Welcome To Purgatory

[BynariDistress]

Recap:

Pawnee county Oklahoma has been a hotbed of strange happens ever since the last war. Reports ranging from Big Foot eating out of the Dumpster behind the Quick Trip, to old Wilber Grape claiming that Skinwalker of Wilson’s field killed his cattle again. This tales has drawn quite the crowd, marking Purgatory as one of the Nation’s most active area for urban legend and unexplained mysteries.

Recently, there has been an uptick in sightings; leading to reports of several missing persons. Almost overnight, the local news removed all articles pertaining to the subject from their website and social media posts have mysteriously been removed. This has only caused wild rumors to circulate; leading some to believe there may be more to the stories.

Day 1 (7:45 AM)

Bugertory – The morning sun is already becoming a menace, threatening to have a repeat of yesterday. You already received an alert on your phone from the National Weather Service about the Extreme heat advisory – Temperatures reaching the mid-120s°F (51.6°C) with a heat index of 130°F (54.5°C). Seeing the parking lot already filling up, you enter through the main doors on the East side of the building. The cool air envelopes you and the smell of freshly cooked food fills the air. The diner is in full swing as the morning ■■■■■ earn their keep, while the owner (Patricia McElroy) is behind the bar, busily greeting guests as they enter.

Seeing you standing in the doorway, she smiles. “Welcome to Burgertory Darlin. Go ahead and take seat, whatever is available. Someone will be with you shortly.” She says in a welcoming southern drawl. A moment later she goes back to micromanaging the wait staff.

Looking around the dining room, you can see the booth indicated in the text message. As you make your way across the room you begin to notice the usual morning crowd; familiar faces have found their places throughout the restaurant, with a scattering of some unfamiliar ones too. The McElroy Brothers (Identical twins) sit at the bar, drinking their morning coffee and discussing their plans for the upcoming celebration. Purgatory’s finest are gathered in the South West corner of the diner; with several in uniform standing around Chief Presley.

As you near the booth where you were summoned, you see an unfamiliar woman. Dressed in professional looking business attire, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Her piercing blue eyes meet your gaze, but only for a moment before she gives you a look that would send shivers down a polar bear’s spine. It reminds you of the look a cat gives someone it deems unworthy of its time. Like they say, “If looks could kill.”

As you look away, something about the tablet in her hand catches your eye; but before you can get a better look, she swipes the app away and turns her back to you.

A few steps passed her, and you see the booth; four menus placed on the table.

…

[MakutaOisli]

@BynariDistress

Bugertory – The morning sun is already becoming a menace, threatening to have a repeat of yesterday. You already received an alert on your phone from the National Weather Service about the Extreme heat advisory – Temperatures reaching the mid-120s°F (51.6°C) with a heat index of 130°F (54.5°C). Seeing the parking lot already filling up, you enter through the main doors on the East side of the building. The cool air envelopes you and the smell of freshly cooked food fills the air. The diner is in full swing as the morning ■■■■■ earn their keep, while the owner (Patricia McElroy) is behind the bar, busily greeting guests as they enter.

As the doorbell rang, a ridiculous looking girl walked in. She looked like ten spraycans had exploded on top of her, coating her in a neon paintjob that reflected a slightly sickening glow in the dim sunlight, with spattered headphones over her ears. She had a multicolored backpack, that looked as if it was ready to burst, filled with all sorts of weird supplies and stuff. Most intriguing of all, however, was the bunny ear headband she wore, with a pinkish interior and white exterior for each, the right slightly drooped to the side, while a handsewn rabbit mask dangled off her hip. Her bleached hair motioned as she looked around quickly, as if trying to find a certain place.

@BynariDistress

Seeing you standing in the doorway, she smiles. “Welcome to Burgertory Darlin. Go ahead and take whatever seat is available. Someone will be with you shortly.” She says in a welcoming southern drawl. A moment later she goes back to micromanaging the wait staff.

She gave a quick glance and a smile, her eyes still darting around, her gaze swarming every which place, trying to find this oh-so mysterious booth-

@BynariDistress

Looking around the dining room, you can see the booth indicated in the text message.

AHA! She thought triumphantly, with the fanfare blaring in the back of her head to boot, as she zeroed in like a heat-seeking missile onto its target.

@BynariDistress

As you near the booth where you were summoned, you see an unfamiliar woman. Dressed in professional looking business attire, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Her piercing blue eyes meet your gaze, but only for a moment before she gives you a look that would send shivers down a polar bear’s spine. It reminds you of the look a cat gives someone it deems unworthy of its time. Like the say, “If looks could kill.”

She attempted to avoid the woman like the plague, as it seemed clear to her this was probably someone NOT to try and chit-chat with, more like the kind that would rather enjoy drowning everything in whiskey sours and extra black coffee.

@BynariDistress

A few steps passed her, and you see the booth; four menus placed on the table.

She plopped down, her eyes flying around like bees as her music from her headphones continued to blare, playing some awful new rock song as her head bobbed to the music.

[NOTaHFfan]

@BynariDistress

Bugertory – The morning sun is already becoming a menace, threatening to have a repeat of yesterday. You already received an alert on your phone from the National Weather Service about the Extreme heat advisory – Temperatures reaching the mid-120s°F (51.6°C) with a heat index of 130°F (54.5°C). Seeing the parking lot already filling up, you enter through the main doors on the East side of the building. The cool air envelopes you and the smell of freshly cooked food fills the air.

Billie Harker quickly approached the familiar diner, once again taking a mental note on how ridiculous its name was. The weather had been going crazy lately and the unreasonably hot air had been getting on her nerves and making her feel generally terrible… well, more terrible than usual. Her having a hangover and having had to wake up early in order to get to the location on time didn’t help in the slightest. Going through the door and entering the busy establishment, Billie wiped the sweat off her face, relieved to have entered the relative coolness of the building. This was much better than her tiny dirt cheap apartment with no AC unit, even in spite of the diner being a public place and bringing the prospect of Billie having to deal with people. The temperature was so overwhelming that it overpowered her reclusive nature.

