Street signs

[Vesta Voui]

“Well, that certainly was interesting.”

Blink.

“Oh come on, we just finished talking to an overgrown paper doll cut out and you don’t think that was interesting?”

Blink. Blink.

“Yeah well, whatever. At least the creatures in all those places could talk. Would it have hurt you to learn to say something? I would have settled for ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Anyway . . . where the hell are we now?”

Vesta Voui had been missing from the land of Rhydin for some time, and it really wasn’t her fault. For all the many different advances and all the odd creatures that were here with all their many technologies, there was a simple modern convenience they lacked: street signs. How the hell do you forget to create street signs? It’s as if a person was supposed to know where everything was or go by ‘take a right at the twisted tree and a left at the pothole.” Other buildings had signs, why not the streets? Go figure.

Anyway.

A few months ago Vesta had been heading to her new job at the forge when, quite literally out of nowhere, a man jumped out and blocked her path. Some people might have thought him odd with the silver face covered in purple glitter, but she wasn’t exactly normal looking and therefore thought nothing of it. He stuffed a paper in her hand that said: “Welcome to the Three-Hour Tour” When she looked up after reading it, to her surprise, she was not where she had just been seconds before. Where she was, past, present, future, she didn’t know. All she knew is that it was different.

What do you do in a land that’s different but make do, and that’s what she did; and that was the beginning of Vesta’s travels in odd lands. Gulliver, eat your heart out; his travels had nothing on hers. During those travels she picked up many things, and a squirrel. This squirrel is called ‘Blink’ and at first she had thought he as going to talk – everything else did, so why wouldn’t it? But this squirrel was a plain squirrel. Not even one of those killer squirrels that attacked you for food. He was just a simple brown squirrel with a long tail with a white stripe down the middle that liked to nibble on nuts and sit on her shoulder.

She did the do and every few days or so she and Blink, the non-talking squirrel, would find themselves in another different place. Vesta stood out in many places with the multi-colored hair and fishnet stockings. Because she had at first been on her way to go work at the forge she had been wearing jeans with the front of the leg cut-out on the right, and a neon green bandana on the left thigh. Polka-dotted black and purple tank and dark purple fingerless gloves that stretched to her shoulder. She was colorful alright and it all matched in her mind.

Now she was back here, only she didn’t know where ‘here’ was exactly. All she knew was that she was in another different place and that the light was fading. Maybe if it had been daylight, bright and sunny, she would have noticed that she was in the market place not too far from New Haven. Then again, maybe if there was a street sign she’d recognize her surroundings.

[DrDonaldBlake]

Poor unfortunate Vesta was not the only person to fall victim to the lack of street signs in this blasted city he had been trying to get back out to the clinic for a few hours now; and honestly he had given up getting there in time for the morning bagels. Yeah it really sucked. but Linda down in accounting really really didn't like Donald and always took any oppertunity to stick it to Donald .

When Donald thought about it, that was probably why Linda had gained so much weight since he started and said he wouldnt sleep with her. Throughout his wanderings he had purchased a map. Which made part of his brain explode, because the map had street names on it. and the streets themselves didnt. Also, it didnt help that he was holding the map upside down.

So here was a doctor, leader in his field dressed in his khaki's and lab coat and all that jazz, with an aged looking walking stick in one hand, an upside down map in the other. and half of a half of a bagle dangling dangling from his mouth, and before you ask, yes he was curious why no one was offering to help him find his way.

[Vesta Voui]

There was Vesta and Blink, the non-talking squirrel, meandering down the road and kicking up a rock or two in the process. A few of the places looked familar, but how often did you think something was familiar, only to approach it and find otherwise? Then, when you turn around you somehow got things backwards and were more lost than when you began. Honestly, could she get any more lost than she already was.

She also was hungry. "Wonder what they use for money around here. If you could do some tricks we might be able to attract a crowd." Talking to the squirrel who only blinked a few times in response. He (as far as she was concerned the squirrel was a male) had to be hungry too, so what were they going to do? The only things in her pocket right now were a handful of cardboard nickels and a tissue-paper bill. Plenty of good that was going to do her here.

Then there was this guy, she saw him while easing down the road, and he had a map. It looked like a map, but it also looked upside down. Hey, maybe that's where she was this time? In a land where people read things upside down. She wouldn't be surprised. He also had something else that caused old Blink there on her shoulder to swish his tail. Food. The guy seriously had food hanging from his mouth.

"Okay Blink, work with me here. Here's the plan. I'm gonna bump into the guy and you jump off my shoulder and swipe the food got it? Good."

Here goes nothing!

