Welcome to chapter 13! Or as I like to call it a chapter that I promised to be lighthearted yet I titled it as Monstrous. Ironic.

SheuOgama: Road is a fun character. She'll get to let loose on the newbies in the future and of course, she wouldn't miss a chance to hang with Allen.

jy24: That's good because you're in for a ride. The darkness is quickly approaching.

Elogane: It is a little tricky to compose a long chapter with only side characters. This chapter and the next will be focusing more on two crowd favorite characters. The Sweet boys (x2). As for Sleeping Beauty...well...let's leave it a mystery for now.

EllaWaterfall2: Hello! Welcome! Thank you! X3

Thank you to everyone for showing your love and support for this story. Your feedback means a lot to me. Please enjoy this lighthearted piece.

Disclaimer: I do not own ML nor DGM

Chapter 13: Monstrous

Doctor's Notes: Patient experiencing violent dreams and gaining unexplainable injuries.

The doctor stared at the written note on his clipboard and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair before looking back at the girl on the bed. She was awake yet she hadn't moved to sit up. Her body had been properly bandaged. After they had heard the woman's scream, they found the child covered in injuries that looked like she had been attacked by a cat of some sorts. At first, the staff suspected the mother, but after a check underneath her fingernails, they found no traces of the girl's skin cells. The woman was horrified that they had suspected her, but with her being the only one in the room at the time, what else could they think? After that, they suspected that it may have been the girl herself. But the places where she had cuts seemed impossible to reach with just her hands. Nevertheless, they checked her as well. Imagine their surprise when they found that she was clean as well. It certainly was a mystery.

Due to this, the girl's stay was lengthened. The patient, once awakened, started rambling on about a girl and candles. The doctor listened to her tale and was shocked at how graphic it was. She explained everything from the horror that her father had turned into to the corpses that littered the dream's halls. The girl she described had one familiar feature about her. The bluish hair that she had. It made him think back to the duo that had brought those flowers. The child in that pair had bluish hair and claimed to know the girl. Which prompted him to ask if the patient had a friend or acquaintance with that hair color. The answer was a chilling no.

"Mademoiselle Jones, How are you feeling? Any more dreams?" He wondered if he had to bring in Psych to deal with the girl. Everything that was biological can be psychological after all.

The girl shook her head. "No, but I feel weak."

That piqued his interest. The doctor strolled over and sat in the nearby chair. "Weak you say?"

"Yes, my legs feel like lead. Must be from all that running I did." Without even asking, he knew that she was referring to the dream. That was another thing. She was convinced that the dream had been real. A ridiculous idea, but she claimed that it was how she received all the cuts. "That's not all, it feels like a chore to even lift my arms. And I don't even want to dream of sitting up."

"I see. Well, I recommend you rest more and I'll have the nurse bring you some water. If it persists or you develop another symptom, I'll provide you some medicine."

She gave him a nod to which he responded with a smile. He watched as her eyes looked past him at the window. Her face brightened and she grinned. "A butterfly!"

Confused, he turned to look. To his surprise, there was a butterfly perched right on the window sill. It was a dark violet color and was larger than the average butterfly. Its wings seemed to have little card suits on them. Or well one card suit. A tiny spade. The tiny creature seemed to notice that they had seen it and quickly flew away. For some reason, seeing it go made the doctor's stomach turned into a knot. If he were to explain the symptom to any other person they would say that his gut was trying to tell him something. That something was about to happen. Something bad. But that was preposterous. Right?

Once Adrien entered his room, he quickly ran over to his bed and started gathering his pillows to push underneath the blanket. He had given an excuse to Nathalie that he was not feeling well and would be resting in his room for the rest of the night. This was to make sure that if she came in, she would not discover that he was gone. He ran out of pillows and went to his couch to grab some more. All the while, Plagg was flying around him and watching with amusement.

"This looks like one of those moments in those movies that you watch." He commented.

"You mean like where the protagonist rebels by going to a party and they use this trick to deceive their parents?" Adrien asked as he stuffed the pillows underneath. "This is enough right?"

