Day 35: Bus 3 (Return Trip)

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand wearily climbed the steps of the bus. He was less tired than cold, but it made his limbs ache. He hoped they'd actually make it back to the Institute before dark this time. He hadn't seen either Citan or Morrison in town, so he kept an eye out for either one climbing back  into the bus. He still wondered if Morrison had been able to rest today instead of coming to town. Other than a lunch that he hadn't liked and meeting a new face or two, he wasn't sure at all what he'd gained by the day. Oh well, he was more than used to disappointment and failure.

[waiting for Citan if Fey is backish]

Comments

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya climbed up, glaring at the nurse who tried to help him and jerked away from her attempted touch. "I'm fine," he hissed, before stalking to the back of the bus. He spared a moment to glance at Armand, embarrassed and ... frightened of the man, before taking his own seat as far as possible from him.

Maybe he'd get lucky and someone would sit next to him that didn't want to talk.

[braidless.livejournal.com]

[Hope this is okay?]

Qui-Gon's words were still weighing heavily on Obi-Wan's mind. Jedi -- or, at least, Force-users -- who had been there before them, and judging by the blood on that lightsaber's handle, had met an untimely demise was not something to take comfort in, although the information was important to know just the same.

They would have to take care not to let the same thing happen to them. Obi-Wan already knew he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure his former Master didn't meet the same fate as he had back on Naboo. Of course, whether that was appropriate or not was a matter of debate, but as long as Martin Landel was hurting innocent people, Obi-Wan knew they needed the experience and wisdom Qui-Gon offered.

It was too easy to tell himself this as he saw the image of his friend's lifeless body in his arms, and remembered the emptiness and grief he'd felt at his passing.

After briefly closing his eyes, Obi-Wan decided it would be best to turn his attention to the matter at hand and find a place to sit. Within moments, he'd located a familiar face and quietly took the seat beside him. He could tell the young man, Takaya, was upset, feeling the waves of fear and frustration radiating from him.

"Hello," he said quietly. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? Do you mind if I sit here?"

[youlackmascara.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been mildly interesting, at least in that if he escaped the Institution, he at least knew some of the nearby assets. Not that they were great in number, but if allowed to operate on his own without the inconvenience of nurses, there would be nothing in the town to stop him from taking what he wanted. Besides, he would not have accomplished much more if allowed to spend the day in the Institution instead. His one regret was that he had not been able to gather more information about Special Counseling or garner himself a History Club assignment, given the absence of a bulletin board. Also that he had not found a sweet shop, but in the large perspective that was not a high priority.

Itachi climbed aboard the "bus" again, finding a seat to himself and staring blankly out the window. He was prepared for the machine's motion now, and he should not have that irritating reaction again.

[toadally4boobs.livejournal.com]

[For the brother and his boyfriend and the in-law, yes! ♥]

Jiraiya climbed onto the bus, trying to hide his disappointment. His books weren't there. Even after his student and he canvased all the shelves of the bookstore, they remained missing. For a moment, he thought the unbelievable, and wondered if his books simply weren't popular in Doyleton.

No, that couldn't be it. It wasn't it. They had--as the others had told them--to be in another world. It was the only logical explanation. (Naruto would groan if he knew that had driven the point home to Jiraiya's heart more than anything else had as of yet.) He let out a loud, rather pathetic sigh, and began to scan for two adjacent seats for him and his student.

And that's when the Toad Hermit noticed the one who wiped out the Uchiha clan. He froze for a moment, feeling Naruto bump into him. Oh. Oh, shit.

Two thoughts immediately sprang to mind--Itachi must know the truth, and Naruto's about ready to cause a scene, again.

[enigmaticmedium.livejournal.com]

[for Zelgadis]

Xelloss still wasn't in a bad mood when he returned to the buses. In fact, he asked his nurse politely, "I hope you'll go slowly, a very good friend of mine has a sore on his behind that'll be quite aggravated by bumps if the buses are in too much of a hurry!" as he was herded on, although he doubted that would increase or decrease their speed at all. If Landel decided to play the same game again, lovely, if not, perhaps next time. Or perhaps something wonderful and new.

