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The weather has continued to grow progressively worse as Hawthorn sits slumped awkwardly in a chair that is a touch to small for his brawny Athlete's frame, a book about welding sitting across his lap. He's been looking across at two washer's watching the clothes spin around inside but mostly he just seems bored, as he's between classes.
From time to time, he sneaks out a bottle from under his chair and takes a swig from it and anyone who paid attention would notice it's a cheap kind of whiskey. A few other's seem to be scattered about the place, but they go ignored by the college jock as he flips page after page idly just skimming as he reads.
*
Speaking about college athletes, it would seem that the captain of the hockey team has decided it's the right time to get the laundry done before proper weather seems to be incoming. Carrying a big bag of laundry, he lets out a brief breath before he moves over to one of the machines to load it up. That done, he looks around for a few moments, noticing Duncan, and offering him a nod. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
*
"Sooooo…how did it go?" Willow grins to her boss, that would be Vic, as the pair prepare to enter the laundry. The teenager, that would be Willow, has a huge backpack on that is stuffed with clothes. She wears boots, tights, short skirt, a t-shirt with 'I'm work for a dick, ask me why' written on it, and a huge army jacket with obviously stuffed pockets. Including the jingling coins for the machines. She holds open the door for Vic before noticing the presence of Brendan. "Hey!" she calls out, giving him a wave, before explaining to her boss. "I shot him last night."
*
Vic Grey has got to get her own washer and dryer at some point. You know, when she's no longer taking cheap cases that barely pay her rent. The private investigator had the fact she'd worn her t-shirt three times already this week pointed out by her assistant, and so the two of them come into the Suds n Duds to refresh the former cop's wardrobe. How can one person own so many t-shirts with sarcastic sayings on them?
Vic has a loaded laundry basket in her arms, a full mesh laundry bag over her shoulder, and a cranky expression on her face. Clearly, laundry day is not her favorite. "Went fine. Going tomorrow with his dad and brother-in-law. It's not a date, Willow. Just an apology gift for having to push his case back a couple days." At the mention of her shooting someone, a brow arches. "Non-fatally I'm assuming, if he's doing laundry? We need to work on your aim."
*
"OH, yeh," Duncan says as he looks across the way to Brendan with a half sort of smile, his mildly latino sort of accent bleeding through as he pushes up to a straighter position. He turns his head aside as Willow speaks though and his eyebrows make a couple of bounces before he asks across to Brendan, "You got a couple of holes in ya?"
There's a chuckle then before he sneaks another sip from that bottle nearby, his eyes a little bloodshot and hooded as he seems to be only half awake.
*
Looking about to say something, Brendan pauses for a bit as he hears Willow's greeting, and he turns to offer her a grin. "Ah, the lovely trickster," he offers, rather lightly. As he hears her explain to Vic, he grins, "Well, to be honest she tricked me and then shot me. Clever one, she is," he offers, rather lightly. "And it was laser tag, so non-fatally." Another grin, before he looks back to Duncan, "Everything okay?"
*
Willow looks all mock-solemn as she nods to Vic's words. "Not a date. Got it. Apology gift…I like it. It's what all the kids are calling dates these days" she winks to her boss before slipping inside behind her. "Oh, I /totally/ need to work on my aim. I was missing everything. I think I shot myself more than I shot anyone else. And I may have shot some people on my own team. Accidentally. Have you ever done laser tag, Boss? Maybe you can take Calvin there on your next apology gift? Oh, anything I can do to help with the case? I am soooo looking forward to helping out with things. And while you're away, I am totally going to redecorate…umm…just to brighten up the office a bit. We really need a 'Hang In There' poster. All offices do."
*
Vic slaps the laundry basket down on one of the folding tables and fishes out the detergent and fabric softener and bleach. A fresh roll of quarters gets pulled out of her jacket pocket as well. "Find me two washers, will you, kid?" she asks Willow. There are only two loads in Vic's world, whites and everything else in cold water with a short prayer nothing bleeds.
Another brow arch is sent Brendan's way. "Laser Tag? That still exists? Christ, I played that in high school. What's old is new again." She shakes her head with a snort at the circular nature of trends. Humans are weird. "Do not decorate my office. I like it the way it is. Drab and boring and full of old crap no one in Willow Heights wants to steal. There is method to my madness, grasshopper."
*
Duncan :laughs with a shake of his head saying to Brendan, "Nah, nah. I'm good I'm like uh… a little…" He holds up the bottle as if that could explain, "But nah, I'm okay. Just had to bail my fuckin—uh, 'xcuse my french, out of jail last week, so she's riding my ass, thus…" He holds up the bottle and gives it a little wiggle.
