Two zookeepers trudged along passing trees, bushes, and the occasional upturned rock along the stone walkway toward a shabby green shed. A short chain was wrapped around the shed door handles fastened with a padlock. As the two men walked toward the building, one of them stopped and exhaled loudly, wiping the sweat off their brow as they stood at the entrance.
"Today's been exhausting, man."
The Lanky keeper nodded, taking his cap off his head for a moment. A chill breeze softly brushed through his dark hair. "Yeah, I hear you."
"I still can't believe it, though, right through the roof, I mean seriously?" The stout one asked.
The lanky keeper shrugged, throwing his cap back on his head. "It could have been worse." He replied, reaching into his pants, a low metallic jingle rang out as he dug into his pocket.
"Still," He grunted, his eyes flickering at his partner fiddling with a ring of keys before pulling out one and sliding into the lock. "We've cleared out most of the—ahhh," He covered his mouth, eyes watering. "…burnt wood. Now we clear the dirt out the exhibit."
The door creaked open, a thin line of light crept into the room, soon after, the area fully illuminated with a flick as a pair of weary eyes squinted intently scanning the room. "Yeah, about that…" The other keeper dragged dryly. The stout keeper stomped in and leaned into the shed, brow narrowing as he squinted angrily at an empty crate.
"Damn it! Where are the shovels?!"
"Don't look at me." He shrugged.
The stout one slammed his palm against his forehead, dragging it down bitterly. "Unbelievable. Un-freaking-believable. Somehow he loses the crowbar and our shovels? He's doing this on purpose! Freakin' thief." The lanky keeper rose his brow as he gave his coworker a dubiously stare. The stout keeper crossed his arms in frustration, staring outwardly. "I don't know. Call it a hunch."
"So we lost a couple of things, doesn't make him a thief." He watched him roll his eyes immediately.
"We've lost our tools, first-aid supplies, and I swear Reggie just told me his hubcaps got swiped? Coincidence?" He threw his hands up frustrated, walking away from the shed, his coworker silently shaking his head and shutting the door. "This was a waste of time."
"Eh, we're still getting paid either way."
The stout keeper snorted lowly, he smirked briefly before his lips slowly curled into an annoyed frown. The lanky keeper carefully fastened the chain around the door and latched the lock onto the chain, until he felt a firm slap on his shoulder. His brow narrowed knowingly, glancing over his shoulder with a sharp glare at his coworker. "So what were you doing. Huh?" He asked, watching the keeper's eyes wander around nervously.
"Uuuuh…"
The stout one roughly elbowed his coworker, eliciting an abrupt cough from the man. "Oh come on, what ya' got a hot date?" He paused to stare at his partner as the man gave a weary look, and let out a dejected sigh.
"Helped a friend move in, then slept the entire day."
His eyes widened, intrigued, amused for a moment before rolling them casually. "Oh, productive…I was watching the Bruins getting screwed by the Oilers." The lanky keeper let an amused chuckle as he continued. "Anyways, I'm watching the game-pissed off-when my phone rings; it's the boss. Tells me: a fire broke out. So I get here, and I'll tell ya' I will never get that smell out of my nose." He retches inwardly at the memory. "At least, none of the important exhibits got trashed. The monkeys are a dime a dozen. Now, if the lion's died, then, we have a problem."
The shrubs rustled, shuffling about as the breeze blew through the air.
"Can't argue with you there." The lanky keeper replied.
"C' mon, we'll go to the main building and order more supplies. After that, I'm punching out."
The duo walked away from the shed, stepping back to the stone walkway and strolled away from the building, shortly after a rustling sound persisted. Eventually, two monkeys emerged from the bush, each lugging a shovel over their shoulders as they dragged themselves toward the shed. The shorter one glanced at the door and paused to let out a laugh before nudging the door open with the shovel handle, then gestured the other into the shed. The other monkey grabbed the other shovel and walked into the shed.
"Keep watch." Spice ordered, his sister nodded.
"Yeah, yeah." She leaned on the shed an abrupt grunt leaving her throat as she readjusted and leered forward, rolling her shoulder reflexively before grunting again. Sugar scowled briefly, eyes sliding to the shed. "You done?"
"Don't rush me." He barked back.
Sugar rolled her eyes and peered forward, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widen. "Shit! They're back!"
Spice poked his head out of the shed with an unamused look. "Not funny-"
"Move dumbass!" She muttered, grabbing her brother by the ear and dragged him into a bush as the sound of shuffling feet drew closer. The two keepers stopped at the entrance, bickering aloud.
"I'm sure I locked it."
"Not taking any chances."
"You're paranoid, man."
"Just check!"
The lanky keeper strolled up to the door and squinted intently, then let out a cough as his eyes widened at the door. "Whoops, my bad." Sheepishly scratching the back of his head. His coworker rolled his eyes.
"Be more careful next time, I actually like you and rather not be stuck with deadweight."
Unbeknownst, the animals, crept through the shrubbery sneaking elsewhere.
Soon after, Sugar peered over the exhibit longingly, leering at the cave entrance, her gaze glazed over, narrowing as she lurked atop the wall. Only one animal was present laying in a pool, Vanity. The panda leisurely laid in an inner tube floating peacefully. She squinted intently, tilting her head dully at the sight. A low yawn rolled out from her throat, reflexively she rubbed her eyes and shook her head, shortly murmuring a curse as her ears perked up. She whipped toward the low sounding nasally voice and snarled; then, her brow slowly softened.
"Good, you're back." Her eyes flickered downwardly to his waist, spotting a small satchel hanging around it. "What took you so long?" She watched Spice's brow narrow, slouching his head dismissively with a frustrated frown.
"I mean, aside from you ignoring me." She sent him a glare, her eyes narrowing sharply at him and shaking her head discouragingly before peering back. He shook his head, dismissively. "Never mind. You ready?" Spice asked, tilting his head wearily.
