"Of course I wanna fucking help her" Sammy shouted back at Jackie, not being thrown off by the sudden jerking of the car, "You think I'm not worried about them? Yeah, my methods are shitty, I get that, but Raven's a friend of mine too. And I'm worried about that kid too. I don't know him, but fuck, I know no child should be dealing with the shit that we witnessed. Mason and Raven are fucking adults and they can't even handle it. I just.... I just...."
Sammy said, biting her lip again as she sat down in the seat, putting her hand on her face as she responded, "Mason was there for me when no one else was. And I've always respected him for that. And when shit got worse for him, I wanted to protect him. When his mom was arrested for killing his dad, he was called a murderer's son and everyone in that shithole town said he'd grow up to be the same. He was too nice to protect himself. Even when kids would beat his ass for it, he'd just stand there and take it. He thought he deserved it. So yeah, of course I worry about him. I worry that he'll assume he deserves the suffering he gets and gets himself killed. Mason is just... Too damn friendly for his own good, and it pisses me off. But I want him to help himself. I want him to get stronger, but it's just... I worry that him learning that stuff will push him to do something that will result in him getting killed. He would do it, I know he would. That's why I'm worried that if he does get stronger, he'll use it to go against something he doesn't understand "
As Sammy spoke, tears once again welled up in her eyes, falling onto the palm of her hands, but she tried her best not to show them. "But... Of course he's the only one that can do something about it. I know that, dammit. I know all of this. I know that I'm doing nothing but getting in the way, and I know that I'm just making excuses, but... I still hate it. I hate that it had to be him. I hate that this will lead him to do something stupid. I hate that all these people are suffering and all I can think of is how he needs to just be away from all this. That's why I don't want you getting angry at him. He fucks up, but he's got good intentions. He means well, and he doesn't want people to get hurt. But me... I'm fucking selfish."
Sammy sat there once again, wiping the tears from her eyes, yet the didn't stop welling up and falling once more, no matter how much she tried, "I'm trying to stay happy, trying my best to keep everyone's spirits up and all I do is fuck it up with my own selfishness. I want to help Mason and Raven and you, but I just can't. I'm just a fucking tag-a-long. I can't do magic, I can't help them focus, I can't even help one of my friends when they're in a state like this." Sammy responded, continuing to wipe the tears from her eyes, "Yeah, I get it. Crying over shit like this and feeling sorry for myself. I'm really pathetic, I get it. Don't gotta tell me that"

"Sometimes the things that you don't desire are the things that you require the most”

Kyung-ha listened closely to Abel’s words, a smile conjuring on the corner of her lips. “You should take your word of advice for new understandings, Abel-pie.” She suggested before excusing herself to use the bathroom. In reality she was not only doing that to take care of her bladder, but also to further carve the sigils into the wood to better strengthen their effect. She would do this every now and then.

Yoon blinked, awkwardly listening to Abel’s explanation while rubbing the back of her neck. “I-it was j-just a joke, ha-ha...” The whole spell things of course, her hating vegetables was very much existent and real. She wondered if he knew all foods to this extent, and if she was bad at joking about them all. But then again she remembered Abel wasn’t really the type of person to joke. She wondered if she would ever be able to crack a joke that would make him laugh. And at the thought of this, she asked about it directly. “Do you know any jokes?”

Jackie had to stop herself from gritting her teeth out of frustration and also knowing that it was bad for them. There was so much within her head that she wanted to unleash. So much more that she had wanted to say that had been festering in her mind for months. Yet no matter how unbelievably furious she wanted to be with her, she couldn't tell herself that to see Sammy of all people shedding tears broke her heart. The anger she felt wasn't one to ease so quickly, and so she found herself pulling over onto the side of the road–away from traffic of course–to step out of the car to breathe and calm herself down. To give them both space.

~

Abel's brows furrow slightly at Yoon's question, and he turned his attention from what Kyung had said and looked at her directly.

Do you know any jokes? He analyzed every word of the question carefully in his mind, thinking that it was another joke. "Do" in the current situation is being used as a verb. To "know" is to be aware through observation, inquiry, and information, or to regard or perceive as having specific and or specified characteristics. "Any" is equated to all persons and things, also used to refer to one or some of a thing or number of things that are without a limitation, he thought to himself quickly. He found no joke without the question at all, and so instead took it as it was.

"I believe so. We are required to be knowledgeable of these things to operate more effectively within society when need be." And in the blandest delivery and tone possible, he said while looking Yoon dead in the face, "What is brown, in the forest, and made of wood? A stick."

