"This is the last time I'm letting you drive," Hawk scowled, carefuly stearing the SS Shut Yer Yap down a winding dirt road. "What on Earth posessed you to do that anyway?"

"Dude, it was a white rabbit, like in Alice! I ~HAD~ to follow it!" Nav protested.

"A white rabbit," Hawk repeated, voice dry. "That hopped at 90 miles an hour down a road that turned to dirt."

"Dude, The truth!" Nav swore.

Hawk muttered something under his breath. "Next building we see, I'm stopping for dirrections and figuring out how the hell we get back on the highway."

Nav sulked.

Fifteen minutes and alot of swearing later they reached a large wooden building that looked almost like a bar and inn from a western or fantasy flick.

Nav bolted from the car in search of a bathroom while Hawk carefuly parked on the grass and walked into the bar area.

He frowned. "Bloody hell," he muttered, finding the place deserted. "Hello?!" he yelled.

"I'm in the bloody bathroom, dude!" Nav's voice replied.

"I KNOW that, moron!" Hawk snapped back. "Doesn't look like anyone else is here," he scowled. "Damnit, I want some coffee! There'd better be at least a...." He trailed off, sniffing the air. There was a scent of brewing coffee that hadn't been there a moment ago...

He followed the scent to a kicten area in the back where a lone coffee maker sat perking.

Hawk blinked at it a moment. Why was there a fresh brewed pot of coffee in a deserted place?

Spotting a mug nearby, he poured himself a cup and continued searching the area. "Hello? Anyone here?"

There was no answer.

"Huh." Hawk blinked. "Weird...." He walked out to the bar area with his coffee, experamentaly sipping. His eyes lit up and he took a swig. "Good shit!" he grinned.

"Dude!" Nav exclaimed, emerging. "They had this stack of comix in the bathroom of that series I used to love when we were in high school, Adventures of Shorts and T-shirt man! Can we stay? They have the extra rare bonus issue with the Mad Kisser!"

Hawk looked at Nav a moment. "OKay, now it doesn't seem strange at all to you that this place in the middle of no where with no people in it has the comic series that you were obsessed with in it's bathroom?"

Nav pondered. "Well.. it's a bit weird, 'cause, dude, if ~I~ had that collection, no way in HELL would I leave it somewhere were it could get wrecked like that."

Hawk sighed. "Idoit...."
 

California Corey was uterly and completely lost. She had no idea, leat alone a clue, where she was. One moment she was walking down the road from Bill's house, lost in thought, the next a strange road. What caught her attention was the fact that the trees were clearing.

"The hell...?" she swore absently under her breath. That's as far as she got before someone made a pathetic meeping sound and glomped onto her. That's when she made a shriek of surprise.

She stared in utter shock at the girl clutching onto her leg in a death grip. It reminded her of one of those chibis in an Anime. The girl had shoulder length brown hair pulled back in a head band a t-shirt that had something written on it with black jeans, wearing pink glasses, and clunky shoes. She had her eyes squeezed shut and, as stated before, a death grip on her legs.

"Umm... hello?" she said hesitantly. The girl slowly opened one eye, looking up at her. "Can you loosen you death grip, please." The other eye popped open and the girl looked sheepish and sweatdropped. "Gomen Nesai!" she exclaimed. She hopped up,
returning to her own height of around 5'3". She had pretty brown eyes and her shirt said "If I throw a stick, will you go away?" California's lip twitched, amused.

"I'm sorry. My name is Kristen. My friends call me Kris-chan. Who are you and where the hell are we?" Kristen asked.

"I'm California Corey and I don't have the faintest idea where we are." she replied.

Kristen's eyes widened. "You can't be! I made Cali..." She faltered off, noting California's appearance and she grew silent. With a loud suddeness she wailed, "I' confused!" She turned chibi again, with her legs and arms flailing, hopping about.

California stared, unerved. It took her a second to notice the sweatdrop next to her head. She cleared her throat. "Will you chill out allread!" California said loudly.

Kristen returned to size, panting. "Sorry. I'm usually better than this." She paused looking thoughtfull. "Well, maybed not." she shrugged. "I was heading toward that place," she pointed down the road to what looked like a diner, "when I saw you and I sorta  flipped."

California raised an eyebrow at that and the girl blushed. "Okay understatement of the year." Kristen said, sheepishly. "So? Wanna come with?" She asked.

California smiled. This was one ususual girl. She looked to be in her early twenties. She was also muttering something under her breath about a Judy and a Fran going to getting annoyed at her for being stupid enough for following... something. She lost the last part. It almost sounded like she said purple smiles, but she doubted it was that. "Okay." Strange, but harmless? She looked harmless.

