The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

Now, Natalie was used to odd things happening around the island (even if the way the sky was looking at the current moment was not one of them). She was used to minor weirdness at the Perk, too, since the first time she'd walked in she'd had to have a long, long talk with an unnecessarily defensive barrista about how she was definitely not Kate and

Comments

[not_the_irs]

Three Auditors came into the shop murmuring softly to each other about the complete lack of symmetry shown in the cracks in the sidewalk.

Pah. Humanity. Who needed it?

"Is every shop in this town focused solely upon the ingestion of nutrients?" Mr. Gamboge complained while his female-shaped companions nodded.

[whenshewasnice]

Oh. Right, of course Natalie wouldn't be the only one to wander in, since the doors were open. And she realized she probably shouldn't have been behind the counter.

But she wasn't about to do anything as stupid as hiding, when she had a legitimate reason to snoop around, so she cleared her throat to attract the newcomers' attention.

"Excuse me, I think we're -- this place is closed."

[not_the_irs]

"But the doors were open," Ms. Orange (The Fruit) replied. Now that she'd figured out how doorknobs worked, she was eager to display her skill in such matters.

[whenshewasnice]

"Yes," Natalie replied, with something resembling polite patience, because... that sort of thing just came naturally in this situation. That situation being 'faced with unfamiliar adults in a potentially incriminating situation'.

Even if they were ones that had something just ever so slightly off about them. "But no one from the staff is around."

[not_the_irs]

She got three blank stares in reply.

"...staff?" Ms. Orange (NOT the Fruit) repeated finally.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie quirked an eyebrow. "Staff," she repeated, slowly, "as in the people who work here?"

She was holding out hope they were just from another time or culture.

[not_the_irs]

"And not a stick," Ms. Orange (The Fruit) said to her companions, who nodded.

They didn't seem overly surprised that people had disappeared, or even the slightest bit concerned.

"You are not a staff."

[whenshewasnice]

"... No," Natalie agreed, after far too long a pause. "I just came for coffee." A decision she was now sort of starting to regret. She squared her shoulders, for a semblance of authority she actually had no claim to. "So, you should probably go. I'll leave a note for the staff."

[not_the_irs]

"We would observe you writing this note," Mr. Gamboge declared, coming much closer, his two companions trailing behind.

[whenshewasnice]

Suddenly, Natalie was very glad indeed she'd stayed behind the counter. And she still felt the urge to take just half a step back when they came closer.

"Uh, I don't think that's necessary."

[not_the_irs]

"We disagree," Ms. Orange (NOT the Fruit) proclaimed. "Show us this writing."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie was torn between complying and just saying screw it and fleeing. For now, the former won. "Fine." Keeping an eye on the man and the women, she scrambled a notebook out of her bag and scribbled the world's quickest little note on it.

Your doors were unlocked so I closed them.
- N. Adams

Then she shoved the note towards them across the counter, withdrawing her hand as quickly as she'd extended it. She liked keeping a distance. She was also watching them without blinking because that whole fleeing option? Had not actually gone anywhere.

[not_the_irs]

"Fascinating," one Ms. Orange said to the other, poking at the paper. "How primitive."

Manipulating the universe so that you'd already communicated was so much easier.

[whenshewasnice]

... Yeah, Natalie was just going to be backing away now, hoping they'd be too preoccupied with the note to care.

Also hoping there was a back door in this place, because otherwise she was just going to be trapping herself in the backroom.

[not_the_irs]

And the Auditors were far too busy taking the note down to its component atoms to study it more carefully to even notice as Natalie made her escape.