Neighborhood crawler

Alastair Zay Demor cat-hating, roach-loving, 193cm tall creepy crawly A grocery store shelf stocker, Sunna apt. 2f ( rp account, mun & muse +25 )

[rockifresa]

[alastair-ia]

The beginning of the end is the beginning

Heavy rain poured down on him in harsh waves with the wind, splashing against the side of his face. Strands of dark hair glued to his skin, long coat that reached all the way to his ankles drenched, his steps heavy on the concrete of endless puddles, the echo of them muffled by the storm. None of the coldness reached his brain though. The guns on each side of his belt, tucked in holsters, felt ever present. His one-track mind was pinned on his target, though still out of sight, he was seeking it out like he had the scent of its blood.

Each step closer to an end that had been long awaited. This was a necessity, nothing personal. Never personal. He was a machine, man-made, and nothing would stop him when he was given an objective to complete. Though this time, the objective would ruffle feathers that had been smooth for far too long. Nobody would see this coming.

Wake up. You're not there anymore.

Alastair woke up with a harsh gasp, confined in a small space, scrambling to sit up. As his vision came back, he was in his familiar bathtub, elbows thumping against the sides. For years now, nights had been nothing but empty voids, fast travels from when he passed out from pure exhaustion to when he woke up. Ever since he had started his new job, things had shifted; glimpses of dreams, feeling more vivid each time. There was a nagging feeling he didn't recognise, uncomfortable like a stone weighing in his chest.

That day would be the last day he stepped into the blacksmith boots he had worn a good while now. The village's grocery store welcomed him back in without a second thought and the dreams were hopefully buried now that the clink of metal vanished from his everyday routine.

[pizgif]

[belle-lilith-ia]

The rumor mill {Allith}

[belle-lilith-ia]

She frowned when Al said that a serial killer would hurt her heart- there went all her dark romance book thoughts!! She loved those a lot but hid them when someone was visiting since it wasn’t exactly proper for her to read those. She nodded though, Al was smart and he was right. Serial killers weren’t exactly known for their good behaviour… Still- she could fix him.

“Yes, hard-working is a good character trait for sure!” she agreed- whatever flaws Belle had, being lazy at work was not one of them. She was a bit of a wori-a-holic even. The other side of the spectrum for sure. “I know, at the supermarket you were super dedicated too, I really like that about you.” she added with a smile.

A blip in her mind told her that maybe Al making weapons could be a problem- Al covered in blood flashed through her mind -but she pushed that thought away again. Al was perfectly fine and one of her best friends.

“Who do you want to date?” she asked out of nowhere, moving away from weapons. “Do you like…women? Men? Something else?” she inquired and now rolled over to her stomach as she watched Al with big eyes and bit her lower-lip.

“Would you date a serial killer, Allie?”

[alastair-ia]

Normally, such intimate questions about one's dating life would catch people off-guard, but Alastair was an open book. He didn't see the use in hiding things, not usually. There were few things Alastair had learned to hide and that was through the endless amount of movies he'd binge watched. Not this, though.

"Samantha," he answered easily, completely missing the point that it could be a gender rather than an exact person. What he did not expect though, was the way his often blank mind wandered to a man he had met some time ago and then never again. Something about him was different from the others he had observed ( and obsessed over ) throughout the years. The mirror.. Alastair could make use of the mirror. He hadn't done that in a while. Why hadn't he?

"No," he replied to her question about dating a serial killer, while pretty much looking like one if one was to ask a small crowd of people. Would you say this man looks like a serial killer, yes or no? Majority wins.

Alastair took a ridiculous amount of space on the couch next to Belle even when she was laid out on it comfortably while he pushed himself in the corner. He has those eyes, people would point out if they were to go through the voting. But not Belle. Belle trusted him for whatever reason. "Dating has to have romance. Can dating a serial killer have romance.."

[belle-lilith-ia]

The rumor mill {Allith}

[belle-lilith-ia]

She was sprawled on the sofa, feeling like a princess in distress as she laid there and let out another deep and dramatical sigh. As Al found her confusing- she found Alastair a perfect ‘victim’ for her stories.

