Proxy Post 78/96 Chapter 13 part one

Before I could proceed through the street of groves, a woman walked up to me with something to say, trailed by five or so men of varying height and age (but all carrying the same expression: "listen to her").

"Hey young man, a word."

I said nothing but stopped in place and looked at her.

"Now I don't know what you're up and doing, but you just got out of a siren. You look like trouble." My face must have reacted, prompting her on: "Oh, you think this place is trouble, do you? I'm here to tell you, you are trouble greater than that. You know that?"

I raised my hand to speak. She was about to interrupt me but stopped herself, looking at me with worry. I said "I promise you, I only want to go through. I will not trouble you."

Her eyes passed, through suspicion, into an understanding beyond even my own. "Alright."

I said, "Is that okay?"

She nodded, mouth pressed shut. "But you've got to know."

I asked, "What?"

She said, "Grove Street is some blocks away from here."

"Oh. Then where am I?"

"This is the corner of 13th and Rhodes."

"Do I need to go through Grove Street to reach the Pentagon?"

"No. Just go through-- the Pentagon, you say?"

"That's right."

A pause. "..yeah, you're going to want to tread between the Crown and the Canoe for that."

"Thank you." I bowed my head lightly for her, which she acknowledged as polite, and then I walked on.

When I was farther down the street, one of the men behind her shouted out to me, "Aye aye! You'll run into Mister Everyblogger, say hey!"

I had no idea what that meant then, unlike now while writing this post, but I still raised a fist without turning around, to express my acknowledgement.