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On Monday, Bella arrives at school completely and stably human shaped, with everything she has learned about critters (except for her own species, which she isn't liable to forget) written down as margin notes on a page reminding her to ask Darren about D&D and filler decoy notes about that. She's probably going to have invent an actual cipher alphabet or something eventually but for the time being she thinks this will probably do for casual inspection.
She sits next to Darren in English.
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shesepankh
shesepankh
"Charlie could get the fire department, but it rains so damn much here I don't think there's a good forest fire handling team on call - how fast can you get the runes for a spell down?"
castmyown
"Ten, fifteen minutes?" he squeaks. Another bit of flaming wreckage gets a bit too close for comfort. "... Five, I will have to do it in five..."
The ocean is getting closer, but it's still a long way away.
The ocean is getting closer, but it's still a long way away.
shesepankh
"I still have to fly away from this thing whether you're with me or on the ground drawing runes," Bella points out. "If you can do something..."
castmyown
"I'll try - we get to the ocean first, it's easier if I'm closer, I don't need to specify as much what I'm aiming at."
shesepankh
"Okay. Ocean."
Flap, flap, dodge. Wings aren't so thrilled about this anymore.
"Do you know what it is?"
Flap, flap, dodge. Wings aren't so thrilled about this anymore.
"Do you know what it is?"
castmyown
"Not a clue. Really scary?"
His wings aren't feeling so great either, but his mind's elsewhere. He's desperately trying to claw together a working spell. He's done something like this before, when playing with magic, but never on this scale.
Also not in a life or death situation. That kind of changes things, a bit.
His wings aren't feeling so great either, but his mind's elsewhere. He's desperately trying to claw together a working spell. He's done something like this before, when playing with magic, but never on this scale.
Also not in a life or death situation. That kind of changes things, a bit.
shesepankh
"Can I help with the spell in any way by pretending to be scratch paper or - or should I just shut up so you can think?"
castmyown
"Second thing." (Dodge) "Sorry."
He is so out of his depth.
But he's going to try, anyway, because what else is he supposed to do?
He is so out of his depth.
But he's going to try, anyway, because what else is he supposed to do?
shesepankh
Bella shuts up and flies. She's getting better at it fast, which will be nice if she's still alive tomorrow.
castmyown
The flight to the ocean is terrifying, with a few close calls, but both of them manage to escape injury.
Darren lands onto the beach and goes human form as quickly as possible. He needs fingers, and the protactor and ruler in his pocket. He has got a mission and that's going to be complete because if he doesn't do it they will die. Or, Bella will die, but that's not something he wants to happen.
"Okay, um - can you lead it away from here? Then circle back around when I wave because I can't do this from far away from it, don't have the time for it."
He gets started in spell creation. Sand is wonderfully pliable for runes, but he's going to have a hard time keeping things neat.
Darren lands onto the beach and goes human form as quickly as possible. He needs fingers, and the protactor and ruler in his pocket. He has got a mission and that's going to be complete because if he doesn't do it they will die. Or, Bella will die, but that's not something he wants to happen.
"Okay, um - can you lead it away from here? Then circle back around when I wave because I can't do this from far away from it, don't have the time for it."
He gets started in spell creation. Sand is wonderfully pliable for runes, but he's going to have a hard time keeping things neat.
shesepankh
"I'll do my best," says Bella, from the air, and she tries to lead it along the beach - into the ocean is probably too much to hope for, but she's over the water herself, traveling parallel to the shore.
castmyown
Darren nods. He goes back to work at spell creation.
Surprisingly enough, he is doing far better in this crisis than he was in the last one. He has a goal, a thing to think about and focus on. Before he was alone with an unconscious Bella and panicking because there was nothing he could do. This is different. It's a crisis, it's a far more terrifying crisis than the last one, with the prospect of imminent death hanging over his head. He's pretty sure the monster could squash him like a bug and probably would without a second thought.
But he has a mission, this time. He doesn't have to sit there and stew in what ifs, there is a thing that needs doing and he is going to do it.
The monster follows Bella, ignoring Darren. It doesn't touch the water, it doesn't dare, but the shore is just fine. Sand turns to ugly black glass in its wake, but at least it's got less things to throw. Just huge globs of molten sand.
(That's probably not any sort of comfort.)
Surprisingly enough, he is doing far better in this crisis than he was in the last one. He has a goal, a thing to think about and focus on. Before he was alone with an unconscious Bella and panicking because there was nothing he could do. This is different. It's a crisis, it's a far more terrifying crisis than the last one, with the prospect of imminent death hanging over his head. He's pretty sure the monster could squash him like a bug and probably would without a second thought.
