(Untitled)

[dalekity]

Dalek hasn't been seen in the bar, for some time.

Possibly this is because it has been devising new and wonderful methods to help patrons through their problems? But probably not.

Still, it's downstairs now, by a booth, with a sign.

FREE COUNSELLING. FREE. FREE. FREE.

It's free.

[And the mun must now reluctantly ask for no new threads, for

Comments

[milkbonesoldier]

Oh, he's gonna regret this. He is so gonna fucking regret this.

"Oi. Dalek."

[dalekity]

"Address me with respect, human!"

Beat.

"Please sit."

[milkbonesoldier]

"And how would you prefer that I phrase that respect?" asks Wells as he settles in at the table. "That's more than most humans get when I'm talking to 'em, I'll tell you that right now."

[dalekity]

"There are no phrases worthy of conveying the correct respect for a Dalek!" Now it's just being difficult. "What is your problem?"

[milkbonesoldier]

"My problem," says Wells, "is that I think one of your relatives might be on my version of Earth. I wanted to run the image by you for possible identification."

He starts digging in his pockets and comes up with his wallet.

[dalekity]

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Dalek screeches. And will continue to screech until it's shown the image.

[milkbonesoldier]

Fortunately Wells is fast, and digs the image out. "It's from a newspaper photograph, I'm afraid," he says, "and the photographer was taking a picture of a seven-hundred-year-old drawing."

He pushes a picture that looks a lot like this in front of the eyepiece. However, due to the vagaries of artists in the time of Edward the Second, the overall presentation is a lot more formal- those eyestalks are shorter and stiffer, for example, and the spikes aren't as long. Also, it's a daylight scene, since the manuscript artist was not really equipped to draw such a thing at night.

"The text with the picture said that this thing fell from the sky in an enormous ball of fire," says Wells. "The impact created a major lake in the Severn Valley. The thing in the picture supposedly only wakes up every few years and makes demands and terrible prophecies to anyone who'll listen. There's supposed to be a dark testament of its sayings somewhere, but I haven't found it yet. The manuscript called it 'Glaki'."

[dalekity]

"No Dalek would call itself a 'Glaki!' No Dalek would make demands! If a Dalek had landed on Earth seven-hundred years ago, humans would have died out seven-hundred years ago."

[milkbonesoldier]

Wells nods. "Glaki fell from the sky thousands of years ago, actually," he says, putting the picture away. "In the time of the Romans. The Codex only got written seven hundred years back. Thanks, then. That means it's likely a demon, so I've got to go get some girls together and get it killed."

[dalekity]

"Why?"

Dalek doesn't so much understand the need to kill demons. Everything ever, maybe.

[milkbonesoldier]

"Defence of Earth," says Wells with a shrug. "Or defence of humans, anyway. I should think you of all creatures'd understand not wanting to share your planet with the neighbours."

[dalekity]

"Daleks do not wish to share our universe with the neighbours, so to speak," Proudly. "Or any others. Humans have such limited perspectives."

[milkbonesoldier]

"Yeah, well, give us time, we'll be tearing up the place like fuckin' fire ants in nothing flat," says Wells. "We're funny that way."

[dalekity]

"You are very small, primitive creatures. You will all be very extinct before you have the chance."

[milkbonesoldier]

"Says you," says Wells with just a hint of an obnoxious little smile. "Anyway, I've got t'go. Thanks for the identification bit there. It was helpful."

.... so not something he ever imagined he'd say if he encountered a Dalek. Christ Almighty.

[dalekity]

"Have a nice day." The insincerity is almost tangible.