Late in the dark, yet still busily loud night of the city, the eyes of another mantis kin lock onto the illuminating allure of his TV screen. He watches in interest, as the talk show host himself - that has recently garnered a name for himself - Space Ghost, yaps on the screen. However, it wasn't Space Ghost he was more attentive by, nor more interested in.
Another mantis-like alien, green like vomit and grass, had the voice of a devil yet the charisma of a rizzler was one he had his beady, long eyes on. The brown mantis kin watched eagerly as his antennae also twitched the same way. He took careful note as he heard Space Ghost refer to him as "Zorak".
That was when a feeling other than boredom and loneliness had finally started to build up inside him.
By the end of the episode, he took note of the studio's black-and-white checkerboard logo that spelt out its name; "CARTOON NETWORK"
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.
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"Phyllo…See-roos?"
"So much humans and non-humans here and they still can't pronounce my clan name right." Phyllo turns to whisper for another cartoonish, little alien auditioning for an unnamed pilot. The alien doesn't respond, but rather he stares at the sight of another alien mantis.
Phyllo rolls his eyes at him, "Yeah, speechless, aren't you…" He gets up and walks over to the counter, overshadowing the other zany and characteristic galatic lifeforms, with his height in the room being the same height with the framed pictures of the cast, who have already made it onto the TV and stardom…especially Zorak.
"Hello Phyllo. Hopefully I pronounced that last name of yours correctly, right?" The blondie at the desk, Jeannie, greeted him with a smile.
"No. But that doesn't bother me. Definitely. Not at all." He nods bluntly in a deadpan response.
"Well, okay, good then!" Jeannie took note of Phyllo's bluntness, her enthusiastic smile slightly becoming sheepish, "Well then, you're here to…be accepted into the show?"
"Of course…why else would I be here?"
Jeannie couldn't help but drop her enthusiastic look just for a second, she wondered just what she or whoever has done whatever to this dead-leaf mantis that made him seem…displeased. "W-well…Just follow me Phyllo. You're one of the lucky ones to even be accepted into this sudden open-casting call for Coast to Coast of all shows."
"Coast to…Coast? Is that seriously what the show is called?" Phyllo makes menacing eye contact that pierces into the blue of Jeannie's eyes, intimidating her slightly, but she just has to keep it cool to be presentable.
"Yeah," She chuckles, "I heard it was a more catchier name than just sticking with Space Ghost. I forgot from who though, but a few advertisers really liked the name."
As Jeannie looked at Phyllo, his attention was already diverted upon the hallway walls, framed with seemingly countless amounts of not only other unique aliens or animals, but even humans, who mostly held the title of things like 'Director' or 'Editor'.
"God damn." Phyllo whispered at the overwhelming amount of things that were familiar, yet suddenly new to him. Way before this very day, he had spent his time watching television while making only a penny's worth. He would dip his toes in learning about the Hollywood industry…which has lead him to almost get caught breaking into a studio's backstage area. And yet, in those experiences, he was always confused. But now, with such thing as American Online, he finally found how experiencing and accessing behind-the-scenes of a TV show would work.
He couldn't help but widen his usually droopy eyelids for once, it was like he had finally did something other than sulking around in his apartment and yelling at clouds like an old guy. It was a breath of fresh air from the usual.
"Phyllo? Hellloooo?" Jeannie reached over to wave at the side of his face, his long eyes finally noticing her.
"Hey, who's this…" Phyllo's focus - on an orange dog character with a yellow shirt and checkerboard pants - along with his speech, trails off as his big shoulders are being tapped by Jeannie, "Huh? What now?" He sighed.
"What now, huh?!" Jeannie started to lose her cool slightly, but retrieved it quickly with a deep breather, "Well, what's what is that I was asking why you wanted to be on the cast of Coast to Coast. I'm pretty sure I repeated that question, like, three times now." She sighs again.
Phyllo stares at her in silence, the two still walking down the hallway.
"…Are you..nervous, Phyllo?"
"…Nervous?!" Phyllo scoffed with stiff antennae, his eyelids sloping downwards as he turned his gaze to pierce closer into Jeannie's eyes, "Just no. That's just…weak. Besides, I've been through worse…only when I was a nymphoid,"
Jeannie opened her mouth slightly, but her words were immediately brought to a silent halt as Phyllo continued to ramble, "Also, I'm not wanting to be in this 'talk show' for the money…actually, take that back, I am a little bit, but FORGET IT. I only signed up for this shit because I have someone to meet. And you shouldn't be too blind to notice who I'm looking for just by my..appearance."
Jeannie was too stunned to speak, slowly blinking as she nodded, feebly muttering a few "Ok's" out of her lips. Her head turned away from Phyllo, breaking his intimidating gaze.
"Hm," Phyllo crosses his arms, "Does that answer your question for me…" Phyllo takes a quick glance at her badge, "..Jee-ann-ee?"
Jeannie couldn't help but chuckle at his purposefully bad mispronounciation of her name.
"What are you laughing at? You did the same to me earlier." Phyllo rolls his eyes, his arms still crossed like he's super-confident, which paired with his top-heavy frame and towering height…needless to say, he's personally the opposite of super-confident.
Jeannie and Phyllo walked out of the room, both faces were struck with content, with Jeannie's enthusiasm from earlier returning to light up her face. This very room had decided whether or not Phyllo's new direction of life will be an open path. Fortunately, the picky judges were somehow enamoured, they grinned from ear-to-ear and even laughed like lunatics at Phyllo's live audition the day before, so they were quick to accept him despite his performance clearly reflecting his pathetic, deadpan self like a mirror.
"Can I call you Jen? Can't believe your parents gave you a name that somehow keeps..tripping me."
Jeannie looked at Phyllo before chuckling, "Sure, sure."
"Jen, do they have specific reasons why they chose me?"
"…What do you mean?" Jeannie raised her eyebrows at the mantis who was questioning everything yet again.
