Day 35: Wicker Street

[mizuhomaiden]

[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

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[deathandfudge]

[From here]

He turned off onto one of the streets, peering along it warily before heading up it. He heard barking from a little way along and spotted a woman standing next to a shop window looking rather forlorn. He didn't know if she was from the Institute or if she was one of the townspeople, but it didn't matter. Seeing a lady wearing an expression like that pricked at the instincts of a Blood male.

He approached her slowly, obviously, not wanting to be perceived as a threat by her and then came to her side, peering into the window at the puppies inside. "Is something amiss, Lady?"

[mizuhomaiden]

Sheena had been so focused on the puppy on the other side of the window that she didn't notice the man approaching her, so when he spoke it startled her.

"Eeep!" She jumped a little and then fell back on her butt. Yeah, gereat ninja she was, not noticing the approach of some familiar... really good looking guy. Her eyes traveled up the man to his face before she realized exactly what their current positions gave him a really nice view of.

Turning bright red, Sheena clutched a hand to her gaping top and surged to her feet. "Umm... umm... Hi," she said, looking at the man's shoes as she tried to stop blushing.

[deathandfudge]

Rainier blinked in surprise when the woman yelped and fell over, not having expected to get such a reaction from her when he'd been deliberately making himself obvious.

Before he could offer her a hand, she was on her feet and... blushing? Rainier stifled a small smile at the perfectly natural reaction. "I apologise, Lady. I didn't mean to startle you. You just seemed to be a little upset about something. I was concerned."

[mizuhomaiden]

...did this guy's eye NOT drift to her chest or was she imagining things?

Sheena released the front of her shirt and smoothed it down as best as she could. Why did the nurses have to pick a button-down shirt that they had to have known was going to be way too tight. She was keeping a sharp eye on this man to see if he was going to suddenly... be male or something, but if he wasn't, she might just get to know him.

And what was with calling her lady like it was some kind of formal thing? With the orange juice stain on her pants there was no way she remotely looked like a noble.

"Oh... I was just a little homesick," she finally stammered out, her face returning to its normal color. "I have a good friend that really liked puppies so this little guy," she gestured to the small yellow pooch with its nose pressed to the window, "had me thinking about her."

"I'm Sheena, by the way."

[broken_exorcist]

[[from here]]

Allen was glad for the jacket he'd been given for the trip. There was a chill in the air that could cut right through a person. They passed a pet supply shop on the left and were coming up on another shop on the right. "I think I remember a restaurant at the end of the street," Allen mentioned. "But I don't really know much about the other shops."

[haiiro_no_chou]

"Sure," Rukia said, following Allen onto Wicker Street. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I came up this way last time... Don't think I did. Nope," she confirmed a shake of her head, "definitely didn't. I would have remembered seeing that place."

She pointed to a shop on the right with a large window full of colorful objects. Some of them were obviously dolls, or small cars, but others were beyond anything of which Rukia could conceive. Some of them even moved! Looking up at the sign, she read aloud, "Lil Tyke Toys. Huh."

[broken_exorcist]

Allen followed Rukia's fingers to the toy shop across the street. It really did look colorful and exciting and he was sorely tempted to take a look. "Oh! That's-" he took a step forward as almost a reflex action. He'd never really had time for toys, but these ones were so neat! They lit up and moved and came in all kinds of shapes and sizes!

"We could take a look," he suggested. "-If you want!" he was quick to add. Would she think he was too childish, wanting to see them? They should probably be spending their time on things that were a little more worthwhile, but then again, it wouldn't hurt to look, would it?

[haiiro_no_chou]

"Of course I do!" she said, already heading for the door of the shop. "I wonder what else is in there? Do you think there are, I dunno, robots or something? Orihime told me about robots before. They can move around and shoot things called layzerz."

She opened the door, still chattering away.

[Going here.]

[wishescankill]

[from here]

The pet store was definitely something to check out later, if she and Prince Charming hadn't escaped by then.

"So. Denmark. That was a monarchy, right? I assume yes, as you are a prince. It still is a monarchy, of course. Under a Queen. She has very bad dental hygiene."

[witdiseased]

"It... was, ay, the last I saw't. I can say nothing of whatever or whomever may rule it now, but it once had a noble and kind king. And after that, a wicked and vile king. And after his too-late death..." he shrugged. "I know not. Other than I was heir to the throne at the time of mine own death."

[notaleaf]

[from here]

"What do you mean, tricks?" Wash went on. "Like...bunny out of a hat trick or is this a trick of a more disturbing and less fun type?"

It was probably the less fun type, wasn't it.

"I haven't seen anyone I know yet, but it's hard to tell for sure. Lots of people."

[secret_orchard]

"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]

"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]

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."

[cigarettes_plz]

[from here]

Sure enough the turn led right into Wicker Street according to the handy street sign that identified it as such. "Not bad.

"Let's hope you're wrong about the food. I'd hate to see you make that sour face all through lunch."

[byname_bynature]

Artemis laughed again. "Let us hope. Although I believe I have just been slipped a rather subtle insult. You don't care for my face? Most people find the mismatched eyes exotic."

The boy laughed again and pulled open the door to the restaurant.

( To here!)