So this is going to be pretty song focused at times. For starters, you'll notice some song references with different choices of wording. I've added the real names in the ending notes.

Another thing is that I introduced lyrics from existing songs a bit weirdly as to not plagiarize. They'll be in snippets in order to symbolize what song they are singing, but I encourage you to read the end notes if you are interested to see where the lyrics are from and get an idea of what they sung in this story.

You would think I would be writing song fics at this rate...


Millers

"Sheesh... This place is pretty depressing." Hoshi admitted as she looked out from behind the curtains. The bar crowd barely talked with one another, simply sitting down as they stared at their own cups.

"That's why we're here." Amos said as he took up his two guitars, "I think we're going to have to play something cheerful, have them forget about life for a while."

Hoshi looked at him, "Should we go play one of our oldies?"

"Good call Hoshi, we'll start off with Come a lil' Close." Amos said as he turned his head to Vladyslav, "Whattya think Vlad?"

The Ukrainian paused before nodding. "давай зробимо це. Let's do it."

They had made an album specifically for this task, consisting of an older style of music they had made up over there travels, inspiration coming from bar patrons and their stories of better days. It was a giant switch from their usual psychedelic rock but the songs they had created with were solid. With determination, the group came out from behind the curtains, setting up their instruments as nobody even gazed towards their direction.

Amos took his acoustic guitar as he set up the mic, installing it in place as he tapped on it.

"Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3." Amos paused as he became satisfied with the speaker before edging close to the mic. He looked at his other two band mates, Hoshi testing her keyboard and theremin, with Vladyslav plucking his bass guitar. It seemed like everything was in order.

The alligator turned his head back to the mic as he spoke through it, "Hey, how ya'll doing?" There was no response as the patrons looked up at him with empty stares. However it didn't dissuade him in the slightest as he grinned, "I'm going to take that as a 'not too well'."

Someone chuckled in the back before silence reigned again. Amos now didn't say anything as he looked at Hoshi and Vladyslav, nodding as the two of them got ready. Hoshi starting off the count as she pressed down on her piano.

And then Amos began to pluck his guitar before singing, his voice blaring through the speaker. "In a little cafe, just the other side of the bo-rder!"

The atmosphere of the room slowly began to change, as many who were silently drinking began to look there way.

"She was sittin' there giving me looks that made my mouth water! ... So I started walking her way, she belonged to that man, Jose"

Hoshi occasionally sung through her mic, singing the lyrics behind Amos's voice as her hands went down and up the keyboard. Vladyslav cheerfully smiled as he looked down, strumming his bass guitar as the Ukrainian added rhythm. The song went along quickly to Amos as he sung, his fingers shifting in a blur as he rapidly strummed and plucked the guitar.

"And I knew, yes I knew I should leave. When I heard her sa-a-ay!-"

A few patrons slowly began to stand up, clearly perplexed as they watched the band play.

Later

They were on there seventh song as the bar patrons we're now cheering and singing along, their worries forgotten as the band played on. The song now being Guitar Man as the sung with increased vigor.

"-When we're all in the mood for a melody! And you got us feeling alright!"

Amos was on a role, beads of sweat running down his scales as his finish was followed by a grin. Hoshi and Vladyslav played off as they tapped there final beat before stopping, the two band members smiling.

The bar erupted into cheer, "Who the hell are these three?!" A random patron asked his friend who was busy clapping.

"I don't know, but that was pure music right there!"

The patrons now conversed freely among each other, Amos chuckled as he looked at his two band mates. Holding his guitar as he went next to the mic, "That's all for tonight folks, ya'll have a good time now."

The bar broke out into a clapping streak as they came off stage, going outside as they bought there instruments with them. A multitude of Patrons giving them a pat on the shoulder as they opened the door to the back. Vladyslav opened the back of the van door, Hoshi and Amos placing their instruments inside the vehicle.

Miller came out of the back door, a giant grin on the dogs face. "Gotta say, you three absolutely nailed it in there. I don't think I've ever seen the bar raised that high since the Smelters won a game."

"Glad to be of service sir." Amos said.

Miller nodded before he produced a wad of cash from his back pocket, "Here. I was originally going to pay about 400, but after tonight... I say you guys deserve more. So here, take the 600 instead. And keep your tips."

Amos nodded as he was handed the cash, turning his head to his band members as they were already back in the van. He turned his head back to the dog, "Thank you sir."

"Eh, just call me Miller. All that sir crap just reminds me of my days back in the military."

The alligator chuckled, "Alright Miller, we'll be seeing ya."

"Yeah, you fella's do good." Miller said as the dog went back into the bar. Amos turned around, walking to the van as he opened the door before slipping into the driver seat. Hoshi was already back on her phone, with Vladyslav peering through the back window.