But he has a mission, this time. He doesn't have to sit there and stew in what ifs, there is a thing that needs doing and he is going to do it.
The monster follows Bella, ignoring Darren. It doesn't touch the water, it doesn't dare, but the shore is just fine. Sand turns to ugly black glass in its wake, but at least it's got less things to throw. Just huge globs of molten sand.
(That's probably not any sort of comfort.)
shesepankh
Bella stays high at first, hoping to avoid splashback of suddenly boiling water or getting steamed by a dumpling. She dodges glass. Her wings are sore, now, but they'll still flap - she gets a little fleck of molten glass in her forepaw, which stings but doesn't incapacitate her. She folds her wings and drops to avoid one that starts coming at her while she's craning her neck to see if Darren's waving and then remembers something about updrafts and gets above the monster, spiraling for altitude and to make gravity fight it as much as possible, before gliding out to sea again after a close call.
She looks over her shoulder. She can barely see him anymore. She spirals, unwilling to get farther from him when he might wave her back at any moment.
She looks over her shoulder. She can barely see him anymore. She spirals, unwilling to get farther from him when he might wave her back at any moment.
castmyown
Darren lays out the spell, carefully as he dares - speed's important, but accuracy is critical. He cobbles together a spell out of half-remembered pieces of others, checking his work as he goes and occasionally erasing then redoing. He finishes, checks it twice, deems it 'good enough' and then waves to Isabella.
He starts composing a chant, something to activate it, stumbling a bit over the grammar.
While he's doing that he notices a problem in the spell, something not laid out properly - and he curses and gets to fixing it. (Precious time, wasted, but it's better than leaving it and letting it go wild.)
"Sphinx," insists the monster, following Bella. It's big and it's stupid, but it's going to outlast her, at this rate.
He starts composing a chant, something to activate it, stumbling a bit over the grammar.
While he's doing that he notices a problem in the spell, something not laid out properly - and he curses and gets to fixing it. (Precious time, wasted, but it's better than leaving it and letting it go wild.)
"Sphinx," insists the monster, following Bella. It's big and it's stupid, but it's going to outlast her, at this rate.
shesepankh
Bella swoops over the ocean. If she were alone she'd just fly out over the water until she found a rock to land on, but she's not alone and she's not sure she could find a rock. She turns back in Darren's direction when she sees the wave.
castmyown
The creature follows Bella - then it sees Darren. It spots what he's doing in particular. It lets out a roar that shakes the earth, and then it picks up the speed and barrels towards him. Darren shudders with terror, but goes back to his work. A little frantically, Darren fixes the mistake in the spell, checks it over a final time and prays that he didn't miss something else. He's not religious, but this is a really good time to pray.
It's getting closer - he hasn't composed a chant.
"Shit - Eau, eau, forte et - Fuck, no, wait, is it l'eau?"
He doesn't know. His mind is currently drawing a blank on French grammar. It's getting closer, and he does not have time for this.
"Fuck it," hisses Darren. He'll use English. If there is ever a time to use English now is it.
"Water," he chants. "Water, strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly - I call you, I summon you." The waves lapping near him still and recede, and the runes on the sand start glowing. "Strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly, I summon and I bind you -"
The monster gets closer. It's almost on him, now. But he needs to hold on, just a little bit longer. He briefly considers stopping the spell mid-way and trying to run, but there's no telling if he'll even be able to get away, with it so close. It collects a new handful of molten sand, and prepares to throw it. The ocean has pulled away from the beach, revealing seaweed and animals - it looks so far away from them, now. Instead, it's bubbling into a mass, waiting, growing in size and strength.
"- strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly. I summon you. I bind you."
It's like the world goes still. The glowing runes flicker. The magma beast doesn't even need to throw the glob of molten sand, it's so close that it's just going to swallow Darren whole.
"I release you," growls Darren, unflinchingly looking at it head on.
Then the both of them are swept up in a tidal wave of steam, sand, and water.
It's getting closer - he hasn't composed a chant.
"Shit - Eau, eau, forte et - Fuck, no, wait, is it l'eau?"
He doesn't know. His mind is currently drawing a blank on French grammar. It's getting closer, and he does not have time for this.
"Fuck it," hisses Darren. He'll use English. If there is ever a time to use English now is it.
