[IC] 𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

[Baphomini]

Lilian, unlike the other two men, was entirely focused on his phone while he waited in line with a soft scowl. He paid no mind to those around him, and even as he approached the counter, he didn't look up from the device, keeping his gaze on the screen as he scrolled past a video of a guy with bleached blonde hair talking to himself as four different characters.

"Steak and cheese burrito, black beans, extra cheese, add guac and white queso..." a smile tugged at his lips for a moment, and then he added, "and go heavy on the chile sauce." That wasn't the order. Joshua hated spice. Li, however, hated Josh. Put simply, Josh was an ass. Josh had bit the hand that feeds many a time before. It was time for Josh to learn. Would he learn? Probably not, but that wasn't any problem of Lilian's.

The worker nodded and confirmed the order and read off the price, Lilian confirmed in return and used the company card that had been wrapped in the list of workers' orders to pay for the shitty ass burrito. It wasn't even authentic, and he knew for a fact that this place was absolutely foul in regard to sanitation. He had watched a whole essay video about the time the chain had been caught with traces of Hep C in their guacamole. Not exactly the thing you'd imagine a place coming back from, but, big chains were usually good at that shit.

As he stepped aside to let the next person in line make their order while he waited for his own, Li continued to watch his phone until the device started ringing. He had one of those ridiculous joke ringtones. It drove his co-workers crazy. A chaotic track of a guy scream-singing absolute nonsense.

"Your phone is riiiiinging! Your phone is riiiiiinging! And so I'm siiiiinging! Your phone is riiiiinging! Your phone is riiiiiinging! This fool ain't teeeeexting! So your phone is riiiiiinging!"

Casually, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening, Lilian answered the call, "For the last time, I can't do these runs as fast as everyone else. I don't have a fucking car and--oh yeah, my fucking bike was destroyed this morning when I got the first fucking coverage of Stag's and Gamma's battle," he paused to listen, "Oh shit, wait, really? She called for me? By name and everything, huh?" the slightest hint of a smirk pulled at his lips with the cleverly bewildered words, "Wild. I mean, I did get the chance to talk to King Stag this morning to ask about the interview, but I never thought he'd remember my name. The company's, sure, but me? Fucking crazy. Anyways, I'm down to take the interview, you know me. I'll do anything for a good story. Did you already get everything set or do I gotta call this lady?" again he waited for the response, "Alright, I'll get that situated when I get back to the office. Thanks for letting me know," a pause, "Oh yeah, sure, I'm almost on my way back. Just as soon as the magical cat bus comes and picks me up," Lilian waited again for the response and rolled his eyes, "It's from a movie, just forget it, I'll be back within the hour," and with that, he hung up and turned to take the food as it was brought to the pick-up counter, grabbing the bag and turning back to his phone as he headed out.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated the standing of the man behind him and ended up crashing right into Elijah, bouncing off the larger, stronger man and falling back flat on his ass, "Ow, fuck," he burst, then huffed, "Sorry dude, that was my bad."

[JewelSerket]

Elijah was too stunned to speak or move for a second. His manager really called him out like that, huh? Not that he was complaining. Granted, he had been the one to call for Lilian. So it was mostly on him. That did not make his face flush any less. The interview was nerve wracking too. So much could go wrong in that environment. The press were voracious.

Lilian bounced off of Elijah, who had not moved a muscle. Given his size and bulk, it was akin to a small dog running into him. He blinked and shook his head. Well. Shit. This was as good a reason to start a conversation as any.

”Ah, sorry. I was uh. Zoning out.”

Elijah leaned down and offered a hand to help Lilian up. He tried to smile, but he struggled with smiles. Davey at the station told him regularly that he always looked angry when he smiled. Elijah hoped that was not the case.

”Are you okay?”

[CorviDoggo]

Oh. THAT was where Sorrel had saw this man. How.. how was this pink-haired stranger still alive? Some sort of radiation immunity? They were obviously Numan, with the pink hair and the goat horns and such, but maybe it was rude to assume some other abilities underneath..? This little goat also claimed to have coverage on the fight from this morning… something the press rarely could catch with all the fights involving himself and King Stag.

And… along with that, the short stranger had an interview with King Stag. Sorrel couldn’t help but wonder how many of those were out there, and how many people begged and begged for interviews. His mind then trailed to— this dude must have met King Stag. Probably today. Probably this morning. Maybe that was why King Stag dove through a building. Maybe this was the person who threw a piece of building at him, too..?

