Mickey's lessons begin, but it's his friends that start to learn something new. And is trouble starting to bubble when two infamous conmen return to the kingdom?

"I told you not to come here!" Marlin snapped at his son, trying not to sound too furious. "Go back home, and leave this to me and Bruce!"

"But we're worried too!" Nemo whined, Dory bobbing up and down as she tried to look behind Marlin and Bruce's figure to the smoky abyss behind them. "Mickey's been gone for days, and no one's seen any sight of him since he went down there!"

"Maybe he's stuck." Dory wagered, managing to keep calm despite the circumstances. "Have you ever gotten stuck between rocks before? I did once, I think. Or maybe I dreamed it. I also once had a dream about Australia… Oh, I've got it! Maybe he's stuck in Australia!"

Marlin thankfully ignored Dory's line of logic. "I know it's a bad situation, but the king's barely noticed he's gone, and we're the only ones who care. So it'll have to be up to Bruce and I to find out what happened, because I'm not willing to risk either of you."

"Why can't we go down there?" Nemo insisted, trying to swim around his father but getting blocked at every turn. "What's down there that gets everyone so worried?"

"You don't get the same lessons as the merfolk, do you boy?" Bruce tsk'd, shaking his massive head. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if Mickey went and forgot it too… Never was a good note-taker, that one."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Dory raised her fin to answer Nemo's question. "It's because there's seaweed clogging the drain! No, wait, it's because of poison coral! Sea monkeys gone bananas! The never ending war between catfish and dogfish!"

"… So close and yet so far." Marlin replied sarcastically, rubbing his face. "Okay, look… The Lost Catacombs used to be an archive of old magic and spells, but hundreds of years ago, it was used by a crazy merman who tried to take over both the land and the sea. At the time, both parts of the world were at war, trying to take over the other." He swam down to the sand, drawing lines with his fin to illustrate the story. "Land Walkers and merfolk thought they were both superior and deserved the other's territory. Neither side was winning… it was worse than a stalemate. Both sides were losing lives without gaining anything. It was mindless in every sense of the word."

Marlin pushed rocks and shiny pebbles around to try and create what he thought the antagonist of the story looked like. "The oldest son of the king decided to end the war in what he thought was the best way – he made himself into a combination of both merman and Land Walker. But he wasn't satisfied with that. He started using darker spells that required the lives of his fellow merfolk to work. Soon everyone started to see he didn't want the ocean to win the war, he wanted to rule over both by himself."

"How did we win?" Dory asked, hiding behind Nemo as if the terrible villain was there amongst them.

"That's the thing… we didn't." Marlin lifted a pebble from the drawing's chest. "We never knew the Land Walkers had magic. But a single woman from their side went into battle against the eldest prince, and she took out a piece of his heart. Without this piece, he lost much of his power, and he wasn't a threat anymore. It made both the mermen and the Land Walkers realize how bad of an idea this whole war had been, and it was finally put to an end. We vowed to never go near Land Walkers again, and to leave them alone in peace. As for the prince, he was banished to these Catacombs, as sort of prison, and he was never heard from again."

Dory gulped audibly, but Nemo wasn't as impressed by the story. "… You said it was hundreds of years ago. There's no way he could be alive."

"Don't go underestimatin' magic, mate." Bruce warned, warily glancing back at the continuous smoke that rose from the cracks. "Just because that Land Walker took one piece of his heart doesn't mean he was completely powerless… and just because you don't see somethin', doesn't mean it ain't there. I haven't a clue what he could want with Mickey, but there's no way it could be anything but bad."

"So that is why…" Marlin swam up on top of Bruce, ready to grab his dorsal fin and begin the haunting voyage. "The two of us will be going down to see if there's any sight of Mickey, and why the two of you are staying here. For all we know, Mickey could be back tonight and you two can smack him in my place."

"Happy to do it!" Dory grinned.

"No way!" Nemo objected, being held back by Dory at this point. "If this big scary merman is down there, what are you two supposed to do? Even Bruce can't fight a regular merman, and this one is supposed be powerful and evil?!"

"Mickey wins one wrestling match and no one ever lets you forget." Bruce huffed quietly to himself.

Marlin closed his eyes, almost reminded of Mickey the way Nemo reacted. Perhaps this was why it was so painful to have the young man gone. "… You're just going to have to trust us. When it comes to someone you care about…you find yourself willing to risk more than you ever thought you could. You'll understand someday." He then wiggled Bruce's dorsal fin. "We need to get going. You ready?"

