Dmitry: Thanks for agreeing to see me.
Dowager Empress: I didn't. You just walked in here and started talking.
Dmitry: I don't have time for a history lesson.
Smallville Hothead | 1.03
kennedy stuart 🇯🇪🇳🇳🇮🇫🇪🇷 🇨🇭🇪🇨🇰 makes an appearance @ the warehouse, this halloween!
the two painted an amusing contrast against the sterile backdrop of redcreek’s pharmacy. taylan, fiery and impatient, his vivid red energy pushing past vikram’s more solemn blue. "oh, sorry." sass was not something that had ever come naturally to vikram. apologies did. always something to be sorry for when your dignity is paper thin. and that’s exactly what he offers now, raising a hand instinctively in submission as he steps aside. he had fully expected their interaction to end there so when taylan speaks again, it catches vikram fully off guard, eyes widening as the other's crude humor rings in the air, almost as loud as the bell he was relentlessly pressing a moment prior.
'business is blooming.' vikram clears his throat at that, shifting awkwardly in place. “uh, yeah, i suppose it is.” brows twitch into a frown at his own reply. immediately, vikram can tell this conversation will be one he regrets. one that his mind will save into the memory of his brain and safely tuck away at the corner of his mind specifically reserved for remembering any time he puts his foot in his mouth. for anyone wondering, throwing azi under the bus in his police interview is stashed away in there as well. he draws in a sharp breath, trying again, more composed this time. “they’re probably at lunch and forgot to put up a sign.” better to address the younger man’s actual question than the colorful way he expressed it. “or maybe they did put one up, and we’re both equally awful at noticing it.” there’s a hint of a joke in his tone as his eyes flicker to the 'no smoking' sign hanging in the crook of the reception counter, right above the forgotten ashes of taylan’s cigarette.
where : red creek pharmacy status : closed with @brntout
with a cigarette dangling between his lips and insomnia looming underneath his eyes , taylan's days and nights blend into an aching mess that he can’t ease with the pills that he takes . years of playing hockey and fighting on the ice led him to shed blood , and steal from others without repercussions . but one accident had pulled on a loose thread making everything come undone . unraveling a poorly stitched pattern that his coach attempted to stitch close over the years with the help of painkillers . no pharmacist in sight and patience running thin . rough , careless and blowing out a waft of smoke , taylan pushes past vikram and leans against the counter , disregarding the no - smoking sign as if it were mere decoration . impatiently , he presses the call bell , over and over again . ding , ding , ding , resounds and bounces against the the pharmacy walls . “ think they died ? ” toying with the cherry at the end of his cigarette , taylan burns the pad of his thumb before pressing it out on the reception desk , leaving a dark marring spot behind . “ for all we know , the boogeyman gutted them in the back , and we have one less pharmacist in this town . ” too soon . “ congrats business is blooming for you . ”
their eyebrow twitches at his ‘no’. how absolute it is. he leaves little room for debate and while it’s not hard to understand ricardo’s side of why he would push against their idea, kennedy has always been sure of themselves and their ability to sell a story so any time they are met with opposition, they can't help but wonder — 'who the hell does he think he is?' they're certain he can see it, too. the look of defiance that washes over their black eyes. they open their mouth to speak, then quickly close it. before turning away. "fine." they leave it at that because it seems that they still see eye to eye with the 'spread fear' plan. kennedy can work with that. they've spun gold with less.
“wow, how fortunate” they reply, fully monotone to properly display just how little they care about their boss’ sex life. as they walk, kennedy keeps their eyes set ahead as well, deviating only when they think they catch something moving from their peripherals. no doubt the darkness playing tricks on them. or maybe the prospect of a murderer in their hometown has shaken them up more than they're willing to realize. they chose not to examine that, instead shifting focus to ricardo’s dry reply to their mundane question. “is it cus you’re too busy having sex?” they stifle a snort at their own joke, hand rising to cover their mouth as they do so, lowering it only once they've regained composure. “i…" they clear their throat, "i might have had a little too much to drink, tonight.” they admit, and that's the best they can muster up as an apology. “what’s wrong with halloween?” kennedy had already guessed ricardo wasn’t the biggest fan of the holiday based on the little, or rather, lack of effort he put in his ‘costume’, so there's no surprise or offense found in the question. just pure curiosity. anything to pass the time and make this walk as painless as possible. as they walk, they find themselves wrapping their hands around their bare arms to warm them up some. if they had known they were going to be skulking the streets around this hour they might have thought ahead and brought something warmer to wear. “how well do you think you can talk up a bartender?”
