Day 35: Wicker Street

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

[from here]

The sound of the dog lead Sheena to a building on the corner of the street. Seeing the name of it and the animals in the windows, she giggled, imagining how if Colette was here they'd never be able to get her to leave. The sweet angel would insist on staying until she held and played with every single puppy in the plac eand given them all names.

She'd only been gone a day and already Sheena was missing the simple things she'd come to accept traveling with her companions. She put her hand to the window, smiling softly (if a little lonely) at the puppy that noticed her and started wagging tis tail and licking the glass right where her hand was.

[Awaiting a chance to run into a sweet-toothed warlord!]

Comments

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"There are a lot of people," Armand agreed. "And more and more each day it almost seems." He looked up and down the new street with curiosity. "The less fun type, you would say."

"Have you been told yet about this place, about how they pretend we are crazy people with delusions of our real identities? Sometimes they go further than that. They produce people who look like our friends and family who spout nothing but the official stories. My true life is sad enough. The one they made up for me here is even worse."

Even walking the cold was starting to get to him. Armand shivered and started rubbing his arms.

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

"I have been told that," Wash replied with a nod. "Among other things. I'm still trying to sort out the list of information."

And order them to see what he had the most to be worried about. Everything would be the shorter version, though.

He glanced over suddenly. "Did you just basically tell me that they make clones of our family and friends?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand thought hard about that question. "Perhaps? It's either something like that, or they kidnap them too and brainwash them. Neither is better than the other, I think."

He had to get moving again, to warm up if nothing else. "In time, you'll hate this place and not want to wish it upon your worst enemy." And yet, here they were in a bucolic small town, in the gray sunshine of a late fall day. "I'm used to things going terribly wrong for me, but this is perhaps the worst thing that has happened to me. No Percy in sight to rescue me."

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

Oh. From clones to brainwashing. Like alien abduction. Except there were no such things as aliens. That was...very science fiction.

"Well, other people are capable of rescue, as well," Wash suggested. "Rescuing is more of a widespread practice than you'd think. Also, Percy being out of sight might be a good thing. I mean, if he were in sight, doesn't that mean he's been caught, too?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"But it was Percy's specialty," Armand said sadly. Still, it was true, what Wash was saying. Percy wasn't the only hero in the world. He was only the one most likely to care if Armand were in trouble.

"I would hate to see him caught or worse, one of those macabre visitors on Sunday. It was difficult enough seeing Marguerite." At least he wouldn't be subjected to a faux Jeanne, since "Madeleine" had claimed he wasn't married. "Do you have heroic friends?"

As they walked along the sidewalk, Armand kept a careful eye out for either his roommate or the restaurant.

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes we rescue each other," Wash replied. "Are you looking for something?"

He seemed to have been scanning the area ever since Wash had met him.

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I'm looking for a restaurant." He dug into the pocket of his jeans, hiking them back up before they slid too far, and produced the coupon book. "Um... the Twin Pines, I think." He looked around again.

"I'm being rude to you, aren't I?" he asked. "I am so sorry. It's all complicated to explain. My last roommate was a very bad man, a murderer and liar at the least, possibly much worse. I need to know more about my current roommate. I don't wish to be taken in by such lies again." Armand spoke urgently and rather too quickly for many to understand his accented English.

He gestured down the street to where he thought he'd barely spotted a sign that might what he was looking for. "Monsieur Badou Nails, that's my new roommate, has agreed to meet with another patient here. I want to see what transpires between them, so I can judge a bit better for myself. M. Nails has had little enough to say about himself in the past few days that I am quite unsettled, nay wary, of him."

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

Less than thirty minutes with this man, and Wash had learned almost his entire life. Well, all right, slight exaggeration. But regardless...Maybe he was just used to being around terse people like Zoe and Mal.

He nodded, deciding not to question anything. "That's understandable. Lying is--bad." He scanned his surroundings for a moment before pointing. "You mean that place over there?"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

No one would ever call Armand terse. The only time he was quiet was when he was asleep or pouting. Being here in Doyleton had wound his nerves tighter than normal, which made him chatter even more. He looked toward where Wash was pointing and back at him. "Yes, I believe that's it."

"I'll just go see if they're there. Good day for now." He stepped away to let the other man depart.

[going into the Twin Pines if it ever exists]

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

[gone here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/449885.html)]

[notaleaf.livejournal.com]

Wash watched Armand walk away. That was kind of sudden. He must've been in a hurry.

Well, at least he'd helped the man find his destination. Which left him with nowhere else to go again. Maybe he could just wander.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/446999.html?thread=36527639#t36527639)]