It only hit 'Elijah' what he had just done and who exactly he was shouting at, when Twist raised an eyebrow, looking rather annoyed. His switch in mood was emphasised by how his fake bushy moustache tilted unpleasantly.
The young man (Elijah) withered instantly.
"What did I do wrong? I was just returning the ball," Twist said as his brows furrowed.
'Elijah' swallowed hard. He instantly began regretting that he momentarily forgot just how badly this homicidal kid had wanted to dissect him two days ago. Besides that, he was no ordinary boy, and his older siblings were just as abnormal.
'Elijah' stammered.
"Ha. He's grown a pair," Ess scoffed.
Bee ran up to 'Elijah' and with a deadpan face, she hugged and kissed him on the cheek before saying:
"You stood up to my brothers. At this rate, they'll let you marry me without any qualms."
'Elijah' was so shocked that he dropped the football in his hands and it rolled over to its owners. The three boys had already begun to get weirded out by the vibe expelled by the strange collection of oddities they had nearly entangled themselves with. Thus, the moment the ball was in their possession, they fled.
The group watched as they ran away and then Ess shrugged and said:
"What do we do now? Do we take off immediately or are we all up for wasting more time?"
Bee was the first to voice her opinion, 'Elijah' in her bone-crushing embrace.
"There are so many games around here. I want to play and win 'Elijah' something nice," she said.
Ess raised a brow, looked at 'Elijah', who flinched, and shrugged again.
"Knock yourselves out. I'm going to get a drink. Hopefully, I can find it somewhere far from here," he said before turning and heading towards the designated entrance and exit from the fair.
Twist gave his brother's back a sharp gaze and then swiftly followed after him. T-96 did the same.
Bee linked arms with 'Elijah' whom she swiftly switched to calling 'Elliot' and she dragged him into the thick of the activity in the fair. Crowds refused to part for their nigh-on melded bodies, but Bee ensured they got out of the way with aggressive shoves.
Cotton candy was a highlight in this area. Nearly every pair or group had the pink or blue swirls of sweet goodness on a cone, chattering while admiring the various forms of fashion their counterparts had chosen to don today, among many other things.
Stalls selling savoury goods like hotdogs, burgers, assorted and odd fried abominations like deep fried sushi, pizzas and echiladas could be seen everywhere along with many other entertainment options like horseback riding sections, rides – carousels, for instance – and venomous animal exhibits.
Bee beamed, though it didn't show.
'Elliot' wasn't quite having as much fun as she was. He nearly broke his ankle when she suddenly made an aggressive right turn and pushed them both towards a large stall where a few groups – mainly sizable families – were awaiting the chance to play a game where, with three darts, a single participant had to pop three balloons set about five meters away to win one of the fifty and some plushies exhibited within the stall.
'Elliot' became increasingly sure that the stall owner was deliberately making the game a bit too hard when he saw six kids fail to pop more than one balloon. The stall owner had a rather disinterested look to him, and was busy typing on his phone the entire time. He only made eye contact with participants when they failed, giving them a bland "Dollar for another try, if you want," as they left.
However, 'Elliot' was also sure that Bee was cheating by even attempting to play this game, but he wasn't going to point that out.
What he did have the courage to say, however, was…
"What's with you and your brothers?" he said with a bit of a quiver. "I… I know you guys don't bat an eyelid when it comes to something like kil- taking a life, but how do you lack common sense?"
Bee turned to 'Elliot'. Instead of being offended by his question, as he expected, Bee expelled an air of joy. She seemed happy that 'Elliot' was getting even bolder than before. It was likely because he knew she wouldn't kill him, but still.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Your brother was just about to kill that one kid with the ball? Didn't you guys grow up normally? Playing catch, hide and seek and all?" Elliot said.
"Oh, we did play those games. Though, Father always insisted that catch should be played with a weapons-grade canon ball. As for hide and seek, I think Father did all the seeking. He'd snap your leg or arm if he found you. Thankfully, B-2 was there. She had a pretty good healing Utility so we could all continue to play after losing. Hmmm. I think I miss her."
The colour drained from 'Elliot' when he heard all this and he chose not to continue the discussion any further.