"I was born ready!" Bruce pushed himself up, and began to head towards the Lost Catacombs.

Before they started their dive downward, Marlin managed to shout again. "Nemo! Dory! Take care of each other until we get back!" Anything else he said was lost as the pair vanished down below.

Dory and Nemo held each other's fins, watching their family leave. A heavy silence hung between them, until Nemo spoke. "We're going after them, aren't we."

"Oh definitely."

It was the end of the week and Minnie still wasn't sure if she was ready for this looming task ahead of her. She had gone to the small schoolhouse at the end of the village to borrow some supplies, such as a miniature blackboard, textbooks and writing paper. She has also asked advice from every schoolteacher there, and the most common response was to be patient with her student. She wasn't sure they understood, given they taught small children, and she was faintly sure 'Segreto' was about her age. How long was patience supposed to be a given?

Daisy had wanted to stay behind to keep an eye on him, but Minnie insisted she could handle it and that Daisy should go about her chores. It was late in the morning as Minnie smoothed down her dress and checked herself over the mirror. As she saw her locket, she gave it a tap, hoping her parents could give her strength she needed. She wasn't ready to hand it over to anyone yet, and so in lieu of repairing the chain, she had tied a piece of string to keep it together. It wasn't pretty but she didn't care about such matters. As long as it was with her, she was content.

There was a knock on the door, and Minnie took a guess that it was Segreto. She drew a deep breath, "Coming!", and took the first book off of her stack of helpful texts. If Queen Millicent said this was the best thing to do, then Minnie surely would see the wisdom of these actions. She owed the Queen deeply for her continuous kindness, ever since they first met. With that gratitude in mind, she opened the door –

To find Segreto trying to kiss her again.

THWACK!

"First lesson." Minnie told him evenly, her book now firmly pushed into Segreto's face. "Stop doing that." She pulled her book away, seeing his disappointed expression. "If you're going to learn from me, we need a simple understanding. As long as you're with me, you will not to try to kiss me. Not a single smooch or a peck , or else I won't teach you anything ever again. Do we have an agreement?" She held out her hand, waiting for him to shake it.

Segreto looked at her hand, blinking at the gesture. He tried to copy it, sticking his own hand and leaving it dangling there. Minnie bit her lip, and found a bit of sympathy starting to foster. Whoever taught him before had to have been terrible – if he ever had a teacher before. "… This is called a handshake." She answered, taking his hand in hers and moving it up and down. "People do this when they agree on something, or want to say hello." She then let him go, and pointed at the bed. "Now, please sit there, and we'll begin."

Segreto hopped onto the bed, eagerly leaning back and waiting for the lesson to begin. Minnie noticed he was still wearing Goofy's hand-me-downs. In fact, judging by his unkempt tussle of fur, it appeared he had just gotten up and run over as soon as he could. He at least seemed to understand what to do with paper and pen, and so Minnie took up a piece of chalk and began to write on the chalkboard. She had decided to start off with the alphabet, although she wasn't sure how interesting she could make it. As she listed off each letter and the sound it made, she took a look at him to see how she was doing.

Segreto was doing his best on his own terms. He dutifully wrote down each letter, in small and capital forms, often with his tongue sticking out as he concentrated. No, he wasn't finding this very entertaining as near as Minnie could tell, but then he seemed to be watching her more than the blackboard. With each word, she listed off things that began with the word, usually using objects in the room. When she got to D and tugged down on her dress, 'D for dress', Segreto had stopped writing. He looked at her dress, but not in the way a pervert would ogle a lady. This was genuine curiosity, studying the stitches and fabric that made up her maid uniform. Minnie faintly wondered if they had maids back where he was from.

"Is there something you wanted to know about my dress?" Minnie regretted it as soon as she said it, because there wasn't any way he could answer. Segreto's brows bent and raised, as he was doing his best to express what it was that he wanted to say but could not. What Minnie couldn't have known was he was having difficulty understanding why she wore it in the first place. So he did the only thing he could think of to get some sort of answer.

He grabbed the outside of her dress and flipped it up.

THWACK!

"You really are terrible, you know that?!" Minnie shrieked after clobbering Mickey with the same book. "Daisy says you're making up this whole mute thing just to harass me, and I'm starting to believe her!"

