The smell of coffee was honestly just overwhelming, flooding the building with its gross aroma.

Maven never understood why so many people liked it, or worse, became addicted to it. It just didn't make any sense, it didn't even taste that good, and what was worse was that it was seen as normal. Not the addiction part, he doubted anybody believed that except the addicts themselves, but just liking it in general.

It was everywhere, from soccer mom t-shirts to one-off jokes in kids' movies. Some sort of world wide epidemic, feeding off of sleep deprived people and their children. It would stop at nothing to infect the world, like an apocalypse or something.

And somehow, it was seen as a mature, adult drink. Something to wake someone up before a long 9-5 job at an office building before returning home to their family, newspaper in hand as they watch some tv.

Well, there was nothing less adult than drinking bean juice, that was for sure.

Maven leaned back in his chair, raising his arms up to stretch as he watched the usual morning traffic of the café. He was able to spot some of the usuals, mostly college students of course, but for the most part there were a lot of new faces. Some of which seemed to be trying new snacks and beverages casually, while others were barely clinging on to consciousness, desperate for even an ounce of energy.

There were quite a few different types of people in the building, such as old men who thought ordering time was infinite and mothers with rowdy, snotty children. It was surprise that there were so many people at all, considering the fact that the town itself was rather small. It wasn't like the place was full or anything, even on its most busy days it wasn't, but it was definitely pretty popular that morning.

He wasn't complaining, though, it was like an opportunity straight out of Heaven. Especially with the line of work he was involved in.

When it came to finding someone for an offing, there was definitely some difficulty. It wasn't because of his skill level or anything, he was as talented as they come, people just weren't cooperative enough.

In order to actually commit the act and get away with it, he needed his chosen person to actually stay outside long enough until it was at least somewhat close to night time. Only a truly insane person would even think of trying it out in the middle of the day, even in a town like his it was quite the risk.

Not only that, but they'd have to get lured to his place of choosing, usually just an alleyway because it was easy. The process sounded easy on paper, only having two real steps, but nooo! People just had to make it difficult.

Not to mention, he also had to deal with the struggle of hiding the evidence, lest he wanted to go to prison or something dumb like that. It wasn't even that hard of a task on its own, but with the whole time limit he had, it just ended up being super stressful. He had to deal with so much, and for what? Sometimes life could be so unfair.

What wasn't unfair, thankfully, was the line for the cash registers. Sure, there were more people than usual, but the wait time was surprisingly good. It might have been the extra staff, or even the better coordination, but things were running pretty smoothly.

He rummaged around in his jacket's pocket for a few seconds before pulling out a couple dollars, a little crumpled but otherwise okay. The person from the night before was kind enough to leave money in their pockets when he did his usual thing. They were a real savior alright, he'd thank them if he could.

Letting his thirst decide his actions, he entered one of the lines, growing impatient not even two seconds into it but otherwise behaving okay. It wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway, most of his days were just spent sitting around and spacing out. There was always the looking for the next person part, but that didn't take too long. So, he was left with nothing to do, really. Nothing fun, anyway.

It was fine though, he'd rather have that over a cluttered schedule any day.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Maven finally arrived at the cash register. He only ordered a small mocha, paid the money that was due, and waited around the other part of the counter for his drink.

It was an easy process, go figure, but he couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he paid for it. There was a small, nagging worry at the back of his mind that maybe they'd be able to tell it wasn't his. Maybe they had secret cashier senses that could differentiate stolen cash from earned ones. Though, he doubted that working for minimum wage gave anyone super powers.

This wasn't the first time he had done this either, it was one of many, many. And yet, every time he still got that same stupid feeling, like everyone knew exactly what he was doing. It was honestly funny how in three years, his doubts never truly left him, even when he grew more confident in what he was doing. To say it was annoying would be the understatement of the century.

