Disclaimer: PoM and VV do not belong to me.

Skipper stared downward into the seemingly bottomless crack, "How far down do you think this thing goes?"

"Not sure," Vince responded, also staring down the hole, "Still, I don't think it'd be a good idea to fall down. You might not be able to climb back up."

"And you?"

"Me? I've got voodoo powers, I really have no need to worry. You, on the other hand..."

Skipper frowned, "Yeah, yeah. So how come neither Charmaine nor the big-headed wizard have said anything to us yet?"

Vince stroked his burlap chin, "There's a lot of concentrated zombie dust in the area... that could be interfering with their powers..."

"You know nothing about what you're talking about, do you?"

"Not really."

"Splendid," Skipper took a look around, eventually bringing his gaze upon a skeleton man standing guard in front of the museum, "Hey, that guy might know something. Let's go interrogate him."

Vince sighed, but, knowing he really couldn't argue, ran after Skipper, who had jumped on the skeleton man's chest and began questioning him intensely. Maybe it was because he was already dead, but Skull Man didn't really seem to mind the troublesome penguin. Vince pulled Skipper off of him, looking him in his empty eye-sockets. He suppressed a shiver, "Excuse us, pal, but we're looking' for someone. A few someones, actually. A few penguins and a tall lady, the magical type, most likely bound from head to foot. See anyone like that?"

"Hmm," The Skull Man paused in thought, "Museum's got many answers. Might have yours, who knows?" He then set a glare on Skipper, "Which I might have told you had you not been so rude."

"Blah, blah, can you let us in or not, bone-brain?" Skipper snapped.

The deep-voiced skeleton turned his attention to Vince, "Tell ya what. I'll let you in for a song."

"A song?" Vince blinked, "Isn't this a science museum?"

The Skull Man frowned, "Hey, this is the 'Big Easy'. C'mon, I just want someone to jam with."

"Great," Skipper responded, "A hippie. How about we beat him up and steal his keys?"

Vince scowled, leading Skipper away from the skeleton, "I don't see how that will help. Can't you think of anything besides violence?" Skipper, of course, responded by conjuring an alien ship to blow Vince up. Once he respawned, Vince was not amused, "Oh, ha-ha."

Later, Vince and Skipper were walking the alleyways of the Quarter, having found a few voodoo icons along the way, "It's hopeless," Vince sighed, "Even if we HAD any musical instruments, we wouldn't know how to play them!"

"I think we passed a jazz club," Skipper yawned, "Can't be sure, though."

"Great, now if only we had- an instrument..." Skipper glanced at his partner when he trailed off, then followed his gaze to the window of the pawn shop. Sitting for display on its window sill was a brass trumpet, brand new and very expensive. Vince looked at the price tag, "Eish. Where are we gonna get THAT kind of money?"

Skipper's gaze shifted to the garbage cans behind Vince, where a mask with a hole in one of the eyes -just big enough for Vince's glass eye- lay in the garbage. Then his gaze shifted to the poster for a costume ball behind it. Back to Vince. Back to the mask. Back to Vince again. Back to the mask again. Smirk.

"What? Why are you- hey! Stop! STOP!"

"I hate you..." Vince glared as he spoke this. Now the doll was dressed in the mask, as well as an improvised dress Skipper had sewn from random rags. Skipper rolled his eyes as he put the finishing touches on the dress, tying it a little too tightly, causing Vince to gasp in surprise. Skipper smirked.

"Just go in there and be the best lady you can be!" Skipper's smirk turned into an encouraging grin, prompting the doll to, reluctantly, enter the costume ball. First there was silence. Then loud applause. Five minutes later, Vince walked out with a banded-together stack of green paper.

He inhaled, "Ah... freshly minted fake money."

"...Right. Now let's go get that trumpet for the hippie skeleton," The duo found their way back to the back alleyway and Vince purchased the trumpet. A few blows revealed Vince knew as much about playing as he had predicted: None. The duo then proceeded to the jazz club, where Vince went in alone.

A group of people in berets turned around and stared at the doll, "Uh, hello. Does anyone know how to play the trumpet?"

Several hours later, Vince walked out, wearing a beret and a pair of sunglasses. He smirked at Skipper, who frowned at him, "Well?"

"Like, let's shake it, Daddy-o."

"Whatever," The two walked over to the Skull Man, who Vince demonstrated his new-found jazz playing skills to. The skeleton, obviously pleased, started playing along. Skipper stared in curiosity, "Uh, how do you play without lungs?" He was promptly ignored.

The Skull Man nodded at Vince, "Nice. Warms my heart," He patted his chest, then shrugged, "Wherever it is. I'll let you in now, but beware. The boss is in a bad mood today."

"Boss?" Skipper shook his head, "Great. Prepare for battle Vince."

The voodoo doll looked back at him, "What makes you so sure we'll be fighting him?"

"In the video games Private used to play, the boss is ALWAYS a really hard enemy. Don't say I didn't warn you!" Skipper yelled after Vince as the doll completely ignored his warning and marched in. Skipper marched in after him, wondering just what kind of enemy they were going to be fighting.

Yes. Another chapter of doom. The boss is next, but BEWARE! He might eat your head... I'd wear protective head gear if I were you...