Day 49: Morning - Main Street

[sanguinario]

[From here.]

Easily forgiven? Unlikely. A pair of (presumably) mental patient committing theft. No, it was highly unlikely they would be easily forgiven. Conscience-wise? It wouldn't even stain his thoughts, really. Nothing like ten years of judgemental slaughter to make your mind jaded against the simpler crimes in the world

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[anemptydecapo]

Yes, a pair of presumed mental patients committing theft, but a pair of presumed mental patients only choosing to depart with a pair of sunglasses and not, say, the register. Although Venom's sense of morality was most likely just as skewed as Edwards; it was for the good of the Guild, it was fine and that mindset accounted for quite a bit of horrendous things. Stealing something so insignificant barely registered itself as a crime in his mind

[sanguinario]

As he'd thought: he didn't need the to hear the minds of the citizens perusing Main Street to see they weren't very thrilled about the arrival of the ragtag group of patients. Though he'd been forced to become accustomed to being, well, handicapped, the lack of any wandering emotions or thoughts drifting his way was frustrating - he was sure the quiet frown now plastered on his face was evidence of that. There wasn't even static, which came from the patients when he wasn't concentrating. Just... nothing.

A whole town of Bellas. He was going to lose his mind.

And have a lot harder time with theft.

Once Venom had approached and dropped the big question, Edward sighed. Now he could afford to waste oxygen, now that it wasn't saturated with human scents. "No, I don't," he admitted - but did turn to look at the shorter man with interest, asking a question he knew the answer to. "But you do?"

[anemptydecapo]

Venom nodded in response. Truth be told, it was just a formality at that rate to ask the other if he had any ideas.

"First we'll need to find a place most likely to have what we need; a clothing store or anything with cosmetics would be a good start. I'll go in first and handle the owners or anyone else who may otherwise take notice of your actions," he started, outlining the plan with the ease that came with constant work in that field. Edward couldn't be allowed to speak with anyone in town without hiding his inhuman nature, meaning that, while he was at odds with the idea of doing so, Venom would have to confront the shopkeeper instead. "Come in after enough time has passed to keep it from looking like we're together and get what we came for. Leave before I do. I'll follow a while afterward"

It was simple, but it would work.

[sanguinario]

Really? Find a place with sunglasses? That's the beginning of your plan?

At least the rest of it, when outlined, wasn't quite so obvious. So he was the theft in this particular endeavor. Very well - shouldn't be too hard at all, especially with the pockets the raincoat provided. He wasn't going to admit he was kind of thrilled with this whole thing. It was all so... human. Low-key criminal human. Even if his family wasn't exactly legal in any way, Edward didn't do any of the forging and copying and bribing himself; Carlisle usually handled it. And if not him, then Esme - and watching Esme bribe was a sight to see

[exbride]

[from here]

Anthy pulled the hood of her bulky coat over her head as she stepped off the bus. The outfit still felt strange, very clunky and rather drab, but at least the the leggings and rain-boots would keep her from getting soaked in this damp weather. She glanced around the new surroundings and noted the vandalism, but what stood out to her most were the looks in the eyes of the townspeople.

They were not welcome visitors here.

She stood off to the side and allowed other patients to pass by first, her hands clasped at her lap, waiting for a familiar face to exit the same bus before she moved on.

[roseoverture]

Aigis had been impossible for Utena to dislike. The two of them had shared a lot more in common than she was used to seeing in other teenage girls, even if Aigis had been a good deal more soft-spoken than Utena. She was certain that the girl (or the android, whatever) would live up to her goals, especially if any of the friends she wanted to protect were in the Institute with her.

Speaking of friends. She kept her eyes peeled for that telltale head of violet hair as soon as she stepped off the bus. To her surprise, she soon saw Himemiya getting off the very same bus she had been on. She must have missed the other girl getting on after her, and felt a little guilty over that. Well, it's natural to get wrapped up in something. It probably doesn't really matter, she assured herself. All Utena really cared about was seeing her friend again after the night they had shared. "Ooooooi! Himemiya! Over here!" she called across the heads of disembarking patients with a big smile and a wave, still in a very good mood after talking with Aigis.

[exbride]

She couldn't help her nerves, considering that the last time she'd faced down unhappy townsfolk went very poorly, but at least the targets of this apparent disdain were spread out amongst a group. The sound of Utena's voice calling to her distracted her soon enough. Anthy's face lifted as they approached each other on the sidewalk and she chased away the dreariness.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I wasn't expecting all this when I woke up, but I take it this is part of the routine, somehow?"

However -- however, oh gosh, what was Utena wearing? The jacket and the shoes matched her hair in a way that was positively adorable. This was the first time Anthy was getting a good look at the new ensemble and she couldn't help but give her friend an unabashed once-over, her fist curling into a little ball as she lifted it to her chin and her expression tinting towards delighted. Of the few times she'd seen Utena in clothes that might be called feminine, she thought she actually liked this one best

[roseoverture]

Utena felt a twitch coming on. She knew Himemiya meant it as a compliment, but

[doneinthree]

Kirk transferred his attention back out the window as they approached what he guessed to be Doyleton. A small town. He hadn't expected anything else, but simply seeing the cluster of low buildings made his shoulders tense up and his face shutter. The place wasn't Riverside, of course, but was just as dim green and picturesque as any other Iowan small town he'd rolled through for the majority of his life

[hes_deadjim]

That was one of the oddest commutes he'd ever sat through. McCoy was glad when the buses rumbled to a stop, and not just because the vehicles looked highly unsafe. He stood up. All around the doctor, patients were shuffling out. He caught a glimpse of Chekov while he waited. The ensign looked about as hale as ever, which was promising. He'd managed to stay out of trouble. With any luck, he'd managed to keep the captain out of trouble as well. McCoy thought it more likely that it'd be Jim who dragged Chekov into something. The captain had a way of being a bad influence; if he could get to Spock, Chekov didn't have a prayer.