Segreto rubbed his sore head, more miffed than anything else. He then gestured to his neck, pointing out his scar that couldn't have been made up or fake. The two of them scowled at each other until Minnie relented, turning her back on him to the letter E. Though the rest of the alphabet went without incident, the tension of irritation continued to swirl around in the room. After Z was done, Minnie didn't bother to check the time before announcing "I think that's enough for today's lesson. For homework, I want you to practice writing each letter, uppercase and lowercase, one hundred times. Proper penmanship is important, so stay on the lines."

She couldn't tell which was giving Segreto more grief, the homework or that the lesson was already over. "Well you can't stay here all day. We still have to get you a room and fitted for proper clothing. You can't go around wearing that." Segreto stared blankly, so Minnie tried again. "… Because you don't fit in them. And they're hardly wearable as is. You can't walk around the castle in something so shoddy." Segreto shrugged, and Minnie found herself exasperated. "Because that's the way things are!"

There was a tiny snap, and her locket dropped to the floor. The string hadn't been able to keep up with Minnie's vigorous movements, but it was Mickey who stooped down to pick it up. He held it out for her to take, and after Minnie did, she decided she may as well fit in another lesson. "You're probably wondering why this is so important to me." She squeezed the edge of the heart shape, and it flipped open. Within it laid a cut photograph of three people – a distinguished but happy looking man and woman, both of which were hugging a tiny Minnie. "This was my father and mother… that's me when I was a little girl. They would go to different countries around the world, and bring back things to sell. They would leave me behind on their trips, but they always came back for me. They had their own ship… He named it after her when they married, and then they renamed it when I was born."

She then closed the locket, solemn as she continued her story. "… Two years after that, their ship crashed. They didn't come home. So this is all I have left of them." She faced Mickey, serious in her statements yet pained in her eyes. "That's why I am grateful that you gave it back to me, Segreto. I will always be grateful. But even doing something as kind as that does not mean I owe you my body. All right?"

Segreto nodded but his expression didn't change. It was like she had only stated the obvious and he wasn't expecting an exchange. He waited on her, and she turned away, confused by him yet again. "I'll find you a room, but then we will part ways for the day. Don't forget your studies."

After Segreto had collected his pencils and papers, he diligently followed Minnie outside of the room. Minnie had memorized the history and layout of the castle during her years there, and so she could certainly find him an unused guest room that hadn't been touched in a decade or so, aside from the usual clean up. As they passed the stained glass windows, Minnie caught Segreto taking a pause and looking out one of the windows. "What? Do you see something?" She joined him at the window, where down below two figures were walking in the gardens. It appeared to be Queen Millicent and Goofy, walking side by side as he weaved stories of the sea.

Minnie raised her eyebrows at the unusual pair, but she pulled back. "Well, that's no surprise. Everyone loves the Queen. She's the wisest and kindest person in the whole wide world. That's why I'm doing this, after all. Her and her alone."

Segreto tilted his head back in thought, and then nodded in affirmation. He quickly reached over to tap the locket in Minnie's hands, and then tapped the window, making an invisible connection. To finish it, he pounded once on his chest, and then gestured to the space above his right shoulder – where Minnie's mother had been in the photograph. Minnie caught the idea after a few seconds. "… Are you saying... you think she's my mother?"

Segreto nodded again, his palm on flat on his chest. He wasn't saying she was a mother of blood, but a mother of the heart. Minnie looked out the window, at the image of Millicent helping Goofy stand up after he tripped over a prickly rose bush. "… I suppose you could be a little cleverer than you look." She didn't give him an exact smile, but she wasn't as aggravated with him as he was before. "But it still doesn't mean you get to kiss me."

She wasn't sure, but the face Segreto made could have been a silent chuckle.

The broken down pier had been abandoned by everyone save for Goofy on the odd occasion. With the broken machines sticking out of the water and wooden planks floating around, it made for a dangerous place to fish. That didn't stop the small rusty boat from choosing this as the best place to head for shore. "Watch it, will you, Pete?" The taller of the two aboard the board snapped. "Are you trying to make us sink?" He slid a match over the steering wheel, and then lit his cigar, smoke covering up his gigantic rat teeth.

"I'm doin' the best I can, Mortimer!" The smaller yet wider cat snapped right away, his knitted cap almost falling off his head. "Why can't we go use the kingdom's docks?"

