Back at Kathleen's summer home, Marceline had scaled the nearest tree and leaped onto a second-story window, which was partially left open. Balancing herself on the frame, she squeezed her flexible body below the glass and jumped into the room, which happened to be Lola and Lisa's. She only took a step before being greeted by a horrifying sight.
"Welcome, Marceline. Your fellow beasts... await you downstairs."
The cat screeched and her back hair bristled as she was faced with a nightmarish face balancing itself on an extendable neck. Unsheathing her claws, she attacked it but its plastic face easily deflected them as the robot also extended his left arm to open the window.
"Pardon my...tone. I was in the middle of upgrading my... vocal generator." Fenton said as he extended his neck over the cowering cat and craned his head through the window, scanning the surroundings for Marceline's owner.
"I assume Ryan is... accompanying you..." he said, the pitch of his voice fluctuating at random. "...I wish to relay the current location of our... allies to him personally...as he failed to show up at the intended... rendezvous site...in due time." But Fenton saw no trace of the pale-faced boy, nor could he pick up his heat signature.
"Most peculiar? He's not in...the vicinity. And yet his pet is? Unfortunately, you are incapable of...offering intel about his whereabouts...with your limited bestial language...and intellect. Tapping your brain for memories is an option... but without your consent, it would be... ethically dubious. My allies will be... displeased, but it is my duty...to keep them... informed."
On edge, Marceline wasted no time sneaking out of the room while Fenton prattled on and sent out a message to his allies.
"You are house-trained...correct?" he suddenly asked but noticed that the cat was gone.
Moving through the hall and sniffing the walls and floor, Marceline picked up many familiar scents but they were mostly faint, showing that the large home had been abandoned for at least a few hours, which matched up with what she and her owner saw earlier. The entire family went on a cruise.
"Just my luck." she thought sarcastically. "Not only is Ryan in danger but I'll have to worry about him in mind-dumbing boredom."
She then heard snoring, so loud that it could only have come from a very large and bloated human being, narrowing down the list of suspects as far as the Louds went. Seems not everyone left for the fancy cruise. As she reached the top of the stairs, her suspicions were confirmed.
She spotted the old, mustached man, the Loud kids' maternal grandfather if she remembered correctly. He was out like a light and catching Zs on the couch. Marceline was cautious, not knowing what the old coot's stance on pets was.
But she also heard a familiar voice, sounding like they were talking with a full mouth, accompanied by annoying squeaks, and a familiar white and black canine walked up in front of the couch and turned around just as fast.
"He's skulkin' 'round 'ere somewhrrr...ah juphh gnow it...hith sthench's everywhere..." It was Charles, pacing back and forth with a worried look on his face while chewing on his bone-shaped chew toy to alleviate the stress.
"Please...don't remind me." a second, more hoarse voice griped. It belonged to Cliff, who was lying on the armchair and flicking his tail from anxiety. "If he decides to b-bust in, there's nothing stopping him."
"I just don't understand..." Charles mused after dropping his gnawed-up toy. "Why did Lynn throw my chew toy in the kitchen and then lock the door while I was retrieving it? How am I supposed to protect them if I'm not with them?"
Cliff rolled his eyes. "Probably to keep y-your sorry behind safe." he snarked harshly, a nervous edge to his voice. "I saw how you fared against that wolf...l-last time."
Charles turned towards him, looking undeterred. "I may not be very big or strong or fast, but as man's best friend it's my moral obligation to protect my owners at all costs!" he declared in a stalwart manner before jumping onto a footstool.
"It's been the canine credo for thousands of years! I've been watching them all day yesterday, and that coward didn't dare come near them until I was out of the picture."
"Yeah..." Cliff waved his paw bitterly. "Because that idiot Leni nearly poisoned us last night." This reminded the cat that perhaps One Eye wasn't the biggest threat to their well-being.
"Don't pet yourself on the head too hard, Fido." they suddenly heard a smarmy contralto, making Cliff jump as Marceline appeared next to the couch and sat down. "You got off easy cuz I was out there risking my neck protecting Ryan from One Eye."
She instantly regretted revealing herself.
"Marceline, you're here!" an overjoyed Charles leaped and pinned her down without warning, and started licking her face. Despite everything, Cliff covered his mouth and sniggered.
"Back off!" Charles froze as he found his tongue pinched between two of Marceline's claws.
