Julien's house, more like mansion, was well...gigantic.

"Julien, you could buy yourself at least fifty realistic crowns." Private blurted out.

"Yeah, but homemade feels the bestest!" Julien said. "And it would match the one I'm making Josie. Don't tell her." Skipper mimed zipping his lips and throwing the key away.

"Rico, stop tugging. I didn't tie it that tight." Kowalski hissed as they passed through the gates. "And you delayed me five times."

Rico grumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Eh, hands out." Julien said.

Rico looked to Skipper who offered an apologetic look.

"Sorry, soldier, it's out of my hands." The leader said. "No pun intended."

Rico sighed heavily and obeyed.

"Julien, there you are!" A man said, hurrying towards them. "Your father is waiting in the dining hall. Who are these...gentlemen?" He eyed Rico's scars.

"These are my friends. My father said I could bring them."

"Well then, please enter."

"Well he was friendly." Skipper said.

"Sorry about that." Julien said.

They entered the foyer to find it mostly empty.

"Julien, darling, we were waiting for you! Where's Clover?"

"Hi Mom." Julien hugged his mom. "She was in the bushes last time I saw her."

"Oh, are these the friends you brought?"

"Yes. This is-"

"Claire, is Julien here?" A man's voice called.

"Yes, dear, we're coming." Claire beckoned them forward.

They entered the large dining hall.

Private's jaw dropped. Kowalski gave him a slight nudge.

"My son said he was bringing guests. Please, introduce yourselves." A man who had most of Julien's facial features said.

Julien Jr gave them encouraging looks.

The tallest went first. "My name is Kowalski. This is Rico, he doesn't speak much." Rico gave a slight nod.

"My name's Andre." Private hoped they wouldn't start calling him Andrew. Truthfully, his parents never had a full name for him. It was just Andre. He did feel a bit weird using his real name since no one but his mother called him that in a year and a half. Even his mom started using his nickname.

"Please call me Percy." Skipper internally died at that. Not that he thought Percival or Percy were terrible names, he just shucked his nickname as a toddler and never thought twice about it...okay, maybe he thought Percy sounded a bit babyish and Percival sounded way too fancy.

"I think it appropriate to call you Ricardo, Andrew, and Percival."

Aw ham steak! No, no we're not doing this. Skipper thought, still keeping a polite smile plastered on his face.

"Actually, my name isn't a nickname." Private said. "Rico prefers to be called by his nickname."

And I despise Percival more than Percy. "I am much fonder of Percy if you don't mind."

"He really does get upset if I call him Percival." Julien jr said. "I've known them a long time and they've told me their preferences. I respect this."

Partial truth, really. Julien never actually knew Skipper's first name, but started using Private's nickname pretty much right when he got it. He also knew that if at any point after the party that he used Skipper's real name, he would be beaten up. He'll stick to Skipper and Private.

"Okay, no worries." Julien Sr said. "Please, sit down."

Skipper got close enough to whisper into Julien Jr's ear. "One word-"

"I know." Julien whispered back as they sat down. He didn't need telling once about it.

"-all this stuff about preferences is just so common people. It must be a poor people thing."

Skipper looked around to see some people whispering to each other, none too quietly. He could hear everything they were saying.

"Why did Julien bring a child with such hideous scars?"

"I swear, you'd think he plucked them off the streets."

"The British one doesn't seem too bad, but the other three are rather strange."

"Children these days are increasingly confusing. Have you seen the way the one with the glasses was looking around? And how about the way he speaks with the scar child?"

"It is rather odd, I do hope young Julien knows how to pick friends."

"I'm going to have to restrain Rico, aren't I?" Kowalski asked. Skipper looked to Rico who had his eyes locked angrily on the person who was talking about Kowalski.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to go to a rich party and not have impressed upon Rico how much he can't take offense to comments like that. But then again, it was Rico. And who was anyone else to tell him how to feel?

