In the kitchen, Pike and Trout are over by a counter chatting about something unorthodox and pointless as the majority of their conversations usually are. The room is sparkly clean and the floor has been mopped in August's absence.
"I think that if a walrus with the legs of a lion were to show up, you'd be peeing your pants." said Trout, leaning against the counter.
"If a Walrus with the legs of a lion were to show up someday, I'd take a picture of it sprawled out on the floor struggling to support its own weight. A giraffe with the trunk of an elephant... Now that would be a terrifying beast."
"How exactly would that be considered terrifying?"
"A giraffe with the added versatility and flexibility of a trunk could absolutely obliterate any of it's predators with ease. It already has a strong neck, with its extended reach, just imagine the terror it could ensue."
"I guess you really like giraffes, don't you?"
"Giraffes are majestic creatures of God brought down from the heavens to--"
"Hold it! 'Yes' or 'No' are your choices. I'm not going to indulge you."
A knocking sound comes from the door and soon after, it opens revealing Melody. She looks around assessing the room she just walked into. She notices that August is no longer present but the floor and walls seemed to have been wiped down but not the windows. She walks toward them.
"Pardon my intrusion once again, you two. Thank you for taking care of August for me while I was away. Did he cause you two any trouble? Where is he?"
"He ended up falling and making a mess of himself, so I sent him to go wash up. When he gets back, I'll get him started on wiping the windows and setting the table. Sorry I finished mopping the floor on my own, but I'm not sure if he's going to return so I thought I'd speed up the process a bit Ms. Melody." Trout explained.
"How long has he been gone? I'm not sure. My perception of time isn't the best."
"Not long. Roughly six minutes or so. He seemed really motivated when he finished sweeping. Maybe he'll come back after all." Pike answers.
"I wouldn't advise putting all of your eggs in one basket when it involves that one. If he does come back, it's not going to be for a good reason."
"Melody, for someone who's always so polite, you come off a little brutal when you're talking about August. I guess it's because you two are so close."
"I liken our relationship to that of a brother and his older sister he looks up to. He hasn't started calling me, 'Big sis' or anything just yet, but I treat him much like how I used to treat my younger brother, so hopefully he comes around to it."
"Speaking of your brother, how old is Madin? His birthday should be coming soon if I'm not mistaken."
"He'll be seventeen in exactly one month."
Trout, unaware of the current month, looks toward Pike expectantly. Their eyes meet and Pike stares into her soul for a solid five seconds before looking away. He asks Melody, "Do you have any especially embarrassing memories between you and those two? There has to be at least one."
"Actually, I do. It was back in September, around my thirteenth birthday. The three of us were huddled up in the library with the lights turned off. We were there to hide from Espresso because of something August ruined while playing around in his room a little while before. When he asked everyone for help, we brainstormed and Madin came to the conclusion that since August was allergic to books, we put him in the library and act as a line of defense to misdirect the man after him. You may not think it, but when you mess with his work, Espresso is far scarier than Charmante. If I remember correctly, August started drawing over a few of Ess' card designs, pretty much asking to get in trouble.
It was before you two began working here, so Pointy was still a maid in training at the time. She was napping in August's room at the time so August went and woke her up and asked her to join in on our mission. We all convened in front of the library. Pointy was the lifeblood to our plan. In order to accomplish her task, she went in the library and started knocking books off their shelves one after another until the librarian chased her out of the room and down the hall. With the opening, we snuck in and turned off the lights. A few seconds later we hear something akin to a large 'thud' and at the time, we assumed she had been done in. Nobody was brave enough to check on her and there was no sign of the librarian either, so we didn't have a clue as to what was going on. As the minutes passed, one after the other, and not even a sound came from the other side of the door our boredom grew.
Bored, we began to tell scary stories to pass the time. Well, me and Madin did at least. August went and sat in one of the corners of the room to try and get away from us so he wouldn't have to hear. We told a few but eventually we started to feel bad about leaving August by himself. He was the youngest and Madin asked if we could go prank him so we both went to go hide in different parts of the library to hide our sneak attacks. Unexpectedly the door creaked open and I wasn't in any position to find out who was in the room with us now or if anyone had left. It was too dark to see and the fact, nobody turned on the lights had my hopes up a little that it was Pointy.
"Before I could say anything, what sounded like Madin's voice called out her name for me, but there wasn't a response afterward. I made my way closer to the door and there she was, her body unconscious on the ground in front of the door. I swallowed what felt like my own heart and walked back the way I came. I hid behind the edge of a bookshelf and walked quickly towards the direction where I last saw August. Something gave me the idea that it would be best if we weren't split up in such a situation like this. As I searched desperately, utter silence began to tear me down inside.
"I was afraid of what had become of my younger brother. 'Was he strangled to death or taken down by an assassin? Was my little cousin skewered like a kebab? Would I find his corpse duck-taped to the ceiling.' These were the thoughts that would plague my mind. Eventually I came across a tall shadowy figure and when I tried to squint he began taking off at full speed as if he had found what or who he was looking for. 'Esspresso?' Or at least that's who I thought it was when I whispered that under my breath. They were headed in the same direction as to where I was going and out came a loud yelp, that suddenly broke a hole in the silence of the room. My heart began to pump blood quite fast and I began to pursue the tall figure.
They had incredible vision even in the dark so I copied their movements as best I could but I did stumble a bit. Their legs were especially long so I knew it'd be a matter of time before I lost sight of them completely. I try to call out for them louder this time but I run into Madin, sending us tumbling to the floor. I wrap my arms around his head instinctively and a sharp pain makes it's way from my arms to my brain. 'Big sis, are you okay!?' he calls to me worried and I just pick him up off the floor trying to act cool saying, 'If a little tumble was enough to hurt me, I wouldn't be a genius now would I?' I couldn't see it but I just knew he was smiling at me in the darkness. He asks, 'Have you found August yet? I think it's time we got out of here.'
A second later, we hear another loud 'thud' and I send Madin to the exit door. 'Pick up Pointy off the floor and turn on the light while you're at it.' He nods his head and walks toward the door..."