A Rush and a Push (IC)

[tibbius]

You approach the town on a timeworn road. The big bird's claws click on the cracked asphalt. The gnarled acacia trees to left and right make no shade on the pavement. The speeder bike hums along the faded dotted yellow line along the middle of the road. Bird and bike move faster than you'd think. The trees slip past as you approach the town. The sun has no patience for you. Luckily, your mirrorshades dim its reflection from the pavement ahead. No other traffic moves here.

The mysterious courier, in some dingy bar on a warm evening near the capital of Here, told you that lunch at Saucy Susie's was the best and only meal for strangers to the town. Liminus, she called it, with a strange look in her eyes. By the river, by the border of There. They had some problems in that town, she said. The kind that folks like you might solve.

The houses on this side of town look pretty bad. You can see that folks have tried to keep them up, but seems like there's not much money to be spent on home repairs round here. Along the side of the street, behind the chain link fences, there are old cars up on jacks and concrete blocks. Overhead are power cables strung from pole to pole, casting black shadow arcs down onto the grey pavement.

A couple of kids are riding a bike along the side of the street, one standing on pegs behind the one pedaling. They wave to you hesitantly as you sweep toward them.

[kalstone]

Violet tips her hat to the kids. "Mornin'. Y'all know where we could find Saucy Susie's?"

[tibbius]

Violet tips her hat to the kids. "Mornin'. Y'all know where we could find Saucy Susie's?"

The kids look at Violet and Quicksilver, then at each other. The one standing on the pegs waves at you. "Hi!" The one who was pedaling, now has her feet firm on the ground, she nods. "Keep going that way - and then at the second traffic light" she gives you pretty simple directions, seems like the diner is on the main cross street from this main drag.

[kalstone]

"Much obliged. You kids seen anything weird around these parts? I mean, more weird than usual?"

[tibbius]

The ponytail girl who is the driver of the bike squints and you and grins in a smart-aleck way. Then she says more seriously, "Something's eating people."

The slightly smaller boy who hopped off the pegs hops into the conversation with a very fast-delivered explanation of unknown monster(s) ripping doors off cars at traffic lights and leaving trails of blood.

"Sidney's dramatic," the girl says with dramatic emphasis. "He's eight."

[Lance]

Quicksilver turns his head slightly, revealing one glowing light out of the four on his head. "If Eating Is What Happens, Maybe Someone Who Can Not Suffer Such Fate Should Look Into It."

[tibbius]

Quicksilver's appearance freaks the kids out. The eight-year old rapidly clambers back onto the pegs and the girl - his sister? - starts pedaling away, with a quick wave and "bye bye now!" to Violet.

What do you do now?

[Lance]

Quicksilver turns his head towards Violet "It appears we have been added to the list of things more weird than usual." He starts heading in the indicated direction.

[kalstone]

Violet chuckles. "Well you have at least. And don't forget, you can get eaten too, maybe just not digested."

[Lance]

Quicksilver tilts his head as if to think "I can not be bit. Maybe swallowed whole. I creature capable of such would be too large to go unnoticed."

[tibbius]

Saucy Susie's has a lot of chrome and glass and neon on the outside. The big sign has one of those segmented pink neon arrows that blinks from top to bottom pointing toward the bright silver roof of the diner. It's visible but not very impressive in the far brighter light of the sun. There is a smaller purple neon sign on the front of the building, a simple outline of a woman in a miniskirt with her hands on her knees.

The glass and chrome door squeaks on its hinges when you enter. There's nobody in there but the hostess. She's a slender woman of later years with a high silver ponytail and bright blue eyes with crow's feet at the corners. She smiles at you. "Hello dear, and your droid. I guess you'll be eating alone?"

[kalstone]

"He ain't my droid, but yes we'll be eatin'. You're Susie I presume?"

[tibbius]

"That's me, sweetie. Here's a seat and a menu. Coffee in a moment." She gracefully leads you to the nearest table, by a window like all the others; the open kitchen's in the middle of the squarish building. You recognize an old model droid in there. It's in a slumped-down battery conserve or charging posture.

"7-3-J!" Susie calls in a surprisingly sweeter voice than the pleasant tone she used with you. "Wake up!"

With an audible whir of old servos, the droid cook unfolds to a moderate height, slightly taller than Susie. "Good ... morning," it croaks in one of the cheapest of synthesized voices that you've either ever heard. "How's it?" You might think it had an accent, from somewhere Over Beyond.

Susie hands Violet a menu. "Charging port's under the table," she says to Quicksilver. Her tone is polite, but she's clearly not as warmed up to him as to Violet. She moves away and is back with a silver pot of coffee and a squat mug on a saucer. "Sugar in the bowl there, hon."

She just stands there, watching you while Violet glances over the menu. Waiting, maybe, for you to say something.

[kalstone]

Violet sets down the menu. "Why don't you just surprise me?" She winks at Susie. "I trust you." She takes a good look at the proprietress, trying to get a read on her.

[tibbius]

Violet sets down the menu. "Why don't you just surprise me?" She winks at Susie. "I trust you." She takes a good look at the proprietress, trying to get a read on her.

Susie's friendliness is genuine. At the same time ... she's wary, even suspicious of newcomers, particularly androids, especially androids with guns ... and she wants to get a better read herself on Violet, before she reveals the trouble that she thinks you two might help with.

[tibbius]

Susie walks away to the counter. "Hey 7-3-J, good morning, sweetie. Western omelet, fruit and yogurt with dry toast on the side."

"Upcoming," the kitchen droid rasps with its distinctive yet untraceable accent.

[kalstone]

"Don't worry about Quicksilver here, he's mostly harmless. The truth is, we've been told y'all are havin' some trouble here. The kind of trouble we could help with. We talked with some kids down the street. They had some crazy tale about people gettin' ate."

[tibbius]

Susie looks carefully at Violet, then makes a small nod as if she has completed some kind of checklist.

"You look like a sturdy sort of person," she says. "Yeah. The Sheriff says he's on it, but really he and all the deputies are busy lookin for the Bluehands Gang. Not that it should be that hard; we all know they bunk up in the trailer park, down the gulch. But the Sheriff is lookin for evidence or somethin, or maybe just for the Blues to do somethin dumb that pisses everyone off. An-yway, they ain't doin much of nothin bout this problem with the eatin people." She shakes her head.

"Ain't no secret, two times now there's been vehicles sittin still at the same light, two streets thataways. Right after sunset. Doors ripped open, metal torn, and blood trail that fades away quick. Like somethin done picked up the body, right? Big critter I reckon. You two know anythin bout trackin critters?"

[seanfsmith]

There's a hum of wheel and a cloud of smoke that whirrs up to Susie's place, and after a skidding brake, Eyeless steps off their motored unicycle and staples it to the ground. Their tin face has a hole right through it right down the middle and a genuine human jaw, dotted with freckles that look like stubble from afar.

"You were right, Quicksilver; nothing down that track worth looking to." Eyeless rubs his jaw with their thin knuckles. "Sorry bout that. Here looks nice. You must be Susie. Nice place you got here."

[tibbius]

The door of the diner bangs closed behind Eyeless. As they approach the table, Susie looks at them with one raised eyebrow. She doesn't otherwise change her friendly expression. "Do you eat?" she asks the newcomer. "7-3-J can put somethin on for ya."