After a drink of water and some face washing, the four kids settled into the TV room, where Olivier's attention was taken away from the library to the strange toaster looking like machine hooked up to the TV.
"You wanna play?" Anne asked, as Marcy brought over some odd looking videos and Sasha picked up four very odd looking…grip plates?
"…Play?" Oliver asked. "You mean 'watch?'"
"Well, you can if you want." Sasha said. "But I think videogames are better played than viewed."
"What's a…video-game?" Olivier asked, his question making all activity in the house cease as the kids and Bee gasped at that question.
"…Where did you and your mom move from, again?" Bee asked.
Now, in a few years, a certain movie would come out. A movie that in the future, the Clawthrones would use as a short answer to where they had come from. That movie? M. Night Shalayan's 'The Village.'
But, since that movie was not yet out yet, Olivier remembered the cover story his mother had told him to use:
"Mom says it's not on any maps; the landowner pays off police to keep it that way. She says it was a cult compound and she was going to be made to marry the landowner, who she says would've made me work on his farm until I died. The closest town is Gravesfield, if that helps."
He said it with such an innocent like tone that it worried Bee and Oum…but it also made them respect the boy's mother for getting out of a nightmare.
"Your mom sounds like a hero!" Sasha beamed; not only was her new friend able to hold his own, but his mom too?
Olivier laughed at that.
"Don't call her that, she hates heroes…but yeah, she is cool."
As Anne took out a grey brick with a picture on it and put it into the toaster looking device, Marcy handed the boy a controller and began to explain what each button did.
"The A button is usually for jumping, B is usually for any attack…."
They started with a game called 'Mario Kart 64', with Olivier choosing to play as a princess like character (she kind of reminded him of his mom in those embrassing pictrues she made him swear never to mention) while Marcy chose a living mushroom, Sasha a dragon like character and Anne as red cap and blue overall wearing man with a moustache.
Olivier lost the first game, being awestruck by being control of the character he'd chosen and the many items and how they affected the races, along with the crazy race tracks, some of them seeming like they'd kind of fit into the Boiling isles.
But soon enough he was in second constantly and having the time of his life.
"We got even more at my house!" Sasha beamed. "Spiderman, James Bond, Super Mario, Superman, a few fighting games…!"
Oum then clapped her hands togetehre.
"Okay, girls and boy! Time for Thai go!"
Anne, Sasha and Marcy excitedly raced to the Boonchuy van, but Olivier stayed for a moment, wordlessly asking the Thai woman about what the plan for him was.
"Not to worry, Olivier." Oum cooed as she offered the boy a hand. "Bee called the motel and gave them our number and address. Your mom will know were to find you. And if not, we can drop you off. For now? I imagine you're hungry for a little more than khao niew bing?"
Olivier's stomach suddenly growled; the little roll of rice, coconut and leaves had been devlious, but he would like something more…filling.
So, he took Oum's had and let her lead him into the van and to the resteaunt.
OWLPHIBIA
Meanwhile, Eda was taking a 30 milisecond break to catch her breath.
She'd stormed through half of LA, and still no sign of Ollie! Where could he be?!
"Maybe we'll both get to stay!" She heard, recomngizing the voice. Seeing now one was around, she reached into her hair and pulled out King.
"How long have you been in there?!"
"The minute you stormed out of the room." King answered. "I'm not staying with Hooty! Not agfter what happened last time!"
Ever since Ollie came along, Hooty seemed convinced that Eda was going to get rid of either him or King. So, the former house demon had decided to try and make the choice for her whenever both she and Oliver were not around. To be fair, he had not come close to succedding, but in this new setting? King was taking no chances.
Eda, not having the energy or care to deal with this, groaned as she dropped the little monster onto the groud and placed another missing poster on the becnh. She briefly got lost in the picture of her little boy; his mismatched eyes, cute smile….
Which quickly morphed into a fearful, sobbing face as she envisioned him in the clutches of some kind of creep, whimpering for her.
And with btaht, the Owl lady decided to quote:
'Screw the rules, I have magic and my son needs me!'
Manifesting Owlbert to her side she then spun a magic circle gthat covered the entirety of the cityl, focusing on the image of her son…
"Weh!"
Concentration broken, Eda glared at King.
"What?!"
"I'm hungry."
Stifling a shriek, Eda rose he staff to bonk the little monster…but held herself back.
"You know, the only reason we're out here is because you didn't try to keep an eye on your brother."
"He's not my brother, he's adopted!" king snapped.
"You are too!" Eda groaned, before her stomach growled.
"ha!" King cackled, only for his resolve to weaken when Eda picked him up and smirked, saying.
"You get the leftovers."
She then stiffed him back into her hair and entered the first place she saw that ahd 'resteraunt' on its sign….
OWLPHIBIA
Thai Go was buzzing; many orders coming in and many of the Thai community coming to celeberate the resteraunt;s second anniversary.
Ned was there, of course, practically speaking poetry of how delicious the food was as Sasha's father delightfully listened to his daughter regailed how she and Olivier had bested the bullies at the park.
"Thanks for watching my little girl's back, Ollie." Mr. Waybright smiled, already liking the boy for his bravery and comical way of humiliating the bullies.
Marcy's parents were similarly grateful for the boy, and delighted when he and Marcy began to taste and compare all the food, along with what instruments made up the music playing on the CDs.
Suddenly, the bell chimed
"Hi, welcome to Thai Go!" Bee smiled then tensed:
The newcomer was a tall shapely woman with pale skin and golden eyes with red hair. Hair and eyes that resembled his daughter's newest friend. Could she be?
"Hi." The woman managed, scanning the menu. "I'll take a…Paddy Sow You? D-did I say that right?"
"Close. Pad Sew Ew." Bee smiled. "Wou;ld you like seat? We got one last table."
Eda accepted the offer, but before she sat down, she added.
"Do you mind if I put up this poster?"
It was a missing poster, with Olivier's face on it. Now secure in his choice, Bee smiled and mkotioned Eda to sit down while he put the poster up. He narrowly avoided being tripped by the four now hyper children, managing to stop Olivier and show him the poster.
"Do you know who that lady is?" Bee asked, pointing to Eda, now downing an entire pitcher of water (she was NOT used to California heat!) and ignoring Ned's attempts to flirt with her.
The little boy gasped and beamed!
"That's my mommy!" Olivier cheered, making Anne, Sasha and Marcy pause and get a good look at the woman…just as, hearing that voice and tuning everything else out, Eda nonchalantly tossed Ned over her shoulders and into a wall, rather comically, as she ran to her son and picked him up.
"Ollie!"
"Mama!" Olivier beamed as he hugged his mother, tears escaping his eyes. "I'm sorry! I thought I could sneak back before you got on the phone…."
Eda simply peppered her baby boy's face with kisses, gently shushing him until he calmed down before asking in warm, patient tone:
"Sweetheart. First rule of a new area?"
"Stakeout and know the best times and route first." Olivier sighed. "Sorry, mama."
Eda just smiled and nuzzled her son's nose and spying his three new friends staring at her in awe.
"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt, sweetheart. Still…No TV for two days."
"That's fine with me, that Pokemon show is bad anyways." Oliver smiled.
Eda frowned, having expecting her little boy to be dismayed, but considering what she;d pickeed up on while on the phone? Yeah, she didn't fault him for that:…Why would you care about a creature that could only say its namem, regardless of how powerful it was?
Ah well. Not her problem
"Meantime…" the owl lady smiled. "Why don't you tell me who these nice people and your cute little friends are?"