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The rain began to fall into a gentle rhythm as Cecil stood at the bus stop.
“Just great,” he thought as he held a soggy newspaper over his head. Public transportation wasn’t any more punctual in Night Vale, but at least the city council could be counted on to release the weekly schedule of planned rains. They could usually be counted upon… Unless the Glow Cloud was involved. All hail the mighty Glow Cloud!
Everything about this bustling city was strange and unsettling. It felt odd to be in the shadow of so many tall buildings instead of standing under the hot desert sun. Where were all the bloodstone circles? There were lights, sure, but no mysterious ones above the Arby’s. Worst of all, someone had constructed a bus stop shelter that clearly wasn’t big enough for all of the people who would be waiting there.
As Cecil leaned back against the lamp post behind him, he spied a dark-haired stranger who was standing out in the open under the indifferent sky. The stranger was rummaging in a bag and wearing a lab coat. Cecil watched him pull an umbrella out of his bag and straighten up. Their eyes met, and Cecil suddenly didn’t mind being caught in the rain. The wet and slightly disheveled hair only served to make his intelligent face more handsome. The perfect stranger smiled at him, and Cecil’s heart skipped a beat. He had teeth like a military cemetery.
Cecil’s breath caught in his throat as the stranger made his way to him through the waiting crowd.
“I saw that you were caught without an umbrella,” the man said warmly as he held his umbrella forward to offer room under it. “Care to share mine?”
“Yes, thank you!” Cecil enthused as a goofy grin overtook his face and he moved closer.
“My name’s Carlos, by the way,” the stranger with the perfect hair said.
“Hi, I’m Cecil,” Cecil replied as the bus pulled up noisily. It was not a welcome distraction.
Perhaps this city wasn’t so bad at all.