Mandy pushed through the massive red door that led to her office. Most of the visitors just assumed that she lived in a candy castle like some fluffy movie princess. In reality, her office was a bland and colorless mess. Forest green wallpaper mixed with a dirty beige carpet. She had one of those drinking bird toys gifted to her when she first got the job. It was the most colorful thing that wasn't currently on her person.

She rolled her eyes and plopped into her seat against a bland brown desk. It was littered with papers that showed various bills, expense charts, and delivery quotas to be met around the park. She wanted to bang her head against the pile of paperwork. The first time she tried that she just got a headache worse than the sugar rushes she and Chester often suffered.

With a heavy sigh, she picked up a ballpoint pen and got to work. Only for her process to get interrupted by a phone call. The flat white office phone's blaring call made her ears ring twice as loud. "Hello?" she groaned into the microphone.

She sat back as a Starr Park executive mumbled into her ear. She blew a massive raspberry until he said something alarming. She sat up and listened closely, her eyes growing twice the size. She hadn't noticed she stopped breathing till she finally managed a response, "Yes, thank you, sir." She nodded her head as he added on to the news. "O-of course,-" she dropped her pen, "Right. We'll stay safe."

She placed the phone back down and rested her head on the desk. How is she supposed to handle that?

~-~--~-~

*jingle**jingle*

Chester placed the final crate onto the cart's trailer. "All done." He flung his massive golden bells out of his face. The playful jingle of his cap was the signal of his arrival. Now it was a sign of his departure.

As he stepped into the wagon he was greeted by the chime from Mandy's front door. His boss/coworker came out with a nervous frown. While they might butt heads he still didn't like to see her like this. Luckily her mood quickly shifted.

"Chester, take that lollipop out of your mouth."

He looked down and noticed he had slipped a sweet between his teeth. He pulled it out with a strong pop, "When'd that get there?"

Mandy couldn't even bother with his stupidity. She stood beside his cart and looked it up and down. It was a standard golf cart with a bit of colorful candy cosmetics to play with the theme. It also had her shop's name on it. Mandy's Rainbow Candy Shop. When Starr Park first pitched the idea of not only being the face of the store but also the namesake, she was excited. Now it just feels ridiculous.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Chester, I'm not going to do this with you today. Just finish the deliveries and NO DETOURS."

Chester stuck out his tongue and gave a goofy salute, "Dir ye dir!" His goofy voice didn't get a laugh out of Mandy.

She walked away under purple footsteps. Then turned on a dime, "And one more thing. Do not eat any of the candy this time."

Chester snickered as he turned away, "Oh don't worry. I won't eat any of it... I'll eat ALL of it! Eh-he-he-he." Chester's laughing was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around to the popped-off cap of Mandy's cane. He could smell something sweet inside but he knew whatever was coming wouldn't be savory. He looked down at her and she glared up at him, "If you even eat one minuscule morsel of candy from one of those crates. I will cook you alive in the caramel-izer."

Chester gave a scared smile. The black chevrons under his eyes pointed directly at her face as she pressed the barrel against his chin. "uuuuuhh... dir ye dir?"

Mandy just grumbled while walking away, "I'm not getting paid enough for this."

With that, Chester was off. His drive through Starr Park's bustling streets was always entertaining. There were hundreds of people rushing back and forth from building to attraction. Townhouses were sitting beside gimmick-based shop centers. Roller coasters rushed over the heads of passersby. When Starr Park was first created it was a massive super park. Every ride imaginable, every stunt survivable. Even the entertainment (The Brawlers) were superhumans and robots trained for the sole purpose of blowing minds.

But now it's so much more. It's a community. It lives and breathes. Grows and expands. He's heard talk of changing the name from Starr Park to Starr City. An attraction you could live in. Learn, laugh, and love. It's an insane idea, but they've already begun accepting applications. There is a housing zone dedicated to those who want to live next to the action. Chester himself had been recruited because his relatives lived in the housing zone, and they were able to put in a good word for him.

All this dreaming of days past had his body on autopilot. He almost didn't see the man walking across the road in front of him. They both screamed and Chester yanked the wheel to the side. He skidded to a stop and jumped out of his seat, "Is everyone okay?" He ran over to the man he'd nearly hit. "Are you okay, sir?"

Chester noticed the black two-piece suit he was wearing. The bright white button-up underneath a red-speckled tie. He really hoped he didn't almost hit a Starr Park executive. He really loved this job. The pedestrian accepted the help and dusted off his pants, "I'm fine." Chester continued spitting out apologies, "Relax kid, I wasn't looking."

