Holy shit! It's been, what, five months since I updated this story? I didn't mean to take this long. I had the plan of each chapter coming out every two to three weeks. At the most a little over a month at a time. But this chapter was so long and I had so much other stuff going on I didn't have much time to work on it.
And when I say things were getting long, I mean it. This isn't the full story! I had to break it up into two parts. But lets just get on with the story, yea?
The Cloak (Part 1)
Wandering around wasn't getting her anywhere. It's been three days and she's still just aimlessly walking around this one city. She didn't even know the city's name. Wow she was bad at this whole "Invasion" thing.
The ship with her White Martian brethren was even now hiding behind Earth's moon to avoid detection. They were waiting for her and the others in her scouting party to provide enough information on the planet to make their eventual attack go as smoothly as possible. Their orders were simple: place themselves in positions of power and influence, find weaknesses in the planet's governmental infrastructure, discover, and if possible eliminate, any major threats to the invasion fleet. M'gann M'orzz had done none of those things so far.
To be fair, it has only been three days. The problem was she had no idea how to complete any of her objectives. She didn't even know why she was on this mission. She didn't even know why she was part of this invasion at all! She should have just stayed on Vega II. Her drill commander constantly said she was the single worst soldier he'd ever attempted to train. She was constantly ridiculed by her comrades for any number of reasons. She was too weak, wasn't ruthless enough, never did what she was told.
But the White Martians were an almost wholly militaristic society. If M'gann wasn't a soldier, she might as well not be a citizen of her own planet. Even being a terrible soldier was preferable to not being one at all.
So here she was: Trying to invade a planet she had nothing against, working for commanding officers who couldn't stand her, and whom she didn't particularly like herself; all so her life would suck just a little less. M'gann genuinely hated her life.
Fortunately for the scouts, White Martians shared their Green cousins' shape-shifting abilities, allowing them to hide in plain sight to observe the people they intend to conquer. When M'gann was deployed into the city, she turned into the first thing she saw, a mangy stray cat. In the three days she's been on Earth, M'gann's shifted into a dog, a bird, a squirrel, and back into a cat, which she was now.
While M'gann hadn't learned much about how to bring the Earthlings to their knees, she had learned one important thing: Earth is a lot better than home. She used her telepathic abilities to read the minds of several humans she's seen, and from what she could tell human society wasn't as violence driven as the White Martians. There were plenty of humans with violent thoughts, but for the most part these people seem much more care free than M'gann's fellow Martians. Part of her wished she didn't have to help destroy these people...But this is how things had to be. M'gann really hated her life.
Of course none of that took away from the simple fact that M'gann was lost. No seriously, she was really lost. She'd never been in this part of the city before. Thanks to her telepathy, M'gann had quickly learned to understand human language. She could read the street signs, but none of them look familiar.
The shape-shifter walked down the sidewalk trying to figure out where she was when something caught her eye. It was a monitor in the window of a store, what it displayed was unlike anything M'gann had ever seen. There were bright colors, the people on screen wore odd looking clothing and seemed to be engaged in some kind of battle; except they were flying through the air, wielding giant weapons, and all manner of other strange things happening. This must have been some form of Earth entertainment. It had peaked her interest, and learning about how humans entertained themselves could be helpful to the invasion. She wasn't completely sure how, but there must be some way. And M'gann will figure out how.
M'gann slipped into the store along with another human to find out more about the video she'd just seen. However the clerk picked her up and threw her out the door. Apparently she wasn't going to get any new information as a cat.
She walked into an alleyway near the store to change form. Fortunately she spotted a magazine lying on the ground and decided to take on the form of the model on the open page. In a matter of seconds M'gann had the appearance of a black girl with curly brown hair, wearing a halter top and short-shorts. She was bare foot, but it hardly bothered her.
This was the first time M'gann had taken on the form of a human and it took her a few minutes to get used to how the human body was constructed. She had been so used to four legged beings, having only two again was a bit of an adjustment.
A little wobbly, the shifter walked into the store and over to the clerk. She cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up from the comic book he was reading; glaring at her like he was annoyed by the interruption. Okay, She thought, First time talking to a human. Don't mess up.
