[center][indent][b][u]December 24th, 10:44 PM
Kasimir Castle, Gotham City[/u][/b][/indent]

[color=IndianRed]”Actually, finding the lead paper was easier than settling on gifts for them. Of course then I had to wrap the gifts myself since I couldn’t exactly explain to Dan why I needed him to double wrap Malcolm’s gifts, and then David’s just to be sure…”[/color] Zoey trailed off, staring at the pile of presents stacked almost as high as she was tall, set around the brightly illuminated Christmas tree. The pine tree was gigantic, just short of brushing the ceiling of the large living room and decked out in … somewhat lopsided decorations.

But that didn’t even bother Zoey. No, what was irritating her, and her explanation to the young blonde beside her, was the presents. A section of them were wrapped in utter perfection, not a line out of place - a couple even had neat little bows. The ones [i]she[/i] wrapped were obvious. Slightly askew, mostly covered in tape around the edges to make up for neatness, and one smelled a little like beer since she spilled her drink.

Never again.

[color=IndianRed]”... Anyway, the important part is, I tried and I can’t be faulted for that.”[/color] The billionaire huffed the words, crossing her arms, only to have to uncross them to lean forward and scoop up the energetic little border collie puppy that once more was trying to bite at the edge of one of the presents. [color=IndianRed]”No, Buttons.”[/color]

Karen briefly entertained a smile while glancing at the ever enthusiastic puppy, but it didn’t last long. They were talking about [i]Malcolm[/i], after all, the kid who she was pretty certain could star as the villain of a slasher film. His see-through-walls eyes helping him hunt down promiscuous teens with a knife as he giggled innocently.

She really shouldn’t think of him in those terms. He was younger than her...like ten or something. But he had killed those people two months ago without a second thought, and who knows how many before then. He should probably be institutionalize where he could receive proper treatment.

Still, Zoey was at least [i]trying[/i].

[color=orchid]”How’s his therapy going?”[/color] The teen asked curiously, kneeling down to poke at the whiskey stains on the present. She had seen worse jobs in the [i]The Wedge[/i]. At least there were no razor blades sticking out.

Zoey’s eyebrow twitched.

[color=IndianRed]”It’s… a bit slow so far, he still hasn’t agreed to go, even with me. I can understand the aversion,”[/color] The last part was muttered under the redhead’s breath before she cleared her throat. [color=IndianRed]”In the meantime I’ve been showing him how to take down criminals non-lethally. That’s obviously just a patch job, but it’s making the best with what I can do right now.”[/color] She shrugged one shoulder, a smile curling at the corners of her lips as Buttons licked at her before she set the little puppy down. 

Karen’s eyes shifted to the side at this, though she didn’t rise from her kneeling position. [color=orchid]”So you’re training the ten year old to beat up bad guys? Can I maybe ask [i]why?”[/i][/color]

Seriously, it wasn’t like she [i]wanted[/i] this situation she was now in. Maybe she had at first, but not after what had happened with Timothy. She understood now that it wasn’t a game, even though [i]games[/i] are probably what she [i]should[/i] be worrying about...instead of whether or not an even [i]younger[/i] kid was going to become a psychopathic child soldier because nobody ever got him help.

[color=IndianRed]”See, it sounds bad when you put it that way.”[/color] Zoey grumbled lowly. It dissolved into a sigh before she raised her gaze, trailing it along the entrances to the room. The walls mattered little when it came to Malcolm, but David would need to peek in to see what was going on. [i]Hopefully[/i] they had at least listened to her on actually going to bed so she could chat to Karen - though when she invited her over, worried over the young girl being alone on Christmas for the first time, this wasn’t exactly the conversation she was planning.

[color=IndianRed]”Considering what the kid was doing for months before I arrived, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to sit back on his laurels while Grim and Blackstar wander the streets. Trust me, if he decides during therapy he doesn’t want to, then that’s brilliant - you know how I feel about others doing this - but in the meantime I’m doing what I can, Karen.”[/color] Another sigh before the older woman backtracked, flopping onto the comfy white couch. A click of her tongue had Buttons following - though when he jumped to try and get up the puppy couldn’t quite make it, which had the billionaire snickering before helping him up.

