Cynical town can be tough on an angel

[sensi_doctor]

JD went to a Randall Flagg rally with a group of people from the Gauche. He didn't know any of them, but they were going to the rally, and he wanted out. He's passed the days where he could stay locked up in a building for forever, because he's so afraid. JD is a lot like a puppy that needs to be let out to run around sometimes. Besides Flagg makes

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[ornobodywill]

Mac went to the rally if only because Mac has an affinity for danger and by her logic, a rally was a good place for some serious CLF action. Unfortunately, there was no CLF for her to smack around. Curious.

At any rate, she's headed back to her apartment when she sees JD and his... Dog. And, well, Mac can recognize a lost puppy when she sees one.

"Hey, puppy!" She calls, trotting over to him. She looks down at the dog, "And you have a nice dog too. You lost?"

Here, JD, have another guardian angel to find you hopelessly endearing.

[sensi_doctor]

JD looks affronted. He nearly wavers in keeping his hallucination together. It's hard to focus on talking to someone, while keeping a hallucination alive at the same time, but JD has practiced the art extensively over all his free time.

"Did you just call me puppy?"

The dog barks in a way that resembles an agreeable laugh.

JD shoots the hallucination a peeved look and hisses, "Hey, shuddup," at the dog.

The dog does not seem to be affected by the word. His tail wags happily back and forth. JD's brain is often mean to him.

[ornobodywill]

Mac seems utterly nonplussed by the fact that he's affronted and reaches over to pat the dog. "Yeah, I called you 'puppy,' because you're wanderin' around here looking like a lost one. You oughta be careful."

Under that coat she's wearing her wings are out, so she can tell he's a wanderer. And, well, her guardian instincts don't stop just because she doesn't have a ward. This is what got her in trouble in the military, but at least it can be put to use here.

[sensi_doctor]

"I'm careful!" JD flails with his free hand. It's being expressive enough on its own for both hands. "I have people! Or I c- came with some people! Big group. Sort of lost them in the crowd when everything got all exciting and wooh Flagg! But I- I have a dog, who will protect me! He looks scary and not lost, right?"

JD's eyes go wide when she reaches to pet the dog. The dog that is a hallucination he's not focusing nearly enough attention on to let people touch. It'll feel furry at first, but more like a memory of what it feels like to pat a dog than the actual experience. After a second, it will feel like patting thin air.

He smiles in a Oops! Did that just happen? way and even laughs a little nervously, because there is some way she would have not noticed her hand going through his dog.

[faithful_slayer]

Faith was at the rally for reasons having nothing to do with supporting Flagg and everything to do with Not Trusting Politicians.

She's planning on leaving too, until she sees J.D. - she remembers him from the parade, and so she heads over to him, smiling.

"Hey, it's the giver of balloons."

[sensi_doctor]

"Hey, it's superwoman!"

JD grins at her. It's someone that he knows! She's friendly! She's strong! It's like it was all meant to be.

He's a happy guy. His plan worked, and no one tried to hurt him.

"What're you doing here? I mean, besides going to the rally, I guess... Nevermind. I guess I know what you're doing here. It's sort of obvious."

[faithful_slayer]

"I have a thing about politicians. Used to work for one that...well, it's a long story." Faith shrugs. "Just thought I'd check it out. You want me to walk you home, Doc?"

[sensi_doctor]

"Oh! Okay. You'll have to tell me the long story some time. I like stories," JD says with an absent smile.

It's mostly absent, because he's half paying attention to the dog illusion and half paying attention to her.

And then she offers to walk him home so his attention swings more to her as he bounced up on his toes all excited. "Yes! ... please"

Of course, the dog suffers from his lack of attention. It's fuzzier now. The toes and legs are not so well defined.

[abitfoggy]

Reagan has gotten himself turned around more than once tonight, so he is, rather aimlessly, wandering the sidewalks of Chicago. He knows it isn't the safest thing in the whole wide world, but he can't entirely help it. His memory is a bit unclear today, it seems, as he had forgotten his way home.

Well, this was inconvenient. Whomever may find him, hopefully can point him in the right direction.

[the_recruiter]

It is never good to get lost in Chicago, Reagan, especially with monsters, vampires, and CLF on the prowl throughout the streets.

The vampires are most relevant now.

Romeo has sensed Reagan, and his unique power for a block now. He leans against the wall of a building, waiting for Reagan to walk by. The sense getting more intense as Reagan approaches.

"Interesting."

