Disclaimer:  Look at the first chapter.  Pretend that disclaimer is here.

Akai Kah'ghe: So I guess part of your transmission got through, eh?

Dragonet:  I know!  He at least should be forbidden to run into poles!

Laureate:  Yeah…Hyenas are a little difficult to travel with…What kind of geckos?

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"Wyoming?  How'd THAT happen?"

"Well, see, Arcane knows how to read a map so he kinda directed us and we pulled the wheel from the grasp of death that is Sam…"

Well, we managed to get out of Oregon and through Idaho without breaking any laws.  Unless not sleeping in a hotel is against the law.  It should be.  But we stopped enough to change drivers and all that.  Arcane knew how to read a map.  We were finally moving away from the west coast.  Which in itself may be a blessing.

"Ah do not have a grasp of death!"

"You almost ran us into a phone pole, mate.  And you WERE watching the road."

"Yeah!  At least I wasn't watching."

"That's not something to be proud of Sheilah.  You almost ran us into a semi."

"Should I be afraid?"

"You should have asked before you started hitchhiking with us.  Hey Danny!"  Lance called back to me.  I looked up.  I was still seated in the far back.  Hezibah was leaning against me on one side and Doggy was leaning on my other side. I was feeling a bit squashed.

"Yeah?"

"What kind of work is your cousin in that gets him in so much trouble?"

"It's not his work, It's his business."

"Isn't that still work?"

"Sort of.  He's a cook.  Gourmet.  He also happens to be built like a bear, and he lives in a part of town that isn't very nice.  So sometimes people break into his restraunts. He gets in trouble for fighting and stuff."

"Cook and body builder? Sheesh."

"But he's great.  He's a good guy to have standing by you."

Rogue was driving.  If that does not scare anyone, I don't know what will.  Lance left off his interrogation.  Arcane was still seated in front of me.  He turned back to me.  He had his hat and coat off.  He actually didn't look that bad.

"How long you known him for?"

"My cousin?  My entire life.  He's twenty-three."

He nodded.  Hezibah leaned forward and put her jaw on his shoulder.  She got over the whole wanting to bite everyone and was just chilling.  She told me she liked Arcane.

Can't really see the attraction.

He just stared at her.  She gave him a big hyena smile.  He looked back at me.

"She ain't heavy, she's my sister?"  I grinned.  He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Do you have a thing for music or something?"

"Yeah.  I love music.  Everything from country to rap to classical and everything inbetween."

"Quite the list.  Anything you don't like?"

"I usually judge songs on a case by case basis.  I mean, there's always a couple songs in every category I don't care for."

"Do you read a lot?"

"Yep.  Mysteries, fantasy, Sci Fi…a little of this and that.  Not a lot of Romances."

"Diversity in everything."

"You got that right, brother."

He grinned at that.  Hezibah cocked her head to get a better look at him.  Lance, who was seated next to Arcane, leaned away from Heibah.  Wanda leaned over the seat in front so she could pat Hezibah's head.

So much for hexing the mutts, hunh?  And they said I was the softy.

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"AHHHHH AHHHHH AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Bobby quickly opened his magazine and buried his face into it.  He had been pulled off duty.  Every once in a while, search teams would be sent out to look for the guys that were missing, but right now everyone was back at the institute. 

Perfect prank time.

Amara ran by screaming something in her native tongue.  Something made him doubt it was princessly.  Jubes and Rahne were following, but had to take cover when Amara suddenly burst into flames.  Something dropped off her and scurried off.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It was getting hot in here.  Bobby swiftly left his magazine (which had been labeled as seventeen magazine)  and tried to sneak out while Amara was preoccupied.

"YOU!"

So much for that.  Bobby bolted from the room. 

Who knew little sun spiders could cause so much trouble?

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"No!  The mall is evil! LET ME GO!"

That was me trying to resist Rogue and Wanda, sans the numerous obscenities.  They weren't all that pysched to go either, so they decided I had to come with them for amusement.  Or as they called it, a new change of clothes.  It was the morning after a night in a hotel, which was very welcomed for that wondrous thing that is a shower.  And we were still in Wyoming.

