Day 28: Germaine Street

[sugarsweetblood.livejournal.com]

Rhode didn't want to have to let go of Allen, not ever. It could be forever before she was able to be with him again! But the nurses were persistent in moving her off the big yellow thing, as was Allen for getting away from her. Even outside of the building, people were just determined to keep her from being with him! It wasn't fair!

Once off the bus and shivering just slightly from the crisp fall air, Rhode was handed a small booklet of what the nurse called "coupons". It took some explaining, but Rhode was eventually able to understand that the thin pieces of paper in the book were supposed to be used like money here. She wasn't at all accustomed to buying things for herself; that was supposed to be the Earl's job. When Rhode expressed this problem, the nurse only gave her a sad smile and patter her in the direction of the buildings.

"Why don't you go find something fun to do? There's a toy store just around the corner there. Don't worry about being alone though, we're all here to keep an eye on you. If anything happens, just come get one of us," the nurse explained, nodding to the staff members that were set to parole the town for any problems their more unruly patents could cause.

So, they were all going to be watched even though they could roam about freely? Rhode took a look back towards the yellow things but was unable to pick out Allen from the mess of patients. In a few moments, she probably wouldn't be able to find him at all or for the rest of the day. Should she just resign herself to that for now and use the small bit of freedom to her advantage? Being with Allen was important, and a lot of fun but...

She glanced down at the coupons again, smiled up at the nurse as best she could, and gave a quick, "Okay!" before running off as suggested.

A small bit of freedom was bound to make her feel better. Maybe she could use it to remind herself of how she was supposed to handle Allen Walker, an exorcist. This town did have a similar air to that of the Rewinding Town, after all.

[went here]

Comments

[quickdrawbkiddo.livejournal.com]

The Bride looked at the nurse coldly as she exited the bus. She stared at the coupon book for a moment before taking the damn thing from the woman and stuffing it into the back pocket of her jeans. She didn't care what freebies they were giving the prisoners in this facade of normal.

"I though the Head Doctor was going to be here?" she asked the nurse, taking only a small step away from the bus to let others off.

"Oh, he's a very busy man, Miss Harmon," the nurse replied. "He'll be along later."

This put a damper in her plans. She'd just have to find him later. She opened her mouth to ask where he was planning on asking if she could talk to him when he arrived, but a surge from behind as one of the children got off the bus knocked Beatrix away from the nurse and into another person. The nurse immediately forgot about her and started chiding the unruly patient for pushing.

Beatrix looked over at whom she had bumped into and was met with the sight of her victim from last night. She appeared to have faired well after the Bride had assaulted her, but there was no sympathy in the Bride's eyes.

Nor was there recognition. Her training was too high to give even that much away. She inclined her head slightly to the shorter woman.

"Excuse me," she said in an uncaring tone as she moved past the woman and down the street. Facing forward, her hearing was still focused on that woman. She didn't expect trouble, not with so many of the staff around, but it was always best to be prepared when you've made an enemy out of someone.

Internally she shorted. The woman was probably scared out of her mind.

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Raine's eyes got very wide when she recognized the woman's voice--her attacker. There was little chance the woman would do anything now; both the situation and her body language said she didn't intend to finish what she'd started last night. Still... her blood ran cold at getting confirmation that the woman really was another patient, not just a humanoid-shaped monster.

She'd been following Reinforce anyway; she found herself slipping behind her to hide... she had a feeling her face was even paler than usual. She didn't expect today to be fun, but this was the last thing she needed.

[notmyfather.livejournal.com]

Being practically shoved off of the 'bus' by a nurse was a less than pleasant experience. And he didn't like the way she had glared at him at all. What had that been for?

He didn't move once he was off the bus. Despite being informed there was a great deal to do - and given some bits of parchment that would apparently allow him to partake of said fun - he didn't want to do anything until he had Shadow right there with him.

And had made sure Keman and Shana were alright.

[hamenleai.livejournal.com]

Shana slipped away from her seat-mates in relief. It wasn't that they hadn't been nice, it was just that she'd felt very... out of place. Then again, she'd felt out of place ever since she'd arrived in this strange world. This should be no different.

Still feeling awkward and uncomfortable in the skirt and sweater her nurse had given her, she smoothed her fingers down over the soft fabric, unconsciously straightening it, wishing it were longer - wishing it were breeches or at least something similar - even as she cast a glance around at the disembarking patients for a familiar face.

