Inside 70: Surprisingly Pleasant

[bc56]

Naomi's Flat

This story makes Jade even more sure that Naomi needs help. "That's terrible! Did you tell anyone about it? How did she die?" Someone's that can deal with supernatural stuff. Jade's heard GLoG has a pretty good counselor for that sort of thing, but has never been there herself (although she considered it shortly after she transformed). "I might have some friends who can help, in any case. You need to see a real specialist."

Cormorant House

Skip me until you're ready to head down the stairs.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Er." He pauses for a moment and adjusts his glasses, doing nothing about the stringy hair that is surely the bigger hindrance to his vision. He knows how to answer this question, but he's not often called upon to do so these days. "Well, we have a number of different encyclopedias in the reference section. Er, over there. Within that section, they're sorted more or less by the, er, phenomena they set out to describe, in their title. You could also check the card catalog, if you want something specific, but it's sorted by, er, author, today. Which is probably, er, less convenient."

He gestures to the massive series of cabinets that comprises the card catalog. Surely they don't actually reorganize it overnight as that, 'today,' would imply.

The reference section indeed has more useful material, though in the dim light it remains a spooky and circuitous passage. An encyclopedia of the supernatural whose volumes take up an entire 3-story shelf on their own is its own special kind of intimidating. If and/or when June decides on a suitable encyclopedia and a subject to look up within it, another weak-looking sliding ladder is available to reach... but upon close inspection, the volume is missing! It happens for the first, like, three things June tries.

From the ladder, June can see a woman in a brown sweater with her hair tied back into a basketball-sized poof that rests on her neck. She is juggling several different volumes, scribbling and crossing out notes on paper, and checking something on her laptop. Beside her on the table is a high stack of books resembling the encyclopedias' covers.

[Earl of Purple]

Sunlight Gardens

As the last word leaves her lips, Samantha winces and looks stricken. She apologises, or so it looks, but Sekhmet can't hear her. She's deaf, at least for now. All she can hear is her voice, repeating the words that inflicted the deafness upon her over and over. Prumathe asks what's going on, but unless Sekhmet's facing him she can't see his lips move- and she can't hear him ask anything. Samantha doesn't yet know the effect that's struck, just that it has.

[bc56]

"You're very kind... You're very kind... You're..." Sekhmet clutches her ears, but can't hear anything but those words. She breathes deeply. The Hive gave her some training for what to do in such a situation, but it was mostly intended for if she lost her voice. She can use the same principle, though. She's done it before. She reaches out with her mind. I, uh, can't hear you, Prumathe. I've gone deaf. She pauses, a bit awkwardly. I, uh, I could be your eyes for you, and, uh, you could be my ears? If you, uh, don't mind?

[Deathkeeper]

Plaza Park

”Okay but why though?” Hector asks, dumbfounded.
”Making people miserable to make others happy doesn’t even accomplish anything.” he insists, knowing they won’t listen to him.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

"Buncha birds. Some sorta desert thing. God? Monster? Demon? Who cares. We'll probably figure it out by the time we're done, that's usually how this (rose) works," Mags says with a shrug as she starts heading down the stairs toward the basement.

All the really cool cultist stuff always happens in basements.

ALWAYS.

She's feeling pretty chipper, all things considered. Eating that giant pile of meat made her feel a little better for now at least. This is all familiar territory for her. She feels in control and on ground she's comfortable with. Working with this cop might not be so terrible after all.

"So we only got a couple bolts for the crossbow yeah? So I'm thinking we try other stuff first. Your gun or my sorcery. And if that doesn't put 'em down then you bolt 'em. POW! Cooked meat."

A beat.

"Uh, so, something happened that made you come here right?" Mags asks. "Was there, like, a murder or something? Or was it something dumb like the neighbors complaining?"


[Plaza Park]

"That isn't cheating where else would you get the happy?" one of the pixies objects.

"Yeah, are you as dumb as you are ugly?" the second interjects.

"And fat! She's fatter than she is ugly."

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

Just when it looks like they're about to start fighting again Hector asks his question.

"We gotta get happy to grant wishes," the pixie explains, crossing its arms and glaring at Hector.

"Yeah! That's how you grant wishes you gotta collect happy. You're a boogie you wouldn't understand happy stuff."

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

The teenager's casual attitude towards all this madness wasn't helpful.

