001. everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

[rudolphofvamps]

Phone.
[Spike sounds oddly manic, not that you would know it was odd for him.]

I guess this is like a conference call, huh? So who's on the other end. [a few crickets...] Not sure what to make of all this, but. Haven't seen a phone like this since--[sudden throat clearing]

What do you lot do around here? Go to the drive-in with your steadies and buy big league chew at the game with your pop? It's all just a little [frightening?] too good to be true.

[muttering] Still not sure I'm not dreaming this up. [Or you know, still in a basement losing his mind.]


Action for 1448 Mitchell Road.
[Oh, Krillin, where are you? He'll only be terrified to see you.

He doesn't even know there's anyone else in the house, going to pour himself a bowl of cereal and ruffling up his hair. It feels bizarre and not at all right that his growling stomach actually wants human food.

But it feels good, too.]

Open Action.
[Spike is walking down Mitchell Road, but feel free to meet him anywhere he'll be walking a while. In slacks and a plain blue sweater, he's just, meandering, hands in his pockets as he tries not to feel the remnants of sunlight beat down on his back. It's so strange and wonderful to feel it and yet, what did he do to deserve it. Is this a new kind of Hell dimension where they torture you with kindness.

And then he bumps into you because--without vampire senses he's really the clumsiest person you've ever met. Actually, he's not that smooth with them either.] --Sorry. [Just make nice with the locals until you get the skinny, he keeps telling himself. Easier said than bloody done. This place was Stepford creepy and twice as annoying.]

Comments

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[It's not like Spike pays enough attention to listen to some long winded speech. That means you're stuck with him, son.]

You're quite the social butterfly, you know. You could be on TV. [And he was entertaining Spike to boot. He let a pause lapse a second before,] Oy, mate, you know where I could get some smokes?

[With his new human biology, he felt...actually compelled to smoke out of more than just nerves or habit. It was definitely odd.]

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr rolls his eyes.

Smokes... those are the things the drone men are always burning and inhaling, right? The cigarettes. He thinks he knows where you can get those. He's seen them in town. He shrugs and nods and starts heading off in the direction of downtown.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[Most people have this reaction to Spike, but he's quickly following, unphased.]

You're not so bad, you know, Joe.

[midgardserpent]

[He stops for a moment and turns and just looks at Spike.

Joe?

Really?]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[Kanye shrug] You don't like it? What about Jose?

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr staaaaares.

This guy really isn't going to bother with his name, is he.

Wonderful.

You know what? Fine. Most of the people in this town don't even know who he is, so why get upset if one or two of them don't even bother with his name?

He shakes his head in annoyance and keeps walking.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[He only grins, staying silent for the moment as they walk. Annoying people is what he do best.]

[midgardserpent]

[Well at least he's being quiet now. In any case, they reach downtown and Jormungandr leads Spike to the General Store. Jormungandr's noticed it's basically where people go to get... almost everything. They'll have cigarettes here.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[Spike wonders if he even has any money in his pockets. Normally he'd just nick them but first impressions and all. Pulling out a few dollars, he remembers that this is the 1950s and fags are hella cheap ]

I take it you don't smoke. [he says, by way of striking back up the conversation as they leave the store. Spike can't help a light sigh of content as the smoke hits his lungs.] Everyone did this time, you know. Before the hypochondriacs crawled out of their caves.

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr's noticed that nearly every single one of the drones smokes. He doesn't like it, the smell is strange and just... feels toxic to him. He shakes his head. The only reason he'd consider doing it is for the comfort of having something in his mouth. After all, he's spent a very, very long time completely encircling the globe and holding his own tail in his mouth. It's... rather strange to not have to do that.

But in any case, no, he's not planning on smoking any time soon. He's not going to think any less of Spike for smoking, though. Although finding a way to think less of Spike would be something of an achievement at this point. Jormungandr doesn't think very much of humans to begin with.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Go ahead and take that as a no. [It obviously doesn't bother him that he's basically talking to himself over here, but he can't help poking a little fun all the same.] Bloke could get an ego, talking to you.

[midgardserpent]

[Yeah, whatever. He's not the only one in this town who doesn't talk. There was that other girl... though he hasn't run into her in a while. It doesn't matter. He doesn't see why everyone has to talk so much, it's just noise and doesn't mean anything half the time.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Talking's overrated anyway, hey. The world's about more than cheap talk.

Or maybe this place isn't. Haven't figured it out yet, myself. [He shoots JOE a sideways glance.] Sure I will though, come time.

[midgardserpent]

[He shrugs again. To be honest he hasn't really figured it out much himself either. There's a lot going on here that he doesn't know about.]

Long time to learn.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Could be here a long time. And if I'm not it doesn't much matter if I go home half-educated. [If he even gets to go "home" after this.]

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr nods. He agrees, though he's in a bit trickier of a situation. He had to learn to talk and be human, after all, and as much as he would've liked to miss out on learning all about that, he was forced to anyway.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Glad you agree, mate. [He coughs a bit as he sucks down the last of his cigarette, fist to his chest as he crushes it beneath his heel.] This working organs thing is gonna take a little getting used to.

[Though he hadn't really meant to say it out loud, he leaves it. Joe seems like an okay guy]

[midgardserpent]

[Oh well now that was an interesting comment. What was that supposed to mean?]

...working?

[He's curious. Not frightened, not disgusted, just mildly curious.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[he looked surprised a the question, like he had forgotten Jormungandr was there, or maybe just that he could speak.]

It's been a long time. ..Since I've been human.

[midgardserpent]

[Huh. Very interesting. He nods.]

Never wass.

[He means himself. Though explaining the details of having been a giant sea monster turned human is... a little beyond his current communication skills. So why he's even bringing it up is a bit of a mystery.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

So you're just borrowing that, huh? [He gestures to the other man..like, his whole self. Spike seems to get it well enough without a big explanation. For all his thickness, he just gets some things.]

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr frowns.]

No. Forced.

[Borrowing is too pleasant a term for what happened to him.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[He frowns too, taking a moment to get past the way his heartbeat changes at the shift in topic. Just when he's getting used to that he'll be a vampire again, he's sure.]

Know what you mean.

[midgardserpent]

[Jormungandr nods. It's strange being around someone who understands. Loki and Thor know, but they don't really understand. This... Spike. He understands. Maybe not completely, but enough.]