Sherm wasn't difficult at all for Faith to distinguish from the rest of the crowd, a large and colorful balloon hat sitting atop his head. The giant headpiece compensated for the height difference between him and his slightly taller girlfriend, and Faith was surprised he hadn't bumped into anyone with it yet as they made their way toward her at their agreed-upon meeting spot between the parking lot and the street that had been blocked off for the festival.
He smiled and waved, but even then she saw the sympathy in Sherm's eyes, as if he were wishing that somewhat odd yet innocent and fun-loving guy named Rowan were there to join them--the way it was supposed to have been. That's okay, though. I'm not here to third-wheel these two all day. I'll hang with them for just a while, and once we discuss what we need to discuss, I'm leaving them alone and letting them get back to their date, like they probably want but won't say because they feel sorry for me or something. It's not like off days are that easy to come by for poor Violet, so she probably wants to make the most of her time with Sherm.
"What do you think, Faith?" Violet giggled as they approached, stretching her arms out toward Sherm as if presenting a grand prize on a game show. Faith wasn't sure how much Violet knew so far about the Rowan situation, but regardless, Faith appreciated the way that Violet was trying to make her feel comfortable and included, as she had done the previous few times the two had met one another.
"Yeah, is it the height of fashion?" Sherm laughed along with her and, out of obligation, Faith forced a small smile.
"It's a bold color combination, that's for sure," Faith commented, taking in the green and purple balloons that significantly clashed with Sherm's red Spiderman t-shirt. In all fairness however, Faith was impressed with how someone was able to fashion such an intricate-looking design using multiple balloons like that, without popping any no less.
"So..." Sherm tapped his pointer fingers together, looking off to the side. "Did you wanna just look around with us first? Or we could just go ahead and find somewhere to sit down and talk about 'the band', and figure out how we can meet them."
"I guess we could look around a bit before we do anything else," Faith replied, glad that Sherm remembered the code words they had come up with and agreed on through text earlier, and that Violet had agreed to play along. 'The band' was the S.A.S., 'the lead singer' was the mysterious Cobalt, 'the new keyboardist' was Nayla, 'the manager' was Aaron, and 'the venue' was Happy Scoops, and if all went as planned, the three would sound like nothing more than a couple of carefree college age kids obsessing over some new musical craze.
Despite what she had been telling herself just a minute ago, Faith decided she wanted to give herself a break for a while before it was back to business. Besides, she was curious to know how something like this felt again, or if it could remotely feel the same way as it once did--this beautiful art of all kinds, these happy people around them, the music playing on some distant speakers, her friends by her side, and most of all, this almost bittersweet sense of freedom she felt that hadn't been there ever since she was a young teen. She could dress and make herself up however she wanted to now, without having to worry about offending Rowan or making him think she was cheating. As much as it hurts, I guess this doesn't have to entirely be a bad thing...
Her friends seemed to be in agreement about simply having some fun first, especially Violet. "Ooh, I just remembered--my roommate's birthday is coming up this week. She loves pendants, and jewelry in general. Maybe you could help me pick something out, Faith?
"Oh, sure," Faith nodded.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvFGMKHrkc
"I tried getting Sherm to help, but as you can see...the balloons interested him a lot more once we got here." Even when she gave a teasing half-hearted smile and glanced back at Sherm's balloon hat, her face still retained a kind demeanor. Even her voice was relaxing, and Faith could already tell she was going to make an excellent psychologist.
"But I thought you liked my new hat earlier," Sherm said, folding his arms in mock annoyance.
"It's definitely easier on the eyes than my dissertation draft so far," Violet replied almost wistfully, wrapping an affectionate arm around him. "Anything silly and colorful is a welcome sight today, what with school and work taking over most of my life. At least I remembered my roommate's birthday just in the nick of time though, right?"
"You're doing just fine," Sherm said, giving her hand a supportive squeeze. "So let's enjoy today while we can." He playfully wagged his finger at her and added, "No stress allowed."
Faith had to subtly look away at one point, briefly pausing to study the designs of some stained glass from the vendor beside her. She was supposed to be happy for the two of them, which she was of course, but inevitably, the two reminded Faith of herself and Rowan in some ways. But I've known Sherm even longer than I ever knew Rowan--surely he would never hurt Violet like that.
