As luck would have it though, because there was family staying over for the holidays his disappearance for that week was going temporarily unpunished. Then again, he had come home totally freaked out and in tears. Maybe his parents thought whatever he'd been through - that he still wouldn't tell them about - has been punishment enough.
Either way, because of said visiting relatives, Lorne's mother had gotten up and made a wholesome breakfast each and every morning for the past two and a half weeks. Sometimes it was pancakes and bacon, some times a hearty french toast, but each Saturday morning she made a big breakfast of biscuits, eggs, gravy, sausage and bacon. However, she realized that she didn't have the lard or flour for the gravy. Lorne, always an early riser, was sent to retrieve these items.
Luckily the small market on the corner of their street opened early to serve quick breakfasts to people stopping in on their way to work.
The sky was clear, but still dull. A faint pink was beginning to tinge the horizon as Lorne caught sight of the market's rusted old sign. The store really was old and in need of major renovations, but the eldely couple that owned it couldn't exactly afford to do that with today's economy. They'd just recently had to stop offering gas, and had the old gas pumps removed. It still made the place look odd. Lorne was so used to seeing them there, ever since his family had moved to Destiny City.
But the tanks in the ground, and the wholes where the gas trucks pumped the gas for the tanks were still there, and Lorne could have sworn that one of the metal covers had shook as he'd walked by...
His time as a cat had made him jumpy. He'd seen the monsters he had heard so much about when he was still small and fuzzy. That week had definitely opened his eyes. He watched the cover wearily as he passed by, and entered the store.
---
Lorne exited not long after with a brown paper bag containing the flour and lard. A conversation with the friendly old man at the counter had taken his mind off of....potential lurking Youma. So when the metal cover of the oil tanks flew off, and clear liquid shot out like a geyser, Lorne was taken completely off guard.
Clutching the back tighter to his chest, Lorne stood there, frozen to the spot, butter yellow eyes wide. The liquid, just barely visible now as a distortion in the air, shifted into a vaguely humanoid form. Very vague. The metal cover clashed to the ground with a loud clamor, drawing the elderly store-owner from the relative safety of said store.
"Whut's goin' on here!?"
The question snapped Lorne from his frozen terror and he rushed over to the man.
"Quick! You need to get back inside!"
"What about you? What is that thing?"
Lorne paused. He didn't know just what he was going to do, but he'd seen what these monsters can do. He thought. In truth, he didn't even know but a small fraction. But he knew the Youma wouldn't spare the old man or him. He knew he had to do something though.
"Don't worry. Just go!"
The man nodded, then hobbled as quick as he could back inside. Lorne looked back at the Youma which had seemed content to wait through their brisk conversation, but seeing the man flee, gave a 'scree!' and lunged. The door closed before the Youma could catch up to the man and it's body splashed against the glass.
"Hey! Right here! Leave them alone!"
The Youma's glowing eyes turned to Lorne as it recollected itself. So, this little boy wanted to play hero, did he? The Youma could tell that, at the moment, he was no more than a simple human. Easy pickings.
An empty, black, void-full grin spread across what could be assumed to be the other-wise clear beast's face. The Youma lunged and Lorne tried to jump out of the way, but tripped over his own two feet. It worked just as well though, and the liquid Youma splashed on the asphalt. Some of it sploshed onto Lorne's hand and sleeve. It burned through the fabric quickly, and on his hand the small drop started to create a blister. Lorne couldn't help but wince.
Once again the Youma recollected itself as Lorne got back to his feet, and once again it lunged, with more force this time. Lorne dropped back to the ground, knocking his breath out as he hit the ground. When the Youma hit the asphalt behind him, it left a 'dent.'
Lorne was beginning to think this was a bad idea. He wasn't doing anything but dodging. Badly.
Lorne looked around as the You recollected itself. Surely there was something that he could use against this barely-visible, liquid, monster! Evaporation wasn't looking like an option. He didn't have time to think long, and this time the Youma had switched tactics, taking advantage of its clear body. Against a brightening sky, it was almost invisible, save for a minute distortion. It floated high and circled him quickly and then attacked from behind, hitting Lorne in the back and knocking him forwards. Lorne lost his breath in the impact against the ground, and cracked his chin against it as well.
Lorne was barely conscious of his puffy vest being eaten through the the Youma's corrosive qualities. He cried out, and as he did, something appeared in the air just before his eyes.
It was a pen. A simple ball point pen.
Lorne couldn't explain why, perhaps in that moment he wasn't exactly in any position for rational thought, but transfixed, he reached out and grabbed the pen.
And he changed.
With the change the Youma seemed repelled, and let out another loud 'scree!' Lorne, no, Mont Blonc, Page of Saturn, rose unsteadily to his feet, staring down the Youma with an uncertain, naive, but determined, look in his eye. Now he could do something. Now he actually stood a chance. He didn't know how he knew, but for now he wasn't going to question it.
Lorne's bag of groceries had been discarded and the contents lay half out of it. Just what would the monster do covered in flour? It'd be easier to see, that's for sure...
The two of them maintained eye contact as Mont Blonc slowly stepped towards the bag. For a moment he broke eye contact so see just how close he was, and the Youma followed his eyes. And then 'hissed' at Mont Blonc, as if suspecting his plan and lunged.
Mont Blonc was quicker now though. He swiped the bag of flour and a second later the Youma crashed upon where it used to be. He used his pen and jammed it into the bag and pulled, 'slicing' it open and tossed it's contents towards the youma that was recollecting itself.
If a Youma could use emoticons, this one would have been gonk ing so hard now. It's body was now heavy, and that made it slower. It was obviously disorientated.
But Mont Blonc also didn't have any further plans. Sure, the Youma was more visible, and slower, but how was he to get rid of it for good?
But it didn't look like Lorne was going to have to worry about that, nor was he going to be getting a victory. Sluggishly the Youma was crawling towards the lid-less tank it had crawled out of. And Mont Blonc didn't know just how to stop it. He looked around wildly for the lid to that it couldn't return to its former hiding place, but it had been thrown somewhere he couldn't see.
And the Youma, with a sick sounding 'sluuuurip' fell down into the hole, beyond Mont Blonc's reach.
While he figured he could count this as some sort of victory, it felt empty. And now he was freaking out. What if he was stuck like this like he'd been stuck as a cat!? Oh no!! No no no no~! he was taking this moment to look himself over. These close, this simple looking pen.... Just what was he? He knew, in some odd way, who he was, but.... Oh, he was just so confused! First a cat, now a Page of Saturn!?
Mont Blonc took a rough seat on the ground and tried not to hyperventilate.
He eventually calmed down....sort of. And sat there thinking. Oh boy, how long had that taken? His mom was going to be irate. He imagined walking in the house and her going off on him. Oh, but he'd used the flour on that Youma! He was going to have to go buy another bag... But he should probably tell the elderly couple their store was... Well, was it really safe? For now it at least seemed that way...
When he finally focused back on reality, rather than having his mind in the clouds, He noticed he was himself again. And his back was cold... Oh yeah, the Youma had kind of eaten through his puffy vest... But he was himself again! Lorne jumped up, thrilled.
"I'm me again..."
Odd, but as thrilled as he was, a bit of himself was a little disappointed. Would he be able to become Mont Blonc again? How had he gotten back to normal in the first place?
Well, he figured he could worry about that later. Right now he had to go get more flour and get his butt home!
- fin -
