InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "MONKEY!"

I Moderate (i_moderate) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2010-01-24 16:28:00

Entry tags:

anita blake, dorothy mcshane, farley claymore, guy of gisborne, honour bellaforte, jake, kaylee frye, liz sherman, norman bates, rincewind, sam winchester, selina kyle, spock, susan pevensie

A Lovely Day (open to everyone)
The day was crystal clear. Warm, even, considering what time of year it was. Kids were happily running around the park wearing their shorts and maybe a light sweater. Flowers had bloomed unseasonably. Bees and butterflies busied themselves while birds sang.

To top it all off, in a nice grassy area some picnic tables popped up. They were all covered in food and drink. A big banner unfurled across a nice space that could be seen from the road. It touted "Annual City Picnic" in bold black lettering.

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i_tame
2010-01-25 01:28 am UTC (link)

There was precious little for Beauty to do when she had a day off from work. Typically, she wandered back to the bookshop, camped in one of the comfortable chairs in the back of the store, and started in on the most recent arrivals. In fact, there was rarely a day when she wasn't at the bookshop, working or no. But today was especially bright and sunshiny when she stepped onto her cottage porch. It was the dead of winter, and she'd missed the warmth of spring. Did the City know how much she'd been hating the cold? She was trying very hard not to think nice things about this place, but more and more she was finding that Errol's seduction by the place where they lived was not as wretchedly unfounded as she'd thought. More and more, it was difficult to keep hating the City.

There was really only one thing to do on such an unseasonably warm day as today: she must spend it outside. Beauty was lounging in a spot of sun that just happened to cast itself right over her chai, when her attention was drawn to the clearing far across the park. Tables. A banner. She was sure it hadn't been there before!

She was the first to arrive, the first to walk under the banner, and the first to sit at one of the tables. Many of the items of food were unfamiliar to her -- and then she saw a croissant and realized that she was famished!

Alone or not, Beauty saw no sense in letting an innocent croissant go to waste. She delicately set it on the plate that arranged itself in front of her, then started gently prising the thing apart. Steaming hot bits of meat were stewing in a bowl close to her, and she forked some of it into the pastry. It looked fantastic.

And, a second later, she discovered that it tasted fantastic, too.

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i_1331
2010-01-27 02:36 pm UTC (link)

Something was tickling her nose.
And it wouldn’t stop.

Thirteen mumbled something incoherently before rolling onto her other side, away from the wispy object and smelt only fresh earth instead. Soil?

Her eyelids fluttered as an eye cracked open, her visual of the world sharpening into distinct shapes before her.

Soil.

SOIL!

She sat up suddenly and instantly regretted the move as the world swam around her. “Ooohhhh…”was the first word that came her mouth and even then, she could still taste the cottonly residue of last night’s beverages on her tongue. Jagermeister She remembered detachedly as she cupped her head in her hand for a momen. Groaning inwardly, she realized that it was far later in the morning and that she was supposed to be at hospital for differentials right now.

Cuddy will have my ass… and House….. will be House.

Another inward groan which was immediately cut off as she pulled herself onto her feet and hurry towards the edge of the Park in order to find her car. Thirteen knew if she didn’t rectify the situation soon, she would have to endure another week of snide remarks and questions about her personal life thrown her way by House. Deep within her, she knew that it wasn’t so much the crudeness of the remarks but the fact that she had to put up with the remarks when there were dire things at play in order to get House’s attention on the case.

Quid pro quo Thirteen thought ironically as she removed her jacket in the warm sun. The search for her car was going nowhere and neither were her attempts at trying to contact Kuttner, which had led to repeats of strange dial tones that went nowhere. Exhausted, she found herself back at the park again where the smell of cooked food in the distance made her stomach rumble loudly.

Draping her jacket over her shoulder, she followed the smell and found herself staring at the big banner. Annual City Picnic? Thirteen allowed herself to raise an eyebrow quizzically before looking around. Wary of religious or other “altruistic” causes that might be entailed in these community events, she skirted around the table before deciding to partake in the festivities and helped herself to a plate of food. After all, she could do some carbohydrates in her system to help her think somewhat more clearly and absorb the remaining alcohol that was still circulating her digestive system.

Thirteen picked a table at random, half aware of the smell of smoke still lingering in her hair and clothes. Flashing a smile at the woman who was obviously enjoying her crossiant, Thirteen pointed at the empty seat and asked politely, “Is this taken?”

