[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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Parties, he hated them. And this was coming from someone who had never been to one. At least not until now. But he was sure he wouldn’t have liked them much as a kid either. Even back then, he hadn’t been much of a people person. Seriously, what about him screamed ‘party’?
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His grandparents had been quite happy when he had told them about the party, even if he was only attending for work reasons. That was quite typical of them, though. They were always going on about him needing friends. He had friends. And now he was being told he needed more. Just the thought made it so he had to resist the urge to huff in annoyance.
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Though the fact he had to dress up was making it harder. Seriously, wasn’t dressing up for kids? That was what his father had always said. Not that he had done much dressing up as a kid. Then again, he supposed he really shouldn’t listen to anything that had ever come out of his father's mouth.
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His partner’s voice drew his attention, and his gaze flickered towards him. His partner for the assignment was someone named Sterling. Not someone he was too familiar with, despite both hailing from Galar. Though that wasn’t too surprising. The people he already knew from Galar were just coincidence.
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The younger teen was dressed as some kind of plumber, vastly different from his own choice as a vampire. But then again, he hadn’t wanted to come and had wanted something that wouldn’t take a lot of effort. Though his grandparents had found his choice amusing for some reason.
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“No, I’m not a big fan of crowds,” he said, letting his gaze momentarily trail over the people that were also attending. No one had really tried to cause trouble. But he was sure there was only a matter of time before someone tried something.
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He had made a checklist of things someone may try, and every now and then, he would check to see if nothing had happened. Seeing that nothing had happened, he turned his attention back to Sterling. “My grandparents were quite happy work made it so I had to attend, though.”[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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Watching the people around him, he wanted to scowl but resisted. Seeing everyone like this, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, although he didn't show it. But even if he seemed fine on the outside, there was a sense of bitterness on the inside. 'Must be nice, being happy and able to have fun,' he thought bitterly, briefly looking away from the joyful scene towards the doors.
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Since being here, he had kept an eye on the people while also monitoring the exits. It was always good to know their whereabouts in case something happened, although he wasn't expecting much trouble. At least not the kind that would require an evacuation. It was better to be safe than sorry, though.
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"I don't understand what there is to celebrate," he said aloud, redirecting his attention to the partygoers. Seriously, what was there to be happy about? With the state of Hoenn, he didn't think there was anything to rejoice over.
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He supposed that was just his own bitterness talking. Seeing the worst in everything was just part of his personality. He often had to remind himself that not everyone had such a dark outlook on life, that not everyone was a pessimist who only saw the negative.
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As he mentioned his dad, his gaze flickered to him. "It's Hoenn, who's to say you would've been any safer at home," he muttered, briefly closing his eyes, although his posture indicated he was still aware of his surroundings. This was further proven when he suddenly grabbed someone's wrist, his eyes shooting up.
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He eyed her, recognizing her as one of the individuals who had been by the food table. He released her, pinning her with a glare. "What are you doing?" he asked, on edge that she had been about to touch him.
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"I thought you two were lonely," she said quietly, flinching slightly as the glare intensified.
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He mentally counted to ten to calm himself before responding. "Well, clearly you were mistaken," he said, briefly glancing at the others at the food table who were watching them and giggling. "And you can tell your friends who put you up to this that we're busy."
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Once she was gone, he turned his attention back to Sterling. "Considering your accent, you're from Galar. If your father is so afraid of something happening, why move to Hoenn, a place known to be at war with Team Rocket?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the younger teen.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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From his peripheral vision, he noticed the younger teen flinch when he caught the girl's wrist. His stomach twisted upon noticing, but his expression remained blank, not giving away that he felt bad. It was hard, though, to act so unaffected, especially when the other's reaction had made him think of the way he reacted to his father, which made him think the younger teen was afraid of him.
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After releasing the girl's hand, he realized his hand was shaking slightly. Before either could notice, he shoved his hands into his pockets. As she explained why she had approached, it took all he had not to snap at her. He kept his tone neutral but couldn't quite keep himself from intensifying his glare.
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To his relief, she left, but he was still pretty tense. He hated that she had tried to invade his personal space, but what he hated more were the feelings she had helped bring up. Though he supposed it was his fault too. He had been the one to catch hold of her wrist.
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As the younger teen spoke, he turned his attention to him. The mention of someone else's dad brought forth mixed emotions. "That's pretty careless of your dad. I'm sure he's a good guy, but it's important to pay attention to what's going on in the world."
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"Then again, I suppose I don't have any room to talk. I was just as unaware of what was going on in the world when I came to Hoenn to live with my grandparents three years ago," he said with a small shake of his head. "My move was kind of out of the blue, though. I didn't have time to read up on what was going on in the world."
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Though he was conversing with Sterling, he was also paying attention to his surroundings. Taking in the girl at the table, he scowled. "I hope they aren't planning something," he muttered.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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So far, the girl and her friends weren't doing anything aside from talking. That didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on them, though. They were probably just waiting for them to let down their guard. Yes, he knew that made him a bit paranoid, but considering the things that had happened in his life, it was to be expected.
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Deciding he might as well converse with the younger teen, he turned his attention towards them but kept an eye on the girl and her friends with his peripheral vision. Conversing had always been hard for him, though the younger teen didn't seem to be the best at conversing either. In fact, both brought up their move without really going into detail. It was basically the kind of small talk one made when they didn't know what else to say. Though he supposed their conversation could be worse. They could've decided to talk about the weather, after all.
