imjustpicky | 04 - Really Horrible Things

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04 - Really Horrible Things

Backdated to Saturday, November 12th

[Action - 7132 Brooks Lane, morning]

[Picky had been going out the door to enjoy a nice morning, but then he had found a severed drone head in a box on the doorstep. This was something so far out of his range of comprehension that he had dropped it, screamed at the top of his lungs, and then bolted back inside.]

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

[...and he's still screaming. The horror of it has yet to wear off.]

Key-Fu! KEY-FU!!!

[He was the only real person in here. The only real adult. Surely he could do something.]

[Phone]

[Picky's panic had not quite subsided by the time had made his way to the phone. He was so rattled that he forgot to ask the operator to speak to anyone in particular. He was just blurting.]

Someone put a HEAD in a BOX on our FRONT STEP!!! S-someone k-killed the... they... they put a... a...

That kid asked to play with me! And now he's...!

[He sounds like he's ready to burst into tears.]

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It's okay. We already threw it out.

[He stops, then, and cringes a bit.]

Is it... okay to throw a head out? Isn't there someone you're supposed to call, or... something? Something about it doesn't seem okay.

Well, what most folks would do is call the police an' the ambulance. But seein' that this town is as crazy as it gets, an' we can't exactly trust either of those authorities here...maybe throwin' it out is the best way. It's not right, no, but I doubt the drones would even recognize that there's a problem in the first place, given' how spaced out they are.

Do ya have any idea on the person who scared ya, Finch? Has there been someone who's been tryin' ta hurt ya, or a person you're livin' with?

[Engie's assessment of the situation seems to be helping Picky's doubt.] Yeah... yeah, things don't work the same, here. We have to take care of stuff ourselves, huh?

[He shakes his head.] No idea. I don't know at all. No clue. Maybe... maybe there's someone new on the street. I think there's some new people here....

...not like this.

(Engie narrows his eyes down the street, furious. It's one thing to play with the adults, another to hurt the children. Finch should be worried about homework and baseball; not psychopaths and murderers.)

Finch, is there anyone else stayin' with ya? Someone who can protect you, in case whoever that was comes by again?

Yeah. I've got a "dad" here. His name's Key-Fu. He's a hero, or something!

...

I haven't seen him today, maybe he went to work...

(Preferably, he'd like to drop a sentry off at Finch's house to protect the boy. But he was worried that the boy and the "father" of the house might not be able to use the machine well. Sentries were dangerous weapons, not just remote-controlled machines.)

Can he take care of ya? Keep ya safe?

[Picky looks upwards, extremely thoughtfully. That... is a really good question, but he's feeling confident about his safety and security, so...]

Yeah. He'd totally punch a bad guy in the face for me. And be really good at it, too, I think.

(Engie nods.)

Well, if ya still need any help, don't hesitate ta call me. I'll be over as fast as I can, alright?

(Although the boy seems to have calmed down considerably, Engie can imagine how traumatized he must've been. While he can take away the image, he can help to cheer him up.)

How 'bout we got for a movie, huh? Somethin' nice, just ta help ya take your mind off it? We can get popcorn too, if ya want.

Of course! I'll call you right away, Engie!

A movie?

[Picky is an expert at sinking himself into welcome distractions. And a movie with Engie is a very welcome one right now. He grins widely.]

Yeah, can we? What's showing? I think they've got one about giant bugs, can we see that one?

We can see whatever ya want.

(As long as it's kid-friendly, of course.)

We can even get some popcorn if ya like.

[Giant bugs are totally kid-friendly.]

Yeah! Popcorn! With lots of butter!

[It's all decided, then. Picky rushes to go get his shoes and coat.]

(Engie can't help but smile to himself as he watches Finch run to get ready. It reminds him of his daughter back home, to be honest. His work required him to be away a lot, so whenever he got back he'd always make sure to take her out somewhere nice. She'd rush off to get ready, simply because their time together was too few and too far apart. He remembers fondly that she even once put on a mix-matched pair of shoes in her excitement.

His smile slowly turns sad. He really does miss her, a lot.)

[Picky is quite quick to get himself dressed. And his shoes even match, to his credit.]

Okay! I'm ready!

...you okay, Engie?

[That smile wasn't completely happy. But what would Engie have to be sad about? Adults don't always talk about these things, though... Picky is already holding the front door open for him, so they can head out.]

Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me.

(His troubles are his own, Finch. He doesn't want to bother you with them.)

Come on, let's go watch that movie!

(And off they go. The movie was enjoyable to Engie; a bit too similar to the bugs mess they had in Mayfield, but it wasn't too bad. And yes, there was popcorn involved. With lots of butter. And there was soda too, or whatever they sold at cinames in the 1950s.)

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04 - Really Horrible Things

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Handwave?

Ayup, sounds good to me.

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