2021-09-27 - Sixteen Tons

Twelve weeks passed. One moment you're hunkering down in the improvised hurricane shelter at Teddy S. Addington High and the next you're -- well, going what the hell? just like everyone else. Gone are the arguments between pet owners and the cat hating Mrs Jankowski (who's also rather upset that somebody apparently relieved her of her mother-of-pearl hilted 9mm Beretta at some point). Gone are the circle of tall faerie women who creeped out even the ordinary, not shiny people at the hurricane shelter, and their strange, yellow-eyed children. Gone is Mr Oleander from Olympia whose very expensive yacht was turned into toothpicks, smashed against the pier. Gone is Vicky Barrett, eighteen year old militant vegan.

Well, Vicky's not gone, technically. She's probably back home, driving her parents to tears.

Everything is suddenly -- normal. Except that a substantial number of houses along the Chehalis got washed into the river by flash floods, and so did a number of properties along the bayside. Trees fell on some further inland, and one house got swept away on a mudslide. The shelter at Teddy S. Addington High's gymnasium is still in use -- by just a handful of people and families who don't have relatives to go stay with, or can't leave town to do so because of their jobs. Ravn Abildgaard is a little amazed, really, at his own talent at sweet talking city hall and the school management into going along with this. Mostly because like so many others, he has no recollection of those twelve weeks and really, he could at least have left himself some notes on how to accomplish something like that. Yanno, for next time. Really, a bloke should keep himself informed.

And here he is, at the shelter slash gymnasium, checking up on things -- volunteers come and go, still, because apparently, twelve weeks has been far from enough to repair everything, here and elsewhere. He's nothing if not grateful that so many people are helping out -- even if like him, a lot of them don't remember volunteering to do so, or in fact doing most of it. He's brought a bag of bagels and coffee because some of them will be about, or coming about. There's still talk in corners about that very big footprint on the gymnasium roof -- the one that looks like a very big iguana left it. If by iguana you do indeed mean lizard the size of a steam locomotive.

Normal folks talk about storm damage and old woodwork collapsing in strong winds. They don't see the footprint. And that, if anything, tells the folklorist that there's still shit being shoved at fans.

"So." Isi announces upon entering the high school gymnasium, a manila folder in her hand to wave emphaticly, "Did you know that I can't find the fucking fund that is suppose to pay for all of this?" Isi apparently doesn't believe in soft introductions. "Instead I found them pulling from four different accounts and why the road fund would be used to pay for shelter relief is anyone's guess. I was hoping they had better records here. Yes?"

Ravn's a know it all, right? He might know this thing?

The few kids which remain are all giggling over in a group on the bleachers, watching My Neighbor Totoro on the TV. Usually this tv sees educational videos and it is one of those big and clunky ones on a rolling trolly. Kailey has just finished handing out snack chips and juice boxes.

"Okay, looks like everyone gets TWO bags!" The Purple-haired and self-appointed childcare helper announces. "And cookies near the end. Come get your second bag when you're ready." The Costco sized box of snack chips is set down and she pulls out a cheetohs and a fritos bag. The children distracted with food and another new movie are taken care of. Kailey heads over to Ravn as Isi arrives.

"Hey, how goes?" She asks the other woman as she opens the cheetohs. Only then does she remember and hand Ravn the fritos corn chips. "Here ya go, boyfriend," Her tone is coated in teasing and her smile mischevious.

"I think part of the problem here might be that there isn't a fund that's supposed to pay for shelter relief," Ravn tells Isi - because if she's going to skip greetings, so is he (and business is business). "Only one guy got some kind of warning in advance that a hurricane was coming, and no one who could have delegated the funding believed him until it hit us."

The Dane winks at her. "Which is why we're here. Storm Cimaron was a hell of a lot more of a baptism by fire for HOPE than anyone could have wanted for, but we are in fact able to to cover a great deal of these things, thanks to some very generous sponsors whose names shall stay exactly as private as they requested." He looks up at the roof, and then tacks on, "Though I'd appreciate it if you can help me not accidentally teach town hall that whenever something weird and inexplicable happens, they can just send us a bill."

