It seemed that the newest attraction in Arcadia this week wasn't the hordes of trolls roaming the streets at night nor the countless lost souls harbouring past regrets, but the latest additions to the sleepy town. The new kids on the block, Aja & Krel Tarron were a pair of Europeans who had moved to the town under dubious circumstances or so the rumours went. Whispers had been flying since their arrival, mostly mentioning their odd behaviour and mannerisms that stood out even amongst trolls and ghosts. A fair few of the rumours centred around Aja's attractiveness & general badassery whilst those concerning Krel leant more towards his off-the-charts intelligence. Most of the (bitter) people thought that he was cheating, especially those who felt like he shouldn't know those type of things which was weird. Dan knew he hadn't attended school in a long time, but surely learning hadn't gone out of style that quickly, right?
Speaking of which, Dan had had the pleasure of meeting the oddball siblings for first the time when he took Cujo for a walk some days prior. The little ghost dog had been released from his leash and had taken full advantage of the freedom by rocketing through the undergrowth that bordered the dog park, chasing squirrels and other small rodents that dared to venture there. At some point the mutt had come across the Tarron's dog—a fluff ball of a corgi—and proceeded to slobber him to death before moving onto the blonde. Dan did not envy them one bit.
Aja had been rather cheerful about the whole thing, happily rolling in the dirt with both dogs as they played tug-of-war with a large branch one of them had picked up at some point. Dan had worried that Cujo would morph into his larger counterpart when the play got a bit too rough, even though he knew that the dog knew to keep their civilian visage up in public. He was a lot smarter than Dan often gave him credit for after all.
Krel on the other hand, had shared in Dan's disgust at the display of copious amounts of shared slobber between the three, before he retreated to the bandstand where his grandfather sat playing a rather intense game of chess with the other grandparents. There was a lot of maniacal laughter and declarations of domination that sounded from that area which made him think they were playing something closer to battleship or Monopoly than chess.
Physically shaking the thoughts from his mind, Dan returned to the grill in front of him as the scent of burnt onions wafted towards him much to Stuart's (his boss) chagrin from where he sat at the till. El Guerito's Tacos didn't have many employees, if any—Stuart liked to brag that he was a family-run business, but without the 'family' part. Or the 'business' part. Really, it was more of a side hustle that accompanied his second-hand electronic store over on Delancey Street next to the cinema. And even then, the store was more of a place to store his hoard of vintage electronics that no one really had any use for anymore (aside from the Fine Arts of Film students). Despite this, the colourfully painted taco truck was a popular feature amongst students in particular. With cheap prices, pretty good food (if he did say so himself) and friendly service, what's not to like? Well, maybe Stuart's penchant for being extra gassy to the point where Dan often wondered if the stoves were powered by propane or methane gas. Seriously, what did that man eat?
With practised movements, Dan packed the tortilla full of the greasiest ingredients within reach and wrapped it tight inside a blanket of foil before handing it off to the pudgy man and onto the waiting customer. The spice shelf above his head held the only source of entertainment that let the ghostly teen retain his sanity during his work shifts; a busted old radio with a bent antenna and peeling paint. The thing barely played the two old fogey channels before the FM and AM knobs got stuck or crackling static played throughout the tin can truck. Dan suffered through it if only so he didn't have to listen to another one of Stuart's back-in-my-day stories or tin-foil-hat conspiracy theories; they sure got tedious after a while—and he was part ghost!
Emerald eyes drifted from the busted machinery to the Wall of Shame & the Wall of Fame that sat above the grill. Reading from left to right, you could watch how the customers tried and oft times failed to build up a tolerance to the spices of their dishes; the Diablo Maximus being one of them. Of course, Toby was up there—one picture per day for three years—he had his very own section with a gold star on the 'winning' picture. Going through them all was like watching a delightfully painful movie or animation play out before your eyes. Dan could see why the boy was not only a valued customer, but one of Stuart's favourites—1095 days of torture just to build up the tolerance to successfully eat one bite of the burrito? That took some serious dedication.
"...Who's the king? I'm the king!" Steve rasped, the sounds of his choking on his burrito pulled Dan from his thoughts. Peering through one of the many (lightly) painted windows, he watched dumbfounded as Krel—slim, non-threatening Krel—strode up to the broad blonde and slapped his meal from his hand like a cat swiping a bird from the air. Over his shoulder, Aja appeared apprehensive but for her brother or the blonde, Dan couldn't fathom.
"What's new kid doing?!" Mary gasped, rightly questioning the boy's actions.
"What the—?" Steve breathed.
"I command you to reveal your true form!" Krel demanded, stabbing Steve with his finger.
"Do you wanna die, buttsnack?" Steve retorted, grabbing Krel by his shirt and Dan worried that he would have to go out there and split them apart. God knows Stuart wouldn't and even though Dan could do so easily, Steve was still taller than him by a head or two (which constantly irked the ghost boy) making it hard for him to get a good hit in without permanently hurting or maiming the boy.
"What is a 'buttsnack'?" Krel puzzled inches away from Steve.
The needed intervention was starting to look more and more likely, as Steve swung a punch at Krel who easily danced out of the way much to Steve's chagrin. Dan spared a glance towards Stuart whose eyes were currently glued to the squabble like he was watching a pro wrestling match on TV. Dan rolled his eyes and prepared to disembark from the back door. "Oi! You two! Cut it out!" Dan called hanging out from the back door, still unwilling to leave the taco truck. It wasn't that he was scared per se, not of Steve at least. But there was always a sense of wariness and paranoia that settled over him in times of combat, especially in recent times. Nothing happened without it being taped by someone these days and who knew what would happen if footage got out of him fighting? The GIW would track him down faster than you could say 'dead meat' and that's not even counting all the amateur ghost hunters who had popped up over the years since the Ectoplasm Bill was passed. There was no need to sugarcoat it, the Government may as well have just said that (paid) murder was on the table now. Just because they were dead, doesn't mean they were dead, y'know?
It seemed that Dan's pitiful attempt at breaking up the fight, was just that, pitiful. But it's not like Stuart's attempts were any better, in fact, if anything the remaining teens were encouraged to pull out their phones and film the whole thing just as Dan had feared. "Ooh! I can't not watch!" Mary gushed, phone trained on the two.
