#tal writes

It had been months since Jax's abstraction, since Caine came back, and since they had all learned the truth.

Keeping Jax in the blanket fort had become normal for everyone, and they had slowly gone from viewing him as a monster that needed contained to seeing him more as a patient who needed a little extra care an monitoring. There was some worry that he'd escape the fort, but he had never once even tried to.

In fact, he seemed a little hesitant of getting too close to the entrance anyway, the light keeping him inside.

Most of them visited him occasionally just to tell him about the updates to the circus and to their lives, unsure if he actually could hear or understand them. Caine kept his distance, not wanting to scare Jax or set him off with his presence.

That relationship would take more than just a few months to rebuild, as neither of them were ready to see each other yet.

Pomni hoisted herself up onto the cushions that semi-blocked the entrance and looked inside, where Jax's abstracted form was sleeping, as it's all he seemed to do now.

Sliding in, the soft thud of her feet hitting the pillow floor woke him up, and his dozens of eyes opened, shifting all of their attention to her. It used to frighten her, just a little, but the fact that he seemed so calm and aware was actually a comfort now. It made them all hope he was still in there somewhere.

"Hey, Jax." she greeted, sitting down just a few feet away from him, his eyes following her. It had taken about a month of constant reassurance and repetition for him to let her get this close to him without freaking out, and she was greatful everyday that he let her.

With a big, tired huff, he laid his head back down and shifted to lay on his side, his eyes still partially open and fixed on the jester. Pomni smiled and slid a plate of whatever mystery meat Caine had fixed up over to him. She'd never seen him eat in this state, but whenever they came back to check on him, the food was always gone, so they assumed he'd been eating it somehow.

"I went with Ragatha and Caine on another adventure today. Ragatha made it this time, it was a farm," she let herself lay back, getting settled in, "Caine went along too, I think because he was excited to learn more about the human world and how farms worked. The animals were cute, though I wasn't a fan of all the labor that went into it, so I just left that part to Ragatha.. She seemed to enjoy it."

Pomni turned her head toward Jax, who was still looking at her. It looked like he was listening, though they could never truly be sure. He let out a low groan and rolled onto his back, closing his eyes, probably going back to sleep.

She snorted. "Rude. I was still talking," she grinned a little as he rolled over onto his other side, his back to her. He probably hadn't even meant to, she thought, but sometimes it felt like he was still in there, being his typical self.

Even if they found out it wasn't true, the thought alone was comforting.

-

Jax had been swimming in darkness for months. It had started out terrifying and lonely, but after his brief interaction with Pomni, somehow the darkness seemed to calm around him.

Anymore, he felt exhausted and lethargic, so he found himself sleeping most of the time. Always tired, always.

But it wasn't terrible anymore. Faintly, he could swear sometimes that he could hear people talking to him, reaching out to him. Occasionally he'd turn toward the muffled voices, and he could just barely make out the shakey, dim outlines of figures.

They scared him at first, but days would go by and they never hurt him. They just stood there and talked, and even if he couldn't hear them very well, it became comforting, and he'd wait for their presence.

Just like clockwork, a small shakey figure had shown up, and he opened his eyes to listen to the faint, muffled voice. It soon became background noise, and he'd roll back over, falling asleep to it.

So tired, always.

-

No one was prepared, least of all Jax.

This time, when she woke up, the darkness was different. It wasn't a never ending void, but the dim inside of what looked like Kinger's fort.

She continued to lay there for a while, groggy and trying to process everything as she noticed it. The cushions, the blankets, her own weight settled into the pillows, the light spilling in from the entrance.

As curious as she was, she wasn't ready to get up just yet.. While she felt a little better, she was still so, so tired. Always tired, always.

"Jax..?"

The suddenness the voice made her jump a little, but actually being able to hear it clearly, being able to understand the word almost unsettled her. She wasn't ready, she wasn't... But that had been her name, hadn't it?

She had been in a quiet darkness for so long, she had started to forget herself and question who she really was. But he was 'Jax' wasn't he?

Wasn't she?

She hadn't even realized she was starting to hyperventilate until that voice came back, almost equally as panicked.

"Nononono, you're okay, it's okay- uhh... I'm gonna go get Pomni!" The squeaky voice left, followed by the faint, soft sound of ribbon frantically climbing out of the fort.

She swallowed hard and managed to roll onto her back, covering her face with her hands. It was too much. The light, though very dim, was too bright, and their voices were too loud.

Ragged breaths tore themselves in and out of digital lungs, though she felt like she was suffocating. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking for somewhere even darker to go, until they landed on someone startlingly familiar.

Pomni stared back at her, eyes wide, her hands out like she was trying to calm down a wild animal. "Easy.. It's okay.." Her voice was soft and quiet, trying not to overwhelm the rabbit in front of her.