He sat down at a blank seat again, despite the risks of having another seatmate like this morning, and contemplated the growing darkness outside. Honestly, he felt as though he were anticipating presents. Perhaps it was just from his successes last night, successes that still ached in his leg muscles (such an odd sensation) but that were lovely to be able to consider. Xelloss hadn't had enough progress recently. Tonight, he already had a mission for himself, and perhaps Lord Hellmaster would also have requests. It was good to have purpose.

[accursed-rock.livejournal.com]

Zelgadis had been is a daze most of the day. Never leaving the bus, he had simply replayed last night's events continuously in his head. Despite this, he still could not convince himself of what he had seen, plainly, in front of him-- Mason was dead.

He searched the bus as though he might still be there, smiling. The first person to reach out to him in this retched place. The only person to call him a friend.

He sat down, still seeking Mason out, but when he turned to see his seat mate he realized it was a trap.

"Xelloss!"

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

"I knew you two were sweet on each other," the nurse had trilled when she finally came power walking up the path two them. "Come along now, dears, it's time for us to go." Miku had felt her head catch on fire, and obediently helped Sousuke into his chair before the nurses hurried them along.

The whole day had finished on a happy note, even if the Institute was likely going to attempt feeding them to those horrible birds again. She slipped down into a chair, tiny prickles of her sixth sense warning her to be careful of most of the men currently on the bus with her. Miku reminded herself that just because she had a protector, she would be foolish indeed to be carefree of everything.

She leaned her head against the glass and looked out at the rest of the patients being herded about like cats. Night was coming, she had to be prepared.

[damnrudecock.livejournal.com]

The beef stew wasn't the same beef stew he knew of from home, and the rice had been about as bad as the stuff they served in the hospital, but Sano on the whole had thought it was pretty good. And even better, he didn't feel sick or anything when he was taken back to the buses by Pinky. Maybe he'd even catch a nap or something on the way back.

Or maybe not. Sanosuke grinned as he saw the empty seat next to Miku, thinking if nothing else, it'd be a worthwhile way to spend the time.

"Hey." Sano slid in beside the younger girl, trying to figure out just what she was looking at, or maybe who for. Except it wasn't that hard to figure out. Sano had seen looks like hers plenty of times around the dojo, typically when Kenshin wasn't around. "Spend some time with Sagara Number Two today?"

[broken-exorcist.livejournal.com]

When they rounded up the patients again, Allen couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty that he'd spent a good portion of the day in the toy shop, looking in awe at all the strange devices and wondering what half of them did. He hadn't been able to find Rinali, which only served to increase his worry, and it was with some apprehension that he finally boarded the bus and took a seat near the back.

[for Falis]

[himetsuru.livejournal.com]

That had been a highly unproductive day. Falis never left the park because Yukari had never left the park. Her plan of observing the girl to see her reactions to various people went nowhere since the girl spent the entire time talking to someone she'd just met upon exiting the bus instead of moving around. This just meant Falis was going to need to use another tactic tomorrow since she had plans tonight.

And speaking of those plans, Falis grinned when she saw the nurses had forced her onto a bus the little exorcist had also chosen. She supposed this was acceptable since they weren't letting her stick around to get herself on the same bus as Yukari. The princess headed to the back of the bus and plopped herself down next to Allen. She gave him a toothy grin, wondering idly if the French braid they'd put her mane of hair into helped or hindered her intimidation ability.

"Have fun today?"

[heavens-too-far.livejournal.com]

[Waiting on Guy~]

The worry Dias had been trying to suppress over the course of the day had gone far beyond the scope of his conscious efforts to control it by the time the patients were herded back onto the buses to return to the institute. He'd spent the entire day searching for Ashton without so much as glimpsing the man, and while Ashton might not stick out in a crowd quite like Dias did, Dias still knew him well enough that he'd have recognized him if he were there to see. Unless Ashton had remained behind at the institute - and given that he'd promised to meet Dias on the buses, he wouldn't have unless something were considerably wrong or he had no choice in the matter, anyway - or...

