HAT: Inspiration and motivation are fickle things, but I managed to squeeze another chapter out. I hope that you enjoy, soon it'll pick up, I promise. For now, have a bit of patience with me.

Disclaimer: I don't anything but the plot.

Stanley pushes his way through the throngs of creatures, cursing under his breath the entire time. He'd been so careful to make sure no one was watching him when he hid his brother and hid in in a way that would make him easily missed. How could his brother be gone after only fifteen minutes?!

He looks frantically for anything that would look suspicious- watching him closely and hoping to avoid him. The first place he goes to is the fabric shop where the shop owner wanted his brother in exchange. It wouldn't surprise him if the thing found out he stole some goods and pursued him to collect payment. When he nears he sees the place is being closed like most of the stores in the market place. That does''t detour him- he has to find his brother whether he liked it or not (what would their mother say?).

"Hey, hey, hey!" Stanley shouts and then slams his hand on the table and glares up at the alien creature. "Where's my brother?"

The shopkeeper makes a series of grunts and whirring noises and Stanley's nose wrinkles with frustration. How is this supposed to work if he can't understand him?!

Several moments later the shopkeeper makes what he can only assume to be a frustrated noise that sounds oddly like a broken whirring of a machine before he holds out a simple leather bracelet- nothing special about it from what he can see. When Stanley doesn't take it, it takes his arm and puts it on him.

"Hey! What're you doing?!" He demands.

"Helping you out," comes the gruff reply in a male's voice.

Stanley blinks and stares up at the creature in shock. "What? D-did you just speak english?"

"No, but your translator allows you to understand my language."

Stanley looks down at the simple bracelet and finds ruins carved into it. Strange...

"You were asking where your brother is? The one you were carrying on your back earlier, right?"

"Yeah, do you know where he is?" Stanley asks frantically, fingers tapping on the strange dark purple wood under his fingers.

"No clue. Haven't seen him since you walked by with him."

Stanley stares up at it- him- with wide eyes and grips the wood so hard that he gets splinters. "What the hell do you mean you ain't seen 'im?"

"Ain't?"

"Haven't," Stanley corrects in exasperation.

"I mean what I say. Doesn't your species have this concept?"

Stanley growls quietly under his breath and backs away from the counter. "Kinda..."

Before he can take off and run, a three fingered hand grabs his shoulder and he jerks away and looks up at the shopkeeper. "Be careful. Rare beings such as yourself will be Taken and added to someone's Collection. Be wary of Chyksavs."

"What's a Chykskav?" Stanley questions.

"Chyksav," he corrects and then pulls out a sketch and holds it out. "Looks like this."

Stanley looks down at the sketch and it looks like a dark mass in a vague alien form.

"Chyksav change forms, but you can always tell one by it's left eye- it will always be the color of the sky."

"Always be the color of the sky... I'll keep that in mind. Do you know where these... Collectors would be?"

"The tavern located in the center of town will be the best place for information."

Stanley nods and then begins to make his way to the tavern that he saw earlier.

Damn it, Ford, you'd better not be dead or somethin', Stanley thinks while making his way through the creatures to the center of the city.

This is a lot of work for someone that tried to take out his eyes, but this is his brother whether he likes it or not and he's the only other person in this world that's familiar in any way... even if he's practically a stranger after so many years.

Stanley stops a few yards from the tavern and takes a deep breath.

There is one of two options. One he figure out where this Chyksav is holding his brother before it finds him and fo break his brother out or he purposefully lets it capture him and gets himself and his brother out. Either one is sketchy and doesn't have high chances of working. There's a chance there are multiple and they're like bounty hunters- working against each other to get as much money from capturing as many creatures as possible.

He's always been a man of risks, so this is one he's willing to take to get his brother back.

With a deep breath, he makes his way into the tavern.

HAT: I know the top thing was the same for Pacifica Pines, but... man, when inspiration's with me, motivation ain't and vice versa. I've got big plans for this series- maybe a little too big- but I've got plans.

Robbie: What're you doing to these guys?

HAT: Don't... don't question it.

Robbie: Tch, whatever. Review, I guess.