Post by Delilah A. Black on Dec 6, 2012 17:22:31 GMT -8
Christmas was coming.
In previous years, this thought used to fill Delilah with exasperation and dread. Holiday shoppers bickering over the last set of game controllers for their high maintenance children, men and women purchasing trinkets or effects to amplify prestige or social status. Cars, laptops, the newest generation of iPhone or gaming system, things people wanted rather than the things they needed. To Delilah, the entire holiday had lost all meaning and became a frivolous celebration of greed.
But then the world ended and everything changed.
Now...now Delilah saw Christmas as a chance to relive some of the normalcy in these hard times, a chance to spread some joy in spite of the hard ship they all faced.
Everyone she knew was getting a gift from her this year, something special, well thought out and handmade. And she had to work very hard to accomplish her goal. Which is why she had her seven little 'elves' prancing about thegarage shop to help her.
“How's the dress coming, Talon?”
“Well enough...I decided on an Austrian Bustle rather than a French one. Less complicated. Prettier.” the large man had a pair of half-spectacles set on his misshapen nose as he passed the needle through the endless expanse of white fabric before him.
“Simple but elegant, riiiiiight?”
“YES, as you insisted,” he sighed, sparing a glance up at her. “You're sure she wouldn't like a mermaid style gown?”
“Trust me. That girl will want a to be able to have the full range of motion in her legs. I know I would.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Thanks, Talon” Delilah turned as Cain and Nick returned with a bag full of rattling items and the mechanic positively lit up.
“Are those the supplies I asked for?”
“YES, and they were a HUGE pain to get.” The pair hauled them over to Delilah's work table. “This is...rather ambitious of you, wouldn't you say?”
”I've been dying to test the limits of my Qi, but even if it doesn't pan out the way I wanted it to, I think David will appreciate it anyway.” She pointed out the door, “Now go help Nigel with that knife I set him to making.”
“UGH fine...” He and Nick trudged back out the way they came.
Delilah looked quickly around the shop, glancing at all the little things being made for the people in the Dragons or gathered or compiled. Mathew and Kiyr's gifts were already wrapped and ready to go and Leon's was currently going through the drying process. Birch and Heather were making the “Christmas Tree” (made from crow feathers that were spray painted green) and were dancing around and chanting Christmas carols in obnoxious, screechy voices.
Smiling to herself, Delilah went to look through the supplies Cain and Nick brought her before setting to work on David's gift. It was going to be delicate, yet sturdy, simple but very grand, made to instill a sense of wonder and pride into the Storm Dragon. The most ambitious thing she'd ever attempted by far. But the end result would be VERY worth the trouble.
Over the course of the next two days, the items Delilah was making would slowly come together as she built with painstaking attentiveness with little sleep and so much coffee that she was sure it ran in her veins. By the end of the third day, the skeletal design of the little creature she was making was built: all that was left now was the chassis, the glass and the fabric to fold over the wings. On the fifth day...it was almost done. All that was left was to see if she could bring her little creation to life.
Beside her sat a car battery, thrumming with energy. She glanced at it and back at her construct, swallowing nervously. Here goes... Delilah activated her Qi to it's highest level and formed a narrow, elongated spike with it on her forefinger. Grimacing because she knew what was coming, Delilah braced the spike against the wooden table, drew her bowie knife and bashed the flat of the blade on the spike.
It broke off halfway with a tink and it was all she could do to not scream in pain. It was like breaking a bone and it left her whole arm shaking in pain as she regained a hold of herself. She looked down.
There, lying in front of her, was her Qi. Now no longer solid, it had turned to liquid form and sat in a small pool on the desk.
She cried out in delight and grabbed rummaged quickly for an eye dropper and sucked up the precious liquid. She turned to the car battery with her Qi still engaged and dipped a metal needle into the little vial. Taking a deep breath , she let her Qi cover the entire upper half of her body to create a circuit and she reached out and touched the car battery.
Electricity jolted through her the moment she made contact. After a second, Delilah let go with a yelp, the metal sizzling and jolting with the remnants of the shock. Still twitching, Delilah went back to the eye dropper, opened the front chassis of her construct, unhooked the thin little pipe at the bottom and pushed her Qi inside.
