The dorms lobby- Sunday afternoon

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

The gun vending machine was still there. Maddie had really thought someone would have done something about this by now, and she had no idea what it meant that no one had. Could she blame the NRA for this?

She had to admit she was really curious, though, about what kind of weapons they actually had in vending machines, and also about what would happen if she actually got one. Normally she'd say that she was too poor to waste money on something she didn't even want like this, but she had found free money in a box, so she figured she was breaking even by putting the money in and hitting a few random buttons.

Once she had it, she looked around like she was expecting this to be some sort of sting operation. Apparently it wasn't. And you know, maybe she should have thought about what she was supposed to do with this thing now...


[Open!]

Comments

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

Mira spotted the vending machine earlier, so she came back down from her room with cash.

"I can't believe they're selling these in the dorms now," Mira said as she walked over. "What do you think looks good?"

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Uh, this one," Maddie said, handing out the one she'd gotten. She didn't really want it, after all.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"Is that a recommendation or buyer's remorse?" Mira checked.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"It's a 'I just wanted to see what would happen,'" Maddie said.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"Was it something like this?" Mira asked before putting some money in and getting a shock revolver. "If you don't want that one, I'll buy it off of you."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"I will totally sell this one to you," Maddie said immediately. If she needed another for some crazy reason she could always buy another, right? "I can't believe they're actually letting us do this."

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

Mira took out the same amount she had just put into the machine and handed it over to Maddie. "I think it's a nice taste of home. Of course, it was a droid selling the guns and he had a bounty on his head, so I wasn't actually buying from him. But this is almost the same thing."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"It's really that easy?" Maddie said, taking the money and handing over the gun. Seriously, she so expected detention for this.

And yet she did it anyway, because it wasn't anywhere near the worst thing she'd ever done.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"As far as I'm concerned, yes. And if they put a vending machine in the dorm building, I'm guessing it's that easy for the school, too," Mira said. "And if it's not, then they probably should have done something about it before we were able to buy stuff. That's on them."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"So you don't think this is weird at all? It's been here for at least a couple days," Maddie said.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"It's a little surprising for this place, maybe, but it's weirder for me being in a place where you can't get weapons a few minutes after leaving your room," Mira said. "But you might not want to use my experiences as a basis for Earth Normal."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, this definitely isn't Earth Normal." You came from someplace where superheroes were a thing, Maddie. "So where do you even keep those?" she wondered.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"I'm assuming I still have to put them in the weapon's locker along with my grenades, mines, wrist launcher, other guns, and darts," Mira said. "Because I definitely don't have any of that stuff hidden anywhere else." There was something in Mira's eye, which forced her to close it quickly. If it looked like a conspiratorial wink, well, that's perception. You can't fault her for your own paranoia.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"You have grenades?"

She felt like she should stop being surprised by things like that.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"I make them, actually. It's kind of a hobby," Mira said.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"...That's kind of cool."

How did that suddenly make it cool, Maddie? How?

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"If you ever need a non-lethal grenade, let me know," Mira said. "Since you're the kind of person who sells her gun the second she buys it, I think I could probably trust you to use one wisely."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Well, it really took me more like a minute..." Maddie said.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"In that case, I should probably remind you that if the grenade starts beeping, throw it before it blows and you're covered in adhesive," Mira decided.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"That part I've learned from movies," Maddie said. "Though there it's less 'adhesive' and more 'blood and gore.'"

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"I'm not as much a fan of the blood and gore. I grew up in a war zone. So I've had my fill," Mira said. "But give me stuff that will zap a bunch of people if I need it and I'm a little girl on Life Day."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Life Day?" It was easier than talking about war zones.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"If I understand Christmas, it's a lot like that, only in space," Mira said. It was the easiest explanation.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"And therefore way cooler than what we have." Because space.

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"I like to think so, but that's because it's my holiday," Mira said. "I'm sure Christmas will be great once I actually experience it."

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!" Decibel level, Minako. But she was just going to stare at these things with her mouth gaping. "Is this, like, an American-thing? Or a Fandom-thing?"

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Uh, I don't know?" Maddie shrugged. "They showed up a couple days ago."

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"I thought it was a candy machine when I went past it the first few times," Minako explained, waving her hands. "I mean, you have candy cigarettes in this country, why not candy guns? But, like, they're gun-guns!"

Very astute, Mina. Gold star.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

Maddie was trying really hard not to look at you funny for that, Minako.

"Yep, definitely gun-guns. In the dorms," she said, going with it rather than questioning it.

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, Maddie. Everyone looks at Minako funny when she's being dense.

"But why?" Minako asked, throwing up her arms. "Isn't it, like, unsafe?"

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

If Maddie really was on a prank show- and she wasn't entirely sure she wasn't- this girl had to be part of it.

"Yeah, it's unsafe," Maddie said slowly. "I don't have any answers, though."

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"Personally, I think it's a common sense thing. You've seen the weird things that crop up around here, right?" Mira suggested.

Of course, that was said by somebody who was pulling apart one of her new guns to make sure it was nice and clean. To each her own.

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but I thought there was a 'no weapons in the dorms' rule, and the weird things would have to get past the teachers first, and then the kids with powers," Minako pointed out. "...and then those of us who know Judo and are really good at throwing things."

[notapredator.livejournal.com]

"And now they also have to get past those of us who are good at shooting things," Mira said. "No downside."