The doctor glanced out the window as the line inched its way off the bus. The place looked like it could have been almost anywhere back on Earth. A decent sized town, small enough to feel comfortable. There were touches of modernization obvious all over, although it wasn't consumed by it like the high density cities. It was pleasant enough

[sewenteen_sir]

Chekov hurried off of the bus, but tried not to look as though he were fleeing from Commander Spock's roommate and near-twin. There was something about him that just set Chekov on edge--something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but was nagging at the back of his mind. He passed it off as discomfort at speaking so familiarly with someone who looked exactly like the Commander, and put the incident aside

[doneinthree]

Kirk didn't have to wait long. While his face broadcast nothing less than the cheerful blondness he tended to radiate in most situations (regardless of appropriateness), he may have held himself a little less rigidly as he saw his crew approach. As he'd observed earlier, McCoy and Chekov looked well, although Bones was scowling slightly more fiercely than usual, and the ensign seemed a touch uneasy.

His eyebrows quirked at Bones, curious, before he turned his smile to Chekov. "At ease," said Kirk, and scanned the area for Spock as he continued: "Looks like we're blending in with normal people today, so just act natural. Sadly, I don't imagine all these nurses are going to let us run off like free men either."

He tossed the apple up again, catching it neatly before taking a bite out of it. "So, how was the ride over, you two?" Kirk asked. They could debrief once the whole crew was here.

[foolishmessiah]

After the bus rolled to a stop and he had said his farewells to Abe, Minato began to explore the main street. The beginning of an overcast day that he had seen last night was now fully appreciated, and he tugged at the black detachable hood that had come with his jacket. What a day to be out and exploring for the first time.

As he looked at passersby on the sidewalk, he found them studiously avoiding eye contact and giving him space to walk by. He avoided showing his disappointment; whereas he could fade into the background in Iwatodai, he was treated like a leper in this town. It looked like his voiced concern to Abe had been realized.

Minato reached into his paper bag and pulled out the little box of orange juice, watching the cars pass by on the road. The buses were still visible in the distance, close enough that he could see other patients emptying out onto the sidewalk.

He hadn't yet noticed the yellow graffiti on the wall down the street.

[for Leon]

[heraldric]

"Oh, this isn't good..." Leon muttered to himself as he left the bus, staring around at the town with his arms wrapped about himself. He might have expected the town to be trashed, or perfectly rebuilt like the Institute was the next day after it suffered damage, but this was something he'd never seen coming. Vandalized, with obvious signs of the Institute's involvement? What was that supposed to mean? Unknown variables were bad, bad things.

He'd lost track of Luke, and Guy was out of reach. Glancing about, his eyes eventually landed on a familiar head of dark hair, and he scurried in Minato's direction. Eventually he'd find someone he was closer to, but for now he'd be glad for any company whatsoever. There was no way he was allowing himself to get separated from everyone in this environment. He knew perfectly well he wouldn't last long on his own - not here.

"Have you been here before?" he asked the older boy by way of greeting as he approached. Right off he'd be proving his usefulness, having visited the town twice

[foolishmessiah]

Minato didn't quite do a double-take at the younger boy as he approached, but he did quickly notice the missing cat ears he had seen before. First impressions certainly stuck with him, and now he found himself comparing Leon's cat ears to these human ears.

...He preferred the cat ears.

At the question, he shook his head and remained silent for a moment, still sipping at his orange juice. He watched another car pass by before answering. "Is it always this ... hostile?" A minute gesture with one hand, not directed towards anything specific, was all the indication he gave that he was referring to the town.

[heraldric]

The young mage shook his head in response to the question. "Not during the day, no. Not at all. Usually the people are fairly friendly. But..." He glanced around at the graffiti again. Was it possible a group of people from the Institute had made it there the night before? If that was the case, why waste time vandalizing instead of doing something more important?

Chances were, this wasn't done by anyone from the Institute at all. That hardly seemed fair. What about the townspeople? So many zombies had been 'killed' the last week. How much of that had carried over?

"It might..." he hesitated, unsure of exactly how much he should say with Minato being relatively new still. He was sure to have heard something, though, and there was no point in keeping information like this. "It might have something to do with last time, but even then that doesn't make a lot of sense."

[no_dont_go]

Aigis stepped from the bus with a smile still on her face. Her talk with Utena had been very encouraging. Though she had yet to really get to know the girl, the similarities between their goals had been an enjoyable topic of discussion. To see a girl as young as Utena aiming to become noble was rather awe-inspiring to the android

[idontregret]

At least the nurses had been considerate enough to give Heat a jacket with a hood on it. Glaring briefly up at the rain as he stepped off the bus, he tugged said hood down a bit further over his eyes as he made his way out onto the main street. The paper bag with his bagel in it was tossed unceremoniously into the nearest trash bin

[no_dont_go]

Aigis failed to notice Heat until he was right in front of her, growling at the man who had pushed her. She didn't know of any humans who normally growled at others. It must have been one of Heat's demon responses, though she couldn't see why he would growl at the man. The villager wasn't a Shadow, and he wasn't attacking Heat either.

He smiled a little at her, so it seemed his mood was relatively good for now. She smiled back in return, suppressing a small shudder from the cold. "Good morning, Heat-sa... Heat." She was still working on keeping the honorific from his name, though it sounded rather impolite in her ears

[idontregret]

Heat almost rolled his eyes. She was still insisting that she wasn't human? She had to be. There was nothing not human about her! Well, aside from her personality, perhaps, and the fact that she believed she was a machine