Day 70: Bus 2

[gald_digger]

As usual, night had ended too damn early. Anise really wanted to see what was at the end of that tunnel! But on the bright side, it sounded like she and her friends could get back there easily.

Actually, maybe it was a good thing that they got interrupted when they did. Today was a field trip day; it'd give them a chance to stock up on any tools or supplies they might need for their venture into the unknown. Anise just hoped the Head Doctor wasn't going to interfere with them going back, now that they were so close...

The outfit selected for Anise that day was a little colorless for her tastes, but the style was cute enough to satisfy her. There was a long, striped sweater with a hood. Two long flaps dangled down from the hood, resembling the floppy ears of a rappig. She fidgeted with them as she was led aboard one of the buses. It looked like she was the first on this bus, so she went ahead and sat down in a window seat.

With little else to do at the moment, she took the blueberry muffin from her paper bag and started breaking off tiny bits with her fingers to eat.

[Free!]

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[nobleman]

Waking up this time around was a matter of mixed feelings. On the one hand, Guy really would have preferred to not get cut off when they'd finally been getting somewhere down in the caverns. Not that that tunnel would have necessarily held anything good for them, but the curiosity was almost too much. On the other hand, though, when he woke up he had his sense of touch back. He could feel the mattress under him, the sheets rubbing against his skin, his eyelids fluttering open and closed.

That wasn't a sense he would necessarily give up again so easily. If they even had to bother with a toll again, and it didn't seem like it based on what that skeleton had said, then he was probably going to give up his voice. It might be a pain to write everything down, but at least he would have been able to feel his own feet.

Guy had almost forgotten that today was the Doyleton trip. Honestly, part of him just wanted to get through the day as quickly as possible so that night could come around again and they could make some real progress. Not that the town didn't have things of interest in it, and Guy was particularly curious about the mention of a new store. Either way, he was quick to change into the clothes that a nurse brought him: a loose, striped shirt and some blue jeans. It wasn't really his style, but there was no point in complaining.

Sack lunch in hand, Guy headed outside and boarded one of the buses, and he immediately spotted Anise. They'd only just seen each other, but there was nothing wrong with checking in before the trip started, right? Guy moved over to her with a smile, taking the seat behind her so that they could talk easily without there being any mishaps.

Though that did remind him of how he'd been able to make contact with Anise last night without any ill effects. That had probably been the only good thing about losing his sense of touch, though in the end that didn't make it worth it. Guy looked Anise over and smiled slightly. "I don't really like when things end like that, but we can at least try again tonight." Overall, it was just good to see Anise eating and looking healthy. The relief from his friends being cured hadn't quite worn off yet.

[gald_digger]

Anise caught Guy's smile as she ate her muffin, and she shot him a grin in return. He slipped behind her, and she realized he was interested in chatting. While Anise knew he was probably happy to have his sense of touch back, it was almost too bad in a way. Even if it was weird, it was kind of nice to get close to Guy without him screaming and flailing.

"Yeah... it's too bad," Anise agreed, turning so that part of her back rested against the side of the bus, with her head barely touching the cold glass of the window. She could face Guy a little better that way. "If only we had more time, we could have walked all the way out arm-in-arm, like a couple!"

She clasped her hands with a smile and squirmed excitedly, as if imagining some incredibly romantic scene.

[nobleman]

The way Anise had to turn to face him looked a little awkward, and Guy wondered if it would have been easier if he'd taken the seat across from her. It was a little too late to worry about that, though, especially since the bus jolted to life a moment later. Guy couldn't help but be distracted for a moment, thrilled to be riding in something like this, even though it was far from the first time.

His attention was drawn back to Anise when she made a mention of them being a couple. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, because he was more used to Anise focusing her attentions on Luke or Jade, but it seemed like once she was given an inch, she took a mile.

"Well, sorry to report, but I don't think we'll have to bother with those tolls at all anymore. I'm hoping not, at least." He couldn't say for sure yet, but the ferryman had definitely seemed to imply that.

[gald_digger]

Guy didn't give much of a reaction to Anise's gushing, but that was pretty normal. Maybe one day he'd warm up to the idea a little. Maybe.

"Yeah, that's true..." Anise almost sounded disappointed (though not sincerely so), but her tone quickly brightened. "But this means we'll be in top shape when we head out into the unknown!" Her sitting position was a little awkward, and now that the bus was moving and the nurses weren't paying too much attention, she slipped her shoes off and put her legs up on the seat, sitting fully sideways.

"And we can stock up on supplies, too," she added once she finished shifting around. "Do you know what you want to buy yet?"

[nobleman]

Guy also felt that it would be for the best if they could find out what laid deeper in the caverns when they were all at full strength and not missing any senses. They'd all given things up to the ferryman enough times as far as he was concerned. They'd jumped through all the hoops, done everything that was asked, braved the coliseum... What was going to be waiting for them at the end of all that?

