drear | OPEN SEASON.

Don't mess them up too badly. I'm this close as to getting one suit completed. [It was the only way he's been entertaining himself when it was just him, the car and the road. Not that it sounds like he cares too much if the round was ruined. There was always another time.

Shuffling in, more slowly and carefully like his joints would protest at any sudden movements, he shuts the doors and starts the engine. Stays there for a few moments, trying to warm himself up from the winter's embrace.

It was then that he noticed Shijima's questioning(?) stare she was given to him and he looks back, wondering what's that about. Looking around to see what could have caused it, his eyes land on the dashboard themselves and he grins a bit. Almost looks a bit like his oldself.] Those? Oh -- They're notes from some people I got to meet a few months back in Paris. Didn't know they were even alive! We chatted a bit and I asked them to write some contact information. So we could keep in touch.

Pretty sure they're fake and if I use them, I'll just get hot air but I want to keep them. Better to have something of a loved one than nothing of a loved one.

[ a suit? like the little marks on corners, she guesses, looking at the layout under her paws.

shijima sits down on them again anyway.

paris, huh. that's very far away. she blinks at the notes quietly, as if absorbing every detail of them.

maybe she is. her face is rather more difficult to understand when she's a cat. shijima settles down and waits for him to drive. she'll have questions and words enough to ask him once she's clean. ]

[It doesn't take too long to coax the car to life so he can start driving.

The driving itself, on the other hand, well... Wherever that cemetery is located, it was best described as distant with how the day starts to become the night by the time they get to the motel. Matthew did his best to keep Shijima entertained. Telling her what had happened since her disappearance from Rapture, with some bitterness over certain things that went down there, and what happened after it.

Describing the motel would be difficult to do as it looked like all the other motels one would see in their life. A block of a building painted in drab colors with a bright neon sign stationed outside of it announcing its generic name and with how it had vacancy. It wasn't the ritziest place to be in so Matthew had no issue parting with some extra money when getting to the front desk and asking for some extra towels to be sent to his room, slipping an extra fifty to the person at the desk to not ask questions about the cat or the bundle of cloth he had in his arm.]

Room sweet room. [He's quick to enter it and quick to lock the door. Like the rest of the motel, the room was generic and simple. Only signs of life was Matthew's rather chaotic sense of organization of more playing cards, books and papers scattered on the bed and desk. The TV was left blaring on, the drone of news a comfortable source of static noise to him.] The bathroom is over there. I didn't take a shower today so I think there should be hot water for you to us.

I'll go check if my first-aid kit is still stocked up. Do you want me to help you with... the injuries or let you handle that?

[ she's listening, no matter how inattentive she looks. her eyes close every once in a while. her ears keep twitching, though, following his words over the clatter of the engine.

once they get into the motel and they're (relatively) safely in his rented room, she jumps out of his arms and quickly licks over her fur. a shower would be a good idea, probably, but true to her expectations, most of the blood had been dry and came off when she rolled in the snow.

her injuries, too, are mostly gone, fixed with tenpenka. so she shakes her head, a motion that's abruptly human and incongruous with her current form. she doesn't want to change back just yet — she's tired, and she wants to sleep.

after a moment's consideration, she goes back to where his legs are and rubs against them, finally butting her head against his shins before leaving to lie down and curl up on the bed. she's content to stay there, occasionally opening her eyes to peer at him or the television in between dozing. ]

If you say so. Er. Gesture so, to be more precise.

[Should something happen, he'll jump into action and make sure she's safe. The last he could do considering all the things she did for him back in that underwater hell. If she didn't want to move and just rest, he couldn't blame her.

He sits on the bed, right next to her and unwraps the scarf he wore on his neck and placed it as a bundle close to her head if she wanted to use it as a pillow. He's quick to change the channel to find something they could both watch or pretend to focus on. Eventually he decides to settle on some soap opera, the music and dramatic voices oddly lulling to him while checking his phone and seeing if he had any messages.

No messages so he settles with playing a game app on it. Sometimes he looks at her and catches her look at him. Gives a smile and returns his attention to the stick figures on his phone's screen.

Later into the night, he feels his stomach rumble in need of nutrition. Oh. Right.]

Hey. Hey. [He turns his attention to her and taps the space near her head, deciding not to risk her annoyance and actually tap her head.] I'm going to go out to grab something to eat from here. Knew I was forgetting something when we were driving here.

Anything you want when I go out? Milk? Fish? Mice?

