Mending The Broken

Part One

"Sorry, sorry! Excuse me!" Trying to make her way through the constant crowds of people, Elizabeth didn't see the taller figure in front of her until the last or her beautiful, cheap coffee had left her cup.

The stranger looked down and noted the dark coffee on his jacket, probably staining it beyond fixing now. He glared at the young woman in front of him, before softening his expression and nearly choked on laughter. The gas mask he was wearing for God knows why didn’t seem all that authentic, considering how relatively clear his voice was coming through.

"PFFFFFFTHAHAHAH...Bro! Fuckin' rich! You could not have timed that better!" He laughed raucously again for a good thirty seconds before calming down. As was usual for him, he got plenty of odd looks from people. "Ahhhhhh...Hehe, I needed that. Today's been rough. I dunno what it was about that, normally I wouldn't'a laughed, but that was fuckin' great for some reason."

He sighed with a smile. It took a moment for it to register to her, but his voice was as smooth as butter. Not in the manner that would make one seem charming, nor one that would make them sound menacing, and certainly not one that would imply any level of class. It was just smooth.

Whoa. Elizabeth thought to herself. Today could be interesting.

The more this stranger spoke in his smooth-as-butter voice, the more Elizabeth liked listening to it. Except his laughter. That sounded like a dolphin orgy, but was somehow even more annoying than one.

What am I supposed to do?!? Her mind silently panicked.

And his eyes...one could be pardoned for not believing his eye color was natural. They were a disturbingly sickly, pale yellow. The kind of color one would equate to pus dripping out of a wound.

Elizabeth stood her ground, not because of shock, or because she was afraid, but because she ultimately had nothing else she could do. She had just spilled a steaming cup of coffee on a complete and, honestly attractive, total stranger. Her hazel irises scanned the cemented sidewalk as she stuttered out an amateur apology. "I-I am so sorry! Um, can I, uh-" she continued to stammer, playing with her fingers nervously as she spoke in a quiet voice.

Damn it, why the hell am I acting like this? She scolded herself.

"Dude, nothing to be sorry about! That was great!" He said, attempting to wipe a tear from his eye before realizing he was still wearing a gas mask. "Aye, here, how much was that coffee?" He continued as he pulled out a wallet made entirely of tinfoil. "I'll give you enough for another one, you fuckin' earned it." He went on, still trying to catch his breath.

Girl, pull yourself together!

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, surprised at his actions, before shaking her head in an attempt to clear it of confusion. "What are you doing?" She  demanded. "I dumped MY coffee on YOU." She took a deep breath in order to try to calm herself.

"Yeah, coffee YOU were going to drink, and a dumping of it on me, that made MY goddamned day!" He said, a bit more composed. The noose that was wrapped around his shoulder began to slide down to his arm. "So yeah, how much was it?"

Fuck, he's right.

Elizabeth slightly blushed at his outwardness towards the current situation. "I don't know, like, maybe four twenty-five or something?" She was now more embarrassed by the fact that she hadn't paid attention to the prices. Her long black nails scratched the back of her head, showing just how awkward she was around people.

He sighed a bit, though it sounded a tad more amused than annoyed. "Ya need me to go back to the coffee house with ya to pay for it there?" He inquired as he adjusted the noose on his arm to be back on his shoulder. 

Elizabeth wanted to keep an eye on the noose, but didn't want to risk it being used. Not that she thought he would actually use it, but some people are crazy and, after all, this world IS full of people. She kept her head down, but kept her eyes locked on his every move. "If you don't mind…I mean, um, yes?" Elizabeth pulled the sleeves of her denim jacket down a bit. She rotated her thumbs around each other, a bad habit of 'twiddling'. She started revolving them in the opposite direction.

"Off to it, then!" He exclaimed as he went off in the direction of the nearest Starbucks, beckoning her to follow. While walking, the noise of metal clanking together emanated from his right thigh.

Well, if he's the one paying, I suppose that I might as well tag along, even though he IS pretty childish. Her thoughts rationalized. She paused for a moment before continuing to follow the new acquaintance.

As she ran to catch up with him, Elizabeth kept glancing down at his long legs. He looked back. "What?" he chuckled. She snapped from her gaze and stared up at him. "What? Nothing." Her eyes widened in innocence.

Damn it! I swear I wasn't looking at your legs! I just wanted to know why they were making noises! Her mind pleaded.

"Really? Because it looks to me like you were staring at my legs." He playfully mocked her. "Wondering what that clacking sound is, or something?"

Is he like some kind of f*****g mind reader or something? She blushed nervously and returned her eyes to the sidewalk once more. "Y-yes." She replied timidly.

"Well, since you asked." He lifted up the side of his shirt slightly, revealing that his belt buckle was on the side of his pants, and tied to it were thin strings with nails at the ends. "Bro, if this doesn't become a thing in a few years, I swear to God, I'm gonna stick someone's nuts in a blender." He laughed.

Damn.