Operation Bone Rattler: The Plot Thickens!
Continued from here...
The note smoldered between Winston's tiny paws as the last of the letters faded into nothingness, leaving only the crude map with its mysterious 'X'. His scientific mind raced with possibilities as he dangled precariously from his rope, still face-to-empty-eye-socket with Billy Bones.
"Fascinating! De subject appears tuh be involved en clandestine communications! Scriby, take dis down - Billy Bones may be operating as sum kind af... messenger pigeon... bot far bones!"
"Or maybe it's evidence of something actually sinister happening that we should report to the authorities?" Joe suggested, his floating head tilting to one side as he observed the newly labeled skellington beneath them.
"Nonsense! Science demands we investigate dis ourselves!" Winston insisted, tucking the map carefully into his rainbow-colored wraps. "Besides, ef we tell de authorities, den we 'ave tuh explain why we were puttin' name tags on dere undead..."
Below them, Billy's head continued its unnaturally slow rotation, the new "Hi! I'm Billy Bones!" badge glinting in the moonlight. Two more skellington patrols were approaching from different directions.
"Winston, we should really--"
"LOOK! Mare test subjects!" The ferret produced a handful more badges with increasingly creative names. "Me got 'Bone Jovi', 'Skeletor', and... Oh! 'David Bownie' far dat tall one!"
"Luk, all jokin' asside, ef we gonna track em, we gatta name 'em. Right?" Winston protested, already preparing to swing himself toward his next target. "Besides, 'ow else are we supposed tuh tell dem apart? Dey all look de same... No affense Billy."
*STARE*
"See? 'E gets et!"
The skellington patrol was drawing closer, their synchronized footsteps echoing off the cobblestones. Winston's curiosity fervor, however, would not be deterred by such minor obstacles as possible arrest or bodily harm. He had badges to distribute and a mysterious map to investigate!
"Quick! We need tuh label as many as we cun befar we go tuh de X! Far science!"
"Why do I get the feeling this is not for 'science'?"
"Perhaps the giggling?" Scolded Felicity.
"Science never sleeps, Joe! Now, 'old still while me use yuh as a grappling 'ook..."
"I'm a WHAT now?!"
What followed could only be described as the most elaborate game of "tag" ever played in the history of Etzos. Failing to use Joe as an ethereal grappling hook (much to the Diri's relief, the moment the hook left his hand, the spirit return to normal), Winston flew from rooftop to rooftop, executing acrobatic maneuvers that would have made a circus performer proud. His target: every unlabeled skellington in sight.
"Dere's one! Quick, Joe - Operation Bone Lablerererer en progress!"
The
"Oh! Dat tall one needs tuh be 'Napoleon Bone-apart'!" Winston declared, dangling upside down from a drainpipe while trying to affix a badge to a particularly statuesque skellington.
"These puns are getting worse by the minute," Felicity observed dryly.
"Nonsense! Dey're getting BETTA! Look - dere's a pair! We cun call dem 'Boney & Clyde'!"
The wisp's ethereal form flickered with what might have been a suppressed laugh. "You do realize we're supposed to be investigating that mysterious map. That could be an important event."
"Yeah-yeah, me know. We are heading dat way... me think." Winston protested, now attempting to reach a skellington guard from atop a market stall awning. In reality, with his meager navigational ability, he was going to have to give the map his full attention if he was going to find anything, but for the time being he was still quite enamoured with his naming success.
"And this has nothing to do with you just wanting to stick silly names on things?"
"Dat's just a bonus! We cud call dem 'one', 'two', etc... Bot dat wud be very dull." He concluded with a sharp nod of his pointy little whiskered nose.
The night wore on, and Winston's collection of named skellingtons grew. There was "Sherlock Bones" (who stood guard near the library), "Julius Skele-sar" (positioned regally near the government buildings), and an entire patrol group dubbed "Bone Direction" (much to Joe's increasing despair).
It wasn't until Winston attempted to label a particularly tall skellington with "Bone Burgundy" that things took an unexpected turn. As he reached down from his perch on a shop sign, the undead guard's head snapped up with unprecedented speed.
STARE INTENSIFIES
Billy Bones had been following Winston all the time and the fact that he was far from operating in secret had long stoped bothering him. The fact that they didn't seem to mind quite pleased him actually, though it would still have been no fun at all to simply hang the tags on.
