Deerington Inbox

[onerthes]

[A tinny man's voice gives what is clearly a default answer machine message. Vira-Lorr is still figuring the phone out it seems.]
"Hello, we are not available now. Please leave your name and phone number after the beep. We will return your call."
*Beep*

Comments

[51stcenturyjack]

You'll be the first person I'd call if I get a read on him. [Goes in search of bananas in the kitchen, turns up nothing.]

Looks like I'm going shopping for bananas after all! Want me to pick up anything while I'm out there?

[onerthes]

Camomile Tea if it's in stock, preferably with lemon. If I'm not drinking properly, that's been helpful of late in getting me to relax.

[51stcenturyjack]

Chamomile with honey it is. [Fetching the greatcoat, pulling it on and flipping up the collar against the cold and collecting his key before heading out.]

Some time later, her Fluid might notify her:

ARMORED POLAR BEAR!

[onerthes]

[The ... hell?!?]

Are you telling me that you need rescue from an armored ursine threat? Just so you know, I'd recommend running.

[51stcenturyjack]

I'm good. I think they're harmless, if formidable. One shuffled across my path and stopped to look at me before she shuffled off into the snow. Another growled at some galoot who almost rammed him with a big ark of a Chevy, but that was a justified growl. Got a photo of one, actually.

bigassbear.jpeg

[onerthes]

That is downright adorable, considering that it is a creature that could probably maul the hell out of something or someone. At least they are relatively safe. I'll make a note of that.

[51stcenturyjack]

If I wasn't on a mission, I'd stand here and film them. Some of this is comedy gold, Deerington style. One decided to sit in the road and take a nap. Hilarity ensued!

[onerthes]

Oh gods, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for them then. At least soomething this month is going well, yes?

[51stcenturyjack]

Certainly lightened the mood for me, and gave me something funny to think about.

Maybe one of these teddy tanks will cuddle my better half and keep him warm.

[onerthes]

Knowing him, he's already snuggled up to one of them as we speak. But good luck finding him quickly. If you do, take pictures for me if he's up with one of the bears.

[51stcenturyjack]

[He goes quiet for a while, then hall door opens and closes, admitting Jack and a small flurry of snow.]

And I thought Cardiff had a lot of weird stuff come in through the Rift. Deerington makes it look like a sleepy backwater village. Teddy tanks are definitely original.

[He sets a brown paper bag on the table, shucks out of his greatcoat and takes a box of vanilla chamomile tea, offering it to her.]

Milady's tea as she requested. [Takes out a bunch of bananas, then goes looking for a fruit knife and the blender, along with some yoghurt and a few strawberries from the fridge.]

[onerthes]

Thank you. Did you have any luck finding the Doctor as well?

[She wasn't that worried. The Doctor had the good sense not to stand in the cold... too long anyway. But still, she did worry a little bit.]

And yes... this place does seem capable of a veritable menagerie of strangeness. Anything is possible in the dreams of others after all.

[51stcenturyjack]

[He grows more serious as he starts peeling a banana.]

'Fraid I didn't see my better half out there, but I suspect he's found some really good hiding place somewhere, or he's bunked down with one of the teddy tanks already.

[Sets to cutting the banana into the blender jar as he continues.]

Gotta say, though, polar bears with armor is genuinely original, to me at least.

But, on to the comedy! So, I'm strolling along East Main, when this bear decides to lay down in the middle of the road, right across the dotted yellow line, perpendicular to the street. And she's one of the bigger ones, easily almost as long from snoot to tail as the road is wide. with enough room on either end for a motorcycle to get through comfortably.

[Peeling and cutting a second banana.] Along come a green Falcon station wagon with a Christmas tree lashed to the roof going east and a black Lincoln going west. And the bear has them both blocked. So the Falcon starts to meekly back up, but the bear notices and shuffles out of the way, grumbling apologetically, allowing them to drive on their merry way.

