05 - Spirit of the Season

[imjustpicky]

[Action A - Before December 23rd - Around Town]

[So what if he had been vanished? So what if he was supposed to be gone? He wasn't. He was still here, and Christmas was still coming, and he had still been saving the (rather generous) allowance that Key-Fu had been giving him. He'd get everyone presents, just as planned.

So you'll see Picky throughout the day, browsing through shops, trying to pick things out for the people he cared about. Maybe comparing ties at Bodine Clothing. Perhaps trying not to be seeing bringing a doll to the counter to pay for it. Tis still the season for shopping because darn it, his friends and family still deserved to have presents.]

[Action B - After this announcement - Streets of Mayfield]

[He should have stayed inside. Really should have stayed inside. If people were being told it was okay to kill the "fakes", then he was in lots of trouble. But... but... But he hadn't gotten Pokey's present. Even if Pokey was one of the erased and even if Pokey's replacement was kinda horrible.... well, he'd do it. That was what he had decided, after agonizing over it.

So here we have Picky, running home as fast as his legs can go and his lungs can manage, clutching a package wrapped in brown paper close to his chest. Every so often he has to stop and catch his breath, but he tries to duck behind a snowbank or a tree to do so. And then he keeps running.

If he can just make it home, he'll be safe, he knows it....]

Comments

[imjustpicky]

[Well... this was weird. Was there something scary behind him? He looked around... no. No, nothing scary. And he certainly wasn't scary. So he trotted over to where Nadeko.]

Are you okay, Nadeko? Is something wrong?

[imoutos]

[ She's so tempted to just run away from the situation, but even in front of a fake that feels.. too rude to her, like something she shouldn't do no matter what. Nadeko tries to swallow and speak up, but her throat almost feels locked by now. ]

A-a little, you see.. [ it's even harder to find words than usually. ] U-um..

[imjustpicky]

[Nadeko kind of struck him as pretty timid for a bigger kid, before... but this proved it. She was scared.

Scared of him?]

It's... it's me, isn't it? [He took a step back and hung his head.]

[imoutos]

[ There's something a little painful about that, seeing him hanging his head like that, but at the same time.. he's just fake, right? She can't let herself be misguided now or surely Taiwan and the others would be mad, but still..

She nods, weakly. ]

Y-yes. I'm.. s-sorry, but I probably shouldn't talk to fakes..

[imjustpicky]

...oh.

Well... okay. If you don't wanna talk to me... alright.

[He looks pretty hurt, but he's trying to hide it and be tough. Picky looks away, avoiding eye contact with Nadeko. She had been so nice, why couldn't she see that it was really him...?

He turns away, and goes back to trying to pick out gifts.]

[imoutos]

[ Something hurts. Don't walk away.

She's scared. Walk away.

She takes a deep, shaky breath, before turning around. ]

S.. sorry.. [ and it almost sounds like she's about to cry - why, it's just a fake, right? then why does it hurt to be like this, so mean - as her voice shakes too. ] Goodbye..

[ and with that, she runs out of the store. ]