Ridgefield Caleb Rida

Outfit and this

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Caleb was out of here, so far off in another dimension that he really couldn't be held accountable for anything that was going to happen through the length of this thread. He'd drank so much, thrown up, and then drank so much more. Despite the sickness, he was in a grand mood, a smile stretching wide across his face as he cheerily ping-ponged himself between the wall and anyone else unfortunate enough to be walking the streets this evening.

A tune had made its way into his heart, and who was he to deny the world from hearing it?

"SHAWTY HAD THEM APPLE BOTTOM JEANS." cue the voice he was currently hearing in his head. "BOOTS WITH THE FUR." That voice again, before he continued the song.

As for why he had a mask on his head currently, well obviously he was going to rob someone tonight!

Or that had been the plan until alcohol had caught his sight.

outfit

---

The swinging shopping bag smacked him a fourth time and Zachary jerked his wrist to make it slid down to a more manageable position. Walking through the city with a dozen cans of dietary cat food wasn't how he planned to end his evening, but a call to the vet about Dexter's slight skin rash and four hours later he was hitting up the special, organic pet store because no one else stocked the brand.

Zachary crossed another block. The worst thing about the area had to be the lack of parking. Sure, if he wanted to pay an arm and a leg he could get closer, but Mama Ellis had been born to the elite and privileged, so, therefore, all her munchkins were trained at birth to be cheap as hell so as to not waste her money.

Truthfully, he didn't mind the walk really. A fairly pleasant way to rid his mind of the day's stressors.

Shop windows proved another nice distraction and his eyes fell sideways every time something interesting flashed by. Pausing at one with fairy lights hung in a string above, Zachary smiled at the little display of pottery bowls. He would have then turned and continued on had movement in the glass not caught his gaze. From the reflection, he could see another person was walking down the street. Completely normal on an average day, except this guy had on a highly unusual black ski mask. Granted it was cold, but still. Weird.

"That's a choice." Zachary muttered under his breath. There were all types about these parts. Best to just let him pass.

The volume of the song was rising higher and higher as Caleb began to get deep into the lyrics, fisted arm's raising up high as both his head and his hips shook along to the beat only he could hear. Eyes would inch closer and closer to shutting, but just before the lids could officially meet, a spot of green caught his attention, and it wasn't a shirt or anything that he was spying.

No, it was a weird haze of a color that disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, surrounding some vaguely familiar man with a bag.

A bag.

A BAG!

Suddenly, he remembered the night's goal, the light a thoughtful signal from the lord above telling him that this was the man he needed to tag. Laughing moronically, Caleb would quicken his pace, song completely forgotten in favor of this developing scheme.

His steps would be quick and precise, the hand in his pocket familiar enough to a gun that when he pressed it against the others back there could be no doubt about what he was packing. The words whispered, soft, slow, and ultra-cool as he demanded the bag to be handed over. No fuss, no problem, and most of all no resistance.

Too bad reality was way different.

Staggering forward, Caleb would fall into the man, forgetting to place his hand in his pocket, and instead, pressing two pointed fingers at the man as his thumb stuck straight in the air. The words a messed up slur as he made his demands. "'And over the bag or I'll SHOOT ch'ya." The hand would jerk, the universal signal for bang bang.

When the lost skier swerved into Zachary he startled badly. Mind first to keeping his balance. Then, to the garbled words and lastly the object poking him.

He jerked violently, swinging around to see his attacker and in all honestly forgot all about the bag. It swung with him, fueled by his momentum to fly out and back like a pendulum which smacked into Zachary's side. "Ow! Fuck." The other hand curled up to press on the newly bruised side. His face turned inward to his armpit as his eyes scrunched and lips twisted. Damn those cans hurt.

Hand still cupping the stupid, self-made injury, he inhaled noisily and pushed his attention to the catalyst of it all. "What...what did you say?" He honestly didn't make much of it out and the startle reflex had rendered him useless for a moment. Soon he'd process the thing being pressed to his other side and his heart would fall into his stomach.

---

The bag misses

The last thing Caleb had expected was to be attacked by the man that he was currently trying to rob, his mouth falling into a wide 'O' as the very bag he was trying to steal came spinning around towards him. Only a moments notice for him to jerk backwards and out of its range, only a corner of the package brushing against his thankfully thick jacket before slamming back up against his victim.

It had been a close call, but Caleb wasn't about to start giving up now, and so he'd bring himself close once more, the 'O' turning back into his slimy smile.

"Bag." He demanded, "Hand it over, or else." A pointy finger gun shoved into the man for emphasis.

