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]

I dunno, I could totally keep this up for a~ while~ ♪♫

[desirestruth]

Crowwwwww....

[bad_crowmance]

[ He laughs and then sets her back on her feet. ]

I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You don't have to say my name so threateningly.

[desirestruth]

[She puffs air into her cheek, a bit.]

It never fails to amaze me how much like Costin you are, despite being from entirely different worlds.

[bad_crowmance]

Is that your brother?

[desirestruth]

Yes. You don't look a thing like him, but personality-wise...

[bad_crowmance]

Huh. Are we really that similar?

[desirestruth]

He's an incorrigible tease and unstoppable flirt whose sense of shame was removed at birth, so...

[He's also cagey and detached but, again, naeva's not stupid, she's not going to point that out.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Naeva is indeed wise not to point that out. ]

Haha, sounds like my kinda guy.

[desirestruth]

You sure you could handle the competition?

[bad_crowmance]

Are you sure we wouldn't just end up hitting on each other?

[desirestruth]

Nah. He likes 'em religious and pure-seeming.

[bad_crowmance]

Hah! No thanks, that doesn't sound appealing to me.

[ I mean, he says that, but Gaius Worzel exists and he is everyone's type. However, he doesn't remember Gaius at all so HAH. ]

Guess we aren't entirely alike.

[desirestruth]

[You'd also absolutely enjoy making a good person do filthy things, Crow.]

He's also a couple inches taller and with long hair, so...[Shrugging.] It's a relief. I couldn't take the thought of him having a carbon copy somewhere.

[bad_crowmance]

Nah, in the end I'm my own special brand of guy. There's only one Crow Armbrust.

[desirestruth]

...You shouldn't set me up to take such easy shots at you, Crow.

[YOU PITCHED IT RIGHT OVER THE PLATE DO YOU UNDERSTAND?]

[bad_crowmance]

I can take anything you can dish out.

[desirestruth]

Are you really so certain of that?

[bad_crowmance]

I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

[desirestruth]

So you'd be fine if I pointed out I'm only two squares away from blackout, and I can probably get them both?

[And if she insinuates he won't, will he fill the trustfall himself? She's curious! LET'S FIND OUT.]

[bad_crowmance]

I'm also two away from a blackout.

[ He shrugs in a casual, carefree sort of way, his grin never slipping from his face.

He really doesn't wanna trustfall though! ]

[desirestruth]

Hmmm...

[Crow it's like you have emotional intimacy issues so deep rooted they remain after amnesia or something?]

And if I bet you I could make it first? [A pause.] Ah, wait, that'd be hard to tell, these don't timestamp.

[CURSES.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Sometimes your emotional intimacy issues hit so hard they become a core part of your personality OOPS. ]

That'd be an interesting bet if it were possible to actually track.

[desirestruth]

There's really no good way to do it...

[Sigh.] Oh well.

[bad_crowmance]

It's unfortunate....