A figure darts through the darkness. Rushing to hide behind a crate, then zipping forward to duck behind a garbage can. It pauses for a moment and adjusts a rather ponderous (and noisy) bag across its shoulders and then beginsinspecting the ground… looking for something.

*Squeak!*

The figure jumps! Causing a pointed hat resting upon his head to fall to the ground. He quickly scoops up the hat and places it back upon his raccoon head.

Fenter bends down to whisper to the vermite. "Hssst! I need to see Wyckyd. Can you take me to him? Or… er… bring him here?"

Several pairs of vermite eyes blink at Fenter from amongst the rubbish piles. Then, they vanish.

A breeze blows a scrap of parchment along the street, and then twirls, sending it flying down the alleyway, and past the raccoon.

Fenter looks around nervously and sets his bag down. He blinks at the flying parchment and makes a grab for it.

What luck! The raccoon snatches the piece of parchment just as it goes by. Perhaps the vermites are impressed.

A loud and angry sounding *CREEEE!* comes from Fenter's bag. He gives the bag a light kick and inspects the parchment. "Maybe it's a coupon or somesuch… might prove useful." He mutters to himself.

The parchment says, in barely legible script, "Goos".

Fenter turns the parchment on its side. "You know… if you look at it this way it sort of resembles one of those Naga thingies in a helmet… "

"BWahahahahaaaaHAAAAAA!"

"GOOS!" Fenter squeaks!

Fenter says, "*ahem* I mean… er… hello?"

A dark bat flutters down to the alleyway. "Thawutathuns."

Fenter pockets the parchment. "Ah! Good, the squeaky things fetched you. Well, I've done as you've asked. In fact, I've made a point of finding several items in which you might use to woo your bat friend."

The bat smiles. "Vewy good."

Fenter pokes his head into his bag. "Okay… let's see here." There's another loud *CREEEE!!!* from inside the bag and some rustling noises.

Wyckyd furrows his brow, looking … reserved in his judgement.

The raccoon pulls a hat out of the bag. A hat with a live Creen lashed to the top. A very angry live Creen lashed to the top.

Fenter says, "Here we go. One of those pretty decorative hats, they're all the rage you know."

Fenter says, "She'll have to use a ribbon to tie it to her head of course, I mean… otherwise the little bugger might fly away."

Wyckyd blinks visibly (His eyes glow red, after all) at the sight. "Doeth it bite?"

Fenter says, "Only if you don't feed it regularly. And the little fellow's been a tad grumpy on account of being put in the sack. I assure you he's quite tame."

Fenter pulls a cage from the bag and stuffs the 'hat' inside, placing it aside.

Wyckyd stands silently for a while, at a loss for words.

Fenter digs through the bag a bit more, this time producing a potted flower. The flower is in decent shape for having been riding in a bag this whole time.

Fenter says, "Flowers… ladies love flowers you know!"

The pot the flower rests in looks a bit familiar… in fact, it looks a little like a chamberpot.

Wyckyd dares to ask, "What … thort of flowah ith it?"

"Oh… you know." Fenter says, smiling like a salesman. "The kind that ladies like to plant in gardens… the white kind."

Wyckyd says, after a pause, "I thee."

Fenter places the flower next to the cage, pushing it aside a bit more after the Creen tries to take a bite out of it. He then resumes rummaging through his bag again.

Wyckyd looks surprised. "There ith more?"

The next item is… a wind chime. "Of course there's more!" Fenter says, proudly holding up his newest item. "Obviously if your ladyfriend turned down such a fine smelling (but terrible tasting) bottle of perfume… she must have very distinguished tastes."

Fenter shakes the wind chime, it tinkles a bit off key. "I made this one myself. Decided to do something with all those broken bottles in my room." Indeed, the chime is made of bits of broken glass… look! There's bits from that 'Danberk's Silver Cognac' bottle.

Fenter says, "It looks really lovely in the light… a prism thing I think."

Wyckyd tries to grin. At least he can show his teeth without trouble. "How … cweative."

Fenter sets the chime aside and starts digging through his bag again. This time he pulls out a very large piece of fabric with a floral pattern. The raccoon drapes it over his shoulders and fastens it together by two rings that are attached to either side of the sheet. Upon closer inspection there seems to be holes running all through the top of it.

Fenter says, "This was just hanging around… A lovely cape, don't you think?"

Wyckyd bobs his head.

Fenter says, "OOH! And it comes with accessories!" He pulls out two more of the little rings and holds them up to each of his ears. "Earrings!"

Fenter unfastens the 'cape' and places it aside.

Fenter says, "Now for the next item… imagine this; a beautiful park, you and your dearest lady friend on a romantic picnic… "

Fenter starts pulling things out of the bag again. "A bottle of fine wine." He removes a bottle which simply reads 'XXXX' on the label.

"A loaf of bread, a wedge of finest che-… oh dear." Fenter stares into his bag.

Fenter says, "Er… I'm afraid that the Creen must have gotten to it. Yeech. Messy eater that Creen."

Wyckyd nods again. He's doing it out of habit now, it might seem.