"Ya', I'm ready, twinkle toes." She replied without looking back.
He sighed deeply, hopping onto a nearby bench and climbed up to the wall. Soon, the two animals treaded along the edge of the exhibit wall stopping by a long sturdy branch casting a shadow over the ledge. They swiftly hopped onto the stray branch hanging from it and climbed across toward the tree, then slid down the base of the tree. The duo hiked with purpose across the grassy plain marching past various trees and shrubbery littered across the artificial forest as a dull chirp droned on. The sound only heightened Spice's annoyance as his eyes wandered about the forest, till…
Snap…Rustle…
For a moment, Spice stopped suddenly, his eyes shifting for the source of the sound. He saw nothing, anxiously waiting for the cause. Then sighed deeply, shaking his head. Perhaps, his imagination…
"Shit! Gah-ah!" He gasped aloud as something scurried up his leg and latched onto his waist. Sugar immediately stopped, turning to her brother, only to let out a low snort.
"Get off! There's nothing for you to eat in there!" He bemoaned as a squirrel tried to open his satchel, luckily he was able to shake it off as it slid onto the ground. The squirrel rolled back onto its feet, narrowing its eyes, annoyed before scurrying into a bush quickly.
Spice dusted his waistline briefly, ignoring the muffled cackling of his sister. Again, his eyes wandered about as he straightened himself. He started to notice how homely and spacious the exhibit was...He furrowed his brow. "Why do they get all this?" He muttered, melancholy creeping into his voice.
"Simple, they don't give a damn." She replied harshly with a sharp glare. He purposely peered away, eyes downcast at the small truth in her words. Sugar sighed through her nose, "C'mon, we're running on fumes here."
"R-Right…"
They continued forward wordlessly toward the den, spotting the panda lounging about. Sugar rolled her shoulders, slowing her pace and stopping in front of the pool. She knelt down, clasped her hands together to pool the water into her palms before splashing it onto her face. Meanwhile, Spice glanced at the lone bear and spoke: "Hey, uh, little guy, could you help with something?"
Vanity remained silent, resting his hands behind his head dismissively. To which, Spice narrowed his eyes and cursed under his breath at the bear, folding his arms discouraged. However, Sugar slowly sashayed around her brother.
Sugar coughed purposely. "Ahem! Sup, Monochrome!" She announced amused, playfully greeting the bear as she waggled her fingers. A low rumble crept from Vanity's throat, irritation bubbled as his mouth curled into a scowl. Sugar, however, kept a straight face, her weary eyes narrowing sharply. "Oh, don't be like that. We're visiting."
Vanity tilted his shades on his forehead and glared. "More like trespassing."
"Tomato. Tomatoe." She says, head swaying side-to-side.
"Is there a reason for why you're harassing me?"
"We're looking for Big Blue and Smokey, they here?" She asked.
Vanity paused his brow furrowing quizzically in disbelief, then slowly rose his brow.
"The blue and black one…" Spice reiterated, giving his sibling a dull stare.
The panda's brow narrowed, annoyed, tilting his head purposely. "Isn't it obvious?" The duo glanced over at the cave behind him, then swayed to him and squinted dryly, annoyed.
"No shit." Spice muttered, folding his arms and sneering. His sister placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward with her brow raised inquisitively at the panda.
"Are they still inside?" Sugar asked.
"I'm not keeping tabs on them." Vanity shrugged. Then waved them off, leaning back casually. Spice strolled around the pool toward the cave, spouting out a halfhearted "thanks," as he marched away but stopped staring back expectantly at Sugar.
"Good, now leave. I've got this all to myself, and I plan to enjoy it."
Sugar clapped loudly, clasping her hands together with a smirk. "Ooooh, they let you have this all to yourself?" She cooed, tilting her head to the side. Vanity stayed silent in response. However, her eyes traced over the tubes tucked around his arms and let out a soft chuckle. " . Adorable."
"Will you leave?"
"Can't."
"Why?!" He snapped loudly. Her smile grew wider, smug, and satisfaction radiating from her face promoting Spice to shake his head dismissively and cover his mouth. "Ugh, you child!"
"Says the one wearing water-wings." Vanity leered forward at her venomously, silently glaring as Sugar rolled her eyes. "You're no fun." She huffed, following her brother and passing him. "C'mon, let's go."
"Finally." Vanity sighed, shifting back into a relaxed position as he shut his eyes.
"Five bucks says we find more goofy shit in his room…" His ears perked, eyes shooting out his head as he pulled himself up. Vanity slammed his paw down.
"The hell you are!"
Pop!
Vanity took a deep breath, then he squinted visibly annoyed by the sound of air hissing out his tube, prompting another lowly growl to roll out his throat as he regrettably pulled his paw from the inner tube. Sugar snickered at the sounds of plopping and screams of frustration behind them.
Spice rolled his eyes, then stared down sternly at her. "Happy now?" He heard a brief sigh.
"Yeah. I….I needed that." She continued ahead toward the entrance. Spice nodded, following her as he wiped the smirk off his face.
The duo walked through the cave entering the living room, and, just as quickly, a frantic wet black and white blob bolted past them, murmuring angrily and nearly knocking Spice to the ground as Vanity rushed out of the room. The hasty escape was witnessed by the onlookers dwelling on the recliner. "Told you it wasn't something to worry about," Sara stated, leaning over the Violet bear and grabbing a hand of popcorn from the bowl in the Yellow bear's lap. Cara turned to her and narrowed her brow, discouragingly at her.
"I wasn't worried," Gay remarked, glancing over his shoulder.
The Violet bear turned to Gay and gave the same look.
"You're both incorrigible." Cara frowned then flinched briefly, raising her hand reflexively to her jaw.
"I'll get an ice pack." Sara shifted slightly off the couch. However,
"Catch!"
