#like.. we're going into it with the knowledge that whatever group of kids they shove at us isnt going to defeat him because

[honestlybrambleclaw]

not to be That Guy but i am. not excited for the welcome to derry prequel show. like i HOPE that i will be wrong and it will be good and add something valuable to the original story but my problem is that IT has never been about derry. or even fucking pennywise for that matter. IT is about beverly, bill, stan, richie, ben, and mike, like, at it's core. its about childhood friendship and overcoming fears and bullies and like forging a bond so so so closely with your best friends in the world. i know anyone that actually gives half of a fuck about the integrity of the the original work already knows that but from the first look we've gotten so far i cant help but think theyre just going to try to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. and i just don't think IT and derry and a group of kids can be done in that way again.

[basil-the-scorned]

Lion's Den

Summary: Someone got a hint about Sammy and MJF's new "friendship" and decided to give Max a bit of a warning.

AN: This...honestly came out of a dream I had one day after the "friendship" happened. Please enjoy!

(Also if you want to read it on A03, here's the link! https://archiveofourown.org/works/46815397)

For the 50th time tonight, MJF just got off the phone after talking about some kind of anime the other person on the line was into. He shuts it off for the first time in a while and then jams it deep into his pocket.

Sammy Guevara is draining. This should be common knowledge but he didn't really take it seriously because people said the same thing about him but look where he was today. But Sammy was a different type of draining: every word, sign of affection and action was on the side of too much, and Max felt like he just came out of an all nighter by the end of every interaction.

To be honest, he didn't expect him to latch on so fast. For someone who talks to everyone, and Max meant everyone, he seemed like he would have some kind of close pose to ramble to, like the Jericho Appreciation Society but apparently not. In about 3 days alone, he learned more about Dragon Ball and anime then he was ready for. 

Whatever, makes it easier for him to take out of the picture of holding the championship. Just not tonight. Once again, Tony made him come to another stupid city, so he might as well make his way across the town to see what's so great about it.

Except before he could make his way out the arena he was in, he felt a hand land hard on his shoulder in a tight grip.

"A little jumpy, are we?"

Oh. It was him. He would recognize that showman tone from a mile away. "The hell do you want?" Max was shoved forward as the answer.

"We're just gonna have a little talk." The voice said, with a growl at the end as he brought both of his hands on Max now, bullying him over to another part of the arena, more quiet and secretive. Max was then turned around to see Chris Jericho, who looked a lot less showmansy than he sounded. He still had one of his hands on Max's shoulder, but it was not as tight. It didn't make him feel any less uneasy though.

He wasn't gonna let this man know that. So Max put on the annoyed look he was half feeling. "Look here, I got places to be old man, so I don't know what kind of fanfare speech you wanna have with me, but save it for Friday or something." He starts to leave but Jericho pulls him back to where he was, the grip tightening back to almost painful. Max hisses, trying to get away from it, but Jericho was unrelenting, the dick. "The hell-"

Jericho chuckles darkly at the attempt. "You've gotten way too used to getting your way around here, Max. Now like I said," He emphasized by pushing Max a few feet, still having his shoulder in a vice grip, “We’re gonna talk. Not gonna take long, and we can either end this with you walking away safely, or unconscious."

Where was this Jericho when I was in the Circle? The question in Max’s head as he sees that Jericho was all business, his face in a scowl, and giving a glimpse of who he saw backstage facing Kingston a couple of years ago. Either way, he was going to be smart today and show his hands as an obvious sign that he heard loud and clear what Jericho was warning. The JAS leader cocked his head, but Max felt the pressure leaving his shoulder until finally he saw Jericho hand come down at his side. “Alright then.” 

Automatically, Max’s hand came up to rub at the sore muscle. Again, where was this when he was in the group?

 "So you and Sammy, huh?" Jericho asked, almost uninterested in a way.

"Uh.." Max hesitates for a second before he agrees, "Yeah! Yeah, we're buds now! I just got off the phone with him," at that, he lets a weary laugh. "for the 10th time tonight actually."

