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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[zeus_incarnate]

Statesman found the new clothes he had been provided weren't too bad... The shirt was just a little tight around his shoulders, and the sweater that had come along with the close had like-wise been just a little small on his large frame.

But if they had trouble getting clothes that fit him properly, he had to wonder what they would stick Recluse in. Of course, he hoped he wouldn't have to be trapped on a bus with that psychopath.

Statesman was willing to work with Recluse at night, but he wanted him to stay away during the day.

Marcus took one of the window seats near the front of the bus and stared at his muffin and juice box. They expected that to substitute for breakfast?

[tartaros_avatar]

If Landel's was supposedly such a well-funded institute, why did they give him a pair of old jeans and a muscle shirt for today? And a jacket, which really didn't fit at all. It was fairly consistent with what had been his normal attire... back in 1916.

At least he had someone to antagonize this morning. Forgoing any other options, Recluse sat down next to Marcus. "We really shouldn't have spent so much time waiting for your friends. Nothing important got done."

Hello, my name is Stefan Richter, and I'm here to ruin your day.

[zeus_incarnate]

It was almost like old times. Seeing Recluse dressed like that... that was not the sort of clothing that fit with the image of Lord Recluse, but it was exactly the sort of thing Stefan had worn when they had been teenagers working on the docks together.

Marcus couldn't refute that nothing had gotten done, because it hadn't...

"I wouldn't call making dangerous chemical weapons important, Recluse."

[tartaros_avatar]

"Finding the basement isn't important? I have a very good idea of where it's hidden." And making phosgene is important. Marcus was just too prudish about everything.

"I get the most work done when I only deal with one person or go by myself at night." Large groups just attracted complications. Just like at home, really. Arachnos had a reputation for incredible efficiency, but that only held up if you didn't look on a case-by-case basis.

[offduty]

God, last night had been a bitch. And now they were piled off to go somewhere. What? Fuck. Of all the days. This was going to make it a little harder to find the President and Reno needed to find him. Although it would be useful to know what was out there beyond the institute.

On the other hand, he'd at least been allowed to ditch the usual ridiculous uniform for jeans and a sweatshirt that was a bit too large. Not much of an improvement, but as long as the smiley face was non-existent, he wasn't going to complain.

Slumped into his seat, he chewed absently on a thumbnail as he kept an eye out for Rufus. He hadn't been on a bus for years. The last time he'd climbed aboard one was all the way back in grade school.

[theheirshinra]

When Rufus Shinra got on the bus, needless to say, he didn't look like himself. First one had to get over the idea that Rufus Shinra, President of Shin-Ra Company and ruler of Gaia (however temporarily it had been), was on a bus. Something in the mind, or Rufus' at least, refused to believe that. To make matters worse, he was wearing jeans. Never in his life, even as a small child, had he worn such common clothing. It was unheard of! And... a long sleeved t-shirt! There was no silk shirt, vest, tie, or longcoat.

Rufus had plainly decided by this point to ignore his clothing. Repeatedly. It hurt his mind.

Spotting Reno, there was a momentary internal debate on whether or not to join the Turk. Not because he didn't want the redhead's company, oh no, but because Reno was a Turk and therefore adept at sniffing out a lie.

It didn't happen.
It did.
It didn't...It was probably for the best that Schuldig wasn't around because the back and forth pingponging of Rufus' thoughts and the state of denial he was trying to keep

[offduty]

There was really too much that was off about Rufus - the bruises, the clothes, the fact that he looked completely out of place on a bus - that Reno found it a little hard to focus on any one thing.

At least now he knew where the blood had come from last night. Jeez.

"Throwback to the old days," he remarked. Unlike Rufus, he'd worn nothing but jeans until he became a Turk.

As much as he wanted to start prodding about last night right away, he decided to hold off. No sense in getting the President to slam up his defences so early on. Instead, he glanced at the more obvious injuries, eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't noticed them in the almost pitch black and chaos of last night.

"Who the hell beat you up?"

[theheirshinra]

Rufus tilted his head, taking in fully the sight of Reno in something other than the wreck he made of the Turk uniform. It wasn't a bad look on him, something Rufus had to admit to himself after his mind got past seeing him only in blue and white

[transgenix]

Now this was more like it, Max decided, running her hands down over her tight denims, t-shirt, and denim jacket. It was almost like being back home again, even if the calf-high boots were just a tad bit too large. She could deal, though. At least it wasn't that ridiculous smiley any longer. The thing gave her the creeps if she stared at it too long

[itneverwas]

[ooc; hope you don't mind? I'll delete if you do XD]Much to the Superior's displeasure, tonight hadn't yielded any productive results. He and VII had only managed to ascend the stairs leading to the second floor, but they had barely reached it or the night had already ended. Xemnas only managed to caught a glimpse of a red light, but before any proper investigation could be done he found himself staring at the bright, white ceiling once more. It was the second night in a row that was spend in a rather useless way, something the Nobody didn't quite like

[transgenix]

[Don't mind a bit! :) ]

"Heya," she greeted with a crooked grin, glancing up at the man who had spoken to her. She'd met him before, but as much as she searched her memory for a name, none was forthcoming. Maybe she hadn't caught it last time around?