Dias stared out of the window without really seeing anything, one of the rare instances where his normal powers of observation were completely absent. Until he knew for sure, he wouldn't be able to put this out of his mind.

[nobleman]

Even though he hadn't accomplished much, Guy still had to admit that the day had been pleasant enough. It was nice to just spend some time with an old friend, and he was pretty sure that Anise was appreciative for the fact that he had let her get her nails done. And he'd even gotten to see Claude for a quick second!

Now he just had to cross his fingers that what happened on their way back last time didn't repeat itself. Entering one of the buses at random, he was surprised to see that most of the patients hadn't made it back on yet. In fact, he could have gone to sit on his own, but there was no fun in that, and he didn't want to risk having a girl sit next to him.

He sighed to himself, wishing he didn't have to take that sort of thing into account. There weren't very many girls in this bus yet, though, and Guy took a seat next to a long-haired man, offering a smile.

"It's okay if I sit here, right?" He doubted anyone was that picky at this point, but who knew? Maybe this guy was afraid of men, as weird and coincidental as that would be.

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

Yuuhi dropped into his seat, filled with a sense of worry and anxiety. He hadn't managed to find that toy for Diva and if a child was hurt because of it, he'd only have himself to blame. He hadn't managed to do anything but upset Kurogane and who knew where the ninja was now. After he'd scrambled up a roof just to escape, Yuuhi'd lost track of him.

Would they be back in time for him to pick up the metal from his room and take it over to Homura? He hadn't seen any assignments posted for the History Club, so maybe he wasn't obligated to do anything tonight. In which case, he'd actually be able to look for Sakura and the others like he'd wanted in the first place. There had to be a way up to the third floor. He was convinced there was something up there that they weren't meant to find and if the others were anywhere, wouldn't that be where they'd been hidden?

Yuuhi glanced lazily out his window, his faint smile and relaxed demeanor betraying nothing of conflicting feelings running through his head.

[yukito]

[winged_moon]

It might not be home, but at least being in town gave Yukito a chance to be outside and get some fresh air and stretch his legs a little. He'd spent most of the day wandering the town rather aimlessly, just seeing the sights and trying to take his mind of things, and by the time he boarded the bus he felt at least a little better.

How long that would last once they returned to the Institute remained to be seen, but when he spotted a familiar face and paused beside Fai's seat, Yukito's smile was sincerely cheerful and bright. "Fai-san? Is anyone sitting here?" The situation of their last conversation had been somewhat less than ideal, and this time the blond man didn't seem quite so preoccupied so maybe he'd want to talk.

[meironohosoku.livejournal.com]

Hanyuu yawned as she climbed back onto one of the buses. All things considered the day hadn't been that busy, but constantly trying to keep her emotions in check (and having a bit of a breakdown, however brief) was surprisingly exhausting.

The spirit slid into an empty seat, leaning against the window as she closed her eyes. Thinking about returning to the hospital and the coming nightshift made her nervous, so she did her best not to think about either of those. With any luck, maybe she'd be able to sleep through the night again tonight.

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

[Would you mind a matching purple-haired girl? ^^]

Well, Senna's talk with Falis had been... interesting. All in all, the day had gone by fast. She couldn't even remember what all she did to pass the day by. Odd.

A nurse led her to a seat on the bus, and she plopped down next to a cute little girl. "Hi," she said smiling. "I'm Senna."

[angels-inflight.livejournal.com]

[waiting for Sora~]

The day had been... quiet. Naminé preferred to stay on the streets, seldom entering any of the shops (she hadn't even used any of her coupons; Naminé seemed to be as shy as ever) and instead just taking in the sights and sounds of Doyleton. She was a bit more familiar with the area, but also more wary. What was the purpose of sending them out to a trip like this? It left a bad taste in her mouth, like the Head Doctor was simply taunting them, and it was no surprise that she chose to remain in the bus for the better part of the afternoon.

Evidently, she had dozed off, as Naminé was jolted awake by the sounds of people getting on the bus. Did she... did she really spend the whole afternoon sleeping?!