"Ha! Knock him back to wherever he came from, Steve!" Seamus called, bitterness and jealousy evident in his tone.
"Delete your mouth, Seamus!" Mary elbow-checked the Irish boy back onto the ground behind her, and he cowered under her glare. Dan couldn't help but grin at the action. No one could contradict Mary Wang, she was a force to be reckoned with.
"RAAAH!" Steve growled as he charged at Krel and pinned him to the side of the taco truck with enough force to rock it slightly. Dan stumbled over his feet at the motion and just barely hung onto the back door as he tried to regain his footing. "Keep still, so I can punch your face in!"
"...Oh no, Krel, it's not him!" Aja piped up after fiddling with her glasses. "I was wrong! He is an idiot!"
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding here" Krel stated as much as he could with his face pressed against the side of the truck. "My apologies, you are just an idiot!"
"Oh yeah?" Steve hummed, refusing to let up on the boy. "Well, my fist is gonna misunderstand your face!"
"Misunderstand your face?" Dan muttered to himself as he joined Stuart by the cashier window as it seemed the pair weren't actually hurting each other, more like they were just peacocking around. "That doesn't even make sense"
"Krel! Rule number three!" Aja called.
"Rule number three?"
"Lights out, plebe!" Steve threatened when Krel whipped out his phone.
"Ugh! Oh!" Krel whimpered as the blonde delivered on his threat and punched Krel in the face. Dan blinked dumbly at the blonde like he couldn't believe he'd actually gone through with it. Usually Steve was all bark and no bite, like Dash Baxter had been. "I'm—I'm leaking fluid...what is this? I must be dying, is this the end?"
"Not yet!" Steve yanked Krel backed to his feet for another go around and Dan moved to intercept fully this time, but he was beaten to the punch by Aja who stepped in to protect her brother like a good sister.
"Get away from little brother, snackbutt!" Aja pulled Steve back and quite literally kicked him to the curb.
This time, Dan was reminded of his own sister and those memories brought with them a tinge of sorrow. When Dan had first gone on the run, he had kept in (sparse) contact with Jazz. A few phone calls from a payphone here, a letter or two there; nothing that could be too easily tracked until one day he thought it would be a good idea to surprise her for her birthday. That was the idea at least. But when he had arrived, invisibly floating next to the window of her new apartment, he found her much sadder than their phone calls or letters ever let on. She had fallen asleep on her couch and Dan had snuck inside to pull the thick blanket over her as she had done for him many a-time.
There had been a flowery notebook sat idly on the table and well, it was his job as a younger brother to look—not to snoop, no, just have a little look. What he found, however, was much worse than whatever he could've dreamed of. It seemed that their little interactions took far more out of the ginger than Dan had previously thought. Where he had loved them—looked forward to them; Jazz had dreaded them. Her equally flowery writing had told just how much she hated pretending like everything was alright, like they weren't falling apart at the seams. How she had to pretend that only hearing his voice was enough, how she had to pretend that holding onto one of his old shirts was all she needed to be happy. He knew then, that those little moments had to stop for her sake, no matter how much it hurt to let go. Dan could still remember how peaceful she looked fast asleep there on the couch even with those tears streaming down her cheeks; those tears that had matched his own.
VRROOOOM!
"Whoa!" Dan suddenly lost his footing, the floor moving out from underneath him and was quickly jolted back into the real world as Stuart stepped on the gas & floored it away from the gathered teens.
"HEY!" Shannon's voice trailed in their wake. "WHAT ABOUT MY GUACAMOLE? I PAID EXTRA!"
"Stu?—Ack!—What's going on?" Dan cried as he wedged himself in the back doorway in an effort to stay upright even with the door banging around in the win and ingredients flying out of the truck, some eve hitting him on the way. Part of him was worried that the pair of siblings were somehow involved with the GIW (Stuart knew a little about the organisation; some from what Dan had told him and some from what he had put together on his own) and part of him was worried that the taco connoisseur had gone off of his rocker (again) about some crazy conspiracy theory involving ass-kicking teenagers.
"HOLD ON TIGHT!" Stuart flung over his shoulder as the truck careened around yet another corner sending more of the ingredients flying across the truck and coating the floor like it was the miscellaneous gunk from the cinema. Dan stood no chance as he was sent careening forward, all footholds on the backdoor lost as face met floor and he slid towards the pick-up window now fully covered in grease.
After so many wild twists and turns Dan was sure that Stuart was trying to kill them, especially when Dan found himself meeting the floor once more after several failed attempts to get his feet back underneath him. Having had enough of being tossed about the truck, Dan was about to grow his ghostly tail only to have the entire truck get lifted up by the bonnet and slammed back down to earth, bringing him along with it. Rocked around like a marble in a tin can, the halfa barely had any time to regain his senses when a calloused hand wrapped itself around this wrist and tugged him out of the upturned taco truck and scrambled outside where the two nearly crashed into the adjacent brick wall of the alleyway.
"Wha—?" Dan blinked dumbly, one hand cradling his head from where he headbutted the ovens during that rollercoaster of a ride. But he knew he would be fine, in fact he could already feel the headache fading all thanks to his enhanced healing factor.
"Halt!" Aja demanded as Stuart took off, dragging Dan along behind him. The ghost boy really should've been used to his boss' shenanigans by now. "By the order of House Tarron!"
"RUN YOU DISGRACEFUL COWARDS!" Their spry grandfather cried as all three Tarrons chased after them. "VARVATOS VEX WILL RAIN GLORIOUS DEATH ON ALL YOU HOLD DEAR!"
Now that caught Dan's attention, solidifying the belief that these three were somehow connected to the GIW—why else would they be chasing them? Dan yanked his wrist from Stuart's grip, startling the man into letting him go just as the halfa spun on his heel moments before hitting the dead end. The sudden change of movement seemed to surprise the Tarrons if only for a moment, but it was all the time Dan needed to send a bolt of his renowned ghost ray towards the three with a swipe of his hands.
Dan planted himself firmly between Stuart and the Tarrons as his hands smoked and crackled with electric ectoplasm. The green substance ebbed and flowed between his clawed fingers, knees bent and eyes locked on to his targets before him with teeth grit in determination as he readied himself for the inevitable combat. Both siblings (who were picking themselves off of the floor) appeared shocked by his powers (however badly hidden) but Vex remained non-plussed, suggesting that whilst the kids had not known, he surely had at least some idea of what Dan could do. Or at the very least, he recognised the open, if not battle-ready stance Dan had fallen into.