Other than the delectable dimensions of Bee's body, everything about Bee had revolted 'Elliot' for obvious reasons. What she just said, however, inspired a bit of sympathy in him. He knew it wasn't something he should feel, but he couldn't help it.
The two's turn soon arrived and Bee picked up three darts and looked at the three balloons a bit of a distance away.
The stall owner didn't spare her a glance at all… until he heard three pops that he could have sworn occurred in the same second.
Frantically looking at the remains of the balloons and then at Bee who had already invaded the stall to pick a large plushie shaped like a zebra, he shook and made to stop her, but the cheers and applause from the others waiting for their chance stopped him.
It was no surprise that those who actually watched Bee flick all three darts at once to pop the balloons thought she deserved to pick her own plushie.
The stall owner could only watch with a forced smile as Bee walked away with a stiff 'Elliot' who was forced to hold the prize his captor had won for him.
*
Ess and Twist silently walked into a bar, and the attention of up to fifty men and women was instantly drawn to them, especially Twist.
The boy didn't seem bothered by the intense gazes. He knew exactly why he was being fixed with such looks, but he boldly ignored. Unfortunately, his courage and confidence were mistaken as being the fault of Ess and T-96 enabling him.
The former clicked his tongue in annoyance. The sudden silence that their entrance called for made him wish the television stuck above the bartender on the wall behind him, was a little louder, but that there was nothing that could be done.
Ess, Twist and T-96 sat on the stools opposite the bartender.
The man glared at them all accusingly as he rubbed a drinking glass with a cloth that didn't quite look clean. His gruff beard and bloodshot eyes said all there was to be said, but the three before him didn't make an effort to heed. Instead, Ess slammed his hand on the table and ordered:
"One Acidic Spleen with a pinch of Fiendfire, please. And add a lemon. Maybe two."
The bartender didn't respond. He merely fixed his gaze on Ess who then turned to his left where Twist sat sandwiched between himself and T-96.
"And get him a yoghurt."
There was a burst of laughter from the customers in the bar. The bartender couldn't help it. He broke into a muffled chuckle too. That joke was too funny.
"I'll letcha escort yourselves out. You're disrespectin' everyone 'ere just by bringing a bleedin' brat to a place like this. Shameless," he said sharply.
A few bulky men seated somewhere Ess' eye could see without scrolling to the right, stood up, waiting for the trio to resist.
Ess sighed, and then he looked at the bartender.
Twist wore a snotty grin.
The bartender frowned.
"Oy! Don't make me repeat m'self, son," he said, and the bulky men – unrefined trucker-types – drew closer.
Twist's grin grew even snottier.
'Here it comes!' he squealed from within.
The look in Ess' eyes changed.
Everyone felt the switch.
Ess slammed his hand on the table again … and it was as though gravity temporarily worsened, threatening to flatten everything that was within the bar except for Twist and T-96!
All of a sudden, everyone was on their knees, most groaning in pain, some screaming; the two eager, burly men in particular!
The bartender's face had slammed into the table, but before he could slip to the floor, Ess grabbed his hair and pulled him up.
The young man's sweet violet eyes obtained a vicious glow, and then he spoke.
"One Acidic Spleen, with a pinch of Fiendfire and two lemons. And a yoghurt for the kid. I won't say it again," he said in what was almost a whisper, yet everyone heard.
The bartender turned pale.
…
A few minutes later, the bar was empty.
Everyone had left while whimpering and limping, or crying and being supported by others who were limping.
The bartender was left to serve Ess and company generously while sweating bullets. He had even found Twist a large tub of yoghurt.
The man couldn't for the life of him imagine what he could have done in his past life to have deserved meeting such a hostile Utility User on a day like today, and without a law enforcer nearby!
He wasn't sure those who left were going to be too quick in calling for someone to come and help.
The bartender forced a smile.
To ensure the silence that followed wasn't too awkward, he increased the volume on the television, and the sound of the news which had been broadcasting dominated the bar.
"…and the situation continues to escalate without any progress. Half Side has yet to give any demands, but the Bureau has assured that the situation will be handled and the hostages saved."