Intro

[loistheintrepid]

[Action A | 5719 Cunningham Lane]

No. No, no, no, no, no. Not again. Please God, not again.

She's had this dream before. Waking up in the hell hole of a place that was Mayfield again, trapped in the Pleasantville way of life, unable to snap herself out of the nightmare.

Please, God, let her be dreaming.

Except that the man she woke up next to isn't Hal, and the house she rushes out of isn't the one she lived in before, and the street she's standing in the middle of isn't Kramden Road.

Not again. No, no, no, not again.

[Action B | Kramden Road]

She's still barefoot in her ridiculous nightgown, not having bothered to change before she tore her way towards her old street. Maybe her old friends are still there. Maybe Hal...

But if she's switched around, maybe everybody else is, too. Which is why she's just going around pounding her fists on every door on the street like a crazy person in hopes that a familiar face answers.

[Action C | Around Town]

By the end of the day, she's a mess. Still barefoot, still nightgown-clad. Wandering her way around the Mayfield streets hoping for someone to make sense of why she's back.

It wasn't fair. She'd escaped this place. Spent a full year pretending it was just a bad dream. And now here she was again, wondering if that year of freedom had even been real.

She finds a bench, curls her knees to her chest, and buries her face in her arms.

Fucking Mayfield.

Comments

[loistheintrepid]

[Her head snapped up at the voice, and she had to double-take at the vision in front of her.]

Uh... I'm... I'm fine, Talking Suit of Armor. Thanks.

[snacklist]

[He seems to shrink a bit at that address, before holding his hands up and laughing nervously.]

My name is Alphonse, the armour is just... um, a hobby.

[loistheintrepid]

[She cocks an eyebrow at him, her eyes scanning the suit carefully.]

A... hobby?

[Mayfield was weird.]

[snacklist]

Right!

I'm really a boy in here, I just like to wear it because... it suits me!

[That was the worst explanation ever.]

[loistheintrepid]

[Okay. That manages to bring a hint of a smile to her lips.]

Hey, to each his own, buddy. What'd you say your name was? Alphonso?

[snacklist]

Alphonse... pretty close! Um, and what's your name?

[Phew, success in lying about the armour.]

[loistheintrepid]

Alphonse. Right. [She shrugged.]

I'm Lois. Lois Lane.

[snacklist]

It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lane!

[Have the dorkiest thumbs up a giant suit of armour has ever given.]

[loistheintrepid]

[She can't help but stifle a laugh at that, returning the high five with a smirk.]

Nice to meet you, too, Alphonse.

[snacklist]

Aren't you cold in just your nightie?

[It might be June, but it was still the middle of the night, not the perfect time for wanderings.]

[loistheintrepid]

[She shrugs.]

Eh. Once you go flying around Metropolis in September with Superman and no coat, you get used to a little chill.

[She glances over at him again.]

We can't all have suits of armor handy.

[snacklist]

[Haha... ha. He gives a nervous chuckle at her joke, rapping himself on the breastplate with a too-cheerful thumbs up.]

Right! It's really warm in here, it's almost like being in a sauna!

[loistheintrepid]

[She smirks a bit, returning the thumbs up again.]

Seems like a pretty high-maintenance hobby.

[snacklist]

[Cue some nervous chuckling.]

M-Maybe a bit, but it's worth the effort. It's really fun, and something I can do all the time.

[Or has to do all the time, whatever.]