Click.

As soon as the door to his mansion opened all the way, LarryBoy called out, "Honey, I'm home!"

Alfred, who had escorted him all the way, quirked a brow. "You're married?"

He paused. "...actually no, I'm not. I just like saying that whenever I get home."

The asparagus blinked. "Oh."

LarryBoy took a step inside whilst Alfred stayed outside. He turned to him. "Anyway, thanks again for doing all of this for me, Alfred. How 'bout we meet up tomorrow for a while? There's a fall fair happenin'. I'll treat ya there!"

Uncertain, Alfred questioned the costumed hero, "Are you sure? It's not really necessary."

"Nah, I insist!"
"Well...alright."

This reply made LarryBoy grin. "Great! You know the park near town hall? That's where it'll be. Starts at twelve."
"Twelve it is. Well, I hope you get your rest, LarryBoy. I'll see you tomorrow."

With a nod and smile to LarryBoy, Alfred began to walk away from the large residence, heading down the long winding pathway to where his motorcycle was parked, waiting for him to return.

LarryBoy called out, "See ya tomorrow, Alfred! Have a safe ride on your cool motorcycle!" He saw the tall asparagus hop onto his motorcycle, turn it on, and then speed off into the night within seconds. "Cool guy…" He whipped off his mask and sighed from feeling nice cool air hitting his once covered face. "Maybe I should leave early and apologize to Mayor Blueberry for letting that scallion slip away," Larry said to himself, "it'd be better than not saying anything…"

He yawned all of a sudden. Shoot, must be tired from earlier.

"But first...some sleep."

The town of Bumblyburg certainly was peaceful around this time, and due to it being autumn also assisted with the atmosphere. Alfred hardly had to stop at a red light, which made his trip back home shorter than expected. Alfred Asparagus lived alone in a cozy two-bedroom house at the end of town. Indeed, it was lonely at times being the only resident there; however, he had been used to it for many years.

He pulled up to the parkway and shut down the purring machine he was on.

Upon removing his helmet, the first words to come out of his mouth was, "I can't believe there's an actual superhero in this town - and I had a chance to meet him nonetheless!"

Carefully, Alfred turned around in his seat. Wow, he could see LarryBoy's mansion from a distance thanks to that hill it sat on.

"A legitimate superhero though. How... silly ."

Signed, The Tech Whisperer

Although the scallion thief was still running around out there, the "stay indoors" message spreading throughout town via television and radio was dropped since the other more important six were captured; however, civilians were then informed to keep an eye out for him due to the apparent attack of an officer and the town's local superhero.

...Anyway, the fall fair - "cleverly" titled "Bumblyburg's Annual Fall Festival at the Park" - commenced without worry. The carnival rides such as the ferris wheel, roller coaster, and merry-go-round went on as usual. Games - hopefully they weren't rigged - were set up and played by the citizens who came to this public event. Tons of pumpkins, crunchy red and brown leaves, and hayrides could be found here. Oh yeah, there was also the food to enjoy...such as the warm meat buns. Typical fall-related stuff went on, basically.

A loud yawn escaped from Larry, something which caught Junior's attention while mid-bite of his delicious meat bun. "You sleepy, Larry?"

Larry yawned again as he looked over at the kid beside him. "Kinda." The backpack he had slinging over himself began to slip, but he quickly used his shoulder to pull it back in place. Phew, close one. "Last night was somethin' else."

"Was it that 'Alf' marathon you were talking about, or those bad guys running around last night?"
"...you could say that."

That was when a voice from far away suddenly called, "Hey Junior, wanna go on the roller coaster?"

The kid in question turned his head and then engulfed the rest of his food, nodding. "Coming, Laura!" Junior glanced to Larry, asking, "Are you ready to take on the rides?"

Apologetically, he shook his head. "Nah, not yet, Junior. I feel a bit queasy so I need to drop by home for a minute, but I'll meet up with you later on when the light shows start."

" 'kay, catch ya around!"
"See ya!"

Larry kept an eye on the asparagus child until he was certain that he was with Laura Carrot. The two darted off to the line for the roller coaster - and with that, he hurried over to the entrance of the park with someone on his mind.

From behind a tree, Larry immediately whispered, "There he is."

