AS NOON CAME AROUND, NOIR WALKED INTO JACKIE'S OFFICE. As he stood there at her desk, waiting for her to acknowledge him, she relentlessly calculated numbers. While standing there, he couldn't help but listen to the radio playing in the back.
"Freq 107 presents: Petty Criminals. Starring: Adam Cesario, Francis Fable, and Claudine Edmee. Written by: JoJo Mar," announced a voice over the radio before police sirens began to fade in.
BO
"Can this thing go any faster, Tsumari?!"
TSUMARI
"I'm trying, but the guy in front of us keeps swerving.
He's making it difficult to pass him!"
BO
"Alph, open the trunk and start throwing things at the
cops. Try to get them off of us."
ALPH
"On it. This filth was beginning to make my skin break out.
It should be just fine for tossing."
TSUMARI
"Hey, don't talk about my car!
It's not filthy; it's just lived in."
BO
"Tsumari, give this guy a little love."
Tsumari gradually increased their speed, tapping the back of the swerving car's bumper. In response, the driver leaned halfway through the window with a beer in hand, waving his drink angrily through the air.
BO
"Oh my god! This scumbag is
driving under the influence!"
Tsumari and Alph simultaneously voiced their disapproval.
TSUMARI
"Oh my god!"
ALPH
"That fiend!"
BO
"Let me take the wheel.
Tell him to pull over."
Relinquishing the steering wheel to Bo, Tsumari leaned her head out of the window.
TSUMARI
"Hey, scumbag! Pull over!"
To their surprise, the man pulled over, and so did they. As the drunken man exited his car, Bo and Alph exited theirs, slamming their doors behind them. Instantly, they began beating him up, and while doing so, they made sure to inform him of his poor decision to drink and drive.
BO
"You're endangering the lives of these
innocent bystanders on the road!"
ALPH
"People like you make me sick!"
As they taught the man a lesson, the police finally caught up and separated them. Pulling Bo and Alph off of the man, they brandished pairs of handcuffs.
OFFICER ONE
"You two are under arrest for breaking and entering!
Where's your third accomplice?"
Tsumari slouched down in the driver's seat, rolling up her window and locking her door.
OFFICER TWO
"You've caused dozens of people emotional damage!"
TSUMARI
"Sheesh, all we did was spam the input button on
everyone's TV."
But before they could put the cuffs on, Alph informed them of the man who'd been drunk driving. He was lying on the ground half-conscious, reaching for his beer a few feet away.
DRUNK MAN
"Uuuh."
ALPH
"Officer, that man has been drunk driving!"
OFFICER ONE & TWO
"What?!"
OFFICER ONE
"You filth!"
Releasing Bo and Alph, the officers jumped on the drunk driver with their batons out. They too began informing the man of his poor decision-making.
Jackie scooted her chair back and leaned over to switch off the radio.
"All done?"
"Mhm," Noir replied with a single shake of his head.
"Great, take these." Jackie handed him a plastic bag and a pair of gloves.
"What do I do with this?"
"Go around the complex and a little ways down the sidewalk to pick up any trash you see on the ground. There's a dumpster on the right side of the complex—once the bag is full, toss it in there."
Noir took the bag and gloves, but as he began walking out the door, Jackie stopped him.
"Hey, kid, catch." She tossed him a lunch bag. "Make sure you eat before you start."
After an hour, Noir returned empty-handed once again.
"All done? Great. I have just one last thing for you to do, but it might take a while."
Jackie stopped in her tracks, covering her nose.
"All I have left for you is to pull some weeds growing along the sidewalk and against the sides of the apartments. And after that… you really need to bathe. What, did you play in the dumpster after tossing out the trash?"
Hours later, when Noir finished pulling weeds and Jackie wrapped up her accounting, she taught him how to run the bath in his apartment. She brought a bar of soap, a bathing brush, and a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, explaining how to use them in case he didn't already know. Her instructions included draining the tub and refilling it for a second round of washing.
As she finished, Noir began taking off his clothes, only for Jackie to yank his shirt back down.
"Hey! Wait for me to leave before you start getting naked!"
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "Wait, you don't have a change of clothes, do you?"
Stepping out, she returned with a pair of sweatpants.
"This is all I have. They're baggy on me, but they should fit you just fine. You get in, and I'll run to the store and pick up a few things."
After Noir had followed all her instructions, he sat there in the suds-filled bath, staring at the wall. His skin was glowing, and his hair was looking healthier than before. Bored, he sank down in the tub—allowing the nice warm water to soak his scalp. This was a feeling that Noir had come to enjoy while bathing. But, without even a second thought, he let out a sigh of relief and instantly began choking on the water.
Once again, Noir heard coughing and choking that was not his own. As he tossed about, trying to grip the edges of the tub, he stood to his feet, looking around as he coughed and wiped the water from his eyes. But, no one was there.
It had been half an hour since Jackie left, and despite how nice the warm bath had felt, Noir had something else that had been on his mind since his arrival at Margeaux Quarters. Stepping out of the tub, he placed on the sweatpants Jackie gave him and exited his apartment.