@BynariDistress

The diner is in full swing as the morning ■■■■■ earn their keep, while the owner (Patricia McElroy) is behind the bar, busily greeting guests as they enter.

Seeing you standing in the doorway, she smiles. “Welcome to Burgertory Darlin. Go ahead and take whatever seat is available. Someone will be with you shortly.” She says in a welcoming southern drawl. A moment later she goes back to micromanaging the wait staff.

Billie gave a slight nod to the owner, trying her best to hide her face under the brim of her hat, hoping that the woman wouldn’t recognize her. She knew Patricia McElroy from the short period of time when she worked as a waitress in the establishment, which ended extremely abruptly when Billie showed to work so drunk that she was unable to do any of her tasks and ended up punching one of the customers. Ever since that incident, she was ashamed to appear in front of Mrs McElroy and avoided the diner like the plague. The only reason why she managed to find the strength to come here this time was the mysterious text that seemed to be related to the new job she had found not long ago.

She adjusted her hat and rushed deeper into the joint, away from the keen eyes of the establishment’s owner, frantically looking for the table that had been pointed out in the message.

@BynariDistress

As you near the booth where you were summoned, you see an unfamiliar woman. Dressed in professional looking business attire, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Her piercing blue eyes meet your gaze, but only for a moment before she gives you a look that would send shivers down a polar bear’s spine. It reminds you of the look a cat gives someone it deems unworthy of its time. Like the say, “If looks could kill.”

As Billie traversed the busy diner trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible, she noticed many familiar faces from her time working here, but as she finally neared the right booth, she came face to face with a woman dressed in formal attire that she had never seen before. She awkwardly tried to avoid the woman’s intimidating gaze and quickly snuck past her, unsettled by the brief attention the woman had given her.

@MakutaOisli

She plopped down, her eyes flying around like bees as her music from her headphones continued to blare, playing some awful new rock song as her head bobbed to the music.

Stopping next to the table, she was about to let out a sigh of relief, thinking that danger had been avoided, but was interrupted when she noticed that one of the seats was taken. Her dreams of arriving first and getting to sit at the table completely by herself for a while weren’t just crushed, they were crushed by the most outrageous looking person she had ever seen. The girl in front of her was undoubtedly much younger than her, extremely short, wore the most obnoxiously colored mismatched clothes Billie had ever seen (she grew up in a rural area of town surrounded by forests, so these clothes seemed completely alien to her), and exuded the aura of someone who couldn’t sit in one place for too long and like to be the center of everyone’s attention.

She couldn’t help but point out in her head that this person would be visible from a mile away in a forest, if not more. It was the worst clothing to be dressed in when hunting.

Thinking that this surely couldn’t be one of the people who she was going to have to work with and that she must have approached the wrong booth, Billie started looking around awkwardly, looking if she somehow missed the right one.

Much to her dismay, this was undoubtedly the booth from the message. Trying to look anywhere but at the strange girl, knowing full well that she was certainly staring at her, she took a seat at the furthest possible spot away from her and folded her arms across the table, nervously tapping on it with her finger. The girl was undoubtedly drawing a lot of attention from the diner’s more normally dressed clients, which made Billie uncomfortable. She didn’t like to be anywhere close to the center of attention.

The obvious scars covering the entire surface of her lower arms were aching more than usual. Billie didn’t know if that was the heat, the painkillers wearing off, or her anxiety. She knew one thing though: she was in desperate need of a drink.

[Ghid]

Despite his suspicion at the whole scenario, Oswin’s curiosity was simply too great to keep him away from whatever this was. The medical staff had given him leave, the college had forgiven all his accrued debts, the legal documents had finally gotten through the courts to classify him as his own unique entity, and he was even allowed to retain the fancy mechanical body he now possessed, no strings attached… All just to go here, it seemed.

Even now, as he stepped through the diner door, his mind was half-consumed with only stepping on parts of the floor that looked solid enough to handle his weight. The other half explained why his mechanical eyes darted about the entire building, nervously searching for anyone who might recognize him — a foolish thought, since anyone who had paid a visit to the technological wing of the college would have seen him paraded about like the engineering marvel that he was. He didn’t mind, of course; he loved meeting new people.

…Well, when the circumstances aren’t immensely suspicious, that is.

@BynariDistress

the owner (Patricia McElroy) is behind the bar, busily greeting guests as they enter.

Seeing you standing in the doorway, she smiles. “Welcome to Burgertory Darlin. Go ahead and take whatever seat is available. Someone will be with you shortly.” She says in a welcoming southern drawl. A moment later she goes back to micromanaging the wait staff.

@BynariDistress

Purgatory’s finest are gathered in the South West corner of the diner; with several in uniform standing around Chief Presley.

The rest of the crowd didn’t matter; Oswin’s eyes immediately landed on Chief Presley. He had met him only once before; the Chief had shown mild interest in his existence, but Oswin was immediately enamored with Presley’s status and bearing. Eventually it came back to his mind that maybe he shouldn’t keep standing in the doorway like he was and instead try to find the booth he had been directed to.

@BynariDistress

As you near the booth where you were summoned, you see an unfamiliar woman. Dressed in professional looking business attire, she sticks out like a sore thumb.

Oswin made the horrible mistake of stopping dead in his tracks with his lips parted, staring at the peculiar woman, unsure if this was the right booth or not. However the vicious side eye he received eventually drove him away from the table, feeling his throat nervously as he subconsciously thanked himself for wearing the sweater overtop his typical t-shirt today, if for no other reason than it felt comforting atop his artificial skin.

@BynariDistress

As you look away, something about the tablet in her hand catches your eye; but before you can get a better look, she swipes the app away and turns her back to you.

If only Oswin had gotten more than a split second’s look in his peripheral vision, he might have been able to identify exactly what it was that was so familiar to him about it. His mechanical eyes were much more perceptive of things than even his mind was, but not even the slightest glance could be had with whoever this was.

@MakutaOisli

She plopped down, her eyes flying around like bees as her music from her headphones continued to blare, playing some awful new rock song as her head bobbed to the music.