Long red hair falling about her face in disarray, she was completely unconscious of the sight she made. Not that she'd comprehend that even if she did know.

[hajike-tobiume.livejournal.com]

Momo exited the bus and received her coupon book. As she walked down the street, she idly flipped though it. Some of the things inside she'd never heard of before. What was a Tasty Burger anyways?

Not particularly wanting to be around anyone she knew, the shinigami tucked away her coupons and crossed her arms as she walked down the road. She needed to think and so she's walk and think.

[hajike-tobiume.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)]

[thesadist]

To say Daemon was relieved to be off the over-sized carraige would be an understatement. He'd ridden all manner of creatures and contraptions in his 1700 years - the Blood nobility loved their short-lived and often strange fashions of transportation - but that one hadn't agreed overly much with the sparse breakfast they'd provided.

Taking the book of coupons from the staff member, he put a few feet of distance between himself and the large yellow carraige before pausing to look around, taking in his surroundings, and waiting for his father to rejoin him before they parted ways.

The town didn't look all the different from a Blood village, although there were definite things that Daemon didn't recognize and seemed out of place. And again, there was no familiar psychic sense of any other Blood nearby, other than Saetan's familiar Black.

It was... disconcerting.

[highlord-ofhell.livejournal.com]

Even before the nurses handed him his coupons, Saetan stretched his back. He knew there'd be quite a bit of walking and he didn't want anything else throwing his gait off to put strain on his leg.

"There truly aren't any other Blood here, are there?" he asked Daemon. "I thought we might be under some kind of shielding at the Institute." Of course, he could sense it as easily, but he wanted it out in the open to discuss.

The crowd from the buses wasn't dispersing quickly, and it was easier to stay near Daemon and talk of familiar things while he chose where he wanted to go and who he wanted to see.

[bewarethecute.livejournal.com]

Ururu moved off her bus, and tried her best to get out of the way of others. She wanted to watch the people leave, to try and see Kisuke-san at last, to finally tell him everything she had learned.

But Kisuke-san didn't come out of a bus. Or he did before Ururu was watching. Or she hadn't seen him, even though she was watching very carefully.

But in the end, there was no Kisuke-san. Just a very worried little girl.

Ururu looked down, her mind desperately seeking a solution that didn't involve Kisuke-san being hurt or worse. But he didn't have Benihime or his fan or his hat, and who knew what had happened during the night when Ururu hadn't found him?

She knew well how clever Kisuke-san was. It was just easy to forget when she got worried.

"K-Kisuke-san..." Ururu sniffled, large tears welling in her eyes. "Where'd you go?"

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

Yuuhi's conversation with Haku had done plenty to unsettle him. Did the dead really come back to life here? And if that were so... if he could just find out how it was done, then maybe... maybe he had a real chance of bringing Fai back.

Unfortunately, before he could ask Haku many more questions, he was ushered off of the bus and given a handful of tickets. He had only taken a few steps when he noticed the little girl in pink and white that he'd seen before during Arts and Crafts. She was creative, he knew that much, but now she was distressed.

He wasn't usually one to meddle in the affairs of others... alright, so perhaps he was, but either way he couldn't just ignore a crying child in the middle of the street. He approached and got down into a crouch so he could speak at her level. Children tended to appreciate that, he'd noticed. He folded his hands in front of himself and tried to meet her eyes.

"Hey now, we just got off the bus, today is going to be a fun day, right?" He made a couple of soft cooing noises meant to calm her. "Something wrong? Did you forget your mittens on the bus?" He kept his voice light and tried to smile as much as he could. There was plenty to be frightened of in a place like Landel's, but maybe he could help her forget that for at least a little while.

[byakushi.livejournal.com]

Byakuya hurried off the bus, as much to avoid Rukia's question as anything. He hadn't actually meant what he'd said; moron or not, Renji would never embarrass either himself or the Gotei 13. He was simply digging as hard as he could, looking for reasons why they shouldn't be together.

His inability to find solid ones was enraging.

Rather than face either his sister or his lieutenant, he stalked off, not particularly caring where he ended up.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)]

[transgenix.livejournal.com]

Max stepped down off the bus, tucking her hands in her jeans pockets and relishing the feel of being in normal clothes again. Although she missed her leather jacket; it would have been much warmer than the denim one she'd been given. Plus, it had compartments on the inside for items to be secreted away. She wondered if she'd find anything useful to lift in town, if necessary.

