"Daaaaannteeeee!!!" An angry growl escaped the tall white man as he stomped toward them. "Who’re calling your little princess!!!"
"Hey, Ross. It’s good to see you, too."
Tomato Head faced the burning rage of a father with a smile, still holding the little girl in his arms as she rubbed her cheek against his, her smile reaching her ears.
"Don’t give me that!" The man, named Ross, only got angrier, pointing a finger as his skin turned red. "I told you to stay away! Ellie is my little princess!" Quickly plastering a smile on his face, he reached out for the girl. "C’mon, Ellie, you shouldn’t hug other people like that, especially boys like-"
"No!" The little girl cried out in her high-pitched voice, wrapped her arms around Tomato Head’s neck, then turned away. "I wanna stay with Dante!"
Ross twitched to a stop, instantly losing all color and turning into a pale white statue. The sequence was painful to watch, especially for Finn, who was old enough to understand what was going on.
[Finn: Uwah, chill, dude. She’s barely five.]
[Jake: His fatherly instincts sure are strong.]
Though he knew very little about Tomato Head, Finn had a feeling that he wasn’t someone people would want their daughters to be involved with. Still, to be worried about a toddler was a little too much.
"Alright, Ellie, let’s not anger your father." Tomato Head patted her back and chuckled. "How about we look at the things I brought for you?"
Ignoring the still frozen Ross, he turned around and went to talk with the other kids. Finn watched him open the crate and look through the things stuffed inside. This one seemed to contain quite a number of old-fashioned picture books, the kind printed on paper.
"Oooh! I really used to one when I was little!" He exclaimed, holding one of the books up.
"Wha-!" Ellie looked at him in surprise. "Dante was little!!?"
"Of course I was." He chuckled. "I just grew up."
"Really? I want to grow up..."
"And you will, but it takes time." He passed her the book. "You’re learning to read, right? How about you check this one out?"
"You read it for me!"
"Sorry, Ellie, but I have to go to work soon."
"Boo..." The little one puffed her cheeks and looked down at the book in her hands, but then she looked up with a start. "Dante! You don’t have work today!" She turned to her father, eyes sparkling. "Dad said there is no work today!"
"Yeah! You can stay!"
A bit of wryness made it to Tomato Head’s smile. Reaching out with his right hand, he patted the little girl on the head.
"Sorry, Ellie, but your dad and I don’t work at the same place. I still have to work. Don’t worry, I will definitely come play next weekend."
"Yeah! That’s a promise! Now go play with your friends. I’ve brought some other games for you."
Little Ellie took the picture book and went over to her friends. The other kids were gathering around, curious about the contents of the crate. Just as it began to feel like he was going to be stuck dealing with them, two staff members approached him and said they would take care of everything from there.
Looking relieved, Tomato Head retreated back to where the adults were. Finn noticed that Ross had recovered from his petrification and was clenching his fists, ready to throw hands.
"So you got a day off? That’s surprising."
Ross glared at him for a long moment, then exhaled.
"A day off, huh... I guess you could call it that."
"Don’t tell me you got laid off."
"No, nothing like that." Grimacing, the white man rubbed the back of his neck. "The union started a strike. They’ll be announcing the new tax reforms sometime this week, and from the looks of it..."
"It’s nothing good, huh? I heard that there will be a protest in the next couple days."
"Yeah, means I will have some time to spend with my little princess."
"How’s Ellie, by the way?" Tomato Head asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"She’s... doing fine," Ross pursed his lips. "Her condition is stable, for now."
The mood turned somber, making Finn feel even more out of place than before. His eyes happened to meet those of the older man a few seconds later, causing a confused eyebrow to rise.
He turned the question to Tomato Head, who shrugged in return.
"You could say that."
[Jake: More like mortal enemy.]
[Finn: I would go that far. He’s more of an obstacle.]
There were many ways to describe his relation to Tomato Head, but Finn found that the word obstacle was the most suitable. His plans were halted multiple times already, all because of him. Even now, he continues to stand in his way, even if he has changed his approach.
"Get your ass off the ground. We’ve got somewhere to be."
As he watched him talk to the older man, Finn’s mind wandered back to what he had told him earlier in the parking lot. When he asked him why he should follow his orders, Tomato Head gave him a nasty glare, the annoyance he showed before radiating from his expression.
"You want to kill that Jaguar bastard, right? Well, you better start listening to what I say, then. You aren’t gonna make it any other way."
He made it sound as if he would help him settle things with the Daggers, even though he had no reason to do so. When he tried asking why, Tomato Head only yelled at him to get moving.
[Finn: What do you think, Jake?]
Finn knew he didn’t need any help. He had a plan, and he had already made his preparations. All that’s left is to get the Blue Night. Once it’s in his hands, he could finally end things with that monster once and for all.
[Jake: I think you should take him up on that offer.]
[Jake: He’s a much more powerful Diver, and he seems to know what he’s doing. You got nothing to lose, really, and you might even learn a thing or two.]
"Well, I’d better get going."
The conversation seemed to reach its end as Tomato Head finally noticed the time. He was about to turn around when his gaze met Finn’s, plunging them both into a short staring contest.
"I will tell Ms. Yukimura to give you some things to do." He said.
"Once you’re done, call Boris and do as he says. Make yourself a little useful."
The words came with such a finality that it made it difficult to argue. Finn fought through the feeling and tried to make his displeasure known, but Tomato Head just ignored him and walked away. As he tried to follow him, a message popped up on his OAM.
[Dante: I already told you, no funny business. Make a fuss and you are done for.]
And just like that, Finn found himself trapped. As he watched the red-haired youth leave, the white man gave him a weird look and threw a question at him, further ruining his already bad mood.
"Weren’t you here for the elementary school?"
And it kept getting worse.
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