Closing the chassis, Delilah shifted her still twitching hands over the clock in the centre and touched it. A spark leapt from her hand to clock and, after a moment of torturous silence...
...tick...tick...tick...tick...
Delilah burst into a wide grin and let out a loud, genuine laugh at her success, victorious. SHE COULD BRING LIFE TO THINGS WITH HER QI!! Still laughing, she wound up the little creature and tucked it inside the shell of the pocket watch she found for David. And promptly passed out.
Delilah stalked slowly though the Shadows of the Dragon's territory, her bag of goodies slung over her shoulder. The rest of her little team was currently piling goods and supplies in the centre of the territory, a variety of baked goods, meat, vegetables, irrigation piping, clothes, and COPIUS amounts of vodka, wrapped and ready for Christmas for the people of the Dragon territory. There would be no name or indication that these things were left by Crows: the parcels were simply signed “Santa” and carried a telltale stamp in the likeness of a Dragon. The Crows neither needed nor wanted credit for this gesture of good will. Let the people think that this surplus of goods was from their higher ups, increasing loyalty and spirits among the troops.
Her mission, however, was to get to the Peace Cafe without being seen. No easy task...but Delilah was a master of stealth and surprise. And she wouldn't be there long enough to get caught.
Hopefully, anyway.
Creeping up to the door of the Cafe, Delilah picked the lock with an old paper clip and a steel prong. Slipping inside, she set up the “Christmas Tree” which was nothing more than a four foot look alike with green-spray painted feathers. She would set up the presents as nicely as she could, and then get the HELL OUT OF DODGE.
She had more gifts to deliver.
She sprang out the door, to her team gave a whistle
and away they all ran like the down of a thistle.
None would hear the lady whisper, ere they fled out of sight
“Merry Christmas to all, I really hope I got that right...”
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
The next morning, certain Dragons would notice the unusual Christmas tree as they passed by. Some might find their names written on one of the packages...
A small white box sits on one of the feather branches. A ticking sound can be heard within. Addressed:FOR DAVID : Love, SANTA.
A large, neatly wrapped manilla folder, addressed: FOR MATHEW : Love, SANTA
Hand Written Piano Sheet Music : “Heart of Courage” and “Strength of a Thousand Men”
-Hand composed and hand written, these pieces reflect Delilah's thoughts towards Mathew-
A large, heavy, neatly wrapped box, addressed: FOR LEON : Love, SANTA
Clay Pizza Stone
A clay stone for making the perfect, evenly cooked pizza. Don't soak in water else you risk an explosion the next time you use it.
ITEMS TO PURCHASE:
1 lb STONE : $250
Total Purchase : $250
A very large, somewhat heavy box underneath Mathew's, addressed : FOR BASTILLE : Love, MRS. CLAUS
Exquisite Wedding Gown:
A beautiful one-of-a-kind hand stitched wedding gown for Bastille, the bride-to-be. How they got her measurements, she may never know...
x5 1/2 lb CLOTH : 5 x $175 = $875
A small but somewhat heavy package wrapped in silver foil. FOR KIYR : Love, SANTA
In previous years, this thought used to fill Delilah with exasperation and dread. Holiday shoppers bickering over the last set of game controllers for their high maintenance children, men and women purchasing trinkets or effects to amplify prestige or social status. Cars, laptops, the newest generation of iPhone or gaming system, things people wanted rather than the things they needed. To Delilah, the entire holiday had lost all meaning and became a frivolous celebration of greed.
But then the world ended and everything changed.
Now...now Delilah saw Christmas as a chance to relive some of the normalcy in these hard times, a chance to spread some joy in spite of the hard ship they all faced.
Everyone she knew was getting a gift from her this year, something special, well thought out and handmade. And she had to work very hard to accomplish her goal. Which is why she had her seven little 'elves' prancing about the
“How's the dress coming, Talon?”
“Well enough...I decided on an Austrian Bustle rather than a French one. Less complicated. Prettier.” the large man had a pair of half-spectacles set on his misshapen nose as he passed the needle through the endless expanse of white fabric before him.
“Simple but elegant, riiiiiight?”
“YES, as you insisted,” he sighed, sparing a glance up at her. “You're sure she wouldn't like a mermaid style gown?”
