Beta Reader: InquisitorJeeves


*Ring Ring*

*Click* "*yawn* Hello, who is this? May I remind you that it is 2 in the morning?"

"Miss Doris? This is Huggins speaking."

"Wha- Principal Huggins, what are you doing calling this early? Can't whatever you need to say to me wait until I come to work?"

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. I guess I'll just hang up and tell you when you report for work...NOT! I'm afraid that this cannot wait."

"If that's the answer that you're going to give, then please just tell me already, Principal Huggins."

"Right, sorry. Miss Doris, please do tell the rest of the cafeteria staff that there will be no need for your services for today's lunch period."

"...I'm sorry, what?"

"I believe I spoke plainly, Miss Doris, but allow me to repeat myself. You and the cafeteria staff have the day off tomorrow. No need to come in and prepare food for the students today, for I already have that covered."

"...Sir, this is quite sudden."

"Yes, I agree it is quite sudden, but I have thought about it a lot, and figured that it would at least a gesture of peace between me and the protesters."

"I see… If that is what you requesting, then thank you, Principal Huggins. While I was not impressed by the way you chose to handle the protest, I am at least happy to know that you're willing to fix your mistakes."

"I'm... honestly afraid that it will probably be the last act that I will do as principal…"

"Wilbur...if you haven't heard this before, then let me say, that you were a fine principal, and while there are times that we question your judgement, the staff truly do believe that there would have been no one else as suited to the job as you."

"Miss Doris...I thank you for your kind words. However, I must make orders immediately. Enjoy your day off, Miss Doris, and give my regards to the other cafeteria staff."

"And Good Luck to you, Principal Huggins. Good night, or good morning, either way."

With that, Miss Doris hung up the phone.

Balor stared at the phone in his hand, before hanging it up. Looking back, he saw that the washing machine was done. Opening it, he grabbed his laundry and walked over to a nearby dryer. Dumping the laundry and some dryer sheets into the machine, he adjusted the settings to dark colors before turning the machine on. As the machine started to go through the drying cycle, Balor took a look around the 24 hour coin laundry.

The place was deserted, with no one really attending to the place. Really made a person wonder how they could afford to keep the lights on the whole time. Still, very convenient for him, along with the vending machines that dispense detergent and drying sheets for him. The only thing that suggested anyone was watching the place was a security camera, and they would probably be pretty surprised to see Balor in an old white t-shirt and sport shorts doing his laundry.

And of course he kept the mask, hat, and glasses on. He had washed them earlier.

Still, Balor thought to himself as he flopped into a nearby seat, this would probably be the most exciting thing he would be doing all night. Unfortunately, the comic books never told him that crime doesn't happen every night, or that it magically happens right in front of you. As such, he had been patrolling for the past five nights, and nothing had happened on his watch.

On an instinctual level, Balor knew that he should be happy that there was no crime to fight. After all, didn't heroes fight crime in the hopes that eventually, they would have no more crime to fight and that they could declare their work done? And there, Balor realized, was the problem.

Tomorrow, after everything was said and done, Principal Huggins was finally going to reinstate the clubs, and Balor's job at Royal Woods Elementary School would be done. And everyone would be happy to see him walk into the sunset, ready to correct whatever injustice he happened upon next. But where would that leave him?

Where would that leave Balor?

A sense of melancholy came over him, wondering what to do. After a while, he shook off the depressing feeling. After all, there was no need to rain on the parade. He'll think of what to do next after tomorrow.

Sitting up again, he went over to the phone, numbers already in mind. Picking up the receiver, he typed in the first number, then waited as the telephone rang.

"Hello. Mario Mario's Pizzeria, how may we help you?"

"Ah, yes, I would like to place an order for about...200 pizzas and 50 bottles of soda."

"What?!"


Lynn stifled a yawn as she stood outside of Lincoln's room, fully dressed and in her protocol gear. She had accidentally stayed up a bit late reading a really interesting sports article, and she was paying for it now. Idiot, she scolded herself for staying up late. Sleep was important for winners to get, or would you like to repeat that softball tournament game back in third grade where you practically gave every batter and their mother a hit?

No, never again.

Still, rock beats paper and the rule of who wins Rock-Paper-Scissors held firm. She had to stand by the ruling so here she was, standing outside Lincoln's door, waiting to escort him to the bathroom. So there she stood, waiting...and waiting...and waiting…

How long has it been since she got the task of escorting Lincoln? Because he should have been up already. And she really wanted to get on with the rest of the morning. Turning, she raised her fist and prepared to knock...and prepared...and prepared…

'Come on, Lynn!' She thought to herself. 'Just take your fist and hit the door a couple of times. What's so hard about that?'

