The entire reason I'm releasing this chapter is because I'm cancelling the story and I didn't feel like having this unfinished chapter just sitting here. So yea, here is what was to be the first half of the third chapter. Enjoy it if you want or just ignore it altogether.
Two whole hours of nothing but posing and walking, god this was gettin' ridiculous. Of course there was always the occasional photographer or convention-goer that seemed determined to point out my missin' hat like it was the end of the world and the only way to save it was by pointing out for the hundredth time that day that I DID NOT HAVE MAH HAT! Ah swear when Ah get mah mitts on that stupid fuckin' dog Ah'm gonna tear it's hea-
Maddie chose that moment to press a cold water bottle to my neck, making me jump and flinch away as she giggled at me before handing me the drink. "Come on Nat, I can practically hear your accent flaring up, just cool off alright? I'm sure we'll find a good replica somewhere." I calmed down and took a long drink of the water, hadn't really realized how bad the heat was getting to me. They could have at least turn the air-conditioners up or somethin' so Ah wouldn't 'ave to stand here meltin' mah pants off and tryin' to get a coupla hundred o' feet away from any jerkoff 'ere that reckon's jus' because ah'm all dressed up means it's alright fer them to-!
Once more Maddie interrupted me, though this time with a bit more physical contact as she whacked my hat-less head. Sighing, I straightened up and stretched my legs slightly. "You've gotta point Mad, maybe a walk would help. Wanna come?" I asked her to which she shook her head and simply pointed at a large clock attached to one of the walls. "Ah, two-thirty, ya gotta go meet up with Aaron by the panel dontcha?"
She smiled and nodded, reaching into her pocket before drawing out a map and handing it to me. "You'll be fine Nat, and I managed to mark down a few of the vendors that had bits of clothing hanging around before I got dragged off for a photo. You might be able to find what you're looking for at one of those." Her glee was contagious as I looked over the map and nodded, some kinda plan was better than nothing.
We'd talked over where we were going to meet up after the panel before heading our separate ways. Some of the activity was flaring up as yet more people arrived, many of those who'd been since opening having already gotten what they'd come for and were now just wanderin' around. Meanwhile I'd had to walk up to the closest vendor on the map, and probably the creepiest. Dude was lookin' shifty as fuuuck in that outfit.
This guy had everything though! Keyblades, fake gems, a model rocket launcher and even a hat! Not just any hat though, exactly the hat I was looking for and with a price tag displaying the measly price of ten dollars. I was so caught up in my awe I barely noticed someone lightly bump into me as I reached for my wallet, which was decidedly not where I'd put it. After a while of me looking like an idiot as I patted around my pockets the guy coughed loudly into his fist to get my attention. "Not enough cash, Stranger!"
After starin' at that asshole for a bit I grumbled and stamped my feet as I left, lookin' angry enough to any passerby that Ah was not in tha mood for photos. All the while Ah thought of where Ah could've left mah wallet. Had Ah dropped it by one of the seats? Did Ah give it ta Maddie at one point to hold onto fer me? Either way, none of that really would help my current issue. No doubt someone was gonna buy that hat once Ah managed to find mah wallet.
Being caught up as Ah was, barging into people was the lowest concern on my mind. Until I heard a decidedly large yelp when I knocked some poor lass over. Immediately I stopped and looked to her as she rubbed her side, a helmet rocking on the ground next to her while her golden hair flowed free. Looked like she was dressed up as some kind of soldier type, probably from yet another game Ah hadn't heard of. Ah couldn't really think about why a soldier would be bright red though. "Ah shit, sorry there, wasn't exactly keepin' an eye out for where Ah was goin'." I apologised, extending a hand to her.
She laughed it off as she took my hand, pulling herself up while grabbing onto her helmet and putting it back over her head, easily covering her eyes. It was a wonder she could even see out of the thing. "Don't worry about it too much, it's not exactly the first time I've fallen out of nowhere." She giggled as her helmet tipped back, revealing her face and the golden eyes that lay beneath.
"Ah... yea. Really am sorry 'bout it. Anyway, I best be going." I hadn't even taken a step before she grabbed at my arm and turned me to face her. There was something a bit... off about her for a second, though I couldn't really place it.
"Not so fast missy, I may have said sorry but I expect to be fully compensated for my grievances!" She'd said it with a perfect smile the whole time, like this was some kinda game or somethin'. "Now, off we head to the food court, maggot!" She laughed as she dragged me along, not really giving her much of a chance to tell her that I'd lost my wallet somewhere.
I slurped loudly at my milkshake while she glowered at me across the table, my head in my hands while I tried to avoid her decidedly deadly glare. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you had no money! Now I've gone and ended up treating you to food!" Her pout was pretty adorable if I had to say so, though the way she was crushing her sandwich reminded me she wasn't too happy about the situation.