Somehow, he got the feeling that he was going to be disappointed. Judging from what Landel had said over the intercom last night, it was the people who were trying to get up to the third floor who were on the right track. Still, they were too far into the caverns to just back out of it now.

At the mention of supplies, Guy glanced over at Anise, who looked a bit more comfortable now, at least. "Hmm... well, last time I got some leather and stitched myself a sheath for my sword. It's hard to know what we should grab when we have no idea what we're in for," he admitted. "What were you thinking of?" It might be good for them to toss ideas back and forth before they got there so they didn't just spend the whole time wandering around without a clue.

[gald_digger]

A sheath... Anise had noticed Guy using it, though it was pretty impressive to imagine him stitching it together from raw materials. "Eheh, my idea's kinda like that, too. Carrying my weapon around all the time is a pain, so I thought I'd look at toolbelts. A lot of them are already made to hold hammer-shaped things, so it should be easy to find something!" And there was no assembly required on her part.

"And I guess I'll make sure I have enough food, just in case," she went on with a thoughtful look. "I don't know what's out there, but if it really is the way out, then there probably won't be anyone lining up to serve us three meals a day like they do here." That was assuming they could get away in the first place, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

[nobleman]

A toolbelt was definitely a good idea, and it was something that the nurses would probably allow them to buy and might actually be in their price range. Not that Guy quite knew how the prices worked here, since it was pretty different from Gald, but dollars seemed to go a long way compared to what he was used to. "I'm sure you can find something like that," he said with a nod.

Claude would do well to have a sheath of his own, and Guy wondered if he should offer to help him with one. Not that they would have much time if if turned out that they really were leaving this place in a more real way. Guy didn't want to assume anything, but Anise was right that it was better to be prepared.

Which was why the mention of the food was a smart one. "You're right. I'll try to stock up on some too. We've got to make sure that it's easy enough to carry." Which meant that he might want to look into buying a pack, too.

Guy remembered that trip they'd made out to the ruins around the institute and he glanced over at Anise, curious. "Do you still have that money that you picked up in those ruins? It might be a good idea to bring that along too."

[armoredsoul]

Al woke up feeling much more accomplished than he had the previous two nights. Even if Scar had been injured, they'd gotten a good amount of supplies to better arm themselves in the future.

Especially poor Scar. Those scalpels weren't going to do much of anything against things like those bird-chimera!

He was surprised to find out everyone was being taken to the town--was there a chance of escape? But even so, Al had no idea where they were, or if it was even possible to get back to Amestris on their own. He supposed he could ask one of the others on the bus ride.

He chose his clothes from the options fairly quickly--jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a hooded jacket in case it got too cold out. The coupons and card were a bit of a surprise (how was money supposed to be stored on a tiny card like this?) but a welcome one. They might be able to get more supplies from the shops--or if he felt like being a little selfish, a book for during the day.

Alphonse followed his nurse out to the bus and climbed in. The seats at least looked more comfortable than a lot of the trains he and Edward had ridden in the past, and Al slipped into one of the many empty seats by a window to see what his breakfast was for today.

[Link]

[his_legacy]

Link had never been into town before. Not during the day, anyway. There had been the time he and Tsurugi had shown up in a store when the doors were misbehaving.

He frowned at the odd card that had been handed to him, carefully inspecting it as they were herded onto a very strange sort of machine. It seemed to be for moving people...?

The Hylian gave Alphonse a smile, taking a seat next to him.

"Good morning, Alphonse." He wore a worn green beanie, jeans, and a green sweatshirt. Again, clothing he was very unfamiliar with.

[armoredsoul]

Al looked up from his bag and grinned when he saw Link. "Good morning! I saw you gathering with some other people early last night; what were you all doing? Other than exploring, obviously," he added with a chuckle.

[his_legacy]

"I'm in a group with a few other patients. We've been travelling into the basement these past couple of nights." And it had certainly been an interesting ride thus far.

"Have you been holding up well?"

[armoredsoul]

Al raised his eyebrows. "There's a basement? I don't remember hearing about that."

He grinned and shrugged. "As well as you could expect, I guess. My first night I was caught by some sort of ghost thing that haunted my brother, myself, and someone we met that night through the next day." He grimaced at that. "Then last night I met up with some people from my world that are here too, and we went looking for the third floor the head doctor had talked about. Didn't get too far with that, but we did find plenty of supplies to make weapons with."

[his_legacy]

Ah, so he had yet to hear about the basement. Link nodded.

"Yes, apparently there are secrets to be found down there. The exact nature of them... I'm not sure if anybody actually knows." He paused, listening.

"There are others from your home as well? That's interesting..."

[armoredsoul]

"Hmm. It might be worth it for us to go looking down there too, then." Al frowned as he pondered that. "What have you found so far?"

He nodded. "Aside from my brother, there's two other people here--though they had both been dead before." He frowned then. "They both remember dying, but then woke up here."

