Yeehaw

0099: I BET YOU COULD DO THAT FINE.

[0156] She waves her hand in the air.

0156: i do keep a lot of the digital records and passwords n'shit! but im not cut out fer recruitin', people tend t'not take me seriously.

0099: IS HE REALLY, THOUGH? HE SOUNDS ANNOYING.

0156: i guess??? hes in charge of record keepin' an' recruitin'. so s'not like hes completey useles...

0099: CAN’T YOU JUST KILL HIM OR SOMETHING.

0156: i wish! apparently hes "necessary" and "important".

[0156] She uses her fingers to create mini air quotes.

0099: 68 IS A FUCKING NERD.

[0099] UTTERLY MATTER-OF-FACT VOICE

0156: th'BIGGEST nerd. y'have no idea what its like livin' with him.

[0156] SHUDDER

0099: HE LOOKS LIKE THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WOULD EAT CAT FOOD. HOLY FUCK THOUGH, WOULDN’T ALL THAT GROSS INKY STUFF GET ALL OVER IT?

0156: i dont know, 68 knows more 'bout th'prisoners than i do! but im guessin' so. blegh.

0099: WHAT IF HE ACTUALLY DID THOUGH.

[0099] He swiftly turns around a corner.

[0156] She pivots on her foot to keep up and continues to follow, matching his pace.

0156: i think. iiiiiii think. i would probably b'fuckin' surprised. i bet he only eats cat food. fuckin' nerd.

0099: T-THEN HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF IT WAS ON PURPOSE OR IF IT WAS AN ACCIDENT?!

0156: simple! if they apologize right away youre good. or if its obvious they jus' werent lookin' where they were goin'.

[0099] 99 gestures with 156’s own shadow’s arm for her to follow him, then breaks apart from it. The now separate oval, gap-like blob in the ground fluidly drifts away in the direction of the bakery.

#99 #156 #reply #rest in peaces u fuckign onion fairy

[0156] She follows him energetically, hopping occasionally.

0156: maybe if were lucky 248 stopped at th'bakery for tea and scones.

[0156] She snorts sarcastically almost as soon as she finishes the sentence.

0099: WAIT BUT ISN’T THAT WHAT EVERYONE DOES.

0156: nah man! most people jus' resolve it with a quick apology since its an accident like 90% of th'time.

0156: unless they did it on purpose. then y'kill them.

[0099] He shrugs carelessly.

0099: I WAS THINKING MORE LIKE WE COULD ROB IT, BUT SURE WE COULD TAKE A BREAK THERE TOO.

0156: psh we can totally rob it after i pick out some pastries. where is it?

#156 #99 #reply #i reTURN

0099: … THIS IS GOING TO BE HARDER THAN I EXPECTED.

[0099] He sighs, also taking the time to flicker away into other shadows and examine his surroundings for the escaped prisoner. Each time he returns, he reports his empty findings.

0099: WELL, I DID FIND A “CUTE” BAKERY THAT I NEVER KNEW EXISTED. THAT’S AN UPSIDE.

#156 #99 #reply #b RB I GOTTA EAT A THING

[0156] After yet another beep signaling the criminal's absence, a bakery sounds great.

0156: ooh! do y'mind if we go there for a little while? i could use a break an' i love bakeries.

0099: NICE ISN’T BROAD. ARE YOU STUPID? NICE IS PERFECTLY SIMPLE.

0099: I’VE DONE A LOT OF NICE THINGS BEFORE! ONE TIME, SOMEONE BUMPED INTO ME ON THE STREET AND I DIDN’T KILL HIM.

0156: 99 yer perception of whats nice is pretty fuckin' askew. y'dont jus' kill people fer like, bumpin' into you.

[0099] dives forward, plopping into 156’s shadow as if it were a deep puddle. His red eyes emerge momentarily, calmly blinking.

0099: OKAY, LET’S GO.

[0156] She starts marching off, humming a simple tune under her breath.

[0156] She looks around at every alley, the antennae on her head casting a green grid pattern across the ground to scan for the escaped prisoner. After 3 beeps the grid turns red alerting her that he's not around. Every set of 3 beeps that comes back negative seems to frustrate her more and more.

0099: OH. WELL, SHIT.

[0099] Thinking intently, he reaches up and scratches the top of his head.

0099: I DON’T KNOW, THEN. I FORGOT THAT GUY COULD PROBABLY CONTROL MY ACTIONS, WHICH IS SERIOUSLY A REALLY FUCKING UNSETTLING THOUGHT? WHAT A FUCKING WEIRDASS.

[0099] 99 sighs and lowers his arm. He mumbles with half-lidded, defeated eyes.

0099: I GUESS I WON’T REALLY BE THAT MUCH OF A HELP. EVER SINCE THAT STUPID SATANIST PACIFIED ME MY ABILITIES HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY RESTRAINED.

0099: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I COULD DO?

[0156] She flashes him a quirky smile, but her posture remains stiff and tensed up.

0156: yeah, y'can help me look for him! thanks for the help dude, i 'ppreciate it.

0099: SO, EVERYONE’S FUCKING TELLING ME I SHOULD BE “NICER”

0099: I’M PLENTY NICE. RIGHT?

0156: nice is such a. . .broad term.

[0099] 99 rolls his eyes and rises from the stop sign’s shadow, taking his own form. He dusts off his coattails and bandages for no apparent reason; it not like he could ever get dirty either way.

0099: YEAH? WHAT PRISONER? WAS IT THAT ONE INKY FUCKER? I CAN HELP. PROBABLY.

0156: yup! th'inky fucker! he can control shadows though so i dunno if youll b'safe.

#99 #156 #reply

[0099] Times like these were when 99, admittedly yet not surprisingly, took a second or two to race through a few regretful thoughts. Oh god it’s this girl. Why did I even raise my voice? This is the kind of annoying person you’d actually hide from to avoid a conversation that would only end up time-consuming and tedious. Then, when they spot you and call out your name, the Jaws theme plays ominously. Fuuuuck.

[0099] Nevertheless, 99 forced himself to keep his mouth shut. 71 has been pestering him recently about good manners, and he’s already fucked up in the first three sentences with a pretty indecent conversation starter.

0099: NOTHING MUCH. I WAS JUST RELAXING AND MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, TRYING NOT TO SET THINGS ON FIRE, THE LIKES.

[0156] She takes a big inhale and lets out an impressively confident,

0156: laaame! except for the settin' things on fire thing thats pretty cool. im huntin' down one of th'prisoners that escaped! but the bastard is damn elusive. ive been lookin' all mornin'.