Hmm… Sorrel wasn’t exactly hungry, anymore. He wasn’t hungry in the first place. He felt like just grabbing his bowl and snapping the lid on to make his way out. Maybe he’ll… eat it later? Fat chance, though. He wiped the little drop blood from his lip instead of having another bite.

“Shit, King Stag’s going for an interview? After what happened this morning?” Sorrel almost clasped his hand over his stupid mouth, why did he blurt things out all the time? Jesus Christ he was so stupid.

Instead of minding his own fucking business, he continued with his stupid, stupid rambling. “Aren’t hero interviews like… a dime a dozen? Have you ever done a villain interview..?”

He turned to the far taller man with pockmarks as he twirled his spoon around. “You’ve ever read a villain interview?”

He also already wanted to beat himself up. Maybe he should’ve never gone out, and just spent the day alone in his little house at Ground Zero with his weird cat.

[Baphomini]

For the love of all beliefs, do not stare!

Despite what he told himself, Lilian couldn't help but stare at the man standing over him. It wasn't out of any ill intent. He wasn't judging the guy at all. His attention was just...caught for lack of a better word. The pockmarks. It was the pockmarks. It wasn't something one saw very often, and suffice was to say, it was very eye-catching. Lilian hated himself for staring, especially since his gaze refused to meet the guy's gaze. All he could do was jump from one mark to the next and pray it wasn't obvious. He tried. He tried to focus on at least the guy's smile, but even that was awkward.

Is he pissed?? Li wondered, then decided to just close his eyes and reach out to accept the guy's hand in helping him up.

"Ah- Uh, no..." he murmured, "No, uh, it was my fault. I'm fine, really. I-" but his babbling was cut short at a new, intrusive voice entering the scene.

Just who the hell- Lilian stopped when he looked at the other guy, taking in his features. There was something...notable about him, and he wasn't just thinking about the feathers or green hair. No...something was...important about this dude, but what? It didn't matter, Li was still kinda pissed about this guy barging into this...interaction? Blathering about his views on hero interviews and questioning him and this other random dude like they'd done something wrong. It rubbed Li the wrong way, that was for sure.

"Get me a meeting with Karabasan where I don't immediately become subjected to horrific night terrors and I'll gladly write you a villain interview-- Oh, wait, that's right, villains aren't exactly crazy about sitting for an interview where they can easily be apprehended by the DNCC in the process. Damn, what a shame. Guess that's out. Maybe you should try minding your own damn business instead of criticizing the work of a guy you don't even fucking know."

[JewelSerket]

Elijah shifted under Lilian’s gaze. Lilian was not the first to notice his scars. He had seen people’s discomfort a thousand times at least. That did not make their staring any less awkward or off putting. Plus there was something else buried underneath… but just what it was, he was uncertain. Certainly, it was related to nerves. He helped pull Li to his feet– Then nearly jumped out of his shoes when a second, much thinner man approached.

Villain interviews? The thought was almost laughable. He had met plenty of villains and, well, Li put it in better words than he ever could. No villain was going to sit down for an interview. Even fewer villains were going to ever approach a reporter with anything other than malicious intent. Besides, most of them were only interested in news coverage for the purpose of attention. There were plenty of ways to get attention without being a sitting duck for the DNCC.

Seeing the two men get heated was, at the very least, amusing. It was like watching two kittens fighting… though, maybe his perspective was a bit flawed. He was far larger than these men in just about every sense of the word. He interjected his own thoughts into the mix, doing his best to not appear rude. Though, that was difficult, given his experience with villains left an absolutely foul taste in his mouth.

”I haven’t. It’s a bit difficult, I can imagine, when villains never sit still. They’re slippery bastards. Besides, that’s probably why King Stag can’t catch that… god, what’s his name? Gamma-something? Yeah. Him. He’s too slippery for that big fuckin dude. The DNCC should probably hire better heroes for that job.

[CorviDoggo]

Damn. Sorrel wouldn’t be surprised if the pink-haired reporter’s skull contained just water swishing around. It was a genuine question! He wanted to know! No need to be so rude— it soured Sorrel’s tastebuds too much. Fuck the mediocre food, he’d just take it home.