It had been so long since any of them had seen Jax and not an abstracted figure.

Jax drew her knees in against her chest, her ears folded down almost pathetically. She swallowed again and worked her mouth. "I.. I don't.." What was she even trying to say?

Pomni turned her head back to the door and held up her hand, as if telling someone else to give them some space. Jax hadn't even realized anyone else was there, but as soon as it felt like they were alone, she slumped back against the walls of the fort.

"It's okay," Pomni started, sitting down yet keeping a few feet between them, "We'll take this slow. You're still recovering, it looks like.."

It was quiet for a moment before Jax finally found her voice. "Recovering..?"

"Yeah.. You were out for months, and I think even before you abstracted, you had been burnt out for even longer," she cautiously scooted closer, and when Jax actually met her in the middle, she relaxed and let the bunny lean against her, "You actually spent most of your abstraction just sleeping."

She had, hadn't she? Jax vaguely remembered her time in that dark, lonely place. How anytime she grew tired, she'd just lay down where she was and sleep.

"The look is new," Pomni said, "It's nice."

She frowned a little. "I look different?" She sat up and looked down at herself, noticing her outfit had changed just a little. Still the same reddish overalls, but they came up higher over her chest now, with the addition of a black t-shirt underneath. "Huh. I don't hate it."

"No, I mean.. Hold on." Pomni sat up and cupped her hands together, focusing. When she pulled them apart, a small hand-held mirror was between them.

Jax stared for a moment. "Since when can we do that?"

Pomni looked back at her. "Could you not actually hear us when we updated you on all the changes to the circus?"

She shook her head. "Not really.. If that was you talking to me the whole time, you kinda sounded like you were holding a pillow over your face.."

Pomni didn't respond to that, silently accepting she'd just have to re-explain months worth of changes to Jax. Instead, she just handed the mirror over, and Jax looked at herself.

Her pupils dilated as she stared at herself. A little red bow sat on one ear, a small, fluffy tuft of hair swooped down over her forehead almost resembling bangs, and her eyes had eyeliner this time, reminding her of the maid dress incident.

She didn't hate it, but it was a LOT to process and take in.

"Did.. I do that, or did one of you bastards do this to me in my sleep?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, secretly delighting in how pretty they looked doing that with the liner. She narrowed them again just to watch.

Pomni smiled a little. "I think it was you. No one was able to touch you in your abstraction unless we wanted to glitch out.. You look nice though.."

She did, too. But that didn't really make it much easier. "What will the others think..?" She asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the mirror.

"Well.. There might be a slight adjustment period, but I think we'd all accept you."

Her grip on the mirror tightened as the painful memory of Ribbit flashed through her head. 'Your secret is safe with me..'

It was terrifying, and she wanted so badly to lash out and push it all away again.. But then again, that's what lead to this in the first place. That's what lead to Ribbit's abstraction, and Kaufmo's.. Then her own.

But the idea of embracing it terrified her even more because she didn't know what to do or what that outcome would look like.

"Jax," Pomni started, making Jax snap her eyes open and look down at the jester, "It'll be okay. We all care about you. The others included."

"I was terrible to them." The words left her mouth before she even had time to process them.

"They helped build this fort just for you." Pomni gently squeezed her hand. "The circus has changed a lot since you've been gone.. But if you're not ready to see anyone else yet, that's okay."

Her head was swimming. After all she'd done to them, they still cared for her in her lowest moment. They still helped her and came to see her.

She squeezed Pomni's hand, hard, and was met with hers being squeezed back. "Might as well get it over with.. But.. Can you stay with me..?"

Seeing Jax so scared and vulnerable was not at all something Pomni was used to, but she nodded. "I'll be by your side the whole time."

Pomni got up and helped Jax to her feet, looking up at her to make sure this was something she still wanted. When the rabbit nodded back, they made their way slowly to the exit.

Jax's grip on Pomni's hand surely would have broken bones if they were in the real world, but she didn't seem to mind.

Pretending to do things from the comfort of her home was starting to feel a little pathetic. Hannah had really strung a toilet seat up amd posed next to it just to pretend she was on a flight, when she could actually be going out to experience things.

Nora had even gotten on her about it a few times. 'You're in your twenties, Hannah, these are supposed to be the best years of your life. Why don't you actually go out and try new things for yourself instead of trying to convince people you'll never meet that you're doing them?'

She could do both, she decided. She'd go out and get new experiences while posting about it. That's what lead her to this music festival.. Partially, anyway.

The Electric Mayhem was performing that night and she had hitched a ride with them, posting to her fans about how close they all were. Though, once the band had unpacked all their equipment and went backstage to prepare, she started to follow, when Nora stopped her.

"Sorry, Hannah, it's a bands only thing back here. I did have Moog reserve you a front row spot though." The elder of the two gave an apologetic look and turned to follow the band before Animal could break something.

