Denkou's family finally got to move back into town. It was like magic. They just woke up one morning to find their containment capsule was in a little closet again.
Mr. Skunk has moved the family into a new building. At first, Denkou threw a fit because they missed the old place – the grey uniform man with the magic key, especially – which made Uncle Jazz get really mad. Mr. Skunk didn't mind, though, and he stepped in, deciding he was going to show Denkou around the building.
Denkou was thrilled. It wasn't often that they got to spend time with Skunk, as much time as they wanted. Skunk always seemed to be in a hurry or already going somewhere.
Now, Denkou and Skunk are walking up the building's hallway together. Denkou really wanted to hold Mr. Skunk's hand, but he wouldn't let them. So now, Denkou holds onto the edge of Skunk's suit jacket sleeve while his hand hangs limp. This lets Denkou feel like the other families they see on TV.
"So," Skunk begins to ask. "Notice anything about this floor o' the building, kiddo?"
"Nuh," mumbles Denkou, staring intently at the doors they walk past. "The walls are a different colour?"
"Not quite," he chuckles. "We're the only ones living on this floor."
Denkou is agape with shock. "What?! Just this floor?"
"Yeah, kiddo! This time, we're renting the whole floor! The only people who are gonna ever come up here are the janitors!"
Skunk makes a fist and begins to pound on a nearby apartment door. He grins as he yells out, "FBI! Open up!"
He then cups a hand to his ear and leans in, smiling, his eyes wide like he's in a Disney movie. Dead silence greets them. Denkou bursts out in a fit of laughter so hard that they fall to the ground.
Mr. Skunk laughs, too. He scoops Denkou up off the ground, and carries them in one arm like a toddler. Denkou's laughter winds down, and they look around the hallway, seeing everything now from Mr. Skunk's height. He has definitely been drinking today, but at least it makes him silly.
"Do we get to sleep in all ten apartments?" asks Denkou.
"Nah, we only got the keys to three...it makes it easier to pack up in a hurry. Plus, I bet I'd put my keys down in one room and never remember which one."
Denkou laughs again. Mr. Skunk turns the corner, into a new hallway, but this one is different; something up ahead beams with neon blue and white lights. Skunk seems to sense that Denkou is staring at the lights, so he walks faster up the hall.
Soon, the two stand in front of a big grey machine, which is one part bright light, and another part a stout chute. Beside the machine is a metal rack of plastic buckets, with two stacks under the labels "CLEAN" and "USED". Denkou's eyes trail back towards the machine's bright panel, which reads, "ICE". They look further down to the chute, where this ICE probably comes from. Denkou tilts their head to the side.
"What's it do, Mr. Skunk?"
"Simple..."
Skunk leans forward and takes a bucket from the "CLEAN" stack. He places it in the machine's chute and then presses the big bright "ICE" sign. A loud rattling resounds from the machine, making Denkou flinch back. Skunk holds them securely, as objects begin to fall from within the machine into the bucket. They're glass-like chunks, and it takes Denkou a moment to recognize them as the things Mr. Skunk puts in his drinks.
"It's frozen water!" Denkou exclaims.
"It sure is!" Mr. Skunk declares, picking up the bucket with his other arm. "Wanna kick back, kid?"
The building's roof has a little patio area. It's not very well lit, sitting under a dozen or so battery-powered lanterns, but the patio also doesn't have any security cameras. Mr. Skunk hates those.
The patio is a square area set on thick concrete tiles, with metal furniture that's welded into the ground. It is early February and the snow is almost gone. Only a few patches of sickly, dusty snow still rest in clusters along the building's roof Mr. Skunk and Denkou sit side by side on the metal chairs; in the centre of the patio is an FM radio, and an ice buckets containing a supply of beer cans that Mr. Skunk is slowly going through.
"Hey, Mr. Skunk, watch this..."
Denkou grabs a handful of ice from one of the buckets. They run to the nearby rooftop edge and throw the ice over the protective railing. They pause, counting second-by-second in their head, until they catch the resounding impact. The ice cubes skitter all over something – the roof of a car maybe? – and a human man yells from the street.
Mr. Skunk bursts out laughing. Denkou is proud; it's their turn to make someone laugh tonight. Skunk gets up, removes the three remaining cans from the ice bucket, and begins to stroll over to where Denkou is standing. He walks with a spring in his step, almost to match the music on the radio.
"But I'm in too deep..." someone sings to an electronic beat. "There's no getting out of this..."
Skunk hurls the entire ice bucket over the edge of the roof. It makes the faintest rattle as it plummets down. The two pause, and then are startled when a loud racket comes from the street below. It sounds like cars colliding. Mr. Skunk and Denkou look to each other, shocked but snickering.
A commotion really seems to be ramping up in the street. Mr. Skunk hurries over to the patio and retrieves his beers, gesturing for Denkou to follow him. Of course, Denkou hurries to their parent's side right away.
"We'd better head back to the room now, kid," Skunk whispers. "That's enough mischief for tonight."
"Okay!" exclaims Denkou.
Skunk quickly shushes them, but he still has his usual smirk. Silent, almost crouching down to the ground, Mr Skunk begins to slowly walk to the building's rooftop elevator. Denkou shuffles alongside Skunk, matching his stance, their arms held before their chest as if they too are carefully smuggling drink cans.
The sky above them is thick with the night fog, tinted an orange haze by the Metro City Surface streetlights. The colour reminds Denkou of pumpkins and caramel bars. They're cozy things, just like the nights Denkou gets to spend hanging out with Mr. Skunk.