what do you desire? [open]

This was her territory for the day. The sun was beating down on her as she patrolled the parking lot, looking for people who parked like dumb asses. Apparently there was an outbreak of stupidity in this particular parking lot so her company—if you could call it that. Lyn sure didn’t—had been called, and she’d gotten the assignment. She didn’t really enjoy going being out here.

Especially when the place was an aquarium.

Whatever. It was money in her pocket. And she didn’t argue when given an assignment. She didn’t really care where she worked so long as she could walk there or take the bus. Bus it had needed to be. Maybe she needed to get a bike. Meh.

Her phone timer started to beep right in the middle of writing a ticket for double-parking. It was probably really petty of her, as the truck in question was just a few inches over the yellow line, but for the love of God if you can’t park it right don’t drive it. She turned the alarm off, finished the ticket, then slapped it under the guy’s windshield wiper.

Oh what she wouldn’t give to have the owner—probably some burly lumberjack-type by the size of the truck—come strolling out and demanding to know the meaning of this. But no such luck. Lyn sighed. Lunch time. She never missed a break or a lunch.

She shoved her little notepad of tickets into her fancy little utility belt, took off her hat, and took a look around. The one thing Lynette didn’t like was being forced to spend her lunch time walking somewhere to eat. But, it looked like there was nothing else in sight except for the stupid Aquarium. She sighed and strode inside—there was bound to be at least a small restaurant or some food booths she could sit at and get out of the sun.

The person at the front made her pay for a ticket and Lyn begrudgingly handed over the cash. Most expensive lunch ever.

Lyn walked through swiftly, as if on a crash course through the aquarium, trying to see everything within a certain time, but really she was trying to avoid looking at anything. Fish. Blech. Slimy little things. Good only for eating. However, something caught her attention, floating above her in one of the tunnels cut through the big shark enclosure. Lyn turned and looked around—sharks. Sharks everywhere. Eyes slightly wide and mouth open just a tad, she walked over to the glass, leaning over the rope that kept people from pushing their faces against the glass.

One was swimming right toward it, moving at a leisurely pace. Lyn wrapped her fingers around the rope and watched it make its progress, her gaze riveted to that mouth of theirs, full of teeth. Rows and rows of teeth. She craned her neck back as it swam over the tunnel, eyes locked on those knives in its mouth. She wondered briefly if they were going to feed the sharks.

Sharks, huh? Maybe they weren’t so bad.

She wanted to get closer. Lyn’s mouth opened ever so slightly and she stepped over the rope without checking to see if the coast was clear. When close enough, she reached out with her hand and pressed it against the cool glass. If she remembered correctly, their skin would feel like sandpaper. Maybe she’d skin the Animal Planet channel for shark documentaries one of these nights.

Or Youtube. Youtube had everything.

Someone seemed to have followed her suit. Lyn could see movement from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t glance over. Her gaze was riveted to a hammerhead that was gliding through the water in front of her. There were of course other fish in the tank, tiny little things that wouldn’t be too interesting to the big sharks, but she kept hoping one of the sharks would turn and eat them, just so she could see it just once.

The other visitor spoke to her. Lyn was not a particularly social creature, but she spoke when spoken too. She glanced over in their direction—no, his direction. It was a boy. Maybe her age. Maybe younger. Not that it mattered. “They have a section where you can touch some docile sharks somewhere around here,” she said after turning her gaze back toward. She sounded distracted as she watched a large nursing shark sweep the make-shift ocean floor.

Maybe she would head that way, too. See for herself if they really did feel like sandpaper. She had come here to sit and maybe have something to drink and eat, but this—well maybe in a few minutes.

“I want to see them feed,” she whispered, probably just barely audible enough for the other rope rebel to hear her. She could just imagine it—the sharks tearing into their pray, the water turning a sickly red-brown color, like rust, and spreading through the current, drawing more sharks. . . .

