Welcome to a broken down playground in the middle of an abandoned housing complex in the middle of the desert. There couldn't be a place more lost. Spraypainted gang tags were everywhere. The jungle gym was a snarl of broken plastic and metal pipes that would pierce anyone who got close enough. The slide was rusted out, and a decaying dolly had been hung in a noose of chains where the swings had been.
Lounging in a cheap strappy aluminum frame chair was a man with sunglasses on and an outback hat pulled low.
This is the last time Brendan will ever trust on board directions. This is pretty much the complete opposite of where he meant to go, and...ugh. He wrinkles his nose in disgust at the decor of the playground.
There was something about the lounging man that reminded him of the old Twilight Zone episode he'd seen as a child with the personification of death. Unpleasant.
"I hesitate to ask what city this is supposed to be."
A fingertip rose, pushing the man's hat back to expose his face. He turned his head to face Brendan, unsurprised to see his own face. What did surprise him was the lack of Time twisting about this one. Not a Doctor then? Fob watched? The possibilities were endless.
"This? This is Nowhere. Noplace."
Sitting up in his chair, Theta planted a purple trainer clad foot on either side of the chair.
It takes a moment for Brendan to recognize that face, partly because he's just not paying attention, and partly because of the sunglasses. Yes. Sunglasses is a completely legitimate reason to be thrown off of recognizing his own face on some one else.
He very nearly takes a step back out of shock. He manages not to, but it's a close call. "How are you doing that? Who are you? What is this?"
Brendan is really not the sort of man who enjoys surprises.
Of course it was. Theta's sunglasses stayed perched on his nose. The hat might have been pushed back, but his the sunlight finally kissed on pale skin more suited to England or Scotland instead of a California heat.
"My name is Theta. You still haven't answered my question."
The problem with this situation was that Theta had never met someone bearing his face who could defend themselves. More often than not, he was the strongest aggressor.
Under normal circumstances, Brendan is a strapping young man who isn't afraid to get violent or occasionally bludgeon people, and therefore is quite capable of defending himself. Against some sort of death wraith?
Well, he prefers the element of surprise to fisticuffs any day.
"You know enough about me to steal my face and know where I was going long enough in advance to set this up." His name had to come up along the way.
"One could say that you're stealing mine. I'm pretty sure I was you before you were. Or something like that."
Theta favoured Brendan with a wide grin, sharp and sly. He pushed to his feet, the human's mirror to the eye. Sauntering towards the human, Theta showed no fear. Others like himself had turned up, although none that seemed to be fully human as this one was.
"Human, who are you? What is your name? Is it like mine? John Smith? Are you a doctor? Tell me."
He smiled still, the look of a snake before it gathered up the hopping baby bird in its jaws.
[Oh hello pretty woman. Slightly older than he usually goes for, but pretty enough to forgive that. He smiles.] A restaurant. It seemed like the easiest way to spend dinner my first day here.
Comments
Welcome to a broken down playground in the middle of an abandoned housing complex in the middle of the desert. There couldn't be a place more lost. Spraypainted gang tags were everywhere. The jungle gym was a snarl of broken plastic and metal pipes that would pierce anyone who got close enough. The slide was rusted out, and a decaying dolly had been hung in a noose of chains where the swings had been.
Lounging in a cheap strappy aluminum frame chair was a man with sunglasses on and an outback hat pulled low.
"Wrong turn indeed."
There was something about the lounging man that reminded him of the old Twilight Zone episode he'd seen as a child with the personification of death. Unpleasant.
"I hesitate to ask what city this is supposed to be."
"This? This is Nowhere. Noplace."
Sitting up in his chair, Theta planted a purple trainer clad foot on either side of the chair.
"And who might you be?"
He very nearly takes a step back out of shock. He manages not to, but it's a close call. "How are you doing that? Who are you? What is this?"
Brendan is really not the sort of man who enjoys surprises.
"My name is Theta. You still haven't answered my question."
The problem with this situation was that Theta had never met someone bearing his face who could defend themselves. More often than not, he was the strongest aggressor.
"Who are you?"
or occasionally bludgeon people, and therefore is quite capable of defending himself. Against some sort of death wraith?Well, he prefers the element of surprise to fisticuffs any day.
"You know enough about me to steal my face and know where I was going long enough in advance to set this up." His name had to come up along the way.
Theta favoured Brendan with a wide grin, sharp and sly. He pushed to his feet, the human's mirror to the eye. Sauntering towards the human, Theta showed no fear. Others like himself had turned up, although none that seemed to be fully human as this one was.
"Human, who are you? What is your name? Is it like mine? John Smith? Are you a doctor? Tell me."
He smiled still, the look of a snake before it gathered up the hopping baby bird in its jaws.