulled as they were.

He didn't bother to hide the fact that he didn't have a flashlight, at least not this time. Jack might have still been using his, but Aidou had to admit that complaining about it was rather moot, given that he'd probably see something sooner than Jack, and could tell him to turn it off if he had to. Hopefully the kitchen would be just as unremarkable, he thought, looking over his shoulder briefly to check on the others before starting up the center row.

The beginning of nightshift, mmm? What a strange and funny thing had happened. It wasn't like normal Landel's nights by any stroke of the imagination; indeed, the radios and the intercom were playing this time. How fancy! It was like three voices talking at once, once from the wall and twice from the two radios in Peony's and Siegfried's room.

The voices were lighter, brighter, as if many years had stood to pass between the first recording and Dr. Landel's subsequent cursing and damning what had happened. Peony could tell as much. And he wondered if, perhaps, there had been such a change between his and Jade's voices from so long ago and their voices now.

Funny how this place made him think about himself sometimes.

Yes, it was a rare and introspective moment for the emperor, and he was rather glad it was dark. Not for long, though; his flashlight flicked on in the darkness, and the tube of light passed over Siegfried for a moment before the emperor grabbed the few scalpels he'd harvested the other day. And - well, hell, why not. The radio, too. Which meant he'd need his coat. For the pockets.

"Bye," he said abruptly, excusing himself into the hallway.

Now all there was was to wait for Gailardia. He was actually quite curious on what the young man would say about such a strange thing. So he leaned against the hallway wall outside their rooms, waiting. They would get going quite quickly tonight! It would be glorious.

"Good evening, patients and staff!" the Head Doctor said just as the intercom's usual jingle ended. Strangely, he seemed even more tense now than he had been throughout the day, though as he continued to speak, he seemed to get back into the usual swing of things. "I hope you all had very productive outdoor activities today and helpful therapy sessions to boot. Now, however, we must all begin to retire, and as always, our nurses will be bringing your dinner to your rooms shortly after your being escorted there. Tonight's meal includes a generous portion of delicious spaghetti with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese (and meatballs if you choose), along with sides of hot garlic bread and fresh Caesar salad. For dessert, we will be serving slices of moist chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream."

The Head Doctor paused, and there was the sound of rustling and then muffled voices, as if the doctor had put his hand over the microphone and was clarifying something with someone--a female voice, probably Lydia. He took his hand off the mic and cleared his throat.

"Yes, that's all for now. I hope you all enjoy dinner, and remember, some of you tonight will be lucky enough to participate in our CM-US Experimental Therapy Trials, so look forward to that after the meal. Goodbye for now!"

The intercom clicked off.

[ Please respond to this post with all dinner shift threads between roommates, putting your character's respective room in the subject line. ]

There was a knot in Sai's stomach as he was led back inside to the cafeteria. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and he tried to ignore it. What was it? Was he actually uncomfortable with his decision? He couldn't afford to be. This alliance with Itachi was crucial, and he'd just have to try and make sure the others saw it that way.

The promised lunch didn't help, as the fish was fried and generally not something he'd eat on a regular basis. The cod by itself would have been far more preferable. Nevertheless, the ninja took the meal as it was offered, figuring he could simply scrape away at the breading once he'd sat down. He passed up the "chips" completely and just added the cooked carrots in their place. It was somewhat more appealing than he'd anticipated once he sat down.

Having done about all he'd intended to do today already, Sai allowed himself to get comfortable and relax. His wounds needed time to heal, even in this place. The more rest he got, the faster that would happen.