"Thank you," She murmured, taking the books before nodding once to him and heading into the building. Honor knew they both were acting a little weird around each other, but she pushed the thought inside as she stepped into the post office. As long as she was able to get these mailed out quickly, then they could get on the road again, but she didn't want to mess things up either. Plus it gave Oscar and her a little time apart to have time alone.
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The post office was hushed and mostly empty at the moment, and nicely cool compared to the already-warm air outside. The only sound came from the tv in the corner, which was turned down very quiet and showed the local morning news. It seemed there had been an incident overnight–the news cameras were trained on the smoking wreckage of a farmhouse while the reporter explained that it was the scene of an Erased One attack. Apparently Goldenrod had found it nesting in the building three days after it had overpowered the family living there. They tried to catch it, but it unfortunately escaped. The reporter advised everyone to be on the lookout and avoid leaving home after dark until the threat was neutralized.
"Always nice to have a cheerful broadcast first thing on a Monday," the post office clerk remarked wryly, giving Honor a smile. "Sending something out? I'll get you stamps."
(Pardon the late response time)
Honor was almost relieved to step into the cool building, or at least she was until her eyes found the tv. It took an effort to hide her frown or at least disappointment in the fact that people still treated Oscar's kind like terrifying and harmful things. She watched for a brief moment before glancing at the clerk, returning a small smile of her own. "It definitely puts the rest of the week into perspective," She said as normally as she could, nodding as she set the books onto the counter, "Stamps and two mailing folders would be nice."
Honor hoped that she didn't reveal anything about traveling with Oscar, and the best way to do that seemed to portray someone who hated Erased Ones. And so that's the act she would take as she tugged the paintings out of the books and readied to put them into their respective envelopes.
(It's ok! ^^)
"That farmhouse on the news is only a few miles out of town," the woman said chattily, reaching under the counter for what Honor asked for. "Here you go. Ooh, what nice paintings. You'll want something to stiffen the folders with so they don't bend–hang on. Anyway, the family that lived there weren't very popular here. Their oldest son was always causing trouble with his friends, and his parents couldn't control him. Still, it's sad to hear what happened to them. My sister's a nurse at the hospital in the city next door, and she says they're all three in comas with some strange sickness. They're getting the best of care but they might never wake up." The woman paused, maybe realizing she was being a bit gossipy, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I don't get too many new faces in here these days. Are you going to the college, then, or just passing through?"
It was almost soothing to hear the woman chatter, and she wouldn't have minded the gossip if it didn't have to do with an attack from someone like Oscar. She smiled gently, tucking the paintings into their respective envelopes before writing on the addresses that had been sent to her. "Just passing through on a road trip, I forgot to send these out before I left though and I supposed late was better than never," Honor said with a shrug and her same smile, "I really hope the family gets better, the town I'm from has had a few sightings of Erased Ones but no one has been outright attacked like that in about a year."
Her words were true. She did want the family to get better, and no one had suffered from an explicit Erased One attack in her hometown in about a year. It wasn't surprising to her when her thoughts wandered to asking Oscar to try to help the family. She didn't know if it was possible, and she figured it would be impossible to see the family, but it didn't stop her thoughts. Maybe there would be a way to help them.
"Our town's normally very peaceful too," the clerk replied. "That's what I like about living in this part of the country. Its not like a big city, where everything happens at once. The only thing that hits us hard out here is the weather, haha." Taking the envelopes once Honor was done, she paced them in the cart behind her and smiled brightly. "Well, I hope you have a safe trip wherever you're going! And have a lovely day."
Honor chuckled at that, smiling as she handed over the envelopes, "That's very true. Thank you, I hope you have a good day too." She waved to the clerk as she finished up what she needed to do and tucked everything under her arm, finally leaving the building. The thoughts of the family still clouded her mind, but she hurried to her trusk anyway, slipping back into the driver's seat easily.
Oscar glanced at her anxiously when she arrived, trying to gauge her mood. To his relief, she seemed slightly more cheerful now.
"Hi," he said. "I, um. This is for you." He showed her a small square painting he'd done just now—a portrait of Honor itself. For all his weird artistic skill, he seemed horrible at painting people. The face was smudgy and the eyes were too big, but it was clear that he desperately wanted her to like it.
She glanced over at Oscar as she sat down, a gentle smile somehow appearing without her thinking about it as she looked at the painting he held out. Honor gently set the other books down as she studied the newest painting, or more exactly, tried to figure out why he would've painted her. "Thank you…I love it," She said softly, finally glancing up at him with the same gentle smile, "Why did you paint me though?" Even if it wasn't a perfect portrait of her, she couldn't care less, it was Oscar's work, not some fancy artists, and that made it extremely special to her.
Oscar looked embarrassed. "Well….I was going to paint something you liked, but…..I don't know what you like. So I just made it you instead." Her smile encouraged him, and he grinned back. "I'm glad you think it's okay. Painting people isn't the same as painting animals or landscapes. It's hard to give it the same look that makes the person…..who they are……if that makes sense."
"I think it's gorgeous, I've never seen anything like it," She said, glancing between him and the painting with the same soft smile, "Thank you, truly. I really like it." Honor's smile faltered as she paused, sighing before finally looking away from Oscar, "I suppose I should say this now…I'm sorry about this morning. I was just…scared I suppose. I didn't mean to ignore you." She focused fully on the painting as she spoke, not yet starting up the truck again.
