thisavrou | Text: Tall Tales

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Text: Tall Tales

[As much as Bill would love to be able to share his stories verbally, it's just not feasible or particularly good for his self esteem to ask the rest of the station to be patient with his stuttering like his friends are. Maybe someday he'll work up to it. If he practices, it'll be like giving a speech, and his speech therapist had always told him he did better with those.

But Bill lives to write stories, and laid up as he is with a broken wrist, he thinks maybe people will appreciate a little distraction. He'll start with something short and easy, just an edited re-telling, instead of an original work. He'll get to those.]

It's time to turn back the clock, to the wild and untamed west of old as the rapid clamor of hoof-beats kicks up a dusty trail along the horizon. We catch up to our heroes, the Loners: four brothers, not in blood but in something thicker and truer than any familial bond, brothers in a mission to rid the wild west of the harrowing scourge that sets upon it. Our heroes are riding hard with the devil on their heels, on the run from the brutish and bloodthirsty outlaws: the Bowers gang.

Gunfire cracks the quiet dawn sharper than the crow of any rooster, a dozen cracks of thunder or more, the Bowers gang hot on the heels of the brothers. William kicks hard with his spurs, urging his silver mare onward harder with a sharp whistle and a shout.

"Up through the pass, boys, we'll catch them on a runaround." A bullet whizzes past his ear, clipping a scratch across his temple, and he sets his teeth with firm resolve. Dick urges his horse up to pace with William's, firing over his shoulder with one hand on the reins, the wildest and most reckless of the gang, quick with his tongue and his trigger finger. "Say, ol' Willy boy, I reckon we can lose them on the cliffs. That cur Hank Bowers is really rarin' for a scuff. Whaddya say we give 'em what for once and for all?" He threw his head back with a raucous yeehaw and fired off every round in his pistol, a ruckus of shouts and curses echoing off the pass walls from behind them.

"You're deader than buzzard food, Loners." Came the snarled shout from Coyote Hank, head of the ruthless Bowers gang. He sounded out for blood, and well he would be, with a bullet in his leg and his latest hustle plum wrecked by the Loners.

"We can get well ahead them in the pass, their horses are skittish things." A somber voice speaks up from William's right, calculating eyes assessing the narrow path they're cantering through, earning a nod from William. Quick-Gun Stan was the man with the plan as ever, a head of sense on his shoulders.

"Look Out!" came a sharp shout and a thundering gallop. Edward, the fourth of the brothers, leaning hard into his stallion and kicking him into a faster gallop. Without an explanation he cut off Dick and pulled hard on the reigns of William's horse, all four horses coming to a hard, rough stop of chaos, just as the deafening noise of the rockslide sounded, and boulders came crashing down into the path ahead of them, blocking the pass and trapping the Loners between a rock and a hard place.

Will Coyote Hank and his gang bring them to a bloody end? Has someone put a spoke in their wheel? Will Dick get them into more trouble shooting his mouth off? What will our heroes do now?

Tune in next time to find out.

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yeeeeehaw! give that bowers gang what for!

Thought you'd like that, Richie. Maybe you can help me with the next installment.

sure thing big bill, we can mix our creative juices together and see what happens

i already have an idea actually

blowhard dick

[Richie can probably see Bill shaking his head behind his stifled laughter in the room they've all piled into in the aftermath of the demon's attacks, Bill and Eddie both sporting colorful casts with drawings and signatures on them.]

Blowhard Dick Tozier the biggest mouth in the West?

[It's perfect and it makes Bill smile, despite the ever present urge to tell Richie to Beep Beep it up for his terrible double entendre. Bill doesn't miss it but he lets it slide this time, just happy for the normalcy.]

You got it, Trashmouth.

[Richie's quite pleased with himself, and even more so for getting a reaction from Bill, even if it's a small one.

