(closed) Evil grows in cracks and holes;

[maisel]

characters: Miriam Maisel (maisel), Xayah (featherknives), Sarissa Theron (magnitudes)
location: By the general store
date/time: Early morning, after the night markets have left.
content: Midge picks up some things. Xayah's not quite feeling herself. Sarissa intervenes.
warnings: Violence, the rest TBD


[ She's not used to this. She's been here for a whole agonizing month--almost two!--but she's still not used to it. Comparing it to the Catskills is slowly losing meaning, like a thin veneer being peeled off. The perpetual darkness doesn't help, and neither does the slightly suffocating feeling that happens when she dwells on it for too long.

She has got to do comedy. But first? Some essentials. At least that routine gives her a sense of normalcy, God knows she needs it--she's away from her parents, her kids, she's away from Joel and Benjamin... She's alone. That's more terrifying than the forest spirits to her.

She doesn't sing, but she is humming the song Lenny Bruce half-sung on television, dressed to the nines as always--she's got her wool winter coat and a cozy little hat on, her clothes her armor in this place. Maybe if she wills herself to be a little bit happier, it'll be true.

She likes to do this early, and while it's uncommon to see someone, she's not really surprised. She hasn't really seen her, at least, but those feathers--the fact that she has feathers--it's unmistakable. Midge smiles. ]

Hiya! Early bird gets the worm, right? Oh--wait, was that offensive?

Comments

[featherknives]

[Xayah stops dead in her tracks when someone spots her. She thought all this darkness will help her come and go from the general store unnoticed. She's been looking for an eyepatch this morning(?) because her left eye remains unfocused and actually freaks even her out. It's not nice to look at it. For now, she has her hair completely untied and unbraided, letting it cover her left eye as she sneaks around, trying to find something to help her out.

And then this woman stops her. A bird comment. She's heard way too many of them (and honestly made some of them herself). She takes a careful step away from her, keeping her wings wrapped around herself tightly, and tilts her head to take a look at her- as good as her one healthy eye allows her.]

Not as offensive as it is cliche. Got any better ones?

[That was a mostly rhetorical question. Why... does she feel like this woman will answer it though?]

[maisel]

Maybe after some coffee. It's too early for me to just start squawking about it.

[ This is the look of someone who knows exactly what she's doing. Just let her be smug for a moment, please. ]

[featherknives]

[More bird jokes. Honestly, she can't remember Rakan ever making jokes like these before, and he's the worst offender when it comes to silly and ridiculous stuff.]

I wish that one flew over my head. [Pun for a pun. Xayah looks around. There's literally no one here right now.] What are you doing here anyway? [Asks woman that just sneaked out of the general store.]

[maisel]

[ Oooh, that one was nice, and it shows by the quick quirk of her lips--it's a Bit, so she's going to stay in the Bit, but she can't help but smile. ]

I could say the same for you: hiding from people in general, or just not the social type?

[featherknives]

[Ah, back to the root of the problem- her sneaking around as if she's some kind of thief in a place where everything is (mostly) free.]

I don't hide, usually. I'm currently in a bit of a, how do you call it, a pinch? I don't like being in a pinch.

[And others witnessing it.]

[maisel]

The great thing about pinches is that usually, people can un-pinch.

[ She shifts her thumb and index finger to make a squishing motion as she does it, still smiling pleasantly. ]

I thought birds fared better in flocks?

[ Oh is this getting annoying? This might be getting annoying. Midge can't help herself. ]

[featherknives]

For this pinch it needs time, [Xayah sighs.

...Why does she get to deal with overly cheerful people first thing in the morning? Wait. She shouldn't complain, her mate was Rakan.]

There's no one of my feather around.

[And Xayah is still entertaining her. Maybe she's just used to both good and bad jokes. Her gut is twisting though, in that 'it would be nice to punch her' kind of way. Thanks, machine, for nothing. This woman might be human, but Xayah already learned to tell a difference between normal ones and crazy ones AND ones from her home.]

You- should probably leave, [Xayah mutters with a strain in her voice.]

[maisel]

Oh. I'm sorry--if it helps, no one of mine is, either. Family, I mean, I suppose some people just get lucky and have their friends show up. Not that I want my friends to show up, or my family, because that would mean they were dead, but--

[ She's rambling, oblivious that Xayah's mood has shifted entirely. ]

Hmmm? Why? I'm not boring you, am I?

[featherknives]

[She shakes her head vigorously, her hands now both clutching on her sides as she tries to keep them to herself.]

No, no, that's not it... [she mutters, a bit out of breath. Yeah, there's no holding this back- she couldn't control it yesterday, and she can't control it now.]

Woman, I don't know who you are but I don't want to hurt you. So you better run- away, inside, anywhere- I can't control this-

[It's as much of a warning she can give Midge, and probably hold back an additional ten seconds. Even that would be generous. Her feet dig into the ground from the strain of holding back.]

[maisel]

[ Woman? Midge's eyebrows skyrocket so much they may as well move off of her head. ]

Woah. Hey--there's no need to be rude, and apparently calling someone 'woman' like that is an insult now. I don't get it, but that's what I'm told. It's an out-of-line thing. Food for thought.

[ She doesn't actually move, is the thing. ]