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Grasshopper Express Roster:

Buses don't drive themselves of course! Here's a listing of the crazy crew of the Grasshopper Express so far. More drivers will be added occasionally as they pop up. It should be noted that everyone on this list so far is one of Mo's seniors. I should try to make more now while Avatar Builder is still playing nice. I've also been trying to work on drawing them more too. (Note: There's a full playlist of the characters' "theme songs" and extra songs on Mo's profile)

Mo:


Theme: "Little Star" by The Elegants
Partner: Neoplan 507, 535


Lewis Valentino:


An older Express driver in his forties, Lewis is probably one of the nicest drivers you'll ever meet. He's a quiet, kindhearted man who genuinely enjoys helping people, which is one of the reasons he became a bus driver. Lewis is a favorite among the bus community, often said to have the highest levels of caution and patience in the fleet. Even Xavier and Allen have both said, "Lewis doesn't have the patience of a stone, he's the one who TAUGHT the stones to be patient." Although Lewis usually tries to take things easy and avoid trouble whenever possible, he's still highly protective of his passengers and those around him.

A bit of a secret among members of the Grasshopper Express is that Lewis is also a sorcerer, specializing in elemental magic and working with runes. He is highly knowledgeable on subjects of magic, but tries not to rely on his abilities unless absolutely necessary. He also loves history, reading, and cooking. It really takes a lot to push Lewis to lose his s**t, but when he finally does, he's been known to throw fireballs around and any threat to his friends or family will bring him running immediately.

Partners: Nabi 215, "Toasty" 207, Orion 694, 613, Neoplan 543

Theme: "A Line In The Sand" by Linkin Park


Allen Van Denrick:


A "grumpy old soul" in his late Sixties, Allen is one of the oldest Express drivers both in terms of age and actual employment. Mo occasionally jokes that he got his license driving dinosaurs and calls him "Grandpa 13", but never to his face. He may seem scary at first; bit of a nastier temperament compared to some of the other drivers, but Allen's job is important to him and he really does care deep down. When he isn't busy claiming most of Route 13 everyday Allen's been known to appreciate horses, spend time with Margaret, and yell at his partner, 617 often for eating leaf piles during Fall. When not staying over at the depot, Allen lives somewhere in Sleepy Hollow... And seems to know an awful lot about the Headless Horseman who haunts there.

Partner: Orion 617

Theme: "Stand Still" by Billy Ray Cyrus



Nathan Benning:


One of Mo's elders and a no-nonsense driver from Mount Vernon, Nate spends his workdays from mid-morning to early night driving some of the more dangerous routes. He may often seem to have a cynical outlook if only because he tends to keep and do things for himself. Nate has been known to have a slight temper and often throws knives around either when he's angry or as regular practice on his own to keep his skills sharp. Nate's coworkers often make fun of his knives, usually asking how many he has hidden away on his person, or asking how many people he's planning to tell “Knife to meet you”. But Nathan has been practicing with throwing knives since his father first taught him as a child. He can be incredibly dangerous with them in a fight; in terms of speed and accuracy and most everyone knows he can definitely take care of himself.

Things can get a bit out of hand when Nate has to work with Mo. She doesn't usually aggravate him on purpose, but sometimes something about her just seems to get on his nerves. Unfortunately Mo and Nathan are actually a lot a like; They're both stubborn, temperamental and can either work together really well, or get into arguments over everything that turn into actual fights. When not throwing things at Mo or ready to go at it, Nathan can be surprisingly protective of her as a new driver and he's been known to act impulsively where she's concerned, even worse than Jimmy.

Partners: Orion 645, Neoplan 530

Theme: "Superheros" by The Script


Brian:


A tall, easygoing guy in his 30's, Brian had no idea what he was getting himself into when he joined the Grasshopper Express four years ago. Despite the timing gap, He is still considered a new driver, only one rank above Mo. Indeed, Mo and Tyler are the only drivers below him. Due to being 6"2 and thin, Mo often calls him "Beanpole Brian" and has dubbed their pairing "Team Eyeballs".

Akin to Mo but on a much smaller scale, Brian has actually grown a weak immunity to electricity over time while working in the Express. Some of his seniors cautiously wonder about this, as Beanpole is usually restricted to working with the NABI hybrid-electric buses and maybe a rare Orion. The fact that his new skill seems to be amplified after a serious incident with one of the hybrid buses only deepens their suspicions. Brian usually sticks to the southern routes most of the time, apart from 13 and 14. (Out of bounds to the larger Neoplan buses) He also thinks of Mo like a little sister and is often seen hanging out with her even when they aren't at work.