Stepping out of the way of the other patients getting off the bus, she took a few steps down the street, dark eyes casually searching up and down either side, taking in her surroundings. She had no set plans as of yet, but then again, she wasn't entirely sure what she had to work with. The best plan of action was probably to scope out the town and then go from there...

[killing-suzie.livejournal.com]

Captain Jack had spent the bus ride snoozing. He wasn't a fan of early Earth land vehicles when he wasn't the one at the wheel. Once they arrived, he pulled out the juice box and stuck the straw in, so he could sip it as he walked. That put him in a cheerful mood; he liked some of the quaint things around here. And he had gotten laid yesterday, too. And he was wearing something close to his normal clothes, minus the coat, and that was something to be happy about as well.

He spotted someone he hadn't spoken to yet, not long after he got off the bus. She had a cute butt, so he walked a bit faster to catch up with her. "Morning," he said.

[boot-i-licious.livejournal.com]

[Waiting for a certain white-haired boy...]

Rinali stepped off of the bus and looked around the town. The fact that nurses were everywhere among the townsfolk wasn't lost on her, but it was still nice to be out in the open air and away from the depressing walls of the institute. She looked at the coupons that she had been given, all of which had the same happy smiley face on them. Never had such a symbol for happiness been so utterly depression.

Still, she wasn't going to let it get her down. The only question was where to go first.

[broken-exorcist.livejournal.com]

Allen was relieved that the nurses had seen fit to pry Rhode away from him and let her leave first. The thought of exploring the new town seemed to be enough to keep her occupied because she was off like a shot. Allen, on the other hand, waited until a few more people left, namely Rinali, before tailing her out of the bus.

He hadn't gotten a chance to properly talk to her since she'd arrived and now... already he'd upset her somehow. Unless she really hadn't seen him, but that... that wasn't possible, was it?

"Rinali? H-hey, wait a moment, R..Rinali!" he stumbled down the steps and called after her.

[claire-ity.livejournal.com]

Claire hopped off the bus, turning around almost waiting for Aidou. Then she realized this wasn't exactly subtle, and he might have noticed her staring. If so, he wasn't going to let her confront him alone like she wanted.

Huffing a little, she told TK she'd look around for a bit and meet up with him later.

She wanted to explore for a bit, and possibly seek help from the townspeople. They'd believe her...right?

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

One of the advantages of being tall was that Clark had no problems peering over the heads of his fellow patients as he scanned for any familiar faces. It took a few minutes before he spotted anyone he knew, catching a glimpse of long blond hair and...

"Claire!" he called out, pushing his way as politely as he could through the crowd.

It seemed kind of weird to just call out to Claire like he actually knew her, but he figured that he had a name, a face, and she seemed pretty nice, and that was good enough of a start for him. Anyway, he couldn't see any sign of Kasady, which kind of sucked - Clark would've liked to hang around him a bit more and see if he could pick anything up from the drifter. The drifter...Clark hated to admit it outright, but that just sounded downright cool. Very independent and care-free.

[seiran314.livejournal.com]

The idyllic scene pulled out a frown on Aya's brows. Either they were stupid at Landel's or this town was just as corrupted with the same vile as the hospital. He had little desire to find out what kind of evil was lurking within the calmly breathing town. However, he'd do what he had to.

Making mental notes of the nurses he saw, their positions and distances. He hurt too much to even try running at this point but considering the size of the town at first glance, complexity and detail, it was the best chance this far to get away.

That in mind, he started at random direction, not caring where it'd take him.

[never-learns.livejournal.com]

It probably had to be done.

Yohji sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he spotted Aya. He'd managed to avoid any of the others on the bus ride thankfully and caught some much needed sleep on the way. He should probably talk to Omi too, but Aya first. He was a much more familiar variable than this younger version of Omi. He was sure at one point that he'd been able to deal with Omi just fine, but now... Hell, he felt old.

"Hey, Aya," he said quietly, approaching the younger man.

[unfitforheaven.livejournal.com]

Katou still had that poor shirt wrapped around his head like a scarf, little smiling face dangling at his left temple. The rest of his attire wasn't much better than the uniform, bell bottom jeans with low waist and even a hint of fringe, tight button down shirt with yellow and green flower patterns on it and a double breasted corduroy jacket, of the red variety, worn out from the elbows. He had spent good twenty minutes just getting into that hideous thing. The jeans kept slipping down from his narrow hip, which resulted with the nurse insisting that he'd wear the shirt under them, and had fetched him a pair of suspenders which were now hanging down around his thighs. Some things were just too much.

