Episode One – This Is What We Call Drama

“Ahem. Welcome to BTACNN, or By Tooth and Claw News Network. This is your host, Clar Sha –“

“Speed it up, would you, Clarissa?”

“Clar Sharpshooter, here to deliver the latest in developments of the legendary group, By Tooth and Claw Dragons.” The red-haired anchorwoman shot her colleague a black look under cover of shuffling papers on the wide desk laid out in front of her. As usual, the newsroom was a wide stage that encompassed most of the room, with a colorless backdrop and the cameras all inserted carefully into the wall instead of having the multi-million dollar equipment at the mercy. There was a very good reason for this.

“Aeris, why don’t you introduce our first story?”

“Yadda yadda… why can’t we do something on the ice cream production in this place? I swear, they don’t use nearly as many strawberries as they shou –“

“Aeris, read the story.”

“Fine.” The black-haired young man swung his booted feet of the desk, the bright light catching the scarlet highlights in his hair all too well. He picked up the sheet, read through it once, and yawned. “Done.”

Clar’s smile was fixed. “Out loud, please.”

“Pushy, today – did someone forget your coffee? Ah, right…” He winked at the silently fuming Clar and glanced down at the paper again. “Something about the escape of a jailed refugee, possibly a prisoner of war, by the name Solan Fallensky –“

“Pancake, come baaaack!”

Clar and Aeris stared as a small, round, paper-thin object with tiny arms and legs rolled like a dime in front of the desk. It sported a pair of disturbingly human eyes that blinked in alarm – and no small wonder, as a dark roan dog the approximate size of a Yorkshire terrier with too-large ears and a ragged fur coat pursued it relentlessly, yipping excitedly and spilling a number of very human words as it pawed the disc-shaped thing until it managed to escape under the desk.

“The hell -?!” Clar jumped up as it brushed her leg and stared some more, while Aeris looked over his shoulder in time to get brutally tackled by a blur of black and white. “Aaaaaeris, darlin`, you found Shan! I was looking all over for her, see –“

Clar highly doubted he was protesting the shapely Drowess figure pinning him to the ground and was also highly thankful the camera couldn’t see what was going on.

“What’s with all the noise?” A tall, white-haired figure walked in from the opposite direction, sharp blue eyes empty as he paused in the licking if what looked suspiciously like a piece of honeycomb. “Could you tone it down a little? I was sleeping.”

Clar gawked at him. “Solan Fallensky? Aren’t you on the wanted list?!”

He met her gaze levelly, and a chill ran up the redhead’s back, sending her into sitting position and feeling like she’d asked an extremely personal question of some insult. Walking right up to her, he leaned forward, one hand on the desk… “… Am I really? Oh, well.”

“No, the pancake fell over!” Shan – the dog – whined in displeasure, sticking her head out from under the desk, a scrap of red leather in her mouth as she pawed unhappily at the disc-creature that had fallen on its side. “Someone put it back! Please?”

Wham. A booted foot connected with the disc-creature, sending it flying across the room and unfortunately – for it – back onto its precarious edge. Shan yipped happily and pounced after it. “Thankees, Caele!”

“EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!”

Clar brushed back her hair, glaring at everyone and the chaos the newsroom had become. Infuriated, she pointed to each person as she spoke to them. “You, Caele – where’d the hell you come from?”

“Hell,” he said unjokingly, green eyes wide and somewhat sad. “Hell, where it all ended –“

“Okay, okay – you, go to the corner. I’ll deal with you in a second.”

Caele’s head dipped forward and he retreated, sinking against the wall with his forehead against his knees. Solan stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, maybe out of pity, but Clar rounded on him next. “You’re supposed to be in hiding. Or in a jail. Or something. Not here.”

Solan closed his mouth and went to join Caele.

“You, Shan – what the heck were you chasing?”

“It used to be one of those people, you know, the ones that sit in front of the glowing screens and boards with letters and make us all do stupid things or try to kill us off.” She licked her paw. “I think Remeira got her with a hammer.”

The disc-creature squeaked sadly.

“Remeira? Oh, yeah – Rem – Rem -!”

Remeira’s head jerked up over the counter, her hair ruffled and cheeks flushed slightly. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Is she telling the truth?”

Aeris sounded like he was trying to say something but Remeira smiled and nodded and said, “Of yeah, of course,” and ducked behind the desk again.

Clar sighed and ran a hand through her hair again, looking around – Shan was sneaking peeks at the disc-creature from beside her, and Solan and Caele –

Were drawing circles on the ground while a small thundercloud flashed and rained on them. Right.

“AHAHAHA, I FOUND YOU, MY BEAUTIEEEES~”

Clar and Shan and Solan and Caele all looked around – perhaps even Remeira and Aeris stopped what they were doing and glanced around, looking at the door, which stood open. But no one stepped through. Confused, they exchanged looks – and then their questions were answered when a the voice called out again, this time angled from the floor.

Well, actually, to be more specific, a jar on its side on the floor. Even more precise, the ash inside the jar on its side on the floor, waving triumphant little minihands from the small pile of soot.

“I, Darkeh, will rule this BTACNN and use to fuel my evil propaganda! And you are helpless to stop m – aaaaaah, nooo, roll away, roll away, roll awaaaaaay!”

They all stared as the jar of speaking, moving ash did in fact roll across the floor, chased by a small black kittenish creature that really looked like a mix between someone’s stolen Pikachu and the local stray. The cat-Pikachu-thing chased the jar into its fellow, the disc-creature, which toppled it over onto the cat and successfully pinned the jar from moving.

Shan jumped up and pointed one paw at the odd trio of moving, talking objects. “It’s them!” she declared. “The letter-board masters! Attack and avenge!” She pounced forward.

Remeira and Aeris were right behind in a swirl of black, red, and white – Aeris cocking two glistening metal guns, smiling widely, and Remeira unsheathing De’Bryska with a wicked smile. Caele dived in behind with his own silver blade drawn, and Solan’s eyes flickered a dangerous shade of red.

The small trio of creatures looked up fearfully at the mob.

“What did this place used to be called?” asked a red-headed boy curiously, sidling up next to Clar and leaning on the desk as he craned a tattooed neck to get a closer view of the brawl that was now shrieking away beside them.

Clar dropped her forehead into her palm, defeated. “The Chibi Corner, Ryoku. The Chibi Corner.”