Chapter Eighteen: Snappier Flax

I talked to Frap about some things. He helped me get them straight. He's here now, but he's chatting with Shelby and ruminating about Zero. It wasn't a very long conversation, but it made me feel better. Here it is!

J: FRAP!
F: Huh?
J: I know you're busy a lot. And you're hungry. But please, put DOWN the cheese stick and talk to me!
F: Oh. Ok.
J: Listen. EXPLAIN to me all this. EXPLAIN to me why you were being carried through my forest by two strange Hispanics. EXPLAIN to me why you feel a need to cut up my backyard every once in a while. EXPLAIN to me why you can't post your own messages. EXPLAIN to me why you can just appear here. EXPLAIN to me why the DYS you can make lava seep out of solid stone, and EXPLAIN to me why Arclich here -
A: Astrid!
J: Sorry, why Astrid here can make your dog fly! And explain why this dog is so huge!
F: Alright...Look here, [NAME WITHHELD]. You're a believer. You've got your own religion. You hail Komodos as descendants of dragons. You stay up every night waiting for a pixie to pop out of the ground and grant you a boon. But you don't think about the hurtful side of all this. Religions only end in holy wars. Dragons are predators, Joce, they are destructive in their own right. They might not always be so, but that's what they are. And the fairies? They'd probably try and steal your nose at the first opportunity. This is something like that.
J: This guy is gonna steal my nose.
F: No. But if It wants to, It will hurt you, or force you into mind-slavery, or maybe just gut you and hang you from that tree over there by your large intestine.
J: But...I don't want him to kill me.
F: I used to be one of his mind-slaves. At least, that's what they tell me. That's why I can do these things. Astrid still is. Partly. That's why she can do these things. And, well, I don't know about Sharpie. But Joce, you're tough. And you're smart. And you've got a long life ahead of you. And I need your help to do what needs to be done.
J: To kill him?
F: Maybe. If that's the only option.
J: ...Alright.
A: Say, Joce, you got a girlfriend?
J: I have the right to remain silent!

---

That's that, really. I really feel plenty better about things. Although I'm a bit confused still. Also, Janus is still gone - it is him - but Sharpie seems to have scared Maze into hiding. I know she's still there.

Janus' mask is half fox, and half bird.

Freaky.

*Joce