"Come on, Sam, talk to me," Luna spoke up. Here she was, sitting in Sam's living room with Lily in her lap. The similarly aged drummer, recognizable by her messy blonde hair and blue streak, sat across from the aspiring rock star.
"I'm sorry Luna, I just… I don't have the muse in me to keep up to the rhythm," Sam mused. Luna's plan to bring her baby sister along to take advantage of her adorable charm failed to help in the situation.
"That's not just something you lose, Sam, and you know that! Does this have to do with your folks being out of town for the month?" the rock loving Loud sister requested, setting Lily down to let her play with some of the toys she had brought along.
"No, you know that I never cared much for visiting the rest of my family. It's been really nice to have the place to myself," the drummer claimed, though with the aura of hesitation and doubt surrounding her, she showed that she wanted to be anything but alone at the moment.
"We have a chance at a future in the music world… Are you really going to let it slip by us because you're scared?" Luna knew it sounded rude, but she was in disbelief now. How else could she word it? A tense silence filled in the air of the room now aside from Lily's babbling.
The silence was broken when they suddenly heard a frantic knocking at the door.
"Would you get that, please?" Sam requested, taking the opportunity to escape the argument. Luna wanted to counter, but she huffed silently. She got up from their seat and went to the door.
"Lori?" the guitarist Loud quirked an eyebrow, seeing her oldest sister standing there looking worried.
"Hey Luna, where's Lily and Sam?" Lori stepped inside, quickly becoming relieved to see the two safe.
"Abura goo," Lily cooed, reaching up toward her oldest sister, looking very happy to see her practical second mother.
"Oh, hey Lori…" Sam half-heartedly greeted the firstborn Loud sister. She wondered if Luna brought her oldest over as well for this topic, and why. She could not think of what that did to help matters.
"Is everything alright?" Lori asked.
"Yes, everything's fine…" Sam was obviously trying to lie out of this.
"No, nothing is fine! Sam here wants to give up something she loves, for no reason!" Luna argued, her arms crossed. She wanted Lori's help to convince the drummer against this decision, at least now that she was here. Lori was now starting to register what she had walked in on. That, she did not plan on. She let out a weary sigh. She was stuck here, but something felt wrong to her.
"Why won't you just tell me what's wrong, Sam? I can help you!" Luna continued. Controlling her emotions was impossible now. Lori picked up Lily. The infant seemed content due to being used to constant loud noises. The drummer seemed to be at her wit's end now.
"Luna, you don't care about me! You just want YOUR future!" Sam turned to Lori, "Talk some sense into her, she's just been on repeat ever since she walked in through the door."
Luna wanted to retort, but Lori grabbed her shoulder to stop her. "You two have to relax! Do you want my honest opinion?" the secret superhero sounded begrudging about offering this. But if she stood around and did nothing, then her sibling's relationship would be destroyed, they both nodded, more than glad to listen. Lori took a deep breath. "I think you're both being idiots."
"What?!" Luna growled, yet Sam remained quiet.
"Luna, you're trying to force her into what she normally loves doing for fun. You know that if something changes from a hobby to a job, it's not a hobby anymore," the oldest loud sister began by focusing the conversation on Luna at first before turning her attention to Sam. "And Sam, you're shutting everyone that cares about you… there are plenty of people willing to help you as long as you talk. You can't blame Luna for being upset when she just wants to help you. One of you is coming off as selfish out of worry, and the other's coming off as a quitter out of fear. You're destroying yourselves and each other."
The drummer and guitarist looking to each other before their gazes fell to the floor. "…oh."
"…Luna, I need to talk to you," the teenage blonde insisted, ushering Luna out the door so they could talk outside, with Lily in her other arm. Luna did not fight back. Lori did have a good point that proved both the normally calm durmmer and the aspiring rock star also wrong.
Lori had spent the next couple of minutes explaining to Luna the situation, to the best of her ability, without giving her secret identity away or bringing up the fact a monster might be around. Luna was seated on the passenger seat of Vanzilla with Lily in her lap as she listened in to the rest of the story.
"So… Lisa thinks that something's forcing Sam to be scared?" Luna asked after she had broken it down into a simple sentence.
"Yeah. The problem is that what caused it should have worn off eventually… but since it hasn't, she thinks that something is still in or close to her home," Lori claimed. She sounded regretful for having to tell her younger sibling this at all. It might explain the irrational fear Sam had, but that did not make it any easier to handle the news.
"Is it the same thing that's made you act so different lately?" Luna replied. Lori was uncertain with how to answer. She had no real clue herself.
"I… I don't know honestly…" she said, trying to sound serious, "You and Lily should go home."
"I can't just leave Sam here alone…! What'll you do?" Luna asked. She could see how her oldest sister was holding back from telling her the whole truth, Luna presumed that it was because of it being worse than she made it out to be.
"I'm gonna spy on her, of course," Lori answered without skipping a beat. That was all she could really do to make sure that the drummer was safe. Watching Sam alone might make her lower her guard enough to lead her to the source of her fear.
"Who are you and what did you do with Lori?" Luna jokingly demanded. Lily giggled in her lap, clapping happily.
Lori rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm not that much different than I was a week ago."
"Are you serious? A week ago, you were a bigger brat than Lola could be. Now you're acting like an adult. For the first time in my life, I haven't seen you with your eyes glued on your phone, it's like you're a whole new person." Luna stated, finding that alone a miraculous statement. The former phone addicted Loud was so different now that it still worried a lot of their family, despite her assurances.
