Richard entered a fancy-looking clothing store called the Winking Bull. The place had many articles of clothing in racks, while a spunky song from the speakers played up in the ceiling’s corner.

There, a woman with a blonde ponytail checked her cell phone with one hand, and her elbow set on the countertop. The lady glanced up and noticed Richard walk into the store. Her eyes shifted back to her phone without saying a word.

With no one else in the store, Richard cleared his throat to break the silence that resonated within the area.

“Um, hello there. I’d like to look around if that’s alright with you.”

“Sure, random suspicious guy.” The woman replied coolly, with her eyes staying focused on the phone.

“Thanks?”

Richard walked around and scrutinized each of the items. He knew wearing the same clothes every day was a bad idea, but still, what to pick? It had to look nice and be comfortable to wear. As he scanned through each of the sets, he couldn’t help but notice some price tags, which appeared to be quite expensive.

“Are you sure we can find something nice and cheap?” Fawn whispered.

“Not to worry, I got it covered,” Richard reassured her. He checked his pockets to show her proof that he had some spare cash in him. His eyes widened when he grabbed a few cents and dollar bills inside. He continued digging down, searching for more dough. “Huh? I was so sure that I had...” His voice trailed off. “Wait, don’t tell me, those scientists...” He clenched his fist containing the spare change. “They robbed me and didn’t pay their end of the bargain!”

“What?”

“Are you seriously telling me you don’t have the money to pay for these?” The woman at the checkout countertop asked.

Richard hit his head against the wall and sighed. “Aw, man, what am I going to do now? I can’t wear the same thing every day...”

The woman put her phone away. She took out a notepad and pen and wrote an address down. “Maybe I can help you out here.” She left her desk, walked over, and handed him the written piece of paper. “These are directions to this store. Tell the worker I sent you, and she can give you a discount of sorts.” She explained. “I don’t think the place is open now. Even so, stop by sometime.”

“Ok, thanks.” Richard chirped, feeling a little better.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new? Do you have a place to stay already?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Bye now.” With a tip from the hat, he left the store at a brisk pace.

.-.-.-.

Once Richard got out, Fawn wasted no time asking him why he lied to her like that.

“What? But I technically didn’t lie.” Richard defended. “I do have a place to stay, it’s at...” His voice trailed off. He lowered his head and quivered. “Oh, yeah...” He mumbled. Technically, Richard left Emily back in the suburbs, without telling her anything. He didn’t want her to worry about the potential danger he’d be facing, but was this really the right thing to do?

Fawn looked up at the now pitch-black sky. Not even clouds or stars were visible from where they stood. “It’s getting late, we should probably find a place to stay for the night.”

“I’m getting pretty tired myself, so I guess it’s not a bad idea.”

The two stopped by a motel from the far reaches of the city. It appeared run down, including blinking lights in the front sign, but the place was cheap. Since Richard had little money at his disposal, he figured this was the best option for a good night’s sleep. He rented a room on the highest floor and headed upstairs.

The room was messy and dirty, with trash covering the place, bed sheets tossed on the worn-out couch, cracked windows, and torn up curtains to boot.

“This is the worst,” Fawn whined.

“At least it’s a place to sleep in instead of the streets.” Richard took off his coat and hat, placed them on the rack, and walked over to fix the bed.

“I guess that’s true.” Fawn floated toward the springy couch and rested on its pillows. “We got a lot done today.”

“Did we? I don’t feel like we accomplished much.”

“Every bit helps. It’s only going to get harder from here, so we need to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Agreed, good night.”

Morning soon arrived, as the sounds of cars honking woke the duo up from their short-lived sleep.

Fawn was the first to wake up as she rubbed her eyes. Richard pulled the covers over his head as he tossed and turned on the mattress. Fawn went over and poked him, causing him to groan.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?” Fawn asked.

“Terrible. This mattress is uncomfortable.” She heard him grumble.

“Sorry to hear that. But it’s a brand new day, and you know what we need to do. We have to get ready and prepare, so you need to get up.”

“Can’t I sleep a little longer?”

“No.” Fawn used her powers to lift the blanket off the bed. She looked down, her eyes widened. “Richard...?”

“Huh, what’s the matter?”

“Well, how do I put this...? You look different.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess?”

As Richard got up, he walked over to the coat rack, about to reach for the hat. He looked down and noticed that his arms were no longer blue, but regular colored again. He dashed over to the mirror in the bathroom to inspect himself. His features and skin color returned to normal. Richard touched his face to see if he was dreaming, and couldn’t believe his eyes. He had turned back into a human.

“No way. How did this happen?” Richard questioned. He turned to face Fawn. “Did you—?” Fawn shook her head in response. “Then how did I become a human again? Could it have been something else?”

Fawn pondered about this for a while. “Maybe it happened in the early morning?”

Richard shrugged. “Oh well, at least I got my original body back. Isn’t that great?”

“Well, doesn’t that seem odd, though? Getting your body back, just like that?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Did those scientists know about this?”

“They might be hiding more information from you than you realize, who knows.”

“Wherever the case, there’s no way I’m letting that group get to it first!”

“Does that mean you’ll continue helping me?” Fawn asked in a hopeful tone.

“Of course.” Richard nodded as he walked over to the windows and looked at the scenery. “You said that you’d help me get my body back, but we don’t know if it’s permanent or not. Besides, I need to pay my end of the bargain and help you avenge your family.” He lowered his head and placed his hand on the windowsill. “I don’t have anywhere else to go, anyway. There’s no way Emily would want me back after...”

“Richard?”

“Oh, nothing.” Richard wiped his eyes and turned around. “Let me get ready first.”

After minutes of Richard showering, trimming his facial hair, and putting on another set of clothes, he went downstairs to get some food from a vending machine and coffee shop.