Cara turned toward the kitchen. "Wha-" And immediately was pelted by a bag, she leaned back dazed as it bounced off her face and landed on her lap. A burst of low feminine laughter chirped distantly as Cara shook her head. The couch dwellers leered toward the kitchen as the blue bear strolled to them.
"Abominable Asshole." Sara chided, to which Lech calmly shrugged.
"Not my fault she wasn't paying attention. Plus,' Lech lurched over the recliner to reach into the bowl, grabbing a hand full of popcorn and shovelling it into his mouth. 'You're time is almost up."
Gay squinted slightly, annoyed as he brushed popcorn of his shoulder.
"It's ours for the next ten minutes. Commercials be damned." Cara remarked coldly, prompting an abrupt snort from Lech in return. She rolled her eyes.
"Is there even a patient bone in your body?" Gay asked.
Lech gulped loudly, smacking his lips. "Nope. But I'm positive there's a snippy bone left in yours."
"Hilarious…"
"I'm pretty sure you know where." He added.
Gay threw his head back offended, his face reddened.
Sara snorted derisively, squinting dubiously at him with a smirk. Lech narrowed his brow at her. "What?"
"Oh. Nothing."
Lech growled inwardly in response as Gay placed the bowl on the table and hopped off the couch. "Look, If I made some muffins after, would you behave for at least a few more minutes?"
Lech folded his arms grumpily, his eyes half-closed. "It's a start…"
"Placating the idiot won't make it any better." Someone blurted out abruptly.
The bears turned to their 'guests' suddenly. "Hey!" Both bears shouted.
"Only we get to call him that." Gay corrected, Lech abruptly flicked his ear and, in response, received a mild jostle to his side from Gay as he tensed in pain, grumbling under his breath.
"Oops," Gay remarked, then trotted toward the oncoming guests stopping a few steps away from them. "So, what do we owe the 'pleasure' this beautiful afternoon?"
Sugar placed her hands behind her back, slowly eyeing the bear closely. "Business."
Gay's brow wrinkled, eyes furrowing as his ears flattened. "Cryptic. Well, there goes the beautiful afternoon."
"Where's the black one?"
"Asleep, maybe."
"Great."
"Why do you need him?"
"That's none of ya business, ya troglodyte." She snapped.
Gay was struck with shock, but that soon passed as his brow furrowed in vexation as he tilted his head slightly at her. Sugar smiled warmly, cocking her head back. "You heard me, bowtie. Sorry to break up the pow-wow here, but I'm going to have to burrow blue and black for a bit."
"Normally, I'd jump at the chance buuuuut…No." He gave a pleasant yet defiant smile. Then he felt the other bear clutching onto his shoulder firmly, leaning on his side. Gay rolled his eyes but kept his smile.
"Yeah, get out," Lech ordered, gesturing at the exit.
Cara leaned over the recliner, peering forward while clutching the pack of ice to her lower jaw. "Maybe if you asked nicely, we'd actually want to help you."
"Doubtful." Sara chimed in, Cara chuckled slightly at her sister.
A rough snort came from Sugar, her brow narrowing as peered back at her brother. He glared back, slowly looking down knowingly. Her hands gestured toward the couple, subtly craning her neck to them.
Spice chuckled lowly, shaking his head dismissively as she continued.
"Not my style. Especially since-"
Sugar wildly lurched to the left weaving around them as her brother blocked the duo, then twirled around quickly with a smirk. Which did not yield the expected results; both bears were calm and wearing smug expressions. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as her back slammed into something suddenly hard issuing a grunt. Embarrassment warmly rushed to Sugar's head, blushing briefly as her eyes widened.
"I've been told you're planning on ransacking our rooms now?" Prozac asked.
"Little snitch." She heard her brother mutter.
Dun Dun Dun Dun. And we're back!~
A low chiming tune rang out, followed by distinct voices from the television. Gay glanced backward. "Annnd would you look at that, Golden Girls is back on, ciao!" Gay waved mouthing 'good luck' as he walked away, passing the seething simian.
Lech glanced over their leader briefly. "You'll this handle, right?"
"Depends, could you explain-"
"Sweet, later dude!"
Sugar felt a deep rumbling growl from Prozac's chest, her head leaned upward, catching the vexed expression creeping itself onto his face as Lech made his way to the couch. He glanced down with furrowed brow. "Fine…" She abruptly jumped away from the perturbed animal, dusting herself off before turning around to meet her new obstacle. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his waist, then his arm both wrapped tightly with bandages. With a silent, affirming nod, she quickly glanced upward to make eye contact. And of course, he had to be taller. She stifled a grunt, narrowing her eyes sharply.
"Yeesh, You look like shit." Sugar blurted out.
"Evidently…" His expression softened somewhat, still keeping his stern expression.
"I really don't like to repeat myself, so could you bring Fighter and Lech over?" She asked.
"For what exactly?" Her brow twitched, eye crunching half-shut.
"A simple errand or two, no pressure."
He squinted dryly at her. "We are not helping you rob another warehouse."
"Please, this is much less daunting than that."
"Oh. Elaborate."
"A wee bit of labour."
"What kind of labour?"
Her mouth twitched, stretching to a sneering smile as her irritation grew. "Simple. Stuff. Chores really, look can I-"
"Why can't you do it?"
The simian's neck craned, tilting dully as her teeth ground roughly in her mouth. "You ask. Too many questions." She said with an audible clatter.
He rose his brow inquisitively. "Because you're not giving clear answers." Prozac paused, eyes widening. A quick glimpse of a pair of boiling beady brown orbs stared back at him as she sharply jabbed his chest repeatedly.
"I-don't-have-to-you-pampered-piece-of-sh-"
"S-she's offering them jobs.' Spice quickly interjected, leaning on her shoulder with a strained toothy smile, gulping lowly as he felt her shoulder shake. 'We're a bit...Understaffed, ya see."
"You don't have to tell 'em A GOD DAMN THING!" She exploded angrily.