Sammy gave herself some time to calm down as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew that her words were not helping much with her case, but she at least hoped that it would let Jackie understand what her thought process was. Not agree with it, but understand it. After a moment of silence, Sammy stepped out of the car, her hands in her pockets as she looked at the ground, letting out a sigh as she spoke once again, "I understand your methods, Jackie. I don't disagree with them. I just worry, that's all. But... I know what you want for Mason. And he does need to learn this stuff. Even if he does something foolish, at least he'll have what he needs to survive. And I want to help Mason and Raven and help you out, even though I can't use magic. I just... think that you can teach him, as a friend and as a Constable. I agree, you gotta put your foot down. Because Mason is scared to do something new. He's comfortable with where he is, too scared to do anything else. And... That just won't do. So... Whatever you gotta do to help him... I'll be there to push him and motivate him to do his best. Because... When you say you want to help him as a Constable... I know you really want to help him as his friend. I know how you are. And... I appreciate that. I just.... Worry" She said, knowing she was repeating herself, giving a pathetic kind of chuckle

Yoon waited patiently for a response from Abel, her hands behind her back. And when she saw he was about to deliver the joke, an eager smile expanded across her lips. That is, until he finally delivered it did her smile turn into a confused frown. She looked around briefly, awaiting perhaps the actual joke to be revealed later. “Uuuhhhmmmm...” She picked at her fingers behind her back. Yet, she couldn’t help but admit it was funny to think he thought of that as a joke rather than the joke itself. It made her release a generous chuckle, the confidence he had while saying that joke making him appear as more of a ‘cute’ manner in Yoon’s head. “...t-that is, um, a very factual joke. Heh...” Her left arm scratched at her right sleeve. “M-maybe you should try something with more of an ironic touch to it, like uhm...” She had to think about a joke before her gaze returned to Abel. “What... What did S-Sushi A say to Sushi B?” She paused momentarily, a quirky smile expanding across her cheeks since she found it quite funny. “Waasaaabii~” The young woman chuckled innocently, covering her teeth as she did so. “Y-You know, like what’s up B? And wasabi?”

A blank stare was what Yoon received from Abel as she gave him her example of another joke until she gave the punchline, in which his eyebrow raised a bit. There wasn't even a smile, let alone a laugh. "And what is it that exactly differentiates your boffola from my own?" He questioned. "I fail to realize what it is."

~

By the time Sammy had gotten out of the car to talk to her Jackie had calmed down herself, and was just taking a little more time to gather her thoughts before she would eventually have to get back into the car. She was a little more reluctant to speak than Sammy was, but eventually gave in. "I understand. I worry as well," she admitted. "As we all should be in the troubling days. But we're not to let that worry get the best of us. I know that all of this hasn't exactly improved the quality of your lives, but please, just work with me instead of insisting on arguing all the time. Put some faith in me for gods sake. And..you can help. You can keep helping Mason through what whatever may be haunting him because he'll need it with the way things are turning out. And..I apologize for the whole throat thing. I shouldn't have attacked you the way I had."

Sammy gave a nod and responded, "Hey, don't worry about it. Apparently beating my ass is the only way to get some sense into me" Sammy said, laughing a bit before she scratched the back of her head, "Yeah, I think we got off to a bad start, so... let's both do what we can to help Mason. He'll need both our help, I think. He'll need that balance of kindness to keep him motivated but that strictness to light a fire under his ass to get him moving. So... yeah, I'll put my faith into you" Sammy said with a nod, "And I'm... sorry for how I acted at Raven's place. I just... worry about her. It's..... a complicated feeling, you know". Though she didn't bother to elaborate on it any furhter

And speaking of Raven, Jackie thought back to something that she had come across while she was inside of her mind. A soft smirk came to her face and in the moment sought to lighten the mood. "'You say 'a complicated feeling' as if you don't mean 'sexual frustrations'." She snorted before opening her car door. "Come on, we should get going."

Sammy turned to her with a sudden blush on her face as she spoke up, "W-Wait, what the fuck do you mean" Sammy said as she stepped into the car before she defended herself, "There's no such thing like that. We're just good friends"

"I'm sure you are, Samantha. That's what they always say." Jackie managed to get a brief chuckle out as she closed her door back. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel anxiously for a moment, take a deep breath before she started driving again.

"W-Whatever" Sammy said, though she didn't deny that she did have some complicated feelings for her, she spoke her thoughts, "It's not like I'm that into her. She's just a friend and I'm worried about her, that's all. I mean, shit, it's not like you can read my mind or anything- My mind- HER mind!" Sammy spoke, though as she did, realizing that she let her emotions overcome her better judgement again, a blush came over her, her face turning as red as a tomato, and she turned to Jackie with wide eyes, speaking in a slightly high pitched, almost girly manner "This conversation doesn't leave this car. Do you understand?"

