#that was a fun night. we knew the GameStop manager well so he ordered us pizza and have us some free stuff

[crowcryptid]

Happy birthday halo 4, you were the last game I ever went to a midnight release for

[beige-eclipse]

Bitty Drabbles 20

(I’M ALIVE, I’M ALIVE!!! I am so sorry you guys! I got really really sick and even the slightest hint of electronic light made my head pound. I still kinda need ideas for drabbles, but I’ll try to be more regular again. Seriously, just give me a prompt like “goes to X place” or “does X thing” and that would be fine. At any rate, be sure to check out @vex-bittys after reading this.)

Today would be a pretty big step. Ella had proposed a nice day out in a city we used to often visit. I didn’t know, she suggested that Crim come and refused to take no as an answer. Ig had told her about the infinity scarf, so she saw it as being no problem. She had already called her two to go friends Isabell and Paula. They were ready to go and would be awaiting my arrival. I begrudgingly got ready. Crim looked on curiously. I smiled down at him.

“Ella invited us to go hang out with her.” Crim smiled at that, liking Ella the most out of my friends. I adjusted the infinity scarf before opening it up for Crim, his jacket and backpack already inside so he could get ready as we walked. “Well, hop in or we might miss our bus.” Crim did so without hesitation and I could feel him shuffling as he put on his sweater and backpack.

I gently told him to stay hidden until we were safely on the bus, just in case they refused us service, and made sure to snag a window seat. Luckily the seats were high enough that Crim could peek and watch out the window whilst also being protected from view. Anyone who came onto the bus promptly chose a different seat when they looked down to see him peeking out of the scarf.

I patted him to let him know we would be getting off soon and he sunk back into the scarf. I thanked the driver as I got off and bought a train ticket. I could’ve taken busses the whole way, but this would turn what would have been over an hour into about ten minutes or less depending on the timing of the train.

I subtly told Crim to stay hidden once again until we were safely on the train. I knew that he could see through the stitches of the scarf just fine, it would just be a little stuffy. He didn’t complain though, the train station was crowded, and I knew that Crim would have been uncomfortable enough that he would have stayed hidden even if I hadn’t asked him to.

The train came soon enough and though there were many people waiting, I was able to once again grab a window seat. The perks of being the second to last stop in the train line was that you were also the second stop when the trains came back in this direction.

People stared less on the train, so the person who sat next to me didn’t notice Crim soon enough, but of course, it would be rude to just stand up awkwardly, so he sat and tried not to keep glancing over at Crim, failing miserably. Crim glared at them; I didn’t stop him. Luckily for all parties involved, our stop was the fifth in the line, so we were off and out fairly soon.

Ella and her friends were waiting outside the train station for us, Ella having to stop the other two from starting a group hug that would definitely have crushed Crim. Crim peeked out and the two greeted him enthusiastically. First stop? Food of course. And what was our favorite food? Sushi.

Of course, Ella and her friends were active people, so they didn’t have the patience to sit down and eat at a stuffy restaurant. The compromise? Sushirrito. If you don’t know what that is, well, let me tell you. It’s basically a giant sushi roll, the size of a burrito. We usually order ours to go and eat them as we wander and window shop for things we can’t afford. I had another suggestion though.

Everyone happily ordered and munched away and I took the lead. Now, if you were in the lead, you knew where you wanted to go, and after turning a corner, they all knew my destination. The small park with the dried up fountain a few blocks away. The crowd was thick, but I managed to lead us through well enough. Once there, I sat down at the edge of the concrete monument that once held water.

The three I had led here looked at me expectantly. I shrugged and took out my phone, starting up a game that hardly anyone played anymore. They knew what it was from the music and copied me, taking seats to my left and right, opening up the old app. Crim came out of the scarf curiously.

Despite this being a park, hardly anyone came here anymore, having something else to do in the fast paced city. I handed Crim a few select chunks of fish from my burrito, despite having fed him the night before. I swear his eyelights turned to stars like the pygmies did back at the adoption center as he greedily scarfed down the morsels. Note to self, Crim liked sushi. We sat and chatted, finishing our burritos as we played, Crim looking at my phone screen in interest. I smiled down at him.

“This game is called Pokemon Go. It’s an app that allows you to find and catch virtual pokemon in real life, like in your game back home.” Crim’s eyelights flashed as stars once again as he pointed to my screen. He wanted to play. I explained all the features to him, but his fingers were too small for the phone to pick up, and when he tried his hands, that didn’t work either. The downsides of not having skin.

I finished my burrito quickly, offering my finger for him to use as a stylus. He took on the task diligently, though I made sure he actually caught the pokemon he was aiming for by using my previous skill in the game subtly. He didn’t notice, but soon enough, everyone had finished eating and it was time to move on.

Paula took the lead, both in the group and in conversation as we made our way through the city. Crim, I could tell, was having fun just laying in what was surely a hammock for him, taking in the new sites and smells. Paula brought us to the crystal shop. It was small, but not crowded. We split off, Crim coming out with wide eyelights. I smiled down at him.