"As—as the King-in-waiting of Akiridion-5, you are under arrest!" Krel decreed as both siblings suddenly transformed from their humans selves into something a little more blue and alien. In Dan's time as a halfa, he'd come across ghosts in all shapes and sizes, from all different walks—and planes—of life. Their little trick would not fool him.
"̷̡̭̪͖̮̖̤̦̬͈͓̱̪͂̍́́͐̀̎͒̒͝L̸̺͍̝͍͙̩̭̼͚̊͊̈́͋̈́̈́̓i̴͍̱͍͗̈̇̆̍͊̚͘s̵̨̳̙͚͓̣͓̱̆̾̍̂͆̌̽̈̆ͅt̴̡͎̳͓̹̟̹͍̪̱̓̕é̴̢̛̲̗̫̔͛̃̇͝n̴̹̯̐͂ ̶̢̯͖̻̦͇̱͎̀̂̾̓͊̆̎͋͐̈́̿̚͜h̵̻͙̊ę̷̡͓͉̝̱͎̳̼̊̔̿͋̌̊̓͘͠ͅr̸͙̒͗̽̄̓̀́̑̿͘e̷͇͛̉͂̓͆͋̄̉,̷̞̗͚̲͚͎̫̽̆̎́̐̈́̑͂̐́̄̕ ̴̰̗̋̀̉̃̋̅͛̐͌̇̀y̵̘̝͉̹͂̆͊ö̶̟̙̪́̑͌͆̅̉̈́͂̂̏͗̚ū̷͓̥̞̼̞̖͚́̈͝ ̵͙̪̬͎̯̩̳̘̿̍̃͐͂͗̃̇̋̍͝͠͠ļ̵͎̳͙̞̘̋̀i̵̱͖̹͒͛͛̓̃̂̆̐̽̿̕͜͠l̴͇̥̣̩̫̱̩̦̖͎͚͉͔̃̈̍̏͌̏̓͊̄̔͘̕͝'̴̠̣̒̈́̆̈́̔̈́͘͠͝ ̸̡̦̕b̴̳̤̜̖͑̈́̀͑͒́̄̍̍̌͊̀̚͜ư̶̭̣̰̻̦̗̱͖͇͚̲̦̭̽̑̌̉̒̉͑̓̐̈́̐̿t̷̨͉̥̮͝ͅt̴͇̼̯̠̊͊̈́͋̈́́̚͘͜͝s̷̭̎̌̈́̎̏̏͛̿̐̔̏̃͘n̸̛̗̗͓̮͕̹̟̪̩̯͐̿̽͂̾̂̆̓̊̓̀̕a̸̡̱̮̳͓͊̏̌̓̓̇̅͗͘̕c̵̘͖̠̰͚̮̮͖͙̪̈̿̚ͅͅk̶̯̋!̴̱̎̄ ̸̨̛̛̩͔͇̤̼͙͑̐́̉̄̅́͋ͅT̵̡̢̛͚̤͇̝̪͔̊͛̍̾͐̈́̀̃͒̍́̕ḙ̸̍̑́̌̑̿̽̚l̸̨̖͚̩̲͚̾͂͊͜͝l̶̝̥͇̥̦̼̖̭̲͙͉̹̾́̎̔̀̂̃̓ ̷̧̥̲̫͙̇͝m̶̧̥̣̬̬̦̙̔̍e̴̡̢͚̬̰͙̫͔͚̤̭͐̃̆̃̇̑͑̈́̀͒̕͠ ̸͈̤̰̜̮̥̥͓̯̥̭͂̃̃̄̀w̶͓̣̋̑̃̀h̵̨̜̫̜̱͖̳͕̣̊̆͗͛̽͐̅̌̀̌͐̚͘͜ą̴̛͙̹̲̳͔͋͐͌̒̊ͅṱ̴̛͉̳̼̤̓̽̒͂̈́͑̈́̿̊͝ ̵̛̬̇̋̽̎̕̕y̴̧͙̠̥͎̱̯̼̠̩̝͍̐̍̄̌̄͑̇̐̀̾̕ǫ̸̖̀̀̂̐͋̈́͒͗͝͠͝u̵̝̗͙̝͔̇̌̐͑̅̕ ̷̧̛̠͈̰̀̌̆͝͝k̴̛̻̼̹̲̳̏͐̀̀̾͊̐̕͜n̵̢̛̜̩̯͎̪̲̄̉̑́̆̅̏͗̀̒̏͝ȯ̵̞̣̖͊̀̂̽̇͊̑͝͝ẅ̴̠̰̀̏̊ ̵̫͍͔̟̤̪̩̤͋͒̈̾̇̈͒ō̷̢̝̯̘̺̠͎̯͖̯͑̉̓̿͋̔̋͛͝f̴̧̖̼̙̤̊ ̷̩͈̹̮̥͉̟̗̝̫͍̯͗̃͋̄̎̓̌̕t̷̢̤̖͔̫̫̦̳̼̦̖̰̀̉͑͛̆̈́̆ͅh̸̡̢̼̺̗̼̜̲̟͕̫̙̊̚e̷̤̻͍̬̗̺̋͊͛̔͒͂̓͛̽̋͠͝ ̴̡̫̥̣̰̹̣͈͇̘͙̍̇̽G̵̟̰̣̀̐̈́̂̓ȗ̴̡̢̬̮̯͕̣̜̱͔̎͜͠ỷ̴͔̖̞͈̾͐̽̃̈́̓s̸̡̩̺͙̫͖͈̭̐̍̔̀͛͆̾̑̓͂̈̒ ̴͙̰͆̿̍̂́ǐ̵̡͉̥̘̘̗̬͙̦̻̀͝ͅn̴̢̪̒̈́͐͌̿̅̓̎͌͝ͅ ̷̨̛̗̩̱̖̱̺̖͙̗̲̪̃͜W̵̢̧͍̼̪̹̳̖̱̱̭̤̝̾̍̑̎̈́̔͒̇̀̍̌͋͝h̴͚̾̂͛̒̽͆̒̋̃̍̄͝í̵̧̞̙͙̭͇͔͙̤̐̄ẗ̷̡͈̙̭̦͙̤̪̫̺́̆͋͐̆̑͛ͅe̴̳̰̟̰̘͈̤̙̰̗͋̂̇̀̕͘͜ ̶̯̤́̂̃̎͐͘͝&̸̨̣̭̙̤̤̼͈̣̳͚̺͙̆̉̄̈͂̈͑̈́̑̋̄͝ ̷̡̨̪̬̳̳̫̥̜̰̣̉̊͐̋̈́͊̓̑͠m̶̧͈͕̓́̃̃̆́͒̂̄̓̑͜͠a̴̧̢͈̟̻̫̺̹̾̏̓͂̎̈̒͑̌͋͆̂ý̸̢̰̦̤̭͓̜̘̩̎̉͂b̸͈̞̝̝͔͒͌̓̆̃̓̈́̓̓̚͠ȩ̸̣͒̑͒̈́͑́̈̉́̃̕ ̴̧̢̞̠͕̣̠͙͌̉I̸̡͇̤̱̰̹̦̫̟̠̣̞̒'̶̩̰̆̈́͒͂̿̈́̅̌͘l̵̡͙̼͔̫͕͕̙͈̫̔͜ͅl̶̛͚̾̋͗̾̃͑̔͌̚͝ ̶̛̛̘̫̬̫͇̭͍̫̲̎̐̂͌͝s̶̙͈̙͙̼̰̖̱͛̽̐̍̅̃̇p̷̨̛̯̗̠̈́͂́̎̆̅͆̊́̇a̴̧̧͈̱͍̘̮̹̟̖̟͊͐̾̄̀͑̏͘r̶̨̦̺͍͖̣͓͉͎̜̈́͋̾̈́̆̆͊͗̓͝e̸͎͍̦͎̫̳̹̰̪͎̯̳̔͒̇͆̃͑̊̒͆̇̚̚͜͝ ̵̧̞̪̳̲̲̤̤̜̳̟͐̇̐̕͝͠y̶͚͕̳̭̺͔͖̯̞̘̱̋̃͂̎̉͐̈́̈́́̂͑o̸̢̥̼͚̽̎̽̌̍̒̐̍̓̋ṳ̴̭̮̺͇̭͉̼̱͒̿̓͑͋̌̎̈́͋̋͜͝͝r̸̫̪̹̤͚̠̮̤͛͋͋͊͛̄ ̵̨̢̝̟͍͔̰̭̤̩̱͓́̃̾͒̊̽̈́̒͘̚͝ͅl̴͕̩͚̣͈̼͖̳̮͓͍͂̅̍͛͆̾̽͑̕͝ͅȋ̴̧̮͔̝̩̩̤̟̰̬̺͕̓͗̋̌̂͘͝v̵̼͈̬̰͓͎̈́̅͒̊͌̂͐̈́̈́́̚͠͝ȩ̸̜̥̱̼̥͇̺͇͈͌͌͌̑s̴̠̤͊͑̊͂́͂!̴̢̛̦̲͖̥̭̥͓̰̾̅̅͗̊̚͝" Dan fired back, the Ghoulish somehow sounding both guttural and wailed at the same time, as was the tone of his mothertongue.
"What?" Aja puzzled, brow furrowing. "Stop speaking gibberish!"
"T̸̜̈́͆̌͐̓̍̈̓͌͜͠Ḛ̴̗̥̱̯͈͍̘̾̆̒̔͛̐̂͆̊̐͜͜Ĺ̸͉̩̤͒͆̈́͆̒͒̂́͜L̴̢̨̙̝͈̘̺̤̽̄̋̎́͋͂̓̄̚͘ ̵̪͇̠͖͚̜̔M̵̧̢̛͍͙̳̹͙͍̬̟͎̪̐̾̕͠Ȩ̴̮̯͖̪̖̬̣̻͌̓͂̈́͊̌̈́̔͜͝!̷̢̢̭̤̲̈̒͐͐̅͑̕" Dan roared, baring his fangs and ectoplasmic fists clenching at his side. "O̶̩̰̞̮̩͎͎͖͈̿R̵̡̡͖̼͚͖̙̤̳̹̰̯͙͗̕ ̴̖̻͓̪̣̬͎͋͑̾̃̀̂̇͝ͅÈ̸̗͊̈́͆͝L̶͔̩͎̮̝̣̽̈͜Ş̶͕͍͓͓̯̜̻͍̗̖̘̭̈̆͋̽͊̌́́Ê̴̢̨̡̖̬̰̱͖̥͔̆́̀̍̑̈́̃̕͜͝!̷̲̋̓͊͋͑́̍̀̚"
"Oh no..." Stuart squeaked from behind him. "Uh, Dan...?"
"O̸͇͗̀͗́̄͐̋̂̄͛̓̈́̓n̴̥͍͇͖̗̳͛͛e̴̫̗̞͍̳͕̭͙̙̽̿̊̍"
"Dan?"
"T̵̜̫͉̝̘̏̕w̵͎̞̥͕̺̬̜͈̯̼̑̋́̎̇͒̍͊̐̕̕͝͝õ̵̢̘̜̯͙͈̓͒̅͑͗̄̀͊͌̅͒͝ͅ"
"Daniel?"
"T̴͙̬̭̱͚͍̦̤̒̀̓͜h̷͚͕̻̜̩̗͗̿̄̿̈́͋̎̄̊̍͋̅̚r̶̯͍͚̪̊̏̏͑̓̔͝ẽ̶̡͓̪͙͕̖͓́̍̀͛̀̈́̈́͑͌̕e̵̡̢̟͚̤̬̯̖̘͔̹̐̈́͜"
"Daniel!"
"C̵͉̥̣̖͂̾̋̐͌̋̅̒̿͘͘͘̕U̵̢̪̖̯̣̺͓̥͎̎̽͛̓̀͗̂̃́̕͘̚J̷͔̓ͅO̴̖͑̎͂̀̏̂̀̾̎͒̎͘͝ͅ!̵̨̮̼̺̺͇̫̤̮͙͉̆̿͒͑̀̀͝ ̷̨͔̫̠̝͇̼̭͌̋͜͝Ć̴͕̤̤̃̈́̈̍͛̊̽̌O̷̥͚͐̀̄̋͋̍̉̎M̶̨̱̳̱̮͇̍̍̑́̆̔̔͊̆̓E̶̡̗̲̰͍͖̲̙̮̦͗̎̀͆!̵̡̩̯́̄̂͒̂͐̄̈͝͝" Dan ordered, eyes narrowed on Vex who looked like he was willing to charge at them without a second's notice despite his frail body.