"I may," Jackie said, acting as if she had to think about it. "Then again, I may not. I suppose we'll have to see what the future holds for us, hm?" But she smiled a little. "To think that the Big Bad Samantha is blushing like a fool over a woman is a bit refreshing. And it does explain why you act the way you act and become a irrational mess when it comes to her." Now that she thought about it, she didn't know how she hadn't seen it sooner. Whenever Raven had been brought up in a conversation before today Sammy was always the eager one, demanding to know as much as possible about her condition. It gave her a little more insight on what had happened back at Raven's apartment. "You have feelings for her, don't you?" She asked.

Yoon returned Abel’s blank stare; however hers was accompanied now with a bigger blush of embarrassment since he didn’t laugh at her joke that she thought was pretty good. “H-huh? The difference?” She stuttered. “W-Well... yours wasn’t necessarily a joke since there was no pun or irony, I-it was just factual being a stick and a-all... maybe if you would have answered something with a double connotation, l-like me using wasabi relating to sushi but also the form of greeting sushi b.” She scratched her head awkwardly, trying to think of another joke. “W-what are some symptoms of a sick vampire?” Yoon smiled slightly before revealing her answer. “They are usually coffin... get it? Coughing and coffin where they lay?” Her blush grew a deeper red. “I-It’s pretty funny, no?”

Abel's brows furrowed as he picked apart the joke in his mind. "I don't understand. What are the relations between an expelling of air and a narrow case in which the deceased are placed into before burial? And is it not factual that if one becomes sick, coughing is a common symptom and indication that their bodies are attempting to rid themselves of the ailment in question? Furthermore, sushi cannot speak unless perhaps under some variety of magic, and therefore would be incapable of greeting one another." He blinked blankly before adding. "The vampiric don't slumber within coffins either, but rather under the soils of the mountains or somewhere within them near the summit."

Yoon blinked, her right eye twitching as Abel went into further detail about her jokes. “U-um....” She scratched her head awkwardly. “You know, y-you don’t have to try to explain every single minuscule detail for a joke, because then it’s no longer a joke.” She explained. “You should look at it only as the protruding part of the iceberg rather than everything below the water surface.” She gave an effort of a smile. “Of course sushi’s can’t talk, b-but that wasn’t the joke, it was the use of the famous wasabi dip being used as a greeting, ya know? Like What’s up, B?” She further blushed. “T-The stereotype in movies is vampires sleeping in coffins, s-so thats why i used that pun for “coughing” since it sounded similar.” She paused. “Oh come on, it’s funny!!!” Or at least, she thought it was. Perhaps a more nerdy joke was needed for a reaction. She stood silent in thought, before her eyes widened at the perfect one. “O-okay, listen to this while not making any assumptions or trying to prove cells can’t talk to each other, okay? Ehem...” She cleared her throat. “What did a cell tell her sister cell when she accidentally stepped on her toe?” Yoon paused briefly. “My-toe-sis! G-get it? L-Like mitosis?”

"But it can be proven that cells are incapable of speaking–" Abel was in the middle of being about to say this and go into an explanation again until Yoon cleared her throat to began the joke. And from the moment he started, he found many issues within it. He knew as a fact that cells were void of sexuality, therefore it couldn't have a "sister cell", nor did it have anatomy even remotely similar to that of a humans. Therefore, it was impossible for one to step on the toe of the other. He made the attempt to not to take any of this in account however to get an understanding of what Yoon, though he found it rather naive to have to ignore the details of something that he sought to grasp.

As Yoon reached the tail end of the joke, Abel blinked at her. It sounded as if she had just merely said the same word twice. He couldn't help but disassemble the joke when it reached that point. And when he came around to understanding the point of the joke, he finally cracked a little smile. "Ah, I see. You merely used the pronunciation of the word paired with the premise of its definition in the ridiculous scenario of two cells being capable of speech and having appendages to fit the narrative. I suppose I could refer to that as clever to a degree."

Yoon was about to give up hope, that is until she finally saw a small smile on Abel’s face. Her expression softened, yet her flustered cheeks remained as she gulped. And at his extensive explanation of his understanding to the joke, all she could do was smile and nod. She sighed softly, relieved that he was able to comprehend what her joke meant. “Abel was finally ABLE to smile.” She dares to crack another pun with his name. “Ya know... you don’t have to take everything so serious all the time... where would be the fun in that?” Her head tilted slightly. “I should force you to l-let loose sometimes...” Yoon said in thought. “I will, actually. S-somehow...”

When the joke/pun was made with his name, his brow immediately raise and the smile that he had disappeared. "Finally able to smile? In fact I do so quite often." Though by "quite often" he was of course referring to the empty past attempts at doing so. "There isn't suppose to be 'fun' within my line of occupation. We are taught that every situation requires careful consideration and application." He became curious with what she said about making him let loose. "What is it that requires me to 'let loose' as you put it? In what manner of speaking are referring to?"