“Oh Allie! Will you? It will be good if you meet him, you have a good sense of humans I feel like.” not that she thought Alastair was a well-adjusted member of society but something told her that Al knew exactly who was and who wasn’t a serial killer. A thought that should scare or worry her more but it didn’t.

“Do you think I should not love a serial killer, Al?” She asked him in all earnestness.

“A contract!” she exclaimed and sat up again, her ruffly dress moving as she did so and her eyes widened in excitement. Then it shifted to worry and concern. “Just like that? Without knowing you or what you could do?” This sounded fishy. “I want to visit,” she murmured and her eyes narrowed slightly as she felt protective “And meet your boss.”

[alastair-ia]

Alastair wasn't completely sure what his friend meant by having a good sense of humans but he wasn't one to argue. If Belle thought so, it must be so. Then he remembered all the movies where the girl brought someone to meet the person she was seeing. Was that what was happening? He categorised this as important in his mostly empty mind and would have to watch another romcom about it soon.

"A serial killer will hurt your heart," he said then, that, too, taken from the many movies he'd watched. What he had learned was that their actions weren't usually directed towards the girl but other people and that's how they ended up hurting the girl too. Alastair had no real concept of pain, he didn't know how it felt or how it could affect someone, but he did understand that it was something negative. Something unwanted.

His eyes followed the other's sudden movement while he sat on the couch like a statue. "Yes," he said simply, which translated to: just like that, no questions. "Al can bring you. The boss is hardworking. That's what matters at work," he nodded once like he was proud that he knew the customs of a workplace. "Al is hardworking too. Al made a blade." That was the first thing he'd made and he had the benefit on his side that he followed instructions to the letter, able to make exact copies with some practice. He wasn't so skilled at coming up with his own ideas.

[belle-lilith-ia]

The rumor mill {Allith}

[belle-lilith-ia]

She would notice it- the small changes in his expression and she took it like a full answer because in their friendship it was. “Oh Allie you don’t need to help, that is so sweet of you but really I am fine- A-okay as they say, I just- we have so much to talk about!” she mused and sighed again like the damsel in distress that she was. She liked how he listened to her stories, he was a good friend like that, the perfect subject for her whining and wheezing.

“I know Allie, but what can I say, I love him.” she sighed wistfully as she looked at the table and the treats that were on it. “Not like that, at least I don’t think so, but you know, I do love him.” she tried to explain something she did not fully understand herself “but how will I ever find out if he is just being mysterious and so grumpy all the time and what if he is a serial killer Allie? Would I really stop loving him, would I listen to my morals! I just don’t know!” she exclaimed with a dramatic fall on the sofa.

“Oh the child was so scary Allie, you would’ve saved me like you always do but now there was a different person to save me.” she explained to the other and looked at him as if she expected more from the other- then looked away knowing better. “I dont think it was an actual child,”

A blacksmith! “That is so cool Allie, how did you get the job? What do you do there? Can I visit some time?” She didnt need weapons- or maybe she did! She might order some from Louis and then some from Alastair. That would be good.

[alastair-ia]

Belle didn't need help and Alastair didn't push it- he had seen plenty of movies where people insisted but there was no insisting with the other when she had already continued their conversation before he could properly catch up. "Love," he repeated, feeling how the word felt in his mouth. Belle was a confusing person, he came to find time and time again. It was love but it was not. Alastair could barely grasp the concept of love ( if one took a look at his definition of it, they would be worried ), and all this is and isn't didn't help.

Belle plopped down and went on about love, a child, a saviour, and then the child was no longer one, and Alastar was left quite baffled. But just like the rest of the world made little sense to him, he decided to let it stay that way, failing to really question it. "Al will follow," he decided then, determined to find the man Belle was talking about and to figure out if he was a serial killer or not. That's about as much as he took in from the conversation.

"Boss came to the grocery store when Al was working and waited until Al finished. Boss gave Al a contract," he recalled the evening in the simplest way, still unaware he'd known his current boss in a past life which he had no memory of. It hadn't been a mere coincidence that he was suddenly offered a job. "Al is learning to make weapons, boss says Al is good at following instructions. You can visit," he saw no reason why she couldn't.

