Manon noticed the wince, and made the connection in her head. Oddly enough, she felt inclined to help in some way, and pulled a few hundreds from her wallet subtly. She had just been to the bank to cash in her paycheck, and that last case she had taken paid well. Manon let them fall to the ground where he would be able to find them, then headed out. She checked the time on her phone, and had a bit of time left for lunch before she had to meet up with Renee.
After taking a few steps, Emma gasped, her mouth shaped in a little "oh" of excitement. "Look, look, look!" She exclaimed, picking up the wad of cash and showing it to Eli. He frowned, taking it gently from her hands. "Where's you find this?" He asked her, glancing over it. There was almost 300 bucks! he felt a euphoric rush slide through him for a moment. This is a Godsend! He thought excitedly, a smile breaking on his lips. But then, his moral conscience began whispering. This is a lot of money. $50, sure, fine, but 300? He had to return it. He looked around to see if anyone was searching the ground, but the mall was nearly deserted. Feeling guilty, he slipped the wad into his pocket, knowing he would come back the next day to see if he could find the person.
((skip, or have them run in again the same day?
(He wouldn't be anywhere near the places she goes, so skip to the next)
Manon found herself in the food court of the mall the next day, files and papers spread out over the table as she went over her next case, laptop open in front of her. This one is going to be fun, and tough, too. Her legs were crossed on the chair, as she had chosen jeans today, a fact she was grateful for. She nodded her head to te music playing in the one earbud she had in, scanning a list of witnesses.
He stood around the general area where the money was found, looking around to see if he could find anyone who looked like they may have. However, he didn't ask anyone; he knew good and well that everyone that he would ask will say yes, simply because of the amount of money.
She highlighted a few names, and brushed her hair out of her face. She would have tied it back, but she was too absorbed in the process for that. The most she could do was occasionally pop a french fry in her mouth, and that was mainly because she hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday.
He glanced around, and caught the face of the women that gave Emma, who was with the neighbors with Jaiden, the shark. He made his way over, becoming acutely aware of how much of a bum he looked like. He made it to the table, tapping her shoulder lightly and asking. "Excuse me, miss, did you drop any money yesterday?"
Manon jumped, startled, and turned her head to look at the man from yesterday. Oh, the money. Right. "No, I do not believe so. Why do you ask?" Her hand twitched in a tell as she lied, but that was the only indication that she was lying.
"Well, I found this wad of, like, 300 bucks and I've been trying to find whoever dropped it." He pulled it out, all folded neatly and stuck together with a few paperclips. "300 in cash is a lot to just drop, ya know?"
She shrugged. "You should keep it. It is highly unlikely that the owner is here again, today." Her hand twitched again, and now she was tapping her highlighter quickly as she looked up at him.
He glanced down at the highlighter, then back up to her, rubbing his unshaven chin. "Alright, I guess." He walked back to the same spot, looking around again with a frown on his face.
Manon sighed, and pulled her earbud out to call out to him. "Just keep the money, I did not need it. Call it a gift, or whatever you will."
He walked back over, holding it out. "I can't take this, man, I haven't done nothing to deserve it. I should be the one paying you, in all reality."
"You absolutely should not." She replied, waving away the money. "I am in the process of making three times that at this very moment. If you are worried about not deserving it, just pay forward the…what do you call it? Karma?"
His jaw locked as soon as she said "three times that," feeling it was an insult directed towards him in a side-manner. He shook his head, walking towards the exit main exit of the mall with his hands in his pocket and his head hanging. I really am poor, he thought. So poor that strangers are going out of there way to just drop money. How am I supposed to take care of those two?
Manon glanced down at her stuff before standing, easily catching up to him, even in her heels. She stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "I request your company for lunch, at least. I did not mean to offend you, I was simply attempting to do something nice." Something about this man was intriguing to her, and her honesty showed clearly in her eyes.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, miss. I've been very stressed out for a while. I've had to raise those two for 4 years now when Mom and Dad. Dropped out of college, so I'm up o my neck in debt."
She stuck her hand out, an odd look passing over her face. "My name is Manon, please come sit? Tell me about them."
He shook her hand, smiling slightly. "I'm Eli. And yeah, I got some time." He sat down across from her on the table. "Well, what do you want to know about them?"
"Absolutely anything you are willing to tell." She replied, moving to clear off the table. It was quite frankly a mess.
"Well, Emma is 6, she's the one you gave the shark to. She'll be starting school next year, which will be wonderful for me." He smiled slightly as he spoke of his sister.
"Emma." Manon repeated, a slightly uncharacteristic smile on her face. "I like her."
"Just a little bundle of energy, ain't she. Such a sweet kid. Jaiden's only three, but is already starting to put together full sentences and things like that." His smile took a sad twinge. "Mom and Dad would've loved talking to her."
"I am sure they would be extremely proud of all three of you." Her voice was soft, and she reached across the table to take one of his hands.