Brian almost died once due to a fatal accident during one of the special missions from Dispatch. He should have died, except that his partner, NABI 224 intervened. Using a forbidden ability, 224 gave up her physical bus form in an attempt to merge with Brian's, thereby acting as his literal life support and slowly rebuilding him. While it worked for a short time, this caused a major uproar in the Express and led to serious problems in the long run, even later involving a member of The Gentry. Both Brian and 224 have since recovered from their ordeal, and now share a special unbreakable connection with each other. The pair can now converse with each other telepathically regardless of time or distance, much the way all the other buses are connected with each other.

Partner: Nabi 224

Theme: "Say Something" by GreatBig World + Christina Aguilera


Margaret Alounghi:


One of the few female Express drivers, Margaret was Allen's last student, and to this day remains one of his closest friends. It's rumored he stopped taking students after her because they fell in love, but neither of them will discus the matter and Allen is only slightly more polite to her than everyone else. She is an energetic, happy personality at almost any time of day, and her happiness seems infectious.
Making her angry or mentioning her age is something Nate and Jimmy have learned almost religiously to avoid at all costs, though exactly what happens if she gets angry is a mystery. She is Mo's grandsire, (although calling her grandma is only advisable if someone has a death wish.) And once stepped in to train Mo for a while when Jimmy was in the hospital

Partner: Orion 633, 701

Theme: "Open Up Your Eyes" by Daughtry


Jimmy Asaverli:


Mo's mentor and a well seasoned driver, Jimmy is from one of the outside boroughs, and it reflects in his strong personality. Spending at least 10 years working in the Express has only made him stronger, enabling the man to stay cool as a cucumber in almost any situation. Almost nothing fazes him anymore. Jimmy is the one first who suggested recruiting Mo as a new driver, tested her, and then finally adopted her. He is fully responsible for her and the pair's loyalty is fierce. He's a tough, confident, laid back individual who often acts as the leader of their little group. Despite however much they might argue all the time, in the end Mo really is like his kid and he has the utmost faith in her.

Mo's mentor is generally easy to get along with and level-headed most of the time. Although he may become violent or go off in Albanian if he's gotten truly angry enough. Mo wound up on his bad side once, and now remarks that "Albanian is a terrifying language to be cursed out in." The only other driver Jimmy usually has a problem is Robert, because they have a serious rivalry from serving Route 40. Robert and Jimmy often get highly competitive and aggressive with each other... Which often ends up throwing one or both of their respective partners (Etienne/Mo) under the bus.

Partner: Neoplan 528, 541

Theme: "Unity" by Shinedown



Etienne Rigolade:


An older Express driver of 43, Etienne is usually found working with the larger 60 ft. buses. He's known to be one of the more reckless drivers, who speeds as if it's Nascar, but is always forever ten minutes late. Mo refers to his work as "Driving Like Ya Stole Something" and he seems to have passed this art onto one of his students, Robert. When asked about where he's from, Etienne vaguely mentions Europe, though his file points to France and Portugal. Much like Luigi and Margaret, it seems to be a running joke between Etienne & Mo of him always hitting on her and her always refusing. (Despite him being far older and outranking her.) Jimmy can be very hostile towards Etienne, both for this and because the Frenchman also accidentally tried to kill Mo once. Despite the previous incident and the running joke of their 'relationship' (And part of him really does mean it,) Etienne and Mo get along quite well whenever they see each other, unlike Robert & Jimmy.

Partner: Neoplan 538

Theme: "Accidentally In Love" by Counting Crows



Raoul Mzulft:


Quite an interesting driver, Raoul is closer to Mo's height, but both stronger and sturdier. He's one of the few 'Special' drivers, being of half Mexican decent and half Dwarven. He's also Luigi's cousin, and can usually be found working shifts with Luigi and their third partner, Martine. When not doing regular shifts, the three are often handling some of the more dangerous special missions from Dispatch, Luigi with earth abilities, Martine in Guardian mode, and Raoul himself running amok with a double headed battleaxe he lovingly named “Mariposa”. Due to his Dwarven ancestry Raoul has both ridiculous amounts of strength and physical endurance, making his chosen weapon and disregard for for self defense work quite well. Raoul was rated by Mo to be the Express's "Most distracted driver" You name it, he's probably done it behind the wheel.

Theme: "Tequila" by The Champs



Luigi Santucci:

Luigi is Raoul's cousin through their mothers. While Raoul's mother married a Dwarf, Luigi's married an Italian. Luigi is happily married with two children of his own whom he absolutely adores... And yet he still goes out of his way to hit on Margaret every chance he gets. To be honest, he cares for Margaret more like a sister, but it primarily started from the pair joining the Express at the same time and training together as classmates. Margaret mostly laughs off his advances and ignores him, but occasionally she has to work to keep Allen from starting a fight over it.