"Because then everyone would see what we reeled in! You got fat in your brains, too?" He slapped Pete upside the head, causing the cap to fall off. "There's no way I'm sharing the loot with anyone else." He turned his head back to the lofty, wet safe that lay under the shaking mast. "Once we find the key to this thing, it'll be nothing but smooth sailing for the rest of our lives. But until I figure it out, you have to keep your big mouth shut. You got that?"

Pete grumbled deep in his throat, keeping his eyes on the water. "It doesn't look like any keyhole I've ever seen… How do we even start lookin' for it?"

Mortimer walked over to the safe and knocked on its top. "Maybe you have some fat in your eyes… the names are etched right in! We find out who's related to the Mr. and Mrs. Mouse, and we find ourselves on easy street. Now, move in closer to the wreckage." He pointed to the dismantled pile of wood and steel. "We'll hide the ship around there. No one should be stupid enough to poke their big noses around here…"

The division of classes within the Nereid Kingdom was wide and often obvious to outsiders. One need only look at the clothes a single citizen wore, and you could tell from that instant where their standing on the economy ladder was. A man like Goofy wasn't even a part of the ladder – he was more the dirt where you would place the ladder. The first wooden rung of the ladder was where you had those taking care of animals, such as the stablemen and carriage riders. Thus when you took a good look at Donald Duck, you could see his place on the ladder, if the smell of the horses didn't give it away first. His duties for the morning were finished, and he didn't have to return to the horses until later that evening. With this batch of free time, he counted the coins in his pocket, and smiled at the number. Maybe today could be the day!

He scrambled to get to the castle entrance as soon as possible, watching the large doors for any sign of movement. It was almost lunchtime, and his luck proved itself as the doors began to open. Out of the three that came out, he was only concerned with one. "Hey, Daisy!" He happily caught up to the group – Daisy, Minnie, and Segreto - with his cap almost falling off in excitement. "Out to eat? What a coincidence, so am I!"

Daisy didn't bother to look at him and simply continued walking. "You wouldn't know a coincidence if it bit you on the beak."

"Hello, Donald." Minnie curtseyed politely. "It's nice to see you."

Donald tipped his cat. "Good to see you too, Minnie. And…" he trailed off, not just because he didn't know the boy, but because the boy was also curtseying with his tailored shirt. "… Is it good to see him too?"

Daisy huffed, and waved her hands back and forth to single them out. "Commoner, meet pervert. Pervert, meet commoner." Despite her effort to get away, the group followed, Donald included.

"This is Segreto." Minnie offered a better explanation in her friend's place. "It's… kind of a long story, but he can't talk, so I've been teaching him how to write."

Donald looked Mickey up and down before nodding. As opposed to the maid's uniform, he was wearing the standard male servant attire, much as Horace wore in thin shades of aqua and silver. However, his version had been torn at the legs and stretched at the shoulders. "So this is the one the other maids have been gossiping about? … Thought he'd be taller." He shrugged it off and offered his hand. "Name's Donald. I take care of the Queen's horses." At this point, Mickey had mastered the handshake and proudly took Donald's hand. "So, you guys out to eat? Because I've got my money saved up-"

"No." Daisy automatically cut in, holding out a hand to stop him. "If you must know our business, the pervert keeps ripping his clothes, so we have to get him new ones."

"Then let me pay for them!" Donald bounded up to Daisy's side, holding out a change purse full of collected coins. "See? Before you know it, I'll be buying you jewelry and taking you out to fancy dinners every night! You just need to be a little more – hey!"

Mickey's excitement had taken over again as he split the ducks up, catching the small satchel in his hands. He picked out a small silver coin, turning it over in the sunlight. He had seen many of these odd objects fall into the ocean, and he could never guess what Land Walkers would want with them. Donald angrily snatched his money out of Mickey's hands, ready to tell him off. "Hey! Earn your own, Sea-Salt! Nobody's taking my wages without a fight!"

Minnie hurriedly pulled Mickey backwards before things could escalate. "Sorry, sorry! He just doesn't understand…" She wagged a finger in front of Mickey's face. "Segreto, we've been over this. If you want me to explain something to you, just point it out. We do not take things that don't belong to us." Mickey frowned, but nodded his head, bowing his head to Donald as a makeshift apology.

Donald didn't take it right away, tossing his small sack up and down in one hand. "Are you really telling me this kid doesn't know what money is?" Mickey gave him a blank stare, slowly causing Donald to stop tossing. "… Oh, wow, he doesn't know what money is."

