Johnny was so relaxed about the entire situation that it made the reptile pause. Even though he knew that Johnny was trying to see what use he could get out of them both, Randall didn't know how he planned to use them. Maybe the only reason he hadn't called security or the CDA yet was because he—rightfully—assumed that Randall would attack him the moment he did. Maybe he was getting some sick joy out of this and intended to rat them out later, or maybe he was just curious to see where things went. Looking back on their days as RORs, Johnny's practical mind had always been laced with a bit of cruelty. He enjoyed playing games with people, and in being the master of said games.

He didn't seem to consider that Randall might have become someone even more cruel since their college days; that now he knew how to deal with a snake, because he was so snake-like himself. In fact, it made Johnny's provocations incredibly tempting… if it weren't for Tani. With her freedom and safety on the line as much as his own, Randall was less willing to gamble.

In any case, what other choice was there except to play along for now? Right then, the most important thing was getting Tani back to the monster world. Randall gave Johnny another stern, distrusting look, to which the latter responded by spreading his arms even further apart—both in further invitation and as a sign that he wasn't going to do anything to stop him. Still keeping the other monster in the corner of his sight, only then did Randall turn around and open the door.

A figure burst from the brightly-lit bedroom so suddenly that it nearly toppled him over. He recognized Tani's embrace, her thin arms linking around his neck in a tight hold. He could feel her heart as though it were trying to beat its way out of her chest, once more cursing the long wait in his head. Although it couldn't have been helped, the guilt only worsened when she pulled back and he saw the relief flooded in her eyes.

The moment didn't last. Before either reptile could breathe a word of comfort to each other, Johnny gave an almost impressed whistle. Randall felt Tani stiffen in his arms at the sharp sound, watching her expression change from reassurance to pure shock. Of course, she remembered Johnny too.

"It's not what you think," Randall was quick to defend himself when her bristling gaze briefly flickered back to him, "I'm not with him."

"Tanith!" Johnny greeted her in much the same way as he greeted Randall, albeit without the sinister edge. His own face had become even more relaxed, as if he simply was just welcoming an old friend. "It's a relief to see you…"

She gave him a look that said she'd half-hoped he wasn't—which was saying a lot for her. Tani had never been the sort to hold that many grudges, giving back only as much as was done to her or taking a reasonable approach to conflict. The sheer number of times she'd forgiven both Mike and Randall were a testament to that. Johnny was one of her few exceptions, having clearly never liked him from the start.

For the second time, Randall wondered how much more she would hate him then, when the truth inevitably came out?

Thankfully, it wasn't right at that second. The young CEO kept his mouth shut about it. "I almost didn't believe you, Boggs, but you've done the impossible. I'm happy for you!" He began to walk closer toward them, "Now, how about we catch up over a couple of drinks? I wanna hear how you've managed all these years. Was it your Delirian blood, Tani, or are you still just as crafty as you were at MU?"

"Do you really want to find out?" she growled, at last addressing him. Resentment propelling her forward, Tani drew herself away from Randall to close the gap between them and Johnny by another step. "I figured you would've learned your lesson the first time."

A Delirian was a type of monster capable of emitting hallucinogenic pheromones that heightened the fear in their targets. A fabled species at the scaring industry's infancy, as techniques improved over the years, they'd since become obsolete. Their ability was too unreliable to easily manage, and those with Delirian traits often weren't physically scary enough to draw out screams any other way.

That fall from grace was the reason that Randall had never even heard of them until he met Tani—and only then after she'd gotten so angry with him and the rest of the RORs that her ability manifested on its own. It hadn't been a pleasant experience: The shrinking feeling, the overwhelming pressure, the way it had slowly begun to distort Tani in his eyes… From the way the others acted, Randall didn't even think he'd suffered the worst of it either.

Apparently, Johnny had taken something more out of the experience other than maybe it being one of the first times he'd been on the receiving end of a scare. Randall noticed the way he was looking at Tani, because Johnny had regarded him in much the same way back when he'd initially asked him to join their fraternity. Randall didn't think to question it then, but it was pretty obvious to him now, that desire of Johnny's to have yet another powerful pawn on his side of the board.

