A grown man and a little girl walk into a comic book shop

[viced]

WHO: Mitchell Hundred and Mindy Macready
WHERE: a local...comic book..... shop
WHEN: Saturday morning??
WARNINGS: uh none
SUMMARY: two people in a comic book store with all the indie and knock offs you could ever want
FORMAT: quick??


[ He wasn't slacking off, not really, but taking a few hours away from City Hall was almost necessary to get him away from the nightmare. He'd have to get back soon, but taking some time off... it wasn't a weight off his shoulders, but it was better than yelling over the phone to someone in DC until they disconnected.

Unfortunately, it wasn't like he could pick up old back issues, or anything that he really wanted. He'd been pulling some of the independent titles, trying different things out, but nothing was quite as good as reading an old issue of Superman. He was in his casuals, a jacket with the hood up, and a ballcap doing a good job with his sunglasses to keep his identity a secret. So he was flipping through an issue of Starman, eyeing the door with no lack of caution. ]

Comments

[profanities]

[ Mindy had been here for about three days so far and right now, she had the constant need to bash her face in. all she could think about was her father and D'amico and how she couldn't take care of any of that, couldn't kill D'amico and now she was in some alternate reality shit and people expected her to believe that? please. no matter how much they may insist, she was young, but she wasn't stupid.

but she was taking a break. Mindy had spent her few days here setting up a headquarters, scouting drug dealers, getting to know the area. and talking with douchebags on that shitty little phone.

still she couldn't resist visiting a comic book store, so in civvies with some bright pink clothes on, her hair up in pig tails, went into the comic book store. only for her expression to sink into one of surprise. where was all the Batman? the Superman? the fuck is any of this shit?

she scowls, picking up some awful indie comic and then throwing it back onto the shelf. piece of shit. ]

[viced]

[ Mitch half-watches the kid out of the corner of his eye for just a moment, but he goes back to paging through the comic in front of him, switching it up after a few moments, before the girl threw a book back onto the shelf.

His eyebrows shot up, he knew there were a lot of shitty comics out there, but that wasn't quite fair to just toss them around. It wasn't like they had much more to read or anything.

He eyed it for a moment, a quirk of his lips. Well, okay, that was a pretty shitty title she'd picked up. The people in the store weren't really paying anyone any mind, leaning against their counters with drooping eyes, coffee not quite finished yet. It was pretty early. ]

That one's pretty bad.

[profanities]

[ Mindy glances up when the guy starts talking to her, looking over the whole sunglasses and baseball cap ensemble. her first compulsion is to sneer at him but she's Mindy and MIndy's daddy's little girl even though Daddy isn't around anymore and she can't be mean because a superhero's secret identity is everything.

even if she thinks that ironically.

she doesn't reply to him at first, just looking around the store again for a variety of reasons -- scouting exits and anything that could be used in a fight, observations, so on. when she finally replies to him, her voice is soft, no sign of the edge that Hit GIrl has ]

Where are all the good comics?

[viced]

[ He rolls an eye toward the shelf, and then around the room. Knock-offs, all the obscure, two-bit heroes that Marvel and DC could scrounge up were adorning the walls, and even they weren't exactly safe from instantly disappearing at a moment's notice. ]

Well, they don't exist anymore, I don't think. [ A pause. ] You been living under a rock, or just new around here?

[profanities]

[ "existing". this whole, fictional characters is real thing. again, Mindy resists the urge to sneer, or at least, roll her eyes. how could people just believe that shit? how do they know that the people claiming to be Spider-Man or Batman or James Bond aren't just nutjobs or crazy people who ended up with spiders powers or whatever.

fucking morons.

instead, she smiles sweetly and her lips wibble a little. just enough for the right amount of innocent little kid. ]

I-I guess I don't pay attention that much.

[viced]

Oh. [ His eyebrows screw up, and he smiles a little. ] It's kind of cool, though. We don't get comics anymore, but we get the chance to meet them instead.

[ He grins then, and lifts a shoulder, nodding out the window. ] It's pretty cool, I won't lie.

[profanities]

[ she hesitates, watching him carefully. ]

I-I guess it's kind of cool. It just seems really scary though.... How do you know these people are really them?

[ keep it cool, keep her voice soft. give no signs away, but this guy seems so firmly set in the idea that these people are real. but she's not just going to immediately believe it, no matter what people say. ]

[viced]

[ He laughed, looking back away from the window. ] Are you serious? Superman was here, and I'd definitely know if he was faking it.

[ He flicked his fingers across a few issues, and then he lifted a shoulder in acquiescence. ]

I came in here probably two and a half years ago, I think. After the initial shock, you start to realize that it's possible, I suppose. If there are alternate realities, why wouldn't there be some where Superman or Batman exist?