Her bellowing voice reverberated throughout the caverns, and, as the echo of her voice faded, slowly, her hitched, and sharp breaths became prominent to her as the high died down.
"Dramatic much?" She heard from the couch.
Sugar gathered her composure forcefully, sighing deeply as she glanced over, only to squint dubiously noticing her brother's absence; a sheer grunt signalled his location. Peering down at the monkey lying on the ground, averting his gaze. She knelt down and reached out, muttering an apology under her breath as he pulled himself up. Her gaze shifted outward. A pair of green eyes stared back from the arm of the recliner, quickly retreating as their eyes meet. She glanced over to the blue bear wearily as he stood awkwardly, scratching his head.
"Sorry, but I just wanted to know what's going on. Things have been…trying lately."
"Yeah. Yeah." She glanced at Spice briefly. 'Don't…blabber on for too long," She muttered.
"Right" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bartending, cleaning, a gig or two," Prozac nodded silently as he continued.
Sugar sighed deeply, trying her best to avoid the gaze of the bear patriarch; instead, her gaze dwelt on the other cavern entrance. She began to tune out their conversation, rolling her shoulder reflexively before yawning into her hand. But her eyes flickered longingly at the sound of another light exchange from cavern as two more bears entered the room, strolling toward the recliner.
Perfect.
Sugar slowly crept forward, inching away from her brother toward the couch but stopped as an arm blocked her vision. She looked up with a sneer as Prozac smiled at her knowingly. "Damn it," She huffed.
Meanwhile, on the couch, the others dully glanced at the new arrival, some briefly rolled their eyes at the mischievous grey bear before directing their gaze back at the television. Indifference aside, Evil crept toward them, stopping at the arm of the couch and yawned aloud.
"No," Gay stated dryly without looking, to which Evil narrowed his eyes dully.
"I didn't even say anything."
"Doesn't matter. His eyes narrowed darkly, shifting slowly to the bowl laying on Sara's lap. Licking his lips hungrily, he slowly crept across the arm of the recliner.
"What if he wants to join?" Cara asked genuinely, leaning off the couch.
"I'll get the other chair," Lech coughed deeply, prompting her to raise her brow as a mocking smirk crept onto his face.
"Please, I doubt he cares."
She suddenly stopped, turning to him. "And you do?" Her emerald eyes flared harshly, giving a judgmental glare, but the bear simply stared off absently with a knowing look.
"Better than you." He confidently replied with a smirk, she rolled her eyes.
Slowly, Evil's hand hovered precariously over the bowl, inching closer over the rim. Then swept his hand downward, only to miss entirely as the dish was swept away. "Nice try." Sara playfully chided. Taken aback, he quickly retracted his hand, then glanced at her, a small amused smirk graced her face as she rose her brow inquisitively.
"Honestly, I'm still not okay with him." She added, handing the bowl to Gay.
"Second that." Gay chimed.
Evil huffed grumpily, folding his arms. "Please. I wouldn't dream of..." He paused, catching the annoyed leer from Lech. He smirked briefly. "Scoot over and pass the popcorn," As soon as he tried to reach the recliner Lech suddenly blocked his path. "Really?"
"I was promised baked goods," Lech shrugged casually.
"Ah, whoring yourself out for his cooking. I see," A low wet gurgle rumbled out from his stomach.
"Slut or not, I'll be fed sooner than you." He chided with a snort.
"Good for nothing. Fine, I'll—" Evil turned too quickly, roughly slamming his knee against the couch and stumbled to the floor. "Urgggh."
One of the couch dwellers gasped aloud, bringing her hands to her face. "Are you okay?" Cara asked, concerned.
"I'm…fine," He bitterly grumbled out, gritting his teeth.
"Serves 'em'' right for not paying attention," Lech callously added.
Cara quickly hopped off, nearly crushing Lech's toe absently, issuing a rushed "sorry" as she rushed to Evil's side.
The blue bear tensed, immediately clutching his foot while muttering a curse. A low chuckle crept to his ear. Lech reflexively turned to the couch, glancing at the sneering couch dwellers as he hastily shook his foot. But the laughter didn't come from them, surprisingly. He noticed Gay smirking wily, gesturing openly with a wave. Lech snapped toward the cave wall across the living room, where he caught Fighter with a content smile on his face. A growl rolled from his throat as he put his foot down. The black bear wiped his eye, slouching against the wall. For a moment, he glanced forward, narrowing his eyes darkly, then shifted his gaze.
Evil stood upright, dusting himself off and muttering lowly.
"Your welcome," Cara barked as Evil turned away, visibly frustrated as he leered downward.
Fighter let out a sigh. "Yo, E."
Evil glanced over to the bear, furrowing his brow and frowning darkly. "What mook—"
"Ya' like rye on turkey, right?" He asked.
Evil dully blinked, squinting dubiously. "Its…acceptable."
Fighter nodded solemnly, "One Turkey on rye, extra horseradish coming up." Remarking with a toothy grin, Evil brandished a sinister one in turn.
"Be advised: do that, and you'll be tasting sawdust for a month."
He brought a finger pensively to his chin. "I'll think about it." Fighter retorts, leaning forward off the wall and walking toward the kitchen, however.
"Oh, Oh! Can mine have lettuce, tomato, cheese? And, a tiny bit of non-fat mayo. If you don't mind…" Cara fervently asked. He paused briefly, unsure as he rose his brow, then slowly shrugged. "And no meat, please." She added.
Fighter glanced over, openly gesturing to Gay toward the kitchen; he shook his head dismissively, then shrugged, turning toward the kitchen.
"Rude."
He stopped suddenly, glancing back at Sara dully, "You got a broken leg?" he cheekily rose his brow. Only to be met by a vexing glare from her as she furrowed her eyes.
"What crawled up your ass?"
Lech folded his arms, tilting his head. "Dick move, dude."