"One more lick and you can kiss that slobbery appendage goodbye! Capiche?" she warned him as she rose to her feet and shook her head clean.
Charles nodded obediently and Marceline yanked his tongue back before letting it snap back into the mutt's mouth. The dog reared up and nursed it. The Savannah sure had an odd way of showing affection.
"What are you doing here?" a nervous Cliff spoke up, earning Marceline's attention.
"Oh, goodie...the pipsqueak hasn't been eaten yet." she deadpanned with an unamused look, making the black tomcat gulp.
"He's hahth ah pointh..." Charles inquired while rubbing his sore tongue. "Whah arrr ya doin' 'ere?"
Sighing, Marceline figured that she owed the two chuckleheads an explanation, so she told them what she and Ryan had been up to for the last 24 hours, from when they got ambushed at their own home up until they split up mere hours ago. She left out the part where Ryan and One Eye chatted, figuring the boys wouldn't believe her.
Regardless, Cliff was still skeptical of some of the details in her story but kept his mouth shut, while Charles was quite moved by her heroic tale.
"How noble...such bravery and devotion..." he whimpered and wiped a happy tear "...they oughta count you as an honorary dog just for that!"
"Don't make me puke, fleabag." Marceline sneered in disgust. Why did she bother conversing with the drooling dope again?
"So One Eye really is here?" Cliff began to panic. "Why did you lead him straight to us?!"
"Oh... please forgive my selfishness." Marceline touched her chest in mock regret. "Me and Ryan should have just let him pick his teeth with our bones."
"Don't despair, Cliff. Can't you see this is a good thing?" Charles tried to lift his companion's spirit, wagging his stumpy tail. "Now that we're together again, we can take him on together!"
The cats were dumbstruck. Charles was either the most devoted guard dog ever or woefully and hopelessly stupid... probably the latter.
"Are you nuts! You want us all to die?!" Cliff cowered into the couch, while Marceline sent the bull terrier an irritable look.
"And what's your brilliant strategy, Chuck?" she snarked. "To give One Eye indigestion?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry 'bout that, kitty." a nasally voice cut in.
Caught off guard, the pets looked up and saw a bandaged-up fisher with a missing ear reclining on top of the couch above the sleeping Albert and offering them a fang-filled grin. Cliff screeched in fear and hid under Charles's legs, while Marceline instinctively hissed and puffed up her tail.
"You'll wish ya were dealin' wit dat One Eye..." the fisher shot them a finger gun "...once ya run across ol' Soto, he's one mean son of a bitch."
"Who are you?" Charles adopted a fighting stance as well. "What are you doing here?"
Getting a better look at the overgrown marten, Marceline eased up and huffed. "Nice bandages. Who did you piss off?"
"A pack of coyotes." the fisher got up and shrugged. "Ya cheat dem of a few choice cuts an' they go rabid on ya. Touchy much?"
"I asked you a question, trespasser!" Charles barked and stomped his foot while Marceline rolled her eyes at his inane attempt at sounding threatening. The fisher didn't seem to take the small, short-legged dog with the weirdly shaped head seriously either.
"Name's Wejack an' no need for the hostility..." the fisher raised his paws before slinking down the couch and rearing up in front of the pets "...me and da rest ain't trespassin' on your property, we was invited by Lana the Generous."
"Suuure. Cuz you look like a trustworthy guy." Marceline deadpanned before hearing various noises from the kitchen.
"Invited? Rest? What do you mean by "rest"?" a surprised Charles demanded to know before his gaze wandered towards the kitchen as well. Growling slightly, he gave the fisher a warning glare before bolting towards the kitchen together with Marceline, both of them halting at the entrance, mouths wide agape.
"Wait! Don't leave me with this wild beast!" the quivering Cliff cried as he was suddenly alone with the towering fisher, who sent him a dark smile, and scampered after Charles. As he joined the other two, he was stupefied to see that the kitchen was absolutely infested with woodland creatures.
The once crystal clear floor was covered by the muddy footprints of various critters, with a bunch of moles lifting one of the floor plates and blindly crawling across the floor. Garbage was also littered across the floor, courtesy of two raccoons that had tipped over the waste bin. Small birds were carrying off snack bags from the upper cabinets or pecking those that had been spilled all over the shelves below, while other animals were taking everything they could find from the lower cabinets, drawers, and the fridge itself; squirrels going after peanuts, otters chugging down sardines and throwing the oily cans away, and at least one beaver chewing on the furniture. Some voles and chipmunks were lying around in a stupor after having discovered Rita's secret liquor compartment.
