St Louis, Missouri 1927
Amidst the veil of darkness and the chilling whispers of the night, a solitary figure stood the city. The ancient melody of crickets reverberated through the air, intertwining with the ethereal notes of a distant riverboat horn. In this enchanted moment, the world seemed to fade away as if sucked into the void, leaving only the rhythmic dance of nature's symphony.
Nestled within his own little world, swathed in flickering shadows, stood Rocky, the charismatic violinist. His soulful eyes gleamed with unwavering devotion to his craft, as his fingers danced deftly across the strings of his beloved instrument. Each stroke emitted a cascade of enchanting tones that transcended all earthly boundaries, bewitching the hearts of those fortunate enough to witness this arcane performance.
The moon itself seemed to pause, casting a gentle glow upon Rocky as if acknowledging his artistry. It bathed him in a luminescent halo, emphasizing the passion that resided deep within his being. Time, in this spellbinding moment, became but a mere illusion, lost amidst the haunting melody spun by his fingertips.
[Y/N] looked up from her task of shoveling, a perplexed expression crossing her face. "Tell me, was he always like that?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion.
Ivy, with her effortless cool, glanced at Rocky before answering, "Yeah, it's become his usual routine, playing his violin and casting lost poems from his mouth. He's fine."
Freckle, always one to add a touch of enigma, mumbled softly, "Or perhaps... not." [Y/N] sighed and continued shoveling.
As Rocky's bow gracefully glided across the strings, his music conjured vivid images from the realms of fantasy-a whirlwind of color and emotion. It painted a dreamscape, where meandering rivers of iridescent hues flowed through enchanted forests, and mythical creatures danced with grace unparalleled.
"Your umber whiskey waters lance
the prideful, sober sovereignty
of faulty-haloed temperance,
and wilt her self-sure countenance;
Yes, righteousness is vanity. (chuckling)
But sport's for imps, not elderly." Rocky said still in his own little word.
And so, as the world slept beneath a starlit sky, the spellbinding music of the extraordinary violinist echoed through the night-a testament to the power of human expression and the ability to create beauty even in the darkest of moments. Rocky, lost in his own little world, continued to serenade the universe, painting the canvas of existence with his symphony of hope, melancholy, and endless dreams.
"So if there's a name for migrant mass
of veteran frivolity
That snakes through seas of prairie grass
and groves of summer sassafras;
a name that flows as roguishly
as wild waters, fast and free," violin stops
"It's your true name: Mississippi." Ending with a bow.
Ivy cleared her throat dramatically, breaking the exhausting silence. "Ahem! It's abundantly clear! You forgot us down here," she chastised. [Y/N], who had been digging tirelessly, responded with a weary sigh, "Totally..."
Rocky, ever the entertainer, chimed in with a mischievous smile, "Encore? Uh, no encore?" Ivy quickly dismissed the idea, exclaiming, "Please, no. No, that's plenty." [Y/N] nodded in agreement, adding, "Very plenty!" Still digging.
Freckle, always the optimist, tried to reassure everyone, "It's fine. We're fine." [Y/N], now finished with their task, turned towards Freckle and asked, "Alright, I'm done here, Freckle-Calvin... uh, what do you prefer?"
He stumbled over his words before replying, "Ah, uhm. Either would be fine. Ms. Paterson."
Smiling at his response, [Y/N] decided, "Freckle it is... Here, catch!" In a playful gesture, she tossed the shovel over to him but almost stumbled when he tried to catch it mouthing sorry to him.
Ivy took your hand and took you out of the hole, and Freckle went in the hole to continue shoveling.
Rocky, seizing the opportunity for another moment of levity, pondered aloud, "Eh, should I add a dance? Extra stanzas? There's more where that came from!"
[Y/N], slightly confused, questioned, "Where Mississippi?"
Freckle, aware of the chaos that followed their group, pleaded, "Please don't ruin musical theater for everyone."
Ivy, ever the practical one, added, "I'm not sure lookouts are supposed to make such a ruckus anyway. Why don't you come down here and grab a shovel?"
Rocky, with a flair for the dramatic, responded in a mournful tone, "Alas, Miss Pepper. I was cursed, cursed with these spaghetti arms! So, I do what I can. I provide the a-!"
