grim-secret

[grim-secret]

“Eh, you’d think.” Guy shrugged. “.... but I used to be a smelly homeless guy, so maybe my nose particles were adversely affected or something.” Those things could be overwhelmed to the point of sizzling to nonexistence, couldn’t they?

“He’s a piece of shit, but I think he gives good direction when he really wants to. Or maybe he gives advice well all the time, shielded by the weird front he puts up. I don’t know, I think it’s all an act. I mean, honestly, can you see the future king relying on him needlessly? When he would have so many other sources to turn to? Sources that are polished to a bit more of a pristine quality, absolutely.” It seemed counterproductive to his image to put forth a smelly old dude that turned off flies.

“After so long, do you think it would be a kindness to let him go?” Would Bamf have that compulsion, knowing briefly about their history together?

“I don’t know, I feel like we’re missing something really obvious. But of course, because of our history, we’ll never see it the way it’s meant to be seen.” Listen at him, being all philosophical. Damn, maybe that family was rubbing off on him.

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

How very bizarre. There was no legitimate reason to be splayed on the floor and yet, splayed she was. There was little logic behind the actions of those he was stationed near. For one like him, who operated according to the rules of the universe, it was an odd contradiction that sometimes left him reeling.

“You had a dream.” How he was able to discern such a fact from simple observation was not clear. Perhaps by her manner, tossing and turning, or mumbling phrases against unseen foes? 

But it seemed he was veering closer to being more oddly specific, outside of simple observations spoken aloud.

“Would you like to hear of it?”

She woke a right royal mess, as she always did, and yawning tumbled right off the mattress onto the cold floor. "Mhhh-- 'andsome?" She called. Was he nearby?

There were those moments when the puppet could think explicitly for himself. Reacting during dangerous situations, imposing himself in between the danger and those he was slated to protect those days. And there were those instances where it seemed he was truly void of any thought processes outside the range of what was requested of him.

Such seemed to be one of those moments right then. 

Handsome stared vacantly, not reacting to the terrible plunge the Queen took to the floor.

Perhaps it simply had to do with the factor of danger he sensed. There wasn’t a need to salvage the Queen from bumps and bruises of every day life. The floor posed no more threat of damage against her then that.

“I have fulfilled your instructions to watch you as you slept. I have a report, should you require it.” Though what he could possibly have been measuring was completely up for debate.

[grim-secret]

“Right.” Solomon confirmed, pointing the now wet end of the pencil toward the angel. “It’s obvious who it is you should be interrogating. The only one who would be near the King in the first place. Riiiiiinging a bell?” He clicked. “The Queen, of course.” There, he ruined it for him.

Kids were sure lazy those days. No one in the mood for cracking any good puzzles. Why, in his day, there were puzzles no one could crack. The sort that released ancient evils upon the world and all that.

But never mind. Perhaps those days were long gone and they did not need any ancient evils unleashed.

“On purpose? I guess if you want to put that kind of spin on it. What would be the point of polishing this old body, eh? Save to pleasure your Grace. But you never call, so I, of course, have no opportunity to do that.”

“Always ready to hit the road.” Guy confirmed, harboring no objections there to fleeing at the first opportunity. The old man could keep them there forever if they allowed him.

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

She woke a right royal mess, as she always did, and yawning tumbled right off the mattress onto the cold floor. "Mhhh-- 'andsome?" She called. Was he nearby?

There were those moments when the puppet could think explicitly for himself. Reacting during dangerous situations, imposing himself in between the danger and those he was slated to protect those days. And there were those instances where it seemed he was truly void of any thought processes outside the range of what was requested of him.

Such seemed to be one of those moments right then. 

Handsome stared vacantly, not reacting to the terrible plunge the Queen took to the floor.

Perhaps it simply had to do with the factor of danger he sensed. There wasn’t a need to salvage the Queen from bumps and bruises of every day life. The floor posed no more threat of damage against her then that.

“I have fulfilled your instructions to watch you as you slept. I have a report, should you require it.” Though what he could possibly have been measuring was completely up for debate.

