"Mr. Duckowitz, I think you are underestimating the severity of the situation." Deputy sat with his arms crossed, scowling as the light blue Duck rolling his eyes across from him. Surrounding the two were Romeo, Rudy, and Allen's three attorney's all in matching orange suits."
"With all due to respect, Ranger, I can fend for myself. I've been fighting since I was four years old. I'm not afraid of some Silly Rabbit or any of his tricks!" Allen crossed his legs and shrugged nonchalantly, unwilling to listen or ignoring the danger he was in.
Deputy stood up and rubbed his hand down his face, dragging his eyes and nose with it. "Allen. I have been dealing with Anti-Toons for over thirty years. I don't think you understand how dangerous these Toons are. "Stupid" Rabbit is not a Toon to be messed with. Even the best of our Rangers has struggled to bring him to justice. He has constantly escaped evasion, even though we have at least fourteen deaths attributable to him. He is very good at covering his tracks.. and trust me, these victims don't die a peaceful death. I am asking you to please re-consider. Romeo, can you talk some sense into this bird-brain?"
Laughing nervously, Romeo looked to his brother, who was now glaring at Deputy. "Allen. Listen to the detective. I did some research into these Anti-Toons and they are no joke. Rudy and I have already taken the security because we're worried. Please, do it for us." kneeling down, he watched his brother measure his response. Before anybody else could speak there was a light knock on the door, before a dark red rabbit entered. "Mom!" Romeo screamed, hopping to his feet.
"Allen! Romeo!" the rabbit sprinted over and threw her arms around the two ducks, laughing mirthfully before separating herself and tapping her foot. "Allen, what the hell is going on? I finally get home and I find out you've been arrested?" turning she noticed the older green dog with his arms behind his back. "Oh my cog, Deputy Skids? Allen WHAT DID YOU DO!" she nearly screamed.
"Mom, it's just a big misunderstanding. I got in a fight with some guys who were ganging up on me, it's not really a big deal!" the duck suddenly had a much more fearful tone in his voice as the Matriarch Duckowitz stared him down.
Nobody wanted to speak up, but eventually Deputy saw fit. "Clara. I'm sorry we have to see each other after such a long time under these circumstances. I'm glad to see you made it home safely.."
"Oh Skids, just cut it please. What happened? Can someone just tell me what's going on?" Clara grabbed her ears, tugging them anxiously.
Creating a triangle with his hands, Deputy covered his mouth and exhaled. "Clara. One of the victims was a Mr. Dumb Dumb Dumb Rabbit.."
Clara nearly fainted at the mention of the name. "Wait.. you don't mean?"
"I'm afraid so." Deputy responded quickly and quietly. "Brother of Stupid Stupid Stupid Rabbit."
Rudy looked around as all of the older toons who began to fidget uncomfortably. "Well, it's going to be okay, right? Allen is going to take the security team and everything should be fine.."
"Rudy, just shut up. This is your fault. I'm not taking any security team. Besides, I did nothing wrong. That punk rabbit instigated the whole thing! Plus the attorney's here just told me that they are re-considering the charges because they believe that he was poisoned and so him dying wasn't really my fault!"
"Allen. You KILLED someone?" Clara had to cling onto a couch to stop herself from falling backwards. She was so angry she began to feel dizzy.
"Mom, he didn't do it!" Romeo came to his brother's defense. "He's telling the truth. The rabbit came up and started it! Plus he totally died from something else!"
The middle mouse nodded and interrupted. "Well, in a way yes. Of course, the investigation is ongoing, but initial reports are that Mr. Rabbit's demise was a revenge murder by a rival Anti-Toon hang that was connected to his brother. Now, saying this, it does not clear Allen from charges. We are still looking at several assault charges that we will be fighting."
"To piggy-back off of John for a moment." the oldest mouse spoke up. "We were able to get the case moved to Minnie's Melodyland. We were worried about an inherit bias against Allen within Slapstick Villa, as they do tend to have a more.. let's say elite residency. Anyways, this will also make security detail a bit easier as now it will be handled by the Melodyland Rangers. They have a lot more experience dealing with Mr. Rabbit and are familiar with his tactics. We feel this is the safest place for Allen during the trial."