But at his call, his not-so-little green dog appeared as if pulled from thin air and grown in size. Thunderous growls sounded from Cujo as he stood over the three and great big pools of drool dripped down onto them.
"What in great Gaylan's name—?" Vex demanded, eyes flicking up to the jaws that bared down upon him. "Will this be a glorious death?"
"Varvatos!" Krel cried, spinning on his heel as the grandfatherly man was swallowed whole, although that didn't seem to stop him from trying to fight his way out if the muffled noises were anything to go by. "Release him!"
"As Queen-in-waiting, I order you to release Vex!" Aja demanded, weapon trained on Dan and eyes glistening.
"Ǫ̵̡͙̗̗̣̮̿̾̾͑̄͗̾̀h̶̙̙̰̖͙͕͈̳̱͔̲͖̙̿̐̏ ̴̰͍̦͎̫̪̔͗̈́̿̓̈̄͊̕͜y̵̧̗̼̼̥̮̏̉̒͛͗̋̾̾͛͂͗̚͠ő̸̫͕͖̘̮̮͊̀̾u̶̦̤̣̫̒̈́̈́ ̶̩͈̜͙̬͖̳͛̿̈́͋̔͆͛̇̚͝d̶͙͉̪̎͂̓̀̿ơ̵̧̰̖͎̟̙͍̅͋̐̆͑,̷̳̦̤̩͓͖̞͌̋̇͋ ̷̨̣̙͉͗̏͠͝ͅͅͅd̵̢͕̳̬̦̤̲̫̐͜͝ơ̴̡̡̥̱̙̠̠̻̩̺̜̍̉̂́̇̓̒͑̊̋͘̕ ̵̧̳̥̭͓͍͕͎̤̳̠͍͑y̶̢̡̮̦̺̺̱̪̘̥̽͂o̴͚͎̮̲͌̾̈́͗̏u̵͙̥̐̍̈́̍͗̌́̊̏?̵̡̛̛͍̣̼͐͗͐̎͐̽͑̄̊̕ ̶̝͉̀̿͌T̶͓̻͇̦̼̯̪̫͐͐͜ë̷̢̡́̒̀͌͛̃͒̀̓ļ̵͚͕̱͔͙̞͉̈̐̊̈́̏̑̓͐͋̕l̴͚̘̲̓̉̀̾̂̔͂̀͛́ ̵̧̭̙̤̲̝̭̩̲͂̓̅͛̈́͂͠ṃ̵͉͖͓͇̲̩̰̤̜̞̈̉͊̚ȩ̶̛̜̰̦̲͈̣̲͍͇̤̘͓̏͛̒̒̾̈́̎̎̋̕͠ ̶̛̘͛̈͊̔̿ẅ̵̪͔̭͚̥͇́̒́͗̀̈́̾̚ḧ̴͙̗͖̺̌͌͑͗̈́́̚͘ͅà̷͇̦̅́̄̉̏ṫ̸̝̝̹̾̀͒̍̍͌̕͜ ̸͎̈́̅̓̄̀̓͗͠I̵͈̘̭͔͑̔͜ͅ ̵̢̥̳̝͐̉̉̔̃̔͌̓̽͐̃́̕ẁ̶̨̛̰̬͖̱̩͍͙̍̂̒̊͐a̶̢̳̪̮̲̗̖̒̑̽n̶̦͐͋̐̾̋̀͛̏̚͜ṱ̷̛͔̘̱̱͖̩̻̄́̈́̔̓̾̓ ̵͓͑t̴̩̗̭̮̱͇̑͗̚ǫ̵̭̜͙̗̰̘͍͚̝̘̎̐ ̷̨̛̘̟͊̈̄̊͊̄͛͛̀ḳ̵͎̳͚̫̤̜̇̀͂͂̑̆̾͌̎n̶̛̲͛o̸͎͍̬̜̝̫̔w̵̟̻̓̐̇͂̊́͘ͅ ̸̧̯̳͇̥̤̘̤̑̈́͊̉͛̍͊͛̚ȯ̵̢͔̩̮͚̬͙̙̣̩́̊̆͝ř̸̡̛̳͔̜̱̪̠̗͙͛̇̾̈́͒̔̿͑́ ̴̝̜̜̹͖͙̭̊̅͋́̆y̵̲̣̜̙̑̃ǫ̵͓̬̦̹̖̲̲́́͂̌̏̈́̌̚ử̴̥͎͙̭͚͎̖̲͓͇̟̪͆̍̑̈̈́͆̔̕͘ ̸̧̛̬̮͕͚̺̱͓͐̑̄̌͋̑̈̌ͅb̴̝̟̰̥̼̫̟̱̉̌̀͑̈́̂̉̅͜͝ͅr̸̢̲̗̫̫̃́͊̀͊̄̅̏͛̀͝ò̸̻̙̩͙̹̈́t̶̬̥̝̹͊͊͋́̾̓̏̓̂͘̕h̸̜̹͍̼͇͙̯̖̰̝̦͕̄͒͝e̴̛̬̩̯̰͒̄͒̍͊̄͆͠r̷̪̻̜̘̫̰̩̪̾̑̎̎̀̌̚̚ͅ ̴͇̱̳̯̄į̷̯̻̺̬͇͊͜͠ͅș̵͔̝̚ ̷̗̼͛̊͐͝n̵̨̦̤̊̈̆e̴̮͐́̎̚x̸͈̉̈̆͆t̴͖̙͍̓͒̌̐͛!̴̨̝͈̱͚̜̻̹̹̤̠̹̍̑͝" Dan threatened, matching Aja step for step until the pair were but a few meters away from each other like snarling dogs protecting their territory.
