Chapter 34
Christmas day was a quiet affair. It was largely spent huddled in the hut with the kid; Howard's duvet thrown over them both as they watched endless holiday themed movies, including the Colobus Winter Special.
Howard hadn't been able to purchase any gift for the kid. Hospital bills honestly were not worth it. Howard made a comment about just telling the doctors to let him bleed out next time, to which Vince laughed at. Thankfully the boy seemed to take pity on Howard's money situation, and didn't have a gift ready for the older man either. Howard was glad; the guilt would've really brought his mood down.
Howard opened his card from his mother, and smiled at the additional words written there. He waved the card at Vince.
"My mother says hi, and to not let me become too boring."
The boy gave him a look as to say "Oh how I try" and Howard clapped him lightly over the head with the card.
As the evening grew late, Howard untangled himself from the boy's limbs, which he flung all over Howard when he had whinged about wanting to lay down, and promptly flopped over the man. Howard moved into the bathroom where he had a quick shower and dressed in a nice new shirt Tristan had arrived with earlier that day, as a gift. Howard was incredibly embarrassed not to have a return present, and Tristan had waved off his apologies as Vince commented rather casually "Now you've gone and guilt-tripped 'im; he's gonna sulk about that all day." Howard had given the boy a vicious glare before sending Tristan off with a kiss and a time for her to pick them up for their date.
Reading his wristwatch, Howard surmised he had about fifteen minutes before she arrived. He donned his jacket and shoes, turning to the boy who was still laid over the couch, left arm dangling to the floor as Colobus smote his enemy onscreen. Howard wasn't exactly sure how to say what he needed to, and cleared his throat a few times, the boy looking up over the arm of the sofa at him.
"Um uh, I won't be...coming home tonight. I'm...going over to Tristan's, and I'll be there...so, just, uh, don't go out anywhere, alright? And don't let anyone in here or make a mess. Alright?"
The boy watched him ramble upside down, and was silent for a few seconds before giving an answer.
"Alright."
He then turned back to his show, and Howard quickly left the Lodge and the awkwardness he was feeling. He shivered in the cold, coming to stand outside the gate. The new guard greeted him with a familiar wave. Graham had resigned the day after Howard went at him with the baton. Fossil had called him into the office and gave Howard a very long stare, stating that Graham had reported being attacked by a manic stranger, and no longer felt safe working at the Zooniverse. He also told Howard that he knew it was him, and that he wasn't in any trouble.
"Hated that lousy piece of shit, anyway."
Fossil gave the remark with a smirk and dismissive wave to Howard, going back to his paperwork as the befuddled man walked out the office building, not sure whether to be pleased he'd see no more of Graham, or utterly defeated that the man had apparently forgotten his name again.
Tristan's car pulled up a few minutes early, honking lightly and giving Howard a smile. The man quickly seated himself in the warmth of the car, and they were off to the same little cafe they'd went to the last time. It was her favorite, Tristan had said.
Howard ran a hand tiredly over his eyes as he entered the Lodge front door, inspecting the hut for any signs of damage. Other than Vince's tackle box lying open on the sofa, nothing seemed out of place, and Howard walked over quietly to look down on the sleeping boy. It was still a few minutes before Howard's alarm clock would blare, and the man decided to let the kid sleep in a bit as he turned the device off and moved toward the kitchen.
Just then he noticed a slight smell in the air, near the kitchen window. Leaning over the counter Howard breathed in deeply, and groaned to himself as he recognised the scent. The boy had been smoking in his damn house while he'd been out. Howard sighed heavily, opting to just let it go this time, and turned on the coffee machine.
No one should've been surprised when it was announced that day that more animals had gone missing. This time it was the little flying squirrels. Moose was in total upheaval, pacing around as Fossil gave the news over the intercom. Howard felt bad for his friend, and wanted to be of comfort. But awkwardness and unease had taken over where trust and loyalty used to be in their bond, and Howard just kept to himself.
Vince was treating the whole ordeal rather like a murder mystery, throwing around ideas and suspicions over lunch, eyes bright with curiosity and excitement.
"How does he do it? The thief, I mean. No one's ever seen 'im; not even the new guard. Wonder how he gets in an' outta the zoo, with animals in his pockets, no less! He's like a phantom...I also wonder what some bloke would want with a bunch o' ruddy zoo animals. I mean, I love these guys, but they're not exactly top notch...You know what I think; I think he's some sorta mad scientist, and he's performin' all these, like, insane experiments. He's mixin' animals together, and so he needs the ones from our zoo. Brilliant!"
Howard just shook his head silently in mild amusement, letting the boy rabbit on to his heart's content. He had to admit he'd been turning ideas and motives in his head as well. Who would steal a bunch of animals from a run-down zoo, and how did they always escape unnoticed? Like a phantom indeed.
It was announced that evening that Bainbridge would be coming by the Zooniverse again, and that he'd be giving some sort of speech. Fossil gave explicit instructions that every keeper was to report to the zoo lounge the next morning.
"That means you too Howard Moon and Vince Noir."
The man knew them too well.
