[center][img] https://i.imgur.com/AZwlIhv.jpg[/img][/center][hr][color=coral]"Huuuh? Of course I said moseying. That's like, a common enough term people use you know,"[/color] Pepper said. She cast a look at Lucas with a shrug, as if not believing this newcomer didn't know simple diction. But despite her body language, her smirk remained the same. She continued to listened to the new boy's explanation and what could be surmised as a story before raising an eye at the low-key accusation. [color=coral]"Eh, you look a little scrawny to mug. Wouldn't really have anything too valuable to pawn off."[/color] She waited a second or two to observe his face before her smirk somehow creeked wider.

Jeremy drew upon all of his willpower not to remind her that it was not in fact the 40's anymore, and that the majority of people who used mosey commonly only did so because they had long since lost the ability to hear, leaving them with no way to actually know that no one actually said it anymore. Instead, he stubbornly tried to keep his face straight and let her continue.

[color=coral]"Relax newbie, I'm just messing with you. Especially since you sound like some kind of a badass if you're thinking you can take on two strangers. You heavy lift or something? Or do you just make a habit of sounding dangerous-"[/color] Pepper paused when the boy suddenly yelled something out in a random direction. When she followed his sight, she spotted a girl who looked like she had her head in the clouds but she she wasn't too far away. [color=coral]"-and apparently loud too. That's some kind of weird cough you got there. Who's she, your girlfriend?"[/color] Another smirk, though at this point it was probably a joking one like all the rest. [color=coral]"Name's Pepper Rockwell, newbie. If you're gonna yell in strange directions in this town, you gotta introduce yourself first you know,"[/color] she said with a hand extended to him.

[color=2ECC71]"I... Badass is a bit strong, I'm kind of just your average guy." He said, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly. "I got in a few fights back home, but it's not like I worked out or anything. I just kind of got less than awful at it, you know? And as for... well, [i]that[/i]..."[/color]

He gently tilted his head in the direction of the woman he just shouted at.

[color=2ECC71]"It's... I don't actually [i]know[/i] her or anything, but when you shout blatant mistruths, you've gotta be prepared for someone to call you out. If I didn't say anything, I probably would've had some kind of allergic reaction...[/color]

He kind of trailed off towards the end there, before shaking the weeb out of his head, or at least doing his very best to, and shook the hand Pepper had offered.

[color=2ECC71]"Anyway, good to meetcha Pepper."[/color] He said, hoping that this would be the first step to people not treating him like a criminal anyore. [color=2ECC71]It's nice to see that there are normal people here as well, and I didn't just accidentally move into the country-side equivalent of [i]Innsmouth."[/i][/color]

Alex continued his approach towards the two when he noticed the complete stranger that they were calling out to. In all honesty Alex was nearly a complete stranger to these two as well based on his memory. He listened to the conversation as he walked near. The sudden outcry of favoring ships was very offputting but Alex understood the desire to say something. What he didn't understand was actually doing it. [color=cyan]"Dude, if you're not carful then the Otaku's are gonna come outta the woodworks to getcha for insulting their ships. I have no say in that specific battle though so bring on the fight."[/color]

He looked back at the other two realizng that he actually knew Pepper if only a little bit. She worked at the cinema if he remembered correctly. Still couldn't exactly place the other guy, and whoever that girl was that the guy yelled at was, Alex had no clue. [color=cyan]"And don't worry, there won't be any supernatural happenings in EC. Not unless you go to the cinema. There's a demonic hound there that assaults you if you badmouth the place. You can call me Alex. And if you're wondering why I just forced my way into your conversation, I'm doing a documentary of the ups and downs of Emerald City for class. Anyone have anything they wanna mention about this place?"[/color]

[color=coral]"Mistruths? Buddy, you're a real weird fellow, you know that?"[/color] Pepper shook her head but accepted the handshake anyway. [color=coral]"But this whole town's weird when you think about it so you're bound to fit right in. But, uh, you know, you really should remember to say your name too. That's kind of how you meet people with first impressions?"[/color] Her smirk turned sly and she cocked her head a little. [color=coral]"Or maybe you just like me calling you buddy, Buddy."[/color]

In any case, someone new had decided to join their little gathering group. If Pepper had noticed the third boy prowling around, she hadn't mentioned so. But she did recognize him and so turned in his direction when he approached. [color=coral]"Yo, you're Alex...something, right? Long time no see I guess,"[/color] she said. However, the smirk she was holding for the majority of the conversation deepened into a slight frown once the cinema was mentioned. [color=coral]"Heh, very funny there. But there's no use in scaring the newbie like that, is there? Besides, that's just exaggeration."[/color] Choosing to ignore that little remark, Pepper went silent and listened as Alex explained himself.

All the same, she flipped out her phone to check the time. Whoah, had time really sped up that fast? They still had a few minutes before they actually had to be anywhere but they might as well start walking off to the community center now. [color=coral]"Eeeeh? You mean the theater, Alex or just in general?"[/color] Pepper asked when she was finally paying attention to him again.

The creature which had been stalking Luke seemed to have reconsidered as more and more people arrived on the scene. Had he noticed this, he would have breathed a sigh of relief, but his own attention had been focused on the group in front of him. The young man hadn’t been silent up until this point intentionally- it was just that he was more hungry than talkative. So, he’d busied himself crunching on his granola bars while Pepper did the heavy lifting in the conversation. Was it a rude thing to do? Probably. Did he care? Probably not.