The answer came quickly.

She knew for a fact that things between her and Lincoln had gotten...frosty. Sure, he could put up appearances in front of their parents and siblings, act like everything was hunky dory. But when it was just the two of them, his words were always short, and whenever he looked at her, his eyes always seemed to struggle between showing anger or pain.

All directed at her.

"LYNN!" Her mother's voice snapped her out of her melancholy. "It's starting to get late. Lincoln has to get up!"

"Lynn, get him up quick!" Lori called out as well. "Lola can't wait around forever!"

Right, still a school day, can't spend all day staring at the door. Quickly knocking on the door before she lost her courage, she listened closely for any signs of life from Lincoln. A few moments later, she heard something.

"...?"

"Lincoln, wake up!" Lynn called out. "You gotta go to school."

"...Eh? Oh...Uh...Alright...Just give...some time…"

"Yeesh, Linc?" Lynn grimaced as she heard Lincoln respond to her. "What happened to you? You sound like you were up all night or something."

"Oh...Um... I was...doing...I was reading comic books...Yeah…"

The door finally opened, Lincoln stepping out in his pajamas, yawning loudly as he rubbed his eyes. Looking at the toiletries that Lincoln was holding in his hands, Lynn couldn't help but to let a giggle escape her lips.

"Yo, Linc. I know you want to sleep, but believe me. Blankets don't make good towels."

The zombie-like Lincoln blinked at her, though one could barely tell because of how squinted his eyes were. He held up his hand and stared at the blanket that he was holding, before looking at his other hand and finding his backpack. Dropping both items to the ground, he grabbed his actual toiletries and a change of clothes, before moving towards the bathroom.

However, Lynn stopped him with one hand, taking out her walkie-talkie in the other. "Linc is a go, Linc is a go. Prepare Pink Princess for transport."

"Roger."

Letting Lincoln go, she frowned at how slow Lincoln was moving. Deciding to speed things up, she picked Lincoln up by the waist and carried him through the hallway.

"Come on, Lynn… I was doing fine." Lincoln mumbled, sounding cross but not making a move to get out of her grip.

"Yeah, if you call moving at a snail's pace fine. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. And next time, you put away the comic books and get some sleep, bro. We don't need zombies in this house."

"Whatever...Ma…"

Lynn couldn't help but smile a bit at Lincoln's response.

Stopping in front of the bathroom, she dropped Lincoln onto his feet and closed the door, just as Lola and Lisa came into the hallway. As the two went into Lola's bedroom, Lynn could hear the shower start. A moment later, she jumped as Lincoln screamed. Turning around, she frantically knocked on the door.

"LINC! YOU OKAY?!"

"Y-YEAH, J-J-Just didn't t-t-turn the knob far enough. Just let me...better, I'm better. Whew."

Hearing Lincoln's teeth calm down from clicking, made Lynn sigh in relief. Turning around, she saw the rest of the sisters, minus Lola, return to what they were doing before.

After a few minutes, the shower turned off. A few more minutes after that, a fully dressed Lincoln peeked through the door. "Is it clear?"

As Lynn raised the walkie-talkie to speak, she found herself disappointed by the tone that Lincoln was taking with her again. When he was half-awake, even if the talk they exchanged was short, it was warm and fun, just like old times. Now that he was back to fully being in the land of the awake, the frost was starting to overtake his tone towards her.

"Linc on the move. I repeat, Linc on the move."

"Roger, roger."

Receiving the go ahead, she turned to Lincoln. "Yep, you're free to move."

Wordlessly nodding, he gathered up his toiletries, folded up his towel, and stepped out, passing Lynn by. Lynn quickly hurried up to walk behind Lincoln.

"So...comic books, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You stayed up all night for comic books?"

"Big mistake."

"You saw anything you want to, you know, practice?"

"No."

"For the moves, or the-"

"Tell Lori I'll walk to school."

Snapping out of trying to get Lincoln to say more than three words to her, she realized that they were already at Lincoln's room, and he was already inside. As he started to close the door, he gave one last look at her through the crack. At that, Lynn's confusion gave way to anger.

