The Universe's Mixer

The grocery store was a place of wonder; the food was right there and fresh. It begged to be touched, caressed, taken, which was exactly what Zoe was doing. She'd decided that since she found her husband and since the power was working, that she'd have to make dinner. Actually, seeing as no one was around to do it, she was making something more appetizing than those damn protein bars that Wash had returned to eating since he boarded Serenity again.

Actually, the Amazon was happy to be cooking with real food; it was a rarity that wouldn't grow old too soon. They had to scrimp and save for real berries, berries that Kaylee loved, and now they could simply go get them at a store, a grocery store. The Amazon was feeling motherly, so she put a few containers of the berries into the basket. She'd already stacked different vegetables and fruits into the buggy, some she knew, some she didn't - it didn't matter, they were going to try them all.

Moving from produce to meat, Zoe smiled. They would have real meat on board, meat that didn't moo or create a mess. It was already dead and butchered for cooking. All they had to do was cook it. She started looking over the different cuts; stew seemed the easiest and quickest, and it could take a good many of the vegetables. Stew meat, she even liked that the packages were marked. Who knew that she could be so very domestic? Sometimes she wondered if the City hadn't changed her, hadn't made her into a new person.

Little did she know that she was about to become an even newer, and possibly not so improved, Zoe Washburne.

For a day in the middle of February, the weather wasn’t half bad. Compared to how nasty Perivale got around this time every year, the City was a nice place. Ace decided to take advantage of the non-snow day and work outside. It was always safer to mix explosives in a large, open area than in a cramped hotel room. As long as the police weren’t around to stop you. Besides, what else were you suppose to do on Valentine’s Day?

Ace went exploring The City, trying to find the best place to set up a work area. Nothing was really suitable, if she was honest. It was starting to look like she was going to have to stick with the lab in the TARDIS. Maybe she could get something small set up in the hotel room she was renting. That could work if she remembered to keep the maids out. Cleaning crews always seemed to throw out the stuff she needed.

( She found a bench )

Many a thing could happen in this place and brush Jesse by as routine these days. Zombies? Well, that was just something that the City wanted to experiment with, sort of like Godzilla. Only that had turned out to not be the City's doing. Which was surprising, actually. Two doctors, the newspaper had said. They'd been the ones to stop it, and it was suspected that they'd been the ones to start it. No further articles had been written up about it, though. Jesse had checked every day. The snow had been unfortunate and a pain in the ass, but that wasn't surprising either. They hadn't ever even had much of a winter before. It sort of actually made sense that the City would discover it and go overboard.

There wasn't really a whole lot that could shake him, after all he'd seen and been through back in Normal World, and since he'd come here, he'd seen a whole lot of other things that could just be added to his list of fucked up. Not starting with, nor ending with, a dead woman being brought in to make his life a living Hell.

So there wasn't any real reason that Jesse should feel like putting on the old clothes. He wasn't feeling more holy or righteous. He wasn't feeling particularly like a man of God, not in any new way anyway.

Maybe he was just feeling like he needed something slightly familiar as he walked the City's streets. Who could say?

Whatever it was, today he'd gotten up and put on a black shirt, and fitted his preacher's collar into the little notches. The only thing he left off was the white pants, forgoing them for black instead. Seemed to fit his mood, though that wasn't any sort of somber. It was just odd. An odd mood. That was a good way to explain it.

Jesse stopped in the park to watch the children play. Cigarette in his hand, sun in his eyes. Yes, it definitely felt like a different sort of day.

It was fantastic.

It was almost better than the rampant zombies.

People everywhere, falling into gaga lovey land all over each other, everywhere he looked. Stupid googoo eyes on all the people he passed. All due to some hideous looking cherub. Firing arrows randomly.

He couldn't have done it better if he'd set it up himself, really. He could admit that.

Chaos.

Pure, beautiful chaos.

This did make it quite a bit more difficult to find Harley, though. There were throngs of people to search through, and all of them were moving around so much that her tiny cute little frame wouldn't really stick out unless she was in her red and black. He didn't think she'd be doing that with this many love sick folks milling about. At least, she'd better not. They might try to blame her, what with the colors.

He had to give it up for the time being. An unhappy thought. But he was content to just watch everything unfold. Laugh in the face of love. There was likely some way to cause a lot of mischief in all this. He'd have to give it some thought. It would be hard to put a cherry topper on this, though. It was so fantastic on it's own.

These people were falling in love with people they wouldn't normally be with, and that was pudding. Smooth, chocolate pudding. Aw. Harley. She called him Puddin all the time. Well. As soon as this was all done, he was going to find that girl. Yes he was. He'd been far too long without his Harl. Even if she did annoy the snot out of him a lot.

