Sneaky Garlic

  Nearly pressed right up against each other's sides so that they can both peer at the small screen Joey and Diyan chuckle and coo at the videos before them.

  "Poor kitties." Diyan says despite the wide persistent grin on his lips. "They don't know what on earth is going on."

  "Yeah." Joey agrees as he catches his breath from his last set of giggles. Suddenly his eyes light up and he turns excitedly in the small space to face his friend. "Hey, do you think that would work on people too?"

  Diyan considers the idea, his own enthusiasm over such a thought beginning to show on his face. "I don't see why it couldn't. Maybe we should try it out."

  "Yes, definitely, we need to test the theory after all, right?"

  "Right." As Diyan nods his feathers bob along with his head. 

  And such are the events that lead to Diyan and Joey hiding crouched on the other side of the counter from Alan and Tal as they start prepping for a shared meal.

  Joey produces a head of garlic and Diyan pauses his excitement to raise an eyebrow. "The store was out of cucumbers." He whispers. Diyan tilts his head further confused, what kind of grocery store ran out of cucumbers, but Joey continues on without pause. "So I had to think, if not cucumbers then what? At first I was gonna buy some big pickles but that seemed kinda like it would be messy. And then it came to me, garlic. Surely garlic is pretty spooky if vampires are afraid of it right?" Diyan nodded a bit, he could see that. "So I bought garlic instead so our plan will work even better."

  Waiting until the victims of their prank turn their backs, the garlic is placed in obvious sight on the counter and the pair of trouble makers scurry off to a better vantage point to watch. 

  Alan is the first to turn around; he's halfway to reaching for some other ingredient when he spots the garlic and stops. His brow wrinkles in clear confusion. Alan turns back to where Tal is stirring a pot on the stove, glances back at the new ingredient on the counter, and back at the pale ampha.

  "Tal?" The other hums a small questioning response. "We already added garlic to the sauce, right?"

  "Yes."

 "Did-did we buy extra garlic?"

  At this point Tal lifts his eyes from the pot and turns slightly to look back at Alan who has begun to watch the vegetable as though it might begin moving on its own. "No." Is his simple answer. 

  "Then where did this come from?"

  Tal studies the garlic apprehensively. "I. . . don't know. . ." He finally states. 

  Alan backs a step further away from the garlic lying quietly on the counter. Their feathers fluffing as they both begin to watch the garlic like they're waiting for it to do something. 

  When there is a rather sudden and loud knock at the door the two nervous amphas jump rather dramatically. Tal's small wings hum as they flap furiously in surprise as he attempts to hide behind Alan who has thrown his own large set of wings up defensively.

  Someone yelps and Joey honestly isn't sure who made the sound. Even Diyan is a possibility as he dashes from their hiding place towards the door and swings it open. 

  A startled looking Carmelo appears on the other side and he gives a quick look around what he can see of the apartment. "Is everything okay Diyan, I just thought I heard someone scream?"

  "It's fine." Diyan assures him with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You're early though."

  "Sorry I got done early and-"

  Everything in the room comes to a halt as Joey begins to laugh, stumbling from his hiding spot. The others in the room seem confused except for Diyan who also begins to laugh.

  Later the two of them explain themselves and Alan throws the garlic knob at Joey who only laughs again when he tosses it back at his brother and Alan hisses at it.