"It's okay," Oscar replied quickly. "I know I scared you, and I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to, I just….got so distracted by whatever that was that I didn't think." He busied himself by carefully putting his paints away. "I wanted to tell you, though, that I would never ever hurt you. Even when I was distracted, I could still see you there and I recognized you. You're my friend, so you're different from other humans now. To me." He couldn't explain it quite the way he wanted to, but he hoped that made her feel at least a bit safer. "Actually, when I'm mad or scared of something, I'd much more likely protect you than attack you. So please don't worry, all right?"
She nodded, almost feeling more ashamed at the idea that she had even thought of him attacking her. "I'll try not to," Honor replied, picking at the steering wheel before continuing, even if she knew she could've stopped the conversation there, "I don't have the best history with being attacked by Erased Ones, so I suppose I'm just naturally worried you'll turn on me. Even if I don't think it's something you would do. I really just hope that you'll remember me enough not to hurt me if something bad happens." She glanced up at him almost hesitantly, waiting for a response as she silently started up the truck. They could talk and drive if it came to it.
"I promise I'll always remember you," Oscar told her firmly. But just to be on the safe side, he added, "If I ever do hurt you, then you can leave and we never have to see each other again. I don't want you to be stuck with me if I can't even control my own actions. I doubt that'll ever happen, but in the books I read, people always do better if they have a backup plan." He glanced at her hopefully. "Deal?"
"I'm not going to leave you, Oscar. Even if you hurt me, I made you a promise that I'll try to get you home, and if anything, I'm not leaving you until I go through with that promise," She said, nodding anyway before backing out of the parking lot and getting onto the road, "But deal." Honor glanced at him once they were back driving, mustering up a tiny smile, "Still wanna get food before we leave town?"
"Yeah." Oscar smiled back, relaxing. He turned on the radio in search of music, just in time to catch the last of a news broadcast about the hospitalized family and the Erased One that had invaded their home. Apparently, it had disappeared without a trace, although Goldenrod was still claiming the farmhouse as a danger zone and weren't allowing anyone on the property until they'd finished their investigation and cleanup. Oscar listened with a frown, then switched channels, not wanting to upset Honor again after they'd just worked everything out.
"Oscar…do Erased ones…know that they're hurting people when they attack?" She asked gently as he switched the channels, driving towards one of the few fast food places visible on the main street, "Or just in general do you think they know?" Honor's thoughts were brought back to the incident with the radio talking about it, and she still felt bad for the family. It messed with her head to know that there were things like her friend attacking humans, while she was friends with one, even going as far as to help him get home.
"I'm not sure," Oscar admitted. "When…when I first came here, I was so confused. And afraid. I didn't even really understand what a body was, never mind that it was fragile. And until I got used to them, humans were so small and dull-looking that I could hardly see them at all. I don't know if it's the same for other Erased Ones, but if I hadn't met you, I would've probably decided that humans were the enemy…..or just food. You taught me a lot, and I bet not many Erased Ones have that luxury."
She nodded, frowning, "So they attack because they think humans are going to hurt them? Or because they're hungry?" If the thought that there was such difference in Erased Ones messed with Honor's head, her following thought did much more than that. Honor knew she would likely never know what the beings were feeling, but she wished there was some way that she could help them, without being killed by the Goldenrod agency. Her thoughts were interrupted as she pulled into the drive-through of one of the fast-food places and glanced at Oscar. "You can order first."
"Oh, right." Oscar awkwardly ordered the most sugary drink on the menu and a package of diced fruit, then thought about Honor's question while he waited for her to order as well. "I think it probably depends on the Erased One. Whether they're more hungry or scared when they show up. Honestly, I wouldn't try to eat a human. At first I thought that meat would be good, but it just makes me feel sick. So maybe the ones like me, the "Level Threes", are more likely to attack. I don't know. Does that answer your question?"
Honor ordered a shake and pancakes, thankful that they had breakfast food on the menu. She nodded once she finished, replying as she drove up to the window to pay. "That helps, thank you," She said, glancing at him as she paid, "Do you have any clue if there would be an Erased One that has the power to put people in comas?" All her questions were things she wanted to know, but if she could figure out what had hurt the family, maybe she could learn more about the Erased Ones in general and possibly find ways to help them.
"A coma?" Oscar frowned. "I'm….not sure. The only other Erased One I've met was Ernie, and we didn't talk much about what we could do." He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I wish I could tell you more. Why do you ask, anyway?"
She paused for a second at his question, then finally answered once their food was handed out, "I was talking to the clerk in the post office and she mentioned a family that had been attacked by an Erased One in the area just a few days ago. They weren't killed, but they were put into a coma and no one knows if they are able to wake up. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do for them I suppose." Honor shrugged, taking a sip of her shake before pulling out of the drive-through line, turning back onto the road towards the highway.
"Oh…..the family we heard about on the radio just now." Oscar quieted, starting in on his own drink. "I wish we could help them too. Maybe then people wouldn't hate my kind so much. But I guess Goldenrod's taking care of it. They study Erased Ones, right? So they must have figured how our powers work and how to keep them from working. I bet they can help the family." He still disliked and feared Goldenrod, but to him, they seemed to be doing the right thing this time. "I wish they weren't my enemy. They could probably teach me more about what I am, and why I'm here."
"They do more than study them, from the rumors I've heard," She said quietly, though she quickly nodded and glanced at him, "They would be helpful if they weren't after your kind. I don't want to test our luck asking them anything though. I just hope they find a way to help that family…" Honor sipped at her drink as she got back on the road, going quiet as she drove.