"Excuse me, Miss, are you here for the audition...?"

The rather high-pitched voice snapped Mary out of her thoughts, and she quickly straightened up and turned to face the small hedgehog that was holding a clipboard and looking right up at her.

"Hmm? Oh, um... y-yeah. I am..." Mary cleared her throat as she stood up, following the hedgehog past the line of other animals that were waiting to perform. "Sorry about that, I was just in my own little world then..."

The hedgehog didn't seem particularly interested in what she was saying, but he was encouraging enough as he prompted Mary to step out onto the stage. She held up her forearm to shield her face from the blinding spotlight, but after a few seconds her eyes adjusted to it and she managed to get a better sense of her surroundings.

For the past few years, the Fat Cat had become a major pillar of Calatonia's late night leisure industry, and while it seemed more low-key than the majestic splendour of the Prairie Theatre, it's 1950's-style, speakeasy-esque décor made for a very appealing aesthetic. With the venue being closed for auditions, the auditorium's lounge and bar was mostly deserted, though a bespectacled gazelle sat right in front of the stage.

"Alright... let's see here..." The gazelle was still focused on feedback notes that he'd already written for the previous performer, then finally looked up to face the new arrival. "Name?"

"Oh yeah, it's... ooh!" She tensed back a bit as the microphone feedback suddenly pierced everyone's ears like a knife, and kept her distance so that she wasn't leaning too close. "Sorry about that. Anyway, it um... it's Mary. Just Mary."

"Hmm... y'know, just before you start, I have to say you do look awfully familiar, Mary.." The gazelle cupped his chin, squinting a bit to study the young gorilla stood on the stage. Mary froze in terrified silence for a good few seconds, but finally relaxed when the gazelle spoke again. "You're not um... you're not related to that Florence girl who performs at the Prairie, are you?"

"Oh, you mean Florence Fletcher...? Ha... yeah, I wish, mate!" Mary laughed, still sounding a little nervous, though this did help to boost her confidence a bit as she straightened up. "But um... no, we're not related. I mean, at least I don't think so, but... but yeah, I'm just Mary."

"Right... right... so it says here on your application that you're a piano player, Mary. Have you got a song prepared...?"

"Um, yeah. I mean, yes, I've got one. Do you want me to sit down now, or...?" Mary waited for the gazelle to nod, then quickly shuffled over and made herself comfortable at the piano, which already had another microphone positioned above the keys. "Okay, so um... do I just start playing, or do I follow a cue, or um... how does this normally work...?"

"Yeah, just start singing, Mary..." The gazelle tapped his pen on the table and reopened his notebook. "Whenever you're ready."

Mary took a deep breath, holding away from the microphone so that her exhale didn't get picked up by the speakers, then closed her eyes and began playing. While she still wasn't absolutely certain that she could pull off the rest of the tune, she'd practiced the introduction more than enough times to know it completely by heart, and it was enough to draw in the gazelle and the other recruits listening before she began to sing.

Blue-jean baby, L.A. lady
Seamstress for the band

Pretty-eyed, pirate smile
You'll marry a music man

Even Mary herself could tell that her voice was on the huskier side - and certainly not up to the same standards of the Prairie Theatre's stars - though aside from her father, she had always been her biggest critic, so she tended to see things from a more cynical lens. Judging by the various reactions from both the gazelle and the animals that were still waiting to audition, they seemed to approve of - perhaps even liked - how she sounded.

Ballerina, you must have seen her
Dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand

While she still played, Mary quickly glanced over to see the gazelle, who was nodding silently and writing something down in his notes. Going off the small smirk that was forming on his face, Mary's most hopeful side had assumed he was writing some positive feedback, which helped give her another confidence boost as she moved into the first chorus.

But oh, how it feels so real
Lying here, with no one near

Only you, and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly

When practicing, Mary had only ever gotten this far into the song about four times, so she wasn't completely sure about it yet. She hadn't missed as many notes as she had expected herself to, though she certainly did miss one or two, but her voice helped cover it up as she belted out the lyrics.

Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today

Since she didn't have a band or orchestra to back her up, there was a rather abrupt and awkward silence when Mary stopped playing. She sat straighter, gently drumming her fingers on the front of the piano while she looked back over at the gazelle. "That, um... that's as far I know with that song. Sorry."

"Oh, right... thank you, Mary..." The gazelle looked back at his notes, scribbling down something else while he mumbled to himself. For the next few moments of silence Mary wasn't sure if she was supposed to leave the stage or not, but just when she was about to stand up, the gazelle suddenly spoke again. "Well, I'd say there's room for improvement in a few areas, but I definitely think you have a lot of potential."

