This message is a placeholder for the latest thread of Krillis, GMed by Tadeusz.  :)

Socks made of pressed tinfoil.  An old steam iron ringing like a cellphone. A shuddering senseof fear, and a quiet voice that says.

"Relax, my friend, I'm here."  And then you realize the small, softvoiceis real.

You open your eyes to a weed-strewn lot late in the day. And standing on your chest is a teddy bear, all of eight inches from furry toe to fuzzy ears. He has a wooden sword in hand.

Is this bear...looking at me?

And did the sound come from his rough direction, or did it feel more like it was in my head?

Either way, I suddenly remember what I just went through, and scream once as I raise my arm up to check it for injury. At the moment, I'm disregarding the bear with the wooden sword on top of my chest in favor of physical well-being.

It comes from the bear, and his mouth seemed to move.

You jerk upright, and fling him into the air.

"Whoa!"  He does a double flip, and lands on his back a few feet away.  "Oof." He gets up, and picks up his sword.

Your arm is totally fine.  There is no sign of damage.

I watch the teddy bear fly through the air and I hear his reaction to it. Then, when he picks up the sword and clearly moves, I'm convinced. This must be a dream...and a lucid one at that, so I relax a little.

"I'm sorry for surprising you, little friend." I look around my environment. I've found that in dreams it's easiest to keep them lucid if you can prove to yourself logical inconsistencies occurring, like time standing still or moving abnormally or physics being violated in any clear ways, so I have my eyes out for those.

You see suburban houses to your left, and a country road, and a farm across it, and to your right about eight or so miles are towers like a downtown, but more circular than you are used to.  You're in a five acre abandoned lot, with a sign on it that says 'BellBook Realty. Buy Property.' up near the road.

Its a weedy, trashy mess.

The temp is in the low eighties.

"Quite understandable.  Actually you did surprise me.  You did not show the usual signs of waking from your very intense and strange dreams.  Otherwise, I would have hidden myself."

He pauses, and puts up his sword.

"Now go to sleep. This was all a dream.'

His voice has your eyelids dragging, and a yawn creeping up your throat.

Wait...my eyes start to feel heavy? For a second there, I thought that this was surely a dream. But the sign didn't change. It still said "BellBook Realty" like before.

I bite the inside of my cheek to try to stay awake.

"Hold on!" I point at him. "I am definitely not dreaming right now, and you're talking! I hope you don't mind, but I need to check something out." I walk toward the bear calmly and suddenly reach down to pick him up.

If I get him off the ground, I'm going to be feeling around the plush for any sort of devices. A voice box, any sort of skeleton that could be controlling him remotely. I smile, baffled, "How are you possible, little friend."

You scoop him up, and he sighs, but then he starts to giggle.

"Stop tickling me!"

There are no signs of devices inside him.

"Three questions, and you let me go?"

He asks, sighing again.  You're wide awake by now.

No devices, so this thing must be sentient. Or something close. Or, more likely, someone's making a fool of me right now. But for the time being, it's probably best to play along and figure out what's going on.

"Make it five questions and you have yourself a deal."

If he doesn't go for five questions, I'll settle for three and ask my first:

"In as much detail as possible, where are we right now?"

He agrees.

"Second Universe, Material Plane, Near Universal Center, Milky Way Galaxy, Perseus Arm, Sol System, Earth, England, Northamshire, Wibbelton Downs suburb of Northahmshire, Abandoned Lot, in the grass."

He chuckles.

"My name is Casey, what's yours?"

When he chuckles, I start to feel bad for holding him hostage like this. Every motion and comment he makes, I get more of a gut feeling that I really am talking to a sentient teddy bear. It may be crazy, but it could be worse.

"I'm sorry for scooping you up like that." I put the bear down, offering my hand to shake instead. "I'm Kurt, it's nice to meet you, Casey. I tell you what-you're off the hook, but I am still a little lost. I don't know how I ended up here or how I can get home, back to America."

"America? Its easy enough to get to the Colonies.  Just hike on over to the city center over there, find the docks, and either get a job as a Seaman's Assistant, or if you have money, you can buy a cabin for a cruise ship."

He pauses.

"Has anyone told you that you have very intense dreams?"  He shrugs a little.  "Just curious, thats me."

Did Casey shake my hand, or have some other reaction to the handshake offer?

