Realistic or Modern 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐒.

[aeneas.]

It’s June 13, 2003. 8:49 PM.

With minimum wage, no health benefits, crappy discounts, and having to deal with shitty teens on a daily. Why the fuck would anyone want to work at the Wellspring mall? For some, it was to slowly pay off student debt, help the family business, run away from problems, or even just for shits and giggles. But for Jared Fritz, it was because it was all that he could really do. In a small town like Wellspring, there weren’t many options for the summer than to just work. And if you were anything like Jared, a couchsurfing stoner who didn’t have the cash to go on a vacation, working at a corndog stand on the 2nd floor was just as good as a road trip.

And working the closing shift? Even better.

If it weren’t for the recent maniac killer that was on the loose, more employees of the Wellspring mall would be asking for the closing shift. There was no nightlife at the mall, and it was basically the prime time to talk to coworkers or other people stuck on the same floor. But judging the tuition St. Gertrude’s University crippled its students with, life insurance wasn’t on the table for most and the possibility of being the ripper’s next scream queen was a gamble most weren’t willing to take. Among tonight’s daring gamblers were the closers of the 2nd-floor. Jared knew everyone on his floor, a hodgepodge of people whom he talked to just to pass the time—some he knew more than others. Jared would’ve said that he was friends with some, but this wouldn’t be relevant to the narrative right now. Although Jared Fritz was often personable and a talkative guy, tonight he was… jumpy. Almost hyperaware... yet something else. Like he was playing with a puzzle. If anyone asked, he didn’t say but it was clear to all that cared that there had been something eating at his brain.

Something would be later placed into him to “eat” at his chest, but we have yet to get to that part of the script.

— "It's all starting to come together, I can feel it."

"Yeah?" —

​

— "Yeah."

The point was that Jared wasn't having a very good night. Beyond the inkling paranoia of impending doom or a breakthrough, he had eaten five stale corndogs for dinner in both an attempt to save money and to lick his wounds from the disputes he had prior. Luz Martin, the Blockbuster Ripper, those shitty corndogs—everything was a living hell up until this point, and little did he know, it was only just getting started.

When power was cut from the mall, all the 2nd-floor closers had finished locking up their shops and tarping their stands for the night. Concern wouldn't have infested all who were still inside if it wasn't summer and there was a storm that could've been blamed. 60° outside, clear skies, and a paid electricity bill. Something was up, and Jared was the fool who thought himself heroic enough to find the cause. In his little world, perhaps he wanted to be a detective in those black and white film noir. To prove the local police department wrong and possess a purpose they so stubbornly said he lacked. Or maybe he was just a good guy who didn't want to hand the opening shift more problems to deal with—it was the same people he was with tonight after all.

Whatever the reason was, no one would know because Jared Fritz didn't make it out of the mall to provide his story. There were multiple exits located around the mall and you best believe, everyone else had used their cellphones or whatever light source they had to get to one. But not Jared.

Heading to the circuit breaker in the basement of all places should have been the warning any sane person would need to just leave. Jared felt weirdly determined tonight. For the first time in a long time, besides the frustrations of it all, he was on a path he saw a useful end to. Playing Sherlock Holmes gave him the courage to shoot his shots, solve problems, and almost made him feel... hopeful. A feeling a burnout like him rarely ever felt nowadays. He could actually do this. He could actually save the night. Save the town. Prove everyone wrong. It turned his initial fears into excitement and his chattering teeth into a hint of a smile. Is this what belief felt like?

"No hard feelings." —​

Belief suddenly felt pointless again.

—

It's June 14, 2003. 8:49 AM.

Not necessarily an ungodly time of day to arrive for work but for university students with other things to do during the summer, it's unpleasant. Call it dumb luck or cruel coincidence but the 2nd-floor closers from the night before have the opening shift. It's a relatively sunny day, some may have woken up more ready for what awaited them than others, but could anyone have truly expected to go to the Wellsping mall—a hotspot for the snotty teens, middle-aged mothers, and white men living the American dream and find yellow police tape, swarms of cop cars, and grizzly scene in the food court?