Lincoln blinked when he realized that his door hadn't closed all the way, and he looked down to see Lynn's foot blocking the door.

"Okay, Lincoln, what the heck?!" Lynn asked as she barreled into Lincoln's room, looking cross. "Why are you like this? Are you still mad about Saturday? IS THAT IT?!"

"Lynn…"

"FINE, HERE! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY I DID THAT STUFF ON SATURDAY AND CALLED YOU A BABY AND ALL OF THAT! THERE! I APOLOGIZED! IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, LINC?"

Lynn was breathing hard, having just let nearly everything out. Lincoln stared at her evenly, before speaking three words.

"...Not good enough."

Lynn's breath stalled immediately. Time seemed to stop at her as she tried to figure out what was happening, why Lincoln was acting like this to her. She quickly examined his form, as if what was really bothering him could be found on his skin. Finally looking up to his eyes, she found the usual thing that greeted her for the past few days: pain trying to mask itself with indifference, and no fear at all, even after she screamed at him.

No fear at all…

Lynn suddenly couldn't breathe for another reason. It couldn't be...could it?

Seeing Lynn react, the neutral look on Lincoln's face shifted into a grim thin line. Leaning over, he called out. "It's fine. Me and Lynn have something to talk about, okay?"

Looking over her own shoulder, she saw her siblings looking at the two of them, probably what all the commotion was about. As Lincoln calmed them down, they went back to what they were doing, only a bit slower as they kept their view on them. Seeing this, Lincoln reached around Lynn and shut the door, making Lynn have to adjust her positioning to avoid getting hit by it.

As soon as the door closed completely, Lincoln stepped closer to Lynn, who unconsciously stepped back, her backwards motion soon stopped by the door. Lincoln calmly rested his hand on the door on the side of the doorknob, letting his weight lean against it. The two stared at each other in silence before Lincoln finally spoke.

"Listen, Lynn. I know now, and the only reason I haven't told anyone is because I don't feel like making a scene. And rest assured, it will stay that way unless I don't feel like that. Do you understand me?"

Lynn nodded like it was going out of style.

"Good...Now get out."

As soon as Lincoln's hand left the door, Lynn found the doorknob and turned. She fell over as the door no longer supported her weight. Crabwalking out of the room, she saw Lincoln give her one last look, before closing the door, leaving her alone in the hallway.

He knew… He knew.

She...She needed a drink.

Shakily getting up, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, the same way that she had done a thousand million times before. Yet, she didn't feel the movement, her feet feeling like they were touching nothing at all. Before she knew it, she was reaching for the drinking glasses.

She grabbed one, at least she thought she did, and turned on the faucet. Weird, the water was running, right into the cup, but the rush of water was sounding muted. Turning off the faucet, she raised the glass to her lips and drank ravenously. As the flow of water stopped, she smacked her lips together, before they became a thin line.

Nope, throat was still bone dry.

Lynn filled her cup a second time, and drank it.

No, still a desert in her throat.

Filling her cup a third time, she stopped halfway and coughed, her tongue already getting tired of the taste of water and her stomach feeling strange. Setting the cup aside, she took a few breaths as she tried to control herself. She must have drank too much water, she could feel liquid dripping down the side of her face.

Wait...the water wasn't coming from her mouth. She finally realized that something was wrong with her vision. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she realized that it came away wet. Now using a fingertip to wipe away the moisture, she pulled it away and stared at the teardrop that was balancing on her nail.

"I'm going now!"

Lynn looked up, barely registering the sounds of replied 'see you' and 'stay safe' as the sound of footsteps came closer and closer. Finally, as the sounds at the stairs stopped, Lincoln appeared, not even giving her a glance or a comment as he passed by the kitchen. Lynn stayed silent, her tears unnoticed, as she finally realized something.

To her, the frost was only the tip of the iceberg. It signaled a wall between them so vast and thick that even one who lived for a challenge like her would call any effort to break it down laughable. As Lincoln disappeared out of sight, and Lynn tried to control herself from crying so that everyone else didn't try asking what's wrong, she didn't know what hurt more.

The idea that such a gulf now existed between them, or that the blame now solely rested on her shoulders.


"MISS DORIS, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT COMING IN TODAY, OR ANY OF THE CAFETERIA STAFF?!"

