he  starts  fidgeting  around  in  his  pockets,  in  search  for  a  lighter,  while  contemplating  her  question.  trying  to  find  the  right  phrasing.  ❝  to  be  honest,  ❞  he  says,  fingers  now  digging  around  in  his  back  pockets  without  any  luck,  ❝  this  isn’t  the  first  city  i’ve  been  to  with  strange  occurrences,  if  you  know  what  i  mean.❞  meeting  her  eyes,  honest  and  sincere.  beating  around  the  bush  usually  doesn’t  get  him  very  far,  ezekiel’s  realized.  it  genreally  just  leads  to  wasted  time  for  both  parties.  so  why  not  speed  up  the  process  of  likely  rejection.  ❝something  tells  me  you  do,  so  i’ll  be  straight  with  you:  i’m  dealing  with  something  strange  myself,  so  i’m  not  new  to  this  either.  ❞

august is unpracticed in non animalistic pursuits.

his expression drops a little again but this time it’s purposeful, as though there’s continued concern bubbling up the longer he talks to the man. the arcade coins jostle in the container that august holds with both hands, tilting it on its side to hear them tumble over one another, his index finger sliding into the plastic cup to scoop out a few coins. he drops four onto the counter in front of ezekiel, his eyes flickering down to the coins as he behaves almost sheepish–on the edge of nervous laughter, “ wanna trade? or you can play a round with me. ” he shrugs. “ whatever. you just look tense as fuck. like, I didn’t know working in an arcade could stress somebody out like that. ”

there are too many voices echoing in ezekiel’s mind for august to pluck out his string of consciousness. august’s eyes drop away, tracing along the chipped edges of the counter as his smile flattens and his brows raise. he’s overly expressive with his features like he’s had to learn how to recreate human emotion. the hours spent practicing in the mirror a waste; each movement is still too clunky. too rehearsed. besides, he hasn’t pin-pointed ezekiel’s voice⸺WHERE THE FUCK IS HIS VOICE?

❝  ah  .  .  .  !  ❞  he  exclaims,  a  little  give  away  of  him  just  now  understanding  what  the  guy  actually  wanted  from  ezekiel.  instead  of  looking  for  a  piece  of  paper,  he  simply  says:  ❝  don’t  worry  about  it,  i  can  do  it.  ❞  he  looks  for  a  pen  and  a  piece  of  paper  while  still  registering  the  rest  of  guy's  words. 

he’s still as he stares at the flashing lights.     the mechanics were easy to fool with and required little energy to manipulate.      the flashing lights came to a stop,    the music of the machine dying out slowly as the screen blackened.     twenty - seven days   &   it’s the first time he’s left the comfort of peripherals.      when he stood he picked up the half-emptied jar of arcade coins with him then approached the desk with a practiced grin,     “  hey man,    you got a piece of paper and a pen?    one of your machines just death rattled.  ”

even  though  he  feels  more  at  ease  at  the  arcade  than  he  feels  in  most  spaces,  he  is  still  alert.  so,  the  guy  mustering  him  up  and  down  doesn't  go  compeltely  unnoticed  by  ezekiel.  tall  (  probably  taller  than  ezekiel  ),  with  piercing  eyes,  he  seems  looming  —  even  from  far  away.  feeling  his  entire  body  stiffen  once  the  other  gets  up  and  moves  in  his  direction,  he  tries  to  mentally  push  away  the  voice  manifesting  close  to  his  ear.  a  rough  hand  on  his  shoulder,  gripping  him,  trying  to  tell  him  to  look  out  for  what’s  coming.  but  this  wouldn’t  be  the  first  time,  so  ignoring  it  is  like  second  nature  to  him  .  .  .  or  should  be.  the  closer  the  man  comes  the  louder  the  voice  gets,  to  the  point  ezekiel  can’t  exactly  hear  what  is  being  asked  of  him,  barely  being  able  to  make  out  the  last  few  words.

You're not very tall, are you?

How do you like your brandy?

You may take off your coat and sit.

It's too hot in here for anyone who has any blood in their veins.

You can smoke here, just don't do it in front of my face.

You're looking at a very dull survival of a very dull life.

I can still speak English when my business demands it.

You didn't like working for the district attorney, eh?

What do you know about my family, [name]?

What'd you want to see me about?

I'm being blackmailed again.

[Name] has left me, about a month ago without a word.

We used to swap shots between drinks or drinks between shots.

They're alike only in having the same corrupt blood.

They have all the usual vices, besides those they've invented for themselves.

Do you want to know anything or just get rid of [him/her/them]?

I don't need any money now, but when I do, just send me the money.

Are you trying to tell me my duties?

