"...Let go before I hit you and call the cops!"
The strange flashy man was not fazed at all. "Wait. I have a question."
In thriller movies, when people let strangers in, the majority of it did not end well. Rhea was one of the most cautious creatures on the planet. Why would she let a complete stranger try and fool her? There was no use in trying to reason with strange people. She bit his hand and he screamed, immediately removing his hand from the door.
"Ahh! What the fuck?"
Damien was standing behind her the whole time, watching the strange scene unfold.
"....Hey Rhea. Should I call the police?" Damien asked.
By now, Rhea was already reaching for her cooking pan as a weapon to defend against this flashy man.
"Yes!"
The strange flashy man waved his hands frantically. "...Wait no, don't call the police. I'm actually just strolling around the area and er, you are neighbors with Aziel and Zeven, are you not?"
The twins again. Now her interest was slightly piqued.
She just narrowed her eyes at the flashy man. "So...What about them?"
He looked like he wanted to pull his hair out.
"Gah, I hate them! Every week, they're topping the charts and stealing my fame and spotlight..." he cleared his throat. "Anyway, the boss sent me here as punishment to personally give them this invitation but I hate them so much that I don't want to deliver this...What I'm trying to get at is, could you hand this to them for me?"
Rhea looked at the dark envelope with a red seal. Her eyes bulged when she read 'BDSM Junkies' on the red seal. What exactly was going on?
"W-What the hell? Just leave it on their doorstep."
"Look, my ass is on the line too. The boss is fucking scary...He probably has someone spying on me right now or the walls are probably listening and reporting back to him...Ugh whatever! Just make sure Aziel and Zeven open and read this. The boss will know they haven't read it if he doesn't receive a call."
"No. I don't need to do this and risk my health and well being by facing the twins! Now leave before I really call the cops...Ah! What now?" Rhea asked, surprised.
The flashy man before her began to cry and now both Rhea and Damien were unsure of what to do. Being the nice boy that he was, Damien grabbed a nearby kitchen rag and went over to the man without a sense of danger.
"Damien! Don't..." Rhea chided but it was too late.
Damien began to comfort the adult man who shouldn't even let a kid soothe him like so. "There, there. Mister, why are you acting so strange and crying?"
"...Angel?" he asked as he stared down at Damien, then sighed and slumped onto the ground.
This was strange. Very strange. Some man Rhea barely knew was crying out of nowhere and sitting on front of her condo like someone abandoned him and now he was seeking shelter like a lost soul.
"Since it's come to this, I guess I have to tell you my life story now..."
Rhea shook her head at him but it seemed like he wasn't really listening, too immersed in himself. "No please, you don't have to explain your life story...Actually, could you just leave us be?..."
The flashy man ignored her pleas and continued on anyway, "My life has been composed of a series of failures. Growing up, I never had many friends and had trouble with everything I ever pursued. My parents even considered me as the greatest disappointment of their lives. I've never had much confidence in myself so it was hard for me to find a job. Because I was somewhat handsome, I found junkies a year ago and ever since, I felt like it was the only place where I could be an actor and pretend to be confident. To be someone that I've always wanted to be. Life was finally good. I was living the life and topping the charts!...At least until Aziel and Zeven came along! They ruined my peaceful life."
Rhea's eyes began sparkling. A kindred soul, just like her. Ha! Guess Rhea's life wasn't the only one that was ruined and turned chaotic because of the twins. Yet now, she was feeling just a bit bad for the guy because she could slightly understand his pain. His pain of living life happily and peacefully until that cursed box changed that forever.
Rhea steadily gave in as she looked at him with determination, "...You know what? Fine. I'll give it to them."
The flashy man immediately brightened up and he pulled Rhea's hand into his own. "Seriously? Man, I owe you!"
She hissed at him until he let go of her hand. "...Just...Don't touch me!"
"Sorry, sorry...But why are you helping me?"
Rhea sighed deeply. "...I know how it feels...You're living the life, away from brightness and people and then suddenly because of the twins, life does a complete one eighty..."
"I quite like the center of attention and people," he chides in.
"Anyway I want my life back!...But you and me, we are kindred souls. Together, we can band together and defeat the bright side!"
He looked at her blankly. "Um...Okay?"
"But Rhea, I think the twins helped you out," Damien pointed out. "Aren't you playing outside more?"
Helped Rhea out? What in the world? She didn't want or need their help. Rhea was already fine with the way that things were. The twins weren't doing her a favor at all. If they wanted to do her a favor, then they'd move out so she wouldn't have to be blinded by their brightness and suffer insane heart problems.
Footsteps began to approach them. Suddenly, a bad gut feeling bubbled up inside Rhea's chest. Without even looking, she had a huge hunch as to who it might be.
"...Hey Zeven, isn't that flashy lanky dude um...what was his name again? Ah! Julie?"