"Fascinating! Enhanced situational awareness! Scriby, note dat down!"
"Winston..."
"Perhaps we cun test dere response time tuh various stimuli..."
"WINSTON..."
"Me wonder ef dey respond differently when we--"
"WINSTON, THEY'RE ALL STARING AT US!"
Indeed, every labeled skellington in sight had turned to face their position, empty eye sockets gleaming with an unnatural awareness. The badges Winston had so carefully placed seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, creating an eerily coordinated display.
"Dis... dis es unprecedented!" Winston fumbled for his notebook, completely absorbed in documenting this new behavior. "De subjects appear tuh be demonstrating collective awareness! Perhaps me shud stap far a bit..."
"Or perhaps," Felicity interjected, "they don't appreciate being turned into a walking pun parade?"
"Nonsense! Dem not complained yet. Right Billy?"
From his post across the street, Billy Bones' head completed an impossibly slow rotation... and then kept going, turning a full 360 degrees before stopping.
"See? Billy gets et!"
"That was NOT a sign of appreciation!"
"Cummon, lets get movin' et might be time tuh vanish far a bit." With that,
"Left at Bone-aparte, den right at de Bone-jangles..." Winston muttered, consulting his hastily drawn chart of skellington positions. The
"I still can't believe this is actually working," Joe muttered, floating alongside as Winston crept through the shadows of Etzos's outer districts.
"Science ALWAYS works, Joe!" Winston declared proudly. "Even when et doesn't, et still works because den we learn wat doesn't work!"
"THIS is not science, but... That... actually made sense," Felicity admitted reluctantly as she settled back
Their path had taken them through increasingly less populated areas of the city, following the map and doubling back occasionally when they got lots... which was quite frankly far too often. Each undead guard they passed had or were given badges glinting in the moonlight like a trail of metallic breadcrumbs as the small group passed through the night.
"According tuh me calculations," Winston announced, consulting both map and notebook, "de final bearing should be right... 'ere!"
They stood at the edge of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse district. Most of the buildings were dark and clearly unused, their windows either boarded up or broken. Perfect for clandestine meetings, mysterious notes, and - if Joe was right, probably getting arrested, murdered or both.
"Look!" Winston pointed excitedly. "There, that's it, for sure! Let's go."
Just then another skelington appeared on a patrol. Winston's eyes lit up.
"Don't you dare..."
"But Joe! Dey need a name! Dis one es goooonnnaaaa beeee..." He whispered, pulling a name from his pack that read "Jame Boned".
"We are literally at the mysterious rendezvous point and you're goign to risk giving us away?"
"'We might put whoever is in there at risk fi we draw attention to them, Winston. Cut out the game now."
Winston sighed. "Oh-key... Boned cun wait, you're right." He said placing the name badge back into the Pack.
"Maybe we should be a little more cautious about--" Felicity started, but Winston was already approaching the door, pressing himself up against it as low as he could, which was pretty low, and listening for signed of activity.
The door creaked open before he could touch it, revealing a dimly lit interior. Inside, several figures huddled around a table. They looked up in surprise at the tiny ferret in disgise-colored ninja wraps, followed by a floating magical recording device.
"Oh! 'Ello!" Winston waved cheerfully. "Me came about de note en Billy's ribs! Are yuh de ones trying tuh get 'ome?"
If he had hands, Joe would have slapped himself int eh forehead... As it was, he just sighed.
The figures exchanged glances before one stepped forward into the light. He was an older man with kind eyes and worker's hands. "You... found our message? In one of the guards?"
"Oh yes! Great system dat - using de city guards as a postal service! Brilliant really. Though maybe a bit slow... Billy's 'ead takes FOREVER tuh turn all de way 'round an' me don't think 'im was aware me was de recipient as soch."
Another figure joined the first. "You're not with the city guard? Or the Tower?"
"Nooooo. Me es wid an arganisashun called Isonomia."
The group seemed to relax slightly, though they still looked bewildered by their unusual visitor. The first man spoke again... A story was about to unfold, the ferret loved stories and this one felt like it was going to be a doosie!
In fact!
This continues using the consequence issued to winston by Pig in that previous thread. 