"Lana let all of them in?" Charles blurted.
"Nah...that's jus' half of 'us." Wejack squeezed himself between Charles and the cats and leaned onto the former's shoulder. "The less darin' ones stayed downstairs. Some brought their whole families wit 'em."
"Ollie, spit that out! It's duhty!" they saw an unkempt possum with bloodshot eyes struggling with one of her joeys, pulling out the grimy lollypop he had picked off the floor from his mouth, before bristling in horror as she saw another joey about to jump into the blender.
"Shelly, don't gao in theah!" she screamed as she clutched the giggling girl before grabbing another joey that was about to eat some red pellets off the floor. "No, Chloe! That's rhat poison!"
"Kneel, villain!" she gasped as two other joeys ran past her, swordfishing with a fork and a butcher knife. Della tried chasing after them but stepped on her own tail, making her crash to the floor and allowing the captured joeys to escape and do as they pleased once more.
"Whoy me?" she whimpered while Wejack elbowed Charles in the ribs. The dog saw something oddly familiar in the marsupial but couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"That's Della. Her mate flew the coop once she popped out ten of 'em. Can't blame the guy" the fisher snickered, before adding. "As ya can plainly see, most of dem are flighty prey animals, so try not ta spook 'em too hard..."
"...'specially ya, big guy." he patted Charles. "Most had bad experiences wit hounds."
As he said that, a cottontail with a bandaged leg clumsily hopped towards them while trying to carry a big ball of lettuce, obscuring his vision. He bumped into Charles's chest and plopped on his butt.
"You okay?" Charles asked, casting a huge shadow over the rabbit who screamed hysterically at the sight of the dog, and even louder once he saw Wejack next to him. He crawled away backward until he bumped into Marceline and screamed anew as he looked up and locked eyes with her and Cliff, before keeling over and losing consciousness.
"Told ya." Wejack joked while looking at his claws. "How much do ya wanna bet Hazel won't wake up?"
"Wha-wait? You can't be here." Charles regained his train of thought and put his foot down. "No...Mrs. Loud specifically said no wild animals are allowed in here."
"Oh, we're well aware of the house rules..." Wejack agreed, his voice greasy "...an' it broke our hearts havin' ta disrespect her wishes. But when Soto's runnin' amok in your neighborhood, you're wise ta stay hidden till he passes, and Lana couldn't bear ta leave us in the lurch...so she told us we could bend dem rules... if ya catch my drift."
"Told you?" Marceline asked. "Hold on...you mean you...talked with her?"
"We sure did." Wejack nodded.
"But...b-but that's not possible?" Cliff shivered, hiding behind the larger cat.
"I know. But see...there was this big blue light thing last night..." Wejack tried to explain "...dunno what that was 'bout but me an' every other fuzzball in da woods can understand humans now. I prefer not askin' questions."
The pets looked lost until Marceline remembered seeing a big blue explosion the previous night, followed by One Eye actually conversing with Ryan. This sure didn't look like a coincidence.
"We...can't talk with them?" Charles said with a confused face.
Wejack blinked while trying not to snigger. "Hmmm...seems domestication really did a number on ya noddles? I guess even blue magic can't help ya there."
"Huh...can't argue with that." Marceline shrugged.
"Hey..." Charles looked at her "...did he just call us stupid?"
"Never mind that." Marceline dismissed him before addressing the fisher. "Go back a bit...who is this Soto you keep talking about?"
Wejack watched her as if she just asked the most stupid question ever.
"Ya pampered pets need ta get out more." he chuckled. "Every free-roamin' four-footer knows who Soto is. He's the scourge of the Midwest. Wherever he shows up, a few poor mooks bite the dust...especially if they're one of dem hairless bipeds. He hates 'em ta death."
Marceline felt a sense of dread. "And he's...a wolf?"
"Yup."
"A big black-furred wolf?" the Savvanah asked again.
Wejack nodded.
"And..he has a missing eye?" Cliff dared to ask, starting to catch up.
