Chapter Text
Sutton stared at the pair in front of her. She wasn't really sure where she was, or who they were, but she figured this universe was pretty safe. For a start, the girl in front of her seemed to be in her twenties, which was a bit older than the age for protagonists but a bit too young for being in a movie. She also had a companion of sorts- a small cat-like creature who gave a high-pitched squeal when she appeared. She wasn't really sure what to say- usually she'd appear behind something, or in a busy crowd where no one noticed her, so she wasn't sure how to explain glitching into existence in the middle of the pair's path. Before she could try to make an excuse, or run for it, an explanation was given to her instead.
"Do you work for Temp-Bot too?" the girl said curiously, eyes going from Sutton's to the creature on the floor. It opened its mouth to respond- but instead of meowing, a stream of notes came out- not quite like any instrument she could think of, or animal, but the girl didn't react in a way that suggested it was unusual. Instead, she nodded in agreement with whatever the animal had said and turned her attention back to Sutton. "I guess it makes sense to see someone else working for the Agency- hi! I'm Bee. This is Puppycat, he's my roommate. Are you new here?" Sutton didn't know if she should be thankful or weary of their instant acceptance for her, so she decided to go along like this was a regular occurrence.
"Sure! I just figured I'd stay for a couple of... weeks." She responded, pausing to do some mental calculations of how long she'd be here. She knew that her intervals were getting shorter, but she hadn't yet figured out how they switched yet, or anything else she could do to stop them. Or why she'd even tried to give an accurate answer- it wasn't like she'd need to explain to strangers why she'd be leaving. Bee nodded, her long hair bobbing in its braids as she paused to think. She wore a yellow jumper, pink pinafore and mismatched socks under pastel trainers. Puppycat had a little collar with a bell, and a tubby, cat-like body. His tail flicked occasionally, its shape , for some reason, reminding Sutton of a dog. Although she considered herself a dog person, Sutton wasn't bad with cats, either, so either way she'd be fine with him. She figured he was Bee's sidekick, but she didn't know why he seemed so grumpy- even for a cat. Or maybe he was an extra grumpy dog? She decided to interrupt Bee's humming to ask.
"So, uh, Puppycat-" she started, catching both their attention. "Is he a puppy? Or a cat... or.." she trailed off awkwardly, watching him for a reaction. She figured he understood what she was saying, as he understood Bee, but he simply continued glaring at her, as if daring her to finish. Bee didn't seem interested in answering her question, but instead replied with several her own.
"Did you come from off the Island? Where did you used to be? Where are you gonna go now?" Sutton blinked, unsure of how she could answer without it being obvious she wasn't supposed to be here. For starters, she wasn't sure what "Island" she was on, or if she could reply with something equally vague like, "Not the Island", and get away with it. She supposed she had to answer, considering that she had basically teleported in front of them. She decided to try her chances.
"Just, y'know, the Mainland," she said in what she hoped was a casual tone. "Figured I'd take a break, see some new sights, just... hang around. For a while. Just because... yeah." she finished, wishing she could respond in a way which didn't make her seem even more suspicious. She toyed with her sleeve as Bee seemed to think. Was her answer reasonable enough to be believed? Apparently so, as Bee didn't seem suspicious. If anything, she seemed excited. She took a step toward her excitedly and Sutton tried not to step back in response.
"I guess you're pretty lost, right? We know our way 'round. Well, I do. I'm not sure Puppycat does-" Puppycat gave a small squeal in response. "Anyways, it's fine. We'd be happy to give you a tour! Of sorts. We can't go to any parks, or any cafe's," she continued, reaching out for Sutton's arm. Sutton wasn't sure how to react at her now being pulled along by her as she was taken down a path. She figured she'd be able to stop Bee, since nothing about her seemed strong, but she didn't know if Puppycat had secret powers that he hadn't shown yet. Or maybe they both had powers. She really was at a loss here. Bee had been talking while Sutton was thinking about her options, and Sutton tried to pay attention as they walked past a man and his dog. Bee was describing a kid when Sutton tried to concentrate on her flow of words. "You know, I think he'd be fine with you. He's fine with Puppycat, since we're roommates, but he pays rent... you could, since you're a temp too, right?" Sutton realised she'd have to lie again, and hope that this time she'd be better at it.