He lightly tapped his boot on the ground, checking his non-existent watch and glancing at the counter every so often. There was sort of a dilemma where if he spaced out, he'd miss his order, but if he just waited around, he'd be very bored as well. Thankfully, he didn't have to actually solve it because his drink was finally placed where it needed to be only a few moments later.

Standing from his leaning position, he walked over to where his coffee was situated, feeling shock wash over him as someone stole it right in front of his eyes. The stranger just... casually took it, not a care in the world if the owner was nearby. It actually took a few seconds for Maven to even register the action, he just blinked blankly before realizing what just happened.

'' Hey! '' He called out to the other man, taking note of his features. The perpetrator seemed to be around his age, blonde with longer hair near the front and shorter hair in the back. His outfit was nothing too special, just a long, brown coat over a black turtleneck that was visible since it was open. Black sneakers and earrings complimented them, making him seem like some sort of character from a ghost hunter show or whatever. There was one like that that'd play on one of the channels he used to watch. They'd bring out their nerdy nerd tools and make claims that the dust on the ground was a sign of some paranormal activity... honestly they were crazy. Maybe the coffee stealer was too.

The stranger turned to face him, a little bit of confusion evident on his features, but otherwise he seemed neutral. Of course, that didn't prove his sanity at all. '' Hm? ''

'' My drink, '' Maven started, having to actually look up a little, as he was 5'3 and the other was... well, he wasn't the same height, that was for sure. '' You kind of stole it, y'know! Bit rude, don't you think? ''

The drink was glanced at for a moment before a quick reply was heard. '' Oh, I didn't know that was yours. My bad, dude. ''

He handed the mocha to Maven, offering a smile like that'd make it any better. '' Must've ordered the same thing, didn't hear a name being called. ''

In all honesty, Maven didn't either, but that didn't stop him from huffing and flashing the other an unimpressed look. How dare he waste a few seconds of his valuable time, it was deplorable. He adjusted the hood of his jacket on his shoulder, muttering his response. '' Should've tried listening then, it isn't that hard. ''

He wasn't usually this rude to people, much less total strangers, but there was just something about this guy's vibe in particular that was throwing him off. Between the coffee stealing (intentional or not) and his overall weirdo look, he couldn't help but dislike him a little. Especially since he had no other reference of him, his face was entirely new. Maybe he was new in town, or maybe he was a basement dweller that just never went outside, but either way nothing could really help his case.

The blonde chuckled, not taking his comment very seriously, which was somehow annoying. '' Maybe. Sorry about that. '' His tone was convincing, even if it was more casual, rather than sympathetic or sorry-like. But still, Maven didn't really care, he just wanted to be rid of him already. The start of the day had been just great, and he wasn't ready to let that change, not in this way at least.

'' You should be, '' he retorted, starting to walk off when suddenly a pair of rowdy children bumped into him. They ran past in some sort of chasing game with each other as he tripped, spilling his mocha all over the ground, thankfully not getting on any of his clothing. It was a miracle for sure, but definitely not the tripping or spilling part. He looked disappointedly at the puddle of his former drink before glaring at the children (who paid no mind to him), and then up at the blonde who was watching blankly. If he got even one comment about karma or anything of the sort, he was going to make this guy the next source of mocha money.

'' Ah. '' he stated lightly. His expression went from something of neutrality to thinly veiled amusement as his face contorted into a smirk, dangerous words leaving his mouth like it was nothing. '' I guess you've fallen for me already? ''

What.

Maven couldn't even try to hide the bewilderment he felt, looking up as the other snickered at his (totally justified) reaction. Yep, there were definitely bad vibes all around about this guy, he was completely right before in his judgement.

A hand was offered to help him up, but after that horrible act (fit for a clown, really), he felt a little too petty to accept it. Instead, he sat up a little and kicked his legs, causing the other to fall onto the ground with him. He flailed a bit from it being totally unexpected, landing pretty hard on his hip. It was actually quite painful to watch, just by watching Maven could tell that it definitely hurt a ton. But still, the blonde's laughter just grew a louder. He was enjoying such a sucky situation, it was actually disorienting.