Wejack rubbed his chin. "I think Amos said somethin' like that when he last saw 'im...oh?" it dawned on him that he and the pets were talking about the same lupine. "So I reckon ya do know 'im? Say, how did ya get acquainted without becomin' chow?"
Feeling a mixture of annoyance and fear, Marceline met Charles's gaze.
"Isn't this just rich..." the cat grumbled sardonically.
"I know...there's two rogue killer wolves now?" Charles said worriedly.
Marceline facepalmed.
"This is awful!" Cliff freaked out and clutched his head. "I knew our owners would lead us to our graves one day! I knew it, I always knew it!"
Growling with bottled-up anger, he grabbed Charles by the muzzle. "I've been telling you for years that we should run away and find a new home! I'd rather take my chances with the pound than with those lunatics! But noooo! You and your stupid loyalties, always talking me out-ow!"
A smack to the head put an end to his rant, courtesy of Marceline, who sported a satisfied smirk.
"Well done, kitty." Wejack nodded in approval.
"Yes. You probably should have, pipsqueak." Marceline told Cliff bluntly, making him wilt. "But ya didn't, so deal with it."
"Cliff, my friend. We can't let fear get the better of us." Charles tried to embolden the tom. "That's just what One Eye wants. We need to be brave and face our enemy together."
Rubbing his sore head, Cliff sent Marceline a pathetic glare before turning to Charles.
"This isn't our battle, you moron!" he poked Charles in the nose. "We wouldn't even be in this mess if those stupid brats hadn't ticked off One Eye...or Soto, or whatever his name is. It's their fault that we're on death row!"
"Ticked 'im off?" Wejack asked.
"Yes..." Marceline groaned "...my owner and a few of theirs fought that one-eyed cur several times."
"And they lived?" Wejack asked with an incredulous smile.
"Yes...what?" Marceline asked when the fisher busted a gut.
"Oh, that's a good one!" he pointed at her.
"But it is true?" Charles insisted with an indignant scowl.
"Sure, sure..." Wejack humored them while clutching his belly "...and I guess your humans are the reason that wolf is here in Bristlecone Woods right now, huh?"
"I'd hold off the merriment. Either those pets are telling the truth or we have a squealer in our midsts." a deep, coarse voice cut in.
Charles, Marceline, and Cliff looked up and saw that the voice belonged to a red cardinal perched on one of the antlers of the mounted moose head. He wore a grim, hardboiled expression.
Wejack snorted. "Don't tell me you're belivin' this crap, Amos?"
"I believe my own eyes." the small bird said stoically. "Soto's vulture scouts have surrounded the place as we speak, though the head vulture is unaccounted for."
The pets saw the mirth wane from Wejack's face. "You're pullin' my leg?!"
Amos shook his head and raised one wing towards the window. "Take a look yourself."
The pets saw Wejack beginning to shake as he scurried to the nearest window and pulled himself up on the frame to take a cautious peek before gasping.
He saw several vultures perched in the pine trees, partially obscured by the branches. They seemed to lock eyes with him, making him duck down and breathe heavily.
"No...no...why are they here? We didn't make a peep?!" he said incredulously while pressed against the wall, before growing frustrated. "What are those scavengin' snitches lookin' for?"
"I guess you'll meet them soon enough." Marceline shrugged, happy to see the smarmy creature get humbled, earning a scornful glare from him.
"I knew this was a dumb idea." Amos shook his head before glancing at the pets, specifically at Cliff.
"I wager the black cat will be the first to go." he said nonchalantly, making Cliff squeak, lose consciousness, and fall over, next to the rabbit.
Meanwhile...
Below the balcony Lynn Sr., Rita, Luna, and the toddlers were dining on, extended a large platform, allowing anyone present there to watch the large waves left in the ship's wake up close.
"Eat up, guys. It's a long trip to Florida." Lana was kneeling close to its edge, the wind blowing through her blonde hair and forcing her to hold onto her red cap with one hand while using her other one to toss bread crumbs at a small flock of Canadian geese.
They were happily googling it up until they suddenly raised their heads in alert, hissed, and spread their wings. Hearing footsteps, Lana turned to see a peeved Lynn walk up to her.
Noticing the geese's threat display, Lynn growled and raised her fist. "Take a hike, or it's the oven for you!"
Honking, the birds scattered, allowing Lynn to glare at the shrinking Lana.