"I guess it's because… I see the world a lot more clearly now. It's like I'm looking through a crystal," Lori replied. Ever since she was first infected the world felt a lot brighter to her. She had no idea why, though the feelings of despair she felt at first were more than genuine, but she believed, they had changed into strength.
"I want to stay and make sure Sam's safe," Luna countered. Lori was annoyed. If something was wrong, then she would not be able to transform in front of Luna.
"Okay, I'll make you a deal… you take Lily home, so she'll be out of the way, and you can come right back to stay here with me, okay?" Lori offered a compromise. The aspiring rock star paused for a moment to think, looking down to their baby sister.
"Goo goo," Lily cooed with that heart-warming smile of hers. Luna sighed.
"Alright… I don't want Lily to get bored to sleep by playing spy with us," the guitarist agreed, since she did not know how long it would take, and that was assuming that they found anything.
"Thanks, Luna. Text me when you're on the way back," Lori smiled, pulling the keys to the family van from her pocket before turning them over to her rock loving sister.
"Uh… I only have my permit though…" Luna reminded hesitantly. Her blonde sister rolled her eyes.
"You still drive better than Leni. Just relax and you'll be fine," Lori claimed. Luna was going to get her official license in a couple weeks. Luna put it off for a few months to focus on other important things at the time.
"Alright, alright… anything for Sam…" Luna took in a breath before going to get Lily strapped into her car seat. Lori let out a relieved sigh, glad that she came when she did. Otherwise there might have been a quarrel between the drummer and the guitarist.
"I guess now all I have to do is watch Sam from afar…" Lori held her chin, not paying much attention as the family van began to drive away from the small home.
Lori kept close to the outside of Sam's building, so she could peek inside through the windows when she needed to. She had been at this for over an hour now, and so far, there had been no sign of anything interesting. She started to wonder where Luna was. She should have been back a while ago.
"Can you sense anything, Jundao?" Lori spoke aloud to the open air, beginning to dig around in her pockets, she was settled outside of Sam Sharp's home, still sticking close to the building so she could stay out of sight.
"Not anymore… I gave up that ability when we formed our link, my queen," Jundao responded. The oldest Loud sister guessed that his link was the reason her senses were now higher than before.
"Everybody has to make sacrifices for survival… right?" Lori replied light heartedly. She pulled out the colorless triangle from her pocket. She'd taken it with her as a good luck charm this morning.
"That is correct…" his voice said in her head, but he let out a curious hum when he saw what she held through her own vision. "You carry an empty jewel?" Jundao asked. He saw no reason for her to have this on her person at all.
"My boyfriend gave me a few, including yours. I got infected by a crystal fragment hiding inside the box they came in," Lori explained while she looked it over. She had urge to carry one when she woke up this morning. They were like good luck charms to her.
"These are something that only ancient alchemists could craft in my world… You truly are a queen with connections of this strength," Jundao claimed. The blonde Loud sister wanted to continue the train of discussion, but then she noticed something inside the living room.
"Wait, something's going on…" Lori insisted Jundao remain quiet, as if forgetting he was not physically beside her.
Sam entered the living room from the kitchen. She was stepping in, as she did she felt something grab her by the shoulder, making her almost jump in terror.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" The drummer turned around. A monster twice her size stood there. Looking to be like a gargoyle come to life. Parts of its scaly wings were covered with the infectious crystals.
"Skiana souo?" The gargoyle spoke with a light voice. His yellow and red trimmed scales almost shimmered under the light of the room.
"Yeah, yeah, the soup's about ready… Pelacur, I told you I'd bring it when it was done. What if someone saw you?" Sam asked. She was not able to understand the creature's language, but with minor gestures, then she understood what he wanted exactly. Pelacur had been staying with her for a good while.
"Garagala, atane lifs," there was regret in the creature's tone of voice. He reached up to her face, running his hand along her cheek.
Sam let out a sigh before gaining a smile on her face. "You're too nice to be mad at," she hugged the gargoyle.
"Sam!" The front door suddenly flew open. Lori called out to her. The drummer stood wide eyed. The eldest Loud charged quickly, jumping up and kicking Pelacur in the side of his chest, making him stumble away.
"Lori?! What are you doing here?" Sam asked in shock.
"Get… away from her!" Pelacur snarled while standing up.
"I can understand him… that means he's not crazy?" Lori thought, finding this odd.
"It doesn't matter. Kill him and she shall return to normal," Jundao assured through his contract holder's mind. The oldest Loud sibling pulled out her queen driver.
"Wait, stop!" Sam stepped between the two before they could begin fighting. Pelacur looked more upset than angry.
"What? Sam, get out of the way! He's dangerous!" Lori ordered. Protecting Luna's best friend was a bigger priority than caring about revealing her identity, if it meant saving her from this monsters grasp.
"I can't! If you hurt him, I'll never forgive you or Luna for putting you up to this!" Sam shouted back. Lori was even more confused.
"But why…?" Lori was in disbelief. "Don't tell me you made a contract with him…" she murmured. Luna would be crushed if she heard as well.
"I didn't," Sam replied sternly. Pelacur stepped up behind the drummer, she rubbed his injury where he had been kicked to try and make it feel better.
"He saved my life. That's why I'm protecting him."