HANDYSPLOSION [open to multiple]

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew is snooping, but he's not getting very far with it. The trouble with absurdly powerful, government-sanctioned entities is that getting inside the base of such an organization tends to be a bit more complicated than showing up with a forged Health and Safety ID card. Of course, he could probably get inside very easily if he simply went up to the front doors and announced himself, but somehow he doubts he'd be likely to come back out without making a grand production of escaping, and he doesn't want to be too late coming home and make James worry.

The other trouble with Romac is that they're too smart to have anything interesting going on outside. After quite a bit of loitering -- more loitering than is probably wise -- all Andrew's seen is fairly ordinary people going in and out of the building. Disgruntled at their failure to be even the least bit interesting, Andrew finally gives up in disgust and decides to walk to the rebel base in order to say hello to a few people and use their private library.

He makes it less than halfway to the park before disaster strikes. Later, Handrew will be mortally embarrassed that the crisis didn't come about because some Romac agent spotted him and decided to make trouble, or because he had to run to intercept an alien, or even because someone got it in their head to mug him. No, this disaster occurs simply because neither Andrew nor a certain speeding taxi driver happens to be looking in the right direction at the right time. As the meta-crisis steps out into the intersection of Lexington and 59th (against right of way, if he'd bothered to notice), there's a deafening screech, an impact, and Andrew quite unexpectedly shatters.

The reflex to use his power when surprised likely saves his life. Twelve tiny Andrews are scattered across the road a moment later, all of them stunned to one degree or another. As they recover and realize what's happened -- and hear the yells of a few people who saw -- they all take the same course of action:

Run.

Unfortunately, very few of them run in the same direction. There's no plan or pattern to it, and very quickly the Andrews scatter to the four winds -- or at least to the four corners of the intersection. There are a few shouts (even New Yorkers tend to notice when someone explodes next to them) and one person even stoops and tries to grab one of the four-inch-tall Andrews, but he has quite a bit of experience in running for cover.


[OOC: Let me know where you want to encounter one or more Andrews, and I will write up an explanation of how he got there. The accident occurred at E. 59th St. and Lexington Ave. (the game map might help you here), and the Andrews have gone in every direction. Some Andrews will take advantage of the nearby subway entrances; depending where he enters he could do as he intends and go northwest, or he could get on the wrong train and go northeast, which would take him past Romac housing. Really, anything is possible -- though he's trying to get to either the Rebels or the TARDIS, he could get lost in any direction, or stay stranded near the intersection. Just write a tag indicating where your character encounters an Andrew and I'll work it out (or you can PM me or ping me on AIM if you want to hammer it out together). He'll be staying in twelfths, since merging into sixths would make him a foot and a half high, meaning he'd be still too small to get around without trouble but too big to go unnoticed. There might be multiple Andrews traveling together, so let me know if you want two of them.]

UPDATE, November 14: Nine Andrews are accounted for so far. One Andrew each currently reserved for Lucy, Spike, and Topher, meaning no more Andrews are available.

Comments

[wildmage_daine]

Who's Timmy? Daine wrinkles her nose in another purposeful snarl as she continues to lead Andrew in the right direction, ignoring his complaints and gestures. It's not too long before she's validated by a flash of blue paint through the early greenery. See, Andrew? It was this way.

[bluesuit_handy]

What is this, a frog march? "Daine, we're going to be wandering around all day if you don't -- oh." Andrew deflates a little as he catches sight of the TARDIS between the branches. "I would've found it eventually," he grumbles, knowing he wouldn't. He's at least feeling less confused than before, but he still can't quite resolve the world to his current scale.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Edgar frowns as they head, inevitably, toward the blue box. This isn't what he had in mind. Though, to be fair, he hadn't really had much in mind, other than getting Andrew to where he needed to go. Still, this isn't what he expected.

The box - he assumes this is the TARDIS - is on the small side. Really small. There's no way they'll all fit inside. He signs to Almondine to tell her they'll wait outside and slows his stride, preparing to find a place to sit nearby.

[wildmage_daine]

Now that they're in sight of the TARDIS, she's free to let go of Andrew's sleeve and look up at him, tail wagging good-naturedly. Sure, he's all confused - and understandably so - but he's got friends to help him with these things.

When she sees Edgar dropping back, she blinks at him, then shakes her head. It's shadier here in the Ramble, and even with Almondine beside him, he'll get chilled if he ends up sitting out here for too long in just a t-shirt. Besides, she needs someone to help keep Andrew from toddling off to who-knows-where while she tracks down the Doctor. She lets out a low whine, looking from Andrew to Edgar and back. Shouldn't they all be going in?

[bluesuit_handy]

Forgetting himself (or maybe forgetting her), Andrew absently pats Daine on the head. It's a gesture of praise, really. "Miss me, old girl?" he asks as he steps up to the TARDIS and strokes her wood paneling. He just left, but he also hasn't seen her in a good while. Opening the door, he glances back at the rest of the party. "Coming?" he asks, confused about why they're not at the door with him.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Edgar blinks at Daine when she whines at him, then at Andrew when he looks back at them. Then he blinks at Almondine, just for good measure. She stares back up at him blankly.