The boys in blue give them odd looks but don't say anything to acknowledge their presence, although their mutters are all but quiet.

— "It's just fuckin' Fritz. The scene is a mess though."

"This is gonna be a lot of paperwork." —​

— "Where am I gonna shop now?"

"Reckon it'll be up and running again in no time. It's just a pothead." —​

— "Has anyone seen Sheriff Garett?"

"That's them." —​

There was nothing said to the group but two things are for certain. Jared Fritz is dead. And suspicion is on everyone here.

prologue.

"JARED."

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  macheath . iridescent. cavitea lisbeth diwa Colorless Spectrum Lia hery The Cat Man

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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[macheath .]

ー june 14, 2003. 8:49 am.
ー interaction: aeneas.

"かごめ　かごめ
籠の中の鳥は
いついつ出やる　
夜明けの晩に
鶴と亀が滑った
後ろの正面だあれ？"

he jumped from one plaster stone to the other with the lithesome movement of a male feline. the nursery rhyme of his choice, a quite haunting melody of the old days, was brought forth by the means of humming and singing, almost too weak to be made out by anyone but himself as he jumped on forward. vulpine eyes were trained on the path ahead, concentrated on nothing but a long series of plaster stones leading the way, and all the while he repeated the nursery rhyme like a ceaseless mantra, undeterred in his meaningless morning routine, something eventually caused him to remain still in his agile movement. tilting his head, slowly, he allowed his gaze to wander in pursuit of the cause of his sudden shift of attention.

small and green, his favorite among many creatures, merely sitting there, alone and abandoned, calling out to him, ー croaking loudly ー, and it caused him to put an end to his play session. he crouched down, slowly lowering himself in order to carefully study the frog, ultimately deciding to grab him out of stirred fascination. "shouldn't you be hanging out with your buddies by the pond?", he opened his palm, still studying the small creature in his grasp as he got up from his crouching position, "how about i bring you back there after my shift?"

his lips curled into a scarcely discernible smile despite his struggle to swallow, each hoarse word slowly and carefully pronounced in attempt to let himself be heard. several months had passed since the incident and he had yet to regain the strong voice he had once possessed, slowly but surely achieving progress nonetheless, regardless of his own apathy towards such matters in the grand scheme of things. none of it mattered to him, except, perhaps, the sudden loss of his singing talent. yet to him, even such occasional lamentation seemed of ridiculous nature. turning his head to reward declan with that tender smile, he eventually placed the hapless frog on his own shoulder, allowing the croaking creature to rest there as he continued on jumping from one plaster stone to the other.

little did he know that his fleeting play session would lead to another standstill, vulpine eyes slightly widened in stirred surprise after he had spotted the large assembly around the nearby mall. not just any trivial assembly but an assembly of white cops, numerous, too numerous to possibly count, surrounding the area with their invasive police cars, attempting to get rid of the massive gathering of curious bystanders around the closed off location. regardless of the immediate presence of declan, he felt a sense of dread upon the sight of what seemed to await them in the near distance.

he slowly closed the gap between himself and the other student, now walking side by side towards the promised guillotine, already aware of the fact that nothing good could possibly come out of such a large gathering of white cops, especially in a town such as wellspring, having learned this the hard way like so many other inhabitants of non white ethnicity.

letting out a barely audible sigh, he decided against his instinctual urge to seek shelter behind declan, vulpine eyes trained on the distorted grimaces of those who had come to notice their eventual arrival. he buried his hands in the side pockets of his denims, the croaking frog still resting on his shoulder, and then, as though he had already anticipated the consequence of his mere presence, he grasped the little creature and placed it into declan's care, no words spoken and yet clear in silent understanding between the both of them.

