(no subject)

[pullsneedles]

Lucas is grateful when he opens his door to an empty hallway. He'll be happier once he finds Boney but just being alive is great for now.

It doesn't take long, however, for him to pick up his dog's thoughts in a nearby staircase.

"Coast is clear, boy," he calls, still adjusting to the sound once again coming through a Pigmask helmet.

Boney comes down the stairs, his yellow Pigmask helmet looking particularly ridiculous on him. But boy is he glad to see Lucas, especially since he has company.

"We're s'pposed to be looking for some monkeys, or at least that's our story if any Pigmasks ask. They're hidin' somewhere in this lab and prob'ly eager for a way out. And keep a lookout for..."

He winces under his mask as he thinks about the Ultimate Chimera.

"...well, you'll know it when y'see it."

Comments

[pullsneedles]

"It's something I gotta find and pull," he says, heading towards the seashell. "The Magypsies want me to b'fore whoever started pulling 'em can finish. It's a long story."

After knocking and receiving no response, he frowns.

"Might've beat us to it anyway. The Magypsy might've vanished."

He opens the door and grins widely. The Magypsy Doria is still quite corporeal and talking to-

"Kumatora!"

Lucas runs up and gives Kumatora a hug.

"Lucas!" she replies, hugging him tight enough to lift him straight off the ground. "Whoa! Awesome! You really did show up, Lucas!"

"I did?" he asks as she puts him down.

She nods before noticing their other company.

"Oh! You're here too, Salsa? It's great to see you! I didn't know you were alive. And how've you been, Love Monkey?"

Samba hides behind Salsa after Kumatora addresses her as "Love Monkey".

Past acquaintances taken care of, Kumatora steps up to Dinah with a friendly smile.

"You a friend of Lucas?" she asks.

[raptorcanaria]

"I am!" she says brightly, offering a hand. "I'm Dinah. Pleased to meet you!"

[pullsneedles]

"I'm Kumatora," she says, shaking with a firm but playful grip. "Likewise."

"Oh my!" Doria suddenly says, her hands to her cheeks. "What adorable visitors! ♥ Introduce me to them, won't you? ♥ "

"Yeah, sure," Kumatora says as Doria flings her hair back. "These're my friends."

She goes down the line of them for Doria and the Magypsy stands before Lucas, giggling.

"So you're sweet little Lucas? ♥ Ionia's told me all about you. ♥ Come with me. I'll show you where the Needle is. ♥ "

[raptorcanaria]

Still smiling, Dinah takes a step back, her hands folded behind her back, so she can follow Lucas.

"This is going to be worth seeing."

[pullsneedles]

"Oh yeah, before I forget," Kumatora pipes up as Doria steps out. "That's Doria, one of the seven Magypsies."

They follow the Magypsy outside, where they can see a glow from the center of the water in the filled pond.

"Ionia told me you would come here ♥ " Doria says to Lucas. "The Needle I'm guarding is at the bottom of this pond. ♥ My Needle is much more of a pain to pull out. It's hard to believe you really have the power to pull the Needles."

"Well, I haven't pulled any yet," Lucas admits, looking from the filled pond to the dry one.

"But before you can even try, we need to move the water from this pond into that empty hole first," Doria continues. "You know that Chimera Laboratory to the west of here? There might be some junk there that could help us move pond water."

Lucas gives a look to Dinah.

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah shrugs, and smiles wildly. "I guess we're heading back, then."

She can't move the water on her own.

[pullsneedles]

Well, if she's sticking around, he guesses it'll be okay.

"We'll be right back, then," Lucas says.

When they arrive at the lab again, Dr. Andonuts is standing outside.

"Oh, lad," he calls to Lucas. "I thank you and your friends for earlier."

The boy nods and was about to go on when he got hit by an idea.

"Hey! Dr. Andonuts, d'ya know about anything that can move a whole buncha water from one pond to another?"

"Transfer water from one pond to another..." the doctor half-echoes, looking at the boy. "Hmmm... Your eyes... They're the eyes of someone who's taken on some sort of mission. Very well. I'll lend you a helping hand."

