A Bizarre New World, Chapter One: Cat’s In The Cradle

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"It is necessary to ensure that you don't further aggravate the wound," The nurse replied, the other nurse preparing to inject the needle near the site of the wound. "You can look away if you're afraid of needles."

"Just relax, you're just going to feel a big pinch," The other nurse said.

" Alright," Boris said with a fake smile as he acts like he's not in pain," Boris then relaxes.

[grampagen]

"Fun? No...it was meant to break the ice...." Lucys deadpan delivery meant Suzie had no idea if what she said was an intentional pun or not. "Its ok if you think something is wrong with me....there likely is, but I'm not a bad person. I hope you can forgive me....."

Lucy lifted her case and threw it over her shoulder. "Anyways.....That's all I really need to talk about. I had my doubts when I saw you had a ghost....but your not like the ones on the bus, or my other family. If anything your a bit too trusting....If you have any problems, please come to me. I'm not good with people but I'll be a dependable big....little...." Lucy raised an eyebrow, as if a weird thought crossed her mind. "are you younger or older then me...."

Still pressing her back against the wall, Suzie drew a small hand over her mouth as if that would somehow stuff the jagged rhythm of her breathing.

"I...why would you even think any of that...?" Inky tears bloomed around her eyes. Bloody right she wasn't good with people. Normally Suzie would hardly be an judge that matter, but seeing the firearms Lucy carried drove the point that the two of them came from very different walks of life. "You can't just stick someone up like this! It isn't decent..."

The tail end of the conversation, however, took an abrupt swerve.

"I can't see what that's got to do with anything, but I'll be twenty-two in the autumn."

For her part, perhaps Suzie was just desperate for an out, something to steer the track back to normal.

[Tami]

John followed her, continuing to keep an eye out for anything strange

The room they were looking for was within sight. Pausing a few steps before reaching it, Jinny motioned for John to be quiet as they listened to the sounds coming from within.

[Jcogginsa]

John remained silent, and listened.

[Yun Lao]

Jamie smiled at her small basket of items, which included bandages (both boxes and rolls), gauze, antiseptic, and other such items one would typically find in a first-aid kit, a bag to hold them together in, a couple of cheap but cute t-shirts they sold, and a length of rope.

'Nope, still not going to think about the reason for the insistence I carry rope on me.' Jamie thought.

With those items picked out, she went off in search of the last thing on her current shopping list: a weapon to defend the others and herself if... when something else like with Toby Keith happened.

'A knife?... No, I'm not comfortable with that. Maybe a something to hit them with? I guess I'll just see what they carry and decide then.' Jamie thought as she went in search of anything that could be used to protect the others and herself with.

Jamie would find that the hardware department had a few things she could use; hammers ranging from claw to ball peen, a deadblow mallet, a crowbar, a tire thumper, etc. None of them were brand names she would recognize, but it was difficult to mess with basic tools, right?

Old smoke and dust climbed in twisting columns as the sun beat down, the dry air giving way to the sharp electric crackle from the broken livewires as they discharged their sparking issue. Here, the foundation of some post or another was uprooted, tossed away like any caution or tact before the path of that mad driver. Suzie's small lens clicked, following the trail spent on the long road, through the leering faces of the locals.

Scanning up the side of the building, she traced the path of the vehicle from ground level. Two rubber tread-paths raked through the stucco-and-concrete of the residential building. She tilt the camera to the side, and took the sight in.

As she stood there, silently snapping away, she commit the fearful frame to memory. To whatever end, Toby Keith threw himself into it. She'd only had a vague suspicion at first, yet although he had the bearing of a maniac, perhaps he had been affable enough once, maneuvering himself closer into the Joestars' transportation detail. I wonder if Johannes knew him as well?

Suzie zoomed in the row of windows. She could see the shadowy shapes of residents behind the cracked glass.