A few nonchalant steps and she stumbled to the side, trying to bump into the unsuspecting man - and not tear his map - and get Blink to get to work!

"Oh, whoa. I really need to watch the ground. Those rocks can be tricky bastards."

[DrDonaldBlake]

And he was so focused on his map, that he also didnt see vesta and her pet coming, and them BLAM. he had a face full of map, and a squirill had stolen what was left of his bagel. when the animal took the bread and bolted Vesta would have been treated to the single most confused look one could ever have.

"did... that, squirrel just steal my bagel? wait... are you alright? not hurt or anything are you?" and then he looke around for the animal, holding the bagel." that was a good bagel... you know how hard it is to find good kosher food here in Rhy'Din? not many of the jewish people out here, even less Kosher." and then he shook his head." sorry, um... do you know how to get back to T

And he looked around the area he was at for a moment and then down at his map." huh..." and a very non chelant fliping around of his map before a nod." you, wouldnt by any chance know how to get back to Tel Ram... Tel...this inn?" reaching into the pocket of his lab coat and offereing his check in slip for the inn." I've gotten lost since I left there.

[Vesta Voui]

Yes! Blink was good for something! It was about time that squirrel showed it was worth the scratches inflicted on her shoulder and the neck risking she took in that land of talking nuts. Have you ever seen human-size nuts trying to attack a squirrel? No? You don't want to, terrors.

Blink had stolen the goods and was on the ground running circles around the pair of them before it ran up Vesta's leg and sat on her shoulder. Meanwhile she had taken a small step backward and tried to help the poor Doctor to get a good look at the map he was holding. "I'm not hurt. Squirrel doesn't bite, hell I didn't know it could even steal. Jokes on me." Spoken even as she took half of the bite of bagel from the animal and popped it in her mouth.

Then he said something that was interesting. "Dude, did you say Rhydin? Awesome! I made it back home, that was one helluva three hour tour." said even while she chewed on the bagel, so the words might have been a bit muddled.

With all the grace and style of a five-year-old Vesta leaned to the man to get a look at the map. "Yeah I know the place. I've been holding out there since I came to this place on the bus..." Did he know what a bus was?

"Anyway yeah." putting her hands behind her head of multi-colored hair. "It's up... ah.. there.. somewhere. If I knew where here was, then I could tell you how to get there, where there is. Until then. I'm Vesta and this is Blink. What's your name?"

[DrDonaldBlake]

Three hour tour? oh man, that was so each even the doctor couldnt pass it up." did Gilligan and the skipper give you a hard time out on that island?" and a small smile before."you know, if you wanted a bagel..." a hand dissappeared into his pocket, now that she had his map, his walking stick shifted hands, and the hand came out with a nice frsh plain bagel.

"I had another one. and uh, I'm Dr. Donald Blake.. its nice to meet you two." the second bagel offered over." where do you catch the bus, it would make my commute up to work a whole hell of alot easier."

[Vesta Voui]

"Oh yeah. I saw the whole crew. Let me tell you. If some guy with a silver face pops up in front of you, you' be best to run." Where did he get a map? She didn't have a map and never saw any of those scam visitor shops where they over-priced the common-everyday things because they know they can get away with it. Vesta was busy studying the map and she saw the bagel! It was a fresh whole one. Was he offering it?

"Somethings wrong with your map. Are you sure it's for here? I've never seen any of these street signs before. Though, when I got here I saw a sign on the bus stop that I swear was not there when I first looked at the wall." Damn place. Signs appeared and reappeared just to mock someone who was lost.

"Good to meet you Doctor, but I've never seen the bus. I've seen horse, Dragons - I even work for one if I still have my job." still trying to study that map. "In a place that has all type of things I never seen a bus or street signs. And they think I'm strange." She folded up the map and used it to tap him on the shoulder.

"Come one. We should start walking that way." She pointed ahead of them. "We're bound to get somewhere and somewhere is anywhere but here. Might even find someone who can point us out."

[Aiden]

It was Divine Intervention! Well, perhaps 'Divine' wasn't the word for it considering, but surely it was a sign because suddenly right out of the blue there was Gilligan himself! Stumbling out of a shady, shadowed building, that had been aptly named the Bloody Rum Runn, he came out on the street not more than three feet ahead of them!

Yep, there was no doubt about it. It was Aiden in all his Caribbean glory: baggy beachy white clothing, faded sandals, dark glasses, and of course that black cape that made him look like a giant bat. Dark was a-coming which meant soon there wouldn't be any need for the two latter items but 'til it was gone completely there he was, one giant vampire bat.