RICARDO IS ALL TOO AWARE of the missing estrada woman . it's been playing on his mind ever since he got the news . the coincidence of it all . the timing . it can't be ignored , least of all by him . his stomach feels like it's dropping and he has to remind himself that this is just a job . just a town . there is nothing here and nobody here . nobody that matters , anyways . he reattunes his attention to kennedy , like an instrument that may need TUNING . " no . " he says , voice firm . " until we know it's daniela , we don't say anything . intrigue sells more than fake claims do. " A FIRST FOR HIM . he doesn't dwell on it . ricardo doesn't care for being reputable , but there's a difference between being a gossip mag and spreading false news . " or simply say : could it be daniela ? are we next ? ask questions , spread fear . " he begins to nod now , his brain working alongside kennedy's , as if in sync .
the sickly over-saccharine way they say YES SIR has ricardo's lips twitch up for a second time . fine. kennedy amuses him at times , but that's it . " fortunately i've had too much sex to count as an incel . " he brushes the sentiment off , with another shrug . ricardo doesn't even notice he's walking in line with kennedy . he's distantly aware that they're moving into conversation that ISN'T work related . rather than think about that , he focuses on their question . he keeps his gaze ahead , eyes adjusting to the dark - the interruptions of people milling past every now and then . ricardo still can't fathom that redcreek exists . that it's a real place . even less that HE'S HERE in it . " i don't have time for movies . " he says easily . he's always been more of a reader , honestly . back in foster homes , it was rare to find a television , let alone one that was AVAILABLE and didn't come with high stakes . books were free and everywhere . it carried with him after being adopted , into adulthood . he's never really gotten on the train of movies or television or even POP CULTURE really - besides the bits and pieces he overhears at overly expensive LA parties . " i'll never understand the obsession with halloween . " ricardo says instead , distaste abundant on his tongue .
"it means you didn't break your nose." he tries, speaking carefully as to not feed into her panic. "we're gonna get you home. i just gonna clean you up first." he's almost done. the rambling tells vik that she’s definitely in shock, and honestly, he can’t blame her. she's handling it a lot better than he expected. "what? is that what you're worried about, right now?" he asks, the corner of his lips tugging into a small smile. it was endearing, actually. "don't be, avery. you still look very pretty." he reassures, finally moving his handkerchief away from every now that the wound is not bleeding as much anymore. "hold tight for a second, okay? i'm going to get you some ice."
“ what does ‘ not bad ‘ mean? " she appears doe - eyed for a moment the situation striking fear into her. " i should really get home -- well not to my apartment -- i should go to my actual home. my dad's probably worried. i don't live at home anymore but -- " she's rambling and feels the onset of a migraine. " head hurts, face hurts. am i still pretty at least? "
“you are bleeding." vikram is too stunned to offer anything other than the truth right now. getting very cleaned up is taking precedence over beside manner. "it's okay. it's not that bad." for now at least. it's too early to tell if she’s concussed or just in shock. he's got a hand hovering over her shoulder just in case, ready to catch her should she feel lightheaded. "don't move, okay?" he pats at the area, an occasional apology murmured under his breath at any sign of discomfort. the friction of his handkerchief against her wound is probably not the best feeling, but he’s trying to be gentle. “how are you uh, feeling?”
who : anyone where : outside the bar when : 2:05am
" oh my god , am i bleeding ? i think i'm bleeding. " avery winces as she touches her nose , the wound bleeding slightly. at least nothing was broken. avery was at the bar when a fight broke up and she was much too close to the action. was she trying to join the fight ? no one can say , avery would sue.
"yeah, believe it or not this is about half of it. at this rate i'm going to have to start eating reeses pieces for breakfast." so he's grateful when nathan is kind enough to relieve him of his burden that is too much halloween candy. "thank you, mayor. you're saving me from some hefty dentist bills." vikram poses a la standing emoji as nathan looks him over, unsure of what to do with his hands now that the bucket of candy has been taken. "that's nice. i'm not big into musicals either. i just really like this one. i've never uh, seen it live though." but he wants to. someday. " the music's great. think you still remember the lyrics? should i suggest karaoke for the next council meeting?" he asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“ oh, please, you're too kind. i feel like i might have more than enough, even if halloween lasted a whole week! ” nathan kids, but he accepts vikram's offer anyway, because of course the mayor would have too much candy to hand out; it's why everybody stops by every year. there's a glint of recognition in his eyes when he puts the mask on, a small ahh escaping his lips as he nods. “ i wouldn't say i'm an avid watcher of musicals, but i have seen my fair share of them — it was my mother who loved them, ” he shares. “ and she did take me to see the phantom of the opera in broadway all those years ago. i vividly remember having the songs stuck in my head for weeks after that. ”
𝐢 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝐢 𝐀𝐌 !
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