“W-well if there’s no fun in your line of occupation then maybe we can have fun outside your line of occupation!” She suggested. “After all, t-that can’t be the only thing that defines who you are as a person.” She nudged. But when he asked what she meant by helping him let loose, she stood quiet in thought since she didn’t think she would get this far. “Hmmmm...” her thumbs twiddled within the pockets of her hoodie. “What do you like doing for fun? On your free time? Putting aside your work, of course.”

Abel was silent, taking the time to scrutinize the question and the thoughts that it led him to having. He was unable to actually pinpoint anything from memory that would serve as an example of him putting his work aside. As far as he was concerned, he was always indulged in his occupation from sunrise to evening to nightfall. Every second of the minute, every minute of the hour and every hour of the day aside from when his body was inevitably required to rest. And if he weren't directly involved in working, then he was educating himself further on things that would be required for a later task that dealt with his occupation. And if he wasn't occupied with that, he was sanitizing and prepping his weaponry for possible missions that would be assigned to him. And if not that, then he was further conditioning his body and testing its limitations in order to ensure that he was prepared physically for said missions.

He ate and breathed the work of the Constables constantly, more so than any of his fellow agents. His relentlessness was what had allowed him to climb in rank quicker than most could ever dream of doing. Even now at the Park's residence, he was there on behalf of his occupation relaying to them information that he was permitted to. And as he thought deeper into it though, he began to notice how little free time he gave himself if it even existed. And then that's when it occurred to him. If there was free time that he had, then surely he was spending it and had spent it many times exactly where he currently was.

His brows furrowed further as he spoke. "I suppose you could make the statement that I have found a satisfaction of kinds in being present here," he answered. "The company of you and your mother and your strange perception of things has become refreshing."

Yoon patiently awaited an answer, noticing the complex level Abel had to reach in order to deliver an answer. But at his response, her brows furrowed in confusion. She was glad to hear he enjoyed their company, but surprised that was the only thing he could think of. “Oh come on, you must have other hobbies. Maybe some you fell out of? You know, painting, reading, video games, watching movies, bowling, puzzles?” She listed possible hobbies. “What did you like doing before you became a Constable?” She asked him. “A-And hey! My perception isn’t strange, it’s just different!”

Thinking again but for a much more shorter period of time compared to a few seconds ago. "Many of the activities that you've stated were things I may have indulged in as a child, most of which I became indifferent towards after my priorities as a Constable were put in place." And he found it hard to remember many of the things that he would took joy in doing back then.

With becoming a Constable at such a young age, one part of the agent's life had long since been swallowed into the other. To him, there was no before. Only the moment he had been accepted as an agent and what came afterwards.

He went on to comment on her last statement as well. "And whether be strange, different, or peculiar I perceive your oddities as something to be appreciated in manner or another."

Yoon frowned at his response. “Oh...” She scratched her head awkwardly in thought. The young woman couldn’t imagine her own mother partaking in such organization since she and Abel were drastically different. “I-It sounds like the organization really s-sucks the life out of you...” She inferred based on the lackluster answers Abel gave her. She wished she could’ve met him before he joined them, however what she currently felt for him wouldn’t have changed either way. At his last comment about her perception being something to be appreciated, she gave him a quirky shy smile in return.

She tried thinking back to her own hobbies. Sure, she loved trying new foods and watching endless hours of anime and different movies. And although that was her top hobbies, she used to do other things with the little friends she had back in middle school and early high school. She had approximately two friends she fell off with, and most of the time they’d bring their own friends and Yoon would just be the dragging wheel of the group. She remembered the little times she socialized. And even with hardly any friends now, her mother became her best friend in the sense that they would do anything together, similar to her brother. She would go out and watch movies with him and visit arcades. And though it was just with family, she did find a sense of comfort and happiness in it. Yoon’s gaze finally shifted back to Abel as she thought back to one of her favorite hobbies she unconsciously left behind. “D-do you, u-um...” She began, a shy blush creeping on her cheeks. “Do you like r-rollerskating?”

He thought about the question for a second, and his answer was surprising.

"It is at the least an...interesting activity to partake in to say the least." Abel spoke, his gaze on the wall ahead of him instead of Yoon. There was someone in particular that came to mind when he thought about it, an associate back in Korea who would go about some of her days attempting to spend her time alongside hi. He never understood why, nor what motives she had behind the actions of doing so. But the last day he had seen her, she had insisted that they go rollerskating under the assumption that he would find joy within it as she had. But after that day she simply disappeared. He could still remember her last words to him, a 2 part haiku.

Air alone simply
cannot fill an empty glass
My water can't reach.
-
A life must drink much
but his mouth has been absent.
He has died alive.

Abel thought about Yoon's question again for a moment and asked, "Would you be interested in accompanying me out into the city for the evening?"