Sorrel snapped the plastic container’s lid back onto his meal, leaving the plastic spoon in there. He didn’t exactly want it to end up in a landfill— it’d probably work as some Tupperware storage, or another little garden container. Up-cycling was important! As he stood up, he just… had to poke holes in ol’ Strawberry Shortcake’s logic.

“Well,” he started, “first of all. I see tons of anti-hero interviews n’ shit, they’re *more* hated by the DNCC, no..? ‘Cause they aren’t regulated, and the DNCC really wants control n’ a good way to lock ‘em up, or at least recruit. And— second!” Sorrel paused to cough, and wiped the blood from his mouth with the edge of his sweater sleeve. “Second, you said you got coverage on the fight between King Stag n’ the radiation dude, right..? How’re you not dead yet? Maybe he can’t really hurt you, for some reason? Maybe that’s a start if you’re super duper interested, which it sounds like y’aren’t.”

Sorrel didn’t exactly want to respond to Swiss-cheese, but, of course, he also just had to bump into the fucking behemoth as he was trying to leave. Sorrel’s skin was..l feverishly, unnaturally warm at the moment— not really dangerous, per say, but he knew he got warmer when his body was acting up the way it did. He took a few steps back, looked at the giant, pockmarked man, and then the door. And he looked back, and saw a little beetle scurry down the man’s neck. What the fuck?

“Two things for you too, I guess—“ Sorrel furrowed his brows as he more mumbled than tried to push a debate. “First, take a shower, for the love of everything that is good?? I just saw some bugs on you??? And second, you’re just as big as the bug hero, so either stop being a walking concrete wall or start having a bit more self confidence..?”

Another cough. He’s just gonna leave. He’s just going to leave. He wiped his now bloodied sleeve over his lips again before wiping at his forehead and eyes. He pushed himself through the door with his leftovers in his hands, and just… started walking away. Maybe he’ll go sit at a park and keep eating. Maybe he’ll actually go home.

[Baphomini]

Note to self: Consider not. Yeah. Consider not.

Lilian was blown away by the sheer audacity of the green-haired man spouting off. The way he acted like he knew so much more than everyone around him really drove into Li. It was exactly that kind of behavior that he despised in guys like Josh and his boss and his fucking landlady. They all put off that disgusting energy that they were better than everyone. It was nauseating. Though not as nauseating as the guy wiping his fucking blood on his sleeve. All things aside, Lilian wasn't judging the guy for having an obvious condition. No, definitely not. If the guy was sick, the guy was sick, and Lilian wasn't the type to look down on someone for something medical or out of their control. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to judge the guy for not using a damn handkerchief!

His blood was absolutely boiling at how the guy talked to him, how the guy straight up assumed to know so much about him in the little interaction they'd had. He was wrong. So dead wrong about so many things. Those anti-hero interviews were only possible off the record, and the interviewers who conducted them were often charged heavily for aiding and abetting a perceived criminal. Something Li wasn't too keen to deal with, knowing full well the company wouldn't cover the cost of the fine. Aside from that, the only reason there were far more anti-hero interviews than anything was simply because there were far more anti-heroes than, well, anything. Literally anyone could be an anti-hero. All you needed was a crappy half-assed costume and the drive of absolute insanity to do something perceived as good and you were set to go. Over half the anti-heroes out there were college students, probably high on something, running around just for attention. If any kind of interview could be classed as 'a dime a dozen' it was, without a doubt, the anti-hero interviews.

Next to that, who the fuck did this guy think he was prying into Lilian's personal ability? So he survived a little radiation, big fucking whoop. That didn't mean that Gamma-Burn was harmless. It just meant the radiation wasn't as extreme where he was...or something like that. To be honest on that one, even Li wasn't so sure how he managed to get these shots of Gamma-Burn and King Stag without suffering serious afflictions, but...he just... chalked it up to the fact that things like that never seemed to bother him. As a kid the mothers of his peer group had hosted one of those stupid 'pox parties' where the parent of one kid hosts a party when said kid gets the chicken pox to allow for all the other kids in the social group to also catch it and 'get it over with'. Lilian was the only kid who didn't catch it, and in fact, never caught it at any point in his life. Though doctors would claim that was the shot. The point was, Li, as far as he knew, was just lucky.

That wasn't what bothered the reporter though. What bothered him was the guy's assumption that he wanted nothing to do with the villain-- who for some reason these guys couldn't fucking name? What was up with that? You'd think that people would remember the name of the guy who killed Donald Trump during his second year in office! Even if the news tried to cover that up as an accident, the evidence was obvious. --The guy knew literally nothing about him, and here he was, making bold assumptions, and trying to just walk away? Li wasn't having it, he wasn't having it one bit.

