randomplaces | Dream and the Rock. Common area, Swindle's house, and Dalla's house. Dalla's war.

Dalla: *calls Swindle*

Swindle: *answers* //Hello, Swindle here.//

Dalla: *usually cheerful voice sounds rather hard and angry* //Swindle, I need help. Do you know how to do war?//

Swindle: ... //War? What...what happened?//

Dalla: //You know those people in the citadels? Well they gassed the whole island. We had to mass evacuate, and now only only the N'roo and we Lu are left.//

Swindle: //The...//

Dalla: *worried sound* //Swindle?//

Swindle: //I... I'm here...//

Dalla: //I need to buy beds for the people that are sick too. Our neighbours the K'vk'ar have medicine that's helping.//

Swindle: //I can make beds for you... for them...//

Dalla: //Can you help me with the war part? Those citadel people are wrong to try and chase everyone else away from the Rock.// *doesn't want to hurt the Citadel people. But wants very badly to make it so that they can't hurt anyone else anymore*

Swindle: //Yes... very wrong. I can try. I'm not a warrior, I'm a salesmech...// *and he's afraid of what may happen if he got too angry.*

Dalla: //I just want to stop them from doing this again.// *strongly wishes that she could send them away from the Rock, to somewhere away from everyone else. But she thinks that wish is selfish, because the Rock is their home too* //How much time will you need for the beds?//

Swindle: //How many do you need?//

Dalla: //About a hundred.//

Swindle: //It shouldn't be too long.// *he should be able to wish them up quickly*

Dalla: //Will you bring them?// *pauses* //This gas won't hurt you, will it?//

Swindle: //If it's not hurting the N'roo, it shouldn't hurt me.// *at least if he stays in robot form*

Dalla: //Alright. I'll see you soon.// *big feeling of relief*

Swindle: //See you soon...// *starts wishing up portable beds*

Zoe: *wanders in, a Silver covered in spaghetti sauce on one hand and a Cloe conked out sleeping in her cockpit* What's wrong?

Swindle: It's the Rock. The people from the Citadels gassed the rest of the Rock.

Zoe: 0.0 *shock stops her cold*

Silver: 0.0 *baaad word!*

Swindle: Yeah... *checking the beds*

Zoe: Why would they do that? No one could bother them inside there.

Swindle: I don't know.

Zoe: *scowls and hugs her nom covered bitty protectively*

Silver: *licks her own hand and makes itty bitty growlies*

Zoe: *softly* Do you need me to do anything?

Swindle: *pause* Dalla just asked for beds for the sick, but...

Zoe: But?

Silver: War!

Zoe: *looks down at her* Buh?

Swindle: ... *gathering up beds now*

Zoe: *will help with that if she can, even if it's just by giving him a gentle love bomb* I'll pray.

Swindle: Thank you. I'll be back when I can. *teleports to the Rock with the beds*

Dalla: *comes to meet him in her big front entry hall, feeling angry at herself* I should have given you the coordinates to where the people are. The beds will pick up the stink of the gas now.

gas: *nasty and green and does stink*

Swindle: *frowns as the scent reaches his senses* Ugh. I should have packed them. Too much in a hurry...

Dalla: *perks* I wish that all the beds were safe for the people who need them, and that the gas can't get into the beds.

Swindle: *blink, then smiles slightly as he grants that wish*

Dalla: *quiet hum, but she looks exhausted and rumpled* Should I wish them to be delivered to the people who need them, too?

Swindle: ...I'll take that as you doing so. *and grants it*

Dalla: *sighs, and then grumbles and wipes her nose on her arm* Ugh. I wish the gas were all gone, too.

Swindle: *grants that as well* Was hoping you'd say that.

Dalla: *looks around with a frown as she hears a hissing sound* Don't tell me they're still pumping it out.

Swindle: *listens to the hiss* They may be...

Dalla: I wish the pumps will stop working to spread the gas, and that they'll never work again. *ears flattening. She's getting angry*

Swindle: *nods, and grants that as well, listening for any reactions*

feeling: *he's doing the right thing here!*

Dalla: *looking around too, ears still flat in a frown as a few moments pass*

anger: *suddenly blooms from the citadels, and fury that the mutant freaks have somehow stopped the righteous cleansing of the land*

Swindle: *GROWLS in response from what he hears and feels*

Dalla: *sharply* What's wrong?

Swindle: *repeats what he felt*

Dalla: Mutant freaks?? Most of the people harmed by the gas were the normal humans!

Swindle: That's what I'm feeling and hearing.

Dalla: *anger flares up furiously* Well I wish they and their citadels were all far away from here, where they had what they needed and couldn't hurt anyone else again!

Swindle: *pauses to listen if he'd be allowed to grant that*

reply: *and that's a YES*

Swindle: *grants that wish*

Dalla: *eyes go wide and her ears stand straight up along with her magnificent fur as she hears a cracking, rumbling sound, and the startled cries of Lu and N'roo who were out in the streets* What???

Swindle: *tries to figure out what's going on*

Dalla's nephew: *comes running inside* The citadels are gone!

Dalla: *utterly surprised*

Swindle: *then smiles* You did wish it...

Dalla: *softly, feeling amazed to the point that she's nearly stunned* I didn't realize it would happen. Those buildings were so big.

Swindle: *chuckles lightly* I wasn't sure I could do it at first.

nephew: Some of the buildings that were built up against the citadels are broken, and some fell down.

Swindle: We can fix that, yes? *then pauses* Was anyone injured?

nephew: No. Lu and N'roo don't break very easily. *ears perked*

Dalla: *quietly, still feeling amazed* Yes. We can rebuild. *doesn't realize she can wish for that too*

Swindle: *eyes Dalla* ...Need a little help? *makes purple twinkles*

Dalla: *eyes widen again* I wish that the buildings of the Rock were strong and unbroken, and that the ones that used to be built against the citadels have walls where they need them.

nephew: I wish that the pits where the citadels used to be were full of earth for gardens, and that they were built so that the rains won't wash the earth away. And I wish that the caverns underneath have good strong roofs on them.