He had munched on his breakfast with good appetite in the buss and listened to people talk around him. It seemed that they were not aware of the fact that they were in Hell. Or perhaps this wasn't the hell Katou knew at all. The only glimpse of a demon he had was of that thing with a triangle on its head.

Whatever. He'd find out soon enough what was going on. Until then, he might as well enjoy the ride. The food at least was good. There had to be a shop in town, stealing cigarettes wouldn't be big a deal.

Grinning brightly, he headed towards whatever street was opening from this one. Once he'd get some nicotine streaming down in his dead body, the humiliation of the uniform of today would be long forgotten.

[thecoming-storm.livejournal.com]

Naoto escaped the bus actually...relatively calm, for a given value of 'calm' that encompassed Naoto's usual state of angry and frustrated. He wanted to find Naoya and try to get away from the nurses--they were everywhere, but with the patients outnumbering them, they couldn't keep an eye on everyone every moment, could they?

He walked quickly down the street, passing a young man who looked like a reject from a hippie commune, headed...nowhere in particular. He couldn't find Naoya easily without their telepathic link, he would just have to look the old-fashioned way.

[notahangedman.livejournal.com]

There was something fundamentally wrong in wearing something else than black suit and sunglasses, Seishirou had decided when the nurse had presented him with jeans and a sweater before equipping him with a breakfast bag and pushed towards the buses. But considering the situation, he was not prone to get all huffy about it, they were just clothes after all.

Breakfast consumed in silence while he had been gazing out from the buss windows and taking in the surroundings, he felt rather bright and content when the buses unloaded the patients at the sunny street full of autumn leaves. Now if only he could find cigarettes somewhere.

He smiled warmly to the nurse who gave him his coupons and stopped to eye the park for a moment in all the glorious autumn colors.

"Cigarettes," he murmured after a moment, smilingly. He'd have to figure out a way to find them while here. It shouldn't prove out to be horribly difficult. Transporting them back would probably present more adversity instead.

[31st-of-china.livejournal.com]

Sanzo was on a similar mission: if he was going to have to suffer out more of this bullshit, he might as well get that lighter and more cigarettes. And find out whatever he could about the Institute from the people in town, and the town itself.

The ride here had been relatively eventless, much like Landel's dayshift itself. The predictability was almost irritating.

Still, even the though the monk knew he couldn't just leave without the sutra, having something other than those damned walls was almost painful. He was starting to understand why Goku had preferred running all over the temple compound, rather than keeping his ass in one place.

Having a glimpse of freedom was one thing, and knowing you couldn't take it was another.

Sanzo resisted the urge to check for the cigarettes in his pocket. He'd left them back in the cell. The urge to smoke one was very quickly rising, butthey were useless anyway without a lighter.

The monk looked up, in time to see that he was approaching that man from several nightshifts ago. The one that Goku'd been running his mouth off at. Seishirou.

One of the few people here that Sanzo honestly couldn't read.

"Looking for something?" As much as he usually disliked company, it'd be worth it to try and see who he was dealing with. Sanzo wasn't very fond of having to deal with wild cards in potential enemies and getting knocked on his ass just because he wasn't prepared.

[fuyunohanabi.livejournal.com]

Rangiku was not impressed with the clothes. She didn't expect to be much impressed with anything, but they could at least have picked something which flattered her figure. The jeans were too loose around the legs, baggy even, although they tightened around her hips which she supposed was acceptable. The top was a tight shirt which was rather better. She intended to make full use of her assets if it meant she could get a drink around here.

She looked around, hoping to catch sight of Gin and speak to him after what had happened last night, but he wasn't off the bus yet that she could see. Momo though... Her expression tightened at the thought of what could happen if the younger shinigami ran into a creature like they'd met last night. She needed to be warned. And then Byakuya followed after her which only made Rangiku worry more. Looking around once again, she hurried off after the pair.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)]

[hack-ed.livejournal.com]

At least Ed knew what the stormtrooper guy looked like now, but he also knew what she looked like. Her mind racing as fast as her feet, she now realized he did look like the clones from the prequel movies. It'd been a while since she'd seen those, and hadn't liked them anyways. Icky.