"Look Ah said Ah was sorry, couldn't really help it none since you went off an' dragged me here outta nowhere." I'd replied, my accent creeping in while I stared at the table.
She sighed loudly and slipped down against her chair, her helmet being pushed over by the back of the chair to cover her face completely. "Uggghh this is so not fair! You were supposed to buy me food, we were supposed to chat and then we would become fast friends who hung out and went on lots of adventures together!"
I'd had to stop myself from spitting into my drink, now coughing into my hand as I thought over how ridiculous she sounded. Can't really berate her too much though since she did go and buy me this milkshake. "I'm all up for being friends and all, but I doubt there's many adventures we could go on since I'm not exactly from around here. Me and my friends drove a few hours across the country-side to get here."
She slammed her hands on the table, squishing her sandwich into it while I had to hold onto my drink to make sure it didn't fall over. "That's no fun at all though! What's the point of being friends if you don't go on adventures? Oooh I know, how about I go home to the 'country' with you and we can be outlaws together but mostly just take out bad guys while being paid by other bad guys!"
Woo boy she had an imagination on her, and something about the way she said country made me pretty sure this obvious city-girl hadn't exactly been anywhere outside of the coast. "It isn't exactly cops and cowboys out there y'know? A lot of it's like the city, just with less people." Really this girl was a little too much, hadn't even gotten her name yet and she was already beggin' me to go on adventures. "Hey that's right, ya haven't even given me yer name yet and you already wanna go on adventures? What's the deal."
It kinda felt like she ignored me as her head slammed into her sandwich halfway through me talking, only for it to be quickly brought back up with a little mayo on the side when I asked for her name. She quickly stood up, licking off the mayo as she walked around the table. "I just thought you looked like fun to play with, and really what more can a girl ask for?" She had a smile on her face that was quickly turning dangerous as she walked up beside me. "And I don't really care for names, too childish if you ask me, but if you really want to you can call me A."
Alright, abort mission, abort mission! She was looking way too creepy to be a normal girl at a convention! That smile was going to give me nightmares for a few weeks! Imagine my surprise as she pulled a hat outta nowhere from behind her back, an almost perfect replica of Nisha's hat from the game, while I turned my chair to face her more, getting ready to bolt. "And from now on, you get to be Nisha!"
She pushed the hat onto my face and I felt myself fall back in my chair while I couldn't see anymore. The fall felt like it took ages and once I finally hit the ground it really wasn't the painful thwack I expected. It was certainly a lot more spongy than I expected. Heck, my hearing must've gone out to since I couldn't even hear the constant chatter of the convention anymore. Sounded more like.... gunshots?!
I sat up straight, the hat falling onto my lap as I looked at the scene before me. I've never really seen a gunfight before, so I had no idea how my imagination managed to conjure one up in front of me. These people dressed in uniforms were yelling and dying everywhere, I didn't even have time to question why they all looked different colors as one of them fell dead next to me.
I screeched and tried to crawl away as the corpse was trampled by a few others in a similar uniform, though all of them had a different picture on the front for some reason. It wasn't until one of them yelled at me that I came back to my senses. The guy looked like he was covered in fur for fucks sakes! Really dark fur too, his eyes were slitted and his nose looked way too round and realistic to be fake. Maybe this was some war of the furries or something? "I said if you don't have a gun on you then get out of here!"
Scrambling, I picked up my hat as I stood up, a few more of the dark ponies falling as ones wearing much brighter armor closed in. When I went to put on my hat, lo and behold a gun fell out. I fumbled with it a bit in surprise before holding it properly. The thing looked just like one of the pistols from Borderlands! The gunfire overhead didn't let me enjoy it too much as the furry dude and I ducked down behind cover.
He looked at me, to the gun in my hands, then back to me before sighing. "There isn't much use in running away now, they've got us surrounded and I'm pretty sure it's only you, me and Glimmer ov-" We both heard a thunk as a body hit the ground, me avoiding it while the guy beside me just rolled his eyes, "Only you and me I guess. Have you ever used a gun before?" Another eye roll from him as I shook my head. "Then you haven't really got much of a choice, figure it out!" He yelled loudly as he leaned over our makeshift barricade and fired back at the guys behind us.
I shook as I looked over the weapon in my hands, not really able to tell the barrel from the handle as I held it like I'd seen in some action movies. My eyes went wide as my finger slowly moved from the trigger to the barrel and I emptied the clip, reloading the gun efficiently as knowledge seemed to flow into me. I stood up, eyes still wide as I jumped over the barricade, a smile on my face and shock on the other guys as I let fly one bullet after the other. "Time to dance assholes!"