Chapter 26: The Setup Before Kidsmas

The dolphin huffed as he shut a cabinet and leaned up. "Red One!" He called as he rolled over to another cabinet.

"You called, doc?" The lobster skittered over to him.

"My old magic kit." He looked over his shoulder at him. "Where is it?"

Red One scratched his head with a claw for a moment. "I'll ask Red Two. I think she put it into storage a couple months ago." He paused and then squinted at him. "...Any reason you need it, doc?"

Blowhole rolled his eye. "I don't see why I need a reason to want my magic kit...But if we can't find it, I'm going to need a fresh costume and kit." He grumbled.

"I'll get Red Two on that directly. When do you need it?"

"Tonight."

"...What's tonight?" He took out his schedule and pointed to it. "I have that you are free tonight."

Blowhole sighed dramatically. "Kowalski hustled me into performing at his zoo's Kidsmas event tonight." He rubbed a flipper across his face. "He thought it might be good for me to spend some time around kids."

Red One stepped closer with interest. "Oh? Good for you how?"

"Like...Having interactions with them or something. I don't know. I'm skeptical. I see this turning into a nightmare...But I told him I would come and I am a dolphin of my word." He shook his head.

"...Sounds like he just wants you to spend some time around the others in his life and maybe make some new friends. Like, more shared friends." He chuckled. "A little public image repair."

"Public image repair—" He squinted at him before groaning. "He's trying to make me look less like a villain."

"Or at least show that you're more than only a villain?"

Blowhole just shook his head. "I'm telling you. This is going to backfire horribly." He paused. "Perhaps I should call in sick."

"Doc...It might be a dumpster fire in the making, but I think we both know you'd regret not going."

"Yeah...I would." He rolled over to his desk. "Tell Red Two to find my kit. The quicker the better."

"On it, Doc." He nodded and skittered out.

Blowhole sighed and looked at his reflection in his computer monitor. "He's going to regret inviting me. I won't mix well with his friends. I hope he realizes that." He adjusted his eyepiece before looking away. "And the children...What am I thinking? I can't go tonight."

He reached for his phone but his flipper hesitated to pick it up. He then groaned and ran a flipper over his face as he could already picture Kowalski's expression if he canceled on him. No, no...Not that sad puppy look. When did he get this soft? Maybe he should cancel just to keep his edge—

"Crabcakes." He sighed and moved away from his phone, shaking his head. "He's ruining me."

"Hammer." A flipper is held out from under a table.

Rico coughed one up and plops it in the flipper. "Ere go."

A moment later the flipper returns. "Nails."

Rico then passed him a box of nails. He waited patiently by the table until it shook with a yelp and Kowalski squirmed out, rubbing his flipper.

"O'ay?"

Kowalski sighed and nodded. "Yeah...Missed the nail." He grumbled, shaking his flipper out. "But the table should be good to go now."

Rico nodded and picked it up. "An where go?"

"Uhh...I think Marlene wanted it by snack station? I'm not sure honestly. Double check with her."

The penguin nodded and waddled off with the table. Kowalski sat the hammer with the remaining nails to the side and glanced around. By now, much of the basics had been set up for tonight. Soon the decorating squad would be doing their thing and then it would really start to look like a Christmas party.

Kowalski dusted off himself and checked the time on his phone. He wasn't too surprised that Francis wasn't there yet...Francis did have a strong tendency to show up on his own time, after all. That absolute need to make a dramatic entrance of his…

A slight smile crossed his beak and he shook his head. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't like his dramatic entrances. Francis may be a villain, but he was just as much a businessman and a showman. He understood the impact a good presentation makes. Honestly, he could probably learn a little about giving presentations from him. Maybe Skipper and the others would find his own more interesting then.

Kowalski waddled over to his own little station and started to unpack and set up his little puppet stage and props from a couple small boxes. He arranged his puppets behind the stage for easy access and sighed. "At least...I hope he's just planning to be fashionably late. He said he'd come...I can trust him." He mumbled to himself with a nod. If he couldn't trust his word to come to this...Could he trust him on anything?