I sit down cross-legged with him. "Actually, I have. I try to practice controlling my dreams while I'm in them as well, but sometimes they're too terrifying. What are your dreams like, Casey, and how would you know about mine?"

He gravely shook your hand.  you get the feeling of him being polite.  Its not a teddy bear thing, but he's willing to accomodate you.""

"I have no dreams.  But I can sense the dreams of others, and yours were extraordinarily intense.  I thought  you were a child who was napping who needed protection such was the intensity."

He pauses.

"And before we go further, you must know that certain knowledges cannot be unlearned.  Once the dart is thrown, it cannot be unthrown.  There are dangers in this world, dangers that few realize, and while I can answer some questions, some will lead you into a dangerous place."

"I appreciate your help, then. If you hadn't woken me up, I might have been in for a much less pleasant dream."

My mind goes back to some of the fiction I've read, and I can't help but think back to Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In front of me, I have a bona fide call to adventure from a mysterious magical guide. Albeit that guide happens to be eight inches tall.

How could I possibly say no?

"I'm not afraid of knowledge, Casey, but thank you for your warning. I'm willing to face the consequences of what you have to say to me." I unconsciously lean in to listen to what the teddy bear has to say.

(This is just a friendly reminder. No rush; I just wanted to make sure that you saw the post.)

Sorry, I'll try to get it tommorrow.

(Absolutely no problem. I just wanted to make sure that my post didn't get lost in updates. Thanks for your help and for running me.)

"Have you ever wondered why seemingly good children grow up, and turn into monsters?"  He pauses, and looks at you, giving you a chance to answer.

"There are many reasons, abuse, chemical problems in the brain, bullying, and in all this the child has their own choices to make.  Bullying might turn once child into a thug, and another into a saint"

He pauses again.

"But there are others, the Delpins and their kindred. They live in the shadows, flee from light or courage or honesty or love.  They exist on the boundary between Madness and Sanity, between Dream and Awkaening.  They feed on Innocence, and leave behind Soul Poison.  They are ghost almost."

"I fight the Delpins.'

I've done a lot of wondering about children lately in my Educational Psychology classes, but they've been focused on their needs-all of their needs, rather than just the ones belonging to the non-monsters out there.

Still, I nod silently and focus on listening to Casey.

I look at Casey's sword almost in response when he talks about fighting the Delphins, but instead ask, "Did you think that the Delphins were after me before I woke? Does that mean that they attack adults as well as children?"

"Oh, yes. I saw one coming toward you, drawn by the intensity of your dream, but then you awoke, and he was banished.  Some adults, some have very intense dreams, but many of those have great strength of mind, and a Delpin is wise to avoid such a one as the human mind can chew a Delpin up if its strong enough, warded enough.  Others seem to have such purity that a Delpin is destroyed merely by being in their presence.

This is why Delpins leave infants alone.  An infant is so strong, so pure, that even a Great One of the Delpins would avoid them.

But some humans have mental problems, and others, some artists have such visions, but not good boundaries....and others, are like you.  I don't know why you had such ferociously intense dreams.  But you did, and you don't have significant mental barriers.  Although, you seem to have been touched by a shadow, recently.  Something dark and disturbing like a cloud lays across your mind."

And for a second you hear a whisper.  "Krillis..."

And then you see Casey standing there, fear struck, with his sword out, and  he slams you in the chest with his blade.  It tickles.  And the whisper is gone.

I giggle a little bit when the sword tickles, and then suddenly I feel better and less worried. "Thank you... I thought that was all a dream, but that thing, those things must have been real."

I look Casey in his small, beady eyes. "What was that? For a second, I heard something whispering in my ear and then suddenly, you touch me with that toy sword and it's gone."

"I do not know what it was, but it was the shadow cast by the passing of something awful.  You have stood very close to madness and horror in the recent past. But my sword with its healing powers was proof against this."

He pauses.

"IT WAS not Delpin, that is all I know."

He holds his sword up.

"Toy? It is a symbol of joy, and growth, friendship, and protection." But then he pokes you in the ribs again.  "Also a good toy."

"Gah!" I feign, and laugh when he pokes me in the side. "Reminds me of a movie I saw last year about Guardians who protect childrens' wonder and happiness. So, I don't actually know much about where I am right now other than what you told me."

I brush some of the ground's dirt off of my pants and stand up. "How can I help?"

