Meet Rowan

November 15, 2023

Cole appears in the base of the lighthouse. He has his usual gas mask and gloves along with a dirtbike that has a large duffle bag strapped to the back. He leans the dirtbike against a wall, as he quickly takes the gas mask off, he pulls his phone out to find the Cherrywood office number and calls them.

A woman answers the phone, "Cherrywood court house."

Cole clears his throat as he steps out of the lighthouse's front door, "Hi, I'm Cole with Cole Genesone Industries. I'm just wondering if this is the correct number to call to set up a meeting with someone to discuss a possible police equipment contract."

"You will want to contact the local police department. They should have a number available on their website," the woman replies. As Cole steps outside he instantly notices a small wooden plank, nailed to a tree directly ahead.

Cole nods, "Thank you, sorry for the inconvenience." Cole hangs up as he glances at the wooden plank, "...huh?" He starts walking over to it.

He can make out some words engraved into it, "I know what you are."

"...Very funny Icarus," Cole half chuckles and goes back on his phone as he finds the Cherrywood Police Department's phone number and calls them.

Another woman answers the phone, "Cherrywood Police Department."

Cole clears his throat as he starts pacing back and forth, "Hi, I'm Cole with Cole Genesone Industries I'm just wondering if this is the correct number to call to set up a meeting with someone to discuss a possible police equipment contract."

"If your equipment is already licensed for law enforcement equipment then you could speak to officers directly about your service."

"My equipment has the proper licenses that are required from the FCC, I will be down there in a second if you would like to see the certificate as well as to speak to your officers," Cole starts walking back towards the lighthouse.

The woman responds, "Ok, we will see you there."

"Thank you," Cole hangs up as he steps inside the lighthouse and reequips his gas mask. He wheels the dirtbike out and starts it as he starts driving into Cherrywood. He makes it there rather quickly. It's partly sunny and quite a few nonferals are out and about. Some have already started putting up their Christmas decorations a bit early.

Cole looks slightly annoyed at the Christmas decorations, he pulls over onto the side of the road and looks for directions on the police department's website. He finds them fairly quickly and it's only a few blocks away.

Cole notes the directions, puts his phone away, and starts heading there. He makes sure to follow the traffic laws even though he's clearly unhappy about it. He makes it there with no issues and only gets a few curious looks from people who think he's a loon.

Cole parks the bike and puts the kickstand down as he grabs the duffle bag and heads inside the building.

On heading inside he is immediately tackled by an officer. They both hit the concrete floor rather hard.

Cole groans as he hits the floor and lets go of the duffle bag, "OW FUCK, GET OFF ME!" Cole starts kicking and punching in an attempt to get the officer off of him.

Two other officers join in to keep Cole on the ground and flip him onto his stomach. One of the officers barks out during the struggle, "You are under arrest for multiple accounts of first degree murder. Put your arms behind your back."

"IT WASN'T ME YOU FUCKING LOONS!" Cole continues struggling and kicking as much as he can.

Another officer shows up to the scene and draws their taser and yells, "Put your hands behind your back or you will be tased."

"Fuck you," Cole groans as he stops struggling and puts his hands behind his back, "I try to help and THIS is the thanks I get."

They cuff Cole's hands behind his back as an officer wraps an arm around his to pull him up to his feet.

Cole groans and huffs as he's pulled to his feet, "You wanna see a magic trick?"

"Not right now." the officer with a hold of his arm states. Another officer steps aside to answer a phone call.

"Please, it'll be really quick I promise," Cole turns his head to look at the officer as best as he can

"No," the officer states as he keeps a tight grip.

Cole grunts as he uses the majority of his strength to break the handcuffs, and grins at the officer, "Oopsie."

The officer stares a moment as another starts getting out several handcuffs.

"I told you it would be really quick," Cole stops looking at the officer as he stares forward, with an expressionless face

The officer looks concerned as the other quickly gets the other handcuffs on. The officer taking a call is pacing a bit as they talk.

Cole comments, "So...you gonna read me my rights? Process me? Or are we just gonna stand here like gay lovers?" Cole snickers with the final comment.

The officer on call looks up at the officer holding Cole's arm and makes a head nod to a specific hall. The officer holding Cole's arm nods and starts pulling Cole with him in that direction. The third officer has a bit of a confused look as he stays in place.

Cole giggles as he starts walking with the Officer's pull, "Weeeeeeeee!"

The officer opens a door to a large room with a long desk. In front of the desk are a few benches with places to attach the handcuffs. He pulls Cole to a bench and fastens the handcuffs to the bench, "Just stay here till we get this figured out."

Cole shrugs, "Alright." Cole closes his right eye as he relaxes.