[yeosang-ia]

peace, love, and pottery — yeosang & al

[yeosang-ia]

Humming and physically bopping to a tune that only he could hear, Yeosang idly bounced in his seat as the instructor continued to go around the room. Sure, he much preferred talking to people over silence, but the cloudling was also an only child, so he was quite skilled in the art of having to entertain himself— and this was exactly one of those times.

Turning to Al with a smile, curious eyes going towards the direction the other was pointing to, Yeosang's smile only widened as the other asked about his artwork. He'd been told all about "the author being dead" and all that, but he always thought that knowing why someone made what they did was just as fun as making your own interpretations. (Technically, the cloudling didn't really have a deeper meaning for the indented smiley face he made, but that was neither here nor there.)

"And that's part of the smiley face, silly!" Turning to the mirrorwalker and carefully reaching over, Yeosang placed both of his pointer fingers on either side of the corners of Al's mouth and pushed them upwards to make it look like the other had a grin on their face. "See, like this!"

Shooting the other man a wide smile himself, the cloudling continued, "Some people have dimples in their cheeks when they smile, like me!" Turning his head so that Al had a clearer view of said dimple on his cheek, fingers still very much intruding the other's personal space, Yeosang continued, "I wanted to give you a smiley mug so you remember to always smile!" Finally retracting his arms and glancing at the mug he made for Al, he was quick to add, "Oh, and me, of course! It'll be like a physical reminder of me in your home. Make sure not to lose or break the mug I made for you, okay?"

[alastair-ia]

If the two weren't so endorsed in their conversation, they would notice how a few of the other participants in the room were giving them glances because of the moviesque moment when Yeosang basically taught the mirrorwalker what a smile should feel like. The way his lips were now curved upwards but it didn't reach his eyes or really the rest of his face made it slightly unsettling perhaps but if there was something positive, it was that Alastair knew no boundaries and therefore saw nothing weird about a half-stranger stretching his face anew.

Instead, he was paying close attention to the cloudling. He observed every bit of the dimples that were pointed out and how it changed Yeosang's facial expression. Alastair tended to be blind to these things; he could spot patterns and errors in them quite easily but body language was usually completely lost on him. It showed in a very obvious way; he usually had no facial expression and he wasn't very animated in general. He was kind of just there. "Dimples.." he wondered out loud, his eyes saying he was trying to remember something. But memories were hazy, just slightly out of reach for him.

As if a spell had been broken when Yeosang pulled back, he went back to thinking about nothing. He stared down at his own mug, contemplating whether he could stray from instructions and copy Yeosang's rebellion. But he could not. His mug would be a plain ol' mug. He tried to reach the feeling of the smile again ( and someone quickly looked away when he looked at them with the most terrifying of smiles ), connecting that action with the smiley mug. "Al will be careful," he had said that one before, in the store he used to work at specifically, after making an entire stack of cans fall over.

"You will get this," he showed off his mug which was now almost finished and looked very much like a cheap replica of the one they had as their model, lacking any personality, "Al will always be with you." Now, if it had been any other person, it could be cute. But having Alastair say he was with you at all times- one could never take it like he wasn't literally there, watching you.

[spencer-ia]

Simply raising an eyebrow at the other’s choice of food, the reaper could only internally shrug his shoulders as he grabbed a bottle of water for himself as well as a chicken burger for each of them. Carbs always helped him sober up, and he was hoping that he could get Al to eat at least half of his just so that they were a bit more in control of their own physicality. Spencer would be more than fine with taking care of a drunk mirrorwalker, but he would very much not want to be dragged around like a rag doll because of whatever drunk fascination the other might have.

Paying for both of their items, Spencer led the both of them to an empty table in the corner of the store, placing the tray the worker gave him with their items as he took his seat. “Different people have different thresholds for things,” he patiently explained, organizing their things on the table before them— placing the mirrorwalker’s food nearer to them and his own choices nearer to him. “I got you a burger, by the way. It doesn’t taste the best, but it could help you feel a bit more normal after those drinks at the bar.”

