Roy was so normal that he always stood out in a crowd; It was a bulletproof type of typicality. He wasn’t too ugly, or dressed too poorly, and he wasn’t off-putting either. But let me be clear. This wasn’t to say that Roy was so feverishly unremarkable that he was interesting. No. It was the fact that even after all his practice, training, and experience being unnoticed, he always let something slip. He was so desperately normal—until he wasn’t.

  It was normal to ask someone to dance. But… uh… nobody had ever considered asking Lilypad herself. It was almost as inconceivable as asking Miss Cleanhands! And of course, who would ever expect her to say yes? Nobody, surely. It just wasn’t done. Only someone with absolutely no fear, or sense of self preservation would walk that tightrope, and really, who would be so foolhardy as to take that risk?

  “You surprise me yet again, Roy.” Lilypad said, hands clasped together with his. “I didn’t think anyone had the balls.”

  “At an event like this, it would be a travesty to let a lady like you miss out on a night of dancing.”

  “Flirting?” Lilypad snorted. “You can’t be serious.”

  “You misunderstand me, Lilypad.” Roy said, and let her spin him in a twirl. “This isn’t about you and I. There are some things that are just right… And I seriously doubt that we would be compatible in that way.”

  “A shame then. You were a few more lines away from patting my head, and calling me kitty.” Roy stumbled, and she grinned. “And explain to me how dancing could be so vital. I’ve been leading this place since I was twelve, and I have managed just fine.”

  “—oh dear, pardon me…” Roy regained his feet. ”I wouldn’t be so impolite as to disparage your approach to these sorts of events—”

  “Coward.”

  “—but what I will say is that dancing is good for the soul. Full stop. None moreso than for the woman a social is centered around.”

  “Eh.” Lilypad shrugged, and pulled Roy into a sweep. He wasn’t sure that was actually a dance move. “I could take it or leave it. Perhaps I could get used to it, if you made sure to keep asking me when you join.”

  “I—“ Roy hesitated. “You’re so certain Oak and I will secede to you. We need to discuss this with the other’s first.”

  Lilypad raised an eyebrow. “I doubt you’ll get a better offer.”

  “Your terms have been generous.” He agreed. “Still. It’s only right to discuss this as a group.”

  Lilypad sighed, “Ugh, so milquetoast. Roy, why must you be so boring.”

  Here’s where Roy surprised her again. At such a comment, most would shrug that off or be offended. Some might actually have their feelings hurt by that—but not me by the way. That wouldn’t bother me at all. NOPE! Mostly because it would be ridiculously false, but also because I don’t spend much time tunneling through rock—Roy on the other hand smiled. He smiled. Roy seemed so happy that it seemed to radiate off of him like the Elephant’s Foot. But for pleasedness instead of, you know, deadly alpha particles.

  Lilypad opened her mouth to comment—but nah. I think we can move on, don't you?

  “Hiya Lilypad!” Oak said on approach. He stepped with Tegan in a simple dance. “Tell me again why your gang is so cool?”

  “I was clear the first time.” Lilypad frowned. “We have the resources and willingness to arm you to be whatever you want.”

  “Oh! So that’s what it was!” Oak grinned, and let go of Tegan’s hands. “Guess I’ll join your group after all.” He stepped between Roy and Lilypad, and took up his place in the dance.

  “You—already?“

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Oak!” Roy said insistently “We need to talk to Fig and Toni first.”

  “Don’t forget about the discussion we just had.” Tegan huffed.

  “Oh right. Whoops.” Oak dropped Lilypad’s hands and rushed back to Tegan “Guess I’m back with her.”

  Lilypad glared. “What are you doing? I don’t know what kind of negotiation tactic this is, but I’m not going to let you just do what you want. Does Tegan even have anything to offer you? I know she’s destitute.”

  Oak slapped his forehead. “Of course!” he scampered back over to her. “Man, I’m really not thinking straight here. Pretty girls always do that to me, haha.”

  Lilypad slapped away his hands. “Stop that. What are you doing?”

  “Oh geeze.” Oak frowned sadly. “I guess Lilypad doesn’t want us anymore. Roy, maybe it’s better if we go off on our own.” Oak took up Roy’s hands, and began sweeping with the bewildered man in a long legged dance thing.

  “What’s the protocol?” Roy whispered.

  “Just trust me!” Oak whispered back. “And start dancing with as many people as possible.”