"Looks like you're still here," she spoke, sliding over in her seat to make room in case he wanted to join her. "Me too. Have a muffin, they're surprisingly tasty. I'd still kill for some coffee instead of this freaking juice, though."

[itneverwas]

Xemnas took the offered seat next to the -- still nameless -- female patient.

"Perhaps they think we might burn ourselves with such hot liquids on a bus." he replied. He quickly glanced at the contents of his own bag, noticing the muffin along with the box of apple juice. This breakfast was hardly a proper one, but the nature of his meals was hardly relevant. Or at least not to someone who no longer existed.

The Superior couldn't help but think this was quite similiar to a school trip.

[myopic_mousse]

Mousse didn't quite remember the events of the previous night after he had decided to stop moping and be a man. His head was pounding (had he taking a beating?) and his right hand, though wrapped in bandages and in a sling, was still without any signs of feeling, short of throbbing pain. To make matters worse, a nurse had forced him to wear such strange clothing! Brown cargo pants and a black shirt with some writing on it about enlightenment or something (What the hell did "Nirvana" have to do with the three western looking men?) were not his idea of fashion.

Still, he went along with it, not really in the mood to deal with much of anything. Where were the people from last night? It didn't really matter. He boarded the first bus he saw and slumped against the window.

So. They were going somewhere...

[gald_digger]

Anise was perhaps one of the few who awoke in the same room she last recalled being in. She sat up in bed, wondering how she had fallen asleep in the first place. The last time she had found herself in this position, she could have plausibly fainted, but this time she had been in perfectly passable health. Was this how the nights always ended here? She couldn't quite get used to it. And this night had ended way too soon

[myopic_mousse]

"...good morning," Mousse said back politely, but solemnly. He was not adverse to the company, though his injuries and lack of action when he should have acted last night still plagued him. No wonder Shampoo didn't want anything to do with him; he was a no good coward.

No, no, no. That wasn't right. He had been caught off guard and it could have happened to anyone. He was still every bit a man and he would prove it by rising to whatever challenge he faced in the upcoming days. Amazons did not back down from a fight.

He wasn't wearing his glasses, but the voice of his seatmate implied she was a woman. He wondered idly if she was dressed as ridiculously as he was.

[gald_digger]

Boooo. He'd barely looked at her.

So he seemed a little gloomy. That hardly excused ignoring a pretty girl that was practically right in front of him! Anise noted his sling; the guy had probably gotten into a nasty fight, possibly not too unlike her own two nights ago. Maybe he just needed some cheering up!

Whatever the case, a silent trip was out of the question for Anise. Recovering her smile, and hoping the stranger hadn't noticed it fade into a frown just moments ago, she tried to start up a conversation. "Wow! I can't believe they're really letting us outside like this. I wonder if they'll have trouble keeping track of everyone in town! Hee hee." Frankly, she hoped they would.

[haiiro_no_chou]

[Waiting for Renji.]When Rukia woke up, she was, while not really injured, beyond exhausted. The binding spell from the previous night had really taken its toll on her. Dragging herself out of bed, she was greeted by a nurse and given a small breakfast and change of clothes. At least the clothes looked warm and comfortable; she hated tight clothes

[stray_shinigami]

Well, Renji thought, it could have gone worse. He was tired, but that was just leftover fatigue from other nights. And, if he was going to be honest with himself, emotional exhaustion more than anything else. He was getting tired of worry and uncertainty and... everything else. So it was best to just not think about it

[haiiro_no_chou]

Rukia was just glad to see Renji in one piece. Though, she had to admit, he looked kind of cute in the jeans.

She offered him a tired smile, then peered down at the juice box he was indicating. If she'd had more energy, she might have messed with him, but right now she just wanted to go back to sleep. "Here," she said, showing him the drink she had been given. "You use this thing - a 'straw'. Well, first you have to get it out of the 'plastic wrapper'." She felt rather superior, knowing all these technical terms from the modern world. "Then you poke it through this little hole, but be careful not to squeeze the box, or all the juice will come out and make a mess."

Finished with her explanation, Rukia sipped her apple juice, looking up at him as she waited to see what he would do.

[stray_shinigami]

Renji listened intently to her explanation. Why did people make something as simple as drinking horribly complicated? He got the straw unwrapped and had to shake his hand to get the little plastic wrapper off - it clung to his skin for some reason. When he cautiously poked the straw into the box, a little of the juice squirted out, but it just hit the floor instead of him. At least it still tasted like juice when he drank it. "Thanks," he said. "I don't think I coulda figured that out on my own." And he wasn't joking.

He squirmed a little in his seat again. It felt like the jeans were trying to crawl up his ass. He wasn't used to his clothes being that friendly. Even the ridiculous "uniform" for the "patients" was a lot looser than these things.