Jericho scoffs a bit at that. "I admit, he's a mouthful once you get him going, but...he's a good kid." He lets a small smile pass. " I see a lot of myself in him.. Not afraid to speak his mind, cocky...a bit too trusting once he's on your side.." Max winced a bit at the bite towards the end.

“Well you know Sammy, like you said, he’s a lot sometimes. But he’s been cool.” And honestly, he wasn’t really lying about that. He learned about some new anime, and Piper had a new friend for a bit. So ok, he was getting used to him a bit.

  Jericho, on the other hand, didn’t seem to like the answer. He glared at Max. "I'm not here to sway you to be his friend forever. I know how you operate Max. And I watched you long enough to tell you something about yourself."  At that, his gloved hand grabbed at Max’s scarf, and he started to thread the material between his fingers. 

 "Take the money, the championship, the stupid scarf around your neck and who would you really have left? No one.” Jericho said, thoughtfully, not looking at Max as he still plays with the scarf. “Everyone you had, you either betrayed at some point or they betrayed you. You don't have any support, no friends outside of paying someone a few extra bucks out your paycheck. And no true friends means no true backup."

 And that was a low blow. Max glared at Jericho but all he received back was a sharp smile, and eyes now sparked with a look of satisfaction. "So I’m advising you, Maxwell, to really plan your next steps carefully. Because we're gonna be in his corner no matter what, and anything that's done to him will be given back ten fold."

Still smiling, Jericho pats Max’s shoulder in a ‘good talk’ kind of way, and then leaves, leaving Max by himself in the quiet garage area. 

Finally. 

He shifted to leave, and felt something cold touch his fingers. He looked down and finally saw the AEW championship that was around his waist. 

There was a reason people put it around the waist, or on the shoulder with both hands. He had to get used to feeling like he’s carrying a big fanny pack around his waist, but it made talking with his hands a lot easier. 

 It felt heavier than usual. He felt around the back until he could feel the metal snaps, and slowly unsnapped it. He had friends. He had people that would come from him, like Rush and Preston. Or maybe Tazz. Or…

Or maybe…

He threw the belt onto his shoulder. He jams his hand into his pocket, feeling for the power button on his phone. As expected, he heard the notification and he pulled out to see.

Missed call: Sammy G. 3 min. Ago.

He pushed call as he walked outside. 

“Hey Sammy! Yeah I…I had to do something, so I was away from my phone for a bit. Yeah. Um…are you doing anything right now?”

[joezworld]

Toby - Rap God

Guys I was making myself laugh when I wrote this - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Based entirely on one line from this.

2019

There are many engines on the Island of Sodor, and like many people, music is often part of their lives.

Some engines, like Percy and Duck, have no interest in the subject, having never been exposed to it in a real manner.

Others, like Gordon and Henry, have extremely well-defined music tastes. (Unfortunately for those around them, they do not like the same music, and arguments often ensue.)

James, being extremely vain, enjoys the songs written about him for the children's television show based on the writings of The Thin Clergyman.

And then there’s Toby...

-----------

Toby is a small brown steam tram. He has spent almost all of his life on Sodor on Thomas' branch line, where he and his coach Henrietta trundle up and down the valley at the top of the line - providing a valuable commuter service from the branch line terminus to the stone mines at Anopha.

Toby likes music, as does Henrietta; they like it so much that in 1989 the workmen installed a radio in Henrietta so that the two could listen to music on it as they worked.

This was very thoughtful gift, but there was a small problem:

The hills outside of the quarry meant that many radio stations couldn't reach the small antenna on Henrietta's roof.

Fortunately, a few did, mostly overpowered stations on the Isle of Man. These stations were designed to reach boats far out at sea, and mainly played uninteresting things like the Shipping Forecast.

There was, however, one station that did come come through loud and clear no matter where you were...

