Outside in a random alley, Jayson skids to a stop and seeks cover behind a dumpster, panting and wiping blood and sweat from his face. Then he sits down and stares at the brick wall in front of him. It has a winged DNA strand painted above wall art of a grim reaper using their scythe to spread a toxic cloud over a city of people dissolving into skeletons. And the picture also has graffiti over it, saying ‘Come See with Me’ and ‘Reel Sight Is Better Than Real Sight’ with blue dots surrounding the words and a cartoony head of a bear offering eyeballs.
Jayson stares at the odd pictures, struggling to catch his breath and cope with the throbbing pain all over his body. Several seconds later, Lexia runs around a corner, tripping over herself and falling over a rusted bike.
“Crap!” curses Lexia.
Jayson watches Lexia as she stumbles up and falls over again. When she sees Jayson, she jumps up and brushes herself off, playing it cool as she approaches him, even though she is a bloody and bruised mess.
“Wassup?” says Lexia.
“Rough day?” asks Jayson.
“A little bit. You?”
“Same.”
Lexia sits next to Jayson, and they stare at the wall in front of them; both quiet while the world moves around them with sirens in the distance.
“So… Lexia…” begins Jayson.
“Yes, Jayson?” says Lexia stiffly.
“Any weirdos, today?”
“Some snake with a mobster fetish. You?”
“A snake?” says Jayson curiously.
Lexia nods. “Yeah. Snake. Had one of those uh…” she wags her hand. “Rattle thingies on her tail.”
“Oh wow… I hadn’t seen one in a while.”
“Dealing with her was super easy, though. Hardly any inconvenience. How about you?”
Jayson winces and stretches his legs. “I got attacked by an ugly fox with some kind of weird electro-magnetic equipment. He was easy too. Just a quick bop on the head and he was done.”
“We’re way too good at this.”
“Yep.”
“Yep.”
“... Yep.”
The two sit in silence for a few more seconds. Then Derrick lands nearby and approaches them while lighting a cigarette. As he approaches them, Jayson and Lexia use each other for support to gingerly stand up, and once they are close enough to Derrick, Lexia punches him in the shoulder; he is unfazed by this.
“There you are!” says Lexia. “Where were you when I was dealing with a snake!?”
“Or a crazy fox with a weird electro-magnetic device?” adds Jayson.
“I was on the shitter because of Taco King,” says Derrick.
Lexia points at Jayson. “HA! I told you Taco King sucks!”
Jayson rolls his eyes, and Derrick puffs out some smoke.
“But there is good news. We’ve got Mama Bear nervous; that is why she sent a pair of fixers,” says Derrick. “But seeing as how you two handled them quite well, I don't think they'll be a problem. So, how about we get you two cleaned up and then we grab a bite to eat? I got coupons and I need some more protein after my explosive weight loss.”
Lexia once again smirks at Jayson, and he looks between her and Derrick.
“Oh, come one. You two just have weak stomachs,” says Jayson.
“You have the stomach from hell, Jayson. We can’t compete with you,” says Derrick. “Now, how about some lunch? I’m buying.”
Jayson and Lexia stare at Derrick. Then they look at each other, shrug, and gingerly follow Derrick out of the alley. As they leave, they don't see the Tall Ram leaning against a lamp post, writing notes.
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***
Back at the safe house, Rolland, Dacre, Cyrus, and Shae are playing Uno around the coffee table when the door opens. They look at the door and see Claribel and Mortimer standing there, bloodied, bruised, and soaked in soda syrup and shampoos and oil. Both of them are wearing bandages from a supermarket medical kit and are stiff. Rolland’s group silently stares at them, and Mortimer steps aside and motions Claribel in. She walks in, followed by Mortimer, who closes and locks the door.
Neither of them say anything as they walk past Rolland’s group. They go up the stairs and enter their rooms.
For Claribel, she goes to her suitcase, removes a fresh set of clothes in an air-sealed bag and a cleaning kit for scales, high quality shampoo, and a fluffy towel and bathrobe. She also sets a plastic sheet on her floor, followed by a felt sheet, and sets her weapons on the floor, along with a gun cleaning kit.
