The village in the park, Friday morning

[intotheout]

Tip had headed for the park by the time the sun was setting yesterday. The dorms did not look secure, so she was relieved when Peridot's tip had turned out to pan out. Sure, the place was ramshackle as all get out, and kind of stank, besides, but Tip had spent a summer living in a car with an alien while driving across the southern US. She could deal with ramshackle and stinky.

She took pictures of everything. She wasn't sure why, it just felt worthwhile to document it all.

Plus, you know, it distracted her a bit from thinking about the giant, creepy, busted up Tip statue out by the Post Office. She was pretty sure she could just see the top of her own head out over the remains of trees and buildings.

Yeee.

[Villagers and refugees ahoy!]

Comments

[verzauberth.livejournal.com]

"Hammock," contributed a voice from behind a nearby pile of rubbish.

Hanna popped out, looking at this other-girl-who-was-her, and the girl-who-was-not-a-statue. "Mine."

[intotheout]

It probably shouldn't have been a shock to see another Hanna -- after all, they were talking about destroying another Tip -- but it was one thing to think about the weird giant statue in an abstract sense being sort of a cypher for all your anxiety and self-protective instincts. It was another to literally see your roommate's dirtier, skinnier double come over and offer suggestions.

"Um," Tip said. ". . . Hi?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna had jumped, hand going to her bow, and now she blinked in shock. "/It was you,/" she said in German. "/You ran away!/"

[verzauberth.livejournal.com]

"/You chase me,/" Hanna said with a shrug, then looked at them both. "Hunt. Giant? Ja?"

[intotheout]

Tip didn't know any German, but "Ja" was an easy one. She nodded. "Did you -- did you know her?"

It seemed safe to assume she did, but -- well. Who knew, really?

[verzauberth.livejournal.com]

Hanna sort of understood the question, but wasn't sure of the answer. Maybe? Yes? She tilted her head back and forth, then said, stutteringly, "Long time. Not sure." She looked away, fingering her own bow. "I hunt."

That was it, that was all she did. All she was.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"You hunt." Hanna got that. But for once, she could actually see how much she had changed since she arrived in Fandom. This Hanna hadn't, not really. Hadn't been able to.

"Thank you," she said, then, "Danke. Es ist gut. Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen." And it was good to meet her. In a way. (At least she wasn't trying to eat them or kill them?)

[intotheout]

Tip looked between the two Hannas. This was uncanny.

"Um. What she said. Probably." She really had to learn German. (Unbeknownst to her, the mole on the back of her neck was glowing purple as it started to do just that.) "You have a hammock? That -- we can use?"

[verzauberth.livejournal.com]

"Ja. Hammock." Hanna brightened as the other two girls continued to understand her, and smiled shyly. "I get. You wait. We hunt."

Turning, she quickly started running for the edge of the park, where she'd slung up her hammock, the goal to get it and return firmly in her mind.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna was very quiet for a minute, then said, "We need to give her some of the soup, after." She really had no idea what else to say about her double. "Or something."

[intotheout]

"And juice," Tip agreed. She shook her head. "So. We're gonna do this. Today."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"No reason to put it off," Hanna pointed out. "She has the hammock. I have a bungee-cord bracelet-- I'll bet she does too. We just need the bowling ball. And a place to stand." She let out a breath. "If you want to wait, we could do it tomorrow."

But Hanna really felt the need to destroy something right now, and that statue was not Tip. No. Nein. Not at all.

[intotheout]

"No, let's do it now," Tip said. "Just -- maybe with a few practice throws first."

Tip didn't want to miss and have to hammer on herself, after all.

Or get crushed to death by herself.