[grim-secret]

“Naaaah. No need for that. We all have them days, don’t we?” Solomon licked at his lips, smiling that horrifying smile of his like he’d only just spoken the most hilariously secret joke he could ever have concocted. Certainly, no one in the general vicinity seemed to share his perspective, indeed, Guy staring at him like he had a booger hanging out of his nose. 

Why not smile to see an angel crack? Well, it plum gave the lot of them hope for the future, didn’t it? Angel’s weren’t the perfect variants from a plain of existence they could not reach, after all! They were quite riddled with humanity.

Sad.

Perhaps that was why the mother fella strove to erase all that from her son, wasn’t it? Humanity was so.... so.... inconvenient.

“Mmmmm, I’m not sure about any Lady of the forest, or whatever you say, but I was referring to someone a little closer to the family.” He bit down on the end of a pencil, waggling the chewed bit toward the angel.

“I beg your pardon? I can take care of myself perfectly well! I just don’t give a rats ass to do so.” There was a distinct difference!!

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

Guy grinned, a sheepish little look that could not help but worm across his expression, a shrug of his shoulders to serve as a promise that he’d legitimately had no part to play in the little conspiracy they faced! It was a piece of shit.

“Ho ho, I never imagined you were one to get so excited.” Solomon smirked, incredibly amused by the display, the angels feathers all frazzled. And normally so stoic too. He would suppose all children were the same. This variation of their guardian angel was quite young compared to the last. He still had life experiences to face before he was rendered the eloquent being they all knew.

“What makes you think this rock is special? Is it simply because of the circumstances you describe? I wonder, as lovely as the Grim God is, would he truly send you such a vague clue to reach him? My boy, I think you are biting at straws here.” That likely wasn’t how the phrase went, but the meaning was the same.

“If you wish to find him, you already have your answer with you. You don’t need to chase phantom rocks to discover the next clue.”

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

OOC

Brb, my friends. I'm having some troubles with connectivity, among other general life occurrences. But I shall return shortly to tend to outstanding drafts/inbox business!

[grim-secret]

Most would try to keep their venue of business clean, not because they were interested in impressing potential clients, but because, at any moment, an angel could show up with divine instructions. He knew this, and yet he didn’t care enough to polish the floors to receive their holy presence. 

What did that say about what kind of person he was?

An honest one, at any rate.

He wasn’t interested in advertising himself as anything more than what he was. Which was an old man. He long earned his due. Although there were bad feelings shared between him and those of his immediate family, that didn’t mean that he failed them. He did what he had to do. Sometimes that wasn’t the most glorious part to play, no admirable task that would forever immortalize him for future generations to learn about.

Solomon waited patiently for the riddle to be unfolded, presented instead with---

“It’s a piece of shit.” He offered.

Guy threw up his arms. “That’s what I said!”

Solomon knew that wouldn’t give him the response he wished. So instead, he reached to pluck the stone from the angel’s hand. “And what do you wish to know about this rock, angel D? Where did you get it?”

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

“Well, I mean, I think about these things, yah? Probably the annoying part of my body more than anything gentlemanly.” He sniffed, scratching at his face. …. actually, he didn’t think he’d eve been called a gentleman either. Mostly because he spoke his mind. Or he just spoke. Until the parties in his company eventually parted from his side, either because they were unable to get a word in edgewise, or because he started to give them a headache.

“I dig guardian. I know that one pretty well myself.” He grinned. After all, he was a guardian, too. In some degree. Some might call him a slave, but that was a lame way to describe what he did. Not like he chose it or anything. It was just one of those natural things. Like the wind and stuff. The wind didn’t get pissed because it blew things over right.

Maybe he was being insensitive. Maybe the wind actually did get riled all up.

“Ah nah nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve been called worse. Ffffft.” Far worse in his lifetime.

“Hey, no hard feelings, right? That’s what guardian’s do after all. They have to assume everyone out there is an asshole until proven innocent.”