Let it be said that one probably didn't want to be Principal Wilbur Huggins at this point in time. After a sleepless night spent contemplating about what to do now that Balor had revealed his ruse and sent a mob of angered parents to his voicemail, he eventually realized that he had nothing. His boss was practically breathing down his neck, when his demands to do something about the grade problem had set a time deadline that was practically impossible to meet in the first place. And after his coffee machine malfunctioned and deprived him of his morning caffeine, he had to come into his office and find that the cafeteria staff had apparently decided to take the day off, with Miss Doris even claiming that he called her in the middle of the night and told her to tell them that.

Seeing as though he had been awake the whole night, having not drank a single drop of alcohol, and could perfectly recite every idea he had and the time that he had it… He probably had a lapse in judgement and called up Miss Doris, thereby confirming Miss Doris' story. Clearly, that made sense...NOT!

"I'm telling you what I heard. The phone rang, I answered it, and it was you. And you told me to tell the rest of the staff to take the day off, because you already had it covered."

"AND I'M TELLING YOU THAT I DON'T, MISS DORIS! BAD ENOUGH THAT THIS HAS GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL, BUT NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH AT LEAST 400 STUDENTS THAT WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE LUNCH!"

Principal Huggins let his face fall into his palm, before wearily looking up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I...I apologize for my outburst, Miss Doris. I am...under a lot of stress, and it is incredibly unfair to unleash my frustrations on you."

"No, the fault is mine, Principal. I probably should have been more suspicious of that call."

Principal Huggins thought carefully about the response that he should give when he heard something hit his window. Looking outside it, his eyes widened as he saw Balor, unfortunately fully masked, lazily tossing a pebble up and down. As soon as the masked person saw that Principal Huggins noticed him, he gave a jaunty little wave.

Suddenly, he had a better idea of who called Miss Doris as he leaned in closer to the phone receiver.

"Miss Doris, can you stay by the phone for a couple of minutes? And please do not worry. I believe I have an idea of who called you."

"Alright, Principal Huggins."

Ending the call and placing the phone on his desk, he opened the window and looked at Balor, trying his best to hide his current ire towards the masked person.

"Balor, to what do I owe your...presence?"

Balor held up a finger as he cleared his throat, before speaking.

"Mr. Huggins!" Balor said, mimicking Huggins with near perfect precision. "You look quite terrible, I assume because you have not been sleeping well? Don't you know that eight hours of sleep is the recommended amount of sleep one such as you should be getting?"

"SO IT WAS YOU!" Principal Huggins lost control of his temper, smashing the edge of the window with his hand, his lips restraining themselves from turning into a snarl. "WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN FROM DENYING AT LEAST 400 STUDENTS LUNCH?!"

Balor didn't even respond. Heck, due to the mask, Huggins even wondered if Balor was even paying attention. It wasn't long before Balor responded in his normal voice.

"Yeesh, first of all, stop screaming. It's starting to do a number on my ear. Second of all, don't assume that I did this for a laugh. Yeah, I did it, as a favor to you."

Principal Huggins was incredulous.

"A favor? To me? How is this 'doing me a favor?'"

"Well," Balor said as he leaned his head on the edge of the open window. "If you looked outside your office, you could see all the protesters now in class."

"WHAT?"

Turning on his heel and running out his office, he opened the door and looked out. Immediately, he saw a few students that clearly were participating in the protest walking the halls, on their way to their classes. Though as soon as those students saw that he was looking at them, they quickly gave him the stinkeye. Closing the door, he turned around to see his secretary pointing at his office.

"Sir, what is Balor doing in your office, messing with your phone?"

Looking at his office, he saw Balor doing the very thing that his secretary described. He cautiously walked over, now unsure of what Balor was planning.

"Well, Balor, I must say that I am quite confused. While I thank you for allowing the protesters to attend their classes, I am curious as to why you did so."

Balor looked up from the phone, before shrugging.

"What, we both know that you messed up the situation pretty bad. Sure, I drummed up a protest, but you literally hid that fact. I'm sure parents expect me to be the bad boy who probably loiters around a parking lot, but they expect you to be the responsible one, and if they can't trust you to be that, then why are you even in a seat of authority? That's why I'm doing you a favor, Principal Huggins. You got the students back in their classes, and you have a grand apology planned out in the form of a special lunch for all the students."

"In short, not much you can do for the parents, but maybe the kids might be more inclined to tell them all about how you're the bestest guy in the whole world. Here's the phone, Principal Huggins. You got some calls to make."

