bakerstreet | (no subject)

[ Lithuania might be keeping it together more than the girl behind him, who seems to have an entire apartment complex's worth of houseplants in her cart and nothing else.

Still, she eyes something in Lithuania's cart. What she is looking at isn't very clear but she seems transfixed over it, temporarily forgetting how absurd she looks with a potted palm frond towering right next to her in the express check-out lane. ]

Where did you find that? [ Is she talking about his outfit? The candy bar in his cart? A chainsaw? A patio warmer? Whatever it is, she doesn't bother to clarify the object, it's as if he should know. ]

❰ for the most part, his cart is very much...average. boring. the standard food, whatever special request poland has (given he actually obliges the demand), cleaning supplies. the only thing that may be of interest is this strange looking plant — his luxury splurge of the year. it would liven up his office; he's not completely boring all the time.

but he happens to be rearranging his cart, setting it up for the conveyer belt — he has a system, okay? — and is moving the eggs to sit comfortably in the seat made for small children. it always makes for a convenient specialty compartment.

it also means that's what he assumes aki is asking about, and confuses him because...finding eggs in a supermarket isn't exactly a where's waldo page. ❱

The refrigerated aisle? It's the first one, on the right.

[ Immediately, Aki is sent into something that resembles an existential crisis. Does she abandon her place in line, which, at this point, is rivalling the hottest club in town as the person at the register requests to pay their total with their penny collection from the Gilded Ages? Does she just surrender this plant with potential to the void, forcing herself to come back to the store later and, thus, be at the mercy of the public once more?

She nervously looks between the checkout number and the refrigerated aisle. Eventually, her feet start to restlessly walk in place. Her lack of socialization comes off more weird than hostile, but her curtness as she darts off leaves a lot to be desired. ]

Please watch my things! [ She bolts it down the store like a horse poised to win the Kentucky Derby, leaving Lithuania sandwiched between someone who is currently counting penny 206 and someone who has an incredible sense of urgency over potted plants. ]

Edited (first time in years!!! just wanted to capture the Difficult™ Choice better! ty for rping with me!! ) 2021-05-16 07:34 (UTC)

❰ ~~ain't no thing!! ty for tagging a random hetalia in TYOOL 2021~~

the penny collection thing would get under most people's skin, but lithuania has learned patience living for over a thousand years. it's when she loses count that he is reminded why he's glad that capitalism decided to go plastic not so long ago.

no, the truly irritating thing is when he's given the responsibility of not just one cart, but now two. he was not planning on this being a Two Cart Tuesday! but the owner is off at a rapid pace, while lithuania stares at the empty space she used to occupy. damn it...why is he always the one left holding the bag!

with a rising sense of anxiety he frets over counting the plants in her cart. he's just now noticed that it's basically a rolling terrarium. one, two, three... — how many plants does one person need? how does one organize plants on a conveyer belt? by size, colour? will he have to lift up the bigger ones so the cashier can reach the barcode with the hand scanner? and what happens if this woman just abandons him with this greenery — he'll have to pay for it, and then figure out what to do with all of them.

someone else might just leave the cart, or ask an employee to put everything back because it's not actually his. lithuania is not like that; he has respect for the working class.

well, if this is his fate, he might as well get to rearranging these things. he decides that by size would be the best way to go, so he begins shifting the plants around. don't worry, he's being careful not to ruffle any of the leaves too much. ❱

Mm, which one do you think we should get?

[She holds up several bars of chocolate. Quite obviously they weren't going to be moving from their spot anytime soon, and even less so now that she's spotted the chocolate selection.] I always found Mr. America's commercial chocolates to be rather... well interesting... but not all that bad.

❰ candy wasn't really on his planned grocery list — well, after bumping into belgium, maybe it's on her. this has become a joint venture now, so why not indulge a little?

he examines the options — american import, or a european classic? belgium is much more known for her chocolate, so lithuania considers the choice with a focused stare. this requires diligence. ❱

I haven't actually had much American chocolate in decades. I don't remember it being the worst. ❰ definitely american. that weird, milky flare. ❱ But I can eat our own chocolate anytime, so try something different?

[Your humble cashier at the local, shitty 24/7 gas station. Can also be doing grocery runs.]

[Voicetesting. Could also be option 13: Shoplifting which is probably even more likely. ]

Edited 2021-05-17 00:29 (UTC)

Zack glanced towards Damien, who was currently shopping with the drummer at the local convenience store. The Brit wasn't used to how it work in New York so wondered how the Diamond Dog would "case the joint" so to speak. Shop lift? It was the sort of thing that Zack had done before when he was younger. A bag of sweets, a magazine. That sort of thing. Would they steal a bottle of booze and get away with it? Technically, Zack wasn't even old enough to drink in the US so it made the idea of stealing all the more illicit.

