A Complicated Business

[Sans]

Marcus’ words rang out, echoing through the mist. All was quiet for a few moments; no one responded to his call. Then, all around him, from the buildings around, slid windows and doors. People of various sizes and shapes, all smiling like that of a serial killer, poked their heads out to hear the commotion. The ones in the streets all turned to him simultaneously, staring at him with big, bulging eyes and massive, uncanny smiles. The old man, Marlin Dustin himself, had moved towards the entrance of Bobby’s General Goods, staring in shock at the scene. Wright’s own eyes widened as he realized what he had done; by chancing it, he had drawn unneeded attention to himself.

He was about to turn back towards the shop when he felt a hand press itself against his shoulder. He looked behind him; the Captain America.

“What are you doing?” he said, keeping his voice low as he glanced around. No one had moved from their respective spots.

“I saw a group of shadows coming our way, Cap!” the cyborg responded, fully aware of the situation they were in. He quickly looked back to where he last saw them.

They had moved, and they moved towards them.

Stepping out from the shadows, with a pipe in his snout and a cocky smirk on his face, was a fox. An obvious standout, considering most every other inhabitant of the island was humanoid in appearance at least. The fox stood as high as Marcus’ knees, with orange-colored fur and a long, bushy tail. He wore a giant fishing hat on his head, pools of water occasionally spilling out over the edges due to how big it was. Even within the rain, the glowing bottom half of his pipe was visible from any distance, especially up close.

One would likely not view him as a person of any significance if it wasn’t for his three bodyguards, and they were obviously bodyguards. They stood tall beside him, muscular and silent. But was perhaps most apparent about them were their faces. They did not smile, for they appeared incapable of such an act. Their faces were glowing red, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they vibrated with such intensity. Bits of yellow froth spewed from underneath their inflamed eye glands every few moments, with spit occasionally flowing from the sides of their swollen mouths and tongues. The fox removed the pipe from his mouth, puffing out a ring of smoke before passing it towards the guard on his left. The guard did not hesitate to put it into his mouth, hyperventilating in anticipation.

The small mammal walked forward, hands to his side, as he gazed up towards the two newcomers. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked towards Marcus.

“We have shown ourselves,” he said, “and now, I must ask, who are you?”

Before they could respond, he raises his paw, gesturing for a handshake.

“To whom it may concern, I am Mayor N. Rando, the humble leader of Rando Island. I hope you are enjoying your stay here, despite the awful weather!”