The sky hadn't been clear for days in Thetova, but not that anyone noticed. It was a town that had been so neglected that most current maps had completely forgotten it, just like modern concepts of civilization, fashion, or common courtesy.
So it was strange to see two very normal, very sane-looking people meander down one of the less-pothole-filled roads at four in the afternoon.
One was small, effervescent, and bouncy as hell. Her short pale blond curls and seemingly porcelain skin stood out against the dankness of her surroundings, but it might've been the neon green tutu, also. She seemed oblivious to the situation she was in, flouncing happily along, smiling all the while. Her companion, however, looked to be her opposite. He was tall and rugged, dark-skinned, black-haired, and appeared as though his mother forgot to tell him that his face would stick like that. He kept a wary eye on the alleys they passed and occasionally stopped the girl to survey something, then let her pass again. Most of the time, though, he kept the lower half of his face tucked into the collar of his fashionable grey pea-coat, hands in pockets, and said as little as possible. He wasn't even sure why they were there.
"Hey, Eden," he said quietly. His voice was low, but was a gentle sort of powerful. He was very good at capturing attention. "Why exactly did you drag me here?"
The girl sighed dramatically. "Because, I said it looked like a fun place to go mucking about. And isn't it? I've never been here before. I'm pretty sure this was one of ours."
"No, no, it was ours. You lot got your hands in it, is what happened." He kept carefully away from the group of shabby coats huddled around a fire in an old trash can, and pulled the girl closer. "We really ought to leave."
"Aw, Teagen, just a little while longer?" she pleaded. "I'm having fun!"
He tried not to look at her, but gave in quickly and sighed. "Fine. But only a little while. You know what a pain it is to get new bodies, and I really don't want to explain that I was killed while tromping around with you, here."
Eden stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I promise, I'll be careful, and you always are, so that's not a problem. Ooh, look at that car!" She dashed off to a beaten-up old thing with a coat hanger in the place of an antennae, that looked like it wouldn't even start.
"Careful," Teagen muttered, rolling his eyes and following. He had a feeling this would end badly.
Reply
