Southbound on Interstate 5, Monday, September 8th, 2008  11:00 AM
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Days of chaos passed in a blur, with events that may be lost to history. All that can be said for sure is that Alex and Jiro are now flying down the highway in an old Winnebago eager to leave Emerald City behind.

After passing Portland, Jiro relaxes slightly from the pace he had been setting. He feels a rumble and realizes there has been no food eaten since late the previous afternoon. Driving on an empty stomach seemed less appealing then it did 200 miles ago.

Alex feels a similar rumble in the passenger seat.

Jiro settles back in the seat, pulling into the slow lane and letting the old 'Bago drop back to 50 miles per hour. "Well," he began, "It would appear, for now at least, that we have made a clean break, Alex-san." He paused for a moment, sparing a thought for Sarah and hoping she was safely back in her home now. As traffic began to pass him, he glanced at his companions. "Speaking for myself, I feel this would be a good moment to take a break for lunch, stock the 'bago, and plan our route properly."

Glancing ahead, he saw an exit marked for Salem. At least this Salem isn't likely to go in for witch-burning. "Shall we?"
This message was last updated by the player at 21:51, Wed 10 Apr 2013.

Alex looked up from the ratty paperback she'd picked up at the thrift store. "Yeah, I figure three hundred klicks should be good enough for the moment. That mind fracker who jumped us yesterday was such a pain in the neck. I'm still not really clear on everything that happened since Thursday. At least we got away in the end."

Signaling, Jiro started the 'Bago pulling off, into the exit ramp and headed towards Salem. The aquatransexual was quiet as he drove, partially introspective, mostly just not wanting to disturb Alex. His friends had gone through a great deal in the past days, if his slightly spotty memories of events were to be trusted, and they deserved as much peace and quiet as they could get.

As he went, he looked to passing road signs, thoughts of their immediate needs mixing with more long-term concerns. I think we've lost Dragoneye's goons, at least enough to bet the safety of myself and Alex - we are rather hard to kill - but what of others? Much as I want to continue my own quest and seek some possible cures, is it fair for me to turn up at the doorstep of one of my friends when I might still have unfriendly company following? His thoughts paused for a moment as he took another turnoff, the accompanying signage indicating restaurants as well as gas stations and a supermarket. Who would I go to now, anyway? My best lead is probably the Partans, but they're in Indiana... and I've never really met them, just chatted online. Rodriguez is closer, just in San Fran, but that's dangerous - he's close enough to Dragoneye to perhaps be in reach, and he has a family... And laying all that aside, our money supply is not limitless; how far can we even travel?

A sigh escaped him as he pulled into the parking lot of a shopping mall; signs promising department stores, groceries, a camping-supply chain store, and sundry others. First things first. Let us prepare ourselves and our 'Bago for the road ahead.

The local mall is a pretty standard American mall. At the moment you each have little more then your most prized possessions, the cloths on your back, and an extra outfit that is much worse for wear. With your limited funds, what do you do?

Okay, we need food, fresh clothes, probably some camping gear in case we need to abandon the 'bago, and a few sundries as well. Time to shop. Jiro walked into the mall just ahead of Alex, his stance and bearing deceptively relaxed. On the one hand, two-hundred odd miles of distance ought to be enough to keep the two of them out of casual tracking, even for a mage as powerful as Dragoneye, assuming he didn't have a clean blood sample of either. On the other, if he did all bets were off.

As the companions reached a mall directory, he spoke, still looking casual and giving the map a once-over. "I think it's fair to say we have a ways to go, and more than a few supplies needed. And a fair bit of daylight left. Should we make this a quick stop?" He smiled as he noticed a particular department store. A Rosen Queen. A stroke of luck, that - they'll probably have everything but the food.  I have a fair guess of Alex's size for spare clothes, if she does not mind my stylings. "If you would like to split up, I can get most of the camping goods and such; then perhaps you could get the food, and we meet at the food court?"

Another glance, still playing casual. Kamis, I hope we can get away clean. And either way, I now have a score to settle with a second higly-powerful sorcerer. Why can it never go smooth?

"Sounds like a plan." Alex said. "Onwards towards our glorious victory!"

"Indeed!" The two parted, and Jiro made his way through the crowded mall. As he walked, he watched the crowd around him as he went, absently observing the masses and deliberately keeping a hold on his paranoia. We made it this far. Assassins won't crop up in the next fifteen minutes. We have time.

His own camping gear - pup tent, a long-serving, well worn sleeping bag, and a small assortment of cooking gear - was in the 'bago. Alex would need some gear - the old 'bago had mattresses but no sheets, in the short term, and they might end up having to abandon it in the long. A brief bit of mental math, and he walked right past the camping-goods store; the likely better quality outweighed by the need for cheap he could get out of the department store.

