damned_institute | Day 35: Bus 1

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Day 35: Bus 1

Sanji woke up groggily to find his nurse already in his room. He gave a sleepy and half-hearted "Buh?" before realizing that nurse meant dayshift, and he'd fallen asleep after dinner.

"Shit!" He sat up abruptly, which gave his nurse a start. "Nami-swan!" How had he allowed himself to sleep through an entire night? What if she'd tried to return to the basement? What if she'd been waiting for him to appear and protect her? He'd let her down!

"There, there. Calm down." His nurse set a familiar flannel shirt down on the bed and Sanji eyed it with confusion. The last time he'd worn that had been... "Sorry I didn't knock or anything, but I was so excited~!" A pair of jeans followed the shirt. "Today is the field trip into town! Aren't you looking forward to it?"

The chef had to admit, the town had been an interesting enough place the last time he'd been. If he could find Nami early on he might even be able to lead her around... So he didn't complain too much as he changed into the other outfit (which he really wished they'd let him keep - anything was better than the regular gray) and was led out to the first of the buses.

He took a seat near the front, hopefully easily visible to any of his crew - especially to a certain member of his crew.

[for Usopp!]

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"That's the problem with men. Never know a good things when they've got it." Donna folded her arms. "And who doesn't 'let' people take showers? This Landel guy just keeps giving me more and more reasons to give him a piece of my mind!" She readjusted herself in the seat.

Now Usopp was actually curious, because he'd never had edible wood, so far as he knew. But Sanji had downed it all fast enough, so it couldn't be that horrible, although he had to wonder if even Sanji could take edible wood and make it tasty somehow.

"Hey, Sanji, have you been in the gardening shed? The shed that's in the middle yard?" Usopp clarified, although really, he figured a shed where people went and came back with gardening equipment spoke for itself. But if Sanji hadn't ever been, direction might help make it clearer what Usopp meant. "I'm going to need to go there. Not tonight, I don't think. Tonight's gonna be too much of a mess anyway. Remember last time?" He let out a little shudder, and finished eating his apple slice.

[...I. I had to. The power of cod compelled me.]

So the phenomenon was to be repeated. Near opened his eyes, finding himself not in the original room he woke up in the day before, but in the room he'd been assigned to for dinner. Just as had happened previously, Near had not had the slightest indication of passing out, the only warning of what was to come being the Head Doctor's voice sounding through the halls.

He certainly would have to keep that in mind for the future.

This day, however, was not to be so simple as the others. When his nurse came in, instead of being escorted to the first room of the day, Near was instructed to dress himself in an utterly garish outfit (http://www.jiminees.com/Images/Large_Doll_Photos/4-4-04_large/striped_overalls.jpg) that took him more than one try to arrange properly. Why a person would want to dress themselves in such a manner, particularly for the purpose of 'blending in,' as the nurse put it, was beyond even the teen's understanding. It did speak for Landel's culture, however, if this was the sort of outfit typical worn by the civilians.

Near followed along as he was escorted to the bus, no different in appearance from the buses he had seen in his own world. He noted immediately that Mello too was on this bus, engaged in the conversation he had signed up for on the bulletin. Near would of course be listening from this point on, interested to see how Mello handled this particular situation, though he had little doubt he would be surprised by the ultimate results.

What was certainly inconvenient, however, was the seat the nurse showed him to. Or, more to the point, the person already sitting in that seat. Near recognized Amane Misa from a distance, and knew very well that she was the second Kira. In his own time it was likely that her powers had already been taken from her. In this place, however, there was no guarantee of when she was from, or if she still had the Shinigami eyes. Near would have to be careful, as it seemed the nurse had little interest in showing him another seat.

Near didn't speak to Misa, or even look at her as he moved to sit beside her. He pulled a knee up to his chest, curling a single lock of hair tightly around his finger. From the data he had on Amane, she would no doubt be the one to start any conversation. Would she recognize Near? The teen would miss nothing in her actions, and would respond accordingly.