This potential executive was several years his senior. He was certain of that as his hair was white as snow. But when he turned to face Chester, he noticed how young he was. He was older than Chester but looked about the same age as his father. Chester was sure he'd be fired now. So he doubled down on his apologies. Something that the executive didn't enjoy, "Kid I'm serious. It's okay. Mistakes hap-" He squinted his eyes and looked through Chester. He took particular notice of the two massive bells with grumpy faces. He could see his reflection in their glistening spheres. "Wait... You're that jester guy."

He felt his stomach flip, "Yes, sir. I'm Chester."

"You're that goofball that works at Mandy's Rainbow Candy's." Chester just nodded his confirmation. The executive reached into his pocket and showed a badge, "Adam Keienburg, P.I." Chester leaned forward to observe the pendant. "If you have time, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Chester looked at the investigator in a new light. "Oh yeah okay." Chester walked over to his cart and checked the boxes. Luckily only one box came dislodged.

Adam pulled out a notebook, "Tell me Chester, what were you doing on the night of May 1?"

Chester opened up a crate and popped a hard candy in his mouth, "Eating candy."

Adam scribbled something down, "Right, so you are aware of what happened on that night?"

"The stomachache I had?" Chester snickered as he took another forbidden treat.

"Dynamike's kidnapping." Chester inhaled so quickly that he choked on his snack. He hacked and coughed for a moment until Adam hit him in the back. Once the jester was done dying Adam resumed his questioning, "Two nights ago Dynamike was last scene within the gem mines by his coworkers Jacky and Carl. He was supposed to meet some friends that night. Snowtel Janitor Gale and Sensational Snake Oil Salesman Byron." Adam clicked his pen rhythmically after conquering that alliteration, "You wouldn't happen to know anything? Did he make a detour? Maybe he called your phone?"

Chester sat down in his cart. He was floored. What kind of investigator just drops a bomb like that without warning. Chester's position allowed his purple and blue tassels to rest in his lap. They only rang when Adam placed a hand on the azure roof and rocked the cart a bit.

He looked the clown up and down. "You don't seem to know anything." He returned the notepad to his pockets and placed the pen on his ear. "Sorry to bother you. I guess you hadn't heard yet." Chester's jaw was slack. He looked at every little bit of dust and dirt on the dashboard. "Well Mister Chester," he slapped the roof, "I'll be seeing you. I've got more interviews to finish." As he walked away Adam gave him a final piece of advice, "Stay safe."

Chester was left in the middle of the road lifeless.

The rest of his deliveries had been less than stellar. His most memorable excursion was to the Entertainment District. It was a colorful dream of song and dance. It brought life back into his lungs. Watching the face-painted performers walking the street and giving him themed snacks was exactly what he needed to get back in the groove. He completely forgot what put him in this funk.

"Oh, and be careful, Chester. I heard Dynamike went missing."

Now he remembered. His shoulders drooped with his mood. Even as explosive festivities showered onto his cap he still couldn't manage a smile. Even with Poco staring back at him he felt bland. The skeleton's yellow bones glistened like he'd just finished getting a deep waxing. His glamorous teeth showed all the fluttering confetti as they sprinkled from above.

Poco took off his sombrero to better address the fool. "Mi amigo-" he leaned in closer. The white husks of light within his sockets darted back and forth, "Don't let word spread, but I've heard from El Primo that he was kidnapped."

Chester matched his angle, "El Primo told you that?!"

"Shh! Shh! Keep your voice down." The two scanned around them and then sighed when they hadn't seen any changes. Poco whispered, "Evidently all the Starrs have been informed. But they've been asked to keep quiet."

THE STARRS. When Starr Park was first conceived the park was split into thematic sections. Within each section, there were rides, snacks, and entertainment matching the themes. The staff members wore outfits to play into these gimmicks, but the real selling points were the Brawlers. Advanced individuals with superhuman strength and otherworldly abilities. Most were recruited but sometimes Brawlers were manufactured by Starr Park itself.

Originally, each area was only allowed to house a maximum of three Brawlers. For example, within Mandy's Rainbow Candy, he and Mandy were the only two Brawlers. In the Entertainment District, there was El Mariachi Poco, El Luchador El Primo, and Fire Starter Amber. However, as the Entertainment District grew so did the maximum Brawler capacity. Now there was a trio dedicated to stunts and another made for theater and film.

Amongst every trio, there is a Starr. A Brawler that reports directly under the Starr Executives themselves. This Brawler is usually the eldest or most powerful/reliable Brawler of the bunch. Mandy was Chester's Starr as she was considered more reliable but for the entertainment troupe, it was El Primo as his strength was unmatched.

So if this news was something the Starrs weren't supposed to share, then that must mean something horrible happened.

If Poco had more information Chester wasn't able to find out. As soon as he'd been given a break a colorful attendee whispered something in his ear. Chester assumed it was a call back to work as Poco seemed a little annoyed they'd been cut off. He did manage to smile out a goodbye as he returned to strumming a happy tune and walking through the eternal party that was Maraca Boulevard.