Winter Bingo: Card Two, Row Two Plus One
Empty House
Prompt: cabin
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: Yes, I know, I keep writing depressing fics for this card, but this was the first thing I thought of after considering "cabin" for a while. Poor Victor and his guilt issues. It does have a semi-hopeful ending, though.
It was just – far too quiet in Looking-Glass House these days, Victor mused as he opened the door. His footsteps practically echoed in the silence of the main foyer. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. No matter what, whenever he entered the house, a tiny part of him expected Lewis to pop up out of nowhere, greeting him warmly and telling him all about the latest wonders for Wonderland. And that same part of him ached every time he remembered that that would never happen again.
At least we managed to restore the house, he thought as he wandered through the rooms. Wonderland Park, although recovering nicely, would never be the same as it was. But Looking-Glass House was in pristine condition. The card and chess people strenuously kept up with its upkeep, and Victor and Alice and all of Lewis’s other friends did whatever they could to help. They felt they owed it to the poor man who’d been the first victim of the Queen of Hearts – even if he was also the one responsible for her existence.
Or, at least, the one everyone considered responsible for her existence. Victor winced as the guilt that never quite went away sliced through him. He knew it was irrational, but he still felt in some way to blame for Lewis’s death. Didn’t it stand to reason that, if he’d never chosen to start a relationship with Alice, the Queen never would have existed? He didn’t want to think of a life without his beloved wife, but was it really worth it to know that his love for her had sparked a bout of jealousy in their friend that had led directly to Lewis’s death? Victor had tried to make amends, at least in his own mind, by diving into the restoration of the park, but still. . .he couldn’t help but wonder if it really made any difference. Lewis was dead, beyond even the reach of the reanimators. There was no way to bring him back, no way to truly apologize.
A soft brush of wings against Victor’s hand made him look down. Resting on his thumb was a little bread-and-butterfly. Most of them had been killed during the Queen’s brief but eventful rise, but this was one of the few who had managed to survive. It looked up at him with sugary white eyes, as if it knew the thoughts going through his head. Then it took to the air again, making a circle around him before flitting off to a different room.
Victor watched it go, an odd sense of comfort washing over him. The little butterfly had served as a reminder that things weren’t as bad as they seemed. Yes, Lewis’s mortal shell was dead. But Victor knew that, so long as Wonderland Park lived on, so too would his friend’s spirit. With a sad smile, he entered the laboratory and got to work.
Squeeze Me Gently
Prompt: noisemaker
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: This one's inspired by my favorite Jim Carrey movie, The Mask. I actually got into it around the same time as Corpse Bride, so my writing muse Victor, Tie Twister, is a huge fan of his as well. Also, pity the poor Alice who is NOT a video game character.
“Oh my God that’s a Jabberspawn?!”
“Yup,” Alice said, adjusting her grip on her branch minutely. “Horrible things, aren’t they?”
“They’re all teeth!” Emily squeaked, clinging to the main trunk of the tree.
Victor shivered, staring down at the beast circling below them. “They’re straight out of a nightmare,” he agreed with the girls. “Though I don’t see how any of them could grow into a Jabberwock.”
“They don’t,” Alice said. “They’re technically only a related species. We call them Jabberspawn because Lewis was trying to make a smaller, tame version of the Jabberwock. As you can see, it backfired.”
“Drastically,” Victor nodded, as the beast growled and snapped its tail at the tree.
“How did it find us?” Victoria asked, voice trembling. “It doesn’t have any eyes – just those awful pipe-shaped things.”
“It doesn’t need to see – it relies on smell and hearing. We’re just lucky we had the time to get up here.” Alice scowled down at the Jabberspawn. “Ugh, and me with just my Vorpal Blade. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to have to bring my heavier weaponry to a picnic. . . .”
“I thought your blade could cut through anything?” Victor asked, shifting position carefully. The last thing he wanted was to fall out of this tree.
“It can, but these monsters need more than one hit to take down,” Alice complained. “They’re tougher than I’d like them to be. And if I throw the knife, I’ve lost it. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished I could throw it, then have it magically reappear in my hand. . . .”
Victor nodded, then spotted two figures approaching the scene of the failed picnic – one clearly wearing an oversized hat. “They’re coming back!”
“Richard and Sir Christopher? Do you think they can fight the Jabberspawn?” Emily asked Alice.