"Oh, that's for sure," Rangiku replied, pursing her lips in irritation at the thought. Certain men just didn't realise when they had a good thing, or couldn't see it when it was right in front of them. Typical.

"Oh, believe me, I think everyone here would rather like to introduce Martin Landel to the sharp edge of a sword."

Armand reacted quickly by reaching for the arm, but then he drew back, embarrassed, when Takaya seemed to get it over control. "You need assistance," he said with concern.

There was a tone she recognized. Donna turned her head over and peered at Rangiku's face. Someone she was thinking of, probably. Donna let her mind go to the Doctor for a moment before she shook her head out. No, he wouldn't even think about things like that enough to overlook them. Probably.

"Forget the sword, his backsides meeting my foot!" Though showing a sword up his ass did sound like it'd be just as pleasurable.

Well, Sanji sort of remembered last time. Not fully. But he understood what Usopp was getting at. He'd been incredibly lucky to find the help that he had in getting back into the building. He hadn't spoken to Allen for a while now that he thought about it. Hopefully the kid was doing better than he'd been the last time they spoke.

"I can't say I have." Sanji frowned as Usopp mentioned the shed. "If tonight isn't a shitty mess, though it's bound to be, perhaps we can give it a shot?" The middle yard the other pirate spoke of was on the way Nami usually took trying to get to the basement, wasn't it?

The shinigami couldn't help but laugh at that, enjoying the mental image of Martin Landel getting a foot in his backside... or other more intimate places too. "That would be very satisfying," she agreed with a grin. They could line up. Every single person in the Institute getting the chance to kick the bastard while someone took photos for posterity. Who wouldn't want to be involved in that?

"Yeah..." Donna's head lolled to the side, "How far away is this place, anyway?"

Well that was interesting, to have heard of some vehicles but not others. The gargoyle tried to mimic the motion of fastening a seat belt in order to better get his point across. "It's, uh... like a strap. With a buckle. They're attached to the seats so if the vehicle gets in an accident or something you don't go flying through the window."

Tapping the glass next to him, Brooklyn smirked slightly. "I guess it's not so much of a problem here. I don't think I'd even fit through this one."

He pulled out his apple slices, giving the paper bag a little shake afterwards. "If you're not feeling well I guess you can always use these.

Zelgadis felt a strange mixture of groggy and overly alert-- his mind was half-occupied with last night's events but also very concerned that he was being watched by last night's tormentor.

He almost jumped when someone sat next to him but realized it was just another patient. Well not exactly "just"-- the man had previously made an attempt on his eye's with plastic utensils.

As thought through a thick fog he heard the man's question. He half-mumbled a non-answer that he hoped sounded positive.

That was a good question. Rangiku shrugged awkwardly. "It took a decent amount of time to get there on these vehicles last time, so I assume it must be a good distance away," she replied, wishing that she could be more specific.

Jiraiya made an appreciative noise at the explanation. "Makes sense. Flying people can kill others if they collide correctly, as well as die themselves once they hit an obstacle." He grinned slightly. "I don't think either of us have to worry about flying through windows."

He shook his head, taking out his apple slices as well and began to eat. "I've got a stronger stomach than that. I'll be fine. ... and I'll need my strength for later, anyways."

Jiraiya then smiled. "... by the way, I'm Jiraiya."

"Ugh..." Donna was already getting restless stuck in the bus seat. Sure it was a fairly smooth ride, but she would have taken the few seconds getting tossed about the TARDIS to this anyway. Well, at least there was company.

"So this Captain of yours... he's in the military, I'm guessing?" she asked, trying to find something to talk about. If they were going to be stuck on a ride for a bit, they might as well make the best of it. "Your sweetheart?"

ZEX was quite content to stare at the lovely human while they were talking. Despite how his vision had been limited, there was still an undeniably thrill at being so close to an object of his desires after so long. He'd never get tired of just watching them! And certainly they wouldn't mind being watched... ZEX couldn't imagine why that would make them uncomfortable. They were so beautiful, after all...