Thank you, Seth Monaghan. Your donation of Veil-created seaweed money is being put to good civic use. Best kind of money laundering there is.

And then there's Kailey, sauntering up and calling Ravn boyfriend. It's the sort of thing that could make a man uncomfortable if not for the fact that two hundred and fifty people in this very shelter overheard her own boyfriend start that rumour -- and no one who's lived in Gray Harbor long enough to visit Sweet Retreats is not aware that Everett Woods has a very dark and twisted sense of humour.

"Everything is just as you'd expect," the Dane tells her. "Most of us have lost three months, the ones who haven't are getting annoyed that we're all in on this stupid joke about collective amnesia, and meanwhile, most things seem to just have moved on whether we were there to guide them or not."

It's quiet in the high school parking lot right now at least. Even Kailey's kids -- the ones she volunteered to help herd, not her actual kids, furry or human-shaped -- are contained by Japanese animation.

Mr Davidson, appointed to assess the damage, has just driven off in his van, mumbling about structural damage and needing to check the local statutes because if that roof is coming down, he has some suggestions for improvement -- but the high school has at least partial legally protected status as a historical building and besides, it's got the Addington name on it so he's just going to go save his own neck by running any suggestions by somebody else at town hall, and by thus practical means, make all of this somebody else's problem (the best kind of problem there is as far as Mr Davidson is concerned).

After the chaos that was the hurricane, and then the chaos that was waking up with twelve weeks missing, it's almost like reality decides to give the three people standing around there a break.

Except that's not how life in Gray Harbor works, and any time reality looks like it's decided to cut you some slack is when you should seriously watch your back and check your shoelaces in case you need to run, and this time is no different.

Because that really is a very big iguana up there on the roof, and it's quite happily getting ready to make some more quite big footprints on that very roof. Bounce up and down a little. See if a high school goes ploof when something weighing in at sixteen tons of pure spite decides to dance the flamenco on top of the gymnasium.

It really is a big iguana. Dragon. Slightly winged T-Rex. What it actually is is highly debateable and very heavy. Green with irridescent shades of gold and blue. Size of a steam locomotive. Teeth from all the way there to all the way up there, and the shit-eating grin of something that was invented by some Veil entity with the explicit purpose of pissing people off. By, say, smashing a building.

It's clearly yet to meet the force of nature that's Joey Kelly.

Kailey grins at Ravn and throws him a week before she darts in to peck him on the cheek. How dare! And she is giggling and looking like a minx when she does it. Then she sees it. The thing on top of the gymnasium and her eyes go wide as her escape from retaliation is paused. "W-why is there a dragon on the roof?" She says before stating more loudly, "There's a dragon on the roof! That thing's...AUGH! YOU GET DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!" And yes, she is using her mommy-cat voice and pointing to an area of the parking lot clear of cars and before her. Of course, she didn't think the 'before her' part all the way through... Oops. "Bad dragon!"

Isi's head was in numbers and not on the wtf that is Gray Harbor. She had flipped open her folder when Kailey comes in and had started to say, "These numbers just don't make sense. It is like the money..." but whatever she was about to say gets cut off and she blinks...

Dragon?

Roof?

Eyes turn upwards and she is just too stunned to act. Instead, "What the actual fuck...." hello understatement.

A van drives up; not Mr. Davidson's highly professional van returning, but more of a down-by-the-river sort of van, older than its driver but somehow still hanging on to functionality. Said driver hops out, and although he's holding a flat of cans of cheap cream soda, his attention is not at all on those, nor on the door he bumps closed with his hip, and barely even on the group in the parking lot even though he's heading that way.

"Um," Aidan says, staring roofward as he nears Ravn and co, "...you all see that dragon too, right?" His gaze flicks down long enough to check their expressions to confirm that yes, it is not just him, there IS in fact a massive mythical reptile on the roof. Bouncing on the already-rickety roof. "Hey!" he calls up to it, on the heels of and perhaps slightly overlapping Kailey's demands, "Could you, like... not, please?"

What use is flailing your arms at a very big lizard on a roof? Not much, Ravn, not much.