With a huff, he rubbed his flipper over his face. Now was not the time for doubts. Francis would be there soon enough, then he'd see that children weren't something to be scared of and everyone else could see that Francis wasn't some sort of deranged miscreant with a sirenical voice. After all, most of them only knew him from that MP3 Player situation...Not the best public image for him there.

He picked up a sock puppet decorated to look like a Santa dolphin and looked at it. "I should be practicing my script." He sighed. Though at the sound of steps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. "Hello, Marlene."

"Hey." She smiled, stepping around to look over his set up. "He still isn't here yet?"

"No...But I'm not that worried. He said he'd be here." He shrugged a little and set the puppet back to the side. "How is the rest of the set up going? Do you need me to run any errands or anything?"

The otter checked her clipboard and shook her head. "No, no everything is pretty ahead of schedule this year. We may actually get a moment to catch our breath before the kids are let in."

"Oh wow, really? That's great." His brows raised. "I would have thought that we would have had some sort of complication by now."

Marlene then gestured to an empty spot beside him. "Only complication so far is Schrodinger's magic show there, but I haven't checked on the lemurs and the fruit walk yet."

"I'll bet you a tin of sardines that they've eaten the fruit."

"I'd take that bet, but we both know they have." She sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "Which is why I already have Becky and Stacy gathering back up treats."

"Very impressive, Marlene. I think even Skipper would be amazed by how shipshape your Kidsmas orchestration has been so far."

A small, almost nervous smile flashed across her face. "Oh heh, thanks." She chuckled a little quietly and looked away. "Anyway, I should go check on the lemurs. Let me know if Blowhole ever arrives, mkay?"

Kowalski raised a nonexistent brow slightly, but nodded. "Will do." He then tapped his beak thoughtfully as he watched her scampered off. He'd have to keep an eye on her tonight now and then. He had a growing hypothesis, but he needed more data before he could confront her with it.

He checked his phone again with an impatient sigh. That scoundrel better show up soon. Maybe he should call him. Maybe he forgot...Or, or maybe something came up and he's unable to come after all? His eyes grew wide as images of Francis potentially under attack from his other enemies—or rather what he imagined his other enemies might look like—crossed his mind. He's sure he must have enemies other than only them. He's too big of a villain name, after all, to not be on other animal agency maps.

"Is that one a dolphin in a Santa suit?"

Kowalski shrieked, whirled around, and looked up at the dolphin behind him. "FRANCIS, I SWEAR TO NEWTON—" He squawked before taking a deep breath. "I'm getting bells for your segway."

Francis chuckled and patted his head. "I'm sorry, but it's just too fun to make you squawk."

"That's because you're a scoundrel." He huffed before turning away and looking at the puppets. "And yes, that one is named Santa Flukes."

"Cute." He then leaned away and gestured to the space off to the side. "I take it that that's where I'm supposed to set up?"

Kowalski nodded. "Do you need any help setting up?"

"Nah, I've got that covered. However, I will likely require an assistant later if you're up for it." He blinked at him.

The penguin hid a smile and stroked down his rising feathers. "Sure, I can do that. I'll go tell Marlene that you made it then."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll probably be done by the time you're back." Francis nodded as he pressed a button on his segway. It then spat out a few tiny brown cubes from the side which he then sat on the table. With another press of a button, the cubes were illuminated with a green laser light before growing in size until it was recognizable that these cubes were actually boxes.

Kowalski couldn't help but stay and watch this rather than leaving after Marlene. He felt like he was watching a show already. "Shrink ray?"

"Oh yeah. Not like I could pull a wagon easily and I gave the lobsters Christmas through New Years off. Red One and Red Two would have been glad to accompany, but they need a break now and then as well, you know?"

"You know when you say things like that, you make me jealous of lobsters."

"Well, you could always just come work for me." He blinked at him again.

Kowalski rolled his eyes with a smile. "Nice try." He then shook his head and started waddling away. "I'll be back in a few."

"Yeah, take your time."

The penguin nodded as he waddled off to Marlene who was over by the fountain. "Hey—"

The otter looked over with a raised brow. "Lemme guess, Blowhole's here?"

"Yeah, did you see him come in?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure half the zoo heard you announce his arrival." She chuckled.

Kowalski's smile dropped to a deadpan expression. "That brings us to my second reason for coming over. Where are some spare jingle bells?"