Flug quickly fell through the dark abyss of the hole until he fell through the ceiling of Black Hat's office.
The latter offhandedly caught the doctor telekinetically and dropped him on the floor on his bottom in front of his desk where he and Lord Reaper were waiting.
"Good evening, my lords," Flug said, standing up and rubbing his backside. "How was your work trip?"
"Long," Black Hat said. "Report on what happened in my leave."
"Yes, jefe," Flug said, noticing Lord Reaper reading through some paperwork he was holding. "Not much happened. The girls were mischievous as usual. They played music, put on a mini-concert, and got on my nerves, but I kept them under control. Melanie has been paying attention in her classes and has enjoyed getting to spend time with her friend."
"Hmmm…That girl has got to go," Black Hat said, waving Flug off.
"You mean Melanie, sir?" Flug asked, feeling hopeful for some relief. "I thought we were keeping her until…"
"The other one idiot! it already sounds like she's a distraction for Melanie," Black Hat said.
"She is," Lord Reaper said. "Melanie can't have any of those if you're going to be training her going forward."
"What?" Flug asked confused.
Lord Reaper looked at Black Hat, looked at the documents, and then asked, "Are you ready to reveal what we've done, Lord Black Hat?"
"Later," said Black Hat. "For now, I'm considering what to do with that child. Perhaps we could have her re-educated like Flug."
"Can't that wait till later?" Lord Reaper answered with an eye roll. "We have plenty of time to decide what to do with the fae child. For now, we have important news we need to let Flug know as soon as possible."
"Then hand Flug the document! You don't need to explain yourself to henchmen, they can read…Besides, I'd like to save it as a surprise," said Black Hat with a smile.
"As you wish," Lord Reaper said, handing the documents to Flug with a proud smirk.
"What are these?" Flug asked aloud, taking the documents.
"I would tell you, but someone thinks that would ruin the surprise," Lord Reaper pointed out.
Flug looked at the first page and began reading aloud, "'These documents hereby grant Black Hat…"
The doctor paused in shock before continuing out loud, "full custody of Melanie Seraphine de la Muerte as her grand uncle for as long as he sees fit'?!"
Black Hat side-eyed Flug, shrugging his shoulders with a grin.
"Yes, we got her parents to sign the documents this evening," Lord Reaper answered. "From now on, Melanie is his ward."
"But sir, this has never been done before," Flug protested in shock. "You've never taken in a child before. I thought we were sending her to the Institute. This will be a huge adjustment."
"Is that a problem?" Black Hat asked, flashing a fiery side eye at Flug.
"No, no, no, no, no, sire," Flug pleaded. "We'll make the adjustments."
"That girl has a lot of potential and raw power especially for her age, too much for me to risk failure with her parents," Black Hat explained. "Especially now that she wants to align with heroes. That's why the Reaper and I have spent the last 48 hours going through the legal work for this purpose. So now, going forward, I'll have more than enough time to bring out her villainy while continuing business as usual."
Looking back through the custody papers, Flug asked, "What about her parents? How'd you get them to agree with this? Is there any way they can get Melanie back before she turns 18?"
"It required some persuasion, but ultimately, it was agreed this was the only choice," Black Hat answered. "All that said, if I find her development and changed loyalties satisfactory, I might be willing to relinquish control."
"All that said, this will be quite a shock for Melanie and our community," Flug said. "This is the first time you've granted any child such an honor. There might be jealousy."
"And?" Black Hat said dismissively summoning a drink.
"There may be backlash and protest within the larger villain community," Flug explained.
"And then you will silence them," Black Hat said coldly. "If you fail, I will silence them. I don't need anyone to question my decisions."
Flug gulped, nodded, and said, "I understand. Sir, how long have you been planning this for Melanie?"
"Since I've realized this is more than teenage rebellion, she's fully ingrained in that horrid guild of ninjas," Black Hat replied solemnly.
"But girls like her would normally be sent to the Institute, what does she do that warrants your attention? Is she really that powerful?" Flug asked.
"Duh," Lord Reaper answered.
"Flug, do I have to silence you?" Black Hat asked, starting to contort his face demonically.
"No, no, no, sir," Flug reassured while holding his arms in front of his face to protect himself. "Forgive me, please. It's just that this guardianship is a shock to me too. So, is Melanie going to be staying here with us for the next four years?"
"Yes in the manor, she will be monitored and trained all the same," Black Hat replied, going back to his normal form. "She'll even need to be signed up for the local school."
"I'll be sure to get on that, sir," Flug said, trying to regain his composure.
"I still can't tell you how thrilled I am that you are taking this much interest in my little Melanie, Black Hat," Lord Reaper said. "I knew you'd be interested once you saw her fiery power for the first time."
"Let's hope she lives up to my expectations," Black Hat said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Yours are impossible, but I have no doubt she'll do well," said Lord Reaper. "Which reminds me. I still plan on buying a condo on the island. Melanie will need some more parental guidance and individual attention on a day-to-day basis. So, I'll take on those duties and help her through this transition. Someone must be since you don't know how to care for children."
"Don't you have souls to reap?" Black Hat asked annoyedly.
"I have extended family for that," said Lord Reaper. "Besides, family is my first priority. And it's not like you know anything about nurturing and raising a mentally disordered girl like Melanie."
"That's what Flug is for," Black Hat chuckled. "He's been raising the bear and Demencia. He'll look after Melanie."
"Exactly what I mean," Lord Reaper argued. "You have no paternal instincts whatsoever. This will be a big transition for Melanie and she needs someone to be there for her."
"I've raised empires by myself," Black Hat retorted. "How hard could one child be?"
"More challenging than you can possibly comprehend at this point," Lord Reaper said smugly. "Trust me. I've built business empires and raised daughters. Between the two, my daughters were the biggest challenge."
Black Hat scoffed dismissively.
"Point proven. I'm hanging around," Lord Reaper said, pulling out his long vape pen.
"Do not do that around here," Black Hat ordered.
"You and your rules," Lord Reaper quipped as he annoyedly stuffed his vape pen back in his pocket.
"Sirs?" Flug suddenly asked after pumping himself up internally for a few minutes. "When does the custody arrangement take effect? When should we tell Melanie the…uhhh…good news?"
"She's mine now and will know that tonight," said Black Hat.
Lord Reaper sighed and said, "Even though it's what's best for her, this will not be an easy transition. Melanie is not going to be happy."
"No kidding," Flug replied.
"She'll live," Black Hat replied dismissively.
"She'll doubtlessly be upset," Lord Reaper said sadly.
"She might even get violent," Flug said.
"That will be your job to handle," Black Hat said pointedly gesturing to Flug. "Otherwise, SILENCE WORM!"
"Yes, Jefe," Flug squeaked out.
"There's no sense in putting it off," Lord Reaper said. "We should bring Melanie into the office to tell her the news."
"Agreed," ordered Black Hat. "Flug, call in Demencia and a Hat-Sentinel to retrieve her."
"íSi, Jefecito, señor!" Flug cried as he rushed to the door.
Flug walked out to go get Dementia and called a Hat-Sentinel with a few clicks of his remote. He sighed sadly and hoped that Melanie at least had a good day today.