"who do we have here? ameya ozaki, another little street rat roaming free, eh?", the police officer in question, having spotted and targeted the student with the stirred attention of a predator, had come forward in direct pursuit of him, having spoken the final verdict in his biased mind already.

"kanon", he replied hoarsely, struggling to swallow, "my name's kanon", and then he rewarded the white cop with a lopsided smile, hands still buried in his side pockets in confident outer demeanor.

the older man's severe glance darkened by the second, telling no other tale but that of irrational animosity, and then, looming right over his target, not an ounce of respect regarding another's personal space, he let out a scoff under his scotch tainted breath, "bold pansy, aren't you? jared fritz, another dirty little street rat, was found dead this morning, right here at this shit stained mall. you don't happen to know anything about that, do you, ameya?"

"no, officer, this bold pansy knows nothing about that", he replied with a serene expression, once more rewarding him with one of his many lopsided smiles, "but this bold pansy knows that he's going to get arrested in a minute if he gets called that name just one more time."

letting out a chuckle, almost too weak to be made out, he immediately found himself in the officer's punishing grip, hands brought up behind his back, face pushed up against the cold surface of some nearby police car. not bothering to put up a struggle, he gave way to another quiet chuckle, vulpine eyes staring into oblivion for a moment or two, merely listening to the other man's severe chastisement, "what did you say? did you just threaten a police officer?"

he nodded, openly admitting to the accusation directed at none but himself. his lips curled up into an amused smile all the while he purred out, "not so rough, officer. have mercy on this bold pansy, please", rocking his hips back and forth in expressive mockery, again and again, gaining the eventual attention of the big assembly as several gasps emerged from the crowd of curious bystanders, ー "what's he doing to that kid? someone get him off that boy! do something for christ's sake!" ー

he kept on rocking his hips, letting out a series of mocking cries and perverse remarks, only amplifying the police officer's embarrassment upon noticing the inappropriate scenery painted by none other but the witty street rat in his harsh grasp. leaning in closely, loosening his restraining grip upon the student, "don't think we're done here, you little piece of shit. you can fool your rich daddy, your rich pansy friend, even, but you can't fool me for one second. go on and smile, you freak, smile for as long as you can. you're done for."

remaining silent, kanon merely gave another lopsided smile in short response, vulpine eyes staring off into the far distance as though his attention had been stirred by something entirely unrelated. he remained inanimate in his restrictive position, even after he had been released from the officer's bruising grasp, his face still rested against the surface of the patrolling police car, "no pond for you today, froggy."

the eccentric.

kanon.

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[Colorless Spectrum]

Luzviminda Martin

"Oh no." Was the first thing Luz had spoken upon opening her eyes. She could still feel that her eyes were puffed from her countless hours of crying the night before. She had placed a hand on her forehead as if it would stop the forming migraine because of too much thinking. "Shit." The young woman mumbled to herself as she remembered that her mother had specifically told her to head over to the stall early because she would be out of town before dawn. She immediately got out of bed and took a quick shower before heading to the kitchen and packing the neatly packed rice cakes in a trolley bag to bring to the mall.

With the keys of their car in her hand, she silently cursed to herself that by going to the mall meant that she'll be seeing Jared and if she was being honest... She didn't want to see him. At least not now, not when everything was still so fresh in her head. "Maybe it would have been better if I had just- No, no. It still wouldn't have ended well either way." She said to herself as she got in the car, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she held on to the wheel of the roaring car. "I'll just... Avoid him. Yeah, that's clearly the only option I have right now."

"But what if he tries to talk to me? Could I really just ignore him?" Another thought that was spoken out loud only for herself to hear and think over. The lonesome car ride was filled with various what-if scenarios she made in her head, no matter how irrational and out of character it was. It was her way of preparing for the worst-case scenario. A habit that had been ingrained in her since she was a child.