"Maybe one more." He nodded and turned back to get one last pillow. As he did that, Plagg went on. "Yeah! But as I recall it never really works in the end."

"That's why I told Nathalie that I was feeling sick." He positioned the pillow and fixed the blanket to make it look more like a human body. Still, it was missing something essential. He snapped his fingers together. "Basketball. That's what it needs." He turned around and searched his room for his basketball. He knew he had one.

Plagg took a bite of his cheese before throwing out another question. "Tell me again why we didn't tell your Lovebug about this adventure?"

"Because—" he whipped around and saw the ball had rolled close to his skating ramp. He took a brisk walk over and picked it up before heading back to the bed. "—one it won't take too long and two if something were to happen like another Akuma I'm sure that she and the new guys can take care of it without me."

"Face it...you think that she'll laugh at you for investigating a man-eating house."

"No!... I don't think so." The kwami cackled at that, which caused Adrien to glare at him. "Anyway! Now that, that's finished. Let's get going."

"Now?"

"Of course!"

The kwami gave him a skeptical glance. "Do you have everything?"

"Everything?" What did he mean by everything? I'm pretty sure that I won't need anything else...

"Yeah! Like my cheese! You don't want to detransform and not be able to transform again." He spoke like it was common sense.

He rolled his eyes and snatched up his gray messenger bag. He rummaged through it and pulled out a tiny bag of cheese. He dangled it in front of the cheese-obsessed magical creature. "What kind of holder do you take me as?"

Plagg visibly brightened and grinned. "Great! Then let's get going!"

"Actually that reminds me..." He swiped his wallet off the desk and placed it in his bag "Never know if we end up running out. Knowing you, you would eat all the cheese when you shouldn't."

"What can I say? I love it so much!"

Adrien smiled at him and held his fist out. "Plagg, Transform me!" The kwami sucked inside the silver ring on his finger, turning it black. Save for the green paw print on the face. His clothes were replaced with a black leather suit. A magical suit that protected him from pretty much everything. His eyes were turned into green cat eyes that were framed by a black mask. He could feel the leather ears that perched themselves in his disheveled hair. His leather tail flickered behind him once the transformation was complete.

Adrien—Chat Noir picked up his bag and hopped over to his window. He glanced back at his room before slipping away into the night. With his trusty baton, he leaped from building to building. He grinned when he felt the wind comb through his hair. For a moment, he let himself get lost in the feeling of being free. After everything that had happened, the feline felt that he deserved this moment to finally relax. Out here anything was possible. Out here he could detach himself from the stress. Out here he feels the thrill and happiness that seemed to be lost in his home life. Out here he was not just Adrien Agreste. The boy who worked so hard for his father. Who did so much just to get a nod of approval. When was the last time he enjoyed half the things he did? When was the last time he willingly played the piano? Not because he wanted to make his father proud, but to enjoy the music it created and remember the fond memories of his mother teaching him the sounds of the instrument. When was the last time he desired to play basketball for the sole purpose of playing a sport he liked? When did all these things become chores to do and not hobbies or future potential jobs? He couldn't even say what he was passionate about anymore. He knew he used to love one of those things, but now he couldn't say what drove him outside of this hero job.

Chat sighed and stopped at a rooftop. His foot rested on a metal chimney while he glanced at his baton. With only a flick, a tiny screen popped up and showed him the route he was supposed to take. Unknown to him, however, there was a white figure that was coming his way. Neither of them seemed to be paying attention at all. So when they crashed into each other it shouldn't have been a big surprise.

The cat ended up underneath the exorcist. Their heads had clicked together which caused him to wince in pain. The other had a surprisingly hard head. The white-haired teen was the first to pull himself up. His "innocence" was activated, however, so it gave Chat a fright when the sharp claws penetrated themselves into the tile next to his head.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" Finally, he picked himself up and held a hand—his normal hand out to the fallen hero.

With only a slight hesitation, Chat reached out and grabbed his hand. The teen was lifted up rather swiftly if he thought about it. He gave Allen a friendly smile. "It's alright. I confess that I was not paying attention either." I forgot that Ladybug said he would patrol tonight.