Yoon found herself dumbfounded at Abel’s response to her question being positive. Quite honestly she couldn’t picture him skating, let alone having fun. But she wanted to. Her brows wrinkled some in thought before his question snapped her back to reality. “H-huh? M-Me?” Yoon’s eyes widened some. She looked around to make sure there wasn’t a ghost behind her or a neighbor that Abel might have directed his question to. And once she saw that he had truly asked her to hang out, she gulped. “Y-Y-Yes, sure w-why not?” She removed her hands from her pockets since she could feel the anxious warmth of them melting her Twix bar. “Y-yeah, I would like that.” But then her expression darkened into one of annoyance when she realized a possible outlier to their plans. “B-But do you t-think you could ask my mom... b-because she’ll say yes if you ask...?” He begged him with pleading eyes. “J-Just you know, emphasize th-this was your I-idea and n-not mine just to escape training.”

"If she believes that your training is of more importance, as she should, then it is not my place to oppose this. I would agree," Abel began his answer. "However, I believe that you have achieved many improvements during your training due to hard work, and your mother agrees. In the organization, we are taught that achievements made through diligence is worthy of being awarded. That being said, I don't believe me asking will effect what conclusion she decides to come to as an answer. However, if this is what you believe to be the case, then I suppose I could speak to her on your behalf."

Yoon became nervous listening to the first half of Abel’s words. But upon hearing he would still try to talk to her, she sighed of relief. She nodded, agreeing with the whole reward part and was happy to see Abel did notice improvement from her. “Y-Yeah, I can touch my toes now actually!” She informed him unconsciously, immediately regretting doing so since it was too random and out of place. She blushed again in embarrassment, and instead remained quiet until her mother would return.

Kyung-ya answered her prayers around five minutes or so later as she stepped out the bathroom, setting the knife she was carving the cabinets with on the table. She wiped at her forehead, mumbling to herself in Korean. “Oi, Yoonie get me water!” She ordered her daughter, who jolted at the sound of her voice. Yoon immediately bowed respectfully and fetched the glass of cold water. Kyung-ha dusted the specs of wood off her while making her way back to Abel. “At this point I just should tattoo sigils on me.” She joked. However, it didn’t sound too bad of an idea.

Abel's gaze followed Yoon off to the kitchen for a brief moment before his attention turned to Kyung after she spoke again. "It sounds to me to be a plausible solution," he said in response, not really catching that Kyung-ha was joking. Or at least if he did, he showed no signs of it. "It would reserve you the effort if you were to go about burning them into a surface rather than carving," he gave a word of advice on.

“But then no fun destroying mean landlord’s property.” She chuckled, knowing she would have to pay for the damage in the future but enjoying the moment while she could. “You very smart, Abel-pie. Add some fun in the smartness. Kyung-ha complimented him with a smile. She thanked her daughter who returned with a glass of ice and water.

And there is was again. The word "fun". Abel's brows furrowed some, the invisible frown of his coming to his face. He turned his head to look at Yoon briefly when she returned with the water that Kyung had asked for before he spoke. "Kyung, I would like Yoon to accompany me into the city for the evening. May I be granted your permission to take her with me, as well as her the permission to join me?" He asked in the way he always spoke, straightforward and to the point.

“Oi?” Kyung-ha paused her sipping at Abel’s request. Her eyes squinted as they fell on Yoon now, who was trying her best to hide her anxiousness. She pretended as if this was news to her too.

“Yoonie you make Abel-pie ask to escape your yoga lessons?”

“H-H-Huh?! N-no, of course not!” She shook her head quickly. “Th-This is news to me too! Ha-ha.” She laughed awkwardly, avoiding contact with her.

“Hmmm...” Kyung-ha set her glass of water down and scratched her chin in thought. “Evening, hm?” She looked between Yoon and Abel. Perhaps a small break from her trainings would do her well. “Oke, I accept.” She finally said, her eyes closed as she did so with a small smile. “No food though, and bring back by 9:30 latest!” Kyung-ha already began setting out her rules. She glanced at her daughter. “I see everything, no try be silly!” She reminded her.

Yoon sighed of relief when she heard her mother’s answer. She gave Abel a thumbs-up from behind her back.

“I dress her nicely for you!” Kyung-ha said, making Yoon blush again. But she held her tongue to avoid her mother changing her decision.

"I will ensure that she has returned just as she leaves," Abel said after Kyung set the conditions to her accepting his request. "And of course, I will see to it that it will be at the stated time."

It was when Yoon gave him her thumbs up that she would see the man smile like he had when he thanked them for his gift.

Somewhere inside of him Abel was relieved when Kyung-ha told him that she would dress Yoon nicely, which to him meant what it always did. Courteously. Because the joggers that she wore were indeed an eyesore to him, and though he hadn't realized yet, she appeared much more appealing to him when dressed in finer clothing. "I will await her return," he said, remaining seated on the couch.