[lighthearted]

In the end, the tag game hadn't happened, and while that was disappointing, Sora also knew that it was probably for the best. After what that monster had put him through last night, physical exertion was the last thing he should have been doing right now.

But he was still going to head out tonight, against better judgment. The idea of spending the night with Kairi, knowing they didn't have any task to complete or clue to follow - it was pretty refreshing. He would just have to hope that they could take it easy, which might be doable so long as they didn't go to any particularly dangerous areas. He would have to see what Kairi wanted to do, though.

He waved goodbye to his friend when the nurses came along, hoping that he would actually get to properly explore Doyleton next week. He had spent both times just sitting on the bench in the park - he supposed there was nothing wrong with that, but he wanted to check out the shops sometime!

For now, though, he just had to worry about getting back on the bus without losing his breath. He succeeded, luckily, and was even fortunate enough to spot just the girl he was looking for. He smiled and headed over to Naminé, trying not to think about how strange it was to talk to the girl after just seeing Kairi.

"Hey!" he said, slipping into the seat next to her. "Long time no talk!"

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

The monk slid stiffly into one of the seats at the back.

It'd taken a little more time after that for the food to arrive. Goku had been acting strange the entire time after that, almost awkward. He'd still downed both the damn steaks though, and some of Sanzo's own meal in the process. Whatever was going through his head hadn't completely killed that instinct.

It was just weird to have him eating in relative silence. Usually he'd be babbling at him or fighting with Gojyo (usually while right in the middle of chewing), but he almost seemed thoughtful, which would be a personal first for Goku.

It was enough to make Sanzo suspicious.

There wasn't any way the monkey would've put two and two together. It wasn't like he had Homura's smell on him, and the Goku's senses might be dampened here; two things in his favor to come out of this.

Goku wouldn't put it together and come out with four.

Unless...

Unless the dumbshit roach had said more than he thought on the subject, period. Sanzo had a few rounds for the kappa if that idiot did put that stupidity in Goku's head.

[deathandfudge.livejournal.com]

[For Daemon]

Well, that had been a productive day at least. Sheena made a good partner in crime it seemed, and their scheme had paid off with a small package of chocolate fudge tucked away in the sleeve of his shirt where the nurse hadn't found it. He wasn't particularly happy about being herded around like a child, and even less happy about being dragged back to that place, but he had little choice in the matter and didn't relish the thought of being drugged either.

He found a seat near the back of the bus and sat down, staring out of the window at the area thoughtfully.

[thesadist]

His talk with River having been interrupted, Daemon found the day had been all too short. He wouldn't say wasted, but he'd found himself getting less accomplished in the past few days than he liked.

Hence the frown that marred his face as he was ushered back on the bus. A quick glance around had him noticing a familiar face towards the back, and he headed in that direction, pausing beside the male as he waited to be noticed.

"Warlord," he greeted casually, his frown slipping away into a more familiar one of lazy boredom. "Do you mind some company?"

[scaredy-crow.livejournal.com]

It seemed like the day had completely left Crane in the dust. He couldn't have possibly spent all day in a bookstore, could he? Still, when he and Mikami were rounded back up for the buses, he couldn't help but feel mildly disappointed and underwhelmed by it all. Maybe it was more irritation at himself for getting so little done.

He slid all the way over against the window after finding a seat on one of the buses, and gestured for Mikami to take the seat with him. "As far as I'm aware, no one has succeeded," he said in a low voice, continuing the line of conversation that they had been having before the nurse had so rudely ushered them back. Crane leaned back carefully and hissed softly as the bruise on his back began to throb, then leaned forward again. It looked as though he wouldn't be able to relax too much on the ride back.

"If they had...then we would have heard of it. As it stands, there appears to be only two ways out. Both are rather simple, really. The first involves accepting what the nurses tell you. Allow yourself to believe their lies, and you'll be released. Likely watched, as well. The second is possibly even simpler...you die." He gestured at his own state and gave Mikami a wry smile. "I do believe that we'll be here for quite some time."

