Day 28: Bus 2

[hajike_tobiume]

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

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[usoppsenchou]

It wasn't that Usopp thought things had gone perfectly last night, but they'd certainly gone well. Weapons made, a few more projects struck off the list, and now a new place to explore. And exploring was fun. Exploring was great. There was absolutely no point in dressing him up in sweatpants and a baggy flannel shirt, then handing him a bag that was filled with food, if they were just being herded onto the buses to make it easier to gas everyone at once, or to lock the doors and send the bus careening over a cliff, or to take them to a new testing center even worse than Landel's where the leeches were the size of Usopp and...

The nurses, with polite cajoling and a bit of pushing, managed to get him on the bus and in a seat despite his protests concerning the sudden flare-up of his chronic 'I cannot go on this field trip or I'll die' disease. Finally placed, he was shaking and staring out the windows, trying not to hyperventilate. Think about Sai smacking you on the back last night. That was funny, right? ...Poor Sai will die

[roger_hug]

((ooc: hope you don't mind a cheerful blonde. ^^;;;))

Bridget didn't know why everyone seemed so unhappy. They were going somewhere! Outside this place! They even got to wear fun clothing! He looked happily down at his own. White button up shirt covered by a pink sweater vest and tan pants with white sneakers. He thought he looked rather nice. Of course, as a boy who normally ran around in a nun's habit and mini skirt, his ideas on fashion were a bit ... odd

He picked a seat beside a boy with a long nose who looked like he was about to have a fit.

"Hi!" He smiled cheerfully. "I'm Bridget! What's your name?"

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp jumped at the question, startled out of his contemplation of window size versus head and shoulder size--and the realization that the windows didn't look very easy to pry open anyhow. The top half appeared grooved to slide down into the bottom half, probably designed specially in order to prevent crazy patients from escaping jumping out.

Still, he caught his nerves and his manners enough to turn to Bridget, smiling awkwardly. "Uh, hi... I'm Usopp. The legendary Captain Usopp!" He tried not to stare as he wondered what exactly he was facing. Was this a boy or a flat-chested girl? The clothes were just slightly feminine, and a woman's chest could be hidden under that pink vest, but Usopp could imagine Sanji donning the same outfit under the right circumstances.

To stop himself from looking too hard at Bridget or thinking too hard about how difficult getting out that window would be, Usopp opened his breakfast bag and pulled out the muffin. "So, um, how long have you been here, Bridget?"

[roger_hug]

"Ooh, a captain?" Bridget settled into the seat beside him. "Are you a pirate? The only captain I know is a pirate captain."

He could tell that the other young man was unhappy and uncomfortable, but maybe Bridget could help. His smile brightened. He liked cheering people up.

[usoppsenchou]

That had been the right button to press, because Usopp's face immediately lit up in response. "Yeah, that's right! I'm the fearsome Captain Usopp, leader of the Usopp Pirates, destroyer of countless ships and leader of over eight thousand fighting men!" He hadn't done the whole spiel in a while, it felt nice to throw himself into it with a little gusto. "See this bandanna?" He pointed to his forehead. "That's the symbol of the great Usopp Pirates!" His act finished, he paused to take a bite of his muffin.

Around here, there didn't seem to be many people who knew much about pirates. It was weird, especially for someone who came from a world in the midst of a Great Age of Pirates, but Usopp had started to adjust. Having someone else bring pirates up first was a wonderful change of pace.

He wondered if the other captain was Luffy, or if Bridget had pirates in her... his? ... world.

[roger_hug]

Bridget clapped, listening carefully, and then reached into the bag himself. Instead of food though, he tugged out Roger and settled the bear into his lap. He's left the food behind (he hadn't been very hungry) and stuffed the bear in when it became apparent that the nurse wasn't going to allow him to bring the bear.

Now though, it was too late to do anything about it and he settled the stuffed bear in his lap, smoothing the fur.

"That's so amazing!" Bridget was beaming. "I'm an honorary member of the Jellyfish Pirates back home," he went on. "They are the most feared pirates there, led by Captain Johnny."

[usoppsenchou]

"Wow, really?" Now Usopp was beaming back, the fear for his life utterly forgotten. He noticed the bear in Bridget's arms, but didn't think too much of it. Sure, it was weird, but considering some of the people Usopp had met, his sliding scale of weirdness had expanded to safely include plenty of behavior before things got so weird that Usopp was actually taken aback. "Captain Johnny? The Jellyfish Pirates? That's a great name! There's a really famous Captain John legend back where I came from."