Alfred, taking in the place, entered the park with his eyes going from area to area. His eyebrows suddenly knitted together in thought, probably wondering where he was supposed to find the costumed hero from hours prior to now...or he was confused.

Back and forth Larry's head went in order to check if anybody was watching him or not. This huge tree, thankfully, stood tall and wide enough to cover him as he placed his backpack on the ground and opened it up.

This was casual enough, right? A heavy brown sweater with a red scarf had to have screamed "fall" enough.

' It shouldn't be this difficult to spot him out ,' Alfred thought as he continued scanning the park for him, ' but then again, maybe he's trying not to stir attention what with him being a superhero and all. I doubt he'd come out of costume for a stranger... '

"Psst, Alfred...over here!"

A familiar voice was attempting to get his attention, which worked with complete success. Where it was coming from, though, didn't surprise him the bit. Behind the massive tree, the costumed man from last night had his head poking out, urging him to come over to where he hid from public eye.

Once turning his head around to make sure nobody saw him and became suspicious about what he was doing, he went over to him.

"Hey there, Alfred," he greeted the Brit with a natural smile. "Ready for some fun?"

"Are you…" he squinted his eyes at LarryBoy, questioning, "going to stay hidden from everyone else, or-"

"Nah, I just need to finish putting on my costume back here and then we'll start our outing. I'll be out in a sec."
"O...kay."

He grunted once, twice, perhaps three times as, from behind the tree and away from Alfred's sight, he pulled up his flashy-coloured costume. "Hungry? We can get something to eat first."

Alfred, feeling awkward from hearing the grunts, turned his gaze away. "W-well, yes, actually. I was in a hurry earlier this morning, so I forgot to eat breakfast."

"Food it is then! Anyway, while I finish prepping myself up, tell me about yourself!"
"Me?"
"Yeah! You were dressed pretty fancy last night. Gotta be someone big and important, right?"

He smiled doubtfully as he adjusted his monocle. "Oh, no. I'm simply someone with a preference for that kind of clothing. There's nothing special about me."

"Hmm, could'a fooled me saying that. I thought you were cool with that motorcycle of yours."
"Come now, it's only a motorbike…"
"Which is rad ."

Right after a loud click from behind the tree, LarryBoy suddenly yelped which caused Alfred to jump in surprise.

"What happened?!"
"...I...may or may not have pinched myself while putting on my utility belt."
"...oh."

"S-so," LarryBoy changed the subject due to embarrassment and trying to distract himself from that painful tweak, stepping out from behind the tree in his whole outfit, "ever had a Bumblyburg scone? They're extra filling…"

After hearing a satisfied hum beside him, LarryBoy looked over to Alfred who sat beside him in the hay pile, mouth full of a flaky jelly-filled scone. "How is it?"

Alfred, either because he was starting to unwind or because the cart they were in went over a bump, fell back into the straws with his mouth still savouring the dessert. The asparagus swallowed the bit in his mouth. "Just like home," he sighed out.

"Home?"
"Britain."
"Whoa. That's far from here."

"Indeed it is," Alfred responded, sitting up as well. "There are times when I miss it, but...I enjoy living here as well. Besides, leaving Bumblyburg would give me the same feeling of loss as I have now for Britain, so…" he trailed off and then decided to finish the rest of his food, for his mouth was beginning to salivate again.

"Yeah," he agreed, "I get what you mean about the moving thing."

Alfred glanced to him."Not from around here either?"

"Moved here from the mid-west when I got older." LarryBoy shrugged, smiling. "I miss home sometimes, but Bumblyburg's home to me even more than the place I was born in." He paused and then darted his eyes to his side. "That's okay to say, right? 'Cause, at least, people like me here."

Chewing on the final piece of his scone, the Brit turned to LarryBoy upon hearing that last sentence. How odd...did LarryBoy, when he wasn't in costume, not that well-liked back in the mid-west? What for? He seemed to be, although silly, a nice guy. Alfred, after swallowing his food, changed topic, "Oh! L-LarryBoy, I forgot to ask about your eyes. How are they?"

He brightened up, looking to Alfred. "A whole lot better thanks to you. You were a lot of help!"
"Glad to be of service-"

All of a sudden, LarryBoy felt his communicator vibrate on his utility belt. He whipped the device out and pressed the answer button. "Yes Mayor?"