[color=IndianRed]”But he has that drive in him. I somehow doubt he’s going to stop no matter what I or anyone else say - I’m just trying to make sure he’s prepared.”[/color]

Karen pursed her lips, an expression that often meant she was either deep in thought...or irritated. In this case it was a bit of both. She [i]really[/i] didn’t like the idea of Malcolm doing this. She - again - didn’t even like the idea of [i]herself[/i] doing this, but at least she was the invulnerable Wizard. This was a little boy with some funky eyes. He had no super strength or speed, no enhanced durability. He had the power of a wiry kid whose punches and kicks wouldn’t even register on full grown thugs. 

[color=orchid]”I know you’re doing your best, Zoey...but I’ve been, well…”[/color] She drew a heavy breath, wincing her eyes shut for a brief moment. [color=orchid]”I’ve been reading a [i]lot[/i] lately. I’ve been trying to learn about the world and its problems, and I know how horribly messed up kids who have been forced to kill can be. I haven’t even done that yet, and I feel...really messed up.”[/color]

She didn’t even really know what she was trying to say, other than that this all felt really, really wrong to her.

Zoey could only lift a pale hand to rub at the bridge of her nose, pressing the slender digits down hard to relieve the growing headache. [color=IndianRed]”I [i]know[/i], Karen. I know. The first step is getting him to therapy, but when he doesn’t want to go what do you expect me to do? Forcing him won’t do anything good, so I’m doing the best I can to keep him safe and save him anymore trauma!”[/color]

A deep, shuddering exhale couldn’t help but escape the billionaire, and her hand drifted down to land on Buttons’ head - who was resting it on her leg. Steel-blue eyes narrowed slightly on the girl before her, after a moment adding on in a low rumble. [color=IndianRed]”... And for the record, I don’t think you’re messed up. Therapy must be working for you at least.”[/color] 

[hr]

[i]Pulsing orange and red, spattered with bits of luminescent blue against walls that were both there and not in a world populated by see-through, human-shaped apparitions he couldn’t avoid the sight of for miles around that was also constantly wreathed in a raging inferno. This was the world as Malcolm comprehended it… curled up under a fire-escape in a back-alley that smelt less like shit than most others he’d found.

Sleep had been a pleasant memory to the boy, lost a week ago with so much else, when his eyelids ceased to perform half of their purpose. Not that he’d know the difference between dreams and reality at this point anyway, with how his brain constantly replayed everything he’d seen then and since on loop with such crystal-clear clarity it was as though it was [b]still happening in front of him[/b].

And to be frank, there wasn’t a whole lot the small boy [b]didn’t[/b] see anymore.

Up the road in another alleyway, an older man in tattered old army ODs keeled over, his stomach rent open by the knives of three men clad in leather, his blood spilling as a bright purple across the ground.

Malcolm saw it. And knew he’d never forget it.

On a penthouse in a part of town with brighter lights and shinier buildings than the slum he called home, a man with a chainsaw got to work separating the remains of a woman who’d clearly had an abrupt, unforseen end to her her evening. Shining jewellery and bobbles adorned what was left of her neck, cut apart as the saw came down upon it without ceremony.

She was pregnant.

Malcolm’s hands came over his eyes, trying to block out the sight. He failed, and knew he’d never forget.

“No more…” 

In a warehouse by the docks, a man was covered in gasoline as another in an expensive suit grinned from ear-to-ear. 

Malcolm could [b]see[/b] his screams. And he knew he’d never forget.

“No... More...” The words came out, louder this time and hissed through clenched teeth as the incessant shaking of his body… changed in frequency.

Something like molten, hot iron flowed through his tiny frame as a young girl shrieked and cried, dragged through the next alley over by the ankle by a man who wore a police uniform and whipped a bottle at her head to shut her up.

Absolutely shaking with this alien force that pumped through his veins, the boy stood. The haze the past week had placed over his psyche fading away as he somehow found the strength to be on his feet, fists clenched so hard that his nails bit into his palms.

[color=orangered][b]”NO. MORE.”[/b][/color][/i]

[hr]

Shooting upright, Malcolm found… nothing. Literally, nothing but black.

And he was [i]goddamned glad[/i] about that, as he lay on the floor surrounded by blankets. Opting, in fact, to lay back down with his head on his pillow and enjoy being blind for a few more minutes, before peeling off the special lead-filled sleeping mask Zoey had made him when he came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, probably [i]not[/i] going back to bed after that one.

