Day 49: Evening - Bus 1

[hat_einen_vogel]

Whatever promise the day had seemed to show in the morning, it had steadily turned for the worse since then. The weather hadn't bothered Prussia at all (other than the annoying women who seemed to think he could actually get sick by staying out in it, as if a little rain was just as dangerous as economic trouble), but by the time the nurses were

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[sasuke_of_sound]

The nurse that located Sasuke gave him a dressing-down from the very bottom of her soul (whatever there was of it). Apparently he was not only going to catch his death of cold, but he had gotten the collar of his shirt soaking wet, and honestly couldn't he be more responsible, and frankly the only real issue of importance that Sasuke could hear in her rambling lecture was that he really hadn't been imagining the air of hostility from the townsfolk today

[zack_fair]

With all that planning he'd done with Cissnei, Zack was almost disappointed that the nurses started to herd them back to the buses without incident. He knew it was a good thing that the town hadn't fallen into chaos, but he did thrive on that sort of thing to an extent. Maybe it was a good thing that the institute was reeling him in a bit, so he didn't end up getting himself killed again.

But he really couldn't think like that. He'd end up getting smacked by someone for it. Probably Aerith.

Speaking of which, where was the flower girl? He hadn't heard from her in a bit, though this trip had definitely jumbled things up. It had been interesting to see the town, but he hadn't gotten much done other than getting a proper talk with Tifa. Well, and meeting Usopp

[sasuke_of_sound]

The voice that unexpectedly greeted him this time was a good deal easier to place than the last: Zack, Sasuke remembered, Aidou's third from last night. The man had moved well in the brief glance Sasuke had had of his chakra when Heat's demon form had attacked, though it didn't necessarily mean that he didn't merely fulfill the warm-body requirement for a third in the basement.

Still, it was enough to make him interesting. Sasuke turned his face more towards Zack than the window and nodded once in recognition, if not quite returning the cheery-sounding greeting.

"There will be another opportunity," he said, dismissing the failure (yet again: perhaps less dismissed than displaced into the growing pile of them) in the basement. As for Doyleton ... "I got what I needed."

If nothing more than that. It had barely been a trip.

"What about you?" Zack had been obviously new; was this his first trip to the town?

[zack_fair]

Sasuke was right about that. Even if they hadn't gotten as far as planned last night, the key was determination. If they kept at it, they'd either get so efficient at it that they'd have enough time, or they'd get lucky -- Zack would take either. "Are we gonna try again tonight?" he asked curiously. He was up for it, though he also wondered if he should keep an eye on his friends from Gaia this time around. Not that most of them seemed to need it, and yet he couldn't kick the obligation

[sasuke_of_sound]

"Not that I'm aware of," Sasuke answered. "We're each pursuing different avenues of information, so we don't necessarily go every night

[zack_fair]

That worked just fine for Zack. While he knew it was important, having to dedicate himself to helping Aidou and Sasuke each night would have filled up his schedule in a way that he wasn't too set on. He did have people he needed to keep an eye on, and more than that, he wanted to work alongside some of his friends to see just how far they'd come

[sasuke_of_sound]

Well, that was promising. Sasuke nodded briefly to acknowledge Zack's request. If this one managed to last longer than some of the other patients Sasuke had met, then they might manage to get somewhere in the basement again -- it was bizarre to think that the last time they'd accomplished anything had been with Naruto, of all people. And he'd managed to initiate alliance with Renamon earlier today. They could always use more reliable people who could act as third to open the doors

[zack_fair]

That revelation did cause Zack to stare for a moment. So... what, something might end up attacking the bus out of nowhere? Trying to fight in that sort of chaos, with the rain pouring down like it was -- it wouldn't be easy. Zack leaned forward so that he could try to get a glimpse out of the window, but it was impossible to see anything

[sasuke_of_sound]

It was good that Zack seemed to take direction well enough. There were some who would have been decidedly more inclined to argue than simply accept the fact of where they were (not that Sasuke had expected anything more from that quarter). Perhaps he could prove to be more than just incidentally useful after all.

Sasuke might have revised that conclusion had he been able to discern exactly what Zack was doing to check his sight, but instead all he felt was a slight whiffle of air. Had it been the nightshift, it might have sparked his attention; as it was, the drum of the rain on the roof already had him on edge, but in a way that directed more of his attention than usual towards the front of the bus, where the staff were, and outside.

And thus he failed to notice that Zack had done anything at all.

"You've met others who have been here longer, I assume," he continued, as if nothing had happened. "How much have you learned about this place?"

[zack_fair]

No reaction. Zack frowned and lowered his hand, figuring that that settled the question. Now he was relieved that he'd chosen to not ask, since it might have gotten awkward if he'd gone that route. Now that he knew, he could at least accommodate Sasuke without making a big deal out of it. The kid was clearly able to manage without his sight, if he'd made his way to meet him and Aidou last night, not to mention holding his own in that fight in the ballroom.

Leaning back more comfortably in his seat, Zack crossed his arms over his chest as he thought over Sasuke's question.

"Well, Aidou told me a whole lot in the few times that we've spoken," he started. "I know all about the brainwashing, about the reduced powers, and how apparently there's some kid around who specializes in making weapons." He just hadn't been able to get a hold of him yet. He'd have to get cracking on that tomorrow.

"Among other things," he finished with a smile, even though he realized Sasuke wouldn't see it. "Why do you ask?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

So Aidou had served as guide for Zack, then. Sasuke was almost surprised, but then again, he'd never seen the vampire interacting with someone new to the Institute. It made sense to inform those patients potentially capable of assistance of what they were facing, but he couldn't imagine that Aidou was particularly patient about it.

But now that he thought about it, there were fewer and fewer here who could say as much as the vampire could. Sasuke had only been here a day before; besides the two of them, who else had a more complete recollection? Clearly not the alchemists, if their numbers had dwindled so much that Zack could only look to one for assistance.

"It's worthwhile to ensure that one's allies aren't left entirely in the dark," Sasuke said, tone dismissive. "If you're waiting for a turn with the alchemist, are you armed at all right now?"

[zack_fair]

It looked like Sasuke had found him out. It made sense that the kid hadn't been able to discern whether or not he'd been carrying a weapon last night, as all he'd really done in that short fight was try to bean the monster in the head with his flashlight. Which led him to his somewhat pathetic answer. Four days and still no weapon? Angeal would have given him an hour-long lecture for that.

"Just my flashlight. Well, I can also manage some hand-to-hand if there's no other option, but put a sword in my hand and that's when I'm really helpful," Zack explained. Still, no one was going to do that. If he wanted to get armed, he was going to have to take care of it himself. Not that he could do much until tomorrow except keep searching around the institute -- though from what he'd heard, it wasn't like he'd be able to find a decent sword just lying around.

"How'd you get armed?" he asked out of curiosity as the bus continued to strain its way up the hill through the rain. He might as well see if Sasuke had any tips for him.

[sasuke_of_sound]

The obvious implication of that response was that Zack had familiarity with swords and wasn't just hoping to get a weapon for the sake of not having to deal with the various obstacles here by hand. Still, it could be a long time before the man might get what he wanted, if Sasuke remembered correctly. Since, after all

[zack_fair]

That was lucky. Zack's roommates kept disappearing on him, on the other hand, which was troubling because he didn't know where they were going and had no way of preventing it. It sounded like Sasuke's roommate had also disappeared at this point, though. Man, this place made things hard