The room was silent as everybody tried to process everything that was happening. The large group of Toons all had similar thoughts, but nobody wanted to speak up. It was clear that Allen had gotten himself and his family into hot water. "So.. I hate to bring it up but I do want to remind you Mr. Duckowitz that our services are within Slapstick Villa, and that we will require additional fees to continue our work in Melodyland.."
Romeo gulped. He was already running on fumes. He couldn't afford anything further. Before he could speak, he was taken over by his mom. "Fine. But I want to see my son cleared of all charges." Clara ripped out a gigantic jellybean bank and began dumping them onto the attorney's office floor. "Skids.."
Deputy looked up, still eyeing the amazing amount of money that he had just witnessed. "Yeah, Clara?"
"That rabbit lays a finger on either of my sons, you better make sure that you get to him first." Clara spoke bluntly and without any sense hint of sarcasm. Rudy began to worry even more. Squeezing Romeo's hand, she felt him slowly pull away. Biting her lip, she looked down at the ground.
"Alright everybody. How about we call it a day. I'll be escorting Allen back to his hotel and then I have to go." looking to Romeo and Rudy, he motioned to Clara. :You think you could take them home? I have to get back to Toontown Central as soon as I can, Mayor Cupcake has been on me all day about some urgent matter."
Everybody stood up, except for the three mice attorney's who blindly reached for the pile of jellybeans on the floor, scattering to save their small fortune from the fate of being squashed by the feet of their guests. Allen stood behind with Romeo and hugged him for a few moments, before taking leave with Deputy Skids. Silently hoping this would not be the last time they would see each other.
Rudy and Romeo, along with Clara finally made it back to Romeo's bakery. Romeo and Rudy had been too afraid to open the door, convinced that there would be an explosion, or maybe somebody waiting on the other side, so they waited outside as the rabbit investigated, finally giving them the go ahead. This was officially the first time she had seen the restaurant, which made her sad. She had been away the entire time. The two younger Toons had caught her up on (mostly) everything, leaving out the affair and subsequent argument. "Romeo, this place looks amazing. I can't believe how well you guys have been doing running this place all by yourself! Of course, I never had any doubt with you two love-birds!" Clara beamed at her son, who laughed hesitantly.
"Yeah. I mean if you don't count the near-bankruptcy, it's going great!" Romeo sarcastically responded, frustrated with himself.
"Don't beat yourself up, hon. When I was your age I was running gags for the gag shop as an assistant. I never could have imagined running my own business! Besides, I already told you I will be paying you back for Allen's expenses, which you shouldn't have had to deal with anyways! You know you could have always called Will, he would have helped!"
Rudy looked at Romeo and shrugged at the mention of the other Toon. "Um, Mrs. Duckowitz, who is Will?"
"Ah, Rudy. I'm surprised Romeo has never brought him up. Will is my younger brother. He's kind of like my Romeo to my Allen. I was always the hot-head in the family, while he was the sweet, gentle one."
"Mom. I thought Uncle Will was still living with Jeremiah in Valentoonia? I don't even know his whisper information!" Romeo rolled his eyes.
Clara tapped her foot and shook her head. "Romeo, it's okay you wanted to help your brother! It's very sweet, but it's okay to rely on others sometimes! You don't need to do everything alone!" rubbing her son's shoulder she smiled. "Anyways, I still haven't had a chance to stop home by since I've gotten back from Cog Nation." pondering, she picked up a spare chef's hat and put it on. "Hmm. You know, I could really go for a good home-cooked meal. How do you two feel about coming over tonight? I was thinking we can make some pizza and watch a movie or something!"
Rudy twisted her arms, clenching her hands and smiling. "Mrs. Duckowitz, that sounds lovely! I'd love to come over. Romeo and I have already finished today's orders and we're off tomorrow! I think we could afford to take some time off.. together.." her words tailed off which caught the silent notice of Clara.
"I don't know mom. I mean, what about Allen? Plus there's still a lot of cleaning.." Romeo kicked his foot around.