She let out a sigh as she drove to the mall's parking lot, not noticing the crowd until much later. Puzzled, she got out of the car, taking the trolley bag with her as she walked up to one of other mall employee such as herself. She watched the police officer walk away, she waited until he was far enough until she delicately tapped Kanon on the shoulder. "Hey, Kanon, Declan, sorry for bothering you both, but what happened?" She asked assuming the two knew what was up due to being here before she arrived. She didn't bother going up to the other people surrounding the area as they didn't seem as friendly as the two.

Tags: aeneas. macheath .

 

[hery]

mood

several feelings

location

mall exterior

outfit

work uniform lmao

tags

Colorless Spectrum macheath . aeneas.

Anton Akbas

the jester

A huge, breathy yawn escaped Anton's mouth, so grand and so powerful that the sunken-eyed man almost thought he was breathing fire. The night had been long and mostly sleepless thanks to the bozo who crafted the part-timer's schedule. Last night's machine repair had been cut off too soon only half in part to the lazy pace at which the arcade's resident maintenance man worked. The other half was the fault of a sudden blackout, in which Anton's frustration led him to an early exit.

This morning, he would reap the consequences. The kid's birthday party would be in the afternoon and he still had yet to get to the bottom of Street Fighter II's dubiously failing power supply. For the job of an electrician, Anton really ought to have been paid like one too. But what could he say? He loved the arcade. He just couldn't bring himself to part with the place or its ancient owner.

The air this morning was oddly crisp for a summer's day. A chill worked its way up his spine, permeating throughout his hopelessly cluttered lemon of a car. Like a marionette, his limbs were led by string, dragging him into the expansive parking lot of his workplace. Vehicles were littered around the lot, all fitted with the usual sirens and drab colors of police cars. He gritted his teeth, his blood pressure reaching an immediate spike. It was far too early for all these flashing lights, though in all fairness, any time before noon was too early for Anton.

As he turned into his space, he caught a few familiar forms clustered up ahead, one of which was humping a police car. A momentary smile placed itself on the bearded man's face, brightening his fatigued features. Something was amiss, but this sight was nothing new. He would never understand how his dear friend Kanon could laugh in the face of prejudice so easily, but he had nonetheless grown to admire it from a distance.

Placing two feet out and onto the crumbling asphalt, Anton pushed his car door closed with a resounding thud. A few nearby onlookers raised their heads, scowling at what was probably another nosy asshole shoving his face into an investigation. Well, too bad. Some people have work around here. There's no other way a man can afford all the junk Anton irresponsibly threw his cash at.

Curiously—well, not really curiously—Kanon's head stayed rested in its cold, flat, metallic place. He didn't even seem all that pensive. He was just... laying his head there while Declan Sinclair and Luz Martin idly stood by. Though, in all honesty, was Anton better than the two? All of the times he'd clammed up in similar settings...

It killed him, but not enough to change.

Confidently, clad in his ever-so-fashionable work uniform, Anton made his way past all the commotion between his car and his acquaintances. That trademark grin of his should have been wiped off his face long ago, but there it remained. He stopped beside the three. "Next time, charge his bitch-ass, pal." He let out a hearty laugh, reaching a hand to coax his old friend's body upward. Worry was streaked across the back of his mind, but it wasn't worth the mention yet.

"What're you guys doing here? We were all on the late shift last night." As in, the night everything went black out of nowhere. So annoying. He gave a friendly nod to Declan. An enigmatic figure, but not someone he was uncomfortable with. He was a friend of Kanon, after all, so any weirdness could only be registered as charming.