  Tegan and Lilypad stood on the dance floor awkwardly, looking at the two men, bemused.

  “Oak, just come back here for a moment. Let’s talk this out.” Tegan said.

  “Oh that’s such a good idea!” Oak laughed. As he twirled Roy back to the girls, a third woman stepped up from behind.

  “If you join us, we can give you [Imprinted] equipment that the Mallet Sisters can’t hold a candle to.”

  “Stay out of this, Cass.” Lilypad hissed.

  “[Imprinted]? Tell me more!” Oak slipped from Roy, and slid into the woman’s arms, continuing the dance. “Wait, which faction are you from?”

  “The Strikers. We’re not a construction gang, so we have more interesting priorities.”

  “Wow. That does sound neat!”

  Tegan’s arms wrapped around her stomach. It was all so confusing and so important. Her lip shook slightly, once again. But she took a breath, and straightened her back.

  “We’re a rising power in Weskalderna.” Tegan said, loud and clear. “I have a venture worth investing in. Especially if you like making money.”

  Oak smiled, and scampered over to join her once again, but another young man beat him to the punch! Yes! Oak moved past and latched onto the girl he had left.

  “And what do you do?”

  “We’re um… We keep the churches and the schools going—and most other things, actually. As Livers, we don’t focus on wealth or prestige. We’re making sure that society um… is.”

  “Really!” Oak said enthusiastically, making sure his voice carried. “So you’re all about infrastructure. The Livers are basically the foundation of the City!”

  He pulled her into a dip. This time he spoke at a more private volume.

  “Seriously though, that sounds like its hard work. A thankless job even. What drives a woman like you to do that?”

  “Oh my goodness… Please don’t look at me like that it’s—it’s a lot, I’m sorry.”

  “No, no! I should be sorry. I forget sometimes that this isn’t everybody’s scene.” Oak slowed his steps and led her with more gentleness. “Can I ask what brings you out to… I heard this is the ‘Red Way?’”

  “Thank you… I’m not used to this sort of—thing. I mostly do inventory—glue, toiletries, soap—the essential things most people forget about. We don’t really have a true diplomat so we have turns negotiating with all the groups we work with. It… I suppose I just got lucky this time.”

  Oak smiled. “Then I owe you thanks, and an apology tonight… Miss…?”

  “Call me Hezi, please… and what would you apologize… or thank me for?”

  “Well, I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think things are going to calm down soon. I, ah, I plan on the opposite actually.” Oak slowed the dance even further, and gave her a grin. “And thank you for the dance. It’s not everyday I get the privilege to do so with a woman with both looks and morals.”

  Hezi snorted, and immediately covered her mouth. “Excuse me. Is that really such a rarity in woman.”

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  Oak winked, “It is on the dance floor.”

  He let go of Hezi’s hands and held out his own palm up to the side. As he turned, one of the ladies surrounding him at the beginning of the social grabbed it, and yanked him to her side. So which one of the piranhas was it?

  “OhMyGoshHello” She said. “IDon’tKnowIfYouHeardMeEarlierButIThoughtItWouldBeBestToIntroduceMyselfAgain.”

  “Of course I remember you! How could I forget eyes as blue as these?”

  Oak and the girl made it about five dance steps before they were interrupted.

  “Here, I think you dropped this!” The new girl handed the speed-talker what was clearly her own shoes. Speed-talker took it automatically, and the new girl slipped into place with Oak.

  “HeyWaitASec—“

  “So who’s your father?” New girl asked. “Jess, by-the-by. Short for Jessichthyosaur.”

  “Really?”

  “Wow, Oak. No it isn’t. It’s just Jess… Your dad’s a King right? He has to be. Which one is it? Thuttegry? Ooh tell me it’s Jayne, that’d be hilarious.”

  “Ah, My dad doesn’t really talk about his work so…”

  Oak held out a hand, and blessedly another girl snatched him away.

  “You’re going to take responsibility, right?” Oh, it was the woman who nearly fell to her knees earlier.

  “I—“

  “No is the wrong answer.”

  HOLY CRAP! Oak flung out his left hand for another rescue, but instead of another pair of delicate fingers meeting his grasp, Oak found rough, callused corndogs.

  “Hagh?”

