No Refunds | CxE Book 1

The Complaint

Why was friendship so hard?

Colette had been working with the emo for two weeks now and she had made zero progress befriending the teen. Her classic tactic of pestering the people around her until they broke showed no signs of success.

Yesterday she had grown tired of their lack of conversation. So she decided to try and find common ground with a simple question. "Hey Edgar~" She had dived in for a hug but was sidestepped by the emo.

As she skid along the flooring he dryly responded, "What now?"

Our snowy sweetheart didn't skip a beat, bouncing back up like a rubber band. "Who's your favorite Brawler?" Colette looked like a giddy schoolgirl. It was a standard question within Starr Park but it was personally her favorite.

Unfortunately, Edgar didn't agree. His strange scarf drooped a bit as the question left her lips. She was able to fully absorb his disgusting grimace as his eyes narrowed. It looked like he would spit on her grave if given the chance.

She curled in on herself a bit as he leaned close, "I... hate... Brawlers."

Edgar stormed down the aisles; his scarf snatching up a broom and cleaning as he went. She was left alone in the aisle. She tried her best to comprehend how the words 'hate' and 'Brawlers' could even be said in the same sentence. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't understand how he could hate Brawlers and work at Starr Park.

He and Colette hadn't talked since then. Not without her repeated attempts of course. No matter how hard she tried to strike up a conversation Edgar would give her the cold shoulder all the way until closing. He had cooled down this morning but she could still feel this inky aura coming off him. But she couldn't understand his feelings. How could he feel such rage towards the main event of Starr Park? The pinnacle of entertainment and pizzaz that was brawling. What happened to him?

She wanted to ask more questions but she could tell he wouldn't be open to answers. Now she was stuck behind the cash register. Alone and bored out of her mind. He was again absently restocking the shelves with a minuscule set of black earbuds buried into his canals. She couldn't help but stare at Edgar as he wandered through the empty aisles.

His bored expression. The way he would periodically toss his hair out of his face. She would chuckle a little whenever his scarf would pass him the wrong items to be shelved. He never scolded the magical accessory. He would instead politely instruct it of the correct solution. It was adorable how they interacted with each other. A symbiotic relationship that had evolved into a familial bond.

Upon closer inspection it defiantly looked like his connection with the scarf wasn't mechanical. Their bond wasn't a machine and its maker. It was some bond that tied them together with blood. But if he was a Brawler, why would he hate them so much?

"Maybe he's just a human." Colette rested her cheek against the smooth wood, "A cute human."

She was so engorged in Edgar's aura she didn't hear the front door chime. She did however hear a hand slamming onto her table. Standing in front of her with a face as red as his hair was Colt. The veteran gunslinger had stormed inside with his clothes a mess and his mood sour. "Colette!"

"Y-Yes?!" She would usually be so ecstatic when seeing a Brawler she wouldn't be able to speak. But with the heat the sharpshooter was producing she couldn't relax.

Colt dropped a canister on the cashier. "What is this?" She could hear his feet tapping against the ground.

Colette brought her head low and examined the can, "It looks like EMZ brand hair spray."

"WRONG!" Colt snatched up the canister, "This is sabotage. This hair spray advertises to keep your hair full and vibrant." Colt pointed to his head, "Look at my hair!"