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i_fixthings
2010-01-28 03:04 am UTC (link)

Picnic! She loved picnics! She hadn't been on one in ages, but she totally did like them. Well she hadn't been planetside this long since she first took to space. She never wanted to be like this either but here she was! Kaylee glanced around, tons of people were already at tables and having a good time.

She didn't have a basket though. She had a toolbox. She'd taken the lid off of it. It was full with fresh fruit (mostly strawberries). But she did have something! Right! All good.

Kaylee plopped down at a table that already had two women.

"Hi there! I'm Kaylee. Mind if I join you girls?"

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i_tame
2010-01-28 05:03 am UTC (link)

Before she knew it, there were two new faces right beside her - one on the right, and one - Kaylee - who had just sat down across from them. Never one to be taken aback by new people, she smiled brightly to the both of them. "Please," she said by way of invitation, "I'd love the company. I'm Honour, Honour Bellaforte, but everyone calls me Beauty. My home is just across the park -- that cottage, do you see it?" Here, she pointed it out. It looked much farther away than before. The City was odd sometimes.

Most times.

"I was really surprised to see the picnic! It is nice, isn't it? And it's so beautiful out today."

The first woman, she seemed a little.... a little out of place. Beauty wondered if that was how she appeared to Mr. Crowley when she first arrived. The thought made her back straighten. Was she new here? The more Beauty considered, the more it seemed plausible...

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i_meow
2010-01-28 05:20 am UTC (link)

Jake had seen the signs for the Annual City Picnic while he was on his way to the fish market. He'd been craving fresh cod all week, and he finally decided to indulge himself. He'd been too cramped in that apartment taking care of Jennifer anyway. He needed to get out. To prowl. So why the diversion from the fish market to the park? Why, it sounded like a lovely means of meeting new people. And maybe, if he was lucky, there would be some friendly felines there as well.

He hopped up on top of the table where the three women were sitting, beginning their conversation, and sniffed at the food and drink available.

And there, much to his delight, at the end of the table was a plate full of fresh (uncooked) fish. It looked quite divine to his feline eyes.

"Pardon me, ladies," he said in his most apologetic and gentlemanly (gentlecatly?) tone. Well, didn't exactly say. Jake's collar allowed him to communicate telepathically. But the understanding was there just the same.

He padded across the table, carefully stepping over plates and dishes, to get to the other end. Mmm, fish, fish, fish.

Oh, the mind of a cat.

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i_1331
2010-01-29 03:18 am UTC (link)

Thirteen had initially thought that this was going to be a short, quiet morning break before she she head off. However, the sudden appearance of Kaylee took her by surprise. Given array of dressing by the picnic’s participants, it made her wonder if the picnic was a guise or euphemism for some strange comic convention that only Kutner would have known about. Who knows – he might even have taken the day off to be here if it was a convention.

Taking her seat at the table, she looked up with slight disbelief at Beauty’s introduction. Beauty? Thirteen knew better and kept her comments to herself as she looked out in the direction where Beauty pointed. Her eyes narrowed before widening in growing disbelief – a cottage. A cottage sandwiched between urban buildings. She sought to contain her own growing panic and anxiety behind a sip of her decaffeinated coffee – where was she? Was she tripping on something? All the questions troubled her but ironically calmed her down as she realized that her mental faculties were still processing as normal which ruled out the use of hallucinogens or any still within her system and the lack of sharp pain in her head which ruled out possible concussion. Realizing belatedly that it was very rude of her to remain silent, she quickly set her beverage down on the table and nodded in reply. “Dr Remy Hadley but you can call me Remy.” No Thirteen – after all, it was an exclusive sobriquet used by House and the Ducklings within the walls of Princeton-Plainsboro.

Raising her hand self-consciously to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “I don’t live here.” She said as she watched the other woman before tentatively asking, “Sorry, you wouldn’t happen to know how long a drive it is from here to Princeton-Plainsboro?” Thirteen was too preoccupied with the fact that she was going to be very late to work to realize that she had skipped over Beauty’s comments about the weather. To her, she didn’t think it would be more than 2 hours out since she –does- remember being at the bar till closing time.

Pardon me, Ladies

Her hand shook just as she was about to take a sip from her mug again but instead, some of her coffee went straight onto the table as she heard the voice in her head and watched stunned as a cat languidly strolled across the table as though he was the one who spoke.