Yelling at the thing like a cat parent watching a naughty kitten is obviously far more effective; at least it's pretty much what Kailey and Aidan both do, and that gets the creature's attention. Large, golden eyes flick towards the pair (and by extension, all four of them). There he (she? it? they?) is (are?), one clawed foot lifted in order to bring it down in the stomp of a lifetime -- and then, mental onslaught.

The dragon somehow misses.

An impressive feat, truly, missing a building the size of the high school's gymnasium. Truly, a talent.

No wonder it (the dragon, not the gymnasium) bellows out an angry challenge, a trumpeting roar that ought to bring half of Gray Harbor running (but which will not because that's not how the narrative runs, and in the bizarre reality shifts people around here call 'dreams', the narrative is king). Honestly, they should have heard that in Hoquiam.

"I see a dragon on the roof too," Ravn murmurs in delayed response; one that is sadly lacking in terms of leadership because much as the Dane likes to fancy himself someone who's got a good idea of what to do at any given time -- well, dragon fighting is not in his skill set. He makes a mental note to take out a subscription to some MMO or other later -- but for now? Patting his jacket pocket, and then remembering that he handed over Mrs Jankowski's Beretta to de la Vega.

The beast lands, amidst a flapping of winds and a few rather strong violations of the laws of physics. Asphalt cracks underneath its clawed feet as it does, adding to the potential repair bills (now to wonder, does City Hall have an account for, well, dragon damage?). Its golden-red eyes glow with malicious intent because it was just told off like a naughty kitten and while the creature may have a brain the size of a walnut, that walnut does not approve.

"Oh Lord, I hope it doesn't breathe fire," the Dane murmurs and then kicks himself because if there is thing he doesn't want to do right now, it's give the Veil ideas.

Distraction. Distraction. Distract the damn thing before we all die. Ravn does the only thing that comes to mind -- in the absence of a rail gun or a small, convenient thermonuclear missile. He reaches out with the very small fragment of moving power he has -- to press the horn on Aidan's ancient van. Maybe dragons don't like sudden, loud noises.

Nope nope nope nope nope. Isi is just NOPE on all of this shit. She hits the ground quite firmly and is going to edge herself in the direction of a cot. There is a five year old playing nearby who seems totally oblivious so Isi grabs the kid along the way

Just kidnapping, it's fine.

Kailey plants her hands over her ears as the draguana roars at them. Cringing even with that covering because that was very loud. And if she was new like Isi she might be doing just what she is. But recently she has gone from back scene protector and Noper to one of the foolish. When the thing stops roaring her hands drop to fists on her hips.

Those watching her closely, which everyone here is not what with the dragon and all, see she is ready to lead out of the way. And indeed she does jump back when the draguana makes its leap from roof to asphalt. "Don't you yell at me!" She scolds the monster, lifting a finger to shake at it. "Bad dragon, go home!" And with that the shaking finger goes to point and draw an archway in the air in the direction of the sports field.

"Aidan! Good to see you. Care to lend your brain to encouraging it to go through the portal I'm about to pop open?" Kailey says with false cheer. There is that manic gleam in her eye and despite it all she's kind of grinning in the face of danger. Hooo boy.

Okay! Definitely not hallucinating. Well, not hallucinating the dragon, at least. That's... good? Certain values of good. Aidan is less sure about how good the asphalt-cracking landing of the creature now closer to him is, and he's fairly convinced the way it's looking at him now is the kind of good best described as 'not'.

For all his determination to take the non-violent route through these situations wherever reasonably possible these days, there's an instinct deep in his hindbrain that reacts to the sight of a giant angry clawed-and-toothed thing by throwing all engines to defense, and it's heard the best defense can be a good offense. There's a faint scent of something like smoke in the air, tiny marks on the plastic covering the soda where it seems to warp just a little, but he takes a breath and shifts his weight, more lightly balanced and ready to move if necessary. Other things are less conscious: the least developed of his powers nonetheless flaring up in self-protection, the creation of a mental map of what's around him.

Isi seems to have kid-saving (or -stealing, but we'll barricade that bridge when we come to it) well in hand, and Kailey's greeting and plan both sound good to him. "Hey, K," he replies, and nods, "...lemme see what I can do." It works with unkittens, right? There's a hint of a twitch at the sudden sound of the horn, but focus is, for now, maintained. Something about irritated dragons glaring at a guy'll do that.

