Something Complicated

7/10/2022

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When Fruits Commit Crimes in England, he was the first person that they contacted when it came to a case. He had been there from the beginning of the case and had spent his entire life investigating crimes committed against those who weren’t in his own country. He didn’t even have to think twice about it before agreeing to take the case. It was as if he had always known what would happen next.
“Alright then. I’m going to need you guys to come with me back to the police station so we can brief each other and sign some paperwork and make arrangements for your transportation and accommodations whilst also getting to know each other a bit more. Then once we’re done, I can send someone out to collect your belongings from wherever you’ve been living. Do you understand?” The man said in his usual soft drawl, giving them all a smile. When no one moved, he sighed slightly before standing up and walking off, muttering something under his breath.
It took about three minutes for everyone to get ready. Everyone looked at him questioningly, but he just shrugged and walked over to the door where a woman stood waiting for them. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here.” She said with a warm smile, leading them down a long hallway and towards a door. Opening the door, she led them into what seemed like a nice apartment that could easily fit four people. It had two small bedrooms and a shared bathroom. There were only two windows, making it almost dark inside the apartment; but they could see through the window that there wasn’t any actual darkness outside. She turned to look at them once more, smiling kindly at the group. “Would you like to go check out your rooms now or later? If you decide sooner, we can talk in here until it’s time for dinner. I know there are some leftovers from lunch, but you guys may as well try everything on offer for now so you don’t starve later. We can do this again tomorrow morning and then work something out between yourselves, alright? I’ll leave you guys to settle in for now! See you bright and early tomorrow!” With that, she shut the door softly behind her and walked away.
As soon as she was out of ear shot, the group burst out laughing, breaking their silence. Once they calmed down, the man spoke again. “Well, let’s head upstairs. This is our floor so you’ll be sharing the same bedroom and bathroom for now. There are clothes in the closet and in the dresser drawers for each of you.” They nodded in acknowledgement.
He gestured towards the elevator before turning away and walking towards another door. Pushing the call button, he waited for it to arrive while looking around the room curiously. “Do you want to change first or…?” He trailed off, looking at her expectantly. She laughed lightly, waving him off. “No, you go ahead. I’ll just hang out here for a little while longer.”
The doors opened and he stepped into the elevator quickly. As he pressed the button for the third floor, he glanced over his shoulder at her with an apologetic expression. “Sorry about earlier. Just thought it might be easier if we got to know each other a bit beforehand than if you hadn’t had any idea who to expect. It can be hard trying to get to know someone you just met when you aren’t used to dealing with new situations.” He offered quietly.
She smiled reassuringly and waved him off. “Hey, it’s fine. Besides, I’m sure you won’t mind introducing me to some of these people. After all, there might not be many opportunities for us to meet up together anymore since we live so far apart.” She gave him a playful wink and he returned the gesture with a grin. “Yeah, that’s true. I’d hate for there to be any sort of awkwardness.”
He nodded before reaching the fifth floor and stepping out of the elevator. Stepping over to the end of the hall he knocked once and opened the door to a fairly empty room, the lights being turned off before entering the room. He closed the door behind him and heard someone move around to find the light switch, but after several minutes the room was still in complete darkness.
‘Looks like this one has to wait for another day.’ He chuckled softly before grabbing one of his bags and heading towards the stairs. He made it halfway down before hearing footsteps following behind him. Turning his head, he saw her peeking around the corner and motioning towards the stairs as her face lit up. He laughed at the look of confusion on her face for a second before nodding. “Yeah, come on. I’ll show you around.”
They continued to climb the stairs until they reached a landing that held the last flight of stairs. He stopped, opening the door before gesturing for her to go ahead of him. She smiled softly and proceeded up the stairs, looking at everything in awe. He followed closely behind her, grinning at how excited she looked. “Welcome to the top. I guess we should get settled in first though before I take you to meet my friends downstairs.” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry, I probably sound pretty stupid right now. You probably already knew who all of them were since they’re in your class, but I haven’t really introduced myself yet.”
Her eyes widened slightly at that, but a smile appeared on her lips when he finished talking. She laughed gently and shook her head as they began descending the stairs once more. “Don’t worry about it. If anything, you sounded very confident. That confidence will carry you throughout the rest of the evening, especially if you make friends along the way. In fact, if you want, you can introduce me and me and the others too! It could help build up trust between the groups before the big reveal at the party.”
He smiled and placed a hand on his chest dramatically. “You wound me, My Lady! Why must you do such a thing? It is most undignified to be so easily wounded by my mere presence. I am offended and cannot continue to live as though nothing ever happened between us!” He pouted and clutched at his chest.