Storming out the door with the bag holding Josh's stupid shitty ten dollar burrito left on the ground, Lilian caught up to the green-haired guy, "You've got a lotta fucking gull speaking all high and mighty on shit you know absolutely fucking nothing about," he spat, "Reporters like me deal with a lot more fucking background shit than you'll ever know. Just know that. And for the record? I would kill for an interview with Gamma-Burn. And that's not a fucking hyperbole. Unlike some villains out there, Gamma-Burn actually has a legit cause. A cause many people overlook as liberal scare tactics when, in actuality, it's a plea. A plea to fucking change and make a damn effort to save not just the earth, but life and those who live it as we know it. Maybe if you actually paid attention to the shit you so eagerly bury your nose in, you wouldn't end up being the shit-faced baffoon you've made yourself out to be!"

[JewelSerket]

Blood? That was concerning. Concerning enough that he almost did not catch what the two men were saying. Elijah did a rather poor job of hiding his stare at the blood. That’s fine. Probably. Neither seemed to be paying much attention to—

Man. You’d think that, by being so big, people would see you and not run into you. Evidently, that wasn’t the case. But shit, he had definitely forgotten to shower after his workout— oh. Right. Bugs. He sighed through his nose. Elijah had gotten so used to them that he often forgot others found them gross.

Elijah stepped backwards to allow both men to step out but he was still concerned. He snatched up the bag on the ground. ”Hey! Wait!”

With a grunt, Elijah chased the men outside. His face set into a frown. Why he chased them, he was not certain. He told himself it was to get the food back to Li.

[CorviDoggo]

“Oi, you boiled shrimp, if you’re going to chew out my ears at least know it’s pronounced gall. I know I got feathers on me, but I’m not fighting your puny ass for some fucking chips. Also, I’ve got a whole bunch of braincells in this noggin! That’s infinitely more than what you’ve got. Did the radiation blast your logic out’a you?”

Sorrel bit down on his tongue. Maybe he was getting carried away. Maybe he was being a bit too mean, but, by Jove this idiot deserved a chewing out.

He took a breath in. This was about to get nasty. “For the record, I do pay attention. Ground Zero is literally a weird ass northern jungle in the edge of Wilacrik, so you know where he is. Gamma-Burn has an active social media, which I follow, and last I checked he’s also responsive. Fuck! If you had a damn Geiger counter, they cost like 50 bucks on Amazon and I bet your stupid boss would reimburse you for an epic story, you could definitely just wave that thing around at people until you stumble into him. Oh! Also! There are other people living in Ground Zero, who, last I checked, interact with the dude regularly and might also be open to talking. Making excuses for yourself just shows how much of a shit-faced dumbass you are.”

Shit like this made Sorrel remember why he hated just interacting with people so much. This was absolutely exhausting. He wished he was in his lab, or with his plants, or just cooking his own food at home. He wanted to hide away and just be nobody. His thoughts snapped off as he noticed the pockmarked giant just careening towards him— why did that feel familiar? A giant dude running straight at him in that exact way?

Sorrel pinched the bridge of his nose instead, and only spoke again when the man caught up to them. “Anyways… if you want to continue this conversation civilly, maybe don’t be the world’s pissiest toddler?”

[Baphomini]

Note to self: Invest in a Geiger counter...

When Sorrel was through with his rebound in the...not...quite a debate, Lilian was left in silence. Even he had to admit this guy had gotten one over on him...but...he...wasn't quite ready to let that be apparent, so instead of shutting up and taking the fall like he should have done, he just snuffed and scoffed and rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh boy, haven't heard that one before," he remarked on the insult, "No one has ever thought to compare me to a child. Bravo on that one, guy, truly, well-crafted insult, I applaud you," he unfolded his arms to give a sarcastic clap of his hands before giving another shake of his head and crossing his arms once more, "Look. You make good points. I'll give you that. But you obviously only think of this shit from an outsider's point of view. Sure. I can get a damn Geiger counter. Sure, I can wave that shit around until my arms get tired. It won't mean anything in the long run. For one thing, this is a city of over 250,000 people spanning across over 4,000 square miles, most of which is water--which, last I checked, kinda more or less completely separates Ground Zero from the rest of the city. Funny. For someone who plays off knowing so much about this shit, you seem to leave a lot of detail out in your judgment. Ground Zero is more secure than the fucking Pentagon. No one gets in. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure they'd have caught Gamma-Burn quite a few years ago. I doubt I could simply walk over there, ride a speed boat, and waltz on in. That place is a natural forest, and I don't very well see the residents being open about their involvement with a Grade-S villain, lest they too be apprehended by the DNCC and put through rigorous questioning to try and find the identity of said Grade-S villain and a means of getting into Ground Zero to finally apprehend him. So, all in all, dude, great ideas. In theory but horrible if you actually expect them to be put to practice."

