Of Toys and Curses

32

Dawn

Knock knock

The reverberating echo resonated against the stones of the exterior wall of the bedroom. The window pane above the bed shook.

"What's that noise?" Morgana's voice mumbled sleepily from beside him.
"That's... the sound... of the door knocker..." Drake yawned and dragged himself out of bed to go find some day wear out of the closet.
"I don't remember it being so horrendous... Oh, we're right above the door." She realised.

"It's only bad when you're trying to sleep." Drake pulled his clothes on. "This room has heard every door knock for the past five hundred years."

Knock knock

"It certainly knows what it's talking about." Reflexively, Morgana grabbed his pillow and shoved it over her head.

Bleary eyed and just dressed, Drake reached the front door before the knocker went off again.

He took note of the man's attire. A trench coat, a flash camera, a hat. Old brown coloured clothes and old black shoes. "I'm sorry, there are no ghosts in this house."

"Castle, technically by the original design." The man pushed through the doorway persistently.

Caught off-guard by this knowledge, Drake suddenly realised he'd let the man in. Darn, he was not a morning person; he needed to wake up faster. "Drake... Mallard." He frowned at the man.
"Larkis-Dovesworth-paranormal investigator-I'd thought I'd been in every old house in St Canard, but I'd never thought something this old would be found in the outlying suburbs."

"Not that outlying."
"Of course, the king wouldn't want to have his knights too far away."
Drake caught the off note in the man's voice as he closed the door. Medieval history was a strange topic to get suspicious about. "I'm sorry, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm just trying to piece together a bit of ancient history." The man talked at such high energy, Drake could only assume he must've been awake for two hours already.
"At five thirty in the morning?"

"Remarkable that you still have Sir Quackmire Mallard's original armour."
"Well, got to fill the castle with something!" Drake replied with acted enthusiasm, "Can I get you a tea?"
"Oh, that's very kind."

In the kitchen, Drake severely stirred the tea bag through the boiling water in the pot. He needed 'all' the caffeine in it. He pushed the bag forcefully to the bottom with the spoon. Red, get darker!

Why was the Green Ganderino in his house? He was looking for revenge on S.H.U.S.H.. So he'd managed to track Hooter here? That was believable considering it'd only happened last night. How did he think Drake was going to help him? What did 'the best S.H.U.S.H. agent' want from a lowly ex-filing clerk like him? And most importantly, why had he woken Drake at five thirty in the morning?!

Stepping into the hall with the tea set, Drake noticed Larkis looking at his posters.
"How about we talk in the library?" He led Larkis in, putting the tea set on the small round table.

"I had no idea you were an actor."
"No?" Drake raised an eyebrow.
"No..." Larkis stepped up to him, "Did you not find it..."
Drake raised an eyebrow.
"Well, odd. To say."
Drake shrugged, "I have a lot of enthusiasm for people. What's off about it?"
Larkis shook his head. "Just that it's not exactly in line with the family crest. Seems odd."

Drake looked down and served the tea. "I guess people are just more complicated than you think they are."

"It's usually the case." Larkis agreed. "I suppose that's one of the things that drives me forward. Meeting new people. Figuring them out."
Forty years after S.H.U.S.H. and Larkis was still a private investigator. Drake eyed him as he gulped his tea. "Yeah, but at five thirty in the morning?"

"Sorry for the early rise, but dawn is the best time as the supernatural is at its weakest, and the waking world has yet to step all over the evidence. A changing of the guard, to keep in theme with the castle." He turned about, "Any secret passages in this place?"

"Not that I've found." Drake smiled back and drank his caffeine... ated tea.
"No, really? A place this old?"
Drake shrugged. "I grew up here. I've paced every square foot of this place." He gestured to the books. "It's all here. Out in the open."

Larkis turned, gazing at the books silently for a long time.

Drake finished his drink, slowly feeling better.

"I'm not claiming to be an expert in the field of filmography," Larkis drew the conversation back, "but I noticed you've never had any big roles."
"Darkwing was a big role. The one on the wall." Drake countered.
"Oh," Larkis shook his head as though his tea were suddenly bitter, "I mean your other ones. How did you find being an actor doing those parts?"