Maven gave him a strange look, like he was some sort of alien creature, as he stood up and brushed himself off. The other guy got up as well, finally done with his laughing at his expense. He was still smiling though, and while it really wasn't an actual problem, Maven wanted it to be. It wasn't like he'd mention it though, not unless he wanted an argument with stranger dude or something. Especially not when he was tired, the mocha that was supposed to give him energy gone on the ground.

He looked down at the sad little puddle, blondie following his gaze.

'' I can get you another one, it //is// my fault, afterall. ''

Maven scoffed, not really wanting to spend any more time with him than he needed to.

'' It's fine, I have other things to do- ''

But before he could really object, the other was already placing an order with one of the cashiers.

Infuriating, that's what it was.

But at the same time, it's not like he was wasting any of his money on it. Plus, he did deserve a little payment after what the stupid dude put him through. It was only fair that he was given another drink. Sure, it was a drink given to him by someone not even worth his time, but mocha was mocha. He'd be fine.

With a huff, he blinked tiredly and sat at the table he did earlier that day, resting his head on it. He wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but eventually a cup of mocha was placed right in front of his face, along with a sandwich. Sitting up properly, he looked at it confusedly before turning his attention to the blonde sitting across from him. He had his own food as well, similar to Maven's.

'' You looked hungry, '' he said with a shrug. '' Take it as an extra apology, for laughing and stuff. ''

'' That's stupid, '' Maven scoffed, already taking a bite out of it. It didn't taste as bad as he wanted it to, in fact, it was actually really, really good. That should've been expected, as stranger dude didn't make the sandwich himself, but he still felt surprised somehow. One bite turned into more, and next thing he knew, he was basically scarfing it down.

It wasn't like he didn't eat often, he always had some source of food. Whether it be from a fresh kill or the little pieces he carried around in his jacket pocket, there was always something to eat, which couldn't be said for other people. But... there was just something about the taste of something that wasn't flesh for once that made him feel obsessed. After eating the same thing over and over again, he honestly couldn't hold himself back from devouring something that was finally new. He didn't even care how it looked, he was in his own little world.

Blondie acknowledged the little display, but he didn't do much to stop it or anything, choosing to fidget with his coat pocket instead.

'' Soooo- '' He started, barely getting a reaction out of Maven, who was too busy destroying his poor sandwich. '' My name's Vincent, if you were wondering. ''

'' I wasn't. ''

The sandwich was gone now, reduced to a fond memory. It never stood a chance to the force that was Maven's hunger. Said sandwich demolisher took a sip of his mocha, a small smile resting on his lips at the taste before he switched back to his irritated demeanor. This was probably the most unhappy he had been in a while, honestly. Even if some of it was exaggerated.

He took another sip before he noticed Vincent's expectant expression, scoffing for what seemed like the millionth time that day. And maybe even his life.

'' Maven. '' He stated curtly, looking at the table. '' My name's Maven. ''

'' Maven? ''

'' Yes! That's what I said. ''

Vincent made this weird face, a mix of familiarity and yet the opposite at the same time. For some odd reason, it made Maven feel uncomfortable, like Vince knew something that he didn't. But if it was his façade, then that wouldn't really narrow it down very well, because he had like three of those up and running right now. He had to pick one and stick with it.

'' I've never met a Maven before. ''

'' We're mythical creatures. '' Maven said flatly, rolling his eyes. He almost felt cool like this, acting all smart and sarcastic. Like those people in the movies, where they'd say something witty to the stupid characters. In this case, the dumb one was Vince. Go figure. '' Half bear, half human, half... ''

'' Wait, wait, wait, it's not really half if there are more than two though, right? ''

'' You're just not open to the possibilities! ''

Vincent nodded absentmindedly, messing with his coat's pocket again before taking a sip of his own mocha.