  His savior was a man, roughly the size of Jupiter, but without the propensity for mooning. His head was squat and square, and his brow stuck out from his face in such a way that it wouldn’t be too hard to balance a house of cards on top. Ah, but Oak’s favorite part was what the man wore: a flower crown, and bright violet eyeshadow. Frankly it looked ridiculous on the man, but it was just… it was more avant-garde than anything else here. The mountain casually held Oak off the ground by his wrist. Oak’s squirmed a bit without anywhere to stand.

  “Uhh, hey thanks for pulling me out of there.” He said. “You really saved me.”

  The man nodded with a grumble, and set Oak down. And patted Oak on the head.

  Pmph, Pmph

  “Good boy. Don’t make trouble, eh?”

  Oak smiled. “I won’t do anything that isn’t worth it. Here, let’s keep this thing going.” Oak grabbed the giant by the hands, and began to dance once again.

  “Hmmm.” The man growled.

  “You don’t like to dance?”

  He shrugged. “Stomp and jump is nice.”

  “I won’t keep you too long then. The edge of the crowd is over there—let’s just keep the rhythm going till we get there, alright?”

  “Okay.”

  “What’s your name, big guy? I’m Oak!”

  “Like tree… Good name. You my cousin.” The man split his face in a grin. He thumped a hand against his chest. “Varnish.”

  “That’s a good name too! It’s very pretty… And we’re cousins since you treat wood with varnish! That’s so clever.”

  “Heheh.” Varnish blushed.

  Oak grinned. “Tell me cousin, what brings you here, to the Red Way?”

  “Oh.” Varnish stopped, the sudden movement tugging Oak back. The man looked over the heads of the crowd with a worried frown. “Hmm.”

  “Your looking for something?”

  “Twins. Said this would be fun. Not fun. Boring. Not even little hitting.”

  “Oh, are they young? Can you see them from there.”

  Varnish shook his head with a frown.

  “Hmmm…” He looked down on Oak for a moment. Then his face lit up with realization. “You find them!”

  “I can help, sure—whoa!”

  Varnish placed his massive hands underneath Oak’s armpits, and lifted him off the ground. “Look fast!” Varnish then tossed Oak straight up into the air.

  “Agh!”

  Indeed, Oak was perhaps twenty feet above the crowd—he could see the whole thing. A second later Varnish caught him easily.

  “Where?” Varnish asked.

  Oak’s heart beat thrummed in his chest. He looked to Varnish with consternation. What kind of person just threw other people around!? …Heh. Heheh! Oak soon grinned at the giant. Whoever this guy was, Oak certainly wanted to know him.

  “I didn’t see them.” Oak said. “Throw me again.”

  Varnish matched Oak’s smile, and swung him into the stratosphere once again. This time. He paid attention to the people below. There were so many, and there wasn’t time—oh! This throw was higher than the last, and Oak was able to latch onto the railing of the next layer above. There, now he had time.

  “What the—!“ One of the onlookers at this layer jumped back in surprise.

  Parties were so fun! Now… Where was everybody? Most people still seemed to be hovering around their cliques, but the intermingling between made distinguishing people a bit more tough. Cue Oak’s frankly obsessive attention to retail fashion. Mrs. Handlut and Les skirted the edge of the crowd, delivering food—what brought them here anyways? Ah, Tegan was there negotiating in her stately manner. Ugh. Dresses were so pretty when spinning and twirling! She looks like she has a handle on things there.

  And… Roy looked to be dancing separately with a pair of kids about… how did age correspond to size again? Oak spent most of his life in adult circles, even when he was young, and at that point he was more focused on others rather than himself. Oak guessed the kids were… eleven. Yeah, that seemed like a good age… That had to be them!

  Oak peered down, and waved at Varnish. The man waved back, and Oak held his breath, and dropped. Again Varnish caught him without breaking a sweat.

  “I think I found them! Come on, They’re this way!” Oak grabbed Varnish’s hands and began dancing to the side. The man gave Oak a lopsided grin, and stomped along.

  Tromph! Tromph! Tromph!

  “Heheh. This is fun!”

  “You’re so right!”

  Unsurprisingly, the crowd parted in front of Varnish massive frame, but not without a few looks of disdain. The man seemed bothered by it. Wow. So cool.

  When Roy and the twins came into view, Varnish let go of Oak’s hands and tromped over with a goofy smile. When the kids saw him, they squealed, and dashed to meet him.

  “You kept the crown!” They boy said.

  “And the makeup!” the girl said, and beamed.

