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Comfy as you are, there’s no telling how far those <span class="mu-r">ANIMAL CONTROL</span> psychos will patrol, and having sand in your hair just isn’t your idea of a fun time! Letting go of Talbot and braving the freezing sea breeze, you wrap your arms around your shivering torso and deliver a few motivational, but still soft, kicks to Talbot’s side!
“Ow, damn it!” He groans as he smacks your leg with the unicorn, “Quit it!”
Rise and shine, you command as you continue to kick him! You’re getting outta’ here… and <span class="mu-i">you’ll</span> pay for the rideshare. Least you can do!
“Urfgh… Sounds good to me…” Rising to his feet, Talbot rings some of the seawater out of his soaked and wrinkled dress shirt before attending to you! Still sopping wet, your dress clings to and sends a chill through your already cold body, and while you could probably just change into the casual clothes you wore earlier, you’re pretty sure those got wet too.
Still, you reason as your date hugs you close for warmth and walks with you towards the nearest non-<span class="mu-r">ANIMAL CONTROL</span>-patrolled road, this is hardly the worst outcome!
Being in the rideshare business, your driver doesn’t raise any eyebrows or ask any questions when you and your date clamber into the back of his car like a pair of drowned rats. Wordlessly turning on the heater, he leaves both of you in comfortable silence from the moment he picks you up to the moment the two of you disembark outside the crusty old tenement you’ve lived in for…
… well, a <span class="mu-i">while</span>!
“Shit,” remarks Talbot as you fumble with your keys at the front gate, “This is, uh…”
Shitty? Gross? Dangerous? You’ve heard ‘em all, you groan as you lead the way through the mail area and through a barren concrete courtyard littered with dead plants and cigarette butts!
“Yea…” laughs your date as you pass by the barred windows of the lower units. Well, you sigh, the price is right when you’re livin’ on your own, so…
You don’t bother telling him what you pay every month, and thankfully he doesn’t ask! Climbing the seasick-colored stairwell with only a flickering yellow light to guide you, you instinctively pull Talbot away from the one stair with the rusty nail poking out–lord knows <span class="mu-i">that’s</span> gotten’ ya’ a few times!
“Well at least it’s quiet tonight…” Talbot shivers as you make it to the second floor. Yea, well, you whisper, you never really know around here–some nights it’s animals fighting in the breezeway, others it's a full-on raid by the county sheriff… that was a wild one!
“And, uh…” your date adds as he stares at the concrete pit full of leaves, cigarette butts, and half-finished bottles, “Guess the pool’s closed, huh?”
<span class="mu-i">He’s</span> welcome to take a dip.
>CONTD.