"Water," he chants. "Water, strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly - I call you, I summon you." The waves lapping near him still and recede, and the runes on the sand start glowing. "Strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly, I summon and I bind you -"
The monster gets closer. It's almost on him, now. But he needs to hold on, just a little bit longer. He briefly considers stopping the spell mid-way and trying to run, but there's no telling if he'll even be able to get away, with it so close. It collects a new handful of molten sand, and prepares to throw it. The ocean has pulled away from the beach, revealing seaweed and animals - it looks so far away from them, now. Instead, it's bubbling into a mass, waiting, growing in size and strength.
"- strong and eternal, ever-changing and deadly. I summon you. I bind you."
It's like the world goes still. The glowing runes flicker. The magma beast doesn't even need to throw the glob of molten sand, it's so close that it's just going to swallow Darren whole.
"I release you," growls Darren, unflinchingly looking at it head on.
Then the both of them are swept up in a tidal wave of steam, sand, and water.
shesepankh
"DARREN!" screams Bella, when the ocean swallows them up. If he has just suicided to take down a monster that was after her - shit, shit, shit - she spirals tight and high over the disaster zone, unable to land, unwilling to leave to find solid ground. She can't even see him. Maybe he's been flash-cooked, maybe the wave broke his skull open on a rock, where is he -
castmyown
It doesn't take very long for the ocean to recede, leaving destruction in its wake. The monster is in several drenched, steaming pieces, scattered around. It's safe to say it is probably dead. It's hard to find one little human-shaped peryton in the flooded debris, among all of the leftovers of the monster, bubbling and cooling all around.
But she manages it. There, half-buried under some mix of black glass and sand, is Darren.
He is not in good shape. He's covered in burns - caused by the application of fire or boiling hot temperatures of water. There are cuts, where sharp, malformed shards of glass sliced him. To top it all off, he's breathing raggedly, coughing without the strength to cough.
But she manages it. There, half-buried under some mix of black glass and sand, is Darren.
He is not in good shape. He's covered in burns - caused by the application of fire or boiling hot temperatures of water. There are cuts, where sharp, malformed shards of glass sliced him. To top it all off, he's breathing raggedly, coughing without the strength to cough.
shesepankh
Shit.
"Shit."
She risks landing; the sand is hot but not, she thinks, likely to burn her, and blistered paws wouldn't much deter her anyway. If she can figure out how to pick him up she can fly him to the hospital maybe, if he can hold on that long, she will make her wings cooperate - should she administer CPR? No, CPR is for cardiac arrest - does she dare check his pulse? -
"Darren -"
And then her eyes roll back in her head and she falls unconscious, right on top of him, fur and all.
"Shit."
She risks landing; the sand is hot but not, she thinks, likely to burn her, and blistered paws wouldn't much deter her anyway. If she can figure out how to pick him up she can fly him to the hospital maybe, if he can hold on that long, she will make her wings cooperate - should she administer CPR? No, CPR is for cardiac arrest - does she dare check his pulse? -
"Darren -"
And then her eyes roll back in her head and she falls unconscious, right on top of him, fur and all.
castmyown
All over, Darren feels like he's been dropped into a soothing, chilly pool. It might be uncomfortable in some circumstances, but in this particular one, it's exactly what he wished for. His burns disappear, the cuts close, and he lets out a few coughs to get out the salt water in his lungs.
Then he is awake and lucid. He is whole, unhurt.
"... Bella?" he says, weak and bewildered.
Then he is awake and lucid. He is whole, unhurt.
"... Bella?" he says, weak and bewildered.
shesepankh
Yep, that's her, in a dead faint on top of him, her head on his shoulder and a forepaw on either side of his torso, blanketing him in her wings. She is breathing and as far as he can tell from being directly under her she's unhurt.
castmyown
Well this is awkward. Did she just - black out, randomly, like she had before? Then how is he not mortally injured? He distinctly remembers it, it was extremely painful. Now he is not injured at all, just - a little waterlogged and feeling generally terrible.
It doesn't take him long to connect the dots. Sphinxes are known for healing - apparently true. He is so not complaining.
Now he just needs to figure out what to do. Bella is on top of him and he can't manage to dislodge her at the angle he's at, with how weak he is. He tries shifting to midform to move her, but that has little effect, either. Fullform he assumes is out entirely, due to how the body's structured. He returns to human, retrieves his phone, finds it waterlogged and broken, and then just flops back, exhausted and out of options. Darren decides he's just going to wait until Bella wakes up. He'll try not to think too much about her being physically on top of him in the meanwhile. (It's surprisingly comfy.)