"Greetings fellow human!" M'gann started, "I would like to inquire about the video displayed in your store's window." Nailed it. M'gann thought, a wide grin on her face.
The clerk just stared at her for a second, "Uh, right. Well, that would be a series called, uh..." He looks M'gann over a bit more critically than necessary before continuing, "It basically translates to 'Mighty Star Princess'. It's the hottest thing out of Japan."
M'gann's eyes flash green for a second as she quickly reads the clerk's mind. "Japan, a string of archipelagoes on the Eastern coast of the Asian continent."
"Thank you Miss Encyclopedia. Look, why don't start off with something else as your first anime. Which I'm pretty sure this is." He said in a very condescending voice. The clerk turn to the wall of DVDs behind him, picked one out, and placed it on the counter in front of M'gann. "I think this is more your speed."
The alien girl examined the box in front of her. It featured four cute looking human girls with large eyes and wearing what appeared to be some kind of uniforms. The four girls were sitting on a blanket in the middle of a grassy field looking into the camera. Above the girls were large characters M'gann didn't recognize or understand. Assuming that the characters were Japanese and the clerk would know what they mean, she did another quick scan of his mind to discover the title of the video is "Wondrous Summer in the Sun". She also noticed a number of images in the man's mind of the four girls on the box having sex with each other.
Not sure if the images would be in this video or if the clerk had seen them somewhere else, she decided to be safe and put the box down on the counter. "Um, thank you, but I think I'd like Mighty Star Princess."
The clerk sighed while rolling his eyes at the disguised girl. He took a copy the M'gann's requested video off the shelf behind him and placed it in front of her. She gingerly picked the box and smiled at the art on the front. She saw the female warrior from the video with a large curved sword slung over her shoulder. This must have been the eponymous Star Princess. Flanking the Star Princess was a number of other people, not all of them human, or at least not completely human. Some she remembered from the video earlier, some she didn't. The title of the video also adorned the top of the box, except this time it was in English.
"That'll be $25.37." The clerk said, bringing M'gann out of her appreciation of the box art.
The Martian girl looked at him in confusion, "25.37?" Then it dawned on her, "Oh currency. You want currency. Of course you do..." How could M'gann have forgotten something so basic? She didn't have anything to pay for the video. No Earth currency or something to barter with like back home. It's just a good thing she didn't try this with something more important. She really was the worst invader ever.
With little other options, M'gann reached into the clerk's mind and implanted one thought "I just paid you."
Blinking quickly, the clerk's expression returned to his original apathetic state as he handed M'gann the box, "Thanks for your business or whatever."
M'gann gave him a wry smile. It didn't feel right using her telepathy to steal like this. Even if her drill sergeant said it was her best weapon against the weak minded peoples she would be trying to conquer.
M'gann turned to leave, but stopped after glancing at the window display. That's when she realized she'd need something to watch this on. The shifter looked back to the clerk who had resumed reading his book. "Um, excuse me...?"
The clerk slammed the book closed, giving an exaggerated sigh; not even trying to hide his annoyance. "What now?"
M'gann took a step back in fear, before remembering that she could render this guy into a drooling vegetable with the slightest thought...Okay she'd never do something like that. But at the very least she shouldn't be afraid of him. "Uh, um...D-do you know where I can purchase a-a video monitor like that?" She timidly said, pointing at the display.
"You mean a TV?" She silently nodded, a slight blush adorning her disguised face. She really needs to learn what more stuff is called on this planet. The clerk rolled his eyes again, "I don't know, I think there's a BestBuy or something on Hemingway. It's about two or three blocks that way." He said pointing in the general direction of the store.
Despite the vagueness of the directions, M'gann was able to find the store. It was much larger than the one she had just been in with many more other people wandering around looking for whatever item they intended to purchase. She looked around herself for some time to examine the different technologies that Earth possessed. This actually could help her mission; if she could figure out how advanced Earth's technology is, it will give her some clue about conquering them...Why did just thinking that seem wrong?