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Even when having a better topic to talk about, he sometimes still found it hard to know what to say. So instead of saying anything about their own revealed information of having to move suddenly, he simply nodded. Silence lapsed between them, and he took the time to let his gaze trail over the people around them, surveying their surroundings.
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He was momentarily distracted from his people watching by Sterling asking whether he wanted some of the food they had gotten. He eyed the cookies and chips on the plate, but before he could respond, someone approached. Having seen the person approaching in his peripheral vision, he had already turned to face the other male before he even started speaking.
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The men's bathroom. One of the only places they hadn't been keeping an eye on. The other place being the women's bathroom.
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He mentally cursed himself for being careless as he turned to the younger teen. "We should check it out," he told them before he started to head in the direction of the men's bathroom.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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A voice in the back of his mind told him that the fire in the bathroom was a setup, a distraction. Because, let's be honest, what would be the point of setting a fire in the bathroom unless it was to divert attention from something else? The nagging voice in the back of his mind was never wrong, but what could be done? It wasn't like they could allow the fire to continue in the bathroom.
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A shout from behind him almost made him spin around, his fist ready to swing, expecting someone to sneak up. He might not care for violence, but that didn't mean he wouldn't knock someone out if they thought they could get the drop on him. He barely refrained from doing so, and it was lucky that he did. Instead, he chose to glance over his shoulder just in time to see the girl from before dart away from the punch table.
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It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. He was about ready to go after her himself, but Sterling was already heading in that direction. As they promised to take care of it, he nodded before whipping around to pin the guy who had told them about the bathroom fire with a glare.
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"If you were one of the ones who orchestrated that," he paused to gesture towards the punch table, "you and I will be having words," he finished before stalking towards the bathroom to put out the fire.
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Threats weren't usually his thing, but if there was one thing he hated, it was being made a fool of. Though in reality, the worst that would happen was the perpetrators being given a lecture before being handed over to the proper authorities. But they didn't need to know that.
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Heading to the mens room, he encountered no further people. Unknown to him, the dark expression on his face was enough to deter others from getting in his way as he approached the men's room.
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Upon entering the men's room, he was relieved to find that the fire wasn't a big one. For now, it was contained to the trash can, so it hadn't really started to spread. Which was a good thing. Still, it wouldn't do to waste time.
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So, without further ado, he turned on one of the sinks and allowed the water to run as he filled a bottle with water. Then, he poured the water over the fire. He continued the process until the fire was out before inspecting the trash can where the fire had been.
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At first, he didn't see anything. Then, he noticed the cigarette in the trash. 'Of course,' he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. While it was likely that the fire had been accidentally caused by throwing a still lit cigarette in the trash can, he doubted it. The girl trying to get him and Sterling to party, the fire in the bathroom soon after they had dismissed her attempts, and the spiked punch right after they had been called away to check out the fire. It all seemed too convenient to just be a coincidence.
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Resisting the urge to sigh, he made his way out of the bathroom, his face set into a neutral expression. The first thing he needed to do was to tell Sterling about his findings, and then see if that guy from before knew anything.
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"There was a cigarette in the trash," he said upon reaching the other's side. "But something tells me that the fire in the trash can was no accident. Someone set it, knowing that we would have to go do something about it."[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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It seemed Sterling was on the same page as him. That was good. It meant he didn't have to try and spell it out for them.
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He grunted in affirmation of their statement, showing that he had come to the same conclusion. But other than that, he didn't do anything to show he was thinking along the same lines.
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When asked if he remembered what the guy looked like, he nodded before speaking.
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"Yeah, but he'll probably take off the second he sees me coming towards him," he said with a sigh.
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Perhaps threatening him hadn't been the best idea.
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Not that it had been much of a threat.
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Basically, he had just threatened to give him a lecture.
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Nothing to be really scared about.
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Still, he knew his type. He knew he would take off the second he saw him coming towards him. Either because he had threatened him or because he had already planned on doing so the second he could slip away after telling them about the fire.
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Yes, it was completely possible he had plans to run from the start.
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As he watched Sterling and his Kirlia tend to the punch, he suddenly had a thought. Perhaps a way to catch at least one of them.
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"Hey, does your Kirlia have teleport as one of its moves?" he would ask once Sterling returns after throwing out the punch.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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Well, there went the idea of coming at him and one of them using teleportation to get in front of him. There had to be other things he could do to ensure the guy from before didn't escape. A way to corner him somehow or catch him off guard in some way so they could apprehend him. Either would work.
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Before he could think too much about it, Sterling spoke up with an idea of their own. Yes, they could make it work. He could drive him towards Sterling, and when he thought he was in more trouble than he actually was, that should make him pause long enough to be able to nab him.
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"Yes, that should work. Go get in position. It's best to take up a position near an exit because that's definitely where he'll be aiming to go," he said, letting his gaze surreptitiously scan the exits before deciding which exit would be the best to guard, and then telling Sterling about it. "When you head that way, make it look like you're leaving if he's watching, so he thinks I'm the only one present. Then I'll make sure he heads in that direction."
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Once the plan had been made, he would walk away from Sterling and wander around for a bit, as if he were looking for someone. Only after he saw that Sterling was in position would he start to make his way towards the guy from before, approaching him at a bit of an angle to drive him towards the indicated exit. He would actually shoulder people aside to sell the idea that he was coming after the guy, deciding that he would just have to make apologies later.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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