'' Y'know, it's just- you remind me of someone. '' He rested his index finger and thumb on his chin, lost in thought as he continued on. '' You have... similar hair... and your voices are very alike too... ''

Maven listened as he was putting pieces of whatever he was thinking about together, feeling the air start to weigh down on him like a pile of bricks. Something wasn't right, he was clearly trying to allude to something, but he just wasn't making any-

'' Do you listen to any of Calamity's songs? They were a really popular idol group a while back. ''

Oh.

Oh, yeah, that made sense now.

Maven felt panic slowly fill his body to the point where it was becoming overwhelming. Of course someone had to make that connection. Of course it had to be today of all days. Just who was he talking to right now? Some sort of master putter togetherer?

He figeted with the hem of his beanie, hoping to God that Vincent didn't see how nervous he felt. It wasn't answering the question that worried him, it was easy to say reject anything he said, it was convincing him that was the real issue. If he thought too hard about it... honestly, Maven didn't know what he'd do.

What he did know, though, was that he wasn't going to let that happen.

'' Calamity? Never heard of them, not a single time in my life, actually. I haven't even heard a single note of their songs, believe me. ''

He considered himself a very good liar.

Vincent clicked his tongue in disappointment, but thankfully actually believed what he had said. That, or he thought it was weird and decided to brush it off. Either way. '' That's a shame, they make really good songs. ''

'' I'm sure they do, anyways-! '' Maven clapped his hands together, trying to steer the topic in another direction. It was risky enough even just sitting there, let alone directly talking about that group. '' Don't you like, have anything better to do? ''

'' Eh. '' Vince started, fidgeting with that stupid pocket of his again. It was actually starting to get on Maven's nerves for no reason in particular, even if it wasn't any of his business. '' Not really, no. Not today, at least. '' He stopped messing with his little pocket, drinking his mocha again before continuing. '' Tomorrow I do start my new job, though. Got hired here to do some work for the community, make it better, y'know? ''

Maven nodded, not really listening to him at all as something else got his attention. Specifically, that dumb pocket that Vince was messing with earlier. He hadn't noticed until now, but it was //moving//. Really moving, like, lively and all.

Vincent noticed his lack of attention, not that it was a very difficult feat, and followed his gaze. Before he could really do anything to stop it, a tiny face popped out of it, chittering very quietly.

Maven glanced from the face to Vince, back to the face, and back to Vince again.

'' You wanna tell me why you have a rat in your pocket? ''

Vince checked to see if the coast was clear, and then took the rat out, displaying it to Maven like some sort of rare gemstone. It was like he was carrying his life in his hands, and perhaps it was. There were people out there that considered their animals to be their pride and joy, afterall. And he seemed the type.

Maven on the other hand? Well, he never had any, so he wouldn't know.

'' This is my partner in crime, Rhino. '' He explained, letting her sniff around as he gave his mini presentation. She seemed really fixated on his sandwich in particular, scurrying towards it with determination, though he kept her back from it anyway. '' I don't go anywhere without her, she's the reason I'm one of the best career-wise, y'know? ''

'' What about the shower? You carry her there? ''Maven crossed his arms, trying to disprove his statement despite the fact that... it really didn't matter.

'' Well... okay, maybe not //everywhere//. '' She slipped out of his hands again, making a break for the sandwich before she was taken back again. Vince's face slipped into another one of those smirks as he spoke up again, clearly trying to get under Maven's skin. And so far, he was succeeding. '' Little strange that you were thinking about me like that though, just saying. ''

Maven made a little angry noise, resting his head on the table defeatedly as Vince snickered in the background. He was actually going to be the death of him, it was so stupid. Maybe he should've went on a walk earlier or something. Anything to avoid an inconvenience like this.

'' You're insufferable. ''

Vincent chuckled at that, grabbing Rhino one final time before stowing her away in his pocket. Then, he stretched with a yawn, slowly getting up from where he was sitting. Maven watched as he picked up his things, feeding the remaining pieces of the sandwich to Rhino. She had clearly won, one way or another.

