10 - Calling In Sick Today
[457 Stone Street, from November 29th onwards, locked to housemates]
[Heinz wasn't well, lately. Oh no, he wasn't sick. There were no sniffles or aches for him to complain about. But he wasn't going to work... for at least as long as he could manage. On the day of Mayfield's reset after nuclear devistation, he didn't go to work. He didn't go the next day, either. Or the day after that. He had simply sat on the couch and watched old TV shows, sitting there in his pajamas. He could be encouraged to move rooms, to go read a book instead, to stop being so damned depressing in the middle of the living room... but he wasn't leaving the house.
Not until day four hit, at least. Boom. Heinz Doofenshmirtz was droned for failing to play his part. It sure got him out of the house, in body if not in spirit. And when the droning was up? He seemed to care even less. Back to the couch. Back to apathy and going unshaven and late nights with lots of coffee and no sleep.
They had eaten him. Torn him open, crippled him, and devoured him...
No. No, he was not in any kind of mood to talk, or tinker, or to really engage with reality, such as Mayfield was. He wanted to go home. Remaining on the living room couch like a useless lump was a poor substitute, but it was something.]
[Action A - 457 Stone Street, December 12th, evening]
[Two dronings had come and gone, and Doof still couldn't bring himself to care. Besides, I Love Lucy was on. He did enjoy watching that. It had yet to go into reruns. But the broadcast cut out, to be replaced with the town's announcement.]
W-what?
[The feed was cut. And with it, the power. And so Doof sat in the darkness, his little couch potato haven roughly jerked away from him.]
But... but I...
[Wrapping a blanket around himself, he shuffled to the front window, pulled one of the blinds aside, and peered out it. The streets were dark. There were no lights in the windows. They were cut off and just proximity to the glass could tell him that it was damned cold out there.]
They're... they're going to freeze us to death. [Disbelief.] They're going to freeze us to death!!! [Anger.] NOT IF DOCTOR HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ HAS ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!!!
[Phone - December 13th]
Ha! Do they really think that a bit of cold will hold us all back? Do they think that we will simply roll over and take their punishment?! HA! They are sadly mistaken!
I, Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz, have developed the HOUSE-WARM-INATOR! And no, it is not for pleasantly greeting your neighbors, although your neighbors will appreciate that your house is toasty when they do decide to stop by... [Cough] NEVER THE LESS, I have found a SOLUTION to this enforced cold snap, and do you know what? Do you know what?
I am giving them out. FOR FREE provided that appropriate materials are handed over so I can construct you one, but honestly they're not that hard to scrounge... SO YES. If you are not able to heat your home? If you are tired of your teeth chattering? Come to 457 Stone Street and I will set you up.
And I do hope that you will remember this, someday down the line. Oh yes.
[Action B - 457 Stone Street, Later]
[If you've decided to take Doof up on his offer, or if you've simply passed by the house, you'll notice that the windows are dimly lit even when the power should be out. Care to knock on the door?]
[Heinz wasn't well, lately. Oh no, he wasn't sick. There were no sniffles or aches for him to complain about. But he wasn't going to work... for at least as long as he could manage. On the day of Mayfield's reset after nuclear devistation, he didn't go to work. He didn't go the next day, either. Or the day after that. He had simply sat on the couch and watched old TV shows, sitting there in his pajamas. He could be encouraged to move rooms, to go read a book instead, to stop being so damned depressing in the middle of the living room... but he wasn't leaving the house.
Not until day four hit, at least. Boom. Heinz Doofenshmirtz was droned for failing to play his part. It sure got him out of the house, in body if not in spirit. And when the droning was up? He seemed to care even less. Back to the couch. Back to apathy and going unshaven and late nights with lots of coffee and no sleep.
They had eaten him. Torn him open, crippled him, and devoured him...
No. No, he was not in any kind of mood to talk, or tinker, or to really engage with reality, such as Mayfield was. He wanted to go home. Remaining on the living room couch like a useless lump was a poor substitute, but it was something.]
[Action A - 457 Stone Street, December 12th, evening]
[Two dronings had come and gone, and Doof still couldn't bring himself to care. Besides, I Love Lucy was on. He did enjoy watching that. It had yet to go into reruns. But the broadcast cut out, to be replaced with the town's announcement.]
W-what?
[The feed was cut. And with it, the power. And so Doof sat in the darkness, his little couch potato haven roughly jerked away from him.]
But... but I...
[Wrapping a blanket around himself, he shuffled to the front window, pulled one of the blinds aside, and peered out it. The streets were dark. There were no lights in the windows. They were cut off and just proximity to the glass could tell him that it was damned cold out there.]
They're... they're going to freeze us to death. [Disbelief.] They're going to freeze us to death!!! [Anger.] NOT IF DOCTOR HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ HAS ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!!!
[Phone - December 13th]
Ha! Do they really think that a bit of cold will hold us all back? Do they think that we will simply roll over and take their punishment?! HA! They are sadly mistaken!
I, Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz, have developed the HOUSE-WARM-INATOR! And no, it is not for pleasantly greeting your neighbors, although your neighbors will appreciate that your house is toasty when they do decide to stop by... [Cough] NEVER THE LESS, I have found a SOLUTION to this enforced cold snap, and do you know what? Do you know what?
I am giving them out. FOR FREE provided that appropriate materials are handed over so I can construct you one, but honestly they're not that hard to scrounge... SO YES. If you are not able to heat your home? If you are tired of your teeth chattering? Come to 457 Stone Street and I will set you up.
And I do hope that you will remember this, someday down the line. Oh yes.
[Action B - 457 Stone Street, Later]
[If you've decided to take Doof up on his offer, or if you've simply passed by the house, you'll notice that the windows are dimly lit even when the power should be out. Care to knock on the door?]