“Maybe,” Alice said. “Richard usually keeps at least one cup of explosive tea in-hat, and I’m sure Sir Christopher has something on him somewhere. . . .”
Richard and Sir Christopher stopped as they came within sight of their friends in the tree and the Jabberspawn prowling around. “Well, this certainly won’t do,” Richard said, hands on hips.
Sir Christopher, however, actually looked a bit excited. “Aha! A perfect opportunity to test my latest invention!” He rummaged around in his pack, as the Jabberspawn turned toward them and began evaluating them as prey. He eventually extracted a tiny squeeze-bulb horn. “Everyone, cover your ears!” he yelled as he held it up in the Jabberspawn’s direction.
Victor promptly did so – if he had learned one thing in his time here, it was that when a Touched told you to do something, you did it. The girls and Richard followed suit. After a moment’s check to make sure everyone’s hearing was protected, Sir Christopher squeezed the horn.
AAAARRRROOOOOUUUUGGHHAAAA!
Even with his ears covered, the sound sliced through Victor’s head. He yelped and teetered on his branch. He saw his other friends wincing in similar pain. Fortunately, the sound had the exact same effect on the Jabberspawn, who cried out and immediately bolted. “What was that?” Victor asked as soon as it was safe.
“I haven’t named it yet, but it seems to work perfectly,” Sir Christopher said proudly, pocketing the horn. “Certainly much better than when I tried it in my house. Took out all the windows then.”
Victor had a sudden bad feeling. Reaching up, he felt his goggles. Sure enough – “You may still want to consider tweaking the design,” he said, pulling them off and holding them up to reveal the shattered lenses.
Sir Christopher stared for a moment, then blushed, embarrassed. “Oh dear. I’ll buy you a new pair.”
“You ought to label that thing ‘Squeeze me gently,’” Richard commented as he helped Emily out of the tree.
Sir Christopher chuckled as he went to assist Victoria – then got a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmmm. . . .”
I Just Want To Hold You
Prompt: snuggle
Time Period: While Victor and Alice are dating in-"Secundus"
Notes: Our obligatory "repressed Victorians" fic! To be fair, I do see the citizens of Burtonsville as particularly repressed. And, for some reason, Victor strikes me as a guy who'd be a bit more touchy-feely if he'd grown up in a different era. He just gives off a "huggy" vibe.
Victor’s world, growing up, had been one of repression. The residents of Burtonsville weren’t ones for showing grand displays of emotion. The people there believed in quiet, stoic lives. Displays of affection, particularly physical ones, were deeply frowned upon. Victor had discovered early on that men and women weren’t to be seen touching unless it was absolutely necessary. If you weren’t engaged to your paramour, things like kissing and hugging – or even holding hands – were strictly out of the question. After you got married, taking each other’s arms on walks and brief kisses were considered acceptable, but certainly nothing further. Touch, it seemed, was the forbidden sense.
Victor had thought it normal as a child. After all, his parents seemed to get along fine without physical affection. And so did all the other couples in Burtonsville – some, like the Everglots, even seemed to loathe the idea of touching each other. But as he came of age, he discovered that he actually really wanted to touch people. The idea of having a girl at your side and never being able to hold her, to bring her close and cuddle her, suddenly seemed like a slow torture. It didn’t help things when he discovered the penny dreadfuls and their lurid tales of romance and passion. People touched a lot in those publications. Seeing descriptions of people hugging and kissing and – doing other things – just made Victor want it all the more. But he was a polite young gentleman, and he didn’t want to cause any fuss, so he adhered to the rules and kept his hands to himself. All while hoping that maybe someday, if he was particularly lucky, he’d meet a girl who would want to be held.
And, to his immense shock, he did. Victor looked down at Alice, snuggled up against him as they sat by the Pool of Tears. The weight of her body against his, the softness of her skin, the silkiness of her hair. . . . It was all so wonderful, so perfect. Everything he’d been craving. Victor smiled and pulled his arm around her a little tighter.
Oh yes – this was much better than just walking next to her.