Daisy then turned around, taking the coin purse in annoyance. "Then I'll be the teacher for today's lesson. This is money." She shook the purse in front of Mickey's face. "It makes the world go round. It gives you power and happiness. With it, you can get everything, and without it, you're nothing. And since you don't have any, guess what that makes you?" Mickey's silence made her smirk. "Correct, you get an A. And hopefully Donald will learn his lesson too." She plopped it back into its owner's hands, finished. "That you'll never earn enough in this lifetime or the next to even come close to even think of courting me. A woman like me deserves someone who owns the carriage, not the person who cleans up after it." She stuck her beak up in the air, and made her way off, expecting her friend and 'the pervert' to follow.

Mickey still didn't understand the purpose of power of the coins, but he had a few choice words to call Daisy that he couldn't use. It was evident from his face how the lesson had fared with him, and Donald stuffed his money into his vest pocket. "I know she doesn't always come off as the warmest person, but that just makes me want to work even harder." He wistfully turned his head where Daisy had sauntered off, sighing happily. "A year ago, one of the horses almost ran her over. I pushed her out of the way, and she was so relieved she kissed me exactly seven times. If I was good enough for her then, I know I can be again!"

Minnie smiled faintly, but decided to keep her opinions for herself. Mickey, on the other hand, recognized Donald's lopsided smile and glittering eyes from his own reaction the first time he had seen Minnie. His shoulders jerked – a brother in arms!

He spun Donald around, and then grabbed both of his hands, firmly and violently shaking them up and down in great enthusiasm. Someone else who was going through the same struggles he was! He would have hugged Donald to encourage him, had Donald not looked befuddled about the whole thing. "… Affectionate little guy, huh."

"I will say one thing." Minnie admitted as Mickey continued to shake Donald's hands over and over in glee. "He does everything with zeal."

Mickey had only been allowed to roam the kingdom grounds with a supervisor, be it Minnie or Goofy, but he never got tired of looking at it. Somehow it always seemed to change, as people bought things and flirted openly in the streets. It had only been a few days since the lessons with Minnie had started, and yet he felt he knew human behavior like the back of his hand. Now he had found someone from which he could learn a better lesson - the lessons of love! By watching Donald's triumphs and errors, maybe he could find out how to better woo Minnie over. Lesson One – Find a way to attain those money things.

He listened in on the conversations between Minnie, Daisy and Donald, and tried to connect the pieces on his own. In order to obtain money, one had to do something that someone else could not or would not do. It was almost like a favor. However, the more Mickey thought about it, the more problems began to arise in his mind. Doing these favors would require him to be knowledgeable about more Land Walker behavior than he already knew. What if, by the time he gained enough knowledge to even try earning money, the last leaf would fall from the last tree? Would he have to go back down to the water and start all over?

He was so busy letting his frustrations grow and expand he fell behind, not even watching where he was going. He had almost come to a complete halt when a round object suddenly rolled its way onto his path. He stopped, blinking at a white sphere that now rested before his feet.

"Hey, mister!" Small Land walkers, children no doubt, were waiting a couple of feet away. They were wearing different colored versions of the school uniform Goofy had lent him a while ago. "Can you kick the ball back to us?"

Mickey looked back down at the 'ball', unsure what to make of it. What was a 'kick'? The kids were becoming impatient, groaning and repeating 'Just kick it already!' One child was incessantly tapping his foot – was he supposed to move the ball with his foot? He'd need to give it a bit of power in order for it to reach the children, so he swung his leg back, and connected his foot to the ball as hard and fast as he could. The ball flew over the children's heads, bounced against a lamppost, and aimed right back at Mickey, smacking him right in the nose and causing him to collapse backwards.

Seconds earlier, Minnie had noticed her student wasn't with her. Normally when they were outside, he stuck to her like glue, tugging her hand and pointing out things he wanted named and explained. She hadn't felt his hand in what felt like a long time, so she turned around just in time to see him get hit by his own strength. "Segreto!" She quickly came to his side, kneeling down to help him sit up. "Are you all right? Let's get you back to the castle and have someone look at your nose…"

But as Mickey sat up, he wasn't wincing in pain or angry at what happened. He was grinning, and sprang up on his feet. So that's what a 'ball' could do? That was fun! How far could it go? How fast could it go? The children were scrambling around him, amazed by the display as well.

"That was so cool!"

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"Come play with us! I want you on my team!"

He would have laughed if he could, reminded of Nemo in how these children fawned over him. Minnie cleared her throat, trying to stop anything before it could start. "Now now, we don't have time to play. We have to go shopping for clothes. Isn't that right, Segreto?"