He glances to Vic then and he says, "When were you in highschool? I don't think it's that old a thing is it?"
*
A man enters without any laundry. He's a stocky guy, short and wide. He's finds a seat near the vending machines and just seem to post up there. A short time later, a taller man dressed in a hoodie with the hood pulled over a baseball cap. He's wearing dark sunglasses and…is that a surgical mask? This guy is failing at inconspicuous but at least he has a bag of laundry. He goes to the vending machines and also just seems to post up, smartphone in hand. Suddenly, the stocky fellow gets up and leaves the hoodie and masked guy behind.
Stocky was carrying a laundry bag.
*
There's a brief grin as he hears that's said, before Brendan frowns as he hears Duncan's words, "Bail someone out of jail?" Sounding a bit concerned. He also looks back to the others again. "Sounds like redecorating is a good thing, hmmm?"
*
Willow can't help but be disappointed at the command to not change the drab, grey office that puts off customers when they enter. But the smile is back as she realises this is just a ploy by Vic. She wants to be surprised and doesn't want to know what Willow is going to do. Yes, that's it! Makes perfect sense. Off to find two washers, which she does near the end of the row. "Do you go to jail for riding asses now?" she asks Duncan, seemingly a bit confused about this. "And you shouldn't drink so much." Lecture over as she gives a thumbs up to Brendan - he understands the effect of a spruce up. And, since she is a trainee dick, she can't help but be curious about the laundry bag transactionl So much so that she walks up to the tall guy and tugs on his arm. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think that man just stole your laundry."
*
"Did you hear that Will? Apparently Laser Tag couldn't have been around when dinosaurs roamed the earth, back when I was in highschool," Vic snorts. She gives Stocky a looking-over like she would anyone coming into a space she's occupying. Her former cop skills haven't died that much, booze or no booze. Surgical mask gets more scrutiny, and when one comes in without laundry yet leaves with some, and vice versa, she frowns. That looked an awful lot like a drop off or exchange of some kind.
The PI takes out her phone, holds it low, but turns the video recording on, pointed towards hoodie mask. She acts like she's absorbed in something mindless like candy crush. Dammit, there goes Willow. She tenses up inwardly.
*
Duncan glances about and eyes the stocky individual with a bit of a smirk, only to blink at Willow, muttering, "THe hell? No. It's my mother, she's always in and out for some shit or another, the bitch."
He only shrugs in reply to Vic, apparently not doing much to keep his mouth clean, nodding aside to Brendan.
*
"Ah, I see…" Brendan offers, before he pauses a little as he sees the people and the laundry, blinking momentarily as he hears Willow speak to them, keeping silent as he looks over at Vic, momentarily.
*
Hoodie-Mask is still there, tapping his phone. Soon though, he gets up, picks up a pack of cigarettes that Stocky seems to have left behind. He is almost out the door when Stocky returns. And he looks unhappy. "You shorted me!" Hoodie-Mask doesn't speak, only points outside. Stocky is having none of that. "Hey! If you were so worried about someone seeing you, you should have met somewhere more private, dumbass!" Hoodie-Mask shoves Stocky towards the door but, Stocky digs in and shoves back. Uh oh.
*
"I'm sure the dinosaurs had laser tag, Boss. They weren't very good at it though, not with those little arms. It was really hard to aim" Willow sounds serious, before peering at Vic. "You went to high school with dinosaurs? How cool is that. I didn't even know they could read." Since her Good Samaritan act has been ignored by tall, dark, and masked, she shrugs and wanders back to do her boss's laundry. At least until there is a kerfuffle in the offing. "Hey! No need to fight. You stole his laundry bag anyway." She process what was said. "You stole it for his shorts?"
*
The swearing doesn't seem to phase Vic at all. In fact, her t-shirt might say "I'm a little black ray of fucking sunshine" on it. And now Shorty is back, and she turns her phone to record the pair of them as casually as she can manage for a few seconds. Enough for the police to get a face ID on at least Shorty. Then she texts Willow to go into the bathroom here and call 911. That done, she puts the phone camera back on video record and props it up in her basket, before heading over to the two men.
"Hey boys, I know laundry is the worst thing in the universe to have to do but, how about not causing a ruckus in here? Too many hard surfaces for your heads to get slammed into, you know?" she offers almost cheerily, if her dark eyes were so very hard. She has her gun, licensed for concealed carry, in a holster under her coat, but she's hoping not to have to draw it. "Take it outside," she says, more sternly.
*
"Hey, everyone knows a proper brawl is done while dropping your gloves anyway," Brendan remarks, a bit lightly, as he watches the two starts to fight a bit. Pausing as he sees Vic head over, watching her carefully.