There's movement from his right side of someone on a bench as well. The officer leaves the room. Cole glances over at his right side with a raised eyebrow.

Sitting beside him with one leg sassily thrown over the other and a cocky smile, is Harper

"..." Cole doesn't make any noise as he returns to staring forward, with an expression best described as, oh this bitch.

Harper sounds genuinely happy, "Sooo... get caught for kidnapping?"

Cole lets out a sigh and begrudgingly answers, "Several accounts of murder."

"Several! Wow! Really got your work cut for ya huh?"

Cole sighs while still keeping his right eye shut, looks over at Harper, "So you are a kidnapper?"

"Me? Oh no no no, I'm just here for my usual checkup." She grins ear to ear. Being in better lighting Cole can better see the fake freckles and painted on tear under both eyes.

"....Fuck do you mean checkup?" Cole raises an eyebrow at Harper.

"Oh you see, unlike you who is a wanted criminal, they are going to let me go."

Cole rolls his eye at Harper, "So you knew I was a wanted criminal?"

"Considering you kidnapped my sister. Yes." She growls some.

"Kidnapped is a strong word, I prefer lawfully taken from a psychopath that has a GEOFENCE on her sister's arms," Cole's eye flickers pink for a second then back to hazel brown.

"Because OTHER PEOPLE have KIDNAPPED HER. USING HER ARMS," Harper sounds genuinely outraged.

An officer bags on the wall from outside the room, "Quiet down in there."

Cole slowly looks over at the wall that was banged on then back to Harper. "Yeah, quiet down psychopath."

Harper's eyes narrow, "I'm more sane than the people you work for."

Cole raises an eyebrow at Harper, "Elaborate?"

"You're another one of those fuckers just trying to get at Lochlan. I'm not gonna give up so easily." The end of her tail rattles like a rattlesnake.

Cole shrugs, "The only people I work for are my company."

Harper's eyes fill with rage and her hair raises. She lunges to get as close to him as she can while handcuffed to the bench that scoots slightly from the sudden jerk, "YOU OWN THAT DAMN COMPANY- I WILL PEEL EVERY LAYER OF YOUR EYES OFF AND R-"

There's another loud banging from the wall as an officer yells, "CALM DOWN OR WE'RE SEPARATING YOU TWO."

"Yeah, cool it man~" Cole chuckles quietly.

Harper continues to yell, her words become gibberish from the rage as the door swings open. The officer marches in with a face of mild inconvenience and goes to undo Harper's cuffs to move her into another room.

Cole starts cackling, "HOLY SHIT THIS IS FUNNY."

Harper continues screaming at him as the officer drags away and out of the room. Her screams slowly muffle and disappear behind the walls.

Cole continues cackling with his right eye still shut, "This is the best entertainment I've had in a WHILE."

He hears another voice from behind the counter, "Thought I was gonna lose an ear drum."

Cole attempts to stand up, "Hello?" He can only partially stand. On doing so he gets a glimpse of a pair of red ears sticking straight up. It's as if someone is sitting with their head resting on the table behind the lip of the desk. They sound somewhat tired yet in an ok mood, "Hello to you."

Cole groans in annoyance, "Can't fuckin stand up properly, are you an officer or are you someone else?"

The stranger scoots into view while on an office chair with wheels. He's a dark gray, black, and red fox that wears a brown well used leather jacket and a chipper expression. His ears stick straight up and behind him is fluffy and an almost rabbit-like shorter tail. His nose and legs also suggest a more rabbit hybrid as well. "I'm just here for a bit till my dad picks me up. They weren't supposed to be using this room for any civilians. The bars on some of those benches are busted."

"...Wait what?" Cole checks if the bars he's connected to are busted, "More importantly, why is there a non officer in here?!"

He notices a few bolts missing from the bars.

The stranger responds, "Because there isn't supposed to be anyone else in here and they trust me. Besides, I was getting bored so they let me play some games on the computer... So why did they put you in here instead of the other room?"

Cole shrugs, "No idea, they're probably trying to process me." Cole snickers quietly as he tries to slide his handcuffs off the bars.

Cole gets his hands cuffs off the bars as the stranger keeps talking as he watches, "Processing is in the other room. This room isn't to be used for anything yet"

Cole looks confused as he opens his right eye, "Then why am I being held in here?"

He shrugs, "I dunno."

Cole's head tilts slightly, "Also why are you so calm while being in the same room as a criminal?"

"What do you mean?" He tilts his head some with a smile as he starts idly spinning around in the chair.

Cole asks, "...Before I tell you why, what's your name?"

"I'm Rowan, nice to meet ya-" He keeps spinning some more.

