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Summary: Lucas runs into Scout at the mall. She shows him hers, but he doesn't show her his.
Date: April 15, 2010
Trip to the Maul
Rating: PG
Westchester - Salem Center Mall
On the far end of the Food Court lays the long, wide hallway of the Mall. Oversized skylights let the sunlight pour in during the day, while the florescent bulbs light the Mall at night. This hall has a number of kiosks, selling anything from cheap jewelry to car stickers to on-the-spot portraits, along with them come a number of benches and let's not forget the store fronts calling out to the consumers with their bright lights and attention-drawing displays.
Lucas is walking in the mall carrying a paper bag from American Eagle. His long hair is stringy and unkempt, and he walks slow, as if maybe he's nursing an injury. The fading bruise around his left eye seems to confirm it.
Scout's occupying one of the many benches, using the back end as a seat while her dirty skate shoes rest across the actual 'seat' part. She's hunched over slightly, her elbows resting across the tops of her knees while peering through some rather dark and greasy strands of hair. She's scanning the patrons of the mall, hoping to find someone that looks like an easy enough target to snatch their wallet or purse. Though not as bad as usual, there's definitely a strange funk coming off the teen, which leaves her vicinity lacking in people.
As Lucas nears her, she might notice his gloves have been upgraded. They are now thin and white, almost looking as if made from spandex. He scratches the back of his neck, and he's wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a wife beater. When he sees Scout, he alters his path and marches right up to her. "Ah reckon you came here because you missed me?" he says, with an arrogant casualness accented with a touch of playfulness.
Scout does immediately notice the change in gloves, her eyes glued to them as the other teen approaches her. She sits up straight while pushing several strands of dirty hair away from her eyes, which narrow in on Lucas face. "Oh, yes, of course. All because I missed you." It's hard to tell if she's trying to be funny, her voice falling mostly monotone and flat. She's dressed in her usual tight black t-shirt, tight black jeans and yellow and black skate shoes, all full of little holes. Her eyes fall back to the form fitting white gloves. "You a mime now?"
Lucas shakes his head, "No," he offers. "Just traded up for somethin' what no one could steal." He glances around at the mall patrons. "Speaking of which… Get anything good yet?" He looks back at her, with a judging gaze.
Scout actually laughs, knowing very well that little jab was aimed towards her. "Probably a good move. Kind of have a fetish for stealing left handed gloves." She leaves it at that, running one hand with fingers spread back through her stringy hair. "Naw, not really. Just this wallet." She flips up a black leather wallet that was apparently laying across her left thigh, blending in with her pants. "Five bucks and no credit cards. Hit up the only guy that's as poor as me." With a quick flick of her wrist, the wallet is tossed in Lucas' direction.
Lucas catches it, glancing at it, and then sighs, dropping it into his bag. "Ever considered goin' straight?" he asks, tilting his head. It's rather matter of fact, as if he's going through the motions as opposed to honestly unsure of the answer.
"Straight?" She reflects the word back to Lucas, her head cocking to the side not unfamiliar to the way a dog looks when confused. Then there's a rapid shake of her head, spilling the hair that was just recently pushed back before her face. "Not at all." The response is equally matter of fact and full of conviction. "Even if I wanted to, I doubt they'd let me. Not their style." Cryptic? Maybe.
Lucas furrows his brow a little. "They?" He watches her a moment. "You work for someone then. Y'all are some kinda Dodger? Who's your Fagin?"
Scout shrugs dispassionately. "Guess you could say I do, but I'm not sure that's entirely true." She scratches at the crook of her nose with one long, slender finger. "Who are they? It's hard to tell. Never really quite reveal themselves, but they're ideas are sometimes genius!" She perks up at this, a rather devilish grin spreading across her lips. "But other times I think they're only trying to fuck with me." As quick as the smile arrived, it gives way to slumped shoulders and a look of defeat.
Lucas swallows, still studying her intently. "Ah get fucked with too." He takes a half step closer to her. "Y'all are smart. Your good with her hands. You've got useful powers. Hell, you ain't even right hard on the eyes… Why would you stay with them?"
As Lucas takes a step towards her, Scout bends her back, leaning forward. Her eyes shift side to side like she's expecting to find someone listening in onto their conversation, but there isn't. Perhaps it's just a habit of paranoia. That long slender finger is used again, but this time to rap at her left temple. "They're mostly in here." Her smile comes out a little sideways and accented by a near over the top laugh. "Ha! But they're also all around too." Her left hand is extended outwards, pointing all over the mall in a broad, sweeping motion that doesn't really seem to be aimed at anything in particular. Her voice then lowers. "I think they're listening right now."
Lucas continues to watch her carefully. "Okay, the voices in my head crazy thing makes you harder on the eyes," he says with a chuckle. "So, you hear voices. Ah reckon Ah know folk what could help you with that…"
Scout laughs again, pulling herself back up straight while slapping both hands down across the tops of her thighs. "Does it now?" She continues to laugh, randomly striking an open palm back across either of her thighs. "They're not just in my head, but all around. I've think they live in the shadows, but am not quite sure." She pauses, stopping to gather more thoughts on what she just spewed out. "Hmmmm… they're definitely not going to like me telling you all this, that's for sure."