"Well, on second thought, it might get a little bit stressful once we get to talking about the band and their lead singer, depending on how things go," Sherm had continued, stroking his chin and dutifully trying to familiarize himself with the code words. "But it won't be as stressful as your research projects, I promise. Faith and I know what we're doing."
Yeah, if only, Faith thought. All he knew from her previous texts so far was that she had potential new information regarding another person who could be a part of the S.A.S., and she hoped he wouldn't think any less of her as a friend once he learned more about her situation. At least he hadn't seen the bottom of her windshield yet, which might still be a bit much for him to take in for now.
"Oh dear," Violet simpered, but then grew slightly more serious. "But still, you know what happened last time you got too involved, Sherm--please be careful. Both of you, really."
As the three of them began to near a jewelry vendor, Faith jumped at the opportunity for a subject change. "Hey, Violet--about your roommate--I'm seeing some bracelets over here, and I was wondering if there's a color or type in particular that she likes?"
"Oh, anything that looks like gold or has ruby-colored stones in it, I think she'll like," Violet said, enthusiastically eyeing the display that Faith pointed to.
"I think I used to know someone who liked that look when it came to jewelry, too," Faith mused, mostly to herself. At first she couldn't quite put her finger on who, but then stopped short. ...Agna. It was Agna.
Faith must have been staring in one direction for too long to be considered normal by Sherm's standards, as sure enough she felt something soft bump into the side of her head as Sherm began waving his hand in front of her face. "Um, earth to Faith..."
"Yes, Sherm--I'm here. I'm fine," Faith replied vaguely, smoothing down her hair which had begun to stand up from the static electricity of Sherm's hat bumping into her. She wanted to be annoyed, but at the same time, she understood--she hadn't exactly explained to him yet why she had acted somewhat suspicious earlier over the phone. Either way, thinking about Agna and the past would get her nowhere now. Alright, back to the present--literally.
Faith eventually found herself getting into it, peacefully browsing the many beautiful pieces of jewelry in front of her, even if she couldn't afford anything for herself and it was for some unknown person. She hoped poor Sherm didn't feel like he was now the odd one out, though that role was likely to switch over to Violet soon enough once Faith and Sherm got down to seriously discussing the S.A.S.
Even if she generally wasn't feeling very positive given recent events, she didn't regret accepting Sherm and Violet's invitation. If anything, Violet seemed to appreciate some additional female input regarding her roommate's birthday present, the two of them eventually agreeing on a gold-colored cuff bracelet.
Sherm also finally got to see some things that interested him, photography having seemed to intrigue him the most, and some various animal-shaped sculptures likely coming in second for him. Faith wasn't sure she had a personal favorite art form; she was mostly just glad to look around at everything and pretend her problems didn't exist for a while longer (though she did avoid any paintings for the most part).
After spending about an hour at the festival, her friends had started to become hungry, as had she. Agreeing on a nearby cafe to have some lunch, Faith still only ordered water for herself. Breakfast was beginning to wear off, but nonetheless, she was willing to hold out until she got back to her parents' house to eat something for free.
"I'll be right back," Violet said after they found themselves a table, stepping away toward the restrooms so that it was just Faith and Sherm sitting across from one another.
"Are you sure that's all you're getting, is water?" Sherm asked.
"Yeah," Faith replied. "I had a late breakfast."
"You know, it's okay to treat yourself a little, given...well, everything. You deserve it."
"That's okay," Faith assured him. She added quietly, "Rowan...kind of left me in a tight spot where money is concerned, but it's fine. I'm really not--"
Faith suddenly felt a bump against her shin under the table. At first she ignored it, figuring that Sherm must have bumped into her leg by accident with his foot, but after two more instances of this, Faith looked up to see that Sherm was glancing between her and the floor.
Discreetly peering around the table, Sherm said to her, "It looks like you dropped something."
"What? But I didn't--" Looking under the table, she saw next to her feet a ten-dollar bill. Faith sighed, picking up the money and looking back up at Sherm uncomfortably. "I have to ask, Sherm--how would Violet feel about something like this?"