"Why do they laugh so hard at someone like me? I mean, shit, of course I'm…proud..? That I'm the new guy in their one-hell of a talk-show, but…I didn't think that they would share the same humour as me. You were listening, right, Jen?" A slight stammer was omnipresent in Phyllo's speech, which broke his usually cold and intimidating voice.
Jeannie then nodded, "Oh of course I was. You must be surprised because you…well, you didn't think you'd meet the standards?"
Jeannie and Phyllo were just near the same doors Phyllo had entered through, a silence was stretching awkwardly long between them as Jeannie waited patiently for Phyllo's answer, since her schedule today wasn't as tight and hectic.
Phyllo was staring at pictures once again, this time it was the outer-space cast of Coast to Coast, consisting of The Council of Doom and the main trio; Space Ghost, Zorak, and Moltar; Space Ghost's frame was larger than the others, reflecting not only his significance to the entire show, but - immediately perceived to Phyllo - his ego.
"This guy must be full of himself."
Jeannie sighed, her question - which sought to at least try to support a grumpy and irritable alien mantis like Phyllo - felt like it was quickly shoved under the rug.
Yet, she just had to sigh it off. "Are you exhausted? Is that why you're sighing so much?" Phyllo turns his head towards her.
"No...But gosh, you seem to only be questioning things around here rather than being so excited. Put a smile on your dial, Phyllo!" Jeannie smiled again, her fingers pushing her cheeks upwards as an encouraging gesture.
But yet again, Phyllo couldn't be bothered since his eyes and his mind were mostly focusing on the mantis of the show's main trio.
"…I swear I've seen him once in my…definitely spectacular life."
Jeannie sighs deeply and rubs the temples on her forehead, "Okay, well, you know what Phyllo? How about you…" She pulls open the door, fortunately for her Phyllo turns around just in front of it; "Go back home and just get some rest before the big day on Tuesday, which is just one day ahead. Moltar, the..black and red guy with the helmet, is going to pick you up at 9."
"…Okay, thanks, Jeannie," Phyllo walks out of the door before suddenly stopping in his tracks in the glow of the afternoon sun, "And here's your smile." He gives a small fanged smirk in response before walking away back to his apartment just 10 minutes away.
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.
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"Phyllo, huh? I remember you vaguely back then. I knew you were on the show, but I don't think I really cared too much." Moltar started the conversation between Phyllo as he entered the round, red spaceship that he rented.
"Really now?" Phyllo had a slight tinge of doubt in his voice as he entered the front seat, "Well, I don't…I didn't really care about you much either."
Moltar twisted the keys and turned his head around. Despite only having a helmet for a head, he seemed pretty taken aback, although he didn't seem too disgruntled about Phyllo's sudden comment there. "Whoa, okay then,"
He pulls the console handle leisurely, "Hm, you and Zorak will probably get along well, pfft." He lets out a stifled chuckle as he starts driving, launching his way to the studio.
"Zorak…"
Phyllo looks outside of the front windshield of the ship, his eyes frontwards for the rest of the trip. The air was a little tense and too silent for Phyllo. Moltar was content with quiet, but this was the awkward kind of quiet, which he wasn't too fond of.
Phyllo would ask some…specific questions towards Moltar, only getting a nod, shake, or a deep "mhm" in response.
Moltar was driving and wondering why Phyllo was so interested in Zorak. As the sight of the studio started to grow bigger, he finally shook off his hesitation, the one question that may stop Phyllo from being like the one annoying younger sibling.
"Uh, hey, Phyllo…just why are you so interested in Zorak? You're asking all these questions instead of..uh, I dunno, saying why you're even here for the show..or asking who the director is, like a newcomer in the industry does. ButI think you'll soon find out the answer to that." There was a slight tease that strummed in his deep voice, his last sentence clearly directing towards himself. Moltar gets out of the red rented ship, now parked in the studio's large lot, with Phyllo following afterwards.
"Why am I…interested, in him? Wait, do you mean…"
Moltar stops walking and turns his head at Phyllo, "What? No man, I didn't mean interested as in…forget it." He continues walking towards the door that lead into the inner workings of the network building.
"Oh. Just wait, what do you mean 'whatever'? Are you too afraid to…" Phyllo grunted, struggling to find the right word, but he was soon interrupted by Moltar.
"Alright, seriously man. Just answer my question will ya?!"
"Alright!" Phyllo sighs, his antennae jolting with frustration, "Well…to start, I have a feeling that…"
"That what?"
Phyllo's antennae started to twitch like static, "Hold your..horses. Well, that I met Zorak..before the original show, before the 70s."
"60s." Moltar corrected Phyllo.
"60s? Well, I forgot about that. Sorry." Phyllo scoffed, much to the sigh of Moltar, "Anyways, I'm starting to have the feeling that we weren't when we met. No, rather I'm starting to-
As Moltar pushed the door's bar-handle to the studio's main entrance, a peculiar sight knocked their socks off in shock,
"OOGA BOOGA!"
It was Zorak. His arms were raised up just like a feral mantis, as he not only startled Phyllo, but also Moltar as well.
"Zorak! Damn you…" While Moltar clutched his chest and let out a stifled guffaw, Phyllo immediately landed a quick punch towards Zorak's chest instinctually, cutting his familiar foe or friend's devious little laugh. Despite the punch - luckily for Zorak - being hard as a pillow, Zorak immediately took offence of this.
"OOF! Watch it, you stinker!"
"Zorak? Hey! Did you really have to.." Phyllo's short beaky mouth hung open, as deja-vu hits him like a bullet in the chest. His dark eyelids raised slightly, as Zorak looked at him with his usual angry-eyes…which was probably now even angrier.
"So WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
"Yeah, Phyllo, did you just land a blow on him? You can't be serious man." Moltar sighed at the thought of having someone more aggressive than Zorak on the show.
"I…" Phyllo tried his best to complete his sentence before his kin would fight back, "You look…"
"Hey…you're the new addition to the cast I heard of, aren'tcha?" Zorak interrupted Phyllo and leaned closer towards him, his big eyes narrowing.
