The camera zoomed out, following Leia's group out of the park. Like the other groups of Louds (and the Loud-adjacent or acquaintances of Louds), they too began making their way into town, towards their shared destination. One of the video feeds brought the front of the shop into view, with a sign that said, in big, bold letters, "Pages & Pillows" (with the P's conjoined and rendered extra elegant-like).

Z-29 tapped the console once more, bringing this feed to the fore, as the other feeds slowly began converging on its location. And first to arrive at the scene would be…

...

The chime rang as soon as Lyra opened the door, though there was no one manning the store front at the moment. She looked around for a moment as she walked in, before a voice from the back called out, "Sorry, I'll just be a minute!"

With a smirk, Lyra glanced around the store. Empty, as was common. The store was divided into three sections. In front, by the windows, were a few small tables and chairs, set up in a café layout. There used to be a few tables outside the store as well, before the difficulties of managing orders both inside and out made it unreasonable…well, in theory. In practice, the tables were likely removed because they were empty far too often and served as a reminder of the store's struggles.

The second section of the store was filled with bookshelves. The shelves contents were mostly comics, though there were a couple sections of popular novels and non-fictions sprinkled about as well, for some reason. This took up most of the store's floor space, and the outer edge of the bookshelves creeped in on the café area. To the point that one table near the border of the two sections was rather stuck, and anyone trying to sit in those chairs would find the task rather challenging, especially if they were of a slightly heavier build.

Lyra's gaze then went to the final section, the counter. Well, the counter and its…et cetera, really. On the half-wall, facing the customers, a few whiteboards described currently ongoing deals: "Buy 2 comics from the same series, get a 3rd half off!", "Free refills on coffee with purchase of any comics.", and "Lodgers at the motel can rent one comic per night, must be returned at check-out. NOTE: any damaged comics will be considered bought and added to lodger's bill." Behind the counter a few coffee pots, each labeled with a different brew, as well as a large wall of key hooks, holding the keys to the motel rooms on the other side of the building.

These were the common, and often befuddling, sights on tap at Pages and Pillows, Royal Woods premier comic-book store/café/motel hybrid.

"Premier", of course, meaning only. Because who else would think to wade into that space…?

"Alright…sorry for the wait!" The voice from the back called out again, as a young woman wearing glasses and a bandanna came out of the door in the back. "So, how can I help…ah."

Lyra turned to the girl, a smile on her face. "Morning, Panther. How're you today?"

Panther Pain's business smile melted into a look of dissatisfaction. "You again, huh. You ever gonna stop being a pain in my ass?"

"It's worked out okay for the last fifteen years, so why stop now?" Lyra brushed off Panther's hostility. "How's business been?"

"Pfft…don't gimme your sass." Panther grabbed a chair behind the counter and slumped into it. "You know better than to ask questions that have such an obvious and shitty answer."

"Heheh…if you say so." Lyra smirked as she grabbed a chair from the nearest table and dragged it over to the counter.

"Hey, cut that out." Panther growled at Lyra. "Leave the chairs where they're at…'sides, they're for paying…"

"A regular coffee, please." Lyra smoothly pulled out her wallet and pulled out $10, placing it on the counter. "Cream, no sugar. And keep the change."

Panther glared at Lyra for a moment, before clicking her tongue as she grabbed the tenner and muttering, "Comin' up."

The bespectacled girl wordlessly grabbed a cup and made the drink, sliding it over to Lyra when she was done, before sliding back into the chair. Lyra was similarly silent as she picked it up off the counter and took a sip. Silence hung over the store for a beat, before Lyra turned to the girl behind the counter and asked, "So…how's your mom doing?"

Panther sighed as she propped her head up with her arm on the counter. "Couple broken ribs, and a few stiches from a cut on her thigh. Doctor said she might also have a dislocated shoulder, probably."

"Mmhmm." Lyra took the rather rough-sounding prognosis in stride. "Actually not as bad as some of her recent medical reports."

"Keep in mind, this was only because she insisted on playing this weekend despite still having a bum wheel from the ankle she broke last month." Panther let out another sigh. "And the doctor said he couldn't be sure if she dislocated her shoulder this week, or if she had done it previously and popped it back in. A few times. Really, he had no idea what was going on with that shoulder, other than she needed to stop doing whatever it was she'd been doing with it."

Lyra took another sip of her coffee as Panther finished explaining before replying, "See, that's the Aunt Polly we all know and love."

"You know I've counted the number of weeks she hasn't been injured over the last year?" Clearly, Panther was not done grumbling just yet. "Pretty sure she had a solid four weeks in the whole year when she wasn't laid up with something. We had to almost literally chain her to her hospital bed this time to get her to actually rest and not push her luck again."

