↳ CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

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          BLOOMING GROVE WAS one of the places that Freja never thought she'd be visiting more than once in one lifetime, right along with the morgue, yet there she sat at one of the tables, a visitor's badge hanging from her neck as she nervously...

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          BLOOMING GROVE WAS one of the places that Freja never thought she'd be visiting more than once in one lifetime, right along with the morgue, yet there she sat at one of the tables, a visitor's badge hanging from her neck as she nervously chewed on the strings of her hoodie and glanced around. It wasn't the mentally ill that had her so on edge but the idea of a murderer still lurking in the shadows of the building, and knowing that Scott E had been the victim only made every take of breath taste more and more bitter.

          Needless to say, both Liv and Ravi had been amazed to find out she had known him, but she wasn't quite sure why it was such a surprise — she had, after all, dedicated her life to studying the supernatural. Of course, when someone had reached out to her insisting that zombies were real, she had gone to great lengths to find out everything there was to scrape off the topic, from first visiting Scott E at his apartment to then stopping by Blooming Grove.

         And when she remembered Major's part in all of it, her heart thudded a little heavier. As if losing almost everything wasn't enough to kick the man around, the world had claimed his new friend, too.

         "Freja?" Startled by the Lilywhite's bewildered tone, she jumped out of her chair and twirled around, just in time to see Major entering the room with unsure eyes — once she met his stare, though, his entire face lit up and his steps gained determination as he trekked across the room to her. "It's good to see you", he whispered in relief, and before she could do more than flash a smile at him, she found herself enveloped in an appreciative embrace. Even with one of the orderlies eyeing them unhappily, Freja freed the chuckle brewing in her throat and wrapped her own arms around the man, happy to bring him some comfort.

        "I'm so sorry about Scott E. You really can't catch a break, huh?" she muttered empathetically, her hand drawing soothing circles against Major's back as she sighed. Only when she pulled away and rested both hands on his shoulders, her lips twitched, the blue outfit and the tenacious twinkle in his eyes reminding her of Scott E. She had originally visited the mental hospital to talk about zombies with him, and she guessed that her visit with Major wasn't going to go very differently.

        "Oh, don't act like you haven't taken a literal beating", Major pointed out jokingly while drawing a chair from under the table and gesturing for Freja to land on the opposite one. "Misery loves company, hm?" the man recalled the old saying with half a grin, and as much as her healing lip allowed, Freja mirrored the expression.

        "Oh yeah, fighting the Candyman together really took our relationship to the next level", she teased back, and when Major reacted with a genuine laugh, her lips involuntarily twisted up. "How's it been here?" she continued after resting her jaw on the backs of her hands, her undivided attention on Major who instinctively glanced around, as if to make sure no one else would hear him, and leaned over the table with his amusement replaced by sheer solemnity.

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