“[color=7ee3b5]Pep’, you calling someone weird is the blackest pot trying to insult the whitest kettle.[/color]”

The fact that [i]Luke[/i] was weirder still was left unsaid, it would probably be obvious to anyone that gathered there.

“[color=7ee3b5]As someone whose spent a bunch of time at the cinema though- it’s less of a hound and more of a demon. You see a flash a red and then [i][b]BAM[/b][/i], lights out.[/color]”

Then, with a look towards his old coworker that might have been a sly taunt- or perhaps begging for mercy- he added;

“[color=7ee3b5]Which is why you should buy a bunch of tickets to the place and start calling out insults, a meeting with a demon’s a hell of an event to experience you know.[/color]”

This Alex fellow also felt familiar to Luke, but he couldn’t quite place the guy. Certainly not someone he knew in any real capacity, but it was a deceptively small city. Everyone knew everyone at least a little bit if you lived here long enough.

Jeremy was a little confused when Pepper asked him to tell her his name, because he was... [i]pretty[/i] sure he already had. Then again, he didn't always have the best memory, so maybe he was just wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. Still, he didn't think he was this time, and he planned to make it known.

[color=2ECC71]"I mean, sure, if you really want to, but I'm like ninety percent sure I just introduced myself. If I didn't though, then I'm Jeremy Lindall.Nice to meetcha again, Pep. And it [i]is[/i] blatantly untrue, she's talking about a relationship between two characters whose chemistry is hollow at best, and non-existant at worst. You can't just let something like that slide, ya know?"[/color]

And then he turned to face the new addition to their rapidly expanding conversation.

[color=2ECC71]"Also, I think it's better not to call them Otaku these days, what with all the negative connotations from the Otaku Murders and all that crap. Plus it just kinda sounds weird. I think it's a lot more appropriate to call them weebs, or gremlins... Or degenerates... Or [i]trash[/i]... Like Kobaru..." [/color]

After once again reiterating that Kobaru is, in fact, an absolutely [i]trash[/i] ship, and thoroughly eviserating any hopes of pretending he wasn't a disgusting weeb in the process, he sort of just trailed off, listening to the others as Alex and the other guy tried to warn him about some demonic entity haunting the local cinema, and Pepper tried to downplay the whole thing.

[color=2ECC71]"So I talk shit about the cinema and a demon appears? That actually sounds kind of interesting..."[/color]

Unfortunately, common sense had a tendency of sticking it's head into Jeremy's life whenever his imagination let him think he'd stumbled across something fun. In this case, it was the emphasis on the word 'red', and the looks the other two were giving Pepper as they spoke.

[color=2ECC71]"Oh. Oh... I was actually really excited for a second there..."[/color] He sighed, shoulders slumping. [color=2ECC71]"I guess the 'demon' is just you, huh? Is that like your nickname or something?"[/color]

And then he sighed even harder as the guy whose name he still didn't know talked about what an event it was to actually meet a demon.

[color=2ECC71]"Man, I spent ten years being dragged into trouble by a demon. At this point, it's more of an event when I'm [i]not[/i] meeting one."[/color]

And then he felt a vibration in his pocket, and pulled out his phone, a [i]visibly[/i] ancient and battered flip phone from some point to the mid to late 2000s. He took one look at it and his brow creased.

[color=2ECC71]"Uh, are you guys going to this town meeting? Because it's gonna start soon, and I'd better get moving if I wanna make it. I stillkindalike the idea of talking more, because you guys are the first people I've met here other than my sister who haven't not-so-subtley accusedmeof kidnapping and/or murder."[/color]

One time was fine enough to slip past, especially since Alex was more an acquaintence than anyone close. Two times, and Pepper gave a very distinct glare right at Luke for invoking the supposed demon that hounded around the local theater; her thoughts were too occupied to notice the alien terms like "weeb" and "otaku" anyway. Luke only spared himself a darker stare because he more than instantly back peddled with his words, even offering the suggestion that the newbie buy some tickets to the theater. For a moment, all was well and good as far as Pepper was concerned but then the newbie, Jeremy started catching on and this time addressed the elephant in the room without beating around the bush.

[color=coral]"Huuuuuh? And what makes you think I'm this inflated demon these two bozos are talking about?"[/color] Pepper switched her stare onto Jeremy now with a bit of a twitch in her expression, her lips craning into an annoyed sneer. [color=coral]"Look, there ain't no demon in the theater, end of story. Don't listen to these two cause they hardly know anything for as long as they've lived in this town,"[/color] she said with a huff. [color=coral]"Besides, if supposedly you were to meet this demon, I can tell you they'd give you more than a black eye for ticking them off, especially on theater grounds...."[/color]

More than just a little bit peeved by now, Pepper would stew in her annoyance for the seconds of silence it took for Jeremy to whip out his phone. Mention of the town meeting was a nice change of topic as far as Pepper was concerned and she shrugged at the question. [color=coral]"Eh, I was gonna head down there Buddy. By the way, I'm calling you Buddy cause you look like a buddy more than a Jeremy. But yeah, I got nothing better to do and I know this bozo's got nothing too so yeah, might as well."[/color] Pepper nudged Luke gently in acknowledgment before letting her feet begin to take her away in the direction of the Community Center. It was better they walk and talk anyway, assuming the others followed.