.Author's Note. GOOOOOMEN~! Gomen gomen gomen! (Wow, it's becoming a habit to start A/Ns like this now...) I'm sooo sorry that this has taken forever! *hands each and every reader a bucket of cupcakes* I've been so distracted and this fic has been basically the last thing on my mind! Oi, gomen gomen gomen~ T_T I hope you can all forgive me!

I've been super stuck in this for the longest time as well! I was tossing ideas around with my bestie about what to do with this (actually the tossing ideas thing has happened many times in regards to In The End) and we both basically had nothing. I have my plot and such in mind, but actually executing it will be the hardest thing everrrr~ (or maybe not. I tend to exaggerate)

But! This is the only filler chapter! Next chapter, the plot comes into full action! I wanted to make this fic about the same number chapter-wise as its predecessor, which is eight chapters, so it'll be right around there.

I know not much happens in this chapter, but I actually managed to make it long with substantial dialogue. I just needed it to set the stage for what's to come. Although I guess the multiple cases of Max's humiliation isn't necessary, but I realized by watching some episodes that he's obsessed with food (like me) so he kinda has this coming. But no personal hard feelings to him; I actually really love dis guy!

Sooo...hoping I'll be able to get the next chapter out faster, here's chapter four! I apologize for such a huuuge delay! R&R pleeease~!

—Chapter Four: Our Mockery

I hated this.

I made a stupid mistake.

There was no going back now. I had come too far to quit.

…

… I groaned. Loudly. Nothing could remove the reality contained in my own reflection in the mirror as I stood within the Taylor's main bathroom, the door as locked as my situation. I looked down at myself, somehow hoping that the mirror was deceiving me out of some sort of spite, but seeing what I was currently clad in didn't help my mood. It was this white blouse—which by itself I was all right with since it was light and comfortable—but it was the bottoms that got me. A little pink skirt, just like some of that cutesy stuff that Zoe always picked out for me.

I knew I had horrible luck with some things, but this was just ridiculous.

A knock on the door pulled me from my mental pain, followed closely by Mrs. Taylor's honeysweet voice—I could imagine her serene face on the other side of the wood that divided us, her bright eyes filled with genuine concern and her face contorted to match her tone, "Riley, are you all right? If you don't hurry, you'll be late; you've been in there for a long time."

Only because I'm scared to go out in public in this outfit… I gave myself a you're-really-pathetic look in the mirror for a split-second before shakily responding to my surrogate mother, "Y-yeah, I'll be out in just a sec!" Just imagining the looks that I'd receive from her—and everyone else for that matter—because I looked like this made my face begin to change color. This so wasn't me; I didn't do this girly-girl, fluffy rainbows and unicorns look, no matter how convinced of it Zoe was. And having to put my hair up into a ponytail didn't really help either, as it wasn't horribly long so it just stuck out the back of my head like a poofy little puppy tail or something. Definitely not the look I was going for.

What do I do? I groaned, pressing my face into my hand. I had a winter coat in my room, a long thing that came down past where my skirt ended, but I'd still have to get up there without being seen, and that was an obstacle by itself. Plus if I wore something like that in the middle of summer, people'll either think I'm insane or gonna go streaking… Hoping it was the aforementioned of the two, I conceded. I opened the door a minimal amount and peeked out; there was no one around, Mrs. Taylor probably in the kitchen, Mr. Taylor at the lab or something, and Max and Rex who knows where.

I was on the move in a second, being all ninja and darting from one hiding spot to another, and when the stairs were just ahead, I threw out all my nerve and just darted up. I tripped halfway up, causing what I knew was gonna be a bruise on my shin and a rather obnoxiously-loud thud, and then hastily rushed the rest of the way up as if the boogieman were after me. Making it to my room safe, sound, and unspotted, I gave a big exhale of relief. I snatched up my coat and threw it on, concealing my girly outfit underneath before heading back out my bedroom, finally feeling safe.

"Riley, what are you doing? It's kind of warm for that coat, isn't it?

I spun around in a flash, instantly becoming face-to-face with Rex, who was giving me that innocently-curious look that was of his expert craft, coupled with a hint of skepticism. Instantly throwing on an awkward smile, I began to sputter, "O-oh, good morning, Rex! I-I was just heading to work, is all!" Suddenly remembering to address his latter inquiry, I quickly added, "Well, the coat is…the coat is for—because it's…supposed to snow today!"