Walking around the store also gave her the opportunity to observe the other shoppers, or more specifically, what they looked like. While making her way to this store, M'gann noticed a number of people on the street looking at and whispering about her. She assumed it was because of the form she had taken, considering it came from an Earth periodical, it was possible that the human she now looked like is well-know. Attracting attention is the last thing the invader wanted this early in her mission, so she decided to change her appearance once more. But she'd be clever about it; for once. As she wandered around the store, M'gann would pick out a specific attribute of a human she'd seen and, if she liked it, would alter her appearance to match it. Occasionally checking a reflective surface to make sure everything was in proportion.
By the time she finally found the area where the TVs were sold, M'gann had her appearance set: She was 5'4", had a slim build, red hair, large, almond-shaped green eyes, olive skin, and freckles. The freckles were a last minute thing when she saw a cute little girl with them. Thanks to the scan of the last store clerk, she had seen images of the peoples of the nation Japan. After seeing a young woman with similar features, M'gann decided to gear her appearance to match the people of that region.
While wandering through the aisles, a man in a blue shirt walked up to and greeted her, "Hello there. May I help you with anything, miss?"
M'gann was startled for a moment, then turned and answered, "O-oh, yes! I would like to request you aid in finding me an acceptable video monitor to purchase." M'gann said with another brilliant smile.
"Did...you mean a TV?" The man, most likely an employee of the store, asked slightly confused. M'gann just nodded, no longer trusting her ability to speak. Maybe I'm not getting the hang of this.
"Well then, let see what we have to offer." He said, gesturing for her to follow him. The sales person who helped her seemed far friendlier than the man she got the video from. He was patient with her, didn't mention or really seem to mind when she said something odd.
When M'gann had a set she was happy with (A 30' flat screen with a built in DVD and Blu-ray) he asked her another question she hadn't thought of, "Now, would you like this taken to your car, or perhaps you'd like it delivered directly to your home?"
Her home. That's right; she had the video, something to watch it on, but not someWHERE to watch it. She had spent the last three days sleeping on the streets; she never bothered to find a place to live. How could she keep forgetting sure basic thing? Forget being a bad invader, M'gann was just worthless in general.
"O-oh! Yes! My-my home. That's where you should send it." She said, beginning to sweat.
"Alright," The sales person said, pulling out a note pad and pen, "Just give us your address and we should have it delivered to you by the end of the day."
M'gann was officially stuck. She didn't know this city well enough to give an address to anywhere. She still didn't even know what the city's name was. She did a quick widespread scan of a radius of ten feet to find a place she could say she lived. The scan was a bit to sudden with the number of minds she went through at once. The amount of information overwhelmed her senses for a moment causing her to double over, clutching her head.
The sales person helped steady her as the sudden headache subsided. "Are you alright, miss?"
Taking a deep breath to calm her mind, she said to him, "Yes, yes. I'm alright. Thank you." She had to remember to never do something like that again. But it did pay off, as she was able to glean the location of an apartment building only a few blocks away. She gave the sales person the address and left, again making him think she had paid for the TV, and made her way to the building she identified as her home.
While walking, M'gann came to the very obvious decision to find a place to live. She hadn't minded sleeping on the street, but she had been a small animal at the time. She could make a bed for herself out of various items she found. But if she was going to live as a human (Which clearly she needed to if she wanted to complete her mission...Even if she really DIDN'T want to complete her mission) she need some place to rest her head at night.
The building seemed nice enough. Well-constructed, the grounds around it were tended with beautiful looking flowers, about eight floors height. M'gann could see herself living here. She walked into the lobby and immediately realized how different living quarters on Earth were from Vega II. Back home everything was sterile and same-y. White walls, white floors, no decoration or extraneous details. Everything was built purely for practical purposes. That wasn't the case for Earth.
The lobby had off green stripped wallpaper, alternating between a lighter and darker shade of green, two burgundy couches and side tables with lamps next to them, as well as landscape paintings on either side of the room. Had M'gann been an Earth native, she'd probably think it was just about the tackiest room she'd have the dishonor to see. But after growing up in the oppressive, creatively stifling White Martian society it seemed like the most amazing thing in the universe. "People live here?" She said in wide-eyed awe.
"I know, it's a dump right?" A raspy, feminine voice called out behind her. M'gann turned around to see an older woman holding shopping bags walking through the door. Her hair was a dull blonde tied into a messy bun, and there were wrinkles all over her face. She looked and sounded like she had seen better days; she let her body go and had one of those smoking sticks M'gann had seen other humans inhaling hung from her mouth. I think they're called...cigarettes? Maybe?