As he neared what had to be the source of that obnoxious noise, Oswin walked halfway past the booth before abruptly stopping and looking in surprise at the number. This simply couldn’t be correct. A booth set for four with the most annoying music he ever heard blaring out of the headphones of a…

…Whoever this creature was must have been in the crossfire of a paintball tournament. The poor thing was covered head to toe in splotches of bright colors, seemingly totally unaware of the horrific state she was in, undoubtedly having her senses dulled by the awful sounds pouring out of her headphones. His expression quickly turned to one of pity at the sight of this wretched girl, so cruelly mistreated in gaudy fashion, and-

@NOTaHFfan

Trying to look anywhere but at the strange girl, knowing full well that she was certainly staring at her, she took a seat at the furthest possible spot away from her and folded her arms across the table, nervously tapping on it with her finger.

Oh.

Being surrounded by out of shape adults and inactive teenagers, barring the existence of the college jocks trying to make up for time lost by taking classes in the technological courses the college offered, Oswin had rarely ever seen someone — much less a girl — with such clearly defined muscle. Her almost agonized attitude at having to exist did nothing to quell Oswin’s neck desiring to retract into his collarbone, nervousness plastered across his face and completely overriding the expression of pity he had conjured up just a moment ago.

“Uhh,” He looked with his glowing blue eyes between the pair, completely unsure of what it was he was supposed to do next. Was this the right booth? Had these two ladies made a horrible mistake and sat in the wrong spot? Was this all a test, to see how he would interact in the field?

…Had he been hacked?

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

“Uhh,” He looked with his glowing blue eyes between the pair, completely unsure of what it was he was supposed to do next. Was this the right booth? Had these two ladies made a horrible mistake and sat in the wrong spot? Was this all a test, to see how he would interact in the field?

Just as the music emanating from the strange girl’s headphones began to get on her nerves, she found a much needed distraction.

Billie was intensely staring at the table, avoiding eye contact with everything that had eyes, when she heard heavy steps approaching the table. The figure stopped next to the table and made an uncertain sound in a voice that she found a little strange. As she slowly raised her eyes to look at the figure, she began to speak quietly.

“One beer and- oh… um…”

She immediately looked away in embarrassment after realizing that the person she was speaking to was not in fact a shy and inexperienced young waiter that that she assumed him to be at first. But, after her brain processed what she had just seen, she worriedly did a double take to make sure that her eyes weren’t deceiving her. The person standing over her was a young kid with an innocent expression, completely unnaturally grey skin, hair of similar color and unsettlingly blue eyes, dressed in clothes that certainly weren’t fit for this weather. At first she thought that she was seeing a ghost, but that was impossible. She heard his footsteps, she saw him right in front of her in broad daylight, this person was undoubtedly real. But how was that possible? Nobody can look like that…

For a second she thought that the kid’s face looked a little familiar, but she brushed it off as a product of her imagination. It simply couldn’t be him, that would be ridiculous. He was dead, she knew for sure.

Realizing that she was staring at him for too long, Billie looked away once more, focusing on the silhouettes of passing cars in the window. After a prolonged awkward silence, she was finally able to let out a quiet and slightly frustrated “What are you looking at? If you’re here because of the message, sit down… people are looking…”

She nervously scratched her scarred forearm. The pain wasn’t going away.

What kind of freakshow is this group? What did I sign up for?

[MakutaOisli]

@NOTaHFfan

Trying to look anywhere but at the strange girl, knowing full well that she was certainly staring at her, she took a seat at the furthest possible spot away from her and folded her arms across the table, nervously tapping on it with her finger. The girl was undoubtedly drawing a lot of attention from the diner’s more normally dressed clients, which made Billie uncomfortable. She didn’t like to be anywhere close to the center of attention.

The girl, Gracie, was INDEED staring absentmindedly at her, before her brain finally registered she was looking at a person, blinking rapidly before switching her music off.

“So…you got a message too? I’ll admit, I don’t like my burgers medium.”

She gave a twitch of a smile, before her eyes darted away again, looking at the surrounding area, her fingers fiddling.

“Hope it’s not because we’re in trouble…”

@Ghid

As he neared what had to be the source of that obnoxious noise, Oswin walked halfway past the booth before abruptly stopping and looking in surprise at the number. This simply couldn’t be correct. A booth set for four with the most annoying music he ever heard blaring out of the headphones of a…

…Whoever this creature was must have been in the crossfire of a paintball tournament. The poor thing was covered head to toe in splotches of bright colors, seemingly totally unaware of the horrific state she was in, undoubtedly having her senses dulled by the awful sounds pouring out of her headphones. His expression quickly turned to one of pity at the sight of this wretched girl, so cruelly mistreated in gaudy fashion, and-

Her eyes widened at the towering figure before her. Holy…
This guy was weird. No, that was an understatement. THIS GUY IS ABSOLUTELY BIZARRE!
He was completely grey, covered in head to toe with synthetic skin.
What the heck happened to you?
She looked like she was about to say something…

@NOTaHFfan

Billie was intensely staring at the table, avoiding eye contact with everything that had eyes, when she heard heavy steps approaching the table. The figure stopped next to the table and made an uncertain sound in a voice that she found a little strange. As she slowly raised her eyes to look at the figure, she began to speak quietly.

“One beer and- oh… um…”

Really? Yeah, sure. RIGHT NOW. Perfect. THat makes total sense, getting buzzed right now. Jeez.
She rolled her eyes, and muttered something.
“Just get a soda…”

@NOTaHFfan

Realizing that she was staring at him for too long, Billie looked away once more, focusing on the silhouettes of passing cars in the window. After a prolonged awkward silence, she was finally able to let out a quiet and slightly frustrated “What are you looking at? If you’re here because of the message, sit down…”

She barked out a sudden laugh, cutting like a razor through her own tension.
It was warm, yet sharp, like a puffy cloud wrapped in barbed wire.

