Blood Stripe (Open)

[cheryl]

Click-clack. Click-clack. Click-clack. Click-clack. Click-clack.

The sound of the soles of Cheryl's black pumps beat against the tile floor of Gotham Mall, drowned out by the commotions and conversations that were typical of any crowded mall. She never though she'd end up here, at least not like she was. As in, she never thought she'd be a member of the USMC or indeed any military. Bogged down with discipline, duty and honor, she detested the thought of that. But yet here she was, all decked out in her Marine Corps female dress blues, even though the pumps kind of hurt and made her walk funny.

And here she was, feeling proud to wear it, proud to show it off. It made her feel....superior. It made her feel better than everyone else present in the mall, rich or poor or whatever. She got looks wherever she walked, but this was just as likely due to her ears, skin tone and big purple mohawk, as opposed to her uniform. Still, she was damn proud of herself, and she hated herself for it. She was a free spirit, a rebel, a troublemaker, a bitch. But here she was, proud to be part of something that was, in essence, the anti-Cheryl.

Today was special too. It wasn't just the first time she'd gone on leave in a while. She was a Corporal now, an E-4. She proudly showed off the blood stripe going down the outer sides of her trouser legs. The blood stripe, which Marines only got to wear if they were E-4 or higher. The blood stripe, which represented the blood of Marines long since dead. The blood stripe, which Cheryl now had the privilege of bearing on her dress blues. But even though she was Cheryl in uniform, she was still Cheryl. And right now, she headed straight for the source of that maddening aroma she kept smelling.

She headed straight for the food court.

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Humans...damn fickle little creatures! This particular nurse couldn't help but have a bit of a love hate relationship with them. They were just like almost any other living thing with a personality and quirks of their own, just one problem...they were frail and had a panic attack most of the time when anything paranormal stepped out of the shadows. What a predicament she was in, having a boss she was afraid of giving a heart attack if he ever found out what she really was and managing to come up with lie after lie...cover up after cover up. One would think a demon doctor loved lying and could even think of it as a new game! Not really...not quite...not all the time...not entirely for her. Sure, sometimes being a liar wasn't bad all the time...it just felt strange to lie so much to someone she didn't despise or entirely dislike!

Such is life though, humans were indeed fickle and most of them probably wanted to attack her with holy pepper spray...if they knew what she was though. Walking along in a white mini-skirt and high heel boots going up to her thighs along with a nice blouse that puffed at the sleeves. Upon her hands were lovely lace gloves and what could be seen of her legs were clad in a pair of leggings, every article of clothing was a lovely ivory hue. However...the weirdest thing about her outfit was that blood red purse slung over her shoulder with a white cross upon it as though it was to symbolize something related to the medical field. It most certainly was, that just so happened to be a chilled, organ containment case to keep what she's supposed to collect in tip top condition. Yes, this woman with wild, fluffy locks waving into spikes and curves ending at her ankles was definitely not here for fun! Well...it was fun to an extent...but this was work for the most part!

Today...or...part of today...was devoted to finding a man named Charlie who missed out on not one, but two organ payments! Such blasphemy wouldn't go unpunished or over looked in her book! No no, not a single soul would escape her clutches for trying to take advantage of her boss. His presence was so close though...he had fled from New York to hide out in Gotham thinking that maybe, just maybe he'd escape from receiving repo treatment. Thankfully with her around, that woman just walking along with a tap and clickity clack following her every step while licking an ice cream cone, robbers trying to treat a nice, greedy doctor out of his money was borderline impossible to get away with! Licking away at that vanilla treat with sprinkles and gummy bears upon the top, her gaze shifted around trying to look for an all too familiar face in the crowd. Damn....no dice...! He wasn't in this cluster either!

Pouting ever so slightly, she looked down at one of the gummy bears and paused for a moment before literally biting its head off. Smiling a bit to herself, she pictured that as stupid, organ stealing, Charlie who was definitely not getting a free ticket to candy mountain! Shifting her amber optics tinted by a hue of gold away from her frozen treat and back to the crowd that's when she noticed someone...something...mmmm definitely a someone strange who wasn't exactly human. By the looks of the pale woman who was shorter than her by about a foot and a half's ears just so happened to be a goblin! What an interesting little specimen...a goblin who was a Marine? This was definitely a new one in her seventy years of living! Then again...it wasn't like she roamed the mortal's Earth for her entire life span.

Still, it was a first none the less and snatched the woman's interest like a pile of glistening, moving organs waiting for observation! A smirk which could almost be taken as borderline seductive made its way across her strawberry glossed lips before taking a few more licks of her ice cream cone. Walking at a bit of a faster pace to catch up with the purple haired woman, she couldn't help but start humming out an upbeat tune which was pretty much `Walking on Sunshine`. Though her humming managed to skip like a broken record when she sniffed the air a couple of times...ooo! They were on their way to the food court! Perfect! Maybe she could have a little lunch together, all she had today was this ice cream cone! ...well...she'd try to socialize with her a bit once she got over to her...curse lagging behind and trying to keep at a normal human pace to avoid getting pelted with crucifixes and holy water!

[cheryl]

Cheryl was proud of herself and proud to wear her uniform, and she hated herself for it. But then again, how could she bring herself to hate herself? After all, she accomplished what few people had the guts to do. So she didn't exactly hate herself, just hated that she was so proud over something that was the antithesis of all that she believed and all that she was.

But she loved it, loved being a part of it. Marines trained hard, they fought hard and they played hard. They lived hard too. Cheryl had to spend a good deal of her time sleeping in less than livable conditions. She also ate horrid food, which was why the smell of deliciousness attracted a glutton like her.