Oblivious Todd, they call him. Maybe they should go with Indecisive Todd instead, though. Isi grabs the five-year-old and for a moment he looks excited about the attention. Then he spots the giant scaly animal and looks excited about the dinosaur. Then he realises mum isn't there, and he looks anything but excited about this. But the lady might take him for a walk -- excited. She might not buy him ice cream -- not excited.

There's a lot to process there. It may take Todd a while. In good news, this means he's not too difficult to herd out of dragon range.

It doesn't hurt that the dragon's attention is fixed elsewhere, either. It's fixed on Aidan (and let's be honest here, it's Aidan, the most colourfully garbed man in Gray Harbor, maybe there's a reason he's the one to catch the eye of something that supposedly likes to sleep on shiny, sparkly things).

It picks up its new thing. It shakes it. It drops it. From the looks on Aidan's face, that was not a particularly fantastic experience, and little Todd makes a mental note to not ever be dinosaur kibble.

Somebody's car horn blares, loudly. The dragon gives not a fig. Maybe it's deaf. No, it can't be, it noticed Kailey calling it out in the first place.

Angry woman still scolding; Todd makes a note to not upset her, she's got purple hair and his mum tells him people with unnatural hair colours are dangerous. The dragon looks like it might be considering something similar. It looks almost guilty as it drops Aidan; almost like a puppy who's had his nose flicked. Or Todd, when mum says to stop playing with the TV remote.

Something shimmers and flickers and wavers like one of the magic spells on Todd's mum's video games. It's like a very big box is fading into existence behind the dinosaur, and the boy stares at it in awe -- and pulls on Isi's sleeve for to see it too.

So does the dragon.

And while it doesn't even have visible ears, it droops like a sad puppy. It whines.

And bolts back to the roof because hello, it came here to do a thing, and really, Todd gets this. He always does the same thing when he's being called in from the playground (or some strange lady is yanking him away). Run back to the sandbox and pretend to play. Just another minute, mum. Just another minute.

"The lady is going to scold the dino," the boy solemnly informs the accountant. "He's a bad dino."

"No shit," Ravn murmurs under his breath -- quietly, because while decorum is not really the folklorist's primary concern at the moment, it's been drilled into him at some point that you don't swear in front of children. He's not thrilled about this situation (is anyone?). The man tends to have a strong fight or flight instinct in a conflict; far less terrified when he can act.

Last time he felt his back against a wall with no way to act, he ended up trying to stab a gangster in the eye with a pair of scissors. The warping of the plastic of Aidan's soda can has not missed his attention (and neither has a few things Aidan's said in the past, along the lines of 'that time I set my parents' house on fire').

Time to do something stupid, then, because doing something is better than doing nothing. "Aidan," Ravn calls out. "Can we burn the thing enough to make it flee through that door? Kailey, can you hold the damn thing open?"

Isi's got her hands full, rescuing the kid. Good job, keep it up. The Dane bolts to the door and stands in front of it, waving his hands wildly. "Hey! Over here! Come and get it, asshole!"

So he's book smart. No one said anything about battlefield smart.

Isi has no idea what is going on in poor Todd's head. She might have more sympathy for him not getting his rear in gear and making her force him in the direction she wants him to go in. She is at a loss for a bit for anything to do beyond tugging - and getting tugged. "Yeah, he fucking sucks," Isi replies, having missed the day where one shouldn't swear around children. Especially when she swears again as the lizard thing goes back UP. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck...."

There is a moment when inspiration HITS though and she announces, "Let's play hide and seek okay? Go hide under a cot and I'll try to find you, Kay?" Aka, please get under cover kid, I don't want you to die and be blamed.

To the others, "What the fuck is that?!"

Kailey's face is set in a hard look. Crinkling up in her focus. The door of purple luminescence flickers and there is an undeniable little farting sound before it pops fully and firmly in place. Kailey is sweating and the street post near her has begun to imitate a Salvador Dali painting. The thing drooping slowly towards the sidewalk, though it remains illuminated. Most all of the young woman's focus is on the gate and keeping it open. But her mind is still attached to the Draguana and she notices those feelings.