"If I may ask, what are you doing out here, Mr. Noir?" The feline grimaced at the name. That was new and weird for him.

"Just call me Chat."

"Ah, Sorry."

"You know you're way too polite." The boy's behavior reminded him of his own. Outside of his heroic duty, he is the polite child that never did anything to tarnish his father's name. It made him wonder if the other was dealing with the same thing as he was.

Allen smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry. It's just how I am, I guess."

He gave him a playful smirk. "Now you're saying sorry way to much. It's fine really!" That's when he noticed the golden creature that flew near Allen's head. A thought finally came to him. "However, you can make it up to me by telling me about your friend there. I'm curious and you know what they say about curiosity and cats."

"Oh, you mean Tim? Well...he's a golem." He spoke as if it was obvious.

Chat rose an eyebrow at that. A golem, if his memory was correct, was a magical being of some kind. Usually made of clay or mud. Tim or Timcanpy looked like he was made of some kind of rubber. "A golem?"

"Yeah, he lets me communicate with other golems at our order."

"So like a walkie-talkie?"

"Yeah." The other seemed unsure before answering.

"What can he do?" He already knew that the thing took video and audio, but he was sure that if the exorcist found out that they had been snooping through the "golem's" videos then he might not be so happy. And something told him that an Angry Allen was not something to mess with.

"He can record, connect to other golems or phones for communication, change his size, and eat." When he mentioned that the golem could eat, the exorcists gave Tim a sideways glance that was full of fake annoyance at the fact. The fondness he had for the golem was as plain as day. "And he's as curious as a cat. I can't count the times he got eaten by one."

"Well, he does look tasty." Chat joked.

Allen rose an eyebrow at the joke. "You're not going to eat Tim, are you? I know you have this cat theme but—"

"No! No! It was just a joke."

"Oh."

I wonder...maybe I could ask Allen to see if my suspicion of this house is okay. It's probably wise to have someone experienced with the substance to help me out? Maybe to just tell me if my hunch is right. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Sure."

"You said that...Innocence can do crazy things right. Could it...potentially...I don't know. Could it make a house come to life and eat people?"

The look he expected was wide-eyed surprise partnered with disbelief. Instead, he got a considering glance. "To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen it bring a doll to life. If it can animate a doll, why not a house? But I wonder, why are you asking me this?"

If this was a video game, Chat would be certain that this moment would be the deciding factor of how his adventure goes. He could choose to tell the exorcist of his hunch or he could lie and say he was just curious. He's experienced, maybe I'll fair better with him tagging along? This could be a chance to get to know the exorcist. They were supposed to be working together after all. He could get the answers that he was dying to know but was waiting for the appropriate time to ask. So he decided to explain the situation to him. He told him of the house and what the thread had said.

"Sounds like Innocence if you ask me. We should check it out."

"That's great because I was thinking the same thing."

"Well then, lead the way Mr—" he shook his head. "—I mean Chat Noir."

"With purrleasure."

There was a moment of silence before Allen tilted his head to the side once more. "What?"

"Purrleasure. Ya know like...pleasure but with a cat's purr?" Chat sighed. Puns were no fun if he had to explain them to someone. "Whatever, the longer you're around me the more you'll be able to appurreciate and understand my glorious puns!"

"Right."

Chat landed on a small little building. He stared across the way at an old house that stood out from the architecture around it. It was made completely out of wood, stone, and glass. The shingles were wood and some were chipped or just broken off. It had dormers on its roof. A roof which was gabled. The front door was a dark ebony with a roman pitched roof over it and the porch that it resided on. The porch stretched from one side of the house to the other. It was covered with a small roof. There were six windows in total. Or well, from where he was positioned. The whole color scheme was a dark bluish color. With two red chimney's that looked as old as the rest of the house. From the lawn to the door was a set of stairs. Five steps in total. Everything about the structure gave him a creepy feel.

He shivered and glanced at his companion. The exorcist was staring the house down as if it was something to study. The boy's silver eyes turned their attention on to the cat. Allen had a serious air around him at that moment. "Is this the house?"

"Yeah, it matches the picture."

