[From here]

The purpose of the weaponry in the previous room was made obvious immediately upon Link's entry into this new, larger area. There stood heavily armored figure at the center of the room, at least seven feet tall. It was faced away from the small group, carrying an enormous sword and shield that Link recognized along with a sinking feeling of dread. He had no shield, no fairies, no outs.

However...

Link turned over the newly found sword in his hands. It was perfect- about the length of the Master Sword, and lightweight enough to take on this familiar foe.

"I have fought this thing before, on multiple occasions. It will not attack unless we approach." He spoke under his breath, waiting for Soma and Lingormr to situate themselves before overloading them with information.

[from here]

Soma had been expecting some kind of booby trap, or at the very least some sort of attack. She couldn't help but frown as she slowly advanced into the well-lit room.

It was almost like a museum in here. Some of these weapons should have been in a museum. Or at least, once the blood was cleaned off of them--and wasn't that reassuring?

Just because nothing had attacked them yet didn't mean nothing was going to. Any of these could be rigged with a trap, or even animated, knowing Landel. Still, she felt a little silly keeping her gun pointed at the motionless sets of armor, and she turned back to Link and Lingormr, wanting to gauge their reaction to this place.

Scar lumbered up to the idling buses, eyes weary from much more than just today's activities and his hands keeping warm in his pockets. He entered the bus, Elrics in tow, and found a sear toward the middle of the bus. All the while, he kept an eye open for his other allies. He didn't see Tsubaki yet, and he hadn't even seen Lust today.

Scar settled into his chair with his eyes fixed on the patients trickling in from their day in town.

[Elrics!]

[Continued from here.]

While the day continued on and lunchtime approached, Castiel paid it no mind, caught up in conversation he was having with Lingormr. He did vaguely notice that he was starting to get hungry, but there were plenty of places to get food here and it was something he could worry about once they'd finished with their discussion. The decent weather meant that they could linger in the stables with hardly any discomfort, at least.

What Lingormr said about himself, about being an other, was the perfect opening that Castiel needed to ask what had been bothering him for some time now.

"You haven't been forthcoming about that," he said, shifting away from the wall and drawing closer to Lingormr. It was still a point of contention for him that he couldn't simply sense it, the way he had with Skulduggery, but... "What are you?" He wasn't willing to take evasive answers at this point.

[From here]

Loki didn't even glance at the shop, but rather headed around it immediately to reach the small corral. The old brown mare was there as she had been the week before. Loki got her attention by clucking, then leaned over the fence to offer his hand. He'd saved a bit of the granola bar for her. Not the best thing for a horse to eat, but at her age it hardly mattered all that much either.

The horse meandered over and took the proffered offering, lipping his hand to make sure she'd gotten it all after eating it down. Loki gently patted her nose, smiling fondly as she snorted. "Hello, you glorious old thing. Perhaps I'll find an apple for you at lunch, hm?"

He liked horses. Horses didn't ask uncomfortable questions, or lie to one constantly for years, or care at all what color or species one was. All they required was a gentle voice and the handling of someone who loved them, and they'd give their stout hearts wholly.

He'd always liked horses much better than he'd liked people.

For a moment he ignored Castiel and simply fussed over the horse, wishing his own gelding were here. Just being around the animal helped him relax, however, some of the tension acquired during the previous night bleeding away.

Castiel certainly hadn't expected to encounter someone who was already dead and forced back into life on his bus ride into Doyleton. It was a reminder that there was more going on here than he could easily determine, and that the power this place wielded was an unknown even now. There seemed to be a common pattern here of taking beings and forcing them out of their normal forms -- between him, Skulduggery, and Aigis, among others.

As the bus parked and they were ordered outside, Castiel nodded a farewell to Skulduggery. He had to admit that it was odd even speaking to him, as if there was some kind of cardinal law being broken. The dead should not speak. Then again, the dead should not come back to life either, and Castiel had done that once or twice himself.

With the coupon book and one of those credit cards in hand, Castiel placed both into the pocket of his pants and then looked over the rest of the exiting patients. He still didn't quite know what to do with himself in this place, beyond wander in search of something intriguing. In the end, it was his fellow patients who held more interest for him, rather than the material goods this town offered.

[For Loki.]

[From here]

Link was met with a blast of cold air as he made his way into the next room. It was like the deepest rooms of the Snowpeak mansion; the walls and floors were nothing but sheets of ice. He was starting to pick up the pattern in these rooms. It was similar to Zant's magic, pulling them to drastically different places at every turn.