"Oh, good. Maybe that will do the job." A long sip followed this statement, before Lyra continued, "For a day or two."

A nod was the only reply from Panther, and for the next moment it was quiet between the two of them, with the only sounds being the occasional sips as Lyra drank her coffee. Finally, without looking over, Panther asked Lyra, "What are you doing here?"

With a smirk, Lyra put her coffee down on the counter and picked up her bag, retrieving a few books and papers. "I double-checked with your teachers to make sure Terry actually got the assignments right this time. Don't ask me how good she did. But this should be everything for last week, and your history teacher also included instructions for the essay project your class is working on this week."

Panther glanced over to the tower of schoolwork that Lyra was placing on the counter, heaving a heavy sigh as she looked away. "You're still keeping this up, huh?"

"As long as I need to." Lyra finished emptying her bag of all relevant items as she pulled out a couple pencils and placed them on the counter. "So, you have the work I dropped off last time done?"

"…maybe I wasn't clear enough." Panther was still not looking at Lyra as she spoke. "But you can stop with all this. You and I both know that I'm not making it through high school."

Lyra had a wry smirk on her face as she glanced at her sister, who was still acting quite interested in the far wall. "This from the girl who was in the top three for GPA in freshman year?"

"Sure, back when I was able to go to school more than never a week," replied Panther. "But, since this place is too broke to afford an employee, and since the genius who came up with the idea is always too busted up to run the place, I'm gonna be here for the foreseeable future."

"Which is why it's great that the school is being understanding of your situation, isn't it?" Panther's pessimism was instantly batted away by Lyra. "Besides, it's quiet enough here for you to get work done easily. Speaking of, last time's work is…?"

Another moment passed before Panther, with yet another heavy sigh, reached under the counter and pulled out a neat stack of handouts, writings and packets, passing them over to the waiting Lyra, who grabbed them and filed them away as she said, "Thank you. Okay then, what would you like to start with this week?"

"Look, just…you don't need to waste your time doing this." Panther grumbled again as she turned to the papers and started sifting through them. "It's bad enough you feel like you have to deliver the work every week, I don't want you to feel like you have to tutor me at the same time. I can get through it."

"I told you, it's really not a problem for me." Lyra smiled back at Panther. "Just let me dote on my little sister for a bit here and there, okay?"

"Pfft…like you have enough time in the world to dote on all the little sisters you've got," snarked Panther.

"Maybe not. Though I already helped Terry, Sonnette, and Liby today, so it wouldn't be fair to leave you out." A soft smile curled across Lyra's face. "Besides, you're my first little sister, so you get a little extra doting."

"Heh…alright, don't go getting mushy on me." Panther chuckled back. "Well, might as well get going so you can get out of here. Let's start with math, cause irrational numbers can go suck a chode."

"Thanks for the mental image, Pan." Lyra grabbed the Algebra textbook she had placed on the counter, starting to thumb through the pages. "By the way, before I forget, you remember Lulu's birthday party at the house tonight, right? You're still going to be able to make it?"

"Oh gee, I dunno, it's pretty busy today." Panther gestured at the no customers besides Lyra. "But yeah, I think I'll be able to close up and…"

*BANG*

Before Panther could finish, the store's front door was thrown open, and two girls rushed in, both breathing heavily. Panther and Lyra turned to the familiar looking gothic and skater girls, as Lina managed to get out, "Mi-mission accomplished, Boss."

"Mmhmm. Good work, Lina." Lyra was quite non-plussed by the sudden appearance of Lina and Gloom.

Panther looked over to the newcomers, clearly confused by the situation. "The hell? What mission…?"

"Ah, right." Lyra looked back to Panther and put her hands together. "So, there might be a liiiittle thing I could use your help with, Pan."

Panther's eyes narrowed as she bored into Lyra with her eyes. "You bringing trouble into my store now? For shame. I mean, that's the kind of trouble I'd expect out of Leia, maybe, but not…"

"Aaaand here we are!" The door flung open, and as if summoned by her name like some greater devil, Leia Loud led another group, with faces familiar and new, into the store. "Come on in, don't be shy, there's always plenty of room in here!"

Panther watched as a mini-train of kids walked into the store, including Leia's top lieutenants, a very sour-looking Marla, the new kid who happened to be Panther's other half-brother that she met a couple weeks ago, and a trio that she'd never seen before. She blinked once, before glancing over to Lyra and murmuring, "Wanna start explaining what exactly is going on here?"

