The weather would be one of the first noticeable things as the three buses rumbled their way down the road and into the small town of Doyleton. It had always been cold on these trips, but it was only getting colder, with a light layer of frost dotting the road in some places. There was no saying whether there would be full-blown snow at some point, but considering how far up into the mountains the town was, it was quite possible.

For now, though, the roads were just a little more slippery than normal, something that had the nurses worried as they piled out of the buses and waited for their patients to enter. Most of them gave out a warning - "watch your step!" - before handing each patient a packet of coupons, as usual.

Meanwhile, the townspeople were getting used to these weekly trips, and so they didn't pay the new arrivals too much mind as they went about their early morning business. Still, the shops were all open and ready for visitors.

The bus ride had been uneventful. Tim was more than a little annoyed at the shirt he was wearing. He was sure it was a girl's shirt, but the nurse had assured him it wasn't, and had refused to get him anything else. The way too tight pants weren't really any help, and he was sure the color coupled with the tightness was some not-so-well-hidden hint that they knew exactly who he was. At least the coat covered up the stupid shirt. It was unnecessary, maybe, but it served it's purpose. And he could do worse than worn out blue Converse. Why they were blue and completely refused to match the rest of the clothes he'd been brought, well, who even knew.

The sack lunch was a ridiculous touch, as far as he was concerned. And the way the staff was littered all over the place, was this really necessary? It sure as hell wasn't like any hospital he'd ever heard of. Letting mental patients run around a town? That was crazy in and of itself.

He hadn't shaken the feeling he'd gotten last night. Blood all over the place, and he hadn't been able to reach Kon right away, and...

He stood on the street corner, unable to push the thoughts completely out of his head. All that blood, and it smelled real, and he couldn't save anyone because he couldn't be Robin and he wasn't cut out for it...

Dad, I'm sorry.

He forced himself to open his eyes. This was not the time or the place for that. Kon wasn't dead (well, okay, maybe he was, but he wasn't dead again), and the blood wasn't his fault. It wasn't like some other things, and it wasn't something he could have prevented or helped. It was just...something that had happened.

But he hated feeling like he had no control. He just couldn't stand that. So he stood there, fists clenched inside the too-long sleeves of the coat, and told himself to breathe. He had a few short hours to find something useful in this town. There was no sense in wasting the trip.

[Waiting for Alfred. He just doesn't know it yet.]

Senna stepped off the bus to wind blowing through the clothes she was given. A sad face at one of the nurses allowed her a long red scarf as well, and once she had draped it around her neck and let it hang down her back, she had trotted off.

The park she had saw last time seemed a good place to be on the look-out for the chicks from last night. It was close to the buses, and a big enough place that if they remembered that they had a race date, it would suit its purpose. The girl ran to a place in the middle of the field and waited there, shifting her weight from side to side. After a while, this wasn't enough, and Senna traded back and forth between jogging in place and acrobatics--the easy flips and cartwheels keeping her warm.

Her mind had changed in the night before. She had gotten a taste of what leadership entailed, and she wasn't sure she had rose to the occasion or not. She knew she had tried her best, and had been willing to give as much as she had, but it hadn't been enough. She knew this. Hokuto, at least, had gotten hurt, and in the end, they still hadn't explored more than the schoolhouse. They really needed a different approach with that place.

She went back and forth internally, body going through the motions and reflexes of her movements.

[for... Falis, Hokuto, Meche, and Soma?--and down to here]

The nurse pointed him to the bulletin as soon as he left the bus, but after a few seconds of consideration, Shikamaru decided that he didn't feel like leaving a note asking the other Leaf-nin to check in. One of them should do it eventually; he'd written it in the notes he'd given Naruto and, if he remembered right, underlined it a couple times. He'd check again later, or not. Probably not. It wasn't his job. Kakashi or Jiraya could deal with it.