He looked to the pockmarked man, and down to the bag the guy was holding, recognizing it as Josh's stupid fucking lunch order, and moved to snatch it away from the over-sized man.

"Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have a lunch run to complete," he said, then promptly turned on his heel and walked away.

[CorviDoggo]

“Byebye.”

Sorrel was finally alone. Well. Not really— hulk-and-a-half over here was blocking the sun. “Man could’ve at least said thank you,” he mumbled, again, looking vaguely up at the tall man. He was planning on going to the park, anyways, to finish this stupid and overpriced meal he still held— he wasn’t about to inconvenience himself to the point of dragging a shitty plate of food through the sewers just so he could peacefully eat in a little house quite literally the size of two shipping containers.

And… once again, he bumped into the fucking mobile granite slab of rock. Why the fuck was he sobig??? Sorrel already knew he was essentially a stick, this just made everything feel a bit worse. He felt so small— gods, why couldn’t he be alone? Why did the universe hate him so fucking much??

“… did’ya even get your food yet? Or did You lose your place in line running for goat guy?” And… Sorrel forced himself to stop there. He almost said ‘do you want to join me at the park?

Obviously he wouldn’t! Who’d like to join him? Sorrel, of all people! Weird lanky guy who coughed up blood and didn’t know how social interaction worked. He almost could laugh at himself.

[JewelSerket]

Elijah flinched slightly when Li snatched the bag. Well. Damn. He was just trying to help. Another sigh escaped him. Maybe asking for that whole interview thing had been a terrible idea. If that’s how this guy behaved then… at least the interview would be interesting. What a dick. Not that everything he said was entirely wrong, nor was it entirely unprovoked. But still…

Elijah rubbed his face and looked down at the twiggy stranger– Shit! Right! His order! He looked back and frowned when he realized several people had taken his spot. Damn it. He should not have tried to be nice. He really did not want to go stand in line again for his protein bowl. People were already loud and annoying there.

“It’s fine… I think I can do without the line.”

For a moment, Elijah awkwardly stared at the skinny fellow. He was thin… worryingly so. Not to mention the heat he had felt earlier. A fever maybe? Though this guy definitely needed to watch where he was going. A frown tightened on his lips when he spotted the blood. “Uhm… I hate to be invasive but… are you okay?”

Elijah gestured vaguely to the blood “You look kind of rough. And you were pretty warm. I don’t want to invade on whatever’s going on but, y’know, it feels kinda wrong to just let you walk away without checking.”

[CorviDoggo]

“Oh, uh…”

Sorrel forgot that his illness wasn’t exactly invisible when he… looked the way he did. And, frankly, it was kind for this pockmarked stranger to care that much— most of the time, people just stared at him, or at most silently pitied him as they went about their dare. Most normal people, at least.

This man wasn’t exactly normal, and Sorrel already figured that. But… being not normal includes being kind to him.

“It’s not much, really…” Sorrel didn’t really know how to explain his illness— it was rare and often ill-understood, and… maybe it was better to just brush it off. “It’s just part of an autoimmune disease I have, not infectious, not a… not a big deal.”

… Should he offer to do something for this stranger..? He couldn’t tell, he just felt wrong leaving and heading off.

“Do you, uh… are you still hungry..?” Real smooth, Sorrel— “because I could, uh… I could probably cook you something better than a processed taco bowl..? Or at least walk you to… a better restaurant..?”

Gods. Sorrel wanted to ram his head RIGHT into the fucking wall. Why was he like this. How the fuck would he cook for this stranger? Isn’t it creepy?? Isn’t he being creepy??? Fuck.

[JewelSerket]

Well, at least whatever this stranger had was not contagious. Elijah still felt bad leaving this man by himself when he looked like he could just crumple at any moment, but it would be rude to keep insisting. Besides, Elijah had his own things to do. Namely, he needed to eat, then get back to the station. One never knew when there would be a new call. There were idiots with ovens and microwaves all over the city.

