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luke_lawliet ([info]luke_lawliet) wrote in [info]chaosunraveled,
@ 2008-05-13 20:37:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:finished thread, frank, henry, l, rating: pg, setting: asgard, setting: room 205 within asgard

The Lights and the Lizard
Who: L and Henry and Frank [Finished]
Where: Asgard, room 205
When: Very soon after his/their arrival.
Rating: PG for now
Warnings: None
Summary: L and Frank, two quiet antisocial roommates, finally actually meet. Henry shows up to help L with the strobe lights, which were giving him a bit of trouble. L is trying not to make the other guys uneasy, and maybe the effort is futile.



L stopped in front of room 205. So... this was it? The room he was sharing with the old man who reminded him of one he had seen as a father and a friend? Without putting too much thought into it, he reached for the light switch, immediately setting off the first thing that Frank had kindly warned him about. The strobe lights! Disoriented, he groped along the wall, but the strobes made the switch dance infuriatingly away from him every time he grasped for it. Giving up for the moment, he bit the tip of his finger and sat on the edge of his gray bed, closing his eyes. He became aware of a distinctly reptilian smell... this must have been the second thing that Frank had warned him of. "Lizard..." he mumbled, hearing it scratching in its tank. Maybe it was also distressed by the strobes... L hated to admit it, but he knew very little about lizards.

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 04:03 am UTC (link)
Henry really wasn't used to being this socially active. He was starting to miss his privacy a little bit. He liked the people he spent time with, that wasn't the problem at all. He just wasn't used to spending so much time with other people. He liked the quiet, his own company... But it was an adjustment he had to make.

And he'd learned the hard way that sometimes, being so cut off from other people could be disastrous. And he had left his role of observer behind somewhere in Walter's realm. He'd been chosen as an observer, but he had done anything but.

It just hadn't been enough.

With all those thoughts still running through his mind, Henry gathered up a few pictures he'd set aside for Mr. Sunderland - one was even framed, one of the pictures of Asgard bathed in feathers - and headed down to Mr. Sunderland's room. Which would probably always be Mr. Sunderland's room to him, just because the older man had lived there for weeks.

He shuffled down to the second floor and found room 205. It was a little awkward, really. He didn't know much about this Ryuzaki, other than the man made him a little uncomfortable. And there was just something weird about going to Mr. Sunderland's room. He still kind of thought of Frank as his landlord. But he cleared his throat and knocked lightly on the door anyway, hoping that Mr. Sunderland wouldn't mind him coming by.

He'd just drop off the pictures and see about turning off the bright lights, that was all.

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 04:14 am UTC (link)
L jerked his head up; he'd been so intently listening to the sound of the lizard scratching that the sudden knocking was a bit jarring. "Come in," he said, raising his voice more than he was used to. He hoped that the strobe lights wouldn't be too much of an annoyance... at least Henry had other business being here.

L paused to reflect on this. He'd actually felt bad about causing someone trouble... probably for the first time in working memory.

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 04:22 am UTC (link)
Henry opened the door, that familiar sense of anticipation flaring up as it still tended to do. Which was ridiculous, and he knew it. But... well, some things stayed with someone. And it was probably because it was Mr. Sunderland's room. Things had happened in his room, back in Ashfield Heights.

"Um, it's me...Henry?" And now he saw what Mr. Sunderland had meant about the lights. It was kind of like a laser show, almost. Put some music on, turn off the other lights, and Henry thought it would actually be pretty neat.

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 04:26 am UTC (link)
L groaned, resting his forehead on his closely drawn knees. Even with the obnoxious strobe lights going, he could tell that Henry was at least three inches taller than him, almost six feet in height, with... what? Brown hair? "Good. It's you. If you can find it, please kill the damn strobe..."

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 04:35 am UTC (link)
"Uh, Mr. Sunderland said the switch was by the bed headboard, I think," Henry offered, coming into the room and setting down the pictures. So this was Ryuzaki. He looked...sick. Maybe he was, or had been. Maybe that was why he was so...weird.

"I, um, really don't want to intrude," he went on, feeling uncomfortable in the room. He knew he'd been invited, but this was different than when he'd gone over to Will's to watch TV.

Maybe it was just lingering guilt over what he'd done in Frank's apartment back in Ashfield, without the man's knowledge.