"LarryBoy," Mayor Blueberry told him with a sense of urgency in her voice, "that jewelry store from yesterday has been robbed and there have been sightings of the scallion and his accomplices fleeing the area!"

He frowned, brows immediately furrowing. "Again? They must really like that place to try a third time within a week…" Sure it might be seen as dangerous to do so, but still, the vigilante stood and listened on for any other detail.

Alfred worriedly looked to him and then out to the streets as the wagon made a turn. "Oh dear…"

The mayor went on, informing, "They're approaching the corner of 23rd street as we speak-"

Alfred interrupted upon realisation, "That's the corner we're on!"

This grabbed LarryBoy's attention, making him perk up, alert. "Really?" His eyes spotted the street sign. It read the exact number which the mayor told him. "Perfect!" Hurriedly, he said into the communicator, "Don't worry, I've got 'em this time. I won't let you down, Mayor!" He turned to Alfred with an apologetic grin. "We're gonna have to end this a bit sooner than expected."

"Q-quite alright," he assured him. "It just occurred to me that I need to visit someone."

"Convenient. See ya, Alfred! Hope we see each other in the future!"

"Oh, um, I will. Do be careful out there!"

As the wagon came to a halt upon approaching a stop light, the costumed hero tilted his head to one side to aim and fire his unusual weapon into the air. The plunger grappled immediately onto an upcoming business building whose form was rather enormous. As LarryBoy was launched upwards, the hay around him briefly flew into the air as he did so. What a mess .

Up, up into the air went LarryBoy, departing Alfred, the wagon, and the surprised cart-driver. He needed to get a good hiding spot to jump the rapscallions without fail.

He was prepared this time .

For the moment, Alfred would ignore the pesky hay which landed on him, for he was much more absorbed with what he had witness. The Brit might not be able to see the action which could take place any minute, but still, he was fascinated at the simple sight he saw. "So that's how he gets around…" he murmured out loud.

A gentle cough from the front grabbed Alfred's attention. He turned to see the - well, he looked like it - shy gourd staring at him, uncertain about what to do. "...was he coming back?"

Probably not.

Phew, that was rather easy. The shop's owner had decided to open the store later today, which allowed the three scallions to sneakily break in and out within a matter of minutes, just as the cops were informed of the break-in. Now they managed to get this far from the scene of the crime - hopefully without being spotted. So, what was left? Well, now the trio had to cross the street from the alleyway they hid in. After they made the dash, it would be home free with their recently acquired goods in tow.

"See? I told you it was worth it!"
"You're lucky that we managed to get you out of there, dummy."
"...don't tell me you're still peeved that I lost your eye-shadow."

The tallest of the scallion trio huffed at that, something which the shortest one inferred it as a firm "yes, yes I am".

" Seriously? That happened a month ago!"
"It was my favourite shade! Do you know how long it took me to get that!"
"But it's eye-shadow -"

As the reunion in the form of a squabble advanced even further, the middle scallion ignored the two and continued his watch of the street across from them. Traffic was light with the three or four cars casually going by - none of those cars, so far, have been cop cars.

He perked. "Guys." When he knew he got their attention, he turned his head and told them, "We should try going now. Low traffic, no cops in sight. Sound good?"

"Grand," the tallest spoke up in reply. "No screwing up today, understood gentlemen?"

The other two nodded.
" 'Kay."
"Won't do it again, Boss."

The tallest of the trio, also known as Boss Scallion, took center and gestured the two to follow him well. Sneakily, Boss Scallion slipped out of the alley, followed by the second and third rapscallion. In perfect unison, they darted behind the cars which stopped at the red-light. They ducked low enough so they wouldn't be spotted in any of the driver's rear mirror and did it well, since they've done it many times prior to this day.

Almost there...

The middle scallion whispered out, "Psst, Boss! Cover your bags."

Boss turned to him. "Why?"

Fwip! The two bags he carried were snatched out of thin air, causing him to gasp in shock whilst the cars drove off down the street. In his stomach, he had a bloody idea what happened to his jewelry. As he spun around to face the pest, the jewelry bags were yanked from his accomplices in rapid speed. The trio looked up…

...and there was LarryBoy staring down at them from atop a roof. "Afternoon, gentlemen!"

The boss tsked. "You took our possessions rather quick, LarryBoy. Could we have them back?"