The children all whined in unison, not wanting to lose their new partner. Mickey copied their expression perfectly, right down to how they clasped their hands together in a begging position. She was outnumbered ten to one, and all of their 'pleeeease?'s wore her down in no time at all. "… Well, he is getting new clothes anyway, so I suppose a little play wouldn't – Oh!" Mickey hadn't waited for the end of the sentence before grabbing her and pulling her towards the ball in question. He let her go as they approached, and at first she thought he wanted an explanation to what a ball was. Instead, Mickey lightly tapped the ball with his tip of his foot, sending it rolling toward her.

"Oh… oh, no, no, no." Minnie held up her hands. "I can't play. You just have fun without me." The children were inclined to do so, diving up teams amongst themselves, but this wasn't sitting well with Mickey. He frowned, and tugged on her arm, trying to encourage her. "Because I'll get my dress all dirty, and besides, I haven't played since…"

Her voice became quiet as it occurred to her she honestly couldn't remember. The locket, still broken, was tucked away inside of her dress since she still hadn't been able to find the strength to let another person fix it. The loss of her parents had happened right around the age as these little ones, who were debating who got which mouse on their team. She had lost her childhood and never tried to find it again.

She stared down at the ball, and then Mickey was nudging it again as gently as he could. He was waiting for her patiently, and Minnie bit her lower lip.

"Minnie!" Daisy was calling out, her own patience worn razor thin by this point. "We can't spend all day out here. Are we shopping or not?" Donald was watching the ball, and though he looked eager to join in, he stayed by Daisy's side, wanting to prove his maturity.

Minnie's feet wiggled in her shoes, and she turned towards the children. She started to recognize a few faces from the puppet show back at the pier, and she started to smile. What brave little souls to find the will to live and laugh again. The ball had started rolling towards them – she had given it a tiny kick without even thinking of it. "… Go on ahead! I'll catch up with you later!" She picked up her dress, trying to catch up to the ball, and the game started as the children spread out, trying to keep the toy away from one another.

Mickey continued to impress the kids, and Minnie a bit, as he experimented with this newfound object. He kicked hard, he rolled it around on his foot, and he managed to lob it up and down with his knee twenty times in a row. Daisy wasn't impressed, and she balled her hands into fists at their defiance towards her. "Minnie Mouse! You are an adult! Do you have any idea what people will say if they see you?" As a last resort, she looked to Donald, grumbling in her beak. "Tell them!"

Donald glanced to the game, and then back to Daisy. "… I've got ten gold coins that says I can score more goals than you."

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "… Make it twenty, commoner."

So what did people say when they saw four young adults playing a rousing game of not-quite-soccer with a small crowd of children? The occasional passerby thought they were seeing a display of immaturity, but for most of the amused shopkeepers and upper-class citizens, they stopped to watch the game. It became difficult to separate the ages among them, as laughter spread throughout the players. Even Daisy couldn't help but crack a smile or two as Donald failed to block a shot into the goal made out of tossed together school bags. Mickey had become the leader of the children within minutes, managing to give them orders without a word.

Midway through the game, one of the smaller boys had tripped over his loose shoelaces and landed roughly on the ground. He started to cry, as his knee had been skinned. The game screeched to an abrupt halt, with Mickey pausing in the middle of a kick to see what the trouble was. Daisy, now reminded of where she was and what she was doing, swiftly turned her head away, greatly embarrassed. Donald flailed his hands to the child, trying to urge him to stop crying but only making it worse. Minnie started to head over to the boy, but Mickey beat her to it.

He knelt down beside the boy, and then ripped off his sleeve without batting an eye. Much like underwater they would wrap seaweed around a scratch, so did he with the torn cloth, wrapping it around the boy's leg. Donald snapped his fingers, putting the pieces together in his head. "Is that why his clothes look like he got shredded by half a dozen cats?"

Daisy crossed her arms but nodded. "Any chance he gets, he tears something off to help someone else. He tried to rip off his whole pant leg to help one of the maids wash a window."

Minnie decided another lecture about what was proper and what was not would do no good here. Besides, the fact that Mickey had wanted to give aide to the child without a second thought was pleasantly charming. "There now, do you feel better?" She stroked the boy's head. "Come, stand up, I bet you can do it."

The boy nodded, and, using Minnie's dress for support, he began to stand up. "Uh-huh… can you come and play tomorrow too…?"