"Don't get my intentions wrong--you've always been like a sister to me, nothing more and nothing less. And if you don't mind me addressing the elephant in the room, it just...bothers me, to see you like this. And if I had an actual sister who got hurt, I'd want to see her genuinely smile and enjoy herself again--and see the perpetrator get justice, and hopefully 'the band' can help with that second part."
Faith shook her head. "Sherm...I can't accept this. You know how I feel about charity of any sort."
"Oh come on, it's not charity. Regardless of what you call it, I'm not taking it back." He crossed his arms poutily (balloon hat and all), reminding Faith of a small child.
Sighing again, Faith reluctantly accepted the money. "You know, sometimes it feels unreal, how...nice you still are, even after the craziness we've witnessed together. But if it is real...the way you are even after everything that's happened, and your goal to be a real-life hero to people...don't ever let life change you. I have to admit it's changed me a lot, but I hope you never have to go through the same thing."
"Wait, why do you think it isn't real?" Sherm asked, confused and even a bit startled by what she was saying.
"Well I mean, it's simple. Usually when people are nice, it's all about what's in it for them. When my parents just...welcomed me back with open arms the way they did two days ago, as nice as it's felt, sometimes I wonder if it was just because they ended up being right about Rowan, and not because they were all that worried. I don't know, maybe it's just paranoia."
"Yeah...you do sound pretty paranoid, but I guess that's not entirely your fault. Just give yourself time to get better. And if you're worried about how your parents really feel, I think you should know your mom was in tears for the first couple of days after you first left with Rowan, and your dad just looked zoned out and only really talked if I or your mom asked him a question. At least, that's how it was at first whenever I'd visit."
"Oh," was all Faith really knew to say, feeling a mixture of guilt and relief.
"And yeah, I know it's rare to find anyone who actually cares about making the world a better place to live, but aren't some rare things worth looking for? I mean, my own parents always told me I would grow out of the whole superhero thing, but after...what happened to you, and as I got older and paid more attention to the news, the only thing that really changed for me was that it wasn't just some kid's game anymore--it needed to be real."
Faith nodded, taking in what he was telling her. "True...but still, what about--?" She suddenly stopped, seeing that Violet was now heading back to their table. "I think I'll go take a look at the menu after all--I'm hungrier than I thought," she now remarked, immediately switching the conversation to a more lighthearted tone and discreetly concealing the money Sherm had given her in her hand.
Faith did plan to include Violet in their more serious upcoming discussions, but decided on putting it off just a bit longer, the awkwardness of Sherm's charity not outweighing her hunger. Breakfast from this morning had begun to wear off, after all. When all of this is over, I'll need to take them both out to eat...and buy Sheena some makeup like she did for me, too.
After Faith ordered herself a tasty club sandwich to go with her water and sat back down, Violet piped up, "So guys, can I just make an observation here?"
"Sure," Faith replied, trying to hide her wariness. She didn't see Sherm slip me that money, did she? I hope she didn't misunderstand...
"It really fascinates me, the way you two are able to talk about this...band stuff like it's just a part of daily life for you. Are you sure neither of you are musicians yourselves?" She had barely paused before using the word 'musicians' in place of 'vigilantes', and Faith had to admire how fast Violet was catching on to their secret lingo.
"Oh...really?" Faith asked meekly, relieved that was all that Violet meant. "But we haven't even really talked that much about it yet."
"She read your texts with me, and I filled her in on what our plans might entail," Sherm explained.
"Oh okay. That makes things easier then, if you already know some of it. Actually, I was thinking that after we eat, we could go and listen to the band's latest album, if you want," Faith suggested.
"Fair enough," Sherm agreed. "That sound good to you, Violet?"
Violet nodded with a demure smile, though Faith could tell she was a bit nervous too. Faith hoped she would bear with them just long enough for her and Sherm to satisfy their curiosity. Whatever small talk they did engage in for the remainder of their meal, 'the band' or anyone associated with them wasn't discussed again until they had paid and left the cafe.
Once outside again, however, Faith continued, "So Sherm, I would say we could use my car, but I think yours is closer." Faith didn't actually know where they had parked, but she strongly preferred that she didn't have to explain that sticker on her own car to either of them. She had dealt with enough drama for one day.