Most people worry more about his cousin being Dwarf. But Luigi can actually be just as dangerous. Instead of running around with a battle axe, Luigi has the ability to manipulate Earth/stone as long as he's on the ground. Although keeps an aloof, cocky, professional attitude most of the time, (unless Margaret's around) under the surface Luigi can be quite hot headed, and honestly enjoys taking on the dangerous special missions from Dispatch with Raoul and Martine.

Theme: “Follow The Leader” by Wish & Yandel Ft. Jenifer Lopez



Andre Keahilani:


A well known veteran Express driver, Andre is often recognized by reputation alone. It's been said throughout the man's life that "His mother was Lady Luck herself and his dad must'a been somethin' special." And more than once his friends coworkers wonder if it's true. Little things often seem to sway in Andre's favor, and even when things have gone completely to pot, there's always just one thing that seems to work out in the end. When asked for confirmation himself however, Andre couldn't tell you. From raising himself on the mean streets of the Bronx, the most he's learned is that his ancestry is possibly Hawaiian. His nature is often brazen and laid back, but from experience, Andre has every right to be. He has worked both sides of the diesel train, both as a driver for large trucks and buses, and as a mechanic for such vehicles even before spending 15 years with the Express. Despite the long credential list, Andre has often gotten himself in trouble, being the wiseass of the group. He often loves to mess with people.

Partners: Neoplan 530, 510

Theme: "Sweet Serendipity" by Lee Dewyze



Robert Eichel:



A German man in his mid to late forties, Robert is usually very serious and strict about the rules. His job as a bus driver and all that it entails are one of the most important things to him besides his family and coworkers. It goes to the point where the man drives even the larger buses "Like he Stole Something", much like his mentor Etienne. But Robert is one of the few Express drivers who can actually run 40 on time. Sometimes he's even a minute or two early.

Robert and Etienne are very close friends, and have a long history together even before working in the Grasshopper Express. They had met several years before in Europe, and it had been Robert who first suggested traveling to America. Etienne went first, and the German followed his friend after a year. When they finally reunited, the Frenchman had already joined the Express and eagerly welcomed his friend. Robert joined them immediately; and despite being the older of the two friends, was paired up with Etienne as his apprentice.

The pair work well as opposites, as Robert often keeps the Frenchman in line and to his duties. In return, Etienne is often Robert's moral support and reminds the German not stress over every little thing. Mo often calls Robert "Carrot" on occasion, due to the man's strange obsession with Carrot Cake. Even the other bus drivers will make jokes about it, especially Etienne. Robert tends to remain aloof towards Mo. While his rivalry with Jimmy does not extend to her, the German still reserves his judgement. He's mildly interested in seeing what will become of Mo and how far she'll go.

Partner: Neoplan 577

Theme: "Du Hast" by Rammstein



Elizabeth Liz Dalahan:


Another female Express driver, and one of the legendary ones, Liz has been around even longer than Margaret. After driving for nearly thirty years almost everyone here is her junior, except perhaps for Allen, Eric, Patrick, and "General" Lawrence. Even Andre respects her. Liz is a fun, confident personality who fears nothing and can get along with almost anyone. She used to be quite all over the place in the Express back in her early years, but now she kicks back and takes it easy running the 9 Loop and sometimes taking Mo along. While it's unknown if Liz possesses any special abilities, her coworkers and the buses of Route 9 all agree that she's one of the strongest bus drivers in the fleet.

Partners: (32 ft.) “Shorty” Orion V 135, 136
Theme: “Daughters Of Darkness” by Halestorm


"General" Lawrence Owen:

Another oldie of the Express, Mo made the mistake one day of dubbing Lawrence "The General", because of the many numerous pins in his hat. Naturally the rest of the Express took and ran with it afterward. It also doesn't help that Lawrence brings forth a wise, quiet, commanding presence wherever he goes. The moniker also seems natural, given that he's spent nearly 30 years as a driver for the Express, and watched most of the others "grow up", as it were. Most of the time the General is known to be one of the Patron Saints of route 6 and prefers working with the Nabis. He tries to stay more on the driving side of things, as opposed to taking on special missions like some of the others do.

