Veda and Gale are talking offpanel. First an establishing shot (of the second hand store they're going to, though the readers don't know it yet), and then we move to the interior of the store. During Veda and Gale's conversation, they narrate while Gimmal passes through the rift in the store. The dialogue and visuals are supposed to work hand in hand.

Veda: "Have you traveled Gale?"

Gale: "I've been around."

Veda: "That's all you ever say."

Gale: "If you want me to be specific you'll have to narrow it down."

Veda: "Okay, have you ever traveled through a rift?"

Gale: "Yes."

Veda: "To where?"

Gale: "To many places."

Veda: "You're going to take me in circles all night, aren't you?"

Gale: "Probably."

Veda: "Tell me what a rift is, Gale."

Show the rift site, it's throwing sparks.

Gale: "A rift is a portal to another world that occurs when one world grazes another and the ethereal flow, what we like to call magic, is interrupted."
"It is a natural passageway from here to there."

Veda: "Can something from the other side come here?"

Gale: "Many things from the other side already have."

Veda: "What kind of things?"

Gale: "Big things, little things. Some are insignificant, and some were never to meant to be here."

Veda: "Bad things?"

The rift site has been throwing sparks, this is the moment when Gimmal passes through. (Light show!)

Gale: "Sometimes. Sometimes the passage of a living thing from one world to another is so shattering that it alters the space around it."

Veda: "Alters?"

Gale: "Rifts are very disruptive by nature. A strong enough force passing through can tear a rift. And when a rift tears, it produces a backlash of energy that magically charges the things around it."

Veda: "What does that do?"

Gale: "When something is magically charged it becomes a source of energy, sometimes that energy has to be let out, and when magic is let out with no one to tell it what to do, the realm of possibilities is really without boundries."
"Anything can happen."

Gale and Veda sitting in the back of the van. Marv is driving, Cara is riding shotgun, Cara leans around the seat and eyeballs Veda, who is sitting with her cheeks propped up on her hands.

Cara: "Why are you asking him questions about a bunch of crap you already know?"

Veda: "I like to hear his voice."

Cara: "Eww."

Gale hunches over his cane and pretends he's not hearing them.

Marv: "That is a little eww."

Gale: "I can hear all three of you."

The van stops suddenly and Gale and Veda are thrown in the back of the seats.

They're getting up, Cara grips her seat belt and squints at both of them.

Cara: "That is exactly why I told you two to wear your seatbelts."

Veda shoots up, feathers ruffled and barks at Marv.

Veda: "Why did you stop?"

Marv: "Look at the lights."

The lights on their block are going on and off, the three youngest look out the front window and Gale is rubbing his head in the background. Marv has stopped the van at a street light, which is blinking out of control, there are other cars around and traffic is mild but backed up.

Cara: "They're going on and off. I wonder what got that started."

Marv: "You got me, but I'm not going anywhere until the street light works again."

The lights return to normal and traffic begins to resume.

Cara: "They've stopped, go before they start again."
"It's probably just water getting into the lines, the rain around here almost never cuts up."
"It's got to be getting in somewhere."

Marv drives again and Gale and Veda sit back down.

Cara: "So where we headed?"

Marv: "There's a Second Hand store on Kemp that's been reporting activity for a couple of months."

Cara: "That long?"

Marv: "Yeah. It's pretty insignificant. We were saving it for a day when there wasn't much else to do."
"I thought it would be a good opportunity for Veda to get her feet wet."

Veda: "Get my feet wet? What does this mean?"

Marv: "It means get you accustomed to your job. I wouldn't want to send you to a rift that you can't handle on your first try."
"This is a dangerous line of work, so we're gonna start soft and work up to the bigger stuff."

Cara: "That's still a long time to let one sit."

Veda: "Why does that matter?"

Marv: "It's just like Gale explained, sometimes things come through. If you let one stick around for too long there's always a chance that something from the other side could fall through."

Marv: "There are a lot of uncharted worlds out there. You never know what could be waiting around the bend."
"Here's our stop."

Marv pulls up in front of the Second Hand Store.

Marv hands Cara the key to the back door.

Marv: "Here's a key, use the back door. We'll wait for you on the corner."

Veda opens the back of the van and steps out, Gale stays in the car and looks at Cara and Veda (Cara has moved around to the back of the van).

Gale: "Be careful girls. A rift is a rift, even if it's small."