From an aerial view, it was probably like watching a pin ball game. Cheryl went from food stand to food stand, restaurant to restaurant. In the end, she amassed a huge collection of chilly dogs, bacon cheeseburgers, french fries, nachos with cheese, corn dogs, BBQ, pizza and other assorted goodies. Her huge load in her arms only complicated walking, as if it weren't difficult enough to maneuver while wearing those damn, black pumps. But her superhuman sense of equilibrium prevailed and she found an empty table at last.

Painfully aware she was in her dress blues, she hastily took off her white gloves and blue jacket, revealing a whiter than white dress shirt underneath. Much whiter than her skin, so white in fact it gave off a blue hue. It was long sleeved, so she anxiously rolled it up and stuffed the table cloth down her front shirt collar to avoid getting any mess on her uniform. It was tedious and for the first time, she felt regret at wearing it here. After all, if she'd only worn civilian clothes, she wouldn't have to worry like this. But oh well, the table cloth down her shirt collar insured her blues would be safe.

Finally, she indulged herself, getting to the moment she'd been waiting for. A moment which clouded her judgment and senses. A moment brought on by the scent of delicious goodies, and all the while causing her to be completely oblivious that she was not only being watched but followed as well. But she didn't know, nor did she care. She picked up one of the big, foot long chilly dogs and began to scarf it down like she hadn't seen a bite to eat in ages.

Surely, her watcher would be amused by the human, or rather goblin, pin ball and watching her pig out like she was...

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Licking away at the ice cream as she continued to follow the goblin Marine of sorts who looked as though she might be of a fairly high rank. Stopping in her tracks for a moment while continuing to hum that same melody since the song wasn't quite done yet and it'd be a shame to interrupt it. That's when the stands came into view and that short girl was going from stand to stand like a shiny metal marble in a pinball machine! Goodness gracious, that girl sure did have an appetite, didn't she? With those oddly colored optics shifting about to watch the uniformed woman stock pile on the food she couldn't help but look a bit amused. Occasionally chewing on a gummy bear here and there starting off with their little, fruity flavored heads...the tall demon woman with a light tan and a touch of gray to her lovely skin tone couldn't help but softly chuckle to herself. Every time a gummy bear met its demise to her pearly whites, she imagined it being that albino, Charlie who now owed his liver and spleen.

Distracted from her violent thoughts animated in an adorable...yet very morbid fashion, she quickly went back on trying to add points. All while multitasking in the `finishing delicious ice cream` department. So far she could of sworn that was well over a thousand points...maybe even over nine thousand! WHAT? NINE THOUSAND?! Yes, nine thousand! Quirking her silvery brows, she watched the woman skillfully walk in those black pumps once the silver marble...er...goblin lady...call it a game over for now proud of the points...FOOD gathered from all those stops! Geeze, she was just holding so much! Absentmindedly without even really thinking, during all that time she had managed to finish of her lovely treat of the day and stared down at the sugar cone before chomping it down.

Yes, she chewed away at that yummy yummy waffle cone while finishing off the last melodies of `Walking on Sunshine` and licked the crumbs off her lips. Remains never tasted so good! Fixating her gaze onto where the purple haired girl parked herself, she figured that peculiar goblin wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. Besides...Charlie was still out of sight...still in mind though, lucky him! As she took one step after the other toward one of the stands...that's when she noticed how many eyes were looking not only at her...but Ms. Pile Up The Food as well. Still keeping a somewhat calm smile across her lips just to avoid making herself look like a total nutcase, they were probably in complete shock over how freaky her hair was and how abnormally tall her height managed to be. The demoness couldn't blame the fickle little humans who were usually much shorter than her...she did stand out like a sore thumb after all! Maybe that's why she didn't hate them like most of her kind would, simply because she was able to understand the simple fact that she was abnormal.

That right there was a demonic trait of insanity since they're supposed to be viewing themselves as superior and blah de blah. Drifting on over to one of the stands claiming to sell the best burgers in Gotham, she blinked a couple of times and stared at the menu for a moment and simply told them, "I would love one of everything if you don't mind~!" Being looked at as though she was crazy, that only prompted a carefree laugh as she placed a lace clad hand upon her hip and for a moment the vendor nervously laughed along with her...up until she stopped of course. The officially freaked out vendor gulped a bit as he looked up at her like some puppy that's about to be kicked as she cooed out the words, "Oh my...of course I wouldn't want one of every drink you have to offer...for that I'd just like a simple bottle of water~! Though I must confess I am quite serious about ordering one of everything else...so please do deliver it over to that table, will you?" Reaching between a small gap of her button up blouse, she pulled a couple hundreds from her cleavage and placed it down on the counter with that almost seductive smile from much earlier as she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, "Keep the change and don't keep me waiting, sweetie~..."

Leaving with a wink, she took her receipt from the dumbfounded cashier and made her way over to the goblin Marine girl who was shoving a foot long chili dog into her mouth and nomming down on it as though she hadn't eaten a real meal in forever. Almost feeling sorry for her, she sat across of the gluttonous woman and crossed her legs before placing her organ containment bag under the table with a sweet smile. Not one of those `I'm about as fake as a Barbie` smiles but more along the lines of `What a lovely day, it sure is nice to be alive` smiles...which was ironic seeing that her job was to end lives. "My my, I know I'm going to point out the obvious when I say this but you do have quite the appetite. I must say it's a refreshing sight to see for someone such as myself, too many people are starving themselves these days to look like twigs and giving vendors quite the struggle to meet their quota day after day for rent~!" After those lighthearted words, she closed her oddly colored optics for a moment and tucked some of her silvery tendrils behind her ears and away from her face before reopening her eyes once more. Eh...it wouldn't last since her hair was as crazy as some of the people looking at it seemed naive, but she figured it was a polite thing to do...

