Patchwork Universe

Dr Jewel · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:05 am Post subject:

Dr Jewel dropped to a crouch next to where Dr Odom had been thrown.

"Are you alright?" Can you move?" She fired the questions one after another. "You've got to get up. That thing's going to go for a second sweep."

She looked around, hoping to see someone who might be able to help. For the first time she realised that the charred mess upon the ground had once been a person. Remembering what Jack had cried about the priest.

"Oh my God." The words were out before she realised that her choice of phrase was unfortunate.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 349 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom's diaphragm had been stunned by the blow, but as it recovered he was able to stop thrashing on the ground in a panic of suffocation and draw a shuddering breath. He climbed to his knees, then to his feet, gathering the mace and wand as he rose.

Fingering a wet, red matted patch of hair at the back of his head, now peppered with bits of dirt and grass, he glared at the spot on the door to which a smear of his blood held a few loose hairs. Near the smear was a piece of paper, now torn away from one of its tacks. Dr. Odom took in the contents of the note at a glance.

"I believe we now know the direction some of your truants took," Dr. Odom said to Juniper, indicating the note.

The comment's levity was obviously forced. His breath came quickly and hoarsely and his knees and hands shook, though whether from shock at his short, pointed meetings with tail and door or from rage was not clear even to him, let alone to anyone who noticed his trembling.

Then it became clear.

The Curator General felt something bubbling up inside him that had been suppressed for far too long.

He smiled at Juniper and Dr. Jewel.

Then he snapped orders at them.*

"Get inside," he said to Juniper, "and keep that kite out of the air until they understand the danger. See if there is something stronger than this." He held up the wand.

"Find me that dragon," he said to Dr. Jewel. "I will be right behind you, and once we find it return to safety. I want to kill it, drag it back to the Museum with my bare hands if necessary, stuff it myself, and put it on display in the foyer with poor Michael's remains and a card explaining to any who doubt that dragons are stupid, brutish, and predatory!"

*[OOC: Do I need an attribution for this? I've done it before, but usually within a few posts.]

Dr Jewel · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2004 7:20 pm Post subject:

"Michael." Jewel echoed the name.

She clenched both hands and looked upwards.

"Yes, Doctor." She said. "I'll see if I can persuade it into range as well."

Jewel backed out into the open again. She risked a quick glance at the immediate surroundings, but no other monsters appeared to be close. They were probably scared of dragons too. Getting ready to dodge, she looked into the sky hoping that locating a huge red dragon would be an easy task.

"There." She pointed at the circling red mass. "I think it's deciding on its next target."

Jones · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2004 11:55 pm Post subject:

Juniper hesitated, but the arrival of her husband on the scene decided her.
"I'll warn the others," she agreed. "Jack, are you fit to help the doctors?"
When her husband nodded, she disappeared back into the pub.

Kalyndis · Good Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 188 Location: Kerya

The arc of the dragon's flight had taken him high over the pub, where he hung for a few moments before swooping down behind the other end of the building.

[OOC to Henry: I wouldn't have thought that needed attribution, it's a reference to text within the same thread.]

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:18 am Post subject:

"It's gone to the other side of the pub building." Jewel called over to Dr Odom. "Should we go around or through?"

She thought for a moment.

"Of course, I could go right through and you could go around." She added.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 349 Location: The Museum

"Do that. Stay safe. Let them know inside what's happening."

Dr. Odom ran to the corner of the building. He carefully peered around the side to where the dragon appeared to have landed.

He thought he had the hang of the wand now. If he extended his index finger along the wand, when he pointed his finger, a natural and simple action, the wand should be aimed at whatever it was at which he was pointing his finger. The dragon would have to be pretty far away for Dr. Odom to miss.

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:41 am Post subject:

Jewel nodded and disappeared in through the wall at a run.

[OOC : Jewel enters the pub]

Jones · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 9:24 am Post subject:

Jack turned to follow them but a cry arrested his motion and he turned to see his sister Jessica with ther husband and son coming towards him.

Pausing for a hurried colloquy in the doorway of the pub, he helped them inside, exchanging information as they did so.

Kalyndis · Good Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 188 Location: Kerya

Lamplight shining through the shutters helped Dr Odom find his way along the wall. By the time he came round the corner, something brighter had lit up the back of the pub. The fire blazing helpfully along the roof showed him that the beast was nowhere to be seen.

Harlequin · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Chimera

The upstairs window was flung wide open. A tall figure was silhouetted in the opening; every so often the gleam of a fire showing up bright colours on his clothing.

When Harlequin had first looked out of the window, his body and mind had frozen at the sight of the dragon, whose impressive red wings merged into the colours of the flames.

The children being almost dragged from the room by their mother seemed to wake Harlequin from his daze.

"Well," he said, to no-one in particular, "I think that calls for a slight change of plan."

And so one of the siphons of strong liquor was half-empty when Harlequin threw open the shutter, unless it was half-full. Harlequin was half-drunk, and that seemed the more relevant point.

He climbed onto the window ledge and wriggled into his harness. He lit the touch-papers of his impromptu flame-throwers, and readied himself for launch.

"Well Firefly, I hope you live up to your name!"

Jones · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 2:52 pm Post subject:

Members of the Jones family appeared from the kitchen door, carrying buckets. As the bucket chain began to throw water on the flames, steam hissed up in all directions.

The Joneses tried to keep their minds on the job at hand but they were noticeably distracted, craning their necks to look up into the darkness, searching for any sign of the dragon or the kite.

[ooc: Thread crosses over with Shock and Awe, characters are moving from one to the other with buckets of water...]

Jones · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 3:11 pm Post subject:

Abruptly the scene was illuminated by more than the leaping flame of the fire. As if someone had flipped a switch the darkness that shrouded the pub patch was replaced by dazzling sunshine, the golden light of a summer afternoon.

As grey smoke belched up from the burning pub building and the bucket chain coughed and spluttered and blinked in the sudden sunlight, people automatically looked up once more into the blue sky, wondering if the dragon would have vanished with the darkness.

Harlequin · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Chimera

The kite soared gracefully from the window, gliding majestically into the air, but almost as soon as Firefly was launched, Harlequin was surprised by the onset of daylight. He lost control and started to plummet.

"Damn! Not enough wind!" Harlequin exclaimed. He tried to recover from the dive, but accidentally dropped one of his flame throwers. "Damn! Blast! Damn!" he said as it sped to the ground. The siphon shattered, liquor errupting from the glass as the touch paper found its target and engulfed the lot in flames.

"Aha! Now there's a thermal!" He managed to regain control of Firefly, and started to look around for the dragon.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 349 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom was looking for the dragon as well. He moved slowly away from the pub, scanning the newly-illuminated ground and sky. He now held the mace carelessly in his left hand and the wand carefully ready in his right.

Something was bothering him but he could figure out what it was after his blazing cold hatred for the dragon was satisfied.

[OOC: moves to "Outside: Middle of the Patch"]