"What are you doing here? We are supposed to stick together." Lynn scolded her before grabbing her by the elbow. "And do you want to fall off? You'll drown!"
"Hey, I had swimming lessons?" Lana protested but was yanked up and away from the water's edge.
"Yes, for a few hours." Lynn scoffed. "And you can feed the geese any time, we have more important business."
"I know, but they were tired and hungry from their long migration." Lana pouted. "I couldn't just ignore them."
"Oh, and how do you know they are migrating?" Lynn humored her, causing Lana to look away and fidget. She couldn't squander the gift her animal friends had so generously bestowed her with by being a blabbermouth.
"Ummm...lucky guess?" she chuckled before getting pulled up a small case of stairs and into a hall on the lower deck.
Lynn led her towards one of the rooms. It had a two-person bed, and a large sliding glass door behind it, with the curtains pulled back to reveal the vast lake and surrounding hills and woods in the distance. Lana spotted Luan sitting on the bed. She had wrapped herself with a blanket, refusing to get up, despite Lincoln's urgings.
"Come on, Luan. Please." Lincoln implored her, trying to keep his voice down, fearing eavesdroppers, as well as ignore his throbbing head and churning stomach. "We need your help. And don't take it the wrong way, but mimes have a knack for getting on other people's nerves."
Luan shook her head for the umpteenth time.
"Sigh. We can't force her, Lincoln." Lucy said. "As her getup clearly shows, she's in a very fragile emotional state at the moment. I promised her that she wouldn't have to do anything but tag along, and even that was hard for her."
Luan nodded. After hearing about Lincoln's plan, she briefly considered getting involved (her brother's statement about mimes wasn't wrong) but the moment she saw Kathleen's face again and was forced aboard her ship, all confidence drained from Luan, making her revert back to a blubbering, cowering wreck.
"Weeeaaak." Lynn said scathingly as she and Lana joined them. Lincoln shushed her and the jock grunted in annoyance but lowered her voice anyway.
"Do you want to expose Kathleen or not, you stupid French street clown?" Lynn whispered and narrowed her eyes. "Then do your part."
"We won't force her if she doesn't want to." Lucy folded her arms.
"Why not?" Lana argued. "I thought Luan would jump at the chance to annoy Kathleen?"
"You have no idea what it's like facing your bullies." Lucy retorted pointedly, frustrated with the two tomboys' thickheadedness.
"I do!" Lana shot back. "I'd sock them in the face if they messed with me."
"Sure, see how that works out for you."
"Can it, you two." Lynn warned them before facing Luan again.
"You think you have problems?" she snapped at the mime while gesturing at herself. "As much as I would love to take the piss out of Kathleen myself, I'm walking on thin ice with mom. One more screw-up and it's curtains for poor LJ, or more specifically, Aunt Ruth's place! Do you have any idea how this feels?"
Luan glowered and crossed her arms before shifting her bitter gaze at Lucy, as if urging the goth to speak for her.
The latter nodded. "Actually, she does. Mom and most of our sisters are still mad at her over her last Prankmageddon, and she also assaulted Kathleen not too long ago, successfully I might add. I'd say you and her are in the same boat as far as mom's opinion of you goes."
"Same boat!" Luan tried not to snicker and gave Lucy a thumbs-up for the pun, even if it was wholly unintentional on Lucy's part.
Lynn's face fell with embarrassment. "Well...I was just..."
Lincoln thought it over. Maybe it was better to leave Luan on the sidelines. Both she and Lynn hated Kathleen with a vengeance, and the rich girl knew all too well how to press their buttons. In her current state, it wouldn't take much to set Luan off as long as it came from Kathleen's mouth. And who knew how she would react to seeing Lyle again? Lincoln hadn't forgotten what that creep did to Luan the last time they tangled.
"And weren't you all set to rile up Kathleen when we decided to go on this cruise?" Lucy continued.
Lynn glared at her. "Idiot, that was before mom stated her conditions! I knew she would be harsh but I didn't think she would be this ruthless!"
Luan's dark lips twisted into an "O" shape, as if booing, and she gave a thumbs down.
"Oh, get over it." the jock scoffed before suddenly getting an idea and eyeing Lucy.
"Lynn, what are you thinking?" Lincoln asked.
