AN: The idea for this story came from PPKLS, who suggested a "short, funny ride with the Owl and Jagged Stone" after reading "Tit for Tat." I couldn't just leave it with the two of them, though; they really needed an "adult" to play off of. So here you go! This is the sequel to "Along Came Anansi," so I'll give you three guesses who their adult "chaperone" is going to be…

Given that this is about Jagged Stone and the Owl, there are also some significant connections back to their previous team-up in "Tit for Tat," so I would encourage you to read both "Tit for Tat" and "Along Came Anansi" before reading this story. Most of the connections get explained, but not everything.

As always with my multi-chapter stories, this story is entirely written and will be updated on a daily basis.

M. Damocles rubbed his eyes blearily, forcing himself to concentrate. The bright fluorescent lighting in his office strained his eyes as he stared at the expense report for the next night's governors' meeting. He'd taught math for 20 years before becoming an administrator, but for some reason the budgetary figures were making as much sense as Egyptian hieroglyphics tonight. Perhaps he had spent too long staring at his computer today. Or dealing with unruly students: in addition to his regular duties, he had needed to discipline two students – Lê Chiến Kim and Alix Kubdel, of course – for racing horses in the hallway (where they got horses from was beyond him…). M. Damocles rolled his neck and casually glanced out the window. His breath caught in his throat.

There, on the roof across from his office, a darker shadow against the falling darkness, stood a figure. He could tell the person was athletically built – even at a distance, with their figure obscured by the dark, he could tell this mysterious person could break Armand, his physical education teacher and fencing instructor, over one knee without breaking a sweat. "A skulker," he observed, eyes lighting up in anticipation. "He does not look like any of my colleagues, the Heroes of Paris, so he must be a villain! But what could he be doing here tonight, so close to the Owl's neighborhood? I must investigate!"

He looked over at one of his owl pictures; the owl looked back at him without blinking. "Yes, Albert," he told the picture, "I know I promised Cat Noir that I would focus on helping people near the school… Yes, they did say not to go patrolling and looking for trouble. But I am neither patrolling nor looking for trouble this evening; the trouble is right there outside my window, staring at me! And when trouble finds the Owl, the Owl must respond!"

He pulled the blinds closed before hurrying over to his map of Paris. On pressing a knothole in the paneling beneath the map, the map retracted to reveal his new Owl suit hanging on a mannequin. The suit itself looked similar to his original Owl suit, but with a more subdued logo and darker coloration. The ears on the cowl were much smaller than the original. Displayed around the suit were various collectibles and gear. Above his prized "Knightowl" comic books, he had hung up a framed picture of himself alongside Queen Bee, Impératrice Pourpre, and a then-depowered Jagged Stone, one of several photos taken by the press after the four of them had foiled an attempted robbery at a fashion show nearly two months earlier. Beside this photo was another, a selfie he had taken with King Monkey in the fall after the latter invited him to join the Heroes of Paris. King Monkey had a silly grin on his face and was holding up two fingers in a "V" as they had an arm on each other's shoulders. M. Damocles took a moment to admire the pictures – proof that he had truly made it: he was a superhero!

He couldn't admire his trophies forever, however: this skulker was not going to bring himself to justice!

M. Damocles retrieved the suit and utility belt, grabbing a few of his new Owlet boomerangs to stuff in their special compartments on his utility belt. "Ah, fits like a glove!" he commented, grunting as he squeezed into the suit and clasped the belt around his waist. "Although, perhaps I should take King Monkey up on that offer to train together," he decided. "After tomorrow's budget meeting, of course." He checked to make sure that his grappling hook and wrist-mounted fire extinguisher were both operational before muttering, "I must ask Pegasus about that electrified grapple gun cable."

A few minutes later, the Owl ran down the school steps, stopping at the bottom to catch his breath. The skulker he had seen across the street was no longer atop the roof where he had first spotted him; for a moment he despaired of finding the criminal and bringing him to justice. However, a movement under the streetlight near the end of the block caught his eye. There! The skulker was looming menacingly over two people! He was going to attack them and rob them! The Owl took off at a sprint, racing to reach the scene before it was too late.

The skulker drew back a fist to attack one of the innocents. The range was too far for his grappling hook, so the Owl reached into his utility belt and pulled out an Owlet. He stopped running, drew the boomerang back, took careful aim, and threw with all of his might at the skulker. The Owlet flew over the skulker's head and clanged against a traffic light. The skulker stopped mid-punch and turned to look at the traffic light. The Owl cursed his poor aim and raced to close the gap, heaving deep gasping breaths as his legs burned from the unaccustomed exertion.

