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 Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:22 am
Tony was so used to his cane he hardly remembered to feel awkward about it when people saw it for the first time. Most of the regular patrons saw it more often than not, though when he was behind the desk he mostly just hobbled around the small area without it.
So there was a chance that some people simply didn't know he had one, but it was just one of those things that was so much a part of his daily routine now that he didn't think about it in those terms. It wasn't a matter of who knew and who didn't, it was just Tony no longer giving it a second thought. Limping was just the way he walked now, and the cane was just another accessory. Nothing weird there.
Dogby did not look happy from her seat, pouting in a way that only a corgi puppy could. Her ears drooped and she whimpered sadly.
"I hear you," Tony sighed, thinking he was feeling much the same. Out of it. Tired. He stretched because Ian was and it looked like a good idea, sighing contentedly at the comforting burning sensation that moved down his spine as he pulled it. "Hm? Oh. She was a gift from a friend. Ah, I've had her for a few weeks now. She's a very sweet little thing."
He would have gone on about her, sharing stories of her being sweet and of her being a pest, but a sound above drew his attention. His eyes narrowed when he saw the bird creature swooping at them. He saw it tackle Ian and let out a cry of surprise and worry.
"Ian! Keep your head down!" he yelped, grabbing his cane and swinging it like a bat at the creature.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:33 am
Ian nodded at Tony's reply, but was just starting to turn at the shouted warning and unearthly cry as something hit him from behind.
The red-haired boy gasped in pain as he felt claws cut straight through his shirt and scratch his back, then shouted as whatever was attacking him started to drag him to the ground. It was heavy, so he did not want to try to stay up under its weight, but he tried to fall in as controlled a manner as possible.
Of course he still ended up with scuffed palms and elbows, but the sight of the monster's face so close to his own helped keep such minor pains from his mind
It was awfully hard to try to hit something holding onto the back of his shirt, but Ian did his best to fight against it, awkwardly trying to twist around to try to swing punches at its side. Bad angle, though, so even when he could connect, the blows would not have been heavy.
Then he saw the librarian start to swing his cane. Ian understood the intent, and gave up on hitting for the moment in favor of covering his head with his arms. The creature on his back was heavy, but he did his best to curl up into a ball on the ground like a judo fighter trying not to be flipped.
He was so not ready for this sort of thing today.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:59 am
BONK!
The creature shrieked in righteous indignation as it was swatted at by the older man, releasing the boy's collar from its claws in an attempt to scare Tony away. It unfurled its nine-foot wingspan in an effort to look bigger, shrieking and wailing as the cane came down again and again. While it didn't let go of its hold with its feet, the creature's arms were now raised up. A maw full of drool and teeth greeted Tony in the midday sun and to onlookers, the whole scene probably looked like it was straight out of Jurassic Park.
It almost looked dizzy after a few solid hits and it shook its head to clear the spots in its vision. It even tried to balance itself by using Ian's head, leaning a claw on the boy while growling menacingly at the older man. Mottled skin didn't show signs of breaking, but it would probably have a good few bruises at this point.
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 4:44 pm
Tony was scared for Ian, hoping the creature hadn't managed to hurt him badly, though he didn't have the time to check just yet. He just knew that there had been claws involved, and that was never a good thing. He knew that one well enough. Why did youma always have claws and teeth?
Of course, even when they didn't they were still terrifying and strong, but that wasn't the point.
At least the bird let Ian go, that was the first step in the right direction.
"Stay down, Ian!" Tony ordered, though his voice was a bit strained from effort and concern. He kept his attention mostly on the creature, gripping his cane and growling softly. He was not about to let them get eaten by this thing, or whatever it was it wanted to do. Did they still eat starseeds? He wasn't sure any more, but he didn't want to find out first hand.
"Good lord!" He yelped when the monster tried to bite him with what clearly had to be thousands of teeth in a much too small mouth. He smash the cane into the side of its head again and again, trying to make it let go of Ian, who was now apparently being used as a stepping stone. "Come on, ugly! let him go!" He jabbed the cane forward as hard as he could, straight into the thing's mouth.
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:20 am
Ian remained curled up on the pavement with his hands over his head, doing his level best to remain calm and not start screaming. It helped when the thing let go of his shirt, but he could feel wetness on his shoulder and fingers; adrenaline kept the wounds from hurting just yet.
The monster shifted uncomfortably, trying to keep a grip on him. The boy's mind raced, trying to figure out what he could do to help, but it was difficult, being unable to see much more of Mister Darrow than his feet. He could, however, tell from what side the librarian's worried shouts were coming, though. And the attacking monster would undoubtedly be facing its adversary rather than showing its back to it, especially if the roars were any indication.