"I think there are many ways.  You as an adult can interact with the Human World in ways we cannot.  For example. Senator Moskov is sponsoring a Bill right now to ban teddy bears as unsafe.  But for now, take my hand. I need to be at my boy's side."

You do, and you feel as if you're being dragged out into a long string, puddled up, and splashed into something warm, and comfortable.

Your eyes are open, and then you realize they are always open.  You are laying on a blanket, and your feet which you can barely see above your huge stomach are yellow and corduroy.

"Just five more minutes, Mom'
"OK, Herbie."

You hear from some distance away.

Banning teddy bears as being unsafe...? Senator Moskov. I make sure to commit the name to memory. Every boy needs a teddy bear, and evidently they're more important than I ever imagined.

Then, Casey whisks me off and I'm suddenly looking down... I must have gained some weight through the trip, and gotten some fancy new clothes-Uh oh, I think.

I keep my eyes wide open, watching and listening to Herbie and his mom. Casey seemed friendly enough. He wouldn't just place me here. Before they get closer, though, I want to try to wiggle the end of my leg to see if I can move it.

It wiggles, and slowly you get control over your body.  Until suddenly you have no control, and Herbie comes running in, looking scrubbed and brushed and in pj's and all of five, and full of energy.

His mom looks harrassed.

"Pray." She says, and he does, and strangely you can hear him pray even when his voice is so low.  His chief prayer is to 'protect Daddy from the bad men.'

He gets in bed after numerous complaints, and it takes a good hour for him to stop hopping up, inventing new tasks, and asking for water.  Once he settles for three minutes tho', he's out.

"Now a wine cooler." His mom murmurs, and turns out the light. And you can move.  And you see a much worn teddy bear that looks different, and has a badge 'Casey' under Herbie's right arm.

My vast experience with Pixar movies makes me feel a little less uneasy when I suddenly lose control of myself. I don't fight it. The first thing I really notice, though, is the angle from all the way down here. It's quite a jump from being over six feet tall to roughly eight inches.

Herbie's dad is in danger; I wonder if he's in Afghanistan or Iraq right now or somewhere else in the world fighting. I watch the mother when she's in the room, and can't help judge her: she's doing everything that she can, and it isn't her fault she's bothered with a child on her own right now. She could probably use a teddy bear looking after her, too.

I take stock of the rules of my current, peculiar situation. I didn't feel like I had control over myself until the mom left, too, so I make a mental note to ask Casey later how he moved in front of me and even talked to me.

Out of habit, I roll my shoulders and stand up, stretching out my back from sitting down (even if I'm not uncomfortable). Then, I look up at Herbie and Casey, waving one arm. Now that I can look about the room, I do (making special note if I see my reflection anywhere and try not to freak out when I do). I'm looking for anything to distinguish where I am-in Great Britain or America-and what other toys are in the room (especially if they're moving!).

Casey squirms out from under the arm, takes a stance, and draws out his sword.

"I promise to protect this boy against the evil in the shadows, under the bed, in the closet, and by the window."  He glows golden for a second.

There is a mirror hung on a closet door.  You look almost like Corduroy to the green overalls with the patch, but your skin is corduroy, not plush.

There is a kid's map of England on the wall, and a big arrow on the NE side says 'you are here'.

You also see a good quality rescue boat toy on top of the book shelf.

OOC: Assuming you ask the questions...

"His father works Coast Guard and Customs at a base thirty miles to the east, and spends a week at a time there on call.  Terrorists, drug smugglers, human smugglers, art thieves, the clueless, and the unlucky fall under his jurisdiction.  Mostly it is the ill turned who are his problem as the North Sea is not much beloved of recreational boaters."

He nods at your question about him moving.

"You get more skilled as you go along.  I can leap to a first story window, and talk a latch into opening.  Ol' Granpa Bear, who's the wisest of us all, he can , well, more than me."

"Follow me." he jumps off his bed, and heads toward the book shelf.

When Casey makes his statement to protect Herbie and glows, I pray silently, "God, watch over us this night and help all throughout the world to stop their sinful ways. Your will be done, Lord; Amen."

While I do ask those questions, my first probably would have been, "How did you put me into this toy, and can you teach me to do it on my own?" I think to myself, without vocalizing it, that Casey must be breaking some sort of teddy bear code by including me in all of this.

I follow him, but keep up conversation. Does my voice sound familiar to me, and is moving pretty much the same or is there a learning curve to it? "So, say we run into any delphins tonight, what should I do? You're the pro, and I don't have a...sword."