"But hey," She took the cigarette out and blew smoke into the air, "its home." She waddles over to M'gann and looks her over.
"Never seen you before. You a new tenet or somethin'?"
"Um, well...I-I'd like to be. Who would I speak to about finding a room?"
The woman takes a drag and pointed at the first door to the right, a sign reading "1A" nailed to it, "The landlord's in that room there. You want in; ya gotta talk to that shmuck." The woman looked at M'gann again before asking, "What's ya name, sweetheart?"
"Oh, u-um. M-M'gann."
"Megan, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl. Man, if only I was twenty years younger. I'd show you the time a' your life." She cackled softly, erupting into a fit of coughing as she waddled away.
M'gann followed her with her eyes, more than a little confused, "E-excuse me?"
"Nothin', nothin'. Just an old dyke tryin' ta make herself feel a bit more alive. Don't mind me." She walked to an elevator and waited for its arrival. "The name's Lucy, by the way. Hope ya make it in Megan." She said before entering the small compartment.
M'gann stood in the lobby for a moment more staring at the elevator after Lucy entered. A soft smile slowly forming on her face. I...I think I just made a friend. She got her name wrong, smelled like a target range after practice, and M'gann was pretty sure she just hit on her; but she was also the first being to be genuinely kind to her. Sure, the man who sold her the TV was nice, but M'gann is pretty sure it was his job to be.
Lucy, on the other hand, just started talking to her for no real reason. She was friendly to her without having to be. She even said she'd like for M'gann to live here. Now she just needed to get in.
She walked over to the door Lucy said belonged to the landlord and knocked on it. A moment later a balding man in a wife beater and dark brown slacks opened the door. Again smiling brightly (People seem to react positively to this) M'gann greeted the man, "Hello, you must be the lord of the land, Mr. Shmuck."
The landlord stared at her for a moment before asking, "I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"
M'gann's smile became more strained as she realized that Lucy hadn't called the landlord by his name. By the look on the man's face, it seemed like she was insulting him. Knowing this, M'gann decided to try again, "Hello...I would like to know if you have a room available. S-sir." I guess I stink at being an invader AND a human.
Still somewhat annoyed, the landlord none the less opened the door wider for M'gann to enter his apartment. "What's your name, darlin'?"
"M'gann M'orzz." She absent mindedly answered while overlooking the room. The apartment was clean, for the most part. One could easily navigate their way through the dwelling if need be, but there were stacks of newspapers in one corner and assorted bits of junk and chachkies just as tacky as the lobby scatter here and there. It was fairly obvious that the landlord had decorated the interior of the building himself.
And just like the lobby, M'gann was immediately enamored with the apartment. She had never seen someone's personal living space so...Personalized. "So I take it you met Lucy already?" The landlord asked as M'gann tentatively examined the room.
"Yes, I did." She answered while looking at a rubber fish mounted on a plastic piece of wood. There was also a button on the plastic wood.
"Well you shouldn't pay too much attention to the cranky old bat. She just likes tryin' to get a rise outta me."
"She said something like that herself, actually." Curiosity got the best of her and she pressed the button on the plastic base, causing the fish to start singing. At first shocked by this, M'gann erupted into a giggle fit for a fair few seconds.
"That's really funny. I like your home, Mr. Sh-Sir. M-Mr. Sir." She cleared her throat quickly "A-are all the apartment like this one?"
The landlord looked stunned for a moment before asking, "Okay, first: The name's Manfred Horowitz, but everyone calls me Manny. Second: You really like the way this place looks?"
"Of course I do! Why do you ask?"
Manny looked around for a second, then a smug expression crossed his face, "Yeah, this is a pretty nice place, isn't it?"
"So...um...About the room?"
"What? Oh yeah, yeah." Manny snapped out of his smug reserves and leads her into his office (Kitchen) and sits her down at a flimsy table. "Alright, now why do you wanna live here?"
I need a place to stay while I try to conquer your planet. "I'm just starting out on my own and this place seems really nice."
