Eliza In The Flesh!: rush hour.

She was only a little concerned that somehow, the residents of Raventown—who seemed to hate her, by the way—found Eliza in another universe. Those cowards couldn’t even bother to show up face to face. Instead they sent a “messenger bird” to deliver a very thoughtful present. 

 

The only issue was, on her way back she was bombarded by the crowds of people making their way down streets and roads. The world of Avangard, for all its geniuses and inventions, could not invent a way to get through traffic! Her and Vector were going to have a very serious discussion when she got back aboard the Matalier. Stupid commoners. They have some nerve ruining her life across dimensions!

 

She felt as if she was being swept away by hordes of customers. The skies weren’t spared either. She could see flocks of winged… humanoids…(no one ever explained this to her) soar through the air carrying heaps of boxes and shopping bags. She eventually found herself pushed into a dark alley which, from experience, was not a very good place to be in.

 

She knew that this was a losing situation. People tend to be very aggressive during the shopping season. She hardly had enough energy to get back, let alone find herself in a fight with an angry buyer. Much more if it was one of the metal men!

 

So she bided her time, looking over the crowds for an opening. She leaned against the wall of the alley with her package cradled in her arms. She thought about throwing it away. Less trouble that way, but she was also very afraid that next time Raventown wouldn’t be sending her gifts. So she decided on leaving it unopened. Or maybe giving it to Vector, but that idea sounded too much like being nice to him.

 

It would be a while before she came back. By then, the moon was at its peak, and Eliza was incredibly paranoid about drifting off to sleep in a street like Avangard’s. She was greeted by Junior Junior; one of Vector’s metal men. She shoved the box into his arms without another word, laid down face flat on the wooden deck, and decided now would be a convenient time to sleep.