#yearszero

"you don't have to keep apologizing. just be here. day in and day out and prove that you're gonna keep showing up. that's all you have to do."

truth be told, he thought he would be, too. it's an unfortunate circumstance that's brought him here- getting too close to one of his cases and letting them get the better of him. he'd been trying to solve an unsolved murder case and clearly, he'd gotten close enough that he met the killer face to face. he'd been stabbed. repeatedly. it's a miracle he's still alive as he lulls his head to the side, bleary eyed as he looks at him.

he's lost a lot of blood. again, it's a miracle he's still alive and awake for that matter, though he clearly seems to be fading in and out of that one, fighting unconsciousness every step of the way. he doesn't know how Mackenzie found him. in fact, he doesn't know whether he'd mentioned where he was going in the first place. yet suddenly here he was, there as support, hoisting his weight.

"so did i," he joked, wincing as he laughed. it hurts to laugh. he's pretty sure he's only making it worse by laughing, but this is Ghost we're talking about and finding humor in this situation is probably the only thing keeping him alive- that and spite. "remind me to never get stabbed again."

Malia, who'd only been trying to make small talk with him, puts her hands up in defense, a small, uncertain grin on her lips. "okay, okay. no pleasure, then. i won't try to sell you anything, i promise." she's a little disappointed at the prospect of missing out on a customer, but she's not really that surprised. she's heard about him before- she knows the kind of person that he is and doesn't take much offense to it. maybe her feelings are a little hurt that he won't even bother giving her items a glance over, but she'll get over it. in the mean time, she offers him a seat, motioning towards the table and chairs.

"i hope you don't mind cats. i work from home, obviously." the RV isn't small by any means, but it is still an RV - there's not an whole lot of movement to be made. thankfully, her cats seemed to have picked up on their guest and disappeared to hide while he's here. they don't typically like other people so it's a relief that she wouldn't have to shoo them away in an effort to appease her guest.

"take a seat and we can begin."

@yearszero asked: "is everything all right, love?"

she hadn't meant to zone out and lose track of their conversation. something had caught her eye, a flash of black and white, and her mind had fixated on it. for one horrifying second, she'd thought that it was HIM and that he was there in the crowded cafe, but the impression quickly faded. it was just a faceless stranger in a black and white sweater, passing by them with their friends. someone who was ignorant of the brief moment of panic and stirring of trauma that they'd caused in her mind. sienna couldn't help but let out a low sigh in relief when the realization sank in, stomach churning and appetite now long gone.

"we should go out." she speaks suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. "i don't know where we should go. just...out. y'know? somewhere other than here. maybe to that little cafe on the corner? what do you think?"

he's quiet as he surveys their surroundings, chewing on the end of his pen. he'd been sitting on a bench writing lyrics for a new song when a sound caught his attention. when he looked up, he was met with an unfamiliar face and for whatever reason, he felt inexplicably drawn to him. there's a tug at his chest, like he's meant to approach, so he stands up and puts his notebook away, slipping it into his satchel. then, he's making his way over to him, clearing their throat. "hi. i like your shirt." okay, nice one, Kaz, let's just walk up to a complete stranger and use a horrible attempt at flirting just to try and figure out what's bugging him. good job. they flinch at his own stupidity and offers a sheepish smile in apology. maybe he should just leave. that might be better for the both of them --- yet, something tells him to stay put so Kazimir doesn't move, shuffling on his feet awkwardly as they wait for a response. despite being a rockstar, he really has no idea how to carry himself off stage --- it's probably incredibly obvious.