---

You're listening to ManxPirate - the Barely-Seaworthy voice of the Sudrian Sea. I’m your sea-going Deejay - or Sea-Jay - Musik Mike! Up next is our most popular block of the day - that’s right, the JAMS are LOUD and we're all gonna get DEF!

"Oh Henrietta! It's starting!"

"Just be ready on the choruses Toby"

------------------

The sounds of music echoed off of the Els river valley as Toby and Henrietta trundled towards Elsbridge.

Aside from their Quarry duties, Toby and Henrietta also worked 'the school bus', a daily train that carried schoolchildren from the remote farmhouses between Elsbridge and Hackenbeck to the Saint Pedroc's school in Elsbridge.

Toby loved this route - many of the children had been taking 'the bus' since Grade 1, and he felt privileged to have seen them grow up into fine young adults.

-

As he pulled into the platform at Elsbridge station, he saw those young adults crowded around each other.

'"Peep Peep! Let's go, everyone!" he called to the teens.

"Just a minute Tobes!" Called back Sera, one of the teenagers, before she turned back to her friends, who were filming her with their 'smart-phones'.

"Whatever could they be doing?" He asked Henrietta as Sera and her friend Phoebe bounced up and down in unison while waving their arms around.

"Undoubtedly something for the internet," the coach mused. "But I have no idea what - trends change so fast now".

"Internet?" Toby was puzzled. "Don't they need a computer for that?"

"Toby. Smartphones have been around for over ten years. How do you not know about this?"

"I'm sorry that I'm not as technologically advanced as you - but at least I know what steam is!"

"Oh my goodness, it's also a video game company now. You've heard those jokes before!"

Toby and Henrietta likely would have gone on like that until the guard blew his whistle, but Phoebe broke away from the group of teens, her phone in her hand.

"Toby?" She asked, clearly trying not laugh. "Do you know what Vossi Bop is?"

Toby was taken aback. "Of course I do. Vossi Bop isn't my favourite, but that's just because I don't like Stormzy that much - I'm not one for Grime."

Phoebe blinked like she'd been poleaxed. "What?"

"It's a Stormzy song, isn't it?"

"Toby," Henrietta sighed. "She was asking because she thought you didn't know. Was this going to be some kind of thing where you show rap music to the elderly and laugh at them being shocked?" She asked Phoebe, who nodded slowly.

"Well, you're going to have to better than that young lady," The coach smirked. "We've been listening to ManxPirate since before you were born!"

"Really?" The blonde asked slowly.

"Oh yes!" Henrietta boasted. "Eazy-E was still alive when we first tuned in!"

"Oh, em, gee!" The girl said, before turning and shouting down the platform. "Guys! They do know!"

-

The excited teenagers crowded around Toby and Henrietta as they quizzed the tram on rap music. Any thought of leaving on time was totally forgotten about as Toby's extensive knowledge of gangsta rap was laid out for them.

"Mate, mate," said John, one of the boys. "You gotta do The Challenge if you know all this!"

"What challenge?" Toby asked.

The teens clamored over each other, before they all stopped to let someone speak intelligibly.

Rachel Kyndley eventually spoke up: "It's a thing that ManxPirate is doing on TikTok. You sing along to a rap song and whoever does it the best gets to record a charity single with Stormzy!"

The teens again spoke over each other, all claiming that Toby and Henrietta should sing for the challenge.

Toby had to blow his whistle to calm them down. "I suppose there's nothing to lose by it," He said after a moment. "But I should say that my flow isn’t that good."

"Mate, I am amazed that you know what that means,” Said John. “But you just need to sing along to somethin’ that’s already out there.” 

“Oh.” Toby looked back at Henrietta. “Well that shouldn’t be too hard. Do you have any N.W.A we could sing along to?”

As he had the only ‘eye-phone pro’, Simon the student newspaper editor was volunteered as cameraperson, while Rachel set a small ‘blue tooth speaker’ on Toby’s bufferbeam so that he could hear the music.  

The remaining teenagers pulled out their phones as well - whatever happened next was going to be un-fucking-believable. 