"Why not let Pasty have the fun?" Lynn pointed at the goth, her tone half sarcastic, half sincere.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. A team works best when every player makes use of their...special talent." Lynn tried to explain. "The way I see it, you can make fun of Kathy as much as you want and suffer no consequences."
"And why do you think that?" Lucy wasn't following the jock's logic.
"Simple, because you, little sister, have this uncanny ability to just... slip people's minds." Lynn replied. "Mom and dad might get mad at you in the moment, but they'll forget that you're even on this ship in five minutes tops."
Lucy made an indignant humph.
"Actually... that's not a bad idea." Lincoln chimed in but got a sour look from the goth. At least he assumed it was a sour look behind her bags
"Ehhh...what Lynn is meaning to say is that...our parents will go easier on you..." the boy hastily added "...cuz you're still so young and...eh..they'll be too distracted by Kathleen blowing a fuse and revealing her true colors to think about your bad behavior."
Lucy thought about it. It did feel a bit empowering to be given the chance to take command of their mission and defeat the bad guy instead of being told to stay back because she was too young and vulnerable to deal with anything remotely challenging.
"I guess it's worth a try." Lucy started to smile before looking at Lana. She supposed it would be selfish to hog this rare privilege. "But I could use some backup."
"Me?" Lana pointed at herself.
"Yes, making a nuisance out of yourself to the point of making someone want to strangle you should come naturally to you." was Lucy's plain response.
Lana narrowed her eyes, unable to tell if her sister was being sarcastic or genuine.
"And Luan?" Lincoln got an idea and turned to the mime. "You don't have to get involved to be helpful. You know Kathleen better than any of us? Can't you at least tell us...or..eh... write down what we could say and do to set her off?"
"Yeah..." Lynn liked the sound of that "...preferably in a violent and scandalous way that will show mom and dad who she truly is?"
Luan wanted to scoff. What small slight didn't set Kathleen Tisdale off? But her nemesis seemed to have gotten better at suppressing her infamous temper ever since the school year wrapped up a month ago; if her subdued reaction to getting punched by Luan was any indicator. Or she overdosed on pills or something to keep her temper quelled.
The mime rubbed her chin for a few seconds before smiling broadly and raised her arm, letting her striped sleeve hang, and twirled the fingers of her other hand before pulling a scroll out of her sleeve.
Raising her finger, as if saying "Give me a sec", Luan walked off to a nearby desk, grabbed a chair, and put on some Groucho Marx glasses before starting to write on the unrolled scroll, filling it up quickly.
"I think she does." Lincoln smiled a bit, clutching his dizzy head, while Lucy took a peak.
"Say, why haven't you used your vast knowledge of embarrassing facts about Kathleen to get back at her before?" the goth inquired, to which Luan just let out a mute groan and rubbed two fingers together.
"Oh, she uses her power and influence to bribe everyone else at school into ignoring them, directly or indirectly?"
Luan nodded sadly before resuming writing.
"How are you so good at reading her stupid mime gestures?" Lynn asked.
"I just guessed the obvious." Lucy deadpanned. "Kathleen's doing the same with our sisters. As long as they benefit from her "friendship", all the damage she's inflicted on Luan means little to them."
Lynn huffed. "Sellouts be sellouts."
Seeing Lana wilt, Lincoln added. "But some of them came to their sense, and the others will-" Something started beeping in his pocket, to his sisters' surprise, and he pulled out a small communicator.
"What's that doohicky?" Lana asked.
"It's a message from Fenton?" the boy cocked an eyebrow before registering the little tomboy's question. It made him uncomfortable and more than a little saddened.
"Ehh...it used to belong to Lisa before..." he scratched his neck "...eh...anyway, Fenton sent me a message."
It wasn't an audio message like he had expected, it was simply written text that appeared on the screen. Lincoln guessed the A.I. found it less conspicuous, and it was short and to the point.
"What's he saying?" Lynn inquired. Lincoln read over the message a second time to make sure he didn't misread anything, and his brow fell in worry.
"Eh...he says Marceline showed up at our vacation home?" he said carefully, filled with dread as he saw the girls get their hopes up.
"And Ryan?" Lucy asked hopefully.
"No..." Lincoln sighed. "He says it's just the cat, no sign of Ryan. He doesn't know why."
The younger sisters' faces fell in disappointment. "So what does that mean?" Lucy asked, dreading the possible reason.
