❖ 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

[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.

[spotlighted]

[Ruby nods very solemnly, not being able to bring herself to look at the dragon, walking towards her bedroom and firmly shutting the door.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[A few seconds after she walks into her bedroom, she'll hear a gunshot. Several minutes later, he's knocking on her bedroom door. When she opens it, the dragon is obviously dead, and wrapped up in a towel.]

I'll get you a new towel. I didn't just want to leave it there.

[spotlighted]

[Ruby looks at the lifeless lump obscured by the towel and has to quickly look away.]

It's okay, I don't care about the towel. ...Thanks.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He's good enough at reading people that he knows this must bother her, and although he can't necessarily offer any words of sympathy, he'll do the best to keep the towel out of her sight for now.]

You gonna be okay?

[spotlighted]

[She nods a little, although it's not a very convincing gesture.]

I shouldn't have picked one of those eggs up. I was responsible for it, and I let it get way out of hand.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He'd pat her on the shoulder, if he wasn't busy holding a towel full of dead dragon.]

I don't think anyone could've predicted that it'd get this out of hand. It's not your fault.

[spotlighted]

I don't know, it was obvious it was a curse, I never should have expected anything good to come out of there.

[Even if she'd hoped it was a dinosaur. Which would probably have ended up being even more destructive.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[A shrug.]

We've had curses that've turned out okay before. Can't blame you for hoping.

[spotlighted]

No, I should learn to leave them well enough alone if I can. Even if it might turn out okay, it's probably better to be safe than sorry.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

You really think you'll be able to do that? You strike me as the risk-taking type.

[spotlighted]

I am. And in practise I probably wouldn't be able to manage it. But I don't want the death of another creature to be a result of that, either.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Would you've preferred I didn't kill it?

[spotlighted]

No, you did what you had to.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I always do. Doesn't mean you have to like it.