Staring sadly at Rudy, Clara quickly averted her attention to Romeo. "Come on hon. I've been gone for two months. Are you too old to spend time with your old mom?" walking over she began making smooching sounds, exaggeratedly trying to kiss her son. "You're still mommy's little baby!"
Rudy giggled as she watched Romeo flustered, jumping back. "Fine, mom! We'll be there tonight! Can you give us some time to get cleaned up though? I really don't want to fall behind!"
"Alright sweetheart. I'll see you guys tonight!" hugging Romeo and Rudy, the mature red rabbit made her way out of the restaurant, skipping her way home. Shortly after she left, the pair began to finish their cleaning, neither speaking. A few minutes after, they heard the front doorbell as somebody walked in.
"Sounds like your mom is back.." Rudy stated, confused. Walking out to the front counter, stared confused. She was sure they locked the front door, however an older pink horse in a large blue trench coat as standing, admiring the scenery. "Um, can I help you sir?"
Removing his hands from his pocket, the horse grinned awkwardly at Rudy. "Ah, yes young lady. I am a.. I'm a business owner around here and I was walking by and I noticed this fine establishment. I just figured I'd stop in. I believe I saw a blue duck from the window? Would it be possible I could talk to him?"
Rudy began to feel unsettled, as the strange horse adjusted his jacket. "Um sorry sir. Romeo isn't here right now. He had to step out to get some ingredients. Would you like me to leave a message for him?"
"Romeo..?" the horse pulled out a piece of paper and shook his head. "Um. No. No thank you, ma'am. You have a great day." quickly exiting the restaurant, the bell rang out. Rudy jogged back into the kitchen where Romeo was still busily cleaning.
"Who was that Rudy?" Romeo inquired, confused.
Rudy thought about her answer, unsure herself at the unusual Toon. "Just some lost Toon. Anyways, let's get going soon, your mom is waiting."
Raindrop hadn't felt this good in as long as he could remember. He had spent a good hour talking with Reessess about all sorts of things, one of them being Pippy. She had not held back on letting him know how she felt, as usual, and surprisingly it made him feel better. Rolling down the school hallway, he didn't even care about all of the students silently staring at him, as he bopped to the music playing through his headphones. It was his first official day back at school. He was graduating in about a month and a half anyways, but his parents had convinced him to go back and finish so he would feel a sense of normalcy. He didn't realize how much of a slow the first few classes of the day would be, and it was certainly awkward as the teachers tried to make a big deal out of him returning, but he survived and it was finally lunch. As he made his way into the cafeteria, he was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of Toons after spending the last few weeks in near-isolation.
Pippy and Mandy sat at a small steel table, chatting and laughing. "So Mandy, have you and Billy.. you know?" the cream mouse winked and watched as the purple duck fidgeted around.
"Ugh, Pippy. Why did you have to remind me! He's so gross! He smells like wet doodle!" the pair laughed. "Anyways, I heard Charles asked you out.. So..."
"Yeah.." Pippy responded, attempting to seem enthusiastic.
Mandy tilted her head and furrowed her brow. "Gosh, sound a bit more excited would you? I mean, he's HOT. Plus his family is loaded. Seems like a win-win!"
"I guess. I was still kind of hoping that somebody would else. But I'm sure it will be fun" Pippy sounded disappointed as her unfavored suitor.
Raindrop stared across the room and kept notice on the two Toons talking across the room. He wasn't going to give into his anxiety this time. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself across the room, splitting Toons like the red sea, and with a determination he hadn't felt since before his unfortunate injury. Stopping in front of the two, they stared at him quietly as he stared back, suddenly losing his confidence. "Hey Rain, how's it going!" Mandy was the first to speak.
Reessess had told him about this. She told him he'd get into his own head and that he needed to just go for it. "Pippy, do you want to go to the dance with me?" he nearly shouted it, echoing through the cafeteria, causing a large swarm of his eyes to become fixated on the three.
"Raindrop.. I'm really sorry." Pippy struggled to get out. Why couldn't he have asked her before? "Charles already asked me if I would go with him and I said yes..." she felt guilty as she watched the dark blue dog's face drooped in disappointment. "But you know, I'm free this weekend. I'd love to do something if you have time?"
