Mazes, Vigilantes, & No Service (Open)

Vee has watched the same man pass her 4 times now.

It isn't uncommon for her to be taking down old flyers and putting up new ones in this area - one of the odd jobs at work she does to get paid for her time instead of sitting around when she has to wait on someone else to finish their end before moving to her next project. It helps that she always felt stifled sitting in an office all day. She's taken the time to make the print outs and has her walking app tracking her path so she can turn it in later in case there are any delays, but once she hangs the last of them she plans to go to lunch.

Vee knows the city like the back of her hand. So, she knows exactly what just happened when he passes her this time. From under her sunglasses, she watches him come up to the same street sign and turn right, not realizing he's in the middle of the triangle and if he doesn't take a side street to get out of it he's about to be on turn number five. He's gotten back weirdly quickly, so she's at her last pole next to the bus stop anyways...

Fuck it. Always time to be a good samaritan, right?

"Excuse me," she calls out, an amicable, if amused, subtle smile on her face. Her voice is brash and direct, but warm, like someone used to calling out to people. "Where are you trying to go?" There's no indication on her part that he might not be lost, she's absolutely certain of it. No need to beat around the bush.

Vee bites back her lips in an attempt to not laugh as he turns eagerly to see what she needed. Well, that was adorable. She walks in to politely look at what he's pulled out of his pocket - utterly unreadable directions. On paper. Well, she'd run into weirder. He looks so flabbergasted by the whole thing, she keeps a secret grin to herself as she lifts her sunglasses to put them on her head and... attempt to read what he had. Her hair tucks behind her ears with them as she rests them easily.

When he named Loretta's, her eyes lit up in recognition, expression opening brightly. She didn't need a map to get there; it was close by and easy to find – Well, if you didn't get caught in a loop. She nods, and elects not to ask just how old his phone was he was printing off map quests from reddit posts.

"Eh, I'm no tour guide or cape, but I do know exactly how to get there," she answers, laughing at the assertion that she'd be either. Hahaha, no superheroes here, no sir. "Anywhere you're going as long as it's not too far out of the city..." She shifts and takes in his shock of red hair still messy from his beanie. Brown eyes look up to meet green, and the puppydog look there is too innocent for her to think this guy has a mean bone in her body. Something about him gives her a sense that he's not a threat, and more acute instincts she trusts whole-heartedly agree. So, she offers.

"You've been going in a loop, though. It's a little tricky to find which street gets you out of it. I can show you if you want? I was about to take lunch anyways." She lightly folds the remaining few flyers over the stapler/tape combination in her hand. She could always put the last few up later.

Oh my god, the puppy eyes were enhancing. Quick, act before the tears start.

His offer catches her by surprise – not that she hadn't thought about it, but she gives him a quick sweeping lookover, not expecting the forward approach from him. She grins, nose wrinkling a bit playfully. "Oh man, is it still an act in good faith if I'm getting something out of it?"

Her expression clears to a pleased smile when he holds his hand out. The way he asks for her name has her dropping to a dead serious look. "Savior suits me just fine. Nice to meet you, Wallace," she says, staring him directly in the eye for a few beats. Then she smiles and takes his hand with a warm, friendly handshake, letting him in on the joke. "Kidding. I haven't gone by my full name since middle school. I'm Vee. C'mon, Wally," she says, shifting her sling bag around to put her things away as she walks, tugging his hand along for a second behind her before dropping it to zip up securely and swing the bag back around to her back. There are many patches on it, mostly classic punk or rock, alternative, and local bands. There's a fair bit of art and leftist political messaging there as well, including some local businesses and remnants of protests that are no longer actively going in the area. The edges and seams are a bit dingy and worn with a well-loved amount of use.

Ahh, maybe she went too far. The guy seemed really– innocent wasn't the right word. And also a little older than her. Wholesome? Like a cinnamon roll type, she decided. But that was always so fun to tease... And he seems so genuinely relieved when her joke clears, and even teases back. It was fine, right?

Vee turns her head over her shoulder to glance at her pack, realizing why he'd brought up Deftones. "Sick! Those are good picks~ They put on a good show, I got this back in 2016..." she says, smiling big at him. Her nose gets that slight wrinkle again, what's becoming a tell she's feeling a little tongue-in-cheek. "Rosemary's been my favorite since."

"Oh!" she thinks, turning fully around and walking confidently backwards as she looked down to dig into her bag again - she followed the curve of the street naturally like she'd walked it a thousand times. "Here," she pulls out a flyer and holds it out to him. "We're having a pop-up show tomorrow night. If you're sticking around town, and like live music, you should come check it out."

Vee nods, understanding. Then the bad joke hits. He seems to be a fan of them. And honestly? She snickers. "Yeahhhhh, it's a developed skill. I'll be sure to remember that, Woolie," she says, bright and chipper as she winks back.

She watches his reaction to the poster, curious what he would think. His question is fairly expected, and she nods. "Vera Floe's my project - I also work for Many Hands. Mostly events and graphic design stuff. Soooometimes putting said designs up around the city," she confirms and adds on. With that, she turns and starts walking next to him. "Doesn't usually score me a meal or the company of a new face, though. Today's just my lucky day~"

She points at a street coming up on their left as they approach it. "There's our exit."

That gets him a good-natured laugh, one that got the joke and also planned to answer. "It's a local outreach thing, so the it's not huge. There are... about 10 regular staff members, and the rest are volunteer-based. I'm technically an independent contractor, they just get me consistent work," she explains. "It started with just the owner and her husband, and they've slowly built up people over time." The way she talks about it is proud and fond, and the next sentence gives some insight as to why, "I started there when I moved to Seattle, and it's grown a lot since."

There's a small smile, shyer than before and aimed privately toward the ground as he taps her with his elbow, speaking of lucky days. Her hands interlock behind her back, and she keeps that semblance of private thought a moment longer before her head comes up and eyes close in the warmth of the sun. There's a deep breath, and then her brown eyes warm as they catch the sun and she's back. "We can share," she offers simply, looking ahead.

She looks back at him with that same amused curiosity from before bubbling up again, the serene moment she'd had tucked away now. "Yeah - you have a mind for numbers but not names?" she questions teasingly. "If you insist... For sure, Lost Boy. If I let you loose in the city with a busted phone you might end up in the harbor."

She grins at his playful elbowing, enjoying how naturally they fell into this friendly rhythm. There were signals, though. The guy had definitely been lost, but between the initial invitation to lunch, song choices, banter about names and numbers, and the fact her friendly responses had him upping the ante... The pleasant warmth he gave off briefly sticks in her cheeks. She studies his face a moment, gears turning as she processes the question. "Nope. I don't think anything I can picture will hold up to the real thing." She moves on smoothly, turning them down the side street. "You didn't say if you were going to be around still tomorrow," she points out as they go. It is maybe one city block before they're at the other side, and Vee pauses at the end of their street to take in the view sprawling below and around them before turning to the right, making sure he's still keeping up with her. "It's not far from here now."

She nods at what he shares, a strong wave of empathy rolling off of her, communicating to Wally her understanding. "I know how that is. I try to have a similar outlook." She pauses for a short moment of thought, then adds, "Doesn't always work. But today's been a good day for it."

"What's the something else you ended up doing?"