I follow Casey's directions when we reach Herbie's book shelf.

You glow as well.

Protection against Evil RS divided by five one at two.

"Its one of our first powers.  See, this is my body, but sometimes I need to help the little girl across the street, or the boy at the end of the road. So I can transfer myself into another body.  I'm better in my own, but ...I've also got a few stashed here and there, talked Rover next door into hiding them for me.  I used one of them to walkover to you."

Your voice sounds 'cuter'.

The walking is different, but easy at the same time.  In ways, it just seems being a teddy bear is easier than a human.  Your body and mind seem more in unison instead of the occasional arguements they have.

Still, yes, learning curve.

You leap off the bed, and belly flop.  Oof.  It hurts about as much as belly flopping off a ten meter board.

He retrieves something from under the bookcase, and wipes it off.

"My first sword." Its two popsicle sticks crossed and glued together.

"Then...where is my real body right now? In that lot?"

I view the popsickle sword and I expect the regular revulsion, but when I don't have it and my body doesn't lean naturally away, I look closer. Casey's first sword that he used to fight the delphins.

I extend my hand to take it, as to admire it. "Did Herbie make it for you?"

"Yes."...."Your body is inside the teddy bear, i think."

When you touch it, you feel a thrill of power reach into the sky, and down into your heart.

"I am your sword. Give me a new name.'  The words seem to come from the sword, and are not heard by Casey.

The closet door creaks...

"I sure hope so..."

Then, when I hear the voice, I go quiet. This feels like a contract, a binding one, between myself and the sword. I name it, and it really is mine, for better or worse. I think of what I represent in this form-the protection of children against evil through goodness (fun, happiness, joy). "Rascal..." I whisper to the sword.

And when I hear the door creak, I stand straight and hold the sword backwards, like I'm fighting with a dagger. I'll move it back if I need distance, but the position just feels right for Rascal.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Sun 17 May 2015.

"YEAAAHHHHH' Your sword hollers, and lightning runs down it. And in that moment its as if the world drew near to listen.  Joy and laughter bloom, then stop...

"Foool." Hisses from the closet. "Dark days are coming.  Did your so trustworthy Casey tell you that? We rise. You could have had power in this world, Man of Three Worlds, but nooooo, you got seduced by the happy talk of the Light."

A distorted shape like that of a walking fish  pokes its grey furred head out of the closet to tower above you.

"Cast down this sword. We can still save you."

"Be saved by the darkness?" I tut, "No thanks. I've been saved by darkness before, and it was no picnic. Better to be true to myself and happy. I would rather drown in the Light before finding any sanctuary in the Dark."

I raise my sword up, still held in the backwards grip. "But it's never too late for you to turn. I invite you: taste happiness and joy! Come into the light!" And I thrust my sword hand closer to the delphin trying to come through the closet, and make a bold step toward it as I do.

"You're bold now, wait until you taste my whip skers and my teeth, until I crush you under by belly, and then swallow you whole."

He comes out halfway, and he's more than two feet long.  Two long whiskers hang, one from the right, one from the left side. The right side is shorter.  They look snot laden.

And his breath is foul.

His whiskers twitch, and his fur on his fish shaped body, held up by his flippers to loom high above, that fur ripples hypnotically....

"He's more afraid of you, then you are of him." Rascal murmurs.  "He knows you are new, and that you're something different than the usual run of Teddy Bears, and that reverse grip worries him too.  its uncommon among the bears."

I try to think to Rascal, Thank you, Rascal. Just in case, how do I fight one of these delphin?

I visibly relax, and make sure not to focus too hard on the rippling fur. I keep my sword up between us and talk firmly. "Come to the Light or go back to the shadows. You're not enough to handle a single bear, and you have found two in this room. The child is safe; leave us or fight-no more words. Make your choice!"

Then, I adopt a defensive position, crouching slightly with the sword held backward but still in front of me.

Basic fish types dislike fire and water.  Attack with your sword, or the use of magic, or once you learn to leap...  Rascal replies.

His whip skers twitch, but he backs up into the shadow behind the closet door, and the door closes.

"Well done. You have the Power of the Adult."  Casey turns and starts to climb the bed.  "And abold heart. Come. We can keep a good eye on things from up here."

1@2 Intimidate Delphin.
1@1 Power of the Adult when in role of protecting children.  RS by five bonus to firstskill.

