Day 63: Bus 2 (Evening)

[dualistic]

After finishing up his purchase and parting ways with Klavier, Harvey quickly realized that the wind was even worse now than it had been earlier in the day. The nurses even seemed hurried by it this time, probably because they were trying to make sure that every last patient was rounded up. The thought had never occurred to him, but had anyone ever tried to stay behind by hiding somewhere? Would that actually work? And would it be of any benefit? In the end, it would just get you stuck in a town filled with hungry zombies, so... maybe that was why he'd never heard of someone trying it before.

He headed back to the bus at a quick pace, his batteries in one hand and the other shielding his face from the wind as much as possible. While going back to that institute was depressing for any number of reasons, the thought of being able to sit in that warm bus, protected from the wind, didn't seem so bad.

The headlights made it easy to find the vehicles and Harvey let the nurses search him before quickly jumping on. So, his trip had earned him beer and batteries. What else could a guy really ask for? Except for maybe some more ammo for his gun, but he knew that was a pipe dream. Breaking into the sheriff's office during the day was probably impossible, and it would just land him into a world of trouble he he didn't want to deal with.

Harvey settled back into a seat, his gaze fixing on the sky as he watched the sun dip further and further down. He was hoping they made it back to the institute without any trouble this time. The last trip had been fine, but he wouldn't be surprised if Landel made a point to switch it up just to mess with them.

[For Allelujah.]

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[fourstonewalls]

Lana had finally given up and tucked her hair into the collar of her jacket, which she then tugged tightly around her. She was ready for the day to be over; Ilia had said that last night would be long, but today had been far longer.

Then again, she was in no hurry to find out precisely what awaited her tonight. Landel's latest torment was clearly going to be strung out over several days; he was being remarkably patient, compared to his usual modus operandi, but Lana was ready for this trial to be over. No matter what it meant for her.

None of this, except for the part where the wind was playing merry havoc with her hair, was visible as she stepped onto the bus, nodded politely to the driver and Dent, and found an unoccupied seat. She was tempted to admit to Harvey what was going on, but she didn't need to dump that on him, not when they still didn't know the whole story. Instead, she slid down into her seat and closed her eyes. At least the bus was warmer than the outdoors had been.
[Gumshoe]

[ham_fisted]

'Significant rash on back of one hand.'

'I've got a weird rash on my hand.'

'Also have a large rash on one hand. Judging from the other responses here, it sounds like a common symptom between those who are sick.'

He knew he could jump to the wrong conclusions sometimes. But when he read about weird rashes on the back of people's hands... and he found out they were a common symptom of the infection... Who did you expect him to think of? The last person he saw with a rash like that, of course!

He walked back to the buses with his head lowered in thought. He didn't know how he was supposed to bring this up with her, whether it was a good idea to try, or if it was even his place to comment. It was a good enough reason to be concerned, so he had a right to ask her about it, he supposed. And while he might not know Ms. Skye very well, he cared enough to want to check whether she was alright. He didn't like to think of anyone going through something like that alone.

Gumshoe was glad to get away from the cold gusts of wind. They really cut through you after a while. What he wasn't glad about was the fact he and Ms. Skye were on the same bus. What was he going to do now? He had no idea what he was going to say to her yet! ...Then again, maybe he wouldn't have to say anything.

...

The detective paused in the aisle beside her seat and gulped. She hadn't seemed angry last night, but he knew she had every right to be mad at him after what'd happened to Ema. She'd asked him to keep an eye on her...!

Don't blame yourself, Mr. Edgeworth had said to him. That was one order he'd never know how to follow.

"M-Ms. Skye?" he said, sounding hesitant. He hoped she wasn't asleep.

[fourstonewalls]

She had been asleep, but only lightly; she was used to catching catnaps where she could, and looking just as alert when woken abruptly as if she'd merely had her eyes shut to avoid distraction.

"Detective." She looked up at him. It was impressive how small such a large man could make himself look by fidgeting. "Please, sit down. Is something the matter?"

The number of things that could be wrong were unlimited; their circumstances lent them to an even wider array than was normal back home, and while she hadn't worked with Gumshoe before, the expression on his face was familiar. Just usually pointed at Edgeworth's closed door, not her.

It's a good thing no one has ever framed you for murder, Detective; you seem to have mastered the art of looking guilty for other people's crimes. She let a faint smile touch her lips at that, and patted the seat beside her to emphasize that sit down was less of an invitation and more of an order.

[ham_fisted]

Gumshoe shifted his weight from foot to foot when she opened her eyes and told him to sit down. She seemed nice enough to him, but that didn't make him feel any less nervous around her. She hadn't just been a prosecutor. She had been Chief Prosecutor! THE Chief Prosecutor!

"Um... Y-Yeah," he replied. He hadn't really expected her to smile at him, but he knew better than to let that lighten his mood. If anything, it sort of made him feel guilty. As soon as he'd started explaining to her what was wrong, he didn't think he'd be seeing another smile from her in a while.

Gumshoe looked away briefly to regain his composure, then let out a shaky sigh. Finally, he turned and maneuvered himself into the seat beside her, quickly deciding that he'd sit on the edge of the chair. One of his legs ended up blocking the aisle, but it didn't matter. Everyone was sitting down.

"Er... Ms. Skye, I've gotta ask you something." He hunched over a little and looked down at his hands, which were clasped together tightly. He didn't have the heart to look at her, but when he finally spoke again, he turned his head slightly toward her. His voice was quiet; he couldn't have people overhearing them.

"D-Do you still have that rash on your hand?"