"...Well hello Rowan, now the reason why I said that is because I'm being charged with several counts of first degree murder." Cole starts to smile but quickly pushes it down as his face goes expressionless.

"AH. Well that sounds lovely." Rowan's eyes widen some but he still remains very chill

Cole starts walking towards the door to the room, "Well....I have an idea I wanna test-"

Rowan instantly stands up, going between Cole and the door. With him now standing Cole can see his height, about 6 foot 3. He has quite a bit of bulk on him as well.

"...Excuse me, I have places to be," Cole sighs as he looks Rowan up and down.

"I'm sorry but until one of those officers walks into this room and tells you that you can go, I'm not letting that happen..." he then mumbles under his breath, "Unless you have a noble cause."

Cole sighs, "My noble cause is not having a criminal record?"

Rowan raises an eyebrow, "I hardly think so. What about a family?"

Cole sighs and shakes his head, "Don't have one, look the only real cause I have is that the bear and elk I killed were sending people into a death trap and then when I confronted them, they tried to kill me."

Rowan tilts his head some, "Hold on. Did they huff from spray paint cans by any chance?"

Cole shrugs, "It's possible, why?"

His eyes widened, "You're that loon guy he was talking about! That's why you're here!"

Cole raises an eyebrow, "Who? And is that a good thing?"

Rowan chuckles some, "One of my friends was talking about you. You really don't act like a loon do ya?" He stays standing in the way.

Cole rolls his eyes, "Sure, whatever can I leave? Is my cause noble enough for you?"

Rowan shakes his head, "Oh no no no, I gotta hear more about you. So what are you like?"

"I don't know man?? I don't study myself on the daily? The only interesting thing I did is that I broke a pair of handcuffs? Is that good enough for you?"

Rowan taps his own nose, "Oh I know you've done a lot more interesting things lately."

Cole stares at him, "Did you put that wooden plank on the tree?!"

His ears point back, "Huh? No, what plank?"

Cole sighs as he shakes his head, "Nevermind, what more do you know?"

"I know you up and bought a house for a guy."

"Uhuh, what about it?" Cole sighs.

"That's insane. Like a loon just shows up out of nowhere and has enough money to just blow it on a building like that? You're not a normal man. How do you do it while managing all that?" He gestures at the gas mask.

"Managing what? Wearing a gas mask? It's just comfortable to wear," Cole shrugs.

"Like all the anxiety and being moments away from episodes... are you not a loon?"

Cole hesitates, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"

The door behind Rowan swings open as Rowan jumps slightly and turns around. Stepping into the room is someone with a solid black biker's helmet that obscures their entire head and they wear attire that is a matching black dress shirt and long pants.

"..." Cole stares at them, hoping and praying that it isn't an officer.

They don't seem to be wearing any uniform and Rowan looks between the two of them, "Two loons in one room. Feels like Trotson in here."

Cole seems slightly relieved that they don't look like a cop

"Are you here to rescue me from prison...."

The guy with the helmet turns to look behind him before moving past Rowan and towards Cole. He moves around Cole to look at the handcuffs while drawing a small key for cuffs from his sleeve. Rowan looks between them as he whispers, "Is this like your date or something busting you out?"

Cole shakes his head with a sigh, "No, I'm not gay and I don't even think I know this person" Cole makes sure he keeps his hands still so they can be unlocked

The cuffs come off as the guy drops them on the ground and grabs Cole by the wrist. He heads around Rowan and out the door, dragging Cole with him. Rowan watches in confusion.

Cole starts walking as he's dragged, "I can walk, why the fuck have I been dragged and pulled around today?"

They head down the hall as he starts to walk more casually towards an exit door. Before reaching the door he pauses at a group of officers that turn to face them. They look down to see him holding Cole by the wrist and turn the other direction. The guy continues to walk to the exit.

Cole looks concerned as he mutters, "Who the fuck are you?"

He lets go of Cole's wrist and holds open the door for Cole.

Cole walks out the door while still looking very confused, "Who the fuck are you?!?"

On stepping out the guy begins to walk away in a different direction, no longer paying attention to Cole.

"..." Cole checks to make sure his dirtbike is still there. It's still right where he left it.

Cole quickly follows the guy while still holding a confused look. They continue to walk for a longtime before heading into the woods. Cole continues stalking the person. They eventually reach the lighthouse. The stranger walks up to the base of the lighthouse.

"..." Cole slows to a stop as he watches.

The person walks up to the door and turns to face Cole's direction. With a snap of their fingers, they vanish.

"What." Cole blinks several times in confusion. After a moment, Cole runs back to the police department for his dirtbike.