"Thank you, Casey," I think about climbing up after Casey, but I recall him saying something about leaping. Then, Rascal said the same word... I bend my knees and try to jump up to the top of the bed. If I still have the strength of a human, this should be easy... I hope.

On the way up, I ask Casey what he means by Power of the Adult. "What is the Power of the Adult? What does it really do to fight the delphins? All I did was intimidate it."

Your adult strength seems far off, and whatever skills this bear body has, you don't have unlocked yet.  Still, you manage a ten inch jump, which in your human body would have put you over the basket, and looking down on Michael jordan.

"Adults have certain authority in certain places.  The mother, if she knew how, could make it more difficult for the Delpin by just a word.  You are a Random Adult, thus you have some degree of Authority inthe Child's World.  I don't have this.  I can comfort, protect, inform, and suggest, but I cannot order a Human or a Delpin. Now Ol' Grandpa Bear, he can order me.'

I consider what Casey means by the power of the adult. It sounds like things would have gone very differently had I not been here-probably with a fight between Casey and the delphin.

"Casey, I still don't understand how you got me inside of this teddy bear's body. What if I needed to go in and out of the body myself, or into a different toy's body?"

Then, I show him the sword he gave me. "And Rascal...I could hear him talking to me in my mind and he could hear my thoughts as well. Is all of this normal for teddy bears?" I don't want to be caught off guard by voices in my head again.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:25, Tue 19 May 2015.

There probably would have been a fight.

Casey thinks about what you said, and then draws a line in glowing blue on the bed with his sword.

"A Ward of Warning. It will last an hour.  Now, I don't really know how to explain this...but come with me..."

And again the drawing sensation, and you arrive inside a neat, purple teddy bear.  from the painted pink walls to the frilly dress hanging on the wall, you realize you're in a little girl's room.

And halfway across the room, trying to be stealthy, and looking immensely disspointed is a lizardoid thing with tiny bat wings, and eyes of burning charcoal.  Its about a foot tall.

"Remove yourself from my presence, delphin. This girl is under my protection tonight, and you shall not harm her!"

I run to get between the delphin and the bed, where I presume the girl is sleeping. Do I see any toy weapons in the room?

Rascal is in your hand, and how that happened?

You cut him off, and he snarls at you.

"Its a Delpin of Anger." Casey says, running up behind you.

It pauses.  "Rip, tear, smash....'

A delphin of anger. This creature would know about intimidation and threats all too well. There are some creatures that you have no other choice than to put down, but I want to try one more card before it escalates to violence.

I keep my sword, held backwards, in front of me just in case. Still, I say, "Friend, you must be in such pain. I have felt pain too, loss, and darkness. But I understand your pain; don't make me hurt you. If I must, I will."

Perhaps something it doesn't know well-caring and sympathy-might stop it.

It pauses, looking confused.

From behind you, Casey whispers.

"This little girl lives with her grandmother, who is a redoubtable lady.  She cleans thoroughly, and each cleaning is a mental act of imposing order, and claiming territory, which makes it hard on the delpin.  Plus, she is a godly woman, and very strict, so much so that her grand daughter only has access to delpins of anger, and not those that often.  All other delpin fear to enter this house."

When Casey talks, his words bring the Dresden files books to mind. These people are making a home out of a house, and it makes it hard for delphins to enter. But not impossible.

I keep looking at the delphin of anger in front of me. "You're not invited into this home, delphin. Leave now." I take a step toward the delphin, then another, to see if the delphin gives any ground.

Snarl...

Lunge, and you bat aside the smoking black claw, but then other comes in to your chest, and you kick out desperately, denying him a solid strike, but still it scrapes across your ribs.

Black and white spots flare across your vision.

It chortles in malicious glee.

I try not to make any sounds of pain when I'm struck, and raise Rascal for another try. "Let's do this, Rascal."

This time, I focus on dodging. This delphin has a longer reach than I do, especially with the backwards sword grip. If he makes another swipe at me, I try to duck and roll beneath it, putting as much force in my legs as possible at the end to jump hard and slash the delphin up its belly.

A thrill runs through you, and the pain goes away.

1@1 Remove Pain for Duration of Combat. Magic.

The delphin comes in overhand, terrifying, his eyes burning, and you duck to the side, and slash out. He hops one footed back, but not quite close enough.  The edge of the tip of Rascal flies past his belly, and keeps rising, and kisses his arm, and a flash of blue light fills the room for a half second.

