The Bliss Town Mall is the largest structure in Bliss Town, at a staggering four stories with five hundred slots for stores. Unfortunately, it is mostly abandoned with empty lots, half empty stores, quarter empty shops, and a lot clothing stores or foreign trinket shops.

The food court is the most active area in the Bliss Town Mall. It is where shoppers mingle around, eating food with their bags of purchased goods while overplayed music of fabricated popularity plays over the weak intercoms.

Jayson is sitting on a half wall with his cosmic wood sword held tight, and his eyes scanning the crowd. He used the seventy-five cents he found to buy a gumball from the gum machine, so he’s chewing on the stale, flavorless ball as he observes the area.

Lexia is on the other side of the food court, directly in Jayson’s line of sight and still wearing her armor. She is reading the brochure for Renewal Rehabilitation while sipping on a strawberry milkshake.

Derrick is at a table, alone, eating a sandwich from Samwise Samee’s Sandwich Shop. He is also watching the area intently. Then, he spots their target, and followed by Jayson, and lastly Lexia.

Trafford Augustine, wearing his golfer’s cap and tailored gray suit weaves his way through the crowd, drawing some looks of wonder. He goes to a small eatery operated by coyotes and a badger and orders a dish. A few minutes later, Trafford makes his way to Derrick, holding a tray stacked with a lot of steamed hams and fries doused in meaty chili. He sits at Derrick's table and smiles while rubbing his hands together.

“So nice to see you again. Have you come up with your answer?” asks Trafford.

“I have,” replies Derrick.

Trafford sets a napkin on his lap, turns another into a bib, and starts eating.

“And...?” asks Trafford, his mouth full of food.

Derrick watches Trafford gobble down his food, disgust heavy on his face.

“Aaaaaand...?” repeats Trafford.

“There's something I want to ask before I give my answer,” says Derrick.

Trafford holds up a messy finger. “Hold on. Before you ask. Where are your two rabbit friends?”

“They're around.”

Trafford looks to the left and sees Lexia.

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Trafford looks to the right and sees Jayson. Jayson waves at him, and he waves back.

What Trafford does not notice are various cops in disguise are also walking around and pretending to enjoy their meals at the food court. Nermal is also standing close by, pretending to read a book while eating fries.

Trafford smiles and looks at Derrick.

“Very nice. So, what's your question?” asks Trafford.

“What's your real name?” asks Derrick.

“Trafford Augustine,” says Trafford. “My middle name is Romulus. But that’s an ugly name, so I don’t really use it.”

“Trafford Augustine is dead.”

Trafford finishes his plate of food and licks the plate. After he licks it clean, he dabs his face with the napkin, ignoring Derrick’s twitching eye.

“True. Yeah, very true,” says Trafford. He sets his plate and rumpled napkins aside. “Or, well, the one you're thinking about is dead, anyway. Nasty car wreck mutilated him, killed Angelica on the spot, which was awful because she was a sweet ewe. He died in agony at the Revival Hospital in Solstice City. But he's dead, and I'm not. And I'm Trafford Augustine.”

Derrick taps his talon on his hand, and Trafford grins.

“I'm guessing you talked to someone about me, right? Probably asked one of your friends in the force for some info,” says Trafford.

Jayson narrows his eyes and tightens his grip on his cosmic wooden sword. And Nermal carefully unclips his holster while keeping his reading rouse.

Trafford looks at Jayson out of the corner of his eye for a second before focusing on Derrick again.

“I see we're going to have some problems very soon, so I'm going to cut this short,” says Trafford.

Derrick stares quietly, and Trafford rolls his tongue in his cheek.

“I promise I'm not upset or disappointed, you were just being careful, but when we talk again, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't drag in others. Except for Lexia and Jayson but keep others out,” says Trafford.

“What are you going to do?” asks Derrick, his body tensing.

“I’m going to kill myself.”

Trafford briefly shows a green capsule locked between his teeth, and Derrick jumps up.

“Don't!” yells Derrick.

Trafford bites down, and immediately convulses with bloody foam pooling from his mouth and blood oozing from his eyes and ears.

“Get back!” shouts Nermal.

Patrons scream and scatter, and Nermal tugs Derrick away from the table. Jayson and Lexia watch wide eyed in horror as Trafford’s maw and throat melt, pouring bloody foam and strips of broken flesh all over his suit and the table. The disguised cops surround Trafford as the tall ram slumps against the table with steam and bloody foam sizzling through the remains of his nose, out of his boiled eyes, and broken ears.

Trafford twitches a couple of times, then goes still.

Derrick stares at the body, wide eyed and horrified, and Jayson and Lexia run to Derrick and look at Trafford's corpse while Nermal barks orders into his radio.

“What happened?” asks Jayson.

“Trafford killed himself with a melter's pill. Spec Ops and people of interest used them during the Toxic War to melt their brains to prevent the enemies from scanning them in case they were captured,” says Derrick.

“Oh man...”

“'Oh God' is more like it.”

“What do we do now?” asks Lexia.

Derrick sighs heavily and runs his shaky talons through his white plumage. “Head back to my nest. Unless Nermal wants something.”

Nermal shakes his head. “Nah... Go home. The mortician and captain are going to have a field day with this. If I need you, I'll call you.”

Derrick nods and motions Jayson and Lexia to follow him. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”