"Can't you let me finish what I was saying? And don't get any closer to me," Phyllo slowly shoves Zorak away, "But yeah, of course I'm the new addition here. But…I'm not really new to you."
Zorak gave Phyllo a sideeye but immediately hesitated, as he raised his eyelids again in confusion at Phyllo's sentence, "…Huh?!" His antennae flickered.
"Uh, hey, Phyllo man, I gotta get going, I have a table-read with Space Ghost for an upcoming episode soon. Zorak." Moltar lightly smacked his long shoulders.
"Whazzit?"
"Be a nice teacher and give P-Lo Green a tour, will ya?" Moltar then hurriedly walks away amongst the various staff who were holding papers or were on calls.
"What did you call me?" Phyllo narrows his eyes.
"He's not green, Moltar! Urgh." His sigh sounds more that of a gravelly growl. "Can't believe there's anotha bug now." He turns around, back to Phyllo and his souless eyes that he pierces through his angry-looking gaze.
"So much humans for a show mostly by aliens. Well, except for Space Ghost." Phyllo ignores Zorak's complain despite his decent hearing."
"And Moltar. Unless you've mistaken him for me somehow." Zorak lets out a hearty scoff at Phyllo, who was struck with a sudden feeling. A feeling that he was more familiar with him before and…maybe even now.
"I'm not that dumb," Phyllo shakes his head, "So sorry…Moltar." Phyllo smirks slowly, his antennae also slowly raising straight.
"Oh that's it man! Do ya want this tour or not? This isn't your go-to Walmart you lost your momma at."
Phyllo's smirk immediately drops at the mention of his mother, "Well…fine. Show me around and I won't beat you to a pulp…greenie."
"Ooh…fine then. Manturd. Nyehahahaha!" Zorak pushes Phyllo forwards and walks with him straight ahead, his raspy and bouncy villanous cackling startling some staff nearby. Phyllo crosses his arms at his first impression of Zorak. He feels pretty stupid for not expecting a green, pesky mantis with a raspy voice, to have a personality that was as nice as nails on a chalkboard.
"Alright, where should we start?" Zorak looks around, rubbing his long hands together deviously.
(Some time later)
"And here we have-
Zorak swung the door open, his boisterousness immeidately diminshing at the room of one of his other bug rival, "…Oh for the luvva god." He looked back at the door, confirming his suspicion.
Phyllo immediately became entranced as soon as his pupils locked onto the Victorian-era esque furniture of the room that looked welcoming, yet completely out of the dead-leaf mantis' taste of style, "…Okay, who's grandmother owns this room? Do you seriously have-
Zorak bursts out laughing repeatedly, "MWEHAHAHAH! GRANDMA?! You'd be surprised to know that this ISN'T owned by a grandma. The one who resides in this..ahem, humble abode," Zorak miserably mimics a British accent, "Is Liberace reincarnated as a locust."
"…What? Who?"
"Oh, whatever, this room ain't important anyways." Zorak slams the door, with a faint shattering sound following afterwards. "Oops. Mwheheh." He smirks and cackles.
Meanwhile, Jeannie was sprinting around the hallways. She had spent a good hour asking the other staff about Lokar, who - despite nobody even noticing he was gone for around two months - was needed for a pitch meeting about his show, which was finally given a greenlight.
"How did none of you not realise that he's been missing for months now?" Jeannie stared at two male staff in disbelief.
"Well, we thought he was too occupied developing his show idea."
"Yeah, so he could make it impressive and 'poignant' enough…for our grandparents!"
The two men started laughing, with the other slapping their back and almost spilling their black coffee. Jeannie shakes her head down at the ground, sighing,
"You two are hopeless sometimes. I'm gonna go."
"10 dollars that his show will get rejected!"
"You bet. I'm surprised we still have the sissy on the network."
As Jeannie walks away, after looking for other staff and politely knocking on doors - with no response afterwards - she clenches her fists tightly, "Just where is Lokar?!"
"…D-did someone call my name?"
She looks around, before her eyes fixate on the broom closet, the only door just near her vicinity. Her gut feeling immediately jumped, yet she had her doubts, knowing that a proper and snobbish bug wouldn't somehow end up in the broom closet. Yet, why did she feel so tempted to look anyways?
"He could be there…if Zorak had done something that I haven't known of…" She mumbles, her finger on her chin as she ponders.
He gasps softly, his voice almost dry from dehydration, "Jeannie, is that you?" He coughs dryly for the thousandth time, "S-speak your presence, dear!"
"…Lokar wouldn't be in there. It's so unorganised, which is ironic since it has so much stuff for cleaning." Jeannie sighs before jogging away again, her heels clacking loudly and echoing throughout the hallway, somehow not being able to hear Lokar.
Lokar's antennae droop in the darkness, "J-Jeannie…JEANNIE! Oh great heavens." He grunts before trying to jump, finding the doorknob with his arms still tied up with the rope that had constricted him for god knows how long. His antenna brushes against the doorknob as the teensiest chance of hope. To his disappointment, he ends up with objects clattering and crashing right onto him, yelping as he finds himself trapped under whatever is on him, "AHH!"
"Oh yeah, this is the writer's room. They're the ones that make Space Ghost say his stupid stuff to the guests and whatever." Zorak scoffs, before pushing and accidentally landing his spit on an unfortunate bypasser wearing glasses and holding a clipboard.
"Hey, watch it, Zorak!" The staff wipes their glasses,
"Well move it, four-eyes! I'm busy giving Manturd a tour here!"
"Can you actually try to say my name instead of…man-turd? You make me look like..well, shit!" Phyllo sighs at his not-so-helpful tour guide as the staff member walks away, "God, you're ridiculous…just like I am." Surprisingly, Phyllo lets out a chuckle straight from his raisin heart, much to the intrigue of Zorak.
"Ridiculous? You? Nah, you haven't done nothing…" Zorak grins, rubbing his long fingers like a housefly, "…yet."
