damned_institute | Day 28: Germaine Street

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Day 28: Germaine Street

Rhode didn't want to have to let go of Allen, not ever. It could be forever before she was able to be with him again! But the nurses were persistent in moving her off the big yellow thing, as was Allen for getting away from her. Even outside of the building, people were just determined to keep her from being with him! It wasn't fair!

Once off the bus and shivering just slightly from the crisp fall air, Rhode was handed a small booklet of what the nurse called "coupons". It took some explaining, but Rhode was eventually able to understand that the thin pieces of paper in the book were supposed to be used like money here. She wasn't at all accustomed to buying things for herself; that was supposed to be the Earl's job. When Rhode expressed this problem, the nurse only gave her a sad smile and patter her in the direction of the buildings.

"Why don't you go find something fun to do? There's a toy store just around the corner there. Don't worry about being alone though, we're all here to keep an eye on you. If anything happens, just come get one of us," the nurse explained, nodding to the staff members that were set to parole the town for any problems their more unruly patents could cause.

So, they were all going to be watched even though they could roam about freely? Rhode took a look back towards the yellow things but was unable to pick out Allen from the mess of patients. In a few moments, she probably wouldn't be able to find him at all or for the rest of the day. Should she just resign herself to that for now and use the small bit of freedom to her advantage? Being with Allen was important, and a lot of fun but...

She glanced down at the coupons again, smiled up at the nurse as best she could, and gave a quick, "Okay!" before running off as suggested.

A small bit of freedom was bound to make her feel better. Maybe she could use it to remind herself of how she was supposed to handle Allen Walker, an exorcist. This town did have a similar air to that of the Rewinding Town, after all.

[went here]

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The bus ride had certainly been a blast from the past, and not necessarily a very pleasant one. It didn't help that he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a thermal jacket over it and some jeans, which was more or less what he had always worn during his high school days.

Granted, this time around no one had bothered him or made fun of him, and he had been able to doze off on the trip down. He made sure to get a look at the surrounding territory, but there honestly wasn't much to see.

Even the weather was enough to remind him of fall in New York, though the location was a lot different. He couldn't believe that small towns like this actually existed -- he knew about them, of course, but he hadn't been to a place that fit that quaint, everyone-knows-everyone stereotype as well as this place did.

Either way, it was a change, and Peter wasn't going to deny the opportunity to stretch his legs and gather some information about the area. Anything could help at this point.

After making his way off the bus, he started milling around, trying to figure out where he should go first.

"Like old times, eh?" Brock said practically in Parker's ear.

His experiences with school weren't exactly like Parker's in that for starters, he hadn't been such a nerd and while he hadn't be Homecoming King, at least he'd had actual friends. There was no rich little Osbourne Junior when Brock'd been in high school and he liked to think he was all the more sane for it. Still, adjusted or not, he also had Parker's memories from the symbiote and he could see that the bus ride drudged some up, if that look on Parker's face was anything to go by.

Actually, he was more interested in Parker's lunch, but he was proud of the fact he managed not to just help himself right this minute.

It was really unnerving how Brock could just sneak up on him like that, and the question caused Peter to spin around so he was facing the blond the and back away a few steps.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, his tone dry. Maybe those memories had put him in something of a mood, but he also knew that he needed to take advantage of his trip and try to get some investigating done.

He wasn't sure if Eddie would help or hinder that. They were both photographers, which meant that they both knew how to do some basic questioning -- maybe not as much as the reporters on the Bugle staff, but it would do.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, motioning to the town. He might as well get Eddie's thoughts on the matter now that he was here. He was also being good and not asking how the other man was doing, considering the injuries he'd sustained a few nights ago. That would just push his buttons, which wasn't his goal at the moment.

"Sure," Brock said, grinning. "Learn to start looking over your shoulder and maybe you'll stop being so easy to sneak up on."