Rocky falls mid sentence as we look at him, stumbling down the lope and landing face-first. He stood up quickly and continued like nothing had happened.
"I provide the essential ambiance. You, [Y/N], are the ones who ensure our safety and dignity."
Confusion flashed across [Y/N]'s face, prompting them to inquire, "The what now?"
Rocky, with a playful wink, explained, "Baby-Face, our fearless muscle, is diligently digging his way to martyrdom. A true go-getter, isn't he? As for me, I offer a little rhapsody in G minor to keep our spirits up. What do you say?"
Ivy, growing impatient with the lack of progress, reluctantly agreed, "Fine! If you're not going to help us work, you're going to have to double as the dirt rag." Wipping her paws in his coat.
The sound of a shovel hitting wood interrupted their banter, causing Freckle to halt and call out, "Rocky?"
Rocky, unable to contain his mischievous laughter, replied, "Ah!"
"I think I fou-" Rocky looked at Freckle, shoving Freckle behind him
Concerned, Ivy questioned, "Is that all?"
[Y/N] assessed the situation and confirmed, "It seems so."
In a protective gesture, Freckle gently batted away Rocky's tail from his face.
Rocky, toom out a paper, struggling to read the name on the paper, remarked with a touch of apprehension, "Well, if it isn't, we'll have some awkward explaining to do to the family of, uh... Herman Hapfamschfeel?"
Curiosity getting the better of them, [Y/N] inquired, "Whose that doodle in there?"
||||
The chorus of frogs croaking and the haunting calls of a horned owl filled the air, causing Freckle to pause and cautiously ask, "Did you hear that? Was that something?"
Rocky, ever the theatrical one, declared, "It's all these unresting spirits! We're trespassin' on their turf." Adopting an exaggerated Irish accent, he continued, "But there's naught ye can do about it, ye feisty devils!"
Freckle's voice held a tinge of longing as he sighed and admitted, "I wish my mum was here."
Rocky, taken aback, exclaimed, "What? Blasphemy! That force of nature, she'd stop us dead."
Freckle quietly acknowledged, "I know."
Unfazed by the sentimentality, Rocky persisted, "Oh, Freckle, don't tell me you're not having a grand time showcasing your exceptional shoveling skills to our esteemed guests over here!" Ivy, unimpressed, rolled her eyes in response.
your gaze settled upon Rocky with an exasperated expression, silently conveying your irritation. Closing the distance between you, shovels gripped firmly in your paws, you extended your paws to Freckles shoulder from behind, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of your lips
Ivy chimed in with a hint of annoyance, "Oh please. I remember just yesterday morning how you couldn't stop talking about [Y/N]-"
Rocky interjected, "Well, can't we revel in joy when an old pal returns?"
[Y/N] corrected, "Correction. I merely came here to offer temporary assistance."
The distant sound of a train horn interrupted their among everyone stiff in shock, prompting Rocky to burst into laughter and jest, "Begorra! For a moment there, I thought it was your mom."
Freckle, growing increasingly concerned, muttered, "This is why you don't go rillin' up spirits and digging up graves and sacrilegin' and -"
Rocky playfully reassured him, "Settle down, cousin. The spirits are all bottled up. (laughs) Hundred years past, Burke and Hare were up to much worse. And things turned out just fine for them."
Freckle, with a hint of trepidation, stuttered, "D- didn't they ge- hang 'em?"
[Y/N] interjected, "Ivy, could you hand me the crowbars, please?" Ivy nodded.
Rocky chuckled, disregarding Freckle's concerns, "Details, Freckle. Details."
Ivy grudgingly obliged and remarked, "Now show me your crowbar skills."
Freckle's laughter betrayed his shyness as he nervously responded, grabbing the crowbar.
||||
The sound of the chest opening with a creak filled the air, causing Freckle to breathe a sigh of relief and whisper, "Oh, thank the saints."
Glass bottles clattered against each other as Rocky exclaimed with glee, "Ah, liquid gold! Dionysian delight! Better still, Canadian whiskey!"
