Chapter 2: Dinner time and the invitation
After exiting the Union Passenger Terminal, the six caught a ride on the New Orleans Metro that brought them to the French Quarter, which is where they have booked a hotel at for the duration of their two-day stay in the city.
(Note: The New Orleans Metro is a fictional light rail rapid transit system operating in a New Orleans where, like its contemporaries across North America depicted in Dimension Four, did not suffer from the suburban sprawl induced by the automobile-friendly urban design beginning in the 1950s. It is different and separate from the heritage and upgraded streetcar services.)
Upon checking into their rooms and heading to the hotel restaurant for dinner, true to Fred's quip, by the time Shaggy and Scooby have finished up with their rather-large order, the restaurant had to close up as a result of running out of food, forcing Garfield, Fred and the girls to find another place to eat.
Before leaving the restaurant, the gang arranged with Shaggy and Scooby to meet up at Jackson Square a couple blocks away once they have finished up their dinner.
"Still never ceases to amaze me how much those two can eat." Garfield was saying as they walked through the French Quarter.
"No kidding, Garfield." Velma agreed. "To be frank, we've known those two for almost five years now, and I still cannot comprehend how their stomachs could handle their insanely large appetites."
"I can totally see that, the part about their large appetites being baffling." Garfield paused his lips.
By that point, the four had came upon a restaurant that seemed to be crowded with maybe a couple of vacant tables that were in the process of being cleaned up by the staff, and a quick glance towards the customers seated close to the windows saw them enjoying the food.
"Perhaps we can give this restaurant a shot, guys." Garfield said as he nodded towards the restaurant, prompting Fred and the girls to follow his gaze.
Seeing how much the patrons in the restaurant are enjoying the food, Velma concurred with a nod, "Food looks good, let's check it out."
There was no line up to the reception table when they entered the restaurant, and the head waitress smiled as the four approached the table.
"Bonsoir, à tous." (Good evening, all.) The head waitress greeted with a smile. "Ça va?" (How are you?)
"Oui, nous allons bien, et toi?" (We are well, and you?) Garfield responded.
"Je ça va bien, merci." (I am well, thank you.) The head waitress smiled, seemingly impressed with Garfield's French. "Combien pour un table?" (How many for a table?)
"Quatre, s'il vous plaît." (Four, please.) Garfield responded as he held up four fingers while nodding towards Fred and the girls, then he added, "Two more will probably join us later."
"D'accord." (Okay.) The head waitress nodded before she motioned them to follow her into the dining area as she continued, "Suiez-moi, s'il vous plaît." (Please follow me.)
As the four followed the head waitress to their table, Garfield continued, "Pardon me for asking, mais parlez-vous l'anglais? (but can you speak English?) Asking for my friends here."
"Bien sûr." (Of course.) The head waitress replied as she led them to their table, then she turned towards them as they each took their seats, placed the menus on the table and continued, "Here are our menus, what can I get for you all?"
The four exchanged glances with one another before Daphne spoke, "Water will be fine."
"Same here." Fred and Velma both nodded.
"Okay." The head waitress wrote it down before turning towards Garfield, who was already starting to read the menu, and added, "Et vous, monsieur?" (And you, sir?)
"Pour moi, un l'eau, pas de la glace, s'il vous plaît." (For me, water and no ice, please.) Garfield responded.
"Excellent." The head waitress nodded. "I will be back with Laura, who will be your waitress for the evening."
After the head waitress took her leave, the four exchanged glances.
"Do you think they serve that fries with gravy and cheese curds dish here, Garfield?" Fred asked.
"No, poutine has only been around for around twenty years and is mainly Québecois." Garfield shook his head. "On account of the significant number of Acadian French settlers coming to settle in Louisiana after they were forced out of Acadia by the British in the years preceding the American Revolutionary Wars, I don't expect to see any recent Québecois dishes around here."
"I see." Fred and the girls all nodded before Daphne asked, "Whereabouts is Acadia?"
"It's a former French colony that was conquered by the British in the War of Spanish Succession and the Seven Years' War, and includes what are now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada and Maine in the United States." Garfield explained. "As a matter a fact, Acadia was among the three main French colonial possessions on the North American mainland, alongside Nouvelle France or New France and Louisiana."
"And New France was ceded to the British after the Seven Years' War." Velma interjected.
"Yes, becoming the British province of Québec and later split into Upper and Lower Canada, to be briefly unified as the Untied Province of Canada before Confederation in 1867 and then becoming the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec with the Canadian Capital Territory following Confederation." Garfield nodded.
