Hey, guys! DelanaKiger is here once again! Happy New Year, both American and Chinese! Just a warning, this author's note is probably going to be very long, so I'll get the most important things over with first so that if you get bored, you can just skip to the actual story without missing much.

So, I had another idea for a story. It was inspired by "Before the Fall" by Jet Engine, but I'll try my best not to make it a ripoff. It just has a lot of interdimensional travelling and all that jazz. I will probably post it on my DeviantArt account when/if I get one, but if I don't, it'll just be on here or on Wattpad.

So, why am I telling you this? Well, I'm in need of characters. As soon as I upload this chapter (maybe even before then), I'll put the rules and suggestions on my profile page.

Now to respond to reviews!

Jet Engine: Haha, yep! That's Bill. Oh by the way, did I ever mention that it's a pretty big honor that you're interested in my story? It's just, you're such a good writer, and I'm still kind of a rookie.

Female Fantasy Freak: Yeah, I was planning on having more fears in there, but it was shortened to just that. But I'm glad it made you laugh. :)

LittleAmberAmethyst: Thanks!

Chanelinne Wong / thatrandomfan618: The "Baby demon in the Fearamid" thing will probably be next chapter. This one is about Keyhole getting a girlfriend, just like you suggested. :) I was wondering what you meant by "help write a plot". Do you mean for the Web series? I already have 2 authors who offered to help, and I kind of want to keep the number small so it'll be easier to come to agreements.

Psycho Delic263: Yay!

The demons were playing a fun game of Acid Ball, where the balls were as fragile as water balloons and filled with acid. Xanthar yelped with pain as he got hit in the "face" with one of the balls.

Pyronica, who had thrown it, laughed. "You're out, Xanthar!"

Xanthar hung his head and whimpered before heading into the corner of the Fearamid to regenerate.

Keyhole was near the edge of the door. He cried out in fear as an Acid Ball was thrown towards him. He began jumping back, and the ball hit the floor. But Keyhole fell out of the Fearamid.

He landed with a grunt, but something cushioned his fall. He opened his eyes with a groan, and when he saw that what he had landed on was a girl, he practically jumped off. "S-Sorry! Sorry!"

"It's ok," replied the girl. She got up and shook out her long, auburn hair and opened her gray eyes. She looked young, around her teenage years. As Keyhole noticed how beautiful she was, he felt his cheeks become hot.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her voice still somewhat soft-spoken. "Aren't you one of Bill Cipher's friends?" Keyhole nodded, lowering his face to hide the blush. The girl smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Lark."

"K-Keyhole."

"Nice to meet you," said Lark.

A sparrow chirped from a nearby tree, getting Lark's attention. She held out her finger for the bird to land on. It chirped to her, and she gasped and worriedly chirped back. The bird nodded.

"I have to go," Lark explained. "My parents are worried since I've been gone for so long. Bye, Keyhole." She waved and left, the sparrow fluttering up to her shoulder.

Keyhole waved back, his heart fluttering as well.

"Hey, Keyhole!" Pacifier greeted as the blue creature returned. "What took you so long?"

"I-I met this girl," replied Keyhole.

"Ooh!" exclaimed Pyronica and Amorphous Shape, glancing at each other as they got ready for some juicy gossip.

Amorphous Shape snickered. "What's her name?" she asked, her voice just as quiet as Lark's but slightly deeper.

"Uh, her name is Lark," said Keyhole, not particularly liking where this conversation was going.

Pyronica cracked up. "Key's got a girlfriend!" she sang. "Key's got a girlfriend!"

"What!? No, no, we just met!"

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Pyronica?" asked AS.

"That he's lying and they're totally going out?" Pyronica guessed.

Amorphous Shape thought for a moment. "That too. But I was thinking, he should see Mabel."

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Pyronica. "She has experience with these sorts of things!"

Keyhole rolled his eyes. "You really don't have to."

Pyronica clapped her hands together. "Then it's settled! Bill, we're going out."

Bill tossed an Acid Ball at Kryptos and gave a thumbs up. "Ok," he replied as his victim screamed.

Pyronica and Amorphous Shape dragged Keyhole to the Mystery Shack, ignoring his incessant groans. The tourists took off out of the gift shop, screaming in terror, as the demons entered.

"Hey, guys!" Mabel greeted. "Sorry about that."

"No worries," replied Amorphous. "People are wimps. We all know that. Anyway, you're a matchmaker, right?"

Mabel smiled widely. "Yeah! Are you looking for true love?"

"No," said Pyronica, "but Keyhole is."

Keyhole crossed his arms. "If by 'looking for true love', you mean 'getting dragged here by overbearing girls,' then yeah."

Mabel ignored the comment. "Is there anyone in particular you have feelings for?"

Keyhole rolled his eyes in frustration. "I fell out of the Fearamid and landed on this girl named Lark, ok!?"

"Oh, Lark?" asked Wendy from behind the cash register. "I know her. She's not really into intense stuff like me and my friends, but she's pretty cool."

"What is she interested in?" asked Keyhole.

Wendy thought. "Uh, let's see. There's birds, and there's... uhh... Yeah, I think that's about it. She's into birds. Like, I think she's some kind of bird whisperer or something. It's crazy the way some people have with animals. So have you talked to Lark since you landed on her?"

"No," Keyhole admitted. "I mean, I just met her less than an hour ago, I'm shy, and I have no idea where she lives."

"I do," replied Wendy. "I can bring you to her house if you want."

Keyhole shifted his feet nervously. "No, that's ok."