He ducked into the Rosen Queen, returned the cheery wave of the nearest clerk - a young lady with her hair dyed a bright blue - and passed the little rack of Penguin stuffies. Every one of these stores uses more or less the same layout... Grabbing a basket, he started off. Noting minimal eyes on him, he quickly ducked through the women's wear to grab more sports bras - his own size long memorized; the next up for the taller and... better padded... Alex. They'd worn his own, borrowed, but, well, he saw no need to make his friends suffer the same fit issues he had to deal with thanks to his curse. And it's better in a lot of other ways for us not to be sharing underthings.

Mens wear yielded boxers; he'd found them comfortable enough in both forms and he'd never really felt the need to find girl-underwear that fit his female form; costing him the cheat of memory. More, he was not in the mood to guess at a proper size of panties for Alex, thank you very much. Atop those went sweatpants, tee shirts, and a hoodie each. As he departed the clothing sections to seek out camping gear, a more formal shirt caught his eye; similar to the style of his old school uniform, and for a quick moment he felt a stab of happy memory.

"One day, Jiro-kun, we will have to do something about your sense of style, ne?" said his memory of Omiko; from a meeting during school break a year before the fateful training journey. She'd been lamenting his using the uniform as a casual outfit; and his claim that he had nothing else fit for being seen with her that was not too formal. Kamis, I miss her. But... It cannot be helped. I am who I am; she is who she is; and her father is who he is. Focus, Koji. You have many things to deal with before you would be fit to see her again.

Shaking his head to clear it, he browsed the sporting goods section; threw some cheap-but-good cookware and plates into it. A light, green sleeping bag and a cheap air mattress completed the selection. He moved on, quickly grabbing a half-dozen other small, useful items, and made his way back to the till; heaping basket in one hand and bulk pack of TP under the other arm.

The bluenette at the till barely even raised an eyebrow at the mix of clothing, seeming to accept his bland 'my sister would rather watch a movie than shop for herself' without question. There was something slightly... off about her, but he couldn't narrow it down; wrote it off as a quirk of his underlying paranoia. Purchases bagged (with the bras at the bottom of one bag) he headed for the food court; hoping Alex had had as much luck.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:51, Tue 23 Apr 2013.

Alex parted with a smile and started stalking the food stores like a hunter on the prowl. Between her experience as a starving CompSci student and spending far to much time on the road fighting evil, Alex was well versed in the arts of shopping smart. The local S-Mart would be her first stop.

It doesn't take her long to get a supply of essentials. Food that lasts long, and keeps you going for longer. Food that generally tastes like crap, but that's nothing a bit of hot sauce couldn't fix.

Arriving at the food court not long after Jiro, she tracks him down. "How did it go?"

Looking at the logo on the bags, she blinks, looks at Jiro then back at the bags before shrugging.

"Well enough. Supplies that should serve us as we travel, even if we need to abandon the vehicle. Shall we eat?" Glancing around the food court, he looked at the selection and tried to decide between western fare and what the locals thought was oriental. Deciding to avoid the disappointment, he went with a Subway. If nothing else, it would give him a half-sandwich for later.

Rejoining Alex, he tucked in. Between bites he said, "I have a few ideas for our next move; though I think it best if we wait until we're on the road to speak of them. I feel it best to get more travel in today."

"Yes. Food. Need. Food. I. HUNGER." Alex said with a grin. A quick trip to the chicken place had half a roasted chicken with fries on her plate. Food she was rapidly demolishing.

"Yeah, we can work out where we are going when we get into the 'bago. Save us the strange looks."

After refueling, the pair heads back to the interstate.

Once again in the passenger seat, Alex pops a cassette tape she found at the thrift store into the deck. "On the road again. Just can't wait to get on the road again." Alex sings along with the first few lines before turning to Jiro. "So you're native to the crazy rock. What is your plan? Is it cunning enough to pin a tail to it so that it might be called a weasel?"

Jiro gave a small smile at Alex's words as he started back to the interstate. "There is some small cunning to it, though perhaps not weasel-cunning." A pause as he merged into traffic, heading south for now. "It is known that I travel after rumors and known strong mages in my personal quest. What is not known, or at least not well, is that I do not go by rumor alone. So far as most are concerned I am simply a foolish martial artist; that there are a number of mages I... correspond with on a fairly regular basis is not known. Minor practitioners, perhaps, but ones with knowledge. Two of them are relatively close; one in San Francisco, the other in Indiana. One of them would likely be best to go to for some help." A smirk. "There is a reason I mentioned the mage Seven when I rejected Dragoneye's offer in his chambers; to give the impression I planned to head for Freedom City. I do, but not just yet." He frowned as the 'Bago passed a heavy truck. "Power calls to power, I do not wish to get tangled up in the power-games of superheros."

