[Location: West Main]

Blake and Rimmer are practically swaggering down the street, looking superior 
and probably trying not to ruin it by laughing. They'd already hit about half 
the shops here (and the tailor's, where Blake picked up his repaired jacket). 
The second half awaits.

"Scho like I wasch schaying," Blake goes on, "you can't get a really good, white 
flame unlessch your microwave isch one of the older modelsch. Thesche new onesch 
juscht don't have what it takesch for true flammability."

The Andersen Plaza is the strangest place. Amy always receives this feeling that 
there's something... strange about it, something worth investigating. Often she 
would just write it off, telling herself that it was only the coincidental name 
that caused her to take such interest. Whatever it was, Amy was going to see 
what she could learn about it. She walks along the sidewalk outside the plaza, 
glancing around casually.

Mike is on his way home. Turns out he's not working today, after all, because 
Bob is working today, because next Wednesday Mike *is* working to cover the fact 
that Bob worked the second Tuesday in February. He spies Blake and Rimmer from 
afar and makes a death-defying sprint across the street. "Hey, you guys!"

Rimmer looks rather amused, "But what about with a toaster oven? You know, those 
burn polyester a lot faster... I don't know HOW... but they do... it's 
especially interesting when you hear this weird popping sound... I always 
thought maybe it was just the buttons or zippers but I tried half of a sleeve 
once and the thing even sizzled at me." He's talking to Blake so he only noticed 
Mike once Mike is running towards them and waves at Mr. Average, "Hello!"

Blake nods in agreement to Rimmer, but can't help noticing Mike hurtling across 
the street at them. "Hi Mike--watch out for that bug," he comments as a VW 
Beetle nearly slams into Mike.

If only Luna were here. She had much better hunches than Amy ever did. Her 
computer wouldn't really be able pick up anything from out her, not that she 
knew what she was looking for. She supposed she could just walk right in. After 
all, it was a business, and she assumed it was open. Suddenly, a honking horn 
calls her attention away from the plaza. She looks to see what's going on.

Mike avoids the Beetle by the simple expedient of dodging into another lane, 
nearly causing the driver of a crosstown bus to have a heart attack. "Sorry!" he 
calls cheerfully, and, apparently oblivious to the chaos he's leaving behind, 
makes the sidewalk without a scratch on him. "Thanks," he says to Blake. 
"What've you guys been doing?"

Rimmer is truly amazed at Mike's skill at not only avoiding cars but causing 
really huge wrecks... and remaining in one piece. He's still grinning though... 
he's had a pretty damn nice day so far. "We've been talking to the merchandise 
in stores and trying to find the price tags and sale signs on the people working 
there. We had to make a few and attach them once or twice but only that one 
woman actually tried to kill us with a sign we put in her beehive. How about 
you?"

Blake chimes in, "Yeah and I bought this real schwell thing--what did they call 
it? Garlic pressch? I'm gonna see how many *other* thingsch it can pressch."

Amy Anderson watches the panicked traffic dodge Mike, who seems rather 
unconcerned... it's as if he expects the traffic to swerve away from him. How 
reckless. He's really going to end up in the hospital one day. And then, when he 
finds out that he has buttons near his bed, he's bound to push them, and then 
the bed'll fold up and worsen his injuries. She'd better have a talk with him 
before he really gets it. Taking one last glance at Andersen plaza, she too 
decides to cross the street. Of course, *she* goes when there's an opening in 
traffic. "Mike, what on earth were you doing?" she calls out as she reaches the 
opposite curb. "You might've been killed!" First Edward, then Mike. It seemed 
like people were just asking to be squashed on this busy street.

Mike seems to think all that makes perfect sense. "Ooh, a garlic press? You can 
put a candle or something in there and it comes out all..." he makes vague 
gestures to indicate what it comes out like. "It's cool. My mom had one when I 
was a kid." Hey, someone's yelling in *that* tone of voice. "Oh, hey, Amy! 
What?"

Rimmer hrmms, "What if we put a ..." He loses his train of thought when he looks 
up at Amy, having heard her well enough. He waves and then tries to pick up 
where he left off... "... .... ohh.. now I've forgotten!" This seems to annoye 
him but only as much as it would anyone. Oh well.

Blake pats Rimmer on the back. "We'll get you another blackout eschpresscho," he 
assures him. "Then you'll be okay." He turns to Amy. "Oh hi, nische to schee you 
again." To Mike. "Hey how'sch work? You launch anything neuclear yet?"

Amy Anderson shakes her head. He was heading for a bad fall, she could just see 
it. Wait. "Mike, why aren't you at work? I thought you rushed out the door 
thinking you were going to be late." She takes on a rather stern look. "You 
didn't skip, did you?" She smiles and nods to Rimmer and Blake.