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 04:46 am UTC (link)
"That's a stupid place for a switch..." L sighed, reaching back and finally finding the switch through trial-and-error tapping. When the atmosphere was visually stable, he got his first decent glimpse of Henry Townshend. Pleasantly average, in most regards... the type of appearance that could easily hide a devious mind... or nothing at all. L furrowed his brow slightly. Never since Light Yagami had he met someone so difficult to read. But his expression, while subtle, was unmistakable. Pity, or disgust, something along those lines.

"You're not intruding," L said stiffly, in reply to Henry's statement. "You were invited... and though I haven't met Mr. Sunderland personally, he seems like a fine, upstanding gentleman. Besides... if he was your landlord, you should feel right at home... or is the lizard making you uneasy? Or... well, it couldn't be me." L shrugged off that possibility, blithely unaware of how his unblinking stare actually somewhat resembled the lizard's.

L automatically reached into his pocket for some candy, forgetting that he was wearing his funeral suit. But he found a roll of lifesavers anyway... maybe he'd been buried with them. "I, er, have some candy. If you want any." he held the roll towards Henry, looking almost laughably childish.

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 05:00 am UTC (link)
"Oh, well, not everything here makes sense," Henry pointed out. And, well, having a light switch for mood setting lights like that behind the headboard made sense to Henry. Sort of. Was it even okay to think about things like that in Heaven? He wasn't sure. But... well. He could see a reason for it.

It was hard to explain, in terms that were understandable, why he was uncomfortable. "Oh, uh, yeah. I know. Mr. Sunderland's a good guy. I just...feel kind of weird being here when he doesn't know." He scratched at the stubble on his chin, unable to explain it any better. His unease was due to things that were beyond explaining. He wouldn't even explain what had happened to Mr. Sunderland himself, when the man had been a part of it. He couldn't, he didn't know how yet.

"Oh, um, thanks." He took a piece of offered candy. "I left the pictures for Mr. Sunderland over there..."

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 05:12 am UTC (link)
"Well... I don't see why you should feel weird," L said, shrinking away slightly as Henry took a piece of candy as if to specify the precise dimensions of his personal bubble. "I mean, you know him... he's my roommate... he's not here, so he can't be bothered... you brought him photographs, and unless they're some kind of peace offering, I take that to mean that you're on a friendly basis, more-or-less..." he began to chew the tip of his index finger as he thought out loud, his black eyes wandering towards the ceiling. "Speaking of the pictures... is it OK if I see them? Or are they for Mr. Sunderland's eyes alone?"

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 05:25 am UTC (link)
"Well, um, I just feel awkward being in his space without him knowing, that's all. We're friendly, but..." Henry shrugged. "Guess it's just one of those things." He really couldn't offer Ryuzaki any other explanation.

"Huh? Oh, no, you can see them. They're just some pictures of the mansion and the garden." And he'd thought Mr. Sunderland would like them. He felt badly for the older man. He'd lost his son, such horrible things had happened in his apartment building.... He wanted to do something nice for him.

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 05:33 am UTC (link)
"Half the room is mine. If you'd feel more comfortable, you can be in my space," offered L, tipping his body sideways and half-rolling, half-sliding off the bed. "Problem solved." he crossed over to Mr. Sunderland's side, carefully picking up the featherfall picture using only his index fingers and thumbs and peering closely at it. "You are a good photographer," he decided. "The focus and perspective are really excellent... does this sort of thing happen often, in this..." he searched for a proper word. "....country?"

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 05:41 am UTC (link)
Henry just smiled a little. "Nah, it's okay. Thanks, though." He knew it was stupid to be worried. Mr. Sunderland most likely wouldn't mind at all. But he couldn't help that guilty feeling. Almost like returning to the scene of a crime.

"Oh, thanks. And, uh, the feathers were around for about a week. But that was it." He didn't wax poetic about them like he had the previous night with Will. He was...comfortable around Will. Like maybe they had more in common than just what they'd talked about.

"Um, everybody calls where we are a 'realm'. If that helps any?"

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 05:54 am UTC (link)
"Nope. Doesn't help," L said, shrugging as he set the picture down and turned his attention to the lizard tank. He gave an affected little shudder. "I don't know if I like lizards yet... but it just doesn't blink. That's a bit unnerving."