"Kidding. I'm Kidding." Fighter smirked playfully, apprehensively raising his hands before shifting his expression dully. "You're still getting the same one, though."
"Whatever." Her eyes rolled derisively as Fighter strode away from them.
"Heh," Lech smirked smugly, raising his voice. "She'll want extra mayo—oh!" He clutched his side briefly as Sara retracted her foot, then chuckled to himself.
"And don't get blood on mine, alright?" Evil added, hopping between Sara and Gay, both reflexively leaned away from the bear with sour looks.
Cara frowned, her brow narrowed intently, concerned. "Maybe I should help."
Fighter stopped briefly, slowly turning to her. "Don't worry," The bear rose his arm, wagging his hand. "I got a handle on things," Then pointed to his arm with a strained smirk. "I wouldn't want to wrist anything."
A collective boo rang from the couch.
Cara, however, snickered, smiling warmly and shaking her head. "Snrk. Stop."
He blushed slightly. "At least my sense of humour ain't broke."
"That's debatable!"
Frowning, he glanced back at the couch with an annoyed glare.
"That's good." Her voice lowered, her eyes were half-closed. Seeing her eyes dim, his smile faded for a moment before perking up again.
"You can meet me halfway if you want."
Her face scrunched dourly, staring intently, bothered briefly but dragged out a soft smile. "Sure. Don't push it, though."
"Yeah, three sandwiches should be easy anyway."
Curious, she leaned her head back. "What about you?"
"Not. Hungry…." He looked away, "But thanks."
"Chop. Chop." Evil clapped.
"They aren't making themselves," Sara added.
"I'm going keep your skirt on."
Cara watched the bear stamper off, brushing past Prozac as he went to the kitchen. She let out a dejected sigh, before turning around to grab another chair at the back of the room, humming to herself softly along the way. One should be so lucky, free from distractions. Prozac, however, felt his patience waning at the constant pestering he had to endure from both visitors.
"This a golden opportunity here, sure they're not getting paid, but-"
He rose his finger apprehensively at Spice. "'Golden' is a stretch, pretty murky as far as I'm concerned."
Before he could utter a word, Spice was roughly shoved him aside, replaced by his partner as he barely catching himself as he teetered off. Annoyed, he glared back firmly at Sugar.
"All right, fair. But they would geeet…" She paused, dragging aimlessly as Prozac kept a stern look; she avoided his gaze. 'recognition?"
"They're not artists." He watched her lurch suddenly to his left her brother taking her place, then rose his finger at the bear as Prozac dully squinted downward.
"Buuuut, at least they'd get, uh, um." He stared blankly, gulping lowly.
"Give him a minute." A lovingly, smug smile was plastered on her face as she leaned her head toward her brother. "Bless his heart. He's slow—"
"Responsibility! You ass!" He snapped.
The bear shook his head dismissively. "They already have responsibilities here."
"I know, we all do. But it's not always enough. Is it?"
"Do they truly care about their chores, or do they treat them as a formality?" She added.
"I don't expect them to."
"But you care? Don't you? After all, you're sticking up for them right now."
"Maybe, if they had more on their plate, they'd gain respect for your position. Instead of lobbing burden on you all the time, eh?" He added wagging is brow provocatively.
"Eh, wouldn't be the first time." A low bassy voice added. Spiced tensed suddenly, his face tightening as he sharply glanced back to see a dark bear holding a plate of food. He scowled as Fighter nodded upwardly with a smirk.
"And it certainly won't be the last." A tired groan escaped Prozac maw, eyes narrowing.
"Someone needs a put a bell on you." Spice muttered.
"By all means…" Fighter yawned loudly, rolling his neck around slowly. "So, you here to spice up our day?"
The golden-haired simian felt his brow tighten frustratingly. "You're not clever shit-bird."
"Lighten up." He shrugged nonchalantly, slowly glancing over at his sister. She stared directly at his hand, then blankly glanced at him.
"Is everyone here busted to shit?" A low cough prompted her to look up at a grimacing Prozac, eyes drooping displeased as he peered at her. Unfazed, she only shrugged. "What, you ain't my dad,' She leaned in, "Unless you're ya' like that sort of-"
"She's your problem now," Prozac ordered, grabbing the plate from Fighter and storming off in the opposite direction.
Sugar let out an amused snort, curiously eyeing Prozac heading toward the couch. Smirking slightly, she turned to Fighter, folding her arms together. "So, what do ya say, chief? 'Cause, as you know, I'm a debt collector, and you, my friend, are buried in it." She winks.
The bear stood stock still, eyes half-closed, then let out a dry wheezing cough that shifted into a mad cackle. "Ah, hahaha! Hell No." His brow furrowed dryly.
She gritted her teeth, arms stretched outward, her hands open-palmed as she gave an annoyed expression. "Oh, come on!"
"You made punch me turds barehanded down a toilet." He pointed accusingly.
Discouraged, her eyes narrowed. "Should have found a plunger."
"Kicked Lech down a flight of stairs." He gestured toward the couch, tilted his head dismissively.
"He fell." Her eyes shifted around cautiously.
"Broke my friend's heating system."
"It was like that when we got there."
"You also blackmailed," Sugar stamped abruptly, jabbing her finger accusingly into his chest.
"You chuckleheads burned my SAFE!"
He stared down blankly, unperturbed by her outburst before narrowing his eyes dully. "Hmph, haven't heard that one before, I'm starting to think you're running out of leverage."
"Don't play dumb! You know that's a lie." He shrugged nonchalantly, a sharp sneer formed from the corner of her mouth. "Ho. Ho. Buddy, pal, don't play this game. We both know I'll win."
"We were playing a game?"
"I will literally dig up-" He leaned closer, causing Sugar to flinch.
"You don't have the time for that." He flatly remarked.
She stamped again, raising her fist. "Quit interrupting me!"
