Chapter Text
This is not great. That is the phrase Kalim has deemed best suits their current situation.
He hadn't meant to cause any trouble when he went into this diner. He just thought the aesthetic looked cool and wanted to check it out. It actually kinda reminded him of the Mostro Lounge. Weird.
He could tell Riddle was mad. Not that it was hard to tell, he had turned completely red and was practically fuming. Actually, not practically. He was fuming quite literally.
Riddle's anger only seemed to grow over the course of their stay here, from mild annoyance trumped mainly by worry while following Kalim in, to more obvious ire when they were talking to that nice man that turned out to be not so nice and led them to a back room, to now, where they find themselves in a private back room, prevented from leaving by a man guarding the door from the outside.
Kalim's first plan was to listen to what the nice-not-so-nice man had told them and wait to talk to their boss, but after having the situation be reframed by a livid Riddle, he came to the conclusion that may not be the best idea.
This wasn't his first time being held against his will, and certainly not the most uncomfortable, but the fact that they were being prevented from leaving remained, and that was a good enough reason for him to devise an escape plan; however, Riddle's irate interjection to his suggestion that they should use their magic to force their way out, reminding him that using magic at the moment would make it difficult to prove they were acting in self defense, as their captors have yet to use violence and their intimidations were vague enough to not prove violent intent.
And so here they are. Shifting uncomfortably on a bench in a private room in the back of a shady diner, Kalim's ear pressed up against the wall listening for noise on the other side, and Riddle's head in his hands as he attempts to cool off.
"For the seven's sake, Kalim, why did you even go in here," Riddle whisper-yells. "You don't even trust any food Jamil doesn't cook or try beforehand! Why would you go in a restaurant?! I need to get back to my dorm. It's almost time for dinner and-"
"Shhhh! Riddle, I hear something!"
Ignoring how he was cut-off, Riddle sighs and presses his head to the wall, trying to listen in along with Kalim.
It's difficult to hear, but they can make out the voice of the man guarding the door and what sounds to be a woman.
"... Vivien... looking for..."
"Well miss... no bathrooms... next door..."
"... unfortunate... in here?"
"BACK AWAY FROM THE DOOR," the man suddenly yelled. It was then followed by an audible collide and a slight shake from the floorboards. At that, both Riddle and Kalim stepped away from the wall.
"That woman's in trouble, we need to help her!"
"Kalim, engaging in violence won't he-"
"You said it yourself! We couldn't do anything until they started it! Well, they did! Let's go!"
Grumbling a bit, Riddle set aside his frustration, deciding to channel it for more productive purposes, and then rammed himself into the door, causing it to be ripped off its hinges and fall to the ground with a loud crash.
Turning back to face Kalim, Riddle notices he is frozen in place, eyes wide and jaw unhinged.
"Hey! Come on, we have to go!"
But Kalim barely moves, only raising his arm to point behind Riddle, urging him to turn.
Riddle wasn't sure what he was expecting to see when he turned around, but it certainly wasn't this.
There in front of him, the man guarding the door was being pinned down by a woman facing away from them, the man seemingly unconscious.
Riddle decided the that Kalim deserved some company in his stupor.
...
"Umm... Miss, are you alright?"
At the address, the woman turned to face them, sending them into a second state of shock before crying out in unison.
"Azul!?"
Returning from their stupor, they take a moment to evaluate the state of their friend. Here Azul was, tackling the man guarding their exit to the floor, sporting a long, wavy deep brunette wig, a long black bodycon dress with puff sleeves, black heels, stockings, and a full face of makeup, complete with a black lip.
...
"What."
"The."
"Fuck."
Not even taking the time to process the fact that Riddle swore, the two join Azul in the hallway, stepping over the defeated door and helping him up.
...
"... You know, I would appreciate it if the both of you could stop staring."
Before either of them could defend themselves, another uninvited guest entered the scene.
"Hey! No one is supposed to be back here!"
Looking at each other, they decided to deal with one problem at a time.
"Let's get out of here."
***
"We have to make a stop before we go back to school," Azul announced as the last officer interviewing them stepped away.
Both Riddle and Kalim turned to him, confused and waiting for him to explain further.
"... I asked the shopkeeper from whom I purchased this... apparel... to hold onto my normal clothes for a little while. We need to go back to retrieve them."
For a few moments, no one spoke a word. Then both Kalim and Riddle burst out into loud, obnoxious laughter.
"Hey! I will have none of that! I saved both of you!"
Riddle was the first to calm down, still hiccuping while he replied, "And we thank you for it, and I'd imagine you want to put this experience behind us, but I have one question before that."
Steeling himself, Azul decides to grace him with the opportunity to resolve a final curiosity.
"Ask away."
"... how is your chest so-"
"Padding, okay?! It's padding!"
Once again, the group is sent into a state of silence, before resuming its previous uncontrollable laughter.
"SHUT UP!"
This time, it is Kalim who manages to calm himself.
"So, Vivien, huh?"
"... It's the name my C&C character used."