"Okay, sounds good to me," Sherm shrugged, and to Faith's relief, they didn't have to walk past her car to get to Sherm's red Corolla.
Violet looked game for the most part so far, but the first thing she asked once all three of them climbed inside was, "Okay, so what exactly have I signed up for here?"
"Well, I'm sure that Sherm already told you about the Salvagers After Sundown, right?" Faith began.
Violet nodded, looking as if she had likely heard about them more than just once, given how hyped Sherm had been when he first texted Faith about it. "I mean, if anything I think it would be nice to be able to meet and formally thank the person that potentially saved my boyfriend's life, just as long as we're not having to actually stalk anybody to do it."
"It's not technically stalking, if we have a good enough alibi for anyone who asks us what we're doing," Faith pointed out.
"But Faith, how exactly do you know this Nayla girl that you texted me about, or that she's really related to Aaron or the S.A.S.?" Sherm asked, turning around toward the back seat to face her.
"Okay, so...it was a really dark hallway and I didn't get a good look at her, just that she had dark skin and blue-dyed hair. She and Aaron were having a heated argument that partially centered around a vigilante group this girl was a part of, and at one point he addressed her as Nayla, and as his adoptive sister. I'm all but sure that it's the same group Cobalt is a part of."
Now brimming with excitement, Sherm said, "I've seen someone who matches that description at Brian's Auto Repair, back when I took my car there a few months ago because my check engine light kept coming on. The new catalytic converter they said I needed wasn't cheap, but they were really nice people and have good reviews online. Anyway, I'm not saying it's definitely her, but I think she might be Brian's daughter, and they work together along with a few other staff there. So I guess that'll be our first stop!"
"And probably our only stop today," Faith cautioned. "After this, I think I'll let you two get back to your date. To be honest, I'm really not interested in joining or closely befriending the S.A.S. like you are, Sherm, but at the same time, they would be some good people to know...in case anything happened."
"Wait a minute--where was it that you saw and heard all of this?" Sherm asked, more invested than ever.
"At Happy Scoops," Faith answered reluctantly, still uncomfortable with the full truth. "Sheena and I went there together one night to visit Aaron--she didn't feel comfortable going alone--and I ended up overhearing an argument between Aaron and Nayla. So in a nutshell...I've heard enough to know for sure that Aaron is a criminal."
"I've known that for ages," Sherm said grimly. "It's just that nobody's been successful in proving it--yet."
"And that's why I don't want to be too reckless here, hence all of those silly code words I suggested we use earlier."
"Well it's not like you're a regular there anyway, so just tell Sheena you're not comfortable going there with her anymore. If anything, it's me he has to worry about the most since at least one of his associates have seen my face before."
"That's the thing, though...I am kind of a regular now," Faith said, staring down at her fingernails. "I mostly just know him through Sheena, but...it's really a long story. And that's why I was so nervous on the phone with you earlier--because he was standing nearby and I didn't want him hearing anything about the S.A.S., which I don't think he did."
"Hmm," was all that Sherm uttered in response. He was likely bursting with more questions but didn't want to worry Violet, so was restraining himself for now.
"I have an idea though," Faith continued quickly. "We'll go to Brian's Auto Repair, and at first act like your car is having trouble again so we won't look suspicious to anyone at first. And I guess we'll have to go from there in somehow trying to find out more information about them."
"But are they even open on Sundays?" Violet chimed in.
"Let me check..." Sherm mused as he typed the location into his phone. "Yep, looks like it. But we'll have to hurry, because they close soon. Are we ready, then?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Violet responded as she fastened her seatbelt.
Following suit with her own seatbelt, Faith began to mull over how, once they struck up a conversation with these people, they would slowly turn the conversation over from their nonexistent car trouble to the staff's potential alternate identities.
According to Sherm's GPS, they would have a 15-minute car ride from the festival grounds to the repair shop to figure out the rest of their plan. Faith wasn't too worried, however--between an aspiring psychologist, a vigilante enthusiast, and an editor who'd had a little bit of real life experience in both areas, they wouldn't need long to figure something out together.
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