Manny nodded his head, before asking another question, "Well, how'd you hear about the place?"
I read someone's mind so I could buy a TV. "I just kinda walked in. I wasn't even sure if you had a room available. But I figured 'Why not try'."
"Alright. Well, I'm gonna need a picture ID, social-security card, and a bank statement to see how you credit stakes up." Manny freezes the instant he stops talking.
"Ugh, it's always something!" All she wanted to do is watch a video! How hard could that be? But this one seemingly simple task reveal just how woefully unprepared she was for this mission. Nothing she realized she need today she had thought of before her scouting mission started. For a moment M'gann wondered what would happen if she never saw the Mighty Star Princess video. How long would she have wandered the streets without a clue of what to do next?
But the soul crushing depression that thought brought on would have to wait until she actually got the apartment.
Using her telepathy, M'gann kept Manny frozen in place as she went through his apartment to find three pieces of blank paper. Once she found paper of the right dimensions, she sat down in front of Manny once again and unfrozen him. "Now I don't suppose you have any of that, do you?" He said as if he hadn't just lost ten minutes of his life.
"I-I do, a-actually." M'gann said, handing him the black papers.
Manny took the papers from her and looked them over. "Alright, Megan Mizaki. Hey, I knew a guy named Mizaki when I was stationed in Japan during the seventies. So, yer eighteen. Sounds about right. Decent credit score." While anyone else looking at the papers would see black sheets of white, thanks to M'gann's powers Manny saw exactly what he considered the best information for a new tenant. "All I need to know for sure is if you can pay rent: $350 a month, utilities included."
M'gann wasn't completely sure what "Utilities" were, but she knew for sure that she couldn't pay for them if she did. Still, she needed a place to live. And there was a way she could pay for rent without having to pay for it. "Yes, I can pay." She said with an uneasy look on her face. Yes using her powers to get what she wanted was the easiest option; it didn't keep her from feeling bad about.
I suppose if anyone back home knew I thought like that, it'd just be another thing they'd have to ridicule me for.
"Alright then," Manny said, getting up and handing the blank papers back to M'gann. "Follow me. I take ya up to your new room."
M'gann stood up excited, "You mean I got in!?"
Manny smiled, "As long as ya can and you're not a druggy or serial killer, then yea, you're in." Manny lead M'gann out the apartment and to the elevators. They got out on the fourth floor and he led her to a door with D5 nailed to it. "Here we go, Megan."
He opened the door to show M'gann her new home. It had the same architecture as Manny's room, but lacked the furniture and overall aesthetic. The room was completely bare, but still had more warmth than her old quarters back on Vega II.
"I know it ain't much, but..."
"I love it." M'gann interrupted him. She turned to him with a huge smile on her face, "I'll take it!"
Manny nodded at the disguised girl's enthusiasm, "Great. And I'll need you first month's rent by the end of the day."
M'gann's smile faded quickly remembering the only way she could pay for rent. The alien girl reached into her landlord's mind and planted the idea that she already paid him. Of course he believed it and left M'gann to get acquainted to her new home. The apartment had five rooms in total. The main living room, a kitchen the same size as Manny's (Which wasn't all that big to be honest), a bathroom with a shower but no bathtub, and two rooms in the back she figure at least one of would serve as her bedroom.
After a few minutes of getting used to her new apartment, M'gann returned to the lobby to await the arrival of the TV she bought, Stole, earlier. She left the Star Princess video in her apartment, the first time she put it down since she got it.
She waited outside for about an hour or so. The weather was nice and cool, so she didn't really mind the wait. It also gave her the opportunity to people watch, occasionally reading a passerby's mind to get a better handle on how Earth works. Every new mind she scanned revealed some new aspect of Earth culture. Some good, some not so good. But all of it made her hope that her invasion failed. Even if it meant she was either captured or killed (By the humans or her own White Martian comrades, honestly either was a possibility) she would accept it if it meant these people would be able to continue living their lives.
The truck with M'gann's TV eventually arrived and she led the movers up to her apartment. They helped her set everything up and left with kind parting words. And finally, after several hours, a lot of new information, and the epiphany that she couldn't and wouldn't go through with her mission; M'gann was able to watch the video that started this whole thing. She popped the first of three disks into the TV, waded though some previews, and pressed play on the "Play all" option on the DVD menu.
