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The pneumatic door folded at it's center and slid open with a hiss and a metallic screech, reminding him of a trap he'd read about years before. He thought it had something to do with lions but he couldn't quite recall it's name.

He shrugged the thought away and smiled as he felt the warmth of sunlight on his face and heard the soft roar and occasional swearing of traffic greeting his ears. Taking in a lung full of air that didn't smell like the center cushion of a pleather porn-couch was lovely aswell.

" I'll hate you in a day or so, but it's nice to meet you. " He offered to the city before turning back to the bus which continued idling loudly enough to be felt. After 36 hours of civilian transportation the hazy skyline, the smell of burnt gasoline and sun ripened garbage, everything Los Angeles greeted him with he cherished.

He flicked his sunglasses open and slipped them on as he scanned the passengers pouring out of the bus, smiling as he noticed that each of them had adopted the telltale " bus-shuffle "; a unique way of walking that say's " I just spent every minute of the last lunar cycle deciding which half of my ass I'd let fall asleep. "

Buttcheek triage.

He grinned at the thought and filed it away for later as he continued watching, eyes bouncing between the faces of strangers. Rusiia should have been right behind him, or at least close.
It was now that he began to feel the sun's heat on his face and wondered out loud how none of the smog filtered it's light. His eyes moved from the first departing passenger in line to the back of the bus as he tried to catch a glimpse of platinum and midnight hair in the crowd. There was no sign of her, and as the call of traffic droned on in the background and the sun beat down he began to feel a special kind of agitation work into him. It was the kind that only a newly-quit smoker can truly appreciate and damn, the things he'd do for a cigarette...
" Hey sport.."
The voice shook him from his thoughts and he turned to find Rusiia standing comfortably in his shadow, a crooked smile on her face.
" Heya there tiger. " he shot back, returning the grin.
She was wearing the second set of civilian clothes they'd picked up and he wouldn't be surprised if she burned them in the nearest hobo campfire they passed on their way to the hotel. The thought made him smile even more as he looked at her.
Heavy brown canvas pants, the choice of someone well versed in the ways of laying sheet rock or emptying rain gutters, worn brown hiking boots, and an olive drab T-shirt from the store next to the bookshop back home. The letters " U.T." were printed in peeling black letters over the right chest pocket and neither of them knew what the initials stood for. The game of trying to figure it out had occupied an hour or two of the trip. She'd guessed " Urinal Technician " at about five A.M. that morning and his laughter had woken up the entire bus.
Wearing the clothes for the moment was a precaution they had to take. Months of planning, weeks of preparation, a whole lot of swearing and frustration, all well worth it for an entire week to themselves. A week away from the store, the ceaseless questions and prying eyes of the other
"Wing Breakers". This was a break from life, from their real jobs...
He saw her hand dart towards him and had hardly enough time to flinch before the sunglasses were snatched from his brow and on her face.
" Forgot mine, sweetness. Going to need these until we get to our " home " for the next week. "
" You forget your soul too? " He said snarkily, quick to sidestep the inevitable mock-punch she shot in his direction. It came and he smiled wide as the air rushed past his chin. He steadied himself and threw up his hands in playful surrender.

" Okay! You win! Keep em'. "

She rested a hand on her hip, some teeth showing in her smile. " Damn right I do. Now, you and I need to get our bag and get the hell out of here. I have a powerful lust for sushi that must be satisfied. "
He turned and moved for the bags that the driver was piling alongside the bus, making it a few steps before the curiosity was too strong.
" How did you get out before me? "
She pressed a finger to her lips. " I'll tell you later. But whatever you're thinking, I didn't use a displacement scroll I'd tucked into my boot because that, my dear, would be a terrible abuse of magic. "
He shook his head, pretending to be exasperated but couldn't stop himself from laughing. He would have done the same thing if he'd thought of it.

" Always a few steps ahead " he thought to himself as he bent down and took hold of a black travel bag marked " R - V ". A bright pink skull about the size of a dinner plate was stitched to it's front. It would have been a hard bag to lose without the tag.
As he lifted the bag he felt her arm pass under his to lock elbows with him and he smiled. It was quite a bit broader of a smile than it would have been only a year before. Hell, a month before. That was history though. Flotsam. The " Ghost of Christmas Past ", and right here with her arm around his was Rusiia. It was going to be a good day.

" Let's get a cab fella. I'm not walking the whole way to wherever you picked out. Speaking of which, did you pack...like...a shit load of disinfectant wipes? Something to clean the hooker blood off of the furniture before we use it? "
He cackled and nodded. " But of course, my lady. I packed it right along side your usual clothes but to be honest..." He leaned down to her, bringing his lips to meet hers before continuing. " This disguise of yours is kinda doing it for me. I.. " Another kiss punctuated his sentence. " .. always had a thing for plumbers. "

She scoffed and looked him up and down, taking in the pink dress shirt ( " Light RED! " he'd insisted. ) and khaki cargo pants he wore. The pristine, unscuffed brown sandals on his feet were the icing on the cake.

" You look like a metro-sexual landscaper, so I'd pump those breaks of yours. " She fired back.

They both laughed before a last kiss, Viktor holding out a hand to hail a taxi; not taking his lips away from hers if he could help it.
Soon they'd be able to relax, unwind and spend time together for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He needed it more than he wanted to admit, but he also had the suspicion that he didn't need to say a thing. She had a way of knowing what he was thinking. She was always a few steps ahead of him, after all.
The taxi came, the skull-branded bag was thrown in the back, and they piled in. Next stop: The hotel.