pipewrenchfights: (Bustin the Ghosts)
Allie Stoklasa ([personal profile] pipewrenchfights) wrote in [community profile] pglogs2015-08-25 06:59 pm

Let's Blow a Hole in This Town

WHO: Allie Stoklasa, OPEN!
WHAT: There's a new arrival in the hospital. She scrams before they can stick her with the bill even though there isn't one. Then she wanders around town in an agitated fashion. She might meet people in either place.
WHEN: August 25, 2015 - Early Evening
WHERE: Hospital -> Central City
WARNINGS: None. Will label if any crop up.


Beep.

Allie grunted, grimacing as she rolled sleepily onto her side. It was too early. If one teammate wanted to set the alarm to wake up early, guess what? Everyone else had to wake up early too. That was the worst downside to sharing a common sleeping area, in Allie's opinion.

Beep.

She sucked in a deep breath through flared nostrils, pulling her hand up to her brow. The scent of freshly brewing coffee would soon be swimming through headquarters, Kit and Monty would be bustling around the room, and Jevon...dear preeeeecious Jevon...would be moving the alarm closer and closer to her face and risking grave bodily harm in an attempt to wake the stubborn redhead.

Beep.

"M'up," she groused, cracking one eye open.

But there was no Jevon. No peeling painted walls. No water-stained fiberglass ceiling tiles. Allie blinked hard, once, before jerking herself upright. A hospital?! When did that happen? She flung off the blankets, dragging her legs over the side of the bed. She was astonished to see her bare calves beneath the long hem of a white gown, and her head whipped up to frantically search the room for her clothes.

To be honest, she didn't expect them to be there, but the chair situated near her bedside held her clothes neatly folded, the old brown leather jacket hanging on the back. She rubbed at her arms briskly, for the room grew a lot chillier without a blanket, and all but launched herself toward the chair. She shot a quick glance at the door, just to make sure there weren't any doctors or nurses coming to check on her, before she quickly peeled off the thin gown and flung it away.

She dressed quickly, tugging her jeans up to her hips with a quick shimmy before zipping them up. Then she yanked the olive green tank top over her head and jammed the flannel overshirt under her arm along with the jacket. She unrolled her socks and pulled them on, then mashed her feet into her worn sneakers without bothering to untie them. Finally she stuffed the long green hair scarf into her back pocket, the tails brushing to the back of her knees.

The screen behind her had come to life, featuring a man who started prattling at her as if she were a guest at some fancy resort. She glowered at him warily, but the message seemed to be recorded. He wasn't speaking to her directly. It did give her the presence of mind to pick up the tablet and bank card at least. She could sell the former, and if they were giving her free money, she couldn't turn it down.

With that, she was darting out the door as quickly as she dared. Once she was in the hallway, she slowed her pace to appear casual and nonchalant, as if she were just dropping by to visit a friend.

There was no chance they were going to stick her with an expensive hospital bill -- not on the meager salary she made.

Pushing through the entrance, Allie jogged down the steps, not stopping until both feet were firmly planted on the sidewalk. It wasn't often that she gaped at anything, but this city was worthy of a good, long gawk. It wasn't Portland. It wasn't Los Angeles. It wasn't New York. Allie hadn't visited every major city in the U.S. but she was willing to bet that this one wasn't on any map.

She looked back at the hospital, then at the streets, sucking on her bottom lip. Maybe if she hadn't been in such a rush to dodge a pricy fee, she might have actually learned more about this place. But instinct told her that she'd been right to get out of the hospital before any authorities chanced upon her. She could learn a lot more just by observation and exploration.

Her steps were slow as she struggled to school her expression into one of numb indifference, even though she wanted nothing more than to rubberneck at every strange sight she passed. The sky was rosy and purple, temperatures softening with the setting of the sun. She pulled on her flannel as she walked, then the jacket. Allie used the scarf to tie back her matted mane of crimson curls, then changed her pace from languid to brisk.

A woman was walking her way, so Allie veered in her direction, making eye contact as she spoke up. "'Scuse me, there a payphone around here?"

"No."

And the woman kept walking, leaving a perplexed woman in her wake. What kind of weird, emotionless response was that? She'd barely even glanced at Allie. So she tried again, angling for an older man. The response was the same. 'No.' A third try yielded the same results, and the frustration boiling in her gut was mounting.

She swerved into a convenience store, regarding the man standing stiffly at the counter. "Hey, can I use your phone?"

"No phone."

No phone? Allie furrowed her brow. "You mean you don't have a phone, or you aren't gonna let me use it?"

"No phone."

She steeled her jaw. There was something really weird about this place, and its people. And for the life of her, she couldn't remember how she got here to begin with.

Resisting the urge to tip over the magazine stand, just to see if she could provoke some sort of emotional response, she shoved her way outside again. She was seething. Her fists were tightly clenched as she fought the instinct to turn unease into anger. She shouldered past one person, who gave no response, and another.
true_noir: (I prefer smirking smugly to smiling hone)

[personal profile] true_noir 2015-09-14 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
She smirked at her and winked. "Feel free. Just look for Chloe. I should be the only one on there so far. Try not to get yourself into too much trouble in the meantime." A little wave and she started to walk along, casting a last look over her shoulder before disappearing down the nearest alleyway.