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i_fixthings
2010-01-29 06:35 am UTC (link)

"You don't live n'the city?" Kaylee grinned. "Well none of us do, and then we do. I'm from Outer Space!" She laughed for a second. "And apparently the future, or so I keep bein' told. Kinda strange firs' time you hear it. But you get used to it. You must be new. There is a hospital my boyf--...my ex...my.. friend Simon works there. It's around here somewhere."

As if that helped.

And then there was the cat. Not just ANY cat.

The best cat EVER.

"Kitty! Oh Gorram. I mean J...J....Jake! Jake!" Kaylee was already sliding down her seat to give him a pet. A nice gentle one. She loved critters, and this one TALKED.

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i_meow
2010-02-01 03:40 am UTC (link)

"I'm from outer space, too," Jake said as he chewed on the fresh fish he found at the end of the table. Mmm. Delicious. And yes, somehow, through the telepathy, he still managed to give off the impression of talking with his mouth full. Chomp, chomp, chomp.

He blinked and quirked his head up when Kaylee called out his name. If he had facial expressions, he would have smiled. Instead, he twitched his nose and whiskers. Then he licked his paw. Because Jake's mother cat had always taught him to be polite at the dinner table. And politeness included cleanliness. Or cleaning one's paws.

"Oh! Kaylee! How delightful to see you again!"

He'd been so focused on the fish, he hadn't even noticed that it was her. He purred when she pet him. Oooh la la. This was the life.

"I've been meaning to ask you about seeing your ship sometime. Oh, but my apologies, ladies," he interjected, giving his attention to the other women seated at the picnic table. "My name is Zunar J5/9 Doric 4-7. But you may call me Jake."

He licked the fish.

"Could somebody please pass the tartar sauce?"

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i_tame
2010-02-01 03:55 am UTC (link)

The only thing that didn't keep Beauty from falling off the park bench or flat-out shrieking at the experience of a talking cat was the fact that her brain initially rebelled completely at the very idea that it had, in fact, been the cat who had talked. She looked around quickly for someone else who could have said what he did -- but there were no men present nearby. There was one who looked like a really tall shoemaker elf at the table far across the picnic area - and there was another one who was just... he looked a little odd... But there was no one else here.

And then Kaylee seemed to be speaking to ... Oh, saints above. It was a talking cat! Beauty screwed on a smile as soon as she realized it, then as the wonder and absolute magical amazement of the real and true talking cat began to settle on her, the smile turned genuine.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jake!" she said, graciously passing said tartar sauce his way. After all, it would have been difficult for him to have grabbed it without any thumbs! She giggled at the thought, but didn't dare share why she was laughing. It may have been rude! And that's what got her to stop. "My name is ... Well, people call me Beauty, and I'd be pleased if you did the same."

Outer space. She wasn't really certain what either Kaylee or Jake meant by that phrase. They were talking about ships, though, so perhaps it was an odd phrase for the sea! There was no sea around these parts; Beauty'd looked. With a sigh, she resigned herself to being lost for now. It wasn't the first time that something in the City made very little sense to her.

Turning to the first girl who declared that she didn't live her, Beauty smiled patiently. "None of us are from here," she said quietly. "At least, no one I've met yet. But we all live here now. Have you just arrived in the City? It seems you feel... lost. I know the feeling. It's how I felt when the City - this place - pulled me here. It was very difficult."

It was still difficult, if she were honest. The City had given her everything she needed to live, but her heart was still firmly with her family.

Dangerously, she realized, she'd also been making a small family of her own here. It would be very, very difficult to leave Errol if she ever had the chance to return home. The thought clouded her countenance.

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i_1331
2010-02-01 12:26 pm UTC (link)

When the girl said she was from outer space with such enthusiasm, thirteen was just about to recover from her surprise of the talking feline. "outer space?" House would have a field day with this girl. Or not. She turned to look towards the other voice and could only bring herself look at the cat for a long while before realizing that it was really rude of her to just stare.

"Pleased to meet you, ... Jake. " the hesitation marked her inner incredulity on her part. "Remy. Dr Remy Hadley” Even her voice seemed foreign to her. If she had been alone, this would be the part where she would be pinching her nose and giving herself a minor reaction test right now.

Instead, she drank out of the mug again - her breakfast plate forgotten in front of her. A woman named Beauty. Another woman who claimed her origins from the outer space. A talking cat. Thirteen blinked slowly as she linked certain things together like how the second woman and beauty - utterly different in demeanor or style, spoke of not being of here and named the place with a certain lilt that be speak of the stress on the name of The City.