<< You are a big, strong, dragon, and I know you are supposed to crush that. But please don't, just go home. See? I have the door opened and everything. We need that roof, >> The mental words are strained and pleading as the cement parking block near her also begins to go Salvador Dali. That she notices with a glance and guilty wince. << Home is good. Better than this. Go home! I super believe in you, Tad Cooper! >> Which for those who have watched Galavant may sound familiar. Also...did she just name the dragon?

Aidan should probably just be glad the whole sixteen tons of dragon hasn't decided to sleep on him, but he's a little busy getting grabbed and shaken around and dropped back on the ground. It does nothing positive for his chest, judging by the hand that comes up to gingerly rub it as he straightens and the trouble he seems to have at first regaining his breath; it probably does even less beneficial to the flat of soda, which tumbles from his hands when he's snatched and onto the concrete, where a couple cans explode, others dent, and all probably become little fizzy grenades-in-waiting.

"I don't--" he manages with some difficulty before taking a deeper, careful breath (one would think he'd dealt with chest injury before) and continuing, "....don't think we gotta go that far, yet. Give, um. Give him some space first, we're gonna try..." The rest of the sentence fails to manifest, potentially on the assumption that Ravn can figure it out, potentially just because he's out of words for now.

Other things are easier. [You don't even want to be doing this,] he sends sympathetically to the dragon, [You just wanna go home. Right?] He shades the emotion he sent the creature before toward homesickness, toward the yearning to be where one belongs, the knowledge that this isn't it. [She can't hold the door long. This is your chance.]

His gaze stays on the creature, a tad warily -- hey, his chest hurts, and if this doesn't work they may have to go to more drastic measures -- but he's regained enough breath to answer Isi with, "Um. Dragon? I think?" Some days one could really use a Spotter's Guide to Veil Manifestations.

"Fuck fuck fuck," Todd sing-songs happily, and in doing this earns Isi an enemy for life in the form of his mother. Try to save her boy's life? She approves, certainly, but do not use that language in front of my son, thank you very much. Congratulations, Ravn, you're going to have one more thing on your plate tomorrow, and her name is Karen.

(Actually, it's Cordelia, but why hang yourself in the details when there's perfectly good rope.)

Of all the things no one knew they needed in their life, seeing a grown dragon pout like a toddler is probably pretty high on the list. Here he (she? it? they?) is (are?), sitting on the high school roof. The dragon wants to leave. Everything here is far too complicated and those people things down there make very good points, but it's supposed to demolish this stupid building, and look, having two thoughts at once is a complicated process when your brain is the size of a malnourished walnut. A clawed foot goes up -- and comes down hard, because breaking this roof! And then there is the distraction, of Kailey's convincing suggestions, of Aidan's reasonable arguments, and somehow --

-- the dragon misses.

When sixteen tons of something comes down hard and then in fact manages to miss whatever it was coming down hard at, gravity gets the last laugh. The giant creature falls down, flat on its (their? his? her? thems'?) toothy face, leaving a rather generously sized imprint on the parking lot asphalt. The noise, of course, is spectacular -- a mix of crrrrrack and crrrrrrunch and oomph and grrrrrr.

The expression on the dragon's face is quite spectacular, too. It manages to traverse an entire range of emotions in an almost cartoonish fashion -- starting out from surprise, meandering down the winding lanes of pain and embarrassment, stopping for coffee at anger, before finally getting on the freeway of just get me out of here before I make this even worse. There's a big glowy door over there. It leads to somewhere that not everyone is staring. Sure, there's an idiot in the way, shouting and waving his arms, but one of us weighs in at about 185 pounds and the other at about 35,000. People are just obstacles.

In good news for Ravn, something that weighs in at sixteen tons (or indeed, 35.2k pounds) is easy to spot coming at you, and the Dane manages to jump out of the dragon's way before he gets flattened in the way that the highschool roof wasn't.

It scrabbles. Opening a door wide enough for one or two human-sized beings to step into the Veil is one thing; a door wide enough for a sixteen tons dragon is another. Hind legs push and and kick up dirt -- and then, with a sound not unlike a skinning an almond, the dragon is suddenly through, and gone.