"Have you got everything you want, mate?"

Glancing in his basket, Zack had a pack of crisps, which were called potato chips here, a few cans of soda and some gummy teddies. He also had a pack of cigarettes for Viktor because he said he wanted to try American brands, so it was Marlboro. Would he get ID'd? Who the hell knew what the laws for a twenty year old wanting to buy cigarettes.

Of course, he could always steal them.

Damien stole all the time. He would strip a store if he had the chance but this wasn't his New York and this was a Ministry owned store. He realized this was just some people trying to make a living. However, he's also well aware of laws when he glances into the Brit's basket. Zack isn't old enough and Damien has no ID. The cigarettes were going to have to get lifted, which would probably please the punk.

Damien has a few things, mostly food, fruit is a luxury in Hunger City and the cheap canned fruit was too much to resist. So, there are several cans that he's holding.

"I didn't have anything in mind when we came in." Damien revealed since they were more or less just wandering around New York City for the day. Jack was the one who suggested it and Damien assumed that the leader had a read on the drummer like no one else could, the usual.

Leaning in to whisper which puts the basket between them, Damien so tall that no one is going to be able to see anything. "You're not old enough to buy those."

He could easily palm and pocket the cigarettes before they got to checkout.

Zack looked down at the smokes in his basket and shrugged. He wasn't sure what the laws were here for booze and cigarettes so he wondered if Damien would just nick them. It would be easier for both parties involved and Zack wasn't afraid to be the rebel when it came to this sort of behaviour. He may not be as rowdy or violent as Viktor or crazy as Joe but he was a rebellious graffiti artist biker who often loved sticking two fingers up to the law.

The police and cops could suck cock.

"Are you going to nick them?"

The Brit spoke in a low whisper so that only Damien could hear. He didn't want others knowing what they might be doing to arouse suspicion and get the cops on their tails. He loved his rebel of a boyfriend, or almost boyfriend? Whatever it was, Zack loved the tall Diamond Dog already.

"Of course." He whispers, kissing Zack's cheek while palming the pack and slipping it into the inside pocket of his jacket.

Pulling away he just grins. Maybe they should spend the day stealing and causing a commotion? Wouldn't that be fun. They were just getting a start to the day, though it was getting into afternoon because everyone woke up late after a long night of partying and drinking.

The kiss to the cheek got the drummer blushing once more as he was finding Damien to be incredibly handsome and attractive and it wasn't just his rebellious ways either. He genuinely found himself to be falling for the Diamond Dog in a good way. Jack's people were a good sort and Zack loved the rough edges all the Dogs had. They were fun.

"Do you and the Dogs steal a lot?"

He kept glancing around to see if anyone had noticed them. Shit. What if a security guy picked it up on the camera? Fuck them. Zack was just going to spend time with Damien and the security could suck balls. The other band members were still back at the hotel either drunk, hungover or too tired to leave their rooms. Hence Zack being sent to get Viktor's smokes. He was in bed with the other punk, Vars.

Damien shrugs at the question. "We're criminals according to the state. We don't have a choice."

There as plausible deniability as far as the Dog was concerned. People had cigarettes on them all the time. Or they could run but he'd rather just slip through and go unnoticed. So far, so good. He shifts in line while looking at the two people ahead of them. Vaguely impatient with the line.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Edited 2021-05-17 16:37 (UTC)

"Criminals? That's harsh. Bloody idiot police are up their own asses about stuff most of the time. I can't stand them. Wankers."

Zack shook his head and then noticed the people in front of them getting a bit impatient. Glancing up he could see a CCTV camera pointing their way. Oh shit. Had it seen Damien steal at all? The smokes in his jacket as well as everything else. Zack had some dollars on him to spend on his stuff but he knew they could get busted at any moment.

"Uh, how about we go for burgers after this? I'm pretty hungry and I didn't have any breakfast. Do you know any good burger joints around here?"

It seemed the drummer like American fast food since he went into diners back home where he could find them. Usually in the big cities when the Hell's Angels had been touring. Moving along in the line, Zack then felt someone shove him from the back. What the hell? Turning to see what was up his eyes then bulged at the security guy walking quickly towards them. The people behind had moved out of the way because the guy was coming straight for the pair.

"Shit. I think we've been rumbled, mate."

"Where we live the government is totalitarian." Damien didn't live in a democratic society. It was conform or die most days.

"This is my first time being in the city." He was from an alternate but he might be able to navigate somewhere. After all, the restaurant signs were still in place on some of the buildings in Hunger City. "We can walk until we find something."

Damien liked food in general. Since there were often shortages then any food was good, especially something that was made for you. Damien looked up and palmed the cigarettes out into his hands with the cans of fruit as if he did nothing wrong.