Randall felt his anger rise, almost losing his cool again. He was glad that Tani wasn't so easily swayed.

Johnny still put on a somewhat hurt look, then switched it to one of understanding. "I really am sorry for the way I acted back then. If I had known—"

"That I could send you crawling with your tail between your legs?"

Johnny cleared his throat, his eye twitching a bit, and resumed, "If I had known what you were capable of, and what would happen later on, I never would've played those mean tricks. You might not have ever clicked with us RORs, but hey, you were still… let's call it extended family. And believe it or not, I'm not that bullheaded frat boy anymore: I've got a boy myself now! I don't want to think of either of my kids dealing with the same things I put you and your friends through. I've grown up."

"And from side-to-side."

A part of Randall wanted to burst into laughter. When he was a ROR, Tani had often held her tongue for his sake. Now, there was nothing stopping her. It was hilarious to see Johnny fumble with someone who refused to meet him on his terms. However, Randall's more rational side knew that they were on a thin line. If he allowed her to push Johnny too far, they might lose their one opportunity at making a clean getaway.

He took her by the wrist as a silent order to stop, then brushed himself past her to directly face the Fear Co. CEO. "Hate to say it, Johnny, but neither of us are feeling up to it, as you can see for yourself. We're both a little tired from the trip over."

The cracks in the other monster's grinning mask had already started to show. He almost scowled, his thick brow furrowing over not getting his way. Still, in the end, he relented. Johnny glanced briefly at the scare floor doors, a hint that they were running out of time before the next shift. It he pretended to catch Randall, that was one thing; however, if he got caught speaking with Randall first, he might be linked in as a partner in crime.

"Fine," he voiced softly at first. He jerked his head toward the side passage he'd entered from. "I'll see you out. Get a shower, get some sleep, maybe a good meal… then let's talk."

The sections of the factory they snuck through weren't too different from the areas that Randall had conducted his secret work in at Monsters Inc. There were lines of twisting, hissing pipes that ran on forever, the lights here even bleaker than the scare floor's. They were maintenance passages, parts largely untraveled by the majority of the factory's employees.

Randall kept his guard up along the entire trek. He still had half a mind to knock Johnny in the back of the head and drag his body into some deeper, even more hidden part of Fear Co. True to his word though, Johnny never made a move to reveal them. Instead, he plucked out a small notebook from one of his pockets and began scribbling something down.

When they finally reached the outside, he tore off the sheet of paper and handed it to Randall. It was a phone number. "I'll trust you two to find your own way from here," he said, "and I expect to hear back from you soon enough."

Johnny spun around and re-entered the building without another word, the door firmly locking itself behind him with a deep, metallic clunk. Randall stared at the string of numbers in his hand, briefly considering the consequences if he were to throw it away right then and there. He shook his head: It was a matter that would have to wait. They still needed to get off the grounds and travel across the city undetected.

It was almost nightfall, Monstropolis' sky dipping into soft shades of purple and pink, the distant buildings threatening to pierce through a blanket of rolling clouds. Good. They would have darkness on their side.

Randall turned to call out to Tani that it was time to get moving again, but paused when he saw her. She was completely overtaken by the scene in front of them. Her jaw was slack and her eyes practically shimmered with unshed tears. She caught herself, blinking rapidly before they could fall, and tried to steady her breathing.

After so long, she was finally home.

He wished he could let her take it in a while longer, but they had to go before anyone else saw them. Quickly locating the nearest sewer drain, he placed a hand on her back and urged her to run ahead of him.

They couldn't go to his apartment, even if there were some things he wanted to collect from there. If it wasn't being watched over by the police, then his neighbors might catch on to their presence. It was the same for Monsters Inc., unless Waternoose somehow managed to turn everything around on his own. Even then, he couldn't trust the arachnid-like monster for much.

That left only one other place, if they would have him there.