Destiny & Justin/ce
"And do you think that was the right thing to do, Destiny?"
"Oh hell no, not you again--" Destiny plopped to the floor, sighing, her head against the door. She was yet to regain her breath from all the chasing. What is it with cops and their obsession with chasing down petty criminals when there are literal wars out there? And why does she have to bear with this guy on top of all that?
The man plopped down right beside her, swinging his head to the left to achieve his signature long hairstyle, "Tell me, Destiny, do you hold remorse about your act?"
"Please leave me alone." Destiny unwrapped the infinite plastic wrappings of her sandwich, tucking the covers into the pockets of her hoodie. So much plastic, and for what?
"Do you think your concern for the world and the environment justify your other actions? For all we know, that woman could have been going through a really hard day to have bought a sandwich for breakf--"
"That's it!" Raising herself from the ground, Destiny stood her ground against him, "Would you buy me food instead? Okay, just mind your business, alright? What did I ever do to you? Oh my goodness!" She took a significant bite out of the sandwich, filling her entire mouth with fresh bread and-- meat. No, no, she was not going to eat an animal. But it is so tasty. And I'm very hungry. I need this. You're going against everything you believe in--
"So you can't even stick to your own rules, can you, Destiny?"
"What do you want me to do then? Buy that carnivore another sandwich? Apologise for being hungry? Ask forgiveness for being born poor? You understand nothing."
"And do you understand everything?"
"No, no. I'm not taking philosophy on a Monday morning without even a proper breakfast."
The man hoisted himself up, aligning his floor-length, light brown jacket to perfection, and walked towards her. Hand against her hips and exasperated by about two hours since her start of the day, Destiny refused to make any eye contact.
"You're destined for greater things, Destiny."
"Stop saying that, please."
"All you think about is how life is being unfair to you, which it is, but the complaints are not taking you anywhere, Destiny. You couldn't be born into privilege, I understand, but it is not impossible for you to pave a path towards your dreams even now. You are capable of that, I believe in you."
"In this economy?"
"Don't use that Gen Z language with me, please. Talk in sensible sentences like we're all supposed to."
Destiny sighed, eyes closed, "Then you tell me what to do."
"You dream of a better world, Destiny. And not just for you, but for everyo--"
"No, no, not the communist manifesto. Steps you want me to take instead of being a thief and an asshole--"
"You're not an a-hole, Destiny. What you tell yourself is very imp--"
"Oh my god, I'm 21 now, you are still going to correct my language?"
"I'm sure your inner child--"
"Don't start with-- I don't have a child inside me. I can have one. Is that what you want me to do? Be a who-- mother?"
"That's not what I meant, Destiny."
"That was sarcasm, oh my god-- Stop following me around!"
"I can't. I'm a figment of your imagination. I don't follow you, you carry me around in your head."
"Can't you still leave? Please?"
"I'm afraid that'd lead you down a dangerous path, and I can't watch you being that person, Destiny. Let's see what the scales have to say." He reached out to the inside pocket of his jacket to bring out a golden scale that definitely would not have fit in there.
"Can't I, at least, change a couple things about you? That scale being this out of scale is an insult to my imagination--" The man blinked twice, as the scales slowly creaked between them, up and down.
"Look, buddy, I get it. You want me to be a better person, and I respect that. You want what's good for me. But whatever young version of me made you, they had a much more idealistic version of the world out there. But real world isn't like that. It sucks. I gotta do what I do to save myself."
The scale weighed down, quantifying her guilt to be a tad more worse than what she had seen previously, "I can live with that, buddy, thank you for all you do. Maybe someday, I'll actually be able to live upto you. Someday." Destiny patted him twice on the shoulder, and stealthily made her way out through the windows, a half-eaten sandwich remaining the only evidence of her presence. Perhaps that would be her first step to resolving world hunger, but maybe not the hunger of that carnivore. She'll buy another.