Handing the phone to Principal Huggins, he gave a two finger salute before jumping out of the window and walking out of sight. Looking down at the phone in his hands, he raised it up to his ear. A few more rings, before someone on the other hand picked up.

"Hello, Mario Mario's Pizzeria. I'm afraid we're unable to take any orders at this time."

"Umm… Okay, thank you for your time."

"Wait, what's your name?"

"Wilbur Huggins?"

"Ah, Mr. Huggins. I am pleased to report that your order will be ready to be delivered in the next hour."

"...My order?"


As the bell rang for lunch, Lucy got up from her desk and joined the crowd of her fellow students trying to get out of the room. Looking back at her teacher, the person noticed Lucy looking at them and nodded. As the goth exited the classroom and looked around the busy hallway, she saw her friend Haiku waiting for her.

"Haiku." Lucy greeted.

"Lucy." Haiku greeted back, before the two of them walked together on their route to the cafeteria.

"Feels strange to be back in school." Haiku commented.

"Yes, it does." Lucy replied. "...Do you know why Balor told us to go back?"

"...I wouldn't know. I could only guess on the inner workings of Balor's mind…"

As they reached the cafeteria, the two stopped as they saw a group of students blocking the entrance. Looking at each other, they went forward, carefully making their way, not so much as pushing and shoving, but flowing through the crowd like water through soil. As they finally reached the front of the crowd, they stopped and stared like all the rest as they saw with their own eyes what was making everyone stop in their tracks.

Pizza. So many boxes of pizza and bottles of soda were stacked on the floor. Meanwhile teachers and other such staff were setting up plates with slices on them and cups filled with soda. And judging from the empty boxes and bottles that were taken away, and the still full boxes and bottles, there was probably still enough for everyone to have seconds or even thirds. And none of the staff that was setting up the food looked to be the regular cafeteria staff, and even the kitchen itself seemed to be completely empty.

Did this mean…?

Lucy's eyes met Haiku as they both felt the energy starting to build in the crowd behind them. They barely had time to move to the side before the crowd erupted into cheers and moved forward like a tidal wave that brushed aside anything in its wake. As the dust settled, Haiku let go of her skirt and Lucy let out a breath she had to be holding in.

"Well," Haiku commented as she watched the rest of the students lining up. "I suppose that's one reason to come back to class."

"Balor must have planned this. There is no way he could have just predicted it, he must have gotten Principal Huggins to agree to this." Lucy replied, her unseen eyes starting to glisten with joy. Sure, the pizza was nice, but that wasn't what was making Lucy happy. She knew that Principal Huggins was notorious for being strict with this sort of thing.

But if Balor managed to get Principal Huggins to agree to this, then surely their clubs would be brought back.

"Lucy." Haiku's tone brought her back from her fantasy. Looking back at Haiku, she saw that the older girl was restraining her own joy.

"Let us not be too fanciful. It just seems too good to be true." Lucy nodded as her expression shut off what joy managed to show on her face.

"Still…" Haiku said with a slight smile. "It would be a shame to not enjoy this bounty that has been set for us."

Lucy returned the smile as the two got into the line. Both grabbing a plate of pepperoni and a cup, they sat at their usual spot, soon joined by the rest of the Morticians Club. As Lucy ate her slice, she felt someone's presence come up from behind her.

"Hey, Lucy. Mind if I sit here?" Lincoln asked, holding a plate and cup of his own.

"Sure." Lucy said as she made room. "Where's Clyde?"

"I don't know," He said as he sat down. "I guess he got held up."

Lucy nodded, but not before noticing the shift in the atmosphere. As Lincoln took a bite of his pizza, the rest of the Morticians Club staring at him, an element that just dropped himself into their midst. If Lincoln was uncomfortable at their staring, he didn't show it. Swallowing his food, and taking a drink from his cup, he merely waved.

"Don't mind me, just needed a place to sit. Feel free to pretend I'm not here." He said before taking another bite.

"Please do not stare." Haiku said to the rest of the club. "He is indeed Lucy's brother, and yes, his hair is natural."

"Wait... That's why they're staring?" Lucy and Lincoln looked at the rest of the Morticians Club, and more closely examined them. They now looked at Lincoln like he was some new specimen that had came unexpectedly into their midst.

"Really? That's her brother?"

"I thought that Lucy set Haiku up with another friend?"

"Is that really your hair color?"

"Yeah, it is." Lincoln replied. "And before you ask, no, I don't know why it is that color either."