"Gonna be honest, I'm as stumped as you on this one." True to her words, Lyra gazed at the new entrants with a perplexed look.

"Hey, Leia!" Lina swept over to her little sister, not looking too pleased with the younger girl. "You got some 'splainin to do, cause if that's how you repay a favor, then…"

"Ahh, Lina, can we put a pin in this?" Leia put her hands up apologetically as she tried to wave Lina off. "I'm actually in the middle of something important with these guests of mine, so maybe…"

"Yeah, 'guests' who are still waiting for an explanation of their own!" The feisty-looking new girl that walked in with Leia piped up. "None of you guys will give me a frigging straight answer to anything, and I'm about fed up with…"

"Hey, not that I'm not down to see Leia get slammed, but…" Panther piped up, her voice raising above the din. "This is a business, and if y'all are just gonna stand around, door's that way! And Leia, whatever it is you're planning, P & P doesn't want any part in it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Panther, I thought you'd be quite pleased to have some foot traffic for a change." Leia's faux apologies stung with sarcasm. "But you don't need to worry, I'm not planning anything at all! I just thought it would be a nice, quiet place to…"

*SLAM*

All the chattering voices were quieted at once, as the loud sound of Lyra's hand slapping on the counter rose above them all. The older girl shot her withering gaze at Leia, occasionally snapping to any of the others who might look like they were planning on starting up with their arguments again, before she finally scanned the group to decide who she wanted to hear from. "Lina, come here, and…Lyle. You two."

"Er…sure, Boss." Lina looked a bit bashful, like she had been summoned to the principal's office. Lyle, who was one of the only ones in the store who was managing to keep his composure up in the face of demon-Lyra (aside from Vikki, who only had one gear and it was called 'chill, man'), simply nodded and walked over from his position next to Marla.

Lyra turned to Lina first, calmly asking, "Lina, quick question. Is he ok, and how long till he gets here?"

"Yeah, he's fine…well, exhausted, but fine." Lina replied as quickly and manner-of-factly as she could. "From the way he was going, he should just be a minute or so."

"He should...?" Panther tried to interject. "Lyra, who…?"

"You'll know in a minute, Pan." Lyra cut her off, turning her gaze to Lyle. "Now, Lyle. You've been fairly honest in the limited dealings we've had so far, so I feel you could help us out. Could you explain, in as concise a manner possible, what's going on with your party?"

"Of course. Now, granted, I'm not privy to all the goings on, but I think I can hit the one big blinking bullet point. So…" Lyle thought it over for a moment, before motioning Lyra to move closer towards him. She cocked an eyebrow, but dutifully lowered her head to get closer, as did Panther behind the counter and Lina next to them, as Lyle explained, "The three that came in with us…the twins and Mistress Midriff? Yeah, we are about…98% certain that their father is one Lincoln Loud."

Panther had an incredulous look on her face, and Lina too appeared a bit taken aback. Only Lyra remained stone-faced as she quickly followed up. "And we think that because…?"

"The twins brought him up first, without knowing who we are, and called him their dad." Lyle answered without hesitation. "And the girl with the killer abs, according to Leia's associates, has a picture of her parents, and our favorite snowy-haired playboy just so happens to be in it."

"Christ…oh, sorry Lyra." Panther apologized for her commandment-breaking. "But seriously, more secret kids? Again? We literally just met this one! No offense, pretty-boy."

"No, I get it." Lyle let the 'pretty-boy' comment slide, because there were bigger issues at the moment. "That's pretty much what Lupa and Marla were saying as well."

"…Lupa?" Lyra glanced up, scanning the crowd, but coming up empty in her search for white-haired shit-starters. "When was she involved in this?"

"She was with me and Marla when we found the twins, who had been separated from their sister," continued Lyle. "Leia's group had found the blondie. We brought the kids to their sister, Lupa went to find you to, I had assumed, make sure you knew about the situation. But, by your reaction, I'm guessing she left out a few…critical details?"

"…Yes. It would appear that she did." Even Lyra's poker face showed that she was…displeased by the realization Lupa had weaseled her way out of the situation by dumping it on her. "I'll have to have a…chat with Lupa later."

"Hey, not to interrupt your vengeance planning…" Panther cut in, stepping on Lyra's train of thought. "But I'm pretty sure you were about to explain why all this crap is happening here, right? As far as I know, I'm not involved in any of this, and yet everyone seems to have gathered here. So, that explanation is…?"

