1 villain down (video/action)

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

[The small girl with the braided pigtails looks, for all intents and purposes, harmless as anything. She's wide eyed, dressed for a day at school in a jean jacket and pink and purple striped shirt. She has a Hello, Kitty backpack on her shoulders and she's sitting by the fountain, looking a bit confused. She's found the device, that much is obvious, and she's looking into it, just as innocent in appearance as possible.

And then, she completely fucks the image up by speaking. Her tone? Not as pleasant as the look on her face and even that shifts, somehow becoming dangerous. Eyes narrow, expression hardens. There's something just not right with this child.]

Okay. Where the fuck am I? Dave? Is this some sort of shitty prank? Are you even there? [A pause, she looks around and now she's frowning.] Where the fuck is the school?

[Another pause and when she speaks, her voice is small, a tiny bit worried and once again she looks as a child should in this situation. Anxious.] Am I dead?

Comments

video;

[intheblanks]

That's more confident than you sounded about it a few minutes ago. Someone's filled you in?

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

A few people. A total creeper who bitched at me for cursing. A guy named Hercules who says he's the Hercules. Someone who was nice about explaining my status as a kidnapped resident and a kid who sent me a guide that was recorded by another kid.

This is really weird.

video;

[intheblanks]

Right, really weird is about the way I'd sum the place up.

You don't need to believe in it, but you do need to figure out how to live in it as long as you're here. Recognising the creepers is a good place to start. The guide isn't bad either.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

That's fantastic. [Sarcasm; One of her best defense mechanisms without putting anyone in a hospital.] I'm gonna look into an apartment later.

[There is seriously no way she's staying at the Welcome Center. She'd rather avoid that if she can.]

My name is Mindy. What's yours?

video;

[intheblanks]

Alone? I hope you enjoy keeping close track of the time.

[The camera gets a close-up of his ID badge for a second.]

Doctor Robert Chase.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

Because of the ticking I heard about? [She frowns, a look of disbelief on her face.] It can't get that bad, can it?

video;

[intheblanks]

It gets louder the more clear space you have around you.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

Wow, I love it here already.

video;

[intheblanks]

Find someone to move in with. Not a creeper.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

Sometimes it's not that easy to tell the difference between a nice person and a douche bag. [This is personal experience she's speaking from, here.]

video;

[intheblanks]

I know, and this city doesn't help. There are monsters who look like people and people who act like monsters. But if you're not sure about someone, ask.

And if you need a place, temporarily, I could find something.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

[She's not sure she wants to take that literally just yet. But then, she did meet a guy who said he was Hercules and she's starting to become more and more certain that he really is who he says he is.]

As long as it's not the Welcome Center. I don't do to well with people my age.

video;

[intheblanks]

I picked that up.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

Thank you very much, Doctor Chase.

video;

[intheblanks]

I have an apartment I'm not using. If you don't mind living with some boxes of medical texts, the rent's paid.

Or you could meet the landlady at the place I'm staying right now.

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

I don't mind the apartment full of medical texts.

video;

[intheblanks]

It doesn't come with a roommate, but I know a dog looking to relocate. I stop by now and then.

Sure you don't want to see the current place?

video;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

...it might be smart to check out both places.

[Just so she knows where everything is and assess exactly how screwed over this place has her.] I'd ask if I should meet you somewhere but I have no damn clue where anything is except the fountain.

video;

[intheblanks]

[Pretty screwed over, it should be noted. And the landlady in question is creepy as hell but not a creeper. Well, not in the traditional sense.]

Give me twenty minutes.

video to action;

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

Alright. [She'll be seated near the fountain. She's removed her jacket and her backpack and is hugging them close and if Chase looks hard enough, there's faint scarring on her face. They're recent. And her nose has that slightly off tilt to it that a person would have if it had been broken at any point. Other than that? Typical girl with braided pigtails, a love of pink and purple and a 'Hello, Kitty' backpack.]

video to action;

[intheblanks]

[He's kept his labcoat on for ease of recognition, but it's not hard to spot a small pink schoolgirl among the shoppers. He already has her pegged as not quite as she appears. The language in the first snatched section of her posting to the network indicated a particular degree of maturity - a familiarity with the vulgar - and the way she's acted with him since displays something else.

She knows enough to cover it up when necessary. Chase wasn't only talking about the other residents in saying people aren't always what they seem.

Still, however she acts, she looks an awful lot like a child, and he'd rather not leave her to the wolves. He waves, crossing the square.]

You were at school? They're lax on the uniform policy. [And a smile.] What grade?

action:

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

[Every one of his assessments would be accurate. She's a careful child. She has things she needs to keep separated at all times because that's what her daddy taught her. Mindy is Mindy and her other half is something else entirely. It's how all the great superheroes do it.

As for the maturity? Well, maybe not so much at times. Oh, sure she has the mannerisms of someone older than her, but on occasion it comes off as she's only just learned how to swear. She overuses the words. Oh, well. When she spots Chase, she stands and heads over with a grin.]

My school was more worried about the shit people were trying to sneak inside in their backpacks and less concerned about hemlines. We had metal detectors. Wear what you want, just keep the weapons off school grounds.

[There's a part of her that actually finds this frustrating. She almost never went anywhere without her balisongs and now here she was. Weaponless save for her hands and feet and her own creativity. Not that she thinks any of this will be necessary any time soon.]

action:

[intheblanks]

At my school it was regulation wear at all times, or you had to worry what the teachers were packing.

[He tells it conspiratorially: not the type to condescend. And there's the fact that he almost never admits to what his school actually was.]

Usually bibles.

[Ie: staffed by nuns.]

But the hospital keeps a similar policy. [And he points to indicate.] Big white glassy building over there. This place has something going for it in that it's difficult to get lost.

action:

[pigtailsbutterflyknives]

[Mindy cringes at the thought of his school, trying to not be simultaneously amused. Somehow this image was both scary and laugh-worthy but she kept it to herself.] I hear nuns can be terrifying.

[She pulls her backpack on, still carrying her coat.] Where are we going? I'll follow you.

action:

[intheblanks]

Nuns? Worse than vampires.

[Oh he's very much in agreement with the scary-but-laughable part. It's the deep history of catholicism he most often keeps to himself. Except with kids. Too few years on them to mean they'll stand in judgement.]

You can walk beside me, if you like. We'll check out the warehouse first - it's where I live, less horror-movie than it sounds. Have you asked anyone on the network about me, yet?

[He holds an arm out. It's for the coat, though it's of to her if she accepts the offer.]