At least she wasn't having to calm anyone down. That was the one advantage of having Magdalene around.

She seemed pretty inured to all of this. Billie is somewhat annoyed with the teenager's commentary regarding the crossbow, as well as the conservation of it's ammunition. As if resource management hadn't been an immediate concern of the detective's. Rather than complain over something that ultimately really doesn't matter, she just steps ahead and begins to cautiously traverse the staircase, revolver and flashlight in hand.

As the pair travel, Billie speaks over her shoulder. "Teenager went missing."

"Others followed." The detective scowls.

---

[Naomi's Flat]

Naomi shakes her head sadly. It's as clear an answer as any.

Her therapist had most definitely not been okay, and she still felt guilty about it all.

After a pregnant pause, Naomi's white cat slinks out from within the closet and makes its way over towards her. She'll start to gently stroke her pet's fur, much to its satisfaction. This gives her the strength necessary to muster a proper response. "Um, I don't really know what it's called." Naomi had heard about it in the news, first. "It was in her car. Just, like. Sat in her garage, I guess." She takes a shaky breath before continuing.

"Something about the ignition. Or, exhaust maybe." She looks away. "It was you, worm - and you know it."

"Could have snapped her neck yourself."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Plaza Park]

Beth's face is getting red now.

"It's cheating because it doesn't belong to you. It's cheating because the kids won't like like it if they find out you stole that happy from someone else. And it's cheating because you don't need magic to entertain a child. It's not even that hard! You can just make faces or play hide and seek or something, even I could do it! Or are you as dumb as I am fat and ugly combined?"

...that came out wrong. Whatever. The point is in there.

[bc56]

Cormorant House

The stairs down do indeed lead to a basement. A dark, underground room with stone brick walls. The scents of blood and rotting meat linger in the air. And the horrible presence intensifies. There's something here, in the room with them. It's coming closer. But looking reveals nothing there. Nothing but shadows and cobwebs.
There are two exits, dark archways that seem alien in the gloom. A little too perfectly shaped, a little too yellow in color for the surrounding stone. The smell is stronger down one. Down the other, there's a faint radiant heat.

Naomi's Flat

Jade knows what she's talking about, but isn't going to bring it up any further. "You need to see a specialist," she repeats, "Someone who can deal with the freaky stuff. It's not safe to keep all this inside you." That last sentence has a double meaning, referring to both keeping the emotions and the creature in. "At the very least, let me examine you at my place. I have some sophisticated equipment there. I might be able to learn a bit more about how it contacts you, or how it's altered your physiology."

[Deathkeeper]

[Plaza Park]

Hector scowls, leaning to the side a bit so his Other can manifest for a moment beside him. They’re just being dramatic.
”We’re one boogie, but I got plenty of mortal left to know what happy is. How’s the wish granting work anyway? You got all that happy stored somewhere don’t you? Nah, I bet they didn’t even tell you where it is.” he scoffs, looking ahead. He totally thinks there’s someone else above them. Totally no reverse psychology here.

[5a Violista]

[Philip Memorial Library]

June looks over at the things the librarian points out.
"Ugh, I hate using card catalogs," he says. Encyclopedias are better. "Okay, thanks. I'll go check those out."

June heads over to the encyclopedias.

It doesn't take that long to figure out it's about the supernatural, based on their appearances. But...wow. He's never seen an encyclopedia collection that big. Normally, they take up, like, half a shelf at most.

So...supernatural. "Supernatural...so I guess names and spirits won't be here," he deduces, narrowing down his list of things to look up. Okay. Demons...
The book's gone. He descends the ladder and decides where to look next.
Fiends!
...
As much as he enjoys climbing and jumping down ladders, why is he only thinking of things near the start of the alphabet? He has to climb, see how far to move the ladder, descend, move the ladder, then climb again.
And it's not there either.
How about martial arts? There's got to be some sort of martial art that helps against mental influences. And that's got to count as supernatural, so it'd be in this encyclopedia somewhere.

After that third failure, he looks around to see if there's any other encyclopedias.
And...doing that is how he sees the woman.
He descends from the ladder again, and goes towards the woman - making sure to not come up from behind. "Hi," he says in a hushed tone. "What are you working on?"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Philip Memorial Library]

Leslie takes a stuttered breath. She's not startled; June did make sure that she could see him coming. Whatever has her rattled was apparently pre-existing. She stares blankly into her monitor for a couple seconds, shakes her head, then sighs and looks up at June.