[dasgift.livejournal.com]

So what was a man to do after that particularly bewildering conversation? Why, investigate the matter, of course. This strange Phoenix had presented some potentially damning speculations, and if proven true, Kristoph would have to cover beyond what his rival knew. As easy as it was to playing the ignorance card, the act was hardly conducive when it came to Wright. If he faltered, he was bound for trouble later down the line.

Except investigating required, well, other people, which Kristoph found to be solely lacking in Doyleton. Most everyone was away on their own merry adventure, and approaching the few stragglers felt like overexertion. He'd rather his snooping be less conspicuous; the man could not accomplish that by openly throwing questions at strangers. Better to wait for an acquaintance (i.e., Crane) to conveniently pass by.

So when Kristoph spied a pair of men--one familiar, one not--climb into the last bus of the day, he followed after. Despite the distance and the time it took for the former attorney to finally be within their vicinity, a seat was open in front of the two, a fortune he immediately took advantage of. Without so much as a look to either men, Kristoph settled into the vacant seat and feigned unawareness. It would be easier if Crane recognized him first.

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

[free~]

That had been...actually, Wash felt vaguely like he'd wasted an entire day doing nothing in particular. Which wasn't exactly a bad feeling, since it wasn't like he was shirking his duties. His non-existent duties.

If they were heading back, though, it probably meant the day was almost over. Day lead to night, obviously. And night led to him being at a complete loss as to what he was supposed to do.

Although they'd started to get somewhere with that computer. Maybe he could try it again and not get knocked out this time.

[broken-babylon.livejournal.com]

Somehow, Subaru's day had turned out at once very awkward, and very familiar. Though it was by no means usual for random restaurant employees to be so rude to Subaru, Hokuto's reaction to it had been so typical of her that Subaru had felt for a moment like he was sixteen all over again, and everything that had happened with Seishirou was some sort of horrible dream. Of course, the pentagrams on the backs of Subaru's hands didn't let him believe that for more than a heartbeat or two--they were constant reminders of the past, and of his unfinished business with Seishirou. And then that confrontation with the other patient... what a day.

So it was a very tired Subaru that shuffled back onto the bus, feeling every bit of the wounds he'd gotten the night before. He approached the first free seat he saw and bowed very, very slightly to the other occupant--moving too much hurt right now--before asking softly, "May I sit here?"

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

That had been an interesting conversation; Raine was still shaking her head a little. Shana had certainly had an interesting life... as had Valyn, though by his own standards, not terribly unusual. As far as she could tell.

She'd been glad to get to see the bookstore, but that did not make the trip worth it; she was so dreading having to possibly fight their way out of the bus again that she almost wished they didn't have these trips at all. Most likely, it won't happen again--not tonight. The best way to keep us guessing and unprepared is to be unpredictable, and it's too soon to do that to us again. She hoped.

[[Waiting for Sheena!]]

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena bounced up into the bus with a pleasant look on her face, having enjoyed herself with Rainier that day. They'd gotten some fudge and she's managed to use her ample chest to her advantage sneaking it past them. She'd almost wished she'd been given that stuffed dog, but she wasn't sure what she'd do with it other than hang onto it in case the horrible happened and Colette showed up here.

The summoner scanned looking for a seat when her eyes lit upon Raine. Suddenly, she remembered that she was annoyed with the half-elf and scowled. She stalked to her friend and glowered down at her.

"Raine... you suck," she said, with her typical volatility that she didn't know others found amusing.

[strayfag]

Normally, he would have just camped out in some warm store until they got pulled in but his Epic Quest for Smokes had, once again, brought him back empty handed and trying to rub some feeling back into his ass. (The nurse made him stop that pretty quickly.)

Badou dropped himself into a random seat, which was more complicated in practice than it was in theory. Long limbs and small buses were never a pretty sight.

He wasn't entirely empty-handed at least. He had the transcripts. And as for that room... Artemis was alright, but the only thing driving him there was the off chance of scoring a lighter and another pack of smokes from his own stupid box. At the risk of being eaten by vampires or bears. But what choice did he have? That was just the melty diarrhea icing on the shit cake.