"Fascinating! De subject appears tuh be involved en clandestine communications! Scriby, take dis down - Billy Bones may be operating as sum kind af... messenger pigeon... bot far bones!"
"Or maybe it's evidence of something actually sinister happening that we should report to the authorities?" Joe suggested, his floating head tilting to one side as he observed the newly labeled skellington beneath them.
"Nonsense! Science demands we investigate dis ourselves!" Winston insisted, tucking the map carefully into his rainbow-colored wraps. "Besides, ef we tell de authorities, den we 'ave tuh explain why we were puttin' name tags on dere undead..."
Below them, Billy's head continued its unnaturally slow rotation, the new "Hi! I'm Billy Bones!" badge glinting in the moonlight. Two more skellington patrols were approaching from different directions.
"Winston, we should really--"
"LOOK! Mare test subjects!" The ferret produced a handful more badges with increasingly creative names. "Me got 'Bone Jovi', 'Skeletor', and... Oh! 'David Bownie' far dat tall one!"
Felicity
materialized beside them, her wispy form shimmering with exasperation. "I leave you alone for five breaks and you're turning this into some kind of... undead naming convention?""Luk, all jokin' asside, ef we gonna track em, we gatta name 'em. Right?" Winston protested, already preparing to swing himself toward his next target. "Besides, 'ow else are we supposed tuh tell dem apart? Dey all look de same... No affense Billy."
*STARE*
"See? 'E gets et!"
The skellington patrol was drawing closer, their synchronized footsteps echoing off the cobblestones. Winston's curiosity fervor, however, would not be deterred by such minor obstacles as possible arrest or bodily harm. He had badges to distribute and a mysterious map to investigate!
"Quick! We need tuh label as many as we cun befar we go tuh de X! Far science!"
"Why do I get the feeling this is not for 'science'?"
"Perhaps the giggling?" Scolded Felicity.
"Science never sleeps, Joe! Now, 'old still while me use yuh as a grappling 'ook..."
"I'm a WHAT now?!"
What followed could only be described as the most elaborate game of "tag" ever played in the history of Etzos. Failing to use Joe as an ethereal grappling hook (much to the Diri's relief, the moment the hook left his hand, the spirit return to normal), Winston flew from rooftop to rooftop, executing acrobatic maneuvers that would have made a circus performer proud. His target: every unlabeled skellington in sight.
"Dere's one! Quick, Joe - Operation Bone Lablerererer en progress!"
The
newly crafted Watcher device
hovered silently behind them, just in case it was needed to see a far away location... In reality, it was mostly watching the ferret's increasingly precarious attempts to label the undead city guard."Oh! Dat tall one needs tuh be 'Napoleon Bone-apart'!" Winston declared, dangling upside down from a drainpipe while trying to affix a badge to a particularly statuesque skellington.
"These puns are getting worse by the minute," Felicity observed dryly.
"Nonsense! Dey're getting BETTA! Look - dere's a pair! We cun call dem 'Boney & Clyde'!"
The wisp's ethereal form flickered with what might have been a suppressed laugh. "You do realize we're supposed to be investigating that mysterious map. That could be an important event."
"Yeah-yeah, me know. We are heading dat way... me think." Winston protested, now attempting to reach a skellington guard from atop a market stall awning. In reality, with his meager navigational ability, he was going to have to give the map his full attention if he was going to find anything, but for the time being he was still quite enamoured with his naming success.
"And this has nothing to do with you just wanting to stick silly names on things?"
"Dat's just a bonus! We cud call dem 'one', 'two', etc... Bot dat wud be very dull." He concluded with a sharp nod of his pointy little whiskered nose.
The night wore on, and Winston's collection of named skellingtons grew. There was "Sherlock Bones" (who stood guard near the library), "Julius Skele-sar" (positioned regally near the government buildings), and an entire patrol group dubbed "Bone Direction" (much to Joe's increasing despair).
It wasn't until Winston attempted to label a particularly tall skellington with "Bone Burgundy" that things took an unexpected turn. As he reached down from his perch on a shop sign, the undead guard's head snapped up with unprecedented speed.
STARE INTENSIFIES
Billy Bones had been following Winston all the time and the fact that he was far from operating in secret had long stoped bothering him. The fact that they didn't seem to mind quite pleased him actually, though it would still have been no fun at all to simply hang the tags on.