Howard and Vince arrived late to the speech, and by then all the chairs had been filled, so the two resigned themselves to standing at the back. Fossil seemed to have worked hard on preparing the room. It had chairs lined up in neat rows, as well as a pedestal and dusty old projector through which Bainbridge showed pictures.
Howard mostly tuned the man out. He was talking some nonsense about coming back from a recent mission to find a jeweled egg in the arctic. As if that man had ever been to the arctic. Howard couldn't help the yawns and snide comments under his breath, and noticed from the corner of his eye that Fossil was practically bristling. Bainbridge seemed to have hand-drawn these stills, as they fit perfectly into his story. The next slide was that of a wolf attacking a moustached man.
"...The wolf attacked me, but fortunately, I had a pistol hidden in my moustache."
Now that was utter and complete bullshit in Howard's book. And he felt incredibly proud of Vince when the boy called out in a snide voice over the crowd.
"As if!"
Everyone glanced back at them for a moment before choosing to just ignore the pair. Bainbridge paused for a second in his speech to send Vince quite a scathing glance, before continuing.
"But the wolf took my hand."
"What, in marriage?"
Howard couldn't stop the mumbled jibe, said mostly for Vince, who was having a good laugh at every comment the older man made. Fossil jolted abruptly from his chair, coming to stand before the two, and Vince immediately tried to quell his smile and keep his head down meekly. Howard did the same. Bumbling as the man was, a truly angry Fossil was something to avoid.
"What do you two think this is, huh, a Parisian divorce court!? Listen, I don't wanna hear another word from you. This is a brilliant man, an action man! Now shut up, and fly right."
The man gave the pair one last glare before resuming his seat, Bainbridge waving dismissively at Howard and Vince with an air of dignity about him that made Howard want to chuck a chair at his face.
"That's alright, Fossil, let the little boys have their fun. Nice moustache by the way, Moon."
Alright now it was getting personal. Howard glared at Bainbridge, and then at Vince when the kid tried very hard to contain his giggling at the comment. Vince just shrugged good-naturedly up at the older man, and Howard sighed, once again tuning the lecture out.
After the whole egg story was over, Fossil seemed to think it was a good opportunity to bring to Dixon's attention the zoo thefts. Bainbridge's eyebrows drew downward as he listened to Fossil as he attempted to explain the situation, doing a pretty poor job of it. Finally the man seemed to hear enough.
"Alright, so what you're saying is that my animals have recently begun vanishing into the night? What the hell kind of security system do you have going here, Fossil!?"
"Well I-uh..."
The blue-shirted man floundered for a minute, and Vince apparently felt pity for him as he stepped forward, getting Bainbridge's attention.
"Well, y'see, this phantom's been comin' into the zoo, an' no one can seem to figure out how, or why. I think he's doin' mad experiments, perhaps even in the zoo itself, in some kinda hidden lab! I'm talkin' mutants, spliced up animals, all livin' right beneath our noses!"
Howard put a hand over his eyes. It was one thing for the boy to ramble on about this with him, but entirely another for the kid to go spouting it to Bainbridge. Howard stepped forward and wrapped a hand around the boy's wrist, pulling him toward the door. Vince was sending him a sharp, questioning glare, but didn't put up a struggle. Howard just nodded to everyone, exiting the building.
"Sorry, uh, just ignore him. He's just kidding around..."
The man cleared his throat as the other keepers stared at Vince like he was some sort of freak. This was exactly what Howard had managed to avoid for an entire year. Howard knew deep down that he was being daft; overly paranoid, but he really didn't want the staff to know what he knew. That Vince was insane. Probably certifiable. If they did, they might make fun of the boy, or try and get him sacked.
The teen obviously didn't see Howard's charity. As they exited the office building he tore away from Howard, continuing to glare up at the man.
"What was that for!? I was just explainin' what's been goin' on!"
Howard held his hands up in a placating gesture. If he could avoid a tantrum then it would be mission accomplished for the day.
"I know, Vince, I know. But...um..."
Howard searched about in his mind for something reassuring to say, but he wasn't quick enough, as Vince's face went a bit blank.
"Ah, I get it. Don't let the freak speak up in front o' people. I was jus' trying to help."
"I know that, Vince, and I'm sorry. You're not a freak, I just...I don't want you going on like that in front of people."
The man winced; that came out a bit wrong. Vince just nodded, turning and heading for the Boudoir. Howard sighed, running a hand through his hair before making for his own post. Keepers were now filing out of the building. The lecture seemed to be over.
Howard felt bad unloading on Tristan, but once they were in the quiet of the cafe he just felt all his worries tumbling out of his mouth. He spoke of the mystery of the animal disappearances, and how the night patrol thing wasn't being of much help, and how Vince had been upset with him since his little slip up on words. He told Tristan of Vince's...imaginative way of thinking, fearing that she would call the kid mad or an idiot. He was relieved when she said nothing of the sort, just stated that everyone had different ways of thinking, some were just more noticeable than others. Howard had smiled at that, feeling much better after rambling blindly for over an hour. To her credit, Tristan was a fantastic listener, and if she ever tired of Howard's endless complaints she never once let onto it.