[color=orangered]”Ahhh, fer fuck…”[/color] The kid grumbled, sounding like an old man who’d been kicked in the nads by the mixture of his pre-pubescent voice and colourful vocabulary as he placed a hand on the bed he’d used exactly [i]once[/i] his entire stay in this castle to steady himself onto his feet. Joints popping the whole way up.

Smacking his lips in a comical, sleepy fashion as he cast a glance around the room (or, rather, the whole damned castle) Malcolm to one shining conclusion at that moment.

He was thirsty.

And only his newfound favourite thing, chocolate milk, was going to satiate that thirst.

So, managing [i]not[/i] to move like a herd of drunken elephants in his half-asleep state solely by the grace of his immense control over his own body, Malcolm began the [i]ridiculously long[/i] trek to the kitchen.

Seriously, whoever thought living in a big fucking castle was a grand old idea probably hadn’t taken into account the fact that late-night cravings were a thing that united mankind as a species. Hell, it took the boy the better part of ten minutes to get where he wanted to be even taking the most direct route and jumping down a flight of stairs. And it was [i]literally impossible[/i] for him to get lost.

Finally reaching his destination, acquiring his justly-deserved booty and pulling up a chair so he could reach the cupboard with all the glasses in it, Malcolm took a big gulp and finally began to actually pay [i]attention[/i] to the world around him.

That’s about when he actually noticed Zoey and… [i]Karen[/i] sitting in the… uhh… [i]room with the tree in it.[/i] Talking about… something that was [i]clearly[/i] bothering them, judging by how how fast their hearts were beating.

Head tilting slowly from side to side, weighing his options, Malcolm pondered walking over and listening in... Even as curiosity had already propelled his feet forward and made that choice for him.

Truth be told, he was just slightly taken aback when he arrived at the doorway and found that the thing they were so heatedly discussing was [i]him[/i], but not really that surprised; Though Karen had never expressly spoken of it in the few times they’d met, Malcolm was more than a little aware that his presence made the (sometimes) [i]literal Goddess[/i] feel just a bit uncomfortable.

...Which didn’t at all stop him from voicing his protest about being talked about by [i]loudly[/i] and nonchalantly slurping his chocolate milk from the doorway.

No siree. 

Karen’s head jolted up from the floor where it had remained pointed at the sound, the blonde slowly standing as she turned to face Malcolm. She didn’t even hear him until just then, showing his ability to move unseen and unheard.

Yup, definitely a slasher movie villain.

Only frowning at him from her position by the tree, she quietly folded her arms and shot a glance to Zoey. She could deal with this.

The billionaire’s headache, meanwhile, only got worse when her head jerked up to see her newest stray looking at them. Once more her hand crept up, rubbing at her temple. Why couldn’t things ever be simple? For once in her life? Zoey let out a shuddering sigh before finally looking to Malcolm and affixing a smile to her face, small though it was.

[color=IndianRed]”Morning won’t come any quicker if you’re up, my little puglet,”[/color] The redhead murmured, only to gesture to the couch beside her. [color=IndianRed]”Nightmares?”[/color] She added on, voice quieter. Gentler. She suffered from them too, after all, often staying up for nights on end. Similar to Malcolm.

[color=orangered]”Something like that.”[/color] Malcolm replied with a shrug, to his credit, only [i]slightly[/i] wincing at his nickname as he casually made his way over and plunked himself down on the offered real-estate on the couch. Glowing eyes travelling between the pained look on Zoey’s face to the look Karen was burning into his skull at that moment, the boy cocked a brow but stayed silent.

...For a few seconds.

[color=orangered]”Ya know, if me being around is going to be an issue… I could just, y’know, [i]leave.[/i]”[/color] He finally stated after a moment, tongue running across his lips in thought [color=orangered]”...I mean, I’m grateful for you putting a roof over my head and grub in my gut, Zo, but... I don’t wanna be a problem to ya.”[/color] 

[color=IndianRed]”No,”[/color] The response was immediate, sharp. Zoey’s eyes focused on Malcolm and she lifted a hand to gently rest against his arm, at her side Buttons already wiggling over to nudge against the young boy as well. [color=IndianRed]You are [i]always[/i] welcome here, Malcolm, in any place I call home. Karen and I were just discussing therapy options.”[/color]

A slight quirk of her lips, a hint of amusement. [color=IndianRed]”After all, I dislike it as much as you.”[/color]

[color=orangered]”I… see…”[/color]

Malcolm leaned away just slightly at that, even as Buttons seemingly assimilated himself into his lap, as if attempting to bar his escape. This was a discussion he’d been making every effort humanly possible to [i]avoid[/i] since arriving here, for a great number of reasons.