Toby Keith drove up the wall, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Toby Keith knew he had a unique way to get around, and yet he decided to do this.
Toby Keith had a strange power to call upon, and he used it to drive through--

A long, fitful sigh fell from Suzie. She was so tired. In the shade of the building with her living Shadow beside her, she sat upon the curb next to her luggage, and let her boot-heels drag lethargically forward, kneading her left shoulder around the newly pronounced birthmark that still ached.

Who are you, Johannes Joestar? What kind of world have you dragged us into...

From her peripheral vision, Suzie could see a dark shape bounding towards her.

[Yun Lao]

She chuckled and gave him a salute before walking out and into the street. As soon as she was outside, she opened up one of the packs and pulled out a cigarette. It wasn't her preferred brand - those were still in Germany - but Miburo™ was top tier. She lit it up and inhaled. "Ah, yeah." She could feel her nerves unwinding already.

She walked down the street and thought about what she learned from that old man. Tony Keith's path of destruction wasn't missed by the locals; neither by attention nor literally could they get out of the way. Odd he didn't make any mention of the bus driving up the side of the apartment building, or sailing over the top to the street on the other side. She... thought that would be something he would be more unnerved about.

Weird. Maybe he missed it. She decided to keep mum about it. She didn't want to just go around asking about **** that no one else noticed. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to think she was involved somehow.

****, I'm starving. One thing off her list, she headed toward the Cattail Grill for food and booze to finish off her to-do list.

The barkeep stepped out of the kitchen, two orders in hand.

"One steak..." He began, placing quite the generous tomahawk steak in front of Vivian, "One burger," Just as generous was the size of the burger now placed before Miguel.

As both plates were seated, the small jingle of the front door alerted the three of them to Sandra's arrival, "What's up, what can I get you?"

[Yun Lao]

" Alright," Boris said with a fake smile as he acts like he's not in pain," Boris then relaxes.

With the sedative administered, the doctor arrives and begins the operation of removing the bullets from Boris' leg and repairing the damage.

The room they were looking for was within sight. Pausing a few steps before reaching it, Jinny motioned for John to be quiet as they listened to the sounds coming from within.

John remained silent, and listened.

Ever so faintly, they could hear a man and a woman talking.

... you almost got killed!

... bus drove up a building...

...government agents...

...Joestar...

"Whatcha doing?"

As if materializing from the aether itself, a small girl stood behind the two eavesdroppers.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The barkeep stepped out of the kitchen, two orders in hand.

"One steak..." He began, placing quite the generous tomahawk steak in front of Vivian, "One burger," Just as generous was the size of the burger now placed before Miguel.

As both plates were seated, the small jingle of the front door alerted the three of them to Sandra's arrival, "What's up, what can I get you?"

Sandra stepped inside the Cattail Grill and took a deep breath. The smell of hot grease, grilling meats, and cold booze. Ah! What a delightful aroma. Her stomach started rumbling with anticipation of sinking her teeth into some grade A meat.

"Rack of ribs, medium rare. And a bourbon," she answered as she sat down next to Miguel.

[KingofPie]

The barkeep stepped out of the kitchen, two orders in hand.

"One steak..." He began, placing quite the generous tomahawk steak in front of Vivian, "One burger," Just as generous was the size of the burger now placed before Miguel.

As both plates were seated, the small jingle of the front door alerted the three of them to Sandra's arrival, "What's up, what can I get you?"

"WOahoooo, are you fuckin' kidding me?" Miguel whistled at the plentiful amount of burger steaming on the plate before him. "They don't really mess around in Texas do they? This looks great, man!"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The barkeep stepped out of the kitchen, two orders in hand.

"One steak..." He began, placing quite the generous tomahawk steak in front of Vivian, "One burger," Just as generous was the size of the burger now placed before Miguel.

As both plates were seated, the small jingle of the front door alerted the three of them to Sandra's arrival, "What's up, what can I get you?"

In the moment the Tomahawk was carted out, Miguel was forgotten. "M E A T."

Vivian gave the man as much money as she had, and then came the sounds of grisly mastication.

