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 Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:40 am
Quincy was still in awe of the workshop. It wasn’t clean or orderly in a way that he was used to. Instincts drove him to believe that if everything weren’t clean as the mint dime the higher ups chuck on your newly made bed, you’d be punished. But with Luc the messiness was acceptable, welcome even. The scent of rust and grease became the pleasant comfort leading him further into the garage of hidden gems. Color was lost to him but Quincy couldn’t miss the welcoming glow in coffee black and egg white shades before him. This coupled with the scent was all he needed to feel completely safe a whole. A large canine grin split his face in half as he bounded over to where the other boy was pawing through his nick knacks with the promise of flight. Behind were the designs, which they would definitely need to work on. He knew some stuff but maybe he could nudge Aaron into bringing him to the library so he could learn more about aviation.
But Luc had a solid ground to start from and Quincy was more than excited, with a little bounce in his step and a nod from his head he wholeheartedly agreed. Designs, flight and freedom. He could taste the end of the road even at the beginning. “I’d love to see them if it’s not too much trouble.” It was so forbidden yet so right and he couldn’t be happier to disobey orders.
He thought of the size and how exactly he could sneak away here with useful parts. Yet, looking at the vast landfill it looked like Luc had everything they needed. Quincy resigned himself to help bringing clean stuff in if they wanted to make it pretty. Like paint or something.
Carrot brown eyes looked over Luc’s shoulder in simple camaraderie as he urged him on with sheer will power. The papers were beckoning and he could hardly wait.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:15 pm
Luc had always been proud of his dirty little space, and of his sloppy little drawings. They were a personal piece of him, hidden away within the old shack. The light of day had never seen such things, but it was not sheer greed. Fear dominated Luc's life. Without a doubt, he acknowledge the aspects of every potential danger his actions could cause. In many ways, he was paranoid - but a portion of him had always longed for the moment in which is scribbling designs could be poured outward for someone else to fixate on.
The design prints that Luc had mustered were well-taken care off. The majority were flat, with few frayed edges or folds, though grease stains and finger-prints were occasionally scattered against the otherwise smooth surfaces. Luc had bypassed the cleanly ones, however, sorting though the variety near the bottom pile before swiping two. He had looked at them a moment, his ears perking up as his tail wagged feverishly; then he had glanced to the wall. His face had grown long as he reached forward, untaping a few and allowing them to fall to the ground like little leaves. Then he had swiped one, dirty and smudged, but recognizable. It appeared old, despite certainly not being all that ancient of a drawing. Still, it was well-handled, folded over and over again as if it were a map.
A thoughtful smile had met him as he cocked his head towards Quincy. "No trouble. I have lots of these!" He had piqued, his eyes aglow. "I've been working for a while. It's something to pass the time." He had held the three he had chosen up. "I like these three. I'm not sure how well they'd fly, though."
The three designs were varied. They were certainly quirky little flying objects, one seemingly modeled off of a helicopter and a hot air balloon. It utilized a basket, held together by metal bars which led up to the swirling blades. Yet another appeared somewhat like a zeppelin with wings. Fat, and bloated, it looked as if it were a cruise-ship for the air, but perhaps too heavy. And the final, the folded and frayed, looked more like a plane. A small one with two cockpits, one designated as a navigator's perch, as if Luc had carefully thought that one individual would need to pay attention to a map while another would need to pay attention to actually flying. It was a very simple design, with a canoe-like body and wings, the propellers set on both wings and the nose of the canoe-body. There were even wheels! Two large ones, similar to a motorcycle. He appeared to have forgotten vital things, however, such as the tail of the plane. Balance. Balance could possibly be an issue as well.
"But I think it's a place to start. You always have to have a place to start!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:16 pm
Quincy poured over the mock blue prints and marveled at how official they appeared, at least from a toddler’s eyes that is. They looked loved and worn; definitely at home with the rest of Luc’s belongings but there was something…shinier. Yes. Shiny. Each one held something interesting and equally special. The zeppelin one appealed to him quite a lot, reminding him of the books that dad read to him, Giant airships in Victorian times. But they also sounded difficult and big to make. He glanced at the three silently; tail wagging a few times in contented concentration with his finger tapping his lips. The one that was slightly more practical, two seats and more reminiscent of a plane caught Quincy’s fancy at last. He grinned and pointed to the airship for both navigator and pilot and grinned up to Luc. “I think this one will work the best.”
Quincy looked over his shoulder, considering the area behind him, and then turned back to Luc with a worried furrow. He’d always been good at making things happen but sometimes portions to progress were out of his league. They had parts, they had Luc’s tools and blue prints that probably needed some work, and they had a mission. But how did they start building? He bit his bottom lip in worry and then stepped back from the blue prints with hands on his belt.