A loud clattering noise followed by a clunk rang out from behind. At first, Fighter flinched at the sound knowingly, then frowned, squinting darkly at her. Ignoring his gaze, she glanced over to see Lech sprawled out on the ground holding a plate in his hands and, more importantly, a determined-looking Prozac headed toward them. She looked back at Fighter and chuckled. "Heh. Heh. Oops."
Exhaling loudly, Fighter pinched the bridge of his snout. "Alright…I know you came all this way, but look at us. What good are we right now?" He rolled his neck around slowly, grimacing. "Honestly, you're better off with each other than us right now."
She glared longingly at the bear, pausing briefly as she lowered her arm. The echoes of stomping drew closer. She took a deep breath, forcefully exhaled, then folded her arms. "Fine."
"WHAT?" Spice exclaimed worryingly.
She raised her hand, solemnly to silence her brother. He shook his head and sighed, discouraged.
"We'll leave. For now." Sugar glanced over her shoulder, waving her hand at Spice openly. He grumbled lowly, reaching into his satchel and handed her something, then dropped it into Fighter's right palm.
"Be seeing ya' smokey."
Thwack!
Fighter growled deeply as the sharp sting faded, he placed his paw on his butt reluctantly, furrowing his eyes as the duo left the cave. "Accedenti," he cursed. The treading echoing faded. He narrowed his eyes. He turned back slightly. "So, what do you think?"
"I think you're being blackmailed. What else is new? But…she looked…desperate. I guess." Prozac surmised.
"Yeah…"
"So, tell me, what exactly does she have on you?"
Slowly, a Cheshire grin stretched across his face. "Don't worry about it."
A sharp shiver crept up his spine, he cringed darkly at Fighter. Until a loud thud rang from the living room.
"I thought he had a deal!" Gay shrilly cried.
"Please, like I agreed to it!" Lech exclaimed.
"There are three of them, it's not hard!" Cara bemoaned, a loud crash followed after.
"You glutton! Get back here!" Sara yelled, another crash soon followed.
"Now, this is entertaining." Evil remarked.
Prozac groaned reflexively, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. He turned to Fighter. "This isn't…" But the bear was gone, and so was his patience. "Of course."
...
Later
"Agggggh!" Sugar screamed angrily into her hands, her muffled anguish ridden cries only prompted Spice to shake his head knowingly.
"Not our finest moment."
"Clearly, guh! Bastard laughed in our faces."
He rolled his eyes. "Eh, he's an asshole. Look on the bright side." Peering down, at the corner of her mouth, he saw a faint smile creeping its way through her scowl.
"At least I got to see one of em' get beaned, ha!" She loudly snickers, then squints dryly. Sugar shifted about on the bench, squirming around roughly before placing her head on his lap. She tiredly rolled her shoulder reflexively, then sighed dejectedly, leaning onto his leg.
"How much longer do we have?"
Craning his neck upward, he squints and glances outwardly. "I'd say, fifteen. The old bird can blather on for a good while, but it works…" A disgruntled groan erupted from below, he calmly shrugged.
"We have dirt on them, why can't they just bend over and take it already? Instead of wasting our time."
"To piss you off?"
Wordlessly, she crudely flipped him off, armed with a glare and a dull frown. He laxly snorted through his nose, half-smirking. "Whatever. We get the last laugh anyway, why let it bother you?"
"Because that's disrespect." She clasped her hands together tightly, calmly closing her eyes. "And that's a problem. A problem is an itch on your ass that you forget about. Leave it for too long, and it turns to a full-blown rash. Nobody wants that."
"What a lovely metaphor."
She lazily opened her eye, glancing upward. "Bite me." Then solemnly shut it, slouching backward.
Click!
Slowly, her eyes opened to the familiar sound. Furrowing her brow at the freshly lit cigarette as he pocketed his lighter. A cross frown emerged, annoyed by the sharp scent as it began to swell in the air. Purposely, she let out an abrupt cough.
Regrettably, Spice peered down to observe the: 'Really, right here?' look as he parsed the cigarette in his mouth. He vented the smoke out the corner of his mouth. "My bad, shit—I-I can get up."
She sighed deeply, exhausted. "Forget it."
He squinted, annoyed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "Then why make a big deal out of it."
"Cause it smells bad, dummy."
A hush washed over them.
Again, she shut her eyes and breathed calmly through her nose, but reflexively tensed at the acrid scent. The smell wasn't the most pressing issue, among others, but the dull ache was a sore reminder; calm seems to elude her when she needed it most. Frustrated, her eyes shot open to a faint cough; His eyes were calmly closed, his chest rising and falling at a steady pace, and a closed smile peaked from the corner of his chubby cheeks. Her brow scrunched, her eyes narrowing half-closed as she turned away pensively, pausing briefly. A low grunt parsed through her lips.
Spice sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll put it out."
"No!" Her voice lilts, she shakes her head and growls. "Argh, forget it—forget, I—"
"I could go to the bar. If I'm stinking up the place.
"No...I-I just need a minute…"
His eyes narrow, intently, "Hey, you good?"
She sighs dejectedly, leaning back on his leg. "More or less, just…tired. Heads hurting like hell. Too much is happening right now."
"Tell me about it." He flinches at the outstretched hand, waving below his face. Squinting slightly at her open palm.
She sighs, staring off idly. "Give me one." Curious, his brow rose dubiously, prompting a frustrated scowl from her in return. "Grrr, stupid idea, fine—" She stops, eyes lingering on the cigarette hovering over her face. Then, hastily swipes the cig out of his hand. Spice chuckled briefly before quickly coughing as his sister glared at him. He closes his eyes and leans back on the bench.
Snap! Snap!
The familiar snapping opened his eyes, peering down at Sugar as she gestured openly toward the cigarette in her mouth. Rolling his eyes, he starts to shuffle, reaching into his satchel. But suddenly pauses, glancing downward at her mouth: the orange tip sticking outward. A stern, concerned look on his face as he narrowed his brow.