"Really?! Wow, thank you! Ooh... hold on..." Mary clumsily shot up off the piano, and quickly shuffled over to the first microphone that was positioned at the front of the stage. "So, um... so when you say room for improvement, what do you mean, specifically? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Well, it's the usual things, really. A few missed notes, a little trouble projecting. But I'm guessing you've never performed onstage before?" The gazelle waited for Mary to shake her head, then continued. "Right... well, with some practice, I think you'll definitely get better with that sort of thing."

"Oh yeah! Yeah, absolutely." Mary could feel her cheeks beaming a flattered pink as she got slightly short of breath. "Wow, I just... I mean, I know my piano teacher said I could give something like this a go, but I thought this was gonna be a complete -"

"Wait..." The gazelle's tone of voice suddenly seemed a lot less enthusiastic. It was rather neutral, but Mary was sure she could sense a hint of suspicion, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip as he studied her for another moment or two, before he took off his glasses and let out a small, almost awed chuckle. "Y'know, I had a feeling I'd seen you some place before, and I think it just clicked. You're Graham Griswold's kid, aren't you?"

Hearing these words made Mary's freeze up on the spot, her breath tightening in her throat while her eyes bulged wide. "Wait, wh... w-what...?"

"Yeah, a few years back, I went over to his place for a meeting. You must have been about thirteen or fourteen, then, but you basically look the same..." The gazelle took on a more casual, friendly tone, not noticing how uncomfortable the young gorilla onstage was. "Yeah, I think I've heard your father say he was thinking of investing in music and stuff, so it's actually pretty... uh, Mary?"

It was only then when the gazelle looked back to the stage, finding it completely abandoned.

"YOU'RE DOING WHAT...?!" Klaus' sudden exclamation took most of the air out of the Majestic's auditorium, and most of the crew and dancers on the set were now fixated on the conversation he was having with the equally surprised Moon Troupe. "Why on earth would you want to go?!"

"Oh, um... well, it was actually Ash's idea, Klaus..." Buster was the first to speak, though the porcupine's gentle nudge on his shoulder prompted him to clarify his words. "Well, Ash and Porsha, really, but we all agreed it would be a nice gesture to pay our respects. Marilyn here was also saying it'd be good for her, uh... what was it, clouds, or something?"

"It's actually clout, Mr. Moon, but yeah..." Marilyn had only just taken her eyes off her phone, then looked to Klaus with a shrug. "Oh come on, y'know I've always wanted to meet Madame Jument, Double K!"

"You didn't even know who she was until two weeks ago..." Klaus hissed through gritted teeth, his more furious scowl having briefly transitioned into a blank, annoyed expression, but he clearly made an effort to be politer than usual as he looked down at Buster again. "Besides, if you don't mind me saying, I... I would rather attend this alone. Madame and I have very... very personal matters, to attend to."

"Ah, of course!" Buster remained as enthusiastic as ever as he straightened his bow tie. "Yeah, we'll just be paying our respects, mingling with everyone else. Honestly, Klaus, you won't even know we're there."

Klaus bit his bottom lip as he hesitated for another moment or two, and Johnny and Nooshy briefly noticed that unfamiliar look of fear and uncertainty forming on the old monkey's face, then he finally sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine..."

The others then began to disperse and head back off to their stations as Klaus headed towards the backstage door. Even without stopping to face his followers, it didn't take him long for Klaus to notice the gorilla and lynx that had trailed behind him. "Ugh... yes, Johnny, what is it...?"

"Oh, um... well, I dunno..." Johnny rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just, um... I was just wondering how you were feeling, Klaus. Y'know, about this whole Madame thing."

"I feel no different than the first time you asked yesterday." Klaus' tone was dripping with venomous sarcasm. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, alright." Nooshy shrugged, clearly wanting to go back to rehearsing, though she rolled her eyes when she realised the gorilla beside her had no intention of ending the conversation here. "Mate, come on..."

"I can get if you don't want to talk about it, Klaus, but I know something's up about you and this Jument lady..." The more forceful tone in Johnny's voice was fairly surprising to Klaus, especially since he was used to the gorilla being more on the timid and awkward side, though the old monkey was too annoyed to be impressed. "Alright, but... but I've seen something like this before, and if you bottle it up, you're just gonna feel worse."

"Hmm... misery's an old friend, dear boy, trust me..." Klaus seemed to briefly regain his usual bravado as he reached for the door handle again, though he let out a groan that almost sounded like a growl when Johnny continued.

"Come on, mate, that's not an excuse! Look, if I've learned anything, it's that you're not weak if you ask for help, Klaus, and I really think you'd -!"