Many of which came back to the fact that, even if he’d [i]wanted[/i] to talk to… anyone, [i]especially[/i] a shrink about the entire past [i]year[/i] (which he emphatically [i]did not[/i]), there was the whole matter of how [i]insane[/i] it would sound describing it to literally [i]anyone[/i].

[color=orangered][i]’Yeah, so everyone I ever cared about was roasted alive by a psychopath with a flamethrower and now all I can see or ever dream about is [i]fire[/i]. Also, I’m now incapable of forgetting anything for some reason so I relive that exact scene over and over again every second of every day in my head in perfect clarity as if it’s still happening and I’m not old enough to shave yet. But man, that [b]weather[/b], eh?’[/i][/color]

Realizing he was now [i]trapped[/i] in this conversation, whether he wanted it or not brought a look of plain discomfort to his face, as he spoke.

[color=orangered]”I… don’t think I’m on board with that...”[/color]

Karen had listened quietly in order to allow Zoey to speak with Malcolm uninterrupted. She figured he would trust her a lot more than herself, given that she just poked her head in this place every so often now that she had her own apartment. It still was often enough that he [i]knew[/i] her well enough, but he doubtlessly didn’t consider her family.

He, unfortunately, did not seem receptive to therapy...but then again they hadn’t pushed him towards it very hard yet. From what she had read, troubled people often were very reluctant to get help for their problems at first.

While they didn’t know one another as well as they both knew Zoey, maybe hearing another kid’s perspective would help? She had only tried talking to him as Lady Arcana...when maybe who he needed to talk to was Karen Hernandez?

[color=orchid]”Hey Malcolm,”[/color] Karen took a step towards the boy before glancing back over her shoulder at the tree. [color=orchid]”What were you hoping to get for Christmas? I’ve really been excited about the PS5, especially with the new Tomb Raider having just come out!”[/color]

[color=orangered]”Eh?”[/color] Came Malcolm’s oh-so-articulate response not entirely sure [i]where[/i] this new line of questions came from… or what a PS5 or a Tomb Raider was, for that matter.

Still, finding his tongue, he at least [i]tried[/i] to give a good answer.

[color=orangered]”I, uhh… haven’t really thought about it to be honest.”[/color] He began, a pondering, slightly (comically) confused expression on his face [color=orangered]”A guitar, I guess? My Dad used to play a lot... Cash mostly, a bit of Metallica and the Stones.”[/color]

He scratched his head and looked off to the side for a second, somewhat aware that until recently, he’d never even listened to a radio and only knew what those things were through his Dad.

[color=orangered]”...What’s a Tomb Raider?”[/color]

Karen giggled at this for a moment, quickly whipping out her phone. She got it. He grew up on the street, like her. He didn’t get to play games like that...and probably didn’t torture himself by watching Let’s Plays of them, either, unlike her. Speaking of which…

[color=orchid]”It’s a game! I guess you never got to play them much either, huh?”[/color] She muttered, having started to enjoy her new life thanks to Zoey. Despite having been here a couple of months, it didn’t appear like Malcolm had adapted very much to his new situation. [color=orchid]”I mean, I like it cause it has a badass chica kicking butt, but there’s others with guy heroes!”[/color]

Holding the phone steady so he could watch the Let’s Play with her, Karen offered him a gentle smile. [color=orchid]”I mean, they’re not for everyone...but I wouldn’t knock them before you try em’!”[/color]

Tilting his head to the side, Malcolm squinted a bit as the glow of his eyes flickered slightly, subconsciously adjusting to focus on the screen on Karen’s phone and not all the electrical gubbins going on behind it. Or Behind Karen. Or Behind Kerberos who was on the other side of the castle weeing on one of David’s shoes.

For a second, he just sat in silence, not exactly sure what to make of what he was looking at; the image of a… [i]gifted[/i] young woman in a tank-top doing a lot of flips and shooting things in the [i]face[/i]. 