He hummed and focused his attention on the house. They had just arrived but he was already itching to do something. He had to know if his hunch was right or not. "So what do you usually do on these sorts of missions?" If he understood correctly, the exorcists were given missions. Hell, they were on a mission as he spoke. A search and rescue if that pirate was anything to go by. It made him wonder…who were they searching for?

"Well, everyone is usually tired, so we usually find a place to sleep for the night."

"Good thing, I'm not tired."

The albino gave him a grin. "Yeah, good thing." He turned back to the house. "Then we would gather information."

"Gather information? What do you do? Go door to door like a salesman?" Chat laughed until he saw the look on Allen's face.

"Sometimes. But we usually go to a local tavern of some sorts. That's where all the information is at."

He smirked. "Face it, you just want food." He teased the poor boy.

An embarrassed blush appeared on the exorcist's face. He scratched the back of his head. He laughed sheepishly. "No, I—"

Growl.

They both paused at the sound. Chat glanced around. Was that an akuma? Unknown to him, Allen's face was turning beet red in embarrassment. The cat looked back at his temporary partner who was looking guilty. Another growl entered the air and that's when he put the pieces together. Chat couldn't help but laugh.

"Man! If you were hungry, you could've said so!" He chuckled. "Let's find the nearest diner. Maybe while we eat, we'll find some information."

"That sounds like a great idea and I'm grateful for your kindness, but...do you think it'll be okay to walk in like that?" Allen gestured to his get up.

He hummed as he thought it over. Sure he could go in as Chat Noir but what if word got back to Ladybug that he was out here? With Allen no less. He was sure that she would be upset about not being involved with this little adventure. But what could he do? If he were to detransform, the albino would learn his identity and word would get back to his father that he was out here when he claimed to be feeling "Under the weather". I need a disguise. From the press and from Allen. His eyes raked up and down the bare street until it landed on a small tiny shop. It was dimly lit but had a bright open sign in the window. Inside, he could see only two employees. They looked to be ready to leave. Perfect. Surely they wouldn't be opposed to one last customer?

"Don't worry, I have a plan." He finally responded to Allen.

"Oh? And what is that?"

"You'll see."

A chime of a small bell filled the small store. The employee's perked their heads up at the sound. One had been in the middle of sweeping the floors and the other was reading a magazine at the counter. Their eyes met with a pair of bright green orbs. The one at the register, a female, instantly recognized the boy. His very face was on the cover of the magazine she was currently reading. She blushed at the realization that a celebrity was in their store.

The other, a male, seemed to notice his co-worker's flushed face and rolled his eyes. He too recognized the boy and scowled. It wasn't that he disliked the boy, but the effect he seemed to have on his co-worker. The kid didn't even have to try. It made his attitude sour as he watched him walk in with a sheepish expression.

"Ah, sorry. The sign said you guys were open. Are you?" He was scratching the back of his neck.

The girl seemed dazed for a moment before she realized that everyone was waiting on her to answer the boy. The male was sure that if he were to answer him, that he would not use his happy employee voice. "Y-Yes! Of course!" She stuttered.

The kid gave a sigh of relief and gave them a polite smile. "I promise I won't be long." The kid turned and walked towards the aisles.

The girl, not wanting to stop the conversation with the famous kid to stop, called out to him. "If you need any help, I'm happy to provide!"

He gave her a polite nod before browsing. Unknown to him, the girl let out a starstruck sigh as she watched him. The male employee made his way over to the girl and, with a smirk to mask his feelings, he quietly teased her.

"Stare at him too long and he'll file a restraining order against you." He whispered in her ear.

She glared at him before punching him in his arm. "Oh hush you. I'm not staring. It's called admiring."

"What is the difference?"

"It means I appreciate what I'm looking at." She giggled at her comment and continued to stare at the celebrity. Her co-worker rolled his eyes with a sigh.

He turned his gaze to the famous Agreste. The boy now had some items but he seemed to be looking for something else. He wondered what it could be when the youth's face brightened up and he picked up a pair of black and green sunglasses. They were perfectly round with cat ears on the frame that circled each lens. The frame was all black while the lens was a bright green. If he remembered correctly, they were last of it's kind in the store. Others were bought from regular customers and tourist alike.