“Trust me. That girl will want a to be able to have the full range of motion in her legs. I know I would.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Thanks, Talon” Delilah turned as Cain and Nick returned with a bag full of rattling items and the mechanic positively lit up.
“Are those the supplies I asked for?”
“YES, and they were a HUGE pain to get.” The pair hauled them over to Delilah's work table. “This is...rather ambitious of you, wouldn't you say?”
”I've been dying to test the limits of my Qi, but even if it doesn't pan out the way I wanted it to, I think David will appreciate it anyway.” She pointed out the door, “Now go help Nigel with that knife I set him to making.”
“UGH fine...” He and Nick trudged back out the way they came.
Delilah looked quickly around the shop, glancing at all the little things being made for the people in the Dragons or gathered or compiled. Mathew and Kiyr's gifts were already wrapped and ready to go and Leon's was currently going through the drying process. Birch and Heather were making the “Christmas Tree” (made from crow feathers that were spray painted green) and were dancing around and chanting Christmas carols in obnoxious, screechy voices.
Smiling to herself, Delilah went to look through the supplies Cain and Nick brought her before setting to work on David's gift. It was going to be delicate, yet sturdy, simple but very grand, made to instill a sense of wonder and pride into the Storm Dragon. The most ambitious thing she'd ever attempted by far. But the end result would be VERY worth the trouble.
Over the course of the next two days, the items Delilah was making would slowly come together as she built with painstaking attentiveness with little sleep and so much coffee that she was sure it ran in her veins. By the end of the third day, the skeletal design of the little creature she was making was built: all that was left now was the chassis, the glass and the fabric to fold over the wings. On the fifth day...it was almost done. All that was left was to see if she could bring her little creation to life.
Beside her sat a car battery, thrumming with energy. She glanced at it and back at her construct, swallowing nervously. Here goes... Delilah activated her Qi to it's highest level and formed a narrow, elongated spike with it on her forefinger. Grimacing because she knew what was coming, Delilah braced the spike against the wooden table, drew her bowie knife and bashed the flat of the blade on the spike.
It broke off halfway with a tink and it was all she could do to not scream in pain. It was like breaking a bone and it left her whole arm shaking in pain as she regained a hold of herself. She looked down.
There, lying in front of her, was her Qi. Now no longer solid, it had turned to liquid form and sat in a small pool on the desk.
She cried out in delight and grabbed rummaged quickly for an eye dropper and sucked up the precious liquid. She turned to the car battery with her Qi still engaged and dipped a metal needle into the little vial. Taking a deep breath , she let her Qi cover the entire upper half of her body to create a circuit and she reached out and touched the car battery.
Electricity jolted through her the moment she made contact. After a second, Delilah let go with a yelp, the metal sizzling and jolting with the remnants of the shock. Still twitching, Delilah went back to the eye dropper, opened the front chassis of her construct, unhooked the thin little pipe at the bottom and pushed her Qi inside.
Closing the chassis, Delilah shifted her still twitching hands over the clock in the centre and touched it. A spark leapt from her hand to clock and, after a moment of torturous silence...
...tick...tick...tick...tick...
Delilah burst into a wide grin and let out a loud, genuine laugh at her success, victorious. SHE COULD BRING LIFE TO THINGS WITH HER QI!! Still laughing, she wound up the little creature and tucked it inside the shell of the pocket watch she found for David. And promptly passed out.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
T'was the night before Christmas
and all through the land,
not a Dragon was stirring;
and plot was at hand.
and all through the land,
not a Dragon was stirring;
and plot was at hand.
Delilah stalked slowly though the Shadows of the Dragon's territory, her bag of goodies slung over her shoulder. The rest of her little team was currently piling goods and supplies in the centre of the territory, a variety of baked goods, meat, vegetables, irrigation piping, clothes, and COPIUS amounts of vodka, wrapped and ready for Christmas for the people of the Dragon territory. There would be no name or indication that these things were left by Crows: the parcels were simply signed “Santa” and carried a telltale stamp in the likeness of a Dragon. The Crows neither needed nor wanted credit for this gesture of good will. Let the people think that this surplus of goods was from their higher ups, increasing loyalty and spirits among the troops.
Her mission, however, was to get to the Peace Cafe without being seen. No easy task...but Delilah was a master of stealth and surprise. And she wouldn't be there long enough to get caught.
