taxonomites | 015: ... As a Bird on a Big TV [Accidental Visual / Location: Wolfram and Hart]

As Spike had shown her a few days ago, Angel's office - as quiet and neglected as it was in Taxon - had a telly. The forest didn't. Oh, the forest was beautiful, yes, but it didn't have a telly.

Miss Edith had been missing the telly.

Drusilla sat on the floor of the office with her legs crossed and her doll in her lap, watching the screen with unblinking eyes. At first, it hadn't seemed as if there was much on. There never was, in Taxon. But then she'd found something wonderful. Not just because of the pretty colours, although they were terribly pretty, but because the strange, discordant voices that floated from the screen spoke to her. Really spoke to her.

They were quite mad, those little monsters. If only they'd been able to hear her replies!

As a new episode began, Drusilla - who had already watched half a dozen, drinking the odd images in like warm milk - hummed along to the theme tune. (So did Miss Edith, even if the tablet - watching Drusilla watching Floop - couldn't pick up her tiny - tiny, but sweet as sugar - little voice.)

OOC: Again, backdated to a few days before the end of Glitch's glitch. This is all Keri's fault and I've finished spamming the community now, I swear.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It should be on the map. The Flooporium! It's all sorts of fun."

A real customer? This was so exciting. She could get money!

Like a magpie focusing on a particularly shiny - and, best of all, wholly unexpected - object, Drusilla nodded. Gracefully, she rose to her feet and tucked Miss Edith into the crook of her arm.

They were going shopping.

"We'll find it."

"That's great." Anya made a thumbs up at her. "This is a sign of my positive feelings towards your coming here. Ask for Anya." It wouldn't be hard to find her since she was pretty much the only employee, but she could act like she was the sort of person people needed to ask about. It was something called positive thinking, apparently.

Drusilla gave Anya a final smile, then turned off the feed and made her way out the building. Within the hour, she'd reached the Flooporium.

"Anya?" she called out in a singsong voice, her dress rustling as she adjusted Miss Edith's position.

"Yes! Hello!" Anya rushed out to the front of the store to greet her. "Yes, you! I have toys for you!"

"Nice toys?" she asked, because she didn't want the other sort. Spoiling her collection. Spoiling her fun and games. Drusilla wanted the monsters from Floops's dream to be made solid.

Anya shrugs. She doesn't much like them, but she's never seen the show. She points over at the action figure shelf. "Yes, very nice. I'm sure you can find some you like."

Without further comment, Drusilla drifted across the shop towards the shelf. She scanned the figures with a discerning eye, before, looking thoughtful, picking her way through them. The majority were tossed idly aside after being examined, but she settled on a Floop action figure that caught her fancy and a pair of colourful Fooglies that seemed just right.

"Do they have a castle?"

They needed a castle.

"Oh!" Anya rushes to the back of the store and takes down a big box. "You have to assemble it, but it's guaranteed to be accurate to the show! To scale, of course."

"It's beautiful."

It was all boxed up, but she could already tell. A castle for all her lovely toys. Miss Edith could be their queen and she could watch, wise and benevolent, from above.

And now it was time for the confusing part. She had lots of pretty dresses, but she'd never had to pay for things. They'd usually eaten up the shop keepers.

Anya handed it to her and went over to the cash register. She rang up the toys she had seen Drusilla pick up, then looked over at her.

"If you'll put your hand on the scanning thing, it should transfer the credits."

Drusilla didn't have a job in Taxon, but she didn't spend a great deal. No rent - the forest was as good as any roof - and, until now, no frivolities. Blood wasn't as expensive as she'd have expected, but that was only because it wasn't real and warm from the vein.

The vampire wasn't fond of science, but it would be worth it to get her new toys. Wrinkling her nose, she raised her hand and waved it vaguely at the scanner.

Anya watches as the numbers go up, then nods and smiles up at Drusilla. "Okay, you gave me money. Take your purchases and go away, now."

"Watch that tongue of yours," Drusilla warned with a wag of her finger, gathering up her purchases without taking her eyes off Anya. "You'll chase all your customers away. You might even make them cross."

Anya frowned. "Wait, I don't want to chase away customers. I want their money. I just don't want to talk to them after the fact."

"Someone might bite it off," she added in singsong excitement, spinning in a circle with the flooglies in her arms. "We're going to have a tea party."

"Bit what off?" Anya says, worriedly. "Tea party? Does that have to do with the biting?"

At that - the silvery sweet music of her confusion - Drusilla merely laughed. The mirth spilled out like water from a fountain, bubbling up in her throat and pouring out of her throat and, like a fountain, she tilted her head back for a moment to set it free.

Then, without explaining her amusement, the vampire turned and weaved her way out of the shop.

"It's a surprise."

It was more fun that way.

015: ... As a Bird on a Big TV [Accidental Visual / Location: Wolfram and Hart]

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[Location: the Flooporium]

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[Location: the Flooporium]

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[Location: the Flooporium]