5th Smile

[keep_smiling]

[Action A: Maybe you work at the used car lot, or maybe you're just passing by. Either way, something is very noticeable about it: it's empty. Or rather, there's one car left, and standing in front of it is a drone couple, and a blonde man with a name tag - obviously an employee. The men shake hands and then the smiling couple get in the car and drive off in their beautiful new 195X Nash Rambler. The employee waves them off, a huge grin on his face.]

Enjoy! That car is guaranteed to put a smile on your face for a long time!

[Seems like the Smile Junkie speaks the drones' language. Elmer has managed to sell every car in the damned lot. He looks at the empty lot, satisfied. Of course, Mayfield will restock it in a day or so, but he doesn't know that.]

Okay then, I guess I'm done for the day.

--

[Action B: Time to share the wealth. Elmer walks into the diner and announces to everyone:]

Oi! Lunch is on me! Order whatever you like, I've got it covered. So smile, okay?

Comments

[keep_smiling]

Thanks! It's nothing big, if you think about it. Mayfield gives you everything you'd use money on already. A house, a car, food... So there's no reason for me to keep it all.

[gezellig]

I see your point, but there's no problem with being prepared.

[Which is another word for hoarding it all. He's a saver, not a spender, and has been for centuries.]

[keep_smiling]

For what? You think one day they'll stop restocking the shelves or something? We'll have bigger problems then if that's the case, mate.

[gezellig]

They did that, once.

[Not looking very smiley at all, nope.]

[keep_smiling]

Eh? Seriously? Why on earth would they do that?

[gezellig]

I don't know.

It's probably the same reason why they would switch our bodies and I had to spend the day as a 17 year old girl.

[Stare.]

[keep_smiling]

Ah yes, but compared to taking our food away, something like that is only a minor inconvenience. Look on the bright side! Right now, we're here in our own bodies, and there's plenty of food to go around. So you should be happy, right?

[gezellig]

I'm not complaining, that's just how the town is.

[Nothing here to indicate happiness, not one bit.]

[keep_smiling]

People keep saying that the terrible things are on the horizon. That things here have gotten pretty bad. [He reflects on that a moment, still smiling when he turns back to Holland.] Until that happens, I won't worry about it.

[gezellig]

You must be a very hopeful type of person.

[He likes that. ]

If it's all you can do, it works.

[keep_smiling]

[He laughs lightly at that.] Maybe, but I think I'm more of a realist. If bad stuff is going to happen, and there's nothing we can do about it, then we should just smile and get through it. Tomorrow is another day!

[gezellig]

It's literally a new start, in this place.

[And eating a bit.]

You noticed now nothing seems to change the town permanently, right?

[keep_smiling]

Hmm? In what way? People talk about things like "permanent" dronings and such all the time.

/slow

[gezellig]

There is that. It's the only thing that seems to change.

Even when things go wrong, everything goes back to how it was eventually.

[keep_smiling]

Huh. This place really doesn't make much sense! There really should be more a point to something like this.

[gezellig]

[It just sounds so ridiculous, Holland gives a short laugh that's pretty derisive.]

Yeah, they should.