Dalla: *sideways look of surprise down at her nephew*

Swindle: *smile, and grants both wishes* *more shouting and surprise from outside*

Dalla: *quietly* I wish that the people who were sick from the gas will be able to recover fully, and that anyone who got dented or bruised by falling buildings isn't hurt.

Swindle: *grants that, as well*

Dalla: *and then sucks in a deep breath and starts to cry with relief and delayed reaction*

Swindle: *comfort hug as best someone half Dalla's height can*

Dalla: *scoops him and her nephew up and hides her face on them as her shoulders shake. Now that things are okay the fact that she hasn't slept or eaten in two days is catching up with her too*

Swindle: *comforts* Anything else I can do for you...*senses that Dalla hasn't eaten*...wish up some food?

Dalla: Hmmm. *blinks at him, then gently sets him and her nephew down and uses her hands to wipe tears from her eyes*

Swindle: *smiles lightly*

nephew: *quietly, recognizing the exhausted dullness of his auntie's expression* I wish there was a good meal set in the hall of every Lu home, and that all the food stored in all the homes is safe to eat.

Swindle: *nods at that, and grants that*

nephew: *starts pushing on Dalla's leg, trying to steer her toward the hall*

Dalla: *just slipped into tired bewilderment*

Dalla's unborn son: *kicks and boots as he feels his mother relaxing*

Swindle: *helps with the faint leading, then blinks lightly*

nephew: *sees the blink as they get Dalla into the hall and settled on a pile of cushions* Is something wrong?

Swindle: Dalla's expecting?

nephew: *happy humming!* She is?

Dalla: *sputters the soup she'd started drinking right from the serving bowl, then looks down at Swindle* I am?

Swindle: You are.

Dalla: *WORRY* Is he safe?

Swindle: He's fine...

Dalla: *sigh of relief, then makes herself drink the rest of the soup*

nephew: *is a good boy. Isn't going for the fancy food. He's busy making a chunk of protein bread vanish*

Swindle: *chuckles lightly*

Dalla: *quietly, once the soup's gone* I'll have to tell Sky when he comes back from the refugee camp. *and then she sways, nearly asleep where she's sitting*

Swindle: *shifts to dragon to catch her* Need to get you to bed...

Dalla: Bed... Yes. *head nods*

nephew: *drops his bread and jumps to his feet, ready to follow orders*

Swindle: ...Want me to wish you to your bed?

Dalla: *sighs. Just passed out*

nephew: *quietly* Can you carry her? You're pretty big.

Swindle: *wishes up enough strength to do so without injuring either of them* Just show me the way.

nephew: *turns and heads down the short corridor that leads off to the left of the entry hall, past a room where Aoife's toys show on the floor through the open door, and a few other rooms that are closed. Last door is closed, but he pushes it aside on its slide to disclose Dalla's massive pillow pit* Right here.

Swindle: *carries Dalla to her room, and places her on her pillow pit*

Dalla: *sleeping so hard that she doesn't even curl up. Just sighs and sprawls*

baby: *party time! Bounce bounce bounce, weee!*

Swindle: *snerks lightly at the baby weee*

nephew: *looks around from where he's adjusting pillows* What is it?

Swindle: The baby's happy.

nephew: *ears and eyes show his happy smile* I'm glad. *pause* Now what?

Swindle: I'm not sure...

nephew: *quietly* Should I watch the house till the others come back?

Swindle: That would be for the best.

nephew: Yes, sir. I'll finish my bread, too. *turns and jogs out of the room*

Swindle: *smiles* * checks to see if anything else was needed of him*

nephew: *looking wistfully at the honey, but he wasn't told he could have any, and it's a treat*

Swindle: *raises an eyebrow*

nephew: *perks as he thinks his auntie will probably let him have some when she's awake. Quickly finishes his bread and goes to stand guard by the door*

everything else: *feels like it's in balance again. The job done for right now*

Swindle: *shifts back to robot form, and teleports home*

Zoe: *comes to hug him*

Swindle: *hugs Zoe*

Zoe: That was a lot of big wishes. How's your energy?

Swindle: I think... I'll be needing rest soon.

Zoe: *snuzzles* I got you a sammich.

Swindle: Sammich will be good as well...

Zoe: It's at our house, on the table by the pillow pit. *grins*

Swindle: *smiles lightly*

Zoe: I wish you were at home and comfortably in your bed.

Swindle: *smile* *grants that wish*

sammich: *gummi cheese sammich, covered with his favourite white sauce. Has a knife and fork with it on the plate, and it's warm and good smelling*

Swindle: ... Oh...

Zoe: *comes in with his new Swindle case, fresh from the dryer so it's warm*

Swindle: *blush and purr*

Zoe: *grins* *softly* Silver and Cloe made the sammich. You can change it if you want.

Swindle: Oh, *chuckle* I'll try it as is.

Zoe: *more grin as she hands over the warm sleeping case* Do you want me here while you nap?

Swindle: Always...unless you have other matters to attend....

Zoe: *settles down and hugs a cushion* They can wait.

Swindle: *purrrs, and wishes the Swindle case on him*

Zoe: *grins and hugs that "cushion" instead*

Swindle: *PURRR*

Zoe: *offers forkful of sammich and a love bomb*

Swindle: *nom and purr*

Zoe: *going to happily feed and cuddle her cute little husband now, and then tuck him into bed and snuggle him as he rests*

((Co-written with

swindle_blitz))