Mike looks embarrassed. "*No*, I didn't *skip*, I'm not working today cuz Bob's 
working today cuz I'm working next Wednesday cuz Bob worked the second Tuesday 
in February, see." He grins at Blake. "Not yet."

Rimmer grins at Blake's expresso comment and nods... hell yes... "I definitely 
want to stay awake." He didn't sleep much last night for.. whatever reason. 
Temporary insomnia. Very temporary, hopefully. Because he's starting to feel it, 
so he presumes he'll be able to sleep tonight. He actually even looks like he 
didn't sleep much and it's only showing up a bit now because ... it wasn't as 
annoying to him earlier today. Because then he was completely awake with no 
potential for falling asleep. He then blinks at Mike's explaination, "So... 
you're not skipping TODAY... because... you skipped last month. Ahhh... makes 
sense now."

Blake shrugs. "I thought it made schensche *before*...ahwell. Hey," he says 
curiously, gesturing between Mike and Amy, "you guysch schtill scharing living 
schpasche?"

Amy Anderson nods. They certainly were. By now she'd become quite attached to 
Mike, but that made her all the more prone to chide him for his reckless and 
shiftless behaviors. Sometimes it seemed to get on his nerves, and then she'd 
back off for a time, only to pick up again later. "We're still living together, 
yes. I can't get my own apartment, and he's been kind enough to not kick me 
out."

Mike blinks at Rimmer. "No, I skipped *this* month, and Jimmy D. covered for me, 
and Bob owed *him* a day from last August." He then chuckles at what Amy says. 
"Are you kidding? Who else would I get to do the laundry?" He leans close to the 
other two and confides, "Amy knows how to do laundry." This is obviously up 
there with knowing how to build a nuclear bomb in Mike's assessment of how smart 
someone is.

Rimmer ohhs and shrugs at the skipping conversation... "Nevermind then." He 
chuckles a little at Mike when he tells him and Blake that Amy does the 
laundry... it's just so... Mike-ish.

Blake nods to Mike, then looks over at Rimmer. "You know I've been with you all 
day now and you haven't mentschioned *your* living arrangementsch...You schtill 
broke?" Blake always seems so obsessed over people's living situations. Well, he 
knows how unpleasant it is not to have a roof over one's head. You guys should 
feel special.

The truth was that Amy wasn't so sure she'd LIKE to ever see Mike do laundry, as 
her clothing was very limited, yet, and the last thing she needed was to have it 
ruined. "It's not so bad, really. Better than having piles of dirty clothes 
everywhere," she remarks, no doubt insinuating something about Mike's previous 
habits before she came. She smiles. "Which reminds me. I've good news! I start 
delivering the Tribune tomorrow morning. I've already received a list of the 
customers. Later on today, I'm going to walk through the route so that I know 
where to go."

Mike grins broadly at Amy and ruffles her hair, a totally unselfconscious 
gesture of affection. Probably still kinda annoying, though. "That's *great*! 
Well done. You, uh, need a bike or anything?" Eep, money.

Rimmer shakes his head at Blake, "No actually. It's just work at the dock, but 
it's better than nothing." He doesn't go into details.... probably just nothing 
of any real importance anyhow... maybe bookwork... maybe unloading things... 
well.. sort of doubtful it's unloading things but.. one hopefully gets the 
point. It's quite possible he was even working sometime before he went to see 
Blake.

Blake blinks. "Oh you...you *are* working now?" The news surprises him, but only 
for a minute. After all, they hadn't had any real conversation all day since 
before leaving Blake's place. "And you too," he says to Amy. "Well, I'm glad." 
He *does* sound glad.

Amy Anderson is rather happy now herself. Any source of income, however flimsy, 
would be of great help. It sure beat recycling cans. "I'm going to head home," 
she remarks. " I've a bit of work to finish there. Stay out of traffic, Mike." 
She waves to the three of them and begins to head down the sidewalk.

Mike blinks after Amy. "I will!" And then he rounds on Rimmer, transparently 
delighted. "You got a job? You didn't tell me!" Okay, you didn't *see* me, 
that's not the point. "Good for you, Arnie!"

Rimmer grins at Blake, "I don't have much right NOW though.... it's why I didn't 
buy anything interesting today...." It's also one reason he didn't bring it up. 
No, they didn't have any real conversation before but DAMN it was fun being 
generally silly in an idiotic way... He looks at Mike and just smiles a little 
more... it's hard NOT to smile at Mike, "Thanks. So... what are you planning on 
doing right now? You've heard what we've been up to... want to join us?"

Blake waves after Amy when she takes off, and looks at Rimmer. "No I imagine he 
juscht ran into traffic like that to pick up a penny," he tells Rimmer with a 
sarcastic grin.

Mike chuckles at Blake, getting the joke. Jokes he can usually get, it's just 
everything else. "Yeah, sure, let's get thrown out of somewhere classy - " he 
blinks. "Oh, no, wait, I'm in my work uniform, I can't. I'll get fired."

