Slime-Cycle (Humble Beginnings)

6. A meeting with The Bird

Puffy parked her car in the corner of the parkade. Stepping out of the vehicle, she locked her car and left to find phil.

The parking complex was mostly quite, other than the sound of distant cars. Her footsteps echoed as she walked through the parkade. As she reached their meeting spot, she saw a maintenance door slightly ajar. Slowly opening the door and taking a step inside, she saw a figure in the dark.

"Took you long enough." Phil said with a chuckle, as he stepped into the light. Puffy smiled as she saw him, silently closing the door behind her and turning on the lights to the room.

As the lights turned on, she could see the room was filled with crates and boxes of assorted supplies. Maintenance tools were scattered over the room, alongside concrete walls covered in pipes and valves. Puffy walked further into the room, making her way towards where phil stood.

Philza wore a simple black t-shirt with a picture of a pizza on the front, over which he had a dark green leather jacket, with a single heart pin on one of the pockets. He had light blond hair, and two ring earrings.

Phil cleared his throat, "so,.. What was so important you had to meet now?" He questioned. Puffy gave a look in response, telling phil it was something fairly serious.

"Well, I wanted to ask about your item... your heart one to be specific." Puffy spoke. She stood with her hands in her pockets, slightly leaning against a crate.

Phil gave her a suspicious look. "You already know how I got it and how it works, what more do you think I can tell you?"

Puffy laughed quietly to herself, "well, you said it can bring you back to life, right? No matter the damage." She stated.

Phil gave an even more suspicious glance. "Correct... I fail to see where your going with this."

Puffy gave a nervous chuckle, "well, I wanted to know if you happened to use it recently. By recently I mean last night."

Philza stood there somewhat flabbergasted. "Wh- no. I didnt use it last night, it only has one use I'm not gonna waste it." He spoke as calmly as possible. He sighed, "look, puffy, what happened? Why are you asking about my item?"

Puffy adjusted her stance, ready to spill it. "So.... one if my tenants may have,.. died..." she confessed.

Phil's face turned from suspicion to instant shock. "What?! And you're here talking about?!" Phil all but shouted.

"Eh!- sshh!! Dont yell about it! And no, I'm not here for your item. Ok? The tenants alive, I'm just here to find out how." She spoke softly, reassuring her friend.

Phil steadied his stance, crossing his arms in a contemplating manner. "Ok,.. so,. what happened? I'm in the dark here puffy."

"Well, when I checked the cameras this morning I saw the tenant had gotten shot at the entrance to the building." She informed.

"So, they survived? Or... where'd they get shot first of all?" Phil asked.

"He was shot in the back of the head, which is what confuses me. He shouldnt have been alive, but, when I found him he was fine. Not even so much as a scratch." Puffy told him. Phil looked back at her with a contemplating look.

Phil proposed an option, "well, maybe he just has a really good healing power. It's not uncommon for healers powers to go ham on a serious injury, Even when they have no experience."

Puffy laughed, "nope! the answer isnt that easy. Charlie's powerless, he told me himself. He said there was no possible way for him to have powers."

Phil was stumped, what else could have happened? "Well, then how'd he survive? If it wasnt a power, then, what was it?" He looked to puffy for an answer.