“Wow. And people call me unsubtle…”
She quickly recovered, realizing her mistake, and then said,
“Not that that’s a bad thing…”

[Ghid]

@NOTaHFfan

“One beer and- oh… um…”

She immediately looked away in embarrassment after realizing that the person she was speaking to was not in fact a shy and inexperienced young waiter that that she assumed him to be at first. But, after her brain processed what she had just seen, she worriedly did a double take to make sure that her eyes weren’t deceiving her.

Oswin immediately felt guilty; it was because of his appearance, wasn’t it? That apprehension could only be explained by his peculiar skin and blue eyes, obviously. Or at least, it was obvious enough to him.

But the double take, that was new. It was usually one or the other; awe at the fact that he existed, or a kind of revulsion at the idea that he wasn’t purely a machine. This… This was different. Bad? Not necessarily; he didn’t even know who she was, and he was certain he had never met her during his stay at the college.

@NOTaHFfan

Realizing that she was staring at him for too long, Billie looked away once more, focusing on the silhouettes of passing cars in the window. After a prolonged awkward silence, she was finally able to let out a quiet and slightly frustrated “What are you looking at? If you’re here because of the message, sit down… people are looking…”

Oswin had looked away awkwardly, one hand grabbing the opposite wrist, hoping for some indication of what to do next. When the strange girl’s message finally reached his ears, his already glowing eyes lit up even further.

“You got the message too?” He gawked. It was a good thing there were no lights under his skin or his face would be glowing nearly as brightly as his irises. “I didn’t know that other people got contacted like I d-”

The latter half of her sentence finally caught up to him, and his shoulders dug into the base of his neck as his eyes nervously darted around the room, trying to see if anyone else had noticed. It didn’t appear to have caused anyone to pay extra attention to his plight, so finally with a relenting nod he moved to sit next to Billie.

@MakutaOisli

She barked out a sudden laugh, cutting like a razor through her own tension.
It was warm, yet sharp, like a puffy cloud wrapped in barbed wire.

“Wow. And people call me unsubtle…”
She quickly recovered, realizing her mistake, and then said,
“Not that that’s a bad thing…”

Oswin stopped halfway to his seat, sending a confused glance towards Gracie, then towards Billie, and finally back at Gracie again. He very slowly resumed his descent into the offered seat, the bench beneath him creaking under his weight.

“Are…” He cautiously glanced to the side for a moment. “Are we expecting anyone else?”

[MakutaOisli]

@Ghid

“Are…” He cautiously glanced to the side for a moment. “Are we expecting anyone else?”

“I mean…the person who sent us our message…right?” She shrugged, still worried about her blatant disregard.
First impressions, dummy. Now look at you.
She shuffled back and forth uncomfortably in her seat, as if the tension was unbearable.

“Look, I don’t know, I think maybe it’s a weird thing, maybe a job, I’m not sure, I dunno, this is new territory for me, why am I still talking-I said too much, didn’t I?”
She massaged her head, her headphones now around her neck, as she finally removed her backpack and put it underneath the table.

“Sorry.”

She pursed her lips, tapping the side of her index fingers against the side of the table.

“I-It’s been awhile since I’ve had a job…didn’t really have one since…”
She stammered and stumbled on her words, then just gave a small smile. She said too much again.
Just greet them, Gracie, you moron.

[NOTaHFfan]

@MakutaOisli

She barked out a sudden laugh, cutting like a razor through her own tension.
It was warm, yet sharp, like a puffy cloud wrapped in barbed wire.

“Wow. And people call me unsubtle…”
She quickly recovered, realizing her mistake, and then said,
“Not that that’s a bad thing…”

Maybe if you dressed like a normal person, people wouldn’t call you that…

Billie quietly listened to all of the strange girl’s comments and tensed even more in reaction to the sudden sound of her laugh. The loudness of it didn’t go well with her headache.

She responded to her comments with a short awkward glance which showed her unwillingness to have a conversation.

With company like this Imma need two beers, one‘s not enough…

Now that she thought about it, she realized that she didn’t remember when was the last time she wasn’t all by herself in a place like this… or at all. Not that she needed company, she’d rather be alone, that’s what she told herself.

@Ghid

“You got the message too?” He gawked. It was a good thing there were no lights under his skin or his face would be glowing nearly as brightly as his irises. “I didn’t know that other people got contacted like I d-”

The latter half of her sentence finally caught up to him, and his shoulders dug into the base of his neck as his eyes nervously darted around the room, trying to see if anyone else had noticed. It didn’t appear to have caused anyone to pay extra attention to his plight, so finally with a relenting nod he moved to sit next to Billie.

Billie nodded slightly in response to the kid’s inquiry, freaked out only slightly by his glowing blue eyes, and then immediately flinched when he moved to take a seat next to her. She made an effort to look as uninviting as possible, why did he choose to seat so close?!

She tried moving away to the side in an attempt to increase the amount of space between her and the bizarre kid, but realized that her shoulder was already almost against the wall. Instead she slouched even more and started wishing that she could somehow fall through the ground to end up anywhere else but here.

And Billie still couldn’t get rid of the strange feeling that she knew this kid from somewhere. But that was impossible, she knew very few people, so if she truly knew him, she would have recognized him instantly.

@Ghid

Oswin stopped halfway to his seat, sending a confused glance towards Gracie, then towards Billie, and finally back at Gracie again. He very slowly resumed his descent into the offered seat, the bench beneath him creaking under his weight.

She flinched once again when the bench she was sitting on creaked under his weight, threatening to break at any moment. What is he made of?!

She involuntarily looked at the figure that was now seated next to her, too close for her comfort, once again.

And why is he dressed like that?! The kid was wearing a warm looking sweater and looked completely unfazed by the heat, acting as it the temperature outside wasn’t rapidly approaching 120 F, meanwhile Billie almost got boiled in her light bodysuit before entering the building. No, really, what is he made of?

The situation she found herself in already felt extremely surreal, and it was only morning. Billie felt a sudden urge to check if the side effects of the pills she was taking included hallucinations. The company she had found herself in certainly felt like one.

@Ghid

“Are…” He cautiously glanced to the side for a moment. “Are we expecting anyone else?”

