It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood, won't you be my multiversal friend?

[basic_powers]

Parents were off taking Toby out for dinner, and Cecil was covering the excuse for him. He had a spare of the knock-out capsules, body armor, and some opened cans of tuna out for his guest, just so she wouldn't attack food in the grocery store.

It was a late Saturday afternoon and just beginning to ease into the evening hours outside, the inside of the home was neatly furnished and well kept, not a mote of dust anywhere. And given that this was only a fascade house for coverstories that was some accomplishment of cleaning in itself for a living room that size.

Which is what the linen closet door opens up into.

Welcome to Earth.

Comments

[basic_powers]

"Oh so THAT'S how the crab learned how to attack people and cards..."

[nepetaleijon]

Now she's definitely giggling. "No, he does that on his own! It just shows how purrfectly suited they are."

[basic_powers]

"Pfft. Well, hey when we get back, have I introduced you to Winston yet?"

[nepetaleijon]

She shakes her head. "Who's Winston?"

[basic_powers]

"What's Winston, he's a mini-cyber raptor that I got for a holiday gift a couple of years ago. I better introduce you two later.." Tyler makes a little face. "He's a little agressive with new people and he likes hunting the demon bunnies big time."

[nepetaleijon]

"Oh, me too! I'm collecting their furs to make a pile to sl33p on."

Nepeta apparently thinks this is a perfectly normal way to get bedding.

[basic_powers]

...Yeah, Tyler's going to see about either getting her a Hello Kitty pillow set, or a bunch of green pillows or just making those.

"Well, he likes hunting them to eat em, so I think he'd be okay with you getting the skins from them." Tyler replies as they clear the half-way marker for the walk to the store.

[nepetaleijon]

"Maybe we could hunt together? It's always more fun with a purrtner!"

A beat. She glances down, as though momentarily reminded of something unhappy.

[basic_powers]

"I think he'd really like that..." Tyler grins, not even looking up when something casts a quick shadow from overhead. It's not his family, they'd shout before flying over.

If Nepeta looks up....well. There's a human in a white body suit with gold trim and cape flying overhead and away from them.

[nepetaleijon]

...


Yeah, she saw it.

[basic_powers]

Tyler actually gets about two steps from her before he notices that she's kind of stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"..Nepeta?"

[nepetaleijon]

Small and awed: "What WAS that?"

[basic_powers]

Tyler glances up, in time to see someone else in a cape making by far greater speed zip past overhead in a blur.

"Oh. that."

...It really was too much to hope that the subject of superheroes wouldn't come up.

"Those're superheroes."

[nepetaleijon]

Beat.

"Heroes of what?"

Maybe this is what god-tier humans look like?

[basic_powers]

"Superheroes, champions of good with powers beyond what the average human might have?"

[nepetaleijon]

"Oh. Can they all fly?"

She's shading her eyes with one hand, looking up into the weird blue of Earth's sky.

[basic_powers]

"Not all of them, come on." They've got a store to visit after all.

"Some of them are strong enough to juggle battleships, others can create energy blasts, some have super speed...there's all kinds of superpowers." Tyler explains as they walk. "Wonderburg just happens to be the site of no less than six regional superhero headquarters."

[nepetaleijon]

"Wow."

So. Weird.

Nepeta trots after him willingly enough, still looking around.

[basic_powers]

Good news is that the K-Square store is now in sight at the end of the block, with it's neon-red sign.

Tyler's even jogging now to hurry inside, with a quick check to the fire escapes and rooftops.

"Okay, the general rule is that unless they offer you a sample, breaking the packaging means you've got to buy the food inside."

[nepetaleijon]

She nods. "Are you purrmitted to open the packaging without breaking it?"

[basic_powers]

"No, they used to, but some bozos ruined that by sneaking some stuff into the candy packaging." Short version, because of some bucket-thumpers who liked seeing people get sick from various forms of poisoning...

"I've got $50 that I can spend getting stuff to try out today."

[nepetaleijon]

"Is that a lot?" she asks as they approach the store entrance.

[basic_powers]

"...kinda?" It's more money that most kids his age are used to handling. "It'll buy a lot of ice cream cups. We'll go to the ice cream after we see what samples are out."

It is sample day after all. The door open automatically as they approach, and the inside is nicely air conditioned. There's a few older humans, past puberty behind little tables with trays of food on tiny wooden skewers, which are being offered out to shoppers.

And Nepeta might like the first one, it's smoked and spiced meats inside of entrails!

[nepetaleijon]

Nepeta's eyes go enormous. OM NOM ENTRAILS.

Her first swipe snags five of the little skewers, and she would probably be grabbing more if she weren't busy stuffing all five of the sausage bites into her mouth.

[basic_powers]

"Hey, one per customer!" The guy behind the table exclaims.

...And Tyler's just going to facepalm and wish rather hard that he'd thought of browsing by himself. And then presented them at Milliways.

He's going to try and tug her away towards the next table which has three kinds of crackers and dips.