Humming as he unwrapped his own food, already wiping his fingers at the tissues given to them as he’s met with the grease that chicken burgers often came with, Spencer could only nod his head as he took a small bite. “Not everyone has the same approach to things as you.” He paused, before quickly back tracking. “Actually, I’m 100% sure most people don’t.” Chuckling, finding the speed that he took back his words funny, Spencer continued, “Loneliness is a yearning for companionship, a want to be around someone you’re completely comfortable in the presence of.”

Motioning to the other as he took a sip of his drink, he prodded, an attempt for the other to further understand his point. “Are there things or people or even scenarios that you want to be near or happen? Regardless of whether it’s something in your life in general or something specific in your job.”

[alastair-ia]

So, he was done picking food for himself, now carrying two energy bars and two bananas in hand along with a soda. Everything came in pairs, just like him and Samantha. He followed Spencer to the cash register where he failed to thank the reaper for paying for his items too, money still an odd concept for him. He didn't understand money but he understood the no stealing rule. People who took things should get in trouble.

"Thresholds..," Alastair repeated, wondering what that meant exactly. Another word to add to his ever growing vocabulary. Once they had sat down, he stared at the food in front of him and grabbed the burger and unfolded the wrapping, shoving half of the food into his large mouth in one go. He was a messy eater and he didn't taste much but he did appreciate different textures. "Do you yearn for companionship?" he asked with food in his mouth, staring at Spencer. His eyes were wide, innocent almost. It was a concept he was unfamiliar with and didn't quite grasp. Alastair had lived his life alone and yet, in his head, not- it was confusing to think about.

"Samantha," he replied, very simply and without thought, not elaborating any further while he took another big bite of food. She was who he had been near for so long, who he had imagined he lived a life with. Now she was gone and he didn't know how to find her again and yet, he didn't know how to miss someone.

[anyaxbill]

Bill Skarsgård for Esquire June 2024 [unedited here]

[belle-lilith-ia]

The rumor mill {Allith}

[belle-lilith-ia]

It was such a treat to have the other be here and he brought gifts too! “Allie that is so nice of you!” she squealed at the other and giggled a little. It always felt like an extra treat when the other did something others would, perhaps, see as normal. She was too delighted as she took the gifts and displayed them prominently on the table.

“I did! It was a bit boring as it was, was it not? and you told me to do what I wanted to do- so I did!” she said referencing one of the first conversations they ever had where Al had spoken about wallpaper but Belle probably had taken the conversation differently than Alastair had intended but it was all good. She was happy and Alastair, well, he was here. “I did go to the supermarket too but it was a lot less fun now that you don’t work there anymore. I get things delivered now as well!” She told the other as she rearranged the table, putting Al’s things front and center since she was so delighted he had brought something.

“Where are you working now? Oh, I feel like we haven’t spoken ion centuries. So much is going on! Allie!! You don’t even KNOW how much is going on, I was almost eaten by a monster disguised as a child and my former best friend is here and I KISSED him but he is being so WEIRD and mysterious I swear he might be a serial killer Allie!!!”

She sat down with a dramatic sigh.

[alastair-ia]

Alastair could only nod. Nod was a big gesture from him after all, so was the slight crease of his eyebrows. It was almost an unnoticeable change of expression but it showed that he was considering the change and getting used to it. Change was always difficult. When things were out of place, he noticed. Which would weird someone out, probably, considering his apartment was a hoarder's hole. Still, he knew exactly where each trinket was because he marvelled them often.

"Al can still help if you need," he offered, used to doing it by now, he'd worked long enough at the grocery store after all. Even if he no longer worked there, he tended to fall straight back to routine whenever he visited the place without even realising it ( well, he didn't realise most things ).

He took his familiar spot on the couch, one he'd sat on before too, like that one time when he'd come running to Belle's apartment after the little incident. Familiar things were good and once he knew his place, he wouldn't know what else to do than take it. He watched Belle as she began to vent out all the things that had bothered her lately, a good listener but definitely a bad adviser.