Just as Garfield was speaking, the head waitress returned to their table with Laura and carrying a serving tray with four glasses of water.
"This is Laura, she will be your server for tonight." The head waitress introduced as she and Laura distributed the glasses of water amongst the four.
"Perfect." Velma smiled as Laura took out her note pad and pen.
"I understand that one of you folks speak French." Laura said.
"He does." Daphne said as she gestured towards Garfield. "He's from Canada."
"Makes sense." Laura nodded as she turned towards Garfield and added, "Whereabouts in Canada are you from, monsieur?"
"Je suis d'Ottawa, le capitale du Canada." (I am from Ottawa, the capital of Canada.) Garfield responded.
"Je comprende." (I see.) Laura nodded before she addressed them all. "Are you finished looking through the menu for your orders?"
"Yes, I'll start." Fred nodded as he pointed at the menu and said, "I'll like the seafood gumbo."
"Very well." Laura nodded as she wrote down Fred's order. "Anything else?"
"The praline and cookies for dessert." Fred responded.
"Excellent choice." Laura smiled.
"I'll have the fancy red beans and rice with sausage." Daphne said. "Also the praline and cookies for desert."
"Brilliant." Laura nodded as she wrote down Fred's order.
"And I'll try out the chicken gumbo." Velma added. "With a slice of Dixie Cake for desert."
"And what will you like?" Laura asked as she turned towards Garfield.
"I'll try out the lamb tagine and the crawfish amandine." Garfield responded.
"Excellente." Laura smiled as she wrote down his order. "Anything else?"
"That will be all, thank you." Garfield responded, prompting Laura to nod before she took the menus and took her leave.
After Laura took her leave, the four settled in their seats.
"She's really nice." Fred remarked as he nodded towards Laura.
"Indeed she is." Garfield agreed.
"Something about the way she looks?" Daphne asked.
Garfield and Fred exchanged glances before the former shrugged and swung his fist in mock frustration as he muttered, "If that is the case, then of all the days I've forgot to pack the whistling, pounding and applauding contraption and my wolf mask."
Velma snorted as she stifled a laugh while Fred had a knowing look on his face.
As if knowing that Garfield was only joking, Daphne smiled as she said, "Well, perhaps some parts of the contraption needed some oiling?"
"Something like that." Garfield shrugged again. "Either that, or getting Shaggy to bring his guitar out for I Tipped My Hat and Slowly Rode Away or getting on the piano for you to sing Tennessee Waltz, Daphne."
The last remark prompted Fred and the girls to laugh out loud with Velma briefly placing her hand on Garfield's shoulder.
"Anyways, I wonder how the guys are holding up at the hotel restaurant?" Daphne quipped after they all calmed down from the laughing.
"Just watch, those two will be joining us in any minute now." Velma said.
Garfield immediately pulled out his pocket watch as he said, "Calling it now, I'll say they'll join us in the next ten minutes."
A few moments went by before Laura returned with the bread entrée and dip, and the four proceeded to dig in slowly after they were served.
Eventually, Laura and the main waitress returned with their main course orders, and Fred whistled at how large the bowls were.
"We'll be back with your desserts." Laura said. "Bon appetite!"
Once the two waitresses have left, the four proceeded to dig in. Fred was the first to savour the food with a nod.
"Gotta say it's really good." Fred said.
Velma and Daphne both concurred with a nod, while Garfield was busy with the crawfish amandine.
"Indeed, I like what they did with the red beans with sausage." Daphne agreed.
"The chicken's well-marinated." Velma added.
Then, looking at Garfield, she added, "How're the lamb tagine and crawfish amandine, Garfield?"
Garfield didn't say anything, other than pausing briefly to nod and flashing a thumbs up.
"Must be really good." Fred remarked.
"Forget about how good the food is, I am surprised that you'd order two main courses, Garfield." Daphne said.
Garfield only shrugged. "You'd be surprised how close my appetite is to Shaggy and Scooby, though I would still have a long way to go to match theirs."
Fred and the girls both nodded, and they continued eating right until the restaurant suddenly went completely dark.
"Jinkies, the power's went out." Velma remarked.
As she made the remark, the servers stopped what they were doing as the head waitress scrambled for matches for the gas lamp on the reception table.
She eventually found a match and proceeded to lit the lamp, but when the glow came on, there was a growl coming from right behind her, and a pair of glowing orange menacing eyes lit up in the darkness.
