savetheearth | [OPEN] Can I get extra sprinkles with that

Who: Actual IRL Alien Badri Barkley and you!
What: Hanging out. Trying new things. Plugging those cultist meetings that are happening in Vegas. NBD.
When: Backdated to Tuesday!
Where: Outside Espresso Yourself
Warnings: None!

[ Anyone around the area of well-known Numbered hangout Espresso Yourself is likely to notice something considerably different about the place today. There is a loud, slightly off-key tune coming from the immediate vicinity of the shop, and anyone following the sound will encounter an ice cream truck parked outside it manned by the most enthusiastic ice cream vendor in the universe.

Except anyone who has ever watched the news should recognise him as being one of the three aliens who landed in Locke a few months ago. One might not expect an alien to be hawking frozen dairy treats, but hey. Maybe he's fallen on hard times?

Not that he looks like he's suffering any hardships, what with the way he's grinning. And anyone watching closely enough may notice that he seems to be giving ice cream away for free. Why not come bother him? If you're easily recognised as one of the Numbered, he might even wave you over. Besides - free ice cream, guys.

Free ice cream. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I seem to remember hearing something of that. But hearing and seeing are rarely the same.

[Especially when he hasn't really been in the States throughout the various events that have been going on. But he knows enough to not be surprised by the fact that there are aliens around.]

I believe I'll pass on the ice cream for now. Although I won't deny it's a little tempting.

Well, now you've seen. Badri there is one of the three aliens that, well, live here, I guess. Damn, that's weird to say.

[She pauses to lick up some of the melting mint ice cream, overloaded with nuts and chocolate sauce, before it can drip to the ground.]

It's good ice cream, though. I take it you're new in town?

It's strange to simply think about, so I can imagine how it might be stranger still to actually say it.

[Still, he's well aware that unusual seems to be the name of the game here, even if it be a while before he's really used to the idea of actual aliens living in the city.]

I am. More so than most might be, at the very least.

No offense, but, uh... why.

[Sheila seems genuinely puzzled]

I mean, I lived here before all this crazy stuff started happening. Why'd you move here in the middle of all that?

Curiosity, mostly.

[That and a few other reasons besides but the curiosity is the biggest reason. He's always been too curious by half.]

I won't deny there were other factors, of course. But that was the start of it all.

Curiosity, huh? [Sheila raises an eyebrow, but doesn't push further.] I guess if that's worth the risk of getting stepped on by a dinosaur or something, all the more power to you. You just didn't strike me as such a risk taker.

In all fairness, I hadn't been aware things would be quite as interesting as they seem to be so far. Not all of the news has quite managed to make it overseas, or hadn't, when I was thinking of coming here. But given that returning is... less than optimal now here I may as well stay.

[He's not terribly much of a risk taker, though, so that's at least about on par with her opinions of him.]

Hah! Tough break, then. I bet the culture clash is bad enough just moving to a new country, let alone with all this chaos thrown on top.

It hasn't been the easiest, no. But I'd like to think that I'm at least managing well enough.

[And staying out of too much trouble, hopefully. The last thing he needs is to have it turn out that his place of employment isn't actually fond of the Numbered.]

Hey, all the more power to you. It hasn't exactly been easy on us natives, after all. [And, since she hasn't really talked to anyone that she assumes to be non-numbered about this...] What do you think it all is, anyway? I think we've gone way too far for the 'elaborate hoax' explanation to work anymore.

I'm not quite certain. However, I do agree that it's beyond 'elaborate hoax' at this point.

[There are too many people with memories from somewhere else, as far as he's aware, and too many threats to make it feel like a hoax. The actual cause, well. That's a very good question, but perhaps notone that will be easily found.]

Vegas is proof of that.

[Sheila finishes off her ice cream cone as they keep talking, careful to keep drips off her gloves.]

Well, at least if it keeps going like this, we'll have to find out some time.

Few things can continue on indefinitely.

[And the more they now the more they can actually do whatever they're supposed to. Or not, depending on what they're actually "intended" to be doing.]

It's just a matter of finding out who has the answers. And whether or not they're willing to give them to us, if we were to ask. Or simply making do with what we learn, if there's no single answer to be found.

How very... philosophical of you. I'd just settle for everyone to go back to their normal lives, myself. Things have just gotten pretty strained around here.

I suppose it is a little philosophical, yes. But I'm not so certain things can go back to the same sort of normal. Not without all of us losing what we are now. True, I wouldn't be surprised if some of us might wish we'd never had a strange set of numbers appear in our memories, but I can't imagine all of us would.

[His are hardly awful, so far and that's certainly no reason to throw them away, or so he figures.]

But having things less strained would be... significantly better, yes. We're still trying to do our best to live, regardless of what we are.

Wait.

[Sheila glances back towards the ice cream truck, but Badri seems quite occupied with his line, and nobody else seems to be paying them much attention.]

You're saying you're numbered, then? [What were the odds? Then again, they were right outside Espresso Yourself.]

I am.

[He doesn't look it, he knows. But that doesn't mean he's any less numbered for it. How long he'll stay that way, he can't say, but he doesn't much mind admitting to it. Especially since so few other people seem to be listening to them, at the moment.]

It's been... not entirely expected, I must say.

I... see. [Then she has to laugh.] So much for getting a normal person's perspective! I sure can pick 'em.

Not sure how long you've been around, but welcome to the club.

Enough to pick up a few things, at least.

[A couple of months, but that's still something. Enough to at least partially settle into it. Not that he has any real idea who his past self was just yet, but he figures that will come in time. How much time, he can't say, but at least he has a start.]

Well, my name's Sheila. I teach at Locke High, been part of this mess for... nine, ten months now? I take it you know how to find me if you need anything.

I should be able to figure it out, yes.

[He's not entirely certain he will need anything, but it's still good to have options, should he turn out to need them.]

[OPEN] Can I get extra sprinkles with that

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