Phyllo immediately catches onto Zorak's villanous pondering, "Are you on to something?" He crosses his arms and leans close to Zorak, his long eyes narrowing once again. Zorak couldn't tell whether or not he was opposing his motives or not.
"Whoa! Back up, Manturd! I can feel your breath fanning my neck," Zorak's spindly fingers slightly wraps at the back of his neck, rubbing it.
"Uh, okay..?" Phyllo backs up slightly, his silence starting an awkward pause, which irritates Zorak not-too-long afterwards.
"…Grr. Alright, alright. Let's make our way to the ACTUAL set. You're gonna get a taste of my art. Mwohahahaha!" Zorak drags Phyllo's arm as he runs to the stage where the entire show takes place.
"Taste of your arse?!"
"I SAID MY ART. ART, MANTURD!"
Phyllo starts to feel a sense of doubt. His memory could be hazy, but he was starting to think that maybe Zorak isn't someone he was once familiar with. Was he more meaner than he had remembered…or, forgotten, even?
Zorak looks around for any wandering staff or cast members that might as well snitch them, to which thankfully there were none. He kicks the door open on instinct, becoming flabbergasted that it wasn't even locked.
"…Holy shit. For an awkward talk show, the set is…something else." Phyllo steps in, mesmerised.
"Awkward?! Space Ghost is the one makin everything awkward."
"Damn right you are…" Phyllio recounts the memories he has of previous episode he had watched the week before landing a spot in the cast.
Phyllo walks around the set, his eyes taking in the setting from every angle he could turn his head at. Meanwhile, Zorak pulls spray paint out of nowhere (cartoon logic), the aggressive rattling of the spray can marking his start of vandalising the studio just to piss Space Ghost off.
"Wait, are you-
Phyllo turns around to see Zorak spray-painting the once velvety red curtains on the side with an ineccesant scribbles of black. He then walks over to the very place - his own little prison - he resides in for the majority of the talk show; his 360 piano stand. Also accompanied by the blood-red wallpaper, the shiny drums belonging to one of his bandmate's, and speakers just on the sides.
Zorak notices Phyllo's lingering eyes on his hand on the spray-can, "Quit starin' at my butt, manturd."
"I wasn't even…why would I…ugh." Phyllo stammers, clearly being affected by Zorak's wild accusation about his almost non-existent bottom. He face palms himself, his beak-like mouth scrunching up slightly. He knew Zorak was joking, but he just couldn't help but realise he's slightly getting on his nerves. "God, I'm stupid…"
"Aww, what's wrong? Little Philly can't vandalise a boring studio cause his momma told him not to? C'mon, how about ya help me out here, newbie Philly."
Amidst Zorak's dubious little cackle and the aggresively-shaken spray-can, Phyllo snarls and hisses loudly, his leaf-cape spreading slightly. "One more little quip out of your mouth, and I'll really vandalise you…you, you MAN-PISS." He cringes slightly at the insult he made on the top of his pointed head.
Zorak gasps and shakes his long hands to his face exaggeratingly, "Oh noooo! I feel so hurt. Wah, wah, WAH." Zorak turns his back and continues spray-painting, which would quickly be a mistake as Zorak immediately collapses at the heavy, brown weight that tackles him straight to the ground.
"Why I oughta..!" Zorak growls, with Phyllo hissing loudly back as the two curl up like a snowball, tackling each other. Zorak, still having the spray-can in his spindly grasp, spray the red paint onto Phyllo's face.
"HIISSS!" Phyllo now becomes seriously agitated, his tolerance for the green mantis disappearing suddenly as he's forced to tackle against him, and also the burning feeling of spray-paint slightly seeping into his closed eyes.
Amidst the hissing and growling, the paint-can rattles slightly in Zorak's hand, immediately giving Phyllo an advantage as he has still closed his eyes. While his hands fight off Zorak's, he uses his hearing to clearly track which side was holding the stun-weapon.
"Grrr, HEY! MY SPRAY!"
Phyllo snatches the spray can and snaps his eyes wide open, the two still changing positions frantically as they wrestled. The two bugs rolled around - ironic considering they weren't pillbugs - as they sent the cameras, Space Ghost's chair, and the prop hi-hats all being pushed, or having fallen to the ground. Phylllo's hands hold the spray can tightly, "I'll give you vandalism, damn you!"
Soon enough, Zorak's face is also dripping with a vibrant red just like Phyllo's. He sputters and coughs, his long tongue tasting the paint. "GIMME BACK MY SPRAY!"
"NO! BET YOU IT WASN'T EVEN YOURS ANYWAYS!" Phyllo sprays again before losing his grip on the spray, as Zorak pushes his long head to the ground.
"HAH!" Zorak snatches the spray just before it could even hit the ground, spraying Phyllo's face until…
Zorak shakes the can as the red paint sputters weakly, "Hey! You used the entire can, and ya didn't even paint on the set!"
Phyllo growls in frustration, feeling somehow inferior to his green kin as he starts to doubt about asking him about the past. The past where Phyllo knew he was there, yet everything is a blur. Maybe this entire plan is stupid, dumb, unintelligent, brainless even. He had wasted his time auditioning on an talk show he didn't pay any attention to until Zorak caught his eye, and he was slightly aware of how inescapable the hole of Hollywood was.
But to be honest, this is more interesting than making one dollar per hour at a lousy job that was unfit to both his physique and mentality, and living in a small apartment. Partially, he felt like a little nymph again that wrestled with his distant, dead-leaf cousins to build up - soon to be wasted - strength (although he's too unsure if they were even his cousins despite being same-species). And right now, despite the aggressiveness, it was a breath of fresh air from feeling lost…and probably being a fallen villain that had the potential despite being in one episode of the original - and slightly flat - show.
Zorak throws the spray can to the other side of the set, "Hey, why aren'tcha fighting back, Manturd? I don't wanna stay in this position for too long!" His raspy retort immediately sends Phyllo back into reality.