Cara, grumpily: "I hear ya."

Veda: "Will do!"

-----
Cara and Veda (an anthromorphic bluejay) enter through the back door of the second hand toy store. There are old toys, appliances and other objects strewn about in a much-perused fashion. It should look eerie. They both have flashlights.

Cara: "Here we are."

Veda: "This is it? A toy store? I would not expect to find rifts here."

Cara: "Inter-dimensional gateways show up in all kinds of places. Nothing in the books says second hand toy stores should be exempt."

Veda: "I think they should be exempt. Toys are for children."

Cara: "Yeah, well, nature doesn't care."
"Help me find a light switch."

Veda: "If you say please."

Cara: "Please."

They move in opposite directions and look in and around the piles of merchandise.

Cara: "It's weird."

Veda: "What is?"

Cara: "That I haven't seen a single mouse."

Veda: "A single live mouse."

Cara: "What?"

Veda: "I've found a dead one, and I'm going to eat it."

Veda picks a mouse off the table and puts it in her mouth. She eats it, Cara looks disgusted.

Cara: "Eww, Veda."

Veda: "What? I am a bluebird, and cousin to the crow. Eaters of the dead."

Cara: "That's gross."

Veda: "That's supper."

Cara: "Whatever."

Veda: "Do you suppose there could be creatures here? Like Gale said?"

Cara: "That doesn't happen very often. I wouldn't worry about it."
"It doesn't hurt to be careful though."

They sweep their lights around.
Cara thinks she sees something to the side but doesn't catch it with her light. (Benny shaped movement to the side)

Veda: "Something wrong, Cara?"

Cara: "No. The toys in this place cast funky shadows, it's kind of unnerving."
"Have you found a lightswitch yet?"

Veda: "No luck!"

Cara shines her light around, then up at the cieling. The lights have dark edges.

Cara: "Hmm."
"Nevermind, look up, the lights are blown."

Veda: "I see that. The power must still be out here."

Cara: "Must be."
"Come on, this place is making me uncomfortable and I wanna hurry this up and get out of here."

Veda: "You are afraid?"

Cara: "No."

Veda makes a silly womanly gesture.

Veda: "Then you're just in a hurry."
"You have a hot date, yes? Have you told him you have a tail and close rifts for a living?"

Cara: "NO. I have to go grocery shopping and I'd like to do it before ten, before the weirdos start coming out."

Veda: "Fair enough, mon ami!"

They separate.
Cara moves into the store and steps on a dead mouse. There are dead mice littering the floor.

Cara: "Hey Veda! I found more dead mice."
"You could get fat snacking in this place."
"Veda?"

Cara looks up but sees nothing, she moves on.

Cara: "Dumb bird."

Cara: "I smell something burning."

Cara steps over rubble and eventually shines her light on what remains of The Timbly Tundra book, then moves on. There is much clutter and a lot of partially burned merchandise.

Cara: "I think there was a fire."

Cara: "There's a lot of burnt stuff over..."
"Here..."

Cara has found the site, she is shining her light on it. The site is up against the wall and has melted the things around it, there is a vertical warped line going down the hall where it appears energy was forced up. Cara looks disturbed, she approaches.

Cara: "Oh my god."

Cara: "Something happened. I think the rift ruptured, everything around it is burned."
"Or melted."

Cara: "We better call this one in and get the hell out of here, it's out of our league."

Something clutters and Cara whips around, it's Benny picking up a book (The Timbly Tundra) in a hurry. Cara shines her light at him. He darts behind some things. She gets a partial look at him, he hunkers down behind an isle and holds his book. Cara looks surprised.

Cara: "Hey!"
"Who the hell are you?"

Benny says nothing.

Cara: "What did you pick up?"

Veda screeches from off panel. Cara turns her attention in that direction. She seems torn.

Cara: "Veda?!"

She looks at Veda, then to Benny, then reluctantly retreats.

Cara: "Don't you move. You better be here when I get back."

Cara leaves to find Veda.
Cara:
"Veda!"

Change scenes, Gale and Marv are in the van. Marv sits up and they both look surprised to hear the screech.

Marv: "Did you hear that?"

Gale: "I did, go check on them."
"I'll be right behind you."

Marv gets out of the van and runs toward the store.

Switch scenes to the inner toy store, Cara is still looking around.

Cara: "Veda? Answer me damn it."

Cara: "You better not be pulling my leg. I'm not in the mood for this shit."