Lucas tilts his head a bit, "Ah see." He sniffs, watching her, before continuing. "So… You won't come with me back to the… uh… secret lair," he makes a goofy face as he says it, acknowledging how lame it sounds. "So… what do we do now?" He smirks, "Frankly, Ah'd prefer we not tussle like we did before. Ah'd rather not burn down the mall an' to be honest, Ah'm still sore from my last fight."
"Secret lair?" Scout is quick to say, her entire demeanor brightening up. "You serious about that?" She sounds intrigued by this idea, leaning slightly forward, her elbows resting back onto her knees. "Your choice." She replies, contorting her face into a odd look. "Plus, I'd hate to see you loose again." She adds emphasis to her words by pointing at his black eye.
Lucas shakes his head, "Ah can't take you back even if'n you wanted to. It ain't my call." He sighs, "Ah didn't lose," he adds, sternly. "We could just walk away… though… Ah ain't sure either of us would do that…"
Scout pushes forth a mock frown, her arms slowly moving to cross over her chest. "Ah, so there's someone you answer to as well…" She trails off, letting her tongue roll across her bottom lip. "It's not fair to tease me with a /secret/ lair you know? I'd be more than happen to show you mine." She looks the other teen straight in the eye, holding her tongue for some time, just staring at him. Then her head shakes back and forth, her lips barely parting in preparation to speak. "Ah, such truths you open your mouth with."
Lucas doesn't answer her for nearly a minute, before he finally looks around, and then simply says, "Show me yours…" He lifts his eyebrow a little, almost daring her.
Scout's lips part in a wicked grin, her eyes almost glazing over at the boys reply. Her look screams 'BAD IDEA!,' but at this point she probably wouldn't take no for an answer. Not without a fight at least. "Of courssse." The words practically slither off her tongue with a prolonged hiss as she stands up from the bench, taking a step off, landing with her two feet flat across the ground. What little shadow is created beneath the bench begins to crawl out from underneath, creeping it's way towards the off teen. Both of her hands are placed across Lucas shoulders while three simple words are uttered. "Are you ready?"
Lucas looks at each of her hands, on his shoulders, and then back at her. His lip curls a little, defiant and brave. "Bring it."
Scout simply answers back with a curt nod, her lips still twisted up into a grin as she tightens her grip on the other teens shoulders, fingers digging down into flesh. Suddenly and without warning she pulls back, dragging Lucas with her into what feels like a couple seconds of free fall, everything thing around them disappearing into an eternal blackness. It's cold in this strange, black and menacing place, a whirling wind whipping around the two bodies carrying strange and inaudible whispers. Above, there's little pockets of light softly glimmering in the distance. The gaunt teen doesn't say a word, but merely stares at Lucas, her lips spilling forth an occasional laugh.
Lucas looks around, his long hair whipping around his face. He shouts, "Where are we?"
"Where are we? My secret lair, dummy." There is definitely a vitriolic layer buried beneath Scout's words, her eyes darting between the various glimmer spots over head and Lucas. "You said you wanted to see it? Changing your mind, hmmm?" This strange dimension, or whatever it happens to be, is an obvious insight to what's probably broken with this teen. The blackness and constant wind are near maddening.
Lucas tests his footing a bit, staring hard at the floorless floor he is standing on, and then looks back at her. He licks his lips a bit, swallows, and then asks, "What do you do here?"
Scout watches as he tests his footing across the pitch black floor, barely controlling herself from bursting out laughing again. "I use it for travel and sleep. Yes." The tone in her voice does not belie the fact that she's dead serious. She takes another step closer to him, putting one of her hands back on his shoulder. "I think it is time to take you back. Yes."
Lucas then steps away from her, looking around some more. "So this is like… your bedroom?" He glances back at her, smirking. "This is actually kinda cool…"
"Ah, so you want to stay here then?" Scout says before taking another step towards him, reaching out to grab him again with both hands.
Lucas takes another step back. "You want me to go?"
"Me? I do not care either way." Scout says as her lips become contorted once again into a grin. "You can leave. You can stay. It does not matter to me. But they…" She pauses, taking another step towards Lucas. "…they do not want you here. No, they do not." Her voice has become hushed, almost impossible to hear over the wind while her eyes have a glazed over look.
Lucas tilts his head a bit, "They?" He looks at the lights in the distance, "The lights?" He smiles, looking at them once more, and then back at her.
Scout shakes her head back and forth, her hand gesturing behind her, arching in a way to indicate the entire space behind her. "They." It's hard to tell if it's just the wind kicking up, or something scraping across the floor, but whatever it is, it sounds damn near a growl. "They will let you back, I promise. Just give it time." While she's laughing, the small teen takes another step forward, moving to place both hands back across Lucas' shoulders.
Lucas allows her touch this time, just staring over her shoulder at the approaching darkness.
There's a sudden rising feeling, not unfamiliar to the free fall experience of earlier and just as fast. It's one of the faded pockets of light they're headed towards, and within seconds are back inside the mall, but at a completely different spot. "Soon." Scout whispers, taking one step back and sinking back down into the darkness. Just before she disappears, a muffled laugh escapes out into the mall.
Lucas furrows his brow a little, and then sighs. He picks up his bag, and heads towards the exit.
