gone_byebye | (no subject)

There's music pouring from well-concealed speakers in the Firehouse as Tyler arrives, and we do mean well-concealed. When a building's decorator corps includes a twenty-three-foot-tall transforming robot and a five-armed, five-eyed, five-brained alien from an arboreal species, the decorations get everywhere. The outside of the Firehouse is practically wrapped in strings of lights, and the inside- well. Someone introduced Jhalak to the concept of pine garland this year and she kind of went berserk with it. The tree in one corner is as sparkly as a north Jersey homeowner's attempt to get on the local news. Even the dinosaur skull hanging from the ceiling of the ground floor is decorated. Ecto's probably to blame for the dinosaur-sized Santa hat, though.

Which isn't to say that's the only holiday being marked here. Miss Eartha the golem has very firmly staked out part of the Firehouse's ground floor for Hanukkah, on the grounds that it was a Jewish ritual that got her into the golem body she now occupies and she feels a certain measure of gratitude for that. Janine's been helping her with that, and somewhat reluctantly Egon's been doing so as well. No sign of Kwanzaa on the premises, probably because Winston is as big of a Christmas man as you'll ever find, but someone tacked up several solar symbols and "Joyous Solstice!" messages. As a matter of fact, about the only sign that anyone here isn't celebrating something is the periodic snark of "Bah humbug!" from the fish tank on Janine's desk.

"Here we are, Tyler. How's that look to you?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

basic_powers

We're just going to say it now, there's going to be a lot of sore legs and kneecaps before Tyler and Miss Eartha Kitt make it up to street level again. Then it's going to be climbing onto the 8-foot golem's shoulders and ooooh.

From:

gone_byebye

Oooh is right. Times Square is a massive river of neon. The second floor of virtually every building, right on up to the roofline, is taken up with electrical displays or plasma screens or both- some billboards for the stores they're on, some showing news, some simply advertising this or that Broadway play. The center of the square itself is taken up by a huge mass of people all apparently in line to get to some kind of shop or booth or something with "TKTS" repeated over and over on its signage. In a few places the street itself's been blocked off to cars, only allowing foot traffic through; most of those feature brightly painted asphalt.

And everywhere, everywhere they turn, there are people taking pictures of it. Mostly with their cell phones.

From:

basic_powers

He's just going to hug Eartha's head and stare at the shinies for a bit okay?

This beats the pants off of the holidays back home.

From:

gone_byebye

"You just let me know if you get hungry or anything, kiddo," says Miss Eartha. "Real restaurants, fast food places, street food stands, you name it, we got it."

The golem starts striding off along Broadway, in a more or less northwesterly direction. The crowds, quite reasonably, part at her approach. Even the random guys in Elmo and Cookie Monster and Spongebob suits who're letting people get pictures taken with them get out of the way as she strolls through.

From:

basic_powers

...Okay the guys in the kids cartoon suits are just going to be getting looks as they're passed by.

Really, Tyler understands supersuits, but this is something else, obviously.

"If it's someplace that doesn't have one of those weird costumed mascots nearby, I'll eat there."

From:

gone_byebye

"Those mascots're just out for the tourists with cameras," says Miss Eartha calmly. "Them and the Naked Cowboy. We'll find somewhere to eat soon as you've done your first shopping, since have a look up there."

It's a small bright shop of white and gold tucked in between a jeweler's and an investment firm, and everything in the front window is wrapped in some shade of gold or brown.

"That's our destination."

From:

basic_powers

...This is probably getting old for Miss Eartha, what with Tyler going all quite with awe at some of the store decorations.

"You sure I'm gonna have an appetite for dinner after this?"

From:

gone_byebye

"They don't give out more than one sample per visit, kiddo," says the golem. "You'll be fine. C'mon, now, I have to put you down for this."

From:

basic_powers

"They give a sample?"

Oh well, it's going to take the kid some time to decide. After all Janine's gift comes first.

"...Dark Chocolate Christmas Giftbox or the Christmas Ballotin?"

From:

gone_byebye

"Mmmm.... knowin' what I do of Janine, I'm gonna say the Ballotin," says Miss Eartha. "She's not that big on the dark stuff."

From:

basic_powers

"Kay." There's a pause looking over the display case of truffles and the freshly dipped fruit selection.

"Miss Eartha? uhm..not to sound weird, but would you like something?"

From:

gone_byebye

The golem chuckles, a sound that causes several nearby patrons to scatter. "Nice of you to ask, Tyler, but nah. Golems don't eat. Not that I don't have fond memories of stuff like this, but it's just not my thing any more."

From:

basic_powers

"Oh, well, alright." Good news is that there's less people waiting at the register now.

"May I please have a couple of those milk-chocolate raspberry cups too?" He asks off-handed, digging out his wallet and a $100 bill.

From:

gone_byebye

"Certainly," says the young woman at the counter, who's doing her best not to look at the looming red-brown hulk in the middle of her store. "Would you like that gift-wrapped, young man?"

From:

basic_powers

"Yes, please!"

It's going to be hard enough getting this past Slimer later on.

From:

gone_byebye

"Right you are, then-"

There's a sudden feeling of shaking underfoot, and a muffled thooom! from outside. People immediately start shrieking and running for the nearest available shelter- well, most of them. This is New York. There's always going to be somebody who just HAS to take pictures of every single manhole cover in Times Square shooting thirty feet into the air at once.

From:

basic_powers

He does not say anything, the boy only ducks behind the golem for cover before aiming the gauntlet at the source of the 'thooom!'.

"What the hell ass was that?!?"

...

"Pardon my language."

From:

gone_byebye

Miss Eartha sighs. "Don't know," she says resignedly. "That happened a couple of years ago-"

Odd. Even inside the store there's a sudden stink of maple syrup.

"Oh, that's not good," says Miss Eartha. "I get the feeling Dr. Stantz is gonna get called up here soon."

From:

basic_powers

"Can you wrap those up in a hurry Miss?" Tyler asks the clerk hiding behind the case. "I think we're going to want to be gone in a hurry."

From:

gone_byebye

"Oh- yes- sorry-" The girl sets to work on the wrapping paper immediately. She actually does a remarkably neat job considering that she's operating at twice normal speed and doing her best to stay crouched down out of line of sight of the window. "How's that?"

From:

basic_powers

"Good enough, keep the change!" Tyler says grabbing the bag of raspberry cups and the wrapped present before hauling himself up onto Eartha's back.

And giving anything that looks at him funny a point with the tazer gauntlet.

From:

gone_byebye

Yeah, the thing about golems is that they can do a pretty good clip when they're really determined to do so. Miss Eartha sets off north along Broadway, the crowd parting around her like water.

"Okay, kid. Where to now?"

From:

basic_powers

"Winston and then the nearest gadget store for Peter!" Tyler yelps while hanging on for his dear reeboks to Eartha's head.

He's got visions of maple monsters rising from the sewers in his head, and he's SO not kitted out for that kind of situation.

From:

gone_byebye

"Winston's on a classic movies kick lately," says Miss Eartha. "Virgin Megastore coming right up."

Assuming, of course, that the people surging out of subway entrances don't trip her up. They don't always see her coming.