His arm hangs down which is surprising as you just barely touched him.  He's hanging back.

He's disabled, then. I keep Rascal raised to deflect if he attempts to use his other claw to attack. "You were a challenge with two claws, but with only one you cannot win. Leave now, delphin, and do not return to haunt this child, or I will make sure here and now that you will never return to harm another."

He refuses to back up....

I sigh, but there's no backing down from this fight. "So be it..." I whisper.

Then, I charge him, keeping rascal ready to parry if he swipes at me with his other set of claws. I'm going for his legs primarily, though, to take them out from under him and finish him once he's on his belly and an easier target considering our disparate heighths.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:11, Mon 08 June 2015.

You slide in low,  block his overarm strike, and realize at the last second that he was faking it with his other arm, but he's too slow, and the claws slip past your nose, but as you try to get Rascal down, he gets tangled up in the claws he parried.

Now you're face to face, and he head butts you...

I'm realizing all to quickly in this fight that this isn't some game. It felt so easy with the first dolphin but this one means business. I refuse to let go of Rascal and bring my left hand to try and punch the delphin in the face to give me a second to fall back.

Worst case scenario, Casey is always here, and he'll know what to do. In the mean time, though, I want to think to Rascal again, Rascal, how can I fight this delphin? It seems to be more practiced in violence than I am...

Your punch allows you to disengage, and he growls at you.  It sends tremors of fear up your arms which tremble responsively.

Magic. You are loved by the child in the bed, and that gives you a pool of mana you can access. Rascal replies. Or, well you cut him once. Do it a couple more times, and then defend.  He will bleed out eventually.  Or be forced to retreat back to the Shadows Inside the Closet.

Understood. Let's finish this...

His claws have been the primary form of attack he's used so far. He's quick, too, but I've been able to respond to even his quickest, unexpected attacks, so I reassure myself that I have speed on my side and a weapon that is this delphin's bane.

Therefore, I focus on defense but I move toward the delphin. My plan is to let him waste energy attacking me this time, and if I see an opening of a second, I'll try to slash his gut. If no such opening comes after three attacks he makes, I watch his fourth carefully and attempt to slash at the incoming claw with Rascal.

+@1 mark to Combat Analysis or similar skill.

Yes, he very much favors his claws.  He's willing to use other methods, but given a choice, he goes for the claws.

He comes in with a stupid attack, and you slap it back, and riposte so quickly that he has to dive backwards rolling over in a reverse somersault to get clear.  And when he's back up, you see you pinked him in the gut.

He runs for the Shadows.

+@1 Sword use.

Rascal is chortling in your head, and the Teddy Bear is throwing you up in the air, and the little girl smiles in her sleep.

OOC: Let's call it 1@6 for Combat Analysis now (video games?) and 1@6 for Sword now too (I have experience with the epee and larger swords). Does that sound good?

IC:

I revel with them, especially when I'm suddenly airborne. I let out a too-cute laugh than I expect to, and look at the little girl. "Casey, can the children sense the delphin when they approach?" As I stare at her, I realize that there are few things as beautiful as what I'm watching now, as the girl sleeps peacefully.

OOC: Just fine.

IC: "Not always. Some children are more sensitive, others are deeper sleepers.  I heard tell of one little boy that the delphin stopped visiting because even when they stood on him, he refused to be affected by them because he was sleeping so deeply."

Indeed, your heart goes out to her.

And as dawn comes, you find yourself seperating from your teddy bear body, and Casey finding himself a good place to sleep as he yawns...

I want to see if I can hold onto the sensation that I have in the teddy bear body for as long as I can.

And I ask Rascal, Will I see you and Casey again tonight, when the delphin come again?

After I hear an answer, I don't try to hold on anymore, and let myself slide back into my real body (hopefully). I still need to figure things out locally, and see if I can get in touch with my family back in the States.

You hold but it just slows down the separation until Rascal replies.

You cannot be rid of me.

And then suddenly you're in your own body, which feels strange after so much time as a Bear.  You're outside in the field where you first arrived.  Dew is on your face, hair, and clothes.  The sun has just risen into a cloudless blush of blue.

I smirk at Rascal's reply, and sit up.

