Repose

[Cat kept listening in on the comm while she went in search of Stephanie. But she wasn't really paying attention. It was chatter in her ear, which she was grateful for, because better that than listening to the sounds of dead things turned machine. She wondered how much of Anthony From Records was left, as she passed him quietly on the staircase. She could've killed Anthony From Records, but why? He was literally slamming his forehead against the wall, telling the wall to move, and why bother killing him? He'd just come back, and maybe he'd feel that worthless headshot, so Cat? Cat left him alone.

She progressed toward the floor indicated, and she noticed the cold that felt stronger as she neared, and she wondered. Her steps were quiet, stealthy, and the pain in her thigh was a vivid reminder that she could die here. Serum, gamma, and she could still die here. And, of course, she wondered if any tendrils of technology remained, growing inside her like mushrooms on rainy days. Those things? They popped up everywhere.

But she didn't focus on that. She walked past a man she didn't recognize, and he was probably someone in from out of town for the presentation. Some dumb Tethys HQ lackey, and she wasn't going to think about Reece. The man was slumped against the doorway, one level shy of where she was meeting Stephanie. There was a mechanical cluster beside him, the cords leading into the open lab door across the hall, and it was beating. It could be serving as his heart, as his lungs, who knew? Cat considered unplugging him, but he didn't even seem to know where he was, and so she kept on until she reached the cold hallway door to where Stephanie was. Inside, it was frigid, and Cat walked in, the copious amounts of blood and goo hardening against her black clothing. There was a handkerchief serving as a makeshift tourniquet on her thigh, where blood was still leaking sluggishly and ignored.]

[A lil after this.]

[Locked to Lou D]
Okay, asere. You gonna lemme buy you a new phone?

[Locked to Hunter R]
Hey, mijo, you been quiet.

[Locked to Atticus M]
Anything burn down yet?

[Locked Manning T]
How's Joey been?

[Once the Cat appeared, Eddie took off towards Melody's location. He wasn't crazy about leaving Stephanie and Cat alone, especially since his long time intuition about felines told him that Cat wasn't in the best state, but he had work to do. Any kind of coddling or protectiveness would get his ass kicked by both women and he knew it. Stephanie, despite rolling around in frozen goop, would be fine. Cat? Could take care of herself. And, if something went wrong, he really believed he'd get the first call.

He was down to his white button up shirt, green tie, green slacks and expensive wing-tipped shoes. His hair was starting to bounce out of place into that annoying curl on the top of his head and he had bits of goop splattered over him, but the worst hadn't knocked on his door yet. He knew that by the end of this he'd probably be wearing whatever kind of clean clothes he could find down here. Even overalls god help him. Eddie was already wearing a backpack of supplies and he found that on the very pinnacle of unfashionable. Overalls would just take him over the edge.

Most of the monsters so far could be slipped past with ease; all it took was his Fred Astaire light footing and they didn't even notice him. As for the new bit of alien tech that came in the form of a holographic bird? It was nestled in his coat pocket, sleeping to recharge energy. Unseen for now since he wasn't crazy about explaining Birdie to anyone except Steph just yet. He finally got to the containment area where they kept Melody and then directed himself towards the access tunnel she was talking about.] Here. Stay quiet, I saw a big one with a disco ball for a head wandering around. [He said into his comm and waited for her to show herself.]

[The store was much the same even after the handoff of ownership. It was too quaint to change, and too ingrained into the town to even contemplate, that Helena was perfectly fine leaving most of it alone. Really the only addition was the new hours, a fool’s errand the previous owner tried to warn her, and not in those exact words. But that hardly mattered. She wasn’t opening up hours for his sake.

At least she had found help so quickly. With only the barest skeleton crew available on the dayshift, she had been desperate enough to make her first introduction in town as a plea. It wasn’t as bad as she feared and in no time at all she had herself a new employee and a shipment of coffee coming in, as requested.

The coffee in question was brewing right by the register. Sumatran this time, though she had an assortment of brands and flavors for her new worker to try as he liked. Whatever he ended up preferring she would add to the inventory order, but for now this would do just fine.

The chimes at the front door caught her attention, making Helena stop in her inventorying to check her watch. If it was who she was expecting, he was right on time. Grabbing the box of cans she had been inventorying, she feigned the sound of effort as she easily foisted it up and walked to the front.

Setting her box on the counter with another soft ooof sound, she turned to look at the newcomer. With her hands now free she dusted down the sleeves and front of her sea green shirt that complimented her park of dark blue jeans. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, black curls brushing her shoulders as she moved. All in all, she liked to think she looked the part. Absolutely average. Positively normal.]

Shopping? Or…? [Very quickly she realized that she had no idea what her new worker would look like, and she didn’t want to assume.]

[Public]

We seem to have managed a month or so without a calamity at an organised event. Is this suspiciously balmy outlook ahead, or have we just reached that point in the year where there are a dearth of holidays to celebrate en-mass that provide suitable sport for crazed scientists?

Given the absence of the teeming hordes, hardy photographers thrown out of buildings not withstanding, this looks curiously like progress in restoring the natural equilibrium. It can only go south, I suppose.