Zek hung on a cross and finally, finally, gave up the ghost.

End scene.

Zek smiled expectantly at Little Miss Muffet and made some “c’mon, you can do it!” gestures at her. Like, she really wasn’t that great at charades, since she hadn’t made a single guess during his spot-on and super-accurate reenactment. But she was like what, 7? It looked like she’d spent her time in preschool learning to taser large men instead of watching old Hollywood classics.

That was a pretty good reason, actually. Zek approved.

And when she finally started guessing, Zek just faked his smile. The Lever? You Turd? Drop The Car? Those movies were unmistakably different! Good grief! She was horrible. And she kept waving her hands at him, like okay, he saw her! But now she had to say things - acting stuff out was his job. She could wait her turn.

And then some loud cursing covered up the rest of what she was saying. He frowned and then flicked a brightball across the floor where it bounced once and then struck the leg of the car guy, flashing him away.

Now he could hear her better. Hee shook his head at her and motioned to keep guessing.

Oh my great gracious goodness. There was a long moment in which she just... stared at him. Was... Was he for real? He was. Or, he was really committed to this gag. If so, it was honestly an odd sort of amazing. A normal person might panic and freak out at this guy, but honestly, she was completely invincible. She wasn't worried about anything that could happen to her here. It was all a matter of performance and reward over anything else.

And... She wanted to do good. So there was that. She also wanted to have fun doing it. It was really a conundrum. He remained deadpan in his delivery of the charades charade. In truth, he was totally #@$%ing with her. There was simply no way he was this much of an ignoramus.

Maybe. The guy under the car just made it to the point where he could see the surprise! strangers in his shop before he was pokeballed. Well, incinerated completely as far as she was concerned. She blinked a few times, and smoosh faced for a second. "I mean... I guess that works. Sorta hoping to use the environment a little more-"

A stocky man walked out of the back room rubbing grease from his hands onto his pants. L turned and slid the paint can across the floor a few feet into his footfalls as he stepped up, eyes widening as he caught sight of them while stepping into the paint bucket, tripping, and smacking his head on an engine lifted with a block harness.

Her eyes widened at how well that worked before she blinked, and then turned toward Zek, making spirit hands and posing. "Tada!" He started to stir a little bit, and she pulled out her pink Howdy Kitten stun gun and zapped him in the forehead. "Okay, see, that's more what I was talking about. We do that to everyone here, and then dig through the place for clues!" She walked over to the little engine crane and tried to figure out how to lower the engine down onto the man to trap him in place.

They still had at least two other rooms to deal with, provided they all had people in them.

Zek threw his hands up in surrender. Sheesh, this girl was bad at her own game! She’s the one who wanted to play charades and then just did it all wrong. And now she was back to waving her hands again, as if the rules of charades actually allowed her to incorporate other people into her acting as living props? When it wasn’t even her turn because she hadn’t guessed his yet? Also, what movie or book or whatever was that even supposed to have been?!

It really felt like she had just stopped trying. AND she got to taser a guy. His mouth drooped. This was not as fun as he had thought it was going to be.

“Okay, yeah, you go do that,” Zek as he abandoned the game entirely and started heading to the back of the shop where Greaser 2 had come from. Maybe that was a breakroom or something and had a fridge in it. He held a hand out and after some lights the slushie was back in hand and he was sucking away on it.

He walked into the back room and his eyes lit up with glee.

There, in the corner, behind the two burly guys in sleeveless denim jackets that showed off their faded and really cool tattoos, was the grand mama of all snack connoisseurs, even better than a fridge.

A vending machine. “Demetri, is about time you--hey you’re not--”

The guy on the left vanished in a flash, which might’ve been seen around the edges of the blinds on the window if one were paying attention.

“What in the--” The guy on the right also vanished as Zek continued his beeline to the holy grail.

“My precious,” he whispered fondly as he stroked it’s smooth and shapely glass.

