No One Here Would Understand As Well As Me

[here_together]

It's probably harder for most people to stay off the grid than you would think, but when you have unusual enough (and useful enough) talents, there's always someone willing to help you out, in exchange for something only you can give them. (Incentives. Supply and demand. The carrot is so much more useful than the stick--and so much less likely to get you hurt in return.) And their magic (it has to be their magic, even when they're a her instead of a they, otherwise the investiture would just fall apart) is uncommonly useful.

Right now they (definitely a they, right now) are kicking back and relaxing in a little no-tell motel. There's free wifi, at least, and the employee who discretely got them a room in exchange for clearing up a few issues also snuck them some decently filling snacks, so they're pretty much good to go until they decide to do something else. Or something interesting happens.

Comments

[inourhead]

[We don't have that problem.]

[here_together]

[Just checking.] Quicksilver rivulets of metal probably not identifiable to people without considerable metallurgical knowledge or some variety of cheating snake their way out of the dufflebag.

[inourhead]

Crystal watches them with interest.

[here_together]

They're pretty much going to hang in the air until the two bodies are holding onto each other enough to secure.

[inourhead]

Holly takes over to arrange herself piggyback.

[here_together]

And the various pieces of metal wrap around all four of them in various places, joining with their other ends and solidifying.

[inourhead]

...Flying now?

[here_together]

Yep! They start off slowly, but they'll start picking up speed once they're well above the treeline.

[inourhead]

Holly giggles, squinting against the wind.

[here_together]

Well, if the speed isn't bothering her, they'll keep accelerating for a while.

...The slowdown is considerably sharper, as civilization looms beneath.

[inourhead]

"Eep!" laughs Holly.

[here_together]

[Sorry! Didn't want to overshoot!]

[inourhead]

[It's okay.]

[here_together]

They descend somewhat more sedately.

[inourhead]

And Holly hops off their back.

[here_together]

[Okay, now we need to find a petstore, which means looking one up, which means using the internet, which means explaining the internet. So there are these devices called computers that can talk to each other--not literally talking, they're not people. But if you have one then you can connect it to a network that lets it access information stored in much bigger ones...somewhere else. And these have any number of useful and entertaining things stored thereon, including in this case directories for businesses in any given city.]

[inourhead]

[I didn't really follow that but okay.]

[here_together]

[I've never tried to explain the internet before. Logistical point right now is that I need to find somewhere to connect. One category of place that usually lets you do that sells food. Annnd also beverages that help people stay awake, come to think of it. If for some reason it takes us longer than I'm expecting to get you two your mice then maybe caffeine would help. Anyway our original point was that this kind of place generally looks unkindly on people who don't buy anything so if you're at all hungry now's a good time.]

[inourhead]

[Caffeine can help, it just doesn't keep working indefinitely. And I am pretty hungry.]

[here_together]

[Oh, you do have caffeine where you're from? Kudos.] Okay, there's a Starbucks over there. Any less...Starbucks...coffee shops in sight? No? Well, beggars can't be choosers. Starbucks it is. [Let me know what looks good and we'll order for all of us,] Edie suggests as she leads the other two into the cafe.

[inourhead]

[I smell coffee but I'm not sure I recognize anything else.]

[here_together]

[There's a pastry cabinet over there,] she indicates. [I can translate the labels if you want.]

[inourhead]

[Yes please.]

[here_together]

The pastry cabinet contains an approximately coffeeshop-typical assortment of pastries. [Red velvet is just chocolate with red food coloring, I think. I'm not completely sure why it's a thing but I can appreciate it on an aesthetic level,] she commentates as they pass over the muffin section.

[inourhead]

[...Huh, I guess you would need to mix coloring into stuff, wouldn't you. I'll have the one with nuts? And that sandwich? I'm really hungry.]