Claws fumbled with his hair and fingers, trying to keep balance on Ian's head. The boy managed to get one hand out from under the talons, and promptly grabbed for what on most creatures would be called an ankle. Then he rolled over onto his side away from his friend as suddenly as he could manage - with any luck, the creature would end up on the pavement, and, if nothing else, Ian could get back up on his feet.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:34 pm
With an unholy shriek, the final blow of Tony's cane came down hard on the creature's skull and it let go of Ian completely, falling limp onto the ground. Its body, wracked with spasms, twisted and twitched before it finally stilled. The body itself dissipated into so much smoke as it lay on the grass, finally gone for good. What was that thing? And why was it so intent on devouring the poor redhead? Whatever it was, its final breath meant safety for the two men, and the stain left on the lawn of the library was the only reminder of what had happened here.
Several other grunts and gurgles could be heard as a small flock of the creatures took to the air and disappeared, perhaps seeing it was too dangerous to attack the injured boy when Man with Stick was around. Instead, they took off, perhaps never too be seen again.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:56 pm
Tony looked a bit stunned.
He looked at the monster as it fell, feeling a surge of adrenaline and slight joy (considering he hadn't panicked and Ian was still in one piece, so there were things to be happy about). He was surprised as the monster disappeared into dust, frowning at the marks it left behind but thinking he would deal with that... later.
When he wasn't shaking and his head wasn't spinning.
He moved to Ian, kneeling beside the young man as worry settled over the adrenaline for the moment, pushing it down so he could at least hear if Ian made a response over the pounding of his heart. His blood felt like it was running hotter, fasted, everything feeling like it was throbbing. His arms, particularly, burned in a peculiar way after hitting that monster so many times.
He jumped when he heard the bird creatures flying away nearby, watching the marks as they faded into the sky, tense and protective, his arm over Ian just in case. But they vanished and he sighed.
"Ian...? Don't move. Should I call an ambulance? Are you badly hurt?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:29 pm
Ian sat up once the creature was gone. His first thought was disappointment that he had not been able to get in on the battle action. His second thought was dear god everything hurts.
He held his arms out like scarecrow arms, hoping it would help keep him from getting anymore blood on his shirt than he already had. The collar was stretched and a little tattered from being yanked on anyway, though; his mother would inevitably not let him keep the t-shirt. Still clearly in shock, he nodded a little, and fixed his glasses. His wounds were not deep, and he had not bled a whole lot, certainly not to any life-threatening extent, but all of the redness had gotten smudged around on his hands and forearms enough to look worrisome.
"Yeah, I'm good now," he breathed. "Thank you." Ian looked back at the remains of the creature, then to Mister Darrow again. "Do you have bandaids or anything in the library? Should... should probably wash these, too."
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:04 pm
Tony watched him, frowning apologetically. He should have been able to recognize the danger sooner, but it was unlikely that he would have been able to actually keep the monster from getting a surprise attack in on them.
He did feel bad regardless, though.
"Here," he said, moving to Ian and helping him up very carefully, knowing his back was probably aching from the hit and the claws. He nodded his head at Ian's question. It was a good idea to always keep a medical kit around, for any library. Sometimes patrons managed to get a paper cut, or some other strange injury while working, and would come to the front desk to ask for them.
In this town, however, a medical kit was much more necessary. The usual worries of a library were multiplied when magic monsters and evil teenagers were running around.
Helping Ian back inside, he took him into the work room behind the desk, where staff took their breaks. There was a sink so he could clean the wounds, and he got the medical kit from the cabinet to help him.
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:33 pm
Ian grabbed his bag before walking back into the presumed safety of the building with Mister Darrow. He felt quite bad for not being able to help in the battle, though really, there was not much more he could have done with the monster hanging on his back.
Still feeling a bit numb and shocked, he followed the librarian to the back room without a word or second thought - ordinarily, the polite young man would have been hesitant to go back into a place so off-limits, but right now, all that really mattered was that there was a sink on the other side of that door labeled, "Staff Only".
The red-haired boy turned on the faucet and winced as the water ran over his arms, sending trails of red down the drain.
"I guess this happens a lot here now," he finally said, lamely attempting conversation. "Getting attacked. By weird stuff. In Destiny City."
Then he looked back to Mister Darrow and inquired, "Do you have any coffee?" Whether or not it was the best thing for him right now might have been up for debate, but damn did Ian feel like he could use a cup. Even as his racing heart was finally calming down.
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:52 pm
Tony walked Ian back into the library, waving off a concerned look from the worker at the desk as they went back into the work room. He let the boy focus on cleaning the blood and dirt off of himself while he moved to get him all bandaged up.
"Coffee?"
He nodded his head.
"Let me get you a cup. I think it's the least you could do with at the moment." He laughed, getting the coffee once the bandages were in place. He made a cup, leaving the cream and sugar to Ian, not knowing how he took it. He brought the little packets over with him and offered them to Ian.
"Oh, it does. Particularly around this library. And, ah, the walk to my house, I suppose. In any case. You can stay back here for as long as you like, until you're feeling better. I'd best clean up and get back to work.
He smiled and almost made to pat Ian on the shoulder, then thought better of it. He made to leave, letting Ian calm down privately. The librarian returned to work, sitting at the front counter and unwinding from the day's activity.
Some break that had been.
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