...And, well, some guy talking over that in the background, but that wasn’t important.

Leaning forward slightly, the silence continued… until a small smile began to break across his face.

[color=orangered]”That’s… actually kinda cool.”[/color] He stated, eyes still glued to the screen. [color=orangered]”And there’s more like this?”[/color]

Karen quickly nodded her head in response, happy to see that he was showing interest into something that a boy his age [i]should[/i] be into, as opposed to stabbing actual real people with a knife. Plus...it was kind of nice to be able to talk about this stuff with someone that was, well, not [i]quite[/i] her own age, but close enough. Clarissa wasn’t really into gaming stuff, being more artsy.

[color=orchid]”Oh yeah, [i]tons[/i] more! You should come over sometime and play with me! Or even get one here, so we could play online!”[/color] She eagerly explained to him. [color=orchid]”Some games you play with others, sometimes hundreds or thousands of others!”[/color]

[color=orangered]”Um, yeah. I’d be good with that.”[/color] Malcolm replied, an uncharacteristically goofy smile just ever so [i]slightly[/i] starting to make itself known on his face [color=orangered]”-I mean, if you’re fine with it and Zo’s fine with it.”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”Sure. Maybe Santa brought you one,”[/color] Zoey offered in response, having been quite content to sit back and watch the two … bond? Maybe not, but it was the start of [i]something[/i] at least. Having a friend his own age, for the most part, had to be good for him. She could keep him sheltered, fed, and teach him many things, but she was very much more of a parental figure. Maybe Karen could have more success getting him in therapy than her - the [i]Wizardeth[/i] managed to get Grim into it, after all.

Fuck she hated therapy.

[color=IndianRed]”After all, you have quite a few in there,”[/color] The billionaire added on, jabbing a thumb towards the tree and the stack of presents surrounding it.

Karen honestly hadn’t expected it to go this well...but now she understood where she had gone wrong. She had been looking at Malcolm as some sort of patient to be cured, when maybe...maybe she should’ve tried just being his friend instead. Maybe that’s what he needed right now more than anything.

[color=orchid]”Sauce!”[/color] She exclaimed happily, opening her mouth to suggest some of the titles they could try first. Unfortunately, she was cut off by a slurred mutter of her name, the blonde’s eyes darting to the black cat lounging on the carpet. 

Releasing a yawn, the heavily lidded eyes of Samantha stared up at teen. The whiskey that she’d wanted poured in her drinking bowl had apparently not quite worked its way through her system yet. “Karen...wassat…?”

[color=orchid]”What’s...what? Sam, you’re drunk,”[/color] Karen muttered with a sigh.

The cat slowly lurched to her feet her quadrupedal form wobbling slightly in the process. Opening her mouth to speak, she was abruptly interrupted by Buttons charging over to her and lapping at her face. “Auuhh...no...thish ish important…!”

Shaking her head, Karen stepped up to gently pluck Buttons off the ground so her drunken feline friend could at last speak.

“Theresh...uh...magic…” Samantha slurred, glancing towards the door. “Uhmmm….that waysh…I can feel it...”

Karen blinked at this, turning to where Sam was gesturing. Setting the puppy down again, she stretched out her senses and began searching for distortions in the laylines. Sure enough, there was [i]something[/i]...or some[i]things[/i] approaching them right now, and at least a few of them gave her a chilling sense of familiarity.

[color=orchid]”...Um, I think she’s right. There’s several fairly strong magical signatures approaching us,”[/color] She explained. [color=orchid]”Guess I’d better transform…”[/color]

Backing up a short distance from Malcolm in order to not blast his poor eyes with the full light of her thunderbolt, she inhaled. [color=orchid]”SHAZAM!”[/color]

…

Karen blinked, slowly looking down at herself. At her very human, very teenage self. [color=orchid]”...SHAZAM!”[/color]

Again, nothing.

[color=orangered]”...Well, [i]that’s[/i] not good.”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”... Karen?”[/color]

“OH NOSH, the Wizardsh fallen, we musht hurry and--oh, oh,” Samantha began to tremble slightly, before vomiting up the contents of her last meal all over one of Zoey’s presents. 

[color=olivedrab]”Er, I don’t mean to interrupt but-”[/color] The christmas tree was about to chime in before being interrupted himself.

