I CAN SEE FOR MILES, [astrid]

Nell licked her teeth, trying to adjust her holy Judas Priest t-shirt. It was one she'd had for...years now. Whenever she got her paycheck, it was a different story. She had the ghetto mentality that the instant she got money she had to spend it. Luckily, she was frugal enough that she could counteract the immediate impulse to splurge. She was used to being completely broke, she'd spent her entire life like that, but didn't realize it until she was living on her own. And for someone who had been out on her own for the first time, she had to say that she'd done pretty well for herself.

Today was one of those days when she did not resist the urge to spend. The thing was, she did not spend her money all on clothes or accessories or another amenity. She liked pretty new things, everyone did, but that was not what she had set out to buy when she cashed her check at the bank earlier that day. "I'm going to destroy my body," she said as she looked at the fast food bags in her hand. At least she didn't get all fast food, she also had some organic stuff that was usually too expensive for her to buy. Again, that frugal mindset saved her in some cases. What did she have leftover? Enough, she thought, and that was true at least. She'd always have enough with how much she was getting paid, even though she was being sucked dry by the parasite named Rafael. His name almost made her grimace, but she tried not to think of him even though he was such a huge blemish on her life.

She breathed in as she walked down the street, finally glad that the season had thawed and they were closing in on spring. That was her season, all the Earths season. Winter had its benefits, she couldn't say she actually hated it because she could think of snowball fights, and hot chocolate, and everything that made it such a pleasant time of year. It may have zapped her powers like nothing else, but it was still lovely. But spring, spring was rain and flowers and bees and life. Just thinking about it made her skin hum in excitement, the thrill curled up in her stomach as if waiting to sprawl out in the spring warmth. Today rain had been expected, but she didn't mind being caught out in it. After all, she wasn't working her clothes. As a matter of fact, she'd feel the need to spin around in it, like one of those girls in a movie after a shopping spree who felt like a million bucks.

In her ripped jeans and the sneakers with soles falling off, she shouldn't have felt like a million bucks, but she felt confident in whatever she wore. Appeared to be confident, that is. She certainly dressed nicer for work, but those clothes could get uncomfortable after a while and she was always afraid she'd destroy them. She lifted her hands and blew on them, rubbing together as she walked down the street. Nell grinned as she looked around like there was something to grin at, though it was mostly storefronts and houses and she knew exactly where she was going. She knew the area well even though she didn't live there because so many of her friends had places there. She'd left her car in the Burger King parking lot so she could walk, because walking was the best.

The Earth graduate was still smiling as she reached Astrid's house, the bags dangling from her arms as she waited for the door to open. She grinned even more when she saw her fellow Earth, the lovely and darling Astrid. "I come bearing food!" she called out, spreading her arms as if to show off the goodies she had purchased. "A lot of food. In fact, an insane amount of food." But it was never too much food, there could never be too much food. "Can I come in?" It was an impromptu visit, but Nell did that a lot. She didn't plan when she would drop by over people's houses half the time.