Partner: Nabi 227


Prescott Greystone:


Usually goes by "Scott" or "Grey" depending on his coworkers. Robert usually calls him Scott, while Etienne and Mo usually use Grey (Or Greystone). He is a young driver in his late 30's, newer than some of the others, but is one of Mo and Brian's seniors nonetheless. Greystone was Etienne's next student after Robert... And the poor man probably had a hard time learning to deal with the two of them. Grey is pretty normal for a bus driver. He tries to be a nice guy and stay out of trouble. Although he comes from a very old family line, "Greystone" being one of the founding families of the area, Scott usually keeps his history private, even from the others. He just wanted a simple, quiet job where he could be alone.

If he only knew... Scott's been "graduated" and a full time driver now long before Mo arrived, and has gotten used to his crazy seniors. He can be surprisingly protective of Etienne and Robert, even from themselves and especially from his family. Ironically the pair are just as protective of him. Robert truly sees Scott as his younger brother, and Etienne will especially look out for him at nighttime. Not everyone in the Express knows, but Greystone has a genetic condition with his eyes, and sometimes has weak vision at night or in bright conditions. He also often suffers from migraines and fatigue.

What the others also don't know is that Greystone also works under Patrick as part of the spying/intelligence portion of the Express. Even Etienne and Robert don't know. Grey is one of the reasons Mo wound up being recruited, and even has his own spies/informants scattered around the area. He's also the only driver in the Express allowed to conceal-carry a firearm.

As for being good at his job however... It wouldn't be the first time Mo wanted to smack him with a stack of time tables. Forget Etienne always running 10 minutes late, Grey usually shows up not even close to schedule, late or early. Despite making every attempt to stick to his times -yes, even driving Like He Stole Something- the time tables just don't seem to apply to him. Grey's coworkers often have no idea where the hell he is, and even Dispatch doesn't understand it. He does seem to have a gift for showing up at just the right moment though, perhaps his only known gift.

Partners: Neoplan 539, Nabi 278, 241

Theme: "Just Like A Pill" by Pink


Felicia "Fleas"/"Feliz" L'Oroviccio:


Felicia is not one of your usual drivers. For one thing she's a revenant, a reanimated corpse, returned to drive once again for the Grasshopper Express. In her previous life, "Fleas" had worked as a bus driver with the Express for seven years. However, during a regular shift working with bus 482, she was involved in a serious accident mid-route with multiple cars. While the passengers all survived thanks to the bus driver's efforts, Felicia ultimately died at the scene with 482.

Often times a driver's badge will be given to the family if something has happened to them. Or if the future is questionable, a driver may decide to personally leave their badge to someone they choose. If the worst has happened, the driver's badge number will remain unused for ten years. Sometimes, a driver may leave their badge to someone who isn't family or another bus driver as a sign that this person should consider joining the Express. Said person is then given the choice to train as a new driver and will then carry that badge if they accept. However, as Felicia didn't have any family or trainees, her badge was returned to the Express after her funeral. She is naturally the only driver to ever have one reinstated.

Fourteen years spanned between the time of Felicia's death and her return. It is unclear how and why she was reanimated, and how she spent her time before rejoining the Express. Her ranking with the others in terms of seniority is questionable, as only some of the eldest drivers like Allen seem to remember her and others have come after her. It was Etienne of all of them who wound up crossing paths with her, and neither of them recognized each other at first. It was only after finding out that she "had driven a bus before", and "died in a car accident", that the Frenchman finally put things together. Etienne later said that "While he had never actually met her, he had heard of the incident and that it had happened a while ago."

As a revenant, Felicia has some advantages in being stronger and having "less living problems", as she calls them. She doesn't require sleep anymore, and doesn't need to eat unless she would like to do so. But part of her personality, particularly her emotions (or now lack of them) and memory have been severely affected by the change. Her eyes are now also completely featureless and colorless. While this doesn't affect her vision, Felicia is aware that it unnerves people and usually carries a case of contacts of many colors with her, to give the illusion of normal eyes. She is a quiet, intelligent personality who usually ends up keeping to herself. As she doesn't sleep anymore, Fleas will do any shift or hours she's given. She's slowly but surely adjusting and re-adjusting to the Express and her coworkers again. But given the choice, Feliz will rarely leave Grasshopper Central on her own, and even works in the garage to help repair the buses if she has nothing better to do.

Partner: AM/MAN 7000 #482 (Deceased)

Theme: "Here With Me" By Dido



Xavier Durel


Though he doesn't normally drive a bus, Xavier is one of Mo's superiors. Actually, he's almost everyone's superior in the Express; Xavier is one of the head Dispatchers. Most of the time he's found in the garage/office at Grasshopper Central, or heard over the radio yelling at guiding someone. While he truly isn't a mean spirited, angry person at heart, half of the drivers would probably say this job brings out the worst in him. His physical appearance: tall at 6"5 and thickly built with muscle, probably adds a lot to his intimidation factor.