Four hours later, M'gann had watched all three disks, and all thirteen episodes of Mighty Star Princess. As the final credits rolled, M'gann (Having unconsciously shape-sifted into the main heroine) could only say one thing, "That...was...AMAZING..."
It was a little past nightfall as M'gann walked back to her apartment with two bags full of Anime DVDs in each hand. After finishing Mighty Star Princess, M'gann had gone back to the store she bought it from and asked for any similar videos they had. Again she used her telepathy to "pay" for the DVDs, and she sincerely hoped that the clerk wouldn't get fired for basically giving away more than a dozen DVDs for free. (She'd find out later that he was)
As she walked, one of the bags ripped open, spilling its content all over the side walk. She bent down to pick it up; when a young man stooped down to help her. He didn't say anything as he gathered the six DVDs up and handed them her, "Here you go!" He said with a wide grin. He was rather good looking for a human; he had messy red hair, a shade or two off from her own, freckles, again like her own, and shining green eyes. If it wasn't for the fact she looked Japanese, people would probably think they were related.
"Um, thank you." She said while putting the fallen DVDs into her other bag.
The boy notices this and asked, "Aren't you afraid the same thing is gonna happen to that bag?"
"O-oh, I wouldn't worry." Mostly because I'm holding it up with a telekinetic force field.
The boy just shrugged, "Alright then. So, where you headed?"
"Just, home. I just got a new apartment a few blocks away. Though it's kinda barebones. Pretty much the only thing I have is a TV at the moment." She explained with a bit of embarrassment.
The boy seemed to be contemplating this for a moment before saying, "So that probably means you don't have any food in your place, right?"
Yet another realization dawned on her, she was starving, "Uh, no; I don't. And I haven't eaten all day either." As if on cue, she stomach started to growl.
The boy chuckled softly, "Well, why don't go somewhere to eat? My treat."
M'gann smiled and nodded. "Alright."
"Great, the names Wally, by the way. Wally West." He held his hand out.
M'gann took it, about to give him her name, then remembered how both Lucy and Manny got her name wrong. She decided to just use the name Manny saw on the blank paper he thought was her ID. "Megan Mizaki."
Wally led Megan to a building she had seen around the city a few times, a cheap fast food place called "Burger Planet". Megan insisted that Wally order for both of them, since she's obviously never eaten at a place like this and wasn't sure what to get.
"What were your parents like, major health nuts or something?" Wally asked after hearing this.
"Uhhhhh..." On Vega II, everyone ate pretty much the same thing : Nutrient pellets. They were utterly tasteless, but filling and provided all the nutrition that the White Martians needed to sustain themselves. There were variants, but only in what nutrients were provided. Soldiers like her were given pellets that fostered strong minds and bodies. She had plenty stashed away...but she couldn't remember where.
"...Yeah...You-you could say that." Their food was presented to them in only a few minutes and the two found a small table to share.
Wally had ordered a lot compared to what he got for Megan, and started scarfing it down the second they were settled. She looked down at the tray that held the food Wally had ordered for her. A simple cheeseburger and fries combo with a drink. She picked up one of the fries and scrutinized it a bit. It was warm and greasy, coated in salts and probably loaded with Trans fats. She couldn't imagine this being terribly healthy for humans, let alone her own Martian physiology. It did smell good though.
"Well..." the ravenous ginger across from her, his mouth stuffed with food, asked, "Ya gonna eat that?"
The act was both disgusting and humorous, and Megan couldn't help but smile a little. Looking back at the morsel of food in her hands, she eventually shrugged and popped the fry in her mouth. And suddenly fireworks exploded behind her eyes and her mind became a blur, trying its damnedest to comprehend what her mouth was currently experiencing. After a lifetime of bland capsules, to know what taste was truly like nearly overwhelmed her senses.
After coming down from her food high, Megan began devouring the rest of her fries. Once done with hers, she spotted a helping on Wally's tray, "Mind if I have these?" And grabbed them before he could answer.
Wally just stared at her through all this, cheeks puffing out due to the food still stuffed in them. He swallowed everything and asked, "Man, you really like fries, huh?"