He took this time to look at the other items the boy chose. He had picked up a dark green hoodie with small black cat heads all over it. The hood had a pair of black ears on top. The boy seemed to be pleased with his items and was about to make his way to the counter when he stopped. His eyes had locked onto something hanging on the shelf. From the angle he was at, he could not tell what it was. Whatever it was seemed to spark conflict in the youth's eyes. He was debating whether or not to buy it. It didn't take too long for a decision to be made. The boy plucked it off and revealed a small slouchy beanie. It was red and black. Black is the primary color on it. Its pattern was large diamonds on it. It was a piece he was familiar with. Since he himself had the same beanie.

Adrien Agreste made his way to the counter with another polite smile. His co-worker snapped out of her daze and rung him up. The transaction was pretty much the same as any other transaction before. Nothing special there.

"Would that be all?" Her tone made him want to puke. The way she batted her eyes as if the kid was going to magically notice her and make a pass was simply irritating.

Oblivious as ever. Or just used to it. The teen heartthrob shook his head and proceeded to take the now bagged items. The girl, of course, just HAD to stop him. She held her magazine out with a pen. Her face was sprinkled with an adorable—revolting blush. "Uhm...if it's not too much trouble. Can you sign this for me?"

If he was mistaken, he was sure that the kid grimaced a bit. Something he covered with a smile. He gave her a nod and carefully autographed his name on the magazine. He did it in such a way that reminded him of all those times he himself was forced to do something he did not want to do. Such as homework for example. After the interaction, the boy left the store with a polite thank you.

"Come back anytime!"

"Or not" he mumbled. It was a pity for him since the fangirl had heard his remark and jabbed him in the side. His yelp was masked by the chime of the store bell and the dong of the clock, signaling closing time.

Allen tapped his foot against the hard concrete. He sat on the wooden bench. It was a dark green with only five planks. One horizontal one that was situated in the air and provided a backrest. Two where he was sitting and another two that was directly behind him. Its design was obviously made to let people sit back to back on one bench without the need for two benches.

Illuminating the exorcist was a street lamp. It was tall and very slender. Something that was at least still normal to him in this place. Of course, he had seen many posts on his adventures. From curly to bone straight ones. Some had intricate designs. Some did not. Never the less it gave him some solace. In a place where he had no idea how anything functioned, at least one thing looked remotely familiar.

"Where could Chat Noir be at?" He sighed and looked at his golem. The golden ball was happily resting on the back support of the bench. "Maybe I should just get started without him?"

"Meowch! You would leave me so soon? How cruel!" He heard the playful voice of the "superhero"

The exorcist twisted his head and laid his eyes on the figure that stood behind him. Chat had on a dark green jacket of some sorts. It was littered with tiny black cat head shapes and even had a hood with cat ears. On his face was a pair of black and green sunglasses. They were perfectly round with cat ears on the frame that circled each lens. The frame was all black while the lens was a bright green. The whole getup was strange, to say the least.

"Chat? Is that you?"

The cat boy took a bow and grinned. "The one and only!"

"What's with the new look?"

"Ah well, you brought it to my attention that it wouldn't be wise to walk in an establishment when I'm transformed. Plus I do not want you to figure out my identity, so TA-DA!" He presented himself with arms out wide. "How do I look? Simply meowractulous~?"

Meowractulous? What...oh is he making another pun? He didn't know how to respond. Does he say something about it? Laugh or just nod his head? He decided to go with a simple acknowledgment of it. "Right." He gave him a short nod. He stood from his seat and casually brushed the dust off his uniform. "Well, then I suggest we start looking for a tavern of some sorts. I would've looked while you were gone but knowing my luck I would've got myself terribly lost."

"Wait!"

He looked back at the hero. Chat had some red cloth in his hand. "Here." he threw it his way. Upon catching it, he noticed it's pattern. A black diamond-like pattern. But what was it for anyway? He looked back at his partner who was gesturing to his head. "A beanie for your hair. Don't want to draw too much attention now do we?"