"I don't even know anymore."

She slumps forward, letting her cheek rest in her palm as she stares down into her paper. "What is it about the Nexus that just... turns everyone inside out?"

[Purple Eagle]

[Net Cafe]

Svetlana's grip is firm, her hands warm to the touch, her eyes locked on Marin's. After a few shakes, she's the first to let go. "It was nice meeting you."

((Good place to end the scene.))

When it's done printing, she'll hand the books to Marin, and they can return back to Trog's.

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

Rosie's touch is a gentle one. Her hands are strong, yet soft; like those of a fighter who takes care to groom herself each day.

She exhales when Billie starts to shake her head. She suspected the other woman would disagree. Taking a deep inhale, she closes her green eyes and savours the scent of the natural scenery, holding it in for several seconds before letting it go back out. While in that state, she focuses on the sound of each raindrop hitting the ground or the overhang, while at the same time letting Billie's words resonate in her mind.

Filled her head with stories? It was true that she had mentally glamourized this job before she started and witnessed for herself the reality of things. Could it be that she still glamourized things, such as the job experience of being a legendary detective?

She opens her eyes. "I can't..." She starts to say, then looks down. Let go of who she thinks she's supposed to be, come as she is and know that she's enough? That goes against everything she believes in! Why wouldn't she strive to be the best version of herself that she can picture? Her strong sense of purpose won't allow her to do that.

At Billie's last words, Rosie turns to look her in the eye, searching them. Seriously? She needs to let go of this in order to get mentored by this woman? For a moment she's ready to say "that's a shame" and find someone else to mentor her, someone who won't force her to go against her own desires, but what if Billie's right? She's the veteran, she knows what she's talking about... right? Right?

"I-I'll try my best." Her voice comes out in a whisper, and she looks away. It's obvious she doesn't like having to succumb to this, but if she must, then she'll give it a try. "How am I to do... this?" Her face is still turned towards the fish pond. Where would she even begin?

[5a Violista]

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Huh. I see."

June moves closer, and then sits at the same table, and glances at all the things that are here.

He doesn't really know what she's talking about. Turning people inside out? What does that...? "I actually don't know," he says. "I just got here a few days ago, myself. Haven't really been in the Nexus long enough to know."



[Net Cafe]

"Yeah! Same," Marin says.

She grabs the printed books.
...
She should probably take them home, right? In case it rains, she doesn't want to get stuck inside or something. "So, yeah. I'll see you."
She leaves to go to the Riftline train station.

[Purple Eagle]

[Net Cafe]

"Sayonara!"

After saying her goodbyes, Svetlana returns to VIGIL to let continuity catch up with her.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

"So people disappearing is a reason for cops to start looking around right?" Mags asks as she steps down into the basement and runs into the rot-stink like a wall. Wow, that sure brings back memories. It's like the reanimator's cave! The only thing missing are the corpses stacked like cord-wood and the crystals shedding that awful, eye-stinging light. No alien light down here, just that lurking presence beyond the edge of perception. Which means nothing to direct her gnawing hunger at. But hey! If that flesh heap was any indication it probably won't be long until they make a new 'friend'.

Mags glances between the two doors.

One feels like an oven.

The other has a stronger scent of death.

"Okay so we're probably going to want to check both of these, yeah?" she says. "Probably don't wanna split up, though. I'm thinking the one that's really hot first and then the one that smells like carcasses. If I get set on fire or something in the oven room them I'm going to need to top off."

Top off?

Oh. All the little cuts from the sand-blasting are gone, aren't they? They disappeared after she fed.


[Plaza Park]

"It. Isn't. cheating!" one of the pixies huffs, stomping its little foot with each word. "Grownups don't NEED happy anyway so who cares? Most of them like being miserable."

Okay, that isn't-

"Yeah! If they didn't like being miserable why would they spend all their time doing stuff they hate?" the second pixie adds. Are they talking about jobs? They're probably talking about jobs.

"We keep the extra happy in a jar under that log over there," one of the pixies says, pointing at a nearby fallen tree. "But don't tell anyone okay it's a secret."

A secret to everyone.