It's weird to have this conversation in text with Bill in the same room, but at least it's slightly less disruptive this way.]

just make sure everyone knows he's way hunkier than clint eastwood!
all those rough and tough frontier madams love him

I'll add some expositional sentences about his roguish rough looks and lady-killer stubble in the next chapter.

my man!

[Richie looks ever at Bill in real time and fingerguns at him.]

[Bill covers his mouth from a laugh and shakes his head, tossing a pillow from the floor in Richie's direction.]

Are you saying you suck dick hard? I can't believe you're a queer.

(It's almost funnier to text this rather than saying it out loud even though he was literally laying right next to Richie.

He, oddly, cannot bring himself to actually say 'blow'. He knows why, but elects to not think about why.)

[Richie thinks it's the most hilarious joke ever, and his laughter doesn't just echo in the room he's in, but likely can be heard elsewhere in their unit.]

what's it to ya sweet cheeks

(Hearing Richie laughing his ass off, even from another room, has Eddie giggling his own head off.)

Oh nothing. Just making an interesting observation is all.

I think I know why you have so many eye problems now though. You should at least tell them to aim lower.

(Eddie Kaspbrak!)

[Eddie Kaspbrak!]

Beep Beep, Eddie.

[He deserves that.]

(Eddie has never been more ashamed in all of his life. He can't believe he just got beeped. Is this how Richie usually feels?

Probably not. Richie doesn't even know what shame is.

Eddie's going to die with his face down in the pillows. RIP.)

it's the price i pay for a natural moisturizer. how do you think i keep my beautiful mug so young and fresh!

[Instead of a reply, Nate quickly doodles a series of cartoons illustrating the story, concluding with the Loners facing off against a couple of mean-looking bandits. One of the horses gets a hat, because why not.]

[Bill marvels at the sketches with a grin on his face, wishing his wrist wasn't broken so he could sketch back. Instead he responds to the source of the sketches.]

These are incredible! Do you mind if I share them with my buddies? I like the hat.

[It's nice to know some kids appreciate the fine arts.]

yeah, of course. go nuts.

Do you draw a lot?

[It's what he misses most since the demon broke his wrist, and though he tries with his other hand it doesn't work well. He can still fold paper though, and he folds a simple little origami horse, sending a picture of it with his text.]

all the time. ever since i was a kid. it's fun.

cool horse. i can't do any of the foldy paper art.

I like to draw, too. I can't right now, but it is fun. The paper folding is, too, but I enjoy writing most.

I had a typewriter at home. I used to write stories on it. I thought people might like to have something to read here.

i've got some extra journals if you need anything to draw on
a few pencils
you're right about the reading material though. the library is pretty hit or miss

I'd like that. Thank you. I have some markers, and a pen, but not much paper. I'm not even sure where to get things here.

i'm not sure you can. there's plenty of crap left around corners of the place but i stocked up on these before we got stuck here.
but i've got plenty enough to share, don't worry about it.
just show me some of the stuff you draw as you practice and we'll be even.

I hope we get the chance to get more some day. I fold paper sometimes, too, and I like to write. I had a typewriter at home.

I would even go for old newspapers, but I guess we don't really have those here.

I would like to do that, though. I want to see more of yours, too. I draw with a friend here sometimes, too. We've even done a few on our walls back at the unit.

If you're sure it's okay, I could really use some more paper. I am trying to be careful with it but there are some things I really want to make for my friends and I only have a few pieces left.

well the ingress light is sending us on field trips now
so if we end up on a world with stores next time, go shopping

but it's fine to take a couple of my extras for now
make something cool for me and we'll call it even
[He doodles another drawing of the brothers on horses and attaches it to this message.]

You mean like the trip to Kaittos? What do you shop with?

And I will. Thank you for the drawings.

My name is Bill. What's yours?

(This is the best thing ever. It's been way too long since Eddie's been able to enjoy a Western of any kind, and he reads eagerly. The most exciting part is he knows precisely what this is about, and to have himself included in one of Bill's stories?