Needless to say, I'm utterly horrible at lying to that boy.

Internally smacking myself silly upside the head for saying something so blatantly obvious of its complete inaccuracy, I only continued to grin like a total moron and tried to get out of there as fast as humanly possible by cutting in just as he opened his mouth, "Well, I gotta get going, Rex! Can't be late! Should not, would not want to wait!"

And with those words that sounded like something out of Dr. Seuss, I was out of that house faster than you can say "the retreat of cowards is a quick and painful one."

It, then, was around the time I began regretting all of this. Walking along the road on the only slightly cooler sidewalk in the dead of summer in a big winter coat was probably one of the dumbest things I'd ever done. That coat was basically a cocoon of death or a tomb of torridness or a scalding bubble of misery or—

Okay, the names and titles weren't really doing anything to benefit me. It didn't chance or help the fact that it was freakishly hot out, that all the people that passed by me gave me looks that just screamed 'Are you insane?!', or that my workplace was farther than I remembered it being when I had first gone there for my interview. In fact, if anything it only made the entire situation substantially worse. It was then and there as sweat began to go down my brow that I decided for certain that I wasn't going to do this every single day on my new commute. Because if I did that, I knew, I would most definitely die of a heat stroke.

But then, after it seemed my sufferings couldn't have increased any more, the place of my new job came into sight. It was a quaint little place, a dollhouse-looking building that seemed to be pulled straight from happy, little fairytales. The siding was a soft yellow color with white awnings, flowers in the fullness of their bloom planted on either side of the door, and a little, hand-painted sign hanging from hooks with the small business's name. Overall, it was quite the place, as far as little fairytale cottages went and I had basically forgotten why I had even applied to such a place that stuck out like a sore thumb. That is, until I walked through the front door.

Instantly I was captured by the rich scent of chocolate. More flavors than I could count came together in an intense, delightful blend. That's why I wanted the job; the accompaniment of the everlasting aroma of pure heaven. That's right, I dove head-first into the chocolatier business. And boy, was that the industry of champions.

Well, actually, at this point I was just a little cashier-person who boxed the chocolates the customer wanted and offered free samples. I'd been told that I'd learn the basics of the actual chocolate-making once I had gotten settled here. And the one who told me that was my boss, the full-fledged chocolatier and owner of the shop. That was the young woman—who couldn't have been more than her late twenties—who I was approaching as I made my way to the main counter. She was a cheerful woman—I knew it the instant I saw her during my interview—with a well-defined face. Her eyes were bright like the color of the milk chocolate she made and her auburn hair was delicately brushed back in a ponytail that was sleek and long (unlike my puffball of a ponytail), her bangs held to the side with a clip. Along with an outfit identical to mine, she wore a white apron with a few chocolate stains and her hair was in a net.

She greeted me with a perfect-toothed smile as soon as I neared, along with a simple, "Good morning, Riley. You're just on time!" She placed her hands on her hips and an energized look filled her eyes. "Ready for your first day?"

I gave a half-hearted laugh in return, knowing then that her gaiety was something I was going to have to get used to (while still not getting to the point where I adapt it too much). "Good morning, Miss Greene. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Another awkward chortle escaped as I slipped off my deathtrap coat, never rejoicing in the feeling of air conditioning more than I did at that very moment. But the reminder of what I was wearing under it made me internally glower.

"All righty! You'll be working the register today." She led me over behind the large case that held many of the fresh chocolates. "When someone comes in, you greet them and offer them a free sample of their choice." She gestured to the case, the back of which was wide open so the employee could have easy access, and then reached in to pull out a little folded card, showing me both the front and back. "The name tags each have descriptions on the back, so when asked what each chocolate is, you provide the description. You'll know each of them by heart in no time."

Figuring that it sounded simple enough, I gave a nod, and she went on to explain how to use the cash register and then to note that the phone was hidden from plain view on a lower shelf of the counter. Everything seemed pretty simple as she explained it, so I figured this whole experience would prove to be worth my while. With my Zeta Point studies, I usually caught on to all of the lessons and concepts overall pretty quickly, and I could only assume this would probably be the same way. And once I got all of this down, next would be learning how to make the chocolate, which was the goal I was shooting for.

After all, who didn't wanna know how to make chocolate?