[Morty]

[Slums - Patton Publications]

Michalson lingers above the man, torn between the job at hand and trying to help, but then turns to leave. There's nothing he could do to help any of the people here. And now he's walking out of here with one flimsy lead. Should he go back to the diner in hope someone saw that man? If they have, they might not be willing to speak to him about anything of substance.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Oh?" The woman looks up again. Her expression is indecisive. "Um, welcome, I guess. I don't know whether to be excited for you or to apologize to you..."

She turns her eyes back to her open library book. "What I'm working on is compiling these different theories on where certain monsters come from. Demons, devils," she points out a couple of the volumes in her big book stack, "vampires, werewolves. Shadows. Where I was from, it was generally accepted that monsters took on those forms in reaction to templates from human cognition. But here, it's different for each one, and a human can just... transform into any one of them at any point."

Leslie taps a finger at the edge of the page a few times, then closes the book to talk to June without the distraction. "So, how about you? Are you doing okay, so far? What was life like where you're from?"

[5a Violista]

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Oh?" He looks closer to the open book. "Yeah, I noticed that basically everything is different from where I'm from, too. Most of 'em were just folklore, and others were so wildly different that I'm not sure why the same word is even used for them."

But with the book closed, June can't be distracted by the book any more. So, he sits upright again. "So far, it's pretty fine. Got a job, got a place to live, already have a bunch of things I want to work towards. Sure, I've gotten kidnapped once and robbed once, and attacked by a frog too, but...ignoring all that, it all seems pretty decent so far." He leans back, and then takes a deep breath. "Life was pretty good. Sure, there was a lot of things going on, but it mostly just happened in the news. Barely even effected daily life. Married, hoping for kids, working towards a career...wasn't as 'exciting' as here but it was fine."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Plaza Park]

"Yeah, humans are weird, I know," Beth says. "Especially adults. They have a lot going on that doesn't seem like it's any fun. They need that happy to function on days like that. You've seen what happens when you take it out of them, right? They become listless and apathetic."

Who died and made Beth the expert on this? She shouldn't have any idea what she's talking about. Is she just making this up as she goes along? (Spoilers: Yes.)

"If you keep this up, the humans here won't have enough energy to make more happy on their own, and you'll just run out. And like I said, kids don't like stolen wish-stuff in the first place. You need to give it back."

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

Detective Bansford nods curtly at the teenager's question.

She doesn't bother further detailing the case at hand, she doubts Magdalene would care.

This basement is just as foul as the rest of the house. Billie wasn't surprised, the atmosphere likely wouldn't lend itself well to a more pleasant interior. It had started to weigh on her, though - the constant gloom of it all, the horrific stench of death which lingers throughout. She would have to take a long bath, once this was all over with. She'll remain quiet as the teenager speaks. She was right, the pair would need to be thorough, and splitting up was out of the question. With a frown, she starts removing her overcoat. "Hold this, please." She'll gingerly pass it to Magdalene.

The detective reaches into a pocket and retrieves a small, gold chain set with rings. She'll reach for her coat again and set it over her shoulders, before tying the chain across.

Now, she's wearing her coat as a cloak. That would make the heat more bearable, if only slightly.

With a frown, she starts to head forward towards the warmer room.

This would be uncomfortable. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go."

---

[Slums - Patton Publications]

As the detective heads out, something will catch his eye.

It's a nearby poster, upon which is an advertisement for a cabaret show of some sort.

--

It's called "COLOR ME WILD", a phrase the man had mentioned.

A lead, perhaps?

---

[Hodgepodge Street - Rainy Gardens]

Ms. Bansford pulls her hand away, only to slide both hands within her reefer coat.

It was getting quite cold, now. Not even her gloves were suitable protection, the temperature made worse by the falling rain.

She turns her face away from Rosie once she sees the struggle in her eyes. This was not her fight, these were demons that the younger woman would have to fight alone. The detective remains quiet, at least until Rosie blurts out the beginning of a phrase, the rest of which is wisely rescinded. "It's not a question of whether you can or can't, Ms. Thorne." That was the first lesson, perhaps the easiest to understand, but the hardest to abide by. "Will you, or won't you?" Rosie would have to learn to expel any sense of doubt within her. What good is there in constructing a temple worthy of the gods upon a crumbling foundation?

