THE MOMENT
"I didn't see that," Dennis ignored something he saw as he walked past the aisle. It was just after midnight, he was exhausted, and he was still in the first five minutes of his shift. He worked multiple jobs and about once every few months the overlap was too close for him to get any decent rest. All his jobs were in customer service and over time he'd seen his share of the strange and unusual. His exhaustion made it easy to doubt reality at the moment. And, his experience with the public left him jaded enough to ignore even reality for a bit now and then.
After years on the job, he knew better than to trust outward appearances. Even then, the little old lady trying to get away with something looked a little too innocent. Her silver hair was neatly collected into a bun atop her head; and, her gold-rimmed spectacles resting at the end of her button nose completed the perfect look of an innocent grandmother. She wore a knit shawl over her frail shoulders and a long, pastel dress that was out of style before Dennis was born. Even if he hadn't seen what he chose to ignore, he would have found her suspicious.
"Hey Dennis, have you seen Kim?" The manager found Dennis at the coffee machine to ask. "I sent her to check on some product and now I can't find her."
"I just got here," Dennis shrugged, then shook his head. "I don't think I've met her yet; she new?" He gave honest, if misleading answers. Even as worn out as he was, he was quick enough to put the situation together. He'd honestly never met Kim, and there wasn't anything he could do about it now, regardless. He was going to have some coffee first, then investigate the little old lady.
"It's her first day," the manager nodded with a sigh. "She seemed promising."
"If she disappeared on the first day, you might as well forget her and just get someone else," Dennis suggested.
"You're probably right; keep an eye out for her though," the manager nodded, waved, then hurried back to his office to arrange a replacement.
Dennis took his time walking around the store and sipping his coffee. Even without trying, his experience guided his idle movements. He nonchalantly herded the old lady away from the exits while he embodied the role of a hapless security guard. He did get a little joy as he imagined her wrestling with her thoughts. The perpetual doubt as to whether he saw what she did or he walked by a second too late to notice. He wandered aimlessly around the store pretending to work; surely it was just a coincidence that he was always near the exit when she was. Fear and doubt kept her inside; but, if he didn't see her, she had nothing to fear.
The realization struck her as Dennis finally felt warmed up enough mentally. It occurred to her that wandering the store so long with a seemingly empty cart would draw more attention from security. She made a firm decision, glanced around, and then guided her cart toward the exit.
"Excuse me, Miss!" Dennis emerged from the last aisle and in front of her cart. She froze.
"Ye-Yes?" she asked as she tried to recover from the sudden surprise. Her eyes darted nervously toward the automatic doors, then back to him. She was about to run and Dennis didn't have the energy for that. Luckily, his coffee was almost gone and it had already cooled down more than he liked. He reached out and tipped the paper cup out into the woman's shopping basket.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" she screeched in alarm as the black liquid landed in the cart. Instead of running through the grating, it pooled and collected on solid air before the cart started to make a gagging sound. The trolley morphed and shrank until it was the size and shape of a bedside hope chest. It continued to gag and even sounded like it was crying as the woman knelt down to console it. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" she yelled at Dennis. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!?"
"Ma'am, Chroma Grocers has a very strict 'No Mimics' policy. I'd ask you if you had a license; but; it would change anything. Yes, I know what I've done, and if you care about your pet, please come with me to the office. We can help it recover from the caffeine poisoning."
"Why are you so HORRIBLE!? I haven't done anything wrong!" She whined even as she collected her sick friend from the floor and followed. It wasn't surprising that even after being caught, she was still protested her innocence.
"That's not exactly true, Ma'am; and, you know it," Dennis chuckled. "We have signage forbidding Mimics on every door and in several locations throughout the store," he said. They reached the narrow hall that led to the employee office and Dennis waited as an unfamiliar young woman walked past him with a courteous smile.
"And then, there's the matter of theft," he said as he guided her into a small room with a single table and two chairs.
"I haven't stolen anything! I haven't even left the store yet!" Dennis grinned. Even now, she still thought she was getting away with it.
"That's true, you haven't left the store yet," he nodded as he pulled out a seat for her. She accepted the seat; but, she glared at him while she did. "But, unless you know something I don't, there's no way to bring someone back once they're consumed by a Mimic," he said. She sighed and looked away from his eyes.
"That's what I thought," he nodded. "Now, look. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here...," he said. He walked over to the chrome-colored first aid kit and dug through it.
"You've been absolutely charming so far," the woman replied bitterly. He returned to the table with a glowing, golden golf ball. He set it on the table and gently rolled it toward the mimic. The woman caught the ball first and took a moment to inspect it. Then, satisfied, she fed it to her pet.
"The truth is I'm trying to do you and me a favor. Take my warning and don't bring your pet back here or into any Chroma Grocers. Agree to that and you'll save me some paperwork," he said. Her eyes widened in surprise
"A warning?" she asked. "What about the girl? You're not going to get Chroma Corp. involved?"
"Nah, what for?" Dennis shrugged. "It's not the end of the world," he said. "You knew she was an NPC. Technically theft; but, Chroma Corp. already sent a replacement. Besides...," he winked at her as he turned around to walk out of the office. "...I didn't see anything."