General Store

A small town general store, filled with goods made by the residents of Wayside.

Kasei-La grinned as she walked in the direction of the general store. "I guess not. But hey, just don't rub being older than me in my face, when you reach the teen phase, alright?" She giggled, and looked at the general store's sign. "Wonder what they have in there..."

Wesa pressed her face against the glass, peering through the moisture clouded window. "Well, I'd say that it is most certainly full of goods of the general variety."

"I knew that, you goof." She shook her head, and walked inside. "...Is there anyone who actually OWNS this store? I mean, did Hal just take cigarettes off the shelf and leave, or something?" She was utterly confused, seeing no one at the register despite the doors being unlocked.

"Oh, well, sometimes. Taban usually." Wesa looked around, hands on her hips. "Taaaaaaaaaaaabaaaaaaaaaaan? . . . . Where are you anyway?"

Kasei-La thought to herself, and tried calling Taban's name as well. "TABAAAAAN! Wesa is wondering where you aaaaaare! I'm her frieeeeend! Come out, come out, wherever you aaaaarrrrre!"

Wesa paused, looking around. "Man, this is so much easier when I can mindlink him. Stupid town."

"...Hal has a device that increases the power of the mind a lot... Maybe that would work? I dunno, though. Just a thought."

"Naw. It's a body thing. When we have bodies, it's much harder to do."

"Dang... Well, we COULD set up a scene where you seem to be in danger, so he could come leaping in. That's the way it seems to work in my universe. I get myself in trouble, and Hal appears right away, or some lady is falling off a bridge, and a guy with a jetpack swoops in and saves her..."

Wesa gives Kasei-La a strange look. "No. . . that generally doesn't work. He'd come if I was in pain though. But I don't think that's necessary at the moment. He's just wandering around."

"Dang, and I was hoping to meet him. Oh well." She sighed, and looked through a magazine, before setting it down. "So... How many people actually live in this town, exactly? I mean, it can't be that many... Right? And there's a port... So maybe there's a whole foggy world out there!"

"There are a lot of us. Sometimes we wander in and out. . . Or disappear without any warning. I know there are farms. . . but I don't know what lays beyond the waters."

"Oh, cool..." Kasei-La looked out the window of the general store, into the fog. "...Is there any native life here? Anything scary? I mean, so far, this place actually seems pretty nice... But I've learnt not to trust nice places. Nice people, maybe, but not nice places."

"The only life here is the life that wanders in. Sometimes animals do. . . but usually they don't. Plants grow well though. I hope you're not too fond of eating meat." Wesa made a face, as she had never quite gotten over the idea of eating something that had been able to think. But then again. . . Taban was a plant. . . well, a spirit of a plant, so that was different.

"Eeehhhh. Venusians are actually carnivores... Rather, insectivores. The plants scream in horrible agony when we eat them. Even when they're being digested. It's very disturbing. The animals don't mind though."

Elena headed down the street in the direction she saw the girls going earlier. A little ways down the street, she saw a building that looked like a store and, peering into the window, she could see Kasei and Wesa. There was no mistaking those two. She stepped inside. "Having fun, you two?" She asked with a smile.

Kasei-La nodded, shrugging. "Just discussing dietary habits, and how Venusian plants scream when you try to eat them."

Elena blinked. "Do...do what?"

"You know, scream?" She demonstrated. "Usually you do it when you're scared or are in a lot of pain? Yeah, Venusian plants do it. Some of them even beg us not to eat them. Animals don't, though. We eat bugs, so it really doesn't matter."

Elena shook her head. "I know what sreaming is...I've just...I've never heard of plants screaming be--..." She caught the last of what Kasei said. "....Did you say you eat bugs?"

Kasei-La noddes slowly "Yes, Venusians eat insects. Earth insects are pretty good, especially cockroaches. Our bugs tend to be the size of Earth chihuahas, though." She grinned.

Elena shakes her head. "this day just gets wierder and wierder..."

"So, why'd you come over, Elena? I mean, you've obviously got adult company over at the inn."

"Hal sent me over here to bring you two back to the inn. He reckons it's getting a little too late for you two to be out."