"That is none of your concern" Sammy replied almost immediately as she leaned back in her seat, looking down at the ground. The sound of her rapid heart beat could almost be heard as she looked down at the floor of the car, her arms crossing tighter around her before she replied yet again, "Maybe a little"

"I must say, I'd never figure her to be your taste," Jackie admitted, snickering a bit. "You're practically opposites, the both of you." She paused for a moment to think about it. "Or perhaps not as much as I'd believe you two to be." She smiled some. "Perhaps you should appreciate fate a bit more. You never no what it may have in store."

"T-That's the thing. I never thought she'd be my type either" Sammy replied, thinking about the whole situation in her mind, the whole two days that she knew her, the remaining six months spent worrying about her, texting her, not seeing her, all that time and she gathered these feelings so suddenly "I'm more into guys, obviously, but... I don't know. Something must've developed over those six months I spent waiting to see her again, I think"

"Hmm," Jackie thought about it for a moment, her brows furrowing. There was something that Raven had told her last month that came to mind, but she decided that she would keep it to herself for the time being. "Perhaps its due to the rather unusual first impressions that you left on one another," She said, wanting to include that it was Raven's life who she had saved back at the club. She felt as if she had evaded enough of her privacy as is. "They do tend to stick quite well under when they're extraordinary."

"I guess that makes sense" Sammy replied as she thought back to it, thinking back to Raven, but then, she thought back to her visit with her today, and she let out an audible groan of annoyance, her hand over her head as she replied, "I really fucked up back there. I hope I didn't fuck with her already fragile mind and do anymore damage to it". Sammy ended up giving light taps of her knuckle on her forehead, which escalated in force until she was practically knocking on it, as if to put some pain on herself to punish herself for her mistake "I'm an idiot" She said outloud

Yoon groaned internally at the thought of changing. She felt comfortable and confident the way she was dressed currently and didn’t see the need to switch outfits just to go outside. However, Kyung-ha heavily disagreed with that way of thinking.

“I know perfect outfit!” Kyung-ha exclaimed, grabbing Yoon by the wrist and dragging her to her room where her styles of clothing were more prominent. “No move, Abel-Pie. Only take 20 minutes max! Need to make sure she’s not chaf—“

“—MOM!!!” Yoon shrieked before she could say anything else.

Kyung-ha chuckled and winked at Abel before she disappeared into her room, dragging Yoon behind her. Yoon quickly took this time to grab the Twix bar from her pocket and toss it at Abel so he could hide it for the time being in case her mother caught her with it.

***

Alana was currently seated on her surfboard with Galiah behind her. They were well inside the water, a good distance away from the shore. It encouraged her to swim in further, a little annoyed with the small waves that would every now and then make them sway back and forth. “Hmm, that’s odd. Usually there’s some pretty nice waves around this time. Her legs were on either side of the surfboard, dangling inside the frigid water. However, Alana had become used to the cold and smell of the ocean after so many years of working in it.

(Ignore me again, Jade, and I will nuke this beach like it was D-Day XD)

Galiah looked down into the ocean, spotting her reflection against the surface of the water and the hot sun. Her pink hair blowing in the wind passed her pointed ears as she looked over to Alana when she was complaining about the waves. Galiah looked around, seeing if she could spot any to no avail. She would have done something herself to create her own waves, but her own use of water magic was usually for something more destructive, so she decided against it

"Sammy–HEY," When Jackie saw Sammy attempting to hammer her face in with her knuckles, one of her hands left the wheel in order to grab her wrist and bring her to a stop. "If you beat your brains out all over the car you won't be able to find out. You do want to help her like you said you did, don't you?" She moved the car over into the next lane t their right upon seeing the grocery store.

~

Abel looked back and forth between mother and daughter during their brief exchange and was watching them off to the room until Yoon had tossed the Twix bar to him. He caught it, only for his fingers to sink into the wrapper due to how much it had managed to melt so far. He furrowed his brow, debating on whether or not he should store it back inside of his coat for her while he waited.

It crossed his mind that if it were going to take twenty minutes for Yoon to be finished then that was more than enough time to occupy himself with checking in to receive a status report. And so he took out his phone and a small earpiece that he had been given, one of the minor upgrades, though in their test-running phase, that the Constables had received.

Sammy shook her head, now feeling a bit lightheaded from the impact as she answered, "Of course I do. But... The right way. Because we both know my way isn't the right way. I just... I panicked when she didn't recognize me, and that bottle and pills and stuff... It brings back some dark memories" Sammy said, though she didn't dare elaborate on it. She didn't want to get frustrated again and blurt out what she remembered like she did Mason's past. Instead, she let out a shakey sigh and replied, "I worry about her. I just want her to be happy again, to be carefree and just be.... herself"