Finally, Edgar shrugs and walks over to join them at the door, Almondine at his heels. /Maybe it's bigger on the inside,/ he signs to her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine tolerates the pat - given Andrew's state, this doesn't seem like a good time to quibble over how treats her unless he mistreats her, which she doesn't believe he'd do, regardless of how addled he was, even if she was a real dog.

She follows Andrew inside, tail wagging in encouragement for Edgar and Almondine.

[bluesuit_handy]

"C'mon, c'mon!" chirps Andrew, already bouncing up the walkway. The bouncing is an unfortunate choice, as he gets dizzy after a couple bounds and has to stop and grip a handrail. "This way!" he calls anyway, making a big 'come in' gesture with one arm but not looking up to see if Edgar and Almondine have come in, too busy trying to get his head to stop drifting.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Amused, and more than a little curious, Edgar follows Andrew and Daine through the door. The second his brain actually processes what it's seeing, he comes to a dead stop.

Almondine trots on down the walkway for a few feet before stopping to look back at him, but he doesn't really notice. Mouth gaping, he retreats the few steps he has made it into the box, then leans to either side to reassess its tiny exterior dimensions. Half expecting to encounter a painted wall, he slowly extends a hand toward the open area to one side the TARDIS. When he encounters only air, he cautiously reaches over to touch the side of the TARDIS itself. It's solid and a little warm and very definitely real.

He hears the clacking of toenails and looks down to see Almondine lay a paw against his leg. Her tail is wagging, but he can tell she can sense his astonishment and is concerned about it. He gives her head a comforting stroke.

Mind reeling, he walks back into the TARDIS and hears the door close behind him. The space is large, and there are doors leading off of it, so he can only imagine how much bigger it must be. She must be, Edgar mentally corrects himself. However strange it might seem, Andrew referred to the TARDIS as a she. And a box being female is no more unusual than a box that's bigger on the inside.

He can feel a grin spreading across his face as he joins the others.

[wildmage_daine]

She wishes she could stop and appreciate Edgar's reaction, but it's Andrew's that has her concerned. She sidles beneath the hand that isn't gripping the railing so he can brace himself against her shoulder if he needs to, then glances back at Edgar, her tail fanning the air as he comes up to join them. She glances pointedly from Edgar to Andrew and back, hoping Edgar will take charge of him so she can go hunt down the Doctor.

[bluesuit_handy]

Maybe he should have asked if he could put a little saddle on Daine. Andrew straightens after a few moment, still hanging onto the railing as his vision settles. "Thanks," he murmurs to Daine, turning his head in time to catch only the tail end of Edgar's reaction.

"Med bay," he decides. "It was...that way."

He doesn't sound sure.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Edgar correctly interprets Daine's looks and comes up to take over maneuvering Andrew. Slipping an arm under Andrew's, Edgar gently wraps his hand around Andrew's wrist, essentially guiding Andrew over to the other seat he sees.

He lays his free hand on Daine's neck just behind her head, so that she can hear his plan.

Daine's been here before, Edgar says, trying to think in as soothing and reasonable a tone as possible, how about we wait here while she goes and finds the med bay? She can probably find it in a flash by smell alone since she's in dog form. And that way we won't be wandering around unnecessarily while you're still a little unsteady on your feet.

[wildmage_daine]

That's not exactly what she had in mind, but it's just as well Edgar phrases it like that. Andrew ought to see the sense in her relocating the medical bay, but he might sulk if he knew she was going to find the Doctor so he could handle all the fancy instruments. She nods her head in agreement.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew's brow furrows. "I found it last time," he objects. At least he doesn't question why Daine can't just find it with them trailing along, since they'll all have to go there anyway. With the seat right there, though...he gives in, just for a moment, and sits down.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Edgar mentally sighs with relief. Whatever he told Daine, he had really been hoping he wouldn't have to hold Andrew down. Not only would that be awkward, there was the chance that he might cause Andrew further injury. Still, he gets the feeling that Andrew won't be content to sit still for long, so he gives Daine a look and a nod.

Get on with it, then, he thinks. He's still not sure how they're going to heal Andrew once they find the med bay, but one thing at a time.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine wags her tail, then trots around the console, nose to the ground as she takes in the Doctor's scent. After one circuit, she begins to to feel a bit discouraged. It's just everywhere, is the problem, and even her dog's nose isn't having an easy time singling out the most recent trail.

She pauses for a moment, considering her options. She should have one more shape in her before she really needs to take a break. And with Edgar and Aly and the three dogs aware of what's going on, she could afford to just be human for a while. So really, she might as well take the shape of something that hunts better than a dog.

She lets out a little huff of discouragement nevertheless, then shuts her eyes. Her legs shorten, and her shoulders rise; her muzzle shortens and squares off into the well-muscled jaws of a hyena. Now, she tries again - and oh, that's better. She inhales once more, fascinated by the myriad scents available to this far superior nose. The Doctor's trail might as well be marked by wet paint. Claws clicking against the glass floor, Daine trots off down one of the corridors.