His face lighting up like a thousand light bulbs, Raindrop almost jumped to his non-existent feet. "Um. Yeah, Yeah that would be great! Um, maybe this Saturday?" he pumped his fist underneath him as he watched the two Toons start giggling and smiling, Mandy pushing Pippy a bit.
"Finally!" Mandy teased. "Gosh, now if someone besides Billy would ask me.."
Raindrop said goodbye and rolled out of the cafeteria, grinning like a fool and trying to contain his excitement. He had a date with Pippy! It finally seemed like things were looking up!
Bloople pulled into the gargantuan parking lot of Silly World. The entire drive had been two young girls bouncing up and down, squealing with excitement, and one older green cat who was also bouncing and squealing with excitement. This was Bloople's first time to Silly World as well, and while he was excited he did feel a bit empty. He could not forget the promise that Pickle would be going when she returned home, which now she would never be able to do. But she wouldn't want him to be sad, because this was just as much about him as it was for them. After driving around for what seemed like an eternity, they found a parking spot and all took a long exhale. For the next three days, it was just going to be about fun and relaxation. Or so he thought as soon as they parked the other three burst out of the doors and were already sprinting towards the entrance. Laughing to himself, Bloople stepped out of the car and gave chase. "Hey guys wait up for me, I'm old and slow!"
The four were amazed at the sheer size of Silly World. It was certainly the largest of any Toontown Playground, far eclipsing anything he had ever seen. Screams of excitement, the smell of delicious foods, and upbeat, silly music filled the air. Bloople grabbed Hula's hand as he they walked along to the front gate with Clover and Miko who were pointing to various rides and activities and nearly vibrating with pure joy. "Ooh, Miss Clover can we go on the teacups?"
"Sure, but you better hold on because I'm not going to hold back. But we definitely need to hit the roller-coaster!" Clover chuckled. Bloople was amazed at how quickly Miko and Hula had adjusted to Clover being in the home, and how much she seemed to enjoy spending time with them. He had been so worried about someone rejecting him due to his parental status, but he was completely wrong, and glad to be.
"Hmm. Well I don't know about you girls, but I'm pretty hungry. Who wants a churro?" Bloople smiled at the unison of cheers coming from the other three. The next few hours were a whirlwind of fun. Clover hadn't been kidding when she said she wasn't going to hold back. Bloople had to immediately run to a trash can and release his churro back to the world. Unfortunately for Hula, she was too short to go on some of the rides, much to her disappointment. Fortunately Silly World allowed Bloople and Clover to each go on rides with Miko while the other one took Hula on a nearby ride which seemed to work. Nearly half-way through the day, the group had hardly scratched the surface of all there was to do. Silly World was broken up into various different "Play-Areas" which were usually themed.
As the evening neared, Hula had fallen asleep as Bloople carried her along, her head slumped over his shoulders, and a flashing colored balloon tied to her wrist, bouncing through the air. "Hey Bloople, my feet are starting to feel all of the excitement, how about we head back to the hotel?" Clover purred out, trying to keep her eyes off of the cotton candy stand they passed by, licking her lips. "Plus it looks like Hula is all sillied out."
"Yeah, I guess that's true. We still have two days ahead of us, no need to overdo it on the first day!"
"Aw, come on dad. Can we go on one more ride, please!" Miko begged, putting on her saddest, widest eyes.
Bloople and Clover looked at each other, immediately recognizing what the other was thinking. "Hmm. What do you think Bloople. I mean, do you think she screamed enough on the roller-coaster?"
"You're right, Clover. It doesn't sound like she was having very much fun at all. Maybe it's best we go back.." he had to stifle laughter as he watched the purple mouse stomp her feet.
"Dad! I was screaming a whole bunch and having a ton of fun! I promise!" Miko dropped down and put her hands together.
Clover smiled and rubbed Miko's head. "Well Bloople, how can we say no? How about we go on one more? I see the Merry-Go-Round, that looks fun.."
Miko had already sprinted off, screaming as loudly as she could to prove her excitement, stopping to turn around and motion for the others to follow. "Come on, there's no one in line!"
Grabbing Clover's hand, Bloople smiled and the remaining three went off to enjoy one last ride.