Ditching

It was about halfway through the ritual. The sounds of the crowd singing along to the music and screaming and cheering was drowned out, Square Hammer booming from the speakers as Julius skillfully moved his hands up and down his keytar that practically glowed as the lights overhead glared down on it.

It was about that time—he’d nearly forgotten until Tonic took to staring at him and only him in hopes it would catch his attention. That it did, and Julius nodded (then did it a few times more in an aggressive manner to pass it off as banging his head to the music), beginning to step away from the bright spotlight and more towards the back of the stage. He checked to make sure he had no other part to play in the song, even though it was almost over, before completely disappearing into the fog being produced from the machines behind him.

He exited to the room they all stayed in before going on stage and set the keytar down in its case where he left it, then standing up straight and rolling his neck a bit. He didn’t necessarily like wearing the mask, but it was required, and he would honestly forget it was bothering him about one song in. Besides, it looked cool. He fixed his shirt which had started twisting weirdly before hearing light but quick footsteps approaching the door. He made eye contact with Tonic, the two not wasting any hesitation in leaving the room and navigating the small building before exiting to the outside. Wind hit the bare skin of his arms, and he let his sleeves fall down to combat the cold. Tonic pulled out their phone, and after a few taps, pointed to a spot on Google Maps. It was a night cafe, about 10 minutes away by walk and the food looked mouthwatering—but the two had to be fast. They were still needed for the next song.

They both started walking, then it turned into more of a jog, then the next thing you know they were sprinting down sidewalks and across streets. That 10 minutes it would’ve taken them was halved. Tonic nearly ran past the cafe, their panting quite audible from behind their mask as Julius grabbed them by the back of their shirt and gave them a shoulder pat as a silent way to tell them to catch their breath. Once he made sure they were alright, the ghouls entered, obviously trying not to glance over at the singular group of three friends that were all sitting at a table on the left side of the cafe. None of them seemed to try and hide their staring, and Julius couldn’t really say he blamed them.

The worker behind the counter’s jaw seemed to hang open a bit.

She then shook her head, asking hesitantly, “Hiya, what can I get for you… fellas?”

Tonic was nearly as short as the top of the glass display container, which made Julius stifle a bit of laughter. It went unheard, and Tonic pointed at the large chocolate muffin. A good choice—they’ve both gotten it quite few times before, so it’s become one of their go-to’s if the cafe had it.