"I'll be honest, why we're here is lost on me as well." Lyle chimed in a note of agreement. "I know it has something to do with Lemy's situation, but…"

"Wait wait…Lemy?" A sudden scowl crossed Panther's face as she swung her gaze over to Lyra. "What the hell does that…"

*BANG*

The door slammed open again, with all eyes spinning toward the sound. In the doorway, looking significantly worse for wear than Lyle remembered from when he last saw him at school, was Lemy Loud, breathing heavily as he worked his way into the store, heading straight for the counter.

Panther was practically staring a hole through Lemy, but before she could say anything, Lemy had placed his hands on the counter, bowed his head down, and in a weary, exhausted voice, he mumbled "…'m sorry, Pan. Please help me."

Panther was still just staring at Lemy, her expression barely changing. After a moment, she turned to Lyra and said, "Lyra, did you hear something? Coulda sworn I did, but that's weird, because there doesn't seem to be anything here."

"I get it, but…hear him out, Panther," replied Lyra with a sigh.

Panther continued to ignore the boy bowing to her for another moment, before shooting him a glance and muttering, "Pretty shitty of you to only apologize when you need me to bail you out of trouble."

"I know…it is, but…" Lemy trailed off, not sure how to continue, until finally finishing his thought with, "…I know."

Panther was still giving Lemy the cold shoulder. "And what are you sorry for? I wanna hear you say it."

"I'm sorry for…for not bringing those comics back." Lemy immediately answered. "I get it, they're not mine, they belong to the store, and…and I…I shouldn't have taken 'em. I'm sorry."

Panther rapped her finger on the counter. "And you're gonna pay us back by…"

"…don't have any cash, but…I can bring the comics back." Lemy mumbled as he kept his head on the counter. "And if you want me to…work it off, I can come here…however long you need me to. Just…"

Another loud *BANG* interrupted the conversation yet again. This time, standing in the doorway, was a large redheaded girl wearing a fuzzy hat, whose face was a mask of rage as she shouted, "Вот ты где!"

The others gathered in the store backed up, out of the angry newcomer's warpath. Lina and Gloom tried to stay out of her line of sight, too, fading into the nearby bookstacks. The only ones who weren't moving were Panther, still staring down Lemy, and the boy in question, who still had his head on the counter. He stayed in position as the redhead strode straight over for him and reached down to grab him.

Tried to grab him, rather. But her hand was stopped just before she could reach his collar.

Panther finally moved, standing up and grabbing the redhead's hand and jerking it up before she could make contact. The Russian glared at her, but her gaze soon shifted to the grip Panther had on her, as it dawned on her that she couldn't move her hand from where it was being held. Panther didn't bother glancing up at the redhead, instead keeping her gaze on her brother, as she finally spoke again, saying, "…you'll be working here a month. Every day, after school. You complain, you slack, you miss one day, and your ass is mine. Got it?"

"…yeah." Lemy answered, his head sliding as he slumped down, lying back against the counter. "I'll do it…I promise."

"Ok. Now then…" Panther finally flicked her gaze up to the Russian, who was struggling against her grasp. In a swift move, Panther leapt up and over the counter, maintaining wrist control as she did so and effortlessly twisted the Russian's arm behind her own back. "Now that I'm allowing him to be my brother again, I guess I shouldn't let someone else kick his ass. Plus, you're causing a scene in my business to I'm gonna have to ask…you…to leave!"

And with a few jerking movements, Panther spun the Russian around, pushing her towards the door and showing her the way out. Most of the group still inside the store started crowding around the door and windows, watching as Panther pulled the Russian into the eternally-empty parking lot outside. Lyle and Lina, who were still by the counter next to Lyra, leaned over to Lemy to check on him, with Lina asking, "Sorry it took so long, Lem. You doing ok?"

"Yeah, I'll…I'll be ok." Lemy cracked open his eyes for a second to reassure Lina. "Good to know I've got…one sister who cares."

"Oh? And who was the one who figured out how to get you out of yet another bit of trouble, Lemy?" Lyra leaned down, a smirk on her face as she teased her brother. "And I managed to solve your problems with Panther at the same time. Two birds, one stone."

Lemy tried to glare back at Lyra, but clearly couldn't find the energy. Lyle cut in, looking over Lemy and asking, "Well, I guess that answers my question if this whole 'giant Russian girl' story is legit or not…what the heck is this all about, Lemy?"

Lemy glanced over to Lyle, but shook his head before saying, "Too tired…lemme rest a bit. I'll explain…later…"

And without another word, Lemy closed his eyes, the gentle rise and fall of his chest showing him drifting off to sleep. Lyra chuckled, "Welp, I guess he's ok. Now let's make sure Panther doesn't kill this girl."