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[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 05:47 am UTC (link)
Frank opened the door to his room and realized that Henry and his new roommate were standing there. Maybe he'd been supposed to knock? Though it was still his room... but if he was supposed to, he would. He thought to himself that simple things shouldn't be so confusing at his age.

"Oh hello there, Mr. Townshend. And you must be Mr... Ryuzaki, right? I'm Frank Sunderland." He put his hand out nervously toward his new roommate.

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 05:59 am UTC (link)
"Oh, um... I don't know if lizards need to blink..." Henry was saying when Mr. Sunderland came in. "Oh! Mr. Sunderland. Um, hi. I hope you don't mind I dropped by...um... Mr. Ryuzaki was having trouble with the lights, and I had some pictures for you...."

He trailed off, a little sheepishly.

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[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 06:27 am UTC (link)
"Trouble with the lights? Oh... did you hit that switch behind the headboard, Mr. Ryuzaki? That could give a person a heart attack. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

Frank scratched the back of his head. He was getting a little more used to conversation, but he knew he still wasn't exactly doing well at it. His roommate seemed like an all right person, maybe a little... nervous. Frank hoped that still wasn't the suit he'd been buried in, but he was a little afraid to ask.

"Did you... find some new clothes?"

"You... you can come by any time, Mr. Townshend, as far as I'm concerned. Pictures for me... that's very kind of you."

He hadn't even seen any of Mr. Townshend's pictures back in Ashfield, except the ones on the wall of his apartment. It was nice of him to remember at all.

"Lizards don't blink, some of them... I don't think I've ever seen Rosa blink. Um... Mr. Graham named her Rosa... looks like she's a girl lizard. But, well, if she's bothering you, Mr. Ryuzaki, maybe Mr. Graham can keep her instead."

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 05:59 am UTC (link)
L turned quickly, his elbow missing knocking over the lizard tank by about a millimeter. "Oh. Mr. Sunderland..." he didn't have a mustache, and he was taller and more muscular, but the older gentleman really did remind L of Watari. He lowered his gaze shyly, reaching out hesitantly and trying to actually use his entire hand to shake Frank's.

"Yes. Yes, I'm Ryuzaki," L said, almost slipping and actually giving the older man his real name. He scolded himself internally. It was his sentimental memories of a father figure coloring his perceptions of this newcomer... he shouldn't be so quick to trust. "It's nice to meet you... I think you know Henry, right?"

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[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 06:30 am UTC (link)
Frank shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Yes, I was the superintendent of Mr. Townshend's building back in Ashfield, Mr. Ryuzaki."

[OOC: Sorry, I also commented up there on another comment... I hope there's no mix-up... Frank can say this after he said that?]

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[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 06:37 am UTC (link)
[OOC: And I'll respond here, and posting order can go: L, Frank, Henry?]

"I, uh, took care of the lights," Henry explained. "But, yeah, I brought over those pictures of Asgard for you. I took so many... um, I thought you might like them. I was just going to drop them off, but Mr. Ryuzaki and I got to talking."

Awkwardly and uncomfortably, but that was par for the course for Henry. He was more comfortable now that Mr. Sunderland was actually here, though.

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 06:38 am UTC (link)
((haha, no problem. ^^ ))

L scratched the back of his head with his free hand, obviously out of his element with niceties like handshakes. "The lizard... Rosa, right? She's fine. It's kind of you to worry, but I think that we'll get along." he gave a forced laugh, thinking about how ironic the heart attack statement was, under his particular circumstances. "Hm... actually, I haven't found new clothes... in my journal, I requested a fresh set, but unfortunately... right," he said awkwardly. "Apart from the grass stains, dust, and such, though, it beats going naked. I guess. Does... does death make you nervous, Mr. Sunderland?" L asked, perhaps a bit too frankly.

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Repost, sorry...
[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 07:17 am UTC (link)
Frank thought for a moment. "Not exactly. I did quite a bit of research into the supernatural back when... well, it's a long story. But when my wife was still alive, she used to tell me to pick out a suit to be buried in... I still have it, but I'd hate to be walking around in it while I'm still alive. It doesn't seem right. Besides, I picked out the one that didn't quite fit right, because I figured it wouldn't matter..."