[cheryl]

She practically inhaled the first chilly dog. And the next. And the cheeseburger after that. And the taco after that. In fact, she was so caught up in savoring the junk food feast and stuffing her face that she didn't notice the fairly tall lady, even after she sat down. But who would under those conditions? Certainly not someone in the service, who'd been starved of decent food for so long.

And it tasted so good going down! Hopefully, it would taste just as good coming back up, which it undoubtedly would. She wasn't human, but if she gorged herself with this much food, this quickly, she'd undoubtedly be puking it up later. But it did taste good, despite that it was gobbled down almost too fast to taste it. Rude, crude and completely unlady like. Then again, the mohawk and her arms, which brimmed with toned muscles, probably suggested she wasn't lady like.

Finally, the other woman spoke, something that the goblin's keen ears picked up on. While munch on some BBQ, she looked up. Still chewing, she surveyed the rather awkward looking lady. She couldn't gage exactly how tall she was sitting down and there was no outward way she could've known she was a demoness. But her hair certainly stuck out. It was an odd do, something Cheryl hadn't seen before. To call it wild or wavy was the understatement of the year. Ironically, it wasn't that that the Corporal commented on about first though.

"Zoh meh gawd! Red font!" she exclaimed in her giddy tone, waving her hands around. "Well I can have red font too!" She finished up her bite, before adding "And hello!"

Cheryl couldn't get much from a visual look over of the stranger. Only that she was tall, but wasn't sure exactly how tall. That case she was carrying probably didn't contain her lunch, since she would've opened it up and brought that out already. If the other lady could read military uniforms though, there were things obvious about Cheryl. She was a Marine, of course. She was a Corporal, although whether the demoness could read rank insignia was unknown. And, as revealed by the nametag over Chery's bosom, her last name was McAllister.

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Certainly she didn't know much about ranks aside from a stripe was a way of showing the world `I accomplished more than having a uniform!` and...that was about it. So clearly the organ repo demon lady with really crazy hair didn't get a grasp on it and just assumed this woman using a table cloth as a way of keeping her pretty uniform nice and neat just so happened to be pretty up there! Then again...she hadn't been around a bunch of uniform wearing types...aside from hospitals of course! At least she could tell the difference between uniforms...well most of the time. A single thought among the many thoughts running through her mind...namely about where in this mortal world Charlie was...but she was just in shock as to how much this girl could force into her stomach! It reminded her a lot of those eating contests, did this goblin girl ever bother entering one? That just continued making her think about how many prizes this Marine of sorts could win.

What was much more strange than the fact that this short, but clearly fit woman before her with a purple mohawk actually said something...red font? Then she went on to say how she could have red font too. Strange, but still really quite amusing none the less! Oh how amusing this detour was going to be as she waited for the albino man doomed to lose his liver and spleen to show his face! Letting out a chuckle of sheer amusement, she certainly did enjoy the company of those who were out of the norm and it really was a treat when one would actually communicate with her! Of course she didn't jump to the conclusion that this pale Marine was crazy, but goodness! The most memorable and best people weren't completely sane in her book!

Gradually bringing that short lived chuckle to an end, soon after the amusing goblin Marine who was not only giddy but waving her hands around for a moment earlier said hello to her after the red font thing. "Ah...but the question is do you have the right shade of red, hm~?" Sounding a bit amused plus oddly mellow, she felt the chunk of hair fall right back into place concealing one of those gold tinted amber optics once more slightly obscuring her vision just as she was about to catch a glimpse at what looked like a name tag. "Oh! Hello to you as well! Though...I should probably suggest slowing down your food intake...but it does look like you're starved at the pace you're going..." Regardless of how cheerful the woman with ridiculously crazy tendrils seemed at her first sentence, it almost seemed as though she was actually a bit concerned for the goblin's health. More like her insides since organs could be very delicate things...oh how she hoped that Charlie guy liked candy instead of booze and pills!

That would only mean more work for her later on and quite frankly, she didn't need to report back to her boss explaining not only was this particular organ thief a pain to find but also that he damaged some of their product as well. In the midst of expressing her concern, that's when she noticed some teen struggling with her order. Certainly it was nothing in comparison to the food scarfing female opposite of her, but it was still a load for someone to carry on over to the table. Grasping onto her end of the table cloth with a lighthearted smile across those strawberry glossed lips, carefully tucking it into her shirt since she didn't feel like having to jump in a shadow later to change her clothes aside from when it was time to play the organ repossession game. Geeze these guys were pretty quick with the order! Maybe quite a bit of time flew on by? Having the tray placed right in front of her, the typical teenage fast food worker gasped at the pile of food already on the table and ran like hell in horror of the great foodening!

...There was crazy and then there was stupid crazy, that boy was definitely stupid crazy. Which most humans seemed to be in her odd opinion. So worried about things out of the norm, if that boy stayed around any longer she would of given him the creeps for kicks since her boss was no where in sight! Grasping onto one of the ten burgers, she carefully unwrapped it and couldn't help but be in a bit of awe for a moment since she hadn't the glorious chance to eat in a while. It wasn't as prolonged as the Marine, she was certain of that since at the very least this woman with a great deal of height knew one thing for sure: they didn't get food like that during training! The burger she began chomping down on at a normal pace was none other than a traditional BLT, the vanilla of the burger world! ...or at least she thought of it as the vanilla of the burger world...pretty much the base of most things with meat and buns.

At least that place had one thing going for them...they were definitely good and that could easily be displayed by the smile of contentment she was displaying.

