Oliver... had a lot to think about. Not just about his relationship with Poli, but also his friends. How they felt like they had failed him. He hadn't even thought of it from that perspective- though he knew he couldn't blame himself too much for that; Not only was he distracted by his own emotional turmoil and all the things he was doing, but the simple fact was that he had never been one that really asked for support from anyone. Even going through therapy before had been a bit out of character for him; he had mostly done it because his mother had asked him to before she passed... Though, he had to admit, it definitely helped.

Admittedly, it was also easier to blame himself than to recognize that his friends had made the same mistake he had by not reaching out more.

He wasn't angry at them for it... Though it was clear they were upset with themselves for not seeing how hurt he really was. And he didn't blame them for that, either, seeing as he didn't even realize how much he was hurting. The whole thing was difficult for him...

A brightly colored missile launching itself at Oliver from the trees above, and Tyrone's gasp of shock, unfortunately interrupted his efforts at processing everything that had been said to him.

With a soft thump, Henrietta landed on Oliver's shoulder, already chattering away. The urgency in her squeaks pulled him from his swirling thoughts.

“What the hell-”

Struggling to process the hurried chatter, Oliver waved his hand to stop the squirrel. “Slow down. You know I can't follow along that quickly.” Seeing Tyrone's bewildered look, he chuckled softly. “Ah, right. Quick introduction: Sweet T, this is Henrietta. Henrietta, that's my friend Tyrone. People also call him 'Sweet T'.”

An inquisitive squeak made him snort in amusement, and Oliver struggled to nod seriously at his familiar. “Yes, he's a friend. And a 'good squirrel'..”

Tyrone gaped at the critter, not quite able to process what was going on. While it looked kinda like a squirrel... It was a bright blue-green... With scales... And pink fur on its tail... And...

“It's a long story, T. But, right now, she's trying to warn us that people are coming.”

Tyrone turned his stunned gaze on Oliver for a second before shaking his head slowly. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to formulate a response. Finally, he simply blurted out the first thing that went through his head. “You can understand it!?”

Henrietta's indignant huff made Oliver chuckle again. Reaching up to scratch gently behind her ear, he smirked at his befuddled friend. “I can understand her. Henrietta is a girl, and calling her an 'it' upset her. More importantly, she said there are people heading this way.”

Henrietta chattered away again, stamping one paw adorably on his shoulder as Oliver nodded along.

“She said there's three of them... And... that they are loud. And stupid... But they have snacks that smell good.” Henrietta squeaked again, nearly hopping up and down on his shoulder. “And that she wants the snacks.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

He could practically see the wheels spinning as Tyrone tried to process everything at once. Several seconds passed before the larger man shook his head with a sigh.

“I told those idiots to give me a little while to talk to you...”

Oliver wanted to ask who... but it was so obvious to him that he didn't need to. Three people, being loud- and a little dumb, could only mean his friends... Though he doubted if Marty was actually being loud or dumb, as that was more the norm for Ed and Gary...

“I hate to shift gears on you so suddenly, bro, but... I haven't told them anything other than you were 'off on a job'. Not my secrets to tell, and not my decision to make... So, you may want to figure out what you're going to tell them. I'm sorry if this puts you on the spot a little; I was expecting to have a little more time to talk to you... Though I probably shouldn't have. Dealing with those three is like herding cats, you know?” Tyrone said apologetically, though a glint of humor lurked in his eyes.

Oliver sighed softly; he wasn't really ready to deal with the emotional revelations Tyrone had laid on him, and now he had no clue what to say to his friends... It was almost too much, but he also understood their impatience: they were worried about their friend. As much as he felt like he had been a bad friend, they were feeling the same. Or worse, considering they may feel like they had abandoned him when things got rough...

“Eh, fuck it. It's not like those three can't keep a secret. They still haven't told me what happened to you when you all went to explore that abandoned factory.” He smirked at Tyrone's look of embarrassment, then shifted his gaze to Henrietta. “Go hide up in the trees, they aren't ready to meet you yet. And no, they aren't 'bad squirrels'. They're friends.”

Henrietta's squeak as she disappeared into the trees again made him laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I'll make sure to get you some of the snacks...”

Turning back to his friend, he was glad to see that Tyrone had managed to compose himself again. He hesitated for only a moment before he spoke. “Thanks, T. I... I didn't realize how bad things had fucked me up until I got back. I think... I think I was running away from everything...”

“Hey, we're bros, right?” Tyrone patted him on the shoulder. After a few seconds of silence passed between them, he glanced up at the trees and spoke slowly. “So... Henrietta...”

Seeing the numerous questions in his friend's eyes, Oliver shrugged slightly- though he couldn't help but smile at the reaction he knew was coming. “Oh, yeah... I picked her up on another planet. Then I bound her as my familiar using magic.”

“Another-” Tyrone choked out, his eyes wide at the declaration. “What!? You-”

He froze for a moment as the implication set in, then dropped into the swing seat as if his legs were cut out from underneath him. The swing creaked in protest, but held up under the abuse...

Shaking his head slowly, Tyrone turned his shocked gaze on Oliver once again. “You said you made friends on your last job... But you got her from another planet... Bro! Did... Did you meet aliens!?”

Taking the seat next to his friend once again, Oliver couldn't stop his lips from twisting up in a smirk. “Yeah. Technically, I met two alien races. The Rach that I mentioned, who are friendly, and the Koman... Who are definitely not friendly...”

“Holy shit...” Tyrone breathed in a shocked whisper. “Bro, you've got to tell me about it! I mean... Fuck! I don't even know what to say or ask!”

Oliver shook his head after a second, the sound of his friend's chatter just reaching him- they sounded just as worried as they did excited. With a cheeky grin aimed at his friend, he spoke deliberately slow. “Sorry, man. Gotta deal with the 'Three Stooges' first. Story time has to wait.”

Letting out a dismayed groan, Tyrone hung his head... He just found out that, not only are aliens real, but his friend had met them! And now... he has to wait to hear about it. And he knew it wouldn't be a short wait.

His friends had some issues to address and deal with... and, with those three involved, he wouldn't be surprised if things got derailed. Repeatedly. As much as he loved his friends... Those three were a challenge to deal with sometimes.

Well, not Marty. Usually.