Best thing ever. He even kind of saved them at the end! Eddie's quiet giggling can no doubt be heard in the same room, as he reads it under blankets. He was trrrrying not to wake anyone up.)

Did you name him Coyote because Bowers kinda reeked like what a dead coyote probably smells like?

[Between fear and pain, they've all needed a good distraction, and Bill knows his stories are good for it. He's smiling from where he's laying in a pile of pillows on the floor of Eddie's room, his face lit by the faint glow of his ACE device.

He had chosen Eddie to be the hero of the day for this one, knowing he has been down for a while, even if he hides it well. It's important to Bill that he gets that little boost. He wanted them all to have important, active roles in his stories, and it made it something more personal for all of them.

It warms his heart that his friends are enjoying it.]

And because his hair has that oily sheen like a dirty, diseased coyote's fur.

(Bill's absolutely right. Their usual distraction of movies and TV shows and the like were all back home. Books from the library were fine, but it was a real pain to find things in English, and even then, a lot of the books were either too mature, outlandish, or just plain old boring. Nothing like this.

It's true enough. And it works like a miracle. It wasn't too often Eddie felt good about himself, but right then? Boy howdy.)

Ugggggh gross now I'm picturing his hair.

I hope that the Loners kick his ass ten times over.

You'll have to keep tuning in.

[But they both know Bill is going to make sure of it. They will get their triumphs in his story, and he'll make sure they're good, satisfying triumphs. His friends deserve that much and more.]

I can't wait for episode 2

[It's really flattering to know people are enjoying his story, and though it's not visible, Bill practically beams at the message.]

Me either. Did you like it? My friends and I were talking about how there isn't a lot of entertainment and I thought maybe people would enjoy some stories.

Hell yeah. It was really good. Sounds like you guys have had some great adventures.

[Eddie told her about the sewer clown. But she's not going to mention that.]

I'd love to read more.

This is all just fiction, but I am really glad you enjoyed them. I want to keep doing them. It gives me something to write, and if other people enjoy it too, that's only a good thing, right?

not even a little bit based on true events?

[She's teasing.]

Well, as long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading.

Maybe a little

[The teasing makes him smile.]

I'll keep writing. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on part two.

I look forward to sharing them.

[All of it rings with strong familiarity, even insomuch as the story is altogether different from anything his mind ever created when he was spinning tales for Steve late into the night in their childhood. It’s with fondness that he reads it all, loving every word until he reaches the end to find a note of continuation. Just like the radio plays he used to listen to. He feels a piece of home lingering between the letters.]

That was a real ride. When’s the next installment?

[It's a thrill to see people reacting positively to his stories. If he could, Bill would post one every day, but with the chaos of school, his friends, and the things that kept seeming to happen on the station, he knows he could never keep up with that. If he pushed himself, he could probably manage a weekly episode, just like the Lone Ranger, but he knows he has to allow himself time. He's just one kid with so much going on.]

I'm hoping to do them every few weeks. I want to get it on a reliable schedule, so people know when to tune in.

If you liked that, my friends and I are planning on putting on a play once we get the set set up and the script finished.

[That someone would really go out of their way to even provide this kind of entertainment for others, especially with the intent to continue, is quite honorable to Bucky, to construct a world for others to fall into and draw them away from their everyday concerns. He can’t help but smile as he replies.]

Good deal. I look forward to it. I haven’t followed a serial in ages.

Are you guys gonna use that stage in the music hall? I’d definitely be interested in seeing what you all come up with. Don’t suppose you need any help with the set or anything, do you?

That would be really great. We have a lot of work to do to get ready for it.

I was hoping to use the hall when we get everything finished up but I want to get one of my teachers to look over the script first. I've never written a play before. It's going to take place in this story world, and I want to try and make some horse props and backdrops. I have to find a way to make the guns, too.

If you want to help, I don't think any of us would have a problem with an extra hand on set and props.

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Text: Tall Tales

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super late but i really wanted to hit this when rl interrupted; it's cool if you'd rather not tho!

I'm thrilled to

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