For Mortimer, his room is a mess and has a small fridge in the closet. He winces as removes his equipment and he discards his clothes, revealing burn and shrapnel scars covering the right half his body. He tosses his sticky clothes aside, carefully puts his equipment in his armored case. Then he opens up a worn-out suitcase and pulls out a plastic bag holding a set of clothes stuffed inside, plus a towel and a grooming kit.
Claribel and Mortimer exit their rooms, politely nod to each other, and then go into separate bathrooms. Shortly after, the showers start. Steam pours out from under the doors, and Rolland's group stares at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of rushing water for a few more seconds before Rolland tosses a card on the table.
“Oh, by the way. Uno,” says Rolland.
Dacre drops his card on Rolland’s card. “Wild draw 4. Red.”
Cyrus grins and plops a card on the stack.
“Uno,” says Cyrus.
Shae drops a blue card on top of the red card.
“Take the blue, loser,” says Shae.
***
Not The Crystal Plate is a perfectly mediocre restaurant. It is modest in appearance, with neutral colors that keep everything peaceful; its prices are fair, the orders come out fast, and its food is worth neither glowing review nor harsh condemnation. It is affordable for the poor and middle class alike, even with the poison of inflation eating away at their hard-earned money. It is because it is in a perfectly middle ground state that Derrick has decided to take Lexia and Jayson there. They had to use the restaurant bathroom to clean themselves off of grime and blood before sitting down, and even though they did clean off their bodies, their clothes are still stained with the aftermath of their fight.
That said, they are still welcomed in, and Jayson finds the atmosphere relaxing as clanking dishes and murmuring people float through the air. And even though it is simple, Jayson’s favorite part of the restaurant is not the food, but the logo painted big enough for everyone to see, NOT THE CRYSTAL PLATE (it has a broken crystal plate beneath the words).
Derrick sits across from Lexia and Jayson in their corner of the restaurant, and all are looking at their menus and have drinks.
Jayson and Derrick are looking at theirs normally, but Lexia has turned her menu into a wall between her and Jayson and is using the dessert menu to block herself from Derrick.
At the far end of the restaurant, watching Jayson’s group is the Tall Ram. He is stirring a protein mix into a large cup of water and has an almond crusted chicken, scrambled eggs with lintels, a side of cottage cheese, and a peanut butter milkshake. His coat is slung over his chair and his golfer's cap is on the table, so the world sees his thick hair dyed in metallic silver, turquoise, cherry red. His odd appearance and meal has brought some eyes to him, but he ignores them, choosing to keep his focus on Jayson, Lexia, and Derrick.
While watching the people of interest, Mariana approaches their table, pen and pad in hand and her dim blue eyes weighed down with boredom..
“Are you ready to order yet?” asks Mariana.
“Yes, I would like the salmon supreme meal please,” says Derrick.
“Kids mac n' cheese, please,” says Jayson.
“Get something bigger. I'm buying, remember?” says Derrick.
“Fine. Adult mac 'n cheese, please.”
“And I would love your fettuccine broccoli alfredo. Extra garlic and onions,” says Lexia.
Jayson sneers at Lexia, but he can't see her smirking behind the menu wall.
Mariana writes the orders, yanks away the menus, then leaves without a word.
Meanwhile, the Tall Ram keeps watching the group from his table, his pen tapping his notebook slowly while his other hand continues stirring his protein mix. Then a little device buzzes in his pocket. He pulls out a flip phone and flips it open to answer it, getting odd and bewildered looks from a nearby table.
“Trafford Augustine speaking,” says the Tall Ram.
“Status update,” says a stilted voice on the other end.
Trafford smiles. “Mr. Exe, I was just thinking about you.”
“Status update.”
“Bliss Town might have our missing guy. And there is something interesting about one of the residents here, too.”
“Explain.”
“The Reel Sight distributed from this area seems to have the qualities of our missing subject. And the Hobo Warrior Bunny, as they call him, has an object that warps time around him by one second. It's very peculiar and will require more data.”
“What about Bazooka Bunny and Derrick Marlow? Have they shown anything peculiar?”
“Nothing noticeable yet. The bazooka lady is still nuts and the eagle is just a grouch.”
“Keep me updated. Enjoy your milkshake.”
“You too.”
Trafford cringes immediately after, and Mr. Exe’s end clicks off. Trafford then puts the phone away, sighs, and watches Derrick's group intently. His time at Bliss Town is definitely going to be interesting.