//------------------------------//
// More Words 
// Story: Mother X: Father 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

It didn't take long for Ness to lead Moondancer and Buzz Buzz back to his house.  Moondancer noticed that Ness could greatly exceed normal physical limits if it meant avoiding social awkwardness, likely a manifestation of subconscious focusing of PSI into his body.  She made a mental note to look into teaching him how to do it consciously.

As they entered the house, however, they found Ness's Mom sitting at the table with a man none of them recognized.  He was a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in a business suit and dark pointed shades, his black hair done up in a pompadour.  The notebook Moondancer had given Ness's Mom lay on the table between them, and they were in the middle of a deep conversation.

"-with the totals listed here, this isn't just a civil suit anymore," the stranger was concluding.  "If we go forward legally, there could be repercussions for the youngsters."

"Hmm..." Ness's Mom murmured thoughtfully.  "As bad as they are at parenting, tearing the home apart likely isn't much better.  Are there other options?"

"Well there's always reversing the arrangement with the threat of legal action," the strange man continued, "but that raises the possibility of having the bluff called...or the arrangement ongoing until charges are pressed the other way.  How are your finances if you end the arrangement entirely?"

"Well-" Ness's mother began, only to cut herself off as she caught sight of the group.  "Oh Ness!  Back already?  Did you get homesick so soon?"

"I...I..." Ness began awkwardly, staring at the strange man.

"So this is Ness," the man spoke up, looking Ness up and down.  He chuckled softly.  "Feels like I'm looking back in time."

"Don't scare the poor boy," Ness's Mom chided.

Smiling warmly, the man held out a hand.  "I'm Theodore," he introduced himself warmly.  "I'm an old friend of your parents, and...I guess you could call me your family's 'legal adviser'."

"A lawyer?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Not exactly," Theodore corrected.  "I've seen both sides of the law long enough to know all the ins and outs of it, is all.  So what brings you back here?"

"Uh..." Ness continued awkwardly.

"He just defeated the boss of the Sharks in battle," Buzz Buzz supplied helpfully.

"So you beat up Frank then?" Theodore pressed Ness.

"He just said-" Moondancer began, only for Theodore to cut her off with a finger to her snout.

"I didn't ask you," he stated calmly.  He then focused on Ness.

Ness swallowed and nodded.  When Theodore continued to stare, he struggled with his voice.  "Y...yes.  I...I beat...Frank."

Theodore nodded.  "And that's two major victories for you," he stated calmly.  "One over an enemy, one over yourself.  You're going to need a lot of both if you're to finish the journey that's awaiting you.  Now why'd you come back here?"

"I...I wanted...call...Mayor," Ness managed to get out, only to tense himself.  Closing his eyes, he tried again.  "I wanted to call the Mayor about getting the key to the shack, so I could go to Giant Step," Ness managed to say before opening his eyes.

Theodore grinned proudly down at him.  "Alright.  Still want to do that?"

Ness started to nod eagerly, but held himself back.  "...no..." he managed to say without closing his eyes.  "Just...secretary.  Make an...appointment."

Theodore clapped Ness companionably on the back.  "That's the ticket, kid!" he declared expansively.  "Keep that up, and you'll find real strength, the kind that doesn't come from magic rocks and spooky mind powers, but from the power of the mind."

"Did that make any sense to you?" Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz in confusion.

"I think the important part is if it made sense to Ness," Buzz Buzz allowed.

"Not yet, but I think it will someday," Ness replied readily before moving to the phone.

While Ness was on the phone, Theodore turned to Moondancer and Buzz Buzz.  "So aliens again, talking pony and bug?" he asked flatly, making Moondancer's eyes widen in response.  She'd known she couldn't read this stranger, but she hadn't expected him to see them so clearly.  She didn't feel any aura of PSI power in him, just a strongly disciplined mind that repelled probing thought.

Buzz Buzz floated up for a closer look.  "...if you're who I think you are...same one," he explained softly.

Much to Moondancer's surprise, Theodore and Ness's Mom winced visibly.  "If you know that, I can guess how you're involved," Theodore stated calmly.  He turned to Moondancer.  "What about you?  Never seen anything like you."

"He's her father," Buzz Buzz explained before Moondancer could speak.  "She wants to save him."