Hannah blinked, still processing that her sister had just left her. She'd never been to a concert on her own before and wasn't entirely sure of the etiquette or how it all worked, but she could figure it out. "No, yeah! That's... That's fine, I'll just go find Moog! Good luck!" she called.

Puffing out her cheeks a little, she turned and made her way into the crowd of people.. Mistake number one.

Clutching her phone against her chest, she tried to squeeze past everyone, but the crowd was so tightly packed and everyone was moving, she was struggling. Between the crushing pressure of the people around her and the smell of sweat from hundreds of people, Hannah felt like she was drowning.

A hand grabbed hers and quickly pulled her to the front where she could finally breathe. "Remind me never to take you to a rock concert, you'd probably die in the mosh pit." Moog commented.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad to see you for once.." She huffed, straightening her hair back out and not seeing the confused and slightly insulted look on Moog's face. She wasted no time in pulling her phone out to record herself.

"Hey FanaHannahs! I'm here at.." her smile never faltered and she glanced at Moog, who took a moment to read her, "TonesTo-" "Right! The TonesTonight music festival in LA, California. I'm here with my good friend Moog, who knows a little more about this than I do, so why don't you tell us what kind of festival this is?"

The camera turned to Moog, who briefly panicked but jumped in anyway. "Oh, uh, well- TonesTonight is a small, three day music festival where independent artists and local bands can come out and play and get their music heard. It's held every year during the first week of June, so if you haven't been out here, I'd highly recommend it." He glanced at Hannah to gage if his response was good enough, relaxing a little when she turned the camera back onto herself.

"What a great way for local artists to get their sound out into the world! The crowd is lively and I think the first band is about to come out, so I will go for now but will keep you all updated throughout the event. Bye, FanaHannahs!"

She stopped the recording and started to type in the proper hashtags. "What do you think, was I too excited or not excited enough? Also what kind of filters do you think will make the pictures from tonight say, 'This was a fun experience?'"

"Maybe if you actually put your phone down and had a fun experience?" Moog started, "Take pictures and videos, that's fine, but also be present here, Hannah. There are some pretty good bands and artists here tonight, and I think you shouldn't watch them through a screen the whole time. Take pictures every once in a while and wait until later to post them."

Having finally finished her caption and editing, Hannah posted the video. She turned her attention back to Moog. "What?"

He stared at her for a minute, contemplating. Making his decision, Moog took her phone and stuffed it in his pocket, then immediately turned his body away as she started trying to fight him for it. "I'm sorry! Ow- I'll give it back after the show, I just want you to experience this festival like a normal person and not like an influencer!"

Hannah smacked his back a couple more times before she gave up, accepting that she wasn't getting her phone back. "Ugh fine.. I'll watch the bands, but I want you to use my phone to take pictures of whatever you think is cool."

"Deal.." He winced, rubbing his arm. Moog briefly wondered if this is what having younger siblings was like. Ever since he had started dating Nora, he and Hannah had also gotten closer, and she had started treating him like a brother, which he was thrilled about, but it also resulted in a lot of hitting when they had disputes.

Nora had assured him this was normal, and that Hannah was actually going easy on him, since their sisterly fights could be vicious.

The crowd roared and Hannah recoiled a little, covering her ears. She definitely was not used to this type of scene. Though when music began to play and she heard the familiar voices of the Electric Mayhem, she relaxed a little and turned her attention to them.

In the spirit of Pride Month, they had decided to cover a song by Freddie Mercury, officially starting the music festival.

Most of the crowd was singing along, Moog included, while Hannah mainly just smiled as she watched them. She had really grown close to the group and considered them family, and now watching them perform was something else.

As the Mayhem finished up their opening number, the crowd erupted, this time with Hannah joining in as she cheered for her friends. She grabbed Moog's arm and shook it aggressively, "Did you get any pictures!?"

He grinned and showed her the phone in his hand, "Yeah! You can see them later, I promise!" He looked up as the band started to leave the stage, making way for the next artist to start.

A young woman ran on stage. She had on a denim jacket covered in patches and carried a guitar, though she was by herself. Making her way to the microphone, she adjusted it to her height and gestured back toward the curtain. "The Electric Mayhem, everybody!" The crowd cheered again and she waited for them to settle back down.

"Thank you to the Mayhem for opening tonight, you've really given us some pretty great tunes to rock out to, and for quite a few of us, you've inspired us to get into music ourselves. And that's what TonesTonight is about, and I'm really greatful to get to be here playing alongside some really fantastic artists. Now, before I get too sappy and take up too much time up here, here's a cover of Girls by Girl in Red." She pushed some of her blonde hair out of her face and started playing.

I've been hiding for so long

These feelings they're not gone

Can I tell anyone?

Hannah listened for a moment, then leaned closer to Moog. "Know who this is?"