Amos separated the bills into 200's as he handed them. "Here guys."

Hoshi pocketed the money, "Aw yeah, makin' the money." She whispered to herself.

Vladyslav was given a wad as he bowed his head. "Дякую. Thank you."

The alligator nodded as he grabbed the keys, turning engine on as the vehicle sprung to life. "Don't thank me, thank yourselves. Ya'll did great in there."

His other two band mates nodded as they looked at him, smiling. Amos turned his head back to the road, "Now let's head home."

Santello Apartment

Beatrice fumbled with the keys for a second, the crocodile cursing to herself as she could barely see in the dimly lit hallways. She had finally reached the right one as she twisted the door knob, opening it before walking inside the apartment.

Her father was sitting on the couch, watching the screen as he sat there, as he always did.

She slowly walked next to the tv as her father looked at her before speaking, "Did you close up the shutters?"

"Yep." Beatrice simply replied. Her father paused before he looked back at the screen. The crocodile felt the need to say something, before she stopped herself, instead opting to go quietly to the door.

She was met with the sight of unpacked boxes that littered the sides of her room, and a single mattress that was held up by a bed post as the blanket was half draped on the ground. 10 months and her room was still the same, a clear testament to how far her life had fallen out of her control.

The crocodile lied down on her bed, her eyes looking up to the ceiling. She had a shitty day as usual, running the store by her lonesome was a complete hassle. And it didn't help that some asshole coincidentally bumped in to her to reminder her that no breaks were allowed.

Her eyes narrowed as she remembered what had happened, that alligator was clearly not from around here, he should have been looking where he was going. She glared before sighing, she sounded like one of those old residents that complained about everything.

"But, what the hell was up with that scar?"

Beatrice's eyes blinked, remembering the strange looking cut on the alligator's face. It wasn't exactly a normal thing for someone to just have, perhaps he got it in an accident. She dismissed that thought casually before steadily closing her eyes, lying on the mattress, now doing what she did every night.

Think really, really, hard about going to college.

And maybe, just maybe, she could get a dream out of it.

Hill-Way House, Amos's Room

The alligator turned off the water as he took a towel and ran it over his face slowly, his hands rubbing against the fabric. He looked up, watching the water slowly run off his scales as his scar showed itself off.

He gently rubbed the ugly thing before sighing, looking away from the mirror as his tail was lazily dragged behind him. He was currently wearing a spandex boxer as he turned off the lights and laid down on the small double bed.

It was complimentary furniture that was put on sale with the house, and so far he wasn't complaining. Hoshi wanted to pick the guest room down the hall because it was close to the router whilst Vladyslav chose the room with a single bed as it had more space, which left Amos with the parents room. Needless to say, it was slightly awkward knowing that a couple must have slept on this bed once, but he had been assured that the bed was clean.

He looked at the ceiling, his eyes wide open as he went to his most dreaded part of his life.

Going to sleep.

For others, sleep meant a way to get rest and relaxation.

For him it was an endless stream of terror. He had tried to hide that fact from his band mates, but it was increasingly getting harder as they begun to comment on how unpleasant he looked when he was sleep.

It wasn't always like that, not before-

"Stop. Don't think about it. You'll just make things worse once you close your eyes."

Amos paused as he blinked before he slowly began to drift away.

His mind thinking really hard about... Nothing.

And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't get a nightmare out of it.

Brady Household

It was already a quarter past one, his mother was next to the counter, preparing a pot of gumbo as he stood next to her, watching her cook it. His two year old sister sat nearby, the baby alligator played around with a little toy.

His father had been gone for a while, it had been about 10 months since he had left for the military. Amos's mother looked at him as she smiled, her eyes tired as she spoke.

"Don't worry Amos... You'll see daddy soon enough..."

The young alligator paused before he smiled, "I can't wait! We can visit uncle Joseph and have a big party like that one time."

He was too young to notice, notice how much his mother was hurting inside from the separation.

"Yes Amos... It will be."

There was a pause before a doorbell ringing was heard. Amos turned his head as he spoke, "I'll get it!"

He then ran out of the kitchen, going to the doorway as a window laid next to it.

Amos could see the color of a military uniform.

His heart wanted to burst with excitement as he realized what this meant, his dad was finally home. After so long they could finally be together, how it should have been after all this time. He then turned the knob before the door opened as he showed off a great big smile.

And then he frowned, instead of his father, two other unfamiliar soldiers stood at the doorway. Their white ceremonial hats off as they looked down at him.

The first one, a bird, paused before he spoke. "Hey there sport... Is your mother home?"