[profanities]

[ Mindy doesn't reply. again, this alternate reality thing. ok, fine, this is an alternate reality but characters out of comic books that she grew up reading. but she just can't believe it. she just can't immediately think, yes, this is how it is. this is right.

if she did, she figured she'd go nuts.

but she doesn't argue. it's pointless. ]

I guess you're right, mister. [ for added kiddyness ] Gosh, it's all really a lot to take in! You're really brave. [ she thinks she's quoting something but she can't remember what ]

[viced]

You're kidding, right? [ He can't help it, he just smiles wanly. ] The brave ones are the heroes out there trying to keep us safe, not me. I get paid to talk.

[ And govern, but you know. Incognito here. ]

[profanities]

[ she picks up a comic book to look at the cover before setting it down again, eyes set on him. again, that scrutinizing stare ]

Why don't you become a hero then, huh? I heard people get powers here. [ fucking insane. ]

[viced]

Oh no, no, no, no. [ He shakes his head, emphatically. ] I did that once, and it was the biggest disaster in my life. Some people aren't exactly suited for the whole hero thing.

You do get powers, though.

[profanities]

[ it makes her think of kick-ass but he has potential. and she has no choice to depend on him.

well, not here.... god, how the fuck is he going to survive without her? ]

So, whaddya get?

[viced]

[ He lowers his voice a bit. ]

It's a little weird. I can talk to machines. Like computer and phones.

[profanities]

[ her eyes widen (and she's not even faking it). she gasps a little, plays the card. ]

Wooaaah!! [ a pause as she "remembers" to lower her voice too ] That's so cool!

[viced]

[ He laughs, a bit awkwardly. ] Yeah, I suppose it kind of is. [ NOT ]

So are you an import, or just a gawker, kiddo?

[profanities]

[ there's a pause as she doesn't answer it, thinking it over. on the one hand, she doesn't like the idea of giving herself away as an imPort outright... but on the other hand, she doesn't know how much information she can get from being anything else.

she kicks her foot, looks down at the ground ]

I-I think I'm an import.... Gosh, it's so much stuff to remember.

[viced]

You can read, right? [ He points in the ambiguous direction of the DOI ]

The Department of Integration has some good information about all of this. Did you show up in the porter building? [ He was starting to think she was a little special :( ]

[profanities]

[ HAHAH MITCHELL

she wibbles more and her eyes water up. there's a sniffle and she mumbles ]

Y-yeah, it was so much to take in.... It's so scary here...

[viced]

Yeah, I know it is. [ He crouches down to eye-level with her. ] Believe me, I do know. There are people out there trying to make sure we're all safe.

[profanities]

[ she sniffles again, rubbing at her eyes to just seal the deal. she can't help but wonder why his voice sounds so familiar though. ]

And -- and we just gotta trust these people? That they'll protect us no matter what?

[viced]

Well shit, the Avengers are here! I'd say multiple decades of comic issues is a pretty good track-record when it comes to these things, don't you? [ Restraint with his mouth. He does not have it. ]

[profanities]

[ she can't really bite back the smile that's forming on her lips, probably the only honest thing she's said or done so far while talking to him. even if it's still hard to wrap her mind around... if it's hard for her to believe ]

That is pretty fucking cool.

[ oops ]

[viced]

[ UHHHHHHHHHHHH He gives her a look. She's starting to sound familiar. ]

Hey, watch your fucking language! [ y e p ]

[profanities]

[ and with that, she realizes that he's the guy from the network. the mayor.

fantastic. ]

I'm just a little girl. You shouldn't be swearing around me.

[viced]

[ He grimaces. ] Probably not. [ He'll admit it, but you can't take away his cursing in public addresses!! ]

Still, I don't think you should be swearing up a storm either.

[profanities]

[ again, that urge to bite back a sneer. everytime someone tells her she shouldn't be swearing, she wants to shoot something ]

Gosh, I'm really sorry, mister!

[viced]

Yeah, well. [ He awkwardly shifts, and stands. ] Just wait until you're older, huh?

[profanities]

[ she forces up this huge smile and nods enthusiastically ]

Yeah, sure! I guess it doesn't matter when I'm a fucking grown-up or something. [ oopsie ]

[viced]

[ Blink. ]

Wait a minute. Have we spoke before?

[profanities]

[ Mindy scrunches her face at him ]

No? This is the first time we've met, mister.

[viced]

[ He waves a hand. ] Never mind, you just seem familiar, is all.

[profanities]

[ she kind of brings her hand up to her mouth, and in a hushed tone: ]

Maybe you're going senile in your old age.