"Mmm, later? The partners I've been with seemed quite quick to touch me..." ZEX grinned widely at the thought. "Yes, they were very skilled with their hands..."

ZEX blinked at the explanation again. "Ah, but I love your species! That's an emotional connection, isn't it? And I'd be quite willing to form one, if someone was... willing..." Leering at him suggestively again. "Although, I must admit I know very little about your social customs... our species had very limited contact with one another, aside from killing one another during the War. Finding willing partners has been... a bit more difficult than I anticipated. This 'dating' that you mention does sound intriguing though... perhaps I should find someone to teach me how to do it..." Suggestive, as usual.

Wait, what had he... "Ghost... hunting? What do you mean by ghost?" And thinking a bit more about it... "Diseases...?"

"Mmmmm, sort of," Rangiku agreed, tapping her lips and wondering how to explain it. She'd only been here for one day. The whole idea of other worlds and magic might not have sunk in yet. Or even been broached. "Where I'm from, there are thirteen divisions which fight against... well, monsters although a little different to the ones you see here at night. He's the captain of my division. I'm his second in command."

And then came the question. Rangiku just stared at Donna with wide eyes for moment, trying to imagine the idea of herself and Hitsugaya together and thankfully failing. Then she started laughing raucously at the sheer insanity of that idea. "Oh no. Not at all," she said when her laughter died down. "He's rather too young for me after all. And I don't think he even views me in a romantic or sexual manner ever. Thankfully." That would be bizarre.

"Statement: This facility pretends to be a psychiatric medcenter most of the time. This facade is made slightly less believable by the already mentioned frequent attacks after nightfall," HK started in on his rambling explanation, opening up his crinkly brown bag to poke suspiciously at the contents. He was greatly dissapointed that none of the food items seemed to contain any appreciable ammount of chocolate. "I do not know what the actual point of this totally humiliating inconvenience is, but it seems to be tied to some millitary or another, according to the frequent ramblings of the meatbag in charge of the opperation."

It was too bad Sanji hadn't been, because Usopp was really hoping that he could get some visual confirmation from somebody who came from his own world and his own level of technology that what he thought was in there, was in there. Or at least something very like it. Those blades had to have been powered by something stronger than just human muscle to be effective, right? That meant an engine. Or something he'd just never encountered before but that someone like Zelnick would consider commonplace. Or something else entirely, something he couldn't even imagine, like the Dials on Skypiea. Alternate universes were a big pain in the butt when it came to planning.

"Well, maybe. Luffy's room is on the same hall as mine, maybe we can meet up with the others sometime tonight, if we don't all get eaten, and talk about plans?" Usopp suggested, the idea of being eaten thrown out pretty casually as a worst-case scenario. "There was a guy who wanted to come with me to raid the shed, but I'll probably want to try for it more than once if this works out, and if the way isn't too messy, maybe we could have a first run at it and at least know if it's worth the time." It wasn't a very clear plan, but at least the shed wasn't too out of the way, and didn't involve going anywhere near the Sun Room. "If nothing else, you can drop by and try on my shoes."

"Monsters." Yeah, she knew what those were. "Sounds fun. But you said you were from Japan, didn't you? You have ali-- monsters there too?"

Oh, the Doctor would love to hear about something like that. Divisions fighting off aliens in Japan, but calling them monsters. There were even captains and... Rangiku was probably a lieutenant if she was a second to a captain.

"Is he too young, or is that just how it'd look? You did say that he looked it." But with how she'd laughed, Donna had put to rest any thoughts of this woman being romantically involved with him anyway. There wasn't even any nervous blushing which would have been a dead giveaway. However, with how the woman looked, she probably had someone.