Freckle bats Rocky's tail away from his face while holding two bottles of whiskey.
Rocky joyously hummed the tune of "Whiskey in the Jar" as [Y/N] couldn't help but express surprise, "I'm quite surprised how none of them even looks, spoiled?"
Rocky, with a mischievous glint in his eye, responded, "Well, dear [Y/N], liquor is not one to spoil. It simply refuses to!"
Freckle's voice filled with nervousness as he exclaimed, "I think we should hurry."
You turned around at Ivy. "Ivy the car."
Ivy swiftly responded with a nod.
Rocky, unable to resist the opportunity for a little music, sang playfully, "Whiskey in the jar." He turned to Ivy and quipped, "Uh, leave the headlamps off. Can't be too careful."
Ivy nodded in agreement, remarking, "Right. We've been so discreet up until now." Starting the car.
Freckle muttered in frustration, "Oh, uh. Ah, dang it." As the bottle slips from freckles grips.
Rocky, worried, declared, "No! Don't let that get away! Miss M. can't spare a drop! Murderation! " He turned to Ivy and requested, "Where's that spotlight when we need it, Miss Pepper?"
Ivy, rolling her eyes at Rocky's theatrics, while you looked at ivy with a smile and sighed and said, "I'll get it." Earning Ivy a smile in thanks.
Rocky's voice echoed from off-screen, his excitement evident, "Now the spirits are afoot!"
Freckle, determined to help, shouted, "Hold on! I got it! I got it!"
Rocky's voice came through, slightly panicked, "No, that is my foot! That's not what I meant!"
Freckle, struggling in the darkness, grumbled, "Well, i can't see!"
[Y/N] stepped in infront of them and turned on the flashlight for clarity.
Rocky's relieved voice was heard, "Ah! There it is!"
Freckle, annoyed, forcefully pushed Rocky's face onto the ground, growling, "Gah! Stop it!"
Rocky, taken aback, spat, "Y-you!"
Freckle demanded, "Get off me, Rocky!"
Rocky yelped in pain, "Ow!"
Freckle continued to protest, "Hey! Ah! Get off!"
Ivy cried out, reacting to the scene in front of her, "Ah!"
[Y/N], who was confused, not even botherd to turn around, exclaiming, "this is odd, how come there's light when the flashlight is -" turns around "-eek!"
The car door suddenly swung open, and Serafine menacingly cocked her automatic rifle.
[Y/N] urgently headed to the car, leaving the door open.
The engine revved up, but before they could make their escape, chaos erupted.
Rocky cried out in shock, "Excuse me, hee!"
Gunfire erupted, and Ivy let out confused screams.
[Y/N] urgently repeated, "Ivy, your going reverse!"
Another shot from Serafine's rifle rang out.
Serafine taunted with a laugh, "C'est bon. The chase is the best part."
Gunshots continued to echo as both of [Y/N] and Ivy screamed, and Nicodeme laughed.
Ivy, still in a state of confusion, cried out, "Get in! Get in, get in!"
The bullets kept flying as Mordecai commented coolly, "Let's not prolong this. It's a trifling matter. We have other businesses to attend to."
Nicodeme added with a sinister chuckle, "Yeah, but none of it will be as fun as this."
Serafine joined in, her laughter echoing through the chaos, "Mm! Can't let the competition go unchecked. Even little vermin have a way of festering. Allons!"
[Y/N] tried to lighten the tense situation with a nervous laugh, murmuring, "Never knew you could learn to drive at such a young age."
Ivy, equally nervous, replied, "I didn't!"
[Y/N] echoed, "Didn't?"
Rocky chimed in with a bemused tone, "Didn't?"
Ivy couldn't help but defend herself, confessing, "I never learned to drive!"
Rocky jokingly praised her, "Well, you're so bad at it. You've confused the enemy! Nicely done."
The sound of a car horn blared in the background, catching their attention.
Ivy gasped, and Rocky encouraged, "Keep confounding! Keep confounding!"
Freckle strained as he attempted to fulfill Rocky's request, and Rocky, while searching for his violin case, tossed a few items, including pancakes and Cactus Friend. Unfortunately, one of these items accidentally hit Freckle on the head.