Rimmer sort of snickers at Blake's comment... well, it did sound silly what 
Arnie asked. He looks at Mike and hrmms, "Can't you just go and change, then? We 
can wait...."

Blake shrugs. "Nah, that's okay. We can just go get schomething to eat and not 
play table-hockey with the little coffee creamer thingsch. Come on, I'll buy."

Mike brightens. "You will? Great." Because it's the last week before payday 
again. "Yeah, you can tell me all about this fantastic job of yours, Arn."

Rimmer shrugs as well, "That sounds good too." He then blinks at Mike, "There's 
not much to tell."

Blake leads the way to an outdoor cafe and gets them a table. "That'sch no 
excusche not to schpill it," he chides Rimmer. "We want to know."

Mike busies himself doing amateurish origami with a serviette. "Yeah, what are 
your co-workers like? Are any of em cute? What's your boss like? Come on, talk."

Rimmer follows along, "I didn't say I wouldn't tell.. I just meant it won't take 
me very long..." He sits down and watchs Mike's folding work, "They're all 
male." He thinks a moment, "Ohh wait.. one might have been female. It was a 
little hard to tell from that distance." He points over in the general direction 
of the docks. "It's just that one odd fish store that has it's own little 
ship... Where the Fish Are... odd name but uhh.. sort of original, at least. 
Well.. I HOPE it's original... that would be sad if they took it from somewhere 
else." He recalls the questions a bit more and adds, "Boss is alright... has the 
largest moustache I've ever seen though."

Blake nods. "And? What do you do for them?" he prompts.

Mike grins. "Is he a big guy? Cuz big guys with big moustaches are up to 
something." Oh, yeah. He hasn't mentioned that yet. "Yeah, what do you do?"

Rimmer considers that, "He's as tall as Blake here... roughly your size, Mike.." 
Then he shrugs, "Ohhh.. just anything.. it's a small place. I may even end up 
behind the counter one day... I don't know." He grins, "You two can come in some 
day and we'll have a weird conversation about selling fish... I'll pretend I'm 
selling and you can ask for Tree-eating fish or something... or complain about 
finding a scale going in the wrong direction..."

A waiter drops off three glasses of ice water and Blake pulls a cube from his 
and slides it back and forth on the table. "I've never been in there," he 
comments. "Juscht becausche one time I aschked them if they'd ever harpooned a 
mermaid..."

Mike is in the process of eating an ice cube when Blake mentions the harpooning 
a mermaid thing and causes him to spit-take. The ice cube narrowly avoids 
landing in someone else's drink and Mike looks vaguely disappointed. "I'm losing 
my touch. Good thoughts, though, Arnie, I'll do that sometime."

Rimmer plays with the condensation on the side of his glass while telling Blake, 
"I asked them if I could buy a mermaid... the guy looked at me funny. Luckily he 
didn't fire me since I'd just gotten hired a few seconds before." Arnie blinks 
at Mike's spit-take before looking at him and grinning, "You can complain about 
the scales to my boss... he's pretty interesting to ask weird questions of and 
tell weird comments to. He doesn't get mad the way some people do, either. He 
just keeps giving you funny looks and occassionally tries to think of a response 
... sometimes it's even a good one."

Blake frowns thoughtfully. "Hey isch your schop the one that keepsch getting 
robbed or isch that a totally different one?" he asks. "I know one of thosche 
little plasches down there isch having trouble with being held up."

Mike says cheerfully, "That's probably cuz it's built too near the water. 
Ground's all soft."

You say, "Schnap."

Rimmer actually snickers at Mike's comment... then shakes his head to the 
question, "No... that one's two places down... they're annoying anyhow. There's 
this little fellow and he whines about when his fish aren't in the right spot in 
the cases. I've been inside. I don't suppose he's all that bad but I'm glad I 
left and tried the other place instead."

Blake nods. "Well you juscht be careful working at the docksch. Godzilla might 
schow up and take everyone out. If I have to go at leascht I go with all my 
worldly posschesschionsch."

Mike is still worrying away at the paper. He's making *something* there. "Or 
Gamera. Or there could be a Mob shipment in and they kill everyone and run off 
with the heroin. You gotta be really careful down there."

Rimmer nods a little. He might have made a sort of lame joke after Blake's 
comment but Mike's comment about a mob makes the warnings sound a little more 
serious, which in a way they really are. "I'll be happy as long as I don't have 
to descale anything. I like having two hands...." He looks at the paper.. is it 
turning into anything even remotely resembling something in the world? "That 
looks... kind of like... .... ... wow.. what is that? It almost looked like a 
horse for a moment..." Silly him, trying to actually MAKE OUT what the little 
origami thing is.. he should know better.