@MakutaOisli

She stammered and stumbled on her words, then just gave a small smile. She said too much again.

Billie phased out during the girl’s messy, incoherent speech, pulling out a pack of painkillers from one of her many pockets and doing just that: checking the side effects on the back of the box. She needed to bring it close to her face, squinting a lot and adjusting her glasses several times in order to read it. After determining that they certainly didn’t cause hallucinations, she nodded to herself, satisfied, took out a pill and took it with no water. A few seconds later she felt the pain in her arms and head numbing as a pleasant warm feeling spreading all over her body, and let out a slight sigh of relief.

She then looked over at the kid to shortly address his question. She had no idea how many people they were waiting for, but she could make an educated guess based on what she saw.

“Well… there are four menus on the table…” she followed the sentence with a shrug and immediately looked away awkwardly, pretending to search for signs of someone else approaching the booth.

[Ghid]

@MakutaOisli

“I-It’s been awhile since I’ve had a job…didn’t really have one since…”
She stammered and stumbled on her words, then just gave a small smile. She said too much again.

Oswin didn’t directly respond to her awkward statements, instead just staring with wonder at her entire existence, still trying to process how someone like that could wake up every morning looking like… that.

There was something odd about her one arm. It seemed to resemble a prosthetic, but given everything else about her it probably wasn’t wise to assume. Maybe she’s part of an obscure tribe someplace that only wears pastel colors?

@NOTaHFfan

She made an effort to look as uninviting as possible, why did he choose to seat so close?!

She tried moving away to the side in an attempt to increase the amount of space between her and the bizarre kid, but realized that her shoulder was already almost against the wall.

Billie’s clear signs of discomfort completely flew over Oswin’s head, as he never thought to look at her or notice enough about himself to take her reaction in. His mind was too busy being dominated by wondering how in the world he was going to order a cheeseburger and then explain that he couldn’t eat it.

I suppose I should probably say something about that before it happens… Or would that be rude? To talk about myself, I mean? We’re all guests of whoever sent this message, in theory, so perhaps it would be better if…

@NOTaHFfan

“Well… there are four menus on the table…” she followed the sentence with a shrug and immediately looked away awkwardly, pretending to search for signs of someone else approaching the booth.

There had been some motion from his side where Billie sat, but he paid no attention to it, too distracted by Gracie’s existence to divide his attention any more. However, her answer to his question eventually tore his eyes off the colorful creature across the table and onto his other acquaintance.

“Were, um,” He blinked for a moment, temporarily distracted mid-sentence by properly taking in every detail of Billie’s face, including the almost aesthetic lines of skin on her cheekbones and the silly hat antlers she wore. “Were you told to order the… Uh,” His eyes unfocused as he mentally retrieved the text message his robotic body had received, the blue irises in his head dimming briefly. “…The medium cheeseburger with extra spice?”

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

“Were, um,” He blinked for a moment, temporarily distracted mid-sentence by properly taking in every detail of Billie’s face, including the almost aesthetic lines of skin on her cheekbones and the silly hat antlers she wore.

Hearing the bizarre monochrome kid’s voice clearly addressing her, Billie twitched slightly and turned towards him. For the first time since he arrived, her eyes met his. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes kind of reminded her of cameras for whatever reason. He was clearly looking at her face, examining her features. She wasn’t used to being looked at in such an upfront manner, or at all to be completely honest. Most of the jobs Billie had taken over the course of the past four years didn’t involve much close contact with other people, and she spent the overwhelming majority of her time off work alone in the forest, which is a place known for being devoid of human presence. This was probably the first more or less meaningful human interaction she’d had in months. She broke eye contact, not being able to look at the kid’s face for too long. Beyond her lack of recent experience in human interactions, his face unsettled her a bit. She couldn’t get rid of a nagging feeling of déjà vu that she got when looking at it.

@Ghid

“Were you told to order the… Uh,” His eyes unfocused as he mentally retrieved the text message his robotic body had received, the blue irises in his head dimming briefly. “…The medium cheeseburger with extra spice?”

As the kid continued to speak, Billie’s mind returned to the conversation with a slight delay.

“Uhhh…” needing a reminder, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was a very old flip phone with a cracked screen with several dead pixels. It was clear that Billie wasn’t taking good care of it and barely used it in her daily life. She was holding her phone such a way that Oswin got a great view of its screen. It took a while to turn on, but soon enough the message she was looking for appeared. It was very easy to find considering that it was the first message that wasn’t spam that she’d received in literal months. After skimming through the message with her eyes and seeing that it matched Oswin’s description, she finally responded with a quiet affirmative “mhm” before hurriedly putting her phone back in one of her numerous pockets.

After a long awkward pause she realized that her new acquaintance might have been hoping for a more full response and added “Must be a code or something…”

Billie suddenly realized that she actually wouldn’t mind to have a medium cheeseburger with extra spice, but the cynical part of her told her that if the code theory she had come up with was correct, she probably wasn’t getting one. The meal was too expensive for her anyways.

She began to nervously fiddle with the box of pills that stayed in one of her hands this entire time, and kept doing it for a bit, before suddenly dropping it on the table. She somehow managed to grab it in such a way that irritated the damaged skin tissue on her arm, sending a slight jolt of pain through it, which reflected in a brief pained expression on her face

[Ghid]

@NOTaHFfan

After skimming through the message with her eyes and seeing that it matched Oswin’s description, she finally responded with a quiet affirmative “mhm” before hurriedly putting her phone back in one of her numerous pockets.

Oswin’s eyebrows raised slightly at the sight of her phone, deciding not to comment and just politely keep his thoughts to himself. How could a piece of tech that old survive for so long… I don’t like seeing dead pixels. It’s like seeing skin conditions on people, like…

His eyes landed on the scarred hands which awkwardly held the phone. Oh. I hope she’s okay.

…I really hope she’s okay.

