fandomhigh | Library [07/15]

Evie was beginning to jitter a bit from caffiene overload, and finally had to get up and walk around to work the coffee nerves off. "Are you making any progress?" she asked Rodney as she wandered by.

Rodney looked up at Evie. "No," he pushed away the book he had been reading. "I haven't found anything to explain how a temporal disturbance on this scale could happen without draining the power on the entire eastern seaboard and I think we would have heard about it even out here if that had occurred." It would be hard to tell if the caffeine was making Rodney talk faster than normal as this speed was pretty much his default setting.

"What about you? Any luck?"

"Nothing about dinosaurs." Evie threw her hands up, and shook her head vehemently. "All sorts of things appearing and disappearing at random, with varying levels of reliability and verifiability, but no, no dinosaurs. I am beginning to wonder if everyone was eaten or left the island the last time this happened. If it ever happened. And if it never happened before, how on Earth do we make it stop?"

Evie tends to match her speed to whoever's talking to her, so while she didn't quite catch all of what Rodney said, it tended to crank her internal engine up another few notches.

"Right," Rodney pointed at Evie. "This sort of thing seems to happen on a regular basis around here but I haven't seen a reference to anything even approaching this scale. The small stuff is almost easy to explain in comparison, however, the relative size, quantity and temporal distance in this case are unheard of." He looked into his empty cup and sighed. "We're no closer to an answer than we were yesterday."

"No, we aren't." Evie looked discouraged, and sent a look toward Special Collections. "Mind you, we haven't exhausted all of our resources yet. But trips into Special Collections can be problematic, or so I've heard. And it might be a waste of our time if we don't even know what we're looking for, to have *too many* references to explore." She frowned, and said, sounding somewhat impressed, "You can explain the smaller scale appearances? Like the teeny bunnies?"

"Well, we might reach the point where it's worth the risk before too long." Not that Rodney knew anything about Special Collections, but he tended to listen when people warned him of danger.

Rodney got a bit sheepish when he answered Evie's question. "Well, I said it was easier in comparison. I don't really understand the mystical side of things."

"Ohhh. No, I don't either. Mostly because there's so many different versions of magic. And things that aren't quite magic, or science, or religion. Lines blur very messily here." Evie sighed. "Which is lovely, usually, to think that there's ever so much to explore, but not when there are dinosaurs trying to eat the horses and keeping one from retrieving one's pillow from the dorms."

"Yeah, I think it might be best for me to concentrate on the sort of thing that works in my own reality for the long term since the rest won't be relevant once I leave here. But for situations like this, I'm thinking we need to go way outside the box." Rodney sighed as well. "Only problem is that 'outside the box' covers quite a lot of territory and we need to be narrowing things down rather than expanding the scope of the search at this point." Things were not looking promising.

"Perhaps more coffee would help?" Evie said, looking hopeful. "And what a shame that we can't simply ask the dinosaurs what they want, and then give it to them, or thwart them from getting it."

"More coffee is always helpful," Rodney grinned at Evie as he stood. "Huh. With all the strange powers people have around here, I wonder if there's anyone who can talk to animals? That would certainly be useful." He considered the possibility. "Then again, the only thing the dinosaurs are probably thinking is 'Catch food. Food good.' And that wouldn't really get us anywhere."

"There used to be a class on talking to animals, or so I remember. I didn't take it." Evie nodded and retrieved her mug, heading to the coffee-maker. "And yes, being food doesn't leave much room for debate, does it? They most likely don't even know how they got here. Or have noticed the difference between home and here, I suspect." She poured herself a cup, and muttered, "Think, think, think, think think think think..."

"Right, let's cross 'reasoning with the dinos' off the list of potential solutions," Rodney nodded as he refilled his mug after Evie. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I don't know where to go from here."

"If we could figure out where they first appeared, there might be clue as to their origins at the site..." Evie stopped. "But that would mean going outside to be bait, and really, I don't wish to do that again ever."

"Oh, no. I have no intention of being any sort of bait. My brain is far too valuable to put it needlessly at risk." Not that Rodney thought Evie was suggesting such a course of action, but it never hurt to be clear up front. He sipped his coffee and sighed in bliss this time.

"Not that we want the stupid people to be bait," Evie said hastily. "Not that there are very many stupid people here. But. Yes. One would have to be stupid, crazy, or very dangerous to go out there right now, and since neither of us are any of those three, best to just stay inside." She gave a wistful look out the windows. "Although, if we could find an escort...."

"No, I don't suppose there's anyone we could send out there." Rodney gave her a look. "I'm not really sure there's anyone I'd trust as an escort, either. Those things seem pretty much impervious to everything that's been thrown at them from what I've ~~handwavily~~ heard has been going on.

"Ah, well." Evie sighed. "If we're very fortunate, this will all vanish tomorrow without a word of explanation, and we'll just have the frustration and coffee hangover to show for it. If not, at least we know where *not* to look now." She frowned. "Although we may have to order pizza from a supernatural delivery service, if we're to stay here much longer."

Rodney looked excited at the pizza idea. "Is there a place that will deliver through dinosaurs? Not even the Postal Service would try that and they're rather crazy."

Evie stared at her coffee cup, frowning hard. "You know, I'm not certain? I could almost swear there has to be a way, but I'm far too tired to think of it." She looked around. "Maybe if we find the library's Yellow Pages!"

"Good plan! I'm sure we'll think better on a full stomach." It was almost amazing how easily Rodney could be distracted by the quest for food.

Library [07/15]

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