Quinn's Code (Daria AU): The Lab Mouse, the Geek and the Convention - Part 3

[fardell24]

Daria knocked on the door at Jane's house. After a few minutes, Jane answered it. “Daria? Don't you know what time this is?”

“Time to search for the lab mouse whilst there is plenty of weekend left,” Daria said.

“Couldn't you have gone to Jen's first?” Jane said with a yawn.

“You're closer,” Daria said.

“True,” Jane said as she moved aside to let her friend in.


Ten minutes later, after Jane had put some caffeine in her system, she pondered the situation that Daria was drawing them into. “So, you want me to help you and Jennifer get the mouse back from Brittany even though you're not entirely sure that it was Brittany who took it?”

“Yes,” Daria said.

“Let me get the polaroid and I'll join you,” Jane said.

“Good.”

“If nothing else, I can stop you from getting too 'rash' with her.”

Daria grumbled.


Quinn, Cindy and Kristen arrived at the convention.

Lawndale County Bi-Annual Anime Convention 2005

They got out their tickets as they came to the door.

“Quinn Morgendorffer.”

“Here.”

“Cindy Brolsma.”

“Here.”

“Kristen Bell.”


They entered the main hall and saw that a great many people had already arrived. “I didn't realise that Anime was this popular in Lawndale,” Kristen said.

“I think most of the people may have come from Oakwood, Middlebury or other nearby towns,” Cindy said.

“That would make sense. They may have come from Baltimore too,” Kristen said.
“Yeah,” Quinn said as she doffed her coat and handed it to Kristen.

Kristen took the coat and put it on. She said aside to Cindy. “She's going to be a center of attention, isn't she?”

“I don't doubt it.”

They then approached a nearby Astroboy exhibit.


Daria and Jane arrived at the Burns Residence.


At the convention
Laughing, Quinn, Cindy and Kristen rounded a corner. “Hi, Jenna,” Quinn said.

“Hi, Quinn. That's an amazing costume,” Jenna Schwartz said in admiration.

“Thanks. I made it myself.”

That took Jenna aback. “Wow, you sew really well,” she said.

“I'd like to improve though, part of the costume itches.”

“It's still rather good,” Jenna said.

Quinn smiled.


Jennifer opened the door in response to the knocking. “Hi, Jane, Daria, come in,” she said.

“Hi, Jen. I'll let Daria explain what we're up to,” Jane said.

“OK,” Jennifer said quietly. 'What is this about?' she wondered. 'It could be a lot of things. Daria doesn't usually come around on a Saturday.'


“The mouse has been stolen,” Daria said once they were seated in the living room.

“What? Are you sure?”

“I am sure, I heard a noise. I went downstairs. I found the mouse gone, and the kitchen door and the garage side door both open.”

“Did you ask your family?” Jennifer asked. 'That's where I would start,' she thought.

“Of course. Quinn didn't know. Dad was watching the Pigskin Channel with Kevin and Mom wasn't home.”

“Quinn didn't hear anything?” Jennifer asked.

“She didn't,” Daria said.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, she was totally absorbed in an online game. Guild Wars, I think it's called.”

“I'll help you look for the mouse.”

“That's good. I'm sure I'll need all the help I can get,” Daria said.

“Besides,” Jennifer said with a glance in Jane's direction. “I don't want you getting too 'rash' with Brittany.

“That's what I said,” Jane said.

Daria grumbled.

Then there was another knock at the door. Jennifer answered it. “Hi, Mack.”

“Hi, Jen. Daria, Jane? What are you doing here?”

“Her and Kevin's mouse was stolen,” Jane said.

“I suspect that it was Brittany,” Daria said.

“Brittany? I knew something of this sort would happen if Kevin was assigned to someone other than her,” Mack remonstrated as he sat down.

“So we're going to go to her house and talk to her,” Daria said.

“Is that a good idea?” Mack asked with concern. “Besides, she may not be home,” he added.

“We'll keep an eye on her,” Jane said after exchanging a look with Jennifer.

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Daria said, ignoring Jane.

“How soon are we going?” Jennifer asked.

“Very soon,” Daria said.

“The next ten minutes?” Jane asked.

“Yes.”


Convention
Quinn, Cindy and Kristen came to a makeshift booth. “Tatiana?” Quinn asked.

“Hi, Quinn, Kristen, Cindy. Would you like copies of my fan fiction?” Tatiana Olivova asked, holding out a stapled printout of fanfic.

“Of what is the fanfic?” Quinn asked.

“This is a Ranma fic in which the Saotomes never go to Jusenko, but the Tendos do,” Tatiana said excitedly.

“Ranma, no way!” Kristen said, slightly creeped out.

“Let me guess, Akane is hit with the reverse of Ranma's curse?” Quinn asked, wariness and scepticism showing in her voice.

Tatiana glared at Kristen before answering Quinn. “Yes! How did you guess?”

“I've started to read fics like that before. It's hardly original,” Quinn snarked.

“Oh, then this,” Tatiana said, putting the AU Ranma fic down. She picked another, smaller, fanfic paper up. “A one shot One Piece fic set shortly after the Alabaster arc.”

Quinn took it. “It had better be well written,” she said.

