… That sounds weirdly applicable but he's going to try looking for someone else on account of her continuing to walk.

Nobody else is in sight, but there are a few parked cars in the parking lot at the strip mall across the street, and a few more driving on the two roads perpendicular to this one.

Strip mall! Presumably there are accordingly people inside that he can try talking to?

There are several businesses, and some look to have people inside. There are a few people visible in the Pinkberry's and Dust Hut, but the windows of the Applebee's are too dark to tell, and the barber's shop seems to be closed.

He would like to try the Pinkberry's.

"Hello?"

It's a very pastel place, with pale orange and blue walls, and green and white accents. There are giant signs with flavors and toppings, and a few different tub sizes. A few other people are eating at the tables, but there's no line.

"Hello, and welcome to Pinkberry's!" says the teenager at the counter.

"Hi!" he says. "I'm new to this part of the world, quite suddenly, and I wanted to know… what part of the world it actually was."

"Oh, congratulations. Night Vale is in the desert, in Southwestern America. On Earth."

"That is a useful description!" says Tyler. "Thanks. I tried City Hall and got spooked by mysterious figures, plus it was basically empty."

"Thanks, I'm studying communication and journalism!" He winces slightly. "Yeah, new citizenship is a bit of a hassle, and I think the subways are taking much longer than everyone expected. I was expecting my shift manager back like an hour ago? Oh! I can take your order if you're ready."

A few people at the tables are listening with interest and varying subtlety.

"I – was mostly looking for people, as opposed to specifically froyo. If that's not a problem."

Indecisive look. "I guess as long as it's not too busy. Can I get you a glass of water and if my manager gets back and asks, you're trying to decide what to get or waiting for somebody?"

"That'd be nice, thanks."

Little plastic cup of water, with a few hollow ice cubes from the soda machine.

"And your - companion? - can come in for water too, if they'd like. Unless they disperse common allergens." he adds, looking through the glass door at Click.

"I only met him recently and don't have any common allergies so I don't exactly have confirmation, but I have no reason to expect him to…"

"That... should be fine, then. He can wait here with you."

Tyler waves Click in.

"So – to put it bluntly… what's up with this place?"

Click opens the door with a few ribbons and hops in to stand behind Tyler, and the teenager nods a greeting.

"I moved here from the midwest earlier this year, so my perspective is mostly in comparison to my previous home. Things happen here that don't make any sense, either for no reason or for reasons you wouldn't expect to have the effects they do. Some of the weird things that happen are harmless, and some aren't, and it can be hard to guess which. The town has a policy of secrecy, traditionalism, and obedience to authority, partially to help protect people from this. If you're not sure whether something is safe, you can usually figure it out by watching people nearby to see how they react. Also everyone drives on the right side of the street."

"… Isn't the right normal for America? Where did you live, before?"

"Michigan. It's a little state in the Midwestern US near a large body of water, shaped like a small dog trying to eat a large bowl of ice cream. Don't worry if you can't pronounce it or haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure. It varies by city and state which side of the road people drive on, in Michigan it's usually on the left or in the middle, unless you get another license to drive on the right side if traffic's mostly clear."

"… Right," he says. "Uh. That's definitely different from where I'm from." Pause. "Wouldn't it make more sense for people to just drive on one side…?"

He shrugs. "I'm not sure. I think it might help reduce inefficiency during rush hour when traffic is all in one direction? They value consistency more here, though, so everyone drives on the right side, so they reward particularly good driving and other desired traits with stop-sign immunity, which they say helps with keeping a consistent flow of traffic at intersections. But I'm a communications major, I don't really understand a lot of that kind of math and engineering, I may be mistaken."

Blink. "And that doesn't seem… weird… to you…? The traffic rules."

"It seems weirder than fuck to me, but that's part of the point of traveling, I think, experiencing what things are universal and what things are different, that you just took for granted. And as long as I can follow the rules correctly, and everyone else can too, it doesn't really matter how strange they seem."

Another blink. "They do successfully follow the rules, then? I would expect this – and the fluctuating driving sides – to cause trouble, make it harder to drive."