[ shijima sleeps and watches in turns, occasionally lifting her head but relaxed otherwise. the reason why she'd been hurt is far away, now. she must have wandered quite far to get to america.

when he taps on the pillow, she yawns, first, before looking at him.

food sounds nice. she paws at her head, grooming herself quietly before deciding. it's hard to eat like this, too.

shijima jumps off the bed and slips off to the bathroom, pausing only to drag her dress with her with her teeth, where she changes back. she returns in a few minutes, smoothing down her wild hair half-heartedly. ]

I'll go with you. [ she would really like to know where she is, exactly. ]

Are you--

[Of course she's sure that she wants to come along. It was why she was telling him this in the first place. He scratches the side of his neck, sees no problem with it.

Problems that would involve the authorities getting into it or actually needing to use the first-aid kit at the very least.]

--Alright. But let me get you at least a scarf to wear. Would rather not have people judge me for just letting you run around without something to keep you warm.

[Not that she possibly needed it. It was just to keep appearances normal for people who haven't been in their situation.]

Aa, all right.

[ she doesn't see much point in keeping warm, but... he's right. just wearing her thin dress on such a cold day would look pretty weird.

once they're both properly attired, she goes over to the door, not waiting for him to catch up before she leaves. ]

The worker will think badly of you, so wait a minute before you leave.

[ the woman at the reception desk does, still, give her an odd look as she walks by, but it's at least somewhat less suspicious than both of them walking together. ]

[Considering how he came here by himself a week ago, returned with a cat today and was would have walked out with a girl now if he didn't heed her warnings? It would have raised a lot of alarm.

He's quick to leave and quicker to ignore the questions of the person at the desk as he departs. Hopes she won't be able to put two and two together about him and Shijima. He didn't need the cops on his tail. Again.

As they walk down to the store, he is glad he gave her a coat. The snow was coming down. Not enough to impede vision but enough to leave people chilly even if wrapped in warm coats and scarves.] I suppose you have a lot of questions about things even after I talked so much.

I'll let you know now -- It isn't anywhere near the sea. Made damn sure of that when I got back here years ago.

Good.

[ she has memories of rapture, of course, but it's more the smell of seawater that bothers her. as snowflakes land, invisible, on her hair, she sniffles a little. it's colder than she thought it would be. ]

East, west, or north or south?

[ cardinal directions are usually the easiest to understand for an old lady like her! ] I'll need to get back soon, and to find out how I got here. Mm, it's a little strange. I wonder.

[He has an answer for her question, something he could respond to. It's been forever since he spoke to someone he trusted, believed wouldn't put a knife in his back or in his throat.

So excuse him if his voice croaks or breaks now and then. Crackling under the sudden growing up he now had to do since there was someone else with him here.]

We're somewhere in the North. North as we can be. I suppose it explains the snow. [The very cold weather. One that makes him pull his coat up higher, trying to protect his neck. The stinging hurt the most there.

The gesture helps hide his wince at the reminder that she'll be leaving. Sooner. Later. It doesn't matter. Besides the fact that she'll be leaving period.]

Do you need to leave so soon? Shame. I was going to give you a tour to this wonderful generic town and everything. Population: Typical with you and me as specials.

[ she notices his voice breaking, and doesn't comment on it. like a boy whose voice is changing, perhaps. he's certainly young enough.

shijima looks up as he tugs at his collar, stepping surely automatically through the shallow snow. ] I'll stay for a while, at least.

[ she doesn't mention why she has to go back. he already knows anyway. ] Oddities are everywhere, yes. But, I don't think that this place is as curious as the one under the sea.

I guess you'll be my guest in that case? [He tries to make it sound like a question instead of a request. A plea. He's getting older and older, he can't act any younger.

His acting skills have been rusty for the past few years. Given how he hasn't had much time to practice it in front of people. Her comment about the place has him nod, agreeing with her. With a look of clear relief on his features. If it could stay that way, it would be good for him.

They get to the store, typical convenience store that ran '24/4!' as the neon lights blared out in declaration. Products, unhealthy junk food and vague health snacks, could be seen inside. A bored teenager at the counter as they watched a television mounted on the corner of the ceiling.] Do you want to come in with me or just want to stay out here? I don't think there'll be enough people here to judge you waiting on the store.

[ it would be very easy to mock him for that, but in what's a moment of something like mercy, she only says: ] You'll have to be hospitable to your elders.