"It means he probably saw us on the damn yacht." Lynn insisted quickly and firmly. "Who wouldn't notice this thing cruising on a lake? He's probably following us as we speak."
Lincoln and Lucy weren't quite sure about that, but Lana was willing to trust Lynn's judgment.
"But why did Marcy go to Kathleen's place?" she asked. "Why did Ryan bring her with 'im in the first place?"
"She has a habit of following him wherever he goes, that's probably why." Lynn insisted, her tone more snippy than she had intended. "And, I dunno...cats don't like water. Maybe he's traveling by boat too?"
Lincoln considered it. It sounded like a stretch but not entirely implausible. Lincoln was willing to entertain that for the moment. Not thinking about Ryan would be for the better, if they wanted to expose Kathleen, and traversing the lake was a good way of staying out of One Eye's reach. If Ryan was out there, he likely found some sort of raft or vessel, he was a jerk but a resourceful one.
Sighing, he pulled the camera out of his backpack. "Guess I'll be the hidden cameraman, in case Kathleen drops her act away from our folks. But we got to make sure all eyes are off me."
"Shouldn't be too hard." Lynn grew a determined look. "Seems other than Kathy, the only people aboard are that airhead Amber and Ly-"
The twisting of a door handle was heard, and acting fast, Lincoln tucked his camera under a pillow on the bed. Luan did the same and quickly rolled up her scroll and hid it behind her back as the door opened.
Lincoln grew tense and swallowed while Lynn narrowed her eyes and clenched one fist as their unwelcome visitor entered the room with a cocky smile.
"There you guys are. Ms. Tisdale wondered where you've gone off to." Lyle greeted them with an underhanded chuckle and wringing hands.
"The dipshit clearly didn't take the same acting lessons as his boss." Lynn scoffed inwardly.
Lincoln started sweating. Not just because he and half of his family were in the same room as this underaged psycho but also because he feared that Lyle had been listening in on their conversation.
Lucy likewise found herself freezing up, remembering the time Lyle smacked her so hard that he knocked her unconscious. Followed by the kidnapping and repeated kidnapping.
Lana, on the other hand, didn't recognize the guy at all but could guess who he was. Luan, for a few moments, was fooled by the hat and shades, but his voice sounded uncomfortably familiar to her, and his choice of clothing also rang a few bells. The teenager soon felt mortified, remembering being held hostage, beaten, and violated.
"Something wrong? You're all so quiet?" Lyle asked coyly and briefly set his sights on Luan. "And what's her deal? I didn't know we had a costume party on deck?"
Luan felt a chill run down her spine. She tried her hardest to keep her composure and hold back any tears.
Unimpressed, Lynn gave Lyle a steely glare and put her hands on her hips. "Ever heard of knocking before you enter a room, wise guy? It's called having manners."
"Why?" Lyle sent her a crooked grin. "Did I interrupt anything?"
"No." Lincoln said simply. "We were just...checking out the rooms."
"Your momma never told ya never to barge into a room occupied by girls?" Lynn huffed.
Lyle huffed back and pocked her in the belly. "What's the problem? If you can be here with your prissy sisters, why can't I? They ain't gonna be undressing in front of ya, pal!"
Luan shivered at the comment.
Lincoln saw a brief look of anger flash across Lynn's features but fortunately, it quickly disappeared. Lynn didn't bite. She was actually mildly impressed that Lyle was capable of dishing out a more sophisticated insult than calling someone a "retard" or the c-word.
"Is there a reason you're here, other than to be a nuisance?" she asked him.
Lucy observed the jock's not-so-courteous conversation with their old enemy. Not unlike during her encounter with Chandler and his goons, Lucy felt her courage slowly swelling up.
After having met Renee and eventually One Eye, any remaining menace Lyle had in her eyes seriously paled in comparison. He was much bigger and stronger than her, sure, but Lynn was right next to her and she could handle this glorified lackey, and Lyle had no backup or super serum this time around.
"You're not very courteous, or observant, Leslie." the goth spoke up brazenly.
As expected, Lyle let out a frustrated grunt. "That's not my name!"
"Then why does it say "Leslie" on your nametag?" Lucy pointed at his chest.
"What nametag?" the befuddled bully looked down and was surprised to find one.