-

The music began with record scratching. The kids looked at each other in shock. There was no way that Rachel had picked this.

"Right about now NWA court is in full effect” Henrietta sang.

Rachel had. The teens could barely contain themselves. 

“Judge Dre presiding in the case of NWA versus the police department.

Prosecuting attourneys are MC Ren, Ice Cube and Eazy motherfuckin' E”

Hearing Henrietta say ‘fuck’, was an astonishing experience for the unprepared teenagers.

“Order, order, order, Ice Cube take the motherfuckin' stand

Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth

And nothin' but the truth so help your black ass?”

“You goddamn right” Toby responded. Rachel Kyndley barely could hold back a shout of astonishment. I hope there’s no book written about this! She thought.

“Well, won't you tell everybody what the fuck you gotta say?"

Then there was a record scratching sound. 

The teens knew what came next. They hoped that they were prepared to hear this song come out of Toby.

"Fuck the police comin' straight from the underground!" 

Toby and Henrietta not only sang this lyric, they sang it in harmony. 

The teenagers thought that they had been prepared. 

They were not prepared. 

Most of the next few verses were lost underneath the clamor of twelve teenagers losing their goddamn minds.

--------------------

A few days later

Toby was resting in his shed when a little car came tearing into the station parking lot. More girls than should have been possible to fit in it came tumbling out and made a beeline for his shed, Rachel Kyndley in the lead. 

“Toby! Toby! Toby! You won! You won!” She shouted as she skidded over the gravel. 

“Won what?”

“The Contest!” She shrieked. “Your video went viral and you won The Contest! Stormzy said on Instagram that he was excited to meet you!” 

She and her friends dissolved into happy squealing, preventing any further speech. 

“What’s Instagram?” Toby asked Henrietta. 

--------------------------

The Next Week

Stephen Hatt was enjoying his tea and tolerating his toast and marmalade, when his son Richard burst into his office, waving his phone around like a sword. 

“Were you just not going to tell me that you let Stormzy visit the engines? Or was I just supposed to figure this out when Kieran and Micah tore my ear off for not letting them meet him?!”

“I have a phone, you know. And a receptionist.” Stephen said as he cleaned tea off of his desk. Fortunately, most of it had gone onto the marmalade covered toast, which he unceremoniously dumped into the trash. “And who have I let meet the engines?”

“Stormzy? The rapper? He headlined at Glastonbury last bloody month?”

“I don’t follow.”

“He’s a musician, and you let him record an album with Toby!”

“He recorded music? With Toby? Our Toby?”

“Yes! It was supposed to be a single, but now it’s an album! It hit number one! And it’s been out for three hours!”

“You’re saying this as if I have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

“Just read the article!” Richard shoved the phone into his hand. The website for  BBC Sodor and Man was open. 

-

STORMZY DROPS SURPRISE ALBUM WITH SURPRISE COSTARS

ELSBRIDGE - Music fans across the world were surprised this morning when Stormzy unexpectedly announced via Instagram the release of his newest album, Back in Their Day - featuring two of the realest OGs I’ve ever seen.

Residents of Sodor were especially surprised to discover who those “two real OGs” were: Toby and Henrietta, an engine and coach on the Ffarquhar Branch Line. 

This unexpected collaboration began several weeks ago when a viral video on TikTok featuring the pair attracted the attention of the rapper...

-

Stephen skimmed the rest of the article, not quite believing what he was reading. “I didn’t authorize any of this.” He said at last. 

“Really?” Richard said, not quite believing him. “Because that’s what the staff on the Branch told me too.”

“I swear to you I didn’t do anything.”

“Then what, did the biggest star in the country just go to Ffarquhar and record an album with Toby? With nobody’s permission?”

----------------

[TWO YEARS LATER]

--CHANNEL 4 INTERNAL TRANSCRIPT: THE LAST LEG 2021 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL--

ADAM HILLS - So we’ve had a lot of questions, about, the last album you dropped-

[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]

AH - The one with the train engine -  I think his name is Toby?