Jack shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled on, whistling.

Ted was oblivious.

It just didn't occur to him what was going on in the world. He vaguely registered that it was the Valentine season. The hearts and flowers everywhere. Store windows touting that they had the perfect gift to give your loved one. Pink and red everything no matter where you were or where you looked. It just didn't particularly matter to him. He didn't have anyone to share it with. Even with Charlie, who could be aptly called his hetero lifemate, it just wasn't the sort of thing you did with another guy. Of course, Charlie might argue that. Maybe. Ted just didn't know. He might return home to some balloons or something. He just couldn't ever predict what Charlie was going to do. But he felt that giving his best friend some card filled with Valentine sentiment just wasn't something that was going to happen. He felt pretty sure that he wouldn't wind up with a box of chocolates.

He also couldn't help that notice that the Danish he'd ordered was not only strawberry, but shaped like a heart. If he'd gone the whole day without noticing anything else, he would have picked up on what was going on through that.

"Thanks." He said, looking at it. Knowing that it wasn't meant for him specifically, but still feeling a little strange about the whole thing.

Ted picked a table that was out of the way of things and set up his laptop. He wanted to see if he could find a stock market in this place. He wanted to invest some of George's money for her. Even though she didn't really need more, considering what she was getting weekly. He thought it might be a good idea for somebody as young as she was to have something saved up. Besides, she might get outright giddy at the prospect of so much more coming in. And Ted did like to please his clients.

Nightwing knew what Shadowcrest looked like, and he didn't have as much trouble finding it as he thought. Zatanna's home was a large, looming mansion with as many windows as doors, once of those old Victorian looking things. When he'd first seen it years ago, it had suited Dick's idea of magicians with top hats and white gloves. He had since grown used to the house's magical quirks, like the way Zatanna would make a bathroom door redirect to an Italian cafe, or close one window since it was raining outside it when it was clear and sunny on the doorstep. He liked Zatanna, though they had never been best of friends; Dick wasn't a total idiot and every once and a while he got a vibe from Bruce that meant the two had a history. Not that he'd ever confirmed that. Prying information out of Bruce was an exercise better left to more important things than who his girlfriends were.

His little encounter with a length of alleyway (and a cute blonde, incidentally) meant his leg was throbbing, so he was careful when he dropped over the side of the roof and hung from an eve to peer through the plate glass. Dark. Hm. He swung to the next one, hooked a knee over a gargoyle, and tipped his chin. There it was, the study. "Just stay right there," he told the gargoyle. With an agile twist, he tapped on the glass. "Zatanna? Anyone home?"

Schmendrick was older than he looked, and he'd seen a lot of weird things in his day. Perhaps that was why, as a wave of swooning romantic sentiment overtook the City, he went casually about his routine as if nothing were off. He purchased a coffee at the corner store, picked up a newspaper, and made his way into the park to find a bench and start his morning. The quiet flipping of pages was interrupted only occasionally, when the tall hook-nosed man glanced up to watch clingy couples walk by.

For a showman, Schmendrick had always been a restrained sort when it came to romance. Youth had long since passed him by, and while he was earnest, he wasn't effusive. Perhaps that's why the couples made him smile; just because the sentiment behind Valentine's Day was no longer new and fresh for him didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate the joy of others.

He folded his paper. He wasn't likely to get much reading done with the City in such a worked-up state.

Elle was enjoying the city. Sure, it could be really boring and frustrating with all the moving around. But so far she'd met some interesting people along the way. Peitro and Crowley were interesting guys. Now all she needed to do was establish the company here and recuit. Crowley would help, she knew he would. He wanted to stir up trouble, she could see it in his eyes. He just needed convincing. Elle was walking out of the coffee shop, drinking from a clear plastic container some yummy lemonade. Pink. Red.

Damn it was Valentine's day wasn't it? Elle passed by a group of women, all carrying some kind of gift. Elle noticed the balloon first. It had to go. With a point and a small spark of electricity it popped, and crackled. Elle kept walking, hiding a giggle.

She hated Valentine's day. Who did she have to celebrate it with anyway? People at the company didn't give her flowers, or candies, or anything stupid like that. Still.

Elle was jealous.

She stopped around the corner and pressed her back against the wall, pouting and drinking out of her straw. She wanted a valentine too. She rested one hand at her side and let the little sparks of electricity hit the wall over and over again. Next person with a stuffed animal was going to see the teddy explode and burn.