"...So are you coming to my performance? It's this Thursday night, so we can't go out after or anything like that. And I suspect I'll have my hands full keeping the kid from getting piss drunk. Gideon said she was showing up, and I invited Joey but...he gave some excuse about being busy. I just don't know what to do about him. I mean, he's my best mate but...he and I just don't see eye to eye anymore. He's convinced that Vince is some sort of maniacal little demon child, like something from a horror film."
Howard and Tristan laughed at that mental image, and Howard knew he was being a bit dramatic about what Moose had said concerning the kid. But Joey was the one being dramatic, so Howard allowed himself a bit of venting against his friend.
Tristan looked sad, laying her hand over Howard's, her voice apologetic.
"Sorry, Howard. I have to visit with my mom and dad for a while. It's their anniversary soon, so it's kind of a 'no avoidance' deal."
"That's alright, you can come to my next show. And hey, when will you be singing again? I want to come to your gigs as well."
"I don't get as many calls as you, Howard. I'm not nearly as talented."
"Yes you are."
Howard showed up to the theatre three hours early, mostly because he literally had nothing better to do after work hours, and the kid had whinged endlessly about being bored. Howard was surprised to find the place nigh on deserted. The manager was heard in a back office talking loudly on a phone, but other than him Howard and the kid were alone.
It wasn't a massive room, but it had a high ceiling, and Vince whistled and shouted obscene things, grinning at the echo as Howard laughed and tried to cover the boy's mouth.
There was a very lovely white grand piano on the stage, and Vince had nearly flown off into the roof when Howard sat down and began playing a tune.
"You can play that thing!? Since when!?"
Howard couldn't suppress a slight glow in his cheeks at how adorably squeaky the kid's voice got when he was excited or the look of utter awe that overcame him as he stared down at Howard.
"Since I was a boy, Vince."
"But you never said...well look at you, Howard Moon and his many secrets. Seems you're not as see-through as I thought."
Howard wasn't certain how to feel about that, and so settled for smug. The piano had an autoplayer, and the man got an idea. He turned it on, listening to the song as the keys moved about on their own. He stood nervously, and Vince seemed to pick up on that, losing his grin and staring up at the man curiously.
"So, what say I teach you how to do a waltz?"
"Seriously, Howard?"
"Well you don't have to-"
The man felt incredibly awkward, but what else was there to do in an empty theatre with a piano playing a tune except dance? And Howard doubted the boy knew any kind of refined dancing that didn't involve flailing to techno or goth rock. Well, no time like the present to instill some civilization into the Mowgli-child. Vince didn't give Howard time to finish his sentence; he was stepping up closer to the man and silently offering his hands, not really sure where to place them.
After a few minutes of instructing the kid on how to step the two found a steady rhythm, and the tenseness slowly left the man's stature. The boy was staring down at their shoes, making sure he didn't trod on the older man's feet. Suddenly he was looking up, once again displaying his talent for asking completely random and often embarrassing questions.
"D'you ever want a family, Howard? Like, did you ever used to dream of gettin' a pretty little wife an' having kids. White fence an' all that."
The man felt his neck grow warm as he considered the question. After a minute he decided to just be honest. It was only the kid, after all. He knew Vince wouldn't go telling everyone things that Howard said when it was just the two of them.
"Well, yes. I mean, when I was younger I used to think about it a lot. Quite a lot, actually. Guess it was mostly my mother's doing. From as far back as I can remember she's always been asking on about any girls I might've taken a fancy to. Um...but yeah, I used to want a family. I mean, I suppose we all do, eventually. It's funny, I used to have a perfect little mental picture in my head. I had a nice wife, who was smart and witty and loved jazz as much as I do-"
Howard wacked Vince lightly over the arm when the boy made mock gagging sounds, and continued.
"-And I pictured having a kid. I always just wanted one, actually. Maybe two, but I never wanted a big family. My father has five brothers, and when they all got together it always ended in fights or arguments. My mother used to say she was so happy she'd been an only child. And uh..."
Now Howard knew he was blushing, and having the boy watch him as they slowly rotated on the empty stage wasn't helping matters. Sometimes Howard thought the boy to be a bit psychic; as what he was about to say had been on his mind when he offered the dance in the first place. He found his voice getting more low and mumbled as he spoke, hoping that the kid might not actually hear him.
"And in my mind, I always pictured a little girl. Don't know why...I just never really thought about having a son. And I'd sit and play my guitar and think about one day teaching my daughter to play, and, y'know, maybe even dancing with her..."
Vince was giving Howard a face he wasn't sure had a word to describe it.
"That's sweet, Howard. You never told any of this before."
"Well it's not exactly the kind of thing a grown man goes spreading around to people."
"Still, I think it's sweet. So...do you ever think you will have a daughter?"
"Don't I already have one?"
Vince's unnamable expression quickly changed to one of outrage and amusement, eyebrows rising and grin sliding up the side of his face.
"Oh I see now, Mr Moon's bein' funny."
Howard broke out into laughter, and the boy followed, their feet stumbling a bit as they tried to continue turning as they both laughed, filling the theatre with their echos.