STORMZY - And Henrietta. Can’t forget her. 

AH - Of course not.

S - What do you wanna know?

[MORE LAUGHTER]

AH - Well, I don’t have any questions - and when I say we, I don’t mean Alex or our viewers - 

[PROLONGED LAUGHTER]

AH - I mean Josh.

JOSH WIDDICOMBE - [TO ADAM] You’re an Arse. [To STORMZY] - Um, I just wanted to know how you did it really. Is it, is it true that you snuck in and did it all in one night?

S - Oh yeah! Absolutely. ‘Cause, I thought that it was gonna be a one and done, like just a single y’know? So I just went there and was gonna do it and go. But as we kept talkin’ I realized that, that, I just had to make more, and then it became the album and we shot a music video for ‘scrapp’ on the same night and then I did some sound work  and then it went up. 

AH - Just like that?

S - Just like that.

[43th3rz30n]

A fluffy curse, chapter 2

--Let's travel a bit--

"Harmony," Raika says, holding Harmonys hands "Is it true that true loves kiss will get rid of this..." He began to wag his tail slightly. "Yeah but you're kinda cute as a Neko..." Harmony giggled, caressing Raikas cheek. Raika purred slightly "Stop.... you're making me purr..." He smiled slightly. "Well.... How about it? Shall we try?" Harmony asked, her eyes sparkling in the light. "Try what?" He blinked. "Kiss, silly" She giggled again, bringing her face closer to his. "Ah, I should've guessed..." Raika then brought his face closer to Harmonys, allowing them to kiss. Once they kissed, Harmony watched as Raikas ears and tail disappeared, meaning he was finally normal. "Thank you" He gave her a warm smile "Now then.... what's say we-"

But.... all that was just a simple dream.

"GAH! IM AWAKE!" Harmony shot up, her breathing heavy. "Harmony, are you okay?" Raika asked, hopping onto her bed. "I-im fine.... it's just... I had a dream and..." Harmony tried to explain what had happened, but she couldn't. "Anyways, the other two have been whining and meowing for food. I told them to wait, but they refused" Raika pounced down from the bed and left the room. "Oh no.... that could only mean one thing..." Harmony sighed, getting out of bed and leaving her room to enter the kitchen. There, she found Lan and Chaud snacking on some cat biscuits they had knocked onto the floor. "You guys.... seriously?" Harmony nudged them away with a dustpan and brush and began to clean up their mess. "We where hungry..." Lan whined as he began to try and shove as many biscuits into his mouth as he could. "Why not just wait next time?" Harmony sighed again "I really don't wanna be doing this kind of stuff..... guess I'll have to manage..." she placed the floor biscuits into the bin "Now then.... Lets get you lot fed then...." She then opened the cupboard again to both put away the biscuit box and get out a fresh tin of cat food. "Don't worry, I'll get you all some water in a minute..." She said, putting the cat food in their bowls. I forgot to mention this, but they where both appropriately coloured and had their names on them so they could tell who's is who's. Once done, she picked up their water bowls and, of course, filled them with water. "Now then..... I gotta make myself some food...." Harmony placed their water bowls back down.

"You guys wanna go out and explore a bit today?" Lan asks, still munching on his food. Chaud shook his head "After yesterday, let's not.... that dog could still be out there..." Both Chaud and Lan then shivered from just the sheer memory of the dogs barking. Raika, on the other hand, didn't, as he didn't go with them and was asleep most of the time. "Hm? So, you guys encountered.... him...." Harmony growled at the word 'him'. "Do you know that dog?" Lan began to almost shove his entire head in his water bowl. Harmony nods "Yes. His name is Inferno and he recently ran away from some thing where people force animals to fight. It's a tv show, but I only watch it so I can take notes in hope I can someday shut it down and save those poor animals..." she explained "And please don't drown yourself, Lan...". Lan pulled his head from the water bowl and began to gasp for air. "What're you trying to do, exactly?" Chaud asks "I'm sure that's not how to drink water....". "I do what I want, Chaud. It's my life" Lan huffed in response, shoving his head back in his water bowl for another 5 seconds before pulling back up and properly drinking the water.