"Ow, ow. What are you-
Phyllo and Zorak's legs were both intertwined with each other from the wrestling. Phyllo randomly feared that with Zorak on top of him, he would probably do another dubious thing to him, like drooling just to piss him off.
But to Zorak, this was something else.
"Hellloooo, Earth to Philly?" Zorak tried to wriggle his legs out of the intertwine, "You twisted our legs together, Philly. I could make a reference here, but I don't want no staff seein' us like…this. They might put us on the papers fo' the wrong reasons!"
Phyllo halted his efforts of also untangling his legs', "Put us on the papers…for the wrong reasons? Just what the hell are you talking about?"
Zorak's antennae lowered with a frustrated, gravelly sigh from his mouth, "Shut your trap, ya brown stupid cricket. Now hurry up, I actually need ta' go."
Phyllo finally slid his legs…one of them, out of their intertwine, with Zorak following afterwards. "Cricket?!" He sighs and shakes his head, "It was so obvious…but whatever. Where do you even need to go?"
Zorak, with frustrated force, yanks his other leg, finally freeing both of their legs from being intertwined. He gets up before Phyllo and bolts straight towards the door. "Well, I have to do a number two…definitely."
Phyllo gets up and grooms his antennae…with his hands. Zorak's fast stride (cartoonishly) screeches to a stop as he's just outside of the door, "Oh yeah, dont'cha go anywhere without me, cause I'm not done with you yet Philly!"
As Phyllo watches Zorak run off back into the hallways, he crosses his arms with an exaggerated frown, which would soon turn into a slow smirk. Maybe he could just do a solo tour now, since he could tell that at some - or what felt like most points - Zorak just didn't want to bother on educating the newbie. He could tell that amidst his angry-eyes, he was itching to go off and do his own thing.
Phyllo walks out of the set entrance, stupidly leaving the door open as he wandered off to the left. He could hear Zorak's faint whistling, but that didn't matter to him. He was curious about other places that - just like his importance in the world - were mostly unnoticed or never touched with treasured secrets yet to be exposed.
Lokar inhales weakly, taking a shallow breath as he still remains trapped under whatever dusty objects or brooms; "One with eyes the fairest…Cometh from his dwelling," He coughs, "Some one loves thee, rarest, bright beyond my telling." He takes another shallow breath before his antennae immediately perk up at the unseen sense of someone nearby the broom closet. The sounds of heavy and slow footsteps interrupting his eighth - or ninety-three - time of reciting the Euripides poem he chose to beat his boredom and woeness.
After aggressively scrubbing his face in the other bathroom without Zorak to annoy him, Phyllo looked at the various framed pictures of staff, or miscellanous art ranging from abstract to even rennaisance-esque ones, before stopping in his tracks as he notices the brown door of the broom closet.
His antennae frantically wiggle like that of a cockroach's, "…Why do I have the feeling that someone's in here?" He mumbles before cautiously stepping closer towards the door.
As Phyllo contemplates the many reasons of whoever - or whatever - had the need to hide in the broom closet, Lokar's weak voice seemed to be filled with soul again.
"Oh, oh! Speak your presence, whoever you are!" He pleads, "Rrrescue me at once from this ghastly prison devoid of all light!"
Phyllo's large, clawed hands immediately hesitated from grasping the door handle, the British-accent immediately startling him. Did someone trap an upper-class grandpa in here that sips their little cup every 2 seconds, and criticises everything they see?
He stepped back, "…who are you? And just how the hell did you end up in a broom closet? Isn't that so…what's the word, unnecessary and putrid for someone with a voice like THAT?"
The door and the darkness barricaded Phyllo and Lokar, covering any facial expressions or a hint at what was about to come at Lokar. Their voices was the only hint to interpret and take a guess at what kind of person- er, bug they are.
"My my…" Lokar immediately catches Phyllo's intentional tone of slander at his accent like easy live bait, "I must say your voice sounds quite staunch. I almost mistook you for Moltar! How foolish of me…" He laughs, the poshness radiating from every breath he spares in his guffawing.
Lokar then coughs again, which immediately sends Phyllo into concern, which conflict with the ungodly amount of thoughts racing in his mind, plunging him into silence. Moltar? Me? 'Stanch' voice? Is he a human that got shoved in here, or could it be that 'Liberace locust' that Zorak was referring to?
The amount of questions and other thoughts are accumulating to the point where Phyllo could feel like his head was about to explode. He couldn't just stand there, because all he really wanted to know is who's behind here. He growls and shakes his head, his hand finally grabbing on the handle and…
"…You damn thing…"
Lokar coughs, "E-excuse me?"
Phyllo snarls, trying to push the door open, yet unbeknownst to his narrow brain, the handle behind was held locked and unable to be pulled down-in sync due to a broom holding it in place.
"Well, if this door's locked, then I might as well…" Phyllo sighs before walking to the wall, and running straight at the door with a loud 'THUD!', the doorknob rattling on impact and the broom slightly shifting forwards, but tilting back to resting against the door.
Phyllo snarls at his first attempt to budge it down like a SWAT team, finding himself really pathetic, yet he was eager enough still to try again.
He walks back to the wall and shoots himself like a bullet towards the door, exerting more 'oomf' into his calves. His long head started to throb slightly, the pain being small yet a meddling and annoying child to Phyllo's focus. Thankfully, the broom holding the door handle from behind falls over, the light clinking of it's wooden base stick signifying - to both Phyllo and Lokar - success in a task that really needed to be completed.
Phyllo holds the doorhandle and kicks the door straight open, greeted by the sight of - to his surprise - yet another bug that was not similar to both him and Zorak.
Lokar gasps and squints his eyes at the comeback of light shining onto him, "By Jove! At last! Light…! Oh, do help me out here, whoever you may be…"
"Holy…okay, just how long were you in here?" Phyllo couldn't help but chuckle and stand there at Lokar's position, which was amusing to him due to his subverted expectations.