[color=orangered]”Did that fucking tree just [i]talk...?[/i]”[/color] Malcolm interjected to no one in particular, impressively deadpan for the new and sudden twist his night had just taken.

“I...I don’t undershtand,” Samantha shook her head. “Thish shouldn’t be…”

The unmistakable sound of shattering glass cut the staggering feline short, a chorus of broken glass pulling all eyes back to the front of the castle. Raising her eyes to stare at the trio of winged figures as they clutched a fourth, far larger one in their talons, Karen only had time to utter one brief sentence. [color=orchid]”Get to the Grotto!”[/color]

Waving the others away, she began gathering everything the laylines would permit her into her palm. Leveling it towards the ground, orchid energy began to swirl around her hand into solidify into a ball that burned with arcane light. In this brief time, her eyes never left the winged creatures.

Harpies.

She remembered them well enough from the whole incident at the warehouse and brothel, but the larger creature...that one she had only ever seen in movies and books. It was a [i]minotaur[/i], and it was now crashing down upon them. Having been released from the talons that carried it, the towering beast slammed down into the soft carpet only to release a monstrous roar.

Reacting quickly, Karen through her ball of arcane energy at the creature...watching as it detonated with a sound reminiscent of a firecracker. Although it shook its head briefly in irritation, it had apparently done little beyond angering it.

Now it’s attention was focused on her, as it charged the blonde with its gleaming battleaxe drawn back for a cleaving strike.

[color=orangered]”Oh fuck [i]that.[/i]”[/color] Came Malcolm’s aggressively civilized response as he, without hesitation, whipped his glass of chocolate milk right at the Mino’s face, abruptly grabbing Karen around the waist to give her a firm yank hard enough to pull [i]both[/i] of them off their feet and forward, onto the floor between the beast’s legs and just missing it’s charging gait.

[color=orangered]”Zo! [i]Ideas!?[/i]”[/color] Malcolm shouted, a year of fighting crime in Blud leaving him astonishingly composed for an eleven-year-old who nearly got murdered by a giant Man-Bull-Thing. [color=orangered]”Because [i]this[/i] is a new one for me!”[/color] 

Zoey Kasimir was known by many to be … a little paranoid. Just a tiny bit. A smidge above normal.

So when a fucking [i]quad-squad[/i] of mythical creatures showed up in her god damned living room, after [i]breaking her window[/i], and proceeded to charge her house guest with a fucking [i]axe[/i], Zoey was prepared! Well, not for mythical creatures specifically, but intruders in general.

The side of Zoey’s fist slammed into the wall, in motion with her foot stomping against the floor directly beneath the same area with force. There was a small click, unheard over the ruckus, before a section of wall high above their heads opened, and from it dropped one of the numerous, [i]numerous[/i] weapons hidden around Kasimir Castle.

Catching the assault rifle with both hands it took only a second to switch the safety off before a burst of gunfire sounded through the room, but rather than being directed at the minotaur the flash of the muzzle was pointed towards the three flying [i]whores[/i] in Zoey’s living room, managing to clip the wings of one and draw blood on the other.

[color=IndianRed]”Idea - idea?! Yes there’s a fucking idea, grab the animals and get to the Grotto!”[/color] Abruptly the redhead grabbed onto the back of Sam’s neck, tossing her through the air like a furry football to Karen. Jumping the couch the billionaire caught Buttons by his collar and repeated it by tossing him to Malcolm. [color=IndianRed]”GO.”[/color]

Another burst of bullets, but despite taking advantage of the minotaur’s back being to them as Zoey backed up to the door, the bite of the projectiles barely broke the skin in the back of one of his knees. Zoey [i]needed[/i] her weaponry.

[i]Goddammit all, I just wanted to tell them that something weird was going on, now I’m possessing a christmas tree and facing down a bunch of mythical creatures.[/i]

Harris would have sighed had the tree a mouth or lungs. The one day he needs to go get some help it turns out that they’re occupied. Well, no use sitting there and being a gaudy decoration, he had to do something.

So he did, sending out a group of vines that entangled themselves around the limbs of the massive half-bull creature. The thing was incredibly strong, he could feel the flesh of the plant ripping as the massive beast pulled against him.

How had he ended up in this position anyway? Why couldn’t he have just went through the day knowing that someone else would handle it? Why did he need to get involved?

