"You are kidding, aren't you? This area of town hasn't got anything good going for it, Ivan. It's a ghost town sometimes. There aren't any good hangouts," mumbled Laura from the couch, apparently breaking away from her TV show enough to take in their conversation, turning away from the screen to inspect them both. "You seemed to have a good time, though? That's good, I want you getting on-- he's great, isn't he Ivan? You approve, I guess? Considering we don't exactly have our folks around, I guess your opinion counts a lot."
"We got on just fine, relax. There were a few strange... goings on, but aside from that, it was really great," admitted Makai easily, moving to take a seat on the couch beside his wife and casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It was something he didn't need to think about or force himself to do - it came naturally now, and, surprisingly, it was an act of affection he didn't mind too much. "I thought so, at least. Hopefully the feeling's mutual~ I genuinely like it here, Laura."
For the following month, Makai often gushed about how much he loved it in the town. In fact, the more strange things become, the more he seemed to proclaim his adoration... even if the occurrences would repel anyone from liking the town. Crime was at an all time high, from more menial crimes like small burglaries to a spike in arson attacks and murders. People who were seen as local heroes, described as angels, were suddenly acting out of character and lashing out... or simply indulging in their hidden desires. It wasn't just crime that had changed in the town. People, generally, became more selfish. The church's regulars still attended, but noticeable differences in their personality were made apparent - a kind woman who helped with Bible study had cheated on her husband and openly boasted about her adultery, for example.
In fact, it was that example that made Laura pay attention. Despite the month of weirdness, she hadn't really cared too much. She had been far more irritated with the fact she and Makai were still in Georgia, when she wanted nothing more than to return to L.A. She adored her brother, but she had her own life to live, right? Though, the news of Emily, a woman who had been around Laura since her birth, suddenly becoming some boastful adulterer was shocking, to say the least. Yet, she was immune to her husband's behaviour over the month. As far as she was aware, her husband had been nothing short of perfect. He was always heading out helping her brother, for one thing, but he also seemed to exhaustively look for work, tirelessly help out around the house and still manage to find time to be romantic with her. It wasn't surprising, therefore, that she was incapable of seeing his behaviour over the weeks.
He had been everything she described him as. He was always helping out, and frequently attended Ivan's church services, even against Laura's will. Hell, he had attended every single one so far, more out of amusement than anything else. Though, his behaviour, at least to Ivan, had become far more suspect. Makai, as the cause for the town's changed identity, had found great amusement in everything, and he hardly bothered hiding it. That was the point, after all - mess with the town, corrupt a few souls and make Ivan suspicious of him. There was nothing like messing with a man of the cloth, Makai realised.
Currently, Makai was out of the house as he usually was at midday, 'searching for work', as he lied. In truth, he was downtown drinking in a local bar and watching people fight violently over the most trivial of matters. Without him, Laura just tended to laze around watching daytime soap operas and eating junk food, which was the scene currently taking place, with the young girl curled up under a duvet and tucking into a large pack of Doritos. Well, until seeing Ivan anyway, shoving the food under the blanket discreetly and grinning in hopes of distracting him. "Hey! Come sit down, Ivan-- the show's about to start, if you wanna come watch with me. Makai's out, so I'm pretty lonely, y'know?"
