A Predicament in the Present (Boss Battle November 2023): A Crowded Situation

After being notified of a particularly important parcel, Bertrand travelled to what seemed to be a rather secluded alleyway, where he would meet up with a... Borogove of all things to receive the box.  The Borogove wasn’t mimsy per se, but it did look almost hesitant about the delivery, like it knew something that the recipient of the box didn’t. Alas, it understood it had a job to do, so it handed the box over all the same, practically bolting away on its spindly legs as soon as the box was in Bertrand’s hands. 

The whole interaction, as brief as it was, struck the doctor as odd, even for an out-of-place Wonderland creature like the Borogove.  Why did it have such a tense demeanour?  Why did the two of them have to meet in such a place that only the most suspicious made their rendezvous for unscrupulous matters? And why was it by something so simple? 

As he began to make his way out of the alleyway, he noticed that the place had gotten... noisier?  Scattered even?  Peeking out from where he was, he saw exactly why – the streets were practically packed with all sorts of people, practically colliding with one another as each person rushed about with at least one shopping bag or box on them.  Even the skies above had an overabundance of airships and blimps. 

He’s been caught in the middle of a holiday rush.   

“Ugh, what horrendous timing...” Bertrand grumbled under his breath, “How can I get past all of this?” 

He looked for any small opening from within the countless masses of bodies roaming the streets, but no luck.  The place seems to be just too busy, too preoccupied with their purchases to even think about other pedestrians.  As confident as he was in his magic and agility, Bertrand knew he wouldn’t stand a chance getting stuck in such a thick crowd.  He might not be able to physically push his way through, but he couldn’t just stay outside all day holding onto a box – he had to come up with an alternative solution for this predicament, preferably sooner rather than later. 

While studying all the different folks in the crowds, a curious question came to mind; What would all these people do if... the weather would make a turn for the worst?   

“Well, well, let’s find out.” And with that thought and a little focus, Bertrand conjured a pumpkin-sized mass of magicka that quickly materialised as a clear body of water and sent it up high into the air with a flick of a wrist.  He watched as this oversized bubble stretched itself out, growing mistier as it evaporated into a series of dark clouds, virtually claiming the skies as they now rained down onto the bustling streets. 

A few shrill shrieks and disgruntled yells could be heard as the multitude of crowds began to disperse in different directions in response to the abrupt change in weather.  Some held their newly acquired items close to themselves to protect against the heavy rain, others held big boxes over their heads to protect themselves, and a few more tripped over themselves as they made their retreat from the poor weather.  The focus for most of these people seemed to have shifted from last-minute shopping to just avoiding getting even remotely wet, either going under the awnings of shops close by, barging through doors or back into their own vehicles, gradually clearing the pavements.  As soon as the streets were open enough, the water-wielding doctor promptly made his way back to his abode in a quick but steady pace.  

Sure, he had gotten wet himself from this strange solution, but that’s just a small consequence from an idea that had otherwise worked out perfectly in his favour.  He only hoped that he wouldn’t be caught in any more holiday traffic.