Food definitely occurs. Takeout bags and so forth.

"So, anywhere you feel like starting tonight? Somewhere to look around, high up? Somewhere to snoop around with nobody there?"

A few fries get munched. "Or just feel like a park near your place?"

Nom!

"I'm not really sure. Somewhere that I can run away from if there's a mysterious monster occurrence or my Libby-equivalent turns out to be unable to help? Meaning probably not high up unless it's on a hill instead of a building."

"Well, I woulda said on top of a building. There's some ones I know every so often if I need a look up high. Uhm... I think the park fits better, sit on top of something there..." Munch.

"Yeah, okay, I guess that'll be alright. It was just... I don't want to be trapped anywhere if we get attacked."

Munch.

"It's fine! I'm just not taking it too seriously I think. Forgot about feeling safe without a good handle on things. I feel too... Adaptive. Handle everything anyways."

And back to the park.

Thea doesn't have anything to say in response to that. There might not be much conversation on the way to the park.

Likely not. Cynthia is fine with being in silence while walking, eating, or sitting around. There might be some ambient humming, but no conversation.

She's open to anything Thea would want to bring up sitting in the park, but otherwise, time ticks away...

Thea doesn't want to be rude or anything, so she doesn't get out her phone and totally ignore Cynthia, but she doesn't seem to have much to say.

She flails a bit for a conversation topic, then returns to the obvious topic. "Um, so. Is there anything else I should know about the midnight hour? Random monsters, worse on the full moon, attacking them potentially gives you weird benefits such as fixing defects... Anything else?"

Cynthia's face contorts for a split second at 'fixing defects'.

"Full moons just make unusual stuff happen, but, seriously, I need better ways to explain this stuff..."

Sigh. "My leg is still the same. It just... Doesn't bother me enough anymore? My pain tolerance is higher and it hurts less to walk on it normally, so I don't really care for the brace? I wore it tonight to show you, really."

Cynthia pulls at her hair. "Like, there ARE benefits. Exercising but without limits? Uh..." Puzzled look.

Oops.

"Oh, okay. Um. What do you mean exercising but without limits?"

"Like, you'd expect to never really get strong just... Walking around for an hour each night. But, yeah. Beating up Shadows with your soul removes much sense."

"Like... I'm pretty sure I can beat our school's sprinting record. Somehow. I don't practice or anything. Rather not remind them I'm technically disabled."

"Oh. So it gives other benefits like... improved athleticism? What about intelligence and reflexes and things? I don't know, have you done an IQ test? Or... measured your reflexes somehow?"

Head shakes respond to any sort of testing.

"I don't study?" Shrug. "My grades are pretty good I guess. Could go check'em."

"Nah, don't worry. I'm not sure we really have much time before midnight anyway."

She's probably going to research ways to measure these sorts of things. If possible. It would be interesting to see what sorts of progress she makes.

_{"It's not like I'd break into the school during the day..."}

Cynthia takes out her pocket watch and winds it. The two are left in thought for a few minutes, until the clock strikes [ERROR]...

In the time it takes to blink, the world changes. The moon takes on a sickly yellow hue, while the clouds turn a poison green. Nearby people are replaced with looming jet-black coffins. Grass turns to burnt strands, puddles to splashes of blood, electronics to unworking pieces of plastic.

Cynthia pockets her watch and stretches a little.

Well, Thea thought Cynthia would go home and check a recent grade report or something, which is why she didn't object based on breaking into a school, but okay.

Woo! Midnight hour. "So. Do I have to run away terrified from a blob again? That does not sound particularly fun."

"Nah. Same kinda deal, but you should be able to do it now, Promise. I'll nuke it if it gets too close this time."

"Okaaay. What was it again? Asking a part of me to appear and get rid of the blob?"

Eugh. The user interface isn't intuitive and it's terrible. She is still not happy about things.

Not like the customer support line is any better.

"Pretty much?"

"Okay."

Well, time to go a-blob-huntin', it would seem.

Blobs? Blobs anywhere?

They are not hard to find. Common little blobs. Even if Cynthia couldn't point to the closest one. Doing its blob crawl across a sidewalk.

Yay. A blob. Look at how cheery Thea seems about this fact. (Not. Not at all. That's exactly how cheery Thea seems.)

She walks up to it and starts focusing on a thing to come out and eat the blob. Or smoosh it. Or catapult it away. Just get rid of It.

Blob blob blob. It persists.

But it does look towards her. Staring. Giving off the feeling that it might just lunge again...

Aaand that's a bit scary. Is it scary enough? Can she feel something inside?

... Mmmaybe. There might be something. But if there is, it doesn't have an obvious on switch.

She walks a bit closer.