The offer for a meal caused Elijah to pause. That was awfully nice of this guy who he had just met and who had just gone on a tirade about villains a second ago. In honesty, he wanted to accept the offer. The last time Elijah had had a home cooked meal was… well, to be honest, he did not know. Everything he ate was shitty instant meals, restaurant food, or whatever people brought in at the station. It felt all too strange to accept something so nice right away, though. Maybe later– Was it weird to think about a later with this stranger? Probably.

”Heh… thanks for offering to cook, but I don’t really have time to go anywhere. That’s a big reason why I want to avoid that line. I might go find a fast food place, though. If you’d really like, you’re welcome to join me. I’m not the greatest conversationalist, though.”

Elijah chuckled awkwardly. Man… that was probably weird. This guy was probably just trying to be polite. He should really stop and skitter on out of here. The guy already told him to take a shower. He probably did not actually want to be around Elijah if he was stinky and had bugs on him.

”I’m Elijah, by the way. Nice to uh… meet you?”

Fuck. That was not in fact stopping and skittering out of here.

[CorviDoggo]

Sorrel couldn’t believe himself. He also couldn’t believe what he was going to say. Fast food? That’s so bad for you! Why would this man just fill his body with junk?? And… on top of that, he still was holding the half-eaten taco bowl, and he just felt… really bad wasting food like that and throwing it away. It wasn’t right! But it’d be… a lot weirder to waltz into another stupid chain restaurant with taco bowl food. The food wasn’t good anyways. Maybe… it’d benefit the raccoons more than him?

Jesus. What was he thinking?? He meets one kind stranger and decides it’s okay to contribute to more and more unneeded waste, all because he… wants to spend time with the pockmarked man? Why does he want to spend time with this dude? What’s he doing??? Why was Sorrel being so dumb right now??

“I’m not the best at talkin’ either, don’t worry…”

Why was he considering this?? Why was he going to do this?

“I’m Sorrel, I don’t mind joining you, i-if you’d like the company…? Where… would you be going? If you’d like, uh… I could at least walk with you there..? I have the time.”

[JewelSerket]

“Heh… Well, I definitely wouldn’t mind company. Sorry to say that you were right about needing a shower, though. I got busy after my morning workout and I probably stink.”

Now more aware of the bugs that crawled on him, Elijah used scratching his head as a way to stop a weevil from poking its absurdly long nose out. At least the stranger– Er, uh. Sorrel. Was humble. Sort of? This humble-ness was of stark contrast with the fight earlier. ”I was just going to hit up Taco Bell. They have food that I can almost pretend is healthy enough to be worth eating.” He laughed after that, more out of nerves than humor.

Assuming Sorrel did nothing to stop him, he started off down the road. “Normally, I’d try to eat a little healthier, but I’ve gotta go down to the station for work later– Oh. Uh. The firestation. I’m a firefighter. Should… should probably clarify that. I’m not a cop or something.”

No, Elijah. That is not a normal fucking thing to say. This guy probably wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. And this guy probably isn’t afraid that he’s a cop. Just cause someone talks about villains doesn’t mean they instantly are one. And you shouldn’t be interacting if he is.

[CorviDoggo]

Taco bell? Really? Of all fucking places? At this point the tall man might as well have microwaved chicken and rice, it would’ve been healthier. Sorrel could tell this… Cricket? Ironic name, isn’t it? worked out, so… why not fuel his body better?? Surely it’d give him more energy.

Sorrel followed close behind Cricket, leaving the food container gently by a trash can. He knew he wasn’t going to finish it, anyways. Someone, or something, else could have it. He wasn’t going to make them dumpster dive for it.

“I’ve… actually never eaten there, before,” Sorrel said. It was true! He didn’t want to eat the fucking plastic that was the entirety of Taco Bell food, and he could make better versions of everything at home. It’s— it’s okay! He didn’t have to eat there. He wasn’t hungry, anyways. Why was he following this stranger, again? He held himself, crossing his arms as he walked. As much as the feathered stick of a man tried to hold his tongue, he just felt some anxious need to fill the silence.