"Jeepers! Behind you!" Daphne exclaimed as Velma and the boys looked on in horror.
The head waitress turned around, and she exclaimed in fright when a giant red crawdad stepped forward and snarled at her, revealing its sharp teeth.
When the crawdad swung its claw down towards the table, the head waitress swiftly ducked out of the way, while many of the patrons and staff were quick to evacuate.
The four also followed everyone else in evacuating the restaurant, though it wasn't easy when it's pitch dark in the restaurant.
Velma find herself fumbling through the darkness as they all evacuate from their tables, and it didn't take long for her to trip over a chair and lose her glasses.
"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed as she tripped over the chair and hit the floor. Feeling her glasses falling off her face, she added, "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!"
"Don't move, Velma, let me see if I can find them for you." Garfield quickly said as he reached into his belt and pulled out a flashlight.
It didn't take long for him to see her glasses, however they were resting right in the giant crawdad monster's path.
"Hold still." Garfield muttered as he swiftly raced over to Velma's glasses and swooped them up before darting back, just in time to duck the monster's arm swing towards him.
Helping Velma putting on her glasses, Garfield quickly said, "Let's get out of here."
Velma didn't argue back, but before the duo could move quick, they find the monster blocking their way to the exit.
With the light flashing on the monster, it growled as it grabbed a nearby table and lifted it up over its head.
"Duck!" Velma exclaimed as they ducked down while the monster threw the table towards them.
The table missing them, the duo got up, and Garfield glanced around before he grabbed a nearby chair.
"Go for the exit, I'll cover you." Garfield instructed.
"Are you sure that's a good-?" Velma asked, only for Garfield to step forward and swung the chair at the monster.
The monster's claw snatched onto one of the chair's legs, though Garfield remained firm as he swung the chair, during which he turned back towards Velma briefly and nodded towards the exit.
Without hesitation, Velma promptly darted towards the exit. She briefly cast a wary eye towards Garfield as he struggled with the monster, then she darted out.
Just as Velma darted out of the restaurant, the monster managed to snatch the chair from Garfield and crushed it, rendering it useless.
Briefly examining his empty hands, Garfield looked back at the monster, who roared as it swung its arm towards him and sent him flying towards the nearby wall.
Upon hitting the wall and landing on the floor, Garfield groaned as he slowly got up, in time to see the monster with its arms raised menacingly as it stepped forward, prompting Garfield to dart off.
Back outside, Fred and the girls regrouped just as Shaggy and Scooby arrived.
"Hey guys." Shaggy said in greeting before noticing Garfield missing and added, "Say, like, where's Garfield?"
"He's fighting a crawdad monster attacking the restaurant." Velma said.
"Zoinks! A crawdad monster?" Shaggy asked.
"Afraid so, Shag." Daphne nodded, prompting Shaggy to gulp as he and Scooby exchanged glances.
Out of the blue, Scooby abruptly turned and raced into the restaurant before any of the others could stop him.
"Scooby!" Shaggy exclaimed, but Scooby didn't stop and disappeared into the restaurant.
Inside, the monster was smashing through the tables and chairs as it went after Garfield.
He was subsequently chased to a dance room separated by a beam located halfway between the floor and the ceiling. He promptly leaped and grabbed onto the top of the beam before pulling himself over it.
Then, without missing a beat and with his hands still grabbing onto the beam, Garfield flipped over it and planted his feet right into the face of the pursuing monster.
Slammed by the kick in the face, the monster stumbled backwards, in time for Scooby to enter the fray.
The Great Dane stopped as the monster stumbled over him and fell backwards and into the pile of tables and chairs nearby.
By this point, the rest of the gang had rushed in.
"Scooby!" Velma exclaimed.
"Garfield, are you alright?" Shaggy asked as they rushed towards him.
Garfield felt his back before he replied, "I'm fine, though I'm doubtful it is."
He gestured towards the monster, now in a pile of damaged tables and chairs, with his flashlight as he made the remark, while Fred and Velma walked over to the monster, upon which the former pulled the mask off and revealing a man behind it.
"Bubba Joe!" The head waitress, who was standing outside the door, exclaimed in recognition, prompting the gang and Garfield to turn towards her.
"You know him, Miss...?" Fred prompted.
"Lenoir. Simone Lenoir." Simone introduced herself. "I'm not just the head waitress, I also own the restaurant. Bubba Joe used to be supply the crawdad for the dishes, but we discontinued ordering crawdad from him after we found out he's been overinflating the prices for less product and warned the other restaurants in the area about his sleezy practices."