"Actually, I find stating preferences is noble, you're saying who you are." Skipper said. The man looked shocked and silence fell around the table. "Pardon, couldn't help but overhear your remark."

"I don't understand why Julien Jr brought you here."

"We're his friends and he wanted us to come."

"He has plenty of friends here."

"I don't disagree that there are associates and children of those associates, but Julien has come to understand the meaning of friendship."

The man scowled. "You dare suggest I don't know a simple word?"

"Please, let's not fight." Julien Sr said. "We're here to celebrate our successful fundraising."

"Oh yes, the project is coming along successfully. I dare say we'll be able to start after the school year finishes." A young man said.

"He sounds familiar." Private whispered to Kowalski. Kowalski passed the message to Skipper.

Skipper paid attention. He didn't notice anything that stood out. It obviously wasn't Blowhole himself, but there was something odd about the man. His demeanor maybe? Was he in disguise too? Maybe it was because his voice was a bit deep for a young looking man.

"Did you know it totally smashes Central Park?" Julien Jr piped up.

Whatever the Penguins might have been expecting, it wasn't that. Julien had always said what was on his mind, but in a situation like this he had held his tongue until now. During their training, Julien emphasized how much he was used to letting the adults speak.

"Son, please, this isn't a conversation for you." His father spoke.

"Why not? I go to school there. I hang out in the park. I should be able to say what I feel about it. What about Mort? He goes to the apartments. If the school is torn down, then what? He and Maurice have to move...why didn't Maurice get invited?"

"Who?" Some people looked around in confusion.

"Maurice declined the invitation." Julien Sr said. "He's far too busy-"

"He wasn't invited! He and Mort had no idea of the party." Julien Jr said. His father had a confused frown.

"Are you talking about that boy who was keeping watch over you? He has Mortimer to keep an eye on." A man next to his father said.

"Yes, Uncle, but-"

"But nothing. They are not in our social groups. Maurice was paid to do a job and now he's doing something else."

"Mort is still my roommate and Maurice checks in all the time." Julien said.

"Why would you continue to talk to people outside your social group, such as these four?" His uncle asked, a distasteful look on his face.

The teen was about to respond back when Julien Sr held up his hands for the conversation to finish. He gave his son a stern look. The teen pouted and moodily picked at his food. The adults continued talking.

Kowalski whispered to Skipper that Rico wasn't holding up so well. The oldest teen was furious, only keeping himself in check by holding Kowalski's hand under the table.

"Who allowed the ownership of the park to be transferred?" Kowalski asked.

"This is definitely not a conversation for you." A woman snapped. "You should learn your place, I'm surprised your parents allowed you to go on without knowing."

Kowalski winced, Rico's hand squeezed tighter.

"My father has shown me my pl-ow." Skipper had pinched his leg to get him to stop self-deprecating.

Kowalski stammered something about farm work, to which someone made a comment on farmers that almost caused Julien to have another outburst.

The party finished dinner and moved to the lounge. Julien told them he was expected to talk to the other teens who had been silent during dinner.

Skipper's team regrouped and stood back against a wall, observing the party. Private was trying to remember where he heard the voice before. Rico and Kowalski said they thought the man's voice was familiar too. Clover peeked in from outside and nodded to the boys, slipping back out of sight.

Julien had told them the man's name was Clemson. He'd shown up with an idea for renovations, but kept them under wraps from city officials. The teen said Clemson hadn't been anywhere around anyone much and preferred to keep to himself, so he had no idea how the three Penguins knew what he sounded like.

"You three, but not me?" Skipper frowned. "Why is that? Why wouldn't I know?"

"I'm not sure." Kowalski said.

The party went on, mostly involving everyone chatting. Julien looked utterly bored. He looked to the four boys for help. Skipper nodded for Kowalski to head over.

Skipper kept his eyes on Clemson. He was mainly talking to the older Julien and some other people who were probably investors. Rico looked around at everyone else, keeping an eye on Kowalski and the younger Julien.

