- and run he did, as fast as he could, fear fueling every step of the way.

Though, who knows if he'll get far? The creature's limb from earlier seemed to make this endeavor quite pointless.

Yet he persists, survival is a must after all.

" You're.. real. "

He chews on the words for a moment, observing the smiling dog with caution.

This isn't the facade of a deranged killer, it's an actual curse manifested through the rumors circulating around it.

With no options of self defense, every instinct tells Itami to run -

+

— You're already doing that sweetheart.

He wasn't really keen on making it obvious that he's easily influenced by drugs, but to be fair, he's not one to take them often anyway.

— Y- Yeah, just give me a minute.

. . .embarrassing, really.

Itami just does that, resting his head on Casey's shoulder and leaning into him, getting more and more comfortable in his presence.

— God.. I'm tired. I'm lucky I'm even getting time off from my squad.

— Heh. If my squad saw me smoking straight from a plug they'd lose their balls.

As if to prove a point, the sergeant takes another heavy puff before passing the joint back to Casey, a woozy smile on his face as he sat beside him to get comfortable.

— Damn right you do, I think I can feel it.

— Thanks, you're a lifesaver.

Some would argue Casey's line of work is quite the opposite, but again, who gives a shit? The sergeant eagerly takes the blunt and takes a deep hit before exhaling the smoke, the effects faintly catching up.

— Huff.. good shit. No wonder you're a popular plug.