A teen looking around furtively hands Jay and Lilicoon a large box of chocolates and asks softly. "Please, help me." Before hurrying away. Not long after, two large individuals claiming that the person "belongs to them", demands to know where the runaway has gotten to. -- Anon Guest
"Delivery," said the kid. They didn't appear to have anything amiss with them upon first glance, but Jay knew how to look beyond that. It was all in the eyes. Eyes made to open in horror too often and now could not open any other way. The kid put the box down and whispered, "I know what you are. Please. Help."
Lilicoon said, "I beg your pardon?" but the kid scampered off without apparently hearing her.
Jay was already on guard, and he knew how to be on guard without looking like he was on guard. Such as using his peripheral vision to detect approaching threats while he peered at the ingredients list. "Level three Havenworlder safe, nothing you react to..." there they were. Two big and burly goons coming in on a threatening angle. Just the sort that a Deregger CEO would hire to menace people and maybe look pretty while they were at it.
Odds were in his favour that they didn't actually know how to fight. They let their muscles and menace work for them.
"There's going to have to be some trouble," he warned Lilicoon. "I'll try to keep it civil, but... when I lead them off, warn Security."
"Why?"
As if in answer, the Goons loomed. "You all seen a scrawny kid? So high, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin. Looks like they did a crime?"
Lilicoon looked to Jay. She understood. "Ah," she said. "You saw the child first."
Jay took over, though the Goons had no idea that he was in control. "Yeah I did see that kid. I think I know where they went. Follow me."
They did. Big mistake.
Fortunately for them, unfortunately for Jay, Security intervened before Jay could deliver a lesson that would last them the rest of their lives.
"We're just trying to recover our boss' property," said the spokesgoon.
"You said you were looking for a child," said Jay, and repeated the description. "Are you saying that a child is your boss' property?"
The Security Officer smiled like a shark. "Let's take this to the offices and sort this out." Translated from Lawspeak - You two are flakked.
The kid would gain their freedom, guaranteed. A life of their choice, at the pace they wanted to get it. And whoever was behind the goons was in for a rude shock.
All for a box of chocolates.
Pretty darn good trade.
[Photo by Hanna Balan on Unsplash]
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