He leaned in as well. "She goes by Rose Deity on stage, but her name is Cassidy Gray. She was here last year, and I got a CD of hers if you ever wanna borrow it."

She furrowed her brow and looked back up at him. "Who listens to CDs anymore?"

Moog huffed. "You can find her on Spotify, too, if you wanna be boring about it."

Afraid of what they'll say

So I push them away

I'm acting so strange

Rose Deity, Hannah mouthed silently, committing it to memory. She'd have to look her up later when she got her phone back.

They're so pretty, it hurts

I'm not talking 'bout boys, I'm talking 'bout girls

They're so pretty in their button up shirts

Of course she heard this song before, it blew up on tiktok for a while. But she'd never heard it like this, and somehow it just sounded different this time.

Deep down, Hannah knew she thought girls were pretty, but then again, didn't everyone? Wasn't it normal to feel shy around beautiful women, regardless of who you were?

Didn't everyone think women were just naturally ethereal?

I shouldn't be feeling this

But it's too hard to resist

Soft skin, and soft lips

I should be into this guy

But it's just a waste of time

He's really not my type

I know what I like

Hannah's full attention was on this woman. She couldn't see her very well due to the lights and the distance, but she could see enough to see that her eyes were downturned just slightly with eyeshadow to actually accentuate them instead of hide it, giving her eyes an almost sleepy appearance.

No this is not a phase

Or coming of age

This will never change..

They're so pretty it hurts

I'm not talking 'bout boys, I'm talking 'bout girls

They're so pretty with their button up shirts

Hannah was taken back to when she was a teenager, suddenly. Back when she and one of her high school friends had decided to go to prom together because they didn't have dates.

It had started out normal and fun but after the dance, they had decided to walk home instead get a ride, so they could have more time to hang out. After a miscommunication, and misread signals, Hannah had tried to kiss her, only to be pushed away.

To the girl's credit, she had been kind about it, but Hannah still felt embarrassed, and had stopped talking to her after that incident. She never told Nora what had happened, instead lying and saying they had a fight when questioned about why her friend never came over anymore.

Sometimes she still regretted cutting her off, and wondered how she was doing.

'Cause I don't know what to do

It's not like I get to choose who I love..

Who I love, who I love, who I love...

Lost in her head, Hannah had only noticed when the woman finished the song after she started to walk off stage. The crowd cheered, and driven by impulse, she began to push her way through the crowd, followed by Moog, who was calling out to her in confusion.

Hannah tried to keep her eyes on the artist, but she walked off stage and out of sight. She grabbed Moog's sleeve and dragged him along as she managed to push through the crowd, driven by a need to get closer.

"Han- Hannah! Hold on, where are we going!?" Moog cried out behind her. She stopped suddenly and turned toward him.

"You can get me backstage. Get me backstage."

He looked at her blankly, so she followed it up with a kinder, "Please?" Moog sighed and this time, he took her hand and lead her. "Come on."

No one really batted an eye at seeing Moog, given he knew everyone there and was frequently around the Electric Mayhem. Hannah kept her head on a swivel, looking around for that girl.

"Who are we looking for?" He asked, only to be met with his face being grabbed and his head pulled down to meet her height.

"I need to meet that gorgeous blonde haired and sleepy-eyed woman, Moog."

He blinked, and gently pried her hands from his face. "Oookay.. I think what you're feeling here is a normal, common case of infatuation, which every fan feels for a certain artist. Let's not get crazy and-"

"I see her!" Hannah rushed off an left him by himself.

Her heart beat against her ribcage as she slowed her run to a simple walk, trying to appear normal. The young woman was sitting away from the rest of the bands and facing the woods behind them.

Hannah briefly thought the scene was a little too cliché and fit the 'mystery girl' scenerio until she realized said girl was smoking, and probably just didn't want to bother anyone with it.

"...Hi-"

"Jesus!"

Hannah covered her mouth as she felt heat rise to her cheeks, watching as the blonde whipped around to get a look at the girl that had just snuck up on her.

"I'm so sorry-" She started, embarrassed, "I just- I saw you back here and-... I'm Hannah." She smiled nervously.

The girl ran a hand through her hair and gave a short laugh. "I'm Cass, it's nice to meet you, Hannah. Sorry for my language, you just scared the life out of me." She put out her cigarette and held onto the butt, letting it cool down.

"You're here for the festival, right?" Cass asked, just trying to start conversation, "Did you come here for anyone specifically?"

"Um.. Yeah, kind of. My sister is the Electric Mayhem's manager, and-"

The blonde gasped and stood up, slightly shorter than Hannah, "No way! I loved them, growing up! I mean I still do, but I'm a long time fan. I actually learned guitar as a kid because I wanted to be just like Janice."