[cheryl]

Indeed, no branch, even the pampered USAF, fed their recruits well during basic training. Sure, there was a lot of food, but not much of it was worth consuming. All that mattered in training was that the recruits got their dose of valuable vitamins and minerals. Once graduated from training and released into the operational military, few things about food quality changed in the USMC. Those sea going homos in the Navy and Coast Guard and those air going pussies in the Air Force ate like royalty compared to those in the Army and Marines.

If she were an Airmen or Sailor, Cheryl wouldn't be gorging herself as she was now. This wasn't that different from the food that zoomers and swabbies ate on a regular basis. But she was a Marine. A Marine starved of good cooking. It was like dying of thirst on a hot Summer day, and then sipping a sickeningly sweet glass of ice cold lemonade. Your natural instincts kicked in and you couldn't just sip. You would bottom up the glass and guzzle it down. The goblin Marine knew she'd pay for it later, but she couldn't stop.

In fact, when the teenaged fast food worker came over to sit the plate full of food the demoness had ordered down, he remarked "Are you pregnant, ma'am?" which got a one finger gesture response from Cheryl, as she used her other hands to maneuver french fries to her mouth. At that point, she began to slow down her eating, enough to actually be able to talk more.

With most of her food gone by now, and one hand still free, she hit herself dead square in the chest, bringing on another most unlady like moment. Goblins weren't known for their manners. Neither were Marines. So it worked out and probably came as no surprise when the Corporal let out a loud, long belch.

"Gawd, dayumn! S'cuuuuuuse me!" she said, almost blushing a little.

Her tummy felt much better at least. Her hunger was also subsiding, but food didn't entirely leave her thoughts. It was hard not to think of candy when she gazed upon the other lady's hair, who seemed to be concerned with her health. It was nice of her warn her about eating so much. She finally pointed up at the other woman's hair just as her table mate took a bite of her burger.

"Does your hair come in other flavors?"

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Oh if only she knew the detailed horrors of the food that this goblin girl was deprived from, maybe she would of offered her a lollipop right on the get-go out of sheer pity! Well...maybe she'd offer a lollipop anyway. In fact, it wasn't every day she shared a table and had lunch with anyone really! One thing was a little strange, even to the demon nurse woman who expressed a little bit of concern for the speedy pace of food intake going on, that the woman was actually wearing a uniform that usually represented a well disciplined individual. Yet that really wasn't the case and it was almost as though she was a walking contradiction in black pumps. Not really being one to completely judge based on appearance, this goblin was a prime example of how different the inner workings of an individual could be from the clothes they wear. Listening to the teenage worker who delivered the burgers and made a pregnant comment, she just couldn't help but laugh like the boy had tickled her funny bone, more so when he got a particular one finger response!

What spunk this girl had! Such a shame she had to be here on business, otherwise she would of had an organ viewing for one! Besides, she knew the boy was just saying it to be a jerk for a lack of much meaner and vulgar vocabulary. Sensing such negativity was easy for a demoness such as herself whether she wanted to or not. Perhaps he'd get an unwanted visit from her later to see if his personality reflected the appearance of his insides? For now though, she had to deal with an organ thief and he was top priority for being sliced open. "My my...last time I checked, I wasn't the new virgin Mary...or see you eat a disgusting combination of pickles wrapped by pizza and drowning in mustard..." Letting those words pass her lips in a lightheartedly amused fashion toward the goblin Marine girl with a gentle chuckle of amusement, she took a couple more bites and saw that this girl had such a pretty face.

Certainly that uniform did justice to her in its own special way, but there was so much potential for her in the area of fashion. Not like she was restricted only to one branch of style regardless of that outlandish mohawk! It had been a while since she turned someone into her Barbie doll so to speak...truly overdue for antics involving making someone a make-over victim. Hmmm...maybe trying to get that girl to try on a few dresses would kill some time while waiting to close in on the one who wouldn't get to know what a Choo Choo Shoe was in his lifetime. The scheming progressed through the depths of her mind as she continued munching away at her BLT...geeze their workers were irritating but the product itself was delicious! Finishing off the first one of the bunch, her expression became just a bit stoic as the burp smashed through the silence like a brick to a window! With a smile returning across her lips, she couldn't help but let out a gentle chuckle.

Considering the option before telling her she's excused, shouldn't worry since a healthy burp like that ranks a good hundred out of ten, or plain ol' relieved that she wasn't stuck with dreaded gas. Before she could continue mulling over which option to go with in that short amount of time, just as she was grabbing onto another burger to unwrap it seemed as though she was caught in the act of a crime! Oh wait...that finger being pointed at her was just the start of a very peculiar question about her hair. Did it come in any other flavors...hmmm. Blinking a couple of times, she looked almost surprised but couldn't help but smile ever so slightly before speaking in that same ol calm but slightly amused fashion, "Mmmm...I haven't tasted my own hair so I couldn't tell you. Perhaps cotton candy with the way it's so fluffy~? I wouldn't recommend trying it though..." Reaching into her sleeve, her focus was on a blue and pink fluffy stuff lollipop she had seen somewhere in her office once before...complete with its silvery wrapper of course! Pulling it out of her slightly puffed sleeve, she offered it with a sweet smile before continuing to speak maintaining her previous tone, "...buuuut I do know that this is one of the most delicious lollipops I've had!"

Yes, yes she was like one of those nurse ladies who was nice as could be to the various patients who encountered her with a sweet tooth once their visit was done and over with. Seemed like a little deliciousness made the visit not be such an annoyance when everything was said and over with no matter the age. Some were more embarrassed than others so she wouldn't be surprised if it was rejected. With the way that girl was eating though...it was like a slim to none chance that it'd be rejected.