Kristen Beamed at her. "Exellent." she said comically.

They walked down the road, and soon enough reached the place. "It looks deserted." California said, stating the obvious.

Kristen looked mildly nervous. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She called out loud.
 
 

Hawk looked up from his maps as the pair of women entered the area. 'Well, at least there's another signof life...' he thought to himself, talking another sip of his coffee.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Hawk stood up from where he had been partialy hidden behind a tree and the SYY. "Yeah," he answered. "Could you tell me where 'here' is, by any chance?"

Kristen made a meeping sound of surprise. "Um... no. Damned purple  smileys..." she muttered under her breath. Out of nowhere they  popped up. Her eyes widened surprised. Then she yowled loudly. "You idiots! You got me lost! Now Judy, Fran, and Jen are gonna get pissed with me!" she hopped up and down, trying to get then, completely forgetting about the man and California.

California sweatdropped. "I don't know either. I'm California Corey and this strange girl goes by the name of Kris-Chan." she said, looking at the stranger curiosly. "What's your name?"

"Hawk Valdis," Hawk introduced himself, ignoreing Kirsten. He had had enough dealing with crazy people with Nav.... He vaugly debated shaking hands but decided agaist it. "Don't know, huh? Looks like you walked here, right? Where were you when you started?"

"I was in upstated New York. I was walking home from a friends  house. I have to admit I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to my surroundings and suddenly I was here." She said, scowing at her surroundings in gereral. She," she thumbed in Kristen's general direction, who at that point it looked like she was wrestling the strange purple smiley's and winning, "found me. I don't know her story. I'm almost afraid to ask." She gave the girl an amused look.

Kristen at that point was dusting herself off. She had three purple smiley's floating around her with 'lil flourescent pink bandaid's on here and there. "What did I miss?"

"His name is Hawk. He want's to know where we started from." California ansered.

Kristen stared at Hawk, surprised. "Shit..." she whispered. She blinked, shaking her head, and sighed. I was at home minding my own P's and Q's when these idiots," she scowled at the three smiley's who huddled together sheepishly, "took my book I was reading. I followed them here, and they ~still~ haven't given it to me!" she wailed.

California chuckled. "Huh huh... well.. that's our stories... I guess." She gave Kristen an amused look.

~

"I was in upstated New York. I was walking home from a friends house.

"Any idea WHERE in upstate NY," Hawk nearly sighed.

 Kristen stared at Hawk, surprised. "Shit..." she whispered.

Hawk raised an eyebrow at Kristen's reaction. "Do you know me from somwhere?" he asked, voice almost dry.

Kristen blinked. She was just about to pounce on the smiley's again, so she could get her book when Hawk asked his question. She cocked her head at him. "Nope, not really. But I'm sure it's nice to meet you."

Hawk didn't beleive her, but didn't push the issue. He didn't even have any of his knives visable to warrent an 'Oh shit.'

She turned back to the smiley's to pounce but they moved themeselves next to California. She scowled at them.

"Ah... come on! I was in the middle of a good part!" she whined cutely.

A smile wearing a halo band had a little bubble pop up next to it like a comic strip. "... .. ..... ..... .... . ... ... ....."

Kristen swore. "Godamn... sonofa... bloody freakin'... grrr..." she began to pace. "~You~ ~think~ I read too much and need to ~get~ ~out~!

The smiley's hid themeselves in a great flurry behind California.

California just blinked at Kristen.

Kristen forced herelf to calm down, but boy was she pissed. She plopped herself down, sitting Indian Style. "What am I going to read now?" she muttered annoyed.

California looked at Kristen, thoughtfully. She noticed how she ansered Hawk's question. She absently swatted the smiley's away. She noticed that each one was slightly different. One had had a headband with a little halo over it's head, an other with a headband with horns, and that last one had orange angel wings.

"Umm.. oookaaay..." she muttered under her breath. She had a feeling she was missing something. This Kristen was strange, but she smarter than she looked. Did she know something that Hawk and California didn't? She sighed.

Hawk wondered what would happen if he shot one of the smilies with a crossbow, but decided not to waste the bolt on something that was just a minor annoyance.

Giveing a small sigh of irratation, he went back to the maps that were spead overthe hood of the SS-SYY.  It was irratating. According to the maps there was no forested area anywhere off the highway they had been on. He was starting to wonder if some how Nav's idoit rabbit chase had slid them through an interdemential 'rabbit hole.' It would be just like Nav to follow a literary refreance to it's fullest insanity. 'As long as he doesn't start finding little cookies labled 'eat me'....' he grumbled mentaly.