"Keyhole, look," said Wendy, "Dipper's taught me a lot of things, one of which being that if you like someone, you can't just chicken out and avoid them. You don't really have to go out on dates or anything, but you can at least be friends."

Keyhole lowered his gaze and glanced around for a few seconds. "All right. I'll visit her on one condition: Pyronica and Amorphous have to stay out of this."

The girl demons groaned with disappointment, but they agreed to leave without another word.

Wendy left with Keyhole, not bothering to get Stan's permission. "Don't worry, Keyhole," Wendy told him on the way. "Lark is, like, super chill. Literally the only reason I'm not close friends with her is because she doesn't like to join us on adventures." Wendy knocked on the front door. "Hello? Is Lark in there?"

A gray-haired man, presumably Lark's father, opened the door. "Oh, hello there, Wendy. What are you doing—Ahh!" he cried as he saw Keyhole. "A demon!"

He was about to slam the door, but Wendy blocked it. "Wait! It's okay! He's cool. He just wants to talk to Lark. Is she here?"

The trembling man nodded. "Uh, L-Lark?" he called. "A-A d-d-demon wants to see you."

Lark approached the door and gasped. "Keyhole! What a pleasant surprise! Come in. Wendy, would you like to join us?"

"Nah. I was just showing Keyhole the way here. I'll just head back before my boss finds out I'm gone."

Lark smirked. "He probably already has."

"Yeah, but I might as well try. Have you ever gotten away with something you know you should've gotten in trouble for? It's so satisfying!"

"Hmm. Not that I remember," replied Lark. "Well, if you want to try that, hurry on back."

Wendy waved and left. "Ok. Catch you later!"

Lark gestured for Keyhole to come in. As he did so, he noticed that her father was gone. "Where'd your dad go?"

Lark shrugged. "We just got here, so my parents are still a little wary of the supernatural. I'm sure Rosy won't be, though."

"Who's Rosy? Another friend of yours?"

Lark nodded and led Keyhole to a cage with a cockatiel inside. She opened the cage and let the parrot step up onto her finger. "Keyhole, this is my best friend Rosy."

Keyhole scratched the bird's neck, delighting her. "So, are you, like, a bird whisperer or something?"

Lark whistled to Rosy before responding to Keyhole. "Sort of." She lifted her finger for the bird to climb onto her shoulder. "I have the ability to communicate with them. I don't really have many human friends besides my family members since most people think I'm weird. But it's okay. Family and flocks are the only friends I need." She smiled in Keyhole's direction. "Unless you want to be one of them."

The suggestion took Keyhole by surprise, and he silently freaked out. "Uh, uh," he stuttered. "M-Maybe later." 'Maybe later' was what he had always said when he wasn't sure whether or not to take up an offer.

"Oh," replied Lark sadly. "I see."

"Sorry!" cried Keyhole. "I just didn't know what to say, that's all. I'd be happy to be your friend." Lark gave him a confused look. "I was shy, that's all."

The girl smiled. "Oh. Ok." She gasped with excitement. "Do you want to see something cool?"

"Uh, ok. Will it hurt?"

Lark laughed. "No, it won't." She got Rosy on her finger and put her back in the cage on a perch, but she didn't close the door.

Lark spread out her arms and began to grow shiny, black feathers. Her mouth became a beak, and she shrunk down in size, her anatomy rapidly changing until she became a raven.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Keyhole. "That is cool!"

Lark let out a low, croak-like caw and puffed out her chest in pride. She changed back into a human just as quickly as she had become a raven. "I can shapeshift into any species of bird."

"Can you turn into anything else?"

Lark shook her head. "No, just birds."

Keyhole kicked the ground bashfully. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

Lark smiled. "Sure! Do you have anywhere in mind?" Keyhole shook his head. "I know just the place." She whistled to Rosy and closed the cage.

The girl brought him to a part of the forest where the songs of birds could be heard from all around. Lark rattled to a kingfisher, and it rattled back. Lark and Keyhole left, beginning to wander around the forest.

Suddenly they heard an ear-splitting shriek. They both gasped, and a giant bird dove at them from above.

"Lark!" cried Keyhole after they dodged. He jumped toward her and helped her up. "Lark, run!"

The monster shrieked and dove again. Lark shrieked back as soon as it was close enough to hear. It turned its attention to her.

"Lark!" Keyhole yelled.

The creature screeched just as Keyhole was making his way to Lark, stopping him by causing his ears to ring. Lark screamed at it, and they had a short conversation before it took a few jumps back and narrowed its eyes.

"We accidentally wandered into the bird's territory," Lark explained. "It just wants us to leave."

"Ok, great, let's go!" Keyhole replied impatiently. He glanced around and slowed down. "Uh, which way should we go?"

"That's a good question," replied Lark. She shrieked at the bird, and it pointed its beak to the right. "That way."

They managed to safely get themselves out of the bird's territory with a sigh of relief. "That was a close one!" exclaimed Keyhole.

"It was quite a thrill," Lark agreed.

Keyhole chuckled. "You know, I have no idea how you can stay calm in situations like this."

She shrugged. "A lot of people don't. It's just who I am. We should do this again sometime."

Keyhole blushed. "Maybe." He suddenly frowned with worry. "Wait, how are you gonna get back home?"

"I can find my way back." She turned into a cattle egret and flew into the air, flying in circles before spotting her house and heading towards it.

Welp, I managed to finish this in a single day. That's what loads of planning can do for you. As soon as I upload this, I'm going to go ahead and put in the rules/suggestions for OCs you guys can send me.