Year: 2287
Kentish jumped up with a start. He had been so focussed on watching the alley he had missed Jax slowly making her way back towards him. She didn’t make herself easy to see, but Kentish was usually much better at observing and hearing people – it was rare for someone to get a jump on him.
Kentish considered running but knew it was almost hopeless. He cursed himself for taking too long to act.
“Not a bad night to be sitting outside. Slightly chilly, but nice and fresh.” Jax said as she sat on the bench next to Kentish.
“Still, I’ve been keeping quite warm on a nice jaunt around town. Good bit of exercise but it’s going to play havoc with getting up for work tomorr.. I mean this morning.” As she said it, Jax looked at her wrist where her Holowatch would have been. Not out of habit, but for the benefit of Kentish – it was good to have a little fun with him.
“I’m Jax by the way. What are you doing out here this early in the morning?” She extended her hand to Kentish who gingerly took it. Jax smiled. She wondered if he would give up and come clean.
“Name’s Kentish.” He didn’t say any more, he didn’t know what to say. Kentish felt out of his depth, which was unusual because normally he was the one with all the questions AND answers. He knew that she knew it was him but was wondering what she would do now.
A moment passed and neither of them said anything. Jax and Kentish were just looking straight at each other, each wondering what the other was going to do. Finally, Kentish broke.
“Are ya gonna call the police? Please don’t. Sorry I took your watch; it was lying there and was just so easy to grab and run. I thought it would be good to sell that way I could get a decent meal. Then Highbury said it could be tracked so I should get it away from our place, you know, before you come looking for it. We don’t need that attention, we get on fine without outsiders. So, you see, if you call the police I’ll be in deep trouble – not from the police – from Highbury. I’m meant to be her one day, well not her, but a leader…”
Kentish rambled on about a lot of stuff Jax had no idea about for a couple of minutes. She listened intently, nodding in all the right places and trying to follow his story. He seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done and was more afraid of his group getting in trouble as opposed to himself.
Jax cut Kentish off mid-sentence laughing, “You can stop there, you know I have no idea what you’re talking about, right? Who’s Highbury and I assume ‘we’ is your group of friends? Don’t worry, I’m not going to call the police. There’d be no point, what would they even do? Besides, all I want is my watch back. I assume it is safe in that alley over there?”
She pointed towards the alley as she got up off the bench, the question was rhetorical, but Kentish solemnly answered yes anyway. He followed her towards the alley, she seemed decent and she wasn’t going to call the police which was a big bonus.
Sunsets on Britannia 