He signed and flipped the journal open again to start from the beginning.

[degozaruyo.livejournal.com]

[hope you don't mind? D:]

Unlike Badou, Kenshin had absolutely no problem on the buses. Sure, that was because he was barely taller than the legal limit for a midget, but he didn't know that. Averages in nineteenth century Tokyo were slightly different.

The rurouni had been separated from Sano on the way to the buses, and by the time he got inside, his friend was already talking to a timid-looking girl. Kenshin had half a mind to step in and rescue her from Sanosuke, but decided against it.

Instead, he picked a seat at random and decided to approach its occupant.

"Hello. May this one sit?"

[mind-caster.livejournal.com]

How could a small town sitting at the foot of a mountain that housed an evil mental hospital filled with giant ape-monsters be so completely, utterly useless? Melissa had spent the better part of the day wandering around the narrow streets and tiny little shops searching for anything that might be a clue or at least point to something that was a clue, but nothing had turned up. The townspeople had blank tastes and empty minds, just like she'd expected, and any useful written information - like the town newspaper - pretty much didn't state anything other than 'Welcome to Doyleton! We're really boring here!'

Well, she had discovered that they were in New Jersey. That was something.

All in all, though, Melissa wasn't as annoyed about it as she thought she would be. The incredible lack of information was starting to become a comfortable norm. She didn't even talk back to the nurse when it was time to go back to the buses, and she obediently climbed into the third one and slid into a seat by herself.

This time, no one was sitting next to her. If Melissa had to bodily throw someone out of the seat, she would.

[Waiting for Zexion, I believe...?]

[byname-bynature.livejournal.com]

[For Harry!]

Fortunately, Artemis had no trouble stuffing the acorns he'd procured from the forest floor into his shoes and boarding the bus with no difficulty. It was slightly uncomfortable, to be certain, but it was a small price to pay for the possibility of completing the Ritual.

The boy sat down on the bus, giving a large sigh. Would Badou actually give him what he asked for? Or would he turn tail and run at the first sign of danger? Well, it wasn't as though the box mattered a great deal--it would just give him some insight into who he was supposed to be, after all.

The real tragedy would be that Artemis was interested in Badou, and if Badou didn't hold up his end of the deal, he'd have to rectify the situation. Meaning that he would have to pay Farfarello and Schuldig to remove the transcripts from Badou's person. After all, one does not keep goods one steals--especially from Artemis Fowl.

The boy sank lower into the seat and laid his head against the window. He was tired.

[wing-head.livejournal.com]

The day had gone by quickly, though that might just have been his perception of it. Steve was sent back to the bus without having learned anything useful. This time, he didn't sit next to anyone, instead taking a window seat by himself.

It was sort of surprising to have such an uneventful day, considering last night. But night was approaching, and they were going back to the hospital for that.

There hadn't been any sign of anyone Steve knew, and he hadn't found Haku again either.

The claw wounds also didn't feel like they had healed much, certainly no where near as much as they should have. Hopefully he could get out again tonight, and explore a bit more without having to fight any of his team mates.

[Avengers Assemble!]

[ol-canucklehead.livejournal.com]

[Dyslexics Untie! Sorry...]

Logan was actually glad to be able to walk back to the bus with Ami. She was good company, and didn't require much of him, for now at least. He had meant what he'd said though, he would stand by her if she needed him to.

As they approached, he gave her another soft smile and a half-wave as he stepped onto the last of the buses. He wasn't sure which one she'd choose (or be pushed into by Landel's damned mongrels), but if it was the same one as his, he'd be sure to keep a close eye on her in case there was a repeat of what had happened the last time they'd headed back from the town.

Logan looked around the bus he'd boarded, seeking out someone else he could talk to, to hopefully make himself feel a little better. It was only after a few seconds that it occurred to him that just the opposite was suddenly a lot more likely. Hoo, boy, he thought. This is gonna be awkward, as he caught sight of Steve sitting alone, staring absently out the window. Still, he was mature enough and man enough to just suck it up and take whatever lumps, either verbal or physical, the Captain wished to dish out.