It's all he says when Reagan passes. There's a tiny smile on his face as though he finds everything about this city amusing.

[abitfoggy]

And people do not usually wait for strangers to walk by. However, Reagan has happened to run into the fellow that actually does!

Hearing his voice, he looks up, startled, and blinks, "Excuse me?" He's giving a soft smile, trying to mask the sure unease that has settled into the pit of his stomach.

The smile is unnerving enough. He runs a hand back through his hair and puts a little more distance between himself and the fellow.

[the_recruiter]

"What you can do," Romeo says and glances sideways at him, but doesn't move from the wall. "It's interesting."

He could give more description than that about just what he's talking about, but that would not be as fun. It's much more fun to play, to draw it all out, to make them wonder.

Even if he doesn't consider supernaturals food, it doesn't mean that he can't enjoy playing with them like they are food.

[clockwork_doc]

If Martha stops by the Rift Room on her travels, she'll find a rather morose-looking Doc Brown there, sitting in front of the Rift and staring at it. Not doing anything else but staring and letting off the occasional wisp of steam from his elbows and back.

He can't stop thinking about what's going on lately. About the CLF. About how trapped he feels down here these days.

About what happened to Aubrey.

[smithnjones]

Martha steps into the Rift room without making much noise. She closes the door quietly behind her. Martha knows who he is just as she knows anyone who lived in the Conrad basement when she once did.

"Hey," she says softly, stepping up behind him and keeping her gaze on his back. "You alright?"

[clockwork_doc]

Doc, by contrast, probably wouldn't recognize Martha, but that doesn't quite matter at the moment. He sighs, a little steam hissing out his back. "Just remembering," he replies, glancing up to the ceiling and the little machine attached there. "Friend of mine named Aubrey Ringland used to live here. We met while xe was trying to get that to work. It was supposed to be a Rift Activity Detector -- let people know when a new Wanderer had come through. Together we managed to get it to function properly. Not much ever came of it, but we -- we ended up friends. Worked on repairing xes vehicle, hung out together -- xe ended up moving to the Gauche, but even then we kept in touch."

He sighs again, leaning forward more. "Xe was the John Doe they found beaten to death outside that coffee shop." There's a definite ache in his voice, a mix of rage and grief. "I -- I just I want --" he lets the sentence trail off. He wasn't sure where he was going with it anyway.

[smithnjones]

Martha frowns as she listens, but doesn't say anything... just lets him talk. She remembers Aubrey, too, even though she never met him either. As much as she loves her new home, she misses knowing everyone that lives under the hotel. She misses that they were a family. They don't have that anymore.

She places her hand on his shoulder when he leans forward.

"I'm sorry," she says. Her voice is quiet, gentle. "I remember Aubrey from when I lived here. It's... not fair." Martha shakes her head and finally looks at the Rift. "It never is."

[deadgirlsliekme]

In his wanderings, Rusty may come across a young man sitting in a sunroom with a sketchbook. Victor's looking a bit more pale and drawn-out these days -- yes, he actually can look more pale. Things are tough lately, and although the gathering at Babel's room proved to be rather fun, he still can't help feeling like something bad's going to happen. It doesn't help that he recently learned that one of the people beaten to death outside that coffee shop a few days ago was a resident of the Gauche.

It also doesn't help that he hasn't touched a piano in over a month. He really, really misses his music. He's doing what he considers to be the next best thing -- writing down a new melody in his journal (with the page marked "Private," of course).

[trivialsublime0]

Rusty smokes his cigarrette in the sunroom. He's not good at approaching people unless he's trying to sell them something, which is probably why he doesn't have many friends.

"You ever think about gettin' a tan?"

Yes, this is a perfectly good way to start a conversation, Rusty.

((*facepalm*))

[deadgirlsliekme]

For once, Victor isn't all that startled when someone speaks to him. The smell of Rusty's cigarette served as a bit of a warning. He still jumps a little, just not as much as usual.

"A -- t-tan?" he repeats, facing Rusty with a rather confused look. "Ah -- n-no, I tend to b-burn." He blinks a few times. "I'm Victor," he offers, hoping an introduction will make this conversation make a bit more sense to him.

[trivialsublime0]

"Oh. Ain't meant nothin' by it," Rusty says, smoking quietly and staring up at the ceiling. "You looked like a ghost 's all."

He glances back down at Victor at the introduction. A smirk slides across his lips as he nods.

"Rusty Hunt. You been livin' here long?"