Before the conversation could continue, the lights turned off. Rather than panicking, the group looked over to the entrance to the cafeteria, where two boys were waiting, one having a familiar boombox on his shoulder. Turning it on, music spewed forth from the machine, signalling an entrance. Finally, as the music hit its crescendo, the most popular kid in school, Chandler, burst through the doors and struck a pose, a spotlight illuminating him a moment later.

"Such a frivolous display of ego…" Haiku commented with the other members of the Morticians Club nodding in agreement. However, as the display went on, Lucy couldn't help but notice something.

Usually, when Chandler made his appearances, the whole student body got up and cheered themselves into a fever pitch as he announced who would be invited to one of his insipid parties. But now, while the excitement was still there, it was muted, not at the same level as before. Lucy slightly smirked, oh how have the mighty fallen once a new name attaches itself on the lips of the people. And seeing the brief expression of frustration on Chandler's face showed her that he knew of his new position in the social hierarchy.

"SO...WHERE'S LARRY LOUD?!"

As everyone looked around, looking for 'Larry Loud', Lucy turned to look at Lincoln, who blinked as he looked at one person beside Chandler. Looking in the same direction, she saw Lincoln's friend whisper something into Chandler's ear. Chander gave a look back at Clyde, before shouting out again.

"SORRY, I MEANT WHERE'S LINCOLN LOUD?!"

Lincoln simply gave a sigh before standing up. "Hey, over here."

Everyone in the crowd turned to face Lincoln, and by proxy, the Morticians Club as well. Lucy tried not to show her discomfort with all the attention that was on their area as Chandler and his posse came closer. Finally, the group stood in front of Lincoln, with Clyde joining them.

"So...I heard you know Balor, sometimes even hang out with him."

If there was anyone that had stopped paying attention, their attention surely would have been drawn back in. Lucy knew that she was now looking up at Lincoln, wondering how her brother managed such a feat. To her, Balor was the mysterious person that had just dropped in one day to help, and Lincoln apparently knew him.

Lincoln didn't even blink an eye at all the attention that was now on him. "Yeah… you can say that we hang out sometimes. Get some drinks, play bloody knuckles, no big deal."

"Bloody knuckles?" Chandler asked, looking down at Lincoln's bandaged hand, before grimacing a little. Lucy looked at Lincoln's hand and started to wonder. After all, Lincoln 'claimed' that he got a split knuckle by punching Lynn's bag, and Balor started showing up with his hands now wrapped in cloth. She could see why Lincoln would probably not want people to know that he knew Balor.

Still, the idea that her brother would willingly play a game of Bloody Knuckles was...unsettling to say the least.

"Anyways, I guess what Hyde said was true." "Clyde." "Whatever. Here."

Chandler handed Lincoln an envelope. Looking up, he saw Clyde giving him a thumbs up. Looking back down, he looked all around only to see no writing on it.

"What's this supposed to be?"

"Tell Balor when you see him that's his invitation to my next party. If you can do that, then feel free to come along with him." He looked at the present company at the table, before smirking. "But definitely leave the freak squad out of it."

Thankfully, Lucy didn't hold Chandler in high regard, so his words rolled off her like water off a duck's backside. However, Lincoln looked less than pleased as he looked back at Lucy before looking back at the envelope. Then he held it out to Chandler.

"Here."

Chandler looked at the envelope then at Lincoln. "What, are you stupid? That's for Balor."

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, and let me save you the time. Balor definitely isn't going to show up."

Chandler huffed. "And what do you know about Balor? Heck, I bet you and Hyde over there lied about knowing him."

The classmates around them began to murmur, clearly a little miffed that Lincoln was lying.

Lincoln didn't even react.

"I know plenty. Enough to know that he's got way more important things to do than to go to your crummy parties."

"CRUMMY?!"

"Yeah, and by the way, IS THAT BALOR OVER THERE?!"

Almost as one, the students turned and began to cheer, the noise already more than what Chandler could have generated. Chandler himself immediately turned to look for Balor, only to realize that there was no one there. As the noise quieted down, Lincoln dumped the letter back into Chandler's hands. Chandler simply looked back at Lincoln, his lips a severe frown.

"Why did you do that?" Chandler asked.

"Because I can already tell why you wanted Balor to come. Stinks that you're old news, huh, Chandler?"

