The sun is bright, the blue cracks in the sky shift, and the weather is a little bit chilly despite the sunlight. On Bliss Town Mainstreet is Jayson, sitting on a bench, holding a cup out with a sign asking for change next to him. He’s had some luck with the money. Not enough to get some food, but enough for a soda from a vending machine. He would have more money, but he recently made another one thousand buck installment for his payment regarding Leanne Haunt’s grave transfer. Which he holds no regrets.

  Across Main Street is Lexia. She is also sitting on a bench, watching Jayson. Due to her bazooka being squashed like a soda can by Ramsey, she has resorted to a flamethrower. This has given her plenty of space since pedestrians make wide berths around her. Her armored cuirass is still missing, but she still has her boots, battle skirt, and gauntlets. In place of her cuirass is a Kevlar vest, and beneath her armor is a long sleeve shirt and jeans.

  As Jayson and Lexia stare at each other, cars pass by blowing trash and leaves along the tar-scarred asphalt. Lexia pulls out a megaphone from out of the blue.

  “Are you going to harass me on my side or nah?” says Lexia.

  “I just haven't been feeling it!” yells Jayson over the passing traffic.

  “But that's our thing! You bug me, I bug you, then Derrick swoops in and knocks our heads together.”

  “He hasn't done that in forever!”

  Lexia lowers her megaphone, scratches her brow, and then her ears perk, and she lifts her megaphone again. “What if I come over to your side and bug you?”

  Jayson shakes his head. Lexia nods. Jayson shakes his head harder. Lexia nods, grinning. Jayson frowns and shakes his head again, and Lexia gets up.

  “For the love of God,” says Jayson to himself.

  Lexia looks both ways and runs towards Jayson. Cars screech to a halt, horns blow, and people swear and shake their fists at Lexia. When she reaches Jayson’s side, she leaps, twists, and lands on the bench next to him, shaking the bench upon impact and still holding her smile, her leg crossed over and her flamethrower nozzle on her lap, aimed at Jayson.

  “There. I’m now encroaching on your turf. Now we have to fight,” says Lexia.

  “Lexia, I’m not in the mood,” says Jayson.

  Lexia’s smile fades. “But that’s our thing and we hadn’t done our thing in forever.”

  “Don’t you have a pole dancing gig to prepare for?”

  “That’s not for another five hours, and before you ask, I take power naps before work and during my lunch break.”

  Jayson nods slowly. “Well, that explains a lot about your mania.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, if you actually slept decently, you would be less weird. Like, twenty percent less weird.”

  “Yeah, but then I wouldn’t be twenty percent cooler.”

  Lexia finishes with a grin and wag of her brows, and Jayson rolls his eyes and slouches on the bench.

  Lexia's smile drops again. “Okay, what's bugging you?”

  “Nothing… Well, not really nothing… Something just feels… off,” says Jayson. He rubs his face, sighing heavily. “I can't really explain it. It's not even a calm before a storm kind of thing. It's like a pressure in my chest, where I know something is going to happen, but I don't know who is going to do it, what the danger is, when it will happen, where it will happen, why it will happen, or how it will happen. I just know and it is bugging me.”

  Lexia rubs her chin. “I see. Well, it sounds like you need to see a psychic. Fortunately for you, I know one.”

  Jayson raises a brow. “And who could that be?”

  A few minutes later, Jayson finds himself suffocating in a dimly lit room, where the air is thick with the scent of incense and the faint sound of chimes jingle with the wobble of a ceiling fan. The walls are draped in rich, jewel-toned fabrics colored in deep purples, emerald greens, and shimmering golds. Battery powered candles cast dancing shadows, their artificial glow reflecting off the polished surfaces of shelves, crystal orbs, tarot card boxes, and small statues of mythical creatures.

  Mariana Cross sits at a table covered in the same drapes decorating the walls. She is bored of life, as usual. She wears a flowing gypsy dress adorned with intricate patterns of swirling paisleys and vibrant floral motifs. The fabric sways gently as she shifts, revealing layers of billowing skirts that cascade to the floor, each hem embroidered with faux silver thread. A collection of jangling hobby store bracelets encircles her wrists, and her dark curly hair is woven with colorful ribbons.

  “Aw damn it! How many jobs do you have!?” says Jayson.

  “All of them. What do you want?” says Mariana.

  Lexia shoves Jayson into the seat and sits next to him, holding her flamethrower nozzle on her lap, which is aimed at Jayson, and she puts on a show of concern.

  “My good friend slash rival has a bad feeling in his very soul and needs the wisdom of a psychic to release him from his torment,” says Lexia.

  Jayson looks away, rubbing his brow, and Mariana stares at Lexia, a small frown on her bored face.