"It will seem like he's trying to get even by stealing recipes from your restaurant, Miss Lenoir." Velma spoke as Garfield reached into the costume and pulled out several recipe pages. "No doubt the theft of your secret recipes would've cost a fortune from the lost revenue."
"And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids and that chien!" Bubba Joe exclaimed as he glared at Scooby.
After Bubba Joe was led away in handcuffs by the police, Simone said to the gang, "I don't know how to thank you kids for stopping what could've been a disastrous theft."
"No need to thank us, Miss Lenoir, although given the damage caused by Bubba Joe's crawdad monster disguise, I suppose nobody's gonna finish their meals." Fred said.
"Afraid not." Simone shook her head.
"Speaking of which, how was the food at the hotel restaurant?" Daphne asked as she turned towards Shaggy and Scooby.
"Best tagine with chili." Shaggy responded as he and Scooby rubbed their stomachs and licked their lips before adding, "Although it would seem that you guys were in the middle of enjoying yours when the monster attacked."
"We were, and it was a shame, because the lamb tagine and crawfish amandine were the best." Garfield responded.
"You ordered two main courses, Garfield?" Shaggy asked. "Like, the food must be really good here."
"Which rakes it re bigger rame." Scooby added, prompting Shaggy to nod in agreement.
Simone chuckled as she gestured towards the cook and said, "All of that was Lena's cooking, she's the best chef I have."
"Then, we're gonna have to thank you for preparing such a delicious meal." Fred smiled as they turned towards Lena.
"All for a good effort." Lena smiled back. "And since you all seemed to have enjoyed our meals, perhaps you'd like to join us at our plantation mansion for the autumn harvest feast this coming Friday?"
The gang exchanged glances with one another before Garfield said, "I don't see why not. After all, we are only staying here in New Orleans for a couple of days."
"Agreed, Garfield." Velma nodded.
"We accept your invitation." Daphne said.
"Excellent." Simone smiled before she turned towards Shaggy and Scooby and continued, "The only thing I would suggest from you is to keep your dog on a leash, since we do have a lot of cats at the mansion that...don't take kindly to having outsiders in the mansion."
"Like, Scooby is a well-trained dog, ma'am." Shaggy said. "He'll be at his best behaviour, right Scoob?"
Scooby didn't say anything for a moment, which prompted Shaggy to elbow him and said, "Scoob?"
"Ruh?" Scooby said before he realized they were looking at him, and then he nodded and said, "Reah, reah."
October 23, 1973
Location: Somewhere in the Himalayas, near the Tibet-Nepal border
The fire in his study was the only thing keeping him warm with the massive snowstorm outside.
Well, actually, not quite. Thanks to the thermal insulation he had installed (although conjured up is a more appropriate description of such, given his...skill sets that are...magical in nature) in the castle walls, the castle itself is adequately warm enough without the need to employ his warming spell or lit the fire in the fireplace.
However, there was something about sitting around or near a controlled fire in the middle of the cold that has its certain appeals to mortals, and for someone his age, he could certainly see how mortal civilization flourished in thanks to fire.
Technically, as a warlock, he does have a longer lifespan than mortals, and if one were to take a look at him, it would be forgiven to think that he's in his fifties while in reality, he is old enough to have been acquainted with the ancient Roman and Chinese emperors, the Greek deities and King Arthur himself on a personal level.
To be considered as an old-schooled warlock or witch, one must be around and active in the wizarding circles by the time the Olympian charter was granted for the establishment of Marston University of Advanced Magical Studies in 1106, and he certainly fit into that category.
However, being gifted with powerful mana, he could still get exhausted after using up most of it during, let's say, a fierce battle with a magical creature or other warlocks and witches who had chosen to use their powers for nefarious purposes.
And there is no other warlock who was more powerful and nefarious than his own ancestor Asamad, whose rise in power was through the patronage of the King of the Olympians himself, Zeus.
It was Asamad's rise that made his betrayal in joining Hades and Ares' insurrection against Zeus' rule all the more tragic, especially after he was captured following the failure of the insurrection, Ares' death and Hades' banishment to the underworld.
He had always wondered whether Asamad's transformation into the Demon King Asmodeous was forced upon by Lady Pallas, or was it voluntary.
But for centuries, he never really mustered up the courage to ask that question to the remaining Olympians, not when the instructors at Saronic Academy of Magical Arts saw his potential, a potential to become more powerful than even his dastardly ancestor.