His time at Snowpeak, though, had prepared him well for moving around on slick flooring. He was suddenly thankful he didn't have to wear the soft shoes provided by the Institute anymore. The cold in this room was piercing, though, like being out in the blizzards all over again.

"Mind the ceiling. I've seen dangerous beasts that drop from enormous icicles like these." He wished he had proper weapons, or at least a shield. If those were indeed the same creatures from Snowpeak, they would be very dangerous. "They will be carrying spears, if that is the case, and will drop when we draw near." He began shuffling carefully across the ice, watching the ceiling and waiting to confirm or disprove his precaution.

[from here]

Compared to the constant rumble of boulders in the room they had exited, the silence in this room was almost deafening. Soma pulled her gun from its holster almost instinctively, leveling it in front of her as she moved a little further inside. Visibility was practically zero in here, and the feeling of the fog pressing in on her from all sides did little to settle her nerves.

"I wonder how many rooms there are," she murmured, moving to keep the wall at her back.

[from here]

Soma stopped just past the door, gun leveled down the hall, and waited for her eyes to adjust. On the walls around her, intricate carvings seemed to dance in the candlelight, depicting battles in a curiously ancient style. She took a deep breath, feeling inexplicably unnerved by the grisly scenes and the flickering light.

This was ridiculous, she decided. It wasn't as if anything was attacking them. Yet.

"I think I see doors at the end of the hall."

[From here]

Just as last night, Link stood and waited along the wall of the main hallway. Nobody else was out, yet. Good. He had made good time. One never truly knew, here.

He didn't expect to wait long. They all seemed to be very competent people, perhaps with the slight exception of the Once-ler. Though Link could not complain. He had been a bumbling fool the first time he had faced a true monster.

[The Green Team!]

[M73]

Dinner had been uneventful. L had kept to himself; he might test the migraine scenario another time, but for tonight, he couldn't risk it. He ate the soup, following it with two of the fruit cups that had survived the trip back from Doyleton and the cup of coffee that now appeared with every dinner. It was hard not to be wary of the coffee, however. The food itself was delivered in such a way that it probably wouldn't be complicated to dose a given patient's meal, but the coffee was even more targeted -- more specific to him.

He was usually passive when he listened to Landel's nightly round of bombast. It had been laden with clues to their situation long before his own abduction and arrival, but it also tended to be extremely annoying in tone and content. Tonight, though, the comments about a shortcut to the third floor caused a visible reaction. His head snapped towards the speaker and an expression of frustration and annoyance set in.

Afterward, he got ready to leave quickly. Most of his preparations were identical to the previous night's. There was some chance that they might go to the basement, and that being the case, he would need the backpack. That would make it easy to carry the radio, so he slipped it into the side pocket.

He hesitated over the flower he had picked for Lana, in its plastic sleeve, then added that to the small zippered pouch on the front of the bag. He didn't know whether she would still need it, or whether it would have any efficacy at this point, or whether she would venture out. But it was easy to bring it along.

[To here.]

[from here]

It was chilly in the refrigerator, although not as bad as the previous night.  Being dry this time likely had something to do with that.  Much as the man was glad to be out of immediate danger, he was less than pleased about being the only one in the refrigerated room.  It felt like running away; admittedly, they hadn't intended to fight, but the Once-ler was aware that he had contributed considerably less to the skirmish than the others had.

A barricade.  That was something he could work on, at least.  There was a mobile ladder nearby; that would have to do.  The Once-ler hurriedly wheeled it over near the door, thinking rapidly about how it could best hold the door closed.  It would only be temporary.  It didn't take experience to recognize that.  Given more time, the man could have come up with something better, but time was not in supply.  Tipping it on its side would have to do.

The Once-ler gripped the ladder tightly in anticipation, muttering "Come on, come on," under his breath as he waited for the others to join him.

[from here]

Upon entering the kitchen, an idea struck the Once-ler.  "Hold up a second," he said, stepping over to the nearest cabinet.  Tucking the flashlight under his arm, the man began pulling open the doors.  Kitchens were full of sharp, dangerous things, tools that <i>had</i> to be better than a dinky hammer.

Except for this kitchen.  Nothing remotely knife shaped seemed to exist in the drawers, which made no sense, since there were quite clearly forks and spoons present.  The cabinet below had pans, at least.  With a sigh, the Once-ler, as quietly as possible, removed a frying pan, wincing at the minor racket.

It was better than a hammer, at least.