Whaaat? He didn't think that was cool? She'd had no idea it would happen that way, but she thought it was impressive as heck! See? She slid a paint bucket and he was out like a light! #@$%in gold! He walked out, and her hands lifted up to the heavens for her to lament for a moment before rolling her eyes and kicking the slouched man with a paint bucket stuck to his foot once more.

She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed for a moment, before she heard muffled voices around the corner. Oshi- was he about to get killed?! She had to see this!

Little legs puttered in about as she followed him into the back room just in time to see one of the men vanish. Woof, this kid was brutal. Moments later another one disappeared. Man, he was definitely leading in kill count. She did a bit of a slow clap as she walked into the room. "Wow... Great j-" Wait, was he hugging that vending machine.

L stared quietly for a moment.

This boy. Wowie. He was. Wow. "You... like vending machines?" The look on her face displaying absolute consternation perfectly. "I just... I mean, if you want snacks, I can get you snacks."

She walked further into the room, peering into the vending machine for a moment before looking toward the exit. "I mean, you're helping me, so... We can try to find a way to get it out for you, I guess? When we are done?"

Zek heard clapping, footsteps, and then a voice. His head snapped all the way around from his embrace and he nearly hissed at her. He certainly glared. But he didn’t do anything more because she was offering to help him get more snacks.

His glare slid into narrowed eyes as he staaared at her. What was the likelihood she could provide snacks? Granted, she was a little girl so her mommy had probably put grapes and a juice box in her purse or something, but that wasn’t better than the vending machine. And he really doubted she could help him get the machine out. As if he even needed help.

“Nah, I’m good,” he said with a shrug as his body released the machine and swiveled until it and his head were both facing the girl. He slurped loudly on his slushie and pressed the last of his balls against the smooth, flawless glass.

It vanished. He grinned feraly.

“Now what?”

OHSHI- His head snapped around! Like... The Exorcism movie! L jumped back, eyes wide for a moment as he assessed her. He then proceeded to incinerate the vending machine into nothingness while leaning against it?

"But... I thought you wanted it... Why did you destroy it?" Her face was screwed up in confusion for a long moment as her eyes glanced down to the slushie. Wait... When had he gotten another one of those?

"W- What is..."

He asked what was next. L blinked a few times, and looked down the hall back into the shop. "Well... We have a few more rooms to look through for people, and then we see what we can find to get this place shut down by the NYPD for good so it isn't my problem anymore."

She shrugged and turned toward the hallway once more. "Then I collect my paycheck and buy you some snacks or something."

Heading back toward the shop she eyed the other two doors. One still had loud music echoing from it. Sounded fun. She headed that way.

Within, a man was back against a bench press, lifting a weight that someone should probably have a spotter for. Another man was digging through a portable cooler for a beer that might be at the bottle. L peeked in quietly and started to formulate a plan

Business as normal then. Zek shrugged and slurped even more of his slushie. He was glad he’d gone for the largest option - the extra slush was really worth it. “Alrighty then, you just lead the way.”

And as they came to the hallway, Zek tut tutted like an Egyptian. “Nope. You get your paycheck and then split it with me. Remember the deal?” Slurrrrp. “Half the profits. Which is pretty fair considering I’ve done almost all the work here.” He looked at the girl impassively as he licked his lips and slurped on the straw again. He already had four guys in storage, three of them after the deal even. Basically an entire free mob guy. Honestly, he was getting ripped off.

But maybe with her half she could go buy a charades tutor. She’d need all her money for that because dead gods she was awful!

And then they found more people. Once again, Zek used his superior height to his advantage to peak around the doorway overtop L’s head. This time with his slushie. Slurrrp. “So what’s the plan?” he said, not even bothering to lower his voice and just idly counting the weightlifter’s reps. Zek was always looking for ideas for arm and chest day at the gym. Then he let out a very loud belch.

Mmm. That was a good one. Slurrrrrrrrrrrp.