Furrowing her eyes, she glares blankly at him.
"You don't wanna do that, trust me."
"And why's that?" She asked.
"Cause you're doing it wrong." He plucks the cigarette out her mouth twirling it between his fingers before placing the other end back into her mouth. "You do something, do it right." He paused, staring off idly with a half-smirk before rolling his eyes. "And…now I sound like dad, great." He squinted, annoyed, then glared at his sister, pointing defensively.
"Don't-"
"Don't, ha!" She echoed loudly, grinning ear-to-ear.
"Brat." He grunts, annoyed, then squints intently at the lighter. He pocketed the device, then brought his fingers together at the tip of her cigarette, and: Snap! Lit the smoke with a snap, he pulled his hand up and blew on his fingers briefly.
Sugar's eyes widened slightly, surprised. "Huh, getting better at that. Almost impressive." She stared blankly at the trash can ahead of them.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Hey."
"What?" She snaps, smoke angrily crept out her mouth. To her surprise, wafting above her was a rather phallic-looking cloud of smoke. Her brother pointed to the cloud with a smirk.
"That's you right now," He coughs.
She snorts amused, wiping her eye. "Pfft! Haha. Alright, good shit. Good shit."
"Damn right…"
...
"Who taught you this?"
"Matt." He blurts out, averting his gaze.
She stared blankly for a moment processing his remark, eyeing him intently as he continued to stare distantly. Then, she silently nodded. "Huh. Smoking and alcohol? We gotta get him a new hobby."
He nods shakily.
"This was…nice."
Spice nodded again in agreement as his sister let out a yawn. Closing her eyes slowly as snuggled up to his leg. And for a moment, there was silence. His eyes grew heavier and heavier as he blinked.
He pulled the cigarette out his mouth, then his sister's. Putting both out on the bench before tossing them to a nearby trash can, they flew past the trash caught by the errant breeze. An embarrassed scowl traced his lips but shook his head dismissively. Instead of bemoaning, he began to follow his sister's lead. Slowly lulling himself to sleep. A shame it was never that easy.
"How long do we do have put up with this shit?!" An annoyed voiced bellowed.
"A month, maybe?" Another replied.
Spice felt an annoyed groan below. He glanced down, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. "Never a dull moment, huh?"
"Understatement—" She abruptly coughs, 'of the friggin' year."
"Clearly."
Her eye curled upward, dryly glaring at him with a smirk. To which, he smugly smirked back. The frustrated banter, however, continued.
"Gah, I hate this! I need my space!"
"It could be—"
"Ya, I know it could be worse. But it's pretty bad."
"At least the injuries out weight the, uh...um—" He stammered. There was a dead pause for a moment. Fortunately, the other voice continued with a more sombre tone.
"Causalities? Yeah, I know."
"And at least…we all have each other, right?"
"Yeah. For better or worse. Still blows, though."
"Dude relax, all this drama can't be good for you."
"Pfft, you don't know the half of it. Drama and trauma, aren't we lucky?"
"A shame, we have an abundance of both."
"Right?!" He laughs. "We don't need any more crazies because of this, it's bad enough we got Lazy-eyed Pete, Scruffy McDeadeyes, Matilda, the list goes on."
"He's not that bad…"
"Pete has his days."
"No. Not him. I'm talking about that lanky bartender dude, whatever his name is, the one with two kids and uh—Y'know."
"Dude creeps me out."
"It's like he's not all there, y' know."
A low thud rang from the bench, it loudly creaked. Spice glanced downward. "Let's leave. Low profile, remember?"
"I. know." She growled inwardly through clenched teeth, smoke billowing from her mouth. Her clenched fist sounded like a snapping tree branch.
"Ya think he's contagious or something?"
Her eyes widened furiously.
"Dude!"
"I wasn't the only one thinking it."
Spice calmly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sug, chill."
"Don't call me THAT!" She winds back, slamming her head hard.
"Ah! Bitch!" Spice slumps over painfully, holding his crotch and reflexively shutting his eyes. Through throbbing pain, he heard his sister's stomping fading. Opening an eye, he barely caught her storming off around the corner. A dry, wheezing cough came through his clenched teeth as Sugar went to confront the other animals.
"Don't act like this isn't common."
"I…I don't know at this point. I wouldn't be surprised."
"You wanna repeat that, shit-for-brains!"
Both monkeys turned to a scornful gaze, each flinching reflexively.
"Aw shit."
"Speak of the devil." He derisively rolled his eyes.
She rose her fist threateningly, eyes flaring as she stomped up to them. "I'll send ya to em' if you don't shut your mouth!"
One of them stepped out threateningly but suddenly stopped to glance over his shoulder as he felt something grasping it.
"Dude, let's leave." The other said.
He stepped out, facing his friend with a scowl. Casually jabbing back at the tan monkey. "No. No, screw that! We were having a private conversation before this eavesdropping bitch rolled up."
Sugar snorted wickedly, a derisive sneer on her face. She folded her arms.
"Please, anyone could have heard you two yammering on."
The agitated monkey leaned toward her, sneering in turn.
"Then ignore it."
She growled inwardly, stomping forward with her arm raised poised to strike the mouthy monkey, but he quickly swayed behind his friend. Abruptly, slamming her fist into the other animal's face and sending him stumbling to the ground, blood trickling from his nose. Sugar's eyes widened as well as the mouthy monkey's. He turned to scowl at her.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Because you swerved into him, asshole!" She bitterly ejected.
A low groan rumbled out, snapping both of them out of their quarrel.
"Shit, are you ok?" Sugar reached out to the fallen animal; unfortunately, Sugar had been roughly shoved aside as the other animal rushed to his side. Helping the fallen animal to his feet and sending glare her way. Her eyes narrowed apprehensively, slowly retracting with a sour expression.
"I'm…fine." He glared outwardly at his friend. "Thanks." To which he smiled sheepishly.
