Somewhere to Belong

Meeting the Boys

[A/N: I apologize in advance this one is super long...hehe got a little carried away...Enjoy!]

As the last of the sun's rays sank below the horizon the street lights flickered on shifting Toon Town into a different place. What was a usually busy town became a hustling city as nightclubs, bars and the like opened for business booming their beats all over town. Cars with bright lights zoomed passed on the evening streets as birds fluttered back to their perches for the night, a cool breeze blew that night. A welcomed feeling from the days scorching heat, toons walked between buildings staying in the light to prevent an unwanted event just like any other day.

You see the night is where most criminals come out to play, keeping to the shadowed alleyways and abandoned streets as to not get caught...preying on unsuspecting victims that wander curiously onto their turf. And Harper was no exception...Having been discharged from the hospital that morning she called Johnathan alerting him of her freedom before he agreed to meet with her and her new partner that evening at Cuphead's shooting range; one of the best places in town to train a newbie.

As she wandered alone through the streets of Toon Town she began to grow concerned that she had lost her way. Being a new toon in a big city was an entirely different experience for her, and one she wouldn't soon forget...

'Oh dear I think I'm lost...all of these buildings look the same! What if I'm going the wrong way? What if someone catches me?' As thousands of questions surged through her brain, she slowed her pace as her tried to wrap her head around what was going on. Standing under a streetlight her halo glowed brightly bringing some unwanted attention her way as soft footsteps made their way toward her. Turning her head left to right she couldn't see anyone in the darkness, swallowing hard she tried to contain her nerves slowing her pulse as her heart was about ready to pound out of her chest.

"Excuse me Miss... Are you alright? You look lost." Whirling around she gasped lightly, her hands shaking as she tried to stammer out an answer.

The man before her watched her curiously with only his left eye exposed through his mask where a silver crescent moon held the rest of the face together. His voice was soft and low as if he had just come from a long day of working and was heading home for the evening. His suit was black for the most part as he carried his jacket causally over his shoulder exposing the light blue dress shirt he had on underneath, in his back pocket he had a rather decent sized black book with no title on it and a pen clipped right beside it. After a few seconds she swallowed again looking down shyly as the man had caught her staring, sighing lightly he leaned forward and gently lifted her face up to look at his as he searched for an answer.

"I-I'm sorry s-sir...I'm new to the area and don't know my way around quite yet." Being as sweet as can be she blushed lightly embarrassed as he still held her chin. He nodded accepting her answer before letting go and standing to his full height.

"Where to miss?" His voice was smooth as butter with a heavy Spanish accent lacing every word [Imagine Antonio Bandera's voice]. Blinking in disbelief she closed her eyes for a moment thinking before opening them again.

"Have you heard of a place called the Toon Palace? I'm supposed to be meeting someone there in an hour and I can't seem to find my way..." She answered confidently before dropping to a whisper; the man nodded and gestured for her to follow him.

"Stay close; there are some nasty people that hang around this area at night. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." She nodded picking up her pace to match his as she stared up at the blackened sky when a fast car honked zooming by making her jump, the man she walked with snickered lightly before coming to a stop in front of an illustrious building with a brightly lit sign that read "Toon Palace."