~ ~ ~ ¤ m e a n w h i l e ¤ ~ ~ ~
A man and a woman walked side by side down a corridor of the large laboratory within the center of the city. The man was coming into his mid-thirties rather well, and had retained most of his boyish charm and looks from it. His short blond hair was slightly ruffled, and the light-colored suit he wore with the odd-colored tie indicated he wasn't exactly the most sensible when it came to fashion. Next to him was a woman of the same age. Her blond hair was tied up, and her eyes gazed forward as if she were in a tired daze. The two were on the way to the west block of the building, where most of the supplies were kept. The man spoke.
"You’d figure this sorta thing would be under your jurisdiction."
"So it’s alive?"
The woman replied, keeping her sense of interest but maintaining a guarded expression.
"Just barely. And it’s... only a matter of time."
"That sounds like the two of us."
The man's face dropped a little, as if he had been let down somewhat. It was hard to resist really. The two had formerly been married, and then divorced. Keeping a friendly relationship was somewhat of a chore.
"We’re not over yet. All we have to do is keep trying."
The man said, provoking a slight eyebrow raise from the blond-haired woman. It seemed as though they had been legally divorced, he still had strong emotions for her. The woman wondered if he would ever eventually move on. It was starting to grind on her nerves. Blinking slowly, she smirked, and said:
"I’m not so sure."
Opening the door like a good chivalrous man would do, the woman walked in first, then followed by her former husband. However, he noticed that a kid had found his way into the room and was staring at a cage at the far end of the room. The man called out to the adolescent, who was garbed in a yellow sweatshirt and had butterscotch-colored hair. He was slightly husky, and there was something he wore around his neck.
"Hey! What are you doing? What department are you with?"
"Oh... uh... sorry! I was looking for cleaning supplies... I guess I musta got lost."
The kind raised his right hand and held it against the back of his head, and expressed an emotion of apology. The man pointed to the right, where another door led off to another corridor.
"The cleaning crew, huh? Just go out that door, supplies are on the right."
"Oh... are they? Uhh... Thanks!"
The young man hastily made his way out the door, sinking his hands into the pockets of his yellow sweatshirt. He looked over his shoulder as he left, gazing upon the couple that had just entered. Crossing her arms, the woman walked forward, her heels clicking along the floor until she stopped in front of the cage. Bending over, she looked over the being within.
"So, do you think it’s really a wolf?"
Her ex-husband inquired.
"I dunno. I’ve never seen a real one before. But if it is a wolf, it may be what’s causing a sudden reaction in Cheza."
After hearing the last word in her sentence, the man's eyebrows arced, expressing disgust. He turned to the side and spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Oh, please. Not Cheza again..."
Looking over her shoulder, the woman returned an equally annoyed expression.
"What’s that mean?"
She said, narrowing her eyes upon his face.
"It’s because of her, you and I broke up."
Now she was annoyed on her ex-husbands excessive dwelling. Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips.
"Stop acting like an idiot Hubb and bring this up to the lab!"
The man, who's name was apparently Hubb, covered his nose and mouth.
"I’ll have someone do it later. Dogs and I don’t really get along all that well. I’m kind of allergic to them."
She couldn't look at him directly after that, remembering how completely hopeless he could be.
"This is the reason why you and I would never work."
"I dunno Cher, maybe it is just a matter of time."
~ ~ ~ ¤ ~ ~ ~
Raticus decided to take a break rather than take off right away. It had been a considerable amount of time since he had been to Freeze, and in a way, he wanted to enjoy it. There was an area of the city that was relatively quiet. Riding up a ramp, he emerged out onto the layer between the houses and buildings of the city, and the central entrance of the Police Station. Although most of Lord Orkham's force was oblivious to the activity to the south, they'd soon find it on their doorstep if they wouldn't involve themselves.
Leaning against his bike, he smoked on a cigarette, looking over the rooftops of the city. There were a few noticable landmarks, such as the great tree that grew in the residential district, and the roadways that led to the western exit of the dome. Exhaling, a lithe cloud pooled around his head and lifted off into the atmosphere, eventually dissipating into the air. Rubbing the butt out with his boots, he stretched out his legs by walking up the block a short ways. Below in the adjacent street, people still moved about busily.
"It's cold... but it's alive." He said lightly, commenting on the city itself.