He looked at the ground. That probably sounded pretty dumb. But it was true.

"So it's not like what happened to you makes me nervous, exactly."

Well, talking to Mr. Ryuzaki made him nervous, but not because of that.

"You aren't the only one here, anyway. Miss Elliot was... well, she doesn't talk about it like you do, so you might not want to bring it up to her, but still, she passed away back on Earth."

There might be others too; Frank wasn't sure about everyone.

"Anyway, you really do need new clothes, but like I said, mine wouldn't fit you. I'm sorry about that. And... thanks for being nice about Rosa. She's just a harmless little thing."

Frank looked at the pictures. "These are very nice... I really like this one with the feathers. I never really looked at your pictures back in Ashfield, Mr. Townshend. "It's..." Frank almost said "ironic" but changed his mind "good to get the chance now. And nice of you to remember. I... suppose your clothes wouldn't fit Mr. Ryuzaki here either, would they?"

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]my_private_life
2008-05-14 07:20 am UTC (link)
"Um, I'm sure somebody here has clothes that would fit..." Henry offered. "I might have something. If Mr. Ryuzaki doesn't mind...." He didn't want to seem strange, but... well, it probably was weird to be walking around in your funeral clothes.

"Well, uh, I'll just... you guys should get to know each other. Since you're living together." They should have time to do that, without him hanging around being uncomfortable.

"Uh, thanks for the candy, Mr. Ryuzaki. And I'm glad you like the pictures, Mr. Sunderland. If I find any more I think you'd like, I'll bring them by. And, if you want, I can bring you some clothes, Mr. Ryuzaki? I don't have anything fancy... just jeans and shirts...."

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 07:47 am UTC (link)
L bit back an inappropriate grin on hearing about Frank's own funeral suit. "Really? Your wife told you that?" he asked, his glittering black eyes displaying a portion of his amusement despite his restraint. To divert from his ridiculously odd response, he cleared his throat and voiced a real downer. "I never got married, or wore a suit before I died. I think that some well-meaning individuals must have bought it just for the occasion... it's really too nice, to stick underground." he tilted his head, noticing that Frank seemed to doubt his own words quite a bit. Either that, or L's reputation for giving people the heebie-jeebies had carried over to this realm.

When Frank asked Henry about clothes, though, L felt a twinge of... was it embarrassment? He fought with himself momentarily after Henry was a good sport and agreed to the proposal. Back when Watari took care of everything for him in return for his tireless work as a detective, L had worn jeans and long-sleeved white t-shirts. Thermals in the wintertime. He'd bathed as he pleased and eaten what he wanted, never worrying about material items. But for some reason, he craved the familiar comfort of his prior adopted uniform. "Jeans and a t-shirt... are perfect," he said slowly. "The plainer and looser, the better... you're welcome to stay, but if you want to leave, I suppose we shouldn't keep you. At any rate, it was nice getting to know each other." Empty words, as they'd actually discovered very little.

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 07:25 pm UTC (link)
"Judith, she, well, she didn't believe in denying anything, I suppose. We were both still young when she came up with that, and she picked out a dress, and in the end it was me who had to... Well, never mind that."

Frank was wondering exactly how creepy this poor guy thought he was, some old man with a dead wife and his burial clothes all ready. He never did come off well to strangers, or even to his own tenants.

And now he was in some kind of heaven without even dying, but even he knew better than to say that right now.

"Truth is, I had a few suits when she was alive, but these days I wouldn't wear a suit on a bet. So, it sounds like Mr. Townshend's clothes should do fine for you."

That explained even further why Mr. Ryuzaki lookd so uncomfortable; someone had bought this thing for him after he died and it probably didn't even fit.

He turned to Henry. "I appreciate it. I didn't mean to volunteer you like that, but... thanks from me too."

"And you never married, Mr. Ryuzaki? Well, I suppose maybe you didn't leave anyone behind, that way."

Frank winced after he said it. He didn't mean it in a bad way. He himself hadn't left anyone behind either, except the tenants, and the management company would watch out for them.

[OOC: I find it charming that Frank reminds L of Watari. He'll probably be very disappointed to find out that Frank has little education, poor guy, though I like to think Frank's not dumb...]

