A Paladin and a Witch at the Zoo

Our story begins with a round fluffy corgi named Bratwurst being taken for a walk by a pair of humans at a zoo right outside New York. Being an energetic ball of fluff, Bratwurst zoomed ahead to look around, smelling pizza at the vending stalls.

"Bork! bork bork!" Bratwurst begins barking at a young lady standing in front on the Pizza vending machine. The girl was dressed like a witch, all black and wearing a hat, something about her just set the little stumpy dog off.

"HSSSS! MY PIZZA!" She retorted, clutching her pizza close away from this foul, fecund canine, showing just how unpleasant she could be to the dog.

*Whiiinne~* Bratwurst immediately regrets his decision and goes off to find his owners, who in turn found him first.

"Bratwurst, bad dog! We're sorry, Bratwurst is usually a friendly dog." The dog's owners came to pick him up, apologizing to the

"Hmph. He better be, else he'll end up a weiner!" Dabbler said, sneering at the dog as she found herself a bench to enjoy her pizza.

"...Look at the baboons, Bratwurst!" The owners distract their little dog with the sight of a baboon troop in their enclosure, snow collecting in the space and cold weather. The freezing baboons were doing baboon things, like eating fruits, scratching their red bums, grooming each other, or just walking around on all fours, trying to keep warm. The conditions were less than ideal, for sure.

All in all, a peaceful day at the zoo... so far.

A black limousine pulls up outside the zoo. "We're here, Mr. Glase," the driver says. Samuel, for a millionaire, isn't terribly over-dressed - he only wears suits when managing his company. For now, he's wearing a grey sweatshirt with a black blazer over it, black jeans and boots that are, you guessed it, black. The door opens, and he steps out, his dark blue hair contrasting his white skin and black clothing. People will likely recognize him immediately, but it really doesn't matter to him. He's fine with answering questions.

The thing is, Jessie won't be - he knows her. She said he needed a day off. So, he'll listen to her. He won't answer too much, and will just try to have a good time.

"Mr. Glase, are you sure this place is an ideal vacation spot?" the chauffeur asks. "I've heard this zoo in particular isn't the most...Well-kept."

"It's fine, Jeremy." With that, Samuel walks into the zoo. He's not sure what he expected - people turn and stare immediately, presumably recognizing him. Then, voices start speaking up.

"Is that Samuel Glase?"

"Oh my god, it's him!"

"MR. GLASE!"

This immediate recognition should have been expected, but Sam really didn't bring any security -he didn't think he'd need it, and besides that, he's always been pretty social. But this crowd? Not at all what he expected.

"Alright, everyone break it up, BREAK IT UP!" the limo driver shouts, approaching. "Mr. Glase is on his vacation, and he doesn't need to deal with a screaming mob on his vacation again."

"I'm fine with answering a few questions, but can you please give me your questions in a calm, orderly fashion?" With this, the crowd starts to calm a bit. They're still going nuts, but at least he can understand what people are saying now.

"What was the Paldium experiment about?"

"Are you single?"

"What was it like being caught in the destruction of New York?"

With a sigh, he begins answering questions.

As the day went on and people were divided between a famous rich guy and the zoo animals, and the teen witch focused on her pizza, trouble soon reared its ugly head when a baboon saw a leash handle dangling ever so within reach in their enclosure...

A scream of shock and a split second was all it took for hell to break loose. The inattentive dog parents were now in complete panic as their dog was pulled down into the enclosure.

"Bratwurst! NO!" the woman cried out.

The baboons did not take kindly to the mischief of their troop mate, and eyed the corgi with open hostility. The primates begin howling, quickly drowning out its barks of protests. Immediately two young, aggressive baboons begin chasing the corgi around in the enclosure, to the cheers of the monkeys and the horror of the crowd.

It was only a few minutes he was answering questions - after a minute or two, he grabbed some pizza, but kept answering. Most of these questions, he'd answered in the past - but one, he never got around to amongst the other questions. And it echoed in his mind.

"What was it like being caught in the destruction of New York?"

He never looked back at it since his parents' deaths were confirmed. He preferred to keep moving forward, with his life, this company...His more "behind-the-scenes" work, as well. But that one question made him start thinking back to it. After going into hiding, they were constantly on the move - they didn't let themselves get found, no matter what. They wouldn't stay in the same place more than a day, and they'd go in the opposite direction of the sound of destruction.

Then, someone's shout brings him back down to Earth.

"Bratwurst! NO!"

He turns to the source of the shout, and practically runs over. The woman is looking into an enclosure. He looks down, seeing the baboons, chasing after a corgi. Presumably, Bratwurst.

"Hold on, I'll get him," Samuel says. He practically leaps over the railing, barely landing on his feet, ten feet down, in the enclosure, grabbing the baboons' attention. With that, he runs, grabbing Bratwurst into one arm and holding onto him for dear life. He sees the baboons, now approaching him with open hostility. He then realizes he never let go of the pizza - he didn't notice Bratwurst trying to grab it until now.