"What. The. Fuck." Chaud would facepalm, but he's a cat, so he obviously can't. He just decides to walk off, but finds himself inside a small room under the stairs(*distant harry potter theme*). Lan had finally finished his and left no trace.... apart from some minor splashes of water and a few pieces of cat food. Raika had actually finished before the both of them, but was just sitting near his two bowls. "Hm? You haven't left yet?" Harmony said, crouching down and gently petting Raika. Raika growled as she did so, causing her to pull away. "So, you don't exactly like being pet, do you..." Harmony sighed. Raika mumbled something under his breath, getting up and walking off, putting his tail up as if to say 'hecc off'. "Wait did a 12 year old just swear a few seconds ago?" Harmony stood back up "I think so....". "I'm so bored..." Lan began to roll around on the sofa, before accidentally turning on the tv via rolling on the remote. The other two cats stop what they're doing and come over to inspect what was going on. Lan pounces off of the sofa and joins Chaud and Raika in watching the tv, sitting in the middle of the two. What was on tv appeared to be some horror movie. The movie was titled 'The beast in the portrait'. When one of the beasts formed from a portrait that was hung up on the wall and began running towards the screen, Lan began to loudly meow. "Lan, shut it!" Chaud gently bonked Lan on the head. Lan growls "Alright, Alright....". "I heard this movie is rated 18. We shouldn't be watching this." Raika spoke. "We'll be fine, Raika." Lan replied, eyes fixed on the tv screen. Then, a spooky thing happend, causing the three to hide in all different places, scattering god knows what all over the place. Harmony heard the spooked cat noises and entered the front room "Really? You're watching THIS of all movies?" She growled, turning off the tv. Chaud came out of hiding, with Raika following, who was dragging Lan along.

"Look, I'm going out today to get you three some toys and a cat flap. Can you stay out of trouble, please?" Harmony sighed, facepalming. Raika and Chaud nodded. "Oh come on, aren't we too old for toys?" Lan walked up to her and sat down. "It's just to keep you entertained." She then walked to the back door and opened it, watching as the three ran out "And stay safe!" She called out as she closed the door. "Alright. Now let's go!" Lan jumped up on the wall and ran off. Raika and Chaud looked at eachother before following the Havana Brown towards the town. "It feels so good to be back!" Lan stretched. "But Lan, this place is pretty dangerous..." Chaud lands next to Lan after jumping off a trash bin. Raika began to sniff the area, curiously. Lan signalled for the two to follow him. Okay now I know this is a bad time to cut but

-Meanwhile, in the cyberworld-

"I'm still wondering why that cat was meowing at me" Megaman said to both Protoman and Searchman. "Normally, cats meow quite alot" Protoman replied. "Yeah, Well.... I feel like this one was trying to talk to me..." Megaman done that hmm emoji thing idk how to describe it. "Did you see the collars?" Searchman spoke up "They had our Navi marks on them. Perhaps they where actually our NetOps". "But they're cats..... how can they?" Protoman is SERIOUSLY that dumb in this fanfic? I mean... he thinks he's god.... AAAANYWAYS, it eventually clicked. "THE MYSTICTINY!" They all said in unison. "I mean, it was pretty obvious" Searchman sighed. Megaman just laughed, but Protoman.... he just zoned out

'Why did Harmony have to exist'

Back with the main trio now. Yeah, the cyberworld talk was short, I know. I'm sorry. Will have longer parts for them