As he approached, he finally got a good look at the situation. The skulker wore a dark yellow outfit that hid his face. He held a young man by the collar and was bending his wrist back to break his hold on the knife with which the young man was trying to defend himself. Beyond them stood a poor woman around his own age that the Owl recognized as living down the block. He could see the contents of her purse strewn on the sidewalk around her

"Unhand him, you cretin!" shouted the Owl, raising his fists as he reached the scene. The young man had dropped his knife, and the skulker had just released his grip on him, drawing back the fist for another strike. The Owl lunged forward and punched the skulker in the arm. He immediately retracted his stinging fist, shaking it to ward off the pain. Before the skulker could react, the Owl threw himself at his waist. The skulker yelled in surprise, lost his balance, and fell to the ground with the Owl on top of him. The Owl looked up at the young man, who was staring at him in shock. "Nothing to fear, citizen! Leave this to… the Owl! Hoo hoo!"

"What are you doing!?" the skulker grunted, pushing himself – with the Owl still on his back – up onto his hands and knees. He leaned backward, and the Owl fell off his back, landing on his rear with a surprised yelp. The skulker stood up and turned to face him. The Owl caught a brief glimpse through the skuler's mask of his eyes narrowed angrily before they grew wide in surprise and confusion. "Wait… you're that Bird-Brain hero, aren't you?"

The Owl pushed himself to his feet, placing himself in front of the young man. He drew himself to his full height, held out his hands to spread his cape, and announced, "You happen to be facing off against The Owl, Defender of Paris! Hoo hoo!"

The skulker scoffed. Through the helmet mask the Owl could see him raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay, Pigeon Boy. So are you sure you want to defend this poor, able-bodied young man with a knife from the big, bad, old lady whose purse he was trying to snatch?"

The Owl dropped his cape and looked behind him at the young man who was even now reaching to pick up his knife. The trembling woman had taken advantage of their distraction to scamper and hide behind the skulker in order to get as far away from the young man as she could. The Owl felt heat blooming on his cheeks. "Oh, um… no, you – you go right ahead and you do what you were going to do," he finally choked out.

"Do you mind?" The skulker glared at him.

The Owl shuffled sheepishly to the side. Before he'd taken more than a couple steps, the skulker took one step forward, planted his foot, and kicked the purse snatcher in the side of the head before he could react. He fell to the ground, and the only sound he made was the wet thud of his head hitting the sidewalk.

The Owl withdrew his "Owl-Phone" from its pouch on his utility belt and pressed the speed dial for the police dispatch. "Yes, hello, this is the Owl! I have captured – that is to say, we've captured – a thief! One block south of Françoise Dupont… You have someone in the area? Excellent!" Returning the phone to its place on his belt, the Owl turned to the woman and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Rest easy now, citizen! You are safe! No need for thanks! All in a night's work for the Owl!" The woman gave him a skeptical look. "Okay," he admitted sheepishly. "All in a night's work for the Owl and–" he stopped and looked at the skulker "–what's your name, young man?"

"Anansi," she replied, scoffing, "and who says I'm a man?"

"All in a night's work for the Owl and his trusty sidekick, Anansi!" He turned back to look at Anansi, only to find her stalking down the street away from him. He jogged after her to catch up. "So where to now, trusty companion?"

"For you?" she retorted, looking him up and down. "Retirement home, probably. Isn't it past your bedtime? Now get lost, Gramps. Some of us have actual work to do."

"Ah!" He grinned and gave her a conspiratorial look. "On patrol, I see! Looking for criminals and ne'er-do-wells to bring to justice! I shall join you on this mission!"

"You've got bats in the belfry if you think I'm going to team up with you. I'm not like those fancy, colorful Heroes of Paris you run with. I work alone." Anansi sped up.

"As do I," the Owl replied, grinning broadly and jogging to keep pace. "Shall we work alone, together?"

Anansi stopped. "You do realize that's not what 'alone' means, don't you? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of smart guy?"

"'Some kind of smart guy'?" he repeated indignantly. He drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "I will have you know that I am a renowned, award-winning educator! Er – I mean–"

"You're a teacher," Anansi said flatly. "Are you for real?"

"Um…"

She groaned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "Fine. Whatever. If you're tagging along you'd better keep up. We're wasting moonlight, and we've got a lot of ground to cover, Professor."

The Owl's new suit gets explained a little more in the next chapter, but he received a few upgrades courtesy of the Heroes of Paris (mostly Max/Pegasus) after he earned his "Badge of Basic Competence" in "Tit for Tat."