It felt like forever since Starlette had seen such a bright, red sky before, maybe the brightest she had seen yet. Both women were greeted by the sting of warm wind, which caused Celeste to sneeze upon impact. The pleasant welcome made Starlette eager for some fresh, warm coffee and (her friend’s) hot chocolate―that was for sure.
The streets were somewhat alive to an extent, but still a ghost town. Due to the policy change, people rushed to get home, gather items, or close their stores; albeit, she saw most of the panic online. Starlette will need to prepare herself for the following months like them at one point.
Who knows how long the 5-Day Policy85-Day PolicyA policy administered by High Officials, although used in drastic measures, remains controversial from its restriction of being allowed to leave your home once per week. will go on for?
Many shops down the block already had their doors shut with steel and metal gates. Multiple places were already locked down–and the 5-Day Policy had not even started. It hinted that something might be amidst, but how would Starlette know? She just got out after being cooped up inside for hours, she needed a breather.
‘Solaire would be jumping to the moon knowing he doesn’t have to serve rude customers.‘ Starlette pondered.
Solaire had done so much for them, going out of his way to serve fruitless–I mean fruitful drinks for weeks on end. Or he was coming every so often to relax and binge-watch TV specials with their buddies.
If anything, this policy change would be considered an extended lunch break for him.
After a few more blocks, the ladies were soon in the sights of Grinded Rooster Bean. It must have been a miracle for this to be part of the remaining open shops. A bell chimed right as the two entered, getting face-to-face with the aroma of coffee that lingered inside.
Starlette loved the scent of a fresh brew; Celeste, however, winced at the strong smell of caffeine that filled the inside.
After picking up their orders, the two headed back outside again, only to find themselves bored and needing something to do.
Starlette perked up, “If the Rumble Moocher’s still open, we can go see how Solaire’s holding up, I guess.”
“I’ll go call him,” Celeste whipped out her phone, dialing his number.
Starlette took a sip of her drink, its warmth feeling like no other drink she had; despite ordering it many times before. After a prolonged minute of phone buzzing, Solaire finally decided to answer the call. As much as she tried to focus on the beverage in hand, her ears overheard their conversation.
“Hey there, Sol,” she greeted, “how’s it hanging?”
“…”
“Oh, good to hear! Say, me and Starlette plan on meeting you up at Rumble Moocher.”
Celeste paced around, and flattered her eyes, “So~ can you stay put for a few minutes?”
“…”
Her expression turned sour, “It was Starlette’s idea to come to meet there, you know! You could at least be appreciative of that!”
“…”
“Yea-yea, whatever,” she grumbled while fanning her open hand.
Solaire spoke a bit more until Celeste responded with, “We’ll see you there!” Then, she hung up the phone, shoving it back into her pocket.
“What he’d say?” Starlette asked.
“Rumble Moocher just closed,” she informed, “he says he’ll wait for us there.”
“Anything after that?”
Celeste fiddled with her hands. “He also said, ‘You have bad taste in music’,” she added.
How typical. Of course, he would say something stupid like that. Nothing better than your average Solaire poking at Starlette whenever he could. She seethed at how gullible she was for allowing such an opening. It was utterly embarrassing.
“Tch, he calls my taste bad when he wears outdated fashion?” the lady fussed, becoming heated with each second. “I bet he re-wears the same, dirty clothes, anyway.”
She clenched her coffee, but not enough to spill excruciating hot liquid over her hand. Looking stupid in front of her friends wouldn’t bolster good results.
Celeste brushed off her words. “Mm-hm, for sure,” she said in passing, then nudged Starlette’s arm. Thankfully, the gesture helped keep focus on their voyage to Rumble Moocher.
However, it would be funny to ditch this plan last minute.
The city streets slowly turned desolate as they continued to walk. The women looked like outsiders from a different county. Perhaps heading outside during a crisis was a bad idea, especially for lengthy periods. Starlette had to remind herself that curfew would not be active in about 8, or so, hours.
She hoped the two of them wouldn’t get warned for walking out when not permitted.
As minutes passed, Starlette’s feet were aching like hell. It was a mistake to meet up with someone as stupid as Solaire; she could’ve just settled with a video call or text messages.
By the gods, her feet hurt. It was too late to back out, though.
As the two made their way, Starlette noticed a familiar pink, flickering logo in the distance, which meant that they finally arrived at Rumble Moocher. She sighed in relief, now grateful there was a spot to rest at.
Upon closer inspection, she saw Solaire standing outside, leaning against the wall of his former workplace. He was drinking a bright red slushie, probably a last-minute order before the forceful departure. His eyes opened up and doubled-took upon the ladies who had arrived.
The man smirked, “Damn, I nearly thought you girls set me up.” Despite what his words entailed, he acted unbothered by the prospect. It seemed both Starlette and him had the same idea in mind. He shook both their hands with a warm smile. “I look like I’m loitering here,” he remarked.
Solaire gazed down at Starlette, “Would’ve never believed you of all people wanted to come out and see me.” He pinched Starlette’s face and pulled her cheek. “D’aww, did someone miss me?“
he probed, altering his voice to sound like a mushy kindergarten teacher. The only thing he would be good at teaching was how to be annoying.
Starlette shooed his hand away in anger. “Tch! I was roped into this for your information.” she declared, twisting her head away from Solaire.
Celeste muttered sour nothings upon witnessing the scene before her.
He let out a hearty laugh, then leaned against her friend to keep himself standing. “Haha, same as ever,” Solaire commented, “I might miss seeing that spark of hers.”
Regaining his composure, the man asked, “So, how’ve you two been holding up?”
“Oh, you know,” her voice turned bitter, “staying inside and stuff.” Celeste poorly attempted to lighten up the mood when being in a lockdown, which made him chuckle in amusement.
Solaire shook the cup, then took a sip from his drink. “Heh, tell me about it. I was supposed to get picked up by Hydra earlier, but he’s running a bit late.”
He continued, “Got caught up in traffic.”
His words puzzled her friend. “Traffic at this time?”
“I was surprised too, apparently he ran into a heavy rush hour.”
“Talk about unlucky,” Starlette commented.
It seemed like afternoons were new hits for M.O.P. citizens now. Taking note of his annoyance, Starlette’s spark flared again. A little banter between them wouldn’t hurt.
“What’s Mr. Lernaean picking you up for anyway?” she teased.
His voice turned stern, “You know his name, stupid blonde.”
Their banter suddenly turned into a lecture. Somehow, Starlette didn’t think this was possible for someone like Solaire, who she assumed didn’t have the guts to yap like a dog for more than six minutes.
“I thought I knew you better, missy. You were always excited to talk to real people,” he added, feigning sadness in his voice. He looked off in the distance before whispering, “Well, at least for once.”
His critique was loud enough for both women to hear, however.
“You take that back!” Starlette demanded, more heated than ever.
He grinned mockingly at her bitterness, and the latter replied by sticking her tongue out at his face. Celeste facepalmed in disappointment, still trying to mask her frustration.
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New Character ⇻ Solaire Gagnon
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