Damage Control

Chapter 5: Dungeons and Doctor Who

The rest of the school week went by with no issues. Soleil was settling in rather well, acquainting herself with most of her classmates as well as a few of Alex's classmates. Game Club met every lunch period; the group had finished their current campaign on Thursday. The Elixir of Immortality had turned out to be nothing more than fire mana, rather than the water mana Soleil's character was trained to use.

Now, Friday afternoon, the group found themselves gathered in Mr. Bennett's classroom discussing ideas for new campaigns. Many of the suggestions being thrown out by Amelia and Wes were shot down by Natasha and Soleil herself rather quickly. Alex didn't seem to care one way or another; his mood was rather melancholy today. Silence fell over the group as they each brainstormed ideas.

Soleil gasped suddenly, an idea hitting her like a speeding train. Everyone turned to look at her- Mr. Bennett, who was sitting backwards on his swivel chair, cast his unnatural turquoise gaze in her direction.

"Okay, stick with me on this one," Soleil started. "Our group has heard rumors of a wormhole atop the highest mountain in Myros' neighboring country- a wormhole that sends adventurers traveling through different dimensions and time periods." Soleil winced, awaiting criticism.

A thoughtful look was plastered on Mr. Bennett's face. Everyone else seemed intrigued by the idea, including Alex. She sighed an inaudible breath of relief. She'd been worried they'd laugh at her and say the idea was stupid.

"So, Dungeons and Dragons meets Doctor Who?" Mr. Bennett mused, still tossing the idea back and forth in his mind. He was swiveling left to right, his long legs unable to remain still. When he wasn't spinning back and forth like this, his legs were bouncing at the speed of light. Soleil was unsure why she had noticed this about him, but his anxious movements made her feel antsy- his fidgeting made her mirror his actions. She often picked at her own fingernails and the skin around them. This was a nervous habit she'd always exhibited, but it grew worse when she was around another fidgety person like Mr. Bennett.

"Basically, yeah. I guess," Soleil said shyly, her thumb picking at a piece of skin on her forefinger. She was still insecure that at any moment everyone would start laughing at her suggestion.

"I like it," Alex said, much to Soleil's relief. "It's different from all the seemingly pointless dragon battles."

"Does battling dragons bore you, Alex?" Mr. Bennett asked, feigning offense.

"Actually, I kind of like the idea, too," Amelia chimed in. "How did you come up with it, Soleil?"

"I guess I was growing weary of all the chimaeras, too. I was aiming for something different," Soleil admitted sheepishly, heat rising to her cheeks.

"Wow, I'll pretend that doesn't hurt my feelings," Mr. Bennett interjected, a mocking look of shock on his face, though she sensed he wasn't entirely faking his offense.

"Hey, guys. Maybe it's a good idea not to piss off the DM," Natasha added. "He can literally kill us off anytime he wants."

"All joking aside," Mr. Bennett began, waving a hand as though to dismiss the conversation, "is everyone in favor of Soleil's campaign idea?" Everyone took a moment to consider but eventually agreed, knowing no one would be able to come up with a better idea within the next ten minutes.

"Alright, Dungeons and Doctor Who it is," Mr. Bennett said, wheeling himself over to his desk where he jotted down a few notes. The group started chatting amongst themselves, happy to have finally decided on a new campaign. Soleil took the spare swivel chair she'd been using back to Mr. Bennett's desk. He allowed her to use it during meetings to keep from having to disturb the current arrangement of the student desks.