Cara moves away from the rift and looks for Veda.

Cara: "Veda!"

Cara: "Ve-!"

She shines her light down an isle and stops. Veda is laying down the isle in a heap and there are a few doolves around her. One has blood on it's muzzle.

Cara: "Oh no."

Another doolf comes from the side and attacks Cara. It has her by the ankle and knocks her over on the floor. Cara tries to tug her leg away. She gets to her feet and grabs the doolf by the scruff of it's neck and an ear. They are still struggling.

Cara: "She better not be dead."

Cara repeats, she is changing shapes.

Cara: "She better not be dead."

Shy-dog: "Because death is all I can think about and I'm a much bigger dog than you."

Shy-dog appears and she and the doolves fight (there should only be around four or five. Shy-dog, in her fury, does away with two in a hurry but appears to have trouble with the remaining three. A shelf collapses on what remains of them and pins the other two plus shy-dog. The last runs away. Shy-dog angrily watches and tries to unpin herself.

Marv and Gale show up and Marv does to Veda. Gale goes to shy-dog and helps lift off the shelf while she struggles to go after the doolf.

Shy-dog: "DON'T YOU RUN AWAY. I'm not done with you!"

With Gale's help, Shy-dog wriggles free and pursues the doolf outside. Gale talks after her.

Gale: "Carol! Let it go!"

Shy-dog persues, she catches it in the street but is confronted by traffic. A passing car hits the doolf after shy-dog jumps away and hides in an alley on the opposite side of the road. She watches the crowd gather and grimaces angrily.

Shy-dog: "Damn."

She remembers.

Shy-dog: "Veda."

Shy-dog retreats back to the toy store.

"I'm coming back for you mon ami."

Shy-dog reenters the toy store. She looks at the rift site, Benny is gone.
She looks at Veda. Marv and Gale are already on sight. Marv is comforting Veda, who is alive and ruffled.

Veda: "I was alone."
"I was alone and I didn't know what to do."

Shy-dog looks relieved, for a moment.

Shy-dog: "She's alive!"

Gale and Marv look up, though not judgementally. It's a sad moment.

Shy-dog's mood changes after she realizes her actions.

Shy-dog: "Oh my god."
"She's alive."
"And I left her alone."

Zoom out, Gale and Marv are with Veda, Shy-dog hangs her head from a distance.

Shy-dog: "I'm so sorry."

End scene 1.

Cara and Joan are in Joan's office. Joan is a thin curly haired young man with a messy office. He looks stressed. By the appearance of his office it's safe to assume he's always stressed. Cara's sitting on the corner of the desk.

Joan: "Veda's alive. Barely."

Joan: "I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm glad you both left alive, but you're not excused."

Joan: "What the HELL were you thinking? People took pictures of you with their cellphones. I have pictures of you floating around the public that I can't explain."

Cara looks at him grumpily. Joan looks back.

Cara: "They look blurry."

Joan: "And why are you sitting on my desk? There's a chair right there. Get off my desk."

Cara: "No, I like this spot."

Cara doesn't move.

Joan looks aggravated (justifiably so).

Joan: "This is EXACTLY why I can't get anyone to work with you, you're intolerable."

Cara: "Veda seems to like me fine."

Joan: "Veda was the only one."

Cara: "IS the only one."

Joan: "She's out on sick leave."
"Tell me, who the hell am I supposed to pair you with now?"

Cara: "I'll go by myself."

Joan: "It doesn't work that way. If either one of you had been alone last night we'd have a dead scout on our hands."

Joan: "That building is condemned now. And thanks to you the street next to it is swarmed with law enforcement so we can't do anything about the rift until they clear out."

Cara: "OKAY, I screwed up. I admit it, what do you want me to do about it?"

Joan: "You left Veda alone. Did you think to stop and check to see if she was alive? No, you went after that thing and caused a major accident."

Cara: "That's too far Joan."

Joan: "The truth hurts."

Silence.

Joan: "I'm suspending your license for thirty days."
"If things don't improve next time I may take it away permanently."
"Give me your license and leave my office quietly or I'll make it sixty days."

Cara pulls out her wallet and starts to withdraw her license.

Cara: "Fine, take it."

Cara leaves the office and thumps Joan's degree off the wall as she's leaving.

Cara: "I'll treat it like a vacation."

Joan: "Cara!"

Cara shuts the door behind her and meets Rublu in the hall.


