Midnight Manor Boarding House, Friday afternoon through evening

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had the body during the morning and early afternoon, what with bringing Watts lunch and all. Once they got home there was a change of clothes and Marc took over.

They were heading out of town next week, so Marc wanted to be sure everything was handled while they were gone. Which meant he was currently in his office which annoyingly was still a thing in his life but whatever. You agree to be responsible for a sentient pocket universe that doubles as a place people can live and apparently there's paperwork and shit.

Out front there was a handwritten sign - not Marc's handwriting, mind you - that said Rooms for Let. Ask Within. Door's unlocked. Office is to your right. (Don't worry he's not as grumpy as he looks!)

Marc, of course, was unaware of the full wording on the sign. Because sometimes Steven thought he was hilarious.

[open! As the sign says, front door's unlocked]

Comments

[single_man_tear]

Dean was taking longer to process this than meeting aliens.

"Squirrels write notes and people read them?" He asked very slowly.

...

"Do they have thumbs?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"They've got little claw-like hands?" Arden said, because she had never actually look closely enough at a squirrel to know for sure.

[single_man_tear]

Dean slowly turned around in a circle just to see if there were any squirrels in sight.

He stopped to face Arden.

"Is this how they prank the new guy on the island?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"My guy," Arden said tiredly, "you're about to move into a house that's secretly a pocket dimension that just wants friends. And you think I need to make up drunk squirrels to prank you?"

[single_man_tear]

"Uh, I've seen magical houses and pocket dimensions," Dean replied. "I have yet to see squirrels take notes on my private escapades."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden sighed and dug out her phone. "Here," she said, pressing buttons and swiping along. "Two birds, one stone." She hit play and held up her phone so Dean could hear the Fandom radio podcast episode that was her broadcast from the day of all the singing.

[single_man_tear]

Dean listened for a few minutes and then nodded.

"Okay. First? You have a lovely singing voice. Second? You curse like a sailor and a man always appreciates that. Finally, it's weird that squirrels write about personal lives. And you are right. I can admit that."

Dean admitting he was wrong about anything is personal growth for him. Really.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden got a little (lot) flustered, and fumbled her phone as she was tucking it away. "Oh, uh, thanks," she said. "Most of my foster families hated it growing up, but uh. And it's worse near the squirrels cause they really are little fucks."

[single_man_tear]

“That’s ridiculous! Who hates singing!” Dean joked. “Pfft. Foster parents. Bunch a fucking jerks.”

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh no, I meant the--oh." She was still flustered, but smiling a little, too, at the joke, once she realized what he'd meant. "Were you a foster kid, too?"

[single_man_tear]

Dean faltered a bit there. "Something like that," he admitted and quickly put on a small smile. "I'd say more but I'm pretty sure the squirrels are listening and that's not a story for radio."

See! Dean can learn stuff!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden nodded. A lot of people she knew in the system had stories like that - stories they didn't want to share upon first meeting with someone. "Just so you know," she said, carefully phrasing it so he'd know this wasn't an attempt to get him to say more, "in the future, that's when you'd stick out a bit of rum and tell them to go away. Uh, I'm also pretty sure you can ask Midnight to keep 'em out, too, but I really haven't had a reason to test that out. But you know, still something to keep in mind."

A pause.

"Uh, also, I report on what happens on Mondays, so like...if you didn't get to the squirrels in time, drop me a text and I'll make sure to skip over it in the broadcast or whatever." She flushes slightly. "I, uh, try to give folks privacy when I can, regardless of what the squirrels want."

[single_man_tear]

"So if I don't want anything to go to the radio I give them rum," Dean said slowly, "As opposed to shooting them because they are essentially just rodents with bad handwriting."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"...I'm pretty sure that if you shoot at them, they will gang up on you and they will win," Arden said seriously. "That's one of those 'the only way to win is not to play' kinda things."

[single_man_tear]

"Does it have to be good rum?"

Dean was not wasting good booze on rodents.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden gave him the baffled glance of someone who did not yet know the difference. "Uhh...I don't think so?"

[single_man_tear]

Dean let out a long sigh he usually reserved for Sam. "Fine. I'll be nice to the squirrels."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Thank you, it makes my life so much easier," Arden said with a deeply relieved sigh.

[single_man_tear]

"Well that's a first for me. I'm usually the difficult one."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Congrats," Arden said, holding out her fist for a bump, "you're less difficult than a pack of drunken squirrels. I think that's a Fandom merit badge or something."

[single_man_tear]

"I have not nor have I ever been eligible to be a boy scout," Dean said fist bumping Arden. "But I appreciate the offer."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"But you're now eligible to be a Fandom Scout which ABSOLUTELY should be a thing," Arden said. "Maybe you'll be lucky and the Fandom Scout Fairy will leave a sash on your pillow."

[single_man_tear]

Dean looked up to the ceiling. "Midnight? Please make sure my room is locked out from fairies. Especially the scout kind."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden laughed. "See you're gonna forget you did this and there's gonna be some kind of weird fairy thing happening on the island and it's going to be a whole thing, just watch."

[single_man_tear]

"Pfft. Just because I mentioned fairies that means a bunch of Fae are going to show up and be a problem? Nah. I don't buy it."

Oh. Dean. No.