11-09-2015, 11:13 PM
“Uh-uh,” one of the newly-gathered townsfolk interjected, “I’m fuckin’ done.”
Proto Mouse cocked his head to the side as the man—decked out in gear that, his sensors told him, was indicative of people from the American West—spun around on his booted feet and stormed off into the distance. Around him, similarly-dressed people diverted their attention from the man who’d caused the commotion to the mouse-bot that incited it.
“Sorry to barge in like this, sir,” Proto Mouse called after the cowboy, “I know it’s inconvenient.” The man muttered something under his breath, though it was just loud enough that the cyborg could tell it wasn’t exactly very nice. Some four letter words mixed in with some other not-as-rude obscenities forced a frown onto the mouse’s face, and so he turned to the rest of the townsfolk, hoping for a slightly warmer welcome.
The expressions on their faces hinted that possibility wasn’t very likely. They seemed to look at him with a mixture of confusion and horror. He didn’t really get it. What the heck about him was scary at all?
“You said your name was Proto Mouse, sir?”
The voice had originated from behind the armored rodent. He glanced over his shoulder to see the feminine form the high-pitched voice belonged to. A long, blue dress lightly grazed the sandy ground as she stood, straight-backed, before the new arrival. For her part, she seemed to be the only one in the town that didn’t look at him with a scrap of terror.
Some sensors left over from the Proto Man part of him immediately started flashing on screen, but they seemed to pull up nothing when it came to this girl. Logistically, then, that meant she must’ve been a secondary—if she’d been a prime, there probably would’ve been something on her somewhere in his records, or at least a trace of omnilium on her person. She didn’t seem to have either one. “Yes, miss, that’s m’name,” the robotic mouse squeaked, “Don’t wear it out.” He smirked a little bit, but she didn’t seem to find any humor in the situation.
“I once heard of a prime called Proto Man,” the woman quirked an eyebrow, “but you don’t look exactly like him. You’re dressed kinda like him, maybe, but he was definitely a boy, not a mouse.” She crossed her arms, a little defiantly.
“Oh, yea,” the mouse smiled, “I’m Proto Man. Or, at least, sort of. I’m what happened when Proto Man merged his body with another prime. Mickey Mouse.”
“Mickey Mouse?!” another bystander called out, “Like—the Mickey Mouse from Dante’s Abyss?”
“You get TV out here?” the mouse asked, awestruck.
“Honey, everyone in the Omniverse got Dante’s Abyss if they wanted it,” the blue dress-clad girl piped up, “We know who Mickey Mouse is, and I know who Proto Man is.”
“I’m sorry to say it, ma’am, but I don’t recognize you,” the robotic mouse replied, a twinge of sadness staining his voice.
“You wouldn’t,” the girl said, not unkindly. “We never met. I used to live in Darkshire, before the Blight. I left just before you got there, but word reached me of your efforts there. My family’s a bit safer because of you. Or, well… because of half of you.” Proto Mouse couldn’t hold back a true, genuine smile at the recognition. His efforts hadn’t gone to waste, then. “I’m Tara,” the girl said, holding out her hand, “And I’m mistress of the saloon here in the Town with No Name.”
The Town with No Name. Huh. What a name.
“Now, you boys—or is it just one of you?”
“For all intents and purposes, ma’am, we are one and the same,” Proto Mouse nodded, though the duality of his voice was apparent.
“Alright,” she grinned, “you need a place to stay, little man? It’s on the house.”
Proto Mouse cocked his head to the side as the man—decked out in gear that, his sensors told him, was indicative of people from the American West—spun around on his booted feet and stormed off into the distance. Around him, similarly-dressed people diverted their attention from the man who’d caused the commotion to the mouse-bot that incited it.
“Sorry to barge in like this, sir,” Proto Mouse called after the cowboy, “I know it’s inconvenient.” The man muttered something under his breath, though it was just loud enough that the cyborg could tell it wasn’t exactly very nice. Some four letter words mixed in with some other not-as-rude obscenities forced a frown onto the mouse’s face, and so he turned to the rest of the townsfolk, hoping for a slightly warmer welcome.
The expressions on their faces hinted that possibility wasn’t very likely. They seemed to look at him with a mixture of confusion and horror. He didn’t really get it. What the heck about him was scary at all?
“You said your name was Proto Mouse, sir?”
The voice had originated from behind the armored rodent. He glanced over his shoulder to see the feminine form the high-pitched voice belonged to. A long, blue dress lightly grazed the sandy ground as she stood, straight-backed, before the new arrival. For her part, she seemed to be the only one in the town that didn’t look at him with a scrap of terror.
Some sensors left over from the Proto Man part of him immediately started flashing on screen, but they seemed to pull up nothing when it came to this girl. Logistically, then, that meant she must’ve been a secondary—if she’d been a prime, there probably would’ve been something on her somewhere in his records, or at least a trace of omnilium on her person. She didn’t seem to have either one. “Yes, miss, that’s m’name,” the robotic mouse squeaked, “Don’t wear it out.” He smirked a little bit, but she didn’t seem to find any humor in the situation.
“I once heard of a prime called Proto Man,” the woman quirked an eyebrow, “but you don’t look exactly like him. You’re dressed kinda like him, maybe, but he was definitely a boy, not a mouse.” She crossed her arms, a little defiantly.
“Oh, yea,” the mouse smiled, “I’m Proto Man. Or, at least, sort of. I’m what happened when Proto Man merged his body with another prime. Mickey Mouse.”
“Mickey Mouse?!” another bystander called out, “Like—the Mickey Mouse from Dante’s Abyss?”
“You get TV out here?” the mouse asked, awestruck.
“Honey, everyone in the Omniverse got Dante’s Abyss if they wanted it,” the blue dress-clad girl piped up, “We know who Mickey Mouse is, and I know who Proto Man is.”
“I’m sorry to say it, ma’am, but I don’t recognize you,” the robotic mouse replied, a twinge of sadness staining his voice.
“You wouldn’t,” the girl said, not unkindly. “We never met. I used to live in Darkshire, before the Blight. I left just before you got there, but word reached me of your efforts there. My family’s a bit safer because of you. Or, well… because of half of you.” Proto Mouse couldn’t hold back a true, genuine smile at the recognition. His efforts hadn’t gone to waste, then. “I’m Tara,” the girl said, holding out her hand, “And I’m mistress of the saloon here in the Town with No Name.”
The Town with No Name. Huh. What a name.
“Now, you boys—or is it just one of you?”
“For all intents and purposes, ma’am, we are one and the same,” Proto Mouse nodded, though the duality of his voice was apparent.
“Alright,” she grinned, “you need a place to stay, little man? It’s on the house.”
![[Image: 2agonyw.png]](http://i68.tinypic.com/2agonyw.png)