[ she peers through the windows of the convenience store intently, eyes narrowing at the wide variety of colors. how strange. ]

I've never been in a place like this before. Aa, perhaps like this, but less dirty. I suppose it's a good thing I'm wearing shoes.

[ that's a yes to going in, though she doesn't say it that way. slouching and picking at a knot in her hair, she heads for the door, ignoring the curious glance of the cashier. ]

[Less dirty? He wonders how that is possible -- this is the typical convenience store of the U.S of good old A. -- as he waltzes in, following her lead. The blare of the T.V., now revealed to be a new segment of a child kidnapping of some sort, has Matthew freeze for a second. His features paling a bit before he hurries pass the cashier, grateful Shijima decided to come in with him. Seeing how she's getting all of the cashier's stares.

The anchorman continues to drone on about the latest news, speaking of an 'unidentified man' snatching a child in Chicago a few weeks back. While the man talks about the details of the case, Matthew grabs a basket and makes a beeline for the nearest section that had the most things on its shelves. He tries to catch Shijima's eye, looking a bit nervous.]

Excuse me while I keep my head down and try not to make eye contact with the clerk... [Which is easier said than done given his height and his shock of red hair.] If you see anything you fancy, just grab it and stuff it here. Money's not too much of an issue for me these days.

[ matthew's such a nice young one, all things considered, or maybe just too young to have his inner reservoirs worn out. ]

See to it that you do your best. [ patronizing, again, she pats his arm as she walks by. ]

I'm sure I'll find something. [ she passes a rack of magazines without much interest, and stops short at a shelf of packaged snacks. sno balls, especially, catch her attention. ]

Are these really edible?

I'll try.

[He gives her a look but a grin replaces it before he starts to dig around for something they can. Something that would fill their stomach but wasn't too loaded with preservatives. Matthew makes it a point to keep his back facing the cashier the whole time.

When Shijima calls for his attention, he looks up. Pausing in his action of pulling a packet of something out of its shelf.]

Those? Yes yes. You can eat them without worries of indigestion. [A pause, as if he's trying to decided he should correct himself or not. He thinks he should.] Most of the time. Never tried those before but they seem... decent?

They look strange. [ she prods one with a small finger, frowning. she's never seen packaged food that looks like this before, but if matthew says it's edible, it probably is. maybe some other time. ]

Ah, I think I'll try something else. I want meat.

Meat? Ah. I think this place should have a hotdog... [Risking a look, he turns his attention to the stand and sees that there is a hot dog machine, different flavors of hot dogs proclaimed on a propped up sign. The clerk was also too absorbed in watching the news, which was still talking about the kidnapping.

(Holy crap, he can't help think. When will they drop it?] Over there there's some meat. From 'original' to 'spicy' too, I see.

You can buy many as you want. I think the clerk will be thrilled with the amount we're getting here. [He's getting, really, but details.]

Three, and I don't want the bread.

[ she speaks decisively, putting down the sno balls and going to seek out something to drink. ]

Who's the child? [ she glances back at the television screen, perhaps a little curious and perhaps just bored. ] It's worrying, I suppose.

Oddly specific. I'll still see what I can do. [Maybe the cashier here is used to weird things occurring in the store at this hour.

While digging out enough money and change to buy the hotdogs-without-the-buns, he hears her question and can't help but purse his lips into a thin line for a second.] Some missing girl. Got snatched from Canada? Somewhere near here. It has been all over the news for a while now.

[He says the last words with a tone of exasperation. Like why were they all over this? Just one missing kid. Nothing special.]

[ hotdog buns are for weird people. maybe she'll try ketchup, but the flavors might be too strong...

(she's so picky.)

shijima looks over at the screen again, blinking slowly at the old photos that are shown. ]

Someone's child, I expect. Otherwise they wouldn't care.

It happens all the time however. Kids disappearing, slipping out of sight. Leaving and going if the occasion calls for it.

... I think we both know that. [He notices the clerk looking at him oddly and adds smoothly,] That we'll take three hotdogs and some condiment packets. Preferably the hotdogs on a stick, not on buns, please.

Children may be taken. [ she allows that, pressing a thumb to the corner of her mouth. ]

You've changed.

[ cryptic as always, she takes a few steps away to investigate a flicker of movement in the back of the store. ]

You seem surprised by that? It has been a while since--

[He pauses. Mostly to exchange bills and change for the purchase.

Mostly.]

--everything. The world now is a different one from what I remember. One has to adapt or else.

OPEN SEASON.

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dork kid late with starbucks excuse me

ur excused

thank u ; 0 ;

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