"I know I'm not supposed to feed the animals, but it's for a good cause," the businessman quips. With that, he throws the pizza to the baboons. Bratwurst almost chased after it - however, he has a tight grip. With that, he takes off towards...A tree. He begins to climb, hoping the baboons would be more invested in the pizza than the two intruders in their den.

The crowd gasped as Sam bravely jumped into the enclosure of angry baboons, and there was a tense silence as the next few seconds unfolded. Some people were already moving to offer help.

"We got you! We got you!" The civilians, inspired by Sam's courage, were now helping him and Bratwurst to safety.

"...Oh no, behind you!" One of the angry baboons decided to go after the dog and Sam, having missed the pizza. Again, Bratwurst's long leash proved a hazard, and the baboon gripped hard as to not let Sam escape.

But before anything more could be done, Zoo staff arrive with a rifle. With a well aimed shot and a loud bang, the baboon holding the leash loses a piece of its head. The dead primate seizes up and falls with a sickening thump to the ground, its fellow baboons running and cowering in fear at the gun.

The violence that unfolded elicited a reaction from the usually indifferent witch. She moved to the railings, and peered down at the dead monkey. "...Hey, you didn't have to kill the monkey..." She murmured with sadness.

The crowd was divided on the issue.

"Why didn't they tranquilize him?"

"Just a stupid monkey... got what he deserved."

"The tranquilizer wouldn't work right away. Sam and the dog were in danger..."

"There's... no words. No words. No right or wrong."

Dabbler moved towards Sam, a sad look on her teen witch face, like looking for answers from him about what was right... or wrong.

A girl in a witch outfit was standing in front of him, not even a minute after everything that had happened - not even a minute after he let the dog go back to it's owner. He looks at her for a minute, then at the baboons, clenching his fists. It was bad and everything, sure, but couldn't they use tranquilizers, or shoot his arm to get him to let go, or...Something?

"I know what you're thinking..." he says, turning back towards the witch girl. "I'm upset about the monkey, too, but...I guess it wasn't my decision to make." With this, he sighs. Normally, he isn't this serious - at least, not unless he's at his..."Other" job. But everything that's transpired is playing back in his head, over and over.

Then, someone intervenes. She's carryin Bratwurst.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Glase! I don't know what I would have done if Bratwurst was left with those things," she says.

"No need to thank me, ma'am..." Sam says. "I was just doing what I felt was right."

A spark of twisted logic sparked in Dabbler as she watched the baboon troop slowly absorb what was going on. A few of the dead baboon's fellows, likely its closest mates in the troop, looked at their dead ape friend; Dabs wondered if their primitive minds realized this could be their fate if they too misbehaved. What made humans so much better than animals?

Dabbler looked around at all the animals here, confined to small cages, having seen better days. The Rhino, the bears, the big cats, the wolves... all in less than stellar conditions.

A few of the baboons began howling wildly at the zoo staff, trying to throw rocks or their own crap. He decided to antagonize them. "You wanna be next! YOU WANNA BE NEXT?!"

What happened next was quick. A puff of smoke where the witch stood a second ago, then the next Dabbler was down in the enclosure standing among the baboons. "LET'S EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD! GO MONKEYS YOU ARE FREEEEEEEE!"

Her voice, her influence stoked something in the beasts, as Dabbler opened a portal out of the enclosure. The baboons were initially frightened, but encouragement in the form of a tree spontaneously catching fire when Dabbler looked at it funny caused them to run for the portal.

Suddenly, the day at the zoo just became utter chaos. The troop of angry, hungry (Hangry?) baboons began flooding out on the zoo's main viewing level, the screaming and running humans causing them to rampage. People began running as fast as their feet could take them, to get away from these hungry baboons.

And Dabbler wasn't done. In another few seconds, she had freed the wolves and the big cats, who were panicking and looking for an out.

"HAHAAHAHHAHAHAHA! BE FREE FURRY FRIENDS!" Dabbler cackled, and was riding the Rhino by the time the zoo staff were on the scene, but they couldn't shoot, not with so many civilians around. A few vindictive baboons attack them, paying them back for their own...

In one minute a single dead monkey and a rescued dog turned into absolute chaos.

Animals are rioting across the zoo, rhinos, baboons, big cats...And the witch girl turned out to be an actual witch. She freed them, using some kind of magic.

He's not sure he'll ever get used to the craziness that is superhumans, and he's even one of them.

While everyone else is screaming and panicking while running in seemingly random directions, he comparatively quietly runs towards his limo, not saying a word. He arrives to see the door open and his chauffeur gone.

"Just what I needed...Nobody's around, everyone's getting out of here..." Removing his blazer, Sam searches his luggage in the back of the luxury car, eventually throwing together a makeshift costume out of a dark green hoodie and...A hockey mask. "Why did I bring this?" He guesses, he packed it by accident, but nonetheless, it helps him now. Now fully suited up, he hides his blazer in the suitcase, and puts it back into the back of his limo, before turning and facing the chaos ahead.

Not even stopping to acknowledge the citizens around him, he approaches the girl, putting on a more menacing, dark voice. A bright green, glowing spear forms in his hands, his eyes gaining a faint glow. He has a feeling she won't come quietly. He says only one word, pointing an accusatory finger at her with his free hand:

"You."