"What the hell?!" With a petulant cry, he tore it off, ripping a chunk of clothing in the process. "When did Kathleen stick this thing on him?"
"Leslie?" Lana chuckled. "That's a girl's name!"
"No, it's not!" Lyle retorted while stomping on the nametag. "It was a mixup! My name's Ly..." he stopped himself at the last second "...eh...my name's Blake!"
Lucy was unfazed by his bluster. "Sounds even lamer."
"Watch your mouth, punk." Lyle hissed and leaned down, unsubtly threatening her, but noticing Lynn glaring at him in his peripheral vision gave him pause.
"Or what?" she asked dangerously.
Behind his shades, Lyle glowered with rage. He would have loved nothing more than to put this broad in her place but the threat of retribution from Kathleen made him swallow his pride and grit his teeth as he ruffled up Lucy's ebony hair.
"Nothing." he forced himself to say. "Your little sisters are...cute lil' buggers."
Lana took a whiff and grinned. "Wow...your breath reeks to high heavens! What's your secret, sir?"
Lyle turned red and growled.
"I want my breath to stink like that too! Is it garlic or gorgonzola?" Lana asked with genuine excitement. "Or is it garbage? You a dumpster diver?"
"Nice one, Lana." Lucy smiled.
"Nice what?" the tomboy gave her a confused look. She sometimes searched for between-meal snacks in the dumpster. It was also a great way of fraternizing with raccoons.
Trying to calm himself while imagining ripping the little brats' heads off and cracking them open like watermelons with his baseball bat, Lyle got his thoughts straight and took a step back into the hall and wheeled in a cart with several glasses of juice.
"Ms. Tisdale just wanted to know..." he forced a courteous tone "...if you guys wanted a drink. It's mighty hot today and all-"
"No, thanks." Lynn cut him off.
"Why not? I insist." Lyle grabbed a glass and tried to push it into her hands. "It's on the house. Who doesn't like a free drink?"
Lynn shoved it back. "We don't want it. We ain't so broke that we can't afford stinkin' juice."
Lincoln grew a concerned look. Why was Lyle so aggressively offering them drinks...unless? It was the oldest villain trick in the book. Especially comic books. Lincoln's heart skipped a beat. If Lyle was offering them juice down here, what about the rest of their family?
"But...eh...not like this! It's special! A real treat for your tastebuds!"
"If it tastes so good, you can have it all to yourself." Lynn dared him with a mocking smile. "We won't tell anyone."
"I can't drink it!" Lyle's temper flared. "It will put..."
He bit his tongue, growing nervous. "Eh...I'm just a humble volunteer offering my services. I'd get in trouble if I..."
"We would like to see Kathleen now." Lincoln pushed past Lynn.
Lyle made a face. "You do?"
"Yes, yes, we do." Lincoln insisted. "Take us to her."
"Lucy." he turned to the goth, then to the terrified Luan. "Eh...Luan and Lana will help ya finish up your poem."
"Eh...sure." Lucy nodded and looked at Luan. "You can give me the scroll."
Unsure, Luan revealed the scroll and handed it to Lucy.
"It's only a rough draft." Lucy stated as she looked it over quickly. "It will need finetuning."
"That's a poem?" Lyle raised an eyebrow. How could you write a poem so long that it filled up an entire scroll? He was hard-pressed to write a 50-word essay.
"I'm very eloquent." Lucy shrugged. Fortunately, the dimwit didn't think to ask any further questions, and Lincoln didn't give him time to think.
"Kathleen." he spoke up to Lyle. "We want to see her."
"Pfft...what a dork." Lyle scoffed at Lucy and gestured at Lynn and Lincoln to follow him.
The two did so, casting reassuring looks at the others. Once the door was closed, Luan choked on a sob and Lucy rushed to her and patted her hand.
A bit of an odd chapter, I know, but rest assured, this isn't going to turn into a talking animal palooza. The woodland critters are fairly minor players in this story, so after some deliberation, I decided to frontload them in this chapter, along with showing Marceline, Charles, and Cliff talk to give you an idea of what the latter's personalities are like, which I think I did a decent enough job showcasing prior to this chapter, but y'know...giving them full dialogue is more straightforward and effective XD Marceline takes a lot after her owner, Charles is loyal and stalwart but also not too bright, and Cliff is a nervous wreck and perpetual complainer.