He let her finish and plop down before he said anything. "Serial killer?" he asked, remembering those TV series Samantha sometimes watched with a horrified look on her face while she squeezed a pillow to her chest. "It's not a good idea to kiss serial killers," that was, after all, how many of the victims had died. "Al has never seen a child monster," he wondered- had he ever seen a monster? Something to think about. He probably won't, though.

"Al works at a blacksmith's shop," he stated and if Alastair could sound proud, he would. His boss was very fair, after all.

[yeosang-ia]

peace, love, and pottery — yeosang & al

[yeosang-ia]

"Hm, well not really," Yeosang replied with a shrug, too preoccupied with shaping his mug to even realize how significant his words could be for Al. But then again, the cloudling had always been the type to think of himself first. Sure, he bought people small trinkets and did things for them, but all of those were made with the thought of 'what he thought they liked,' so he wasn't sure if those would count. The fact that he had the inclination to push for what he thought was best also didn't help things.

"My parents told me that some people got jobs just to get paid. Which is fine! Because they said that not everyone has the chance to make money off of things they liked. But I want to have a job that I could have fun in." Pausing in his work as he tried to think of an example for himself, the cloudling came up blank. It wasn't like he could make money from talking and meeting different people. Well, he could give Al a more concrete example when they talk about their careers later on in the academy. He'll just put a pin on it for now.

Continuing from where he left off, the cloudling was proud to say that his mug looked exactly how he wanted it to. It even had the indented smiley face he wanted Al to see every time he used it! "Yeah! My mama owns a bakery because she likes making stuff and seeing people enjoy the bread and pastries she makes." The instructor was now walking around the room, explaining how their clay pieces would be fired and glazed before being sent to their respective addresses. All in all, he would definitely call their little project a success.

"Tell me when you're gonna get a different job, okay? I'll get you a gift." Yeosang was already assuming that Al would. The cloudling didn't mean to be unkind, but who would ever have shelf stocker as a dream job?

[alastair-ia]

A job didn't need to be fun but it could be. That was supposed to clear things up for him but it really didn't, giving him far too many options. Two. One too many. For a second, he tried to imagine something he liked and how to turn that into profit but since he didn't quite grasp just how important money was for survival in this world, he came up blank. He didn't have that many skills or hobbies either, all of that being something he didn't need to worry himself with since living within the walls of a building didn't really require a career path.

He'd always been content the way he was too, dissociating from the fact he was a person. Now there were so many things to think about that it was overwhelming. Even during their short conversation he'd thought more than he usually did in a full day. "You get a job to get paid," he repeated Yeosang's parents' words but made it sound like he was confirming that fact. That's what he'd been told. He needed a job to pay rent. That was the only reason.

While he wasn't very talkative normally either, he was having an even harder time keeping up with the conversation with all the thinking he was doing. Continuing to work on his mug as instructed, he soon looked over to the other's and his head tilted; Yeosang was not going by what the instructor's mug looked like. It had a smiley on it that the example didn't. Odd. He was conflicted on what to do, which was the correct way to go about it since he did also trust Yeosang's decision making for some reason.

"What is that?" he asked after a moment, pointing at the lines on the mug.

[jiwoo-ia]

opportunity knocks but once | jiwoo & al

[jiwoo-ia]

Grinning at Al's words, flashing rows of sharp and pointed teeth, Jiwoo handed Al the enchanted contract along with something to sign with. "I look forward to working with you." The simple sheet filled with words describing the mirrorwalker's tasks and duties, compensation, grounds for firing, and such was binding. The pen she gave the other was also a special one. It would prick the pads of the user's thumb just a bit before absorbing the blood and mixing it with ink as the individual placed their signature on the dotted line.

The myrkr had a feeling that Al probably didn't think of it as deeply as she had intended, but this fact didn't bother her as much as the whole debacle earlier in front of the grocery store. To the blonde, she'd already done her job in expressing the terms and conditions of the offer she was extending to the mirrorwalker. If the other wasn't bright enought to weight their options, well, that wasn't her problem to fix.

