❖ 006 - Video

[spotlighted]

[The feed shows a baby dragon with bright red scales crawling across the floor of Ruby's apartment. The camera's shaking in her hands a little.]

I liked this thing far more when I still thought it was a dinosaur.

[The dragon opens its mouth wide and out shoots a small fireball. The rug and the bottom of the curtains of Ruby's apartment are now on fire.]

Hey-- hey! Stop that!

[She grabs the first thing she can lay her hands on - a frying pan - and whacks the dragon with it sharply. Whereas before he'd looked playful, now he just looks very angry with her. She wouldn't be surprised if he tried to burn down the whole apartment now.]

If anyone wants him, take him. Please. Otherwise I'm going to be eating dragon stew tonight.

[She drops the camera abruptly to try and deal with the fire.]

Comments

[beyourarmy]

I'd have to make sure it's okay with my housemates, first, but if you don't want it, I'll take it!

[spotlighted]

You would? That would be wonderful. I want him out of my place before he destroys it.

Sorry this took so long. I needed to talk to another player first.

[beyourarmy]

Well, I can't take him, after all. But I can remove him for you and take him to the zoo.

no worries!

[spotlighted]

Oh, okay. Well, don't worry about it. My boss is on his way over to help me stop him from burning down the apartment, I'm sure he can take care of it for me.

[beyourarmy]

Sorry about that.

Good luck.

[spotlighted]

That's okay, don't worry about it.

Thanks, I think we're going to need it.

Video

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He's trying not to find all of this somewhat funny, but he is, apparently, failing. Especially after seeing her hit the dragon with a frying pan.]

I'm not interested in having a pet, but I'm sure you'll find somebody willing to take it on.

Video

[spotlighted]

Someone's already offered to take it.

[She raises her eyebrows a little incredulously because you'd better not be laughing at her, Meyer.]

Is something funny?

Re: Video

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Not funny. Just deeply ridiculous.

[spotlighted]

So being turned into a girl was fine but this is too ridiculous for you?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I wouldn't say it was fine, but it was a lot less likely to set things on fire and possibly rampage through the City.

[spotlighted]

I don't know, I'm a girl and I've been known to do that at certain times of the month.

[She gazes around her apartment miserably.] I just got this place looking nice and this dumb lizard decides to destroy everything. It'll probably take months to get the smell of charred fabric out of here.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He laughs at her first comment, but quickly looks more serious at her second.]

You need any help cleaning up the mess? Or restraining the dragon from making more of a mess?

[spotlighted]

Cleaning up I can manage. Restraining the dragon I'd definitely appreciate help with. I think I made him mad when I clocked him with the frying pan. ...I'd hoped just to make him unconscious.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Try to lock the dragon in the bathroom, or something, where it can't cause too much damage. I'll be over soon.

[It takes him awhile to show up, but when he does, he looks determined.]

[spotlighted]

[The apartment smells very charred, the curtains are nothing more than tatters, and the rug is very singed, but nothing's on fire for now, at least. There are scratching sounds at the bathroom door along with a growling noise, the dragon really isn't appreciating being locked in there.]

I think I made him really mad, I hit him with the broom repeatedly just to get him in there.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Of course the dragon doesn't like being locked in the bathroom, and from the sound of it, the dragon is just getting angrier. Which is why, as soon as he enters the apartment, he's pulling his gun from his shoulder holster.]

I'll take care of it. You stay back.

[spotlighted]

[Her face falls a little as he reaches for his gun, but she nods and steps back a way.]

Just be careful, okay?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He notices the expression on her face, and offers her a slight smile.]

Don't worry. I'll only use this as a last resort.

[And he opens the door to the bathroom as quietly as possible, taking cover behind the doorframe for the inevitable flames that are sure to come his way.]

[spotlighted]

[The dragon goes for the door as soon as he sees it open, flapping his wings uselessly as they're still too small to get him off the ground, letting out a spurt of fire in his panic.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He really doesn't want to have to kill this thing. It's small, and not particularly likely to injure him in this state -- although the fire singes his trousers, which he doesn't appreciate -- but who knows how big it'll get? He approaches it carefully, gun at the ready, then tries to duck around it to hit it in the head with the butt of his pistol rather than shooting it right away. Maybe if he can stun it, they can tie it up and dispose of it somewhere else.]

[spotlighted]

[The dragon's feeling increasingly trapped, and snaps at Meyer with sharp, pearly teeth. It tries to shoot another fireball, but only comes out with a rather pathetic puff of smoke instead.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Meyer pauses. There's a part of him that thinks killing the dragon -- especially in front of Ruby -- might be a bad idea. But there's a bigger part of him that knows that it's only a matter of time before the dragon gets big enough to actually hurt one of them, and then where will they be? Better to get rid of it now. He turns to Ruby for a moment, gun still trained on the dragon.]

I'd suggest going in the other room.

voice;

[thermonuclear_birdbrain]

Maybe he wants to be warmer, if he's trying to light things on fire.

I'd say I'd take him, but I'm already dealing with one of my own...

voice;

[spotlighted]

Maybe, or maybe he just wants to piss me off by wrecking the place.

That's all right, my boss is coming over to deal with him.