Amos looked up at them, "Uh, Y-Yeah... She is. What's this all about?"

The second soldier, a dog, looked at his comrade before looking back at the young alligator. "We just need to talk to her... Just for a second."

"Um... Okay." Amos said before he turned his head, "Mom! I think dad's friends wanna see you!"

His mother came out of the kitchen as she looked at the two soldiers before looking back at her son, "Amos... Go check on Josephine... Let the adults talk."

Amos paused as he looked up at her before nodding, "Yes mom."

The young alligator went back into the dining room, his sister still playing around with her toy. He then sat down, hearing hushed whispers as his mother spoke with the two soldiers.

There was a long silence before a great big wail of pure despair was heard, making him freeze in place as his eyes widened. His sister reacting in a similar manner as she turned her small head.

It was their mother.

Hill-Way House, Amos's Room

Amos slowly began to open his eyes as he stared blankly at the side of his pillow. His eyes drooping and tired as he put his hands to rub the sleep out of them, it was morning already as the sun shone through the curtains of the room.

He blinked again before he heard someone knock at his door.

"Hey Amos. You awake?" Hoshi asked behind it.

The alligator stood up from his bed, grabbing his shirt and pants as yelled back. "Yep, what's going on Hoshi?"

She opened the door as she peered down at her phone, "Remember that Gregg guy we met at the Snack Falcon?"

Amos nodded, "Yeah? What about him?"

"He's sent us about 100 messages in the past few minutes, saying that we need to meet up at some place called the Party Barn because an old child hood friend of his has popped up. Messaged me to bring our instruments too."

The alligator paused, "Is Vlad up?"

Loud Ukrainian music blared in the nearby room as singing was heard.

Hoshi rolled her eyes, "Does that answer your question?"

Party Barn

Beatrice checked her phone again as she sighed, looking at the front of the Party Barn. It had been a while since she had been here, Greggory had randomly messaged before she opened the store, begging her to come to the Party Barn and bring her drum program for a 'surprise'.

What this surprise exactly was, she had no idea. The crocodile opening the door as she went inside to see Margaret, standing in the front of the stage.

"-Oh dude I don't even think I even remember..." Margaret turned her eyes to see Beatrice enter. Angus was on top of the stage as the bear looked down to acknowledge the crocodiles presence.

"Hey Bea. Uh. Mae's back."

She paused, looking at her former childhood friend as the cat looked back at her.

"Wow. Hi." Margaret said, a little awkwardly.

Beatrice responded, "Yeah. Hi."

"SHE'S TOTALLY BACK!" Greggory yelled from the corner of the room as he dug through their old equipment.

The crocodile paused again, wasn't Margaret supposed to be in college? "Wait, what?"

"Are you... Uh... Here for band practice?" Margaret asked.

Beatrice wanted to sigh as she gestured to the laptop that was wrapped around her arms., "I play drums."

Margaret looked at the left behind device, "That's not drums. That's computer."

"It's fine. She also does your bass parts." Angus pointed out.

Beatrice deadpanned, "Well I understood them as the bass parts... But I can turn them off."

"'Turn them off.' On your computer." Margaret said skeptically.

"Mae we're totally gonna play a song! You totally have to play bass!" Greggory said as he came running back, an old bass guitar in his hands. Margaret's eyes widened as she looked at the instrument.

"I don't even remember! Those aren't even drums!"

"Doesn't matter! We're doing this right now and right here!" The fox said as he gave the cat her old instrument before climbing up on stage with his guitar. "Are we ready dudes?"

Beatrice climbed up as she placed her computer on top of a speaker for her to easily use. So far this reunion was a let down for her, a few questions bubbling up on why exactly was Mae back?

Greggory gave a countdown.

"Alright! 1, 2, 3 Let's-!" A honk sounded outside, everyone stopping as they turned their heads.

"Who's honking?" Margaret asked, "Like do people do that for no reason nowadays?"

Greggory immediately put a hand to his mouth, "Oh shit, I ALMOST FORGOT! I invited a few more people over!"

Angus looked at his boyfriend, "Who?"

The door to the front slowly opened.

Beatrice immediately paused, her eyes widening as she recognized who it was. The alligator with the same scar from yesterday as his reptilian head poked in.

No effing way.

He looked inside, turning his head as he opened the door fully, a stork and a lynx following in after him, the both of them checking out the place. "Sorry we're late Gregg, we kinda overslept."

"Ah it's no problem!" The fox said before he turned his head, "Guys, I'd like you to meet Amos the alligator, Hoshi the stork, and Vlad the lynx. They're from outta town! And they're a band as well. A professional band!"