Megan nodded her head excitedly having finished Wally's fries and reaching for another bunch he had. "They're delicious!"
Wally laughed lightly at the strange girl. "If you like 'em like that; try a little ketchup." Said while opening a ketchup packet and pouring it on Megan's tray. She eagerly dipped two fries at a time in the red sauce and tasted the new combination. She closed her eyes and moaned in euphoric satisfaction. "You like?" He asked.
"I like."
Wally encouraged Megan to try the burger and soda as well. She liked them, but seemed to have a definite fondness for the salty yellow sticks. Wally agreed to split his large order between them as they talked a bit more. Wally mentioned he was a student at Central State College, but he still lives with his parents. He also talked about helping his forensic scientist uncle from time to time, most likely trying to impress Megan with his intelligence.
Megan kept talk about herself to a minimum, only saying she was in Central City (Wally had been helpful enough to finally tell her what the city was called) to study but didn't go into detail about what she was studying or where. She didn't talk about her family, except that they were not very supportive of her and she was glad to be away from them.
After finishing off Wally's tray, Megan leaned back in her seat with a satisfied sigh. "That was the best meal I've ever had."
"That's both hilarious and sad. But I suppose dining with a shining example of rugged handsomeness is enough to enhance any meal."
Megan gave a wry smile, "No it was defiantly the fries." Megan breathed a sigh of relief when Wally started laughing, afraid he would be insulted by her comment. She was still getting used to interacting with humans, but they seem far more willing to have fun with each other than the White Martians were. Talking to Wally, or even Lucy or Manny, seemed much easier than talking to her own relatives.
"Well I'd buy you more, but I should really start spending my money a bit more responsibly. Not that I can really regret spending a few bucks on a pretty girl." The ginger said with a sly smirk.
Megan smiled softly and her cheeks heated up a bit. "You know, you're the second person to hit on me today."
"Like I said, you're cute. What guy wouldn't want to hang out with you?"
"Actually the first person was a woman who looked to be in her early fifties." While Wally's eyebrows shot up at this bit of news, Megan began thinking about what he said about managing his money properly. She didn't have any Earth currency, and it wasn't like she could keep manipulating people's minds to give her free stuff...Well okay she probably could and get away with it; she just didn't want to. It made her feel bad. So that only meant one thing: "I need to find employment."
"You don't have a job?" Wally asked confused. Megan shook her head. "Then how'd you get the DVDs or your apartment?"
"Uh...I have a small allowance from my family. But it just won't last very long. I should find some place to work."
"How about here?" Wally said with a shrug. "I saw a help wanted sign on the way in. And clearly you like the food here."
Megan thought about it for a second before accepting Wally's proposal. They walk up to the counter and ask to see the manager for a job interview. Wally helps Megan fill out an application, and the manager takes her in the back to talk to her. The interview is quick and not that invasive. Using the same trick she used on Manny, Megan gave him any information he needed on her. After about twenty minutes Megan came out as an employee of Burger Planet.
Megan and Wally left the restaurant, with the orders that Megan return the next day at 9:00am. "I want to thank you, Wally. It might seem strange to hear, but you're my first friend. I mean, we are friends, right?"
Wally sighed, as if disappointed by something, but then smiled, "Yeah, we're friends. I'd ask for your phone number, but you said you didn't have a phone yet while we were filling out that application." Add that to the list of things I need to be human I guess. "So why don't I stop by after class to see how you're doing?"
Megan nodded, "Yeah, and maybe you can come over to my place. I don't think I'll be able to get through all of these in one night," She said holding the bag full of anime, "So we'd have something to do."
"Yeah, it's a date." they went their separate ways, but M'gann could have sworn she heard Wally trumphantly say, "I'm still in there!" a few feet away. She shrugged it off and made her way home, wondering what life on Earth had in store for her next.
So normally here is when I'd talk about why I made M'gann a Japanese Otaku/White Martian invader. But since this isn't the full story, I'll hold off on explaining myself until I finish the next part. I'm almost done, shouldn't take more than a week or so.
But while I'm here I'd like to ask if anyone is willing to Beta for me? I had a Beta for a while, unfortunately I don't think she's been on the site for some time.