  “Huh?” Varnish swung up the kids onto each of his shoulders. When the boy patted the crown, he nodded. “Oh. Yuh. Is comfy.”

  As Oak approached Roy, Varnish pointed.

  “That’s cousin. Lepht, Ryte, say hi.”

  The twins turned to Oak, and looked him up and down suspiciously.

  “I don’t like him.” Lepht said immediately. “He has a squirt face.”

  “Yeah. He has to be another Mr. Squelar. Don’t trust him Var!”

  “Hmm.” Varnish growled. “He is Oak. I’m Varnish. We cousins.”

  “Did he tell you that?” Ryte asked. “You know you have to talk with us after somebody talks with you!”

  “Stay away from Var!” Lepht yipped. “You can’t take him Squirtface! He’s under our protection!”

  “Squirtface!” Ryte repeated.

  “Super Squirtface!”

  Oak… didn’t know what to say. How were you supposed to talk with kids again? They were like people… but smaller and… less developed? He’d heard that before. There was different rules with children, right? Uh… he nodded with a smile plastered on his face.

  Lepht pointed at him. “See! You see that Var? You see that stupid look on his face?”

  “Hmm…” Varnish rumbled.

  “Children, Please.” Roy said, and placed a hand on Oak’s shoulder. “Oak is a close friend of mine. I’d appreciate it if you would be polite to him.”

  “Roy, you know him?”

  “The Assassin calls the Squirtface his friend.”

  “That’s suspicious.”

  “Super suspicious!”

  “I am not an assassin.” Roy said, with the air of a man in hades pushing a boulder up a hill. Just how many times had they been through this?

  “Var, this guy is totally an assassin. But he has to keep it a secret so don’t tell anybody, okay? If that get’s out he’ll be banished, and we like him.”

  “Okay.” Varnish said.

  “So because he’s an assassin that makes him untrustworthy, and me even more so by proxy?”

  “Don’t encourage them, Oak.” Roy said.

  “Don’t be stupid Squirtface.” Ryte said. “Assasins have a code of honor. It’s the people who buy assassins that can’t be trusted!”

  Oak rubbed his temples.

  “I… I see.” He took in a deep breath. “And… What’s up with ‘Squirtface,’ again? I don’t think I’ve heard of that.”

  The girl turned to her brother, and ‘whispered.’ “He doesn’t know. He really is stupid.”

  “So stupid!” He brother agreed.

  “Even stupider than stupid rocks!”

  “Hmmm.” Varnish growled, and plucked the kids off his shoulder and placed them on the ground. “Be nice. Say sorry.”

  “Var! Put us back!”

  “No.”

  “Var!”

  “No.”

  They bickered on and on, but Varnish was endlessly stubborn and patient with them. Like fighting a dead crow. Sure, you technically could start a round of boxing but the bell was rung ages ago. Plus, you looked stupid for trying. Oak looked to Roy in disbelief, but Roy merely shrugged.

  Lilypad smiled, and pulled out something small, and completely packed with designs.

  ding.

  Pink smoke began to float off of his skin in thin wisps. Oak looked down in confusion. What was this? It felt cool… It just continued to stream off of him, as if from a candle.

  “Your hand!”

  Oak was gaining attention. The dancers and socialites around him turned, and looked on in horror. Oak looked at his left hand, and saw his fingers… gone.

  It was quiet around him, but not in a peaceful way. He looked around to see if anyone knew what this was—how to stop this!

  Ding.

  Poomph.

  He couldn’t feel his hand at all anymore. It puffed away into smoke just like his fingers had. Oak couldn’t move anything like it was supposed to. He grabbed at the space where it should be with his free hand, but—nothing! It—it was terrifying.

  “Um—help!?” He cried.

  Lilypad was there, suddenly, at his side. She patted him on his shoulder mockingly. “This is one of my favorite tools.” She twirled her fingers through the fading smoke. “Destroy, Demolish… De. Con. Struct. So interesting. So useful.”

  “Lilypad, what’s happening to me?”

  “Fulfilling a promise!” She said lazily. “I’m not breaking your fingers.”

  “You said you wouldn’t hurt us if we didn’t join.”

  “But this doesn’t hurt, now does it?” Her smile had a bloody edge. “You’re not losing your hand because you didn’t take my offer—even though it was the correct choice… This is simply the price of disrespecting the Red Way. I trust you’ll think harder before you try anything so stupid again.”