Where's My Angel
Prompt: valentine
Time Period: Immediately after Victor and Alice's first date in Chapter Eleven
Notes: Just a bit of light fluff for the happy couple. The drawing Victor gives Alice is actually one of two things that constantly shows up throughout the different universes I have involving the pair – and Alice's reaction is always roughly the same. (The other thing that constantly reoccurs? Chester. :p)
Even though it occurred less than a week after their very first date, Victor still felt it important to mark Valentine’s Day with Alice. After all, it was his first Valentine’s Day with a proper girlfriend. He didn’t want to make too big a deal out of it, of course – that would be silly, considering the newness of their relationship. He just wanted to do something a bit special for her. Something to show how much he appreciated her giving him and their love a chance. The trouble was – what?
He puzzled over the problem as the date neared. There was the obvious answer of flowers, but Victor felt Alice deserved something a bit more interesting. Candy was out – Alice had expressed before a dislike of sweets. A card seemed a little too impersonal. A poem? No, he was a better artist than a –
It hit him like a bolt from the blue. Of course – that would be perfect! He seized his sketchbook and quill pen and set to work. And when Valentine’s Day arrived, he proudly presented to his new lady love a drawing of her floating in the exhaust pipes of the Wonderland Park steamworks. He considered it something of an achievement – he’d always had a bit of trouble drawing people, but this time, the image had flowed out of his pen easily. Like his fingers had just been waiting to sketch Alice at her best. He wondered if she’d mind that he’d styled the steam behind her to look like wings and a halo.
Judging by the tearful kiss he received, she didn’t. (And the fact she’d thought to get him some chocolates just sealed it in his mind that they were meant to be.)
Only L29.95 If You Buy Now!
Prompt: hark
Time Period: Anytime in "Secundus"
Notes: I was browsing TV Tropes shortly before writing this and came across Too Incompetent To Operate A Blanket. I browsed the page, looked at some of the linked videos – and Butterfly Boy started laughing and INSISTED I do a fic with this. So yeah, you can actually blame my muse for this one. The Motorized Knife was just the first thing to pop into my head. (Also, please pretend my L is a pound sign in the title there.)
“People! Gather round, please!”
Victor paused as the shout echoed throughout the park. He turned to see a man on a makeshift stage, holding up his yellow-gloved hands and waving them to attract the attention of passerby. Behind him, two other men were setting up a pair of tables. People were already beginning to form a crowd in front of him. As curious as anyone else, Victor joined it. What is it he wants to show us?
After a few minutes, everything seemed to be ready. The man scanned the crowd, judged it to be of adequate size, and began. “My friends – has this ever happened to you?” He indicated one of his assistants, standing behind one of the tables and apparently doing his best to stab a tomato on a plate to death. “Clumsy knives that won’t cut? Making a mess of your precious food – or worse, your fingers?” The assistant mimed cutting himself with the knife, letting out a cry of pain so fake Victor had to cover his mouth with his hands to hold in a snicker. “And now, look at all that clean-up!” The yellow-gloved man pointed accusingly at the juice all over the plate, then grinned brightly. “What you need is Professor Fantastic’s Motorized Knife!” He waved at his other assistant, who had a tomato of his own and the oddest knife Victor had ever seen. Instead of one large blade, it seemed to have a series of tiny ones mounted all around on a chain. Attached to the handle was a little motor. At Professor Fantastic’s nod, the second assistant switched it on and placed the instrument against the tomato. With a little “rrrrr” noise, it cut through. “With Professor Fantastic’s Motorized Knife, cutting vegetables, fruit, and even meat is a breeze! No more–”
CRACK! The plate underneath the second tomato broke as the Motorized Knife came in contact with it. The assistant hurriedly switched it off and tried to smile. “Imbecile!” Professor Fantastic yelled, before attempting to switch back into “pitchman” mode. “See, it even cuts through ceramic! Amazing! And no more. . . .” He held up a chunk of plate, only to see it dripping with juice. “Well, easier clean up,” he corrected hurriedly, throwing the plate chunk over his shoulder.
Victor couldn’t help it anymore – he burst out laughing. The rest of the crowd quickly followed suit. Professor Fantastic scowled at them. “You’re all fools!” he declared, before storming off, leaving his assistants to try and clean up the stage.
Victor kept giggling as he walked away. He felt a bit guilty about ruining the demonstration, but he really didn’t think he’d done more damage to it than Professor Fantastic himself had. “Oh, it’s truly amazing what some Touched consider great inventions,” he murmured. “Poor fellow should have done some more testing.”
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Do you have trouble cracking eggs?”
Victor stopped, then turned and jogged in the direction of the voice, grinning. Oh, there was no way he was missing this one.