And so, after instructing me on everything I needed to know, she left me to go finish a batch of chocolates. I wasn't sure what she expected me to do while I waited for customers, but I found myself biding my time multiple ways. One was by not eating the chocolate, which was an obstacle all in its own. It was just sitting there, free for the taking. Well, maybe not free (at least to the customers), but basically there was a free invitation to grab as much as I pleased without telling Miss Greene that there were several (dozen) chocolates missing.

Another strategy was to wander around aimlessly. There was a lot of this. I had to remember for next time to bring a book or something, because believe it or not, a chocolate shop wasn't the busiest place in town. Hit the right holiday, sure, but your average day in summer really wasn't much to get excited over. So round and round I went, stepping on every square inch of the floor at least fifty times, pretending to be interested in the drywall.

But after what must've been at least a good hour or more, my first customers came in. Well…actually, customers isn't quite the right word…

The moment the little bell rung as the door opened, I scrambled for my composure, leaping from my place on the floor (where I was waiting out moments of boredom and resting my legs from all the pacing around) and putting on the best smile I could possibly muster, and chimed, "Good morning~! How may I—?"

My question stopped there.

Because not only were the kids standing in front of me not legitimate customers, but was also none other than the D-Team (the very people I tried to hide my work uniform from in the first place) themselves. Rex—judging by his pained expression that now matched mine—looked like he basically got dragged here by force by Zoe and Max, looking as excited as can be to be here (probably for completely different reasons). Oh crap, they're here to embarrass me, aren't they?

As soon as that pink-haired girl saw me, she let out the most obnoxious squeal I ever did hear and ran over to me. I was pretty thankful there was a counter in between us. "Omigosh, Riles! Way to work dat ponytail!" …Of course. Go for the puffball hooked to the back of my head.

The temptation to facepalm, slap myself for taking this job, and walk away now present, all I did—rather, all I could do—was put on this strained smile and say, "Uh, hey…guys." My eyes immediately shot to the door leading to the back room, hoping that Miss Greene wouldn't hear my friends' arrival. So far so good. "Sooo…what are you…doing here?" As I turned back to them, I could distinctly feel one of my eyelids twitching (actually more like erratically spasming).

My initial reaction was to look to Rex for an answer, but it seemed he didn't want to go there, so he just dismissively looked to first Max, then to Zoe. That would've sufficed enough as an answer alone, but one certain brown-haired boy decided to give his response, "Duh! When one of your friends works at a place that makes chocolate, it's a law you have to go!" He scooted over, muttering to me as he cupped his mouth with a single hand, "So do I get free chocolate or not?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, answering flatly, "You get one."

His eyes grew instantly wide and his voice held lingering notes of hope. "One…box?"

"One. Chocolate."

Never before had I seen his face deflate of enthusiasm that quickly, but it was a pretty amusing sight to see him instantly let loose one of his big pouts. For a second it seemed like he was about to cut his losses and go home, he moaned out a, "Fiiine," and started looking at the assortment of chocolates in the display case. Browsing for just a moment, he then pointed. "What about that one? Err…no, wait. How about that one there? Uh…no, not that one… Uhh…"

I dropped my face onto the counter with a hard thud. "This shouldn't be this hard, Max," I groaned. "Can you please just…pick something?" Before I hit you upside the head, eat your sample of chocolate myself while you watch, and dropkick you out of the store.

"Ooh, what's this one?" At the sound of Zoe's legitimate curiosity, I perked up. "This Midnight Swirl." The chocolate she was pointing to was one of the more delicate-looking truffles, shaped to look like a swirly seashell or something to that effect.

Acting all expert-like I read off the card, trying to keep my eyes off it as much as possible so it seemed like I actually knew what I was talking about, "Velvety ganache—" I honestly had no idea what this ganache-stuff was, but I wasn't about to say so. "—made with eighty-five percent chocolate in a dark chocolate shell."

She instantly smiled and her lavender eyes lit up with stars. "Oooh, I'll try that one then!"

"See, Max, that's how you keep from indecisiveness." I gave a short sneer to the brightly-clad D-Team member, almost tempted to stick my tongue out at him, before looking to Zoe with a big grin (primarily just to spite Max). "No probs, Zoe." I got one of the truffles requested from the case and just as I was about to hand it to her, Chomp jumped up and snatched it clean out of my hand, gulping it down in an instant. And instead of passing blame onto the little triceratops, I gave its owner a pair of narrowed eyes. "Max, why did you think it'd be smart to bring him somewhere there's food?"