"Ignore them. I've got this." Damien was thinking about the theft, not the gun down in his boot if he got searched. He had no id, no carry permit, no nothing. It might become a shit show in a hurry.

Edited 2021-05-17 17:24 (UTC)

"It is? Shit that's rough, mate. You've got this? He looks pissed..."

The Brit could feel the nerves begin to affect his stance as he was now itching forwards in the line, trying to edge his way towards the people in front. Fuck. The security bloke was practically on them both as Zack knew they would have to run once the bloke searched their baskets and asked them to turn out their pockets. Did they do that here in the States? The Brit had no idea.

"We should run."

He whispered quickly to Damien as the security bloke stood in front of the two eyeing them up suspiciously. Zack could feel the man's eyes burning into him, just seeing if he was old enough. Also, the stealing. Yeah. Did he see that?

"Ok, boys. Empty your pockets."

Fuck. This was it. Zack's eyes wide as dinner plates as he looked to Damien before holding onto his basket and making a break for the exit. He was running and hoped Damien got the hint. The drummer didn't care who was behind as he ran as fast as he could, tearing out of the store with the security bloke giving chase. This was bad. Where the fuck would they go? Zack had no idea and didn't know this city at all.

"It'll be fine."

Damien was used to facing people far worse than this security guard every day of his life. Since he had pulled the cigarettes back out there wasn't anything they could do except tell them they couldn't buy without ID.

"Just wait."

Damien is about to comply when Zack bolts. His eyes get wide and then he just drops what he has in his hands on the counter. "Shit!"

Damien bolts out the door. He can run, is used to running miles sometimes so there is no way either the guard or Zack would outrun him. He catches up easily with the guard, grabs his collar and just yanks him back on his ass. It would hurt to fall on the sidewalk but wouldn't kill the guard. He grabs Zack's arm and pulls him toward the street.

"Come'on." Dashing across the street through the traffic and into the alleys would be the best. On the upside, Damien is used to needing to disappear in an empty city. A crowded one would be that much easier.

Zack began to panic as he ran aimlessly towards nowhere but then he felt a hand grasp onto his arm as he gasped and then realised it was Damien. Oh shit. Why did he run? He was scared. Then, he was being yanked toward the street and into an alley since the Dog knew where he was going, or at least, Zack figured he did. Either way, Damien was more street smart than the lost Brit drummer.

"Damien---I'm sorry, shit----I got scared."

He looked to his new friend and felt bad for running like that. But what else could he do? Just allow the fucking security bloke to arrest them and palm them over to the cops? No way! The drummer was near out of breath but he kept moving with Damien because he knew the security had probably alerted the cops.

"Do you think they called the police on us?"

Holding onto Damien's hand, he squeezed it hard, as they kept on the move. He still had his basket clasped in his other hand, amazed none of the stuff had fallen out of it when he ran. It might have been because he had it pressed against his chest when he belted out of the store. He stole.

Once they have a couple blocks between themselves and the store Damien slows and then pulls Zack into an alley doorway.

"We've lost them for now." Damien isn't out of breath but a break to slow his down is welcome. Damien laughs a little as he leans into the cool wall. "I'm sure. If not for you stealing, definitely for me throwing him on the ground for chasing you."

He holds on to Zack's hand as they stand there, smiling and listening as he glances out into the alley. No sirens yet. "Let's dump the basket but keep what's inside."

He grabbed the things that would fit into his various coat pockets.

"You think so? Shit, Damien---I didn't know what else to do. That bastard was going to shop us I knew it. You threw him to the ground? Oh. I was running so didn't see..."

The drummer blushed and then offered the Dog a sheepish smile. Why did he always have to panic and run? It was just something Zack was used to doing unlike Viktor who stood his ground and fought. The drummer was shorter and of a smaller build and he was no punk. Violence just wasn't for him. In fact, no confrontation really was.

"Ok, good idea."

At least they still had the basket as Zack took out the stuff and then threw the basket into a nearby trash can. No one would know they stole, would they? Cameras? They could fuck off. Watching Damien fill his pockets with the goods from the basket, Zack smiled up at his friend and was grateful the man was a good runner and had guts. More than the drummer had anyway.

"Thanks for you know? Stopping that idiot and stuff."

Edited 2021-05-17 02:16 (UTC)

[ voicetesting, be gentle pls ]

12 Items Or Fewer

lithuania ▶ hetalia

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>:3 (10 obviously)

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Jack Townsend | Tales from The Gas Station | M/F

Jason Todd / DC Comics

Damien | Diamond Dogs | OTA

13 shop lifting because Zack isn't a good boy XD

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Marik Ishtar | Yu-Gi-Oh!

zhongli | genshin impact | ota