“Firefighting’s dangerous, takes a lot of work,” Sorrel mumbled, more to himself than to the giant a few steps in front of him. “‘Least you’re doing it in the states, though— I’ve seen a few cases in South Korea, the government’s corrupt there to the point of just givin’ their firefighters a like.. 25k salary and raincoats instead of real fire protection. There was a whole scandal there, too— took the idiot in the blue house 6, I think, firefighter deaths in a single night, n’ public outrage because of that, to actually properly supply the firefighters there.”

Oh. Oh what the FUCK was that tangent? Why would he talk about that? What the fuck? What the fuck, Sorrel??? Why is he LIKE this? Sorrel undid his half-up bun after a few seconds of awkward silence, and tried his damn best to hide his face in his green and blonde dreads. What the fuck?

[JewelSerket]

”Eh.. Taco Bell is alright. Not my favorite, of course. But it’s alright…”

In reality, it was just the first place he thought to go. Not that he’d complain about eating Taco Bell but… well, he could say goodbye to the calories he had allotted for dinner. And his gut. Man, he needed to get better at thinking on the fly.

The silence was painful. He berated himself for saying that Sorrel could walk with him. That was supremely stupid in every regard. When Sorrel broke the silence, though, his shoulders visibly relaxed. Oh! Firefighting. He knew about firefighting. Of course he knew about fire fighting. Oh… wow. This guy is really intelligent! It’s kind of impressive…

Elijah could not help but slow down and stare. His cheeks flushed a light sort of pink and he smiled that smile again. The one his coworker insisted looked scary. He could not help himself. Sorrel’s words fascinated him. Hell, it made him a little more grateful for the kind of work he did at the station.

”I’m uh… I’m actually a volunteer. I do…” FUCK! Idiot! You put yourself into a corner!! ”Freelancing work to pay rent.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. ”That’s pretty cool actually. I never uh… Never really thought of firefighting outside’a the states.”

[CorviDoggo]

How. How did that little interaction not end in absolute disaster? Should he… keep going?

Sorrel gave an awkward smile back, one that bared all of his teeth. They were extremely sharp, pointy— of course, due to his angelic ancestry. “That’s very noble of you,” Sorrel chirped, before holding back his tongue. No shit! This dude was entirely fine risking his life to stop fires n’ save lives. He’s… probably had to deal with a few of the radioactive fires Sorrel accidentally started while donning the Gamma-Burn mask. That… felt awkward, yet again. He just clasped his hands behind his back to stop himself from awkwardly stimming and messing with his hair. Of course, he still messed with the hair string on his wrist and enjoyed the little snap feeling it did against his skin.

Now, the cogs in Sorrel’s head started turning, and his voice escaped him before he could filter anything. “I wonder… if there were more unpaid positions in places like the DNCC or the police, or just the United States government in general, would it be less corrupt, more caring about the people..?”

Shut UP. Sorrel! Shut the fuck up! “I mean… shit, if you had a normal person running the treasury maybe they’d give a bit more of a shit over inflation, haha.” Atrocious save. Sorrel wanted to simply transcend through realities and hide in a little pocket dimension. Sorrel wanted to evaporate right then and there.

[JewelSerket]

Elijah chuckled. ”Noble’s a bit of a stretch. It gives me something to do with myself. Something useful.”

He watched Sorrel’s mind working with a small smile. The man was adorable when he was thinking. Like a little sphynx cat plotting its evil little sphynx cat tricks– …That’s probably a weird thought to think of a total stranger. Someone he’s literally never met before. That is absolutely a weird thought to be thinking of a total stranger–

Elijah’s smile fell a little when the DNCC was mentioned. They were, admittedly, not the best organization around, but they paid Elijah more than enough to get by. Something he was not exactly used to before he worked with them. That didn’t take away the little shot of guilt, though. The offer of volunteers sounded promising, but he highly doubted its effectiveness. Before he could stop himself, he was speaking. ”I think it’d work at first… But people in positions of power tend to corrupt eventually. Besides, you’d need enough people to volunteer for dangerous lines of work. Trust me, that’s hard enough as it is. Especially with heroes running around.” He paused, then shook his head. ”Maybe there’s a way it could work out alright. But you’d still need to pay people something. Or they won’t work with you.”

Elijah really hoped that did not come off as rude. It was not his intention. He liked that idyllic reality, he just did not believe in it. Hell, he would not be working with the DNCC if it were not for the fact that they paid him, and paid him well. To be fair, though, there were plenty of heroes who did it for the fame. It was admittedly nice to be hailed as a protector.