Here's Something Odd

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Carlos wriggled after the flash of fur, his lab coat soaked. Cecil followed him quickly, all three of his eyes widening with anticipation. Carlos reached out, fingers grasping at the purple lump. His fingertips made contact with the soft surface, and he pressed his palms against the body of the cat, pulling it towards him and nestling it into his coat. Khoshekh, like everything else in the cloud, was soaking wet.

Cecil grabbed the lapels of Carlos' coat and pulled him closer, gently knocking their foreheads together with a smile. Cecil then carefully pulled Khoshekh into his arms, cooing at the feline. "Cecil." Carlos breathed, a concerned look plastered on his face. "What do we do, now that we have Khoshekh back? What will the school board do? The police?" Carlos' breathing grew shaky, and Cecil's brows furrowed, contemplating.

"I-" He began, eyes flitting over the interior of the cloud. "I suppose they could be reasoned with. Possibly." He gave Carlos an uncertain smile, and looked down at Khoshekh. Carlos reached out a hand to stroke Khoshekh's head with fond smile. "This is the one time you decide to be optimistic."

He looked around, noticed that the hole they'd made while jumping in was closing in on itself, and motioned for Cecil to hurry. The two scrambled through the rapidly narrowing crevice, and found themselves thumping onto the wooden desk of the Glow Cloud and being surrounded by the Night Vale Police Department. The creatures in black each held a water gun, fingers on the trigger and the plastic barrel pointed at the two men.

Carlos sat up abruptly, knocking Khoshekh off of him and onto the desk. "Officers, please." The sudden plead caused the NVPD to turn their attention to him, their yellow eyes narrowing. "I am not a resident of Night Vale, and am therefore not subject to treatment such as this." The creatures turned their heads to rumble to each other, a few of them clicking off the safety on their guns. "And," Carlos lied, "Neither does this man," He swung an arm out, gesturing to Cecil. "Nor does this cat." He laid a hand on the back of the cat currently perched on the table next to him. The NVPD all shifted into a circular formation, rumbling to each other. After a while, the one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, tucking the water gun into its holster. The others took this as their cue, and tucked their guns away in turn. One officer, however, stood still. His gun was still held in hand, finger twitching on the trigger. The rest of the department thundered, some attempting to wrench the gun out of its hand, and some merely squeaking with fright. It eventually broke free from the hold, and time seemed to slow as his finger pulled down on the neon orange button, water flying out of the barrel and hitting Carlos square in the forehead.

Water dripped over the frame of his glasses and down his flat nose, creating a miniscule stream that trailed from his head to his chest. The NVPD bellowed in outrage, bringing down the stray officer and cuffing his hands behind his back. The downed officer chirped and warbled defiantly, but to no avail. The creatures escorted their fellow officer out of the school and bid the Glow Cloud a good night, squawking excitedly at the unyielding mass.

Carlos and Cecil turned their heads at a high-pitched ringing sound, and looked over to see Khoshekh's furry form growing more transparent, and eventually disappearing completely. Cecil swung his legs off the desk and spun around, patting at the table desperately. The two, once again, ran off to discover where Khoshekh had disappeared to.

They arrived at the radio station, wet pant legs coated in sand. Cecil ran through the recording studio, tracking sandy footprints through the room, and burst into the men's bathroom. Carlos saw Cecil's body nearly collapse with relief, and he walked over, a hopeful expression on his face. He looked over Cecil's shoulder and saw a purple bundle hovering in the men's bathroom at the radio station, seeming perfectly happy and healthy, but floating about four feet off the ground next to the sink.