Malice pushed up against the door with their back, one of the spikes on their shoulder scratching the door''s paint, they were keeping eye contact with Ezekiel as if he were being examined. It hit him, Ezekiel was afraid to be alone with this person, at least there were cameras and fans, etc. inside that would know if something happened to him, but this person, this character; Malice didn’t express themselves properly, Ezekiel was trying to decipher if they were hiding something or if it was simply a personal issue.
The stagnant brisk air of the city hit both Ezekiel and Malice’s faces, it was a nice break from the stuffy club interior, though the quick change in climate caused Ezekiel’s bones to rattle, a shiver running from his skull to his heels. “Well, can you see it now?” Ezekiel manoeuvred his hands into his pockets after handing the photo back to Malice, twisting and adjusting his vest as he did so. Ezekiel craned his neck in every which way, from left to right, up and around, every available direction was examined, he wanted to keep note of his location and anything that could have possibly been here around the time Valery was, anything that could be used to bludgeon another person, perhaps any clues that she was shot and disposed of, the music from the club was certainly loud enough and the banging coming from it could partially cover the sound of a gunshot, goes to show they need to turn the speakers down. This is all assuming they didn’t try to silence the firearm, if there was a firearm at all, it doesn''t seem like many people lived in the area anyway, no point to try and hide the sound of a bullet being fired from a congregation of drug addicts and drunkards.
Malice dropped their joint, and it seemed they didn’t care enough to finish it as they’d slammed the tip of their boot into the now squished mix of weed and paper just before grabbing the photo from Ezekiel once more. “I think so?” They’d questioned their own words. The woman in the photo, Valery, appeared familiar to Malice, but they couldn’t pinpoint it. “I mean, she was probably in the front row or something of the like.” Malice blinked, each eye at separate times before groaning and rubbing the heel of their palms into their eyes.
“So you don’t recognise this woman.” Ezekiel was sceptical but also couldn’t help but feel like this wasn’t a cohesive interview. Ezekiel had no clue how much of and or what the person in front of him took, or if they’d done anything more than the marijuana they previously held in their hands.
Before Malice had a chance to reassure Ezekiel on the fact they did not know Valery, Ezekiel began to question them more. “Was that all you’ve smoked?” He inquired, standing oddly still and staring up toward the unnerving musician.
Malice parted their lips for a moment, about to speak before once again closing their mouth, waiting before speaking. “No, I don''t recognise this woman, and I don''t see why my smoking habits are relevant…”
Before Ezekiel could speak another word, the door beside them flew open, a rush of musty and perfumey scents flooding out with the smoke from inside. “Malice~! We’re back on!” Called the guitarist in a sing-songy tune, they appeared joyful and childish, the two band members at first glance appeared to have a sibling-like relationship, this theory was only solidified when Malice responded by placing their hand on the guitarists head, ruffling their hair and squatting down a bit to mock them for their height. “I got it, bel, I got it, and after this we can go home and i’ll make us dinner.” Malice grinned, they were clearly making some sort of joke that Ezekiel wasn’t in on.
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“Ew no way, I’d rather lick your makeup drawer than let anybody other than Phim cook!” Label seemed cheerful when addressed by Malice, they clearly shared a close bond, one that made the two of them seem entirely innocent, but nobody is innocent and Ezekiel had grown to learn that.
“God, I hope you’re all joking when you say these are your real names.” Ezekiel watched the two musicians slam the door shut behind them, revealing a ‘no entry’ sign covered in graffiti, the lights from the inside still shining through the doors cracks, much like the front door, if any door on this place could be considered a front door.
And just like that, Ezekiel’s cigarette had run dry, down to its last life, causing him to let out a prolonged sigh in response; he released his jaws grip on the barely standing rolled paper, the butt of the cigarette entirely splitting from itself the moment it hit the pavement. “My last one and I didn''t even get to enjoy it…” Ezekiel complained, even though it was he who got himself into this situation in the first place, entirely on his own.
The street lamps flickered on and off, the neighbourhood was dingy and smelt of smoke mixed with gasoline and rat piss. Though wasn’t the most unpleasant neighbourhood or even location Ezekiel had been in, it wasn’t even the worst place he’d resided in; Lucy would argue his apartment was much worse, but Ezekiel still wanted to leave this area of the city as fast as possible, he didn’t feel safe.
“If I don’t get back home soon I''m worried somebody is gonna’ try and sell me a gram.” Ezekiel spoke to himself in a less than worried tone, despite stating he was worried in the moment, he honestly felt with this case going nowhere he might have liked for somebody to give him a good deal on substances.
After standing around in the alley that was practically begging for irradiation, he decided he would either call a taxi or message Lucy, though Lucy wouldn’t be too happy to see him standing around alone in the dark next to a club, she’d picked him up drunk enough times and would probably refuse to come get him the moment he told her his location. “Looks like I''m walking home, aren’t I?” Ezekiel growled to himself, debating on deciding on neither of the options, he didn’t want to piss off Lucy but also didn''t have the money for a taxi, nor did he trust a taxi, not around here.