Prompt: cabin
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: Yes, I know, I keep writing depressing fics for this card, but this was the first thing I thought of after considering "cabin" for a while. Poor Victor and his guilt issues. It does have a semi-hopeful ending, though.
It was just – far too quiet in Looking-Glass House these days, Victor mused as he opened the door. His footsteps practically echoed in the silence of the main foyer. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. No matter what, whenever he entered the house, a tiny part of him expected Lewis to pop up out of nowhere, greeting him warmly and telling him all about the latest wonders for Wonderland. And that same part of him ached every time he remembered that that would never happen again.
At least we managed to restore the house, he thought as he wandered through the rooms. Wonderland Park, although recovering nicely, would never be the same as it was. But Looking-Glass House was in pristine condition. The card and chess people strenuously kept up with its upkeep, and Victor and Alice and all of Lewis’s other friends did whatever they could to help. They felt they owed it to the poor man who’d been the first victim of the Queen of Hearts – even if he was also the one responsible for her existence.
Or, at least, the one everyone considered responsible for her existence. Victor winced as the guilt that never quite went away sliced through him. He knew it was irrational, but he still felt in some way to blame for Lewis’s death. Didn’t it stand to reason that, if he’d never chosen to start a relationship with Alice, the Queen never would have existed? He didn’t want to think of a life without his beloved wife, but was it really worth it to know that his love for her had sparked a bout of jealousy in their friend that had led directly to Lewis’s death? Victor had tried to make amends, at least in his own mind, by diving into the restoration of the park, but still. . .he couldn’t help but wonder if it really made any difference. Lewis was dead, beyond even the reach of the reanimators. There was no way to bring him back, no way to truly apologize.
A soft brush of wings against Victor’s hand made him look down. Resting on his thumb was a little bread-and-butterfly. Most of them had been killed during the Queen’s brief but eventful rise, but this was one of the few who had managed to survive. It looked up at him with sugary white eyes, as if it knew the thoughts going through his head. Then it took to the air again, making a circle around him before flitting off to a different room.
Victor watched it go, an odd sense of comfort washing over him. The little butterfly had served as a reminder that things weren’t as bad as they seemed. Yes, Lewis’s mortal shell was dead. But Victor knew that, so long as Wonderland Park lived on, so too would his friend’s spirit. With a sad smile, he entered the laboratory and got to work.
Squeeze Me Gently
Prompt: noisemaker
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: This one's inspired by my favorite Jim Carrey movie, The Mask. I actually got into it around the same time as Corpse Bride, so my writing muse Victor, Tie Twister, is a huge fan of his as well. Also, pity the poor Alice who is NOT a video game character.
“Oh my God that’s a Jabberspawn?!”
“Yup,” Alice said, adjusting her grip on her branch minutely. “Horrible things, aren’t they?”
“They’re all teeth!” Emily squeaked, clinging to the main trunk of the tree.
Victor shivered, staring down at the beast circling below them. “They’re straight out of a nightmare,” he agreed with the girls. “Though I don’t see how any of them could grow into a Jabberwock.”
“They don’t,” Alice said. “They’re technically only a related species. We call them Jabberspawn because Lewis was trying to make a smaller, tame version of the Jabberwock. As you can see, it backfired.”
“Drastically,” Victor nodded, as the beast growled and snapped its tail at the tree.
“How did it find us?” Victoria asked, voice trembling. “It doesn’t have any eyes – just those awful pipe-shaped things.”
“It doesn’t need to see – it relies on smell and hearing. We’re just lucky we had the time to get up here.” Alice scowled down at the Jabberspawn. “Ugh, and me with just my Vorpal Blade. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to have to bring my heavier weaponry to a picnic. . . .”
“I thought your blade could cut through anything?” Victor asked, shifting position carefully. The last thing he wanted was to fall out of this tree.
“It can, but these monsters need more than one hit to take down,” Alice complained. “They’re tougher than I’d like them to be. And if I throw the knife, I’ve lost it. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished I could throw it, then have it magically reappear in my hand. . . .”
Victor nodded, then spotted two figures approaching the scene of the failed picnic – one clearly wearing an oversized hat. “They’re coming back!”
“Richard and Sir Christopher? Do you think they can fight the Jabberspawn?” Emily asked Alice.