He still felt like crap, but messing around with Parker ranked as one of those nice, stress-reducing things, right there with healthy helpings of ice cream, McDonalds and a bad movie. It didn't actually improve his condition or make that rasp in his voice go away, but he felt better bothering Parker. That was what counted. And anyway, it was a good reminder to the Spider that he might have freak mutant abilities and be able to jump tall buildings in a single bound, but he was hardly the top of the food chain. Brock saw - and knew, by genetic memory - what it felt like for Parker to be at the top of his game and Parker could be a downright jerk when he got cocky.

Although he probably would be a lot fun now that Brock could give as good as he could. Really too bad on the timing.

When Parker indicated their surroundings, Brock shrugged. It had that nice, pleasant smalltown look of Nowhere in Particular, and he couldn't really come up with anything about it one way or another. These days he looked at towns and cities just as places to hole up and feed, and do whatever he wanted. Sure, he guessed it looked pretty, but it was also New Jersey.

"Doesn't look like anywhere I've seen," Brock said. He'd be nice and actually volunteer something useful than just jerk Parker's chain a bit more. "Seems to me like they're asking for trouble letting us loose though."

He had to wonder for a moment if Landel's inhibitor extended out this far. It wasn't like he could test it out himself: his Other wasn't all-powerful. Besides brains, it also happened to live on the fuel of its Host and without enough, it couldn't just let them out of here unless he got something in him. The first thing he'd do after swiping Parker's lunch would be probably to hit up some food place and get something to eat. Then he could try seeing if they were any more up to par.

Usually he didn't have to resort to looking over his shoulder. Usually his spider sense would have kicked in and let him know that Eddie was trying to sneak up on him. It was hard to get back to actually having to tune in using other methods, but if Eddie kept pulling stuff like that, he would be getting back into the habit very quickly.

So Eddie didn't recognize this place, either. Peter hadn't figured that he would, but it had been worth a shot, anyway. He had been hoping the other man would have a few more insights into the matter, but maybe he had been giving him too much credit.

There wasn't much point in just standing around, though, and while the street obviously didn't have many cars going down it, instinct said that they should get out of it. He started to move toward the sidewalk as he considered what Brock had said.

"I don't know... I don't think they would be stupid enough to leave any openings after going through so much effort to take us in the first place. They're probably just doing this to tease us." Peter didn't really mind, though. Even if this was only a day trip, getting out was refreshing -- and he just might be able to get something out of it if he started questioning enough people.

Speaking of which, he needed to get started with that. He glanced over at Eddie and sighed. "Look, I'm going to wander a bit. You can come if you want." He shrugged, not sure if that was the smartest move, but there wasn't much harm in it.

Yeah, that'd probably make sense. Brock had already got the distinct impression that the fuckers who ran this place were sick little bastards who had to jerk off on other people's weaknesses. Or something. He was no psychologist.

Brock was more than a little surprised when Parker basically invited him along; it wasn't very friendly and the way he said it, he got the feeling that he'd be a third wheel, but Parker had still pretty much extended that hand even if Brock's first impulse was to snap at it and tell him to fuck off. Their last real face-to-face before all this at the Bugle was still pretty fresh in his mind after all, and he still thought it unfair that Parker got to laugh his way to the bank while he - an average guy without superpowers - got stiffed.

But instead the blond shrugged - it hurt - and said: "Not like I've got anything better to do."

With that settled, there was the next matter: where to go. Peter shuffled his paper bag (which still had the muffin and juice box in it) around and took hold of the coupons he had been given earlier. He flipped through it, reading each one over before glancing up at Eddie.

"Looks like the only stuff we get from this is food and... beauty type stuff. Want a pedicure?" he asked with a smarmy grin, flashing the respective coupon at the blond before he got a little more serious.

"Anyway, seems kind of like a waste of time to redeem these. I think we should just look around and see if there's anything that actually looks like it would be worth looking into." Usually suspicious places stuck out like sore thumbs. He wasn't sure why he was running the plan over with Eddie, but it helped to talk it out and the other man might actually have some helpful input.