'' Maybe. Well, it was nice chatting with you, but I have some things to sort out at home. '' He flashed him a quick smile before adding on, '' Seeya later, Maven. ''

After that, he left the café, leaving Maven alone once again. It was bittersweet, really. The source of all of his annoyance was gone, but now things were back to how they were before. It was hard to tell if it was any better without him. But that was stupid, those thoughts were stupid.

Maven stuck his tongue out at the door, despite Vince already being gone, and smiled contently. Now, he could have the peace and quiet he wanted. No, that he //needed//. Because it was finally that time of the day again, and he had to find someone for his nightly job. Vince would've been the perfect person for that, especially since he really wanted him gone, but there was a doubt in his mind about killing him. Namely due to the fact that people were expecting him the next day for that job or whatever. The whole point of hiding was so that he wouldn't get caught, so if Vince went missing, they'd know. The authorities were already getting suspicious as it was, he couldn't risk anything.

So he had to find someone different. But that was fine, he was great at that. He'd be fine.

For a good half of the day, Maven sat in his seat and scouted for anyone that fit his criteria. They had to be vulnerable, as he wasn't willing to take on anyone that was buff or anything, and alone. They also couldn't live with anyone, but that was much harder to find out considering the fact that he didn't know any of them personally. Either way though, they had to fit the description. Otherwise, he had a very high chance of getting caught, and that was far from what he wanted.

Although many people walked through those doors, none of them were what he truly wanted. Some of them had the vulnerable trait, but then they would have a whole group of people surrounding them, so it'd eliminate the whole point. Then others would be alone, but they acted real feisty. Which... might explain why they were alone, but either way, he didn't need that. Looking at one of the cafe's many clocks, he realized that he had wasted way too much time there, he had to find someone somewhere else. Whether it was Vince's fault or not, he didn't know.

He was gonna blame him anyways.

Maven stood up from his seat and walked past those heavy doors, the cold air from outside hitting his face, icy cold. It was only fall time, but winter was fast approaching. And with it came the cold, dreary weather for months on end, sunlight barely even being seen except for the beginning of the day. It was both a blessing and a curse, because as much as the dark was good for him, he also hated how depressing it was. But it wasn't like he could control the weather, he'd have to make do.

He walked down the streets of the town, eyes scanning for any establishments with a person of interest. For a small town, it was pretty lively. It always had been, really, maybe that's why his father had chosen to live there all of those years ago. It also helped that there was a college around that brought in a bunch of people during the fall, as witnessed in the café. It was the perfect amount, just enough to have a lot of options, but not to the point where it was easy to get caught. Honestly, it seemed like it was just meant to be.

It was nicely decorated, flowers and bushes scattered around nicely. Not to mention trees, lots of them. The shops themselves were running smoothly, making enough money to properly survive in such a small place. Customers would come in and out every so often, though they were usually in groups, so unfortunately he still hadn't found the right one. But he kept looking anyways.

The sidewalks were chipped and cracked in some places, due to years of use, and benches did have quite a few cobwebs underneath them. There was also a lot of clutter in the alleyways, trash, more cobwebs, used tricycles, and etcetera. But the beauty outweighed the imperfections, and Maven found himself enjoying his little walk.

That was, until he found one.

Then it got even better.

She looked to be no older than a college student, maybe a freshman or sophomore, he didn't know. She was situated in a miniature library sitting at one of the tables, typing something on her laptop with exhaustion evident in her eyes, her orange hair frizzled and overall just messy. It was to be assumed that it was homework of some kind, in which case, that sucked. But, in a way, he was going to help her with that.

On her head were a pair of headphones connected to the laptop, and next to her was her phone. It was clearly on, but he was too far away to see if she was texting anyone or anything. He entered the shop casually, trying to see it better, but it appeared to just be her homescreen. Luckily, she had no notifications or an alarm set, so at the very least she wasn't expected anywhere. In fact, she actually had no other apps, other than the ones that came with the phone. It really was none of his business, but he couldn't help but notice how boring that must've been. Maybe she didn't use it often.