"We?" she asked with a lift of eyebrows, thirteen figured she could keep he reservations to herself till she figured otherwise. She wanted to find comfort Beauty's words but could not comprehend with empathy or th pity showed by the later.

"I just" she looked back at the grassy patch where she was just hours ago before looking back at Beauty. “found myself there earlier this morning.” It seemed there was this coherence there that suddenly snapped as the whole displacement seemed to hit her all together.

“Sorry” Thirteen turned to look at Kaylee who had earlier let slip about her friend, “Is there a Dr house at the hospital? Or Dr Cuddy? Foreman? Taub? Kutner? Dr Cameron or Dr Chase?" with each name, there seemed to be a growing panic that was only betrayed by her biting her lower lip. What were the chances? What does one do in such a situation?

She waited for a response before looking around, “What …?” Thirteen paused for a moment, wanting to get up and just walk away from this insanity. “W..." For once words failed her

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i_fixthings
2010-02-02 10:27 pm UTC (link)

"Yes! Outer Space. Above the Atmo! Planets and stars and the like. Heard of earth and everything like that, but never thought I'd actually see it. Kind of unbelieveable, but people thik this City is on earth. But then. Who really knows, even the captain don't know where we are." Kaylee smiled.

It seemed simple enough to her.

She continued to pet Jake. He was so cute. Made her miss those Beagles something terrible.

"You want to see Serenity? Well all you have to do is come by, I'll show you everything! Workin' on the Drive plates currently but I could always use an extra hand, or paw." She smiled.

When she looked up towards doctor Remy she smiled.

"Well I didn't meet any of those people when I was at the hospital, just Simon Tam, but you might be able to find them. Stranger things have happened. Heck, Wash was dead and then back, and Book was dead where I'm from but he was here. Certainly some of your friends might be around too."

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i_tame
2010-02-05 03:53 am UTC (link)

Beauty winced at Kaylee's rapid-hope firing. Remy looked like she would have swayed if she weren't already sitting down. Nothing about this would be easy for Remy. Kaylee seemed like a very nice person, if a little.... Well, Beauty was certain Kaylee made a lot of sense in her .... where she was from. Beauty didn't understand most of what the girl was saying now, though. She politely smiled and nodded. Perhaps Errol would understand more of it if she got to talk with him about what Kaylee said. Errol would probably like such a friendly girl as Kaylee.... although he seemed reserved so many times he met strangers. He seemed reserved when he met Beauty, too.... but lately, with all the time they spent together at the shop, Beauty didn't see him as reserved anymore.

She realized her mind was wandering away from the people around her and toward Errol, and that was just rude. She smiled more brightly and re-focused.

"I wish I could be of help to you," she said sincerely to Remy. "I remember how difficult it was for me on my first day. I lost my sisters and my father all at once - and then I realized I was centuries away from my own time. All my family - and all their family - have died. Even if I could find a way out of this City, it wouldn't matter. I know no one. I have no where to go. It was a very, very difficult time for me. Truth be told, it's still... It's still hard. But I try to stay positive."

Most of the time, she tried to stay positive. She hadn't mastered it as well as Kaylee apparently had. She hadn't mastered it as well as Errol had.

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i_meow
2010-02-09 08:21 am UTC (link)

Jake missed being within range of the Mother Ship, too. But then again, everyone in The City missed someone. It wasn't an easy transition. Jake just had it easier than most though, he imagined. What with being a cat and all. And being a space traveler. He already spent a lot of time alone, studying different galaxies in the universe. Though, if he had the choice, he would have liked to return to Earth. To see Frank again. Frank was a good friend. And his neighbor had a beautiful white Persian. Jake could have made himself a happy life there.

But the universe had different plans.

When the tartar sauce was passed his way, Jake took a bit of fish into his mouth and dunked it into the sauce. Then he licked it up. Tasty! Ooh, a little spicy.

"It's a lot to take in," Jake said as he chewed on the fish, his tongue licking out over his nose now and again. He got a little bit of tartar sauce on his whiskers which he tried to wipe off with his paw. "Just give it some time. Try to stay calm. Make some friends. It gets better. You're not alone. And your friends might show up."

Jake wished some more cats would show up. Alas.

"Mmm. This fish is delicious. Anyone want to try some?"

It was probably rude of him to dig in without asking. But it smelled so good! He couldn't help himself.

"Oooh. Drive plates. Sounds like fun! I'll stop by in a couple of days then, for sure. Once Jennifer is recovered from her flu."