*
The dustup stops, at least for the moment. Stocky looks like he might just leave. He turns and heads for the door…and then spins around and charges Hoodie-Mask, who goes down easily. Stocky snatches up the pack of smokes Hoodie had in his hand. "You are the worst fucking junkie on the planet. Lose my number, -SHAY-. He looks to the others, hands up, and leaves. Hoodie-Mask…Shay…just lays on the floor, eyes up at the ceiling.
*
Willow gets the text, reads it, the looks over at Vic with a serious expression, a solemn nod, and a tap to the side of her nose. "Just going to the bathroom" she announces with a smile before slowly walking that direction…and then sprinting the last few feet. She misses the revelation while making the call. "Duds and Suds. No, Suds and Duds. The laundry. Yes, could we have police please? Some people are fighting. I think one of them stole the other's shorts, and the other one stole cigarettes in return. I know…who still smokes, right?"
*
SHAY!? Oh HELL NAW! Vic lets Shorty run off, she has him on camera anyway, and she crouches down beside the prone man and peeks under the shades and mask before returning them to their original positions with a sigh. "Really? What happened to clean and sober?" she asks him in a low whisper, with disappointment flashing across her face. As if she has any room to talk; he can smell the whiskey from the perpetual buzz on her breath from there. She offers him a hand to help him up, not seeming willing to out him to the rest of the people present at least. "Willow!" she hollers, "False alarm! They made up!"
*
Brendan pauses as he watching, blinking a bit as he sees the stuff happening. But for now, he keeps silent, just watching the happenings right now.
*
Duncan looks up to the Washer's as they've seemed to stop, nodding to himself, He stands up and ignores the dust up between the two, moving over and switching out his clothes dumping them into a dryer, and turning them both on. After that he nods to himself, and picks up his things. He gives a bit of a longer look to Brendan and says, "I'll see ya around, hopefully," with a bit of a smile before he waves, Then he glances around. "Gonna go get somethin' to eat. I'll be back."
*
Hoodie-Mask goes about readjusting his awful disguise. "Technically nothing." He mutters to Vic as he gets to his feet. "Honest. This is a slip." He says firmly. He coughs suddenly as if that's the reason for the mask.
*
"Hold on a moment" Willow tells the 911 operator before peering out of the bathroom. "It's okay, everything is better now. No fight. No need to send the police. Sorry about that." A pause. "Willow Banks. No, it wasn't a prank call. Things improved. You should be happy about that. Have a nice day and sorry for the bother." She hangs up while rushing over to Vic and the masked man. "Nasty cough you have there" she offers Calvin with a believing smile before looking at her boss. "You okay?" A glance round at everyone else. "Everyone okay?"
*
Vic rises and moves to turn off the camera on her phone, shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans, still shaking her head in disbelief. "Don't bullshit me, you know I know better than that," she notes, turning around and hauling the mesh bag to one of the washers Willow claimed for her. Duds get thrown in, mostly jeans and tees and underthings all in one giant ball of wrinkled fabrics. She adds the detergeant and softener and starts feeding it quarters.
"I'm not gonna grill you on it, not tonight, but we're gonna talk tomorrow. You can come pick me up at the office before I have to be at that thing," Vic states, in a tone that brooks no argument. Yeah don't mention the game, Willow may have not figured out who is under the mask yet. "Now bring me that laundry basket of whites and don't look at them too close because there are underwear in there somewhere."
Willow gets a tight smile. "We're fine, everythiing's ok. Just a misunderstanding." Lying liar who lies, Vic.
*
Brendan has gone back to simply watching his own laundry rather carefully for now. Finding himself somewhere to sit, he pulls out a notebook from a pocket. Just listening to the others now.
*
Willow completely believes Vic…why would her boss lie to her? "Okay" she grins. "Hey…let me do that" she says about the laundry. Her own is in her backpack, which she deposits next to one of the machines. Can she put her laundy in with Vic's? And why is the masked man delivering her boss's underthings? Wow, she really is a peacemaker. "I'm Willow" she grins to the man in the mask, offering her hand. "I'm a dick assistant. I try to make sure everything goes smoothly for the best dick in town." She clears her throat. "'If life is getting you down. Don't let it make you sick. Just call us up at Greys. And we'll give you a dick.' Yeah, that's my voice on the answering machine if you ever call."
*
Vic does a thousand yard stare at the recitation of Willow's idea of an advertisement for her agency. "Dear God, what have I done?" she mumbles, stuffing her whites into the second machine with some bleach stuff and whatnot.