Cass dragged her hand back and down through her hair as she grinned to herself. "Gosh, I went through a whole 'hippie phase' in my teens because of it. I mean, politics kinda changed my views a little bit- but that doesn't matter right now, I'm sorry-" She rambled out quickly, "We literally just met and I'm already bringing up politics-"

If Hannah had to guess, she'd assume Cass was just as, if not more nervous than she was at this meeting. The artist seemed flustered and anxious, talking too fast and branching off into different subjects.. Which put the ball in Hannah's court.

"If you want, you're welcome to hang out with us after tonight's show." She offered, mentally begging the other woman to accept.

"Really? That's so cool, absolutely! Thank you." Cass stuffed the cigarette butt into her pocket and stood up. Hannah tilted her head with a curious look, prompting her to explain her action. "I don't like to litter, animals will eat anything."

Hannah nodded and smiled, turning to walk with her back toward the bus where the Mayhem was camping out for the festival. She grinned smugly at Moog, who just shot her a thumbs up.

"Please, baby, just eat something!" Floyd begged his newly adopted baby monster. He'd had Animal for less than a week now and he couldn't get him to eat any of the foods he's offered, and it was really starting to stress the both of them out.

He wanted to be good caretaker and guardian, but he was worrying about Animal's health. If he starved, Floyd would never forgive himself. Once again, he held the spoon of mashed carrots out to his little one, who once again turned his head and whined, pushing the spoon away with little hands.

Floyd sat back down in the kitchen chair and set the carrots jar down next to the other rejected baby foods. Open jars of pears, applesauce, bananas, and some other vegetables mush littered the kitchen table, all of them untouched.

Burying his face in his hands, Floyd let out a shakey sigh. The stress of recent sleepless nights caring for a fussy, hungry baby who wouldn't eat had been weighing on him.

He barely reacted when he heard the door open and shut, signaling that his friend and roommate had returned. "Where ya been?" He called out, not bothering to lift his head to greet the man.

"Grocery shoppin'." Doc replied, setting a couple bags on the counter and rummaging through them. "Animal doesn't wanna eat fruits or veggies, we'll just have to keep lookin'."

Finally, Floyd sat up, rubbed his exhausted face, and looked up at his friend. Dr Teeth had moved in with him recently, within the last month, yet it felt like they had known each other for years sometimes. He'd been nothing but supportive when Floyd brought Animal inside to adopt after finding him caged up on their doorstep.

Even when the little monster kicked up a fuss all night, Doc would sometimes get up and take over so Floyd could sleep. He'd never once given up on either of them or showed any sort of irritation, and Floyd was forever grateful for that.

Doc rummaged around in the grocery bags for a minute, pulling out a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, and a couple of instant dinners; money was tight at the moment, especially when most of it went to Animal's care.

The kitchen was dim, only lit up by the one light above the stove, and the only sounds to be heard were the crinkling of the grocery bags and Animal occasionally grunting as he tried to escape his high chair by kicking his legs.

Finally finding what he was looking for, Doc pulled out a small jar of baby food and cracked it open, causing Floyd to cringe at the smell. "Good gravy, what even is that?"

"Beef and gravy." Doc answered simply, getting a small spoonful and offering it to the infant... Who eagerly leaned forward and accepted the food.

And suddenly it felt like they could all breathe.

Floyd let out an audible breath of relief, never so happy in his life to see someone eat. "Well there ya go," he said softly, "Maybe he's a carnivore, whatever he is."

"He's hungry is what he is." Doc replied, showing his friend the spoon that Animal had just bit the top off of.

They both stared in shock as the baby chewed on the metal, looking up at his caretakers happily.

_______________________________

"Don't run too far!" Floyd called out to Animal, who had just been released from the van. He sighed as he watched his chaotic son disappear into the forest, but turned around and helped everyone unload their stuff. Animal was older now and capable of taking care of himself, so he wasn't too worried. He always came back anyway.

Floyd was mostly just irritated that he wasn't helping them set up camp, but he still had four other people to help, so it wasn't a big deal.

He opened the back doors of the van and saw Zoot passed out, snoring. Okay, he had three people to help him unload the van.

Lips came over and grabbed Zoot like he was just another piece of equipment to unload and carried him over to where they'd be setting up their camp, leaning him against a tree.

Janice grabbed the rug they usually laid out on the ground, Doc started unloading their chairs, and Floyd grabbed their food. Stopping to listen for a moment, he could hear Animal running around nearby in the foliage, which was comforting.

The rug got laid out, the chairs got set up, Zoot got moved to a chair so he was more comfortable, and Lips started a fire.

Already, the sun was beginning to set and they could hear crickets and cicadas filling the air. The sound was especially comforting to Doc and Lips, who had both grown up in the south and heard the sounds every summer. The pianist sighed contentedly as he settled down into his chair and grabbed a pot to start cooking with.