She clearly wasn't going anywhere at the moment, so he decided to just chill out and wait for her to leave. Night was slowly approaching, and he knew that the place definitely wasn't a hotel. Sooner or later, she'd have to leave. And that's when he'd go for it.

He moseyed around the library, eyeing some of the books' titles and covers, but he couldn't find any that really interested him. He wasn't a fan of nonfiction, that was just boring, but it wasn't like any of the fictional ones were any better. It wasn't that they were bad or anything, he was just burned out from how much he read as a child. After spending years doing that in his free time, not even wanting to sometimes, he just didn't feel the urge to anymore. If anything, it just made him feel bad. Like, horrible. And of course he didn't want that.

After he spent some time looking for nothing in particular, he peaked at the girl's table to see if she was leaving yet, but she was not. Instead, she was typing like her life depended on it, glancing every so often at an open book next to her phone before continuing. He wondered if she was going to pass out or something, considering how absolutely tired she looked, but she persisted as if she was just like that. At least she was motivated, even if it wouldn't really matter or anything.

He took a seat on a beanbag in visible range of her table and chilled out, waiting for the right moment.

--

Maven awoke with a startle, hearing the door's bell as somebody left. Specifically, the somebody that was supposed to be important.

It wasn't his fault that the cozy aura of the building had lulled him to sleep, if anything, it was the library's fault. Perhaps he would file a complaint later, but not right now. That time was reserved for catching up to the now escaping homework lady.

He got up from his seat, speedwalking towards the door (because he was already a little suspicious as he was), and he tried seeing where she went. Looking left, then right, he finally found her, following behind from a distance. Due to the lame authority, people did know that there was a serial killer out there, so they were a lot more cautious about staying out during the night. Because of that, he realized that his other tricks of luring people just wouldn't work. It was already suspicious enough when they didn't know, but now? He was not going to risk it.

A cold breeze brushed against his face, the chilliness of the night getting to him. He placed his hands in his pocket, trying to decide on what to do before he got an idea. He wasn't sure on if it'd work the way he'd like it to, but there wasn't really any time to properly decide. The luxury of finding the perfect plan was unfortunately, not upon him.

He started it off by walking closer to her, thankful that she wasn't aware of him. It could've been her exhaustion, in which, he was grateful that he had picked the perfect day for this. Then, he grabbed the laptop from her and started running, checking behind him to make sure that she was following along. It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened, and then she took off chasing after him, yelling something that he couldn't quite hear. She was actually really fast, right on his tail as they ran along the streets. Maven ran into the alleyway that was closest, though she faltered and stood at the entrance.

It was clear that she knew something was up, so he hurried the process and pulled her inside of the shadows, dropping her laptop onto the ground.

He didn't know what made her scream louder, the sound of the laptop shattering or the kitchen knife that was stabbed into her chest, but either way, Maven didn't exactly like the sound of it. There seemed to be nobody else nearby when they had given chase earlier, but he didn't want to find out the hard way. He quickly shut her up by pulling the blade out and slitting her throat, reducing her shrieks to a cruel gurgling sound, and he quickly realized that he should've done that earlier. But anyways, it got him the result that he wanted, and so he persisted, covering her chest with a couple more wounds.

Blood pooled out of her and onto the ground, staining his and her clothes in the process. Her fighting had long ceased, leaving only an empty husk of what once was. Several cuts and stab marks littered her body, as well as a large slash on her neck, but other than that, the gore wasn't too bad. It was a huge mess, of course, but Maven didn't like prolonging his murders. Not only was the risk of getting caught increased exponentially, but it just didn't make sense. He wasn't necessarily angry at her for anything, so there was no real malice or... anything. Torture wasn't the same as murder, and honestly, he preferred the latter.

But anyways, the deed was done. He allowed her corpse to drop onto the ground, blood covering the ground in its familiar red tint. Now was the boring part, clean up time.

