A bit of fluff in this chapter, and an extension of Deryn's walker lessons.
Another double spoof. Now that I'm on February Break, I'll be updating more often. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own this...and I am not Scott Westerfeld.
The Library
"There you are, Alek. Volger says it's time for your fencing lesson." Dylan walked in, munching on a half-eaten donut.
"We're on the run from the Germans, on a British airship, and he wants to fence?" Alek asked indignantly. "Really?"
"Yes, and he says right away, or 'I will skewer both of you.' "
"Fine." Alek set down his book and stood up. "I was just reading a really interesting book."
"What book?" Dylan looked genuinely interested
"It's called The Ballad of Mulan. It's about a girl who dressed up as a man to join the army. It's really quite good." His words were met by an odd spluttering sound; Dylan was choking on his donut.
When Dylan had recovered, he choked out, "You think it's good? Not like..."
"Like I think she doesn't know her place? Well, she spent three years in the army, and came back a hero. That's definitely amazing for a common girl to accomplish. I think—"
"You really should go to your fencing lesson, Alek, or Volger will have both our heads." There was an odd spark of anger in Dylan's eyes.
"Er...sure. " As Alek walked away, he noticed Dylan picking up the book and flipping through the page. What has gotten into him? Alek wondered.
Outside
"No, not that lever! Don't press too hard! Don't—ack!"
The walker took a jerky step forward, and then collapsed.
"Wait, no!" Alek attempted to wrest the gears away from Dylan, but it was to no avail.
"Give me that!" he snapped.
"But you're doing it all wrong!" Alek cried, still trying to gain control.
"You were the one suggesting I try to learn to pilot a walker!"
The walker shakily stood up, then rocked back and forth as though it was drunk.
Finally, the walker steadied itself, then slowly moved forward, gaining speed until the scenery outside began to blur.
"Good, now keep it steady." Alek edged closer to the escape hatch, just in case.
"Weee!" squealed Dylan, twiddling the controls.
"Oh no, oh no," Alek muttered to himself. "Er...now try to stop."
"Okay," Dylan happily obliged, and stomped on the brakes.
"Wha—no!" It was too late. The walker tumbled head over heels, bits and pieces flying off until it was reduced to a pile of scrap metal.
Dylan dug himself out of the rubble and smiled ruefully at his handiwork. "So, got another walker?"
Alek groaned.
At a Chinese Restaurant
"Thank you, have a nice day." The waiter took the check and deposited two oddly shaped cookies and plastic wrappers on the table.
As the waiter walked away, Alek nudged Dylan and poked a cookie. "Er...what are these?"
"Fortune cookies," he explained. "You open them up, and read your fortune." Dylan broke his cookie, and extracted the slip of paper inside. "See, mine says, 'Patience is the key to success.' Typical" He stared at the paper, and then shook his head. "Anyways, on the other side, you can learn some Chinese. See, mine says 笨蛋, which means idiot. Hm...I could use that." He popped the cookie into his mouth.
"Okay, sounds interesting." Alek snapped his cookie, and read the paper. "Mine says, 'You are loved by many.' Interesting."
"Um...okay. And what's on the other side?"
"On the other side...女朋友, which means girlfriend."
"What?" Dylan sputtered, choking on his cookie.
"Dylan! Are you okay?" Alek asked, thumping him on the back.
"Y-yes," he choked. "Eat your cookie, and let's go."
"Okay," Alek said meekly, pondering over Dylan's strange reaction.
I was inspired to write the last scene after eating at a Chinese restaurant...aren't I creative? For all intents and purposes, let's just say the fortune cookie scene took place in America, present day.
Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and special thanks to Frogster, who said, "I was wondering when someone would write Deryn maneuvering a Stormwalker! I think you should expand on that idea. :)" thus inspiring the walker spoof.
Keep on reviewing!