IC INBOX

[stresstokens]

"You've reached Riz Gukgak. Leave a message at the tone."

( to be prettied up later )

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photo;

[maximumlegend]

[ Ping! Suddenly you receive a photo of.. a piece of paper with text on it? Apparently someone wanted to send you something, but didn't want to bother finding out where everyone lives..

It's a photo of a card that has text on it in perfect yet somehow also still legible calligraphy. It looks ridiculously fancy for what's written on it, which is-- ]

You are hereby cordially invited to:

ADAINE AND FABIAN'S BREATHTAKING BIRTHDAY BASH!

It will be held today, June 3rd, in the rec room of the apartment building. Presents are not necessary, but a good attitude is most definitely required! There will be drinks, dancing and general merriment, because we all deserve something good after that labyrinth!

Trust me - it will be the party of the century here, and you DO NOT want to miss it!

- Fabian Aramais Seacaster

P.S. If you do not know my good friend Adaine yet, make sure to get to know her at the party. She is an absolute delight, and I want her to have the best birthday party possible!

P.P.S. Yes, The Ball, I KNOW you already know about this and that you OBVIOUSLY already know Adaine, I just did not want to leave you out by not sending you an invite too, alright! And I have been writing so many of these that I wrote the same stuff as on all the others out of habit!

[ For all characters who would attend, there is a log right over here! ]

Backdated ;; 1 Week Ago || un: oracle

[her_own_rules]

A 2nd network has been built for the heroes who fight for all people and all worlds to survive. Its purpose is to connect and unify everyone in the field, especially during mission separations and for the quick relay of information in emergencies. Your actions have shown you to be one of these people. Once you have acquired a second earpiece through your requests, leave a message here and I will connect you.

Pass the message to anyone else you consider trustworthy and similarly dedicated.

[stresstokens]

Thanks for including me. I'll let my team know.

I'll work on that earpiece. We won't let you down.

[her_own_rules]

[ Let it never be said that poiteness, professionalness, and gratitude doesn't register on the otherside of dozens of firewalls, and the digitally monotonedvoice. A corner of Barbara's mouth still curves. It might not be noticeable, but it does still happe. ]

Confirmed.

Once you've spoken to them, if they agree and acquire the same,
contact me back here with their names, and I'll connect them as well.

action; (with gorgug, you two can't stop me)

[maximumlegend]

[ What do you do when another one of your friends shows up belatedly in this place compared to the rest of you and you have to catch them up on everything that's happened so far in this place?

That means it's time for a Boys Sleepover, of course. What else. It's the only way he'd actually let Riz into his room. (He's still locked the walk-in closet though. Just in case. Not that it'll stop Riz, but it might just slow him down a touch enough for Fabian to realise what he's doing before another shirt has suffered!)

He's a great host though. There's mattresses that have been dragged in, now lying across the floor. Where are they coming from? Maybe better to not ask. Or better to hope those apartments weren't actually occupied.. There's a pile of various snacks too. There's all the things one might expect from a Boys Sleepover.

Like Fabian, sitting cross-legged on top of his bed. Wearing his pyjamas. It's a sleepover, my dudes, we have to wear pyjamas!! No, The Ball, this can't just be a regular information-sharing session, it's THEMED. IT'S A SLEEPOVER!! ]

Anyway--

[ Fabian starts, already busy opening a bag of snacks.

It's goldfish. He's never had any.. It's a mystical snack.. Maybe he's hoping they're kippers or something.. ]

Where do we even start? [ ... ] With the lion? Gorgug should probably know about the lion, huh.

[stresstokens]

[ Riz is a man on a mission.

The mission tonight? To be normal. To win at Sleepover, which is something he thinks he'll be able to achieve. He knows that between the whole clue board debacle (which is all still valuable information, he maintains, even if the ensuing spiral wasn't altogether helpful), the horrible Kalina-plushie, and Riz's general Rizness, Fabian's had to put up with a lot. Riz is a lot, he's aware, and it's very possibly an attempt to spare his feelings that Fabian hasn't brought up the idea that maybe they should have separate apartments after all.

He's not going to go on any long rants about his hypotheses, theories, and proposed impending doomsdays. His clue boards are staying safely in his room, where nobody is allowed to step foot on account of the fact that it looks like Memento vomited in there. He's wearing PJs (really, just a pair of loose pants and an oversized T-shirt that makes him look more or less like a twelve-year-old boy who's really intense about the fact that this is what will make him look like he's a part of skater culture), he's brought snacks, he's got his game face on. It's time to Sleepover, which he is doing Normally.

