Day 28: Bus 1

[accursed_rock]

Zelgadis was not happy, at all. Not that this was any change, but the events of the past few hours had given him more to angst about than usual. Nightshift had been dreadful: first he was attacked by a small green man and then covered in leeches, neither of which lead to warm fuzzy feelings

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[intoindra]

That really was strange, seeing Ginji smiling so brightly. Especially considering how they had first met up, the phrase 'I'm happy to see you' wouldn't have made sense either way. But nevertheless, it was said, and it seemed to be completely honest. Roland, of all people, wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Therefore he eased himself onto the seat, his own smile remaining genuine. "Thank you."

And as for last night... 'weird' was definitely an understatement. "It was very weird," Roland affirmed, "I don't know how much you saw, but... the water in the Institute had turned to blood. I can't explain why, either. Normally, that sort of miracle is God's province, isn't it?" Yet that was said with a lighter tone: turning water into blood was theoretically possible, in several different ways besides the obvious, and from what Roland knew the Head Doctor seemed just the sort of person to indulge in that sort of hubris. A shame that he didn't have the freedom to explore; he wished he could have at least tried to figure out what was going on.

[repolarization]

"I guess..." Ginji said, thinking seriously as they waited for the bus to start. "That depends on if you believe in God." He smiled at that. "Otherwise I bet there's other ways to do things like that."

He didn't share if he was religious or not, he didn't want to end up offending Roland just in case.

[intoindra]

That actually drew a bit of a chuckle from Roland; in times past he'd been the skeptic, and in any case it wasn't like things were the same here. 'God', as he knew it, most certainly wasn't the kind of thing that was here in this world. If anything, that was how Roland knew, more than anyone else, that this world was not his own. The earth he had come from had its own, unique, sort of suffering.

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, and in any case, I wasn't being serious. With science, even in this world, 'magic' and 'technology' could almost be considered one and the same." Wasn't that how primitive societies had seen the advance of the newcomers? Guns had become divine weapons that spat fire and sounded as thunder, mounted horsemen had seemed like united gods, even steel armor had led to myths and legends. That was simply how men were; anything that couldn't be explained, in a deep instinctual level, was considered something akin to a miracle.

In any case, Roland would just have to ask around and see if anyone else had figured out what had happen. For now, why speak about things like that? It had been too long since Roland had been a part of a semi-normal conversation. "...and you'll have to forgive me if I start boring you."

[repolarization]

Ginji shook his head. "You aren't boring!" he insisted. "I know all about what you mean about science and magic." He tried not to think too much about Mugenjou and the twisted experiments that went on in it. "Well, at least I know what they can do, even if I don't get how it works." He laughed embarrassingly at that. "It's just I think that if there is a God that He lets us make our own choices. Our lives are in the hands of people, sometimes people with more power than ours, but just people." He looked at the window as he said that.

It was that was back then, it was that way now.

[intoindra]

All of them were in that boat, however; none of them knew how all of these things came to pass, and the question of how they worked was yet unanswered. Still, the simple fact that they were alive and could still ask questions was a very bright thing. "I hope to figure it out," he freely confessed, "if for no other reason than because understanding is the first step to countering anything."

Still... 'God'. Ginji had to have come from a rather interesting world, if he could hold such a viewpoint; then again, the world that they had both managed to fall into was far more like his than like Roland's, it seemed. In Roland's, 'God' was a very real, very active, very unstoppable force. The pale man glanced at the back of his left hand, at the atma mark, and quietly spoke. "By and large, I would have to say that you're correct. Of course..." And here the former terrorist had to look back up at the ceiling, "I like having my life in my own hands, as a matter of preference."

[repolarization]

Ginji grinned again and looked back at Roland. "Yeah," he said. "Me too."

He couldn't have survived his childhood if he hadn't believed in the idea that he could take control of his life. He didn't know what Roland's world was like and he was too polite to question it, but his understood the way of thinking.

[intoindra]

For just a moment, Roland glanced sidelong at Ginji; somehow they seemed to understand that part of each other, and for Roland, that was good enough. Knowing that there was someone else who preferred taking life by the proverbial horns was a rather uplifting thing- especially coming from someone who Roland felt he could at least not have to worry about stabbing him in the back.

Yet the irony was that neither of them were really in control of themselves- both of them with alternate personalities, and both of them at the control of the Institute. Somehow, in the back of his mind, Roland found the situation very much a black comedy. "And yet here both of us are, having to jump through the hoops that the Head Doctor sees fit to put in front of us."

[repolarization]

Ginji shrugged. "Maybe that just proves it though, because if we want to escape we can't just hope that fate let's us out, we have to do it ourselves." Despite the how bleak Ginji had felt about the situation for the past couple of days, he found hope stirring in his chest again.

[intoindra]

"Very well said." Roland nodded, finding himself in total agreement with what the other man had said. Fate, 'God,' whatever one wanted to call it... it wasn't enough to just cross one's fingers and hope for the best. They'd have to struggle and find their own way out; that was always what humanity had been forced to do throughout the ages, after all.

And even though neither of them were fully 'human,' they were close enough to count. So, with that same grin on his face, he said, "So try to keep your eyes open, huh? Who knows? Maybe this town will have something we can use."

[repolarization]

Ginji nodded and got a determined look on his face before it fell into a frown. "I'm bad at seeing stuff though. That's why I need Ban-chan around." Thinking about his partner made Ginji feel the well of depression start to creep up on him again. He missed Ban so much it hurt him. He tried to ignore the pain but it was pretty clear on his face.

[intoindra]

"'Ban-chan'?" Roland had never heard of anyone going by that name; not that he'd encountered many people as it was. Still, he'd have to keep his eyes open. If this 'Ban-chan' had the kind of powers that Ginji possessed, then that would be another useful ally. Besides, Ginji looked so down when he thought of the guy. ...if 'Ban' was a guy, anyway.

It was at about this point that the bus started, and Roland had to wonder what the town would be like. More importantly, his mind started wondering about whether he'd have to keep his own eyes open... on his 'comrades.' Having more like himself wandering around, and with some others who preyed on 'normal' people? Even with the stricter security, or perhaps because of it, the pale man worried about what might happen.

[repolarization]

"My partner," Ginji offered quietly, but then the bus started. The jerk of the motion made him bounce slightly in his chair. He automatically looked much happier and excited. "I can't wait to see town," he said. "Can you?"

[intoindra]

Roland was intrigued as to how Ginji shifted from mood to mood so very quickly. Already it was known that he had multiple personalities (or at least one other personality,) but were there more problems beneath the surface? And if so, how deep did they run and how did they come to be? Normal people didn't act that way- and for something that radically different, 'something' had to be pretty major.

But for now, he quietly chuckled. Ginji was so light-hearted that it was easy for Roland to forget what had transpired between them when they'd first met, and just go with the moment. "I'd have to say that I can and will have to. Won't you?"

[repolarization]

Ginji shrugged. "It will be nice to be outside. I hate being locked up."