Meanwhile, the Lincoln tries to sneak around her by driving up onto the sidewalk, nearly ramming the bear. But she's having none of it and growls at the Lincoln, not a little growl, but a deep, throaty "Gruhrrhh, don't even try me, Charlie" growl. The Lincoln nearly t-bones her, but she snaps at the tires. The Lincoln screeks to a halt and sits there as if to say "Well?" The bear stares it down. Finally, the Lincoln reverses, turns around and goes off the way it came.

[onerthes]

[The talk of the Doctor was serious, but there was also very little that they could do without continuing the search in the dead of winter. For now it had to wait. Instead, she listened to the story of the bear and the cars. After a moment, she was chuckling and grinning from ear to ear, because... honestly?]

It seems that bear was very concerned about the manners of the people driving on the road, wasn't it?

[51stcenturyjack]

Rewarding the kind and dunking on the selfish? They're my kinda bears, in that case, long as they don't dunk too hard, unless it's deserved.

[He dumps in some of the yoghurt and several berries before popping the lid on and switching it on, holding the lid down.]

[onerthes]

We shall see, but I will hope for the best. There's often a protective spirit during times like these after all... so we can hope a little. Better them than the hunters from last year.

[She smirked as she watched him work on the smoothie.]

Making sure to have a supply are we?

[51stcenturyjack]

[He switches off the blender, pouring out some of the contents into a bowl and looking for a storage container for the rest.]

Some to lure him with, some for later, if he's still hungry.

Makes sense that some guardian critters would show up this time of year, to help defend us from whatever comes out of the dark. Bit of a breather from the usual stuff.

Hunters, eh? Think I read about those in the Dogkeeper's notes. Sounded like tough customers.

[onerthes]

mmhmm They were skilled at what they did. That did not make them prudent in terms of knowing how to respond to threats that were ... better handled with finesse or empathy.

Hopefully the bears have better discernment, or less reason to worry about that detail.

[51stcenturyjack]

Sound like really tough customers and maybe not the kind I'd like to have messed with.

[He goes for the greatcoat, shrugging it on and taking up the bowl.]

...Funny, when I got here in July, we had those weird black and white bears that were rounding up people and judging 'em for God knows what. Now we got armored polar bears that seem to care we stay out of harm.

[onerthes]

Ah yes. Monokuma or whatever his name was, and his little robots. [She snarled.] I still have a great deal of trouble forgiving Superior for summoning him. These, I suspect, are much more natural in appearance than his ...

Filth.

[51stcenturyjack]

If anything cemented my decision about where I'm takin' a stand in this town, that was it. Been through a kangaroo court or two in my time. [And from the hard look in his eye, it's clear he wishes he could have done more to end that round.]

Maybe Sodder's evening up the score for Christmas. Maybe she's challenging Grandma.

[A glace at the bowl.]

Right now, I gotta family matter of my own to take care of. Hope I ain't out there too long. [His tone might be light, but that hard look is still in his eye. Understandable, considering just what caused that family trouble to begin with.]

[onerthes]

It nearly decided it for me as well. [She growled.] But I think you know exactly why in my case. I'm trying to keep an even keel about it, but every night I sleep, I remember. It's hard.

But let's hope there is little evening of the score. We're likely to get mired in that. That said, you go deal with that family matter. I don't want to keep you from it.

[51stcenturyjack]

[He looks her in the eye, giving her a firm, understanding nod, and she might see a flicker of that fatherly concern of his in there.]

Let's hope we have a merry Christmas, and the people metaphorically upstairs don't let their family drama leak through the ceiling.

[He'd like to hug her, but he'll save that for later. He's got a mission and he'd best head out for it.]

Let's hope I'm back with my better half sooner, if not later. See you when I get back.

[And with that, he heads out, taking the bowl of bait into the snowy night.]

[From outside, she might hear him call out "Heeeere, DoctorDoctorDoctor. woo-hoo! Where'd yah go? C'mon in outta the cold!" followed by a mischievous whistle....]