"Sure!" she reassured, hoping her tone sounded more believable this time. "Except, well, I'm feeling kinda tired right now. And it's my break, right?" she remembered, glad that she already had an excuse. "So I'm not gonna be working for now. I mean, of course I would, and the Company- I mean, the Agency- they don't mind. So it's good. For me. To not really be a temp right now." she groaned internally. Why was she getting so flustered? No one would even believe Bee if she tried to tell anyone, and if children could look after properties then she was sure she could find some place to crash that was safe. Bee didn't seem bothered by her stammering, but instead just nodded supportively.
"Oh, duh." she agreed. "Holidays are the best! I'm, like, on a permanent holiday. For a while. Just because, you know, jobs. They're the worst. Well, I was kinda the worst this time. They didn't like my style. It's fine, though, 'cause I've got all these temp jobs!" she grinned at Puppycat, as if he was involved, and looked back at Sutton. "If you're on your break, and I'm on mine, we can break together! You seem pretty alone right now, and it'd be cool to have more friends at home, so are you down?" Sutton couldn't help her look of surprise in response. She hadn't even told Bee her name, and she was being invited in her home? What was going on? Also, was it really safe to be roommates with Puppycat? He hadn't done anything against her, yet, but he hadn't shown any signs of trying to be nice, either. She wished he understood him like Bee seemed to, so she could figure out if this was a good idea or not.
Of course it's not! she berated herself internally. She was in a place she didn't know, alone with no idea what was going to happen, as she'd been for so long she'd given up counting. Maybe she could risk staying at a new place with a friendly stranger and her... other roommate. She'd certainly risked worse, and she'd been getting better at running away from people. She wondered what Tony would say. He'd probably scold her for not running in the opposite direction, and then point out twenty other options. She missed him showing off- which was something she hadn't expected to think for a while. She tried to concentrate on replying to Bee. She was really struggling to think on an empty stomach. When was the last time she'd managed to eat an actual meal? She decided to see how hospitable Bee really was- usually, she'd feel embarrassed asking for food, but at this point she was past manners.
"How about we eat first? I mean, I left my purse at home, so... that's why I can't pay. But if we're sharing an apartment, we might as well get to know each other first, right?" she responded hesitantly. She needed this to work more than she'd like to admit- she was just hoping Bee was as welcoming as she was chatty.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Bee cheered. Sutton was relieved. "We can get food at the store, the eat it at my place. Have you tried fishcakes? They're coming back in! We gotta buy a bunch of stuff, though, since we don't really have a kitchen..." Sutton blinked, not sure if that was something she could comment on considering she didn't even have a second pair of clothes at the moment. "Man, I think I got enough money. Hey, Puppycat, you bring your purse with you?" He blinked at her once, before replying with a small hum. "You're being real quiet, Puppycat," Bee replied, seeming to have understood his statement. Sutton wondered if she could make subtitles appear if she thought about them hard enough. "He's not usually like this," Bee assured her, as they reached a store called Mama Mart. "He's probably just tired out. You look pretty exhausted yourself- are you seriously tired from having a break?" Sutton smiled awkwardly as they walked through the doors.
"I'm getting pretty tired of how lonely it can be." she said, hoping that Bee wouldn't want her to go into it. She turned to the aisles as she tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. "But, hey! Those fishcakes you mentioned!" She pointed, trying to change the subject. Bee followed to where she was motioning.
"Yeah! Nice, put them in the cart!" She agreed, walking over with a basket in hand. "This is gonna be a feast! Right, Puppycat?" Her friend gave a long chirp in response, it wavering in pitch as he wandered off.
"Yup," Sutton agreed, walking by Bee as they looked further down the aisle. She wondered if it was a good idea to go along with this. She should probably be trying to make a plan, like Steve, or negotiate, like Natasha, but she was going to do what she did best- survive. "My name's Sutton, by the way." Bee gave her a thumbs up in response.
"Nice!"