The remaining three edged slowly towards the group of intensely talking investors. The boys couldn't hear much of what was going on because of their low voices. Then something made them pay rapt attention. A name that made Skipper's heart leap.

"-Sorenson coming?"

"No, I'm afraid we aren't that close anymore." Julien Sr said. "His youngest attends school with Julien, but we didn't part on the best of terms last time I saw him. I did reach out to him, so he knows he's welcome."

"Too bad, we could have used an extra brain." Clemson said. "What's the point of being friends with someone who won't even bother to show up?"

Private's eyes widened and he tugged Skipper's arm. The boys backed away.

"What is it?" Skipper asked.

"Valentine's dance, nearly two years ago." Private said. "The guy knocked everyone out and said the person he was looking for didn't bother to show up. He used the same annoyed tone just now."

Rico nodded. "I member."

Skipper felt guilty. He'd had his brain around Kitka and lost all reason. He let his guard and his team down and paid the price of being knocked out. Something could have happened to the team without him knowing.

"Retrieve Kowalski, I'm going to contact my dad."

Kowalski and Julien joined Rico and Private.

"What is going on?" Julien asked. Private whispered to them. Both of them looked shocked.

"It makes sense why he'd tear down the school, he has a problem with it." Kowalski didn't want to mention in front of Julien that they thought the man had been after Campbell. Julien hanging around posed a problem to their current operation.

Skipper returned, letting them know that his dad was almost there. He had been concerned about his youngest and the other boys.

The party continued, Julien Jr wanting to get away from the snooty teens and preferring to hang out with the four he felt he knew best. Problem was, they wanted him to get out of earshot so they could talk.

"Don't make me go back, they were smack talking Rico." Kowalski complained when Julien said he'd go back if one of them did.

"Fine, Private, go." Skipper ordered.

"But-"

"Please. We'll figure out a way to get you out of that once we come up with what to do next."

"Aye, Skippa." Private sighed. He and Julien returned to the teens.

Just then, the door opened and George Sorenson stepped into the room. He ignored the adults who had turned to him and located his son.

"George, you made it!" Julien Sr said.

George gave a noncommittal wave and approached the Penguins.

"Is everything all right?" He asked them.

"Highly uncomfortable, sir." Kowalski replied. Rico nodded.

"We needed a professional adult." Skipper said. "I said professional, Rico." He added to the eighteen year old's raised brow. He lowered his voice as he spoke to his dad. "We're positive that Clemson was the one who did the Valentine's dance incident."

George nodded, having been told about this incident. He turned to the group of investors who were a bit put off that he ignored them.

"Pardon me, I had to speak with my son."

"Oh, this is your youngest?" Julien Sr said.

"Indeed." George confirmed. "Percy told me he'd be coming here today with his friends and I was concerned about them."

It was utterly weird to Skipper that his dad used his name. George had been using the nickname ever since child Skipper requested it. The only other time his full name was used was the Denmark incident.

The boys took a backseat in the conversation as the adults started talking about the plans for Central Park. As more information was shared, Julien Sr looked increasingly uncomfortable about the prospect. He was thinking his son was right, this would smash up the park.

Julien Jr and a very tearful Private rejoined the Penguins as the adults' debate became heated. Before either teen could explain, the snooty teens approached them.

"Why are you being a baby? Aren't you fourteen?" One of them sneered.

"Please leave me alone." Private said, sniffing.

Rico growled, standing protectively in front of Private. The teens nervously backed up.

"Why did you bring that trashy dog?" A girl scoffed. Rico tensed, his hands balling into fists.

"Rico, no." Kowalski whispered. He put a hand on Rico's shoulder.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your mouths, stop taunting my boys, and leave them alone." Skipper threatened.

"What? He acted like a dog." A teen boy said. "Junior, why did you let such filth into your house? What a freak."

Julien bristled. "Don't call me Junior and don't call Rico a freak."

