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"Our town's normally very peaceful too," the clerk replied. "That's what I like about living in this part of the country. Its not like a big city, where everything happens at once. The only thing that hits us hard out here is the weather, haha." Taking the envelopes once Honor was done, she paced them in the cart behind her and smiled brightly. "Well, I hope you have a safe trip wherever you're going! And have a lovely day."
Honor chuckled at that, smiling as she handed over the envelopes, "That's very true. Thank you, I hope you have a good day too." She waved to the clerk as she finished up what she needed to do and tucked everything under her arm, finally leaving the building. The thoughts of the family still clouded her mind, but she hurried to her trusk anyway, slipping back into the driver's seat easily.
Oscar glanced at her anxiously when she arrived, trying to gauge her mood. To his relief, she seemed slightly more cheerful now.
"Hi," he said. "I, um. This is for you." He showed her a small square painting he'd done just now—a portrait of Honor itself. For all his weird artistic skill, he seemed horrible at painting people. The face was smudgy and the eyes were too big, but it was clear that he desperately wanted her to like it.
She glanced over at Oscar as she sat down, a gentle smile somehow appearing without her thinking about it as she looked at the painting he held out. Honor gently set the other books down as she studied the newest painting, or more exactly, tried to figure out why he would've painted her. "Thank you…I love it," She said softly, finally glancing up at him with the same gentle smile, "Why did you paint me though?" Even if it wasn't a perfect portrait of her, she couldn't care less, it was Oscar's work, not some fancy artists, and that made it extremely special to her.
Oscar looked embarrassed. "Well….I was going to paint something you liked, but…..I don't know what you like. So I just made it you instead." Her smile encouraged him, and he grinned back. "I'm glad you think it's okay. Painting people isn't the same as painting animals or landscapes. It's hard to give it the same look that makes the person…..who they are……if that makes sense."
"I think it's gorgeous, I've never seen anything like it," She said, glancing between him and the painting with the same soft smile, "Thank you, truly. I really like it." Honor's smile faltered as she paused, sighing before finally looking away from Oscar, "I suppose I should say this now…I'm sorry about this morning. I was just…scared I suppose. I didn't mean to ignore you." She focused fully on the painting as she spoke, not yet starting up the truck again.
"It's okay," Oscar replied quickly. "I know I scared you, and I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to, I just….got so distracted by whatever that was that I didn't think." He busied himself by carefully putting his paints away. "I wanted to tell you, though, that I would never ever hurt you. Even when I was distracted, I could still see you there and I recognized you. You're my friend, so you're different from other humans now. To me." He couldn't explain it quite the way he wanted to, but he hoped that made her feel at least a bit safer. "Actually, when I'm mad or scared of something, I'd much more likely protect you than attack you. So please don't worry, all right?"
She nodded, almost feeling more ashamed at the idea that she had even thought of him attacking her. "I'll try not to," Honor replied, picking at the steering wheel before continuing, even if she knew she could've stopped the conversation there, "I don't have the best history with being attacked by Erased Ones, so I suppose I'm just naturally worried you'll turn on me. Even if I don't think it's something you would do. I really just hope that you'll remember me enough not to hurt me if something bad happens." She glanced up at him almost hesitantly, waiting for a response as she silently started up the truck. They could talk and drive if it came to it.
"I promise I'll always remember you," Oscar told her firmly. But just to be on the safe side, he added, "If I ever do hurt you, then you can leave and we never have to see each other again. I don't want you to be stuck with me if I can't even control my own actions. I doubt that'll ever happen, but in the books I read, people always do better if they have a backup plan." He glanced at her hopefully. "Deal?"
"I'm not going to leave you, Oscar. Even if you hurt me, I made you a promise that I'll try to get you home, and if anything, I'm not leaving you until I go through with that promise," She said, nodding anyway before backing out of the parking lot and getting onto the road, "But deal." Honor glanced at him once they were back driving, mustering up a tiny smile, "Still wanna get food before we leave town?"
"Yeah." Oscar smiled back, relaxing. He turned on the radio in search of music, just in time to catch the last of a news broadcast about the hospitalized family and the Erased One that had invaded their home. Apparently, it had disappeared without a trace, although Goldenrod was still claiming the farmhouse as a danger zone and weren't allowing anyone on the property until they'd finished their investigation and cleanup. Oscar listened with a frown, then switched channels, not wanting to upset Honor again after they'd just worked everything out.