Shikamaru wasn't sure what his job was, actually. He'd tried to pull the others back together by giving them something to focus on that wasn't a bunch of miserable deaths, but the plan for his own group had been terrible and, as seemed to be a running theme in his life, they'd had to rely on luck. He had no idea what happened to the other team. Worse, on top of basing everyone's safety on a fundamentally flawed strategy, he'd given it as an order rather than a suggestion, when he had no authority to be issuing commands. It was a hell of a lot of work to be doing without being forced into it, Shikamaru realized with an irritated sigh, but that too made the list of stuff to deal with later. He knew that he should take this as an opportunity to learn from his mistakes, but there wasn't margin for error here and, despite his efforts, he obviously hadn't learned from the last one. Maybe the best thing to learn was to keep the hell out of people's way.

Which he ought to be more than happy to do.

The town wasn't large, but it still took him a few minutes' walk to find a park, and when he saw that it wasn't empty he walked until he found another. Also occupied. It seemed impossible to get a moment's peace in this place--either people were more extroverted here, or he'd developed an aura of please-talk-to-me when he wasn't paying attention. He hoped it wasn't the latter. Figuring there'd be some place along the edge of town where he could lie around without being bothered, Shikamaru continued on until he met an empty field. Uncut grass suggested that it'd only be of interest other people who didn't feel like being found, but the nurse wouldn't let him out of her sight, and with a heavy groan, he gave up when she yelled for him to stop. Geographically speaking, this was probably the furthest he could get from the institute. It didn't change the fact that he was trapped here, but it was still a pleasant thought.

[why more work, Kakashi?]

Strange. He couldn't say he was in a particularly good mood, but he somewhat felt a bit calmer coming off the bus than he had going on. Could it be his little exchange with Forehead actually cheered him up to some degree? Hahaha. Though to be honest, he was a little worried about him. In court, the little magician girl proved to be much quicker on the uptake than that boy Would he really be okay here? This was perhaps the ultimate trial by fire, so he should hope Justice picked up quickly.

Well, Since the majority of people seemed to be heading for the main street area, Klavier took it upon himself to follow the perimeter of town. Or the perimeter created by the nurses in any case. There were no barricades, but it seemed apparent there were certain roads the staff did not plan to let any of them enter. Which was fine. He wasn't seeking escape in the direct sense; he was looking around for a phone. Even if he had no money, he could always call collect.

He assumed the worst that could happen would be the staff not allowing him near a phone, but it was worse than that. As far as he could see, there were no phones. Not one. He turned into North Street and found the same thing: No phones anywhere. Well, that plan was out. That left exploring the town for information or anything useful, and this street wasn't looking particularly good for that either. A pet store was about as useless as one could get. And an antique shop... Well, maybe. There could always be something. Maybe he could talk to the owner and see if he could get anything useful out of them.

[to here]

[from here]

Klavier flashed a bright smile at said owner as soon as he walked in. A woman. How fortunate. Women tended to be easier to speak with. He wouldn't be so rude as to just barrel over and start interrogating Frau Antiquität, so he figured he'd at least pretend to look around at her wares first. Besides, he could get a better idea regarding this 'reality,' as people put it, if he looked at what they considered antiques.

He wasn't terribly impressed at first. Statues, useless knick knacks, pots, wall fixtures... Nothing very intriguing or telling, quite frankly. Then, his heart almost stopped. There to the side... Oh, she could have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. An exquisite Mahogany acoustic guitar sitting by itself in a place like this. What a crime. Klavier found himself over there and with the instrument in his arms before he'd even realized he'd left his spot.

Horrible. Horrible. The strings were loose. He didn't even need to run a finger across them to tell they hadn't been tuned in a while. That was a travesty in and of itself. Thankfully, he could easily tune by ear, and it was quiet enough in here to do so. Without thinking to ask permission first, he set to work meticulously tightening and tuning each individual string. Amazing how something like that could be so utterly relaxing. All the stress from that week completely vanished.

He'd engrossed himself completely in the task until the strings resounded with a sound that could be described as nothing less than perfect. Gorgeous sound, this one. Absolutely lovely. He softly strummed the strings a few times before switching quickly to a song. It was a softer song than he was accustomed to playing, but this was an acoustic after all. One had to play music most befitting of the instrument.