Lokar coughs, finally opening his eyes at the looming silhouette of Phyllo, "My…you look staunch as well," His grin immediately dissipitates at Phyllo still chuckling, "NOW QUIT YOUR TITTERING AND GET ME OUT OF THIS!"
"Alright, god! How would you say it," Phyllo grunts before crouching down, "CaLm yOuR fArM!" He intentionally mocks Lokar's classy manner of speech before laughing, his deep voice filling the broom closet.
Lokar's first impression of Phyllo was already starting to become sour for him, "Calm my farm? CALM MY FARRRRM?" He rolls his R's as he pushes himself upwards, flopping like a fish. He looks up at Phyllo with half-lidded eyes, "Hm, how would such an unintelligent locust end up being TIED and mayhaps CHUCKED into the broom closet?" The brooms and cleaning agents stacked on top of him scatter down to the floor, their weight loosening on Lokar. "Ah, and I'm very much 'astonished', 'flabbergasted' even that you'd think the Potentate of Thug Locusts, virtuoso at classical poetry, would express such a retort."
Phyllo blinked a few times, his eyes widening at such a vomit of words from someone as pesky and - typically conceived - gross as an alien insect. Then again, he did share the traits of being annoying and - unlike Phyllo himself - having a big mouth. He found himself confused, and growled when he realised that he was played by Lokar's vocab to make himself look stupid. He turned his head away, with Lokar giggling and still flopping off the floor with the mountain of objects crumbling to the floor.
"Oh! Someone's getting quite abashed! And we haven't even took the chance to introduce ourselves properly, although I am now awarrrre of who's astute and who's not."
Phyllo scoffs, "You really think I would listen with a mouth like yours?" He then swung his arm above Lokar's head with force, a whistling wind following through it as it startled Lokar. Upon the impact of Phyllo's arm, Lokar now had breathing room without a mountain of crrrap dogpiling him, however he was still tied up.
Phyllo hoped he would shut up the locust after all of this, as he swiftly took it upon himself to also free Lokar from his months-long bind. He adjusted the end his long gloves, which now looked like the sharp edge of a knife.
"Ah! What are you-
With a swift swish, Lokar's arms no longer felt like it was glued to the sides of his body, as the rope split and unfurled slightly on the ground.
Before Lokar would spit another posh quip out of his mouth, Phyllo turned his back towards him, adjusting his gloves again before exiting the broom closet. However, Lokar had regained his strength - after spending a long time being tied up - and swiftly grabbed Phyllo's hand.
"Ah, ah, ah! Did you reckon you can carry on with whatever interlude you're about to prrrroceed to?"
Phyllo turns around and yanks his wrist out of Lokar's pitiful grasp, his eyes narrowing as he sighs, "Look, can you try to speak casual for on-
Suddenly, Lokar pulls Phyllo's hand and places both of his hands over it, slightly grinning as he cleared his throat; "Ahem!…Thank you, lover. I was so daunted that I doubted about seeing the light of day glisten upon me. The name's Lokar, Potentate of Thug Locusts, as I stated much earlier."
Phyllo sensed Lokar's eyes roam across him, which made him feel so many conflicting feelings, but he mostly felt like this was an odd situation for him to be in. Lokar's hands released Phyllo's as he backed up, his expression contorting into squinted-eyes, and hanging-mouth of confusion. He expected the locust to follow him, but he certainly wasn't expecting him to calm down and thank him, after insulting him in the language of the upper-class.
"W-w-what…?" He stumbles, running his back against the wall and slightly shaking a small framed artwork that just looks like a rollerskating-rink carpet.
Lokar chortles, amused by Phyllo's strange reaction to his touch. However, just as he was about to yap and stir up Phyllo with his eloquent speech, his antennae sensed a certain someone hopping around nearby and…
"Oh dear."
"Hey! Look at what Philly dragged in; Pish-posh! I 'definitely' remembered ya! I was givin' him a tour, not you!"
Zorak hopped between Phyllo and Lokar. Immediately, Phyllo could already tell that these two did not like each other, from Lokar's underbite frown, to Zorak's more furrowed and angrier eyes; He could feel an argument from these two about to stir.
"Hey, uh, 'Lorkar', Zorak here told me that you were a Liberace locust."
Zorak's head swiftly turned to Phyllo, "This ain't nunya business, Philly the Manturd!"
"Liberace? Me? Oh, I'm flattered." Lokar flatly responded, unaffected by the insult.
"Did ya' seriously let him out?!"
"I didn't…" Phyllo sighed to Zorak, who was close to holding him by the neck, "How the hell do I explain this?"
"So the newcomer's being educated by someone so insipid and aching to the antennae. Quite the turn of events, if I do say so myself."
"Quiet, you!" Zorak pins Phyllo against the wall, grasping his shoulders tightly until Phyllo bites down on his hand.
"YAAAWCH!" Zorak yelps and retreats his hands back, his eyes noticing the slow buildup of his blood forming as a jagged line on his yellow gloves.
"I was literally about to leave him be after untying him. I kind of wanted him to…shut up."
Lokar immediately frowned, as now both bugs had their gazes piercing Phyllo.
The clacking of heels echoed nearby, becoming faster and much louder. "Lokar! There you are!" Jeannie shouted before slowing down her pace, "What's all the commotion?" All of her focus immediately locked onto Lokar, who looked like he was ran through the dirt a couple times.
"Lokar, where have you been? Your own show has just been greenlighted," Her hands scurry through her dress pocket before pulling out a blue hankey; "The board called today for a pitch meeting later in the day."
"Own show?! Where's Moltar, I need his rope again, more of it!"
"Zorak. You are not tying Lokar up! And did you vandalise the toilets again?!" Jeannie retorts, "C'mon Lokar, let's have you all cleaned up and back in action."
"Move it Jeannie. I gotta give him one last beauty mark!" Zorak cackles as the motion of his arms squaring up immediately scares Jeannie. Lokar's mouth snaps right open at the rapidly approaching Zorak;
"YIIPE!"
