The Ninth Trial

[advisories]

Who: everyone
When: Day 18, starting just after dawn
Where: The Hermit's Tent, and all around

[This morning as the sun begins to pour through the train's windows, there's the tremor that signals a Trial.]

Come hither, Heroes. Prove thy worth. Or something like that!

[It's the same older man's voice from the sixth trial, and outside is the same fortune teller's stall. Today the front flap is lifted to show a normal interior -- there's a wooden table, carved with geometric patterns and painted in bright colours, lit by teal-coloured carved candles.

At the table sits a man of indeterminate age, somewhere between 30 and 60. He's wearing what appear to be monk's robes, teal with patterned trimming. In front of him is a crystal ball and a stack of bingo cards, along with a stand-up sign bearing the rules of this Trial.

Across the top in large font, it says:

Icebreaker Bingo

Good luck and have fun!]

Comments

[bad_crowmance]

[ That's so much hair.

But once she's ready, he starts working on her shoulders. He's not quite as practiced or skilled as Naeva or 80H are at this, but he definitely has a pretty decent idea of what he's doing. ]

[desirestruth]

[She almost gets tenser at first. The hands are wrong, the smell is wrong, the person is wrong--but she catches it, forces herself not to freeze up.

She's not as tense as he is, no. But she is so much daintier than she appears, and yet her body is in intensely good shape. Even without her normally unnatural shape, she is clearly athletic. The knots she has now are nasty, but there are fewer of them...they must be recent. She's had a very stressful week.

She sighs a little, though. She is sensitive to touch...at least he's not petting her. She can deal with this. It's just shoulders.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He's definitely not petting her and also not going for anywhere that isn't the shoulders or neck. He's getting to work on those knots, slowly loosening them up as he does. ]

You're not comfortable?

[desirestruth]

...I'm not used to being touched.

['By most people' goes unsaid. She doesn't need to paint that kind of target on herself when she's sure he can figure that out himself.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He considers that for a moment and then--- ah. That does make sense, doesn't it? ]

If you'd prefer, we can skip this square.

[desirestruth]

Too late now, isn't it?

[It wouldn't be fair.]

[bad_crowmance]

Of course not! We can just hit up something else.

[desirestruth]

...Are you sure? That feels a little...uneven.

[bad_crowmance]

Don't worry about it.

[ He shoves his hands into his pockets. ]

But if you feel that bad about it, you can find a way to make it up later.

[desirestruth]

I forsee this ending with me giving you more whiskey.

[But, she'll stand back up then. She didn't actually expect she'd be let off the hook so easy.]

[bad_crowmance]

I won't lie, that was the first place my mind went.

[desirestruth]

Well, you won't run out anytime soon, then.

[bad_crowmance]

I won't complain about that.

[desirestruth]

I somehow thought you wouldn't.

[She does laugh a little.]

You should pick the next square, though.

[bad_crowmance]

Let's do a round or two of "wed, bed, or behead"!

[desirestruth]

...Alright, then. 80H, Eliza, and...[Pause.] Finn.

[bad_crowmance]

Hmmm.

[ He takes a moment to seriously consider that. ]

Wed Eliza, bed 80H, behead Finn.

[desirestruth]

Oh no. Poor Finn.

[She snickers a bit.] Eliza really is good marriage material though, isn't she?

[Like, seriously. She's engaged but she can recognize.]

[bad_crowmance]

Finn's a good guy, it's really a tragedy. But Eliza's definitely the kind of girl to work hard and bring in the money, so she'd be a great marriage choice.

[desirestruth]

Ohhh, in it just for the support, Crow?

[bad_crowmance]

Why else would I be getting married?

[desirestruth]

...For you, I can't see much other reasons, it's true.

[Shrug. There's no judgement to it. But he's clearly not in the market for love, and she doesn't think he comes off as the kind of person who'd have to consider politics...finances are a perfectly legitimate arrangement.]

[bad_crowmance]

Exactly! It'd work out pretty well that way.

[desirestruth]

As long as you both knew what you were getting into, at least.

[bad_crowmance]

Of course, I'm not a complete asshole.

[ His tone's amused, a grin playing on the corners of his lips. ]