The costumed hero cocked a brow. "I doubt this stuff belongs to you and your buds, Scallion Boss. This belongs to Shimmering Treasures and its owner. Anyway," he questioned, "you guys wanna give up or are you gonna start running again?"

He felt his two companions turning, staring at him; however, he attempted to keep his cool rather than crumbling into submission. "I'm certain you know the answer already," the boss simply told him.

LarryBoy heard the faint cries of the police cars, because of that, he knew he needed to take action now before the trio ran away once again.

A scene such as this has happened plenty of times before in the year which he began his superhero work, so he knew that the longer he and the crooks stared at each other, prepared to make the first move which determined the outcome of everything else.

Twitch, twitch . The nerves of both side jerked.

He made a leap down to them just as Boss Scallion yelled out, "You'd better hope you won't cough too much!"

It was as though time slowed down for his sake. LarryBoy was right over them when the second scallion whipped out a tiny metal ball and tossed the item directly at him. He already had a solution to this minor obstacle thanks to the boss' hint of what was being hurled. Using his cape, he made a mad upside swipe at it and then quickly covered his face.

Time returned to normal.

Immediately, there was a loud pop, followed by an equally loud hiss and yelps and cries of the three scallions.

Once LarryBoy landed with his protective mask on, he lowered his cape to inspect the damage. Try as they might, the second and third scallion couldn't open their eyes even as the haze faded; meanwhile, Boss coughed and coughed and managed to merely have a single eye half open. It looked as though he was trying to say something…

...well, actually, do something…

...which he did.

In a rather bold move, Boss Scallion sucked in some air and then flung himself towards LarryBoy; however, instead of crashing into him, Boss swiped something across the hero's face, earning a yelped "ow!" LarryBoy, through the burning pain on his cheek, forced himself to recover quickly by turning and shooting one of his head-plungers, capturing the boss before he could get any further. For good measure, he shot the other plunger and caught the other two. Hey, just because they still had a difficult time seeing doesn't mean they wouldn't try to run.

When the three police cars arrived at the scene, the officers found the three scallions tied together with some rope, plopped on the ground in a sitting position. Feet away from them sat six bags which, upon opening them, contained the stolen jewels from Shimmering Treasures.

" Well , well, well, we meet again so soon , scallion," Officer Scooter said as stepped forward to the trio whilst the other officers began putting the bags into their cars. "Y'got me last time, but I'll be darned if you'll pull that trick on me again while you're locked up!"

The third scallion immediately grumbled, "Yeah yeah…"

Meanwhile, the second scallion glanced to his boss. "Maybe we'll be let out sooner on good behavior."

Boss Scallion sighed, eyes half-lid in annoyance. "Let's hope so."

"Ow ow ow ow ow…" LarryBoy successfully slipped into a public restroom in order to check the damage which Boss Scallion inflicted. At the moment, he was carefully peeling his mask off, high enough to see the cut. Wow, would he have thought he would bleed on the job, but...here he was. Yikes, it was a nasty cut, but Larry knew it could've been far worse had the boss dug that - whatever he used - any further.

He squinted his eyes and forced himself closer to the mirror to further examine the injury. Shoot , it's gaping. Larry reached over to grab a paper towel. Once he soaked the brown paper with cold water, he dabbed at the wound. "I should see a doctor about this…" he said to himself, "just in case."

He tossed the used paper towel into the bin, tugging his mask back into place.

LarryBoy looked at his reflection and then beamed, puffing his chest out. "The day is saved, at least! Maybe I'll have enough time to ride the roller coaster if I see the doctor right away."

Dashing out of the bathroom for a running start, LarryBoy shot one of his head weapons to a nearby building and launched himself higher and higher off the ground. From above, he could hear an occasional exclamation of "Look!" or "It's LarryBoy!" LarryBoy couldn't help but nod down to them whenever he heard them taking notice of his presence. Gosh , it was a wonderful feeling. The view of the city as he swung from building to building felt wonderful as well, now that he thought about it; although, it appeared even cooler at night and around Christmas.

However, there was a bit of an issue transporting this way. "Ow..." He cringed when the cool air whipped his injured cheek. Should've covered it with something while he was in the bathroom.

Down below, at the annual fair, Junior and Laura had finished their third round on the roller coaster and had decided to take a snack break. As Junior stuffed another portion of cotton candy into his mouth at the picnic table, he suddenly noticed a familiar being swinging from building to building feet away from them.