To that end, he even made fresh popcorn in a pot, just like his Mom used to do it. Some pieces got a little burnt, but it's nothing that a liberal amount of butter can't hide. He shoves a handful in his mouth, then slides the bowl across to the others. ]

Oh yeah, the lion. That's probably the simplest place to start? [ Wait, where did the lion go? Did someone kill it? ] So, Fabian and I met up here day one? And while we were finding a place to stay, there was a lion in the middle of the lobby just, like, chilling? It's not so different from what's going on with the snakes.

[ He shrugss. ]

We snuck past her, and by the time we had to leave again, she was gone. Maybe the snakes will just disappear too.

[tinflower]

[ Scene setting: Gorgug will take the popcorn, thank you.

Fortunately, getting PJs was part of his earlier adventure with Adaine in getting clothes, and said PJs for Gorgug means a short-sleeved that puts his tattoos on display, and then some simple cotton pants. We don't go for matching wear here, fellas. We just wear the plainest shit our hands land on, and go along with it.

Which, hands. Gorgug's taking a handful--a much bigger kind of handful than Riz's--of that popcorn and sticking most of it in his mouth in one go, only a few escaping it by hitting his tusk, or rolling off his palm in the motion. He's focusing on Riz right now as the speaker in the room, though does turn from his spot on the mattress floor bed to make a motion if Fabian wants some. You want some of this one out of twenty snacks we're having??

Because Gorgug will have one of every twenty snacks they're having tonight. Most likely even more than that. He's got a big stomach. ]

Did anyone say you had to sneak past the lion? [ Just- ] The lion sounds like the dragon in this equation, maybe. But more in the way.

[ There's that. But did they have to go into the lobby to find a place to stay, Gorgug wonders? Or did they pick that because life just led them in that direction than, say, a building without a lion. ]

un: gorgug, text (backdated)

[tinflower]

[ Just sent while he's talking to someone-- ]

does your briefcase work

[maximumlegend]

[ Yes, there's a serious discussion going on. Yes, it's the entire point as to why they're here together in the first place.

Yet while Riz and Gorgug speak, Fabian is very focused on tasting these Goldfish, and.. he's definitely making a face, likely interrupting conversation with a: ]

Yuck, these don't taste like fish at all!

[ Top ten anime betrayals. You know what, he will gladly lean forward to grab a handful of popcorn instead when Gorgug offers, instead holding out the bag towards the half-orc. Please take these offensive crackers away from him, thanks.

But once he's gotten the popcorn, he goes silent again, listening to the other guys while he starts munching on the popcorn.

It's pretty good, actually. Good job, Riz. ]

Oh, actually-- [ He finally pipes up near the end there. ] I went back with Amy to kill the lion. So that is what happened to it.

[ MAYBE.. WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE HELPFUL IF HE SHARED THAT INFORMATION FIRST, HUH.. ]

I thought that was the entire point. See how we deal with threats lingering around and the ways in which we keep other people safe. That sort of thing, right?

[stresstokens]

Yep! I didn't come here with it, though. I had to ask for it back.

Need me to hold onto something for you?

[tinflower]

want to stick snake in one

[ slow, distracted texting: ]

try to

pre-mission! a couple weeks later:

[stresstokens]

My team is holding off for now. There are other things they need to get ahold of first.

But I've got my own now, so add me to the list when you can.

[her_own_rules]

Affirmative.



[ A beat. ]



A question—what would you like your name on the network to be?

[stresstokens]

What?! [ Riz squawks, immediately breaking his internal promise to be extremely Chill. ] That's what happened to her? Dude, I snuck past her like, six times to avoid killing her!

[ He leans back in a huff, looking a little put-out, lip jutting out in an unbecoming pout for about ten seconds before it registers to him that the reason he hadn't killed her obviously wasn't a factor anyway. She was technically an innocent lion, but she could also technically try to maul, maim, or eat anyone who passed by, so fair is fair. ]

I thought she could've been someone's pet, or familiar, or mount or whatever. Why else would she be hanging around an apartment building? But I guess she wasn't?

[ It's not as though they haven't collectively killed the shit out of way more animals than just a lion, so it's not really the principle of the thing. ]

So I guess it doesn't really matter. [ He considers this. ] Did she put up much of a fight?

[ Fabian, please tell him you didn't just skewer a sleeping lion. That feels bad, spiritually speaking. ]

[tinflower]

[ Food switch? Food switch? The not-fish are being offered to Gorgug, so he'll take them with his free hand, awkwardly, if the bowl isn't actually taken from him. Takes the opportunity to plop the packet down, and bring as well the bowl back onto a surface so he can look at these biscuits and see...