  “Right~” says Mariana slowly.

  Mariana lazily waves her hand over the smooth crystal ball while light from its platform illuminate the swirling, colorful fumes inside.

  "I sense a disturbance," says Mariana, adding just enough theatrical flair to get a grin from Lexia. "Jayson Hopper, your aura is troubled."

  Jayson rolls his eyes. "Cool. Can you be more specific?"

  “You're troubled because you know Mama Bear is going to retaliate, but you're confused as to why she hasn't retaliated yet. So, your aura is polluted with fear and confusion. Also, all your wealth is paying off your dead wife's grave transfer, so you're stressed about that, too. You’re also confused about why you haven’t seen the demon you got from Ouija board. Confusion, fear, and stress is bad for your body, mind, and soul, so I’m going to recommend you do something fun before the inevitable darkness kills you.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Jayson sneers, and Lexia gasps, finger raising, and Mariana looks at her.

  “Fun for him,” specifies Mariana.

  Lexia's smile and finger drop. “How does he relax, oh great mystic one?”

  “I'm right here, you know,” says Jayson.

  “Take him to a movie or an arcade, or something. I don't know,” says Mariana.

  “Something as in watching me perform tonight. Specifically me. Like with a note card saying, ‘Here for Tempest Blaze’,” says Lexia.

  Jayson and Mariana stare at Lexia, and she smiles innocently. Seconds tick by, and Jayson slowly narrows his eyes.

  “Why?” asks Jayson.

  “To make you relax!” says Lexia. She gestures to Mariana. “You heard her. Something fun to make you relax!”

  “I suggested a movie or an arcade,” says Mariana flatly.

  “Well, the arcade is wrecked and we got banned from the theater after a certain fox and snake attacked us,” says Lexia.

  “Yeah, and now that I think about it, I never got to finish that movie,” says Jayson.

  “And watching the wonderful Tempest Blaze will alleviate the pain of your loss,” says Lexia, grinning.

  “I'm not watching you pole dance! I can't even get in!” snaps Jayson.

  “Why not?” says Lexia.

  By this point Mariana is resting her chin on her fist, her bored, lidded eyes staring between the two. And Jayson motions to his dirty, starved state, vein throbbing and eyes on the verge of popping.

  “I'm a freaking hobo!” yells Jayson, his voice cracking.

  Lexia stares at Jayson, and like the small flame growing on a candle wick, Lexia's brown eyes show the light of realization.

  “Ohhh~ right~” says Lexia. “Ask Mortimer or Claribel to buy you in.”

  Jayson throws his hands up in frustration. "I'm not asking Mortimer or Claribel to take me to a strip club! Do you have any idea how awkward that would be? Mortimer and Claribel are practically married, anyway! And plus, they’re low on money too because we blew up their safe house with all their stuff in it, remember?"

  Lexia’s ears flatten and she snarls as she jabs her finger into Jayson’s chest. "Alright, look you little whiny, dirty hobo, I get an extra twenty bucks on my paycheck for each person who comes specifically to see me perform. I help you and you help me. Win-win, mcshinwin."

  Mariana raises an eyebrow, her interest momentarily piqued. "This isn't about helping Jayson relax at all, is it?"

  "It can be both!" claims Lexia, her ears flicking defensively. "I help him relax and he helps me make money. It’s the win-win, mcshinwin I was talking about a few seconds ago!"

  Jayson stares at her, his mouth slightly agape. "You're unbelievable. You dragged me to Mariana's side gig just to guilt me into watching you strip for money?"

  "I'm not stripping. I'm pole dancing. Two very different things. And this is not just for money," counters Lexia, jabbing the flamethrower nozzle dangerously close to Jayson's face. "This is for our friendship. Our rivalry. And a fifty buck Apple C’s gift card if I get the most tally marks and I really want that gift card."

  Mariana sighs deeply, rubbing her brow. "You two are exhausting. Jayson, your impending sense of doom isn't going away by watching Lexia dance, but it might be temporarily forgotten in the haze of awkwardness and cheap alcohol."

  "See?" Lexia grins triumphantly. "Professional psychic recommendation!"

  "I'm saying that out of character," says Mariana.

  “You're in psychic clothes so you're still in character,” snaps Lexia.

  Jayson rubs his temples. "Let me get this straight. You want me, a homeless rabbit, to somehow get into an establishment with a fifty buck cover charge so you can make an extra twenty bucks?"

  “Have Mortimer and-”

  “No.”

  “Fine!” Lexia reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small wad of cash and gives it to Jayson. "Here you go. I was going to give you this anyway. At a later time. Get yourself showered and get a haircut. Then watch me work the pole… Actually, hold on, I need twenty bucks to pay Madam Mariana for her psychic services.”