It wasn't long before Janice had grabbed her guitar and plucked at the strings a little before turning back to her new family. She had joined them only a couple months ago, but she still felt like their souls were connected and they were all spiritually bound together.

Gentle guitar filled the air, and it wasn't long before the smell of soup joined it, finally enticing Animal to come back and rejoin the group. He emerged from the bushes on all fours, panting from all the running and plopped down in front of Floyd, who quietly fussed about the twigs and leaves tangled in his fur as he started to comb through it all with his hands.

Animal didn't mind, he liked the attention.

The melody stopped as Janice scooted over to help, smiling up at Floyd. "He's such a free spirit, isn't he?"

The bassist couldn't help but smile. He'd only known her a few months, but he loved her view on life, and how she seemed to see light in everyone, no matter how strange, misunderstood, or outcasted they were. "Feral is more like it.. But yeah, he's always been a wild one-" he gently pulled out a stick that was entirely too big to have logically been hidden in Animal's fur, "How did you even do this??"

Animal didn't respond other than wag his tail, thumping it against the ground, and Janice just smiled at the pair.

_______________________________

The shack was still.

It was rare for the whole group to be this calm and quiet all at once, but it did happen occasionally.

They Mayhem had been together for years now. They'd played many, many, many shows, traveled all over the country, and had finally found a house of their own. 'Home' had always been with them, of course, but it still felt nice to have a place they could come back to after a show. They loved the van, but it was nice to have something bigger and more stable.

And it was all thanks to Nora, their most recent addition to the family, who somehow found the unusual silence both relaxing and vaguely unsettling. She'd never seen them all so.. still. There was usually some form of chaos happening, even if it was just Animal running around, but even he was calm, sprawled out on the floor.

The human glanced over her left, where Janice was quietly playing with Lips' hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. To her right, Floyd was writing down lyrics into a notebook while Zoot slept, his legs draped over Floyd's lap. Doc was sitting next to her on the couch, his eyes closed, and his fingers tapping against the arm of the couch, dancing like they were playing keys on the piano.

She didn't want to break the silence and ruin everything, but it was such an absurd moment, she just had to say something. "I don't think I've ever seen you all so calm. There's almost always some sort of.... Mayhem."

Lips chuckled. "We nut alwu suh chaotic, Nobu. Suties we like tuh sitarou an' ejoy the mo'ent."

Nora tilted her head. She'd honestly only caught like every third word and decided to just nod along. She thought she understood, anyway. Sometimes they'd just enjoy each other's company.

"Ain't got no shows at the moment, we gotta roof over our heads, and enough space to be able to sit around for once." Doc said, still tapping away at the arm of the couch, probably playing some song in his head.

Floyd nodded and looked up from his notepad. "Back in the van, we still could relax like this, but it was a little more cramped. Don't get me wrong, we love each other, we're family. But family argues, no matter how close ya are. It's nice to have at least three feet of space between us sometimes."

As if to prove his point, Floyd reached down and gently squeezed Zoot's knee a couple times, prompting him to pull his legs back and give his friend some space to write.

Nora nodded. That part she understood, especially after having lived with her sister for so long. Satisfied with their answers, she settled in and rested her head on the arm of the couch, shutting her eyes. She could enjoy the peace while it lasted.

It would only last about a minute more before Zoot accidentally fell off the couch, which seemed to somehow trigger Animal's energy as he shot up and started to zoom around the house on all fours repeating, 'RUNNING! RUNNING!' as he did so.

He crashed into Lips, who let out a winded, 'oof!' then darted down the hall, which prompted Floyd to sigh and get up to go after him, knowing he was likely to get into something he shouldn't. Doc's eyes shot open as he quickly got up and ran toward the basement to work on the song he'd been silently playing.

Scrooge had had his fair share of danger and adventures. He's fought monsters, been kidnapped, he's been lost at sea. But he's never seen a tornado before.

Tornados are kind of a rare sight in Scotland, and he's never had to worry about one before. Even when he moved to America, he's never actually seen one before. He's heard about them on the news, but they haven't ever hit Duckburg.

Until today, anyway.

The millionaire had had the tv on for background noise as he looked over his map for his next adventure. His butler of two years, Duckworth, had been cleaning in the same room, barely listening to the news as he dusted around various artifacts on the shelves.

Two years the men had known each other, but in that short time, they had grown rather fond of one another. Though, of course, the relationship was kept professional.

Duckworth had removed a framed photo of Scrooge taken from a submarine in the Mariana trench, freeing it from any dust. He placed it back on the shelf and perked an ear up, angling it toward the tv as the reporter talked about the weather.

