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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 14, 2021 1:56:03 GMT
The city. The sights. The sounds. The EVERYTHING. They were ECSTATIC! For no real reason. Spinning around in their torn, punk clothes, they danced through the alleyways of the Marketplace. Most people stayed in the streets, where people were EXPECTED to be, but Pippin wasn't exactly most people. They giggled in pure glee as they stumbled through place after place, discovering all the new things that they could. They bounced onto the toes of their boots, ignoring the feel of the steel digging into their feet, and peered around corners to watch people as they went about their normal lives.
Ahhh. Telluride. The clam. Oyster? Pearl? Something like that. They giggled to themself and then fell back to their feet before dancing away again.
It was the afternoon, but they weren't totally sure what that meant, in the moment. The dumpster, however... They knew what THAT meant.
"Treasure!" They quite literally DOVE into the dumpster, pushing with all of their might upwards so they could see what was inside. Half inside the dumpster behind the coffee shop, they began to grab the trash and toss it over their shoulder, as if looking for something in particular.
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DK
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Post by DK on Sept 14, 2021 2:21:13 GMT
Parallel next to the dumpster was a woman. She carried the thick, flavorful aroma of the coffee shop, which was so intense that it almost masked the scent of the cigarette dangling between her lips. With a huff, she clenched it between two fingers, and watched as the fumes dispersed into the air, before tossing it aside and crushing it beneath her foot. Then, she looked back to the dumpster, staring at the small mass sticking out halfway that littered the alleyway with garbage. "Treasure, you say?" She spoke in a hushed rasp, her eyes cold and lifeless. As she stepped out of the shadows, her features became visible to the naked eye. Her skin was pale, her hair was somewhat well kempt, and her body was covered in tattoos. She wore tactical pants and a tank top, with a shirt slung over her shoulder. She was thin, one could even assume malnourished, and she was about average height. Honestly, what more would you expect from a barista in this city. "Show me what you found." She said, tilting her head ever-so-slightly. |
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 14, 2021 2:34:16 GMT
Pippin continued to dig through the mounds of garbage, tossing aside empty cups and canisters like the useless junk it was. They seemed to know exactly what they were trying to find. This stranger speaking so suddenly beside them didn't seem to affect them at all: whether that was because they knew she was there when they started diving or because they simply weren't scared of anything was entirely up for debate.
(Here's a secret: they had no idea anybody was watching.)
Finally, they made a noise similar to that of a child rediscovering their favorite toy. Wiggling back and forth in an attempt to free themself from the dumpster, they half fell back to their feet, cradling something in their arms.
Looking up at the woman, their eyes were filled with mirth and glee, and a smile was plastered across their face. It was impossible to tell exactly what gender they were, despite the pink in their hair, but in that moment... Gender was important. They were simply a child. A full grown child, most likely in their twenties, but a child nonetheless.
They held up their treasure for the stranger to inspect, as if they had found it just for her. It was a pumpkin, something the coffee shop had used for decoration for a while before tossing it away. Once upon a time, it was a beautiful orange color, full of vigor, but overtime the orange had dulled and the green on top had turned a black. It looked like a real pumpkin that had begun to rot, so instead of trying to fix it... The shop had simply thrown it away.
How Pippin could have known it was in there was a secret they would take with them to their grave.
(Another secret? They had no idea.)
Still, they held it up for the woman to look at excitedly. "See? Treasure!"
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DK
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Post by DK on Sept 14, 2021 2:51:14 GMT
Paya just stared at the child, her expression unchanging. She slid her hands down in her pockets and waited, her gaze shifting only as they approached with their "treasure". She stared for a moment longer, inspecting the rotted pumpkin. She was the one who threw it out.
"Take a bite." She said simply, in that same raspy tone. Was she joking? Was she serious? Nobody knew. She just kept on staring, her eyes pinned on theirs.