Usopp hesitated, still torn, but decided that Bridget seemed friendly enough. "Can I ask you a personal question? I don't mean any offense!"

[roger_hug]

"Really? I'd love to hear about it," Bridget said. "And about your adventures too!" Bridget liked stories, especially fantasitc stories.

Personal question? Bridget smiled and nodded. "Go right ahead." He had a feeling he knew what it was.

[usoppsenchou]

"My own adventures are so varied and legendary that we'll never have time for all of them on this little trip!" Especially if we go careening off a cliff to our dea--stop that! He gestured imperiously with his muffin to imply the scope of those stories. "But I would be happy to regale you with some of the most amazing adventures I've been on, for the time we have!"

And now, the question. His muffin hand lowered as he looked over at Bridget one last time, nervous and a little guilty. His artist's eyes were telling him the body shape was as flat as his own, but the face and voice were so... well, it would just be a lot easier if everyone wore labels like Bon-chan, that was for sure. "So, Bridget!" He tried to sound casual. "Are you, um, a woman, a man, or both?"

[roger_hug]

Bridget knew it, but thought that the way the young man had asked was, without a doubt, the sweetest way he'd ever heard. People usually assumed (and were wrong) or glared at him and demanded to know (and were hit) or else they found out the hard way (Poor Johnny).

He brought up a hand and laughed behind it, the feminine gesture contradicting his next words. "I'm a boy," he said, smiling warmly. "And don't worry. I get asked that a lot." He hoped Captain Usopp wouldn't dismiss him now. He liked making friends and exciting stories sounded like a great way to pass the time.

[usoppsenchou]

"Okay, I just wanted to check, in case I called you one and then I was wrong!" Usopp smiled awkwardly back, blushing just a little bit at Bridget's smile. Actually, Bridget reminded him of someone other than Bon-chan... Kaya, that was it. Bridget looked kind of like a male Kaya.

Which made storytelling seem all the more natural. "So, Bridget, what sort of story are you in the mood for on this journey? Would you like to hear about when I was nine years old, and my pirate crew captured the dreaded Queen of Eels, a horrible monster that was half eel, half queen, and all evil?" He took a bite of his muffin after the introduction, giving him a pause so he could start thinking ahead about what exactly might have happened when he captured the Queen of Eels. Besides, maybe Bridget didn't like stories with eels or queens in them.

[roger_hug]

Bridget clasped his hands together and beamed excitedly. "You were already captain at nine? Wow." He hugged Roger closer to him, so that the currently broken stuffed bear could hear as well, and nodded. "I would love to hear that tale Captain Usopp!"

He was so glad that Usopp hadn't minded, or asked why Bridget looked like he did. It was something of an uncomfortable subject.

[usoppsenchou]

"Actually, I was a captain at age three! You see, my father is also a great pirate, and so piracy is in my blood! As a child, I set out on a great journey across the world to explore and fight as a pirate!" Usopp's non-muffined hand thumped his chest manfully for emphasis. "Soon I had followers, and at age nine, I had already gathered my crew of eight thousand men. We roamed the seas for years, the terror of the law yet the friend to innocents

[roger_hug]

Bridget had a tight hold on Roger as he listened intently, all wide smile and bright eyes. What an amazing place this person came from! It sounded so much more interesting than his home world. He held up a hand, something catching his attention.

"Pirates in your world sail the sea?"

[usoppsenchou]

That certainly stopped Usopp short. "Well... usually. Most really big crews have land bases by the sea, but all the major battles and things take place at sea. What do they sail where you're from?"

Usopp had heard of pirates that sailed sand dunes in desert places like Alabasta, and he guessed being Skypiea meant sailing the sky rather than the normal blue sea, but those were exceptions.

[roger_hug]

Bridget smiled. "Sky ships." He let got of the bear for a moment to trace a shape in the air.

"The Jellyfish pirates have the largest non-military airship in the world with enough power behind it to take on anything." He beamed. "The oceans are too dangerous to sail in now and with the threat of the floating nation of Zepp, the sky was just the way to go I guess."

He turned back to Usopp and gathered Roger up again. "Go on," he said happily. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."