“I have a beta reader,” Tatiana said in response.

“Good,” Quinn said.

“You have other One Piece fics?” Cindy asked.

“Yes,” Tatiana said, she handed Cindy another fic. “An AU from the Alabaster arc, in which Chopper doesn't join the Straw Hats.”

“I'm not that familiar with One Piece. I wouldn't appreciate it,” Cindy said.

“Oh,” Tatiana said. “Good point.” She accepted the One Piece fic back from Cindy and soon handed her another fic. “A one shot Sailor Moon fic set in the first season,” she said.

“That will do,” Cindy said with a smile.

“And you Kristen?” Tatiana asked eagerly.

“I'm only familiar with Pokemon,” she said sheepishly. She glanced at Quinn. “And half the first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.”

“Oh,” Tatiana said. “I'm afraid I don't write fic for the former. And I haven't printed out my Ghost in the Shell fics.”

“That's ok,” Kristen said, relieved.

“By the way, Quinn. Your Mew Ichigo cosplay is quite convincing.”

“Thanks.”


Mack, Daria, Jennifer and Jane approached the Taylor Mansion, after Mack had parked in the street. “What if Brittany isn't home?” Mack asked.

“Then we'll find out where she has gone,” Daria said.

“Sure,” Mack said.


Daria rang the doorbell...
There was no response. She rang it again.

They waited.

After about a minute, Daria rang it again. No response. “It looks like no one's home,” Jane said.

“I agree,” Jennifer said quietly.

Daria thought. “She may be at a friend's house. One of the other cheerleaders, for instance.”

“Do you know where the other cheerleaders live?” Jane asked Jennifer.

“Why would I know?” Jennifer responded.

“I do,” Mack said.

“Of course you do,” Jane said.

“OK, pick one at random and take us there,” Daria said.

“At random?” Jane asked.

“Equal chance,” Daria said.

“Sure,” Jane said.

“We'll go to Angie Zammit's first,” Mack decided.

“OK,” Daria said.


Quinn, Cindy and Kristen took their leave from Tatiana's booth. “She's actually rather good,” Cindy said as she glanced over the fanfic that she had been given.

“Really?” Quinn asked.

“Well,” Cindy said slightly uncertainly. “Her writing's good at least, and her characterisation of Usagi.”

Kristen pondered “Then again, it's not that hard to characterise Usagi correctly.”

“Not true,” Quinn said. “There's more to her than her tendency to burst into tears.”

“Quinn's right,” Cindy said as they turned a corner and came to a Ghost in the Shell booth.

“Cool,” Quinn said as she noticed that booth...


Daria, Jane, Jennifer and Mack arrived at their destination, an art deco house of similar size to Daria's, ten minutes after leaving the Taylor's mansion. Jennifer rang the doorbell.

Angie answered the door. “Hi, Mack, what brings you here?” she asked.

“We're looking for Brittany, is she here?” Mack asked.

“Brittany isn't here,” Angie said. “Why are you looking for her?”

“You may be aware of Ms. Barch's reinforcement project?” Daria asked.

“Yes,” Angie said.

“Brittany has sabotaged Kevin and myself.”

“She took the mouse,” Jane explained.

“I can see why, but I still don't know where she is,” Angie said. She thought. She could be at Nikki's though,” she continued.

“Oh,” Jennifer said.

“We'll go there,” Daria said.

“If she comes here, I'll tell her that you came looking for her,” Angie said.


As they returned to his car, Daria asked. “I'm sure you know where Nikki lives too?”

“She's also a cheerleader,” Jane answered.

“Of course,” Daria said.

“Her house isn't that far. It won't take longer than five minutes,” Mack said.


At the convention, there was trouble! “What do you mean it's bad. It's well written!” Tatiana objected.

“Look here,” a Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan, (or fanatic) said, pointing at a place in one of Tatiana's Yu-Gi-Oh! fics. “This is completely out of character!”

Tatiana grabbed the paper out of the fan's hand. “How is it out of character. How is it out of character?” she asked.

“Kaiba would never act altruistically towards Yugi in that manner!”
“Oh, that! It's been established in this series that his parents didn't die when he and his brother were children,” Tatiana explained.

“It's part of a series!? I thought it was a oneshot,” the fan said. He looked the beginning of the story over again.

“No, it's in a series.”

“It doesn't say it's in a series.”

“Well, it is. The rest of it is on fanfiction.net if you want to have a look.”

“I don't want to have a look!”

“If you don't like it, give it back,” Tatiana demanded. She made a move for the paper in the fan's hand.

“NO! I'M NOT!” The fan's shouting brought the attention of nearby convention goers, including Jenna and Koichi.

“That won't end well,” Jenna said in embarrassment. Koichi nodded.

The fan grabbed the fic papers on both side and started ripping it up. “HEY!” Tatiana exclaimed. She placed her hands on her hips. “Do you know how much printer ink costs!” she objected. The fan continued ripping it up.

“I know, its a complete waste of ink, and paper!” the fan said, as he scattered the pieces about. “Let's see what else you have here...”

“Oh no you don't!” Tatiana growled as she stared the other person in the eye.

“I will!” the fan said as he grabbed another fic...