But unfortunately, my knee is still not anywhere close to being what it used to be, so that is why I am standing by the fountain by my kidnappers- err, friends.  But it was only because I made them promise to help me pick out dog collars.  And maybe a bat collar.  I don't think they make those.  Maybe a small kitten collar would work…

Wanda yanked on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts.  I grudgingly followed them to a gothic store.  I did not realize they had gothic stores.  Wanda pulled out a vest and put it too my shoulder.  I countered with the look that says 'no way in hell shall I wear that'.  She rolled her eyes at me.  Rogue's choice was infinitely better, a pair of black pants.  Black pants aren't usually my style, but they looked alright.  The buckles were confusing.  And the fact that it had two belts.  But they were picking the clothes and they refused to walk over to some 'honky' store with me, so I just had to keep a stiff upper lip and go.

Wanda finally found a t-shirt with a low v-neck and was about to show it when I began to shake my head violently at her.  No way was I gonna wear something like that.  Un uh.  She tossed it back on the rack, then grinned when she pulled out a another T-shirt.  It was black with studs going around the end of the sleeves and around the neck.  It had a big snarling dog on the back that looked like Doggy.  On the front it said 'If you're reading this and I don't know you, you haven't met my doggy yet'. 

I grinned.  It was perfect.  Rogue picked out a skirt and pantyhose with a long sleeved shirt.  Wanda grabbed the vest she showed me earlier and picked up some leather pants.  We were about to check out when Wanda grabbed my arm and propelled me to a stand with collars on them.  Big collars.  Small collars.  All kinds of collars.  We began to shuffle through them.  They were dog collars.  The human collars were in the next aisle.  Wanda wandered into that aisle and grabbed a couple of collars.  She gave me a black one with spikes and with a bat hanging off as a tag.  She had one with a cross.  Rogue declined.  We rustled through the dog collars and pulled out one with an African theme with Hyenas.  Just right for Hezibah.  There was also one with spikes on it, with the words 'All bite with no bark.'  Seeming as Doggy doesn't ever speak to me but has a habit of attacking people that hurt me for no reason, it seemed fitting.  There as also a tiny kitten collar that would fit Herman.  It had a bell on it.

We payed for all of it, then hurried off to the bathrooms to change.   It took me a little longer to change again, not just because of my knee but because of those belts and buckles.  When I walked out and stood in front of the mirror, I was a little surprised at how changed I looked. 

Then Rogue pulled out a couple of those hair sticks and put my hair up.   I was lucky that they didn't have any makeup on them.  I might have died. 

And so the guys all stared at us when we met them back at the bus.  They went shopping too, after I promised them that Doggy and Hezibah wouldn't cause trouble.  They all had the nice shirts and so on (except for Arcane- he already had another change of clothes that he wore after he took his shower.).  We must have looked pretty different, all Gothed up.

Hezibah thinks it is a change for better.

I grinned at her and Doggy.  They wagged their tails.  Herman chattered his agreement from Arcane's hat.  He looked pretty ridiculous hanging off that fedora, but Arcane didn't seem to mind.  In fact, I thing he and John were checking Wanda and Rogue out, but I couldn't be sure.  They also snuck a couple glances at me, but I assume that was because I looked so different, and because I really don't want to blush right now.

Wanda chose to ignore them all and got into the bus.  Rouge and I followed.  I took my usual seat in the back.  Ray came in soon after me and slid into the seat in front, still looking at Rogue.  What a flirt!  Sam and John sat down beside him, earning a little warning growl from Hezibah.

No one crowds Hezibah.

I patted her on the shoulder and reached into my bag to pull out her collar.  She sat still long enough for my explanation and for me to put the collar on.  While I was doing this, Arcane got into the Driver's seat.  Rogue and Wanda were in the front middle, where they could effectively look bored and still be desirable at the same time.  Lance almost didn't make it into the vehicle.  He may have been trying to justify his attraction to Kitty.  I don't know. He nabbed shotgun.

I turned my attention to putting on Doggy's collar and calling for Herman to get off of Arcane's hat so I could put a collar on him.  The bus took off down the highway with no one getting hurt, unless you count Ray, who had been leaning forward and hit the seat when Arcane had to brake suddenly.

If it weren't for the fact Kally would scold me, I'd be laughing at him now.

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Wow.  Gothic Danny.  Who'da thought?

Kally is happy!  She will take reviews!