006; novelties.

[unhexed]

I don't hear the ticking. I don't think there's anything new I can say about that.

I'm going out for a bit. Groceries, for the most part. And then I'm going to try to make cake from scratch, so wish me luck.

Comments

[adamantined]

I don't think a lot of people hear the ticking. It's kind of... you know, concerning.

[unhexed]

It is. I doubt the clock is simply broken, for that matter, since all the other timepieces have malfunctioned.

1/2

[adamantined]

I feel like people are more worried about their own clocks rather than making sure the big one is still moving and all their home worlds are still, you know, there.

[adamantined]

Need help picking out cake ingredients?

[unhexed]

If you have the time, certainly. I don't know the City all that well yet, anyway; I might get lost.

Dress warm.

[adamantined]

I've already got like five pairs of socks on, and earmuffs. I'll meet you in the Square, okay?

[unhexed]

I'll be there.

[the cake is a lie]

[adamantined]

And Claire is there, in earmuffs, waiting for Wanda with her hands in her coat pockets and her breath fanning out in front of her face. It's cold, but she has a creeping feeling that the cold can't hurt her just like a steel rod through the chest can't. It's almost strange how she knows what they're doing, but she isn't going to question it, keeping a look out for Wanda while keeping an eye on the Underground entrance.

Her father is going to kill her for this.

She has all of her chipper, spirited cheerleader vibes still working for her when she spots Wanda, and she waves an arm in the air and yells out, "Hey!" You learn a thing or two when you're tiny.

[the cake is a lie]

[unhexed]

Wanda has a scarf, one of those short, puffy, well-insulated jackets with a faux-fur collar, a sweater, and thick boots tucked over her jeans. All in all, she feels reasonably confident about this adventure. She's used to the cold, so the present state of the weather doesn't do a lot to dissuade her, but she's certainly not about to risk frostbite. When she sees Claire, she smiles and makes her way over, very calm, considering.

She does think that maybe she should have said no, but she also has the tiniest hunch that Claire would've gone anyway. Headstrong women recognize each other.

"I hope you weren't waiting long."

[the cake is a lie]

[adamantined]

"No, I just got down here a few minutes ago actually," she says, pulling her hands out of her pockets. They've got gloves over them. "Trying to condition myself to the cold, I think."

Claire has a grin on her face, too. She isn't worried, not concerned, at least not for herself. Maybe Wanda coming is a mistake but Claire has that same feeling: that if the two of them hadn't decided to come, one of them would be going alone. Never having been very deep into the Underground, Claire feels a little but uneasy about getting lost, but the paths down there seemed structured, leading deeper and deeper until she had been too afraid to go any further by herself.

Either way she has a reputation to uphold as being positive, and it's not like anyone should ever go into a situation like this thinking the worst. They're just going to check on a clock after all. "I don't have a map or anything," she goes on, turning to head toward the Underground entrance. "But I have a flashlight."

See this flashlight, Wanda. Look at it.

[the cake is a lie]

[unhexed]

"Good," she notes, approvingly, "I've got one, too, and a phone, but it might be easier if one of us can have hands free."

Wanda takes a look around, pausing when she sees the carousel not far from them. The clock corresponds to the carousel, as bizarre as that is, so she knows that can be their guide. As long as they stick close to that area, they should be okay. Ordinarily she wouldn't be feeling this much unease about the matter, being possessed of a certain confidence about her own ability to survive, but the City has put a new spin on things. A new, supernatural spin, at that.

"If we're ready, let's go."

[the cake is a lie]

[adamantined]

Claire nods, flipping her flashlight on and flooding the surrounding area with bright light. Her phone is in her pocket, on vibrate, but she makes sure not to check the clock or her call log, keeping close to the west wall. The first few steps down into the descent into madness are relatively calm. This close to the surface, you can still hear the seedier districts in the Underground operating: heavy bass in some places, deep silence in others. She's not afraid, but she keeps close to Wanda all the same.

"Keep close," she says, though her voice comes out too much of a harsh whisper to be any sort of authoritative at all. "I've... been down here a couple times. We won't run into any of the nasties for at least five minutes." It's good to be honest in these situations, at least. And to make small talk. "So what kind of cake were you thinking of making?"

[the cake is a lie]

[unhexed]

Nasties makes her wonder just what sort of activity they'll find down here, but she figures it's best to answer the first question before she asks her own. Besides, Claire says they've got a couple of minutes. Wanda feels like she should be getting more nervous as they proceed, not less, but there's something inexplicably familiar about this scenario, tugging at the back of her consciousness, and then it's gone.

"Chocolate, and I received a vote for pink vanilla frosting." Her voice is quiet, too. Not quite a whisper, but low, careful. "What sort of things live down here?"

Her imagination can come up with a lot of possibilities, but in the City, it's best not to make too many assumptions.

[the cake is a lie]

[adamantined]

"I'm not sure, really," she replies, taking her earmuffs off so that she can hear better. Claire keeps the flashlight trained forward, her eyes wide and peeled as they move deeper and deeper, veering to the left and away from the carousel before descending again, gracefully moving back toward the right. It's not so much that they can see this change in direction as they can feel it. It's a strange perception, the way the tunnels twist and the shadows morph.

Out of some of the blocked off passageways come hundreds of tiny, glittering eyes that scatter when Claire swivels her flashlight around in their direction. She isn't scared but swallows hard anyway. "The last time that I was down here... I saw something. Taller than I was, kind of skulking around and dragging its knuckles, you know? It smelled funny, and had these long black fingernails and made this weird clicking noise." It had nearly ripped her arm off and she'd kicked it and run away.

Maybe they should have brought guns...

[the cake is a lie]

[unhexed]

Wanda tilts her head to one side, watching the skittering movement in the dim light. She thinks she makes out something dark and spiny, just a shape, but decides it's best if they just keep moving. Still-- that gives her an impression, as does what Claire says, of what waits for people down here. Many little eyes like that indicate something small, creatures that travel in packs out of necessity, and while it's probably not harmless, she'd bet it's a scavenger. Or it attacks stragglers, and in a pair like this, she and Claire don't make such an easy target.

Those little eyes--the sound reminded her of scarab beetles.

"I've got a taser with me," she says, voice even and calm, "We'll just keep moving. This way, I think."

This place is labyrinthine down here. It's kind of interesting, actually, when one considers it objectively.

[the cake is a lie]

[adamantined]

It takes a moment for Wanda's remark to sink in, as Claire is busy poking her head around a corner, following up on that same shape that Wanda likely thinks she saw. They might be being followed, tracked like prey, but Claire isn't concerned for herself. She's been tracked like prey ever since she found out what she could do. Wanda is the one she worries about, so she trots back over and follows the other girl's lead, keeping close.

When Wanda's comment does sink in, though, Claire actually laughs. A sudden light noise in the dark. It only lasts a moment, and she frowns a second later, pointing the light at the ground instead of at the walls as they walk. "We're down deep enough now, I think," she says, a whisper, a harsh contrast to her laughter. "There's still a long way to go toward the clock, probably but. I remember a turn up ahead. I came this way, when I ran into that thing