"I am going to have to fault you for your idea of a romantic setting," says a familiar voice.
Darren cranes his head up to look. There is a bugbear, looking back, smiling toothily. He turns red. "Um. Not - it's not like that," he croaks. "She fainted on top of me and now I can't get up."
"Mhm," agrees Mrs. Adams. "So. A sphinx, huh?"
"... Um. Yes? Please don't - react badly, we just dealt with a thing that wanted to kill her."
"I can see that." Mrs. Adams looks around at the carnage. "Subtlety a foreign word to you?"
"No, but I didn't have many options," replies Darren nervously.
"Mhm." Mrs. Adams shifts to a midform - strength of a bugbear, without the claws. She starts working to get Bella off of Darren. Gently.
It doesn't take him long to connect the dots. Sphinxes are known for healing - apparently true. He is so not complaining.
Now he just needs to figure out what to do. Bella is on top of him and he can't manage to dislodge her at the angle he's at, with how weak he is. He tries shifting to midform to move her, but that has little effect, either. Fullform he assumes is out entirely, due to how the body's structured. He returns to human, retrieves his phone, finds it waterlogged and broken, and then just flops back, exhausted and out of options. Darren decides he's just going to wait until Bella wakes up. He'll try not to think too much about her being physically on top of him in the meanwhile. (It's surprisingly comfy.)
"I am going to have to fault you for your idea of a romantic setting," says a familiar voice.
Darren cranes his head up to look. There is a bugbear, looking back, smiling toothily. He turns red. "Um. Not - it's not like that," he croaks. "She fainted on top of me and now I can't get up."
"Mhm," agrees Mrs. Adams. "So. A sphinx, huh?"
"... Um. Yes? Please don't - react badly, we just dealt with a thing that wanted to kill her."
"I can see that." Mrs. Adams looks around at the carnage. "Subtlety a foreign word to you?"
"No, but I didn't have many options," replies Darren nervously.
"Mhm." Mrs. Adams shifts to a midform - strength of a bugbear, without the claws. She starts working to get Bella off of Darren. Gently.
shesepankh
Bella is limp and unresisting. She's big, but Mrs. Adams won't have much trouble shifting her.
castmyown
Mrs. Adams makes much better progress than Darren did. Bella is safely moved off of him, and gently deposited onto the sand.
"Got her dad's phone number? Does he know?" she asks, business-like and producing a phone. She's already calling Vernon.
"Had it, phone is waterlogged. He knows, though," provides Darren.
"Mmm," says the teacher. She calls Vernon. "Hey. Yeah, it's me. Found them. Yes, fine, just waterlogged. He made a spell and nailed it, some kind of lava fire monster. That's why they were at the beach. I don't know what it is, I'm not a walking encyclopedia. Yeah, no, it's extremely dead. Mhm." She gives directions. She snorts, then says in a tone dripping with irony, "Don't talk on your phone and drive, that's dangerous. Fine. If something else shows up I will call you. Bye."
She hangs up. "Your dad is on his way," she tells Darren.
"How did you -"
Mrs. Adams gives him a look. "Bugbear. Tracking? You two just randomly bolted towards the ocean at full speed with a thing I didn't recognize following. Somewhat suspicious and worthy of investigation."
Darren nods. That appears to be the end of that conversation. They will wait until Bella wakes up, or Vernon gets here.
"Got her dad's phone number? Does he know?" she asks, business-like and producing a phone. She's already calling Vernon.
"Had it, phone is waterlogged. He knows, though," provides Darren.
"Mmm," says the teacher. She calls Vernon. "Hey. Yeah, it's me. Found them. Yes, fine, just waterlogged. He made a spell and nailed it, some kind of lava fire monster. That's why they were at the beach. I don't know what it is, I'm not a walking encyclopedia. Yeah, no, it's extremely dead. Mhm." She gives directions. She snorts, then says in a tone dripping with irony, "Don't talk on your phone and drive, that's dangerous. Fine. If something else shows up I will call you. Bye."
She hangs up. "Your dad is on his way," she tells Darren.
"How did you -"
Mrs. Adams gives him a look. "Bugbear. Tracking? You two just randomly bolted towards the ocean at full speed with a thing I didn't recognize following. Somewhat suspicious and worthy of investigation."
Darren nods. That appears to be the end of that conversation. They will wait until Bella wakes up, or Vernon gets here.
shesepankh
The beach is a drive plus a hike from Forks. Bella lifts her head groggily first. "Wha."