Silly had grown in the months the Mutou family had been gone, doing secret missions and who knew what else. She had grown in multiple ways, not just strength of body or magic but of the mind and heart too. So looking gentle as a maiden dressed in white that covered her hair and flowed like a gown she approached Guy in an attempt to apologize for some long ago behavior. Hopefully the voice and wings would be identity enough. "Hello cat man. Do you have a moment? I've come to... apologize."

He wasn’t used to being approached by others outside the immediate family. Because, well, he wasn’t meant to be approached by others outside the immediate family. He was a guardian. Guardian’s didn’t get the luxury of conversation or fun or stuff. He found ways of entertaining himself, it was all good. 

“Hello—– er, what should I even call you? I feel like…. ‘grey face’ is racist. It sounds horrendous echoing in my head. Should I call you….. bro? Dude?” Some kind of endearing term for ‘friend?’ Because friend was totally lame. It sounded ridiculous. 

Hello, friend. It sounded like an old guy trying to interject himself into young culture. 

….. actually, now that he thought about it… bro and dude sounded about the same. Hey, fuck you. He was old. He deserved to be at that point in his life where he tried to act like he knew what the hell he was doing.

“Ehhhhh??” Eyebrows shot up high on his forehead. “Apologize? What is this madness?” Apologize? Had anyone ever apologized to him? Ever? Probably not. Because he had never done anything that warranted an apology. He was usually the one to give them out. Because he was a dumb ass.

[grim-secret]

Intelligence required a vast measurement in many fields of study. It wasn’t only book smarts that determined what rank people or things fell into. It was the ability to adapt, the ability to survive, whatever the case might be. It was very likely Handsome would be able to find his way out of whatever troubles might come afoot. He had a primary goal. Dying before that goal could be met would not be his prime directive. And while accidents could occur, along with those elements outside the range of what could be predicted, he would fight to ensure his own preservation until such time as his purpose was fulfilled. A long, drawn out explanation for something that resonated far simpler in his mind.

“Very well.” Handsome agreed, finding out particular reason to deny her her wish. Until his master returned, he was at the Queen’s disposal in whatever way that meant.

“It is unlikely you are enough.” Well, he could be frank if he needed to be. There wasn’t a reason for him to hold his tongue when it was information that was sought. Regardless of what was discussed behind closed doors, it was all hypothetical. They could only imagine what went on in the cosmos in the places they could not reach until such time as they arrived at a point where more prominent clues began to stand out.

“I should think everyone who has ever held a position such as you, dreams of the things you dream. And yet, we would not be where we are without their endurance.”

She was recovering from the party, her feet aching, and slipping into the bedroom she had always shared with her partner she called out to Handsome. "Do you always look this somber?" She wondered. It seemed strange Bamf would make such a quiet thing. "What're you thinking in that noggin of yours?"

There were some who might be given pause at the call into the private sanctuary of Royals, always a place they denied entry to all in their lives. It was the one place they could keep separate from whatever guided their hand. A place where normalcy could reign in whatever way they’d chosen to accept it.

Handsome did not possess those same filters. If he should be called by those to whom he was assigned, he would follow. He could adjust his motions according to obstacles presented at the center of his path of travel, but it would not stop him from eventual approach.

Personal sentiments did not seem to hold the same level of weight in his mind as it did others.

“If you should wish for me to express illogical expression, I may do so.” However somber he may appear, it seemed it suited him just fine. It did not seem beyond him to express a range of other apparent emotions, but the current situation did not call for him to behave in any particular sense beyond what he was already. Why do so? It seemed a silly consideration, but humans were not always easy to predict. Sometimes…. it was those subtle quirks of the facial features that helped them to relate to a thing they might not otherwise understand, even if it should be a thing not easy to perform for the other.

“There was once a mission I was to fulfill. No longer.”

[grim-secret]

The old man was just a bucket of surprises. Never could quite tell what to expect. Even though they probably should. Because he peeked down the stairwell toward those making such a ruckus below dressed exactly as he had been nearly a year ago.

No really. It had to have been the same exact outfit because the smell of him just reeked.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming, I’m coming.” He meandered down the hallway, eyes pinching together, narrowing down to focus on the angelic visage before him. “Oh. It’s you.” He huffed, taking a seat on the stool.