[Free. Limit: Any. Klavier is going to be here playing guitar all day. People are free to enter and exit his thread as they wish. He will take requests if anyone has them and if he knows the song/music style requested. However, things like Linkin Park will be not-so-politely ignored. To the NPC mod, I got mod permission for this and was told this would be okay as long as he doesn't leave with the thing, and he's not planning to.]

As soon as Anise hopped off the bus, she was handed a bundle of coupons, as was routine for these trips, though her nurse stopped her before she could run off and do her own thing. Telling the girl she would surely catch a cold in just a t-shirt, the woman handed Anise a pale purple jacket. It was pretty chilly, so Anise slipped it on without any complaints. Naturally, Tokunaga went over top of it, hanging from its usual spot on her back.

Once she was free to wander around, Anise headed over to Wicker Street. Though she had walked down it once before while searching for a post office, she never really took the time to see what shops were there.

Immediately, a shop window caught her eye - one displaying a row of elegant-looking porcelain dolls. They sort of reminded her of the kinds she used to see the daughters of rich tourists carrying with them... the kinds that were way too expensive for a girl like Anise to have.

Tokunaga was much better than any of them, of course.

Still, the girl couldn't help but gravitate over to the window to get a closer look. The styles of dresses they wore were different from what she usually saw on Auldrant, and the quality and detail were way beyond that of anything Anise considered affordable. It was a little depressing, in a way.

[taken ♥]

[from here.]

Now that his monologue had ended, it took Hijikata a(n un)surprisingly short amount of time to reach his destination. Pointed out to him (not so politely) by the nurses after he'd (not so politely) asked, a small store labeled "Callahan's Grocer" stood before Hijikata. Exercising the supreme caution demanded of him by Edo Public Service Announcement #12 ("Approach any consumer grocery store with supreme caution! A sale might be going on! Check for the old ladies! If there's fewer than six of them standing at the Discount section at the front, the sale is 56% sure to be extremely crappy!"), Hijikata stopped before entering--checking his blind spots left and right to ensure a smooth entry.

Visible signs of foodstuffs being sold? Check.

Visible signs of service people guarding the door and thus ensuring that no hoboes are likely to be washing in the store bathroom should you need it for an emergency? Check.

Visible signs of prices, ensuring this is a normal store and that you haven't accidentally entered a Church promotion? Check.

No visible signs of flyers ready to be handed out in case this is a Church promotion masquerading as a normal grocery store so as to increase the chance of people entering? Check.

Check, check, check, and check.

He was ready.

Placing a hand where his sword would be if the outfit he was wearing could accommodate a sword, he took a step in.

And headed straight for the condiments section.

[free as...something searching aisles intently for mayonnaise now he's going to be avoided like hell, isn't he? x__x]

[Free, and in the best mood he's been in all day. Just don't touch the coffee pot.]

Unfortunately for the filly, Q&A time ended as soon as the bus stopped; Godot had better places to be, and much more pleasant women to meet. Specifically, the ladies who worked at Twin Pines restaurant. The waitresses were to be thought of as no less than angels of mercy for what they did; they were fabled bearers of the gods' own ambrosia, delivering salvation to a mortal too long deprived of the pleasant bitterness.

Just as soon as Godot got directions from his nurse.

He had enough dignity and pride not to break out into a run once he was oriented. A man may have been free to indulge in a vice or two, but only so long as he wouldn't grovel for them. One of Godot's rules. Still, the prosecutor set a brisk pace to the place, inspired both by the promise of what was to come, and by the cold he hated. All the more reason to get there in haste.

And so he did, Godot finding himself almost alone in the cozy cafe. His waitress earned a smile as she showed him to his seat, and asked the question he'd been waiting far too long to hear: What may I get you to drink?. For that there was only one answer, and Godot could hardly contain delight that amounted to giddiness as he gave it. He could already smell the fragrant aroma as the blend brewed, fresh, hot, and perfect.

The waitress was kind enough to leave the pot on Godot's request, though the cold milk she'd brought along wasn't necessary. It was the first cup of black bitter magic he'd had in days, and Godot refused to taint the darkness he'd so anticipated. His first sip was hot, acerbic, and perfect.

It was as if he'd died for a second time, and dreamed of Heaven.