While Samuel was off changing, Dabbler was sticking it to the man, by setting fire to man's animal prisons. This only worsened the animals' panic, as they too were now trying to get away from the witch.

The Rhino Dabbler rode was trying desperately to be rid of the four armed unholy hellwitch. Rhino ran right under a tree, catching the witch on a branch, causing Dabbler's spree to end abruptly, causing her to land on her back.

When she sat up, a dark brooding vigilante had approached Dabbler amidst the chaos and gave her a stern pronoun.

"YEAH ME!" Dabbler already forgot about her animal-welfare fueled motivation, waving goodbye to her rhino. "COME ON JOIN ME! FREE THE BEASTS! SHOW THE HUMANS THEY DON'T OWN THE PLANET! WOOOOH!" Dabbler pumps her four arms, wondering if Samuel was here to rescue the animals.

"Are you insane?"

The hellwitch before him was not the kind, sweet seeming girl he had seen before. A demon stands before him, four arms, with a mad look in her eyes. She speaks about showing humanity they don't own the planet. She speaks as if she isn't human. She isn't. She's just a monster. And now she will be paid as a monster deserves.

"You have no idea what you've done here."  His dark, menacing tone sets him off from the kinder, more cheerful demeanor of his 'other self.' He stands before her, armed only with a spear. Is this really going to go down how he thinks? Or does she have more tricks up his sleeve? It doesn't matter to him. He will take her down, no matter the cost.

He's the Paladin.

And she is a witch.

With that, he throws the spear, another one appearing floating just above his left shoulder, his eyes flashing bright green behind the hockey mask on his face. He retains an intimidating position, hoping she'll be scared off. If not, things will have to escalate into a full-on battle - and he's not entirely sure the zoo could handle a super fight on top of everything.

Dabbler, not being the easiest to goad into a full-on fight, decided to punk Samuel. The witch deliberately walks into his warning shot, looking as though she had poor reflexes.

"Aaaauuuuhhh!" She let out an exaggerated cry of pain as the spear caught her in a fairly non-lethal spot. "He got me! It's getting dark... I feel weak..." She spins in place before keeling over. To complete her ruse, she shapeshifted into her 'normal' form, making it look to onlookers that Samuel just skewered a teenage girl in cold blood...

People began to take notice, even as they dodged animals.

"Oh god there's a killer on the loose!"

"Run away!"

"That little girl! Someone help the little girl!"

Within a minute, it turned from "facing down a demonic entity" to "a little girl is lying dead on the floor."

Sam approaches the body. What happened? Did he miss? Did the demon trick him into attacking, then surprise him by putting a civilian in harm's way? He looks down at the body. There appears to be a bit of blood, but not quite how much he's expecting. The people around him are panicking. They think this vigilante just killed someone in cold blood - not at all what he planned. He crouches down near the "corpse," deciding that it might not be dead - maybe she was just overreacting, or passed out from the pain.

Then, he notices. The spear hit her arm - nothing vital in the arm that could kill her. Not that he knows of, anyway.

"She shouldn't be dead - the spear only hit her arm," the vigilante says. "Where did it go?" He emphasizes 'it,' as to show that he wasn't aiming to hit a little girl..

The spear fades, but the vigilante doesn't stop to patch up the wound - he's got a witch-hunt to attend to, and a criminal to find.

Dabbler was a bit disappointed that the Paladin fell for the trick a bit too easily. Then again she'd probably be also disappointed if he saw through the ruse right away.

Her eyes suddenly opened and she burst out into a cackling grin. She sat up and dusted herself off, speaking to Paladin in a matter-of-factly attitude. "...Well, you're not exactly a good hero if you fall for this trick too easy!"

The voice immediately makes the Paladin turn back. It's her. The voice was the same as the one of the demonic entity that unleashed the animals. Another spear forms in his hand, his eyes flashing green once again, and he raises it into position. If she makes one wrong move, he'll throw.

"You're the one who did this," he states, scowling under his mask. He can't believe he fell for her trick. The witch before him is something he should have suspected wouldn't face him in a fair fight. But he won't let her get away this time. This time, she'll be brought to justice.

"Surrender yourself now or you won't be getting away with just an arm shot."

"Me? Surrender? Hmmm..." Dabbler contemplates her next move. The animals got their freedom and all, and some will probably be able to get back to the wilds. It didn't occur to the witch that now these animals would probably be put down.

"Okay. what'll come next though? Are you gonna call the police? Do I get thrown in jail? I've been to jail already, it wasn't very fun in there. People are making money off of imprisoning people and handing down really harsh sentences y'know. It's an unseen ill of our society. Do you know how much it costs to keep a criminal fed, clothed and healthy behind bars? Speaking of bars, would the animals be better off now? You know now that I think about it, the animals might get put down. Did you know the first zoo in america..." Dabbler's thought process ran wild and free, chatting up Sam on matters at hand and yet also going off on a tangent about the history of american zoos.