His gaze then settled on Luz. She seemed just as exhausted as he was, which was really, super fair. The skittish girl usually seemed to keep her appearance in tidy order, though. Maybe she partied too hard after work. If so, Anton made a tiny, silent cheer for her. "Morning, Luz. Where's your boyfriend?" he queried, giggling like a schoolgirl. Knowing no boundaries, the laughing man gave her shoulder a nudge. "Wait, these cops aren't here for you, are they?"

nine lives

 

[The Cat Man]

Laura Ferreira
The Girl Next Door

JUNE 14, 2003 - EVENING
[ZOE'S > WELLSPRING MALL EXTERIOR]
​

aeneas. macheath . Colorless Spectrum hery​

​

---

​

A breath of sudden relief whispered away in solemnity as a cellphone's light blinked back into existence, followed quickly by a swift haphazard sound of a scampering individual opening some curtains, a deer trying to see if those glowing lights are on the horizon or if they're closer than perceived. The sounds of her little struggle seemingly smothered by only the nonexistent hum of silence, Laura Ferreira shakes off that sudden surge of panic with a laughter, finding comedy on the silliness of danger that truly isn't there, that she's just alone on the chiq yet homely boutique, terrified of only darkness within the coffin-like constraints inside that changing area.

Laura has been having some fun times in her little part time job inside Zoe's, a quaint clothing store inside the mall. It's a bit of a big thing for her! This store was pretty much her introduction to childhood dreams of both modeling and sewing, there's a place in it on her heart, and maybe Ms. Zoe saw that once she applied for the job, after all, Laura isn't necessarily the most excellent worker, but she certainly tries her best. As a matter of fact, given the rather slow days around this time of work, Laura has taken a bit of a habit to have some fun trying out some outfits, hidden away inside the booths, checking herself out in new combinations and getting to research a little bit for her major. Of course, it's slacking, but it's not like she's doing anything bad! Laura has been a good attendant, on the time, never had any issues, she can be somewhat lax! Besides, the boutique's in perfect condition once she locks up, nothing's ever missing... At least to her eyes.

Tonight, though, the universe seemed to conspire against this acquired hobby of hers.
One blackout later, and Laura found herself submerged within shadows, surrounded by walls forming a tight square... It was not the best of experiences, using her hands to find a corner, cowering until the lights finally returned, it felt like every second was a minute... But she's fine now! Probably some dumb technical electric wiring gizmo thing that happened, coincidences do happen despite many of them being off-putting like that...

Gathering herself together, and quickly setting things back to what they were originally, albeit a bit more haphazardly than usual, Laura was off to figure out what was up! Her shift was close to ending anyway, and it's not like the mall's supposed to do that, she's probably not alone in that thinking... Speaking of being alone, the mall's strangely noisy for a place that has been akin to a dead town for the remainder of the hours she's been at work... Are those police sirens?

...Huh?
Maybe something REALLY went wrong, did someone try a midnight check-out but with money bags? A quick check of the cash register seems to say otherwise, at least for Zoe's, but none of the other stores seemed to have anything off like broken glass or thrown about products, Laura didn't even hear anything! But if that's real police, then there must've been something that tipped them off, whether it be a call or an alarm...

A thought creeped in the back of her mind... It wasn't expanded upon, but made Laura give up rather quickly on her feelings of curiosity. She was always an explorer, but for Laura, maybe a dark forest of concrete wasn't really a nice walk... Besides, if something has happened, going out as quickly as possible would be the best thing to do, even if there's people still inside.

After closing up for the night, Laura finally made her way out... A bit apprehensive, but rather calmly, she was still sure it wasn't anything too bad, probably just some sort of vandal that was overreacted upon by the authorities... The lights do make it a little strange though, wouldn't only someone on the inside know where it'd be?

Speaking of the people on the inside, Laura caught them first when she walked out. The police and the crowd was what quickly caught her attention first though, the latter were just as curious as her... But a gulp couldn't help but manifest. Feeling lost on what she should do, Laura approached her fellow university colleagues, there's still some of them missing... But she's glad the ones here are fine, at least seemingly.
Declan, Kanon, Luz and Anton... Should be around half missing then.
The mayor's son does kinda explain the audience, in hindsight! Luz... Laura did expect Jared to be with her, even if they did fight, but maybe that's just her dreamy side talking. Kanon is... on a very awkward position on a police car, and Anton is just as confused about it.
Honestly, par on the course for the former.

