>You finally head out to buy some things! Since you are also supposedly a smart person, you take along your vials and the knife. It shouldn't hurt to have those along, you're hardly expecting to deal with metal detectors.
>While Archer is reasonably familiar with the concept of a car, actually encountering one is a new experience for her. But she adapts to it well, taking to the speed without flinching, though she does vocally agree that seatbelts are a good idea. From then on, she fades to an immaterial form, so as to both conserve your mana and draw less attention. Frankly, she is going to need clothing that doesn't make her look like a refugee from a Ren Faire if she is going to be walking around in the open much. But she seems content to remain unseen and immaterial for now, commenting every so often on the side of this or that office building or shopping center. In particular, she seems a bit put off by how many people there are on the road. You don't have the heart to tell her that Calumet City is just a drop in the bucket compared to nearby Chicago.
>You manage to reach a thrift store before closing time, and luck out with regards to finding a particularly decent sleeping bag that doesn't seem to have any particular problems, picking it up for a mere five dollars. A tent, unfortunately, requires a trip to Walmart. You manage to get lucky and find a decent-sized one for about a hundred dollars. You also learn that Walmart does in fact have pepper spray (not that this is surprising, they do carry firearms, too), but also have it for about ten dollars. You also pick up a decent array of things to eat on the road; you try to tempt Archer into making a few choices, but she seems put off by them more than anything.
>You then go to a U-Haul to contemplate a trailer, only to find you've driven halfway across the county just to see it's closed already. You'll have to try in the morning. Irritated, you make your way back home, perhaps after swinging out toward a pizza place you know well for its quality.
>The sun has nearly set as you make your way through a part of town that has seen better times. Fog clings to the ground, and there is little if any traffic. "There's something here," comes Archer's voice from the seemingly empty passenger seat.
>_