“Maybe,” Alice said. “Richard usually keeps at least one cup of explosive tea in-hat, and I’m sure Sir Christopher has something on him somewhere. . . .”
Richard and Sir Christopher stopped as they came within sight of their friends in the tree and the Jabberspawn prowling around. “Well, this certainly won’t do,” Richard said, hands on hips.
Sir Christopher, however, actually looked a bit excited. “Aha! A perfect opportunity to test my latest invention!” He rummaged around in his pack, as the Jabberspawn turned toward them and began evaluating them as prey. He eventually extracted a tiny squeeze-bulb horn. “Everyone, cover your ears!” he yelled as he held it up in the Jabberspawn’s direction.
Victor promptly did so – if he had learned one thing in his time here, it was that when a Touched told you to do something, you did it. The girls and Richard followed suit. After a moment’s check to make sure everyone’s hearing was protected, Sir Christopher squeezed the horn.
AAAARRRROOOOOUUUUGGHHAAAA!
Even with his ears covered, the sound sliced through Victor’s head. He yelped and teetered on his branch. He saw his other friends wincing in similar pain. Fortunately, the sound had the exact same effect on the Jabberspawn, who cried out and immediately bolted. “What was that?” Victor asked as soon as it was safe.
“I haven’t named it yet, but it seems to work perfectly,” Sir Christopher said proudly, pocketing the horn. “Certainly much better than when I tried it in my house. Took out all the windows then.”
Victor had a sudden bad feeling. Reaching up, he felt his goggles. Sure enough – “You may still want to consider tweaking the design,” he said, pulling them off and holding them up to reveal the shattered lenses.
Sir Christopher stared for a moment, then blushed, embarrassed. “Oh dear. I’ll buy you a new pair.”
“You ought to label that thing ‘Squeeze me gently,’” Richard commented as he helped Emily out of the tree.
Sir Christopher chuckled as he went to assist Victoria – then got a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmmm. . . .”
I Just Want To Hold You
Prompt: snuggle
Time Period: While Victor and Alice are dating in-"Secundus"
Notes: Our obligatory "repressed Victorians" fic! To be fair, I do see the citizens of Burtonsville as particularly repressed. And, for some reason, Victor strikes me as a guy who'd be a bit more touchy-feely if he'd grown up in a different era. He just gives off a "huggy" vibe.
Victor’s world, growing up, had been one of repression. The residents of Burtonsville weren’t ones for showing grand displays of emotion. The people there believed in quiet, stoic lives. Displays of affection, particularly physical ones, were deeply frowned upon. Victor had discovered early on that men and women weren’t to be seen touching unless it was absolutely necessary. If you weren’t engaged to your paramour, things like kissing and hugging – or even holding hands – were strictly out of the question. After you got married, taking each other’s arms on walks and brief kisses were considered acceptable, but certainly nothing further. Touch, it seemed, was the forbidden sense.
Victor had thought it normal as a child. After all, his parents seemed to get along fine without physical affection. And so did all the other couples in Burtonsville – some, like the Everglots, even seemed to loathe the idea of touching each other. But as he came of age, he discovered that he actually really wanted to touch people. The idea of having a girl at your side and never being able to hold her, to bring her close and cuddle her, suddenly seemed like a slow torture. It didn’t help things when he discovered the penny dreadfuls and their lurid tales of romance and passion. People touched a lot in those publications. Seeing descriptions of people hugging and kissing and – doing other things – just made Victor want it all the more. But he was a polite young gentleman, and he didn’t want to cause any fuss, so he adhered to the rules and kept his hands to himself. All while hoping that maybe someday, if he was particularly lucky, he’d meet a girl who would want to be held.
And, to his immense shock, he did. Victor looked down at Alice, snuggled up against him as they sat by the Pool of Tears. The weight of her body against his, the softness of her skin, the silkiness of her hair. . . . It was all so wonderful, so perfect. Everything he’d been craving. Victor smiled and pulled his arm around her a little tighter.
Oh yes – this was much better than just walking next to her.