@NOTaHFfan

After a long awkward pause she realized that her new acquaintance might have been hoping for a more full response and added “Must be a code or something…”

“This is so bizarre.” He pressed his hand against his scalp, running his fingers through his synthetic hair, as he leaned against the weak divider between the booths… And immediately sat back up, as it began to noticeably tip from the added weight. “I would’ve just come if I was asked to. I mean, I guess I was asked to, or I wouldn’t have come. But you know what I mean,” He sent a pleading glance at Gracie, getting the feeling that nobody knew what he meant. “It’s such a roundabout way to get people together.”

“Well,” He sighed, folding his arms and trying to reduce his already extremely slim width even further. “Until the last person gets here I suppose there’s only so much we can do… I really hope I don’t actually have to order a burger. It’s not like I can eat it or-”

@NOTaHFfan

She somehow managed to grab it in such a way that irritated the damaged skin tissue on her arm, sending a slight jolt of pain through it, which reflected in a brief pained expression on her face

Oswin thoroughly jolted at her motion, looking in shock at her arm as if she had somehow sliced it open and it was gushing all over the table. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out without even the slightest thought. “I-I mean, are you okay?”

“…Meloxicam, high strength…” His eyes narrowed in on the box that was dropped. For being so mechanical he seemed to have a very limited attention span. “Side effects include abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart attack, stroke, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain…”

This would continue until he was either interrupted or he ran out of things to read.

[MakutaOisli]

@NOTaHFfan

Well… there are four menus on the table…” she followed the sentence with a shrug and immediately looked away awkwardly, pretending to search for signs of someone else approaching the booth.

She shook her head and raised a brow. “Yeah…that’s true…what the heck…where’s the other guy…”

@Ghid

Were, um,” He blinked for a moment, temporarily distracted mid-sentence by properly taking in every detail of Billie’s face, including the almost aesthetic lines of skin on her cheekbones and the silly hat antlers she wore. “Were you told to order the… Uh,” His eyes unfocused as he mentally retrieved the text message his robotic body had received, the blue irises in his head dimming briefly. “…The medium cheeseburger with extra spice?

“Yeah. Clearly the one who gave us this job doesn’t have any taste in a good burg.”
Gracie said. Medium sucked out all the juices, leaving it dry and bland. It wasn’t good.

@Ghid

He sent a pleading glance at Gracie, getting the feeling that nobody knew what he meant. “It’s such a roundabout way to get people together.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean…”
She gave a quick smile, trying to recovery from her stupid mistake.

@NOTaHFfan

She began to nervously fiddle with the box of pills that stayed in one of her hands this entire time, and kept doing it for a bit, before suddenly dropping it on the table. She somehow managed to grab it in such a way that irritated the damaged skin tissue on her arm, sending a slight jolt of pain through it, which reflected in a brief pained expression on her face

“Sssss. Ouch. That does not look good.” She grimaced, looking at Billies scars.
Gracie had seen bad, but nothing like that in uniqueness. There was one case she had heard about. About some kid getting smashed to pieces and left gripping for life…

@Ghid

Oswin thoroughly jolted at her motion, looking in shock at her arm as if she had somehow sliced it open and it was gushing all over the table. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out without even the slightest thought. “I-I mean, are you okay?”

“…Meloxicam, high strength…” His eyes narrowed in on the box that was dropped. For being so mechanical he seemed to have a very limited attention span. “Side effects include abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart attack, stroke, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain…”

“Holy smokes. That is a lot of side effects…”
She shifted her gaze back to Billie, her eyes now gleaming with intrigue.

“The heck are all those for?”

[ajtazt]

Already the day was great. His favorite parking spot was taken. The backup spot was also taken. And the only spots left even had the asphalt complaining about it being too sunny. If so many of the good citizens weren’t there to bare witness, Altier would have parked in the nearest dirt patch that had shade. But alas, law must be followed and the rice must be fried.

Or rather, the burgers must be grilled in this case. Until walking across the parking lot, he didn’t even consider his future order might not be on the breakfast burger list. Not that he remembered what was on the menus outside of his usual.

And as per usual, without the weight of those hydraulic boots, Altier walked slightly too fast and pushed the door open too hard. One arm out and an open palm push, the door was thrown open and smacked hard against any stoppers preventing it from whacking nearby seated occupants. The crack was enough to wake Altier back to his reminder and mouthed a silent something before he caught the door on its back swing. He slowly led the door back into closing with a quiet hiss.

One did not need to see behind the sunglasses that the man was embarrassed. He gave his all too often apology and hello to Patricia.

“Sorry! I know, I know. If it breaks one of these times I buy all new windows. Good morning.”

Whatever rightful tongue lashing he gets in response, he adds the following as he starts heading down for an empty booth.

“Look it’s morning. One of those mornings. Just sent me some bean juice when you can, one cup. Can’t have the whole pot today, out in the corn.”

His words slurred somewhat near the end.

Corner booths weren’t hard to find, though Altier would have picked any other seat. Booths were already cramped and corners unformattable so. He briefly looked to see if there was a free chair for him to take so he could sit at the edge rather than in the booth. However, that head turning search ended as he came upon the circus display.

Altier didn’t stop, or even visibly shrug, when he came and sat down in the free spot by Gracie. Plenty of questions floated in his head but the message said that was the spot. He says nothing for a brief second before realizing that it might seem strange to the regulars to see him with this group.

“Oh I’m sorry. This place is packed and saw this seat was free. You don’t mind, right?”

Altier didn’t even let Gracie, or the others, get a chance to say anything before continuing.

“Good. I really need this before I head out. Just some coffee and a nice burger.”

He picked up the menu and checked to see how far down the hole he would be today. Maybe they would pay it for him.

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

He pressed his hand against his scalp, running his fingers through his synthetic hair, as he leaned against the weak divider between the booths… And immediately sat back up, as it began to noticeably tip from the added weight.

As Billie anxiously watched Oswin almost destroy a part of the diner unintentionally, she wondered once again what he was exactly. Not only did he have weird skin and weigh a lot more than he should have, he also must have been unnaturally strong…

@Ghid

“Well,” He sighed, folding his arms and trying to reduce his already extremely slim width even further. “Until the last person gets here I suppose there’s only so much we can do… I really hope I don’t actually have to order a burger. It’s not like I can eat it or-”

Billie didn’t bother to respond to most of the kid’s ramblings in any way, but this statement peaked her curiosity slightly, which showed in the raising of her brow. What does he mean he can’t eat it? He doesn’t like meat or something? Is he one of those?