For once, he actually wasn't hungry. He didn't know if it was the sandwich from earlier, or the meat bites he had eaten throughout the day, but either way things were a little better than before. He decided to keep some for the next day though, since he knew he wouldn't have the money for anything.

The process was uniform as always, cutting the pieces of flesh off one by one from the torso, then the arms, and then the legs. He couldn't be careless with his cuts or where he took from, considering how unsanitary it already kind of was. Only the top pieces were taken, the parts touching the ground being ignored, as he didn't want the germs from the pavement to touch his snacks. Then, once that was over, he grabbed the remainders of the corpse and tossed it in the dumpster nearby. It was an easy hiding spot, and definitely should've been the first place for the authority to look, but he managed to get away with it every time. Afterall, they didn't exactly have the resources to figure out clues from the body itself. And without evidence, they had nothing.

So, Maven felt pretty good about himself.

The blood was still oozing onto the floor, but he thought nothing of it. It'd be fine.

The rest of the night was a haze. He walked around the empty streets for a bit, just chilling out despite being covered in somebody else's blood, before finally passing out somewhere.

Tomorrow was another day.

--

Maven instantly knew there was something wrong, //very wrong//, when he woke up to flashing lights, red and blue.

There was the sound of indistinct chatter, some louder in places than others, and the air was much different, no doubt. His eyes slowly opened, tiredness still coursing throughout his body, and yet he knew he had to wake up. There was no way he was going to get caught covered in blood. Not unless he wanted to take a nice vacation in prison. He had seen the pamphlets and they were not very good.

He stood up, knees just as tired as he was, and peaked from behind a wall to see what was happening.

And oh boy, it was a sight alright.

A couple of cop cars were surrounding an alleyway that was blocked off by yellow police tape, some of the authority already looking at the body he thought he had hidden so well the night before. There were some bystanders getting interviewed, some obviously close friends of the girl as they were crying, while others had no idea what was going on. It was weird, really, really, really weird that it had been found so fast despite the lack of an actual police force, but he was sure somebody must've noticed the blood way earlier in the morning. They had to, the cops were never this early.

There was a big dilemma that needed addressing, and that was how he was going to get to the café to clean off the blood. Now that there were more people around, the task was almost impossible without at least one person noticing. Well, unless he took off his jacket? There was still blood on part of his face (as well as his pants and shoes, but luckily it was barely visible so it wasn't an issue), but the café was the opposite way around, so nobody would get a proper look at him. Unless someone was walking the way he was headed, but that issue would be dealt with when the time came.

Right, that was the plan. That was what he was going with.

He checked if the coast was clear, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around his waist before starting to exit where he was.

However, he suddenly stopped, looking at the scene of the crime again. He couldn't believe it, and yet somehow it made so much sense.

There, a stupid notepad in his hands and checking on the body, was Vincent. Because of course he was. Of course he was working for the authority, as if he wasn't bad enough. He hadn't even noticed Maven, which was good and all but still, acting like everything was normal. Like he hadn't talked to the one behind the slaughter the day before.

Maven remembered hearing talk about the local force hiring a detective, due to the rampant number of murders in the area, but he thought it was all talk. He didn't actually expect them to go through with it, and even worse, hire //him// of all people. Just before, he was a minor inconvenience, a little annoying but nothing malicious. Especially with that stupid... thing, he did. The flirting.

But now? He was far above that, he was an actual threat. One that Maven couldn't take out, even though he really wanted to. It was horrible, absolutely dastardly, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Thinking about that made him feel disgusted, sick to his stomach, even.

He took another look at the scene, staying hidden, rather than following his original plan. The sense of control he had before, the way he felt like he could do anything, it was all gone. If he was anything like they said he was, things were going to be much harder to keep up. His daily life was going to change for sure, maybe he'd even get caught for the first time.

Maven felt the winds of change creep up on him, and they were not in his favor.