[cheryl]

Corporal McAllister had yet to experience the joys of being with child. As such, it took a while for the punchline to dawn on her. Indeed, she may not have even made the connection when the teenaged fast food worker brought the other woman her burgers. Then again, maybe she was just playing dumb on purpose for cheap entertainment.

"Ooooooh. Cause I'm eating so much. Yeah..."

Then there was more silence. There was never an awkward silence at the dinner table though, not as far as any sane person should be concerned. Certainly not as far as Cheryl was concerned. More silence meant less talking. Less talking meant more eating. And eat she did, finishing up the last of her gigantic feast until all that remained were a few scraps. Then, just as before, she balled up her fist and hit herself dead in the chest, letting out another belch. This one wasn't quite as impressive as the one before, but it was rude, crude and totally unlady like.

With her meal finally over and her appetite satisfied, Cheryl untucked the table cloth from her blouse and put back on her dress blues service jacket and white gloves. As she was making her dress blues complete again, the other woman started talking about her hair. She responded to Cheryl's earlier question regarding its flavor, saying she'd never tasted it. Then as Cheryl finished dressing, the crazy haired woman presented a sucker, a lollipop.

Although food was now the last thing on her mind, she couldn't help but yearn for the no doubt delicious candy. But that yearning was secondary to her spunk, her desperate need to be a smartass.

"Sha, but I like totally can't take candy from strangers. Doncha know that's why they teach you in school? It could have razor blades in it!" Cheryl extended her gloved hand in a handshake, saying "I'm Corporal McAllister, United States Marine Corps. But you can call me Cheryl."

Although already silly to the core, she finished up with an extra dose of giddiness, saying "And who're yoooou?"

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

A bored moment seemed far out of the question with this peculiar Marine of goblin descent! Too bad every day couldn't be filled with meeting new, interesting individuals, and nice little lunches such as these. It was usually all about going after naughty thieves who skipped out on paying for something quite pricey as though it was perfectly fine. Not to mention how annoying those individuals were to deal with, some even tried to bribe her! Like that would work, if they have enough money to spare for a bribe, why were they lacking the funds for the product they were trying to get away with?! There were those she ALMOST felt horrible about giving organ repossession treatment, the ones who actually missed a payment because they had children and a family to care for. Oh but she couldn’t spare them, she had a boss and her job was to get back what was his regardless of the stories they fed her about why.

The reason she couldn’t simply pity them enough to spare them is because they reviewed and signed the contract, there was no excuse and they should know what was going to happen to them. At least in her opinion that was definitely the case. Hearing the lovely purple haired goblin comment about the whole pregnant thing, maybe she simply didn’t get it earlier and there was a bit of a late reaction over there? No matter, all she did was smile in response to that and give her a slight, single shouldered shrug as though it wasn’t something to really focus on anyway. Really, she didn’t think the stupid teenage boy’s remark was really worth that much thought…unless it was in regards to which organs she was going to poke at and amuse herself from its reaction to her prodding. That most certainly wasn’t the case so she couldn’t help but think it wasn’t worth dwelling over for long. Wow with the way she was smacking herself in the chest, the peculiar nurse just couldn’t help but wonder if she actually had trouble burping or what since most people didn’t need to smack themselves to summon a burp. Sure there were those who forced themselves to burp just because it was `cool` or something silly like that, but…she couldn’t help but wonder if it was an actual problem.

That was most certainly food for thought! Thinking of food…that pump wearing Marine shockingly finished all of her food pretty freaking quick! Yeah…she should definitely consider being in a food eating contest, so many prizes could be won with that kind of spunky eating! Besides, those crude belches of hers could easily gain her a point or two for sure. The first one was definitely better than the second but who was she to judge? All she was is a nurse! As the Marine goblin with a pretty neat hairdo began untucking the table cloth and began putting on the rest of her outfit seeing that she took parts of it off to make sure it wouldn’t get messy or dirty, that was around the time she responded to the question regarding her hair and soon after offered a lollipop.

It was something she was at least certain about in terms of flavor, no doubt about that one since she did have a strange little habit of hanging out in her office every now and then when she was on break to see how long it would take for her to get rid of different hard candies. Of course, she never really had time to see that silly little experiment from beginning to end seeing how moments to herself at work weren’t very long and she was always trying to make things easier for good ol’ doctor Miwa. Low and behold it was rejected with a comment she should of seen coming from a mile away! Instead of getting offended by the little reminder of what human children were taught in schools and from their mommies and daddies: razors could be hiding in candy like sneaky little ninjas! Though how she’d get one of those in a lollipop like this and still keep the wrapper nice and neat without feeling as though she was wasting a whole lot of time and candy was beyond her so she just left it to `aw how sweet someone’s got a smart assy humor~!` and couldn’t help but let out a soft, laugh full of amusement and set down the lollipop when a gloved hand was extended to her. Taking her hand, she smiled in an oh so polite and sweet way to display she wasn’t in a foul mood over the comment, but more like `nice joke and nice to meet you`. Giving her hand a firm, yet professional sort of shake that most people gave others at an interview to show a level of confidence with a healthy dose of determination.