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 07:42 pm UTC (link)
"Judith?" L asked, biting his fingertip. It was an old-sounding name... but maybe it was only because an old man had voiced it. "Well... I feel bad about that. I'm sorry."

Of course, L took the statement about leaving no one behind in a different way. "Ah... you mean... like, kids?" he asked shifting from one foot to the other. He looked so much like a child, with his wide eyes and ill-fitting suit, that the suggestion was almost obscene. "I was encouraged to... but I never got around to it. I guess." he cleared his throat, staring pensively at the wall a 90-degree angle away from Frank. Then he thought of other ways that might be taken. "Oh. No, no wife, no relatives... I wasn't missed."

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 07:58 pm UTC (link)
"Well, thank you. Judith passed away a long time ago, but..." Frank was about to say "at least she had the dress ready," but he'd talked enough about burial clothes. "But, well, thank you."

It had been over thirty years when he left. Frank had added the time up when Dorian had asked the other day. It seemed odd that she had been gone so long, when she had been of the only important people in his life besides James.

"You had no relatives?" Had his parents passed away? He was a pretty young guy. Maybe Frank shouldn't ask. He hated to pry, and he had trouble telling when questions were normal, so often he just didn't ask. "Well, I'm sure that doesn't mean you weren't missed. You had people... looking out for you after all." Whoever had picked out the suit for one thing, but Frank wasn't about to mention that again. And his roommate seemed like a nice person, a bit... different maybe, but nicer than some of the people back in South Ashfield Heights at least. But Frank wasn't sure how to say that. "I'm sure... people miss you."

"I don't think Miss Inverse would fight you for your candy, but you never know. And ... she can throw fireballs, so..."

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 08:07 pm UTC (link)
L shook his head. "None whatsoever. My father died before I was a year old. My mother... well, she had some issues, and... and I lost her. But," he said briskly, "There was someone else. Watari. He took care of me, and if he was alive, I think he'd miss me. Otherwise, though..." he continued to chew his finger, oblivious of the fact that the skin was torn and had begun to bleed, "there is no one. But thank you for thinking so." He glanced up at Frank, briefly meeting his eyes, but holding eye contact for as long as he was able to.

"Fireballs? That's... different.... I'll definitely watch out for her. But..." L glanced at his journal, quickly snapping the device shut when he read the message. "In a little while, I have to go somewhere," he said, as if unsure how much to say. "Can... can I contact you, if I need help for any reason?"

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]franksunderland
2008-05-15 03:48 pm UTC (link)
"I'm very sorry to hear about your parents. My dad passed when I was... well, I was already seventeen. I'm glad you had a... guardian, then." Frank had been afraid his roommate had grown up in an orphanage, or bad foster homes like someone else he had met here.

"Miss Inverse is a good kid, and I imagine those fireballs will come in handy for our.. side. I just wouldn't want to get in between her and any food, that's all." Now Mr. Ryuzaki was probably wondering why Frank kept repeating himself... but he hadn't met Miss Inverse. Now she had a taste for junk food, too, and Frank blamed himself a little for that one.

"Anyway, you... do what you need to. I'm not always sure how much help I can be, to be honest with you... I'm just an ordinary old guy compared to some around here... but if there is anything I can do for you, well, I do hope you'll ask. It's... different here, being about to help."

"And... nice meeting you.'

[OOC: I know, L did grow up in an orphanage but that's not the impression Frank has. Eventually that might make an interesting conversation...]

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-15 03:52 pm UTC (link)
((I agree; that would be an interesting conversation topic. :D ))

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]franksunderland
2008-05-14 07:27 pm UTC (link)
"Oh, and if you have candy, Mr. Ryuzaki, don't go telling Miss Inverse. She's a nice kid, but she'll eat anything that isn't moving and then go look for more."

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Re: Repost, sorry...
[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 07:44 pm UTC (link)
"Don't worry. I'm good at fighting for candy," L said, biting the top of the roll of lifesavers. "And... er... I'll keep an eye out for her..."

((OOC: lol, yes, I think it's really adorable, too. ))

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[info]luke_lawliet
2008-05-14 10:41 pm UTC (link)
L seemed to be in a hurry. He quickly nodded to Frank before leaving and heading in the direction of the book store he had agreed to meet Jazz at.

Finished

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