There was nothing better than whittling away the day drinking bloody rums, which happened to be what Aiden had been doing. Was he drunk? Probably not, but it was hard to tell with all the stumbling he was doing at the moment. Coming out of a completely pitch black place into light, even the fading kind, could be blinding.

Shuffling forward a few steps, he 'bout nearly bumped into the pair of them! "Whoa, sorry." Straightening himself up he stopped and stared. Look who it was! A guy with a stick he had never met and Vesta! "Mary-Anne! What are you doing way out here? Not safe to be running around these parts after dark." Who knew what could be lurking in the shadows, besides Aiden?

[DrDonaldBlake]

" huh, My friend Pris takes the bus all over, and she found her way out here. So i imagine the bus does stop somewhere... and I'm pretty certain the map is for here, i got it at the bagel shop; He said it was a map for here, but like you I dont see any of the street names."

Doctor blake said with a smile and a nod of agreement, before he just followed her, he was sort of using his walking stick this time, taping it down to support his weight every tenth step or so. wasn't that much in need of it.

" whoa!" reaching out o help steady the bumper man before a raise of his brow and then a look to Vesta?"Mary Anne? are you sure you wherent just watching an entire marathon run of Gilligan's Island? and uh, sir. Are you alright? running from someone?"

This place was pretty safe as far as he knew, he hadn't gotten any inklings of any sort since he was walking about here. man could have been high, because it wasn't even really that dark out yet. Could never be too sure with people in this day and age

[Aiden]

"Running from the sun if that counts for anything. Didn't hurt ya, did I?" Straightening himself up, one hand reached up to flick the dark tinted glasses back over his eyes. Bloody light, it just couldn't fade fast enough! What do you know, a vampire with no sense of patience. Backing up a step or two he looked at the pair of them.

"So, what'd I miss? Found yourself the Professor there, Mary-Anne?" And as if he'd been on cure he began humming the Gilligan's Island theme song. You had to feel sorry for the people who got the full-Aiden effect right off the bat.

Heaven and all of Rhy'Din forbid if Aiden ever got high! Seeing him drunk was a sight to see and a horrifying one, if I do say so myself. Either way it went, Aiden was currently neither drunk nor high, which meant only one thing: this was normal behavior.

[Vesta Voui]

Hey, there was old Gilligan himself (otherwise known as Aiden) stumbling and a smiling and knocking into people! It was good that Doctor Blake there had set Aiden upright and all that, because as soon as Aiden was stable he got a good old tackle from Vesta. She threw her arms around him and gave him a good old pat on the back - you'd think she liked him or something.

"Gilligan, my main man, what's up?" Catch the excitement, there was enough to go around. Even Blink, the non-talking squirrel, seemed to be in on the action the way he was blinking and hoping around on her shoulder. "I did seem to find the professor didn't I?" There was the Doctor's question to answer and she only laughed as she shook her head. "I can call you Professor right? It's along the same lines. Anyways no. If that was a re-run, that was one hell of a re-run, I mean, I've seen so many things it's not even real."

What around here was real? Even after everything that's happened to her since she got off that bus she still thought that one day she was going to wake up and find herself sitting on the bench outside the King Street bus stop. Leaned off of Aiden for a moment she reached into her shirt and pulled out a twisted rope and, at the end of the rope, was a fang. Imagine that.

"Gilligan here had his tooth stuck in my boot before, see, so I kept it. Met him out there at that Inn. Maybe he can show us how to get back..." Looking at him in his intoxicated state. He didn't smell drunk . . . maybe he was high on sunlight? He was a Vampire. Half vampire.

"Hey! Or we could wander, it's okay to get lost if we do so together."

[DrDonaldBlake]

"Well Technically, since I'm not a teacher I'm nor a scientist, I'm not a professor... but I do have a doctorate and I am a doctor and thats not really that far off. I also, think i would know how to patch a boat to get it sea worthy before building a coconut radio."

Looking ab out again before looking down at his wrist watch." I'm already really late for my shift at the clinic if I can get a phone and let them know i wont be in tonight, then we can just wander about. three is safer then two... or even one so yeah, sounds like a plan."

[Vesta Voui]

Hearing Donald's words she laughed a bit and leaned to him putting a hand up to one side of her mouth like she was telling a secret. "Just go with it." A good old-fashioned wink added to it.

Still amused, it was now time to think of the other question (even though it was more like a statement). A phone, a phone, now she knew that there was a phone around here somewhere, the question really was where. The old place she use to work at here had a phone! It was in one of those bars in the side of town you didn't wear your finery too, but they were good people! Even if there were bar fights and people tended to spit on the floor when the tender wasn't looking. They should go there!