Oh this McAllister girl sure did have a funny little way of communicating! Even adding on that silly little `And who're yoooou?`! DEFINITELY a relief in comparison to dealing with her usual company! …not Hiroto Miwa of course, he was a good boss and enjoyed his company enough to work without binding him to a contract to devour his soul later. Soon after the goblin girl who introduced herself as Corporal McAllister spoke, the demon nurse responded with her words coated in a tone displaying her usual calm but good hearted nature and expressing a hint of being humored…”Oh my, it seems I’ve made a silly little mistake and forgot to introduce myself before offering the candy to you~! It’s nice to meet you, Cheryl…my name is Kiseichu Clossiana, some know me as Tanzanite. Whichever you decide to call me is fine…hm and now it appears we’re not strangers so that lollipop wanting a little attention should be fine for consumption…”

Cooing out the last chunk of her words, she gestured her free hand toward the yummy cotton candy flavored sugary goodness just chilling there on the table secretly calling out with that `eeeaaat meeee` vibe snack foods seemed to do. After the handshake of `nice to meet you` came to an end, she picked up another burger in a nice, fluid motion before simply munching away at a not so super duper pace but more like `la de da I’m eating and don’t want to barf up pure delicious`. This time it was one of those `black and bleu` burgers! Absolutely a good choice as well, even the sauces went together with it nicely! Pausing for a moment after swallowing that particular bite, she realized how rude it was to just sit there stuffing her face, especially now that she wasn’t some stranger anymore…oooh she had to be a little more polite to an acquaintance. ”Hnnn…are you busy, Cheryl? I have a bit of free time on my hands and plan on going shopping after this, you can join me if you’d like. After all, it isn’t every day I come to Gotham on business~!”

After those kindly spoken words finished off with a hint of a lovely, chipper carefree tone to it, she took another bite of her burger considering throwing the rest into a shadow and saving it for later so she wouldn’t have to make this nice acquaintance wait since she could always use a snack after her job was done. Maybe she could be considered as a slacker right now but there was another reason why she wanted to go shopping, she had a feeling that’s what her victim…er…client on the run who would get a warm welcome to her operating table was doing. Shopping…but for what was completely uncertain and she’d need to figure that out and follow her senses. Besides, she wouldn’t mind this girl’s company, it’d definitely keep things interesting to say the very least!

[cheryl]

Once the woman had introduced herself, Cheryl eagerly grabbed for the lollipop. She didn't recall if this Tanzanite woman had given the flavor of the lollipop or not. And frankly, she didn't care. And what an odd name. Tanzanite. Her mind immediately went to work, working out all sorts of remarks and punchlines. It was an instinct, a reflex. She couldn't help herself.

"Tanzanite....Isn't that that thing that takes Superman's powers away and makes him get really sick? It's a neat name though. It reminds me of Tang. Or a tangerine, only like a rock that tastes like a tangerine. Can I call you TanTan?"

Despite her large feast, she didn't feel sick at all. In fact, she eagerly unwrapped the lollipop and started to suck on it, but not before wiping off her mouth with a napkin. It wouldn't do at all to be seen with a dirty mouth in uniform, after all.

Indeed, the condition of one's uniforms meant a lot in the Marine Corps. Cheryl would never admit it, but she thought she looked really spiffy in them. She'd always deny it though, saying she was forced to wear them. She did love how the BDUs were so unlady like. Her civilian clothing was also quite unlady like. She was a tomboy through and through, which was why she had a feeling of dread when TanTan brought up shopping.

She couldn't picture TanTan, with her wild hair and giant boots, to like the same kind of clothing Cheryl did. Boots, leather, black things, spikes, etc. She feared TanTan might be inviting her to a day of dress shopping and pretty flowery thingies, that she'd insist on buying Cheryl a nice dress. She did well to hide her cringing, although she cringed inwardly. But maybe she'd unfairly jumped to conclusions.

"Shopping? Erm, what for?" she said, giving an wide eyed, almost absent minded look.

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Little Miss Goblin Lady Cheryl didn't have a bone of boredom residing his her toned yet petite sized body, did she?! Let alone the heart to lead the delicious candy which was snatched up soon after her own introduction! Certainly even though they weren't friends and wouldn't be unless this purple haired Marine proved to be unlike the majority of her peers, it was a pleasant degree of company that was quite the rarity in her life. The whole...repossessing organs and already not being the most trusting creature on the face of this mortal Earth probably didn't help. Trust and even friendship was something that had to be earned, however she had to fake it real to get along with her peers in a way that got her to mesh to a degree socially, to appear...`kinda normal`. Never would she strive for complete acceptance unless she grew fond of an individual...even as just a friend or employee which was the case with Hiroto Miwa. Goodness, she didn't think she could get away with pulling things out of her sleeves or shirt in plain view of his sights without him having a borderline heart attack!

With everyone else though, she just made the excuse of `Ooops~! How did that get there?` whenever they wanted to know. If they wanted to freak out and have a heart attack, that was just one less individual in the world who might be an organ thief, one less life to destroy manually... Sometimes, regardless of being a demon, she didn't enjoy the whole killing thing because whoops there went another bundle of organs for her to watch and it was just so disappointing! Yeeet it was just so much more disappointing to let little thieves run around getting away with their horrible little deeds she simply couldn't approve of! There was still the matter of Charlie...she had to find him and place him on the world's largest operating table...aka wherever the hell she found him or decided to drag him off to. Oh well...no one hid for very long when it came to her, not very long at all! Letting out a soft chuckle in response to Cheryl's words as though she made quite the amusing funny, which in reality she did since the people who NORMALLY get the joy of hearing her nickname Tanzanite didn't live to see tomorrow considering they were her naughty naughty runaway clients!

