DANGER MOUSE:
RISK IN RECREATION
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
(contains spoilers for "Earnest Penfold and the Half-Price Wand")
Fresh off thwarting the money making schemes of the alien Quark, Danger Mouse has returned to his humble abode at his Mayfare Mail Box, where he was set to do a great deal of medal polishing.
First thing was first though, and that was to see to himself. He intended to give freshman agents their first real tour of the place, and if he wanted the medals to look good enough to motivate those hip new upstarts into making a difference, he had to look good too.
To this end, he had made plans to coat himself from head to toe in a fine thick coating of a special equivalent to Titanium White oil paint, one specifically designed for his body to bring out the highlights in his coat of fur.
To his dismay however, he found the supply of Titanium White was being used for other means.
As he entered his room, he found canvas after canvas stacked against the walls, each apparently waiting their turn to be seen to, as he caught sight of Penfold taking the White and applying it to a bright clear blue sky he had been painting with a brush taped to the edge of a walking stick. The white was used to generate small cloud-like wisps.
"Penfold, what are you doing?" Danger Mouse demanded.
"Oh don't mind me Chief, I only have another thousand to do" said Penfold as he used the familiar looking stick, a sparkling blue emerald embedded in it's centre, to put together the vivid and breathtaking imagery of a bright blue sky being reflected upon a crystal clear lake.
"Are you using Merlin's staff as a paint brush?" DM asked.
"I thought I'd use it for something more lax and creative, something to just relax my mind with. That staff's been used in far too many tense situations" Penfold replied.
"And you though painting would be an appropriate pastime?" asked DM.
"They always say you as an artist can bring all kinds of things to life, well with the staff it's quite literal" said Penfold, who, after completing the picture, aimed the staff at it and muttered a small incantation that caused the still lake in the painting to suddenly develop calm but visible ripples and for a cool and calm wisp of air to generate from the sky he had crafted above it.
"Now, let's see what we can do about putting a few bit of land where the lake is, and maybe give it a hut too" Penfold said, putting together the picture and giving them both a very firm foundation with yet another incantation.
Danger Mouse had gone from being mildly annoyed to feeling quite composed and relaxed.
"You know Penfold, this is the kind of money Quark could easily have been making, happy little clouds, little lakes, portraits which reflect the splendour of nature. The joy of painting, most assuring, and the most painless kind of pleasure there is"
"Oh crumbs" Penfold said as he winched in pain.
"Whatever is the matter?" asked DM.
"I reached out to get a feel for the hut, and I wound up with a splinter" Penfold said, sucking his finger as the pain intensified.
"Yes, well, what did I tell you? There can be risk even in recreation"
"You never said anything like that chief"
"I must have thought it very hard then. I figured with Merlin's power at your finger tips, you'd be able to read my mind or something"
"I did, and it still came up with nothing" pointed out Penfold.
"Well you know how thoughts can be, they just drift in and out, sometimes you'll have a clear concept, the next you end up butchering it because the best way to go about it gets away from you"
"You said I was always someone special to you Chief, but I think you're a whole different kind of special sometimes" said Penfold, certain the chef would think he was being complimentary.
His instincts proved correct.
"Charming thing to say chap" Danger Mouse said.