Peering up at Al, Jiwoo couldn't help but feel something akin to anticipation bubble inside her chest. Hiring people for what was once a one-man show meant expansion— and with expansion came more opportunities. Her eyes were practically sparkling at the thought of more customers as well as a higher cash flow.

"By when can you start?" Ideally, Jiwoo would want Al to be able to start as soon as possible. She'd already planned out an onboarding of sorts for the mirrorwalker, just to ease him into the new position and show him the ropes. "I can work with any date. Just let me know when so I can work it into my schedule."

[alastair-ia]

The grin was slightly lost on Alastair- emotions and facial expressions were hard for him to decipher, his own expression staying blank while he quite literally stared at her, no shame. He also didn't realise how important returning compliments in this world was, simply nodding at her words to acknowledge she had said anything at all.

He took the pen, disregarding the prick of his finger as every pen just feeling a little different when you held them since his condition didn't allow him to feel pain. With very straight lines, he wrote AL. The mirrorwalker had never had a signature before and that became obvious to the grocery store's owner when he had gone to sign the papers for them, rather quickly catching on to the fact that he was a little special. They had taught him a simple signature and he wrote it down neatly like a robot.

"Al has to ask," the store owner had told him when he started that if he ever wanted to stop working there, he should let them know first, which he was going to do next. They had thankfully been sort of throughout with instructions so the mirrorwalker didn't simply drop everything and start working right away. The good part about him was that he usually needed no time to adjust- when one hardly thought of themselves as a person, they rarely would have a hard time changing things up and changing their surroundings.

[alastair-ia]

"Flowers for you!!! Sender one sends blue and yellow lilies, Sender 2 sends 10 blue blossoms!!"

Alastair had never received flowers before. To him, they didn't mean much. Yet judging by all the movies he'd seen about it, he was smart enough to figure out they meant a lot to most people. How the petals felt between his fingers was nicer than how the leaves did and he supposed he sort of understood why someone wanted them. Or well, he didn't but he tried his best. Everyone always made a big fuss about getting the flowers to water so he took the first empty food can he saw in his apartment and filled it with water to plop the flowers there, completely oblivious to their meanings.

[belle-lilith-ia]

The rumor mill {Allith}

[belle-lilith-ia]

It was a date. Well, not a true romantic date but a bestie date. Alastair and her had not spoken in a while and Allie wasn’t working at the supermarket anymore! So, it was time for a big reunion!! She had invited the other to her room and made all kinds of snacks and got all the kinds of soda she could find at the grocery store. She had little blocks of cheese and ham and then some dips- she had dorito’s in 4 flavours and chocolate pokki. Oh! and she had found some gummy bugs that she thought Alastair would like- a joke of sorts.

Excited she also had some tea and cookies if the other would enjoy that more. It was all terribly girly but she knew Allie wouldn’t mind. The other was one of her best friends here at the academy, next to Master Jung and… well Koichi was there of course but…

She frowned a little and then sighed- just at that moment there was a knock on the door and she danced over to the door to open it to reveal Alastair. “Allie!” she squealed and jumped to hug the other. “There you are I missed you so so so much!” She pressed a kiss against his cheek (barely able to reach it) and then let go of him again as she looked up at the other and did a ta-dah to the room with all the snacks and drinks and the pink frog wallpaper she newly put on.

@alastair-ia

[alastair-ia]

There was one thing Alastair was familiar with from all the movies he'd watched on his spare time- which he had a lot whenever an apartment was vacant and he could sneak in. Never come empty handed, that was the lesson movies had taught him. Since Alastair didn't exactly feel like bringing her a blade from his new workplace, he returned to his old one to find a thing or two with the help of his previous boss who'd greeted him warmly the moment he walked in. Not that he could tell at all, every tone of voice was the same to him.

He ended up leaving the store with some pastries he was recommended, fresh and begging to be eaten. It was a safe bet in the owner's eyes. He'd also gotten a few bags of chips and grabbed some pop rocks, the candy that pops in your mouth when you have them. The mirrorwalker might've had dull tastebuds but the feeling itself was funny enough to him that he kept coming back for them, it kept him entertained for a while.