Where's My Angel
Prompt: valentine
Time Period: Immediately after Victor and Alice's first date in Chapter Eleven
Notes: Just a bit of light fluff for the happy couple. The drawing Victor gives Alice is actually one of two things that constantly shows up throughout the different universes I have involving the pair – and Alice's reaction is always roughly the same. (The other thing that constantly reoccurs? Chester. :p)
Even though it occurred less than a week after their very first date, Victor still felt it important to mark Valentine’s Day with Alice. After all, it was his first Valentine’s Day with a proper girlfriend. He didn’t want to make too big a deal out of it, of course – that would be silly, considering the newness of their relationship. He just wanted to do something a bit special for her. Something to show how much he appreciated her giving him and their love a chance. The trouble was – what?
He puzzled over the problem as the date neared. There was the obvious answer of flowers, but Victor felt Alice deserved something a bit more interesting. Candy was out – Alice had expressed before a dislike of sweets. A card seemed a little too impersonal. A poem? No, he was a better artist than a –
It hit him like a bolt from the blue. Of course – that would be perfect! He seized his sketchbook and quill pen and set to work. And when Valentine’s Day arrived, he proudly presented to his new lady love a drawing of her floating in the exhaust pipes of the Wonderland Park steamworks. He considered it something of an achievement – he’d always had a bit of trouble drawing people, but this time, the image had flowed out of his pen easily. Like his fingers had just been waiting to sketch Alice at her best. He wondered if she’d mind that he’d styled the steam behind her to look like wings and a halo.
Judging by the tearful kiss he received, she didn’t. (And the fact she’d thought to get him some chocolates just sealed it in his mind that they were meant to be.)
Only L29.95 If You Buy Now!
Prompt: hark
Time Period: Anytime in "Secundus"
Notes: I was browsing TV Tropes shortly before writing this and came across Too Incompetent To Operate A Blanket. I browsed the page, looked at some of the linked videos – and Butterfly Boy started laughing and INSISTED I do a fic with this. So yeah, you can actually blame my muse for this one. The Motorized Knife was just the first thing to pop into my head. (Also, please pretend my L is a pound sign in the title there.)
“People! Gather round, please!”
Victor paused as the shout echoed throughout the park. He turned to see a man on a makeshift stage, holding up his yellow-gloved hands and waving them to attract the attention of passerby. Behind him, two other men were setting up a pair of tables. People were already beginning to form a crowd in front of him. As curious as anyone else, Victor joined it. What is it he wants to show us?
After a few minutes, everything seemed to be ready. The man scanned the crowd, judged it to be of adequate size, and began. “My friends – has this ever happened to you?” He indicated one of his assistants, standing behind one of the tables and apparently doing his best to stab a tomato on a plate to death. “Clumsy knives that won’t cut? Making a mess of your precious food – or worse, your fingers?” The assistant mimed cutting himself with the knife, letting out a cry of pain so fake Victor had to cover his mouth with his hands to hold in a snicker. “And now, look at all that clean-up!” The yellow-gloved man pointed accusingly at the juice all over the plate, then grinned brightly. “What you need is Professor Fantastic’s Motorized Knife!” He waved at his other assistant, who had a tomato of his own and the oddest knife Victor had ever seen. Instead of one large blade, it seemed to have a series of tiny ones mounted all around on a chain. Attached to the handle was a little motor. At Professor Fantastic’s nod, the second assistant switched it on and placed the instrument against the tomato. With a little “rrrrr” noise, it cut through. “With Professor Fantastic’s Motorized Knife, cutting vegetables, fruit, and even meat is a breeze! No more–”
CRACK! The plate underneath the second tomato broke as the Motorized Knife came in contact with it. The assistant hurriedly switched it off and tried to smile. “Imbecile!” Professor Fantastic yelled, before attempting to switch back into “pitchman” mode. “See, it even cuts through ceramic! Amazing! And no more. . . .” He held up a chunk of plate, only to see it dripping with juice. “Well, easier clean up,” he corrected hurriedly, throwing the plate chunk over his shoulder.
Victor couldn’t help it anymore – he burst out laughing. The rest of the crowd quickly followed suit. Professor Fantastic scowled at them. “You’re all fools!” he declared, before storming off, leaving his assistants to try and clean up the stage.
Victor kept giggling as he walked away. He felt a bit guilty about ruining the demonstration, but he really didn’t think he’d done more damage to it than Professor Fantastic himself had. “Oh, it’s truly amazing what some Touched consider great inventions,” he murmured. “Poor fellow should have done some more testing.”
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Do you have trouble cracking eggs?”
Victor stopped, then turned and jogged in the direction of the voice, grinning. Oh, there was no way he was missing this one.