He internally cringed, remembering jumping on the bandwagon when a lot of people were against Rico after the whole comment debacle. He'd since apologized and the boys were forgiving him, but he had a long way to go before he forgave himself. Josie had really changed how he thought about people.

"Pick better friends, like us."

"You're not my friends." Julien snapped. "You don't care about me, you care about being in high society."

"You were born in a place of privilege, own it and dump those who don't-"

"Shut up." Kowalski said. "Just shut up."

"Last warning." Skipper said.

The rich teens looked around at each other. They were about to actually leave the boys alone when one of them gasped. A teen girl pointed at Rico. She noticed that Kowalski's hand went to Rico's so the older teen could unclench his fists and calm down. The boy who had been talking sneered at them.

"You see, he is a frea-"

BAM!

Rico had wrenched away from Kowalski and punched the boy in the jaw. That drew screams and attention.

It took his team to pry Rico off the boy. Julien had been startled, but put himself between the two groups. Rico was growling and muttering as he struggled against the boys.

"You deserved it." Julien said to the boy on the ground.

"Julien, please take your friends to your room." Julien Sr said. He didn't sound angry, but he didn't sound too happy either.

They had to drag the protesting Rico as Julien led them out and upstairs. They entered Julien's room. It pretty much looked like his room in the apartments, just bigger and more posters.

Rico had calmed down and they sat him on the edge of Julien's bed.

"He's eighteen so it's not like it's minor abuse." Julien said.

"Hmph."

"No one's asking you to apologize, Rico." Skipper said. "I know the feeling. That was actually satisfying to watch."

Rico grinned. "Ah…dizzy." He said.

"You got dizzy? Probably just didn't get enough air."

"Yeah…just mad…saying…freak."

"What if we're all freaks, so what?" Julien said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "I say let your freak flag fly! Be you and be different! Let go of what they think and do what you want! I-"

BAM!

The door shook as it bounced off the wall. The boys got in defensive positions until they realized it was just Clover.

"Geez, Clover! Why?" Julien complained. "You gotta stop that sneaking up stuff."

"Sorry, sir, I just didn't see you and someone said there'd been a fight." Clover said.

Kowalski explained what happened.

"Pity I wasn't there, really. Then they'd have REALLY been sorry." She chuckled menacingly.

"Dial it down a bit." Julien said.

"Do you know anything about that Clemson guy?" Skipper asked Clover.

"Honestly, I probably know less than Julien. Why? Is there something I should know?" Clover asked.

"As part of his security detail, yes. This man is working close with the Makyhira family and is a danger to them and others." Kowalski said. "I believe he works with our enemies and if he's working with our enemies-"

"That makes him my enemy." Clover growled. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect Julien and others."

"Excellent. Julien's going to spend the rest of break here at home and you're to gather intel on Clemson's plans and anyone else he could be working with." Skipper said.

"On it!"

Julien gasped and threw his hand up in the air. "Ooh OOO! Hey, does that mean I'm part of the investingmagations?"

"Yes, Julien."

"EEEEEE!" Julien squealed happily. "I won't let you down, captain! Cadet private Julien, reporting for duty-OW!" he'd just whacked himself in the eye. "AH! Ok, that smarts...that's just...ok, I'm ok...I swear..."

"Excuse me, I'M the Private." Private said.

Claire lightly knocked on the open door.

"Are you all alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, sorry for that." Kowalski said. "Rico's sorry for making a scene, but not for why he did it."

"I really don't condone fighting, but I'm glad you stood up for yourself. How about you kids help us clean up?"

"Sure." Skipper said, the boys confirmed they'd help.

"On it." Clover said.

They went downstairs where the staff was cleaning up. Claire greeted them warmly and they entered the dining room.

"Er, where's dad?" Julien asked.

"Out in the garden, talking with George." Claire answered.

The teens exchanged surprised looks and began cleaning the table.

George and Julien Sr entered a while later and helped out with the cleaning, not telling anyone what their conversation had been about.