Dez watched Ivy go, jumping as she tripped, moving a step closer in case she needed a hand. It wasn't until she was nearly out of sight that he gave Roland a weary glance.
"How…are we supposed to do this…?" he wondered allowed, eyes raising to the ceiling. He made note of a few cameras in the general vicinity, but Dez quickly found himself growing bored. It wasn't long before he was then approached by a nearby security guard.
"Can I help you?" he asked gruffly, the inflection of his voice implying he was by no means actually asking to aid Dez.
Dez frowned, looking down at his map and back up at the guard.
"I'm trying to do a security risk analysis of the mall for a class. We're supposed to make note of resources in the event of a disaster and what security protocols we notice in an environment of our choosing…." he said, giving the man a sheepish smile.
The man quirked a brow, crossing his arms, obviously not impressed with that answer.
Dez sighed, scratching his head nervously, peering at his notebook and back again.
"And what class is this?" he asked.
"Environmental Safety and Risk Assessment… it's meant to prepare you for emergency situations and respond quickly and effectively….. I'm trying to make note of all the exits, cameras, water sources, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers that I can see right now. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" he asked, presenting his map with all the markings he'd made thus far.
The man's expression softened as he noted some of the safety zones Dez had made note of. Taking his pen, the man circled a spot on the map and handed the pen back, reaching into his pocket. Dez tensed for a moment, staring intently at the circle.
"Security office," he clarified, pulling a few emergency safety pamphlets from his pocket, handing them to the boy. He grinned, opening a few and looking at them intently.
"Oh med kit protocols…. I didn't know that they changed every year. That's really handy to know. Thanks!"
The man rolled his eyes, shaking his head, chuckling to himself.
"Read a few of those. I'll be around if you have any questions," he offered, leaving him to read.
'I can't believe I got away with that….' he thought, letting out a sigh, leafing through a few protocols before he added some more notes to his map and notebook.
Checking his phone, Dez started making his way back to the cafe. He hadn't seen anything of particular note on his side of the mall, but then again, he'd only checked out a few blocks. Humming to himself, he strolled at a leisurely pace, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention to himself when suddenly his phone buzzed.
Unlocking it expectantly, Dez frowned in disappointment.
'Where is the med kit?'
Callé.
'What happened?'
Cal started typing and stopped a few times before returning his text. Dez's brow creased in frustration at his phone as he made it to the cafe.
'Fell on my run. Scraped my knees.'
'Is that all?'
It took her another minute to respond, a picture of her scraped knee following, rather than a written response.
'Med kit is on my bed,' he sent back, a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach.
'thx'
This time it took him a moment to respond, clenching and unclenching his jaw in frustration as he analyzed the picture and mulled over his thoughts, muddled by bomb threats and security, brotherly concern and guilt peppered in throughout.
'You aren't… harming yourself again…are you?'
She didn't respond. Dez bit his lip, staring intently at his phone, willing the ellipsis of her typing to surface. They didn't.
Dez growled to himself, cursing as he tossed his phone onto the table he now occupied, rubbing his eyes in an irritated manner.
Picking it up again, he tried to call, only to be cut off by her answering machine.
"Dammit Callé!"
((This is not to glorify self-harm. Anyone who is reading this, if you are thinking of harming yourself or having thoughts of suicide, please seek professional help or check out THIS site for more information.))