Drake frowned. This was seriously a trying conversation. "What answer are you looking for?"
"You can't have done a good job, surely?"
"I thought I did!" Drake replied incredulously, "I don't mind getting a negative review, but for goodness sake; watch the thing first!"
"Hmm, you thought you did..." Larkis turned away and paced to the window.

"They were B-Grade and art-house movies! And how does pulling apart my acting career help you, Ganderino?"
Larkis stiffened at the window. "You surprise me. Your doctor didn't know who I was."

"D..." Drake swallowed, a sudden nervous feeling, "My-'my' doctor?"
"Yes, with the snipers gone, I tried getting into S.H.U.S.H. through the infirmary window. I found her standing over you... she was pretty... Pretty close."

Drake gulped, feeling his feathers prickle. "A-any idea what she was... 'up' to?"
"Your friend in the yellow will corroborate. Hooter ordered a S.H.U.S.H. special on you."
"I guessed he would." Drake swallowed. "You know, how far had she gone?"
"If I say 'bi-section'...?"
Drake flinched and looked away with a shudder. "That explains the sudden mood shifts I've been having lately... Well, at least I know 'why' I'm like this now." He collected himself together. There was nothing to do about it but get back up.

"You don't seem surprised he gave the order."
"No."
"You knew and you still put yourself in that position? Why?"
"I ran out of alternatives." Drake answered stiffly. Grizlykoff needed the time.
Larkis was silent.
"Thank you for helping me." Drake said soberly, "I probably wouldn't be here if you didn't."

Larkis turned swiftly back to the window. "It sickens me."
Drake shrugged, "Any specific part?"
"How S.H.U.S.H. commits such atrocities on their agents."
"Oh." Drake uttered, "Sorry, I assumed you knew for some reason. I'm not a S.H.U.S.H. agent."

"You're not?"
"No. I was a filing clerk but I lost the job a couple days ago." He picked up the tea set and went back to the kitchen.

Drake glanced back at Larkis in the doorway.

"You're lying."
Drake snapped and put the tea set down forcefully in the sink with a rush if anger. Breathe. Breathe.
"Hooter would only give information on me to his most trusted agents!"
"Give?!" Drake rounded on Larkis, "Don't you give me 'give'! 'I' had to reprogram their entire security net so I could break into his office for those files... through the window!"

"Have you read them?"
Drake stopped. The tiger's attention had turned.
"This is really important, Drake. Hooter took Doctor Vykes' report before I could read it."

"Unfortunately," Drake ventured, "Vykes didn't find a cure. Vykes just thought you were dead and left it at that."
"He-didn't-kill-me!" Larkis breathed, clenching his fists, suddenly shaking.
"No." Drake took a breathe. "According to Vykes's initial autopsy report, Hooter did."
"What?!" Larkis was incredulous, unconsciously grabbing his right arm with his left. "That doesn't surprise me about Vykes..." Larkis stepped closer, swallowing.

Drake held his position.

"I... really need that information, Drake."
Drake felt anxious, "I'm giving you the information, Larkis."
"Vykes didn't spend all that time not to learn something. I need the medical report."

Drake felt a horror, "Have you spent forty years trying to break into S.H.U.S.H. just to get your own medical report? Or to assassinate the personnel?"
"Far be it for me to sound too self-obsessed, but give me my medical report!"

Drake stopped, pressure building in his head. "Wh-ah!"

"Darn it-let-it-go-it's... mine... so help me-argh!" Larkis fell backwards knocking back a chair on his way to the floor.

Drake moved to help him back up.

"Ugh, witch." Larkis grumbled.
"W-what witch?" Not Morgana?
"The one that cursed you." Larkis clawed himself up to sit down on the chair. He leaned forwards with his elbows on the table with a weary sigh.

"No, I'm not..." Drake stopped, "nobody's cursed me."
Larkis rubbed his brow. "Evidence suggests you weren't born at the time."

Oh, that curse. Drake shook his head, dismissing the topic. "Did you get-?"

Knock Knock

There was a knock on the front door and Larkis vanished where he sat.

"I'd love you to teach me how to actually do that." Drake said in wonder to the empty space. He stood up to answer.