Moonlit Hare: Update 1
Added 2021-11-19 02:28:02 +0000 UTC> Visit the diner
(Date & Time: July 1st, Monday, 13:00)
Byron drove into town, keeping himself mostly to the main road. He passed a number of stores. Mostly family run businesses, small curiosities, and the odd tea room. There were more of them in business than Byron expected. He expected the smaller stores to have been given the boot by bigger brands. Supermarkets, media chains, and the like. But nope, there were still your friendly butchers hawking cuts of meat so fresh they could still bleat and moo. And there were still individual video game shops, with rows of old and new releases crammed into a long, small building unit.
Byron noted the following stores:
BitBusters (Video Game Store)
Sala Mi's Fine Meats (Butchers)
The August Quill (Second Hand Bookstore)
It was a little past one o'clock and Byron had driven through the night. He felt a dual thirst for caffeine, and to be anywhere except the interior of a car. He spotted a greasy spoon on the next corner and parked himself at the nearest meter. He got out of his car and prepared to pay for his parking when a voice called out to him.
"You're just throwing your money away there buddy, no need to pay for parking in Blackenridge," said a short white weasel with the tri-coloured fur of Neapolitan ice-cream. White for his main body and face; brown paws and on one half of his tail; and splodges of pink at the ends of his tail and hair.
Byron adjusted his heavy coat. "Do you just... not pay for parking in this town?"
The weasel laughed. "Nah. At least not as long as I've been alive and driving about, which is y'know, twenty one years and four years respectively. Passed my driving test first time, then again, the instructors in this place are pretty lax."
Byron arched a brow. "You're not really making yourself sound all that good behind the wheel. Sorry, I'm in a hurry."
The weasel was about to say something else when Byron turned and walked inside the greasy spoon. It was named 'Esmeralda's' and had the distinct scent of cinnamon about the place. He saw all manner of cinnamon treats being served by the plateful to the patrons by a single waiter in a simple uniform, with a white chef's hat and an apron. Apparently he was working double as both chef and server. He delivered a plate of churros still dripping with frying oil and looked up at Byron with wide eyes, wrestling with the demand for customers and their money, and his own sanity in having to deal with another mouth to feed.
"S-sorry! I'll be right with you, just uh, sit anywhere!"
Byron was sure they were a red panda, but he had never seen one with blue fur. Did that make him a red panda? A blue red panda? He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and sat down at a booth table which still had a used teacup from its previous occupant. He saw a sign which said "place at end of table for coffee service," and followed its instruction.
A familiar voice addressed him after a short wait. "Sorry, Jayce is a bit swamped today. The regulars go crazy for cinnamon Tuesdays."
"It's Monday," Byron replied.
"We didn't get our cinnamon delivery last week so we had to postpone. Y'know. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you run out of a beloved ingredient which keeps the regulars from descending into madness. Sometimes your parents call you Pepsi, and you have to sign your government documentation with a soft drink til the end of time."
Byron rubbed his temples. "Can I get my coffee?"
Pepsi poured a cup of joe for Byron. Who drank it down, piping hot, and then slammed it on the counter like a shot glass in a bar for more. "Again."
Pepsi balked. "Dude that was scalding, are you okay?"
"You win some, you lose some. One of my wins? Drinking hot stuff doesn't bother me much," Byron considered the weasel's chattiness. With caffeine and a warmth in his belly, he had better clarity of thought. Which was to say: he felt less like a grumpy dick.
"Say, Pepsi. Mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm new in town..."
Byron's Actions:
After talking to Pepsi, does Byron:
> Visit a store?
> Visit the church?
> Stay at Esmeralda's and order food?
> Other (explain in comments).
New Players: Pepsi & Jayce!
Declare your action. Be succinct, no longer than a paragraph.
Once you declare, I'll write a response in the next update to fit in the story as best I can!
Known Locations: (After a few updates I'll stop providing this list, this is just to get you started! You can go anywhere in Blackenridge you discover in the text. So pay attention for clues!)
Esmeralda's (Diner)
BitBusters (Video Game Store)
Sala Mi's Fine Meats (Butchers)
The August Quill (Second Hand Bookstore)
The Church (A Church... duh)