You're a private detective? I didn't know they existed, except in books.

God, you're a mess, aren't you?

I would've thought a case like that took a little effort.

Is there any "how to be a Detective in 10 Easy Lessons, " school text-book?

I see. There is no professional secrets?

You don't have to play poker with me, [name].

I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like 'em myself.

Don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me!

Do you always think you can handle people like trained seals?

I'm sure I don't care what you say, [name].

Would you do me a very small favor?

Yeah, I'm a private dick on a case.

Perhaps I'm asking too much, although it doesn't seem too much to me somehow.

Look, you got a dead man lying right at your feet.

Lie down there and be quiet.

That's a little special service I always provide all my clients. Including being insolent.

You'd do anything for [him/her/them], wouldn't you?

I don't slap so good around this time of the evening.

Those are harsh words to throw at me, especially when I am walking out of your bedroom.

Don't you ever go to bed? What you been doing?

What would anybody be doing down there?

The wound had already bled under the skin while they were still alive.

You better tell me what you're working on, [name]!

This doesn't look like the way you'd handle it.

Give me another day, [name]. I may have something for you.

I was beginning to think perhaps you worked in bed like Marcel Proust.

There isn't much money in this business, if i'm being honest.

Perhaps it wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

A woman telephoned me shortly after this thing was delivered.

Do you know where this picture was taken?

You were afraid that they might turn up something, which I couldn't sit on just yet.

I hope the police never traces that call.

I'm trying to find out why do you want to find out things I have been working on.

Anyway, it'll give us something to talk about next time we meet.

Do you remember me now? Hmm?

How much do you remember about last night?

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't say anything about anything.

Your story didn't sound quite right.

Blood. Quite a lot of blood.

I think we'll let the police in on this.

I could make it my business. I could make your business mine.

I wondered why you didn't ask me who I was.

You know, you talk too much.

I might even make it worth your while to talk to me.

Why don't you call the cops like you said you would?

I think you better get out of here.

Take it away and play on it somewhere else.

What did you come up here for?

I don't know how you got here, but I don't want you. Will you get out?

Can't you talk without pointing that gun?

Who are you? What do you get out of this?

Wait a minute, what do you mean, a couple of murders?

Well, then, nothing happened, so I got tired of waiting and went home.

Tell me, what do you usually do when you're not working?

I don't wanna hurt you. I'm tryin' to help you.

We could have had a lot of fun, if you weren't a detective.

You know, there's one thing that puzzles me. You don't seem in much of a hurry to find [name].

I can't imagine, unless you're worried about where I am all the time.

You weren't worried about me, were you? Afraid I'd get hurt?

You've already been paid, haven't you?

Kissing you is all right. It's nice. I'd like to do more of it.

If you say that again, I'll keep on saying it until I find out.

I'm trying to think of something appropriate.

You know, I think you're telling the truth, for a change.

Mm-mm. I can't afford to be seen with you.

I wanted to tell you, you can stop worrying and call off your bloodhounds.

You could've yelled for help!

Don't you even want to know who I am?

Do you want to know what I've got, or don't you?

You can get yourself hurt, kicking on doors.

Light me a cigarette, will you?

Will you get out of this and stay out if I let you go?

Get that knife and cut these ropes!

I don't suppose there's a gun around here?

I didn't have a chance to thank you for what you did back there.

I guess.. I'm in love with you.

You're the one who's shaking now.

What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a gun before?

What do you want me to do, count three like they do in the movies?

in  the  recent  months  ezekiel  has  been  traveling  from  town  to  town.  he  is  at  a  point  where  he  doesn’t  even  know  what  he  is  looking  for  exactly.  be  it  for  the  sole  fact  that  he’s  been  searching  for  a  long  time  now,  with  barely  any  pointers,  way  past  his  breaking  point.  but  it’s  not   like  he  has  any  other  choice  either.  his  …  condition  ?  has  been  impacting  him  his  whole  life  but  recently  it  has  gotten  worse.  much  worse.  he’s  tried  so  many  things,  seances  even  exorcisms,  but  nothing  has  worked  so  far.

too  late,  when  she  is  already  done  talking,  he  realizes  he  has  barely  listened  to  a  word  she  has  said.  ❝  um  .  .  .  ❞  he  hums,  shifting  from  one  foot  to  the  other,  making  direct  eye  contact  to  cover  up  his  nervousness,  a  tactic  he  had  learned  all  the  way  back  in  high  school  to  unsettle  his  bullies.  ❝  sounds  great,  yeah.  all  of  it  !  ❞  judging  from  the  woman’s  reaction  he  was  either  a  tad  too  enthusiastic  in  his  response  or  it  simply  doesn’t  make  any  sense.