He held back from deadpanning at his comment. Had the boy not seen him? He was a literal walking "look at me" sign. I don't know…maybe it would work? He turned the hat over and slipped it over his hair. The action failed spectacularly. His hair ended up covering his eyes. He could hear Chat laughing at him.

"I think something's wrong with this hat." Chat just continued to laugh at his expense.

"Y-You gotta—" he struggled to speak through his laughter. "—gotta move your hair. Brush it back or something." Allen huffed and peeled the strange hat off his head. He shook his hair loose. Chat gave him a grin. "Now just brush it back and try again." he followed the youth's instructions. He ran his gloved hand through his hair, pulling it back. He slipped the hat on and pulled it down a bit to cover his star.

"Like this?" when he looked at the youth, he was staring at him with some curious wonder.

"Yeah."

Even though the hat was on, some of his hairs escaped and poked out the sides. That was especially true in the back of his head. Where he had his ends curling out the hat. He could feel the other's eyes locked on his scar. "Well! Let's get going. That information isn't going to gather itself!"

It didn't take them long to find a restaurant. An establishment was surprisingly close to the store that Chat had gone into. As they stood in front of the door, Allen took his time to look around the entrance. It had at least four large windows at the base. Each line with a black metal that had lanterns hanging off of them. Under those windows were patches of bushes that were surrounded by a small concrete lining. The door was an oak. It had a large stain glass window on it with a yellow willow tree on it and tiny windows that framed the door's sides. Above it was an arc of wood that spelled out the diner's name, "The Golden Willow", the words were in a fancy cursive that had little golden leaves on them.

"Alright, let me do the talking. Okay?" Chat semi-asked.

Allen gave him a nod and the finally stepped in. A bell chimed and alerted the workers inside. His silver orbs scanned the restaurant's interior. He saw red everywhere. Red curtains, red plaid table clothes, and red chairs. The tables and chairs had ebony wood to contrast with the red. While the walls were a tan with oak wood linings or mirrors with the same lining. The ceiling was tan with oak and had various chandeliers hanging from them. They reminded him of fountains that were spouting water, just without the base. The only other people in there, other than them, were the workers and scattered spots of other patrons. One was a family of five. With a mother, father, and a triplet of boys.

"Table for two?" he heard a female voice speak.

His attention drifted to the woman in front of them. She had a bright smile that seemed false. If anything she looked irritated. She wore a red dress shirt with a half red and half black vest over it and a short black skirt. The red half had swirls and leaf-like patterns that were created with gold and a small black flap for a pocket. In her hands, she had two long black folders, which she handed to the cat-themed hero.

"Follow me. I'll show you to your table." With a professional smile, she began to lead them deeper into the restaurant.

Luckily for them, the people they passed did not seem to give them the time of day. One that he noticed look their way had just scoffed and mumbled something about crazy kids and tattoos. They sat in a booth. There were cushioned chairs that came out of a tiny wall that sat across from each other. In between, was a long table that had bottles of a red and yellow substance, salt and pepper, and pieces of paper with flashy pictures on them. She placed the folders on the table as they slid into their seats

"Your waiter will be here shortly." and with that, she turned away.

Chat was the first to pick up his folder and look in it. Allen followed his movements and gazed into the folder. It was full of flat pages with bright colors and pictures. So unlike what he had seen before. Usually, it was just a piece of paper with the food items and price. No pictures or pages what so ever. Or you could just tell Jerry what you wanted and he would make it. Anything was on the menu because there was none. He felt his heart sink at that thought. A strong yearning grew inside him along with a bitter sadness. He missed his home dearly. Sure things were different and people looked at him differently, but it was still his home. And if Allen was being honest with himself, he would rather be there than here.

"Order as much as you want. It's all on me." he looked up at Chat, who had a small smile on his face.

"You sure about that?" he questioned with some warning in his voice.

"Of course! I'm—My family is well off, so I can cover anything you buy."

Allen broke out a large smile. The other was unaware of what he had just signed himself up for. I'll have to save some for everyone else. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.