"I'M NOT ASKING FOR HELP!" Klaus suddenly snapped, giving Johnny a familiar deathly glare while the brownish-gold fur flared up on his now reddened face. "I do not need your help, and I do not want your help, Johnny! Now mind your own business, and... and just... and just piss off, will you!"

Everyone's jaws dropped and their eyes bulged to their widest point after Klaus had said this, and they were only snapped out of this by the sudden THUD! of the door being slammed shut after the old monkey had stormed out.

This shocked silence remained for the better part of a minute, none of them sure what to say, or if they should say anything at all. Nooshy was the first to finally speak up, looking to the others with an awestruck look still etched onto her face. "I'm sorry, did that actually just happen, or did I imagine it?!"

"Ya stupid, stupid girl!"

Charlotte tried to keep a straight face while she stood outside Graham's office, though she still tensed at his shouting and the violent THUMP! noises coming from the other side of the door. The sounds of the angrier gorilla during his rants were scary enough, but any attempt Charlotte made to go to her happy place was dashed when she heard the pained sobs and screams of his much younger victim.

While she had never actually seen one of his so-called "reprimands" in action - having always either excused herself or been told to leave beforehand - the daschund knew all too well what her employer was doing to his daughter behind this literal closed door, and she often had to take it upon herself to clean up the damage when he was done.

"I bloody told ya not to do it, didn't I...?!" He bellowed again. "It's always in one ear, out the other with you, innit, ya foul little cow!"

"Dad, I... I'm really sorry, I just... I just- ugh!" Mary grunted with a pained whimper as Graham struck her again, which finally prompted Charlotte to quietly push the door slightly ajar to have a peek inside. She could see the young gorilla huddled in a fetal position on the floor, though her back was facing the door, and her small, circular glasses lay shattered a few feet away.

"All ya had to do was what I told ya, and now everyone knows my daughter's nothin' but a worthless little sissy girl!" Graham had a cruel scowl on his face as he unbuckled his fine leather belt and pulled it straight with a SNAP!, an all too familiar sound that made Mary sit back up with a terrified expression. "I'd say it's about time ya remembered your bloody place!"

Charlotte quickly straightened up and closed the door again and shut her eyes tight. She tried her best to block out the violent CRACK! of Graham's impromptu whip, and the cries and yelps that Mary let out as it made contact. She must have counted at least ten lashes before Graham seemed to relent, though it was clear he'd only eased up so that Mary would still be able to feel the extra five that he'd decided to give for good measure.

The daschund was snapped out of this traumatic catatonia when the door finally opened and Graham stepped out. Aside from the slight reddish tint on his cheeks and the ruffled, unkempt look of his shirt, one wouldn't think at first glance that this old gorilla had committed such a violent and horrific act, though the carnage and destruction he'd left behind in his completely trashed office was quite a jarring sight in comparison.

"The meeting with the bears is still on for seven, innit...?" He said, blunt but casual, another stark contrast to what he'd just been like a moment before, and after Charlotte nodded, he put on his fine green suit jacket and matching fedora. "Right, should be back about ten. In the meantime, Charlotte, ya can be a doll and clean up the mess in there. And the room, too."

Charlotte kept a straight, emotionless expression until she was absolutely certain that her employer had headed out the front door. Within an instant, she felt the sudden urge to run into the office, manoeuvring her way around the toppled chairs and shattered pieces of glass, towards the young gorilla huddled in the corner.

"Miss Griswold, come on..." She gently took Mary's hand in both of her own, but the latter simply yanked hers away, her face still buried in her knees. "Mary, come on..."

"Just leave me alone, Charlotte."

"Look, we don't have much time, just -"

"Just piss off!" Mary snapped as she finally sat back up, giving Charlotte a better look at the damage that had been done. The young gorilla's face was covered in bruises, both her eyes were swollen, and small trickles of blood ran down from her nostril and one corner of her mouth. Her turquoise shirt had been torn from the collar where her father had grabbed her, exposing several red marks, both old and new, that had been left by the belt. Both her cheeks were already wet from her tears, and only got worse as she continued sobbing through her rant. "Alright, I just want to be left alone! So just please, please go away! Please, Charlotte!"

"Mary, I'm not the one who's going away." Charlotte's tone took a mix of concerned and encouraging. "You are."

"Wait, what...?" Mary pursed her lips, letting the small dog take her hand again.

"It's like I said, we don't have much time until your Dad comes back." Charlotte took a few quick glances over at the front door, then shook her head and looked back to Mary. "Now just pack what you need and we'll get you out of here."

"Hang on hang on hang on... Charlotte, I... I can't just leave, can I...?" Mary tried to laugh, though it was clear that she was more focused on not getting her hopes too high. "Where am I even gonna go...?"