And it was that fear of him following down the path his ancestor took that also led him to drive others away, especially in the aftermath of that fateful duel on the mountaintop 1932 years ago.
As a member of the Athenians of the Class of 36, he was in the company of distinguished wizards and witches, who were not just his classmates in the Saronic Academy. They were also his friends, sharing a tight bond that are akin to siblings.
Among them included dear Miranda, who at one point was engaged to him not long after they graduated from the Saronic Academy.
But along came that fateful duel on the mountaintop in 41, and as the realization of the destruction he caused sank in, on account of just how powerful he is, consumed by fear and regret, he immediately called off the engagement and shut off all contact, while vowing to never take his powers for granted.
If there was a silver lining from that fateful duel, it's that he emerged more enlightened and wiser, knowing to not lose control of his powers and keeping them in check, aware of the destructive potential they hold should he unleash them the same way he did in the duel.
Even so, it would be centuries before his crossing paths with his companion and the act of rescuing a magical baby from drowning while trying to get away from witch hunters slowly opened him back up and reconnect with his old gang.
He was awakened from his thoughts when he caught a glimpse of his crystal ball flashing. Lifting his left hand from the arm rest of his arm chair, the crystal ball gently glided from the night stand and into his hand.
"How did it went, Miranda?" He asked in greeting as his former fiancé's face appeared on the crystal ball.
"Smooth like a charm, Vincent." Miranda smiled as she slowly removed her disguise as the waitress Laura. "Boris certainly played the part well, and those kids and their dog have accepted the invitation to go to Moonscar Island for the harvest feast."
"Excellent." He nodded. "What are your impressions on those kids?"
"I can tell you for starters that I have detected inactive mana within three of those kids and their Great Dane." Miranda responded. "Must say the dog and two of them have quite the appetites."
"I see." He nodded again. "Anything else to note?"
"Well, one of them, the Canadian, the mana in his bloodstream is different...different than the ones I've detected in the other two and the dog." Miranda explained.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What makes his mana different, Miranda?"
"It's not very common for starters." Miranda replied. "I've taken the liberty of acquiring a sample of his mana from the footprints on Boris' costume after the crawdad monster took quite the kick from him, and I'll reach out to Sōkichi at the Japanese Ministry of Magic to get a hand on what the contents are. However..."
Miranda paused, which prompted him to arch his eyebrows in anticipation as she gathered her thoughts.
"...judging from the way he fought off Boris' disguise, then if my hunch is correct, we are looking at someone who will be the subject of the prophecy of the Dragon Instinctor, Vincent." Miranda finished. "Someone who is uniquely powerful, not necessarily in magic the same way you are, but rather through a combination of skillsets, some of which are mortal in nature, that compensate, and in some cases, even further enhance, the mana."
"I see." He nodded. "And what about the other two with mana and the dog?"
"I have not been able to obtain a sample of their respective manas just yet." Miranda said. "However, one of them carries a purse that has an inscription that would be of your interest, Vincent."
His eyebrows arched, he asked, "What is it?"
Miranda conjured up a projection of a purse with the inscription in question, and she looked on as he realized the inscription looked awfully familiar.
"Is that...?" He began.
"...the inscription on the cloth wrapped around the magical boy whose life you've saved while you were trying to escape from those witch hunters in 1692? Yes it is, Vincent." Miranda finished. "She must be his descendant."
"Indeed she must be." He agreed and sighed. "In any way, I suppose we were destined to cross paths with the Blake clan once again."
"Especially after the boy's mother saved your life in return after you were captured." Miranda nodded. "Which also means we need to be on guard for what's to be discovered on Moonscar Island. Now, I know that your companion Mortifer's well into his cover as the gardener at the estate, but should the need arises...?"
"If anything we've seen so far from those kids are any indication, they should be adequately prepared for what's to come on the island." He finished. "That being said, it is essential that Mortifer have the chance to cross paths with the trio and dog and prepare them for what's to come after Moonscar Island, because it's not going to be anything like their adventure in Persia and crossing paths with the genie Jadal."
"And what's to come involves the release of the demons from the Cursed Chest." Miranda concurred. "And the dark forces that are aligning."
As you may have noticed, the backstory behind Asamad's transformation into the demon Asmodeous by Athena (Lady Pallas), the utilization of the Saronic Academy of Magical Arts, the Athenians of the Class of 36 and the key dates in the events of Vincent's life are based on Crystal Rose of Pollux's ongoing Season 2 of 13GSD project.
Special thanks to them for providing permission and inspiration of using their characters and settings.
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