"Woah..." Margaret said as her eyes were trained on them, "So playing music is basically like a job to you guys?"

The alligator named Amos chuckled, "Depends on who you ask. It's pretty fun to-... Perform..." His gaze peered at Beatrice who was sitting next to the speaker, his eyes full of surprise. Beatrice was apart of Gregg's band?

The crocodile shot a look back, snapping him back into reality as the fox spoke up. "Oh yeah! Meet my crew of dudes!" Greggory said as he pointed at the cat, "That's Mae, she's the awesome friend I was messaging about. She can play a killer Bass."

"Stooop..." The cat said, "I'm like super rusty. I haven't played in forever Gregg."

"Aah, don't worry about it." Greggory dismissed her complaints as he went up to the bear that stood on stage, "This is Angus! The piano Cap'n"

"Hey." The bear said as he gave a casual little wave. A dark green sweater and a thick rimmed glasses adorned on the animal's face. The fox then moved on to the last member.

"And this is Bea! She's on our drums."

The alligator looked at her, "Drums? That's sounds nice..." He paused as he realized something, "Um... are they on the computer?"

She looked at him for a second before turning her head away, mumbling a "Yes" as she focused on the screen. Lori definitely wasn't lying when she said the crocodile held a grudge.

"And that's the crew!" Greggory yelled, "I almost got too excited and started the song off without you guys here. Sorry about that!"

"Not a problem Gregg, we wanted to come and hear you guys play. We should be thanking you for inviting us." Amos said as he crossed his arms, smiling. Beatrice wanted to puke, there was no way someone else could act this polite or nice without hiding some form of misintent... Right?

"Awesome! Then let's start!" Gregg said as he climbed back up on stage, "Get ready for your minds to be blown! We call this song, Die Anywhere Else. Hit it Bea!"

One song later

"An-y-where... Just not here! Oh no." The song was finished as Amos and his band stood at the front of the stage. The alligator had to admit, for not even having a band name, they played like experts so far. Other then the bass being a bit off from time to time, he could definitely tell that they could make great songs in the future.

Margaret sighed, "Holy crap. That was hard to do!"

Angus spoke out, "You'll get back in practice."

"Yep, practice makes perfect." Amos said as he chuckled, "It's true on every occasion."

Hoshi silently nodded in agreement whilst Vladyslav crossed his arms, "я згоден."

"Huh?" Margaret looked at the lynx, "Was that Russian?"

Angus looked as he adjusted his glasses, "No. Ukrainian."

Vlayslav immediately smiled, pointing at the bear "Ah! Tak, You know well!"

The bear simply gave a thumbs up whilst Amos chuckled, smiling as his friends got along quickly.

Beatrice in the meanwhile grumbled to herself, silently glaring at Amos. She was supposed to accept this? How could they not have a problem with him? This guy was way too... Positive.

Greggory jumped off stage. "Alright, you dudes should play a song now!"

"Us?" Hoshi asked, "Where should we put our stuff?"

"Just put it up here." Angus simply said.

The three of them nodded as they went outside, opening the van door. Margaret turned her head to Greggory, "Where did you even meet these three?"

"Like, yesterday. Before you came Mae! I was working in the Snack Falcon and boom! They showed up out of nowhere and I could tell they were out of town, so I just had to invite 'em!" Amos came back in, holding an electric guitar as Greggory did a quick cheer. "Woah! You on guitar my dude?"

The alligator nodded, "And lead singer."

"Awesome!" Greggory yelled, "Classic position right there!"

Beatrice rolled her eyes.

Vladyslav helped Hoshi carry her keyboard as the stork carried her theremin, Greggory looked at the outlandish instrument as Margaret came up alongside the fox. "Woah... What is this thing?" The cat asked.

"Theremin. It's heavy as hell but it makes pretty dope noises. Here, listen." Hoshi said as she quickly turned it on, twiddling her hands next to the two outputs. Immediately a electro sound began to play out as it responded to her finger movements.

Greggory immediately flapped his arms, "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! THAT IS SO AWESOME! It's like an invisible violin!"

"Honestly, it kinda sounds like that sound that UFO's make in those old B movies." Margaret pointed out.

Hoshi paused before she scratched the back of her head, "Yeah... It actually does sound a bit like that... But when you change pitches, you can really go to work with this thing."

"Huh... Cool."

Vladyslav climbed up on the stage, plugging in his bass guitar as Amos went up as well, setting up the mic stand. Beatrice begrudgingly got off stage to stand next to her friends, her arms crossed as she stared disapprovingly.

Amos finally finished as he put the guitar sling over his shoulder, looking over at the group in front of the stage. They had already decided on a song while they were outside.