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i_1331
2010-02-11 02:03 pm UTC (link)

Remy badly wanted to pinch her nose bridge in hope that she would wake up eventually. No ducklings? She found herself taking a series of quick shallow breaths as her chest tightened up in respond to all that had been said.

Her hand fell to her side as Remy started to feel around her jacket to see if she had her inhaler as she started to wheeze. Part of her also knew that she kept her inhaler in her car or at home most of the time and mainly because she did not like people knowing that she was asthmatic.

"D..drive plate?" Her hand closed on something hard and felt it slip out of her pocket onto the grass patch beside the table. Remy turned almost too quickly, almost falling over the edge of the table to reach for the plastic contraption which she quickly brought to her lips and huffed two sprays as she turned away from the group. She did not speak for along moment as she waited for the tightness around her chest to abate.

"Sorry." She turned back to her companions as she tried to rationalize things but still found it hard to accept. Remy sucked in a breath and refused to acknowledge Beauty's sincere sympathy, "Thank you but what happens now?" as she open her hand to reveal a set of keys and a hospital name tag.

"These are my apartment and car keys but.." She paused, "I have never seen this name tag before."

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i_fixthings
2010-02-16 08:27 am UTC (link)

Kaylee peered into her tool box of fruit, plucked out a strawberry and bit right into it. Since the city provided everything she really wanted but normally could never have out in space.. well she'd been taking advantage of it.

"Drive plate.. ah.. maybe it's a bit too complicated. Not that bein' a doctor ain't difficult, cause it is. Just.. maybe I'll leave explainin' ship parts for another time." She put the leafy green bit of the strawberry onto a napkin.

"I've noticed, that when everythin' feels pretty wrong here that the City seems fit to provide you with some things you need. Like when I arrived I was bleedin' and torn all up and suddenly Cap'n was there and he took me to the hospital and Simon fixed me up right pretty. Well." She glanced back to the strawberries.

"Seems like the city already gave you a job."

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i_tame
2010-02-16 05:48 pm UTC (link)

It hadn't been just her, then, Beauty mused. She noticed how Remy had almost completely ignored her, and so Beauty decided perhaps telling Remy that she wasn't alone wasn't the best way to make her feel better.

It made Beauty feel better, though. Perhaps The City didn't have it out for her - and her alone. And after Kaylee pointed out that The City had a habit of taking care of its own inhabitants, Beauty realized the truth in it. She hadn't been homeless for a single day since she arrived her. She'd not starved. She'd not even languished alone without anyone to speak to. As soon as she'd arrived, the thing she needed to know most of all was the location of her family. And, though she didn't like the answer, she at least knew it now.

The City had been very good to her. Beauty tucked her hands into her lap and kept them folded tightly. She looked prim, proper, and wholly ashamed of herself. Just how ungrateful did she have to be before she realized it?

Uncomfortable, she quietly stood and excused herself. "I have forgotten to do a very important thing," she said by way of explanation. "It was a pleasure to meet you all." And then, more quietly, "Good luck, Remy."

She hurried away from the picnic and to her cottage. Funny: it seemed a lot closer to the picnic than it had a few minutes ago. She was sure that was all in her imagination.

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i_meow
2010-02-18 04:58 am UTC (link)

Jake continued to lick at the fish whilst the ladies continued their discussion about The City and how it worked. He hadn't quite figured it out himself, and he had been there for quite some time. He also had a good deal of mechanical and quantum education in his background. So, it didn't matter how smart of a person (or cat!) you were, The City worked on its own set of principles.

"The City has a mind of its own."

Jake looked up as Beauty excused herself from the table. He meant to say goodbye, but his mouth was full of fish, and he didn't want to get anymore on his whiskers.

He lapped up a little bit of cream from a bowl nearby.

When Remy asked what it was she was supposed to do now, Jake sat up, licked his paws, and said, "You go to work. Well, not now. Maybe tomorrow. You might be in a different place, but there are still people who need you. Every city needs doctors."

Then again, it might have been easier for Jake. He was a cat. A cat and an astronaut. He was used to living alone, traveling alone, being alone. So finding himself in The City was no big change. He actually kind of liked it.

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i_execute
2010-01-25 02:19 am UTC (link)

Anita blinked rapidly as she found herself in the middle of a damn sunny field. This was not where she wanted to end up. Drinking in a bar was where she wanted to end up.

The City, obviously, had Other Plans.

At least food was provided. If there was one thing she had learned in college , it was that any event where there was free food was worth attending. The intervening years hadn't changed that at all.