Lynette didn’t look at him except for a few glances here and there, as if expecting—almost wishing—he would get bored and just toddle off on his own, but he stayed there. Did he think she was his new friend or something? Bah. It was a preposterous thought. They were merely headed in the same direction and he was much friendlier than her. Hopefully she could ditch him later.

She more expected he’d hang out with her for the hour she was on her break.

“Not yet. I was on my way. They have a picnic area here, I was led to believe. It was included with admission anyway. . . ,” she mused aloud, looking up at the fish swimming overhead as if they would have the answers to her questions. They didn’t of course. They just swam along without a single care in the world. It kind of disgusted her a little bit, but she wasn’t sure why.

As nice as it would have been to see them eat, Lyn had already lost interest. “I don’t know their feeding schedule. I don’t know how long you plan to stay here, so you may get to see it. I will have to return to work shortly so if it is not soon I will not get to see it,” she explained.

The overhead display gave way to a larger area with little open tanks. Lynette indicated towards them. “I believe these are the petting tanks,” she pointed out.

Maybe after this he’d be satisfied and leave. If not, well she’d just have to endure him for a full hour. Maybe. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she’d be able to patrol here longer and find out he’d double parked and have to deal with that.

Heh. Maybe.

Lynette shrugged and glanced at another shark that swooped overhead just before they left the little hallway. She’d be over them probably by the end of the day. But for now, she found something that caught her interest. Even temporarily.

“I can go home and watch videos if I must,” she said simply, glancing at the tiny little watch nestled against her wrist. Sure she had a phone she could use to check the time like most people did now a day, but she hated taking it out and putting it back and turning it on and off just wasted the battery. A watch was quicker and more convenient.

The sharks available for petting were all small. Maybe just a little bigger than the stingrays in that exhibit, but still. Lyn could see the logic behind not letting people touch a full-grown bull or great white, but it was still a little disappointing. Lyn kind of wanted to feel like she was about to lose a hand. She supposed she would just have to settle for kind of wondering if maybe it was possible she could lose a finger. Eh.

She glanced at this kid—did he tell her his name? Maybe. She couldn’t remember—and then took a breath. “I suppose.” She stepped up and rolled her sleeves up a little bit—they were short sleeves but she kind of felt like doing it anyway.

Her skin tingled at the cold water as she slipped it past the surface toward a little shark in front of her, just chilling. She gently brushed her hand against it—yup. Sandpapery. So the rumors were true. Without really thinking, she slipped her other hand in the water and slowly wedged it under the shark. When she felt it try to swim away she scooped it up, holding tight. But it thrashed until it was free and swam off.

Her breath left her in a disappointed sigh and she pulled her hands out of the water and just watched the little things for a bit, wondering what it would feel like to hold it up, feel it wiggle and thrash outside of the water, gasping for breath

Lynette sighed and let her dripping hands hang by her side as she just watched the sharks swim about, uncaring that children and adults alike were probing and petting till their hearts’ content. She was bored with it now, but her pseudo companion didn’t seem like he was quite finished with the sharks yet. Her stomach was complaining quietly about the lack of food, so she wanted a snack.

She glanced at him as he introduced himself, then turned back to the sharks. “My name is Lyn,” she responded. It wasn’t a habit for her to give out her full name, Lynette. It was even less of a habit for her to give out her first and last name. “I give out parking tickets.”

He hadn’t asked for that, but she thought she’d say it anyway.

Maybe figure out if he had a car here or not.

“It’s alright. About what I expected,” she responded, turning to find the paper towels and hand sanitizer. She wasn’t going to use the sanitizer, but she wanted her arms to at least be dry now, before the salt water dried on her arms and made her all sticky. She pulled some paper towels out of the dispenser and tossed the wet and wadded up towels into the waste basket.

Food time. “I’m going to the picnic area now. If you'd rather stay here a little longer I'd understand. If you want to tag along, I won't object,” she said, turning to him. This time she managed a smile, her expression softening a little bit. If she wanted to find out if he had a car, and then try to give him a ticket, she’d have to hang out with him a little bit longer. It was time to be more friendly and turn on the charm. Then maybe this day would get a bit more interesting.

