Mr.Sandman: Book 1

Chapter 6: Unlikely Ally In An Even More Unlikely Location

Charlemagne pocketed the mirror and brought it along with him as he made his way back towards the ship. He was shaken no doubt from what had transpired, but more so wanted to confirm the safety of both Zoe and Darell. He traveled along the same road he had came on, only this time his boredom satisfied. It wasn't long before he reached the door and hurriedly opened it.

He was relieved to see both of them standing before him. Darell had been tinkering with the robotic head they had acquired while Zoe was reclined in one of the seats. Charlemagne's arrival was unceremonious as he found his way to a seat as well. Zoe broke the silence, sarcastically addressing Charlemagne, "Have fun?"

"Ah, you don't know he half of it," he said partially joking.

"Is that so? I think I've got a story to rival yours."

"Oh is that so? I doubt it, frankly," He had cocked a brow now, as if to challenge Zoe.

"Yes, it is. Once you see what I've got, you'll be damn jealous."

"That, Zoe, remains to be seen. What've you got?"

Zoe stood to her feet before walking to the center of the room. She placed a hand on her chest as she slowed her breathing before appearing to strain. Something began to creep along the floor behind her as she continued to do so. Charlemagne was unsure of what this was at first, but soon found his answer as Zoe's shadow pulled itself into the third dimension to become a sort of darker version of herself.

It emerged, clinging to Zoe before sliding to the ground on all fours like some sort of animal. It's eyes were a dull blue, her facial expression lacking any emotion. It was an eerie sight to behold as it remained still by her feet until Zoe finally regained her composure. She brandished her whip and curled it around the creature that had spawned, prompting it to rear up and emit what could only be described as a feral noise.

"Ta-fucking-da, Charlemagne. What did you go do, brew a cup of coffee without a filter? Oh how exciting that must have been."

Charlemagne got to his feet silently as he shook his head at Zoe. He placed a hand on her shoulder before moving her to the side. He cleared his throat as he closed his eyes and prepared. Charlemagne spun around once and pointed a finger to the ground before slowly raising it to the sky and calling out, "Sunset Overture!"

This was followed by a brief, "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" as his straining only grew before out of seemingly thin air, a figure could be seen behind Charlemagne. It leaned against him as it pointed cockily at Zoe. It resembled Charlemagne, however being much darker in color. It had a smile plastered to its face, and through its eyes shone its bravado nature.

Zoe folded her arms as she looked upon him. She was shocked Charlemagne had possessed the same ability as her, but she was more surprised to see just how he evoked it. She wanted to be upset but found herself beginning to laugh at him slightly. She placed a hand over her mouth as she struggled to keep it in as Charlemagne continued to pant, arm still outstretched.

Charlemagne turned to Zoe and placed a hand on his hip as he mimicked his shadow's pointing, "Consider your beans, brewed."

That had done it for Zoe, her hand couldn't stop the laughter any longer as she began to howl and cackle. It seemed like she wanted to mock Charlemagne but couldn't find the breath to do so. She tried speaking but none of it could be understood as she had to take her seat lest she wanted to pass out from her extreme fit of giggling.

Charlemagne was disappointed with this reaction as he leaned into the arms of the being he had manifested. Darell on the other hand had been watching in awe for quite some time now, no longer tinkering with the robot's head. There was nothing about the situation Darell understood, what he understood less however was how calm both Charlemagne and Zoe were about this.