There was another street ahead, Wicker Street, it sounded like as good a place to go as any. She glanced over her shoulder to see if the big scary psycho Empire-lover was behind her.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

622 was behind her, gaining ground quite fast. He wasn't breathing hard at all, more than able to easily speak while running. "I'm not going to attack, kid!" He was close enough so that he didn't have to shout. He didn't want to draw attention to this.

[1mperturbable.livejournal.com]

[From Here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/244463.html)

Somehow, walking down a simple street with other people made him feel completely at home again. It was probably just a simple gesture, but the thought of wandering around on streets with others – who would probably know exactly where he came from – was terribly motivating. He wondered if he could actually get lost in this place.

The institute staff probably would not allow for that, but it would be interesting to see if it was at all possible. He had only gotten himself lost in Midgar a few dozen times and Junon half a dozen. It was much more fun exploring and figuring out how to get back to where he had once started. Besides, he had no real want to shop anyway.

Casually meandering down the street, Cloud picked a particularly large street to wander down. He thought this would be a good one to try and one to use as a point to get back to.

[Meandering Here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)

[1mperturbable.livejournal.com]

[From Here] (”http://community.livejournal.com/damned/246762”)

Finding himself back in familiar territory, Cloud walked down Germaine Street slowly to better explore the length of the street. It was probably as long as Kelley Street as well as most of the others he had passed by running south.

He stopped at the first street running back east and looked down it. It seemed like a main side street, and he wondered what kind of shops would be there. He glanced to the sign listing the street name and crossed his arms as he considered wandering back down it. He could continue south or wander this way. There could be a few side alleys to explore.

He supposed he had the time to do both. There was nothing else to do but explore… and wonder if his clothing could hide a hammer.

[deathinvitation.livejournal.com]

Sephiroth hadn't been terribly impressed with the town upon seeing it. To him, it seemed like one of those in paintings or on postcards that were supposed to be showing perfection while beneath beat a corrupted and diseased heart. He did begin taking in the direction of roads, which way went where or back to Landel's. When he escaped, such would come in handy.

The yellow hair was what caught his attention.

Dressed in all black, Sephiroth had wished for a longcoat, but none had been available. Instead, he was stuck with this. At least he looked somewhat more like himself even if he did long for the feel of his blade in his hand. Soon, he reminded himself. Soon. First things first though.

Despite his promise not to come to Cloud, Sephiroth trailed along behind the other man. Cloud was his anyways, or at least his SephirothLogic said so. Getting close to Cloud without making noise in such poor clothing was a challenge, but one Sephiroth was up for. He got as close as he could before asking speaking, wanting to use his height to his advantage.

"It reminds me of Nibelheim for some reason. what do you think?"

[traitors-smile.livejournal.com]

Once that obnoxious child had gone, Gin had actually had some time to recover from the throbbing headache he'd received after his adventures last night. He would certainly be thinking twice before using flash-step again. At least the creature had been killed, and Aizen or not, it had to be a positive note on his record should it be brought to the attention of the other Arts and Crafts members. There were only a couple of the shinigami, aside from Rangiku, that he would trust enough not to put a knife in his back given the opportunity and even then it was iffy.

He woke from a half-sleep, though he wasn't the only one getting a late start off the bus. He could see Rangiku's familiar form hurrying down the street after... the older Kuchiki? Interesting.

Byakuya had done nothing to hide his intentions of what exactly he would like to do to Gin, given the chance. Gin, quite honestly, wouldn't mind putting another hole in the man, or a few good kicks, given the lack of his zanpakutou. It was entertaining though, to watch the fallen noble trying to look just as regal as ever despite his new wardrobe at Landel's. Better yet would be seeing the man get himself sedated. Gin couldn't be the only one who'd noticed the nurses and orderlies everywhere he looked.

The way he looked at it, this was a taunt as well as an open invitation. The people running Landel's obviously thought so little of their patients as a threat that they would go so far as to show them freedom, only to snatch it back just as quickly, was that it? Or was it a challenge? Maybe escape was possible here, for those clever enough to find it.

At least the air was nice and crisp as he stepped from the bus. He followed the other Shinigami, though at a leisurely pace. It wasn't like there were many places to hide. Besides, he'd always loved to indulge a little curiosity.

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)]]

[godhood.livejournal.com]

[Waiting for Crowley.]