From their very own album, Light Side of the Sun. The song, Town.

The Ukrainian started off, his bass guitar going off as the song begun. Hoshi soon adding her own addition as her hands twiddled around her instrument. Amos held the mic as he sung.

"Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day!"

Greggory flapped his arms in excitement, whilst Angus had a hand over the foxes shoulder. Margaret seemed perplexed as she tilted her head and Beatrice... The crocodiles eyes widened. She did not expect that voice to come from that alligator.

"Kicking around on a piece of ground, on your hometown! Waiting for someone or something to show you the way!"

Amos rapidly strummed his guitar, "And then one day you find... Ten years have got behind you..."

The alligator closed his eyes, "No one told you when to run... You missed the starting gun!"

They reached a crescendo, with Amos leading as he did a solo, drawing his head away from the mic as he focused on the instrument. He finished as he sung again, "Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time." He strummed, "The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd have something more to say..."

The song concluded after a few verses before coming to a complete stop. Hoshi and Vladyslav finishing their own respective parts, as they stopped their playing. "So... What ya'll think?" Amos asked.

"Wow." Angus simply said, "That was pretty incredible."

"Yeah! You guys are amazing!" Greggory yelled, Mae nodding in agreement.

"It was kinda psychedelic and understandable at the same time... How do you even achieve that?" The cat asked. Amos chuckled in response.

"Ask the people we met on our travels, you can turn any life story into a song with the right ideas..."

Beatrice stood in the back, her reptilian face unreadable as she looked at the other band. She didn't know what she hated more, the alligator being so optimistic for no reason, or the fact that the song they played actually hit way too close to home. Regardless, this whole reunion was starting to get on her nerves.

"Effing hell..." Beatrice muttered under her breath, as if she needed to be reminded about how crappy her life had gotten, now someone just had to sing it to her.

Amos came off stage, as did his band. "Right ya'll, we're gonna go eat now-"

"WHAT!? You guys haven't eaten breakfast yet?!" Greggory asked in shock.

Hoshi shrugged, "We were kinda in a hurry. I mean, you did send about 100 messages to us, so we guessed it was pretty urgent."

"Oh man! Then you guys should totally come with! We're going to the Clik Clak Diner to celebrate Mae's return!"

Margaret turned her head, the cat's face now full of enthusiasm. "YEAAAAAAH! I can't believe it's still open!"

Amos tilted his head. "Wait... Uh, ya'll fine with that? I mean, it's your friend Mae's decision."

"I'm cool with it." Margaret admitted.

"Alright then..." Amos said as he chuckled. "Ya'll go on right ahead, me and the band are just gonna pack the instruments up."

"Great! C'mon dudes! It's literally just down the street!" Greggory said as he quickly ran out the door in excitement, with Margaret following closely behind.

Angus paused as the bear looked outside.

"I should probably tell them that they're going the wrong way,-" Angus looked at Beatrice, "You coming Bea?"

The crocodile looked at Amos one last time, "Yeah."

She was still finding everything hard to comprehend. Her former child hood friend had dropped out of college for no reason which pissed her off to no end, and now they were going to the diner with someone she already had on her long mental blacklist.

It was as if this day served as a giant middle finger to her.

She sighed before following after her friends, casting a quick glance at Amos who was busy deconstructing the mic stand.

Clik Clak Diner

Amos grinned as he sat down next to his two friends, his true expression hiding itself as he sighed internally. If he was being truthful with himself, then he felt as if he was intruding in some way. This was a group of friends that was celebrating a return of a returning companion, yet here they were.

But it wasn't all bad, Greggory was great to be around, as was Margaret and Angus... What actually made it awkward was the fact that Beatrice was staying true to her grudge. Just out of the corner of his eye, he would see her looking at him as if he was the anti-christ.

And all of this over a dropped cigarette.

He was broken from his thoughts as Vladyslav nudged him with his elbow. Amos turned his head to see the lynx point at something on the menu.

"What is it Vlad?" The alligator asked.

"піргогі!" The Ukrainian said excitedly. Amos tilted his head before Greggory spoke up.

"I think he's excited about the Pierogis!"

"Pierogis? You mean those polish dumplings?" Hoshi asked, "I thought this was a diner that sold pizza. Why would they have a European dish?"

"The question is not why," Greggory said as he put a hand to his chin, "But why not?"

There was a long pause before Margaret spoke.

"Wow Gregg, that was super philosophical."

"Hey! I can be pretty deep when I want to!" The fox said in glee before he looked at the menu, "So what do you guys wanna get because I'm paying!"

"Oh, you don't need to do that." Amos said.

