[centre][url=https://fontmeme.com/chalk-fonts/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230127/8f93610ba36fcb1ededdfbb869cb1bc0.png[/img][/url] [h1]&[/h1] [img]https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/273x65q90/924/zsILcN.png[/img][/centre] A few minutes out from the commotion that had taken place on the floor of the bodega, things seemed to have calmed down a bit. With the kid seemingly content and at ease in the back, and nobody in the shop the wiser about the police that were on their way, a sense of normalcy returned. "I still think we should cut our losses." "Yeah, but you say that about every idea I have. Anyway, we're here, so no good crying about it now." A sense of normalcy that was promptly shattered by two voices from the street outside the bodega, somehow loud enough to be distinct even as they were muffled by the concrete, glass and metal of the storefront. "Just sayin', Frankie.” The first of the voices was nasal and almost lazy-sounding despite its volume, as if its owner thought they had a laundry list of better things to do than whatever business their companion had in mind. “It didn't work at the other places and it ain't gonna work here." "You talk about a lotta things, but you never say much, do ya?" The second voice, meanwhile, was likewise nasal but a lot more energetic and cutting, as if its owner was teetering on the edge of some kind of episode. There was a brief pause, before they continued: "Alright, if Dean's done-" "Stupid idea, Frankie-" The first voice- ‘Dean’, it seemed?- cut in- [i]"If Dean's done-[/i] Sammy, it's just like we said.” ‘Frankie’ replied, the edge in their voice briefly boiling over into a screech before it settled back down and he continued as before. ”You stay out here and keep an eye open for any wiseguys and we go in and talk business." "Yes, Frankie." A third voice cut in, this one deep and smooth and only just audible by comparison to the other two. "See anyone suspicious, and you let us know right away, yeah?" "Yes, Frankie." "Attaboy. Dean, you coming or what?" "Yeah, sure, let's get this shitshow over with." A moment passed in silence. The sound of footsteps could be heard as one of the unknown people outside- likely ‘Sammy’- skittered away in a hurry, but even that quickly passed as it got further away. Another passed, the silence becoming heavy- And then the door of the bodega swung open with a jingle, revealing two of the three [i]individuals[/i] that had been talking amongst themselves outside. It was as if a fever dream had become manifest. Whatever the two beings were, they certainly weren’t human; the proportions weren’t impossible, even if they were far shorter and more squat than the impression their voices sold of them, but the green hue of their bodies rather precluded that even before they stepped forward and the two strange disk-like structures atop both their oversized heads became visible. Their unblinking eyes darted about the bodega, turning every which way in their sockets as they darted from product to product, customer to customer- finally coming to rest on their mark, Saul. “Salutations, good sir!” A thin line on their face opening up into a grin that revealed a disconcertingly human-looking set of teeth- incisors, canines, premolars, the whole nine yards- ‘Frankie’ was the one to break the heavy silence, the manic edge to his(?) voice almost gone as it took on new inflection and diction; still rapid-fire, but now [i]far[/i] more deliberate despite that. “Am I to understand that this fine establishment is a place in which money may be exchanged for goods and services?” “Yeah,” Saul rumbled as his eyes narrowed at the pair of little green men. “I’m guessing you two aren’t from around here, is ya?” Under the shelf, his hand slid towards a button. “Ah, don’t let our preferred manners of elocution deceive you, myself and Dean are as much New Havenites as any of you fine folk!” At least for now, however, it seemed as if the bizarre entities didn’t mean any harm. “Born here, certainly, debatably bred, so to speak. The old lady doesn't have much time for us these days, but we're enterprising men-about-town, so we make do." --- “Who are they?” Jimmy demanded, staring at the security monitor at Frankie and Dean.” “Never seen ‘em,” Remy said, putting down the half-eaten sandwich. “Am I seeing this right, are they green?” “Looks that way.” --- At the front of the store, Saul glanced at the storeroom door, then shrugged at Frankie. “If yer money’s good and you and your ‘associate’, was it? As long as you behave, I won’t give ya the bum’s rush. That okay with you, Mister…?” “Frankie,” the strange being quickly replied, nodding vigorously. “Yes sir, I see you’re a man of proprietary, truly a rare thing in this day and age, so I assure you; this is legal tender acquired through entirely legal means. Myself and Dean here have been through the wringer today trying to convince some less-than-accommodating fellows of the same, so you have my word as the boss of The Rat Pack-” “You don’t need to keep adding that part-” The second being huffed, speaking up for the first time since they came into the bodega- [i]”Can it, Dean!”[/i] Only to be cut off by a sudden jarring screech from their companion, whose eyes almost bugged out of their sockets as they clenched their teeth in fury. An awkward moment passed, and as they collected himself they looked around, cleared their throat and continued. “My apologies, that was improper of me. You have my word as the [i]boss[/i] that we won’t cause any trouble for you, your customers or your fine establishment here. Simply allow us to peruse your wares at a leisurely pace and we’ll soon be on our way, money exchanged and goods in hand.” Saul’s face split into a wide grin. What the hell, he had insurance.And he had to admire how these two stayed in character. “I like you,” Saul nodded. “Seein’ how we’ve got the ground rules set, I am honoured that you and your associate Dean have decided to grace my shop this evenin’.” --- “Is he…” Jimmy paused, leaning forward trying to catch a better glance of Saul in one of the cameras, “Is Saul smiling?” “He doesn’t smile?” Remy asked, blank faced. “Almost never, not since… Well, never.” --- “Much obliged, good sir. You’ll not regret your kindness this evening!” And with a final nod, ‘Frankie’ waddled forward into the bodega, their head turning back at an unnatural angle to stare back at Dean as they went. “... Hey, do you remember what we wanted to buy in the first place?” “What, you forgot?” ‘Dean’ responded, as they likewise made their way from the entrance of the store to follow the other strange being towards the wares on sale, snorting with derisive laughter that revealed their own uncannily human teeth. “... Naw, I forgot too.” --- While Remy and Jimmy had been transfixed by the scene unfolding on the back room’s security monitor, it may have escaped their notice that something unusual was happening more than a little bit closer to them. At first, it had been faint; the sound of shuffling footsteps and something rummaging about in the clutter outside that could just as well have been mistaken for the sounds of activity in the bodega itself. As the two strange, green beings on the camera feed finished up their dialogue with Saul and walked forward into the shop, however, it was hard to miss the sudden [i]crash[/i] of something being overturned in the alleyway outside the door at the very back of the room. “Aww, fiddlesticks,” came a deep, smooth voice, followed by the sounds of something rustling as metal rolled about on concrete. "What's...?" Jimmy manages when the monitor disappears from its bracket, leaving the two of them staring at the cables and bolts that had been cut cleanly. Remy, his eyes bulging, squawks as he falls backwards as a sudden weight appears in his messenger bag. With a splintering sound of glass and a whiff of hot electronics, he lands on the bag and winces. "What...?" Jimmy demands, turning to stare down at the scruffy boy, reaching into his pocket. "I think it broke," Remy said,handing him the other C-note, then scrambles to his feet, bolting towards the release bar on the security door.