Once the muffin and juice box had been finished off, Light had lost himself in the scenery outside-- or, more accurately, in keeping track of every twist and turn the bus made on its way down to Doyleton. He wished he had gotten a seat closer to the front so that he could have gotten a more accurate idea of how fast they were going, how far they had gone, etc., but since he hadn't, he had to make do with what was available to him. The information would likely prove to be useless since none of the patients had been successful at escaping yet and because the fact that the town had agreed to play host to them today meant they were most likely on Landel's side, but it somehow felt wrong to not make the effort anyway. Light had always made a point of preparing for every eventuality and the idea of stopping that now was too much like losing for him to even consider it.

That was why Light was still rather obviously deep in thought when the buses stopped, automatically rising from his seat, leaving the bus, and collecting his book of coupons like he'd done so hundreds of times before. He needed to commit the information to memory as quickly as possible regardless of how much worth it had. With how much of the town there was to explore and the Head Doctor lurking around somewhere, the quicker he got moving, the better.

But which direction to head? Or should stay by the buses and wit for the Head Doctor to make his appearance? He didn't know what the man looked like, but he was sure that one of the other patients would be quick enough to point him out. He just needed to be patient. With the rest of the town waiting, though..

Light hovered for a moment, indecisive. Which way to go?

[tendencytohiss.livejournal.com]

He'd headed off the bus as soon as it had stopped. Almost before it stopped really, because 1) buses (see aforementioned description of their role in the grand hellish designs) and 2) if Aziraphale was on this fun little expedition, he'd have a better chance of spotting the Angel from the get-go. He just needed to look for a moving mound of tartan. Shouldn't even be that hard, really.

Except there wasn't any sign of him, and there were so many people milling about that he could barely get his bearings. And even as the crowd dispersed, he could find no hint of the Angel. Bless it all, this was infuriating.

Well, he wasn't in the Institute, at least, although this was almost certainly still hell. Some crazy exterior facade. Hell's amusement park. Fine then. Lacking other plans, he'd head to the hell park and feed the hell ducks. Assuming there were hell ducks.

He turned to do that, and bumped right into one of the passengers - the man he'd been sitting next to the ride down. He looked about as distracted now as he had then.

"Apologies," he said, and paused, looking around. Which way was the park, anyway?

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

Luxord wasn't about to admit he jumped when the bus started moving, none the less the fact that he did not cease his being tense until it stopped. Every turn that the vehicle made, the Gambler moved to dig his hands into the top of the seat in front of him in order not to fall over.

Insolent transportation devices…

After arriving in town and being handed a list of paper slips, Luxord took to grasping his roommate by the arm and pulling the other to the middle of the street. There had to have been a bar somewhere…

[numberii.livejournal.com]

As for Xigbar? He had been bouncing in his seat like a kid expecting candy, eager and raring to go, and almost thinking that he'd want to get out of the speeding bus and push if that'd make it go faster. Man, it was a new town, with whole new people to bother! After being cooped up for so long, Xigbar was eager to be going.

Invigorated by the fresh air and stretching his limbs, Xigbar immediately proceeded to run right up to Luxord, grinning widely. And who cared about the people with the other Nobody? "Hey, X! Let's go somewhere fun!"

[a-spider-can.livejournal.com]

The bus ride had certainly been a blast from the past, and not necessarily a very pleasant one. It didn't help that he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a thermal jacket over it and some jeans, which was more or less what he had always worn during his high school days.

Granted, this time around no one had bothered him or made fun of him, and he had been able to doze off on the trip down. He made sure to get a look at the surrounding territory, but there honestly wasn't much to see.

Even the weather was enough to remind him of fall in New York, though the location was a lot different. He couldn't believe that small towns like this actually existed -- he knew about them, of course, but he hadn't been to a place that fit that quaint, everyone-knows-everyone stereotype as well as this place did.

Either way, it was a change, and Peter wasn't going to deny the opportunity to stretch his legs and gather some information about the area. Anything could help at this point.

After making his way off the bus, he started milling around, trying to figure out where he should go first.

[blacksustenance.livejournal.com]

"Like old times, eh?" Brock said practically in Parker's ear.

His experiences with school weren't exactly like Parker's in that for starters, he hadn't been such a nerd and while he hadn't be Homecoming King, at least he'd had actual friends. There was no rich little Osbourne Junior when Brock'd been in high school and he liked to think he was all the more sane for it. Still, adjusted or not, he also had Parker's memories from the symbiote and he could see that the bus ride drudged some up, if that look on Parker's face was anything to go by.