Leonard sat at the couch, that also acted as his bed when unfolded, sitting in front of the laptop that he had after moving the TV out of the way. He hated cable TV more than anything and would just rather watch stuff on his laptop, even if it was given to him by the Constables Unit and not really meant for personal things, though that didn't stop him. After a quick shower and a shave, he was back in his clothes he wore yesterday, slurping down a bowl of noodles at 9 in the morning, the faint sounds of the city from construction to horns barely audible in the distance as he looked over at his phone,waiting patiently for his call

Jackie was quiet as she listened to Sammy and was making the turn into the parking lot of the store. The expression on her face saddened a little. "If we can make the most of the situation and find out a way to ease the information about what's going on to her then she could. It may not be the most ideal or best form of happiness at first and we can't expect it to occur immediately, but it would definitely be preferred if its able to be achieved. I've decided that the only way to go about this is to present everything to her and allow her to process it all. Despite today, i still believe that t'd be best that you and if he can, Mason, to be present during this." While she was pulling into the parking lot, her attention was caught by the ringing of her cellphone, but she waited until the were parked to answer it.

~

(I'll get around to Leonard's side of things once I actually have a character for him XD)

Sammy turned to Jackie, a bit surprised that she would still allow her to be there to help. Sammy scratched the back of her head as she replied, "I'm... honestly a bit shocked. I mean, after how I acted back there, I thought having me back there would be a mistake... But... I do appreciate it and I'll do whatever I can to help her. I mean it, whatever it takes. This won't be easy, hell how could it be, but I wanna be there for her"

Honestly, Jackie didn't know specifically why she had decided to still allow Sammy to be present during everything. Part of her knew that she could be exactly what Raven needed. And if things had truly gotten as bad at the apartment as Sammy had said, then she was who she would choose to look after Raven. She couldn't do it alone, and she knew well enough that she wasn't going to be able to be present 24/7 to keep an eye on them. Sure, she had the agents that would be stationed around but none of them were going to go about it with the care that she now knew that Sammy had.

"And you will," She said while retrieving her phone from its place tucked in her bra now that the car was parked. "We all will. Give a moment–" She stepped out of the car to answer the phone.

"That's alright." Alana said out loud even though Galiah hadn't said anything. She was responding more her own self at her previous questions. "We just got to swim in a liiiiiiittle bit further." And so she did. She paddled herself and Galiah on the surfboard further in, past anyone who was already in the water. "This is going to be fun!" Alana promised her. Galiah could notice now the waves coming towards them growing and making them sway back and forth continuously. But she waited for the right one to go on and ride. "You can swim, right?" She asked her.

* * *

Within the span of twenty minutes, Abel could hear the bickering between mother and daughter in Korean from the living room. The argument would constantly shift–from the shirt being too small, the pants being uncomfortable, to the very color of the cloth being ugly for Yoon. Soon after the argument, the sound of a blowdryer became audible, which only could've meant Kyung-ha was drying her daughter's damp hair and fixing it to her liking. Yoon hated when people touched her hair, and now that it had grown longer Kyung-ha had the power to actually style it.

The doors of Kyung-ha's room opened precisely twenty minutes later, her stepping out first with a huge smile on her face. "Oke~ Yoonie ready and this time pretty and smell good." She reassured Abel. She glanced back, ordering Yoon to hurry.

With a sigh being heard from behind the door, Yoon dragged her feet outside the room with her head low and an annoyed frown settled upon her face, much like a child would be when their mother would force them to try on clothes. By looks alone, these clothes did not belong to Yoon at all. In fact, her outfit was one that Abel would recognize Kyung-ha wearing years ago in Korea. She wore a mustard yellow blouse with ruffled sleeves, accompanied with a black bow whose length reached her abdomen. Her 'choice' of pants were a pair of beige high-waisted paper-bag pants that were cuffed at the very bottom since it was just slightly too big for her. Her outfit automatically made her look taller since her legs were more exposed and the true dimensions of her body weren't hidden away in a hoodie or sweatpants. The one thing she was happy about the outfit is just like she always chose to dress before, she didn't expose any areas of her body like most women would. Though her breasts were noticeably bigger in the current outfit, they were properly covered, and so was her stomach, legs, and arms. Now with longer hair, Kyung-ha took the advantage of curling the ends slightly to have some sort of volume to tie the attire all together. Additionally, the young woman was forced to wear a small amount of makeup that hid her dark circles, gave some sparkles in the eyes, and made her lips a bold red using a Korean tint her mom owned and would only use in special occasions. She was relieved to hear that the shoes her mom chose her were platforms rather than heels. So even thought the cream-beige shoes would make her look slightly taller, she wouldn't be wobbling around trying to figure out how to use heels.

Yoon stood there awkwardly, blinking some of the sparkles away that made her eyes itch slightly. She glanced at Kyung-ha a visible annoyed look on her face before they went to Abel. ".....i'm gonna... wait at the door..." She muttered in disgust of herself, shifting uncomfortably to the main entrance.

