What's The News? • Lemoxie

Chapter Thirteen

Today is the day I'm meant to go to the city with Lemony. Father doesn't oppose the trip and says it'd be a good experience for me to see places outside of Stain'd-by-the-Sea. I completely agree. I had told him about Lemony and I as well and he seemed to approve and wasn't that worried since he knows I'm a capable young woman and that I can recognize an unsavory situation when I see one. As I was packing, I found a particular scrap of newspaper that was perhaps the only one in the entire lighthouse that wasn't printed by the Stain'd Lighthouse.

"Maybe it's time we return this." I said with a small smile. I hoped he'd appreciate the sentiment even though I had kind of forced him to give me the newspaper report on his sister's crime in the first place... I set aside the newspaper and continued to pack for what Lemony said would be a week long trip, ending with a fancy masquerade ball! That sounded especially exciting since I get to meet his closest associates!

"There! That should do it!" I said proudly as I stood back and looked over my suitcase. I went and put it by the door and left to make myself a snack. "Hey, Kellar." I greeted, since he was at the table reading a book.
"Hey, Moxie! Did you finish packing for your trip?"
" Yep! I'm kinda really excited! "
"Well that's good! I'm happy you have your smile back."

" I'm not aware it was gone. " I told him as I sifted through the fridge. "Think fast!" I said, throwing a juice box his way. He put in the straw and held it out as Ellington came in the room and took it from him.
"Thank you!" She said and she took a sip. "I love that we have that down like clockwork."
" I'm not gonna be here a whole week to throw Kellar the juice box though. Think you can manage? " I asked with a chuckle. Ellington is perfectly capable of grabbing a juice box herself but we all agree it's just easier like this we have frankly predictable daily schedules.

"We're gonna miss you around here, Moxie." Kellar said.
I laughed to myself. "I'm only going to be gone for seven days!"

I reached for the last cookie on the plate but Ellington got it before me. "Hey! That was going to be mine!"
" Who am I to deny myself every single desire that crosses my pea brain? " She retorted once she finished her first bite.
"You have a point."

A little later, Lemony arrived (finally).  "Hey, Moxie! What's the news?" He asked me, as expected.
" You tell me. I've been cooped up inside waiting for you to come pick me up! " I grinned, getting up from my seat and kissing his cheek.
"Okay so Gustav took my bike so we're borrowing the car so I can bring along you, Stew, and my sister was dropped off at the Lost Arms to help us out, so she'll be in the backseat making sure Stew stays knocked out."
"Oh that reminds me! " I grabbed the newspaper article from next to my bag and handed it to him. "I'm happy to hear she wasn't in jail that long! Was there some sort of jailbreak mission? I'm also curious about-"

I cut myself off because Lemony hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Moxie. This means a lot to me." He said quietly.
"I swear I would've never forced you into giving it up if I knew it was so important!" I told him.
"You were curious and I was keeping secrets. It's understandable. And since you asked, there was no jailbreak, Love." He chuckled. "Need help with your bags?"

"Would you?" I called down my father and Kellar to say goodbye to them.

Lemony grabbed my bags and went to out then in the car while I gave Dad and Kellar hugs.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Kellar said.
"Don't do anything he would do, either." My dad joked.
" There's a small grey area and that's where I operate. " I chuckled.

Lemony had walked back in and slung his arm around my shoulder. "Mr. Snicket," Dad said, "I trust you'll keep my daughter out of trouble?"

"Absolutely, Mr. Mallahan." Lemony beamed. "Anything for her."

"Good. Now go on!"
"Have fun, Moxie!" Kellar told me, "Er, not too much fun." I blushed and made it to the door before I turned back and ran to my dad to give him another hug and then ran back.

There was an older girl leaning against the car. A tall brunette who was most obviously a Snicket. "Took you long enough, L." She chuckled and extended her hand in my direction. "Kit Snicket. Lemony's older sister."

I shook her hand and fetched a business card from the band in my hat.

"I already know, Moxie Mallahan the journalist. L can be quite a Chatty Cathy on certain topics." She said, smirking at her brother. "It's great to finally meet you." She said to me before getting in the backseat. I sat in the passenger's seat with my typewriter case in between my feet and Lemony drove us to Mimi Spats' house to pick up Stew.

"How are we knocking him out?" I asked. Kit simply held up a tranquilizer gun. "What!? What happened to chloroform!?"
"In real life, chloroform takes around five minutes to take effect. The instantaneous results are just in films." She answered matter-of-factly.

Oh. Okay then.

As soon as we'd driven around a corner with Stew, he began shouting about how we'll rue the day we- and then he stopped because Kit shot him with a tranquilizer dart.

"These are pretty strong darts so we should only need two or three for the trip." She informed us. Aside from that, it was just any road trip. Not even a third of the way through, I had pulled out my book that I brought. There are some who say sitting at home reading is the equivalent of travel, because the experiences described in the book are more or less the experiences one might have on a voyage, and there are those who say there is no substitute for venturing out into the world. My own opinion is that it is best to travel extensively but to read the whole time.

A few hours later, we arrived at an enormous, beautiful building with the VFD insignia placed anywhere and everywhere.

"Moxie Mallahan, welcome to VFD headquarters."