Hm, yes. They are not real fish, are they. An assessment that Gorgug makes all by himself, and he's happy to continue studying this by actually tasting the goldfish for himself--one at first. Then, deciding the taste isn't offensive to himself (and not finding they have that strong of a taste with just one) takes a handful and directly deposits that into his mouth too.

He knows he can east like a trash bin around his pals. Please, friends, talk about lions. He's listening!!! ]

[stresstokens]

I can, but it'll die in like a minute.

Are you fighting a snake like right now?

[stresstokens]

Are we all using secret IDs on this thing?

[maximumlegend]

[ Your habits are so valid, Gorgug. It's probably telling how little of a reaction there is to Gorgug definitely eating twice the combined others' share. Fabian will only whine if it turns out Gorgug ate all of one of the good snacks, but he can have the bland fake fish. That's a sacrifice Fabian is graciously willing to make.

Besides, he's too focused on his lion story here to think too hard about the food. ]

She started to attack! Of course I was going to kill her!

[ It doesn't even sound defensive as much as it sounds like he's just explaining - given that the Bad Kids have never really needed an excuse to just jump to violence.

It's often the best solution! ]

I first got her with my sword, but it only downed her, rather than killing her. I was going to go for the killing blow, but Amy insisted that she'd take care of it. [ ...

Fabian is.. kind of realising the other two might not necessarily know who Amy is.

But he's not stopping to explain anyway. If there's any questions, he'll surely hear it. ]

Apparently she can kill things by just touching them. It didn't really look like any spell I've ever seen before. She called herself a healer, but she had no idea what clerics are.

[ It's followed up by a slight shrug of his shoulders.

The worlds represented in this place are weird, gang! He doesn't know what else to tell you two! ]

[stresstokens]

Okay, okay! I had to ask. Every time I saw her, it was just snooze-central.

[ In honour of the sleepover, Riz has switched from coffee to soda, which has roughly the same amount of caffeine but enough carbonation to make him belch enormously when he least expects it. He swigs it down with a speed that would be alarming if his competition wasn't currently shoving goldfish crackers into his mouth. ]

I've met Amy. She can just -- touch people dead? [ Which isn't unique to her, Riz supposes. But something like Power Word Kill is beyond even Adaine's capabilities. He frowns, a little discomfited by this knowledge; Amy seems perfectly nice, but the only people he really wants around with that sort of power are the Bad Kids and maybe one or two useful adults. Amy's a wildcard. ]

Maybe she absorbs their, like, life power into herself? Or else I don't see why she'd want to kill the lion herself. [ He taps his chin. ] Especially since that gives his whole deal away.

[ Weren't they supposed to be debriefing Gorgug? He's gotten immediately derailed. ]

[tinflower]

[ You need to be doing a what now with Gorgug? Because he's just here, continuing to vibe; getting closer and closer to the bottom of that goldfish bag like you fellas wouldn't believe as this talk about the lion and some Amy girl goes on.

His contribution to this, is: ]

Dying out slowly and dying both suck.

[ Does that help come to a conclusion as to why Amy chose the method she did? No, but that's Gorgug's thoughts on the matter, as he lets himself take a break from demolishing the fish crackers for what should always be had with their company: a soda. His mouth is kinda getting chewy in there, fellas.

Please, continue on about Amy or lions, or both. ]

[tinflower]

[ Know what's even better than a reply?

NO REPLY!!!! GIVE HIM AN HOUR. will you give him an hour. ]

[stresstokens]

[ NO HE WILL NOT!!! In fact, in not very much time at all, if Gorgug doesn't in fact pick up, he will find on his phone: ]

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

MISSED CALL: THEBALL

[ Which is cool. He's normal. ]

[tinflower]

[ Look, sometimes your pal tells you something really useful and you start looking into it.

And you forget to answer a very important question because sometimes you get easily distracted, and you only happen to read a long list of missed calls for a semi-related-but-also-not reason and--

THE BALL????

R-riz, Gorgug is calling you back!!!!!! ]

[her_own_rules]

Many heroes do as part of protecting their identity, but it is not required.

[stresstokens]

DID YOU GET EATEN BY A SNAKE?!

[ Is he huffing and puffing? You bet he is. Riz is running on foot to the new city in his tendency to jump to immediate alarm and --

He hasn't gotten very far, actually. He's not a fast runner. ]