Still not having a real clear idea on her exact location - she wasn't quite sure if they should go left, or right, or even take a few steps backwards - Vesta took the time to make a couple turns. Was this going to stop her from heading in a direction? Hardly.

Making a show of twirling that fang around on the end of her rope she started to hum the Jeopardy tune. Maybe the Doctor would recognize it right? "I got it!" she proclaimed rather loudly, much to the dismay of Blink the Squirrel who had adopted this wide-eyed look and gave her two very large, very slow blinks.

"Oh. Ah, sorry about that Blink. Here we go, this way to the phone. Sometimes you have to go to the most rather odd of places to get things like that. Maybe we enter into the Bloody Rum Runn.. sounds like a good of a place as any!"

Without pretense she started in the direction of that bar, which is where Aiden had come from.

[Aiden]

Whoa! What was it with women tackling him!? Every time Aiden got near his sister she tackled him to the ground and now Vesta was trying to do the same! Poor guy, what'd he have, a sign that read 'tackle me' hidden somewhere?

Luckily for Aiden he managed to stay upright for this tackle! Chuckling he threw his arms around her as well. Who knew, he could like her too.

What was that? Holy crosses, that was his fang! He had wondered what she had done with it since that day and now he knew! He slowly grinned, revealing one gold fang.

Oh, and how the smile grew! They wanted to go back to the Inn, and here he was the only one who knew how to get there. "I can take ya there," Never say Aiden didn't do any favors, "for a suitable price." What? He was low on money after spending the day in the bar. Had to make up for it somewhere along the line.

High on sunlight? It was a possibility, but the reality was he was high off blood. It could happen, especially when the one you were feeding off of happened to be drunk.

Yes, it was true, Aiden was a Half vampire. Truly, what difference was there between a half one and a whole? None but simply biology, and since Aiden had never met the one who made him a half he discredited it. He was all vampire when it counted, unlike those other supposed vampires who could walk freely in the sunlight.

Whoa-Nelly! Where'd she think she was going!? Common sense and self-preservation went out the window as Aiden reached out from under that cloak to grab onto Vesta. It was something he regretted two seconds later when the smell of smoke took to the air and his skin began to burn. Bloody sunlight! Uttering dark curses that would make a demon blush, he pulled his arm back.

Holy frelling hell and back! His arm was safely under the cloak again, but dang it if that didn't continue to burn! His head disappeared momentarily to look at the damage, his arm had a nice black smoldering patch, before lifting again. If looks could stun, man.. Well, let's just say it wouldn't be a pretty sight. "Are you suicidal? Mortals can't go into the Bloody Rum Runn! You'll be leading yourself to the slaughter! Not all vampires are as nice as I am."

[Vesta Voui]

One moment she was walking in clear care-free Vesta style, zippidy-doo-da-ing for all of five steps, and the next moment there was a firm hand on her arm, breaking her stride and causing her to double step backwards. Not quite loosing her balance, but the sudden stop did cause a few things to happen like: getting tangled in her own two feet.

When a person's feet get tangled in one another and not quite sure which way to go there was always the risk of falling. Arms pinwheeling out to keep her from hitting the ground. Add to it a squirrel, who adopted a quick bit of panic and started running circles over the girls' body due to the smell of burning flesh, and you had something that would make a person stop and pause a second.

Stop they did. People could be so nosy - she would have been if she had been in their shoes too - and the average Joe and Jane on the street paused to see what was going on. That's what the smell of burning flesh did - it drew attention. What happened to all that wicked-cool reflex movement Vesta had before she left this place? It was about to kick in, in 3..2..1.. and suddenly her feet figured out which way to go and separated and her arms realized that they were not pinwheels and straightened out at her sides. Vesta was still and she was balanced. Heck, even Blink stopped acting frantic. It was a good deal all around.

Pushing those multi-colored strands of hair out of her face she looked at Aiden. "Dude! What gives? You burned!" Hey, thinking of that, was her fingerless glove that reached to her shoulder burnt? A quick look showed it was nothing more than what happens to clothes when the iron's too hot. No big deal.

"Did you see that!" Vesta said to Doctor Blake in an excited way. She had just been man-handled by a vampire, who had gotten scorched by the sunlight, and she was excited. Of course she was! Then there was the matter of all the onlookers. The way she raised her voice didn't help in keeping the attention away.

How did they feel about vampires? The last thing she wanted to do was start some type of 'oh-my-god-it's-a-vampire-run-for-your-life' street panic. Vesta folded her hands behind her head and tipped her head back and laughed. Loud and hard and maybe even a little bit manic (even Blinked chipped in with a rapid series of blinks and a flapping tail). Maybe people would start backing away just because they thought she was crazy.

