[Continued from Teary Edge; I have ChibiGingi’s permission to puppet Buddingtonite/Richard into the shop.]

Krishna heard the explosion before anything else. It jerked him out of his sleep and sent him stumbling from the nest of blankets he constructed every night in his office. Bleary-eyed, he ran into the corner of his desk and cursed as he groped for the light switch. He slipped on his shoes but did not take the time to dress, for it sounded like the disturbance had come from across the street--more specifically, from the direction of The Sugar Shanty. He had no way of knowing whether or not his friend had decided to stay late, and concern mixed with adrenaline fueled him to go find out quickly.

When the florist emerged, it was everything he had feared and more. The severe damage to the sweets shop was immediately apparent, broken wood and glass shining in the streetlights. He ran closer, feeling the hair on his legs and arms stand up against the sudden chill. Ice, coated with ice…which led off in a trail to a youma in the distance. Of more immediate concern was the sight of the crushed red car, which indicated that his partner was here and possible inside. Krishna ran towards it, shouting with more emotion “Richard? RICHARD?!”

No answer. No indication of a person inside the car. No cellphone with which to call the police or an ambulance because he was in a t-shirt and boxers. He was a man of action, however, and he quickly went to remedy this handicap. He wondered about the youma as he sprinted across the street. Had the creature gone mad like a mirror wraith and attacked Richard? Or had a Senshi come and Buddingtonite appeared to stand against it? From here, there was no way to tell, and he would not be going closer immediately. If his partner was hurt then he needed to secure backup first.

As he slid through the door of his shop, he had never been more thankful that he had decided to continue paying for a land line. He punched the numbers for 911 and tried to keep his terse voice calm. If he shouted, they would be inclined to think him panicking and perhaps exaggerating his plight. “There has been an attack on Sugar Shanty on Easy Street. I am Krishna Dhawan, from across the street. My friend, Richard Moreau, is missing. His car is still outside. Hurry.”

Call made, he hung up the phone and went back outside. At first, he intended to power up, if only to get closer to the battle that would inevitably occur around the creature. If Richard had powered up, then that was where Buddingtonite would be. By the time he returned, however, the youma was gone. A pile of wet ash was all that remained, and a Senshi coated in it was getting away. Likely due to the sounds of sirens already nearing the vicinity. But more important was the Negaverse officer who suddenly teleported at the entrance of the flower shop.

Krishna should have relaxed at this point. His partner, his friend, was safe, for now. The sirens and accompanying authority figures had scared off the Senshi, but there would be time for revenge later. What he saw instead only made him further agitated. Tears streaming from candy apple eyes that were otherwise devoid of luster. The sight of police up the road, currently occupied with the youma remains… but who would surely come soon. The florist pulled his partner into the shop and shut the door behind them. Buddingtonite needed to disappear so that Richard Moreau could answer inevitable questions.

Word Count: 599

[Continued in Thaw]