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Ep 12. Strange Times

12/02/22

Minty and Brandy are in the kitchen of their apartment. Minty has his arms crossed, and Brandy is putting things away after taking inventory. Brandy holds a notepad and pen in his mouth, and a can of food in one hand. Minty, looking worried, asks, What do you expect me to do here, Brandy? Things are a little different, now. Brandy, turning to glare at him, takes the notepad out of his mouth and says, Leave. Minty looks surprised for a moment before also glaring.
Minty pulls out his phone, saying, You know what? Sure. I'll live with my brother in Marshlight. As his phone rings he stands there with his hand on his hip, tail flicking back and forth in annoyance. Just as the phone picks up, he points at Brandy, saying, And you aren't invited to come over for Sea of Lights. On the phone, Minty's brother asks, Minty? Minty smirks and says, Clear out the loft, Malt, I'm, Coming, Home.
Still smirking but tail not flicking anymore, Minty says, What was that? The trains aren't running? The rings are being totally abandoned by the other regions? The next panel shows Brandy grimacing in exhaustion as Minty keeps talking, saying, I'd have to walk through Outskirts on foot all the way to Marshlight Port even though I'm a carnivore? The same Outskirts that carnivores infamously starve to death in?
Minty finishes, And nobody is coming to save us? The phone clicks as Malt hangs up. Minty stands there frozen and smirking for a second before dropping to his hands and knees, absolutely horrified. Brandy keeps grimacing at him for a second before turning away again, looking at what he has written on the notepad.
One week later, Brandy, Minty, and Sugar are walking down the sidewalk in Center Ring, Sugarcube blindfolded and riding on one of Brandy's ice cubes. With his arms crossed, Minty says, If anyone sees us, they're gonna think we kidnapped her. Brandy says, We have bigger things to worry about right now. Sugar giggles. As they enter a grocery store through the broken front window, Minty says, And you said people are, what? Strange looking?
Brandy suddenly grabs Minty around the shoulder and pulls him close, pointing out down the street. Brandy says, People? No, I said the city is very ugly right now, and Sugarcube can't, See, It. As he speaks, the perspective shifts to show he's pointing at an assimilated object in the distance. Minty squints at it, and a bead of sweat rolls down Brandy's face.
Minty says, Oh. Hah. I see. There is a more detailed shot of the assimilated object, a bottlecap with several different insectoid legs coming from all orifices and elongated, spindly arms. Minty and Brandy turn and walk further into the store, Minty saying, And that uh, ugly city. It's on the way home. Brandy says, We'll sneak around it. Minty asks, What happens if we don't? Brandy says, I'm not sure, exactly.
As they grab some canned food off the shelves, Minty asks, And how is this store destroyed with so much left on the shelves? Brandy says, there was more ugly than there were people. I could only get my hands on the dry crunchies before things got too ugly. Minty laughs, Yeah haha, but you know I'm the only one who eats that stuff.
Brandy, looking worriedly at Minty, says, You need to be able to eat when all the meat in the city spoils. Nervous, Minty asks, Oh, so it was a selfless act just for me, huh? Pissed off, Brandy says, Yeah. Maybe you should thank me for it. Sugar notices them starting to argue and whines, Stop.
Sugar says, I wanna go home. Brandy zips up the duffel bag they're using to carry the food and says, We won't be much longer, honey. Sorry. The next panel shows them sneaking past the assimilated object from before, Brandy carrying the bag and Minty carrying Sugarcube. The object chitters as they pass. Minty covers Sugar's mouth with his hand.
At home, the three of them sit on the carpet and go over what they got from the store, and Minty asks, So, are we staying in the rings? Brandy says, We have no choice. You wouldn't make the journey elsewhere. Then, holding out a box of chalks to Sugarcube, he says, This is yours. Sugarcube says, Wow! and runs off with the chalks to her room. Minty watches her leave.
As soon as the door closes, Minty looks towards Brandy, saying, This is fucked up, Brandy. Brandy says, Would you rather live here or die in Outskirts? Minty says, Ugh. If Miss Decision Maker was still here you wouldn't think twice for my sake. She'd see it as a win-win.
Brandy, holding his head in his hand, says, She wasn't controlling, she was smart. And she wouldn't have let Sugarcube watch you die. Minty, annoyed, says, She had no problem leaving her daughter without her mother. She'd think it was fine. Brandy glares tiredly at him, saying, Maybe try to remember, that that was your fault.
Brandy continues, And you aren't who I would describe as loyal, anyways. Minty says, I, but Brandy keeps talking, saying, Maybe she could tell. She was smart.
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