"Because when there's food involved, Max doesn't think," Rex interjected, crossing his arms and keeping an amused yet accusing gaze on his best friend, causing me to chortle. Things like this were so typical.

Zoe laughed heartedly, causing Max's face to deflate somehow even further and a new, unfamiliar noise to escape from his mouth. "Notice that he doesn't deny it," she observed smugly, erupting into more laughter after the fact.

"Sorry, man, but jury's out on how you're gonna redeem yourself from this one." Hardly sympathetic, I propped my chin on my elbows as I grinned. "'Cause I'm with them on this one." Deciding to be a little mean, I suddenly decided to add, "Oh yeah, by the way. The truffle your little dino friend ate counts for your chocolate sample." This was the time I figured it was worth sticking my tongue out at him, and thus I did so ever-so obnoxiously.

You would've thought I'd given the death sentence with the look that Max suddenly made. It almost seemed for a second like he was going to cry. "C'mon, guys, all I wanted was chocolate; is that so wrong?!"

"Do you think we were a little rough on Max today?" I slumped backwards, leaning my upper body against my arms, eyeing Rex with slight hilarity. The day had proven to be most interesting; what had started off as a suspicion that I was only going to be mortified when the D-Team came to my work had developed into what could only be described as Max's version of a soap opera. I knew the brown-haired boy liked food, but that was just ridiculous.

Rex gave me a smile, his eyes aglow in sunset's lingering light. "Naw, he should be used to it by now," he responded back, the light breeze rustling his blond hair about. "Besides, I think secretly he likes the attention." He laughed shortly, to which I joined with a chortle.

"Yeah, somehow I really don't doubt that." I pursed my lips momentarily, getting all my thoughts into order. "Ya know, I seriously thought you guys showed up just to embarrass me in a public place when you showed up—or at least I thought that was Max and Zoe's intention." I stopped, not really feeling like admitting out loud that their possibly unintentional goal was accomplished. Feeling my face beginning to pink, I decided that was probably for the best.

He didn't hesitate to laugh and say, "I'm assuming that it worked?" I seriously can't hide a thing from this boy…

My eyes darted downward, knowing my poker face was faltering. But with him, I had might as well not even possess one because he'd see through it anyway. "…Be quiet, you…" I murmured, to which he only laughed. The sound of his sweet voice hitting such notes pierced me like a shot, sending my heart all out of regular beat. I felt my face igniting as I brought my gaze back up. "C'mon, that's not funny, Rex!" I gave him a light shove to the shoulder, trying to conceal just how much he was sending my systems out of control.

Even though he ceased his laughter, he still was giving me that smile. That smile that wouldn't stop penetrating through all my walls. "Alright, I'm sorry," he conceded, not concealing his continued enjoyment. He slid his fingers gingerly upon mine, sending waves of warm static up and down my entire enmity. "Although—"

Before he could say one more word on the matter to make me even more flustered, I hastily leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. It took a moment for him to realize my motivation, but once he had, he was willing to comply. Suddenly energy burst forth, an adrenaline energy that mixed both double-paced moments and frozen time together. Filling me from head to toe were countless, soft bubbles that when they popped, released an intense aura of electricity that—

As soon as one connection was started, it was abruptly ended by the arrival of one, attention-seeking carnotaurus. Rex, having forgotten to close his window, gave Ace the perfect opportunity to rain on our parade as he climbed out onto the roof where we were and became the perfect little wedge to pull us apart. He was good at this, as this wasn't the first occasion that he dropped in for a visit at the most inopportune moments.

"You don't have any manners, do you?" Rex mused as a half-smile appeared on his face and I decided it was all right to laugh. Ace merely looked up at his partner with his yellow eyes, as if he was asking what he could've possibly done wrong (at the exact moment he plopped his butt down in the small space between us), causing Rex to groan.

I grinned at the silent exchange that ensued between them that was much like a staring contest. Besides having a moment seriously interrupted, I didn't think things could get too much better than occasions like these. It seemed like anything within perfection's grasp could be possible as long as these carefree smiles were in hand. Right then, Seth's note was in the very corner of my mind, unseen and unremembered, and not then did I think of it having any value.

Not then did the possibly ring within my mind that things were suddenly going to go horribly, horribly wrong.