"D̶̮̥̮̺̟͍̻̫̞͉̩͌̃͐̽̽ͅĄ̴̨̛̝̦̖͍̪̟͎̍̆N̸̗͙͕̪͓̞̿̔͛̓͂͑͂͂̃̆̕͝ͅĮ̴̳͖̤͍̳̜͍̝̬͊̓̏̓̿͋̈́ͅE̷̳̰̳͎͍̥͈͇̱͒̄̓̈̓͜Ļ̸̡̧̪̬̜̙̤̘̤̝̰̳͌̓͌͐͗ ̸̢̡̳̜̖̟͛̽͗̈̀̉̈́̒̕͘͜M̵̢̮̞͉̩̰͉͎̲͇̮̌͂̿͑̈́̀͘ͅẠ̷̡̡̛͕̜͖̻̄͆̀̒̐̂̆̅͑́͝Ś̸̨̙͚̺͇̫͈̘̰͗̈́̓Ṱ̶̢̨̙̻̬͍̬͎͖̥͈̲̾͠E̸̹̍̒͗̀̊̉͘͝R̵̢̧̖̠̰̝̩̞̟̹̓͋̈́̑̀̇́̀̆͊̾͌̕S̸̨̘͍̯̦̯͐!̷̖̄̊́͋̽͋͗̌͆̐͂̐͝" Shouted Stuart, catching Dan's attention. The halfa cocked his head to the side, refusing to move lest the two in front attack but listened to his boss all the same. Even if he butchered the Ghoulish. "T̶͚̺̦̳̜̲̆͜H̸̨̧̢͖̞͇̗͙̐̀̆̂ͅẢ̶̺̺̰̿̓̐̓̓T̸̙͑͗̍̎́͋̓'̴̨̡̨̡̰͖͇̖̪͚͎̅̿̄͋̇̇̐̈́̈̇͘S̸͚͓̯̦̞̤̩̫̫̬̫̾̔̊̆̅͜͝͠ ̵̡̯̦̣͉̗̟̱͗͆̓͠Ā̵̧̟͂̐̂͊̔̓̕͝J̴̡̛̘̞͇̰̪̅͐́̐̔̊́̚A̷̧̛̟̲̪͎̖̫͎͊ ̶̧̡̧̫̖͈͕̬̼̒̂́̂̅́͋͊̋̚͠͠&̴̡̝̞̭͚͚̺̘̻͉͉͎̓̎̍̽̀͐̓̑̏̍̑̕ ̷͍͉͈̭̯̤̖̻̝̪͊̾̀͜K̶̩̄̄̀̈́̿͝R̷̺͕̟͎̱̹͎̲͈̀͘͜͠Ȇ̷̢̻̖̗̬͇̰̂͊̾͘͜͠Ļ̸̝͗̃̎́̅͑́̈́ ̷͖̈́͌T̵̡̬̳̗̦̆̍̄Ạ̵̢̰̘͇̯̳̮̽̐͗̌̈́̀̕̕͘͝Ř̵̨̘̣̩͙̝͗̅͋̿̿́̍̂̍̂͜Ṟ̸̢̰͈̝̞̪͋̍͋̎̒͌̎͝͝O̶̠̰̼̝̠̽̌̿̅͒̀͂̑͊̽̓̒̌N̵̡̥̓̃̀͒!̴̠͉̺́̽"
"I̵̪͙͉͙̬͚̝̟͔̤̻̻͒̽̅̂̆ ̷̘̝̥͙͉̺͓͕̝̩͈͇̈́k̶̨̡͎̜̮̠͈̻͙̰̜̼̳̍͋́̎͛͘n̶̢̢̦̖̗̼̺̰̘̝͚͙͌ͅo̴̠̭͕̥̩̝̪̣͇̾̍͛̈́́̆̈́̍͑͘͠ͅͅw̸̜̲̞͚̘̼̘͎̹̯͉̩̅̔̆͋ͅ" Dan replied, eyes flickering between the remaining and wary pair. "T̷̲̩͖̬̏̌́͐h̸̯̺͍͓̹̞͇͔͇̭̅̒̌̓̑͌͌̽̄̊ͅe̴͖̪̒́̈̈́͋y̷̡̯̼͍͎͗̆̐̎͛̏́͒̓̎̕͝'̶̭̠̞̰̫̱͇̮̗̀̈͋͛́r̵̛͎̟̒̋͑̏͊̓e̶̛̦̘͙͇͈̲̼͎͍̐̑̓̂̕͠ ̷̢̺̬̱͍͔̆̒͌̀͝G̸̨̖͚̣̺̹̤̙̮͓͋̔̎̈̀́̌̽͑̈́͘Į̴͕̳̺̳̊̐̄̍̕W̵̡̨̡̺͇͈̗̃̈͐̀̀̊́̾̍̓̚͘͜͠ͅ ̷̧̦̩̭̪̑̋̒s̵̨̛̥̲̹̙̮̝͉̒̓̍͐̕p̷̜̘͙͔͉̬̯͍͓͍̯̬͉͒͗̐͛i̷̡̡̻̞̤̺̫̱̟̮͉͕͆̐͜͝e̸̡̧̛̼͖͖̜͋̀̀̏͗̂͘͜͝ş̵̡̹̝̦͖̺̹̭̻̯͉͌͋̌̉̒͘!̶̨̧̨̭͓̂͆͋͗̈́̉͌̈́͜͝"
"Hey! Speak up! What are you two conspiring about over there?" Krel demanded, standing tall.
"What? No, hey! Nothing like that!" Stuart stammered, hands waving frantically in the air as he was no doubt aware of the possible danger before him. "My Ghoulish is still pretty rusty, but uh, Dan wants to know if you two are spies for the...Guys in White? Is that right? The GIW?"
".…̵̡͈́̅̎͋̈͂̐̃̾̿͠͠Y̵̨̛̩̲̻̼̲̬̗̏͒̽͜ͅͅẽ̴̟͕͓͉̟̟̮͎̲͕̦̘̓̄̔̅͆̑̇̑͋͘͜ş̸̡̥̟̥͈͓̦̙͔͓̣̼̽͗͗͗͊"
"Yes, okay, cool"
"Yes?" Krel reiterated although it sounded more like a question.
"T̶̥͐́̌̄̈̇͠ḩ̴̧̠̻͉̙͉̗̖̜̮̞͉̾͊͗̋̅̈́͠e̶̢̡̜̟̯̙̩̯͈̟̪̝̠͐̅ỵ̴͈̗͉͆̍͐͝ ̴̰̦̔̌̓͋͛a̵̘̮̳̻̺͌̈́̾͋͂̇r̸̖̝̹͎̫̼͇̀e̴̢̺̥̙̣͖̭̰̮͆͆̀̀̂͜͝?̶̖͋̿͋̈́͂͒̉̅͠͝" Dan growled, his ghoulish fangs on full display.