Plus they weren't witty enough to come up with something while their lives were on the line, such a downright dirty shame that they spent their last moments being upset with her and Doctor Miwa. It was most certainly a new bundle though, first the comment about how her name sounded like something that took away Superman's powers...wasn't that Kryptonite? Hmmm it certainly did rhyme and have a little ring to it...maybe if she ever met the tights wearing fellow she'd make a pun inspired by this woman in her company at this very moment! It was a doubtful encounter since she didn't see bothering with Superman or any of those other heroes as a good use of her spare time...unless they were going to be sliced open for her viewing pleasure! That would be the day, prodding away at a hero's organs, they had yet to cross her path so all she knew was what was common knowledge. Aw well wasn't that nice? The girl who could win an eating contest, timer and all, said it was a neat name!

That actually made her just a little bit happy genuinely because she thought it was a nice little label for herself aside from the name of the soul & body she snatched and altered to her liking. Not to mention that little Tang comment was just nudging away at her funny bone, more so when she added on about a tangerine or a rock that TASTED like a tangerine! Such an interesting mind this girl had! Maybe she could use this girl's company as entertainment while completing her main task of the day? This lovely woman with crazy locks would definitely try not to scare her off but that seemed like it'd be a borderline impossible task to accomplish! Hmmm then there was the new nickname that she wanted to call her: TanTan. For some reason it reminded her of an orange panda...a giant orange panda.

Probably because of all the tangerine talk, but it did seem catchy and she kind of liked that little nickname. Something she could live with, really! Soon after that short chuckle of hers, a slight nod of her head in approval to the request was given before she took another bite and that little pause took place and before listening to the response of her spoken words which seemed to get an almost vacant expression following along the words `Shopping? Erm, what for?` that made her like a deer in headlights with a semi just parked riiiiight there waiting to see if it'd move. Kinda like...the lights are on but nobody's home...has anyone tried attacking the doorbell?! Not to say she was thinking the girl was a little special in the head, very far from the case! More like realizing that maybe her question to the girl who seemed to express a great deal of pride and care into her uniform by the way she kept it clean was completely out of place and perhaps she shouldn't of bothered to ask. Oh well! It was too late to have the `say something else` option since she couldn't exactly manipulate time or anything like that.

The most she could do was think up a syringe that had a serum which causes a lapse in memory but she didn't want to do that to Cheryl! Oh boy, what to say what to say...she didn't want to make her think that she thought the uniform looked horrible because it didn't, really and truly didn't at all! For now, she just decided to kill a bit of time by finishing off her burger and hold up her finger as though to quietly indicate that whole `waaaait for it` or more like `hold on~!` for this scenario. GOODBYE went the black and bleu burger with delicious maple bacon before bringing her finger to her chin, "My my on the note of my name it really does sound like something that could weaken Superman himself...or a tangerine rock for that matter! A very tangy rock for that matter~!" Yes with those mellow yet some how upbeat words she continued trying to figure out things within the depths of her almost...or fairly insane but collected mind.

Before continuing her words, it was as though all the little happy metaphorical cogs clicked into place! Maintaining that same composure, she continued speaking, "...and I do rather like the nickname TanTan, it's the most creative one next to being called a creepy useful nurse at work~! I was thinking maybe we could wander around and look at things that catch your interest since I hardly have the time to socialize and by the looks of your lovely uniform that you're much too busy to look at all the things you may enjoy as an average civilian," finishing her words off in a sweet fashion, she carefully untucked the table cloth from her shirt and brought up her lovely organ containment bag complete with cooling to rest upon her lap keeping the light within it off. That was to add a little pizazz when showing her boss his repossessed product and make it look like he just won the ultimate prize on a game show. Plucking up each of the wrapped burgers, she just focused on all of them going into a void for later as they made contact with the pitch black shadow. Obviously the bag itself would remain empty since she didn't scheme on leaving food in there, her boss would probably want to strangle her if that happened! The excuses she'd have to make and give up her prized burger in the process...that was just a horrible horrible fate!

It was one thing to get scolded but another entirely to say farewell to dinner or lunch when she was still a bit hungry. When getting rid of the burgers was all done and over with, she locked up the organ bag which would be happy and full whenever she finds Charlie and rest her hands upon the handles keeping that composure which was lighthearted and almost professional at the same time awaiting the girl's response. If it was turned down, well she always had back up plans to hunt down the organ thief who oddly reminded her of a unicorn. Being all alone without company and doing her job on her own wasn't out of the norm at all and that was that! Socializing was just a nice little treat even if it didn't result in friendship and remained at the acquaintance level...it was probably better that way too, right? Probably, she IS a demonness after all, anyone in their right mind would probably avoid her like the plague when discovering that! That's ok, she wouldn't blame them, being accustom to that as normal behavior n' all!

[cheryl]

A creepy nurse at work, she said?

One of the things that any military branch's basic training tried to ingrain into the hearts and minds of its recruit was attention to detail. Attention to detail was more valuable than most could comprehend, without such training. The reason you had to make a four inch fold on your bed sheets, have everything in your locker placed a certain way at a certain distance from everything else or have all the strings on your uniform snipped off in basic training was to install attention to detail.

Attention to detail. How it could save lives, including your own. Attention to detail, how it without it, a Marine may not notice the small hair sticking up out of the dirt and therefore step on a landmine. Attention to detail, which allows a Marine to catch a faint glimmer from a enemy sniper's scope, and therefore know to duck for cover. Attention to detail, how with that, Cheryl was able to single out that particular part of the conversation.

So she was a nurse. A creepy nurse? But weren't all doctors and nurses creepy? Certainly the creators of that awesome Silent Hill game thought so. But maybe she was a different kind of nurse. Something told Cheryl not to ask too much about it. Indeed, not to ask anything at all about it. But still, it was tossed around in the back of her mind.

Besides, she was too eager about her new playmate to make her uncomfortable. And this new playmate seemed very eager to go shopping for things that Cheryl found appealing. Which meant no dresses! No jewelry! No girly stuff!