Dr. Andonuts gives a little sneeze and then goes back into the Chimera Lab.

"Well this'll be easier than I thought," Lucas comments.

[raptorcanaria]

"Yeah."

Dinah's eyes are wide, and her mouth quirked into an amused little smile. Everyone on this world is a bit strange. But it puts Lucas into context.

"He seems very helpful."

[pullsneedles]

"And he said he was gonna quit this, too. That's good."

The more he talks about the Pigmask Army in Milliways, the more people seem to think they're just no good.

In a short while, Dr. Andonuts returns with four chimeras.

"Gentlemen! Behold!" Dr. Andonuts says. "I've brought several of the chimeras I've been developing in secret. Take whichever one you think will be the most useful to you."

Lucas looks up and down the line, thinking.

"The first is a DryGuy," the doctor tells them, indicating the round, purple one with a nose like a hair dryer. "It's the latest model Dryer Chimera and it utilizes an air-intake system and a jet engine! It can dry anything in mere moments, even long hair, afros, panties, and Asian beauties!"

The boy pats the DryGuy on his big nose and says, "Wow, that's something."

He then steps to the next two, a pair of human-like brothers, one hiding behind the other.

"Those are the Bucket Brothers," Andonuts says. "They're the result of combining cutting-edge dough technology with Clayman technology! These fellows are exceptionally hard workers!"

"Oh, I remember the Claymen from my part-time job. They are really strong."

He then goes to the last one, the red and yellow striped one with a long neck and a long nose.

"That's a rather ho-hum Chimera known as a Pump Chimera. It's an extraordinarily ordinary creature that's really only useful when you need to transfer something from one place to another, such as-"

"Pond water?" Lucas finishes.

"Er, yes..." Dr. Andonuts says, adjusting his glasses.

[raptorcanaria]

This is how they're going to do it? Use a chimera?

Dinah gives them all a curious look.

To Lucas: "What do you think? I like all of them."

But it's to the Pump that she ends up drawn to, patting it's long nose. "This one's cute, though."

[pullsneedles]

The Pump Chimera gives Dinah a gentle hug with its great nose.

"I like them all, too," Lucas admits. "But the Pump Chimera looks like he was made to do the job."

He, too, pats the long nose of the Pump Chimera and says, "Let's get going."

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah gives as near to a return hug as she can, and keeps her hand on the long trunk as they walk back.

"So what happens to these guys now?"

[pullsneedles]

He shrugs.

"Most of the chimeras the Pigmask Army makes are released in the wild anyway. Maybe they'll get to be free, too. And since these guys are tame, they'll probably get by easier than the hostile ones."

They lead the Pump Chimera back to Doria's house.

"Ooh! Yes, here we are! ♥ " she coos. "This will solve our pond water dilemma! I just know it! ♥ "

And with that, the Pump Chimera gets to work. True to his name, he pumps the water from the filled pond with his nose, pouring the water into the empty pond through his tail. Doria gushes with delight as the Pump Chimera quickly gets the job done. Once finished, he simply walked away as Doria talked of his confident swagger and calm air.

"There it is! ♥ " she says after calming a bit. "That's the Needle! ♥ One of the Needles sealing the Dragon away!"

Lucas looks inside at the golden, glowing, giant needle in the ground. He walks around the edge and begins to climb down into the empty pond.

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah sits at the very edge of the pond, her legs hanging down where the water used to be.

"You want to release a dragon?"

[pullsneedles]

"Someone else does first," Kumatora says, standing nearby. "Whoever it is already pulled Aeolia's Needle. And whoever it is, the Magypsies can't read that person's heart. Once all the needles are pulled, the Dark Dragon's gonna make the world like the heart of the person who pulled the needles. But Lucas, y'don't need to be a Magypsy to read his heart."

She sits down next to Dinah as Doria climbs down to join Lucas.

