PS238 Room 8

It took a little bit of bribing amid the waitrats and kitchen staff to arrange for four hours of uninterrupted time. Half an hour of that was spent checking over the entire kitchen for listening devices, scrying spells or astral anchors. Once that was done, everything was about getting all the bits and bobs for teaching someone cooking basics out and at the ready. Spices were arranged, the espresso machine was warmed and primed. Coffer of various types was set out in jars, ranging from the dreaded SANKA to Civet Cat to the special blend that the people on Security drank (It was always nice to have a coffee that doubled as a liquid to exorcise ghosts, spells and what not).

For what's he's worth, Beauford is standing calmly next to one of the polished steel prep tables of the kitchen, wearing a battered plain denim apron that may have a few char marks at the shoulder. At least that's how things appear to Quentin when the young man shows up at for lessons.

"You're getting to host the party?" The excitement in Cecil's voice was palpalble. "An extradimensional birthday party??"

"...dude, not like that trip with Malphast but yes." Tyler shook his head, it was almost regrettable telling his best friend now, but he couldn't NOT tell him.

"How come I don't get to have stuff like this?"

"....Cecil, come on, could you focus, there's still stuff to be done for the party and I need your help."

"...Fine, what is it?" Cecil flopped back into his bed, to look up at the ceiling of his new bedroom. "Mom wants me out of the house anyways."

"...think you could go around seeing if people want sticks and stuff picked up out of their yard?"

"...huh?"

"It's going to be a night time cook-out, and we're going to need firewood."

"But you could just buy some...right, I mean we've got that expense account."

"..Cecil, you could get paid extra money for cleaning up people's yards."

"Oh! Hey, that's right, but how come you're not doing that?"

"Toby." Tyler replied tiredly, thumbing through a comicbook. "He's getting kind of clingy."

"Oh, yeah. Hey you wanna watch Godzilla?"

"Sure. Oh! and see if you can find a bunch of big boxes, too."

"Big boxes, now why should I get those?"

"Refridgerator boxes would be great, but anything you could fit into would be good. You could probably fill the big box with smaller ones and just wrap it in lots of different papers."

"Don't see why I gotta to that too..." Cecil grumbled, giving Tyler a look.

"Well, that what Karkat said she'd like, and besides, I'm already bought her some stuffed toys and a big blanket." Tyler didn't even look up from the comic book. "You gotta bring the brithday girl a present, you're coming to her party right?"

"I'm INVITED?!"

"Ofcourse!"

"Oh that's AWESOME!" Cecil shot up from the bed on the limbs of his phantasmal winged coat and bounced a couple of times, clearly excited by this prospect.

"Boys! keep it down up there!" The call came from downstairs, from Cecil's mother.

"Yes mom!"

"Dude, press play already. I'll handle the food and drinks, you handle getting the firewood and the lawnchairs, okay?"

"Sure! Hey we've got this hammock in the garage..." Cecil went on talking as the opening music for the cartoon played through the little bedroom, and Tyler wondered if he was actually ever going to be able to pull this off without his friends help in keeping it a secret.

"Why can't I come along for this?" Cecil asked Tyler for what was the third time in the last fifteen minutes as his friend had just sprung the news of a possible interdimensional party being thrown in the next few months. They'd just spent the last hour working out their coverstories for the event when Tyler had stopped and said he'd have to talk to someone about permissions for this.

"I didn't have to ask permission to rescue you from the Rock of Challenge*!"

"That's because, one you were traveling with Malphast who is on their okay list, two, you're haven't been their employee before. This is just a courtesy call so their monitors don't blow a gasket."

"You've been employed by them before??"

"Yes, during that whole thing with the Frozen North Horrors**."

"So wait, you got paid and everything, right, some cool gadgets..."

"Cecil....."

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

It took a better part of the remaining afternoon to find the payphone he needed and to dial the passcode numbers on the card. There was the responding dialling and click from the other line before someone picked up.

-"Connectng.."-

"Blue Moon over Kansas, calling to report."

-"Identity confirmed, connecting to reporting officer."-

Tyler sighed as the on-hold music played, waiting at the payphone. He didn't mind much hold music, but listening to 'hello my ragtime gal' so many times while waiting for his contact to pick up was a pain in the butt.

-"Hello Moon Shadow, what have you got to report in person?"-

"You know I'd rather talk to you guys in person. Besides that, my paper reports keep getting 'lost'."

-"*sigh* I suppose that's someone in the US end again...I'm very sorry about that."-

"You're not the only one, I think I know who's causing it on my end, but legally getting them to stop is..." Tyler shook his head. "Anyhow, I thought I'd give you a heads up that I'll be bringing some people from Milliways over for visits."

-"You know, we're alright with Dr. Stantz, why would you...oh lord."-

"...uhm..yeah most of em are going to be non-human, but I think I can handle it if I never take more than two home..."

-"...there's nothing I can do to talk you out of this? The head of the ministry is starting to take a special interest in your case."-

"Nope, too many people've let me visit their worlds, and I really ought to pay it forward. And at least one birthday party."

He could hear the groan from Agent Korpan on the other side of the phone, and waited. The grownup probably had to drink his peptobismol again.

*Frozen Horrors, Frozen North, a Ray Stantz production
**PS238 #23

He is a man of his word, and one more than capable of figuring out how to get people in and out of his world with little issue. That's why he and Dinah emerge from the third stall of the Unisex bathroom of the Seattle Public Library. It's clean, quiet, and most importantly of all, devoid of security cameras.

"Be this portal ever so humble."