"Johnny...?"

The young gorilla tensed up a bit as a familiar voice snapped him back to reality. He was sat on the front row in front of the Majestic's stage, where Nooshy was still talking Marilyn through some of her choreography, and he straightened up a bit in his chair as he looked down at the koala sat beside him. "Oh... hey, Mr. Moon."

Buster nodded with a small smile. "You, uh... y'okay after all that? Y'know, with Klaus, I mean."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine..." Johnny sat on both his hands so he wasn't fumbling them, but this didn't make him look any less nervous. "I mean... I weren't trying to prod or nothing, I just... I'm just seeing a lot of red flags here, Mr. Moon."

"Red flags...?"

"Yeah, with Klaus and Madame. The way he talks about her, the... the way he acts when any of us talk about her, it... I've never seen him act so... so scared..." Johnny hesitated for another moment or two, then looked down at Buster again. "You, um... you remember when you talked to my Dad a few months back...? Y'know, when he told you about... about my, um..."

"Oh... right..." Buster looked down for a moment, instantly realising just about everything Johnny was referring to. "Yeah... I guess this is all hitting pretty close to home for you, huh...?"

"Yeah, a bit..." Johnny sighed. "I just... I know me and Klaus aren't exactly best mates, but... but no one should go through anything like that."

"Well, Klaus might not appreciate that, Johnny, but I really do." Buster patted the gorilla's hand. "When Crystal... when he, uh... y'know... that story your Dad told really helped me out of a dark place back then. And if you think you can do the same for Klaus, I say go for it!"

"Hmm... thanks, Mr. Moon." Johnny gave a small smile as Buster stepped down from the seat and headed off. Though without a conversation to distract him again, the young gorilla found his mind slowly drifting back to the past again.

Within an hour of Graham's departure, Mary had packed two suitcases of her most important belongings into Charlotte's car and let the daschund drive her to the safest hideout she could think of, and was now sat huddled on an old red couch at her boyfriend's garage.

"Yeah, um... sorry it's a bit of a mess, love, but we don't really get many blokes back here, y'know..." Marcus tried to keep a lighthearted tone as he came in and passed her a cup of tea that Barry had made, keeping a hold of the handle until he made sure Mary definitely wasn't going to drop it, and held back for another moment or two while she took a few quiet sips. "But we'll do what we can make to make y'feel a bit more at home, Mary..."

"No no, it... it's fine..." Mary sniffled a bit. "Besides, I think the last place I want to be reminded of right now is home."

"Right... yeah..." Marcus gently clenched one of his fists, giving a silent nod to Stan and Barry as a prompt for them to leave the room. After another moment or two of hesitation, he finally sat down on the other side of the couch and threw a rather ratty old blanket over his girlfriend's shoulders, though it seemed this finally triggered another sobbing session as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Mary, it... it's alright, love..."

"Of course it's not bloody alright!" Mary whined through her tears, struggling to get more words out while she choked and hiccupped. "First I made a mess of that bloody singing, now that's my Dad's done this, and... an-and here I am wastin' everyone else's time! It's anything but alright, Marcus!"

Mary cut herself off when Marcus suddenly took a hold of her hand. He noticed her shrink back a little as he did this, so he slowly loosened his grip. If the past few years of working in the criminal underworld had taught Marcus anything, it was to hide his emotions, which surprisingly came in handy for appearing calm despite all the sadness and rage that he was hiding from seeing the woman he loved in this state.

"Mary, your Dad, he... he had no right doin' that to ya..." He finally said after nearly a minute of mutual silence, having spent that time thinking about what to say. "It's not like ya did nothin' wrong, is it? You were only singing."

Mary responded with a quiet nod, using her other hand to grab her cup as she took another quick swig. "He's done it for less. Any reason, really. He were like that with Mum too, before... before she... y'know..."

Marcus sighed, then took the cup out of Mary's hand and placed it on the table beside it, holding the other gorilla's chin so he could look her right in the eye. "She deserved better than him, love. Ya both did. And you still do, Mary..."

Mary blushed a little bit as he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. When Marcus stood back up, she leaned back to take up the whole length of the couch and tightened the blanket over herself, watching as he headed to the door. "Marcus...?"

"Yeah...?" He stopped in the doorway and turned back to face her. "What is it, love...?"

Mary let out another sigh, then pulled a smile. Despite the nasty cuts, bruises and swelling that still covered her entire face, Marcus couldn't help still being amazed by the unkempt beauty that had managed to come out from underneath it. "Thank you."

Marcus could finally feel his eyes misting up a bit, so he quickly wiped his face and held the door open, glancing back to his girlfriend and guest one more time before he left. "Goodnight, Mary."