[MrSandman]

From what Lucy can hear and observe, there was a lot of confusion about what happened. Most seemed to know about the bus, but stories varied from there. Surprisingly, there was little to no recollection of the bus driving up the apartment building.

The telltales results of classic information control were everywhere, though the scale of it was difficult to grasp given everything that happened. A bus had driven up a building, but nobody was even mentioning it in passing....yet there were none of the signs, no isolation of witnesses, no lockdown. Only confusion and destruction.

She doubted the police could be handling something this well....so who or what could be pulling the strings.

Taking a moment away from her work to assess the area around here, Lucy wondered who or what had the pull to make such an obvious incident outright vanish from those involved....


.....the answers she pondered, built from experience, didn't help her peace of mind.

[The Dog]

Jamie would find that the hardware department had a few things she could use; hammers ranging from claw to ball peen, a deadblow mallet, a crowbar, a tire thumper, etc. None of them were brand names she would recognize, but it was difficult to mess with basic tools, right?

Jamie frowned as she looked over the various blunt hardware items, picking up those that caught her interest to test the weight of them. Some felt too heavy for her liking, others seemed a bit too dangerous. Slowly but surely she limited the options until she was left with a tire thumper or a dead blow mallet.

As she looked at the two remaining choices, Jamie thought 'Hmmm... Do I go with the "tire thumper" or the "dead blow mallet"?'

Testing the weight of each in turn, she eventually returned the mallet to its place and stuck the tire thumper into her basket with a decisive nod. With her shopping done, Jamie moved to the register to pay, then head to the Cattail Grill to wait for their ride to the Manor.

[MrSandman]

Still pressing her back against the wall, Suzie drew a small hand over her mouth as if that would somehow stuff the jagged rhythm of her breathing.

"I...why would you even think any of that...?" Inky tears bloomed around her eyes. Bloody right she wasn't good with people. Normally Suzie would hardly be an judge that matter, but seeing the firearms Lucy carried drove the point that the two of them came from very different walks of life. "You can't just stick someone up like this! It isn't decent..."

The tail end of the conversation, however, took an abrupt swerve.

"I can't see what that's got to do with anything, but I'll be twenty-two in the autumn."

For her part, perhaps Suzie was just desperate for an out, something to steer the track back to normal.

".....So....I'm the little sister...?" Lucy turned, and let out a sigh of absolute defeat, for a moment even Suzie could see the disappointment in the girls normally stoic face. "...."

After a moment of contemplation, Lucy Shrugged. "....Thing about me and decency...I'm self taught. So if I slip a little, I apologize. If you hate me now....its fine. As long as your alive you can do whatever you want." Shouldering her bag, Lucy started stepped back towards the ice machine...freeing the path back into the hallway and towards the elevator. She seemed to be looking at something on the ice machine, but it couldn't be more obvious she was simply moving herself out of the way so Suzie had a path to leave.

[Tami]

With the sedative administered, the doctor arrives and begins the operation of removing the bullets from Boris' leg and repairing the damage.




Ever so faintly, they could hear a man and a woman talking.



"Whatcha doing?"

As if materializing from the aether itself, a small girl stood behind the two eavesdroppers.

Her expression went from startled to wincing as her body's sudden movement caused a brief sharp pain in her shoulder. Recovering quickly, she looked at the small girl, "Looking for someone. Is your family in this room?"

[Yun Lao]

Her expression went from startled to wincing as her body's sudden movement caused a brief sharp pain in her shoulder. Recovering quickly, she looked at the small girl, "Looking for someone. Is your family in this room?"

"Silly nilly, you can't find someone by pressing your ear against the door!" She chirped cheerfully, "Here, let me help!"

Without hesitation, the girl knocked on the room door, her cheerful looks plastered across her features.

The door opened and the man from before looked out, "Hello--?!" Upon seeing the girl, his features paled and he quickly slammed the door.

"Awh, looks like he doesn't want to talk. So saaaaaad..."

The air around them grew ominous and heavy, that creeping dread rearing its head forth.