Trooper Station | Saturday

[knife_bender]

Diego rolled in a little late to work due to stopping by to get his hair cut first, but after the last couple weeks people should just be grateful that he showed up at all. Anyway, it felt nice to get the last vestiges of 1963 off of him.

The weird thing when he finally got to work was someone was actually in one of their cells. Sure, it looked like a kid, but Diego's brother was Five, so he knew that meant jack shit.

"Shit, I get held hostage for a week and suddenly you guys figured out how to do your jobs?"

[Open]

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[cassandras_sister]

The last thing Allie remembered was going to sleep in the building they'd been using as their jail, so waking up here, in an actual cell, was....

Well, it wasn't the weirdest thing that has happened to her, but it has been a while since the last weird thing, and she was a little on edge about it. Especially since Will wasn't with her.

She stood up, trying to check things out a little before calling, "Hello?"

[knife_bender]

Diego had still been trying to figure out what the kid was in for, but none of the troopers seemed to be giving any answers (because they also didn't know). Whatever, it was probably underage drinking or something. Who hasn't done that?

So he had two cups of gross police coffee with him as he came to greet the prisoner (?). "Hey. Sleep well?"

[cassandras_sister]

"No, I've been a little dressed," Allie said. She even still had the little cut over her eye from people wanting to stone her to death yesterday, but it had at least been cleaned up. "...Where is this?"

She hadn't seen an adult in six months. This was weird.

[knife_bender]

Holy shit, this kid must've been plastered last night.

"You're in a police station," Diego said. "Don't worry--far as I can tell you're not in trouble. We don't exactly have a drunk tank, so the cells are the only option."

[cassandras_sister]

"I'm not drunk," Allie insisted. Though oh boy, she wished. "I mean what town am I in?"

[knife_bender]

Not drunk anymore, maybe...

"Fandom. Maryland," Diego said, sitting down the coffee to open up the cell. Which was unlocked; another indication that this kid was likely not a serial killer the troopers managed to catch.

"Want some coffee?" Diego asked. "It tastes like ass, but it's got caffeine."

[cassandras_sister]

"...I need so much coffee," she realized, stepping out of the cell quickly, like she expected him to close it on her again if she didn't move fast. "Maryland? How the hell am I in Maryland?"

[knife_bender]

"I ask myself the same question sometimes," Diego joked, handing her a cup. "But, seriously, I have no idea. I just got to work."

[cassandras_sister]

"I went to sleep in Connecticut," she said, taking the cup that she might be too suspicious to actually drink. "In a town where all the adults and kids disappeared six months ago. We haven't been able to leave."

Had he even heard about that? Did it make the news anywhere?

[knife_bender]

"That's a new one," Diego admitted. "A town of teenagers sounds like a nightmare."

He barely saw any of the teenagers here, including the one he was related to, and Diego was happy to keep it that way.

[cassandras_sister]

"I can't say it's gone well," she said, with a vague gesture toward her eye. "I have to figure out how to get back in there."

[knife_bender]

Diego questioned the sanity of wanting to go back, but he had knowingly traveled back to shithole situations before, so he couldn't really say much.

"Well, we've got phones, portals, and easy access to Baltimore," Diego said. "I guess I'm not calling your parents to pick you up."

Since they disappeared and all.

[cassandras_sister]

"...Portals?"

Today was going to be an adventure for Allie.

[defenderofdesmoines]

When Annie wandered into the trooper station, feeling slightly better than she had when she'd woken up this morning, she was still wearing her sunglasses and was bearing two enormous coffees (that did not taste like ass, because they'd come from the Perk. Sorry, Allie.)

But those sunglasses were getting pulled off in dramatic amazement, because -- "I'm too hungover for you to look this hot," she told Diego, already cocking her head to take in the haircut from multiple angles. "Wow."

[knife_bender]

Diego laughed softly at that reaction. "Not too short, as requested."

"I can't believe you're upright right now."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's a new superpower," Annie told him, carefully crossing over so she could actually play with his hair a little. She just wanted to see how long it still was for herself! Firsthand, please. "Or maybe space sangria is a little more forgiving in the morning than regular sangria."

Probably not, since she actually felt a little ill just saying the word 'sangria,' but she was putting in an admirable effort here.

[knife_bender]

Diego leaned into her touch, happy that his hair was still long enough for this. "Flying and super drinking skills in the same week? What a level up."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie threaded her fingers through his hair, enjoying how long it still was on top when she drew it out between her fingers. Look at her being good and not doing any experimental pulling, though. Professionalism at work! (It would be a different story at home, naturally.)

"I bet the drinking's gonna come up more often than the flying," she noted, clearly pleased with the new hair length. "Babe, I really like your haircut. Nice work."

It was kind of the best of the both pre-1963 and post-1963 hair.

[knife_bender]

"Yeah?" Diego asked. "I have the Annie seal of approval to keep my hair like this for the wedding?"

Which, holy shit, was really coming up on them fast.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Seven weeks! Not that Annie had, like, a countdown on her phone or anything.

"Oh, wow, I didn't know I had that kind of power," Annie teased, settling into a chair. "But yeah, you have my seal of approval. You're going to be the most handsome groom."

Bias? Where?

[knife_bender]

"In your opinion, sure. Other people might think differently," Diego joked. "Thank you for the coffee, by the way. The stuff made here this morning was a special kind of hell."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I wasn't going to make outside for very long without decent coffee," Annie admitted, lifting her own cup in a little toast. "Jokes aside, Summer wasn't screwing around last night."

A pause, thoughtful, and she added, "You guys should get a Keurig or something." Just a little quality of life upgrade suggestion here at the trooper station.

[knife_bender]

"I don't trust these guys to not break it within an hour." Or for Diego not to get irritated with it and break it within an hour. "Besides, I have my beautiful fiancée who brings me coffee every shift."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"But they don't have beautiful fiancées," Annie pointed out, unable to smile like a total idiot at the compliment anyway. (Especially since she did not feel all that beautiful in the wake of space sangria.) "But you're right that someone would probably break it."

See how she just said someone? She knew who she was marrying.

"I'm gonna try and make it to the picnic," she offered, stretching her legs out in front of her. "See if anyone interesting turned up this time around."

It was just smart to scope out the new teachers and make sure, like, Lila wasn't here teaching Interdimensional Crime or something.

[knife_bender]

"Brave of you," Diego said, taking a sip of coffee. "I sent a kid over there. Woke up in a cell, neither of us know how she ended up there. So I figured I'd send her to the responsible adults."