"There must be some kind of way out of here..."

[no_leaf]

So.   That just happened.   Except I don't know what the "that" was.    I stopped in this coffee shop that had postings on allowing performances; wanted to see what it was like.    It was amazing.   Like, stepping through the Wardrobe kind of amazing.   Except I didn't even recognize how fucking odd that was at first because it was so damn warm and welcoming.   Like, I've been in this city for almost a week now and it's been nothing but despair and misery.   The whole place is dismal, right?   Except inside this coffee shop.  

I got caught up watching the girl sing, Maya she called herself, and just sort of fell into total attention on that.    The only thing that remotely snapped me out of it while she was performing, was this asshole thumping his way inside.    Whole time the music was going?   Attention.  All on her.   Once she finished though- that's when things got a little more peculiar.   Grumpy asshat seemed really interested in her.   In that, "some bad shit's about to go down" kind of way, so I wanted to get my foot, well, out the door, to make sure I could do something about it.   What that something would be?  I had no clue.

So, just as she's making her way out, some other girl makes her way in - and her and grumpy guy exchange a few words.  Perfect!   Singer gets out, I go to follow - and ... no dice.   Grumps is heading after her too.    I'll admit, by this point, the hair on the back of my neck was itching.   Something weird just happened in there, but I have no fucking clue what it might have been.     We all spill out into the street and the guy chases the singer down.   Starts making demands on what just went on in there.    He's looking really itching to do something - and me, being my usual dumbass self, decide to get myself fully in the middle of this.     Which eventually turns him on me.   Awesome.  

Thing is?  If he weren't there?  I might have gone after her pretty intently myself.   But something about /him/ made me like... fuck!  I dunno?!  Feel half like I had to look after her?   How does that make any sense?   Singer girl pings some sort of odd vibe off me, right?  But jerk guy's attention on singer girl makes me suddenly wanna stand up for her?   Not cool, jerk guy, not cool.  You're messing with my routine.

I dunno if it's my being all alone in this new town, or just me being skittish given ... stuff.   I should have tried and sniff them out.  I mean, assholes will piss me off, but usually they don't trigger any hackle raising on me.   And /something/ managed to wig me out in there.   I should have just figured out if they were something or just big talking nothings.  ...but, I think I was scared to know for sure.   I mean, what if they all pinged something terrible?  And I was there.  Just me.   

Fuck.  Don't lose your nerve Mack.   You can't afford to lose your nerve.    Next time you see those guys.   Find out what the hell is up with them.   

All Along the Watchtower