"Dino has gone home," Todd announces, from under his cot.

Poor Karen/Cordelia. Isi is one of those irresponsible adults who thinks it is adorable when kids swear. Also, it keeps the kid pliable so she can just make sure the dragon's butt or whatever doesn't squish the kid. "Yeah, fuck the dragon." Isi says peering out from under her hands as the kid says the dino is gone. "Or dino, or whatever the fuck it is. Don't come out yet kid."

Who knows if this shit really is over. Cupping her hands over her mouth to let the sound echo, "Is that it? Or will some other fucking fantasy monster come out, because I swear..." but she trails off on whatever she will swear.

The expression on Kailey's face when the dragon tumbles from the roof, missing his intended target, is one of surprise and amusement. It swiftly changes to concern for the dragon and she even takes a few steps towards it. Tender care comes from her and worry for any injury to the creature. Truly she doesn't want to hurt it.

<< Are you okay? Poor Toddy, come on, time to go home. You'll be okay. No one really saw it, >> Kailey's mind coos to the poor stupid thing. She follows it along towards the gate, even daring to reach out and stroke it's side in a soothing manner. << Whose a big, strong, dragonboy? You are! >> She encourages as the dragon wiggles and squirms to make its way through the door.

She made that door really big and it is still struggling. But with that funny sound he is through and with a sudden exhalation of relief the purple door collapses behind him. When Kailey turns to look behind her the parking lot and several of the cars have gone full Salvador Daali.

"Oh fuck..." Turning to Aidan, eyes wide, she then quickly looks over his van. It's whole and unaffected. Then her eyes skip over to her van parked over on the street near the side doors is fine. Reaching up to scratch the back of her neck she looks around uncomfortably, "Uhhh...everyone okay?" She ventures, turning towards Isi. "I think that is it. Dragon went home...probably. Those gates tend to hone in on where the Veil wants the creature to go. And I think things going back generally GO BACK..." She may be talking out her ass, but that's her current theory anyway.

Aidan cannot help the wince and flinch at the sound of that impact, which increases as the movement makes his own chest more painful, in a vicious cycle that at least doesn't have very far to build on itself. "Ooh. That sounded like it hurt," he murmurs, and his teeth briefly worry at his lower lip before the dragon starts hurtling the door's direction. A worried look toward Ravn, possibly considering his options for getting the Dane clearly out of the way, but luckily there's no need. Half a breath of relief, and then the rest of it as the creature manages to pop through the opening. It's gone and the door collapsing before the tiny, slightly agitated giggle escapes. That was a noise he'll remember.

"Ooh," Aidan agrees with Kailey's oh-fuck, eyeing the cars in question; he glances vanward as well, and can't help being pleased it's in... as good shape as it was before, anyway. "I'm-- I've had worse. I think we're all okay?" He scans the others -- little Todd included -- just to be sure about this. "And I dunno for sure but probably we're good for now? I mean, it's Gray Harbor. Something's gonna happen sometime. Just, I think we oughta be good for right now."

He eyes one of the cars, glances down at his chest, and sighs. "I'm gonna go see if I can maybe... do a thing about that," he decides, and heads toward it. Well, he knows what it used to look like, right? It takes some focus and petting the car looks kind of weird, but it does work. And hey, the shirt's already ruined so when he gets a sudden nosebleed halfway through trying the second one, at least it doesn't really make that much worse.

"There's always going to be another monster," Ravn murmurs, whether Isi hears him or not. It's Gray Harbor; it's a fact of life. And, the folklorist has to admit to at least himself if no one else -- it's a fact of life that he enjoys.

The clean-up is overrated, though. Whether it's getting a box of paper towels for Aidan's nosebleed (and the subsequent argument about healer heal thyself and do you need the ER), or agreeing to talk to someone in accounting at City Hall so that Isi doesn't have to clean up that mess, or checking on the sly that things aren't continuing to turn into Dali-esque art installations around Kailey.

Shaming a sixteen ton dragon into slinking off like an embarrassed puppy. He can't help laugh. Gray Harbor, never stop being Gray Harbor.