“I-I’ve never built anything before so I don’t really know what to do… or how to start.” Quincy explained giving Luc an apologetic look. He stopped himself and looks back down at the plans once more. “I mean. We have a place to start because your really good at making designs and these start and stuff…” He rambled off with a slight flush covering his cheeks. Luc said they had a place to start and his emotions came out wrong. Quincy stopped himself before he ended up with his foot in his mouth and gave Luc a pitiful look.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 5:52 pm
Luc's chest had puffed out in honor. The sparkle of confidence was wonderful. He felt at home. Home. With an inhaled breath, Luc had plopped down on the ground, spinning around on the floor to look at Quincy. "This one?" He had looked over the craft with its funny little canoe and make-shift nonsense. "This one, then!" He had yiped, something of a park escaping his throat.
It was then that he had frozen stiff to stare at the other canine. The process of building things could be complicated. They would need a perfected design. He knew that much! Something outlined and constructed, kinked out so that it was logistic and could possibly work. But ... How would the two of them know if it would actually fly? Quincy had knowledge of planes, Luc had knowledge of mechanics - they were a fine pair together, but there had to be things they didn't understand. Luc's blue prints were primitive at best, though he would never acknowledge such a thing. They needed to learn.
"Books." Luc had spouted out as he had began to rise, folding up the starting blue print to tuck carefully within the front pocket of his over-alls. "I... I think we need a lot of books. With pictures in them. Books with pictures in them, and lots of math." His tail had drooped somewhat. He was an idealist. He had faith. They could learn the material. They could do it. They just needed to take it slow. "Then I can draw something that'll really work, and we can build it, and test it! We just have to keep doing that."
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:40 pm
Quincy looked at the paper within Luc’s hand and gave a firm nod as his tail swung from side to side, small clouds of dust moving across the floor like anticipating a miniature helicopter’s landing. A small bounce on his heels before he too froze, the same realization pouring down his spine like ice cold water pooling on his tailbone. Flight. That would be the actual difficulty. A plane’s lift and being able to stay afloat on the air was very fragile, very difficult. Not to mention with the world as gray as it is would he even be able to pilot. The pup’s head shook vigorously.
“We can do it, right Luc?” Quincy gave a small gulp and a whine bearing low in his throat. “If we have the right books. We can make a plane fly.” He cowered at the word math. He could hardly multiply correctly but sometimes numbers just popped in his head along with equations and funny squiggles. Lift, air resistance, pressure, speed. It all fit into the equation somehow. A small grin perked at the corner of his mouth and he saw the other boy relax into sheer optimism as he had. The vessel would be their own and something in his blood knew there was no way to take him down. He grinned, heart filling with a bursting fit of optimism that it felt like it would explode and he would fly on spot.
“With books and the right pictures for small planes something will work.” Quincy thought for a sheer moment and looked back towards the door they entered through and new that somewhere out there they would be able to dip their fingers into the clouds and grasp a goal that he never though possible in the most tangible ways until today. Dog to dog and it was kin. He shuffled on his feet before looking the other boy in the eye and grinned. It was his secret but Luc was like him, felt familiar and older than they should have been, then he probably felt the same way about Quincy’s secret.
“It’s okay Luc, sometimes I know things about planes and how they fly. Maybe you have the same thing with how things work.” Quincy stated sheepishly, wringing his hands but still unable to contain his excitement.
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:26 pm
It was a curious thing to consider. There were mathematical equations capable of deducing the odds of a successful flight on their behalf. They were two children. They were two young children - but the mathematical odds had seemed to veer in their favor regardless. They were a part of the fragmented percentage. The one in a billion. The odds of meeting someone with a common goal, and a seeming common ground of intellect, were enough to have convinced Luc of it all. Could they do it? Who knew - but they would try, and by word of his trusty wrench, he would not give up without the fight. Inventors never quit. He was an inventor.
"I don't know." He had admitted reaching to touch his wrench. "But we'll give it our all - it's worth our efforts." He had smiled. "With the right books, the right pictures, and the right design, we'll be in the sky in no time." Luc's floppy ears had perked up high.
His head had quirked suddenly. Maybe he had the same thing about how things worked? Indeed he did! He could remember things. A heavy scent of grease, and soot, and fire. He knew a good few things about mechanics, as unexplained as they were. It was almost instinctive. Like a glaring part of his soul. "Sometimes I know things too." He had glanced towards the door of his workshop. He could only begin to think of how much time had passed. There was so much to be done. "About tools, and machines. Big machines. I don't really know what they're called."