Greggory grinned as he took out a note. "Oh yeah!? Then what do you call this?"

"A 50 dollar bill." Beatrice simply said.

"I mean... Yeah it is, BUT!-" The fox pointed at the three that sat across from him. "-One of you guys left it at my store!"

"Us?" Hoshi asked, "I think you got it all wrong, we didn't-"

The sound of low chuckle was heard as the stork turned her head to see Vladyslav with a hand over his mouth, attempting to contain his laughter. Hoshi immediately sported an angered expression as she tightly punched the lynx in the shoulder, the Ukrainian still laughing as he bawled over.

Amos merely chuckled, "So, I guess that answers that. Vlad must've left it as a token of appreciation."

Angus looked at the lynx before turning his head to the bill. "Uh, do you want it back?"

The alligator shook his head, "Nah. Ya'll can keep it for all I care. In fact, just use it to pay for the meal. Get some use out of it."

Greggory was about to say something before the waitress came along, the owl pulling out a little booklet. "Can I get you something?"

"Yep! One extra large pizza and a pierogi platter please." Greggory said.

She nodded, writing in the order before walking off. Hoshi took her phone out as she looked at the screen as the table fell under awkward silence. Amos coughed as he decidedly broke the ice.

"So... How long have ya'll lived in this town?"

"Pretty much our whole lives." Greggory said cheerfully.

"Oh. Sounds nice." Amos said optimistically, Beatrice snorted as she reached into her pocket, producing a cigarette before lighting it. Amos turned his gaze away as he looked at Margaret. "And... Uh, what about you Mae? Gregg said that you were returning from college?"

"Yeah..." The cat said before her head drooped down.

"And why's that?"

The question didn't come from him, instead it came from the crocodile as Beatrice as she blew a puff of smoke.

Mae seemed to pause at the question, "Well... Because, uh-"

"Aw check it! The food's here!" Greggory said as the waitress set down the pizza and pierogis. Vladyslav seemed equally excited as the Ukrainian looked down on the platter.

Hoshi looked up from her phone, "Wow, that was quick."

"That's probably because we cooked it before hand." The waitress simply said before walking off.

"Mmmm..." Angus looked at the pizza as the bears mouth watered, Greggory turned his head to Margaret.

"Hell yeah! Did you miss pizza Mae?!"

Margaret looked at the food before looking back up, "They have pizza at school."

"Oh cool." Greggory said before reaching for a slice, as did Angus and Beatrice. Amos turned his head to see Hoshi experimentally pick up a pierogi whilst Vladyslav consumed one on the spot. Amos took up one of the European dumplings before biting into it, the taste of potato filling and dough being prominent in his maw. The taste was... Okay.

The alligator turned his head, "So... How's the pizza?"

"Not very good." Angus admitted as he took a bite out of his. Beatrice grunted in agreement, glancing at Amos.

"It's pretty horrible... For your information."

The last statement sounded more condescending than informal as Amos noted before Greggory spoke up, "Dudes, haven't you heard of the pizza scale?"

"The pizza scale?" Hoshi asked as she bit into a pierogi. "What the hell is that?"

Greggory paused before he used his hands to gesture the slice he was holding, "There's a scale of pizza. On one end there's the worst pizza, but like everything right above that is still really good."

"Amen to that." Amos said casually as he reached for another pierogi, earning a laugh from Gregg as the fox placed a crust back onto the plate.

The alligator paused, looking at the unfinished crust as he stared at it. Unwanted memories began to surface as his breath began to hitch, his eyes now unfocused. No one seemed to notice.

Except for one. Beatrice briefly glanced at him again, this time noticing a change in his expression as she raised a brow. No longer was it the optimistic alligator from before, now it looked as if he was someone else completely.

Amos immediately stood up from his seat, "I-I need to use the bathroom..."

"It's just down the hall-" Angus didn't finish as the alligator left in a hurry.

"Gee, guess he really had to go." Margaret commented.

Beatrice paused before she contemplated, wondering what exactly did she see in him? Before his face held a positive look, but a few seconds ago he looked downright drained, as if he had remembered particularly unpleasant.

Her curiosity was now admittedly piqued as she muttered under her breath.

"What the hell is your deal?"

Washroom

He stood next to the sink as he looked down at the sink, his reptilian fingers idly tapping against the smooth white marble. It was a quirk he developed when he was young, and it stuck to him when he was older. He sighed, attempting to think about the day ahead of him.

But it was no use, his locked memories always finding way's to crawl out of the dark hole's of his head.

His blinked again, before images flashed.

New Orleans

"-Now don't eat it too fast. You're going to burn you're tongue." Amos said as he sat down on the booth. His little sister was 4 now, the small alligator picking up a piece before biting down on the slice.

