Blend the Light

Shopping Spree

She said that before. What does she mean by that? Isn't Arrow just hiding beneath her skin? Can't she just Blend herself into the wolf? I frown. Lily looks away from both Karla and me, her head partially hidden behind her forearms.

Karla eventually persuades Lily to go back to her room. I follow behind them. Lily keeps her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes fixed on the floor. "Jay! Jay! Wait up! I've been trying to find you!" Lily freezes, tensing. Vladimir stops a few feet from me, hunching over.

"Hey, Vladimir," I say slowly.

"Jeez, who knew this would be so tiring."

"What do you need?"

"We get to go shopping. I've already got the money." His voice is flat, and he frowns.

"How'd that happen?" I smile at his annoyance.

"I'll tell you on the way."

As we make our way out to the garage, Vladimir makes it clear he'd rather be doing just about anything else. "I thought this was a job for someone else..." He grumbles.

"Remember there aren't ranks?"

"I know, I know. I like being in there, debating, planning. It's as if I'm useless or doing nothing out here."

"We're making sure we can eat. I'll drive."

The Slash. It's our truck, a monster of a truck too. The gash across the hood is its namesake, though it's still just as fast as it was before. Rust-colored paint covers the entire vehicle. Vladimir climbs into the shotgun seat as I get into the driver's side. A minute or so later, we're pulling onto the road.

We pull into the open-air marketplace I'd been in the night before with Lily and Hawk. Instead of being deserted, it's bustling with customers and street-vendors. People shout across the walkways, saying they've got the best deals on different items. Someone counters that with a better deal, and it goes back and forth until one of them gives up. I bring the Slash to a stop a few streets down from the marketplace, and hop out. After stuffing the keys in my pocket, I follow Vladimir down the sidewalk. The sounds grow louder, and the smell of food grows stronger.

Vladimir curses. "Hey! Watch your mouth." One of the street vendors gives him an icy glare. I don't like that look in their eyes... I grab his wrist and pull him into motion. We weave in between people until we're well away from the vendor. "What was that all about?" Vladimir asks.

"I didn't like that look in their eyes. We're supposed to be keeping a low profile. Anyways, why were you cursing?"

"We forgot the cart. We've nothing to carry the food with." His shoulders slump.

"That is a bit of a drag... Perhaps making a few trips might work?"

"Wanna make, like, eight hundred trips?"

"What else are we going to do? Ugh, this is why I hate it when he makes us go shopping!"

"Let's go. We'd better start somewhere."

Sure enough, it does take us quite a while. We start off at one side of the market, and work our way across, getting everything we need. The back of the Slash slowly fills up underneath the tarp covering it. Vladimir buys what we need then puts it in my arms until they're full, before carrying more in his own.

It's a weird feeling, walking through the marketplace. I occasionally hear The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils come across in conversation. I see a few kids running around. They chase each other, shrieking with laughter, as they pretend to be a part of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils. Sticks serve as swords. One of them waves their friends on as they launch a mock attack on the rest of the group. Sometimes it's so tempting to stand on the roof of the Slash and shout for the whole world that it's real, The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils, or T-LOOT-D, is real. It's not just a story. We're here, right here. I know why Adrien wants us to keep out existence a secret, and it makes sense, but it gets so hard. When I have to stay calm and not react when The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils comes across in conversation, or when kids run through the crowds pretending that it exists and they're a part of it.