around town ; monday afternoon

[flickofthewrist]

Flick was still avoiding the gun vending machines for the time being but the money boxes? Yeah, he was actively looking for those. When he realized that there were more than just a handful popping up, he couldn't even stop himself. It was easy money and he'd have been stupid to not take the golden opportunity.

Walking around town and looking for boxes of money even distracted him from that weird radio broadcast this morning. He still thought Handsome Jack had to be compensating for something since he'd put a freaking adjective in his name but Flick knew he had no room to talk. He'd named himself Flick, after all. But that was loads better than Handsome Flick or something even dumber.

With his hands shoved in his jacket pockets, Flick ambled down the streets casually. The boxes seemed to both appear in plain sight and hidden in not too hard to reach places. He swiped one that was half hidden by a random potted plant and opened it up. Ten bucks. Not too shabby.

Flick pocketed the money and moved on to find more.

[Open place in town, open post. Hey, someone had to go on a money hunt. Feel free to join.]

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[filleauloup]

It was hard to miss the lockboxes lying about the island, at least when you made daily, regular circuits of its streets and had a habit of looking out for any "stray" objects that might be found, so before she was even half done with her mail route Éponine's coat pockets had already accumulated a couple of decent-sized wads of bills. Small bills, to be sure, but who was she to argue with free money? It was a tiny bit of compensation from the unearthly din that had made it impossible to sleep.

The money was just there, after all. She wasn't taking it from anyone. So that was fine, wasn't it?

"Thank you kindly," she said to the box she'd pried out of a crevice beneath some building's front step. "Won't dinner be a good one tonight!"

She tossed the box aside and stood, tucking a twenty-dollar bill into her pocket, before she caught sight of Flick. "Oh, hello! The island's feeling awfully generous lately, isn't it?" Or someone, but she was more inclined to put that on Fandom itself.

[flickofthewrist]

"Apparently so," Flick agreed, giving Éponine a nod in greeting. "It keeps this up, I won't ever have to think of getting a job. I'll just stay here and collect free money from magically appearing boxes."

That just...was never something he thought he'd ever say.

"Though, I'm not really thanking the boxes I find," he half teased.

[filleauloup]

Éponine gave him a smirk that was mostly unrepentant, but a tiny bit abashed as well. Talking to inanimate objects was too much of a habit by now, even if she had actual people to have conversations with.

"That's all right, I'm not certain they care one way or the other, but you'd better hope no one else gets that idea into their head or it won't be a very well paying job."

[flickofthewrist]

"I'd have to take out the competition," he said innocently. He shrugged. "How much have you managed to find so far?"

[filleauloup]

"Of course," Éponine said, very matter-of-fact, because what other way was there to handle competition? "Lucky for you, you've got a head start on them even if they do decide to give it a try."

Assuming the money stuck around, and ha, that would be a stupid assumption.

"A bit," she added, slipping a hand into her pocket to check and see if the day's loot was still there. "Enough to eat for a day or two, that's for certain." Or more, but she was being cautious.

[flickofthewrist]

"Just a day or two?" Flick asked, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Bet you could stretch it out longer especially if you decided to live off canned tuna and Vienna sausages."

That wasn't a recommendation though.

[filleauloup]

Better than she'd had for years, but Éponine made an indignant noise. "Not if I can help it, no sir! But why d'you suppose it's here all of a sudden? It isn't as if there's much in these boxes, anyway, and it's a bit silly if you ask me, putting five here and ten there all over the place and some right in plain view, so it must be meant to be found."

She tapped a finger against her lips, humming softly for a moment, then laughed. "Or someone's made a sorry failure of hiding things."

[flickofthewrist]

"The island is in a giving mood since Christmas is coming?" Flick suggested, trying to look on the optimistic side of things, for once.

He didn't know if his cynical side was just asleep or giving him a break since he'd usually gone for the immediate death and destruction and the money being the calm before the storm.

"It is the time of giving, after all, and I like the money better than this...tinsel that's been falling from the sky."

[filleauloup]

"Really? I think I'd rather the tinsel than snow, or rain. It's nice for a change, at least, since it doesn't leave you quite so cold," Éponine said thoughtfully. "Though you're right, it's not half so useful as the money, and it does stick in my hair."

[flickofthewrist]

"At least the rain and snow is normal," Flick said, picking some tinsel off his jacket and tossing it away. "I can pretend I'm not living on some whimsical island with a personality of a middle child just craving attention."

Because seriously, all these things were attention grabs.

[filleauloup]

Éponine burst out laughing. "How likely d'you think it is that the island's just that?" Not that she had a clue how normal family sibling dynamics were supposed to be like. "God only knows what'll make it happy, come to think of it, since it hasn't stopped doing things like this yet. I don't mind, though. I'd rather be here than anywhere else."

She reached up to pick a piece of tinsel out from behind her ear and held it up, considering. "And it's pretty, even if it is worthless."

[flickofthewrist]

"This place isn't that bad."

He knew he couldn't stay forever but he couldn't deny that it was safe and that people here...weren't terrible. And he was used to really terrible people.

"Though, I wonder if you'd think it was pretty if the tinsel was attached to like...moldy fruitcakes. That's also a Christmas tradition, I hear."

[filleauloup]

"What on earth is the point of that?" Éponine wondered, and the grimace on her face suggested that no, she would not think the tinsel was quite so pretty then. "It's a stupid tradition, if you ask me, and even more stupid to let fruitcakes go to waste like that."

What? She'd eat them.

[abitlowkey]

"I am quite enjoying the money," Loki said, falling into step beside Flick. "Though I am sure the cost will come sooner rather than later."

[flickofthewrist]

"You need to stop being a party ruiner," Flick said, glancing over at Loki. He was used to him just suddenly appearing. "Maybe it's just holiday generosity."

Flick was hoping so.

[abitlowkey]

Loki flicked some tinsel in his direction. Because narrative jokes.

"Is money the true meaning of Christmas? I thought it was traumatizing the elderly until they buy food for their poor employees."

Seriously, someone needed to monitor his movie watching.

[flickofthewrist]

"...where did you get that?" Flick asked, stopping for a moment to stare at Loki. "What have you been watching?"

[abitlowkey]

"A Christmas Carol!" Yeeeeah.

[flickofthewrist]

"You have a warped mind," Flick said, blinking a few times. "Consider that a compliment though since that's the best summary of a A Christmas Carol I've ever heard."

He started moving again, plucking a money box open that was shoved under a low hanging awning. Twenty more dollars went into his pocket.

"Christmas would be a lot more fun if more people thought like you."

[abitlowkey]

Loki grinned at that. "I feel it best to cut to the heart of the matter."

Ahahaha!

[flickofthewrist]

"I'd love to hear your take on some other Christmas classics," Flick said idly, walking down the street. "It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street would probably be great. And much less boring as summarized by yourself."

[abitlowkey]

"Then we have something to do once we procure more money," Loki replied, stepping over a puddle of silver.

[flickofthewrist]

"You asking me out?" Flick wondered jokingly. "On a date?"

[abitlowkey]

"Well, our love is vaster than an ocean," Loki replied with a dreamy sigh. "I shall inform my brother of your intentions so that he might protect my honor."

Jokes on you! He had no honor!

[flickofthewrist]

"You have to check everything with your brother?" Flick wondered, shaking his head. "Sounds like he's more of a keeper than a sibling."