"What? No—no—" Stuart stumbled over his own words.
"N̷̡̘̖͙̤̝̈́̂̏̂͒̈́́͘͘͝͝ǫ̸̗̰̜̠̯̬̍̌͒̚,̴̢̲͕̤̟̠͚̩̖̃̎́͗̀͋͐͛̓̕̚ ̴̡̮̥̻̹͓̞̮́͐͛͋̒͊͐̅̊͂̚͜͝t̶̩̲̹͈̦̯̒̌h̷̪̭̲̤̲̤̘̄̄͝͝͝ȩ̶̨̛̙͈̦̘͔̂̍̓y̶̳͛́͊̇́̆̄͐̏͗͝'̵̺͐̈́̈͝ŗ̴̗̱͙͍̟͈̀̊̽̊e̸̯͎͌͒͊̏͛̊̕ ̶́̉̓̉̋̀̐̌̓̕ͅņ̷̛͕̭̆͋͑͒ọ̷̧̥͈̊̑͘ẗ̵̲͚͚̱̤̼̞̰̟̹̖͓́̈́͐̊̓̈́͘͜?̶̨̧̳͎͕͇̦̭̻̤̓͊̂"
"No, uh, 'yes' to the right vernacular and 'no' to being spies"
"…̴͔̹̟̹̼̲̂̀͌̈̐̚͝͝P̷̨̡̰͓̲̹̱̤͍̦̄̍r̶̬̩͍̝̖̈́͐̓̌͐͆̎͠͝ợ̷̝͌̉̋̐͆̉̈́͒͑̀̕v̶̙̀̆͆͠ȩ̴̧̛̭̬̼̇ ̵̨̛̯̹̙̦̄́̌͑̂͗͌̇͘í̸̦̘̰͛͒͗̍̓̈́͜͠͝t̵̢̧̥̼̥͂̄͝"
"Um..."
"Now what?" Krel prodded.
"Uh...he wants you to prove it—prove that you're not related to the GIW"
"...And how do you expect us to do that?" Aja started warily.
"We're clearly not fleshbags" Krel continued, "So what else is there?"
"Er..." Stuart blinked, his eyes flitting back and forth between the Tarrons and Dan. "H̶̨͉̬͔̙̟̘̣̖̹́̔͂͆̊̒̕ǫ̵̰̯̗͔͈̯̥̓͐̀̍w̸̢̺̱͇̹̳͈̤̿ͅ ̶̙̱͔̋͊̉͆́͌̑̐̽̚͝d̶̥͓̗͈̓̏̈́̈͠o̶̬̺̟̗̻͋̈́̈́̃͛̚ ̸͖̼̻̣̬͚̤̼͚̭̞͇̹͌̒̽̐̽̌̽́̕y̷̭̭̬̮̘̗̖̾̄̎̍̈̑͜͝͠ö̶͈̱̹̞̙ü̴͖̙̝̖̪̼͈̣̺͚̥͙̿̇́̑͌̓̈́͆͐̃̈̒ͅ ̵̝̰͈̳͎̈̓͌̓̇̂̕̕w̶̧̬̟̰͇͔̲̱͐̑͐̆̇̇̽͆͘ą̸̦̣̠̖̘͓̠̆̈n̵͇͉̫̝̬̄ţ̴̩͖̹̫̞̀̍ ̴̛̜̲̥̊͌̌̍̀̄͂̀̆̌͝t̶̢̡̩̲̺͉̄̓̀͛̄͜͝ẖ̶̞̩̲̘̻̖͍̼̞̥̄̐e̸̛͔̘̖̓̍̄̈́̏m̷͖͛̀́͛ ̷̢̢̨͓͍̹̤̼̪̍̅̐͌́̒́̏̕͜͜͝t̶̢͓̥͍̣̭͖͈͎̗̮̣̪̾͋̈́̄͋͌̽͐̕̚o̴̡͎̩̩͚̠͍̱̝̤̜̖̒̉́̎ ̵̮̦͓͖̇̿̃̓p̸̗̘̤͗̈́̓͋̊̇͒̀̒͐́͠͠r̶̨̪̤̖͇̓̊̂̎̌̐̐̉̄̇̕͜͝͝o̴̱͓̖̜̰̖͉̼̰̬͙̲͐̆͒͒̀͑̈̽̔́͐͘v̶̢̼͓͓̺̹̏̽͆̇͜͜ͅē̸̛̘̟͓̗̭̳̳͜ ̵̢̡̢̳͕̳͈̥͇̯͎̯̼̍́i̴̢͇͈̪̳̓̏̈͐̈́t̴̨̛͉͖͚̠̊͜?̶̧̤̯̩͖̜̘͆̌̀̓̑̀̌̀͊̓"
"…̴͉͉̦̟̻̈̉̍̅͝͠Ą̸̥̮̔̏̔̓̆̕s̷̥̹̼̠̖͖̤̜͛͑̃̎̐̑̈́̍̅͒̑͗͘͜k̶̡̢̪͙̪̦̠͌̊̅ ̵̳̖̲͉̤̘̠̫̰̃̿̔̾̋̃̑́̅͘͜ͅẗ̵̛͚̻̱̰͉̯̠́̂̓̓͗ͅh̶̻͓̼̗̻͇͎̄̔͋̊͆̔͠ͅͅḝ̴̠̈̎̃̂m̴̘̗̂̍̈̐̈́̀͗̐̈̋̋̊ ̴̢͚̹̗̯̻̦̈́̍w̸̧̠̘͔̥͚̲̦̑̓̊̑͆̕͝ḧ̵̜́̽̉̇́̌̈́̈ä̵̯̩̦͔̞̗͎̲͔͍́͆͂t̵̡̧͙̻̹͎̯̯͘ ̵͓̝̰̳̘̙̬̻̘̀̂̆ͅḣ̵̡̟̹̮͕̈́̃́̊̈͗̏̈̕̕͠ą̷̩͚̖̳͙͙̣̽̈́̍͗͛̽͜͝͝p̸̡͕͍̎p̸̮͇̼͆͌́̎͌̉̈́̎̈̓͘e̷͚̙̞̝͖̹̘̣̅̌̆̓̏̆̑́̐̕n̶̢̨͙̯͑̀͝ę̸̩͉̺̽̽͐̑̒̚͠d̴̨̡̨̙͙͙̜̒̓̚ ̶̢͈͈̳̘͍͕͉̣̠̾̑͗̕ȏ̷̯͍͋̍͐͠ņ̶̨͉͉̱̬͓̘̟͙͉̐̀̒̈́͜͠ͅ ̷͉͗͋̑̊̾͠͝2̷͕̭͍̙̏̀́̌̔̅͑̔̇4̷̧̘̪͍͎̪̘̥̆̔̇̑̀̑̆̆͜ͅt̸̨̢͎̩͉̝̖̙͇͎̯̺̖̉͆̈́̄́̎̑͛̑͘͝ḥ̴̛́̎̒̒̈́̉͐́ ̸̢̦̬̹̺̈̋̽̊̓̌̅̈̈́̇D̸̗͉̠͍͖̠̝̱͕̪͔͖̄̿e̸̳̪̺͖̟̩̫̐́͐̒̏̇̀̎͊̈́̄ć̸̞̇̍̑̇͆͝͝͝e̵̜̤͒̀̆͛m̵̖͎̲͇̝͔̅̄̋̍̈́̋͜͝b̷̛͉̼̖͙̥̳̗̊̌̅́̀̈́̈́̈́̕̚͝e̷̻̱̓r̴̨̲͙͔̥̭̤͐͑͒̃̃̿͋̊̐̀̿͐̔ ̶̪̹̱̫̣̪͊͜2̴͎̜͇̩͕̯͍͖̝͓̄̾̚͝ͅ0̸̭̻̺͚̪̦̭̥̃̓͐͋̎͒͗ͅ0̸̹̦̥̪̝̘͓̭̝͕͎̃̎͊̓̀̈̏́̈̍̀̅͘7" Dan paused for a moment before the Ghoulish request fell from his lips.
"Uh, Dan wants to know if you know what happened on 24 December 2007?"
"What happened? Like here? On Earth?" Aja puzzled.
"Why would we care about some mudball dumpheap in the middle of nowhere?" Krel continued, still warily eyeing Cujo as Vex continued to struggle against his confines if the bulging of his maw was anything to go by.
"Ã̸̧̨̬̝̲͎͖͍͔̰̔̄̍̄͆̋̊͊̆͂̚͝n̷̢̡̥̭̻͕̟͔̬͎̣̯̈́̅̏͒͠s̷̡̙̯͍̲̋̆͑̅̏̕͘͠͝͠w̴̨̲͕̭͓̬̤͙͍͇̪̍̈̈̎̃̏̆̎̕͝ę̷̧̹͇̪͖͆r̵̨̻̩̣͕̦̥̮̼̹͈͕͊͐́!̷̨͍̥̗͙̼͕̋̽̐̒̇̏̂̌̽͘!" Dan growled, eyes still narrowed at the pair.
"Um, he—he still wants to know"
"No—no" Aja shook her head as her weapon finally lowered and her stance relaxed just that little bit. "We didn't even know about Earth until a couple of days ago"
"...Really?" This time it was Dan who relaxed his stance, fists extinguished with a quiet hiss.
"Really"
"Hmm...fine"