This was all absurd. Being robbed in mostly daylight by a robber who must get his inspiration from cartoon criminals! Zachary glared, still smarting, but didn't want to take any chances. He had two cats to go home to.

"Here. Take it." He ripped the bag off his arm, stretching the plastic handle to near toothpick thickness. Holding it out in front of them both, he made it act as a sort of barrier, thinking illogically that should the masked man actually shoot it would miss Zachary and somehow lodge itself into a nice big can of Organic Gourmet Carnivor Delights - Chicken and Salmon flavor with Omega 3s.

Wow, that happened relatively easy didn't it? Caleb's face would stretch into a grin, although it went likely unseen due to the suffocating mask that was occupying his face. Snatching the bag as it was handed, Caleb's body would jerk forward some with the unexpected weight.

"Wha' the hell?" He grumbled, brows pulling together as he straightened. "Why's it so heavy?" Heavy meant better right? Did the guy have fucking gold in here or something? That was clearly why God had chosen to single him out with that green glow!

Expectations soaring, Caleb would gently pull apart the handles, nerves a bundling mess inside him that instantly came to a halt as he spotted the cans. "God sent me for cat food?!" He asked aghast, although his grip would remain firmly grasped to the handles.

Do stupid things win stupid prizes. Zachary almost had a self-satisfied smile creep over his face were it not for the gravity of the situation. Except - the gun-thing vanished as two hands came into view to grab the bag. Was the guy packing one of those tiny handguns? Zachary wasn't an expert and would take the distraction to create distance between them immediately.

He had hoped to get more than a few steps before the jig was up and the content of the bag revealed. Zachary already had an unhinged robber to attend to and he sure as hell didn't want to add furious to the list of adjectives.

Thinking of retort, if any, would help the situation – could he claim the food was rare and valuable? – all thoughts shot straight out of the water with the guy's next exclamation.

"I'm sorry, WHAT? God!?" Disturbed and a religious zealot?? Why the ever loving fuck did it have to be him experience this fuckery. It seemed God had it out for both of them.

Cat food, of all things to be sent for, God had decided that he was in need of cat food?! It was of high quality though... Could he sell it to some local cat lady for some big bucks?

Or wait... He closed the bag, looking back towards the man currently standing dumbfounded in front of him. What if he just sold it back to this square? He was probably in need of some cat food now that he had just gotten his stolen. He would just sell it back at two times the price! It was a genius plan, and he opened his mouth to begin the execution when the question finally registered, brows returning to their furrowed state.

"Ya, God." He nodded, body moving along with his body because equilibrium was hard when the world was spinning. "He put a green light round ya."

Yeah, because that cleared it all up.

The ski mask was beginning to look even more ridiculous as Zachary stared even harder. Was it there to hide the massive welt on his head since obviously the guy had been dropped as a baby?

And a green light that somehow only this maniac could see. Zachary's tone rose with incredulity. "What light? And why does green means to rob me?" What caused this color-coded prejudice!?

Caleb's tongue would tut for the question, eyes rolling upwards as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn't because he had been the color green, but because he had been a color in the first place. Geez, this wasn't fucking rocket science man!

"Ya had a light round ya." Caleb repeated, this time raising a single arm as he recreated an invisible halo around his head. "Yer the only one that gots it." So that meant he was the chosen one.

He wanted to shake the man. Instead, he settled for pinching the bridge of his nose.

"The only one? You've never seen it before, ever?" Zachary was pleading for the man to hear how crazy that sounded. A green light that was exclusive to him? Come on! That made as much sense as donning a ski mask in the middle of the city.

That was what he said, wasn't it?

"Ya, the only one." He confirmed exasperated, a hand flying out around him towards the other mulling about. "Ya don' see any lights on em do ya?" Use your brain cat man!

This wasn't going anywhere but Zachary was stubborn enough to press again. Stupid, because the guy could still have a gun. Did he really want to bank on having enough time to run or teleport away in the time it took Mr. Ski Mask to juggle the bad of cat food away and reach for the weapon?

Apparently, yes. "I definitely don't."

Did the guy need his eyes checked maybe? There had to be some disease. Zachary's need to fix things was kicking in and the rational part of his mind screamed to just hightail it out of there before making things worse. Still, the other part that watched late-night crime dramas said to keep the guy talking and maybe figure this shit out. Then maybe consider escaping and calling the police.

He searched the man's face again, noticing a possible strand of hair peeking through the left eyehole. Yeah, no, wrong avenue to go down. He'd never be able to properly describe the guy without being laughed out of the sketch artist's office.

There had to be something else to go on. A clue to what exactly powered the very, very unique brain housed in that noggin. "Besides seeing colors...can you do anything else?"