  Jayson sighs, pulls out a 20-buck bill from the stack, and gives it to Lexia, who gives it to Mariana, who quietly slips the twenty into a hidden pocket within the folds of her dress.

  "So, we're good?" asks Lexia, her eyes brightening with anticipation. The flamethrower shifts slightly in her lap, causing Jayson to inch away. "You'll come tonight?"

  Jayson looks down at the cash in his hands. It's more money than he's held in weeks, and his stomach growls at the thought of a proper meal.

  “Fine. I’ll be there,” says Jayson.

  Lexia claps her hands together, her eyes lighting up with genuine excitement. "Yes! Operation Relax Jayson is a go!"

  She bounces in her seat, causing the flamethrower to wobble precariously. This leads to Jayson leaning away from the weapon while Mariana boredly tries balancing a pen on its tip, her cheek still on her fist.

  "Could you maybe put the safety on that thing?" asks Jayson asks, eyeing the flamethrower uneasily.

  Lexia glances at her weapon. "Oh, this? The safety's been broken since I got it. But don't worry, it only fires if I squeeze the trigger really, really hard."

  She demonstrates by gripping the trigger lightly, causing Jayson to flinch. The pen falls over, and Mariana looks at Lexia and Jayson without lifting her cheek.

  "The crystal ball grows cloudy," says Maria, waving her hand over the orb with lazy showmanship. "Your futures are now obscured to me. Get out."

  Lexia stands up, cradling the flamethrower nozzle in her arms. "Thanks, Madam Mariana! You're the best psychic in Bliss Town!"

  "I'm the only psychic in Bliss Town," remarks Mariana flatly.

  Lexia drags Jayson outside without saying anything else, and upon slamming the door shut, she takes a deep breath and smiles at Jayson, ignoring the passing pedestrians nervously looking at her flamethrower. Nearby, a small clump of scraggly rabbits linger in alley, scratching and muttering to themselves as they split Reel Sight pills among themselves. Jayson watches them, feeling a weight in his chest, but Lexia slides in front of him, grinning and bouncing on her heels.

  "So what are you going to do until tonight? The show starts at eight, but you should get there by seven-thirty if you want a good seat,” says Lexia.

  Jayson pats his pocket where the money now sits. “Shower. Haircut. Food.”

  "Good," says Lexia, snapping him a finger gun. “But don't spend too much. The buy in at Stella's is fifty bucks. Food and drinks have their own thing and to tip the dancer you gotta throw money on the stage. Water and pretzels are free, though. And I'll split the money with you, so the more you bring in, the better.”

  Jayson’s ears twitch and his blue eyes briefly flare with a clash of excitement and confusion. “What are you talking about? Are you serious? Am I hearing you right?”

  Lexia nods sharply. “Yep. You heard correctly. I'm really only interested in that Apple C's gift card. So do me a solid and drag a lot of people over.”

  She briefly looks at the ring of addicts in the alley, and leans towards Jayson, whispering as she jabs her thumb towards them. “Heck, invite those guys for all I care. They just have to get in.”

  Jayson looks at the ring of addicts, all mumbling and twitching. A few seconds of silent condemnation passes, and he looks back at Lexia.

  “Are you sure about that?” asks Jayson.

  Lexia grabs Jayson’s jacket, giving him a rough tug as she snarls. “I want to win that gift card, Jayson!” Then she suddenly straightens up, her ears perking as a thought strikes her. “Oh, wait. I have an idea. I know who else I can ask to watch me dance!”

  “Who-” Jayson abruptly stops himself, his eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “Lexia, no.”

  “Lexia, yes!”

  And with that, she releases Jayson and bolts across the street, ignoring cars honking and leaping over the hood of vehicles screeching to a halt. When she reaches the other side of the street, she runs into an alley, disappearing from sight. Jayson huffs and looks down, kicking a broken piece of asphalt, and one of the tweaking rabbits vibrates as he wobbles towards Jayson, hips lips and whiskers twitching.

  “Hey spooky ghost guy, can I borrow some Reel Sight? I like seeing things and we're kinda out of a lot of it,” says the addict.

  Jayson frowns and barely catches Lexia speeding away from the alley in her modified car.

  Jayson feels the money in his pocket, then focuses on the twitchy junkie rabbit in front of him. The addict's fur is patchy in places, eyes bloodshot and darting around erratically. Several other rabbits hover at the edge of the alley, watching the exchange with unfocused interest.

  "I don't have any Reel Sight," says Jayson. As he studies the group, Lexia’s words replay in his mind, and he releases a heavy sigh, and reluctantly says, "Buuut~ I might know where you can see some cool stuff tonight."