The dew on me is a bad sign... I slept out here all night, then. My primary goal today is to clean myself up, and look for some potential work and a roof to put over my head. Last night couldn't have been a dream, but just in case it was, I should treat everything right now the same, with some added precautions.

But my plans require information, so I try to navigate my way to the nearest library or somewhere that advertises free WiFi. I need to do some research on this movement against teddy bears, soup kitchens, and help wanted ads on Craigslist for a start.

You walk several miles through the early morning down winding and curving suburban streets with spacious lots.  You are guided by the occasional 'library this way' signs until you come to a small shopping mart and gas station, almost a truck stop, but with no places for trucks.  There are a half dozen shoppes.

Lotsa Stuff is the largest, and its a department store.  Attached to it like bubbles next to a larger bubble is Food House, a small grocer.  Also Cutt Abel's, a hair salon.  Toy Emporium is there as well. Canadian Baking looks to be a pizza and pastry shop.  Weinersnitzel is an A frame building in the middle of the lot with a hollow space in the center for driving through, and you see it sells hot dogs, and its not open yet.  Next to it is Whipley Downs Sub-Library, about the size of a sixty foot trailer.

The library will be open in an hour.  Lotsa Stuff and Food House are open.  Canadian Baking is wafting out delicious smells of fresh doughnuts and cooking ham that makes your stomach rumble.

You did see a 'Sign the Petition to Protect the Teddy Bears' poster in Toy Emporium's window.

I have an hour to kill. I enter the Toy Emporium.

And while I do, I want to try to reach out to Rascal. He was in my mind last night while I was inside of the teddy bears, and came with me everywhere. Maybe he is still here, somewhere, even if I'm not holding onto him.

Rascal, are you there? I try to think, just to see if I can feel his presence or hopefully get a reply.

You feel drawn to the array of toy swords in knight, ninja, pirate, legionaire, bayonet, space warrior, and lava men types.  One seems to catch your hand, and as soon as you pick it up, you hear Rascal's voice in your head.

Yawnnnnn. Hello, is there monsters to slay? Or are we playing?

You're the only person other than the young guy who's the sales clerk, in the store.  He wanders up to you.

"Can I help you with anything?  We have teddy bears on 25% off for promotion to dry to drum up support for the bears. Every kid should have one.

We also have wagons, um, and rocking horses, and we have daggers and shields to go with that sword.  Or if you want some older, we have model airplanes..."

I notice that I've unconsciously grabbed a lava man sword, gripped backwards. Then, after hearing Rascal's voice, I think at the sword, No, Rascal. I was just checking on you. Get some sleep. and I reinsert the toy sword back where it belongs.

While inside my head, I almost didn't notice the young sales clerk. I address him now with a smile, which isn't hard since I heard from Rascal. "Yeah, I actually had a stuffed monkey when I was younger. Good thing you're doing. The bears can't speak for themselves, so they need places like this to speak for them." I pick up one of the teddy bears.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I want here, though. I might come back and get a toy store, but I am looking for work so that I can afford more pressing matters like food and finding a place to say."

I shake my head and place the bear back from where I picked it up. I offer the clerk my hand. "Sorry, my name is Kurt. I'm just new to the area-very new, and just trying to figure everything out."

He quirks an eyebrow when you talk about the bears speaking, but after you mention your monkey, he nods.

"I had a Chester bear, just like this one over here." He points to a standard looking bear with a baseball helmet.  "He got me through a lot of thunderstorms, and one camping trip where I was sure wolves were outside the tent."

"My name's Bobby. Um, if you're looking for work, Lotsta Stuff needs drivers and stock guys.  And Canadian Bacon always needs dawn openers because no one wants to walk in the store at five in the morning, and start the place up."

I nod and listen when he recounts his own teddy bear helping him.

Then, I thank him for pointing me in the direction of work in town. "Do you happen to have any leads on places to stay as well?"

"There's a Good Jim campground north of Whipley.  And about two miles toward the City are some apartments.  I live with my parents.  Housing is expensive." He frowns at the last.  "I'd love to move out on my own, but its not like in my father's day.  Back then, you could get four guys and rent an apartment.  Nowadays, the apartment must have a hot tub, and a minimum of a thousand feet, and only married folks or singletons can get an apartment."  He shakes his head.  "My father doesn't understand.  He just remembers how it was when he was a young guy, and beer was cheap, gas cheaper, and no one tried to force you to do things that were good for you all the time....like this teddy bear bill."

He offers you the petition to sign.