The Executioner grabbed a cold beer out of a cooler that lay on the ground near a table full of fruit platters, condensation dripping onto her beat-up biker boots. She used her key chain to pop open the top and took a long swallow, looking around.

It would be nice if someone, anyone, she knew would show up. Solitude was no longer a comfort to her but a reminder of all those who used to surround her, now going on without her somewhere outside the confines of the City.

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i_shower
2010-01-28 05:32 am UTC (link)

Norman and Mother had a big debate over the Annual Picnic. Technically, Mother had won the debate. Then again, Mother won most conversations. Mostly because she was so strong and intimidating. She caused feelings of both fear and adoration in Norman. It was a very difficult relationship to live under. Norman didn't quite have a handle on it. Though, he was getting more defiant. Stronger in his own will, one might say. So when Mother had demanded that he not attend the picnic, he opted to go against her wishes.

Time would tell if he would regret that decision.

You stupid, foolish, good-for-nothing waste of flesh. You're a dishonest and hateful son! I hope you get diseased by all of those whores out there. I hope they rot your flesh and give you popping pustules, you traitor to your own mother! The woman who bore you! Traitor!

Mother was angry.

But Norman was ignoring her. Well, as best as he could ignore her. She was very loud. Very vocal. And very adept at communicating her opinions.

He walked up behind the woman at the cooler and suddenly became very nervous. Because she was very pretty and Norman was very awkward. When she stepped away from the cooler, he gave her a smile. It might have been a nice smile, but on Norman every expression was a little ... creepy.

"H-h-hello," he stammered. "I'm N-Norman."

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i_execute
2010-01-28 01:53 pm UTC (link)

Anita whirled around, a little too fast to pass for simple human, as a voice came from behind her. She hoped no one noticed and pasted a smile on her face to cover her slight discomfort.

"Hi, Norman. Anita. Have a beer."

She pulled one out of the cooler and handed it to him, her brows drawing together slightly. He looked vaguely familiar, but she wasn't sure where she knew him from...or even if she knew him at all. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, missing home.

"Have we met before? How long have you been stuck in this shithole of a closed dimension?"

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i_shower
2010-01-28 05:23 pm UTC (link)

Norman looked at the beer with a considerable amount of anxiety. Mother was in the back of his head scowling at him like a mad rooster. Still, he took the beer, clearing his throat with a cough at the same time. He wouldn't drink it. At least, he didn't think he would drink it. Norman wasn't much for inebriation. (But maybe it was time to change?)

No. He still preferred milk.

"N-no. I don't think so."

Norman fidgeted.

Then she asked him about how long he'd been there and Norman really had to stop and think. Well, because in a way, he felt like he had always been here.

"Years," he finally replied. "I left for a little bit. But then I came back."

Norman, surprisingly, missed The City.

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i_execute
2010-01-28 05:49 pm UTC (link)

Anita coughed up a bit of her beer. It definitely did not taste as refreshing the second time around, a part of her brain mildly noted.

The rest of her shouted, "Years? I could be stuck here for years? Well, hell."

She managed not to say that all out loud, though it really was a close call. Hooray, self-control.

"Wow," she finally said, after the coughing subsided. "Years."

Then the rest of his comment finally processed through Anita's brain.

"You left and came back? How did you manage that? Has anyone else left that we know for sure survived or went back to the place they came from rather than just poofing?"

She grabbed him by the shoulders in her excitement.

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i_shower
2010-01-28 08:25 pm UTC (link)

Norman lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. He didn't understand the fascination everyone had about being stuck in The City. Norman never felt stuck. Sometimes Mother made a comment about being stuck. But The City was a sigh of relief for them, really. It was like the interstate finally passing by their motel. It was a chance for a new beginning. And if anyone needed a new beginning, it was Norman Bates.

"It's n-n-not so b-bad. I like it here."

Norman set the beer down on a nearby table and removed a small paper bag from his back pants pocket. Candy corn. He always carried some along with him. To soothe his sweet tooth. He reached inside and took out a piece.

Then she grabbed him by the shoulders and he dropped his bag of candy corn. Norman blinked. Multiple times.

I TOLD YOU THERE'D BE WHORES AT THAT PICNIC! DON'T EVEN BOTHER COMING HOME, YOU DISGUSTING PITIFUL PIECE OF SHIT!

Mother was angry.

"Uhm ... I don't know. I j-just left. I n-nnneeded some fresh air and some sp-pace. So I left."