"Oof." Phyllo glances down at the crouching Jeannie before noticing the faint purple blotch that painted one of Lokar's eyes.
"ZORAK! You're literally asking to be in a lawsuit right now!" Jeannie quickly helps up Lokar and pulls him away.
"What? You let me apply eyeshadow on him! How else is he gonna look for his pitch meeting?" Zorak rolls his eyes.
"Well, well," Lokar moves forward, standing his ground in front of Zorak as Jeannie releases her grasp on his wrist, "If you'd simply rrresist your natural, ruffian urges to yourself, I could've informed you that I did not desire such 'beauty marks'."
Jeannie's eyes were darting back-and-forth, giving one last awkward glare at Phyllo before she silently disappeared around the corner.
"Oh, so ya want another one? A more darker tone to..errh, 'appall' the board directors?" Zorak's tone of voice was mockingly smooth and plummy, much to the annoyance of Lokar. However, before Zorak could land another blow on Lokar, Phyllo had to step in because this was starting to hit too close to home.
"Alright!" Phyllo barged himself in between the two greenies, pushing them away even further with the force of his hands.
"YIPE!" Lokar becomes startled at his strength that he almost stumbles his feet.
"Shut up! Both of you! Gosh…" Phyllo wanted to blurt out a few more words, but quickly reconsidered once he realise he would be swearing his arse off in front of…
"Hey bug boys! How's it…oh."
Phyllo stared at the man himself, Space Ghost, who was holding his 10th cup of coffee today. Space Ghost's eyes widened at the peculiar sight in front of him. An insectoid who had similar features to his arch-nemesis, but was slightly larger and all chocolate-coloured, was barricading Lokar and Zorak. Phyllo felt like Space Ghost's blank-white eyes were analysing him like he was some new, undiscovered species.
"You must be the new addition to the show, uh…what's your name again?"
"Phyllo. And you're-
SSSIIIPP* Space Ghost sips his coffee loudly.
"…You're Space Ghost?" Phyllo groans.
"That's right!" Space Ghost's tone of voice was enthusiastic, which gave Phyllo a feeling of deceitfulness, remembering his past experiences of being fooled by outwardly cheery individuals. "I could've sworn you were on the original show…" He mumbles.
"I only starred once…I think." Phyllo's mind could only visualise such blurry scenarios of the original show's set in the 60s.
"Hey, Space Lard, help me out here will ya? Leave Lokar to Phyllo, though."
"Oh, right." Space Ghost's enthusiasm immediately drops once he looks at Zorak, "What have you bugs even been up to?"
"It appears that greenie here has forced us into a puerile tussle. At least Phyllo came to his senses to shield me." Lokar smirks at his last sentence.
"Shut up, Lokar!" Zorak yells, still trying to get Phyllo's hand off his face.
"Shield you? SERIOUSLY!?" Phyllo retorts back at Lokar, his fangs bared.
"Alright! Alright! ENOUGH!"
Phyllo releases his hands off the green bugs' faces after Space Ghost raises his fist out (at the expense of his now spilt coffee), holding his powerband as a mere warning. A warning that Zorak has disobeyed many times before, and one that Lokar did not want to experience at all.
"You bugs stop bickering or I'll let my powerbands settle it!" Space Ghost's finger was brushing against one of his powerband's buttons, sending the insectoid trio into silence.
Phyllo sighs and raises his hands, surrendering to Space Ghost much to his intrigue.
"Zorak, Lokar, you go part your ways…Wait, Lokar?" He realises that Lokar was present this entire time, finally remembering all of a sudden that he was non-existent in the studio for months. This was also a clear hint to Phyllo about how intelligent the caped talk-show host was.
"Oh, what a daunting surprise. The blundering cretin has acknowledged the return of my presence."
Space Ghost squints his eyes at Lokar, also realising he had a black-eye, his antennae were somewhat crooked, and he looked to have dirt on his usually clean attire. "Where did you run off to? A bar fight?"
"Actually, I found him in the broom closet."
"Stop dobbin' me in or you'll end up there too, Manturd!" Zorak responds aggressively to Phyllo.
Space Ghost's chuckles slowly transitioned into a fit of laughter, as the insectoid trio stared and blinked at him awkwardly, "Haha..! Manturd." He sighs, catching his breath.
"Anyways, uh, wasn't Jeannie supposed to escort you Lokar?"
Lokar's head spun to where he last saw Jeannie, only to see an empty space beside him. He raises his brow in confusion before slowly grinning again, his eyes focused on Phyllo.
"Fy-low," He mispronounces Phyllo's name, "Would you mind leaving the business to these two rapscallions while we search for dear Jeannie?"
"Wait, just why are you dragging me along, Lokar?"
"Well…" He twiddles his fingers, "I'm willing to let you in on my show. You'll acquire all the details if you'd just accompany me. I'd like to know you better, lover."
"About time I finally understood what comes out of your mouth, Lokar." Phyllo rolls his eyes, not noticing the strange appearance of pink on Lokar's cheeks.
"NO! I ain't finished with Philly here yet, Lokar!"
"Oh, what a pity."
"I think I've heard enough from both of you! You bugs should go before you…" Space Ghost points to Zorak, "Get more violent. Lokar, find Jeannie, I need to talk to the newbie. Zorak..."
"What?!"
Space Ghost then presses the button on his powerband.
"YEEOOOWW!"
BOOM*
As Lokar runs away, a speeding trail of hot smoke flies past him before the sound of thumping echoes in the hallway. Phyllo and Zorak coughed audibly, though the real difference was that one was hugging the wall, while the other hugged the floor.
As the smoke subsided, Phyllo walked towards Space Ghost, "So, you're still a superhero or what?"
Space Ghost's eyes were focused on his broken cup of coffee, mumbling, "This mug has been with me in my hardest times…eh, the janitors can clean that up." He turns around to Phyllo, "What did you say again, Phyllo?"
"…Nothing, just talking to a brick wall." Phyllo grumbles.