Anyways, Lan was leading the group through town, as he had more knowledge from previous trips to Aurora. "What should we do today...." Lan looked up at the sky, not watching where he was going. "There's not much to do as a cat other than walk around.... and watch where you're going!" Raika began to chase Lan as he began to wander off in a different direction. Chaud sighed and followed. Lan ended up bumping into a wall..... so it seemed. It was the same dog from yesterday. "H-hi.... uhh..." Lan took a few steps back as the dog growled "Don't worry, w-we're leaving..." he then ran off, leaving Chaud and Raika behind. "What's say we follow him?" Chaud suggested as the dog walked closer. Raika nods "Yeah...." and the two where off like a rocket. They soon found Lan in the same bakery as yesterday. He had a piece of pastry in his mouth. This time it was larger than the last one. It was actually a full one... whatever that means. Anyways, Lan brought the pastry over to the two and placed it down infront of them. "It's a little buuut..... we'll manage" Lan took a bite of the pastry, only to yowl out in pain "GAH! I WAS WRONG! WE WONT MANAGE" He whimpered. Chaud chuckled "Just let it cool down, then we'll manage, just like you said".

After a long while of waiting, Chaud and Lan began to eat the pastry, but Raika didn't. "Raika, what're you waiting for? Dig in?" Lan said to the Russian Blue, mouth full of food. Raika was silent. "Okay, fine, I stole it... but it was worth it" Lan just openly admitted to stealing. Ok. Cool. Don't steal, kids(Oh god without the comma that could turn unusually dark quick). "That's exactly why I'm not even taking a bite out of it...." Raika huffed. "Oh come on! Just because it's stolen doesn't mean - oh I dunno - that it's poisoned or something" Lan then procceeded to take some meat that was inside of it out and handed it to Raika. Raika looked and sniffed it before eating it. "See, it's nothing bad..." Lan then began to eat the pastry again. 'I mean.... it'll be fine, won't it?' Raika thought to himself as he took a small bite of the pastry. He deemed the pastry okay and began to eat it with the other two and in a matter of minutes, the pastry was gone. "Alright, what next?" Lan said, shaking as if he was drying himself. The other two practically shrugged, but they can't because they're cats. "Let's just have a look around, since there's nothing really to do as cats" Chaud suggested "And maybe it might help us get around here the next time we come". "If we ever get turned back into humans, that is" Raika added. "I'm sure we will, Raika! Now come on! Let's go!" Lan then ran off to explore, Raika and Chaud following. "At this point we're just going back to places we've already been...." Chaud sighs. "Hey, I don't exactly wanna get lost" Lan growled slightly "..... oh, hey... it's the fountain again" He then ran towards the fountain, allowing himself to sit on the wall thing idk what it's called. The other two did the same thing, but Chaud felt a little evil and had the urge to shove Lan in. He slowly raised a paw, but noticed Raikas expression as the eldest cat shook his head. Chaud sighed in defeat but decided to then get behind Raika and shove HIM in. "Chaud? Why'd ya do that?" Lan asked, giggling. "I don't know. I just felt like it" Chaud grinned in response. Raika growled and, with his mouth, grabbed Chauds front right leg and pulled him in. "Raika!" He yelled "What was that for!?". "Hey, you did it to me. It only seems fair that I do it to you, too" Raika gave Chaud the same grin he was wearing a few seconds ago.