Well, at least maybe the next forty-five minutes would get more interesting. If not, an extra half hour on her lunch wouldn’t get her in trouble.

A nice job? Lyn gave him a strange look, then smiled slightly. It was all forced, of course, but she’d spent enough time around people to know what emotions looked like, and right now she wanted to pretend like she was feeling some. “I suppose. I get to see a lot of the city. The only downside is the people who didn’t want a ticket. Especially when they use a meter and catch me in the act of ticketing them,” she explained.

Of course that wasn’t true. She loved those moments. They were her favorite and the major reason she hadn’t quit and moved on to a different job.

But that wasn’t a normal thing. She had to make him think she was normal.

She shrugged and turned toward the direction she was pretty sure the cafeteria thing-place was and motioned toward him. “I’m usually alone on my lunch breaks, so I don’t mind some company,” she assured him. “You seem like a pretty neat person. I thought at first you were some creeper hitting on me, but I don’t think you’re a creeper anymore.”

Maybe that would be sufficient enough reason for her change of heart and sociability.

His request made this whole meeting even better. Though Lynette personally had no notion of saving money, she did like free things like most other people. But, she had to play it cool. She waited for him to catch up and then smiled gratefully at him. “I mean you don’t have to, I have enough for lunch but if you really want to I’m not going to say no,” she responded.

A quick glance at her watch reminded her of how much time she had. Just enough. They could walk over, get a quick bite to eat, and then she would be on her way back into anonymity and her semi-boring job of giving away tickets. She could begrudge herself these few minutes of entertainment.

Lyn nodded slightly and smiled. “Well, if you’re sure then I don’t mind. Maybe if we ever see each other again I’ll get us next time,” she offered. Though, in all seriousness she would be perfectly content with never seeing him again and really had no plans to do so, either. Guy was pretty normal, if a little bit excitable. Good company for someone who enjoyed company, which Lyn did not.

Eh. Whatever happened happened.

He asked what she would like to eat, or for a suggestion, and Lyn just shrugged. “Burgers would be easiest and probably the cheapest. I don’t need any fancy dining on my lunch break. Something quick, y’know?” he pointed out. That was what she normally ate. Well, when she did eat. She had to eat sometimes, but for the most part Lyn usually skipped meals.

She hadn’t eaten a decent meal since a couple days ago—mostly just snack things to keep her from passing out—and now that she was getting one for free she could probably eat a full meal with fries and a drink. If she hadn’t met What’s-His-Face here she probably would have just eaten some fries.

“Um,” she started, grimacing slightly. Chagrined, she smiled and looked at him shyly. “I’m sorry, but what did you say your name was again? I’m terrible at remember names.”

Lynette shook her head and gave Leon a reassuring smile. She would probably forget it again in ten minutes but that was alright, Lynette was good at talking to people without using their name. It was a gift, really. Well—a skill. A skill she had developed over years and years of not caring enough to remember names. Back in the day, she hadn’t even bothered to remember her teacher’s names. They’d all just been “Miss” or “Sir”. Or “hey you.”

But, she made it seem like she was trying. That was the polite thing to do when you were “making friends” right? “No, no. You told me—I remember you telling me, I just. . . I have a terrible memory when it comes to names. Leon, Leon, Leon—maybe now I’ll remember,” she smiled at him. So far this was going okay.

Just okay, though.

They got up to the little stand selling food and Lynette glanced over the menu real quick. It all seemed pretty basic, which was good. If they had had terrible pun names then she might have just dropped the whole ruse and burned the place down. Maybe. She would have thought about it at least. And then went home and imagined burning it down. Though, could you burn down a building full of water and fish? Probably not.

“I’ll just have a double cheeseburger, fries, and a fountain drink,” she told him. That way, he knew what to order when it got to be their turn. It was about that time of the day that you got lunch, so there were a few people waiting for their turn.