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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:38 am
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:30 am
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Ren left the coffee shop with a look of bemusement. He had never seen so many people lined up for coffee before, but then again, he had rarely left his apartment to go outside. When was the last time he left his cave for the city? Ren couldn't remember, only that when he did go outside, coffee shops were never that crowded. He walked down a block, now trying to remember the last time he was outside. He very much hated this town, and holed himself up in his apartment for this very reason, but he had forgotten the wonders of the outside. The way the wind chilled his cheeks, or how the pavement glittered right after it rained. The people passed by him ignoring him. He supposed they thought he looked pitiful. Ren had forgotten how it felt like to have people look at him, and how many people he didn't know. He could remember what it was like back then, when he was younger and didn't have much of a care what others thought of him.
He happened to glance at his reflection in a local storefront. An unshaven, haggard face looked back, hair uncut, old and wrinkled clothes, and pale skin. Ren could understand why they thought of him that way, a little disappointed with himself. After the accident several years ago, he had changed from a young free-spirit to this. Ren looked away and moved on, scratching his chin. He passed by a grocery store, one which buzzed with activity and busy bodies who had work and life to get to. All Ren ever did was sit in his apartment and work on his writing. He couldn't remember when he went to a grocery store last, so entered it half-hazardly. He wandered the eyes, picking up things that caught his eye, things he used to like, and things he hadn't seen.
A man who looked a little homeless. He looked young too. Ren stayed in the same aisle with him for a while, and while Ren couldn't explain it, decided to go up to him. "Are you hungry?" He asked, a little hesitantly. Ren didn't know why he came up to him, or why in his head he had decided to help. Maybe it was because after being holed up for so long, he missed talking to other people. There was an urge in him to be nice and helpful, maybe to redeem himself of being isolated for so long. He wanted to feel something, to talk to someone. Ren didn't know why he decided to talk to a bum, but he did, and looked at Thomas with a waiting look.
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:27 pm
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:46 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:42 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:52 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:50 pm
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"Would you like help out?" It was a question she was required to ask, even though only a few people ever accepted the offer. Today was different, however, because when she made the offer to the woman standing in front of her, she nodded and said "Yes, please." "Just a moment," Emma replied. Normally she would ask one of the baggers to help someone out, but they all seemed to be busy. So she led the woman outside herself, and began to help her put her things in the trunk of her car. "Some storm last night," Emma said to her conversationally. "Oh, yes... I figured I should stock up just in case something like that happens again. You never know." Emma smiled a bit and murmured an agreement. There were a few moments of silence and the woman looked like she wanted to say something as the last of the groceries were put into the car. "You know, I have the strangest sensation," she began with slight hesitation. Maybe she wasn't sure if she should blab to an employee who still had a lot of work to do, but she felt like she should tell her. Her husband would never understand, she thought. She looked at the girl, who looked back at her with curiosity, before continuing. "I saw a man... I'm sure you saw him too, he was wearing those old fashioned clothes and looked a bit dirty..." Once again, the woman looked at Emma for her reaction. She nodded, confirming that she had seen him as well. "I don't know if I'm seeing things, but I swear he looked just like my husband's father. My grandfather-in-law, that is... Thomas Vanderhouse, yes, that was his name. I just thought that was so strange." "That is strange," Emma agreed. There was another short pause before she said, "Have a good day, ma'am." "You too," the woman replied as she closed her trunk and went to unlock the driver's side door. Emma waited until she got into the car before walking away again, thinking the conversation nothing more than the ramblings of an old woman.
Thomas had learned by now not to make eye contact with any of these strangers, lest they feel compelled to give him a handout of some sort. He had seen the looks people had been giving him, and honestly it was making him just as uncomfortable as they seemed to be. Most kept their distance, and so Thomas was surprised when someone actually approached. He finally looked up to assess the man in front of him, his gaze indifferent but slightly fearful as well. Just as he had suspected, the stranger assumed him for a beggar and asked whether he was hungry. Not wanting to be pitied, Thomas' first instinct was to say no. But the truth was that he hadn't eaten yet and there had been close to nothing yesterday, when he was in his own time and in his own home. All he could remember was his parents saying they were going to start packing, because they were finally just going to leave. To start a better life. Slowly, Thomas nodded. Being in a grocery store meant temptation, and there were certainly a lot of things he had never seen before. He was still uncomfortable with the prices, though. He wondered if this stranger might be as well.
Kitty was back to studying the map Jeremy had bought at the information center. It was at least something to do while the others conversed. Daniel, the one with the purse, had said that he was from this area. She really didn't know if it would be any help to anyone, but was there any chance that he would recognize something? In the meantime, she studied the map with curiosity. She hadn't gotten a close look at it before, and she figured she might as well know where things were. She had a feeling they would be here for a while, but she wasn't ready to admit to herself that they might just have to adapt to life here... forever. The thought chilled her even more.
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:42 pm
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Ren accepted the nod for a yes, and bowed his head slightly. He was taller than Thomas, and older than him too. "My name's Renard. Sorry, I don't mean to pity you or just humiliate you," he said, his sentence trailing. Though it wasn't like Ren knew exactly just what he was doing. "How old are you?" He asked, but immediately followed with a, "Ugh, sorry, that wasn't supposed to sound creepy. You just look fairly young." Ren pocketed his hands and looked down the aisle. "Well, is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:28 pm
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Even though he was still a bit wary of this tall stranger, Thomas also appreciated that Renard wasn't deliberately trying to humiliate him. "My name is Thomas," he replied and stuck out his hand to shake. He had been brought up to be polite and respectful at all times, no matter what; the gesture was as natural to him as breathing. Surprisingly, the hand that he offered was not dirty, because he had been in the bathroom earlier to try and clean himself at least a little. He was a little apprehensive about answering the second question, concerning his age, but the explanation that was offered shortly afterward helped. Thomas himself had seen that Renard did indeed look taller and older than he was, and that was probably why he wanted to know. Maybe most of the homeless looked older than he was. "I'm eighteen," Thomas answered after a brief pause. "And... if you don't mind... I'd like to go into the produce section," he added, gesturing vaguely in its direction. He wouldn't get much, maybe a fruit or two, because he would just feel uncomfortable trying to purchase a bucket's worth.
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 11:51 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:06 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:22 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:49 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:14 am
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(Same here)
Thomas was both grateful and surprised by Renard's generosity. "I don't know when I'll be able to pay you back," he said, working on the assumption that he somehow might be able to, even despite the fact he had been catapulted into a new and strange world. If it so happened that he had to learn to adapt to 2014 and not 1935, one of his first priorities would be getting a job. He headed toward the produce section thinking about just that, and as he selected an apple and an orange. There were sure to be places around here that were hiring, right? Maybe he could ask around. Once he had the fruit, he headed off towards the checkout aisles to wait for Renard. He looked around while he waited, and once again found himself looking at the young woman with the pink and blue hair. She suddenly blushed and looked away, though, which made him curious.
There he is again, Emma thought. My manager thinks he's going to try to steal something, but there he is with some fruit and he's not even trying to make a break for it. He seems harmless. Emma was curious despite herself, and looked at him for a few moments until he very briefly returned her gaze. Then she blushed and quickly looked away. What had that woman said about him? Her grandfather-in-law... Thomas Vanderhouse... a younger version of him, of course... but how could that be? She had to be mistaken, Emma thought. Maybe he just looks a lot like him, that kind of thing happens sometimes. Perfectly logical.
Kitty folded up the map again and listened to Jake as he talked, then made a suggestion when he asked. "We should probably go somewhere so that we can dry off, first," she said, then asked, "Are there such places here where we may go to sit and talk?"
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