"Cute, but I'm not some pansy like you," Brock said, but the insult was half-hearted when he was distracted by what Parker said next.

Food? A waste of time? That was bullshit and Brock called Parker on it, plucking the coupons from the other man's hands.

"Are you kidding me?" Brock said. "Since when is free food ever a waste of time? I say we eat first and then go looking around. I'm not exploring some strange town on an empty stomach."

It probably wouldn't put much a dent in how much he was starving, but if he was going to be in fighting shape and heal as fast as possible, he needed to keep taking in calories. And while Parker might want to just pull his retarded hero stunt and have all those freaky spider powers of his, that didn't mean they came from nowhere. He had to eat just like Brock did.

Peter hadn't expected Eddie to make such a production about food of all things, but if he was one of those people who got really cranky on an empty stomach, then he wasn't about to protest the issue. Besides, even if he wasn't that hungry right now, he would probably be up for eating once he actually got a whiff of some decent food.

He glanced down at his breakfast-in-a-bag before shoving it toward the blond. "This should hold you over until we actually find one of these places."

He took his coupons back and looked them over again. "So did you want to look for Twin Pines or... Tasty Burger?" he asked, glancing over at Eddie with a smug look. He didn't have much of a preference, and Eddie was the one who was pitching a fit over food.

He was going to have to keep his eyes open as they searched and make a note of any place that looked interesting so he could come back to it later.

"Tasty Burger," Brock said. "I'd kill for some good, all-American red meat."

He almost cut himself off when Parker suddenly shoved his lunch at him, and it was all Brock could do to take it and not drop it in surprise. He'd been so set on just taking it and helping himself that he felt almost put-out when Parker just gave it to him. Brock caught the "thanks" on the tip of his tongue before it slipped out. No, while it was suspiciously nice of Parker, he still had history with this guy and he wasn't going to be bought up just 'cause he gave him food and actually talked to him every once in a while.

But that was Parker. It was weird, actually. Brock had his own memories of what he remembered of the guy from their brief stint against each other at the Daily Bugle, and he remembered Parker as this weak-willed wall-flower who suddenly turned the douche card one day and got a spine (along with a bad haircut). And then there was what the symbiote gave him, memories of the confused kid who thought it a good idea to put on those red-and-blues every day and save lives just because it was the right thing to do, and not just 'cause he could.

It confused Brock, it really did. He could understand the Parker he remembered from the Bugle, but the one that he knew was the real one, the one that saved people and actually believed in justice and all that BS...Brock swore the guy belonged in the fifties or something. It was like he was from another world to Brock, and that was saying something.

The blond looked away from Parker, aware that he'd been staring with narrowed eyes at him, and helped himself to the juice box inside the packed lunch.

Swigging it, he spoke around the straw, changing the subject as they walked. "So how much you betting that your aunt's flipping out right now?"

Peter had no argument there -- a burger did sound like it would hit the spot. He knew that once they found the place and he caught a whiff of some burger patties on a grill, he was going to be glad that they decided to eat before getting down to business.

He would think clearer on a full stomach, anyway.

It was a good thing that the town wasn't too big, so it wouldn't take too long to search through it. Hopefully the burger place would really advertise itself and therefore be easy to find.

Figuring they should be systematic, Peter made his way up Germaine Street until they reached a dead end. It didn't look like there was much to the left, and the center of town definitely seemed to be to the right. They could just start at the top and work their way down.

At Brock's question, which came out of nowhere as far as he was concerned, Peter gave the other man a stern look. "As long as she's safe," he said tersely before making the left onto North Street.

As they got back onto the streets where the buses were still stalled, likely waiting for the end of the day when they would all have to be taken back, Peter made his way down until they reached the next perpendicular street.

Wicker Street, North Street... They weren't very creative, were they? Then again, numbering streets wasn't all that imaginative, either.

Hopefully they would have better luck this time -- the town really didn't seem to be all that big, so how long could it take for them to find this "Tasty Burger"?

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Day 28: Germaine Street

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