There was a moment of thoughtful silence from the martial artist. "At any rate, my plan is to lie low and investigate a few rumors." A shrug. "I have come near to the end of the rumors I have uncovered; those that seemed at least plausible.  I hope that if I do not find a solution, I will at least gain new leads. Perhaps not a great plan, but one that has some promise."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:19, Wed 24 Apr 2013.

"Makes sense to me. I guess the question is which way do we go? San Fran is a hell of a lot bigger, but I figure we're more likely to run into folks who know DE. Indiana? I doubt we'll have trouble with Kung Fu but it might be harder to blend in if there IS anyone after us."

Alex leaned back and let the chorus of the song carry her off while she considered things. "Can't really tell which one would be the better option. Kinda leaning towards Indiana 'cause it will probably be quieter but I guess I'm easy."

"Indiana it is." It will be interesting to meet Angela Partans in person; she seems an interesting woman. Jiro ran some mental calculations; working out his route. He came to a conclusion, nodded decisively. "We have a few days of road ahead of us; and then, I hope, a chance of some rest."

A pause. "At some point I will have to borrow your laptop; and let them know we are coming. The short notice should not be a surprise; I have a standing invitation... but it seems polite to give a warning."

"We'll have to hit a hotspot first. I didn't sign up for one of those bloody expensive usb internet sticks. To traceable if we are going to be on the lam anyway."

Alex leaned back and contemplated the road ahead of the Winnebago. "It's a hell of a long drive though, and I'm kinda lacking in a license or any form of paperwork. I figure we should plan on stopping once you start to get tired. No sense pushing to hard after all."

Jiro shrugged as he shifted position, settling into the 'Bago's seat. "I suppose my idea of relatively close is somewhat skewed, yes. I have traveled much." A pause. "I should have several hours of driving left in me today; and no desire to waste time."

He glanced at her, a small smile on his face, "And before you ask, Alex-san I do know my limits for driving time. I will stop while I am still safe to drive." That is a mistake this one only has to make once...

Mentally reviewing his route, he drove. I think I can make another seven, eight hours today before I'll be tired enough to have to stop. Have to play it by ear, but that should be a reasonable start. "In any event, I shall get this show on the road, as it were."

The hours and miles pass the old Winnebago. It has some troubles with the mountains, but Jiro manages to keep it on the road. It's some time after two in the morning when the lights of Billings, Montana come into view. Finally surrendering to the inevitable, the decision is made to stop for the night. It's not like you are working on a time limit to reach your destination after all.

The question remains truck stop, motel, or just parking on the side of the road.

Jiro knew his limits well; which did not always cause them to be less annoying, but was still helpful. He knew he was dragging even before Alex made pointed suggestions about it. He refrained from grumbling as he pulled into the truck stop at the edge of the Montana city; even just driving, it had been a long enough day that he felt the need for a shower before he hit the sack.

Pulling into the parking area, he found a spot for the 'Bago at the edge of the lot, next to a supermarket's truck. He patted the 'Bago's dash with a quiet "Arigato," then threw a towel and change of clothes in a bag. "Shall we?" he asked Alex, nodding towards the central building of the truck stop.

The truck stop is completely quiet. Walking into the main store/diner area you find it mostly deserted. The only person present is a very old man asleep in a chair behind the counter. He is snoring softly and has a shotgun cradled in his arms.

Alex yawned and followed Jiro. She didn't need to drive, but had stayed awake to help keep Jiro from nodding off. Long hours on the road at brutal like that.

Inside the diner, she looks unsettled by the armed man. "Is this normal for the States?" she whispered.

Glancing around, Jiro considered his reply. Shotgun. Not, perhaps, the best of signs. Softly, he replied to Alex, "So far as I know, not really. Not for a place on the interstate." He gave Alex a 'gimmie some room' gesture and advanced, stopping at the counter, off-center to the old man's line-of-sight, then rapped his knuckles on the countertop for attention. "Good evening, sir," he said, bearing relaxed but ready to duck... just in case.

The man's head jerks up with a shout. "WUH-HUH?"

He blinks rapidly for a few moments and scans the room. "What? Where did they go? What are YOU doing here?"

When you don't answer instantly his eyes narrow and he pulls the gun up closer to a ready position. "Well? What are you waiting for Sonny?"