Scarlet Billows (Brallon)

v

You're kidding me.

The stranger from last night.. He's an officer?

Then.. Why was he in plain clothes?

"Oh, you're just fine!" Ryan, always the polite one and perpetual people pleaser, oozes charm to try and ease the situation. It works for him and Officer Stranger Danger, but I remain on the opposite side of the table. There's definitely something off about this, "We just haven't been doing much of anything today, Officer.."

"Dean, Officer Charles Dean, though, my buddies down at the station call me Charlie," He stretches his hand out directly at me with a small smile that hides no mischievous deeds in his mind. Ryan catches me gawking at his hand before I do and lightly nudges me into shaking his hand before I realise what I'm doing, "Didn't mean to spook you by popping over like I did," Luckily, I catch up with reality just before shaking his hand for this long becomes even more awkward for all three of us. This is precisely why I have Ryan. He's much better at the social aspect of life than I'll ever be, "Smith told me he stopped by this building to tell you about.." Dean leans in slightly and lowers his voice to a whisper, "Mack the Knife?"

Ryan looks at me with a confused expression for the second I glance over at him, pulling my gaze away from the officer Smith's never mentioned before.

Not helping his case.

"Yes, well.." I stand up a little straighter, not because I'm suddenly confident, I just want to step behind Ryan and let him do the rest of the talking without me playing middleman, "It was pretty quiet around here last night."

"Boston?" I knew I shouldn't have spoken, "My mom's from there," The smile never leaves his face, but I stopped buying it the second it appeared.

"Oh!" Ryan pipes up, "What's her name? Maybe Dallon's folks know her?"

"Dallon.." I'm trying my best not to make eye contact with him again, but it's hard when he's saying my name like it's the most interesting thing he's heard all day, "There's a name you don't hear all the time."

"Guess my folks got a little creative.." I'm mumbling at this point and I know Ryan's trying his best now to shoot me one of his world famous disappointed frowns. He thinks mumbling is just about the rudest thing a person could do. Then I ask him if he's forgotten about a certain someone who's been picking off people one by one and.. Well, needless to say, the conversation usually ends there.

"Seems like it," Whether that was sarcastic or not is completely over my head. Dean's one of the hardest people to read.. "Well!" He and Ryan could match general attitudes. Ryan's is more golden while Dean's got more of a shiny, silver ping to him, "As long as you fellas seem to be alright, I'll be on my way."

"Have a nice day!" Ryan's chipper attitude lasts just until he closes the door to shoot me the mother of all disappointed looks. He's far from being a father, but he's got the looks down, "Y'know, sometimes, I just can't believe you!"

"Ryan, hear me out, this guy just can't be who he says he is," I'll argue my case and Ryan's got a 50/50 chance of listening.

"Yeah? So, you're sayin' Charles Dean, a perfectly normal man who happens to be a police officer, isn't who he says he is?" He scoffs as he walks past me to open some drawn curtains and let a little more natural light into the room, "You feelin' alright, Dal?"

I really can't help narrowing my eyes at him, "I'm feeling fine, I just wish you'd be a little more suspicious of folks like-"

"Folks like Dean?" Yes! Exactly! "Dallon, you've known me all my life," Ryan makes his way back over to me with the most patronising smile plastered on his face as he pats my shoulder, "In the last two decades, ya gotta notice that I tend to give folks the benefit of the doubt. Now, it may be different for you, but Charles Dean checks out for me."