Mickey nodded vigorously, looking around at his older friends. Daisy has already retreated back into her snooty persona, and Donald was busy handing over his lost bet. Minnie continued to pet the little boy, trying to speak for everyone at once. "This was fun, but we can't play here every day… and don't you all have homework to do?" She eyed Mickey on that one, who sheepishly began to twiddle his thumbs. "How about this? If you all promise to do your homework, we'll come play with you on the weekend. Okay?"

The children shouted out a chorus of "We promise!", sticking their hands straight up and so Mickey copied that action too. They began to collect their books and bags, knowing they'd have to get a jump start on their homework if they wanted to keep their end of the deal. Mickey waved the children goodbye and managed to learn what a high-five was at the same time. Daisy clicked her tongue to the top of her beak, trying to pretend as if the last half hour hadn't happened at all. "Honestly, Minnie, you let those children walk all over you. At that rate, you're going to adopt one of those commoner children."

"That's not a half bad idea." Donald chuckled, starting the walk again. "I bet she'd be a great mom. Why haven't you got yourself a boyfriend yet?"

Mickey raised his hand but no one noticed. Minnie shook her head, trying to change the subject. "I don't have time for such a thing. Now with teaching Mickey and my chores, I have a busy life. Besides, I can't imagine anyone wanting someone like me… I mean, my dress is so dirty after all that play! No man in his right mind would want to be on my arm after that."

Mickey continued raising his hand, waving it around hard enough that he began to sweat. Instead of getting the attention he wanted, he only got a new pair of shoes and socks.

Goofy whistled pleasantly as he made his way through the town, holding a present under one arm. Pluto was faithfully at his side, looking forward to the intriguing smells the castle always brought. These trips to the castle had started out once a week, but now had turned into almost every day. Just the thought of being there, started to make him grin, especially with the new friends he had made there. Gosh, he really hoped she liked this present. Nothing could ruin this good mood!

But when Goofy went to tip his hat to the owners of the bakery, he stopped in his tracks, and found the only people who could ruin this glorious mood of his. "What're the two of you doin' here!"

Pete had been stuffing his face full of freshly baked bread, trying to fit an entire loaf at once. This left Mortimer to answer, as he tipped his cigar to shoo away some extra ash. "That's some greeting, Goof. Last I checked, this was a free country, and we could come and go as we please. C'mon, you can't say you haven't missed us."

"Aw, there's a lot of things I can't say, but that's cause we're in public." Goofy's growls lined up with Pluto's, both of them hitching their shoulders and baring their teeth. "The two of ya are always connin' folks, pullin' schemes, and takin' what ain't yours! Ya stole my boat when I was sleepin' last year, and I want it back!"

Pete had started choking on his rushed meal, but Mortimer put on a feign sign of sadness. "Unfortunately, that's why we're here. We've lost our boat, and with it, the last of our business. That's why we've resolved to turn over a new leaf! From now on, we're only interested in honest deals. Ain't that right, Pete?" he slapped Pete on the back, thankfully giving his body the shock it needed to swallow the rest of the food down.

"I'll believe it when I see it!" Goofy hugged his wrapped up box close to his chest. "Iff'n the both of ya can stay out of trouble, then I'll forget about what ya stole. But I'll be keepin' my eye on ya!" He then resumed his walk. Pluto gave the nasty duo a bark before joining his master.

Pete pounded on his chest to clear the remainders in his throat. "That fish for brains thinks he's better than us? Why, I wish we did lose his boat, and smashed it into the pier!"

Mortimer quirked an eyebrow as he watched Goofy go off. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's heading towards the castle."

Pete blinked, now standing beside Mortimer to watch the same scene. "… They're lettin' him right in! What's the big idea?"

"Looks like we've got a lot to catch up on." Mortimer hastily chewed on the end of his cigar. "We'd better wrestle up some information…" He then smirked, catching a good victim turning around the corner. "Pete, grab the duck."

Donald had only wanted to stop by the bakery to grab a single slice of pie for breakfast. The moment he saw Pete grab for him, though, it was too late, and he found himself hoisted in the air. "WAAAK! Not you two! No way am I paying another 'Friend Tax'!"

"Now now, we're not in the mood for money anymore." Mortimer strolled up, puffing out rings of smoke onto Donald's beak. "This time, we'd just like to have a little talk. No crime against that, is there?"

End Of Chapter Four.