Sammy sat in the car for a moment more, her hands rubbing against each other nervously as she watched Jackie step out of the car to take the phone call, leaving Sammy to sit there with her own thoughts, thinking if she was really ready for this again, if she could really be the person that helps Raven get out of her state of mind. She doubted it, yet she wanted it to be true

"I can float" Galiah replied, having had zero experience with swimming in her entire life, just allowing her body to float her to shore and hope for the best that way. As she saw the waves coming, she responded, "Too late to learn now"

“What?!” Alana exclaimed, her eyes off the waves now and back on Galiah. “What do you mean you can fLoAt?! That’s not the same thing as swimming!” She flailed her hands with widened eyes. They were far too in the ocean to swim back to the shore now. Alana sighed, pinching her nose. “Okay, it’s okay, you’re going to be okay. As long as you can float. And if not then you can just whip up some of that weird magic of yours, right??? Right.” She shook her head. “What is it with parents not teaching their kids how to swim? It’s like an essential skill!”

"My parents are dead" Galiah said with the same vacant stare, the same dry tone in her voice that was full of seriousness, yet lacked all the emotion that she should have felt from it. She scratched her nose awkwardly as she added, "Don't worry, I never knew them. They died before I was born. I had my grandfather to watch over me. He was nice, if not strict"

"–I've already made preparations for the relocation of the Constable forces currently inhabiting the state...Affirmative...As long as the presence of the agents remain...No, I don't see it a wise action to allow that to occur. One has already abducted, there need not be another to follow...It is to my knowledge that she is indeed another one of these supposed 'Keepers'. I require more information on the subject matter...I'd rather we speak of the matter in person...Yes of course. I'll be contacting you tomorrow to relay the rendezvous."

While waiting on Kyung and Yoon to return, Abel was busy speaking on the phone to the C.O.M. after he had gotten the update on the status of any and everything related to the happenings in and around Florida. And so when Kyung-ha notified him of Yoon being prepared, he only gave her a simple nod and gesture of his hand that signaled that he was currently handling business.

"If you find the action necessary...I'll surely be expecting so," he continued, his eyes moving to Yoon while he was speaking as she entered the living room. The sight of her almost made him smile just a tiny bit again, and he hurried along the conversation. "Yes, your services are well appreciated...Good day to you as well..Likewise.." He tapped at the earpiece just as Yoon spoke to him, in which he gave her a nod. "I'll join you in a moment after a few words with your mother."

~

Jackie watched the words 'Call Ended' flash across the screen a total of two times before she would return it to where she had it before. She was actually about to go into the store until she remembered that Sammy was still inside of the car while she had been on the phone for the past 20 or so minutes. Not only that, but she still had the keys in the car.

She opened the door and poked her torso inside to take the keys from the ignition while speaking to Sammy. "Well come on then. You don't plan to bake out here in the car do you?" She asked, not really giving her a chance to answer the question before she closed the door.

~

[Meanwhile in New York, New York]

[link]

"Look sir, I'll tell you like I told the lady yesterday. We don't have triple extra large as a size, and it's not our fault that your fat ass won't lose weight to fit the sizes we have. And if you have a problem with that, then my dick will be here for you to suck. Have a great day sir," Thube could still hear the man on the other end sounding like he was trying to yell off some of his calories while he was hanging up the phone. But he didn't care in the least about what a "no neck" had to say to began with. After all, why would he have to? It wasn't his fault that people went about their lives swallowing diabetes and packing themselves with more grease than Italian hair.

Inhaling more smoke from his cigarette he picked the phone back up, it being an old as sin rotary dial that had a smiley face sticker stuck to the phone of it. All of the Constables had been diving headfirst into mobile phase of the world, he settled with what he preferred. Even after being issued the newer bits of technology that had been shipped from the UK's Constables, he rarely bothered to use any of it. He liked to keep himself...detached from the rest. He spun out a phone number that went 000-000-545 and added an asterisk at the end.

Soon Leonard's phone would start ringing, but would stop immediately after the first ring. And then it would ring a second time, only to once again stop altogether. It was only when it rung the third time did it continue to do so as it was normally supposed to do.

Sammy was now fanning herself with her own hat, thinking a bit outloud, "Why the fuck did she leave me in the car in 110 degree weather". As soon as Jackie opened the door to speak, Sammy spoke up, "I could've died, go-" But she was cut off as soon as the door closed in front of her, leaving an irritated groan as she opened the car door and closed it, replying with a faint annoyed tone in her voice, "You could've told me you were gonna be on that thing for twenty minutes"

Lenoard found himself picking up the phone three times, with no luck the previous two times as the caller hung up. After the third ring, Leonard immediately hit the "answer" button on his phone and spoke sternly through a bowl of noodles, "If you ring that phone one more time, I'll ring you". Setting his fork down into the broth while picking up a can of sugar free Red Bull, he took a large swig from it before asking, "What do you want?"