"Let's get some first aid."
"Don't bother; they're already out." She stated calmly.
"How would you know?"
"Oh, I don't know; maybe ask all the other animals who had the same idea, jackass!" Her curt reply sparked an annoyed glare, then a crude gesture from the agitated one.
"All right, that's it!"
The battered animal stumbled between them, crossing his arms inwardly. "Look, we're sorry. He's just venting. We cool?"
"The hell we are! I still, agh!—" She winces, griping her shoulder tightly. 'have to deck this idiot."
The agitated one peered over his friend's shoulder. "Serves you right. I bet you enjoyed it, sicko…"
Her eyes narrowed sharply. "Think what you want."
The battered one leered back at the other animal. "Stop."
He folded his arms. "Screw that, if she wants to be extra, then bring it."
"Shut up, do you want to get knocked out? Christ is everyone here unstable aro—" He stops mid-sentence. Slowly, his eyes widen in shock. Sugar was seething, trembling in place as she glared longingly at them. He gulped deeply and opened his mouth:
"He said it, not me." The other remarked.
He turned wildly to his friend with a scowl. "Really, dude?!"
"Who you calling unstable, you shit-stick!"
They flinched, grasping one another as the growling simian strewn toward them with a crazed scowl, frozen in fear, luckily help had arrived.
Sugar was plucked off the ground. "Let me go, damn it! I'll kick their teeth in!" She venomously spat out. However, she was held in place. Feverishly flailing about in the animal's grip. It didn't take much for the animals to flee. Screaming and scurrying away as Sugar cursed at them loudly within her captors grasp. Upset, frustrated and tired, slowly, she came to her senses. Her breathes loud and rough. Slowly lilting as she closed her eyes and exhaled exhausted as their cries left her ears.
"You can let me go now." She punctuated somewhat calmly.
Spice squinted dryly. "Ya sure?! Not gonna kneecap me and run after them?"
She narrowed her eyes dourly and sighs deeply. "I'm…sorry."
He tensed at her defeated tone, unexpected yet disarming at the same time to him. "Whatever." He scowled briefly, loosening his hold. He turned away from her. "I'll go pick up, dad." He felt her hand tightly grip his shoulder, he peered intently over at her.
"No. I have a feeling those guys will go over there. Just…" She stifles a sniffle, then sighs through her mouth. "Go to the bar, ok."
He nods blankly, turning around and walking ahead of her. As a sizable gap grew between them, he heard: "Thanks." He smiled softly, putting his hands behind his head.
"And stay safe!" She barked out.
"One of us has to." He snarkily remarks.
She snorts slightly, amused as she watched her brother walk out of sight. A warm grin stretched across her face. "Dork." Sugar muttered, turning away and walking toward another bench. Once seated, she shut her eyes…
Tweet! Tweet!
Her eyes opened slowly, frustrated. She squints intently, then glanced upward to glare at the birds perching atop a sign. The flock chirped at one another, then slowly started to fly away, one after another. She began to lose interest, glancing over at a clock before a heavy and loud crash rang out, startling her. Sugar starred intently at a trash can ahead. One of the birds failed to escape its perch, it squirmed and flailed about inside the trash. A rather pathetic sight, she sighs dejectedly as the chirping died down. Absently turning back to the clock.
"I should probably-"
Thooom!
Rolling her eyes, she glanced at the trash. "Shut it, ya stupid-" To her surprise, it was gone. Instinctively peering down, she found nothing, then looked up to spot the bird flying off to catch up with the others.
"Lucky." She scowled, bitterly wiping her eye.
...
Dim light fills the room emitting a dull hum. It flickers, ever so slightly, only lighting the stairs leading down to the old wooden floor. Then, slowly, a low croaking sound drowned out the hum. At the top of the stairs, the door slid open then croaked shut. Spice glanced down, squinting intently into the basement before walking down the steps. A faint creaking rang with each step along with a clattering noise.
When the animal reached the bottom, he trailed along the wall, searching before flipping a switch. And the room was illuminated, albeit, sharing the same faulty flickering as it's predecessor.
"Of course." He muttered lowly, sighing openly.
Spice marched toward the far end of the room, passing four large barrels latched to the wall. Suddenly, he stopped at the forth, laying his belongings to his side on the floor. He rolled his shoulders roughly. "Ok. Ok. I got this…" Kneeling down, he dug through the bag, pulling out a small white-caped bottle. He brought it to his face, twirling it briefly. The transparent liquid sloshed around, the substance settled at the center. "Should be enough for a while…" With a nod, he tentatively opened the bottle and placed it on the floor, then carefully reached into the bag again and pulled out a syringe.
The monkey squinted intently, staring at the base of the tool, trailing over the notches and numbers before grabbing the bottle and sticking it in. The liquid only filled a quarter of the syringe. Then, he carefully removed the needle from the bottle and closed it tightly before placing it back into the bag.
Spice continued steadily, past a rather large barrel toward the corner of the room, there amongst the dust was the radiator, chirping out a low whine below. His gaze dipped, eyes drooping dully downward. He knelt cautiously but pauses, clearly hesitating as the syringe shook in his hand. However, despite faltering, Spice persevered he mustered his courage and drove down the syringe, jabbing it in as the liquid slowly drains out. The weak whine drones out as he pulled out the needle. Stopped for a moment, he stared blankly, breathing deeply through his mouth as he held his chest.
"Come on, bitch, keep it together…" He muttered and stood up. Grabbing his belongings and headed back to the stairway and stopping in front of the light switch, cautiously, he swivels his head backward. Waiting pensively as he stared at the corner of the room, narrowing his eyes before flipping the switch. And just like that, the familiar creaking of wood marked his exit from the basement. However, a low groan rang out from below. There nestled out of sight, a hyena laid chained by the neck next to the radiator. It's breath barely audible, lowly whining as it laid asleep in the old floor, groaning as if it were pained.