"LarryBoy?"

Hearing the superhero's name caused Laura to pause her eating as well. "Where?" Laura instinctively turned her head around and saw the sight as well. She exclaimed, "It is him!"

Seconds later, the hero went by the park and continued onward.

Alfred adjusted himself on the motorbike which was parked at the park entrance just as he felt something coming this way. He blinked, glanced right and left and then chose to look behind him. There was LarryBoy, happily making his way downtown with the help of his silly choice of "weapon". When LarryBoy swung closer to the area he was in, the two made eye contact. A smile crossed his masked face, continuing on his way to wherever.

"Looks like he's accomplished his mission." He wrapped the scarf around him tighter in order to make certain it wouldn't fly off during the ride or get in his face.

Once he was fully set, Alfred departed.

"Thank you again for getting that trio, LarryBoy. You did it so well !"

"It was nothin', Mayor," Larry chuckled out with a half-smile since a whole one would hurt his stitched cheek. "Sorry it took a whole day to catch that smaller one, though."

Mayor Blueberry quickly waved it off, saying, " Nonsense ! You caught him regardless! Anyway," she then changed the topic, turning it into a casual one, "are you alright? You sound a bit muffled."

He glanced to his cheek for a moment and then back to his television. "I bit my cheek."

"Oh...sounds painful."

"Don't worry though. It's just a lil' swollen. I'll be fine later." Larry reclined into the sofa, warming himself up in a blanket even though he tossed on a sweatshirt. He just needed to relax, even if it was just a few hours before the fireworks show. "...say, Mayor?" He shifted in his seat. "I have a question."

Curiously, she responded, "Yes?"

"...y'know in comic books how...um...certain superheros have more than one way to be contacted?"
"Why, yes?"
"Well, I just thought of something...maybe we should have something else you could use to call me if I'm not near my phone...especially since the cord is pretty short as it is."

On cue, the stretched-to-its-near-limits phone cord made a weak creak, a sound which made Larry quickly rise from the couch and stand closer to the phone's cradle.

"Good idea. Any suggestions?"
"A spotlight in the sky?"
"Ooh, so a beacon signal! I'll try getting that done-"
"Actually, Mayor…"

The mayor slowly opened the door to her building's roof and stepped out, her large mobile phone with her. At first, she had seen nothing out of the ordinary, but when Blueberry stepped further out, she paused at something which now seemed out of place.

One of the four spotlights the building owned had a suspicious-looking tarp on top of it.

Immediately, she inquired into her phone, "How did you…?"

"A few days ago," he simply replied.

She hummed in thought, quirked brow as well as she tugged off the tarp. The other brow instantly went up.

"It took me awhile to get the stencil on right," sheepishly the hero explained to her over the phone. "What d'ya think, Mayor?"

"So, this is the…LarryBoy Signal."
"Wow, you already knew the name I gave it!"

Mayor Blueberry laughed lightly. "It was a simple guess, dear LarryBoy. I'll be sure to get one installed for the police then...if you haven't gotten to them already."

"I had planned to yesterday night but ya know…"
"True, true. Well, I should be going. I'm checking up on the fair across from here. Perhaps you could try dropping by there whenever you can if not today. Thank you once more for capturing the thieves."

LarryBoy laughed embarrassingly. "Shucks, Mayor, that's what heroes are supposed to do! Have fun at the fair!"

The two managed to hang up in close unison.

Mayor Blueberry stepped out of the elevator, humming a tume to herself. Once fixing her glasses, she went over to the source of loud tapping - a receptionist desk - and checked on the receptionist, an asparagus lady, herself. "I'll be visiting the fair across from here. I know your shift will be over in a hour, but would you like for me to send over a caramel apple, meat bun, or any other fair treats?"

She smiled sincerely, shaking her head as she answered, "No thank you, Mayor, but thanks for the offer. My family and I are going to eat as soon as I get there."

"Well, alright! Be sure to jot down any important calls for me while I'm gone, you know the drill."
"Yes, madame."

With a nod at her, Mayor Blueberry departed from the building, leaving the receptionist to her work at the blocky computer.

...how she's typing at her computer since she - and everybody else - lacks hands is beyond me, to be honest.

