Around Town | Late Thursday Morning

[knife_bender]

Okay, well, it had been pretty well established that patrolling the town was useless, but what else were people like Diego supposed to do? It had been hammered in his head since birth to take action, even if the efforts were futile.

Which probably also explained Five's determination to stop the apocalypse even though he had nothing to go on.

So, yeah. Walking around town yet again. For some reason. Maybe he'd find a hole to jump in.

[For a few!]

Comments

[knife_bender]

"Starting?" This thing had been a pointless endeavor from the start.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Yeah, I know," Annie said, worry and impatience creeping into her voice. "I hate not knowing what to do. I wish something would show up that we could actually fight, or something."

She'd even texted Hughie yesterday to see if he had any ideas. (By way of the more competent people he could ask, anyway. She wasn't that desperate.)

[knife_bender]

"Anything to punch would be nice," he agreed. "I mean, even if it's a hole."

He'd be willing to look like that much of an idiot at this point.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I don't even know how that would work," Annie said, sort of irritably. "And like, I don't know if we could keep from falling in, even if we got close enough to punch one. Like, Rey and Danny aren't dumb."

And if she focused on that, it helped her stay confident that they were fine wherever they were.

[knife_bender]

"Rey isn't dumb, yeah." Diego, don't roast Danny while he was in a hole and couldn't defend himself.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie gave him a little look, because yeah. "These are competent people. Like, the firefighter guy's down there, too. And Rey was prepared for this to happen to her."

Honestly, Annie was kind of surprised she herself had not fallen in a hole, given that this was the third (?) time she'd gone out with someone actively trying to find one.

[knife_bender]

"That is what makes it even more frustrating." Like, sure, it meant that the competent people were probably okay wherever they were, but it also meant that they were really screwed trying to figure this out.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Do you know anyone psychic?" Annie tried. "I know one telepath I could ask, but Rey couldn't feel people with her Jedi stuff, and that's usually pretty reliable -- but, like, maybe we need someone with really specific powers? Because like, what if they aren't even still on the island?"

[knife_bender]

"No, don't know any psychics," he said. "Could get Klaus here and he can see if they're dead?"

Not only was that morbid but you had to make sure Klaus was sober which was...doubtful.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh, Diego. Can that be, like...Plan Z?" Any attempt at cheer was dropped pretty abruptly as Annie worriedly reached up to touch the cross she'd started wearing again over the weekend. (Look. Everything helped, right now.) "I mean, it's not a bad idea, and, like...it might be good to eliminate the possibility?"

But she also just couldn't start thinking people were dead. This was already horrible.

[knife_bender]

"Plan Z it is," he said. "He's probably sleeping in a dumpster somewhere anyway."

Or in rehab. Again.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, that makes me want to go find Klaus for different reasons," Annie observed pensively. "Hughie said he thought he might be able to get us some explosives when I asked him yesterday, but like -- I dunno, that seems like we're asking for it to cave in or something, if we try to blow up a hole."

[knife_bender]

"If there were a letter after Z that is what that plan would be." Because, yes, cave ins and making things worse.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"We can start using numbers," Annie said, trying for some levity. "I kinda feel like maybe I should carry emergency stuff around with me in case we fall in one of these things?"

Again: she was pretty determined that it would at least be a we, if a hole got them. If they stuck together, they at least wouldn't get separated.

[knife_bender]

"What, like granola bars and flashlights?" he asked. "Well, I guess we wouldn't need the flashlights."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"A flashlight for you isn't a bad idea, though." Okay, this was like, an actionable thing she could do. She could totally put together a bag with stuff in it. "Maybe bottled water, some first aid stuff, more knives...."

[knife_bender]

"It wouldn't be a bad idea," he agreed. "This is just assuming the holes lead underground. They could lead to, like, a different universe or something. Though I guess water and knives would still be useful there."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That would explain things a little," Annie acknowledged, "but we'll need food and water wherever we go. Maybe space blankets or something. Camping stuff?"

[knife_bender]

"I know you're strong enough to carry all of that at all times, but do you really want to?" he asked. "If the buildings are with the other people then there should be, like, blankets and stuff, right?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, yeah, but it's like, the bowling alley and stuff." Annie made a little noise of frustration, reaching a hand up to anxiously tighten her ponytail. "I just want to do something."

Which, like, she knew Diego would get, but being impotent together didn't feel any better.

[knife_bender]

"I know," he said, reaching over to put his arm around her waist. "Neither of us are good at being useless."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, I can totally find us something else to do, usefully, in another universe," Annie offered, slipping her arm across his back in return as she leaned into him (carefully in all regards -- knives and all.) "But I hate this."

She paused, struck by an idea that seemed so simple that it was probably too dumb to work. "Should we -- should we dig our own holes?"

[knife_bender]

"How about that'll be after the dead people plan, and before the explosion plan?" he said. "I mean, if we dug our own holes they wouldn't be all magic and shit, right?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe if we dig far enough we'll run into the magic holes?" Annie suggested, trying to sound like she wasn't blatantly grasping at straws. "I wonder if I could get, like, a backhoe rented from the mainland."

[knife_bender]

"Okay, maybe we've done enough patrolling for today." They were not going to rent a backhoe, Annie.