"Oscar…do Erased ones…know that they're hurting people when they attack?" She asked gently as he switched the channels, driving towards one of the few fast food places visible on the main street, "Or just in general do you think they know?" Honor's thoughts were brought back to the incident with the radio talking about it, and she still felt bad for the family. It messed with her head to know that there were things like her friend attacking humans, while she was friends with one, even going as far as to help him get home.
"I'm not sure," Oscar admitted. "When…when I first came here, I was so confused. And afraid. I didn't even really understand what a body was, never mind that it was fragile. And until I got used to them, humans were so small and dull-looking that I could hardly see them at all. I don't know if it's the same for other Erased Ones, but if I hadn't met you, I would've probably decided that humans were the enemy…..or just food. You taught me a lot, and I bet not many Erased Ones have that luxury."
She nodded, frowning, "So they attack because they think humans are going to hurt them? Or because they're hungry?" If the thought that there was such difference in Erased Ones messed with Honor's head, her following thought did much more than that. Honor knew she would likely never know what the beings were feeling, but she wished there was some way that she could help them, without being killed by the Goldenrod agency. Her thoughts were interrupted as she pulled into the drive-through of one of the fast-food places and glanced at Oscar. "You can order first."
"Oh, right." Oscar awkwardly ordered the most sugary drink on the menu and a package of diced fruit, then thought about Honor's question while he waited for her to order as well. "I think it probably depends on the Erased One. Whether they're more hungry or scared when they show up. Honestly, I wouldn't try to eat a human. At first I thought that meat would be good, but it just makes me feel sick. So maybe the ones like me, the "Level Threes", are more likely to attack. I don't know. Does that answer your question?"
Honor ordered a shake and pancakes, thankful that they had breakfast food on the menu. She nodded once she finished, replying as she drove up to the window to pay. "That helps, thank you," She said, glancing at him as she paid, "Do you have any clue if there would be an Erased One that has the power to put people in comas?" All her questions were things she wanted to know, but if she could figure out what had hurt the family, maybe she could learn more about the Erased Ones in general and possibly find ways to help them.
"A coma?" Oscar frowned. "I'm….not sure. The only other Erased One I've met was Ernie, and we didn't talk much about what we could do." He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I wish I could tell you more. Why do you ask, anyway?"
She paused for a second at his question, then finally answered once their food was handed out, "I was talking to the clerk in the post office and she mentioned a family that had been attacked by an Erased One in the area just a few days ago. They weren't killed, but they were put into a coma and no one knows if they are able to wake up. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do for them I suppose." Honor shrugged, taking a sip of her shake before pulling out of the drive-through line, turning back onto the road towards the highway.
"Oh…..the family we heard about on the radio just now." Oscar quieted, starting in on his own drink. "I wish we could help them too. Maybe then people wouldn't hate my kind so much. But I guess Goldenrod's taking care of it. They study Erased Ones, right? So they must have figured how our powers work and how to keep them from working. I bet they can help the family." He still disliked and feared Goldenrod, but to him, they seemed to be doing the right thing this time. "I wish they weren't my enemy. They could probably teach me more about what I am, and why I'm here."
"They do more than study them, from the rumors I've heard," She said quietly, though she quickly nodded and glanced at him, "They would be helpful if they weren't after your kind. I don't want to test our luck asking them anything though. I just hope they find a way to help that family…" Honor sipped at her drink as she got back on the road, going quiet as she drove.
"I hope so too." Oscar finished his drink and moved on to his container of fruit, blinking in surprise when he saw one he'd never tried before. Reading the label on the side, he saw it said 'watermelon, apple, pineapple, cantaloupe'. That last one was new to him, and he eagerly tried a bite. "Wow. Honor, this cantaloupe is so sweet! I really like it." As easily as that, all worries over Goldenrod and other Erased Ones were swept out of his head. "Have you ever eaten it? Do you like it?"