"Owie-!" She yelped.

Amos rolled his eyes, "I told ya so. Now look what happened."

She hung her head down, "Sorry."

He shrugged before grinning, "Nothin' to say sorry about. Just be careful next time."

His sister nodded before carefully chewing on the slice. She gulped it down before slowly looking up, "Mmm... It's tasty!"

"That's pizza for you." Amos said, "This is your second time eating it y'know."

"I-It is?"

Amos chuckled, "Yeah, Dad used to sneak pieces when you didn't wanna eat."

She smiled before it slowly turned into a frown. "I wish daddy was still here."

The older alligator paused, "Yeah... I do too." He then smiled to brighten the mood. "But we still have mom to watch over us."

"Mommy act's funny..."

Amos froze at that statement. "What do you mean by that?"

His sister squinted her eyes as she went deep into thought, "She likes looking at the windows a lot."

"I-" Amos paused, "She's just... Stressed."

"Stressed?" His sister asked.

"Yeah. Mom's just been through a lot... Just give her time."

His sister tilted her head, "But she's been acting funny for so long. Mommy even said she that bad people were lying about daddy being gone."

He shook his head, "Just don't think about it Sis. Everything will be fine... She'll recover."

"Even though it's taken her two years."

Amos sighed as his inner voice spoke up, "So, are you ready to go?"

She nodded, climbing off the seat. Amos stood up as well, however not before noticing something. A piece of leftover pizza crust.

"Hey, ya didn't eat the rest of your slice."

His sister looked back before she shook her head,

"I don't like it. It's too bready..."

"Bready? That makes no sense Sis."

"Sorry..." She murmured. Amos's expression softened.

"Well whatever, it's just crust. Nobody's forcing ya. Just try and eat it next time."

Washroom

He breathed a sigh as he blinked, snapping back to reality as his body felt weakened. He felt a huge head ache already coming along.

"Ah shit..." Amos muttered as he closed his eyes before reopening them. He was having difficulty concentrating, as his reflection on the mirror became a blur before finally reforming, showing himself as he stared back. That was an intense episode.

Amos quickly got his breathing under control as he straightened himself. He couldn't let others see him like this, he needed to be positive. It was his only coping mechanism.

Yet the lingering feeling of dread was still felt beneath his scales, his memories were beginning catch up to him.

Keep it inside, don't let your mental scars show.

"Even if you have a big one that everyone can already see. Right over your fucking eye."

He cringed at his inner voice before turning around, opening the door and leaving the bathroom.

Clik Clak Diner

It seemed as if the pizza and pierogi's had almost been finished by the time Amos had gotten back. He made sure to put on a smile to show that everything was fine, walking between his two band mates as they bit into a pierogi.

Luckily, nobody gave acknowledgement to his presence as he sighed in relief. However just as he began to sit down, he had noticed Beatrice glancing at him.

He expected her to be regarding him with a cynical look as she always did, but this time it was different, her intelligent blue eyes seemed to analyze him. He looked back at her as the two of them stared at each other. She then turned her head away, casually dismissing him.

Amos tilted his maw before he heard Margaret speak.

"So when are we gonna play out?" The cat asked.

Beatrice snorted, "Mae. We don't play out."

Margaret seemed deflated, "Oh."

"We have jobs, Mae." The crocodile said with her usual cynicism.

Angus nodded as the bear spoke up, "I work at the Video Outpost 'Too'!"

"Video Outpost 'Too'? So where's the first one?" Hoshi asked.

"Er, no. That's just how it's named." The bear admitted embarrassingly. There was a pause as Beatrice blew a puff of smoke from her cigarette.

The crocodile sighed, "I'm at the Ol' Pickaxe."

"I thought you were going to school?" Margaret questioned as she tilted her head.

"Heh." Beatrice chuckled harshly, "Yeah, well. Life happens."

Amos took notice to the tone of her voice, already it sounded as if she was spiteful. Yet at the same time she retained her calm and bored exterior. He realized there was more to her then what met the eye.

"I'M LORD OF THE SNACK FALCONS!" Greggory yelled as he flailed his arm against the table. Everybody looked at the fox as there was a long pause before Margaret spoke.

"Where's Casey?"

Her friends paused as Amos and his band tilted their heads.

Amos felt the need to ask. "Who's Casey? 'Nother friend of yours?"

"Uh, yeah..." Greggory said awkwardly before turning his head to Mae, "I guess you wouldn't know, huh? Casey's gone."

"Gone? Gone how?" Margaret asked.

"Hopped a train I bet." The fox theorized.

"Oh wow. He always talked about doing that."