“Would you like a crystal? I’ll get it for you.” He nodded, immediately scanning the store. He pointed, I followed. He finally settled on a small polished stone of Tigerseye. I chuckled. “Tigerseye? You’ve got good taste, that’s my favorite too. I tapped each of our group members telling them that I would be going up to pay. Crim’s eyes sparkled as I finished the transaction, handing him the stone which he promptly placed in his bag.

The store owner chuckled at his antics. Of course she wouldn’t be put off by the little lamia, her store held more than just stones if the many bone ornaments on the walls were anything to go by. I wonder why this place didn’t get more foot traffic. We left right after, the rest of the group comparing their finds. Unlike me, they tended not to pay… They were courteous not to take much, one stone each, but it was a habit I could do without. The poor woman had a hard enough time as it was getting by. I said nothing, and they had the courtesy to be quiet about it since they knew it was something I detested.

Isabell took the lead next, and though we had just eaten, her sweet tooth wasn’t satisfied. We ended up at the frozen yogurt and ice cream parlor. We liked this place because it was completely self serve. You grab a cup or cone of your choice and load it up from the frozen treat dispensers, pile on as many toppings as you like, then you pay at the front. It didn’t matter what or how much you put inside since you paid per ounce.

Low on cash? Don’t put in so much. Super hungry? Pile your mountain high and await your soon to be stomachache. I wasn’t too hungry, so I grabbed a cone rather than a cup. How people still managed to eat cold things in winter, I would never know, but we once again set off once we had our frozen treats. Ella was in the lead this time, and we all knew where she would go, so we would have to finish our food before getting there.

I managed easily enough, not having bought much in the first place, but Paula and Isabell had to finish outside by a trash can. Ella, despite being petite, could be quite the bottomless pit when she wanted to be. We were greeted warmly when we entered, though, we were all familiar with the staff. Crim looked on in wonder.

Video games lined the shelves, consoles sat behind the front desk, and small figures and other marchandise of video game characters adorned the rows. This was Gamestop, the store where I, and all of my friends, had purchased all of our games and game related goods. We wouldn’t be buying anything today, but they knew this. We always pre-ordered anything we wanted, we would just be browsing.

I made a point to walk up to the front and introduce Crim. I didn’t know the man by name, but I certainly knew him by face, and that was enough. He was like us, so I knew he wouldn’t reject Crim, and I had to translate Crim’s sign language since this man wasn’t in our loop. Once he knew Crim loved pokemon, that was it. He was quite informed on the topic, I mean, why work at a gaming store if you didn’t love video games? Crim listened with rapt attention. I told the man that Crim was starting on Generation one, and he commended me for letting him start from the beginning.

We stayed there for a while, partly for the stuff, mostly for the warmth, but eventually, we had to leave. It was still far too early to part ways, so we decided to wander around the local college campus. It was beautiful, yes, but it was mostly hills, and I would most certainly be getting flashbacks. You see, this used to be my college campus. Long story short, I don’t have a degree, but even I had to admit how nice the scenery was.

Squirrels ran amuck here, not fearing humans, and I made sure to keep Crim close. The little buggers would sneak into your bag and steal your food if you weren’t careful. We somehow ended up at the only library that was open to the public. I tried to make myself small as we entered, but it was a futile effort.

“Beige!” I smiled and waved at the boy manning the front desk. He was older now. We had a short conversation and he let us go on our way. Crim stared at everything, the library was large and beautiful, consisting of multiple floors. It didn’t need artwork, though there were paintings hanging on the walls, since the architecture was immaculate. It was awe-inspiring, but I knew the place like the back of my hand. I was greeted again as we quietly wandered the halls.

“Beige!” I smiled politely again, having a longer conversation with the man before me. We spoke of how things had been going, not too much had changed honestly. We parted ways once again, though I made sure to tell my old friend to say hi to my former boss. Yup, I used to work here back when I was a student. Believe it or not, I was a security guard.

Not as glamorous as it sounds. We were treated like janitors and hall monitors, and if there’s anything more annoying than an entitled child, it’s an entitled adult. You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve had to yell at young men and women not to climb on the outside of the building. I didn’t care if they were in the parkour club, they could take their antics to another building where I wasn’t liable for damages. We wrapped up our visit and I heaved a sigh of relief when we left.

I did miss my job terribly, but I knew I’d never get it back, so it just made me regretful whenever I returned. The chit chat as we walked down the hills distracted me though, and it was light side hugs for everyone when we had to part ways. Ella and I were able to take the train together, but she would need to stay on until the last stop.

It was far too crowded to gain a seat on the way back, the train having stopped at god knows how many stops along the way, but Crim was fine staying in the scarf. We said our goodbyes when our stop came up and we waited for the bus that would take us back home. The sun began to set as we boarded. I knew we were both tired.

“Have fun, Crim?” He nodded, taking out his new stone and showing it to me once again. I smiled as I patted his head absentmindedly. The walk home was pleasant and Crim went to go hide away his new treasure in what used to be his sleeping rock. We needed a day like today. I would have to thank Ella the next time we hung out.

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