“Well, out with it.” He waved a hand. “What riddle do you have for me this time. Can’t say much will change from the last time we had this go around.”

Apparently, he’d met with DV before.  Perhaps multiple times in the past. Who was to say for sure? Either way, he seemed to know that there was no use playing games with the angel. Best to just prop the feet up and get whatever he had planned over with. It was far less painful that way. Resistance was frankly too much work. 

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]

"are you secretly a twenty six foot tall eldritch horror consisting entirely of flamingo feathers?"

“I....”

[grim-secret]

“I have fun.” He promised. “But I don’t know if I would have fun as a slug. Maybe. Or a frog.” They looked really interesting. Could never know unless he tried! Except there was a problem with that...

He was stuck in the body he possessed. Could not seem to dislodge himself no matter how much he once tried. He had steadily begun to lose his powers, presumably so! Turning into a thing he once dreamed to possess.

Now he wasn’t so sure he wanted to.

Or at least, that had been the thought back then. Now it wasn’t so much of a problem.

“Sunglasses make the anon’s look ridiculous. So when they come to say something mean, they still look ridiculous and it kind of makes me laugh instead of get angry.” How could their word be taken seriously when it came from a grey wearing glasses? Did they not know there were other ways of making themselves look mysterious? 

“It’s okay, Wardo.” He promised. “I don’t know what’s normal or not.” And it would be hard for anyone else to make that determination as well. What could be normal for a parasite stuck?

“Mean ones are dumb because they all say the same things.” It was almost as though they could not come up with their own original content. They all seemed to possess the same qualities if only because they reacted strongly against those who did not fit such a vision of humanity.

“Maybe they’re the same person?” It would be the only explanation. “Maybe it’s like the wizard from Oz.” Some old guy controlling things from a computer. What an ass hat.

“Maybe you need to leave people random notes, Wardo.” Wasn’t that what anon’s did? Especially when they were feeling riled up.

“Draw them a frog. Leave them a picture of a frog.” It would be very anon like, leaving those intended receivers of said frog in a state of confusion. 

“Where do you live, Wardo?”

It seemed poor Blackmail was to be adorned with more kisses and desperate cuddles than he could imagine. For the Guardian waited only until his mother was satisfied before appearing as she did many months before by his side, sweeping him up into a hug of arms and wings. His head and face was peppered with kisses as she released her worries in a million questions. "Oh dear Silly Four you're back! Wardo missed you so little warrior. Are you okay? Did they feed you right?"

“Sloooooooobber!” Blackmail howled, wondering a moment why the first reaction of people was to lick their young?? Well, not exactly lick them, but moisten them with spittle, little specks of it left imprinted on the flesh by their lips. It wasn’t an annoyance so much as a mystery to him! A very funny, very bizarre act of love unfolding in physical ways.

“Hi, Wardo.” He smiled sheepishly, small body crushed amidst many appendages of varying composition. The leave they had taken was quite abrupt, transferring them away from the home not so familiar as the cathedral had been, but one that had gradually begun to adopt some semblance of warmth.

Such was the way of life, abrupt change when needed, silence to ensue in place of laughter. But the good thing of life was its resilience in the face of diversity and as swiftly as they vanished, they returned whole.

“I’m very okay.” He confirmed. “I had waffles. And battled spiders.” It wasn’t his idea of a warriors life, but hey, couldn’t complain really.

He had been feeling a tad off kilter as of late…

[grim-secret]

People strove for truth. And yet, they often weren’t ready to hear what answers lay beyond their reach. Truth did not often provide the answers they sought, no matter how much they once believed it would. Sometimes, the path forward was not made any more clearer than it had been before with the information granted. Sometimes, it did the opposite, causing greater difficulties.

“Should intelligence be shared by those not of organic composition, only then, do you imagine it becomes artificial? What is intelligence?” How did one define the intelligent from those they felt were lacking? What separated a computer from a human being save for warm organs, blood, and molecular barriers?

“I engage in activities such as sleep and the consumption of nourishment only when it is necessary to the situation.” Only when he was attempting to blend in to look the part. He had been assigned to replicate a real being. A real being did not stand staring haunting into the distance when all others settled to refuel.