His eyes had brightened wonderfully as he began stepping towards the door to open it. "With your head and mine? And books, and pictures? This will be like ..." He had thought for a moment. "Like chasing your tail! Fast, fun, and easy." His tail had curled as he had pushed the door open, a rush of fresh air surfacing. He had quickly inhaled a breath. Then he had paused, the idea of time resurfacing.
"Hey, Quincy?" He had glanced over his shoulder. "Where do we get books?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:43 pm
“Worth our efforts” Quincy muttered after Luc had spoken it. It sounded good. Strong but not promising. Like debriefing an airman before they go out to stop a blitz and peel off a few bandits as you whrr by. He grinned broadly quite comfortable with their optimism and wiser-than-their –years realism. They could totally pull this off. Patience was key though. Just like a puzzle everything would fall into place. Except when you’re missing a piece and it throws the entire thing off. And that’s what scared him. He puffed out his chest in a relaxing sigh before justifying that they would have all their pieces before they started. Luc seemed like he had everything.
Quincy did a tiny hop and reached up carefully to scratch behind the ear before thinking about what Luc said. He remembers things too and that had to count for something. On top of it all there was more they had in a connection. “Things will fall together sooner or later.” He chuckled at the tail analogy... he liked chasing his tail when no one was looking, and spread his hands across his knees quickly before pondering about books.
Books. Aaron had a lot of them in his study. Yet, Quincy also remembers days spent on the sidewalks watching as the big wheels of vehicles would roll by, tempting him to chase after them until there was no tomorrow. But there were stored filled high with books. Not to mention a large fortress with books that anyone could borrow for free. Aaron did that a couple times with a few large picture books and some old time movies.
“My dad and I went to a bookstore once where you can buy them. They’re everywhere and about everything!” Quincy said, hands drifting to his chin as he thought. The fortress. “And. And there’s this big castle like thing that has a million books inside. It’s called a library and you can find books without handing over dollars and coins. Just a card with your name on it and they let you borrow the book.”
Quincy stood pondering for a moment. “We don’t have money but maybe there’s something at the library.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:52 pm
It would work. He kept repeating it over and over again within his head. The fresh air from the doorway was rejuvenating, and it was a reminder. They would just need the resources. He had felt his shoulders loosen as he patted the door with his small hand. Bookstore. It had to be like a grocery store - like that place Caps went to frequently, bringing Pockets jars of jam every now and then when he ran out of the sweet treat. Surely she would know, and surely she would tell him all about them.
And all about this mysterious castle known as a library.
His eyes had grown wide. Books. For free! In a giant, looming palace, and they required nothing known as money. A place where anyone could gather books - but how did one acquire a card with their name on it? That was just as puzzling as finding a bookstore. "A ... A library?" He seemed to comprehend the word, but a quizzical part of him did not. It was a haze - and something he had certainly never visited. The only books he had ever read, or things he had ever read, were scattered about the junk yard. "Can you really take books for free? They don't mind? How do you get a card?" He had quirked his head off to the side, it teetering like a pendulum, left and right.
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:59 pm
“Yes a library,” Quincy responded searching his pockets for his own library card. But alas, of course Aaron would have it with the rest of his important things. “You get a card by asking the nice lady or man a the front desk and put your name on it. Then you can get books!”
Quincy paused for a moment trying to remember what Aaron told him about library book. They were special, yes, and tended to smell very interesting but they weren’t yours. The boy remembered one book involving a Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as the trekked to find the murderer of some man and he loved it. However, the library needed it back because he was only borrowing it. Aaron took it back and gladly brought Quincy another story from the library’s repertoire but he remembered being sad from losing the first one.
“And they are only borrowed books.” Quincy said trying his best to remember exactly what Aaron said about them. “The library will miss them if they are gone too long so you have to bring them back or else it will be very sad.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:22 pm
Luc's ears had shifted somewhat. It seemed like a simple enough process to obtain books from the library. All he needed to do was talk to someone and tell them his name. He knew, deep down, that there would be issues relating to the matter - but it would be worth it. If he could find the castle of books, everything would fall perfectly into play!
"That's all you have to do?" His tail had began to wag. It would not be a problem bringing the books back to the library. In a way, he understood. It was like his wrench. If anyone borrowed his wrench, he knew he would be sad if they neglected to return it. "There en't anything else? They just let you leave and never ask where you're going with them, so long as you bring them back?" His tail had began wagging rapidly once again. "I'll find it. The library! We both can get books, then, and that means we'll have more to look at!"
He had blinked with the realization. They would have to meet again. They had to develop a plan. Or a signal for whenever they met. "We can get books," he had began, "and meet back here." He had thought for a moment. "Just howl! You can howl, right, Quincy?"
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