Art watched as Kix worked her magic. She looked to be exerting tremendous effort...
And she fell off of him. He saw no visible change in Drakko ... but that didn't neccesarily mean it didn't work.
"Drakko? How are you feeling?"
---
Streak followed Kaira. She had no idea where they were going. So ...
"Uh, where are we going?"
---
Fisher observed the exchange between Pseok and Charger with silent amusement.
All at once, he decided what to do with them.
"Charger, Blaze. And Pseok, you too. I just wanted to thank you for coming, and ... yeah. I'll see you all later!" And he raised his arms, pointing the index and pinky fingers on both hands outstretched.
And cages manifested themselves around each Blaze, Charger, and Pseok.
Fisher lowered his hands. "Much better." He looked directly at Pseok. "I think I'd better leave. Although I doubt there'll be any danger for me if I stay, I'd hate to see what happens if one of us ... looses his temper." He tittered, and turned around. He took two steps and vanished with the sound of a door closing.
Blaze was thunderstruck. "The hell is this? Who is that guy? Do you think the gunslinger knew about him?"
As Blaze spoke, there was a sound from behind the three of them. It sounded like a door clicking open.
---
Dave and Roland sat around waiting for others to reply.
After an hour, Dave went back to the RPG page.
"Is it your turn to tell more of the story?" Roland asked. "Because I want you to write me back to the circus."
Dave heaved a heavy sigh. "That would be ridiculous and stupid and make your disappearance pointless."
Roland replied by looking at him. His gaze did not falter. It looked as though he would sit there all night if that was what it took.
Dave rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Uh ... let's see ..."
Dave opened up the notepad program on his laptop. He typed a message. Roland watched in silent wonder as these words marched across the screen:
:
|
Dave turned his head and looked at Roland. "If you're so eager to go back to that circus with Fisher, be my guest." He pointed at the door to his room. "Go on through that."
Roland looked doubtful. "That door only leads into the hall. Don't be foolish."
Dave rolled his eyes. "Who is writing this story, you or me? I say that door will lead you back to the circus tent. I suppose ... that five minutes will have passed from when you disappeared. No go before I change my mind!"
Roland nodded. "I thank you, Dave. Perhaps our paths will meet again some day."
Dave shrugged. "Honestly, it would be better if they didn't. Go on, get."
Roland turned to the door and grasped the doorknob. When he did, a bright, unnatural light spilled through the cracks around the door's edges. Roland hesitated for only a moment before turning the knob and pulling the door open. He was blinded for a moment as the full light hit him, but stepped through, closing the door behind him.
Dave sat back. That was probably the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me, he thought.
|
Even though Dave hadn't actually posted this, it did, in fact, take place shortly after it was written.
Dave, however, had to take a few posts and explain where Roland went after Fisher sent him away.
Wouldn't it be funny if I made Fisher take off just before I sent Roland back? he thought to himself, smiling a bit.
Maybe tomorrow. Fisher has other plans ...
Dave typed and submitted what became post 315 in TCRPG. A while later he called it quits for the night and went to bed.
---
As Blaze spoke, there was a sound from behind the three of them. It sounded like a door clicking open.
Blaze turned and saw ... Roland tumbling through a rectangle of light hovering about two feet off the ground. When he hit, the light vanished.
Blaze: "The hell?! Where ... how ... could you ... what the hell?"
Roland stood, drawing his guns as he did. "Shut up." He looked around... and realized that Dave had fooled him. Gods, but Dave was insensitive! Almost as terrible as Fisher himself. He had purposely made it so Fisher would get away before Roland returned.
Grimmacing, Roland reholstered his guns and began inspecting the cages. "Did Fisher tell you anything?"
---
The next afternoon, it rained. Dave didn't go to Marching Band. Instead, he typed up post 318, his only post for the day. He thought nothing the full passage of a day taking almost no time at all in Roland's version of reality. It was simply the relationship between the two worlds: no time passed until someone here said it did in The Community.