Moving past several rows of seats, the grizzled mutant slumped down next to his old friend. He didn't look at him at first. "Hey Steve," he began, trying, and failing, to sound nonchalant. "How're ya holdin' up?" There was much more to be said of course, but he would wait and see just what Rogers would do in reaction to seeing him here before continuing.

[timedork]

[For John Connor?]

A whole day in town, and the Doctor hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of anything resembling the TARDIS. The police box had been nowhere in sight.

...That was to be expected, really. It had been a long shot from the beginning, but he'd hoped that there was a little more reason to his arrival at Landel's Institute. He'd hoped that he'd landed in town, found out about something odd going on, checked himself into the hospital in order to have a look around, and simply had forgotten—somehow. That would have made sense. Being snatched out of the TARDIS didn't. Sort of.

He hadn't—wouldn't rule out the possibility. But it was unlikely to say the least, unless there was a lot more going on than it seemed. And generally... Generally, that was the case. It was rare to find something that was as simple underneath as it was on the surface.

The Doctor glanced around the bus when he got on board. No sign of Donna, or of Rose. He'd have to find them—both of them—as soon as he had the chance, so they could have a talk. He slid into an empty seat, keeping an eye on the front of the bus.

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

Ami felt alone when she stepped on the bus. Logan had spotted a man he seemingly wanted to talk to, as he beelined straight towards him. Glancing around the bus, she noted that Falis was already on, chatting to someone.

Sighing, and pulling herself together, Ami wandered towards the rear of the bus - if the same thing happened as last time, the rear window was a good escape route.

Be strong, Ami. There are lots of people in here you can help...

Her little pep talk didn't really do much for her, but at least it distracted her from Usagi for a few moments.

[icy-pole.livejournal.com]

[Waiting for Kunzite...mebbe]

[ellectriclights.livejournal.com]

Elle allowed herself to be hauled up by an orderly and escorted back to the buses. She was ushered on to a different one than Eddie, which was okay by her. She didn't want to put up with him if all he was going to do was moan about how his glorious idea had been foiled.

The bus was already pretty full, but Elle managed to find an empty seat to lie down on. She propped her head up against the window and let her feet hang out into the aisle.

Now, what would she do tonight? Get to Landel, obviously, but she had two options of how to accomplish that: one, the normal boring wander-around-looking-for-his-office thing that anybody could do, or two, through the electrical system. It depended on whether she wanted actual face-time with him, or just to piss him off.

[high-prosecutor.livejournal.com]

[way delayed backthread for Gumshoe]

Edgeworth stepped on the bus, keeping an eye out for someone fitting the description Phoenix had given him. He spotted the man easily enough, being careful not to make eye contact as he took a seat a few rows behind him.

This might not be the most mature thing to do, but I can't exactly go up and ask what happened in the future. If I can get a few clues, then I can ask.

[ham_fisted]

Gumshoe took care not to hit his head against the ceiling again as he skulked on to the bus. Unlike last time, being frisked was something he had been prepared for. It hadn't come as much of a shock when the woman approaching him had suddenly shooed his hands away and begun to search his pockets. Those nurses could be real harsh when they wanted to be. Made him wonder how much worse they got after nightfall. He hadn't really caught a glimpse of them during the ambush last week, and he couldn't remember ever seeing them in the hallways...

But that was the least of his worries.

He gave the crowd a hasty once-over, failing to spot any of the three faces he'd been keeping an eye out for. Heaving a sigh, the detective walked a few steps before pausing yet again, the sight of grey hair halting him in his tracks. He hesitated, then pointedly hung his head and continued forward, deciding in those seconds that he wouldn't join the prosecutor. Despite this, he slowed down and froze beside said prosecutor's seat. In an attempt to hide his bumbling presence, Gumshoe stiffly turned for the opposite seat and shrank next to the window.

... Having an aisle between them didn't seem like enough, so he pretended to focus, perhaps too much, on the things outside that were now moving past them. He couldn't very well jump up and dive for the back seat now without giving himself away. Unless he'd already done that.