Call

“He did WHAT!!??” Seraph's voice screeched from the other end of my phone.
“Well, she kissed him,” I explained. “Against his will...”
“Put him on!” she demanded.
“Okay,” I said, handing him the phone and mouthing “She's pissed.”
Daniel put the phone to his ear and said “Hey, babe.”
“Explain!” I heard her shout.
“Well,” he said. “What happened was...”
He explained to her the details of our encounter with the Apostles. At the end of it, I heard her let out a sigh and say something silently to him. Daniel hit the speaker phone button.
“Tony,” she said.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Don't let him make out with any more super villains,” she said.
“I can't make any promises,” I said.
“I'm so devilishly handsome, I can't keep them off,” Daniel said.
“Daniel!” she snapped.
“I'm kidding!” he said defensively. “You know I love you.”
She sighed.
“Look, I have something else to talk to you two about,” she said.
“What's up?” I asked.
“The Apostles attacked here too,” she said.
“Are you all right!?” Daniel asked.
“Kyle, Preal and I weren't there when it went down,” she said. We made it back afterward.”
“What about everyone else?” I asked.
“They got beat, but they're okay,” she said. “Abdalin and Myrir's crew arrived to back them up.”
“Myrir's crew?” Daniel asked. “Who all does that entail?”
“Myrir herself,” Seraph said. “Then Sound, Gamer, and... um...”
“Who was it?” Daniel asked, with an edge to his voice. He knew as well as I did who it was, otherwise Seraph wouldn't be hesitating to tell us.
“Psycho Bitch,” she said softly.
Without a word, Daniel summoned his wakizashi to his free hand and flicked it a few inches out of its sheath.
“Is she still there!?” I demanded angrily.
Dyson, who was standing to the side watching us, glanced awkwardly between us before taking a few steps back.
We had history with the one called Psycho Bitch. One of our best friends, Paris, had been captured by Slender Man and made into a Hallowed, and it was all her fault. Either one of us would jump at the chance to make her answer for it.
“I'm sorry,” Myrir said. “Most of them left before I got here.”
“Most of them?” Daniel asked.
“Gamer stuck around,” she said. “He says he wants to talk to you.”
Daniel closed his eyes and began breathing in and out slowly. His mental state has been all over the place since he lost his powers, and his temper is difficult for him to control. Fortunately, he's still a martial artist. With enough meditation and controlled breathing, he can usually get a hold of himself.
“Alright,” he said calmly, a few moments later. “Let's hear him out.”
“Hey Pac Man!” Seraph said. “Get in here!”
There was some noise from the other end, before a young man spoke up, saying “Daniel Ferris?”
“Reginald,” Daniel replied.
“My name isn't-”
“What do you want, Reginald?” I interrupted.
The Gamer sighed.
“Look, I need to warn you,” he said. “The Apostles are out of your league. You can't beat them.”
“Not with that attitude,” Daniel replied.
“They have Ren on their side.”
“Oh shit,” Daniel said.
Ren Takeru, aka the Thorned Prince, is an old friend of Hideaki. After having a piece of the Bleeding Tree (a weird thing growing in Slender Man's domain) stabbed into his arm, the Plague doctor fused it into his body, allowing him to grow tree parts out of his body, and even turn his flesh to wood. He's grown extremely powerful over the years, and is hellbent on killing Slender Man, even if the rest of the world burns in the process. He's a deadly character that I'd rather not have as an adversary.
“They've also recruited an Intended Emissary,” Gamer continued. “I believe you've met. His name's Mute. He's a technopath.”
“Oh, that guy,” Daniel said. “I can take 'im.”
“You beat him once,” Gamer said. “You get too cocky. It'll be your downfall.”
“Says you,” Daniel replied. “I think it makes me more charming.”
“Whatever,” Gamer said.
“So how do you know so much about Mute?” Daniel asked.
“From your Timberwolf rival's blog,” Gamer said, as if it was obvious. “Duh.”
“Puppy Dog has a blog?” Daniel asked, surprised.
There was silence on the other side for a few seconds before Gamer asked “How the Hell have you survived this long?”
“By making clever quips and setting my sword on fire,” Daniel replied.
“Ugh,” Gamer sighed. “Look, Myrir and the rest of us are willing to lend you our help-”
“Not needed,” Daniel said.
“These guys are too dangerous for you,” Gamer insisted. “Just trust me. I can help you out here.”
“I might trust you more if you hadn't stolen my grandma's jewelry box,” Daniel retorted.
“How many times am I gonna have to apologize for that?” Gamer asked.
“I don't know,” Daniel said. “I'll pick a number later.”
Gamer sighed again.
“Look, we're here to help if we're ever needed,” he said.
“Tell you what,” Daniel said, bringing the phone closer to his mouth. “I'll accept you guyses help when you GIVE ME MY FRIEND BACK!”
Those last words were uttered with intense, hostile fury. I don't blame him. Psycho Bitch is one of his teammates. How the Hell can we trust them?
There was silence on the other end, then the sound of movement before we heard Seraph's voice again.
“I think you made him sad,” she said. “He just left.”
“Good,” Daniel said. “Where's Abby?”
“Passed out,” she said. “You need him to take you somewhere?”
“There's a couple addresses in Europe we need to check out,” I said. “Can you send him here once he wakes up?”
“No!” Dyson interrupted. “That man is not coming here!”
“Dude,” Daniel said. “He's cool. He's on our side now.”
“Do you really believe that?” Dyson demanded angrily. “He's the Black Joker! Do you have any idea how many Scions have died by his hand?”
Daniel turned on Dyson angrily, thrusting my phone into my hands.
“And how many Cards have died by yours!?” he demanded.
Dyson fell into stunned silence, as Daniel eyes bore into his own.
“Feel free to count them off,” Daniel said. “I've got time.”
Dyson remained silent for a while longer before saying “We'll meet him this weekend at Stanley Park. He's not coming to my hideout.”
“This weekend at Stanley Park,” I relayed to Seraph. “You got that?”
“I'll give him the memo. Which weekend?”
“Saturday,” Daniel said. “The sooner the better.”
With that, we hung up. And now we wait.