AN: This chapter may have been the most amusing to write, but it was also the hardest. So unfortunately this is the only chapter from Jagged Stone's perspective in this story.
To anonymousfriend27: It will come up again in the next story, but Anansi's biggest failing is that she's too direct to effectively interrogate anyone. The Owl, however, has plenty of experience getting the truth from students (even if his track record isn't as good as he thinks it is *cough*Lila*cough*).
To Speckleflower: The Owl can, indeed be competent! But there are still a couple chapters to go…
Jagged Stone – no; not Jagged Stone tonight, it was too rock-and-roll a night for that; Guitar Hero! – was in his element! He was on the streets of Paris, looking for the people who had tried to hurt his Penny, and nothing was going to stop him! He threw his arm around the Owl, careful not to smack his buddy in the head with his guitar, and grinned from ear to ear. The Owl grinned back at him even as he stumbled under Guitar Hero's added weight. Anansi stood on the sidewalk, looking suspiciously at Fang, who was still lying across the carjacker's legs. Anansi, however, had taken one of Guitar Hero's microphone cords and used it to truss the criminal up to wait for the police officers whom the Owl had called.
Guitar Hero threw out his arm to beckon Anansi over, and called, "C'mon, love! Paris calls!"
Anansi just rolled her eyes before turning and starting down the street, Fang plodding along behind her. The Owl slipped out from under Guitar Hero's arm to follow them, leaving Guitar Hero jogging to catch up. However, nothing could get him down on this night! That evening's concert had been his best one yet, and the night was just beginning! He was protecting his adopted city with his new friends, and he could already feel the inspiration for a new song coming on:
Fighting evil in the dead of night:
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
Evil beware, we'll bring on the fight:
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
Without meaning to, Guitar Hero began to hum the melody that sprang to mind of its own accord to accompany the words that were almost writing themselves in his mind as the three heroes moved down the deserted sidewalks together. Anansi strode purposefully, setting a brisk pace. Guitar Hero hurried to keep up with her, Fang trailing behind them. The Owl ducked and dove from bench to streetlight, hiding behind his cape and attempting to blend into the–
"Everyone can see you, Bird Brain," Anansi ground out, interrupting Guitar Hero's thoughts. "If you're trying for stealth, maybe you need to go back to primary school." She turned to look at the Owl. "Next lesson: acting suspicious will just make people notice you. It's better to just act normally. Besides, there's no way we can really avoid notice tonight with–" she nodded her head in the direction Guitar Hero and Fang "–with us."
"Oi!" Guitar Hero retorted indignantly. "I happen to know exactly how to blend into a crowd!" He threw an arm around her shoulder, leaned in close, and said, "What? You think I'm the real Jagged Stone? Naw, mate, can't be. He's sooo much cooler! I'm actually just his lamer-but-still-totally-awesome brother, Crooked Stone!"
"Subtle," Anansi deadpanned, pushing his arm off her shoulder.
The Owl is fearless
Anansi is fierce
Guitar Hero, the best of the best!
"What are you singing, Tortuous?" Anansi finally asked.
"What, this?" He sang a few lines. "Just a new rock ballad I'm writing about our adventure tonight!" Guitar Hero grinned, took a deep breath, spread his arms, and belted out at the top of his lungs:
"Threaten the peace
and you're a pile of grease
The Owl, Anan–"
Anansi clamped a hand over his mouth and glared at him. "Sing another word, and I break your teeth!"
Guitar Hero scoffed around the hand gripping his mouth. She released him and he complained, "Some people just don't understand the creative process."
"Is that what you're calling it?"
As they walked down deserted streets in silence, Guitar Hero started moving his head in time with the melody he could still hear in his head. But the song couldn't just stay in; he had to let it out! He started humming, softly at first but getting a little louder. The Owl, walking by his side, hummed along, moving his hand to the beat. As Guitar Hero hummed, the Owl started adding some rhythm. "I should have you record this with me!" Guitar Hero told him, nodding approvingly. He stopped next to a trash can, pulled out his drumsticks, and started laying down a drum line. Fang slapped the light post with his tail in time to the beat.
We don't fear the darkness
We thrive in the light
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
Suddenly Anansi grabbed the drumsticks out of his hands and threw them down the street. They clattered on the sidewalk and rolled into the grass. Fang bounded away to retrieve them. "Which part of 'avoiding notice' confused you two!?"
"Heh, sorry, love," Guitar Hero mumbled running a hand through his hair. "Guess I got a bit carried away in the creative spirit!"