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i_execute
2010-01-29 03:58 pm UTC (link)

Anita stepped back and clenched her fists, grimacing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to grab you like that. I got a little over-excited. You left? You just left? Because you felt like it? And the City let you? Nothing more?"

Jeez.

She ran her fingers up her scalp into her hair and tugged a little, trying to clear her thoughts. Somehow, this skinny little guy up and left the City and then came back, coming and going as he felt like it. How? Why him? Why did the City let him leave, come back, and more importantly, remember it?

She watched him eat his candy corn, frowning. Another question, why did he look so familiar? Why did the fact that he looked familiar creep her out? Anita back-burnered that one in favor of the ones that might get her the hell out of here.

Raising an eyebrow expectantly, awaiting any answer he might be able to produce, Anita grabbed a cinnamon bun off a picnic table.

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i_shower
2010-01-29 05:58 pm UTC (link)

Norman couldn't explain the reasoning behind why The City had let him leave and then why he was able to return. He hadn't really been paying much attention about it, really. Because it didn't matter to Norman one way or the other. A city was a city. And this one was closer to his motel. Which meant that he had better business. And it was always about the motel, after all.

And about Mother.

He ate another piece of candy corn.

"Mother stayed though. She didn't want to leave. So she stayed."

And when Norman came back, she was still there. And the only thing he missed about being away from The City was being away from Mother. For the first time in his life, his head had been clear.

But Norman Bates really couldn't exist without his Mother. A boy always needed his Mother.

He ate another piece of candy corn.

"If you are looking for a ch-change of scenery. You're w-welcome to come to my motel for a few days. Lots of p-people go there to relax. And it has a n-n-nice view of the city."

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i_execute
2010-02-01 02:45 pm UTC (link)

Anita didn't put two and two together when he first mentioned Mother but once he had said 'Mother' and 'motel' in the space of just a few minutes, she finally figured out how she knew this guy. Or rather, knew of him. Had seen him. In the movies.

Oh crap. Another pop culture reference she actually knew, and this one wasn't as hot as Batman. But still. Norman Bates might not be all bad. God knows Anita knew some far more dangerous people than Batesy and kept them close in her life. Hell, her own boyfriends had probably....no, definitely killed more people just since she had met them than Norman Bates had in his whole life.

In fact, so had she.

Who was the Executioner to judge the psycho?

"Your motel. Relax. Right. Maybe. It couldn't be worse than wandering around unable to find my apartment because the City has decided I need to go to a picnic and meet Norman. Maybe the City wants me at your motel. Got any more cute guys there? And yes, by more, I mean in addition to you."

She grinned at him and finished off her beer, then licked the sticky cinnamon sugar from the bun off her fingers.

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i_steal
2010-01-25 06:01 am UTC (link)

Selina was taking another walk. She did that a lot in The City. She was always curious where she would end up, and she has been feeling cooped up after the cold winter. It was a warm day, so she was delighted to come to the park.

Where, there was a picnic. She smiled to herself. It was just like The City to get people mingling again.

She walked up to the table, grabbed an ice cold bottle of water and sat down on a bench underneath a tree, wondering who would show their faces in the park.

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i_diftor
2010-01-28 05:49 am UTC (link)

Vulcans didn't socialize. And the concept of a "picnic" on his home planet would have been seen as foolishly illogical. Unfortunately, he had spent quite a number of years among humans, and had learned to deal (and scientifically appreciate from a sociological standpoint) such events. That, however, did not mean he would have to make perfunctory conversation. He could always just be the observer. Spock was very adept at observing. Skilled in the art of watching from an unbiased distance.

And he would have continued his solitary existence in this peculiar city had it not forced him from the still immobile Enterprise hovering above the planet to the grassy park.

He glanced about at the various individuals. Strangers, most of them. A brow curiously quirked at the sight of a cat walking across a picnic table. He found that disturbingly unsanitary, but made no comment to that effect. Being a Vulcan he was not one to show much emotion, but he was a little put off by the landscape, which reminded him of the mission to Omicron Ceti III, the site of some most unsettling plant spores.

Eventually, he found himself walking over to the tree that the young blonde woman sat beneath.

"Quercus robur," he identified. Then he quirked a brow. "Fascinating."

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i_burn
2010-01-25 06:04 am UTC (link)

Elizabeth Sherman was glad it was sunny, because she was bored, and the sun always felt good.

As she came to the park, she avoided the children running around like the plague. She was not a kid person. Not even a little.