"Can you really pull this Needle like Ionia said...?" the Magypsy asks. "I'm not sure if I should be afraid or happy... A rush of emotions is overcoming me! I can't believe I'm here, witnessing this moment! Okay! Now pull it! ♥ With all your might! ♥ Right before my very eyes! ♥ "

"If this Needle gets pulled, will you disappear like Aeolia did?" Kumatora asks.

"Yes, that's right, ♥ " Doria answers. "Because the Needle won't need my protection anymore... The Needle can only be pulled when 'the time' comes. So when the Needle finally IS pulled, 'the time' has come."

Lucas hesitantly reaches out, touching the glowing Needle with one hand.

[raptorcanaria]

"That's right," Dinah says to Kumatora as she sits, her eyes not leaving Lucas with a fond gaze. "You don't."

She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and waits to see what will happen.

[pullsneedles]

Boney gives a little bark, adding his own affirmation, and sits on Dinah's other side. Doria stands near them and pats Kumatora on her knee, continuing to reassure her.

"So don't worry. I'm not going to die. ♥ "

And then, Lucas grasps the Needle with both hands and pulls.

A bright light surges forth from the spot where the Needle was and the ground begins to shake. The spot in front of Lucas that held the Needle gushes forth with energy that looks like red steam. In the middle of it all the movement, the boy is still with his arms out and head tilted back.

Just as suddenly as it all began, things return to normal. Only now, there's a small trickle of energy from the Needle's spot and Doria is beginning to fade away.

"This really is...the beginning of the end," the fading Doria says. "'The time' has finally come... Eeee! ♥ I never once imagined that someone would show up at this tender girl's home to pull the Needle. ♥ Disappearing while still young and beautiful... In one sense... It's bliss. ♥ "

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah jumps down into the hole, sparing a confused look at the disappearing Magypsy, before she hurried over to Lucas.

"Are you OK?"

[pullsneedles]

Lucas nods, though he is a bit warm to the touch. It's almost as if he's recovering from a fever.

"'m fine," he says. "Just somethin' new."

Kumatora hops down as well.

"He is realizing more of his PSI," the fading Doria explains. "Usually it's gradual but pulling Needles makes it a great big boost. ♥ He's going to rely on both of you to see things through to the end. Kumatora, I want you to go with little Lucas."

She nods to the Magypsy.

"I don't know you as well as I do Kumatora," Doria says to Dinah. "But you're here for little Lucas. So I'm counting on you, too! ♥ "

[raptorcanaria]

"Always," Dinah says cheerfully, tapping her fingers to her forehead in the smallest indication of a salute. "I'll be here for him."

She wraps her arms around the warm Lucas and hugs him tightly. "You were amazing."

[pullsneedles]

Lucas hugs back, though he does turn his head to watch Doria in her final moments.

"I'm about to disappear youthfully and beautifully..." the Magypsy says. "Think about me sometimes, okay? ♥ "

"'course we will," Lucas says.

"I leave the rest in your hands now. ♥ "

And with a final flip of her hair, Doria fades completely.

"Bye now! ♥ La la la! ♥ "

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah turns to watch as well, a hand still on Lucas' shoulder.

"So now what?"

[pullsneedles]

"Well, there're five more Needles t'find," Lucas says.

"And we gotta find Duster and the Egg of Light," Kumatora adds, picking up Doria's last worldly belongings: a lipstick and a razor.

Boney barks while Salsa and Samba look down in the pond.

"But I dunno where t'start," the boy says.

Boney barks again, thinking, "(I can try to find his scent.)"

[raptorcanaria]

"You could..." Dinah starts, then she glances over at the dog.

"Did he just say something to you?"

[pullsneedles]

"Oh, yeah..." Lucas says sheepishly. "It's kinda part of the PSI. I can understand animals."

He then points to Kumatora.

"She knows PSI, too. She's the one that first helped Salsa and found out about Samba."

"Oh, is that Love Monkey's name?" Kumatora says. "I just knew she was Salsa's girlfriend. Stupid Pigmask Army had her caged up and was making Salsa do their work."