--------------------------


Cara stands in the hall and stews for a moment, Rublu (her cat) is sitting in a chair off to her side. She looks at him and appears aggravated, but the aggravation subsides when she addresses Rublu.

Cara: "You heard that?"

Rublu: "I heard the suspension part."

Cara's aggravation completely subsides and she rubs her head, looking guilty.

Cara: "I lost my temper."

Rublu hops off the chair and climbs her shoulder as she's walking away.

Rublu: "Gale left a message, he wants you to meet him in the library. He didn't say why."

Cara: "Great."

Rublu: "Hey, before we go to the library, can we do one thing first?"

Cara: "Like what?"

Rublu smiles: "Can we eat?"

Cara, as they're progressing down the hall.

Cara: "Your stomach is a black hole."

-----------

They enter the library and Cara says hello to Marv, a few steps after greeting him, she trips over Vicky. Vicky is laying in the middle of the hall on a tremendous pile of books.

THUMP.

Cara: "Vicky!"

Vicky hasn't budged.

Vicky: "What?"

Cara: "Do you have to build your nest in the middle of the hall?"

Vicky: "Yes. Thish is where all the good air condishfuning ish."
"Why are you looking at me likesh that?"

Cara: "Nothing."
"Where's Gale?"

Vicky: "In the back."

Cara and Rublu walk away.

Rublu: "Do you think he realizes he talks like a third grader or does he just not care?"

Cara: "He thinks he's pronouncing it right."
"I should say he thinks because he says it the way he does, the rest of the world should say it that way too."

Gale appears from around the corner, he's next to a shelving hook with a ruler on it, just to indicate his height.

Gale: "That's how -all- gryphons think."

Cara: "There you are."

He sits on a cart. Cara sits with him.

Gale: "They're vain, stubborn, and they think the rest of the world ought to praise them for it."
"The black on Vicky's beak is almost gone, he'll be twice as ornery when he thinks he's an adult."
"Kind of like a big house cat."

Cara: "Why'd you adopt one?"

Gale: "I think I secretly hate myself."

Rublu switches shoulders and pesters Gale from his.

Cara: "So what do you want?"

Gale: "Joan was just singing in my ear about your suspension."
"But that's not really what I'm curious about. You never went to see Veda after you came back."

Rublu paws at Gale's jacket, Gale gives him a cracker out of his pocket.

Cara: "Her family was in the room, I didn't want to interrupt. So I figured I'd stop by later."
"How was she?"

Gale: "Good, considering the circumstances. I think you've missed your chance though. They've all packed up and gone home and Veda went with them."
"I think she wanted to see you before she left."

Cara: "I guess I'll just have to send her a card."

Gale: "Guess so."

Gale: "She doesn't hold it against you, you know."

Cara: "Jeez! Do you HAVE to pry?"

Gale: "Yes."

Cara: "Why do you do that?"

Gale: "Do what? I'm just making an observation."

Cara: "I messed up big time."

Gale: "You messed up. Live and learn."

Cara: "Peh."

Gale: "Something else on your mind?"

Cara: "I don't think I'm cut out for this anymore."

Gale: "I thought you liked being a scout."

Cara: "I did, but it's kind of lost it's color."

Gale: "Oh?"

Cara: "It feels pointless. We go out, find a rift and close it."
"We don't even close it really, we can't. we just stunt it's growth and leave it. By next week there's five more and the other ones have broken through their restraints."

Cara: "We're also blocking passage for creatures from other world's who can't get home because the rift they entered through has been restrained."

Cara: "I don't know if that's worth it."
"Last night just made things worse. I've lost my temper before but when I saw Veda on the floor, I really lost it."

Gale: "Understandable."
"You thought she was dead, I'm not condoning it, but what happened is what happened."
"Veda knew the risk."

Cara: "And I saw something else at the rift site."

Gale: "What did you see?"

Cara: "A person. Or a thing. Those dog things probably came out of the rift. I think something else did too and I never got a chance to bring them back to the agency, they were gone by the time I got back to the building."
"Now my license is supsended so I can't do anything about it."
"That's one more person wandering the streets with no way home."

Gale: "Not necessarily."

Cara looks up.

Gale: "Your license is suspended, but no one said you can't revisit the neighborhood."

Gale looks up and shrugs, folding his arms behind his head.

Gale: "Your review is gonna have so many dents in it now I don't think it's really going to matter."