He had barely knocked on her door before it swung open already and a tiny person attached herself to him. Alastair didn't know much about the real depth of best friends but he would still consider Belle something like that. "Al missed you too," he replied to her, a rehearsed response. He thought he meant it though. While any man should be flustered by a kiss on the cheek from someone as gorgeous as Belle, all the mirrorwalker could do was blink at the contact. No thoughts behind his eyes.

He did, however, pick up on the change of colours in the other's home, the kind of detail he wouldn't miss. It was slightly unsettling for him; he liked routine and for everything to be familiar, even the smallest changes could throw everything off balance. "You changed it," one wouldn't be able to tell from his tone what he meant with it as he walked in, offering the bag. "Al went to the supermarket," he said, spotting all the things she had laid out, "You went to the supermarket too."

[spencer-ia]

Al asking him about his problems felt like how it would if a nephew (in an alternate universe where he had one, he supposed) asked him to share his burdens with them. It was endearing because, from the short time that the reaper had known the mirrorwalker, he already knew that the other most likely wouldn’t be able to fully understand his sorrows. Yet, despite this, it made him want to tell the other man just a bit more— their ignorance gave him comfort, and so he would use it to its fullest. “Let me tell you when we’re out of here.”

Gently redirecting Al’s arm away from the handle and pulling the door open, Spencer was relieved to find that it could do so quite easily. He was honestly expecting for the being behind the bar to do something more, but they were thankfully preoccupied by another customer who seemed to be just their type. “Alright, let’s go then.”

The florist had zero intentions of bringing Al to another bar, but they didn’t have to know that. He’s had his fair share of taking care of drunk people over the years, and he’s learned that treating them like kids worked 9 out of 10 times. “Can we get something at the convenience store? I’ll buy you food and maybe some water.”

Taking the route to the fluorescent-filled store that was thankfully open 24/7, simply expecting Al to follow, Spencer continued their conversation from earlier. “Oh, and as for worries… Well, life simply gets mediocre and lonely sometimes, but some people have bigger problems than that, so I suppose I should be grateful for having just those.” Turning to Al, he asked, “What do you think about these days? Or maybe ‘who’ would be more appropriate…?”

[alastair-ia]

In the mirrorwalker's case, ignorance was bliss. Most things flew past him at a speed he couldn't even begin to comprehend and it made life easy for him, in a way; Alastair did not worry or dwell on things. He did not look into the past or the future, he was fully present at all times, existing only in the moment. Because of that, seeing someone troubled by the things in their lives made little sense to him.

But oftentimes the way he was made him a listener. Perhaps not a good one but a listener nonetheless. He shot one last suspicious look towards the odd bartender before they left the bar, his impression of such places growing worse by the minute. Glancing downwards at the other, he had a blank look on his face but one could tell by his eyes that he was wondering and pondering. "If you want," he responded to the question about a store; Alastair was hardly hungry but he'd go with what the other wanted. Feeling slightly wobbly, he rubbed over his eyes to see more clearly.

At least convenience stores were a familiar sight to him. Once they entered, he knew where to go to get the snacks he'd been told were good quick fixes for hunger; energy bars and bananas for starters. Alastair had no actual concept of what one was supposed to eat and how often, all food tasted sort of bland to him which made eating as much of a dull daily task as folding the laundry. Which he didn't do either.

"No reason to get lonely," he said while he picked out an energy bar he liked the texture of, "it's best to concentrate on the task at hand and forget about everything else." Of course, those weren't fully his own words but he believed in them. Alastair had never been one to do much but to sit and observe, imagining a whole life for himself while hardly moving from one spot to another. Spencer's sudden question about him made the mirrorwalker pause, his eyebrows knitting so slightly one could hardly even notice. What did he think about? Who did he think about?

"Nothing," he replied, which was mostly an honest answer. Alastair did not think much, not on purpose at least. He did not daydream or make up scenarios, he did not wonder about today's lunch or tomorrow's news. The only times he did think on purpose was when he'd watched Samantha in her apartment and imagined himself there too. Not only had he imagined it but he had fully convinced himself that was the life he had lived instead of doing so within the walls of the building. After picking a few bars, he walked over to the cans of soda because the way it bubbled in his mouth was fun even when it didn't taste like much.