Honor couldn't help but smile at his excitement and she glanced over at him, still smiling, "I have eaten it, and I do like it. It's not my favorite fruit, but it's not bad. I'll have to remember to get you fruit the next time we stop if you like it so much." She wasn't exactly sure when that would be, but she was quickly learning more about Oscar, and she hoped getting him food he would like would help him be more comfortable on Earth.
"Fruit is good because the sweetness feel more real, and it doesn't make this body's stomach hurt as much," Oscar explained. "I still like candy and stuff better, but all the books I read said that processed foods are very bad for you. So I guess I'd better stay balanced about it." He stared alertly out the window at the town as it passed away behind them, then at the late morning sky. "Hey Honor, do you have a map somewhere in the car?"
She nodded, pointing to the glove box as she glanced away from the road for a second, "There should be a map in there…I think there is at least." Honor quickly resumed driving after pointing it out, "If there's not I can always get one at the next truck stop we pass. They should have some." She was curious as to why Oscar wanted a map, but she wasn't going to tell him he wasn't allowed to have one.
Oscar dug around in the glove box for a minute, retrieving the large state map from inside and unfolding it. "I remember Ernie mentioned the name of the town we want. Talma. I was just wondering if we could find it so we know the fastest way to get there." He examined the road signs outside, trying to figure out where they were currently, then spotted a sign saying Everett, 60 miles. Checking for that on the map, he followed the road backwards with his finger until he thought he'd found the town they'd just left. "Ernie said Talma was to the southwest of us somewhere." But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find the name anywhere.
"It's either too small to be on here, or it's not in this state," he said finally in frustration. "Honor, does your phone have any maps on it? Maybe if we search for it that way, it'll be easier."
(Crappppp I thought I replied I'm really sorryyy)
Honor listened as she drove, handing over her phone without hesitation, "Do you know how to look something up on there?" She wracked her brain trying to think of if she had ever heard of a town named Talma, but much to her disappointment, the name didn't ring a bell. Oscar was probably right with his guess of it being in a different state. And as much as it would help them plot an exact path to the town, she was almost dreading the amount of driving that meant for them. She knew she would already need a nap by noon, and that was only after a few days of driving.
(It's okay! ^^)
"Yes, I know how," Oscar replied, already typing rapidly. First he tried searching for Talma in general, but to his surprise, he got multiple results—some of which were in the entirely wrong country. Impatiently, he got on a site with a satellite map and searched that way, using his ability to speed-read to scroll across the map much faster than normal. However, to his dismay, he still couldn't find any towns called Talma inside the state. The closest one was two states away, right on the border of Utah.
It's to the southwest and it's small, so that must be it, he thought glumly, not wanting to share the bad news with Honor. But as he zoomed out on the map again, another name caught his eye. Inside their current state, also to the southwest of them, was an equally tiny town called "Talpa".
"Honor," Oscar said excitedly. "What if Ernie told us the wrong name by mistake? He didn't sound very sure of himself when he said it. What if he actually meant Talpa? There's a town called Talpa about three hour's drive from here."
She glanced at him after thinking over the possible mistake, "I don't think it would hurt to check and head down there to see if that was the town he meant. It is a similar sounding town, and if you were just trying to bring up the name in your head, I can see where he made a mistake." Honor shrugged, pulling a soft smile onto her face, "And if it actually is the right town, then we save several hours of driving." She hoped that he really was talking about Talpa, mostly because it would mean they wouldn't have to sit through another full day of driving. Three hours was a much more manageable amount of time.
Oscar nodded, pleased with himself, and found Talpa on the paper map so he could follow their progress without having to steal Honor's phone. "I hope it's the right one. It's got an ice cream factory in it. It says you can tour the place and eat free ice cream if you want." He didn't exactly mean to sound like a hopeful child dropping hints, but it did sound fun to him. "Maybe that's why the Level Five lives there—so they can eat as much sweet stuff as they need."
"Well, before anything we'll have to stop there when we get there," She said with a smile, already in a much happier mood just because of the idea that maybe this would be the last day of driving. In three hours they could be to their destination, and that sounded quite alright to her. Especially if there was a chance for ice cream and possibly a few more hours of sleep as well. Both would be greatly appreciated by her. "I hope your right with your guess, and from what I'm learning, it does sound possible. If sweets and sugar help you out, it should be the same for a Level Five."