Billie grits her teeth as she continues, trying to warm herself. "You'll know how when it happens, dear." She doesn't go on to explain what she means by that. Rosie will understand what she means in time. Or she won't, in which case, what good is there in elucidation? Finally, she starts to prepare her things. She wanted to get out of this rain.

As she prepares, she retrieves a small notebook. Billie will quickly scribble her phone number on a sheet of paper before folding it up and passing it to Rosie.

With a small smile, she starts to rise to her feet. A hand is outsretched. "It was lovely to meet you, Ms. Thorne."

"I should be heading home. I've dinner on the stove." She nods.

---

[Naomi's Flat]

Naomi's eyes widen once Jade starts talking about tools and instruments.

Those were scary words doctors used when they wanted to do painful things to you, especially if you were strange.

She'd seen plenty of comic book movies to know that. Still, Jade seemed to be a genuinely trustworthy person. Could she let this happen, would it be safe? "Um, okay. I'm kind of hungry, first, though."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Married...?" Leslie glances at the black-and-white ring on June's finger then back up at his face. "Did you..."

No, of course they were separated. It's not even worth asking.

"I'm sorry," she says. A breathy chuckle escapes through her nose. "I guess that's that question settled." She stares straight ahead as she continues musing about her own entry. "I was lucky when I came here, all things considered. I was on the run from my evil dad, and that isn't a problem anymore. I had my sister and my starter with me, and something had just happened that opened up a lot of demand for research like mine. And I, um, haven't been kidnapped yet." It took her this long to register that bit. "What... how were you kidnapped? Was that somehow not a big deal?"

[bc56]

Naomi's Flat

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Naomi, Jade isn't a doctor. She only has a bachelor's degree, in electrical engineering. Also, if she's seen enough superhero comics and movies, she should know most superheroes are opposed to that sort of thing. "Sure. We can get lunch on the way." Hopefully, Naomi doesn't consider this a date, because Jade doesn't.

Cormorant House

The heat only gets worse as the heroes progress. Soon, they could be forgiven for thinking they're trudging through the desert heat under the hot sun. There are even drifts of fine sand in the corridor. Then they emerge into a room. It's roughly hemispherical, built of smooth sandstone, and has three other passageways leading off it. In the center is a sandstone altar, on which rests a strangely out of place suit of plate plate armor. The altar is marked with blasphemous glyphs and seems to radiate both the heat and the malicious presence felt here. Both are so strong, the very act of approaching the altar would be difficult and painful.

[Rebonack]

[Cormorant House]

Mags holds the coat as directed and offers a, "Hey, nice!" when she sees how the coat-cloak looks.

And then?

It's off into the hot room

This brings back memories, too.

The sting of the sand, the oppressive heat, the feeling that the sun itself is a malevolent eye glaring down at you. It definitely has the vibe of- What the heck was that guy's name again? She honestly can't remember. She does recall his eldritch mummies and spirits of burning hatred, though. She remembers walking through those blackened, smoking hellscapes that used to be cities at some point but had been reduced to burned out husks flowing with rivers of the god's molten blood. Is this jerk as nasty as that jerk? Is she going to have to worry about desiccated cadavers crawling with fat maggots groping at her in the near future?

Man, that would be great.

Mags would take an enemy she can kill over an enemy she can't any day.

And then?

"Oh hey, sweet armor," she comments brightly, moving as close as she can before she starts feeling uncomfortable. Or... well. Everything down here is uncomfortable. Before she starts feeling like her hair might catch on fire. "Give me a tick, I'll figure out what it does."

Oh hey she's doing that glowing eye thing again.

Man Identify is such a useful spell when you're expecting to be running into cursed gear.

[Deathkeeper]

Plaza Park

”Humans do stuff they don’t like if they want something. Usually stuff.”
Everyone knows mortals love them some stuff. Or usually, money for stuff.
Meanwhile, dog!Hector separates from him to start sniffing around that log, all shadowy-like. He doesn’t know if he really believes those pixies.

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

This brutal heat was really starting to get to her, with her many layers of clothing.

Sweat soaks darkly into her clothes, trickling down her face until her skin takes on a glossy shine and the salty drops invade her eyes.

Billie can't help but grimace as she continues forward, gritting her teeth in defiance of this supernatural heat. Her hair has started to stick to her face, so burdened with sweat is she. There's no response provided to Magdelene's words of approval, though she does nod as a way of saying thanks. It's far too hot for words, and she can barely even think. This was not what she expected to be doing today.