[jiwoo-ia]

opportunity knocks but once | jiwoo & al

[jiwoo-ia]

Raising an eyebrow at the word, Jiwoo could only nod. She'll have to check the cleaning supplies she used around the shop then. The myrkr wasn't the type to implement strict cleaning schedules anyways, but she still knew that it was still a necessity to do every couple of weeks or so. "Noted. And come. I'll show you the backroom."

Forge&Fury had three main spots: the receiving area, the backroom, and the test room. The backroom, in particular, was the spot where she made knives. It was a large area with a forge and anvil as well as hammers, tongs, and every other tool needed (and more) for blacksmithing.

"This'll be the place you'll see the most often if you work for me." Jiwoo paced around the familiar area before turning to Al once more. "Learning how to make knives takes a lot of work and is very much tiring, but I'll teach you every step until I'm confident you've got everything down." Tilting her head to the side as she looked up at the man expectantly, she continued, "Now you can make a decision whether you want to sign or not."

[alastair-ia]

Clearly, Alastair was unaware of just how bizarre his fear might've been in the space he should consider but it was the only one that came to mind. What didn't help was how Jiwoo simply played along and didn't seem to think it was odd either, further strengthening the idea that that was the only thing to fear in the shop. With that, he followed the myrkr to the back of the shop like she'd requested.

While the mirrorwalker was not one to say much, at least he was good at paying attention. When they entered the room, he began to inspect every item there only with his gaze, memorising their correct spot and different shapes. He might not know what to do with most of them but after looking at the room for a while, one could ask him to leave and enter again after they had misplaced items and he could easily place them back where they belonged. He might live in a hoarder's chaos but at least he knew where any item he owned was.

Similarly, he didn't need to know the names of items or all the things they were meant for, showing him what was needed for something specific was enough. For better or worse, Alastair had the tendency to not ask questions. In many ways, he worked more like a machine than a man which, in this setting, could be very useful. "Al will sign," he said, his tone just as certain as it had been before but this time his demeanour also gave away that he was intrigued.

It was different from the grocery store for sure- and then again it wasn't. The tools looked much like cans and he was sure they had their correct spot just like the food on the shelves. The knives could be thought of as the dough the workers there made, though Alastair was not supposed to touch that. He was, however, going to be touching knives. Many of them.

[belle-lilith-ia]

Nodding she thought about how hard it must have been for the other to get used to people and interactions. She couldn’t understand that particular kind of loneliness. “I understand, your work in the supermarket must have been a big help.” she smiled since that was how they met of course. It was good- she did not think her and Al would have met otherwise being so different and having different hobbies and interests.

She vowed to find the other a mirror-friend even if it took a while. She wanted the other to have someone like him so maybe Alastair would be less lonely. Someone to truly understand the other- yes! She would have to make sure to find someone like Alastair so maybe he could find some family as well. A kind of family anyway.

“Oh.” Belle did not know how to react to it and let it be for now as she thought about it more. “Do you want to stay for the night?” she asked him as she patted on the sofa to make clear she wasn’t inviting the other to bed (not that she thought poor Al would think something like that).

It was true, Alastair had met a lot of people through work. He probably would have never interacted with so many had he not been forced to and not so surprisingly the mirrorwalker ended up enjoying it. For him, it had never been about wanting to be alone. He preferred company but before coming here he'd been content with observing people, imagining he was there with them.

Even though he still spent a lot of time simply observing, he had people to have actual conversations with. People who would stick up for him much like his boss had tonight. Like Belle who was helping him right now, making him forget about what had happened just a few hours ago. Once he was finished with his food, he set it down on the table, oblivious to what the other tried to imply with patting the couch.

"Can Al use your bathtub?" he asked in return instead of agreeing to the sofa- well, if he'd realised the offer before anyway. Alastair was not good about open spaces especially when he slept, he'd never slept on an actual bed, instead, he usually found any tight space he could and shoved himself in there to pass out. It felt like a cocoon where his body was held.