"So...that's it?" Krel puzzled, head cocked in question as he blinked dumbly at the halfa's change in attitude. "Just like that?"
"Yeah" Dan replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "What were you expecting? Some kind of death rally?"
"Isn't that what bounty hunters do?"
"Bounty hunters? We're not bounty hunters—why would you even think that?"
"Your language it is not...?"
"You mean Ghoulish? No—no, I mean, it's my mothertongue...sort of, um, but not what you're thinking.
"But you're not human?" Aja piped up.
"Uh, not all the way, no" Dan replied, warily eyeing up Cujo's bulging gullet.
"I do not understand"
"It's complicated"
"So uncomplicate it" Stuart added his two cents. "Just rip the bandaid off"
"Just rip the bandaid off?" Dan turned to quirk an eyebrow at his employer.
"Yeah, I mean, you do kinda owe them—threatening them and all"
"And vice versa"
"I am Aja Tarron, Queen-in-waiting of Akiridion-5" Aja was the first to extend the olive branch, elbow-checking her brother to do the same.
"Ow! Yeah, fine! I am am Krel Tarron, King-in-waiting of Akiridion-5" Krel added, although a little more relunctantly.
"Well, King and Queen-in-waiting, I'm a halfa running from the idiotic law" Dan replied, his tone turning bitter at the mention of the law. "My name is Daniel Masters"
"And I'm Stuart!" Stuart chirped from over Dan's shoulder as he pulled a strange device from his back pocket and held it overhead. Three green rings rolled down his form, reminding Dan of when he would transform using the same method (although without the device). An odd creature stared back at them, something with four eyes, glowing green skin and a stench that made his eyes water. "Ooh! I am the biggest fan! OMG!"
"That...that explains so much" Dan trailed off as he shuffled back a step or two. Green eyes snapped up from his boss to the ghostly breathe escaping from his lips. Now? Really? "Well, this has been tonnes of fun, but we're leaving now"
"At least return Varvatos" Aja replied.
"Varvatos...? Oh! The old guy!" Dan cocked his head to the side in order to peer up at his dog. "Cujo, spit him out. You don't know where he's been"
Cujo replied with a cough and retch before the Tarron's grandfather fell face first onto the concrete absolutely bathed in dog slobber. "GLORIOUS! YOU ARE ENCASED IN SOME KIND OF GOOEY ARMOUR!" Varvatos beamed, poking at Cujo's chest where he remained standing over him. The elderly man then turned to face El Guerito's occupants. "YOU WILL COME WITH VARVATOS VEX WILLINGLY OR BY FORCE!" Vex decreed as he strode forward still slathered in dog drool
"Yeah, good luck with that" And with that final farewell, Dan whistled for Cujo & bent to pick him up before the pair turned intangible and passed through the dead end behind them. The sound of Varvatos' protests and Stuart's excuses could be heard floating on the wind after him.
"Sorry 'bout him" Stuart could be heard saying, "He's had a hard life. Always a bit paranoid—and that's coming from me! Hehe!"