[color=olivedrab]”Hey, um, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s me, Harris, most of you probably don’t know who that is but um… it’s me. So uh, I’ll just hold him back while you… get a missile launcher or something, no big rush,”[/color] he said, desperately trying to not let the effort that he was putting into keeping the beast contained seep into his voice. [color=olivedrab]”We can save the pleasantries for later I guess, I dunno, I’m just a tree.”[/color]

He remembered back when he had a normal life. When he wasn’t a tree. Those were good times.

Karen wasn’t in much of a position to argue through any of this. She had already given that thing her best shot, and had been narrowly dragged to safety by Malcolm. When Zoey tossed Samantha to her and ordered her to run, the blonde eagerly nodded. Holding fast to the drunken feline, she glanced over her shoulder as she ran for the Grotto alongside Zoey’s second adopted son.

Was that [i]Harris[/i] talking through the Christmas tree? Why?!

Well, he...he seemed to be handling himself better than they were at least, though Zoey had managed to stun a couple of the Harpies. The third one, however, was already swooping down towards them. She could already see it opening its mouth to unleash a scream capable of shattering a human skull through concussive force alone.

Reaching down to her wrist, Karen seized the diamond bracelet Zoey had given her and ripped it free. With her main - left - hand, she hurled it in her best pitch into the Harpy’s mouth, causing it to choke on the expensive gift. [color=orchid]”I’m sorry, Zoey!”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”I’ll buy you another one,”[/color] Said woman growled in response, followed by another flurry of bullets to stop the second harpy. As soon as they cleared the thresh hold of the living room however Zoey stopped, drawing her phone out of her pocket. [color=IndianRed]”Nice seeing you again by the way, Harris!”[/color] She called out, before a button on her phone had Lockdown Mode initiated.

Throughout the castle giant steel plates slammed over openings - doors, windows, passages - including the hallways they were in. Hefting the strap of the gun over her shoulder to let it rest against her side Zoey finally turned to Karen and Malcolm, plus the inebriated feline and whimpering puppy, not looking to them as her fingers danced over her phone. The metal plate in front of them slid open, as soon as they crossed it the sound of it slamming down behind them echoed out, repeating as they moved towards the Grim Grotto.

Under her breath, Zoey was muttering.

Harris barely managed to get out a “Hi” before he was left completely isolated from everyone else. Alone. With three Harpies and a minotaur.

Welp, he hoped Zoey didn’t care about the tree that much.

The tree exploded into a mass of wood and vine, covering the entire room in plant matter and pinning each of the creatures to the walls and ceiling. That should work well enough. But how the hell was he supposed to talk to them now? The tree was ruined and he was quickly being brought back to his regular body.

Oh well, he’d figure something out.

[color=IndianRed]”Can’t transform… mythological creatures … Assassination? No, but-”[/color] An alert on the phone and Zoey glanced down as it switched to an outside camera. [color=IndianRed]”... And more to come, it seems.”[/color]  

[color=orangered]”Yuuuuup. [i]Plenty[/i] more.”[/color] Malcolm added, having only to just look up to confirm what Zoey was seeing on her phone, a slight twinge of humour [i]somehow[/i] finding it’s way into his voice despite all the insanity going on above [color=orangered]”...Brightsides, though, looks like Dave’s safely asleep in his room for the lockdown and Ker’s locked in a closet munching on your fancy shoes.”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”I’ll kill Buttloaf later.”[/color]

Turning his gaze back towards Zoey, Karen and the shitfaced cat, Malcolm finally spoke the question on everyone’s mind.

[color=orangered]”So... what the hell was [i]that[/i] about?”[/color]

Samantha groaned within Karen’s arms, slumping forward in the teen’s grasp as she glanced at the other two girls and three boys. “Sh-shomehow...Karen’sh connection with the Rock of Eternity ish being blocked. That...shouldn’t be posshible, though…”

[color=orchid]”Seriously?! [i]That’s[/i] why I can’t transform? T-then…”[/color] Karen trailed off, wondering what she was supposed to do. [color=orchid]”B-but, that [i]still[/i] doesn’t answer the question of [i]why[/i] this is happening!”[/color]

Sam drunkenly shrugged her shoulders in response.

[color=IndianRed]”Gre[/color][color=orangered]at,”[/color] Mother and son deadpanned at the same time.
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