"I'll manage...somehow," Moondancer insisted, trying to figure out why the conversation caused Theodore's face to...the only way she could describe it was 'close', as all signs of emotion vanished, and why Ness's Mom looked...broken.

"Okay, I made the appointment!" Ness spoke up eagerly.  "Come on guys!  We've got an everyone to save!"

As Moondancer and Buzz Buzz followed Ness out, Theodore turned back to Ness's Mom.  "Think they can do it?" he asked worriedly.

"We just have to believe in them," she allowed sadly.  "With luck, they'll do...what we couldn't."





Ness led the way into the Town Hall, heading straight for the stairs to the Mayor's Office.  The building interior was the same as every office building everywhere, with grey walls, a few columns, and identical potted plants in the corners.  Just before the stairs, the Mayor's secretary looked up as the group entered.  "Oh, are you Ness?" she asked gently.

Ness nodded, finding himself once more tongue tied.  He tried to push past it.

"No, save your nerve," the woman offered quickly.  "The Mayor can be overwhelming at the best of times face-to-face, so be ready.  I've let him know about your social issues, and asked him to be considerate...but he's a politician.  You-"  She paused, then chuckled.  "Well, if you were a little older you'd know how they can be.  Go on up, he's waiting for you."

Nodding and smiling, Ness took the stairs up.  The Mayor's office was wide open with large windows, providing an amazing view of the city.  It was a bit more decorated than the rest of the building with plush throw rugs and sofas surrounding the Mayor's large desk, but presented nothing to really distract Ness from the upcoming confrontation.  A police officer and another politician stood far back from the desk, leaving the path clear for Ness to approach.

The Mayor himself was a portly, balding man with thick glasses, the black suit he wore tailored exactly to his frame to be comfortable.  "So you're Ness," he began calmly as Ness approached.  "I'm Mayor B. H. Pirkle.  It's nice to meet you."

Realizing the Mayor was waiting for a response, Ness gathered his nerve.  "It's...nicetomeetyoutoo," he got out on one breath before his nerve failed him.

"So you're the one who beat up the town bullies, punched them out big time, kicked their butts, bit their heads off, spit in their eyes, and made them wet their pants," Mayor Pirkle declared happily.  "And made them promise not to make trouble!  Well done!  Now, what can I do for you to show the town's appreciation?  Would you like a Press Conference?  A parade in your honor?  Your name on every tongue, your face on every billboard-"

"No!" Ness interrupted, his expression of panic having grown with every offered reward until it looked like he was going to make a running leap out the window to escape.  "No credit!  Just...I just want to get to Giant Step!"

The Mayor grinned widely at that, and Moondancer frowned.  His secretary told him Ness had social anxiety, and he used that so he could take all the credit for what Ness did, with Ness's permission at that!

Do you really think Ness would want credit anyway? Buzz Buzz thought back bluntly.  Moondancer had to admit that was likely true.

"And you need the key to the entertainer's shack to get there," Mayor Pirkle concluded.  "Now, that could certainly help keep the town peaceful...but it's also quite dangerous.  Even if you can take care of yourself against the Sharks, it wouldn't look good for the city if it were publicly known I'd sent you up there even if you did want to go.  So whatever happens once you go up there, you handle it yourself without mention of me, alright?"

Ness nodded.  "O...Okay-"

Moondancer nudged him, getting his attention.  She then gestured with her horn to the police officer.

Ness quickly got the hint.  "There's...a sign saying Do Not Enter," he began carefully.  "Will...will the police stop me?"

The Mayor frowned thoughtfully as he pondered this.  "This puts me in a pickle," he began carefully.  "I can't officially tell the police to let you go there...but I can't simply do nothing and let you get caught when this is your reward for helping the city.  I can keep the attention of the police elsewhere for...the next couple of hours at best if you go now, but I can't help it if you get cornered by a particularly overzealous officer.  We have a few of those here, after all.  Is this acceptable?"

Unable to find a way to improve things beyond this - and reaching the limit of his ability to keep the conversation going - Ness nodded vigorously.

"Wonderful!" Mayor Pirkle declared happily, handing over the Key to the Shack.  "Good luck and move quick...but not so quick that you aren't careful, alright?"

"Okay," Ness agreed, quickly rushing out of the building with Moondancer and Buzz Buzz hot on his heels.