Hopefully, anyway.
Creeping up to the door of the Cafe, Delilah picked the lock with an old paper clip and a steel prong. Slipping inside, she set up the “Christmas Tree” which was nothing more than a four foot look alike with green-spray painted feathers. She would set up the presents as nicely as she could, and then get the HELL OUT OF DODGE.
She had more gifts to deliver.
She sprang out the door, to her team gave a whistle
and away they all ran like the down of a thistle.
None would hear the lady whisper, ere they fled out of sight
“Merry Christmas to all, I really hope I got that right...”
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
The next morning, certain Dragons would notice the unusual Christmas tree as they passed by. Some might find their names written on one of the packages...
A small white box sits on one of the feather branches. A ticking sound can be heard within. Addressed:FOR DAVID : Love, SANTA.
Clockwork Wyvern:
A real working clockwork dragon housed unassumingly inside a pocket watch like a dragon inside an egg. It's wings are made of tarp and, while it can only glide for a few feet, it is completely responsive and will develop a personality based on it's surroundings. It runs on a certain metallic Qi and requires an electric jolt once a week to keep the 'blood' moving through the system. It is fiercely protective of it's owner and contains a few viable defence mechanisms to ensure that person's safety, such as sharp claws, needle like teeth, sharp metal protrusions all over the spine, spikey metal scales and a lashing tail.
The gears within the dragon are what make it move and “speak” (with a variety of rasping, grinding sounds it uses to communicate). While it is made predominately of metal, it is also very delicate, so use caution.
ITEMS TO PURCHASE :
1/2 lb CLOTH : $175
x2 1 lbs SHEET METAL : $350 x 2 =$700
1/2 lb WIRE METAL : $200
1 lb GLASS : $200
1 MYSTIC MEDALLION : $175
MISCELLANIOUS ELECTRONICS : $300
Total Purchase : $1700
[/i][/spoiler] CLOSED
AFTER OPENING
A real working clockwork dragon housed unassumingly inside a pocket watch like a dragon inside an egg. It's wings are made of tarp and, while it can only glide for a few feet, it is completely responsive and will develop a personality based on it's surroundings. It runs on a certain metallic Qi and requires an electric jolt once a week to keep the 'blood' moving through the system. It is fiercely protective of it's owner and contains a few viable defence mechanisms to ensure that person's safety, such as sharp claws, needle like teeth, sharp metal protrusions all over the spine, spikey metal scales and a lashing tail.
The gears within the dragon are what make it move and “speak” (with a variety of rasping, grinding sounds it uses to communicate). While it is made predominately of metal, it is also very delicate, so use caution.
ITEMS TO PURCHASE :
1/2 lb CLOTH : $175
x2 1 lbs SHEET METAL : $350 x 2 =$700
1/2 lb WIRE METAL : $200
1 lb GLASS : $200
1 MYSTIC MEDALLION : $175
MISCELLANIOUS ELECTRONICS : $300
Total Purchase : $1700
A large, neatly wrapped manilla folder, addressed: FOR MATHEW : Love, SANTA
Hand Written Piano Sheet Music : “Heart of Courage” and “Strength of a Thousand Men”
-Hand composed and hand written, these pieces reflect Delilah's thoughts towards Mathew-
A large, heavy, neatly wrapped box, addressed: FOR LEON : Love, SANTA
Clay Pizza Stone
A clay stone for making the perfect, evenly cooked pizza. Don't soak in water else you risk an explosion the next time you use it.
ITEMS TO PURCHASE:
1 lb STONE : $250
Total Purchase : $250
A very large, somewhat heavy box underneath Mathew's, addressed : FOR BASTILLE : Love, MRS. CLAUS
Exquisite Wedding Gown:
BUSTLE
A beautiful one-of-a-kind hand stitched wedding gown for Bastille, the bride-to-be. How they got her measurements, she may never know...
x5 1/2 lb CLOTH : 5 x $175 = $875
A small but somewhat heavy package wrapped in silver foil. FOR KIYR : Love, SANTA
Unabridged, Early French edition of “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.
-Liberated from Delilah's former library, this is a very old book from the early 20th century.-
-Liberated from Delilah's former library, this is a very old book from the early 20th century.-