Cara: "Are you trying to tell me to break the rules?"

Gale starts to get up, sliding off the cart and holding his hip like it hurts. He grunts.

Gale: "Me? No."

He moves to walk away with his cane.

Gale: "I'm just making another observation."

Gale walks away and Cara and Rublu are left in the isle alone. They look at each other quietly.

Rublu dorky smiles.

Rublu: "Does this mean we're gonna have an adventure?"



-----------

End Scene 2

Establishing shot of second hand store.

Cara jimmies a window open at the shop and shines her light inside, Rublu is perched on her shoulder.

Rublu: "Spooky."

Cara: "Tell me about it."

Rublu: "Stuffed animals do get a certain deranged quality when the lights go out."

They continue into the shop and Cara flips on her flashlight. They are in the back storage area (this is where they enter).

Rublu: "What about the dog things that were here last night?"

Cara: "I read the report, I'm pretty sure they're all gone."

Rublu: "You mean dead?"

Cara: "Yes Rublu, dead. I really lost my temper. I'm not proud of it."

Rublu's attention drifts and he's about to put a mouse hanging off a shelf in his mouth. Cara stops him.                                                   

Cara: "Don't you dare."

Rublu: "Pff, buzz kill."

He leaves the mouse where it is.

Rublu and Cara move into the store and eventually come upon the rift site. It is still in ruin.

Rublu: "Jesus."

Cara: "Kind of sends a chill down your spine doesn't it?"

Rublu: "I've never seen one do that much damage. What do you think made it rupture?"

Cara: "Who knows. Whatever happened, it blew the lights, tore a hole through the ceiling, and killed a lot of mice. That's a lot of energy in one place."
"I bet those dogs came through it too."

Rublu: "Funny."

Cara: "What?"

Rublu: "Most creatures don't survive a trip through a normal rift. Aren't you a little surprised a whole pack of pink-eared sissy dogs survived a trip through this one?"

Cara: "I'm bewildered, honestly."

Cara: "It killed all these mice but the dogs were fine."

Rublu: "You think they were special?"

Cara: "Pff, no. They didn't stop bleeding because they were special."

Cara looks at the floor and stops her light on some pages.

Rublu: "What's that?"

Cara shines her light over the rift, there are creatures (of some small and undesigned sort) eating merchandise that's laying on the floor.

Cara: "I have no idea."

Cara thrusts her foot at it and it goes away.

Cara: "Looks like a hedgehog."

Rublu: "It was eating a book page."

Cara shines her light on the page.

Cara: "Huh."

She shines her light around.

Cara: "There were a lot more of these earlier. They were everywhere. There was a lot more junk here period."

Rublu: "Think it's been eating it all?"

Cara: "Naw, there was too much of it."

Cara looks down at the page and signs her light at it thoughtfully, there is a picture of Benny on it.

Rublu: "What?"

Cara: "Nothing."

Cara folds it up to stick in her pocket.

Rublu: "If it's nothing then why are you putting it in your pocket?"

Cara: "Quit being snoopy."

Cara looks around again, then sighs.

Cara: "Whoever it was, they're not here anymore."
"Let's go, I don't like being in the same room as this thing."

Cara sweeps the light along the shelves and across the toppled one where herself and the doolf were pinned. She shines the light on the floor at a puddle of blood and moves on.

They head back toward the window.

Rublu: "So what's the plan?"

Cara: "We can walk the block but if we don't find anything I guess we go home."

Cara: "If they're gone they're gone. I don't think there's going to be much hope of finding them if they're not here."

Crawling out the window.

Rublu: "Can we stop for a hotdog first?"

Rublu looks at Cara, she appears distracted and is shining her light elsewhere.

Rublu: "What?"

Cara's light on the back door of a grocery store, it sits up.

Cara: "That door is open."

They move toward the door and Cara investigates the side. It has claw shaped dents (GARGOYLES HOMAGE). She runs her finger along it and they go inside.

Rublu: "I hope you know what you're doing. Something bigger than dogs could have come out of that hole."

Cara: "That's exactly why we're going to find out what it is."

Cara shines her flashlight around and reveals the interior of the store. There are indications that they are in the storage area of a grocery store. After more investigation, they move toward the front of the store where the stocked shelves are. The only light beside's Cara's flashlight comes from the frozen meats row.

Cara: "I don't see anything. You think they already left?"