With a wave, she'll step back and allow Magdalene to work. In the meantime, she starts rolling up her sleeves and undoing her button down.

Anything to provide even a bit of relief from this oppressive weather. Doing so does reveal her tattoos, however.

They're highly detailed. At first, tribalistic in appearance. A closer examination reveals...

Huh, unusually geometric designs. Interesting.

She sneers. "Just hurry, please."

[bc56]

The altar must be causing some kind of interference, because all Maggie can get out of the armor is that it is "Blessed by the Sands of Ruin." Whatever that means. When she approaches closely, a shield of fire and swirling sand springs up around the altar, preventing any further approach.

[Rebonack]

[Plaza Park]

"No kids love wishes they think they're great," the pixies disagree.

"Yeah! Like just today this one kid wished for CAKE! Kids love cake," the other pixies agrees.

Apparently they really don't care about any counter-arguments, they only care about their game. As is typically the case with fae they tend to obsess about something. These ones apparently obsess over granting wishes for children.

"If we run out of happy here we'll just go somewhere else. Easy!" one of the pixies explains.

Meanwhile...

Hector is sniffing around near a log.

The log smells...

Umm.

Happy.

Somehow this shouldn't come as too much of a shock.


[Cormorant House]

"Ugh," Mags grunts. "Just fuzz. Blessed by the Sands of Ruin? Met this huge nasty eldrin with a title like that. Dude was one tough (flower), let me tell you. Let's see if-"

Whoop.

There's some fire.

Magdalene jumps back in time to only get a few minor burns for her trouble.

"Damn. Probably have to do something to shut the fire off. Maybe down one of those other paths? Eany meany miney that way," Mags declares as she sets off to skirt around the edge of the room and head off through the right-most passage. No idea if that's the right way or not but HEY that's the way she's going!

The heat is getting to be a real bugger, though. Her armor is hot and she's kind of baking under it. Rather hesitantly, she unbuckles her improvised breast-plate and drops it to the floor with a thunk. Then off comes her padded under-shirt, leaving her clad only in an old tank-top that might have been white at some point in the distant past. Without her heavy clothing and armor obscuring it, Billie will be able to see a ruby-hued orb of light pulsing like a heart in the middle of Mags' chest, the living glow soaking through her shirt like blood. Veins of ruby run down her left arm like coiling vines.

That's probably nothing to be concerned about.

Mags rubs the sweat out of her eyes with her forearm and soldiers on.

[Hattish Thing]

[Cormorant House]

Billie's eyes widen once the fiery shield materializes.

Although she's calm, she steps forward and attempts to reach for Magdalene.

Those burns looked pretty bad, and most certainly would have been worse had Billie born the brunt of it. "You're hurt, take a knee." Her tone is icy, but it comes from a place of genuine concern. It was not a request, but a demand. The detective retrieves a roll of bandages from within her overcoat, as well as a tube of healing ointment. She carried these everywhere with her. It was a necessity, after all, given how dangerous her profession was, to say nothing of her hobbies. "It's going to be cold, okay?"

At this, Billie will start to spread a bit of ointment upon the largest of Magdalene's burns, before expertly wrapping each injury.

Sure enough, the ointment was extremely chilly. A relief, likely. "Alright, you're good."

She stuffs her medical equipment back in her coat.

"Let's move on." She nods curtly.

It was too hot to argue.

---

[Naomi's Flat]

At least Jade had her degree, which is more than can be said for Naomi.

Even though she trusted Jade, at least a little bit, she was still very much unsure about exposing anyone else to her strangeness.

What had happened was still fresh in her mind. If something like that were to happen again, she wasn't sure what she would do. Maybe she'd just move onto some mountain somewhere and live there forever. That would just really suck, though. There were other solutions, but she was trying to be as positive as possible. At least until every other road had been traveled. "Okay, cool..." She frowns. Was this the right choice?

"Um, you have a place you like?"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Plaza Park]

Yeah, this seems like a dead-end line of inquiry. Beth will probably have to be content as a distraction while Hector sneaks off with the vial.

"Okay, point of order," she says, "you know you can just get cake, right? It's way easier than ripping juice out of people. What were those other ideas you were fighting over?"