“Do you not think so?” Questions were often best answered with further inquiries, if for no reason other than to eventually arrive at a unified solution that may not be clear for a variety of reasons.

“Yes. That is possible.” If only because of the imbalance. He was not stable enough to be able to resist the urge to spread out his influence beyond the boundaries that he should. He could easily wipe out their natural predators in their weakened state.

She was recovering from the party, her feet aching, and slipping into the bedroom she had always shared with her partner she called out to Handsome. "Do you always look this somber?" She wondered. It seemed strange Bamf would make such a quiet thing. "What're you thinking in that noggin of yours?"

There were some who might be given pause at the call into the private sanctuary of Royals, always a place they denied entry to all in their lives. It was the one place they could keep separate from whatever guided their hand. A place where normalcy could reign in whatever way they’d chosen to accept it.

Handsome did not possess those same filters. If he should be called by those to whom he was assigned, he would follow. He could adjust his motions according to obstacles presented at the center of his path of travel, but it would not stop him from eventual approach.

Personal sentiments did not seem to hold the same level of weight in his mind as it did others.

“If you should wish for me to express illogical expression, I may do so.” However somber he may appear, it seemed it suited him just fine. It did not seem beyond him to express a range of other apparent emotions, but the current situation did not call for him to behave in any particular sense beyond what he was already. Why do so? It seemed a silly consideration, but humans were not always easy to predict. Sometimes…. it was those subtle quirks of the facial features that helped them to relate to a thing they might not otherwise understand, even if it should be a thing not easy to perform for the other.

“There was once a mission I was to fulfill. No longer.”

[grim-secret]

{Found here}

Ah, Hirayama… <3

[grim-secret]

“All I can think about is...

“

He tapped on his chin, imagining that for a second or two. The old man couldn’t die. That didn’t mean he couldn’t rearrange the way he appeared to the general populace. That might be an interesting thing to have attached to the family. Not that anyone would know who they were any longer. They had a cold case circulating somewhere out there, and some weird ass occurrences that transpired on occasion.... like an exploding cathedral among other things, but..... so long as no blatant criminal acts were being committed, those authorities involved had other things to invest their time into.

Maybe they wouldn’t be interested in some gory magician like the old man Solomon. Whoooo likely wasn’t all that interested himself in trying to convince them his outer appearance was not fake or make believe. It was actually quite real.

Actually, with their luck, they would get there and everything would pretty much be the same.

Everything was the same.

Guy frowned, eyes flicking around, seeing the old school store front and the old ass games out on display. Damn. Would think it would be crawling with people curious to see what was played back in the day. Or at least collectors interested in gaining something else to keep stored dusty in some old basement. Hoping against hope it would be worth something one day.

But only if it was mint in box!!

God help them all if it wasn’t mint in box.

“Wow. You think all those months we were gone was a long time. But it’s really not.” Sometimes it was easy for the mind to think it was enough for the world to change.

"Guy!" DV called, scampering into the kitchen. "We have our latest mission. It's time to go. Are you ready?" He was all awash with life, virile and present, no one would ever suspect their 'mission' was a crummy piece of rock.

“Oh, I am always mission ready. I’m probably the most mission ready out of anyone you could have turned with that question.” A mighty stretch! So much of a stretch, it bordered closer to the fantastical than resembling anything of reality! Regardless, when there was a mission to accomplish, he was there! If he had to be.

He was only thankful to have been given an ‘out’ of his current mission so swiftly. Not that the Queen was being inhospitable. Er, or maybe she was…. he could hardly tell. As flamboyant as she could be, sometimes she was very subtle in behavior and action. Like…. when she truly faced one she wanted to destroy from the inside out, they may not even realize she was performing said action until they were decapitated. Or something. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“Later, gators.” Seemed a fitting farewell after talks of children being eaten by said creatures.

“That was a little quicker than usual.” Guy leaned forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes. Usually, missions of that magnitude took a little longer to obtain. Who knew why? He couldn’t proclaim to know why the bigger powers did what they did.

[grim-secret]