[From here]

Link was the first of their little team to enter the cafeteria. He stood at the door, holding it open for the others to pass through while taking a look around. It looked far bigger at night, empty and in the dark. The unfamiliarity of the architecture and materials used at Landel's still caught him off guard. It was almost frightening, in the same sense that a person more acclimated to modern technology would be spooked if dropped in a dungeon.

Link only hoped that this basement place was something more like what he was used to.

"Soma, if you could point out exactly where this refrigerator is..." He had to sound out the strange word.

[from here]

As far as the man could tell, there was nothing waiting to pounce them.  That didn't mean much; the room was large, and the flashlight's beam only illuminated so far.  The Once-ler held back at the entrance, allowing one of the other three to take the lead.  Instead, he slowly swept the light back and forth, just to make sure it was clear.  "So far, so good," the Once-ler commented, although his tone indicated he wasn't expecting the quiet to last.

Loki prepared quickly tonight, not waiting for his roommate to depart. He didn't want to be the last to the meeting point; it wouldn't do for the persona he'd built up. And really, he didn't like being late anyway unless it was carefully on purpose.

He packed up what few medical supplies he had left into a pillow case that he fixed to his waist in a compact bundle, then pulled on his coat and boots. The kunai came with him as well, and the spear that Soma had given him. Notebook, radio, and flashlight and then he was ready to go. He didn't bother to turn the flashlight on as he left.

The basement. He was most curious about this.

[To here]

By the time lunch ended, the gloomy weather had become a raging storm. Soushi held his coat tightly as they were separated once again, and followed his guide to the outdoor greenhouse. Luckily, the temperature changed and balanced out nicely once they were inside and he shook himself free of the coat.

The greenery was a welcome change, but it was hard to appreciate it when every passing moment only filled him with more worry. While he had obtained a great deal more information today than in his first day in the institution, he was still no closer to finding Ririchiyo or a means of escape. There was a dull ache in his chest that had nothing to do with any physical ailment and everything to do with her absence.

An audible sigh escaped his lips as he picked up a small trowel and gloves and took to the nearby plants, attempting to distract himself and failing miserably.

[Kurogane]

When Link awoke, he wasn't certain if he had simply been pulled into another room or if the night truly was over. It was disorienting, to say the least.

But the fact that their plans had been ruined by the magic of this place was overshadowed by the fact that another patient had died, last night. Link had not known him, but as far as he was concerned, he was partially responsible. He had sworn to himself, after Sora's death, that nobody else was going to die. That he would find a way to get the cure to everyone. He had briefly considered the idea that it had been another patient to finish off that man. Monsters didn't come into the halls, did they? But the horrid display of gore splashed across the hallway... another patient couldn't be capable of such an act.

Could they?

Link swallowed, suddenly on edge as he entered the cafeteria. He briefly thought of posting an inquiry about the matter on the bulletin board, but... that was for another time and another person. Such news wasn't broken via letter. Especially not by a stranger.

He got his breakfast, a tasty-smelling combination of some sort of strange bread and eggs, and settled at a table with a yawn. Tonight, nothing was stopping him from getting another flower. And if the rooms decided to shift as they had once again, he would figure out the puzzle. Too many lives depended on it.

[X]

[from here]

When Lingormr had mentioned that they were heading out to get medical supplies, surgical ones, to be specific, he'd expected the place to look a bit more like a doctor's office and less like some kind of chapel. There were benches neatly placed, and a podium of sorts, along with other things one might expect at a place of worship, rather than any sort of medical office.

Soushi finished sweeping the room with this light and looked questioningly to Lingormr. Had he walked into some kind of trap? Did the man already suspect something?

"I don't think this is the right one," he said quietly, his tone a mixture of uncertainty and reproach, as any child might be when an adult has made a mistake. It was possible he'd simply picked the wrong person to follow and Lingormr had no more clue of where he was going than Soushi did. But the man had seemed fairly sure of himself. He tilted his head curiously at the other and waited to see if there would be some kind of explanation.

[From here.]

It seemed that they really were the first pair of people heading out this way, if the silence in this part of the hall was anything to judge by. Castiel could hear some voices behind them, so there was a chance that other patients would catch up with them soon.

That was fine. With any luck, there would be enough flowers to go around. And if something did end up attacking them, it would be better to have back-up.

As he tried to force his wounded body closer to the next hall they'd need to take to reach the greenhouse yard, Castiel glanced over at Lust. "How about you?" he asked. "Who are you doing this for?" He found it hard to believe that she was coming out of the goodness of her artificial heart.