"Fascinating! Enhanced situational awareness! Scriby, note dat down!"
"Winston..."
"Perhaps we cun test dere response time tuh various stimuli..."
"WINSTON..."
"Me wonder ef dey respond differently when we--"
"WINSTON, THEY'RE ALL STARING AT US!"
Indeed, every labeled skellington in sight had turned to face their position, empty eye sockets gleaming with an unnatural awareness. The badges Winston had so carefully placed seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, creating an eerily coordinated display.
"Dis... dis es unprecedented!" Winston fumbled for his notebook, completely absorbed in documenting this new behavior. "De subjects appear tuh be demonstrating collective awareness! Perhaps me shud stap far a bit..."
"Or perhaps," Felicity interjected, "they don't appreciate being turned into a walking pun parade?"
"Nonsense! Dem not complained yet. Right Billy?"
From his post across the street, Billy Bones' head completed an impossibly slow rotation... and then kept going, turning a full 360 degrees before stopping.
"See? Billy gets et!"
"That was NOT a sign of appreciation!"
"Cummon, lets get movin' et might be time tuh vanish far a bit." With that,
activation of his stealth
and a liberal dose of genuine sneaking, he vanished down an alleyway to begin searching for the location on the map."Left at Bone-aparte, den right at de Bone-jangles..." Winston muttered, consulting his hastily drawn chart of skellington positions. The
Watcher
bobbed along behind him, having activated it own cloke."I still can't believe this is actually working," Joe muttered, floating alongside as Winston crept through the shadows of Etzos's outer districts.
"Science ALWAYS works, Joe!" Winston declared proudly. "Even when et doesn't, et still works because den we learn wat doesn't work!"
"THIS is not science, but... That... actually made sense," Felicity admitted reluctantly as she settled back
into the ferret's mind
.Their path had taken them through increasingly less populated areas of the city, following the map and doubling back occasionally when they got lots... which was quite frankly far too often. Each undead guard they passed had or were given badges glinting in the moonlight like a trail of metallic breadcrumbs as the small group passed through the night.
"According tuh me calculations," Winston announced, consulting both map and notebook, "de final bearing should be right... 'ere!"
They stood at the edge of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse district. Most of the buildings were dark and clearly unused, their windows either boarded up or broken. Perfect for clandestine meetings, mysterious notes, and - if Joe was right, probably getting arrested, murdered or both.
"Look!" Winston pointed excitedly. "There, that's it, for sure! Let's go."
Just then another skelington appeared on a patrol. Winston's eyes lit up.
"Don't you dare..."
"But Joe! Dey need a name! Dis one es goooonnnaaaa beeee..." He whispered, pulling a name from his pack that read "Jame Boned".
"We are literally at the mysterious rendezvous point and you're goign to risk giving us away?"
"'We might put whoever is in there at risk fi we draw attention to them, Winston. Cut out the game now."
Winston sighed. "Oh-key... Boned cun wait, you're right." He said placing the name badge back into the Pack.
"Maybe we should be a little more cautious about--" Felicity started, but Winston was already approaching the door, pressing himself up against it as low as he could, which was pretty low, and listening for signed of activity.
The door creaked open before he could touch it, revealing a dimly lit interior. Inside, several figures huddled around a table. They looked up in surprise at the tiny ferret in disgise-colored ninja wraps, followed by a floating magical recording device.
"Oh! 'Ello!" Winston waved cheerfully. "Me came about de note en Billy's ribs! Are yuh de ones trying tuh get 'ome?"
If he had hands, Joe would have slapped himself int eh forehead... As it was, he just sighed.
The figures exchanged glances before one stepped forward into the light. He was an older man with kind eyes and worker's hands. "You... found our message? In one of the guards?"
"Oh yes! Great system dat - using de city guards as a postal service! Brilliant really. Though maybe a bit slow... Billy's 'ead takes FOREVER tuh turn all de way 'round an' me don't think 'im was aware me was de recipient as soch."
Another figure joined the first. "You're not with the city guard? Or the Tower?"
"Nooooo. Me es wid an arganisashun called Isonomia."
The group seemed to relax slightly, though they still looked bewildered by their unusual visitor. The first man spoke again... A story was about to unfold, the ferret loved stories and this one felt like it was going to be a doosie!