Rublu: "Who is they exactly? We might just be interrupting a couple of hungry hobos."

Cara: "You smell that?"

Rublu: "Smell what? What's the ole dog nose picking up?"

Cara: "It smells like moldy cotton candy."

A shadow crawls along the floor in their direction. Cara notices it and whips around. We don't see what casts the shadow. Rublu and Cara gasp.

End Chapter 1


Begin Chapter 2

Establish shot.

Open on the same scene. Cara and Rublu face their unknown adversary and both gasp loudly.
Benny stands in front of them with arms full of half-eaten food and opened products, he looks like a deer in deadlights. He obviously didn't mean to bump into them.

Cara: "YOU'RE HUGE. And pink."

Rublu: "And blue, and purple."

Cara looks at him funny.

Rublu: "Well only his ears are pink. Most of him is blue and purple."

Cara: "How the hell do you know it's a him? He's PINK."

Rublu: "Pink can be a manly color!"

Cara: "No it can't."

While Cara and Rublu argue in the foreground, Benny nervously looks around and eventually retreats. He runs away and leaves a trail of food behind him. Cara notices.

Cara: "HEY. GET BACK HERE. I'm not done talking to you!"        

Rublu: "Your strategy for making friends leaves a lot to be desired."

Cara trots after Benny waving her flashlight but as she passes an aisle she's distracted by Benji, who is sitting in front of a freezer/fishtank in a heap of opened food products.

Cara: "What now?"

She shines her light at Benji, who turns around with a face full of live squid. Caught in the moment, Rublu and Cara look terrified.

Cara: "AUGH."      

Benji gets up and eyeballs them supspiciously. He steps forward, they step back.

Cara: "Hey, whoa, easy."

Rublu: "Why are you scared? He's three feet tall."

Cara: "He's got a funny look on his face."
                                                  
Rublu: "So?"

Cara continues to back away while Benji approaches.

Cara: "Look, you fight with animals as long as I have and you start to know what that funny look means."

Rublu: "What's it mean?"

Cara whips her head around to Rublu (still on her shoulder).

Cara: "Stop distracting me!"

Benji makes his move and bites her ankle. Cara flails.

Cara: "OW. DAMN IT I KNEW HE WAS GONNA DO THAT."

Cara gets mad and when Benji appears to be considering biting her again, she pounces after him out of aggravation. Benji flees. At some point Benny reappears following them.

Cara: "Come here you little ball of Peachfuzz."

Cara continues to pursue and eventually manages to corner Benji (who growls).

Cara: "Don't move."

Cara moves forward and appears to be about to say something but is interrupted by Benny who picks her up by the scruff of her jacket and holds her off the floor. Cara freaks out. Benny freaks out too and turns circles. He doesn't appear to know what to do with her.

"Cara: "HOLY CRA-"

Benny shoves her in his pouch out of panic and holds here there while she freaks out. Though her complaints are muffled. By now Rublu has hopped off and is standing on the floor staring.

Benny continues to look panicked and after a moment or two of looking at Benji, he withdraws Cara from his pouch, tosses her into some nearby merchandise, and shoves Benji into his pouch instead. Benji tries to get out, Benny tries to hobble away.

They are about to leave when Cara emerges from the merchandise and points her now-busted flashlight at them.

Cara: "YOU MOVE AND I SWEAR TO GOD, HELLFIRE WILL REIGN DOWN UPON YOU."

In her flailing, she slips on some food and forcefully thumps against a free standing shelf. The shelf wobbles and topples over. Cara and Rublu appear to be in iminent danger of being hurt by the falling shelving unit. Benny appears and catches it mid-fall. For a moment he stands and holds it up while Cara and Rublu retreat from the danger area.

Benny drops the shelf and moves back. Before he can retreat, Cara wraps her arms around his tail and refuses to let go.

Benny: "Let go!"

Cara: "I'm holding this hostage until you stay STILL."

Cara: "Hang on a minute, you speak english?"

Benny: "You've been screaming at me in english, didn't you think I understood it?"

Cara: "Not really."

Benny hiccups a bubble.

Cara: "What was that?"

Benny: "I hiccup bubbles when I'm nervous."

Benny sits on the floor and hiccups uncontrollably, Benji finally emerges from the pouch.

Benji: "Now look what you did! You gave him the hiccups!"

Cara finally lets go of his tail and steps back to observe, disturbed.

Cara: "Are you kidding me?"

