Derrick
Derrick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, basking in the overwhelming scent of coffee and something baking. The colors of the people around him played nicely for once. Vince, deep in thought, manifested as a swirling cloud of purple-gray. Tracey had been a liquid sunshine yellow all morning, other colors surfacing and fading as she talked with Hrida. Derrick felt a soft smile creep across his face as he heard them laughing. Hridaβs presence, a soothing shade of lavender this morning, swept itself into graceful curves, like the clouds in Asian paintings.
βDerrick.β
His eyes flicked open, and the world returned to normal, depicted in variations of the same old colors.
βSorry, I almost dozed off. Did you need something?β
βIβm getting refills. Want anything?β Hrida stood at the edge of their table, holding an empty mug in each hand. Sunlight from the door behind her left gentle highlights on the edges of her hair. For a moment, Derrick almost forgot sheβd asked him a question.
βOh! Iβm good, thanks.β
Hrida nodded in response and headed for the counter. As soon as she left, Tracey grinned at him over the rim of her smoothie cup.
βSmooth.β
Derrick rolled his eyes but ignored her. Outside, the market bustled on as usual. The scattered voices of people combined with whiffs of frying food and smoke drifted through the door every time it opened. An unbidden thought surfaced in Derrickβs mind.
βHey, Vince.β
Across the table, Vince surfaced from the small pile of wires and unfamiliar objects in front of him. After a few blinks, he returned from wherever he went while tinkering.
βWe need to talk about the situation with Kol.β
Vinceβs face turned grim, but he didnβt change the subject. They had been dancing around this for a while, trying to find a better way. After everything Kol had done, thoughβ¦
Derrick closed his eyes against the memories. Tracey had sat up straighter in her seat, suddenly alert. When Hrida returned to the table, she passed Vince his coffee without a word, not noticing anything was wrong until she sat down.
βI think all of us can agree weβve let this thing with Kol go on too long.β
Vinceβs statement got expressions of agreement from everyone at the table.
βWeβre going to confront him?β Hridaβs expression had closed off. Derrick could see the worry in her eyes.
βAt this point, thatβs the best option,β Tracey answered. In situations like this, she and Hrida were complete opposites. Hrida usually looked for the most diplomatic solution, while Tracey tended to face the problem head-on. Case in point: the recent incident with the monster. Derrick shook his head at the thought.
βWe can take him.β All eyes turned to Derrick; Tracey looked a little surprised to hear a response like that coming from him. βBetween the four of us, we stand a chance.β
Sitting there at that simple cafe table, Derrick could almost feel their resolve thrumming in the air. Theyβd spent way too long being afraid of the scary thing lurking in the darkness of their closets.
βAlright then.β Vince sat forward, a familiar glint in his eye. βWe make our move tomorrow night.β
Author Notes: heyyy, sorry for taking so long. hope you enjoy :D
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