"'Creative spirit,' huh?" she scoffed. "Seriously, Rocks-for-Brains, whatever you decide to do with this 'adventure,' leave my name out of it!"
At that moment they all heard a yowl and hiss from the lawn where Fang crouched over the drumsticks. They all turned to find the source of the sound and saw a small orange cat sitting in front of Fang with one paw out, claws extended, and its hair standing up on end, hissing. Fang had his mouth open and tongue hanging out; from the cat's bedraggled appearance it was clear that the crocodile had just licked the cat's front. And behind the cat stood a lady staring in wide-eyed terror, pointing a shaking finger at the crocodile and just opening her mouth to scream.
"Oh no," Anansi groaned, face-palming.
The Owl rushed forward, putting his hands out in a placating manner. "Do not fear, citizen! We are simply the Heroes of Paris, out fighting the forces of evil with our noble Guard-Crocodile!" Fang perked his head up and panted at that. "You have nothing to fear when we are here!" The woman stared at him in open-mouthed shock as he picked up the cat – the cat batted at the owl ears on his cowl and growled – and placed it in her hands before escorting her back to the apartment building door, holding the door open, and nudging her back inside.
"Wait… this isn't my cat!" she shrieked as the door shut behind her.
Rescuing kittens, protecting the cit'zens
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
"You're singing again, aren't you?" Anansi said, narrowing her eyes at Guitar Hero. She sighed. "Just keep it to yourself."
Anansi's a tough one, don't make her get angry
Lynchpins beware; she's onto the conspir'cy
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero thought his song was coming along well, especially with the addition of some drums and the Owl's beat-box! But what he really needed now were the chords to go along with the melody in his mind. He smiled as he shifted his guitar around to his chest and pulled out a pick to start figuring the chords and rhythm.
The Owl's a softy, in a tight spot he's manly
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
Suddenly Anansi grabbed the pick out of his hand and dropped it down a storm drain. "What did I say about keeping that song to yourself?"
"That was my favorite pick, love!" he protested. He started finger-styling instead. "Don't need the pick anyways; sometimes it's just a crutch for my guitar-playing genius!"
Anansi grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in close. He stopped playing with a yelp. "If you don't stop, I am going to smash that guitar over your head!"
"But – but it's a solid-body!"
"Good!"
When Guitar Hero opened his mouth to protest, Anansi put a finger over his lips. "If you could actually be quiet, you would see that we're already here," she muttered, motioning for the Owl to step into the nearby alley. She dragged Guitar Hero into the alley, Fang wagging his tail happily at their heels. "See the building over there? That's the bar where our friend and his pal were supposed to meet the guy who hired them to attack you. Now if you want to find out who that person was, you'd better be quiet so we don't scare him off!"
When the bad guy's in our sights; we'll knock out his lights:
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
As the three heroes hid in the alley, Guitar Hero peered around the corner to see what Anansi was looking at. He could see a man that looked vaguely familiar standing in front of a crowd of tough-looking men – the kind of men Bob Roth would normally hire to move the heavy sound equipment before and after his concerts. But when he saw the man standing in the middle of the group and wearing a white suit, he gasped in spite of himself. "Oi, Owl, do you recognize him?"
"I most certainly do!" the Owl replied, a little over a whisper.
"Wait," Anansi muttered, "how do you two chuckleheads know White Suit?"
"He was standing not 5 meters from me when our last adventure kicked off!" Guitar Hero replied with a shudder. "I won't forget that bloke any time soon!"
"Well, we'd better not let him get away this time!" Anansi called, racing around the corner and out into the open.
Guitar Hero glanced over at the Owl, and together they charged out after her, yelling wildly, Guitar Hero holding his guitar over his head by the neck with both hands and Fang plodding along behind them.
The White Suit means trouble, we're there on the double
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero
We'll fight for the peace
The innocent we'll release
We'll defend our city
We take down the baddy
The Owl, Anansi, and Guitar Hero!
Anansi was halfway across the intersection, the Owl and Guitar Hero several paces behind, when White Suit looked up at them and ducked behind his bodyguards. At that moment an SUV pulled up. White Suit got in the vehicle, and it quickly drove off. Looking back, the entire group had disappeared.
Anansi stopped up short, and Guitar Hero nearly ran into her back. She groaned in frustration. "They're gone!"
Guitar Hero was just opening his mouth to respond when something struck the ground between them. The street around them was bathed in orange light and the world around them suddenly caught fire in a colossal explosion.