[seekingmystrength]

With the week coming around again, Kurogane had no intention of enjoying the trip to town any more than he had the previous week. He might have tried to say that he was still ill to avoid the hassle that was sure to be another unexpected trip, however he couldn't have pulled that off by this point. The only traces remaining of the illness were what red patches had given some color to the scar on his shoulder. Besides that, he felt fine. Annoyed as hell, but fine.

He pulled at the old clothes given to him, confused for once by what he'd been given. The items fit well enough, but the nurse had usually gotten him dark clothes. The yellow tee, however faded, was bright enough to remind him of the smiley face he'd had to wear for so long.

Keeping a stronger glare than even his average, he got onto the bus he was taken to and got as far away from the nurses as he was able. He slumped into a back seat and looked out a window to the other buses, remembering something. It'll be his first time to the town...

[free]

Posted below and then noticed this LOL

[behind_my_smile]

Fai didn't really understand what was going on until his nurse ushered him to the bus. He had actually been pleased to have a change of clothes. The bright orange, obviously well loved, sweater was a definite improvement over the hospital attire he had been in for the last few days. He liked a little color and variety in his life.

He smiled and waved at the nurse as he headed onto the bus. He vaguely remembered mention of occasional field trips and so he was definitely curious as to what he might see outside of the convinces of the hospital.

He looked around the bus to see if he spotted any familiar faces.

[seekingmystrength]

He'd been watching through the window at other buses, noticing who was on which in case anything repeated from previous trips. Sora and Tsubaki could handle themselves, but there were some of the other kids that would be easy targets if they became stranded. There would be those who weren't expecting anything as well due to being new. He thought of his roommate for a moment before remembering this kid's paranoia would keep him prepared.

As he glanced between those boarding other buses and the ones coming on to his own, he spotted one he'd already been thinking on. The nurses had given Fai something bright to wear as well, though it suited the blonde a lot better. He raised his head, watching but not giving any motions for the man to join him.

[behind_my_smile]

Fai woudln't be a particularly good vampire if he wasn't able to sense when his prey was near. Perhaps that was what drew him to the bus in the first place. He spotted the ninja in the back and headed in that direction. He lifted his hand in an enthusiastic wave.

"How nice that we get to see some of the scenery today." He plopped down into the seat near Kurogane. Fai had no reason to worry about where they were going or what would happen so he only saw this as a good opportunity for some new scenery.

[seekingmystrength]

"It's not some pleasure trip," he warned, realizing then that he'd not told the magician anything about these days. "You get some time in the town. Only thing worth doing is going to the bar. Outside of that, if you get stuck in town or outside of the building when the sun goes down, the same stuff happens. The people there get affected too."

[behind_my_smile]

"I would think more people would try and stay in town. As long as you can survive against that kind of stuff, then you could eventually make an escape. It would be better then the institute wouldn't it?" Fai actually wasn't so sure about that but if they used that as a chance to find their way out of the world then it couldn't hurt.

"There must be something else besides just the bar! We get to go shopping right? I want something tasty~" Fai was sure there had to be some good food in town. Even if that wasn't the only thing that could sustain him, it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy eating something good once in awhile. The institute food was alright, but Fai liked a little more flavor..or even better, something sweet!

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar awoke to the sensation of stitches and bandages pulling at the gash down his arm. It was Saturday, which meant that they would be dragged into the town again. He was in those uncomfortable pants and shirt again and being herded onto the bus with the rest of them.

At least he had picked the bus with Alphonse on it. He wanted to keep an eye on the others after the fiasco last week.

[The Once-ler!]

[fallenbeanpole]

This morning was much different from the previous ones the Once-ler had experienced. Rather than heading out to breakfast in the standard uniform, he had been provided with a pair of jeans, a beige shirt, and a brown coat that seemed to be meant for someone with a bit more bulk than he had. In addition, his nurse had given him a lunch bag and what seemed to be a combination credit card and institute ID.

The surprise of being given new clothes and being informed of the upcoming town trip would have had more effect on the man, had he not seen his dead roommate being led out the door as well.

True, they hadn't talked much, but the last time the Once-ler had seen Scar the other man had been little more than a bloody mess across a hallway. Yet here he was, clearly quite alive, and that wasn't something the Once-ler could just let go.

He hardly needed any ushering to board the bus, and sat down right next to Scar. Making no attempt to hide the confusion and surprise in his voice, the Once-ler faced his roommate and asked, "You're alive?"

[envy_the_sinners]

Here we go again.

Scar looked sideways at his roommate with a nod before returning to staring out the window.

"Yes."

[fallenbeanpole]

Scar's clear lack of interest in conversation did nothing to deter the Once-ler. "B-but how? I saw you! You were... you were...." He faltered for a moment, uneasy as he recalled the gruesome scene that had been the last he'd seen of his roommate.

"You were everywhere!"

No one just came back to life from that. Well, no one just came back to life in general, but especially not from that.

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar managed to hide the slight churn in his stomach when the Once-ler kindly informed him that he had been everywhere.

And he was rather glad that it hadn't happened somewhere the entire institute would have been able to see.

"I awoke in the morgue. I do not know how it happened."