@Ghid

Oswin thoroughly jolted at her motion, looking in shock at her arm as if she had somehow sliced it open and it was gushing all over the table. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out without even the slightest thought. “I-I mean, are you okay?”

Her face briefly showed confusion in reaction to the way Oswin worded his response. She wasn’t very familiar with social cues, but even she knew that saying sorry made very little sense in this context… What’s his deal?

She gave a short nod in reply, hoping that it would be enough to make him forget about what he had just seen.

She immediately regretted having shown any signs of pain a moment ago. This awkward situation could have been avoided if she just kept a straight face.

@MakutaOisli

“Sssss. Ouch. That does not look good.” She grimaced, looking at Billies scars.
Gracie had seen bad, but nothing like that in uniqueness. There was one case she had heard about. About some kid getting smashed to pieces and left gripping for life…

Billie only winced in response to Gracie’s comment. She pressed against the wall even more, wishing that she could fall through it to escape all this attention she was getting. Alas, the concrete wall didn’t give. The kid could probably break through it though… Once again, she cursed the weather. Had it not been so darn hot, she would have worn something with long sleeves to cover up the scars and all of this could have been avoided…

@Ghid

“…Meloxicam, high strength…” His eyes narrowed in on the box that was dropped. For being so mechanical he seemed to have a very limited attention span. “Side effects include abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart attack, stroke, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain…”

This would continue until he was either interrupted or he ran out of things to read.

Utterly embarrassed, Billie made a desperate attempt to cover the package up with her hand, but instead almost flung it off the table with an abrupt movement of her arm. How was he able to read all that little text from so far away? What kind of eyes does he have?

“Well, at least it doesn’t include hallucinations…” she whispered under her nose, infinitely angry at herself for letting this happen.

@MakutaOisli

“Holy smokes. That is a lot of side effects…”
She shifted her gaze back to Billie, her eyes now gleaming with intrigue.

“The heck are all those for?”

“Painkillers…”, Billie let out abruptly, frantically picking up the box and swiftly shoving it in her pocket, “…for dealing with pain.”

Hoping that this barrage of comments regarding her would end, she looked away from the table, just in time to see a new person enter the diner. Even if she didn’t look away, he would have drawn her attention, because the man opted to make quite a loud entrance, much to Billie’s dismay. She never liked when people were being loud.

@ajtazt

However, that head turning search ended as he came upon the circus display.

Altier didn’t stop, or even visibly shrug, when he came and sat down in the free spot by Gracie. Plenty of questions floated in his head but the message said that was the spot. He says nothing for a brief second before realizing that it might seem strange to the regulars to see him with this group.

Billie’s concern changed to horror when she recognized the man as one of this joint’s regulars and realized that he was heading straight for their table. She had seen him here many times when she used to work as a waitress at this place.

Is he the last person we’ve been waiting for?

As he nonchalantly took a seat next to the weird colorful girl, Billie adjusted her hat in an attempt to hide her face as much as possible. The chances that he would immediately recognize her were very high, but at least she hoped that he hadn’t been present at the diner on the day when she got fired from this job, didn’t see the mess she had made back then, how she punched that one guy, and how she got kicked out in front of everyone… if he knew, this was over for her. She’d probably die of embarrassment right then and there.

@ajtazt

“Oh I’m sorry. This place is packed and saw this seat was free. You don’t mind, right?”

Altier didn’t even let Gracie, or the others, get a chance to say anything before continuing.

“Good. I really need this before I head out. Just some coffee and a nice burger.”

Even if Billie wanted to speak up, she wouldn’t have been able to, the man gave no opportunity for a response. If he says that he just saw a free seat, maybe he’s not a part of this? Oh please be that, I don’t wanna deal this this…

Well, if he was a part of it, at least she wasn’t the oldest person at the table anymore. That responsibility was now off her shoulders.

[MakutaOisli]

@NOTaHFfan

“Painkillers…”, Billie let out abruptly, frantically picking up the box and swiftly shoving it in her pocket, “…for dealing with pain.”

Hoping that this barrage of comments regarding her would end, she looked away from the table, just in time to see a new person enter the diner. Even if she didn’t look away, he would have drawn her attention, because the man opted to make quite a loud entrance, much to Billie’s dismay. She never liked when people were being loud.

“Wait…ooh…I’m…sorry. I can understand that kind of deal.”
She nodded, before slipping into silence.

@ajtazt

Altier didn’t stop, or even visibly shrug, when he came and sat down in the free spot by Gracie. Plenty of questions floated in his head but the message said that was the spot. He says nothing for a brief second before realizing that it might seem strange to the regulars to see him with this group.

“Oh I’m sorry. This place is packed and saw this seat was free. You don’t mind, right?”

Altier didn’t even let Gracie, or the others, get a chance to say anything before continuing

“Dude! Be careful!” She gripped her backpack.
“There’s some stuff in here I’d like to keep in one piece, please and thank you.”

She locked onto him, scanning him up and down like a security guards detector.

“Jeez cowboy, where’d you come from? Fresh from a tumbleweed?”
She held back a snort.

@ajtazt

“Good. I really need this before I head out. Just some coffee and a nice burger.”

“Better get it medium rare, not medium, like a plebian…”

She shuffled uncomfortably, her mechanical hand glinting in the light, clicking and motioning against her newfounded silence.

[Ghid]

@NOTaHFfan

Billie made a desperate attempt to cover the package up with her hand, but instead almost flung it off the table with an abrupt movement of her arm.

“Well, at least it doesn’t include hallucinations…”

Oswin jolted away from her at the motion, and it felt like the bench had maybe moved an eighth of an inch away from the wall as he did so. “W-What?”

@MakutaOisli

“The heck are all those for?”

@NOTaHFfan

“Painkillers…”, Billie let out abruptly, frantically picking up the box and swiftly shoving it in her pocket, “…for dealing with pain.”

Oswin’s worried expression crumpled into sadness as he finally caught on to the quite obvious fact that Billie didn’t appreciate literally anything he had said this entire time, or the presence of other people. He turned away towards the edge of the table with an injured expression, his hand awkwardly feeling the opposite upper arm, hoping that somehow he could salvage things… Without talking.

However any attempt on his part to do so would have to come later, as before he could gloomily reflect on his most recent actions, a character who put the other two to shame stumbled into the scene.

@ajtazt

He says nothing for a brief second before realizing that it might seem strange to the regulars to see him with this group.

“Oh I’m sorry. This place is packed and saw this seat was free. You don’t mind, right?”

Altier didn’t even let Gracie, or the others, get a chance to say anything before continuing.

“Good. I really need this before I head out. Just some coffee and a nice burger.”

@NOTaHFfan

Billie adjusted her hat in an attempt to hide her face as much as possible.

@MakutaOisli

“Better get it medium rare, not medium, like a plebian…”

Billie’s attitude had entirely shifted to trying to deflect this newcomer as much as possible. Gracie had finally stopped talking altogether. Evidently this random… Possibly drunk, now that I think about it… newcomer was simply too much for either party to handle.

However, Oswin lacked the good sense necessary to keep his mouth shut in a circumstance like this. There was something the stranger said that could immediately verify his identity, if he was part of those meant at the table or not, which he just so happened to perfectly set up for them to find out.

@ajtazt

He picked up the menu and checked to see how far down the hole he would be today. Maybe they would pay it for him.

“What-” Oswin asked, suddenly stopping and glancing over his shoulder, as if he dreaded being overheard. He leaned his elbows on the table and placed the back of his hand aside his mouth, to conceal the ominous question he was about to ask.

“What burger?”

I think I deserve an oscar for this performance.

[ajtazt]

@MakutaOisli

“Jeez cowboy, where’d you come from? Fresh from a tumbleweed?”
She held back a snort.

Altier tilted the menu the down, head turned towards Gracie to see her without looking at her head-on. However, this does put him in direct line of sight with Billie.

“Well aren’t you a rose with no flower. What tourist group are you traveling with? Didn’t hear about any cosplayers coming for the celebrations.”

@MakutaOisli

“Better get it medium rare, not medium, like a plebian…”

@Ghid

“What burger?”

“Hm? Oh right, that. You know? Thinking of changing things this morning.” Altier began.

He set the menu on the table, still holding it with his left hand and a finger still between the folds marking the item.

“A cheese burger sounds good, probably a medium with some extra spice. If my insides are burning, maybe it won’t feel so bad when I’m being cooked later.”

@NOTaHFfan

She’d probably die of embarrassment right then and there.

With the menu now down and Billie’s movements, Altier looks between her and the boy. He brought up his right hand in a thumbs up stance and placed it under his chain. After a second or two, he pulled his right hand away and pointed as the space between them.

“You know, I’m pretty sure there’s plenty room. You don’t have to be the boy’s counter weight.”

[Ghid]

@ajtazt

“A cheese burger sounds good, probably a medium with some extra spice. If my insides are burning, maybe it won’t feel so bad when I’m being cooked later.”

Oswin leaned back, folded his arms, and sent the most smug expression his artificial face was capable of producing in Billie’s direction. His turtleneck sweater felt like a military uniform all of a sudden, and his tactical brilliance had been proven effective in a stunning and complex counteroffensive that had just won the day in grandiose fashion.

I expect they’ll be giving me at least TWO oscars for that level of genius. No wait, is it nobel peace prize I’m thinking of? What’s the award you get for being smart and capable?

@ajtazt

Altier looks between her and the boy. He brought up his right hand in a thumbs up stance and placed it under his chain. After a second or two, he pulled his right hand away and pointed as the space between them.

“You know, I’m pretty sure there’s plenty room. You don’t have to be the boy’s counter weight.”

Oswin’s head quickly rotated back towards Altier, the look of self-important superiority vanishing in an instant as he tried to decipher what the heck the possibly drunk fellow was talking about. “I’m not… We’re not,” He protested, following the direction of his finger as it lined up with the seat he was on. “What are you talk…”

“Oh.” his brows crinkled as he finally noticed the extremely apparent closeness separating him and the visibly distressed Billie, now more evident than ever that she was pushing away from him as much as she could. With a remorseful expression he lifted himself up off the bench and scooted over to the opposite end. “I’m sorry.”

No sooner had he sat down, however, than the bench he was on, weakened by his sitting almost directly in the middle, groaned for a brief moment. Oswin’s concerned eyes glanced at everyone around the table for a second or two before the bench suddenly snapped in the center, dumping him onto the floor. A vain attempt to save himself from this fate resulted in his grabbing at the seat cushion ineffectively before his grip spun him around and the loud metallic CLANG of his head colliding with the center support of the table rang out. His boots were now sticking up over the broken bench, the rest of him lying on his back on the floor under the table.

“Sorry!”

[BynariDistress]

@Ghid

No sooner had he sat down, however, than the bench he was on, weakened by his sitting almost directly in the middle, groaned for a brief moment. Oswin’s concerned eyes glanced at everyone around the table for a second or two before the bench suddenly snapped in the center, dumping him onto the floor. A vain attempt to save himself from this fate resulted in his grabbing at the seat cushion ineffectively before his grip spun him around and the loud metallic CLANG of his head colliding with the center support of the table rang out. His boots were now sticking up over the broken bench, the rest of him lying on his back on the floor under the table.

Pat stopped what she was doing and made her way over to the corner booth; followed by some if the Wait staff. The commotion getting the attention of the patrons, including that of the officers in the opposite corner.

“Are you okay Darlin?” She asked, reaching out and placing a hand under his elbow.
“Here, let me help you up.” She said, but when she tried to lift him; her grandmotherly expression turned into a grimace.

Letting go, she stood up and pressed her hands into her lower back.
“I’m sorry Darlin, I don’t have the strength to help you up.” She said, a pained look now on her face.