"It's not all that common of a name where I come from," Ritsuka noted absently as he finished rolling a ball out of his piece of muffin. It was small enough now that he wouldn't really have to chew it much to eat it. He hated chewing food. Such a bother. Popping the muffin bit into his mouth, he started on another piece, avoiding the nuts. "Um...well, all I know is what I read in the comic book, if it's the same thing, you know? Some genius got really bored and found a book and he killed criminals with it and people started calling him 'Kira.' I didn't get very far because comics are kind of a low priority compared to eating lunch so no one complains to the teachers or whatever."

What else did he remember about the comic though? What had it been called? Death...something. Death Book? Death...? Since it was real to whoever this guy was, Ritsuka figured the name of the comic didn't really matter. "I don't really remember any names right now, but I didn't read very far. There was the main guy, and the shinigami, R-something, and..uh...." Ritsuka bowed his head, looking at the muffin sheepishly. "Sorry, I can't really remember much else. It was awhile ago."

"Oh, but you make it work," Kaito insisted good-naturedly. "And for you to look good in what the Institute's forced you into, you must look amazing in clothes of your own choice."

He took a bite of his muffin, chewing as he thought about how far Landel's influence might extend. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try to talk to people in town and convince them..." he concluded. As long as they weren't going to be dead set on the idea that they were all nuts, maybe it would help.

"They're called Hollows," she said. "Big nasty creatures with white bone masks. It's a little difficult to explain to a human, especially if you come from a world that doesn't have them," she said, smiling awkwardly. "Needless to say, they're bad. But hunting them is only part of our job." She could ask if she wanted though and Rangiku would answer. They weren't hiding things from people.

"Both," she said with a touch of amusement. "He's a prodigy. Well deserving of his rank and power, but definitely at least fifty years too young for me. I'm proud to serve him though."

"Diseases," Vlad answered firmly, trying to look a bit stern. "That's one reason for the emphasis on monogamy. In the exchange of, of personal fluids that's involved in intimate contact, diseases may be spread. This can be prevented by being selective in partners and by other protective devices, but mature decision-making as a sexual partner includes considering your health and your partners' health. After all, if your partner has a disease, and you engage in intercourse with them, even if you don't immediately manifest the symptoms of the disease you may spread it to other partners if you aren't careful."

Actually, this part wasn't so bad. For one thing, maybe the lecture would help ZEX forget that Vlad had said 'ghost hunting' when of course he'd meant 'knitting.' For another, talking about sex seriously was something a parent (or, prospective parent) of a teenager would have to be prepared to do. It was good practice.

"There are people who aren't careful, or who may even not consider these things. And since you're from a future time, it may be that humanity, at least, has wiped out some of these diseases. But I do hope you'll keep in mind that not everyone here is from such clean times, and so, care is very important." Vlad took a deep breath, before adding, "Speaking about your past sexual history, to possibly learn if either of you have some sort of disease you might need to protect against, is one of the later steps of dating. Earlier on, you simply spend time together, only slightly more intimately than friends. Then you gradually grow closer. It may be slower than your current efforts, but the rewards of a meaningful relationship on both the physical and emotional levels far outweigh what a skilled human can do to himself given privacy and his own hands." Well, maybe that was speaking a bit far, but it wasn't as though ZEX were exactly shy. He might even be doing the man/VUX a favor, pointing the possibility out.

"Ahh, so you're not human either. That explains it then." Aliens fighting aliens then. Well, she supposed a fight was a fight no matter where you were. It left her wondering if aliens lived in Japan though. That was a little too Men In Black for her, but the Doctor had never said there weren't aliens living on Earth. They sure ended up on the planet enough to take up residence.

"How young is he then? Or, well..." She'd said fifty years, and that was definitely not a human age range, "How old would he look if I saw him, to a human, I mean?"

Well, she took that better than Rangiku had anticipated at least. "No. I'm a shinigami. A death god. Some of us were human. Before we died anyway," she said. Some of them had been born shinigami, the nobility, but a lot were those who had died but had enough spiritual energy to become shinigami later.

"He looks to be around thirteen," she explained with a fond smile. "With spiky white hair. He's called Histugaya. He's in charge of one of the groups who work towards taking this place down."

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Day 35: Bus 1

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