Fenter says, "Oh well… *ahem* then imagine this; the romantic picnic thing, a jug of wine and… "

"MUSIC!" The raccoon pulls a battered looking device that looks like bits of wood with strings of rubber nailed to it. He pulls out a piece of paper, strumming the 'guitar' with one hand and holding the paper with the other.

Fenter clears his throat, squints at the sheet and begins singing.

Fenter sings, "Milk, eggs, sugar, ham. Pancake Mix and Candied Yams… "

Fenter sings, "Some salmon to appease the cats, and a jar of poison for killing ra-AIEEEEP!!!"

Fenter stops abruptly. "Sorry… wrong side."

Wyckyd's eyes thin.

The raccoon flips the paper over. On the side facing Wyckyd is now a very long grocery list…

Wyckyd says, "Killing WHAT?!?" Funny. There's nothing for him to lisp on in that line. He sounds … almost competent. Kind of chilling, really.

Fenter says, "SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY! I can't help what the school chef uses on his shopping list. I just needed something to write on!"

Fenter nervously starts strumming his guitar again. The music is a little more off key than it was previously… but that's not saying very much, since it was screamingly off key before as well.

Wyckyd fumes.

Fenter clears his throat and resumes singing…

Fenter sings. "Oh darling Ambergris, I think you're really keen."

Fenter sings. "Your eyes are red as blood, and your coat has a healthy sheen!"

Fenter pauses. "I think her eyes are red… We can change that if I'm mistaken… anyway." He resumes singing.

Fenter sings, "Oooooooh glorious Ambergris, with lips as soft as dew."

Fenter sings, "Her name's like a lovely song, and not like shelwhal spew!"

Wyckyd cringes.

One of the rubber bands on Fenter's guitar suddenly *SNAP*. He winces as it stings his hand but keeps playing. Luckily that's one less note off key now…

Fenter sings, "Ohhh wonderous Ambergris, Beauteous as heaven above… "

Fenter sings, "Should she get fat and round, I'd think there was just more to love… "

Another string breaks… leaving just one left.

Fenter sings, "Oh my dear Ambergris, now that my heart's unfurled… "

Wyckyd puts his hands to his head. He's beginning to look an awful lot like Grampy!

Fenter sings, "Won't you join me at my side, together we'll rule the woooooooorld!"

As Fenter plays the final notes to his song, the last string breaks. *PING!*

Fenter pants and smiles eagerly up at Wyckyd. "Well?"

Wyckyd's mouth is open, but there's no sound coming out. Aha! He's SCREAMING! In a very high frequency. Kind of makes the ears ring.

Fenter says, "Careful! You'll make the flowerpot break!"

Fenter nervously starts digging through his bag again… or maybe he's just hiding his head.

Somewhere down the street … one of the lanterns shatters.

Fenter peeks out. "I guess I did get the eye color wrong. How does 'Her eyes are brown as mud' sound instead?"

The bat stops, and just GLARES at Fenter.

Fenter ducks back into his bag. "Well, I'm NEW at all this wooing business! hmm… there has to be something in here I've missed… "

Wyckyd cries out, "No! No more! I betheech you!"

Fenter pulls out what looks like a bottle of vodka with a perfume diffuser stoppered onto the top and pitches it over his shoulder into a pile of boxes. "Perfume didn't work last ti-… eh?"

Wyckyd looks as if he's in intense … pain. "AUGH! Blatht you, Fentah. You hath foiwed me AGAIN! I fwee you of yowah quetht!"

Fenter just stands there, rubbing his nose. "You mean you didn't *LIKE* my song?"

Wyckyd takes a long time to compose his thoughts. At last, he settles for, "No."

Fenter sniffles.

Fenter dejectedly shoulders his now empty bag. "All that work… *sniff* … and I get no appreciation out of it… I'll just go off and jump into the sewer now… "

Wyckyd hmms, then grins. "I would like to thee that!"

Fenter harumphs! "Fitting end for your arch nemesis… drowned in sludge. Bah… perhaps I'll go drown my troubles a different way." He starts digging back through the pile of crates in search of the 'perfume' bottle he chucked away earlier.

Wyckyd sighs and shrugs. "Have it yowah way." He begins to walk off, then stops and turns back around. "A faliant attempt, though, nonetheleth." He grins fangily.

Fenter goes *bing!*, "You really think so?" He suddenly blinks at himself and takes a more grumpy stature. "Oh… well… *ahem*. Right." He retrieves his bottle and pockets it. "Off I go then to drown my sorrows… all alone… "

Wyckyd hmphs. He spreads his wings and flutters off into the night.

Fenter looks out after Wyckyd. He shuffles over to the cage and opens it, setting the Creen inside free.

At the other end of the alleyway … there's another bat standing there. Looks exactly like Wyckyd, except that he has a bushy beard (rare for Eeees – Very very rare) and a big hat, and instead of having a red-lined black cloak, he has a black-lined red cloak.

Fenter blinks at the newcomer. "Er… hello 'mister not you-know-who'. Since my companion has left, would you like to accompany me in his place?"

The bearded bat waves to Fenter, not saying a word … but rubs a couple of shekels in between his index finger and thumb, then points down the street, in the direction of the pubs.

Fenter straightens himself out and dusts his robe off. He digs around in his pocket, counting his own shekels and saunters off in the direction of the pubs.