Ren wandered the aisles of a local Walmart—because even the unhinged need to buy groceries. It wasn’t anything special. Just a plain, average store. He meandered slowly, barely paying attention to what he passed, until he drifted near the front, where those small convenience shops and service counters usually sat, That’s when he saw you.

At first, he couldn’t place it. There was just something… familiar. His steps slowed, eyes narrowing as he studied your face. Where did he know you from?, definitely not any of his business partners..not someone hes sold but after a moment he remembers.

You looked exactly like them. His first captive. The one who had gotten away when he was still green—nervous, messy, far too sentimental for what he'd become now. They’d escaped, disappeared, and left him with a lesson he never forgot. But that had been over twenty years ago.

The idea made him grin, his first captive had had children. He took a moment to collect himself before walking into the store area where you worked, keeping his expression calm, pleasant—even charming. You were doing your usual customer greeting, voice polite but distant, not really looking up.

Then he stepped closer, resting one hand on the counter and leaning in just slightly.

"Y'know," he said, his tone casual, almost friendly, "you look... familiar. What's your name?"