milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Angela comes downstairs.

She's impeccably dressed, which should be a warning in itself.

Outwardly, she's perfect, with neat clothing and hair, modest makeup.

Manners? She can put them on if she's really concerned about it.

And right now, she is.

The book she's reading is 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke.

It might be mentioned at this point that Angela Dawn Edmunds, normal teenage girl, has her psyche held together with what is the equivalent of metaphysical duct tape.

She'd love company. It keeps her from thinking scary thoughts.

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Given the book she's reading, the company of an AI might not be welcome, bbut KARR can't resist giving his opinion. "If you ask me, both that book and that movie are insults," he says as he stops nearby.

Angela turns and smiles slightly. "Hey, KARR. It is a rather dull book. How are you?"

She closes the book with her finger marking the place while she speaks.

"Well enough, I suppose. I've been getting some entertainment out of watching people's reactions to that sign that was put up. And yourself?"

"I am lucky, I have my parents and my grandfather here who will help me pay. Though if I had to, I suppose I could find some way of paying for myself."

Yeah, I could be a whore. I guess I'd be good at that.

Her face doesn't betray her thoughts.

"I've been good, though I just wish I were unBound. It's getting to be rather trying to be here."

"Bonnie and Kitt take care of my tab-that makes both of us some of the few lucky ones, I think. Everyone else seems to be scrambling." He chuckles quietly to himself, his scanner moving rapidly.

The AI turns his prow towards the door for a moment before turning back to Angela. "I can sympathize; it's been months since I was out. How long have you been Bound?"

"Oh, since sometime in November, bar-time. It was March, though, at home."

She sighs. "I've not left since."

"Do you have any idea why you're Bound? Any business here that hasn't been taken care of yet?"

"I really don't know. I've had ideas. But I've finished any schoolwork I was behind, I've decided to change certain things for the better, I hope, and now I'd just like to go home and get started."

She sighs.

Of course, you might have also created a Mirror world, so you might return home to everyone dead.

"Maybe there's someone here you need to meet, or something else that needs to happen," he offers. "The door is fickle; I don't think anyone quite understands why someone is Bound or not. Aside from when you're dead, but I don't think that applies in this case."

She smiles again. "No, I am not."

Yet.

"I'm sure there are plenty of other people I could meet in the bar. And it would take up time."

"It usually does. Either because you're having a conversation, or because you're running away from them and need to hide for awhile."

He pauses, then coughs. "Not that I have very much experience with the latter..."

"Running away from them? It seems to be rather hopeless here--it isn't such a very large place."

If she could run away, she would. Curl up into a ball and never come out.

If she could.

"Call it strategic leaving, maybe. I try to stay out of the bar if I know Q is in, for instance. With him, I can be fairly certain that he'll find someone else to play with eventually-I just have to stay out of sight until he's distracted by someon else."

Angela nods. "Good call. If they're more powerful than me, I'd stay away."

Unless, of course, your mother and her teacher are two of them.

"I won't stay away if they're more powerful-I can get along with Coyote, for instance. I've just learned not to taunt them."

"Taunt them? Oh, dear lord. I'd be crushed into tiny pieces of teenage girl if I did that, I'm sure."

"I was turned into a rusty Yugo first," KARR grumbles, his scanner moving rapidly at the unpleasant memory. "Then he turned me into a female Mustang."

Angela winces in sympathy. "Oh, that must have been awful."

"It was," he agrees, his scanner still twitching. "I was a Ford."

Angela's mouth twitches in amusement. "As in Found On the Road Dead?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Not to mention that I looked like a candy cane. I'm not exactly fond of red and white paint jobs."

Angela snorts. "That sounds truly dreadful. You're much classier the way you are."

"Thank you," he says, his scanner flaring as he preens. Some things never change, and KARR's vanity is one of them. "Both Kitt and I try to not look gaudy."

KITT. Oh, lord.

"I haven't met him yet."

"He's a she, or was the last time I saw her. There was a mistake with a genie and a temporary switching of gender. I don't know if she's back to normal yet or not."

He turns, his scanner moving idly as he watches the bar. "She would stick out as a car, though-we're twins, aside from my stripe and scanner color-and as a human she has black hair and red eyes. You might see her eventually."

Angela blinks several times. "That's pretty wild. I can't believe some of the things that go on in the bar."

You can even ruin your parents' life.

"I can," KARR says as he turns bakc to her. "Mostly because I've been involved in some rather strange things."

"Yeah. There are a lot of strange people around here. Lots of weird things. People who haven't been here would think I'm crazy."

"If it helps, there's probably plenty of other people who could say the exact same thing about what other people would think."

She grins. "It sorta does. At least my mom and dad are here. They'll know what I'm talking about."

If they're the same parents when you get back, that is.

"It helps to have family," he agrees, then chuckles. "Even if what happens here at times makes you doubt their common sense."

His scanner speeds up as he turns. "And speaking of family, I ought to see if I can finally find Bonnie or Kitt tonight. Good night Angela-and please don't take HAL in that book too seriously."

Angela grins. "I won't. Good night, KARR."

And she opens up the book again, to silence (mostly) the nasty voice inside her head.

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