Well right now, no, but if he just-

Caleb's eyes would flash silver as he concentrated harder on the boy, and instantly, the green haze returned.

God was still singling him out, but why? Caleb had no use for cat food! Blinking, his eyes would return blue and the green haze would disappear, Caleb's lips tight and confused as he half-listened to the boy too worried about God's reasoning in choosing him. "Nah, nothin'." was the half-assed answer he offered, a hand waving away the question as his gaze began to travel around to others walking the street.

Would they buy cat food?

Stumped, Zachary's hindbrain was finally catching up and his legs were itching to get a move on. At least the zealot was calming down which boded well for Zachary's future escape.

He kept his focus firm, memorizing the stupid ski mask so he never goes through this ever again. And that's when he saw it. The obvious eye change and the immediate relief that followed.

"Oh thank G- goodness." Bringing up God was a terrible idea right now. "You're not delusional just another psychic." Zachary clutched his chest, head tilting back in solace for figuring it out.

Huh? Caleb's upper lip would raise in distaste as the man snapped back into his view.

How had he known he was a psychic? This wasn't good! Caleb had told plenty of people that he was a psychic and if word got around that a psychic was going around stealing from others with a ski mask. It would have to come back to him, right? Psychics were rare or whatever!

No, he couldn't allow that to happen, especially since he'd told someone apart of the secret government services what he was! "I ain' that." He corrected, puffing his chest firm in his choice.

"Don' even know what they are."

What? Now Zachary was becoming confused. He sure couldn't read any facial expressions so all the words had to be taken at face value. It made Zachary feel bad for the guy. No idea about psychics? That was difficult to do with everything out there in the world.

Aw, shit. Maybe the guy had just escaped from a long stint in prison. Would explain the need to mask his identity.

"Well...you're eyes changed colors, very obviously. The whole green light? That's a power you have." His eyes got squinty. The color would be his ability to sense other psychics too, so there had to be another. "You probably have something else too. Some other special power or knack." Poor guy might not even know it.

The bag would be transferred to one hand as a hand came dab gently at the side of one of his eyes. Genuinely shocked this time around, because he hadn't actually used any of his powers today... Or had he? It couldn't have been luck because he was pretty sure that all his senses still stood strong. Right?

Taste? A swipe of his tongue, check. Sight? check. Smell? deep inhale, check. Hearing? Check. Touch, another shift of the bag. Check....

Invisibility then? But this guy would have brought it up if he'd dipped out of sight so... Uhhhhhhh.

"Nuh-huh?" He finally decided, bag slipping from his fingers. It was so heavy. "Ma eyes jus naturally do tha'."

"Riggght..." THe denial was strong in this one.

Zachary eyed the bag again and considered the options. At this point, it might be best to just leave and circle back for a fresh cat food run. He didn't need any more trouble.

Bitting on his bottom lip, he released it with a smack and bobbed his head. "Just, do yourself a favor and look up psychics in your spare time. You might find something helpful on the forums." Best Zachary could do for the guy right. Also, incredibly generous of him since he had literally just been robbed.

Caleb always knew he was a good liar and the man believing him right off the bat was only proof of this. He would attempt to snort in contempt under his breath, but it would sound loudly as Caleb's pride bubbled up higher and higher. It was so obvious that he had powers, but with the twist of a few words he had this guy stuck right under his thumb.

Heh, it was nice being this smart sometimes.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Caleb scoffed, "but given I'm human doubt I'll find anything useful for me."

Okay. Hard to help those who have no desire to be helped.

Zachary blew out a breath and nodded a dismissal. [q]If I’m wrong then at least you’ll confirm that green light of yours is a message from God.[q] Zachary kept the contempt out of his voice but couldn’t help waving a hand in the air to represent the great unknown swirling above their heads.

He continued to wave as he shifted to the side and began to make his slow exit.

Okay. Hard to help those who have no desire to be helped.

Zachary blew out a breath and nodded a dismissal. "If I’m wrong then at least you’ll confirm that green light of yours is a message from God." Zachary kept the contempt out of his voice but couldn’t help waving a hand in the air to represent the great unknown swirling above their heads.

He continued to wave as he shifted to the side and began to make his slow exit.

A part of Caleb wanted to follow the man, chase after him, and force him to buy the cat food that he'd just ripped away from the green lit man. He had no need for the food, especially when he had a meal waiting for him back at Liv's place. Following the man, however, brought its own difficulties, and given that he'd already almost been found out, Caleb would allow him to leave.

He could find some other sucker to buy the cat food, so with a snort and wibbly turn of his heels, Caleb would make his way in the opposite direction.