"Oh, why thank you! I'm glad you're getting comfortable here already." Space Ghost stretches himself, flexing his muscles much to the excessive eye-rolling of Phyllo.
Space Ghost and Phyllo were walking in the picture-framed-walls hallway, their destination being the control room that Moltar normally worked in. "So, tell me, Phil. Just why did you want to go on this show anyways?"
"Phil. Seriously…can't anybody say my name?" Phyllo groans, "Alright, well, I only came here for the money." He smirks slowly.
Space Ghost looked at him with utterly befuzzled eyes despite having no eyebrows, "For the money?…" He then chuckles, "Well, it's not just money you'll be getting, Phil-
"Phyllo. PHILL-OH."
"Ahem, right, right, right. Right. Phiiiiilll-ohhhh-
"I was joking. Don't act stupid. I signed up to be a part of this talkshow cause I was desparate."
"Ahem. Sorry." Space Ghost flatly clears his throat after just being interrupted by Phyllo; "Desperate for what, exactly?"
Phyllo's mouth opened back but held no words, his train of thought halting to a stop that almost crashes the train. "I…uh…"
"C'mon! It's just you and me walking down these hallways. Well, just ignore whoever's working in these rooms." Space Ghost glances at a door they pass by, labelled 'MARKETING OFFICE'.
"Yeah. Hang on, damn it." Phyllo looks to the side, trying to gather his mess of thoughts, his eyes fixated on the wall and carpet's respective colour.
The singular minute of awkward silence - which felt like an hour to Space Ghost - between the dead-leaf mantis and the ghost started to bother the both of them. Phyllo snarled until he finally was able to sort out his thoughts and what he will say. "Alright, alright. I only came here because I was, well, desperate, like I told you. Before being accepted, and signing my sou- I mean, the contract, I really had nothing to do. Don't ask how I didn't realise the path of Hollywood was right in front of me, cause it doesn't take brains to realise that exists. Anyways, I didn't really know what to do with…"
Space Ghost's eyes now started to make contact with the framed pictures on the wall he walked - or flew - past day by day, showing his definite patience with Phyllo. Soon enough, his ears also started to slowly filter out Phyllo's deep, yet tad-bit croaky voice.
"…And I also wasn't even expecting to be accepted either. When I said that the board directors, or, I don't freaking know, the people watching my acting gig, that they were laughing their asses off, I MEAN IT. You would've probably find my humour dry and boring as hell, would you?"
"…Huh?" Space Ghost turns his head around to see Phyllo staring at him. His front view was just as goofy as Zorak's, which let a snicker out of Space Ghost; "Oh, yeah, we get those reviews…not most of the time. We're almost at a high rating on this network." He guffaws at his faux-statements.
Phyllo's eyelids soon turned downwards, glinting with harshness as he broke eye contact with the talk-show host; "Yeah, whatever. You probably don't give a sh-
Space Ghost's eyes immediately darted towards a blue wall-clock that they were about to approach. He runs towards it in desperation and takes no time to even look at where the hands are pointing. "Oh, haha!" He chuckles, "Would ya' look at the time…Phiiiilll..Phyllo. Yeah! I uh, have an important meeting with…the writers, yeah..!" He walks ahead of Phyllo as he talks, "So it was a pleasure having to…listen to you. Mhm."
Phyllo could already smell the bullshit under his charismatic smile. But he silently let Space Ghost continue on anyways until…
"Hey, wait a second." Space Ghost grumbles as he spots an open door in the distance, a door he and his cohorts were familiar with.
He flies past Phyllo, reaching the open door to the show's set. "Hey! Who left this door open?!"
Phyllo couldn't help, but snicker at the only change made to the studio that would greet Space Ghost.
"Oh my god," Space Ghost mumbles as he slides his hand on his face, with Phyllo sniggering behind him. His eye peeks at Phyllo before he fiercely turns around, "Did YOU do that? Spray painting on the curtains to make it less bland as it is?"
"Haha…no," Phyllo stops his faux-guffawing, "It was Zorak. Why would I paint velvet-red curtains red?" He scoffs, "Only stupid insectoids like him would do that. Or it just runs through his family."
Space Ghost sighs, "Yeah…right. You know what? I'll deal with you-
"And also, I'm damn sure I saw him before all of this, you kn-
"So if you don't mind, I gotta go." He looks around before dashing off swiftly, the cold air brushing against him, his cape fluttering widely in the hallways.
Phyllo stops and looks at the wall-clock before using his surviving braincells to ask him…and only himself, a question; "Wait, if we're in space right now, why would they have a clock?" He continues walking, his thoughts immediately converting into something vocalised, being the only thing accompanying him as he strides through the hallway.
"God, what am I getting myself into? Everyone's weird as hell here…but why does it seem-
"Oof!" The cartoonish nimble alien - that sat next to Phyllo those days ago - accidentally pushes his shoulder against Phyllo's leg.
"Hey, how about you look upwards next time?" He scowls, not making eye contact with the alien, who seemed already distraught and defeated from his singular, downturned eye.
Phyllo continues walking, taking random turns that give him slight anticipation, until he eventually reaches the very place he entered from. There were less hectic crowds of staff now, but the people at the front desk were frantically answering phone calls, or sorting out whatever was in their hands. He was observing them from afar, "Soon I'll probably be not-so miserable like they are."
Phyllo's eyes were then caught by some flashy magazine on a small desk just beside some chairs, the cover featuring a woman being held by a man - both blonde -in a chunky, metal suit, a stark contrast to the woman's flowing dress. Standing behind them was an oversized alien that suspiciously shared insectoid features. The words on the cover referred to random actors, and even mentioning Coast to Coast.
He flips open the book with intrigue surging through him, now knowing what he had really dipped his feet into. He'd always been familiar with Hollywood, but now he was about to be familiar with how the showbiz really works around here, and maybe the answer as to why he kept hitting the deja-vu mallet on himself whenever Zorak was around.