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 14, 2021 3:20:21 GMT
Pippin blinked for a moment at Paya's strange requesting, contemplating it. They knew very well what would happen if they bit into it, and this woman had no hold over them. Tilting their head to one side, they contemplated the meaning of that, and the implications it had.
"Can we share?" they asked suddenly, perking up slightly. In nearly anybody else, it might seem like a loaded question... but they seemed totally innocent in it.
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DK
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Post by DK on Sept 14, 2021 19:37:28 GMT
She shrugged, pulling one hand out of pocket. She dug her fingers into the top of the pumpkin, effortlessly tearing a chunk of it off and holding it up. She stared at it for a moment, admiring the rot.
"Reminds me of home," she murmured, before dropping it into her mouth. She chewed, then paused, probably to study the favor, she chewed, she swallowed. She then slid her hand back into her pocket, returning her gaze to Pippin. Her expression was unwavering.
She made it look so easy...
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 14, 2021 19:45:05 GMT
Pippin seemed completely unbothered by the texture of the pumpkin as they dug their fingers into the half rotted fruit. They made sure to grab some of the seeds and pulled it all free before plopping the slimy, fragrant mass into their mouth. They chewed happily, knowing they may get sick, but finding that they didn't care too much.
Sharing is caring, and friends share. That meant that this stranger cared about them and wanted to be their friend. That thought alone was enough for them to ignore the pungent taste that slithered across their tongue.
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 15, 2021 0:02:15 GMT
The woman continued to stare, tilting her head slightly as Pippin ingested the rotted fruit. After a moment, she gave a little hoarse chuckle.
"Walk with me," she said, brushing into them, hanging her head low as she headed for the sidewalk. "Or don't. I don't care."
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 15, 2021 0:04:56 GMT
Licking their lips to get the remnants of the goo, Pippin jumped to their feet to follow after Paya. The thought of not simply hadn't occurred to them, and when she mentioned she didn't care, they tilted their head to one side.
"Why not?" They asked simply.
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 15, 2021 0:25:30 GMT
"Because it doesn't matter," she said simply, reaching a hand to idly latch onto the shirt thrown over her shoulder. "Are you going to tell me why it does?" She added, returning her gaze to theirs.
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 15, 2021 0:32:37 GMT
"No. Something not mattering is totally up to a person's opinion. So if it doesn't matter to you, then it doesn't matter! It's like right or wrong. Totally, TOTALLY relative."
They nodded their head enthusiastically as they continued to walk beside Paya, a little skip in their step.
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DK
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Post by DK on Sept 18, 2021 23:29:03 GMT
"Right," she rasped. "And what matters to you, little monster?" She asked with complete disinterest, casting her wicked gaze upon them again.
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 19, 2021 0:05:59 GMT
Pippin tilted their head to one side, contemplating that question. Blinking, they finally turned to Paya with a brilliant smile.
"I like games!"
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 19, 2021 0:14:51 GMT
"What a coincidence. So do I." She smiled, almost wickedly. "I have a game for you, when it's time for us to part. Do you want to hear it?"
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 19, 2021 11:48:53 GMT
Pippin clapped their hands together excitedly and bounced onto their toes.
"A game??? Yes! I wanna play!"
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 19, 2021 12:03:30 GMT
"Good. When I say the word "apple", we're playing hide and seek. You're the seeker. Though Ironically, something tells me life is just a big game of a hide and to for you. You're always looking for something interesting, and interesting you always find."
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 19, 2021 13:47:45 GMT
"What am I seeking?" They asked with a tilt of their head.
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 19, 2021 14:14:24 GMT
"Me. What else?" She scoffed.
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Post by Pippin Laudin on Sept 19, 2021 15:03:01 GMT
Pippin looked at Paya for a long moment and then smiled. They weren't as familiar with this town as she was, but...
"Okay!"
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DK
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it's a new day
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Post by DK on Sept 19, 2021 15:18:54 GMT
"Good," she said, reaching a hand to ruffle their hair. "My name is Paya, but you can call me whatever you want. I don't really care."
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