To say that Adrien regretted getting dinner for Allen would be an understatement. Who knew someone could eat that much? He was shocked when the waitress had arrived, the other had already wanted to order. And god, did he order. He took everything on the menu—minus the alcoholic beverages. The waitress looked like she wanted to faint. Even the people around them stared. Who eats that much? Was he starving or something? Did he not eat? Adrien tried to rationalize it. He thought that maybe he ordered so much to bring something back to his co-workers. Yet what he ordered was more than enough to feed an entire stadium (an exaggeration, but nearly spot on in his opinion). Almost—No, Not almost—it wasn't humanly possible.

God, I can already see the bill…

Allen took the provided napkin and wiped his mouth. "That was refreshing." Adrien noticed that he still had some plates left. Is he finally full?

"Y-You sure can eat."

"Oh! Sorry. I hope I didn't disturb you!"

A little. He shook his head. "No, I'm just surprised. I never thought a human could eat that much."

"Well…It's because of my Innocence." Innocence makes people eat like THAT?! "The thing about it is that it consumes a lot of my energy when I use it. So I eat a lot or else it'll make quick work of me."

"Scary."

"I guess it is." he shrugged his shoulders.

Chat grabbed his drink and started to stir the bubbling liquid inside. The clicking sounds of ice hitting the glass surface played its own music. "So, now what?"

"Now…we wait. Usually, it doesn't take long—" just as he said that there was a loud bang.

Their eyes whipped towards the sound and found one of the occupants had their fist on the table. It was a male that looked to be in his late 20's. He was staring down at three little children. All looked nearly identical. The only difference between them was the various moles on their face. One had a mole under his right eye. Another had it under his left eye. The last one had it on the left side of his mouth.

"What have I told you all about going near that damn house?!"

"But Papa!" they all spoke in unison. "What did you expect us to do?! It took Lindsey!"

The one with a mole to the left of its mouth spoke up. "Yeah, I saw her walk up to the front door and get pulled in!"

"Come to think of it." the one with a mole under his right eye hummed. "She was acting strangely that day too."

"Well, Jean. You have to take into consideration what she had gone through the last week." the last twin chimed in.

"That is no excuse. From now on, you are to come straight home after school. If I find out you've gone to that house again, you won't be going anywhere any time soon."

"But Papa!" they whined as the father called the waitress over. She handed him his bill and he pulled out a black plastic card and handed it to her.

Chat switched his attention onto Allen. "Is that what we were waiting for?"

"Something like that," Allen mumbled and shuffled out of his seat after the retreating family.

"Ah-Wait!" Adrien sighed before grumbling. While Allen was doing whatever he was doing, Adrien ran up to their waitress and handed her his credit card. A card that his father gave him for emergencies. Something he was not in right now. Unless Allen's eating habit counted as an emergency. The women gave him a shaky nod, obviously still stunned at his companion's ability to consume food, and turned away to go to the register.

The secret hero jogged up to Allen who was conversing with the family. He seemed to have made it in time because he heard the mother ask the albino, "And Who exactly are you?"

"Oh! Well, I'm—"

"We're!" Adrien slung his arm around Allen's shoulders. "We're aspiring authors and we couldn't help but be fascinated by your children's tale."

"It's not a tale!" one cried out.

"Yeah! It's real!" another one—was it Jean or?—spoke out. "We saw all saw it! Lindsey walked right up to the door and was forced inside!"

The last one shook his head in agreement before adding another piece of information. "Then, there was a green light that came from inside!"

Allen took Adrien's arm and let it drop off his shoulders. "A green light you say?" They all shook their head in unison.

The exorcist and hero shared a glance. From the look in his eyes, Allen seemed more determined. Maybe this was Innocence after all? I don't know, is Innocence's memo really green lights? He'd have to ask later.

"Well then, I think that'll be all for our—" the exorcist gave Adrien a side glance. "—book." he trailed off.

"Good luck with that!" The father gave them a grin before ushering his family out of the restaurant.

"Authors?" Allen questioned once they had finally left.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Decided to stop here before it got too long! Hope this chapter suited your fancy. Was it lighthearted enough? Or was showing you Esther's suffering too much? And on that note, I'll take my leave! See ya around~

Ciao-su~