With that, Lincoln turned away from Chandler, going back to his now cold pizza. Chandler glared at him, before leaving the room, his two cronies behind him. Clyde looked between him and Lincoln, before deciding to sit down. Lucy, unsure of what had happened, felt she had to ask something.

"Lincoln, are you okay?"

Lincoln turned to Lucy and smiled.

"Never better."


"Hey, Lincoln."

Lincoln ignored Clyde as he continued to dress himself. Him, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne were in the same corner of the school campus that Lincoln used to change into Balor. Right now, there was clearly a tension in the air between Clyde and Lincoln, to the point that Ronnie Anne watched out for interlopers far away from them.

"Are you mad?"

Lincoln took a deep breath as he put his mask on.

"Why did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you tell Chandler that I 'knew' Balor?"

"Well, when I was getting out of class, I heard Chandler talking about inviting Balor over for his next party. So I went over and said that you knew Balor. I was hoping that, you know, we could get invited to his next shindig."

"Clyde…"

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, Lincoln shoved Clyde hard. Clyde, caught off balance, fell over, landing on his back. Ronnie Anne looked back, slackjawed. Clyde propped himself on his hands and readjusted his glasses.

"Lincoln, what the heck, man?"

"I should asking you that." Balor responded, his sunglasses doing little to hide the utter fury in his eyes. "LIKE WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Balor took off his sunglasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, before putting them back on. Taking another deep breath, he took one look at Clyde.

Then he grabbed Clyde by his shoulders and shook him violently.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO IT? DIDN'T YOU THINK THAT IF PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT LINCOLN LOUD AND BALOR WERE CONNECTED, THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO WORK OUT THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE SAME ROOM AS EACH OTHER?!"

"Hey, cool it!" Ronnie Anne shouted as she ran over, pulling Balor's hands off Clyde. Balor didn't notice much as he grabbed his head, muttering about people asking him to get pictures of himself.

"...I really messed up, didn't I?" Clyde asked Ronnie.

"Totally." Ronnie replied, before looking at Balor. Balor gave one last look before turning around.

"You guys go home. I'm gonna go see Principal Huggins." With that, Balor began to leave.

Ronnie gave one last look at Clyde, before getting up and running in front of Balor.

"Ronnie, you need something?" Despite the genteel nature of his words, his tone clearly asked her to move out of the way. Ronnie stood her ground and asked the thing that was bothering her lately.

"Lincoln, what is up with you?"

"What are you talking about? And don't forget I'm Balor when I'm like this."

"Yeah, exactly. For the past week, we never hang out like we used to. All we have been doing is helping you with this Balor stuff, and it's like we never see you out of it. And then there's all this other stuff. What just happened with you and Clyde, Bloody Knuckles? You've changed."

Balor simply didn't react, just listened, before walking past her.

"People always change, Ronnie."

Ronnie shook her head, feeling like everything she had just said washed over Lincoln's head.

"How long are you even planning to be Balor anyway?"

Balor didn't even respond.

As Balor entered into the campus proper, he made a beeline for the Principal's office. Only slowing down to grab a pebble off the ground, he threw it at the window. The pebble bounced off the glass, and soon after, Principal Huggins opened the window.

"Can't you just go through my door like a normal person?"

Balor chuckled. "Normal's boring. So...How's my favor working out?"

"Well, I'm receiving less angry calls from parents, so I suppose that's a plus. And I guess you wish for the clubs to be reinstated?"

"Gee, it's like you've been watching the news."

"...What's to stop me from deciding not to rescind the order?"

"I still got your credit card information memorized. How does Pizza Friday sound?"

"...Fine. You win. Starting today, all club activity will be allowed to resume."

"Thank you for your time. Hopefully, we don't have to meet like this again."

"I do hope so too…" Principal Huggins turned back, hearing his phone ring. Balor turned away, ready to leave the Principal to his next call.

So that was it. His job was done here.

...So what next?

His pondering was interrupted when Principal Huggins called out to him.

"Balor, it's for you." He said, holding out the phone. Balor turned to him, a question clearly on his face despite his covered features. Coming closer, he got the phone receiver and put it close to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mr. Balor, I presume?"

"Just Balor."

"Well, Balor. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Bruce White, Superintendent of your school district."

"Wow, color me surprised. And what did little old me do to warrant a personal call?"

"Let's cut to the chase. As of now, all club activity of Royal Woods Elementary isn't just suspended, it is all banned."

"...What?"

"And that's not all. You have been quite a naughty little boy, haven't you, Balor."