"Come on, don't be mean!" Laura firmly tapped the comedian's shoulder after just catching his cheeky questioning, telling him off right thereafter as she finally arrived to the forming group, she knew that he was likely joking, but maybe it's not the time. "I'm sure that they're fine, not that it's our business to know, anyway!" She briefly smiled at Luz, the defending girl usually wouldn't be this outspoken, but... As someone who has experienced the ups and downs of growing romance, maybe there's a shared feeling that made her act the way she did. "Weird though, right?... Blackout in clear weather?... Kinda spooky!" Laura already feels a little more comfortable talking, making her own small talk, nothing serious must've happened anyways!
Just a blackout.

 

[aeneas.]

"they've been teasing freddy vs jason since 97', i doubt they're actually gonna be releasing it any time soon."

nose buried in a copy of a trashy magazine subscription with the occasional stolen glances towards both the path ahead and the person he was taking the path with, declan sinclair was spending his morning the same way he always did. even outside the shackles of an opening shift, if kanon was stuck walking to the wellspring mall, it would be expected for declan to come following after regardless. it was routine at this point for the two, walking. not that there was another option, mrs. and mr. sinclair didn't enjoy the idea of declan owning a car and declan would probably land across town if he attempted to commute. plus kanon knew the best walking route to avoid sunburns on his pasty skin in the summer sun.

tired celestine met vulpine before settling the green in the other's hand. fond.

"already thinking about the end of work? mr. frog is in for a long one."

the attempt to come across as lighthearted quickly gained an additional weight of impact when he noticed the other's falter. amused smiles quickly turned to concerned frowns. it wasn't every day that the wellspring mall would be flooded with police although it had started to become the norm to see boys in blue crowding certain areas in town at least once a month. and spoiler: the reason was usually not a good one.

"a very long one."

there was a look of common understanding between the two as they walked closer towards the mall. however where declan had already straightened his posture, kanon had given him the amphibian companion. the action alone told him the approach the other was taking.

"he's always like this, you get used to it."

the croak was enough of an indicator to know that the frog understood. if the green little thing wanted to become a permanent member to the roster, it would need to know that kanon's happened more times than declan would have liked. the initial words the aggressive officer had said to the pair barely processed in his head due to the intent to watch their next moves, if someone had died in the mall, it was his priority to make sure that kanon of all people wouldn't become the next body to drop.

an image of the reckless oaf helped declan's reality get through to his thick skull.

shit.

if the cops weren't there just to pick on the young adults and were telling the truth, jared fritz was dead in the wellspring mall. jared fritz was dead in the wellspring mall and the cops were here. jared fritz was dead in the wellspring mall and instead of doing something, they got kanon grinding against a cop car.

declan didn't even notice the new additions. instead, he finally chose to step in.

"i think we've seen enough here, officer, we all got to see how strong and masculine you were pinning a kid to a car."

a rough pat against the officer's back acted as the second warning shot if declan's words didn't cut as deep. the look he received in return was scalding but if it bothered declan, he didn't allow his charming smile to falter. it was probably annoying seeing the son of the mayor hide behind his own feeding hand—declan would have found his own tone insufferable yet he couldn't find it in himself to be self-aware.

"we've all got jobs to do, and kanon and i are just here to do ours, right?"

"just leash your bitch."

"that's not very nice."

the officer opened his mouth before slamming it shut. there had been mutters hidden within the officer's heavy breaths but declan didn't entertain the situation further, instead giving kanon a pat on the shoulder—much kinder to what he gave the policeman earlier.