So, for the next few minutes, she typed away at the computer, checking everything which needed an update or a review. Her eyes only focused on the black screen in front of her as she hummed along with a song in her mind.

A small box blinked for a split second at the upper left-hand corner.

"Hm?" She paused, blinked. What was that?

The receptionist stared at the screen's corner to see if the action would occur again. Four seconds she waited and soon shrugged it off and resumed her work. Minute by minute, she could feel the end of her shift arriving and, honestly, she couldn't wait. She could smell the delicious funnel cake all the way across the street.

A small box blinked for a split second at the upper left-hand corner.

She turned her head to the corner, feeling as though that weird box was present again.

Nope, nothing.

She returned to her business.

Something blinked on another section of the screen, but she tried to ignore it, for she felt as though this was merely her mind tricking her. She reached over to the right and flipped the radio on, instantly greeted by Phil Collins' voice.

"Ahh..." She turned back to her computer.

There was a new line of words, words which she didn't put in which read:

Please do not panic! I am passing through. :-) - Signed, The Tech Whisperer.

She blinked with a raised eyebrow. "What…?"

Mayor Blueberry had gotten off the merry-go-round with a caramel apple in her possession when she spotted her receptionist approach her. Smiling, she greeted her. "Well, there you are! How did the last minute work go?"

She made an uncertain smile back, responding appropriately, "Yes-"

"Splendid!"
"But…"
" 'But' what?"

She briefly averted the questioning gaze, but then the receptionist gave in and forced her eyes back to the mayor. "It's just...a strange message popped up before I came over here." She pressed on, saying, "Something about a 'Tech Whisperer' passing through."

Mayor Blueberry quirked a brow, intrigued. "How unusual. Did it harm the computer or cause any sort of malice action?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Nothing to worry about then! Now, go ahead and meet up with your family! Have fun!"
"I will. Thank you, Mayor."

"And finally, the last escapee from Bumbyburg Jail last night was returned early this afternoon along with two accomplices."

Alfred listened onto the last minutes of the news report at the bar counter whilst finally removing his scarf.

"Once again," the female leek reporter stated, "LarryBoy, the costumed hero who's been assisting the town for a year now, successfully caught the trio just as they nearly got away. Meanwhile, Shimmering Treasures, the store which was hit by the group, is quickly recovering from the robbery and should be open later next week.

According to officials, the recently installed security system became disabled just before the scallion trio waltzed in and took as much as they could. Aforementioned officials do not believe they were the cause of the security system's sudden shut down."

A drink was placed before Alfred by the bartender, whom he bowed his head as a mean to silently thank him for the beverage.

"As a side note, Bumblyburg's Annual Fall Festival is about to begin its fireworks show, so stick around channel 13 if you want to see for yourself. And that's the BLN evening news." She made a pleasant smile at the camera. "This is Esther Leek, signing off. Good night."

Alfred drank away the warm drink, feeling himself becoming more relaxed by the second upon it hitting his stomach. He sighed through his nose, pleased by the sensation.

"Alfie! There ya are, babe! What's the four-one-one!"

Well, so much for the atmosphere being relatively quiet and peaceful.

There was a grunt to the left of him as he chose to now down his drink in order to greet the semi-loud one. Alfred sat the empty glass down with a sigh, saying, "Hello to you too, Montgomery. When did you start speaking like that?"

Montgomery, a persimmon, chuckled lightly as he removed his sunglasses, placing them in front of himself. "For a while now. It's just that I knew you'd get annoyed by it."

"W-well, no, I wouldn't do that, it's only a shock to hear you using slang…"
"Well it is the 80s for a little while more. I want to use it before it's out of style!"

Alfred hummed.

"Anyway," Montgomery allowed for his fake accent to slip from American to his actual British one, inquiring, "how you've been, love? Haven't spoken in a bit since I've been out of town."

"Fine," Alfred simply responded with. "You?"

"Ki-i-i-i-inda busy." The persimmon shrugged. "It wasn't the same without you being with me...kinda boring, in fact... but ! It's all over now." Montgomery grinned to him, beaming. "Got here a few days ago, slept in the whole time, and as soon as I was recharged, came a-a-a-all the way to find you. Had a feelin' you'd be here."

It was now Alfred's turn to laugh, though gently since he was in public. "You know me well, Montgomery."

As he watched the asparagus gesture the bartender back to him, Montgomery leaned back against the stool's head and then spoke up, "So, you know that superhero with the plungers who's getting big here?"

He blinked, turning to him. "LarryBoy? What about him?"

"How strong is he?"
"What…?"
"Does he have any other weapons I should know about, or-"
"Why are you asking me these things?"

"You know why, baby," he nonchalantly responded as he picked up a menu resting beside him. "I wouldn't mind having a go at him."

Alfred rolled his eyes at that. "Montgomery, no ."

He frowned. "Aw, come on. Wouldn't it be fun to see me and LarryBoy going at it?"

"And get hurt in the process?"
"I would not ."
"That's what you said the last time you tried fighting a superhero."
"That bloke called you a name though! I was defending your honour!"

"I can assure you," Alfred said, "all he did was call me 'gentleman' in a sarcastic tone. I can tell LarryBoy isn't like any of the ones we've had the misfortune of coming across. Leave him be."

"You're not very fun," he grumbled feebly, his eyes going downcast. Suddenly, he shot his eyes back to Alfred and practically inflating in his seat. "Say, it's been a while, but how about the two of us rent a room tonight and play Twister?" Montgomery paused. "...you know, maybe Twister wouldn't work that well since the lack of arms and legs, but...we could play other games!"

As soon as his new drink was placed down, Alfred reached for it and guzzled the carbonated thing within seconds. Montgomery took that as a simple "no".

Montgomery tilted his head at him. "So…LarryBoy...you said you 'could tell' that he's probably nice. What, did you meet him by chance or something?"

He sat the empty glass down once again. "Twice, yes. I assisted him last night after his eyes were assaulted by spray," he explained, "and then today, I spent some time with him before he needed to leave." Alfred's eyes softened all of a sudden. "He's so silly, though. In every aspect, he is silly . His costume, the colour choice for them, his childlike personality… everything ."

His brows raised at Alfred, taking notice of how quiet his voice became near the end. "Good heavens, you seem rather fascinated by him easily. You're acting as though he used his 'grappling hook' on your heart."

Alfred huffed. "Such a way to put it. Anyway," he announced, rising from his seat as he rested the accurate amount of money (plus tip) on the counter, "I shall be going now. We're still meeting for tomorrow, right?"

"Yep, my place at eleven for some brunch and then we'll talk."
"I'll see you then, Montgomery."

Alfred turned and began his stroll out of the restaurant-

"BYE, BABY~!"

Run, began his run out of the restaurant from embarrassment...that, and he could feel stares piercing his back upon "baby" being thrown at him by another male. Darn that Montgomery trying to make him the centre of attention!

As he wrapped himself again with the warmth of his scarf, Alfred finally made it outside and was cheerfully greeted by fireworks going off in the autumn night air. For a moment, he stood there and watched the beautiful display of lights blast and vanish with their various colours and patterns. He never had a chance to see this back at home due to being busy and whatnot, so this sight was a bit special for him.

That realisation caused his shoulders to slump and his gaze to soften.

"I've certainly missed out on things like this…" he commented, "but better late than never."

He hopped on his motorbike, and off he went.

"So how's your job at the fair comin' along, Jerry?" The gourd at the computer, phone cradled against himself in order to multitask while having a chat. "Uh-huh…that LarryBoy fella was riding in one of them until he took off?" He listened to Jerry's reply and then huffed, "Yeah I'd be surprised too if a superhero launched themselves outta the wagon I was driving!"

The gourd leaned back in his office chair, both now half-lid eyes on the screen in front of him. "Wanna trade side jobs? This one's kinda boring. It's always 'Jimmy, you've gotta type this many codes!' 'Jimmy, you've gotta make sure the codes are the right ones or else they won't work correctly!' 'Keep your eyes on the screen when you're typing codes, Jimmy!' " Once again, a huff came from Jimmy. "I-I don't even see the appeal of these boring formulas or whatever they are. What are they trying to make, a super computer program or something? They didn't bother to tell say what I'm actually doing and it's suspicious if ya ask me-!"

He paused as his eyes opened back to normal.

"...uh, y'know what I said just a second ago, Jerry? I think I was kinda on the right track…"

Do not be alarmed. I am just checking out what your company has. I will be through in a minute. Thanks for your patience. :-) - Signed, The Tech Whisperer.

To be continued