ic The Keratin and the Chitinous

[Gizmo]

"Oh wow, your memory is so good!" Ryder considered for a moment then planted a fist in his opposite hand. "Okay! So we're pretty sure our mystery musician is going around making Ragin on purpose. But, like... why? Both of the ones I've seen just sort of tried to smash whatever grabbed their attention, didn't really seem to be on a mission. Just seems like a random jerk move, right?" He shook his head, sending tousled strawberry blond locks bouncing across his forehead. "Guess I'll just have to ask her if we see her again! At least we're finally going to make it to the Lab to get your scooter!"

[Electra]

"Maybe she needs a distraction for something she's doing," Danica mused. "Like, we didn't check to see if anybody got robbed or pickpocketed while we were fighting that Ragin." She looked briefly chagrined. "Maybe we should have! I didn't think about it though, and nobody said anything about getting robbed." She briefly turned in her seat as though debating going back, but was far too late.

 

Instead, she thought some more. "She might get, like, power from people having bad emotions, and making bad-emotions monsters gives her a return on the investment? Or she might be possessed by an evil spirit inside the guitar that's compelling her to play it and create those monsters! Or it could be practice for something she wants to do later. Sometimes villains can start small and escalate, so you have to be careful even if it seems like a villain is doing something small and dumb." Danica ticked these possibilities off on her fingers, then realized how many there were. "Yeah, I guess maybe you'll have to ask her. But hopefully not today, I need my new wheels!" 

[Gizmo]

"Yeah! Operation Scoots Magoots is go!" Ryder dropped a closed fist into his opposite palm and nodded. "Man, there's always something, huh? I better text Eira and let her know what happened and that we'll be there soon. Hopefully getting to do scooter science will outweigh missing out on heavy metal monster mashing." Somehow he expected their classmate was entirely capable of being enthused and outraged simultaneously. "Utsuwa is gonna be so smug, too. He thinks I'm never on time for anything which is only, like, statistically true. I'm very reliable!" He placed both hands to his chest in a declaration of emphatic innocence.

[Electra]

"Scoots Magoots?" Danica asked, testing the name. "I guess it's better than Scooty McScootface. It's a go!" she agreed. "And being on time is overrated anyway. People were never meant to be timed right down to the minute, it's unfair to judge us by completely arbitrary definitions like how many tiny sub-units of the rotation of the planet it takes to get us places!" She nodded emphatically, her backpack jouncing a little with the motion. "Just tell him you're like a wizard. You're never late or early, you always arrive precisely when you mean to. Or just say you were helping me!" she suggested cheerfully. "I have a permanent hall pass. Because I'm a wizard." 

[Gizmo]

Ryder made an expression of wonderment. "That is some genuine tortoise spirit wisdom, woah. Like, what even is 'on-time', right? Who gets to decide?" Their lively conversation continued as the bus carried them toward the Lab and Danica's new scooter.

 

Standing with one booted foot on the low railing surrounding the edges of a rooftop overlooking the largely destroyed bus stop, the mysterious guitarist adjusted the strap holding her guitar against her back and narrowed her eyes. "Again?" she muttered, the faint sound of aggressive drums swelling around her with no discernible source. "Well. @#$% that guy in particular."