"Zoh my gawd! Look at stuff that I like? You mean it?! Like video games and movies and swords and knives and things?!" She flailed her arms all giddy like as she fired away those questions, gently tapping the heels of her pumps against the floor as she waited for an answer, waited for the nurse to confirm it.

[Kiseichu Clossiana]

Hearing her words of sheer excitement invade the air like a giddy alien, it was almost like no one would join this goblin girl for shopping when it came to things SHE wanted. Such a shame, Cheryl seemed like such a fun girl to be around...and when she asked about looking at the things she liked which seemed to fall under the categories of knives, movies, video games, swords, and of course the misc group of...THINGS! How could she deny a short grown woman flailing like a giddy, hope filled child?! Then the tapping of her pumps adding onto the super high hope filled atmosphere was a pretty good touch to getting her sympathy. The fairly tall woman with crimson glossed lips couldn't help but let her smile soften into one of almost a saint...well more like a saint who had a heart warming scheme of wonder filled doom. As though her freakish heart was in a box of cuddly kittens getting all warm and cozy trying to bribe her into taking all of them home with the most innocent looks they could offer and a promise to be her bestest friends EVER it was just tugging away at her heartstrings. Offering a couple of nods in approval, how COULD she deny a request that involved knives and swords?!

They were one of this nurses favorite things to admire since the designs almost seemed endless! Not only did they look elegant while helping with her job every now ant then, but they also had a knack of being beautifully useful, how could someone like her deny those? Later though...she would make this girl into her dress up doll it just took a moment of figuring out her fashion sense outside of the uniform! "Of course, Cheryl~! All of those things sound absolutely lovely..." Pausing for a moment as she got up from her seat carrying the cooling organ bag with that same ol' smile across her lips as it almost hinted off a touch of curiosity before she maintained her `I'm in a good mood, really I am!` tone coated words, this time with a bit of amusement in stating a fact that would make those major hardcore gamers that devote their lives to gaming have a heart attack, "I've never played video games before but they can't be dull if you like them! Right?"

Polishing those words off with a sweet tone, she figured this little adventure could very well guide her to Charlie. A magical adventure full of sharp objects, joy, and cinematic creations! Maybe...no most certainly a side of organ repossession too...how perfect would this be? Normally, someone in a uniform kept in such good condition as though there was a great deal of pride behind it didn't have such an interesting personality going on. They seemed so uptight and proper, but then again that was merely at a glance...and the ones she did encounter were the literal example of a serious challenge. Considering the most interaction she'd ever done with people is to form a partnership, deal...or just plain ol' take back organs that aren't their's! Today was different though!

Today she was not only going to make someone into her dress up doll, repossess some organs AND let a giddy, hopeful Marine have the chance to take lead in a shopping adventure! Sure she was a demon, but it didn't mean she wasn't the sort who enjoyed bringing happiness to others every now and then without their soul being attached to the bargain, especially to someone who didn't just shoo her away or shrug her off as some insane asylum escapee. Holding the medical looking bag for keeping organs nice and fresh at her side since it would be a little less suspicious than pulling it out of a shadow later, she brought her free hand up to her chin before narrowing her eyes ever so slightly as though yet another diabolical scheme of fun was being mapped out in her mind...which it was...before cooing out the words, "Hmmm, lead the way, Cheryl...I wouldn't know where to begin..." Lightly canting her head to the side for a moment, that was a well covered up lie...sort of! Personally she would of started off with the knives to see if she could get anything for her boss as a gift for all his hard work...oh wait that might of been a little creepy! ...Well...then again that wasn't anything new at work. Maybe she would grab something for him, he was the only other living thing aside from Cheryl that she associated herself with for the time being after all...

Some of the passerbys had a strange look of what could best be described as `wtf` as they passed by what seemed like a happy-go-lucky Marine and her crazy haired pal. Perfectly mismatched is probably what some thought, then the ones who took a while to observer were like `oh they're both a little strange, no wonder they're friends!`if they were actually...you know...OBSERVING the whole scene unfold. Quite frankly there was one thing Kiseichu Clossiana had in common with her peers: half expecting a giddy squeal from the purple mohawked goblin girl. Besides, if Cheryl would lead the way, her organ repossessing companion of the day would follow along.

[cheryl]

Much to the goblin girl's delight, TanTan agreed to follow her around and look at everything she liked. For a moment she thought it was strange that she even cared what this strange woman thought of her. Granted, she didn't care to an extent, but she found herself over joyed when the other woman took an interest in her. Maybe this was what it was like to have a friend?

The Marine Corps is considered a brotherhood, or in this case a sisterhood. A tightly knit family. However, Cheryl was still somewhat of a loner, at least by Marine standards. Sure she socialized and spent time eating, sleeping and showering with others, but she really didn't have any true friends. Maybe TanTan was a friend material. Then again, for all Cheryl knew, the woman could've had some sort of dark secret. Indeed, she was a little odd. Off even.

But she banished that thought as quickly as it surfaced. An easy task, considering the overwhelming, sweet, delicious flavor of the lollipop she now sucked on. She sucked away on it, savoring it, until she plopped it out of her mouth to say, "Oh my gawd! You've never played video games before?!" Cheryl could hardly believe her keen goblin hearing, but that's apparently what TanTan just said.

She instantly hopped to her feet after using a few napkins to clean her face off, making sure she wiped away ever trace of her feast. Then she stood there, almost heroically and gestured for the other woman to hand her her hand, so she could drag her along with her post heist.

"There's a video arcade in the mall. I passed by it on the way to the food court. I gots plenty of quarters so I should be able to all kinds of neat stuffs!"