Xavier does indeed have a temper. And he does indeed terrify some of the newer drivers at times, even when he's yelling at someone else. Some drivers would say he's a hard, intimidating man with little patience, whose hard to please and harder to impress. But they would also go on to say that Xavier's always there. He has in fact worked in the Express for nearly 20 years, and almost no one else rivals his experience and dedication. Despite his grumpy attitude, Xavier watches out for the bus drivers like they're all his kids (even the eldest ones) and does everything in his power every day to keep service running well and keep everyone safe.

Partner: Usually one of the armored Escapes, if he goes out on the road. Sometimes he even brings Tommy along with him.

Theme Song: "Save The World" by Swedish House Mafia



Charlie Artios: Er... "Charlotte?" Oh dear...


We seem to have a problem here, this driver is definitely not supposed to be female... Lewis, what have you done now?

"That's why we invented doors, and POLITE people, were taught to knock first!"

"I'm gonna knock your face in if you don't fix this! Now!"

"Keep your stripes on! I'm trying! I dunno why your gender changed though, I wasn't working with anything remotely to that kind of effect."

"Who gives a ********?! I want my balls back! Take whatever your hoodoo is and UNDO it already!"

-Watches Xavier break the pair up and take Lewis away before things get worse. Clears throat- Well then... Charlo- -Gets an angry look from the bus driver- Er... Charlie is an old timer of the Grasshopper Express in his late 40's. He's been around long enough to remember what happened to Felicia and the old route 60 before they changed it after her death. He has family that runs a farm in the countryside, and used to have alcohol problems in his youth before becoming a bus driver.

Charlie also seems to have a connection to one of the old cemeteries. He seems to be fond of a young woman who actually lives on the cemetery grounds, and often calls dibs on running the "Cemetery Alley" bus route to check on her.

Partner: Usually one of the 40 ft. Orion buses. For "Cemetery Alley", he often works with 120.




Shayreen:


One of the mysterious members of Dispatch, Shayreen's main responsibility concerns handling the timetables and service changes of the bus routes and putting together the runs (routes,directions,time slots) that make up a driver's schedule. Big service changes usually happen with the seasons, but after Shayreen finishes the main schedule options, the drivers then have some amount of choice in what kind of shifts they want to work based on seniority. (Mo does not get to choose yet. She usually follows Jimmy's schedule.) She often works with Lee Annie to inform the drivers of where they're going and what bus they're working with.

Although Shayreen often seems quite polite, lady like, outgoing, and helpful, (much of the opposite of Lee Annie) it's rumored that half the Express is terrified of incurring her wrath, given her power over the schedules.




Lee Annie Stevens:


Another mysterious member of Dispatch, Lee Annie is usually in charge of handling the buses. While Sharyreen is mostly responsible for planning out the route and time schedules for the drivers, Lee Annie is the one who decides the bus assignments of the day for each driver's runs. She keeps a close eye on what goes on at the garage and also helps Xavier send out replacement units whenever something goes wrong. How she ended up working for the Express isn't often a subject Lee Annie will go into detail about, but the dispatchers often joke amongst themselves that "Xavier found her in the garbage one day". Personality wise, Lee Annie is tomboyish to the extreme, unafraid of getting her hands dirty or jumping into a situation. She may have also unofficially won the title of "Foulest Mouth In the Fleet"... Quite a feat considering the rest of the bus drivers and mechanics.

Themesong: "Sad But True", By Metallica




Tommy Losada:


Tommy is another one of the Supervisors of the Grasshopper Express. Although most people immediately think of Xavier when things go wrong because Tommy usually does his very best not to be out in the field or actually helpful anywhere. Instead the thirty-six year old of questionable humanity (notice the pointed ears) usually prefers to sleep somewhere on the job, complain excessively about it, smoke worse than an industrial chimney, and hit on most of the male drivers. That's right. Despite his rugged messy looks, Tommy is actually Gay. Sorry ladies. Lee Annie is usually good about getting Tommy to do his job. And Tommy IS a very good supervisor, when he's actually in the mood to be.

Tommy's recently just returned from leave. Supposedly he was stuck in Hell, but he
doesn't really have any proof except for a sword he can now suddenly manifest. He calls it the “Rose Blade”, and while Tommy can manifest it whenever he needs to there's a drawback of thorns erupting from his hand and around his arm from the sword as long as he's holding it.

Theme: “Call Me Devil” by Friends In Tokyo



Amari: