[Open Post] Evening, Residential Area

[cloudypuddle]

Things were falling apart - she didn't like it.

Nanase had a very set pattern to her days, for a very specific reason, and yet the last few it had collapsed in on itself. She still made it to class, to swim meet, to bed at the same time, but the bits in between didn't come naturally to her, like her feet had forgotten where to go. It had led to more than a couple run-ins with her folks, when she'd normally sidestep the chance by habit. She was thrown so off, she'd actually headed home today when her teammates did, and the blank stare her mother shot her in the kitchen was as oddly jarring as taking the time to dry her hair, or going through her closet and pulling out an old sweater and pants to replace her uniform.

The material felt fresh, never worn as she slipped back onto the street, and she pulled roughly at the stiff sleeves as she stomped through the snow still on the ground. She remained uncertain where to go, but her street eventually circled back around, passing near every house in town. Surely there wouldn't be many out in the middle of dinner time, or on the outskirts of town. And even if... What's so jarring about a girl taking an uncharacteristic walk around the neighborhood?

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[negativegate]

Mariella wished she could afford her own place, especially now, when her parents' bizarre behavior was driving her up the wall and weirding her out. So what if she decided not to get groceries for once? They shouldn't have been so confused about it...

In any case, she didn't really want to be there right now, but she had still left the library at her usual time. Even if there wasn't really a reason for her to always leave then...but she wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed that before.

She was starting to notice weird things now and then, though--a sense of repetition was just one of them. And now, she took note that although she walked this way every day, she'd never seen a girl taking a walk like the one she was approaching now.

So like a weirdo, Mari stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started watching her, with zero subtlety.

[cloudypuddle]

Nanase didn't catch a thing at first, the crunching sound of someone else walking common enough. But when it stopped suddenly, she looked up from her glares to the victimized snow to catch an astonished stare.

The stare might not have meant much on a normal day - or at least on any former day, because once again, she never was one to veer off her path and chance trouble. But tonight she had endured far too many pairs of eyes following her actions, and enough was enough.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she snapped, half-expecting to be ignored or brushed off. Other strangers and her own mother had done the same, after all.

[negativegate]

"What?" Mari started, and reflexively crossed her arms. "What's your problem?" Of course, she was the one doing the staring...but when people got snappy with her, she automatically gave attitude right back. It didn't help that lately she was so weirded out by everything.

Still... She tried to reign herself in a little and said, "I haven't seen you here before."

[cloudypuddle]

-as if she didn't feel like she was missing something, already. The returned defense just made her frown thinner.

But she couldn't just snap back- She at least got a straight answer, which was a first tonight.

"Well I don't walk this way most nights." Or any night. "I was just looking around."

[negativegate]

Her eyes narrowed a little, but otherwise her posture lightened up a bit--only a bit, because she was still a little on edge from...everything.

The answer might not have meant anything to her at a normal time. Now, things weren't normal, so she absently tapped her chin with a finger and asked, "Most nights, or never before now?"

[cloudypuddle]

"...never. Why would I? I don't know anyone on this end of the street."

Or at least she didn't think so - she never visited her classmates, after all. Either way, what was strange was it shouldn't be strange. She hadn't lived in Asphodel long, after all.

Even if it felt like the days there were countless.

[negativegate]

It might have been the answer she was expecting--at least, it wasn't that surprising, though she couldn't say exactly what she was thinking it meant yet.

"So...what made you change your mind?" It didn't even occur to Mari that she probably sounded pretty creepy asking these questions.

[cloudypuddle]

"-I just wanted some fresh air. Why? Is it weird for somebody to walk around here?"

Her answer was namely defensive (After all, what was so suspicious about this?) but there was a real uncertainty to her frown.

[negativegate]

"Well, not really, but..." As she answered, she thought about how odd she must sound, and she really couldn't blame the other girl for being defensive. It was just...she felt like she was on the tip of something, but couldn't quite realize what it was.

"I was just thinking--you know, things have been a little weird lately." And she just wanted to figure it out, but she wasn't sure if many other people even noticed it.

[blackshadow]

In all his years of living in the same, tudor style house, Etienne never really saw someone just walking by at random. Predictably on schedule, yes. At random, no. It seemed like a stupid thing to be caught off guard by, but it was unusual enough to make him stop midway up the walkway to his door and watch her as she approached his lot.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to recognize her. Young teenager, long, bright blue hair. Even out of uniform, she was hard to mistake for anyone else. He laughed a little at his own paranoia as he called out to her.

"It looks like you weren't caught by surprise today."

[cloudypuddle]

Who was-

Nanase had to turn about and squint in the dark to make him out, but it didn't take too much staring to recognize the man she'd just near passed.

But the reminder of their first run-in gets little more than a hollow chuckle, and weak try at a joke back.

"No, I've been surprising everyone else, instead."

[blackshadow]

His smile wanes in response, and he slips his hand into his jacket pocket. As long as he can hear her, he doesn't move from his place.

"Is that why you're out here? It's getting pretty late for that..."

[cloudypuddle]

She offers a soundless shrug in answer, letting silence fall a beat before finding her voice.

"It's better than sitting around doing nothing... It's too stuffy indoors."

[blackshadow]

"I guess that's true..." That was the reason he wasn't always at home, after all. "You can go crazy staying inside all the time."

Still, it was kind of sad to see someone just walking around the neighborhood alone at dusk. There wasn't much to see or do. The town wasn't exactly known for its houses' architecture.

...And then it occurred to him that she probably wasn't just taking a stroll. He stood up straighter and took a step back. "Right, I'm holding you up here, huh? Sorry."

[cloudypuddle]

She doesn't answer the first point with more than a blank glance. She didn't stay inside anywhere for that long.

But she managed something like actual amusement at the apology.

"From walking nowhere? Yeah, I wouldn't want to be late for that."

[blackshadow]

Etienne wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. Everything just felt weird and awkward right now, and it showed in his crooked smile.

"It looks like you're running like for it anyway," he joked back. "If you're not careful, you'll actually end up somewhere."

Like, for instance, in front of his house.

[cloudypuddle]

"-what am I going to run across around here? It's just house after house."

Maybe a bit dramatic (and missing the joke), but this town was as basic as it could get, especially on the edges, with nothing too unique. It was either back towards shops - all closed for the night - or into the woods.

And no one went out there.

[grandvision]

Russ fumbled with his cigarette lighter. Strange, he had never had trouble with it before. But everything seemed strange since he found that antique sniper rifle.

Wrong. Everything is wrong.

The lighter tumbled out of his hand. "Shit!" He felt around the ground for it, not noticing Nanase.

[cloudypuddle]

The clatter of the lighter falling made Nanase jolt before she even heard Russ, and she shot his back a frown just as much for the unwanted shock as his language.

"What? Did you break something?"

She squinted into the dark to try and see what fell, but didn't come closer to help herself look.

[grandvision]

"My lighter." His voice was terse, irritated. He hated being helpless as well as blind. He just wanted to find his lighter and move on with his life.

You can buy a new one, idiot. Scowling, he straightened and brushed off his pants.

[cloudypuddle]

"That shouldn't be hard to spot. Don't give up so fast."

-what was she doing, lecturing some stranger? Well, that made as much sense as walking nowhere, and coming right over to scan the ground around his feet.

"What color is it?"

[grandvision]

Of course. Russ gave the strange girl a bitter, tight-lipped smile. "I wish I could tell you," he said with patently false cheer. "Unfortunately, I've never seen it."

[cloudypuddle]

"Huh? How could you not know if you, you know..."

She meant to say "used it", but actually looking at the guy had her actually considering where he was looking, or not, and she went quiet in the middle of her crouch.

Was he... Well that, made this awkward. But, she was hear already! No use ducking out now! So she pushed on with a substitute.

"You dropped it right around here, right?"

[grandvision]

That moment when realization hits. It was Russ' least favorite part of meeting new people.

"You really don't have to," he said. "It's just a lighter."

[cloudypuddle]

She feels around a few seconds more anyways, before getting back up with a huff, smacking her hands clean on her legs.

"Fine- as long as it's just a disposable or something."

Okay, yes. The failure's irking her more than the loss.