Let This Be the Place Where You Will Be Again...

Chapter 3

Bollo waddled into the second hand shop sporting a new silver-sequined cowboy hat. The bell caused Vince to look up.

"Alright, Bollo." The small man's smile refused to reach his eyes. "Nice hat." The two magical beings looked at each other with mutual disappointment. Just because Naboo and Bollo were used to Vince's dejected attitude didn't mean they liked it.

After the first two months Howard's disappearance and their friend's depressed state, the little shamen and his familiar had done everything in their power to keep him busy. More shifts, allowing him to use Naboo's magical (see: Dangerous) items, inviting him to Bollo's DJing gigs, anything to prevent his hands and mind from being idle.

Eventually, they had given up and attempted to treat him as though nothing changed. Vince had made it very clear that he had no intention of opening up to them but they couldn't stomach to see their friend so broken.

"Maybe you can borrow sometime," he answered kindly as he made his way towards the stairs.

"Maybe," the solemn man murmured, returning to his staring of his magazine.

"Vince?" Bollo called, coming back from around the corner. "How long Naboo been like this?"

"I don't know. About 30 minutes?" came the monotone reply.

The familiar threw the little shaman over his shoulder and sighed, shaking his head.

"5th time this week."

Vince chuckled a bit to himself. It was only Monday. He lowered his magazine to look through the big shop window again.

Bollo stopped before he got to the third step, adjusting his grip on the little shamen.

"Oh, yeah. Vince. There is sale down at Topshop. 75% off." He hoped for an excited outburst from his precious Vince, but it never came.

Instead, Vince hummed, pretending he cared what Bollo had said. The familiar shook his head again.

"Vince, why don't you go out? I take over for a while?" He asked, attempting to prompt some sort of emotion from his friend.

Vince slid off of his chair and sauntered over to the stair case. He leaned against it with crossed arms.

"Uh, I guess. Couldn't hurt," He shrugged his shoulders and ran up to their-his room.

Vince grabbed his credit card and a jacket before passing Bollo once more and patted him on the arm.

"Thanks," he smiled, sincerely.

He looked at the trace of sunshine kid that peeked through Vince's smile but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Vince was walking backwards towards the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Be back later, alright?" Bollo heard the shop bell ding and everything was quiet except for Naboo's breathing.

He climbed the stairs and when he reached the sitting room, he set Naboo on the couch.

"Ugh," he grunted as he flopped down on the other end. "I'm gettin' too old for this."

He flicked on the TV with the remote and turned to the news. Bollo sat up when he saw, "Breaking News: Shopping Shredder Strikes Again." He leant in close to the TV, eyes wide in panic and turned it up.

Then he heard the man say, "-suspected to be his main targets: Medium height, thin women with long black hair…"

Bollo tripped up the stairs to find his mobile. He tore his room apart until he found it. He immediately tried ringing Vince's mobile. As soon as he heard electro ring-tone somewhere behind him, he threw his mobile clear across the room.

The enraged familiar stumbled to the TV to hear the last portion of the news report.

"It is advised that the public stay away from Topshop, Shamansburys or any other large shopping areas, where the remains of his last four victims were discovered-"

Bollo turned off the TV in horror and looked over at the sleeping shaman.

"I gotta bad feeling about this..."