savetheearth | 4. voice. cellphone.

[Hello Network, it's your favorite person, midlife crisis man aka Mr. Locke! Yup, officially being 43 and winter drawing close has made that pesky crisis decide to rear its ugly little head again.]

I've a peculiar inquiry, one posed for an acquaintance in need of information. [Not like it's for him.] It's regarding the matter of tattoos. My knowledge on the topic is minimal at best and google can only prove so reliable. Now the--

[The sound of a door opening in the background cuts him off. Why it's none other than Lloyd Irving.]

Hey, Mr. Locke, my dad says he wants me to he--

[Lloyd gets shushed and motioned to come inside. Tattoo questions first; other talk later. Right before the door fully closes, a fly manages to get inside the classroom. Ugh. Some shifting sounds can be heard as Richard rolls up a newspaper with the intent to slay the menacing beast (super hearing makes them go from annoying to evil).]

Those of you who've had them done, how long had it taken for the tattoo to be completed? What design had you chosen and what would you suggest for someone uncertain of what they want? And are there any parlors in Locke City which are particularly reputable?

[Fly decides to perch itself right smack dab in the middle of Richard's desk. Poor, poor unfortunate bug and its tragic fate. The deadly newspaper gets raised...]

Any information would be appr--

[...And falls full force down on the fly!!

CRACK.

Silence...

That is, until Lloyd shatters it seconds later.]

That was your desk! It's not supposed to break like that, right?!

...Ah ...N-no, it's not...

[No, newspapers should not be able to crack wooden chemistry desks in half...]

Holy shit! That's like that karate move but it was the whole desk with a newspaper!

Ah...

[...Where's a carpentering echo when you need one...]

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[Hope you were ready for your brigade of network teenagers, Mr. Locke, because Neku's stopping by a bit later to ask you something!]

[By then Mr. Locke had devised the perfect plan to keep people from seeing the great, big crack separating his desk in two: covering the surface with papers and letting his jacket hang over the portion facing the class. Truly an ingenious idea!!

...It's better than nothing. Slightly. Maybe he'd stop by the art room later to get some paint and clay. A sigh escapes him just as Neku enters.]

Is there something you need?

[...Nope, sorry, Neku's a little preoccupied by the desk.]

What the hell happened?

[A heavy pause hangs in the air for a moment. Really, even to someone from the Network, explaining this feels odd. He sighs again as he turns to look at Neku.]

I broke it.

Edited 2013-10-18 16:34 (UTC)

How did you break it? [Those things aren't exactly thin.]

...With a rolled-up newspaper.

[Yup, no matter who you tell this to, it still sounds extremely odd.]

...Are you serious? [because it sounds like you're messing with him.]

...There had been a fly.

[That's still buzzing around the room, much to Richard's annoyance.]

I had attempted to kill it.

[He motions towards the desk.]

This is the end result of that attempt.

...Wow. [Neku just looks down at the desk again.] How the hell are you gonna explain that? Because hiding it is just sad.

[Sad, huh...]

My hope is that hiding it will suffice until I can acquire some clay and black paint and make explanations unnecessary.

[Explaining the overly messy desk? No problem. Explaining why a desk looks like it's a part of the San Andreas Fault? Not nearly so easy.]

[Neku just stares at the desk again before looking up at Mr. Locke with the most disbelieving look he can muster.] You honestly thought that would be enough of a distraction. [Wow.]

[Ugh god everyone's a critic. The cover up looks great!! Kinda. ...Okay, maybe it is terrible, but cut him some slack.]

I didn't have much else to work with.

[Neku pauses for a moment, before pulling out his fire pin. Mr. Locke would probably recognize it.]

...It'd give you a better excuse.

[Richard stares at the pin, indeed recognizing it instantly. Could Neku be implying...?

......]

No.

[Covering up a broken desk is not valid excuse to set school property on fire. ...Even if it may be tempting.]

Why not? It's already ruined.

A hiding a large crack is not a good enough a reason to potentially end up setting the whole school ablaze.

[And with his luck? It would happen.]

Suit yourself. [Neku thought it was a better plan than yours.]

I will.

[Sorry, not setting the school on fire is the best plan.]

However, if you have any idea how to this cover up more effectively and without destruction of properly, do not hesitate in sharing those ideas.

[Teachers ruin all the fun.]

I'll tell you if I think of something.

[No fun, but no getting arrested. Really, getting arrested when you're a police captain does NOT look good.]

Thank you.

[Ah, that reminds him! Since he has Neku here anyway, now might be as good a time as any to bring this up.]

Also, I'd been meaning to ask, but have you looked into that program as of yet?

A little. Mostly looked up their site. [it looks pretty cool.]

Does it seem like something of interest to you?

Yea, I think so.

Good. Your artwork is far more suited for this than vandalism.

4. voice. cellphone.

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