"We're live in Duckburg, Calisota, where there have been reports of cloud rotation in the area. The national weather service has just issued a tornado warning, and urges people to seek shelter immediately," The woman on the tv angled her body and braced herself as the winds visibly got stronger around her, "We have an update that a tornado has actually touched ground in the city of Duckburg. People are being told to seek shelter, find the lowest level you can, stay in a closet or a bathtub if you have to. Stay away from windows or doors-"

The reporter cut herself off as she suddenly ran off camera, which shook as the cameraman tan with her. Black skies and a funnel cloud were briefly seen before the camera was dropped and the broadcast ended.

Duckworth stared at the television, stunned, until he heard the tornado sirens turn on in the distance and his heart dropped. "Mr. McDuck, I advise we head down into the bunker until the weather has passed."

Unfortunately his boss had other ideas. Scrooge jumped from his seat and ran to the window. "Are ya kidding? And miss my chance to see a tornado in person? Duckworth, fetch my coat!"

Before he could run down the hall, his butler caught him by the arm. "Forgive me, sir, but I must insist we seek shelter in the bunker! This isn't some foe you can conquer, this is the forces of nature!"

"Relax, Duckworth, I'm Scrooge McDuck! No storm is gonna send me-"

The walls shook, pictures and artifacts falling from their shelves. Making a decision, Duckworth scooped the duck up into his arms and ran for the door to the bunker. Scrooge protested up until he saw his fence being ripped out of the ground outside, and only then did it set in how dangerous this was.

The butler threw open the door to the bunker and ran inside, down the hall, and to the second set of doors. The sounds of the storm had since faded down the hallway, but Scrooge's friend and servant wasn't stopping.

"Duckworth-" He started, but the door to the bunker had been opened, then slammed shut and locked behind them.

It was quiet now, save for the frantic, ragged breaths of the dogfolk with him. Scrooge straightened himself up and eased himself from his friend's arms.

Duckworth's gaze was distant, and his body stiff. His tail was tucked down, almost between his legs. It worried the millionaire, who has never seen him like this before.

A small, pitiful sound tugged from the butler's throat, making Scrooge stress even more. "Duckworth? What's gotten into you?"

The question pulled him from his panic just barely. Duckworth clutched at the chest kf his suit and took a couple steps back from the door, taking a few deep breaths. "I.. I apologize, sir. For grabbing you like I did.. For behaving in such an unbecoming manner-"

Scrooge shook his head and grabbed his hand. "Listen to me, Bernhard," the use of his first name grabbed the dog's attention, "Don't apologize to me. You very well may have just saved my life. And ya don't have to apologize for bein scared.. I'm just curious, is all.. You've been through a lot with me, and I've never seen you like this before."

He eased the butler to sit down with him on the floor, never once letting go of his hand. Duckworth squeezed his hand back gently, like a response.

"I know.. that Scotland doesn't see many tornados," he started slowly, "So I am aware this was your first experience, Scrooge. But Britain.. We saw quite a few of them when I still lived there.."

Another slow breath, and an even slower exhale. "I was living in a cabin with my brother, Jasper, at the time. A tornado had touched down and destroyed the nearby town as it made its way to our little patch of field. No closets, no basement.. Jasper and I just had to sit in the tub and wait for it to either pass or kill us.. Our house shook and creaked so badly, I thought it would collapse," he took in another, shakier breath, "Jasper and I actually started to say our goodbyes to each other."

Scrooge squeezed his hand in sympathy. "I'm sorry. It must have scared you when I tried to run out into it, didn't it?"

This earned a chuckle from the dog. "You stressing me out with your constant need for adventure isn't anything new, Scrooge."

Silence settled between them, and they never let go of each other. The bunker was initially built for things like home invasion or city take overs from Magica DeSpell. Though, it also seemed appropriate for tornados. It was underground and the walls were thick and reinforced so they couldn't even hear the storm outside.

Scrooge briefly worried about the state of his home, hoping it wouldn't be destroyed when they headed back up. Growing restless from sitting still, he started conversation. "So.. You said you had a brother?"

Good timing, apparently, as the question seemed to pull the anxious dog from his thoughts. "Yes, my twin brother, Jasper. We're not very close anymore.. He fell down the wrong path and I got tired of taking the fall or defending him.. Wherever he is now, he's likely in prison somewhere."

Though his words were full of disdain, Scrooge could see in his eyes that he still cared for his brother. It made sense, of course, they were siblings. No matter how viciously Scrooge fought with his own family, he knew he'd always back them up. But of course, they also weren't framing him for crimes, so maybe he didn't fully understand Duckworth's and Jasper's relationship.

"It's been a while," Scrooge started, getting up, "I'll go check to see if the storm has passed." He felt resistance on his wrist and turned to look at his butler, who quickly released him, a little embarrassed he had been gripping his hand so tightly.

He opened the door and made his way up the hall and up the stairs. Duckworth had stayed in the bunker under Scrooge's orders. The millionaire said it was just for safety, but that was just for the other man's dignity. He had noticed Duckworth shaking and decided to give him a moment to collect himself.