Actually, he was more interested in Parker's lunch, but he was proud of the fact he managed not to just help himself right this minute.

[his-singer.livejournal.com]

Stepping out of the bus, Bella lifted her head and took in a deep breath. It smelt so much better outside than in the horrible mental asylum. Then again, that was to be expected.

Moving away from the bus and into the shade of a building, Bella peered around. It looked like an okay town – nothing like Phoenix or Seattle of course, but it would still do. She could see people through the windows of the stores, all carrying on with their lives. Did they know that everyone had been taken from their homes?

Just then, something caught Bella’s eye.

And all at once, her jaw dropped and her face paled.

Why the hell were there Halloween decorations? Spinning around quickly and stared up at a nearby tree. The leaves were turning orange and red. Normally she would have found it to be pretty. Normally she would have found it to be normal.

But the last time she had looked at a calendar, it had been July.

So why the hell was it October?

Oh. My. God. Bella’s mind was practically screaming. What had happened.

If it was October, that meant it was past August. That meant she was married. That meant she was supposed to be a vampire, for Pete’s sake!

So why was she still human?

But then, an even worse revelation.

If it was October and she was still human …

That meant she was nineteen!

“Oh dear GOD.”

[her-lion.livejournal.com]

Edward followed her closely, examining the oranges and reds of the leaves, before turning his gaze to see Bella's face, looking horribly palid and grave.

The leaves? What in the-

The idea hit him as hard as it had his fiancé. Not fiancé. Wife. Autumn, not the annoying brightness of summer. The heat had dissipated into another cool, wind-swept season. There had been no wedding. The time. Where had it gone? It had seemed so long - and even his ancient mind couldn't keep up. He'd been so happy to know she was here with him, even though he still didn't know where here was and why exactly he was here. So worried about her wounds, and potential two-headed cannibals and being thrown into an insane asylum and having none of his vampiric abilities. Being found out. Being almost human.

Edward was already aware of her thought process as she breathed out her words, by her side in a split second with his arms already wrapped around her. "Don't freak out, Bella. It's nothing to get worked up over, love." He was whispering quickly in her ear, knowing how humans often grew upset at the topic of age, and this human in particular.

And if anything pained Edward, it was to see his wife upset over a deadline she had drawn across herself.

[blazing-general.livejournal.com]

Signum walked through the town with the sort of lazy grace reserved for the highly athletic and inherently cool. She didn't mind coming to places like this with people she knew, but alone all she could think about was the fact that it was full of civilians, who were by definition Not Her Crowd. She could play nice well enough, maybe even enjoy it a little... but it wasn't where here interests lay.

And the 'playing nice' thing wasn't too likely with the Landel's staff everywhere to remind her that she was playing a larger game, one very much... not-nice.

[[To Main Street (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html).]]

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Miku wondered if she'd managed to drift off. Driving always, always did that to her, which was why she didn't (besides she wasn't 20 yet, and didn't get to practice at all). Still, the ride was over, there was a little American town to comb through, and Alfons would be tagging along with her.

She got off the bus, stood to the side and looked through her coupon book while waiting for Alfons. Ooh, hamburgers. And massages and facials and all kinds of fun things. The photographer smiled. Even if Landel's was a horrible place, at least today would outshine the evening.

[clockworkblond.livejournal.com]

For himself, Alfons had been forced to steel himself into actually stepping outside of the bus. Though he was used to very cold winters, what with being a native of Bavaria, it was simple fact that he usually survived because of nice thick coats and scarves and such. What he was wearing? Did not help so much.

Shivering and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, Alfons finally made his way to Miku's side, trying to smile and stop his teeth from chattering. "S-sorry for making you w-wait," he said, having not even looked through the coupon book yet.

[faithful-frost.livejournal.com]

Haku stepped lightly off the bus and smiled at the nurse who gave him a few slips of paper. Thanking her, he moved on and looked around the town. In his pockets he held two cigarrettes he'd taken from his room when the nurse was gushing over how nice it must be to wear 'real' clothing again. And now, to find the person he sought...

((To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html)))

[ontheabyss.livejournal.com]

Lyta was off the bus in a flash, her interest piqued despite everything. So this was what Earth had looked like, before the wars and the bombs and the violent dissolution of countries.

It was pretty damn boring.

The redhead shook her head and decided to stretch her legs, seeing as how she hadn't had a chance to recently.

(Heading here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html))