"Or should I say, Lincoln Loud?"


Author's Note:

Well, that was a doozy of a chapter, wasn't it? And thankfully, this chapter wasn't a slog to write, so hopefully the text reflects that feeling.

Also a brief reminder that Lincoln Loud/Balor is currently fearless, nursing grudges, self-loathing, and sleep deprived. At this point, he has a molotov cocktail in his hands, and he just got handed a match.

On another note, felt like I needed to share this, considering the whole thing with you-know-who. The author of one of my favorite manga of all time, Rurouni Kenshin, had been convicted and confessed to a crime back in November of last year. The crime being, you who, possession of illicit material that stars members of society below a certain acceptable...age. I just googled it, and it looked legal. All the sites were running it, it's all over, and like I said, the author himself has even confessed to it.

I am...heartbroken. I will admit, I was more or less starting out on Loud House when the news broke out. Yeah, I was disappointed that he-who-will-not-be-named was convicted of those charges, but it was the general sort of disappointment.

But Rurouni Kenshin was one of my personal favorite manga, even media. And the idea that the author is responsible for such a thing threatens to taint my enjoyment...

Is what I'm sure you guys would think.

Well, let me tell about my favorite arc in the manga, and possibly one of my favorite moments in all of media.

The fight between the child sidekick and the berserker with a prototype grenade launcher.

Now let me set the scene up. The series is set in 1878, a period of Japan where the old ways of doing things (samurais, shogun, sword-fighting) was starting to be swept in favor of the new and the rest of the world coming in. Now as you know, while most people will probably adapt to the changing times, there are some who are stuck in the past. The berserker, once a samurai like the titular character Kenshin, is Skywalker'd by Kenshin. The berserker then begs Kenshin to kill him, not wanting to live in an era where 'the samurai spirit' would surely be extinguished, and that death is preferable to not being able to live as a samurai.

Kenshin refuses and leaves him, giving the berserker a reason to bear a grudge.

Years later, the berserker has been captured after a fight with the protagonist, and goes into a berserker rage when he hears the protagonist's name. He breaks out of prison, gets a prototype hand-mounted grenade launcher, and goes on a rampage. Meanwhile, the protagonist is emotionally incapacitated by recent events, and all other fighters in the group are away. All except the child sidekick who is still learning the ways of the sword.

That sidekick goes, rallies what's left of the police force, and goes to face the berserker. In a way, this fight encapsulates one of the themes of the series, man vs the changing of the times.

The boy who admires the ways and ideals of the old world while still looking forward to the new vs. The man stuck in the past. Even their weapons are juxtaposed against each other, the boy wielding a wooden sword while the berserker wields a GRENADE LAUNCHER.

The battle is brutal. While the berserker is seemingly invincible, the sidekick and the rest of the police officers give everything and throw everything at the berserker. The sidekick even gives up his well-being in order to shield a small boy that had accidentally wondered into the battlezone. Finally...all seems lost.

The berserker has the sidekick pinned, the grenade launcher poised. One of the police officers, inspired by the sidekick's spirit, desperately prays for a miracle. The sidekick must not die here, he has so much to give world. PLEASE, SOMEONE SAVE HIM!

A rush of wind, and the berserker is knocked back. The hero has snapped out of his Heroic BSOD, and soundly kicks the berserker's butt. Soon, the two are left in the same position as before, the cut-off grenade launcher reminding the berserker of his hand and seemingly calming him down.

Then the berserker asks for the protagonist to kill him, the same reasoning as before. The protagonist refuses again. Enraged, the berserker threatens to set off his grenade belt, because this new age has no place for 'the samurai spirit', or for him.

The kid sidekick shuts him up and then tears him a new one. He compares the protagonist, who has spent the last few years of his life trying to help the people and protect this new age, and the berserker, who has done nothing besides destroy and cry over his hand.

"You spent so much time crying over your right hand, have you ever thought about what you could have done with YOUR LEFT?!"

The child sidekick finally ends his speech by breaking his own hand, and challenging the berserker to a one-on-one.

The berserker cries and gracefully surrenders, thanking both the protagonist and the child sidekick for their kindness. The protagonist sees him off with a farewell.

"Goodbye, go live in the new world."

Even now knowing the author's involvement in such despicable things, this moment is still one of my favorites moments, and I will probably go hunt down some scans after this.

Sorry this note might have gone off rails, I just felt you guys would understand what I'm feeling.