Pushing the door open, Scrooge poked his head out into the hallway of his home. It was quiet, save for the rain outside, indicating the tornado had passed or dissipated. After calling for Duckworth, the two left the bunker and walked around to assess the damage.

Luckily, the house had only taken minor damage. A couple windows had shattered, frames had fallen off the walls, but most of the damage was outside. His fence was completely ripped up and missing, the flowers were done for, and his car had been tipped over onto its side.

A moment of silence for his wallet.

"Seems your instincts were right, Bernhard.. You were right to drag me into the bunker." He said, clicking his tongue as he looked around.

Duckworth sighed at the mess. He had just been cleaning before the tornado hit.. But at least Scrooge was safe. "Yes, well.. You are my employer. My friend, Mr. McDuck. I wanted you out of harms way."

A silence settled between them, not quite comfortable, given the damage they were marveling at, but silent nonetheless.

"I suppose I'll go ahead and call repairmen.. And it would do you good, Mr. McDuck, to donate to the rescue and repair of the city and its people."

Scrooge sighed at the second blow to his wallet, but he did agree that the people needed to be safe and their homes would need fixed up just as much as his. "Alright then.. Let's get it over with."

As Duckworth walked away to assess any further damage, Scrooge watched him go, thinking. He thought about their conversation in the bunker, about how they had been so close and holding each other the whole time. How he had felt.

But now wasn't the time for all that. For now, he needed to focus on making sure the city was safe and fixed up.

Abolish hadn’t been in the town of Oakhurst for long, but the feeling of eyes on his neck was certainly a new experience. Or at least this type of eyes was. The moment he had disembarked on his carriage and began walking along the path towards the center of Oakhurst, he had felt eyes on the back of his neck.

He knew it wasn’t the members of his organization, because they would have told him if they were observing him. Abolish was far more experienced than he was when he had first started his training, a young traumatized noble boy, unable to throw a punch.

With hundreds of successful fights under his cap, Abolish Veylock didn’t need a babysitter. He glared, frustrated, at the trees as he walked, hoping that whoever was watching from them would take the hint.

Then, Abolish got to town, and pushed any ideas of ‘being watched’ out of his mind in order to better focus on the chaos that these strangers brought. Everyone here had their own secrets, but Abolish wasn’t here for that, he was here for the cure books.

Abolish wouldn’t stop these vampires, perhaps they would lead him to his goal, but for the time it was incredibly frustrating to watch everyone fumble around in the dark, screaming for help.

-

Scott had come up to Abolish the moment before he left.

“Scott.” He’d greeted, slightly wary of the vampire. Goldsmith was good with words, and though Abolish believed that anyone could be good, it would be a long path for the ancient vampire. Abolish was sure there would be relapses and moments where the man attempted to go back on his word. Abolish would ensure that he was there the whole way, as he had promised Scott and Scott had promised Legundo.

Scott gave a wary nod in return. Abolish would be a fool not to notice that the vampire had taken notice of his fighting and tactical prowess.

“You have a hanger-on, Abolish.” Scott said, and Abolish shot him a confused look, “I felt it, through the coven bond when Legundo turned you. There’s something watching you. Just thought you should know.” The white-haired vampire shrugged and turned to walk back to Drift and Shelby.

Huh, well that certainly explained the feeling of being watched. What type of hanger on? It was unlikely that Scott would tell him, either because he didn’t know or because he had decided that it would be ‘too easy.’

Abolish rolled his eyes, yes, Scott certainly had quite a while left before he would be truly redeemed.

Abolish shrugged, he would do some mediation on the journey home, and hopefully the creature would reveal itself and Abolish would be able to discern what type it was. Then his organization could banish it (or make a deal with it, but Abolish didn’t feel particularly interested in being a host, not any more than he was in becoming a vampire. That was far too much paperwork)

-

Once the cure books were handed in, Abolish settled into the carriage, using the other man in the carriage as an anchor. He cast his mind out in open invitation, and caught the tail end of a sentence.

“...to watch.”

“Hello?” Abolish called out, and suddenly the feeling of being watched intensified.

“Oh, how curious. I didn’t expect that.” The words echo around Abolish, almost as if he was the one thinking them instead of the creature. It is not possible to see while in the void, but usually one can catch… impressions. Here though, there was nothing, only a void where the impressions should be. “Well, off you go little Veylocke. Do not attempt to return, you will find nothing.”

Abolish opened his eyes with a small gasp of air, despite the fact that he felt like he was drowning.

“Abolish?”

“I don’t know what that was.” Abolish said seriously, “but it absolutely wasn’t from this world.”

His companion gave a put-upon sigh and Abolish flinched.

“Am I going to have to do paperwork?”

“Yes.”