"Ha ha ha! What an awesome trick!" Laughing, laughing, sometimes it was hard to fake a convincing laugh. "You so totally have to teach me that trick!"

Were people still looking?

[DrDonaldBlake]

He was supsrised to see that, and stopped as well, though he wasnt man handled or anything like she was. and he rose a brow and stepped forth."Yeah I did... and you sir, caught on fire. are you alright? do you need assistance? let me see your hand" He was a doctor afterall.

" I might be able to fashion a crude banana leaf bandage of some sort or, you know.. get you a real bandage. which would be more sanitry..." a smile and a nod to those who where looking at the group now. and then back to Aiden."yeah, me too... I didnt expect to find such a talented magician out here... hey! can you make street signs appear?"

[Aiden]

"Of course I burned! Sunlight does that to vamp.." Aiden was getting snappy, and it was only the grace of supernatural senses that caught the sound of the bystanders that kept him from yelling the word vampire. Even though he didn't yell it outright, it wasn't like he was doing a swell job of hiding what he was. There he was, in the middle of the street, looking like some kind of oversized black bat and screaming about being burned. It didn't take trained monkeys to figure out he wasn't quite human.

Holy hell! Did she hit her head somewhere, or what!? Aiden didn't know about anyone else, but he backed up a good two feet when Vesta began manically laughing. It was probably a good thing he still had on those tinted lenses of his, because the look he was giving Vesta probably would have hurt her feelings.

Trick? Magician!? What'd he look like, some dog that rolled over and did tricks on command? Boy, did that get the anger boiling. Can someone say 'Anger Management' needed? He was about to inform the two that he was far from a magician when he finally caught sight of the gawkers. Wow, there sure were a lot of them, weren't there? What'd he do? Nothing, but turn around and fix the 'Professor' with a curious look. "What's a street sign?"

[Vesta Voui]

Even if Aiden had not been wearing those shades and giving her that look of total death and destruction she wouldn't have noticed it. That was a benefit of laughing out loud like a total manic - you were totally oblivious to what was going on.

She wasn't totally oblivious to what was going on, she saw that a few people were looking at them like they had just escaped from the psychiatric ward at the local hospital. Even a few of them had faces like they were wondering where the guys in white suits were to come and take them away. They were coming, they always came, the men were only running slightly behind.

The people started to disperse a bit and her laughter died down, she and good ole' Doctor Blake here must have set Aiden off something terrible for as she was ending that round of loud raunchiness laughter she could have sworn there were bits of smoke falling from the guys' head. A playful nudge in the side to Blake and Blink The Squirrel moved from one shoulder to the other.

Crossing her hands behind her head she swirled around Aiden's side and tried for the inconspicuous look as she leaned in to him. Sure he had just been near ready to blow a fuse and had burned himself in the sun, but if that didn't just fuel her buttons! "This is our cue to leave."

Back to the middle of the guys Vesta gave a really elaborate stretch that involved wiggling her fingers and rising up on her toes and risking popping those arms outta socket . Trying to reach both of them to usher them forward. "And here we go. Better make it quick. The guys with the white jackets will be here soon and they are not all to friendly. Let me tell you. "

[DrDonaldBlake]

"Hey man, relax a bit... No reason to get all bent over it, a street sign is a uh... sign.. for the... street, usually goes on the corner there." pointing down to the corner. and then a smile.

Eyes went down to Vesta then and then a nod of agreement." I whole heartedly agree. I work at the place they come from, they talk about not being friendly all the time."

Allowing himself to be ushered by the girl. Yeah he was missing work, but this was a fun adventure to be on

[Aiden]

Something to learn about Aiden was he had a relativity short fuse, and it was close to going out! Could explain why Vesta was seeing smoke come from the guys' ears! Either way, Vesta had just spoken the best words: it was time to go.

It was about time too! After all the burning and manic laughter of the last few minutes Aiden was more than ready to hit the road. "Off to see the wizard, or the Inn, rather?" That's where they wanted to go initially, and while Aiden himself wasn't exactly keen on going back, a place with a bar sounded like heaven.

Guys with white coats? Where?! A look here and there, and seeing none came back to rest on Vesta. "Eh, been there and done that. They aren't so bad once ya get to know them. That place with the pillows in the walls is the best." Did Gilligan have first-hand experience in the looney bin? It was possible! It would certainly explain his 'just escaped from a tropical island' attire.

At any rate he was allowing Vesta to propel him on. So, back to the Professor. "Ya aren't from around here, are ya? There ain't any signs on corners." There were other things to be found on street corners, but lucky for them Aiden didn't mention any out loud!

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