[ Action ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo's been scarce for the last few days. He's shown up once or twice, but he's vanished just as quickly, with hardly a word to anyone except maybe his sister. Anyone observant may have noticed him sporting a new leather tool belt, but who really looks that hard? He's just a mechanic, after all.

So where's he been? That's a Cabin Nine secret. But when he reemerges, he's landing a giant dragon automaton made of Celestial bronze somewhere between the arena and the forges. Look, guys, he's got wings now! ]

Comments

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Gives her a playful nudge with his elbow. ]

You're invited, too, you know. I'll have to show you around later. Right now, I--

[ A loud grumble does the talking for him. He looks away, embarrassed. ]

Yeah. Food. You can only have tacos and sandwiches for so long, you know?

[clearasil]

[ Natalie suddenly has visions of herself riding on Festus like Harry Potter on that Hippogryff in that stupid last shot of the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. It's still a pretty thrilling thought.

She can't help but delight in the fact that Leo wants to share Bunker 9 with her, but that doesn't stop her from making a joke. ]

Let's get you some chow. You can explain to me your new fanny pack.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ His expression becomes offended. ]

It's a tool belt, not a fanny pack. Big difference.

[ He tells Festus to head back to Bunker 9, with specific instructions not to hurt anyone along the way before starting toward the dining pavilion. ]

It's magic. Gives me anything you could find in a workshop, as long as it can fit in the pockets.

[ So proud. ]

[clearasil]

Very cool.

[ With that kind of magic, of course she's impressed. She's currently working on a bottomless pouch, which takes up quite a bit of her evenings. So far, she can fit some granola bars and a pair of sunglasses.

So obviously, she's going to call it a magical fanny pack. ]

Who left a place like that with those kind of goodies anyway?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He shrugs. ]

No idea. The place was covered in dust, like no one's visited in ages.

[ Then again... It does require the blessing of Hephaestus to enter, and legend is that there hasn't been one since the London bridge burned down. At least until Leo and Dany showed up. ]

[clearasil]

Aha, Mysterious.

[ Nearing the dining pavilion - it's about time for eating anyway - Natalie turns and looks over her shoulder. ]

Will Festus be okay?

[commandertoolbelt]

He'll be fine. I... er, mostly fixed his control disk, so he should behave. And he knows the way home; he's the one who took us there.

[clearasil]

[ A flying, metal dragon is an excellent asset to the camp. Here's to hoping he behaves. ]

Well, eat up because I definitely want to see this place. Or hang out with Festus, that's cool.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Of course he'll behave! Don't insult Leo's skill. ]

I'll even give you a ride there!

[clearasil]

[ May as well throw some caution to the wind if she gets. ride ... ]

Really? You got seatbelts on the dragon for a few passengers?

[commandertoolbelt]

No seatbelts; you just have to hold on tight. [ To him or Festus, he doesn't clarify. ] But we don't have to fly if you don't want to.

[clearasil]

If you ever take him away from camp grounds, I think you should consider a few more safety precautions.

Anyway.

You should eat something.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He just shrugs. It's a thought for a later date. Much, much later. Festus still needs some work first. ]

Yeah. After dinner good, or later?

[clearasil]

I'll meet you at your table after dinner.

[ With a small grin over her shoulder, Natalie hurries off the join the others at the Hecate table. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

You got it, Misty.

[ A quick wave, and he is off to tend to his stomach. A growing boy's gotta eat! ]

[clearasil]

[ This thing where Natalie eats on time is a rare occasion but she doesn't want to leave on an empty stomach. The meal passes by in a blue and Natalie hardly makes conversation because all she can think of it seeing this Bunker 9.

So off she goes to the Haephestus table, hands clasped behind her back. ]

Hey.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo has been famished since deciding that he was done with tacos for a while, and unfortunately breath mints do not a good meal make. So he's been wolfing down some pizza since dinner started, and he's just polishing off his second plate when Natalie shows up again. Making quick work of the last few bites, he brushes any spare crumbs away without much thought and stands with a smile. ]

You ready for this?

[clearasil]

Ready as I'll ever be.

[ When he does stand, a smile pulls at her lips and she makes a brushing gesture against the right side of her face. ]

Uh, you missed a spot - there.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Who needs napkins when you've got arms? As they leave the dining pavilion, he keeps an eye out for the dragon, expecting him to already be in the woods headed back home... but nope, he's ambled over to the forges, eying the security automatons. ]

Looks like he's made a friend. Bet he and Millard get along famously.

[ At least as long as Festus behaves. Leo leads the way over and tells him the plan, climbing up in moments and offering a hand to Natalie for assistance. ]

All aboard Automaton Airways!

[clearasil]

[ That's a dynamic duo if she's ever seen one. She stands by quietly, giving Millard a pat for herself.

There is a lot of room for embarrassment here, but Natalie climbs on anyway, pushing herself up and hoisting herself onto the dragon with Leo's help. ]

That's right, everyone should be jealous.

[commandertoolbelt]

You bet they should! Not everyone can say they've flown a dragon.

[ As far as Leo's concerned, he now has the best automaton in camp. Sure, Reyna's dogs are great, but they aren't giant flying dragons.

He directs Festus away from the other campers to a clearer space, and they take off in one smooth motion, heading toward the woods. ]

[clearasil]

[ Natalie might be inclined to agree. Festus is a lot more friendly than those dogs anyway.

She chuckles to herself at the calls of a few jealous campers, ignoring a teasing comment here and there and holds onto his shoulder, taking a deep breath. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Ha, the other campers are jealous. That's new! No one's ever been jealous of Leo before; but then, his life isn't really the sort of thing people wish for.

They reach the cliffs in good time, and Festus slows for a landing. Leo is still getting used to the flying thing, but together, he and the dragon do okay. The landing isn't exactly gentle, but it's not the worst they've experienced, either. ]

We're here!

[ But where is the question! It just looks like a wall of rock next to the woods. Funny, right? ]

[clearasil]

[ Natalie stays silent as they fly over the camp and she admires the view and the lay of the land. She doesn't care that it hardly matches the splendor of what was one New Rome. It's home.

She does give Leo a skeptical look even if he can't see her up front. ]

Ooh, look, a bunch of rocks. Do we pull a secret lever or something?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He hesitates for just a second, but they've come this far. Why turn back now? ]

Or something.

[ Taking a breath to steel himself, Leo climbs down from the dragon. Walking up to the wall, he places his hand on the rock face, and fire blazes along the wall. A door appears in the flames that swings open noiselessly when he steps back.

He leads the way in, lights flickering on with the movement. Within seconds, a cavern the size of an airplane hangar is revealed, with rows upon rows of worktables, tools and equipment, storage cages, weapons, and more scattered over everything. Even the walls were covered with blueprints; the only clean area was a round platform in the middle of it all, upon which Festus made himself comfortable. An old banner hangs above him, the words faded and hardly legible. Dust still covered most things in the cave, but there was one table close to Festus's platform that Leo (and possibly Dany) had clearly been working at, the dust mostly brushed away. ]

This is it. Welcome to Bunker 9.

[ Home away from home. ]