Lighting a cigarette, she looked around. Not seeing anyone she knew, she grabbed a plate and piled it high, the cigarette dangling from her lips. She was going to take advantage of free food. She took her pile of food to a picnic table and dug into the fare.

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	i_amgentle 2010-01-26 04:20 am UTC (link)
	Susan was still dealing with her fish out of water feeling as she found herself in the park ankle deep in what looked like a picnic. "Oh well, let's just see what happens next" she decided as she joined the fray, somewhat out of place in her old fashioned (and looking very period) clothing. (Reply to this)

i_wizzard
2010-02-02 04:27 pm UTC (link)

A wizard always knew when food was about. It was one thing that Rincewind had absorbed as Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography at Unseen University. Although, there, it was easy. There was the Day Kitchen and the Night Kitchen and the perpetual banquet going on in the main hall. Here, he had to actually think about food to get it! And occasionally plan ahead!

Still, it beat eating soup in the freezing cold with Cohen the Barbarian. Been there, done that!

But this....this....picnic thing! The City had outdone itself. He could almost forgive the City for plucking him from a semi-comfortable life in which he could at least anticipate the dangers and dropping him (literally) into a world full of dangers he could not foresee.

Perhaps a small chocolate cake thing would make him feel better.

Chewing, Rincewind reflected that cake always makes everyone feel better and looked around to see if there was anyone to talk to or at least who didn't look like they would hurt him or get him into trouble. Though he was well aware that someone who would get him into trouble usually found him first. He was the anti-lucky.

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i_blowthingsup
2010-02-04 09:44 am UTC (link)

Ace had left the castle right when someone had started attacking it. She saw no reason to get caught up in some fight she knew nothing about. She and Harley might be mates, but that didn’t mean she was the good guy in this. One thing she had learned in her travels with the Professor was that just because you liked someone, it didn’t mean they were on the right side.

She walked to the park and noticed that there were tables and people and all the fixings for a huge community picnic. Ace thought that was wicked cool. It was one of the very few things she missed about Perivale. They would have these kinds of picnics at least twice a year. She somehow always managed to have fun.

Grinning, the young British woman went over to an unoccupied table and put down her boom box. She didn’t think any of the modifications the Doctor had made to it would be of any danger to the folks gathered for the picnic. Sitting down, she turned on some of her favorite jazz and leaned back against the table.

If things followed their usual path, it wouldn’t be long now before she would be needed to help save the planet. Again. Wicked.

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i_brood
2010-02-04 07:11 pm UTC (link)

Sir Guy of Gisborne was out riding his new horse when he came across the picnic. He snorted softly; not really that impressed with yet another reason for the peasants to gather together. They could use this event to join up against the new queen that had appeared in The City. Which reminded Guy that he should go to that castle and offer his services to the queen as soon as he could. He should get on the good side of whoever is in power. It would help him get ahead here.

Since he had no idea how long he was going to be trapped here.

Guy easily moved Rupert around the tables, never jostling a single item. His horse was amazing. He would have to stop and buy something nice for Jeannie as a thank you before he headed back to the cabin they shared. This beautiful black stallion was the best gift he had ever received.

He passed a group of very attractive women. As there was no sign of Marion, he didn’t see any harm in being nice to the girls. He smiled down at them, bowing slightly in his saddle.

“Ladies. You all are looking lovely today.”

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i_think_big
2010-02-09 04:14 am UTC (link)

Farley wasn't usually one for parks. Back in New York, he'd usually ended up where the "popular kids" were - he'd been to his share of speaks, even if he didn't feel like he actually needed to be there. Even when Prohibition ended and everyone went back to the nightclubs - which felt like you needed a date to even get in - Farley stayed away. There was something about the mood of a park that made him feel just as out of place; they were for lovers, friends, children, not would-be criminals...

Still, it was a nice day - warm, bright, no chance of running into... him.

He grabbed a couple sandwiches from one of the tables and a soda from a cooler, then made a place for himself under a tree.

This place wasn't really half bad...

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i_needsaving
2010-02-09 05:14 am UTC (link)

A picnic. Again, Sam was struck by the normalcy of it all, but he had seen the darker side of the City, and he refused to be seduced by the seeming tranquility of it all. Even if the dangers differed from his own world, his job was still to make sure that people were safe, for as long as he was here.

Still...that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a decent meal, or make a few allies in the process. After all...he hadn't been in Kansas for a long time. When in Rome...

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