They then noticed that Lan was gone. "Hey wait- where's Lan?" Raika asked. Soon, they heard footsteps - or should I say 'pawsteps' - coming closer. "Oh no..." The Angora and Russian Blue said in sync as they noticed what was about to happen. "CANNON BALL!" They hear Lan shout as the Havana Brown dives in, unfortunately landing ontop of the two. "Lan!" They shout as Lan gets off of them. "Sorry." He laughed. Chaud then charged at Lan and knocked him over. "Alright, fair.... " Lan got up and shook off, getting water all over Chaud, dispite the fact he was already soaking. "We should get going now.... plus, cats can't shake off as easily as dogs" Raika says, hopping out from the fountain and shaking off, the younger two joining him. Lan soon walked off, leaving the other two behind. He eventually found himself sneaking inside of some shop. As he entered, he saw all sorts of candy, ranging from bubblegum to rock candy. I mean.... He had wandered into a candy shop and boy was it large! Lan knew he would have to come here when he's human again. "Wow.... look at all this candy!" He gasped "This all looks so good!" Lans mouth began to water, but then he shook his head and snapped himself out of it "No. I'm a cat.... cats can't eat candy". Even though he was a cat, Lan decided to take a small look around until he reached a section that had a sign that read 'Pet candy'. " 'Pet candy'?" He tilted his head as he walked over to it. There, he found all sorts of pet friendly candy for all sorts of animals. Ranging from cats to birds, there was a candy type for everyone. "Woah... they do this stuff?" Lan made his way over to a basket with a picture of a cat on "This must be the cat section...." He then took one of the candies from the basket. It was in a wrapper, so Lan figured out how to open it with his mouth. Underneath the wrapper revealed a brightly coloured stick of what appeared to be candy especially designed for cats. Lan took a small bite of the candy and meowed happily at its strawberry taste. He eventually ate the whole thing. "Wait.... do I have to pay for all of this when I'm a human..." Lan gulped and fled the scene, leaving an empty wrapper behind. He eventually bumped into Raika and Chaud, who appeared to be covered in dirt. "We where looking for you!" Raika hissed. "I even got my fur dirty!" Chaud, too, hissed. "Oh come on! I mean, I recently discovered that Aurora has invented pet friendly candy!" Lan smiled, pushing past the other two "We have the rest of the day ahead of us, so let's go explore!" He ran off again. "Will he ever stop running off?" Chaud sighed, angrily, as he and Raika chase Lan. It soon got crowded, and the three had to stick together.

"We should head back.... it's getting a bit too crowded..." Lan says, almost stepping on Raikas paw as they where literally sticking together. "Yeah, but which way is back?" Chaud asks, turning his head to look around. "We had better not be lost..." Lan, without thinking, runs on ahead. "Lan! Wait! We're supposed to stick together!" Chaud calls out to his friend as he and Raika chase him..... again. The area started to get less crowded as they soon found Lan, walking around in circles. Chaud then tackles Lan for no actual reason. "Quit running off, would you!?" He yelled at the smaller cat. "I can't help it!" Lan yelled back, kicking Chaud off of him and getting up. Chaud began to growl and hiss at Lan before turning around and walking away "Let's just go home before someone gets hurt...." he says, taking another path back home. Raika and Lan are quick to follow him.

Once they arrived back at home, They quickly rushed to get through the door, but little did they know..... it wasn't open and they all..... went through it? It appears that Harmony had installed a cat flap and in a single file, they fell through it, Raika being the last one to come through. "Welcome back, you three" Harmony greeted the fluffy trio as they walked over to their bowls, which had food and water already in them. Lan was quick to dig in to his food, but Raika and Chaud just went off to sleep. "Hey wait...." Harmony stopped the two before they could go to sleep. "Hm? What is it?" Raika asked. "I got you these" She held out two collars that looked like the ones they had on already. This time, they had their names on them and, while it wasn't visible, it had a crystal inside that could allow them to communicate to humans and NetNavis, but also talk to animals, which they already could, as they where animals. She took of their current collars and placed the new ones on. Lan came over to see what was going on, as he was eating and wouldn't let Harmony touch him while he was doing so. "What's going on?" He jumped onto the sofas arm. "I just gave Chaud and Raika new collars..." She replied, getting out a third. This one was the same. Identical to Lans current collar but with his name on it and a crystal that allowed him to communicate to humans and NetNavis. Lan was hesitant at first to get a new collar, but soon he allowed Harmony to take off his current and put on his new. "Hey, you guys wanna explore some more tomorrow?" Lan pounced on both Raika and Chaud, sitting inbetween the two. "Let's have a day in tomorrow...." Raika moved away slightly to curl up and go to sleep. Chaud sighs, also moving away to do what Raika did. Lan didn't. Lan wanted to go back outside to explore but.... he couldn't. He decided to curl up on Harmonys bed and go to sleep.