"mr. frog thinks you're gonna get arrested and you should probably be careful."

despite the obvious warning, he couldn't hide the inheret fondness in his tone. getting kanon out of trouble is what he did best, and he'd do it a thousand times over.

he spared kanon another look as he rested against the car before he locked eyes with the additional people gathered. it was almost humourous that the same people he had closed with were the same people he was opening with the very next day. it was even more funny to him that despite the scene kanon and the police officer displayed, luz of all people found kindness in her heart to go up to the eccentric man.

"not a bother at all, the more the merrier as they say."

despite the circumstances declan found himself in, he remained personable. especially to luz.

jared fritz was a friend yet declan could have that sentiment towards every person in st. gertrude's. however, he was more than aware of the bond the girl shared with fritz—it was a small town after all and his coworkers liked to gossip. so declan did his part and spared anton a nod and laura a smile before he shifted back to luz.

"the cops are here about jared."

suddenly the pavement was the most interesting thing to look at.

"something happened."

the golden boy.

declan.

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[iridescent.]

owen fidalgo

mood annoyed

location parking lot

mention pretty much everyone

outfit running clothes

Sweat in the eyes was never a fun thing. Owen should know, considering he’d just run this last mile trying to stop it from dripping in his eyes but failing this battle. He wished he hadn’t left his headband in the car. He’d gotten home late the previous night after a power surge disrupted FYEs closing activities by half an hour, but was up at his usual time of ass-crack-of-dawn o’clock to get a run in before his weekly opening shift. And if he was grumpier than usual, well, everyone was going to know.

He drove to the mall parking lot and hopped out once the Jeep had been put into park, closing and locking the door behind him. A park situated across the street had recently become one of Owen’s favorite places to go for a run so he often found himself going there to get a workout in before a shift. Today was no different.

More than halfway into the run and sweat battle, he began to hear bits of conversations of the other joggers as he passed by them, things like “did you hear?” and “Fritz found dead?” and “in the mall”, all making him shake his head in confusion. He saw Jared last night, how could the other be dead now. Something didn’t add up.

It wasn’t until he was back at his car post-run that he saw them, the cop cars. Lots of them, so Jared or someone else must be dead. He grabbed the gym bag containing his change of clothes for after his shower (the employee bathroom in FYE has a shower, don’t ask) and started walking towards the entrance of the mall, intent on ignoring everything that was going on.

He didn’t get very far, stopping to watch some dude get slammed into a cop car and then start grinding into it, of all things. There was a time and place for those things and this certainly wasn’t one of them. Against his better judgment, he began to walk closer to the scene. His eyes were focused on the humping kid, both disgust and distaste written all over his features as he was forced to watch it all transpire. He thought he himself was a hoe, but this was a whole other level.

As he got closer, Owen noticed a group of kids standing near grinding kid, ones he recognized as some who worked at the mall with him though didn’t know their names (and didn’t care to learn). “Doesn’t look like the car is reciprocating your actions,” he commented as he passed the humper, “maybe you should stop and continue with something that’s actually interested in you.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything and given away his presence. “Fidalgo.” he heard behind him and slowly turned to see an officer who often showed up to break up the parties Delirium was playing at. “Yes, officer?” he growled out. “Stay here.”

Yeah, no. “What if I don’t want to?” Owen challenged.

“Then you’ll end up with a mouth full of gravel and handcuffs around your wrists.”

That didn’t sound very fun, so with an eye roll and glare from the officer, he remained where he was and watched as who he knew to be the mayors son go and try to deescalate the situation. Though he knew he shouldn’t, Owen couldn’t help but chuckle and the “leash your bitch” comment. Officers shouldn’t be speaking like that to civilians, but that kid was acting like a bitch in heat, so he understood where it was all coming from.

“You gonna keep us here all day? Should I take a nap?” And without waiting for a response, he shrugged his bag off his shoulder and sat down. He made a show of fluffing the bag up and then laid down, using the fluffed gym bag as a pillow. Yawning obnoxiously, Owen brushed his damp, sweaty hair off his face and shut his eyes.

coded by weldherwings.