"KILLYOU'S GONE ON A TRIP?" TED EXCLAIMED. HE HADN'T EVEN FINISHED HIS TEA AND ALREADY THE SITUATION HAD CHANGED.

"YEAH. HE DIDN'T SAY WHY OR WHERE." CROW SAID. HE JUST LEFT WITH A DUFFLE BAG THAT I SWEAR TO GOD HE NEVER HAD ON HIM WHEN HE CAME IN HERE.

CROW FROWNED FURTHER, AND FURTHER CONTINUED : "I MEAN SERIOUSLY WHAT IS WITH HIS OBSESSION WITH YOUSAY - HE LOOKS LIKE A CRAB AND HE CAN'T EVEN HOLD A CONVERSATION. HOW COME I DON'T HAVE PEOPLE WANTING TO BE MY FRIEND ALL THE TIME?"

"MAYBE BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE A BLOODY BROOM? I'M SURE YOU'LL FIND MANY FRIENDS IN THE STORE CUPBOARD." JACK SMIRKED AND CARLY HAD TO HIDE A LAUGH. BECAUSE IT IS CHILDISH AND FUNNY.

"BLOODY" HUH? DON'T MAKE ME GET OUT THE PICTURES OF KANGAROO'S, JACK." CROW COOLY RESPONDED.

"THEY ARE TERRIFYING CREATURES AND YOU'LL DO NO SUCH THING." JACK SAID AS HE LOOKED AWAY INDIGNANTLY.

"OH WELL, I GUESS THAT'S THAT THEN." SAID WILLIAM IN THE CORNER, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT "THAT" WAS NEVER "THAT".

"I KIND OF MISS HIM" BRUNO SAID. AND EVERYONE CAME TO A HALT.

ESPECIALLY YOUSAY BECAUSE HIS SCREWDRIVER WAS IN MID-SCREW AND THAT'S JUST UNCOMFORTABLE.

BRUNO LOOKED EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE AS THEY AWAITED AN EXPLANATION.

"LISTEN," SAID BRUNO, CAUTIOUSLY. "IT'S TOUGH BEING THE BLUE HAIRED ONE. YOU EVER SEE A CHARACTER FROM A SHOW WITH BLUE HAIR THAT GOT A GOOD DEAL? LIKE BUGGY FROM ONE PIECE. ALL I'M SAYING IS, IT WAS NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE AROUND WHO Y'KNOW, COULD RELATE TO HAVING BLUE HAIR. EVEN IF IT WAS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SHADE."

THERE WAS A HORRIBLE SILENCE.

"SO IT'S THE ONE PIECE TCG NOW?" CROW SAID, VISIBLY OFFENDED. "THERE ISN'T EVEN A COLLECTING ASPECT TO THAT SHOW!"

"AND IT TAKES PLACE ON THE SEA." JACK ADDED, SUDDENLY LOOKING QUITE PALE. CARLY PATTED HIS HAND.

"SO WHAT, ARE YOU SAYING YOU WANT TO BE KILLYOU'S SPECIAL BIKER FRIEND AND NOT YOUSAY'S NOW?" TED SAID, AGAST.

"NO! NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M SAYING AT ALL-" SAID BRUNO BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. YOUSAY HAD RUN INTO THE OTHER ROOM AGAIN AND LOCKED THE DOOR.

"HEY HEY, WHOA, I'M STILL THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION, RIGHT?" JACK SAID AS EVERYONE SCOOTED TOWARDS THE DOOR. "CARLY... YOU TOO!?"

"OH JACK I'LL BE BACK IN A SECOND, THEY MIGHT NEED A WOMAN'S TOUCH TO RESOLVE THIS KIND OF EMOTIONAL THING."

"BUT I NEED A WOMAN'S TOUCH TOO…" JACK SAID, BUT IT WASN'T LOUD ENOUGH. HE SIGHED AND CONTINUED TO SIP HIS TEA.

WILLIAM SAT DOWN NEXT TO JACK AND TOOK TED'S TEA BECAUSE IT WASN'T A NICE THING TO DO.

"MUST SUCK TO BE IGNORED BY YOUR GIRLFRIEND - IS THIS BLUE EYES TEA?"

"DON'T TELL ME THE FUTURE AGAIN STRANGE SEAMAN I'VE DIED ONCE ALREADY - AND YES IT IS. YOU SEEM TO BE A MAN OF FINE TASTE." JACK SAID, STILL HURT RINGING IN HIS VOICE FROM BEING ABANDONED BY HIS NEW ENTOURAGE.

"WELL I THOUGHT THAT WAS OBVIOUS." THE DISHEVELLED OLD MAN WITH CLOTHES MADE OF POTATO SACKS KNOWN AS WILLIAM SAID AND SIPPED THE TEA MORE. IT APPEARED HE HAD REMEMBERED AT LEAST ONE THING.