>>5581197>>5581298You stare down at the whirlpool's edge and hear the rushing water gurgle.
"Oh come on!" Monster says. "The more you stare at it, the more afraid of it you're going to be."
"I'm not afraid of it. I'm just trying to think of the movie this is from...hey!" you snap your fingers. "I got it! You took this from Neveren--"
Monster pushes you over the edge with the flat of his spear.
Down, down you plummet, and when the water rushes over your head....
...You find yourself back in line for Old Ironsides.
You blink. Wow, that was abrupt! You think you prefer it when there's a hole in the air that you walk through.
Edith looks at the Mercury Toothpick hanging on the side of your hand.
"...Izzy, why'd you shapeshift part of your hand into glass?"
"Oh, this isn't glass." you pluck the Mercury Toothpick with the thumb and index finger of your other hand. "This isn't glass at all."
ONE EXPLANATION LATER (COUPLED WITH THE REALIZATION THE BELL ISN'T WITH YOU)
......
"...And he kept the bell? Why am I not surprised?" Sam throws his hands up in exasperation.
"I don't think he much kept it as I just forgot I left it at his palace." you say.
Edith puts a scaly hand on your shoulder. "It's okay, Izzy, I sometimes forget things too."
"It's probably back on the little walkway around the palace." you say.
"It's in Monster's hands now, and he's not going to give it back." Sam says. "I bet if you ask him about it, he'd tell you he has no idea where it is."
"It doesn't matter Steel Dolly knows the tone, I'll just get it from her."
"Hey!" the little boy in front of you in line with a Thule eye balloon pulls on your pants. "Does everyone that go to Martin's get to hang out with dragons and learn kung-fu?"
"Only if you study hard!" you reply.
"Thanks, Lizzy, I will."
When your group finally makes it to the old leviathan, you and Edith are ecstatic. The passive giant doesn't mind the pets and rubs and flash photography. In fact, he seems to like it, and makes a deep, cooing noise.
He feels soft and warm. You were expecting him to feel like a rock given how strong leviathans are.
Sam keeps his hands inside his pockets. He's too cool for the petting zoo.
A Thule lady directs you and your friends to seats strapped around Old Ironside's massive, scaled body and reads off the typical hands-and-feet-inside-the-ride stuff you expect.
Then, with a lurch that jerks everyone slightly forward in their seats, Old Ironsides is off to the coastal islands!
"Wheeee!" goes the kid with the Thule balloon.
"Wheeeee!" goes Edith.
"Wheeeeeeeeeee!" goes you.
Sam looks like he wants to toss you and Edith overboard and then jump in himself.