Rublu: "Looks kind of serious to me."

Benny's hiccups get increasingly worse until he's just expanding the same bubble, stuck in his mouth.

Benny: "I can't breath."

Cara: "What do you mean you can't BREATH?"

She looks at Benji.

Cara: "You know him, you do something!"

Benji punches his stomach. The bubble cuts lose and they watch it float up before it pops harmlessly, Benny gasps for air.
Benny flops forward on the floor and looks tired.

Benny: "Thank you."

Cara looks at them both, Benji looks tired and sits on the floor too. Cara and Rublu follow suit.

"Thanks for catching the shelf."

Benny: "You're welcome."

Cara sighs.

Cara: "Where did you two come from?"

Benny: "We don't know."
"We're just here."

Cara: "So you're lost."

Benny: "Yeah, we're lost."

Cara: "I know it doesn't seem like it, but were here to help."

Benny looks annoyed.

Benny: "You haven't been very helpful."

Cara frowns.

Cara: "Yeah. Sorry about that."
"Look, I know you're lost."
"You're obviously hungry too."
"I work for an organization that helps people like you two. People who aren't human, that get lost in this city and can't find their way home. So like it or not, we're pretty much all you've got to depend on right now."
"Things like you and your friend can't walk around in public here. People wouldn't understand what you are."

Cara: "Whatever that is."

Silences between them and Cara rests her cheek on her hand.

Benny sits up and slouches, Benji continues to look offended and ignore them.

Benny: "You really wanna help?

Cara looks up.

Cara: "Yeah, I really do."

Benny sighs.

Benny: "Okay. We'll try that."

Silence again, Cara may be smiling a little.

Cara's eyes widen when she realizes where they are and begins to scramble.

Cara: "Oh crap I forgot we broke into a grocery store. We gotta go!"

Benny and Benji lean away.

Cara: "Please, just trust me we gotta get out of here before someone figures out we're here."

Rublu and Cara coax them out of the store and into the storage room they entered through.

Cara: "Come on, it's okay, come on."

Cara grabs a brown tarp in the grocery storage room and throws it over Benny before leading him and Benji outside.

Cara: "You gotta wear this so nobody sees you."

Cara: "Come on."

As they're leaving the store.

Rublu: "Where are we gonna take them?"

Cara: "To Gale's place."

Rublu: "That's on the other side of town! Why?"

Cara thumbs the storybook page in her pocket.

Cara: "I've got a good reason. We'll call Marv for a ride."

End Scene.

------------------

Begin Scene.

Establishing shot. Marv and Cara are driving down a backroad in a big van (possibly an ice cream truck).

Marv: "I thought you were kidding when you told me I'd need an ice cream truck."

Cara: "I was being sarcastic. I figured you'd just bring the van, not take it word for word."

Marv: "You're lucky I found anything, it's after one and I almost didn't answer the phone."

Cara: "Well I'm glad you did."

Cara leans against the passanger's seat.
Benny and Benji are sitting in the foreground with Rublu.

Cara: "I don't know how I would have gotten these two across town by wit and a brown tarp alone."

Marv: "So you gonna tell me what's going on and why I had to put on pants?"
"Your new friends are special looking but we've taken weirder things back to the agency."
"I've just never taken one back that had pink ears."

Cara: "Just bare with me. I kind of needed Gale's insight on this one."
"He knows more about rifts and magic than anybody else we know."

The van is pulling up to Gale's house, which is tucked away into a clearing with trees behind it.

Switch Scenes

-----------------

Gale sits a the table with a cup of something hot, Kira is moving around in the foreground. Gale looks tired and his hair is in disarray.

Gale: "Kira, sweetheart, it's late. Can we play cards some other time?"
"You can come visit tomorrow."

Kira: "Do you have any eights?"

Gale: "Goldfish."





                                          

Cara sets a figure on the table.

Cara: "Okay look. See this guy? This is the generic bad guy."

She sets a tea cup on the table.

Cara: "And this is his stew. You two are magical constructs. People like to use you two in their magical stew."

She takes a cracker out of a bowl and breaks it in half.

Cara: "This is you two."

She slams the crackers between her hands and crumbles them into the cup.

Cara: "No more you."

Benny and Benji look horrified.

Cara: "You know, like the smurfs."

Gale rubs his temple and puts a hand on Cara's shoulder.

Gale: "Why don't you let me explain it."