By the sound of things, Casey sounded like a close friend to Amos. The alligator made sure to listen to every detail as Greggory responded to Margaret's question.

"Yeah... One day he was just gone."

Angus added to Gregorry's statement, "Made a clean break. Hasn't emailed or anything."

"Sounds like he dropped off the face of the earth." Hoshi summarized, Vladyslav nodding in agreement.

Margaret sighed as she looked down, "Well, good for him I guess."

Greggory nodded, "His parents put up missing person posters... But everyone knew what happened."

"Geez. Casey. I... Huh." Margaret sputtered as she attempted to comprehend the changes.

There was a pause as Amos decided to add his own input. "Well, I'm sure your friend must be happy now... He probably wanted a reset on his life."

Beatrice turned her head to him, "And how would you know?"

Amos sighed, looking into her eyes. "Because isn't that what everyone wants to some degree? A way to fix or leave behind your mistakes?"

She paused at his words before blinking, her features now mired with a hint of confusion as she stared at him before shaking her head. Amos had no time to ponder at her expression as Beatrice spoke again, this time her question directed towards her childhood friend.

"What exactly do you do Mae?"

Margaret paused, "I was in college?"

"And why exactly are you not still there?"

Amos noticed the sound of resentment in her voice, giving her words an envious tone.

"Didn't work out." Margaret admitted as she looked down.

"Huh. Imagine that."

There was a long pause, Amos clearly not being the only one to sense the tension as everyone else was dragged in by the silence.

Angus finally decided to break the ice. "Well! We better get home, dude."

Greggory smiled, "Oh yeah, Angus got a date with Sword People Online."

"Aw Lucky." Mae said.

Hoshi looked up from her screen, "You play Sword People Online? Wasn't there some huge update for it?"

The bear nodded, "Yeah, they added Muskets and Pistols...-"

Later

Amos now stood outside as the cold autumn air brushed against his scales. His sharp teeth chattering slightly as his maw quivered, he was definitely still not suited for the cold after growing up in the south. He sported a glum expression for a split second before looking upwards, noticing a few children playing with a mound of leaves.

The sight bought a warm smile to his face, he sometimes wished he was a kid again, to be carefree and happy.

Too bad it ended way too early for him.

He sighed as he stirred in his jacket before spotting something before the door opened behind him.

It was Beatrice.

He blinked as he glanced at her, the crocodile walking to the other side of the railing as she casually dropped her cigarette before stomping on it with her black boots, sporting a bored expression on her face.

However to Amos, she seemed so... Unique, her blue scales refracting the sunlight off of her as she looked onward, as if it was something straight out of a painting. He looked away briefly.

"She's like a diamond... A diamond in the rough." He thought as he gently blinked before he heard her speak.

"Why are you even out here?"

He stopped as he turned his head, her uninterested face peering at his as he looked back. A second passed before he spoke, "Eh, thought I'd get some fresh air. Look at the view..." He smiled, "Possum Springs is a nice place."

She rolled her eyes, "Trust me. It'll get boring. Just like it has for everyone living here."

"That may be so..." Amos looked on, "But sometimes... It's good to just sit still and appreciate something for what it is. Not for what it could be."

Beatrice blinked as she looked at him, her features unreadable as the two of them looked at each other. She then looked away, shaking her head as she peered down the sidewalk. Amos paused, he felt as if he was getting somewhere with her only for Beatrice to shut herself away from him. He opened his maw for a split second only for the words to die on his tongue.

What exactly could he say now?

He was broken from his thoughts as the door to the diner opened. Vladyslav and Hoshi came out first as Beatrice's friends followed after, Margaret standing at the top of the stairs as the cat looked at her friends.

"It's really great to be back."

Greggory smiled, "Dude we can hang out every day!"

Angus nodded before Hoshi said something, the stork pointing at something.

"Uh guys... What's that on the sidewalk?"

All of them tilted their heads before looking to the side. The sight petrifying them all as they stared at it with wide eyes.

On the sidewalk, laid an arm.


There, all done. Took longer then I thought but it should be good. We get a slight look into Amos's past... Which will get much more depressing in the later chapters once more gets revealed.

And as for songs... Here's the names for each underlined reference.

Come a lil' Close - Come A Little Bit Closer, by Jay & the Americans

Guitar Man - Piano Man, by Billy Joel

Light Side of the Sun - Dark Side of the Moon, Album by Pink Floyd

Town - Time by Pink Floyd

Give these songs a listen if you want to hear what they sound like. Most songs later in the story will mostly be Pink Floyd, so I also encourage you to listen to them as well.

P.S.

To answer Traindude55. I was literally thinking that when I wrote that line...