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]

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....

[desirestruth]

Well, I might have another idea. Here, c'mere...

[Gesturing for him to lean in, all conspiratorial-like.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He considers her for a moment. Does he trust her? Hell no. For one thing, he trusts no one. For another, he's pretty sure one of her two remaining squares is the prank one. But what the hell, he's already said he can take whatever she dishes out. So he leans in slightly. ]

Oh yeah~?

[desirestruth]

[He's right to be wary, on some level. But on another level...

She just reaches up when he leans down and. Gently honks his nose. She wasn't kidding about being bad at pranks...]

Gotcha.

[bad_crowmance]

[ He blinks at her for a moment and then laughs. ]

That's your prank, huh?

[desirestruth]

Best I could think of.

[She chuckles a bit herself. Hey, whatever works.]

[bad_crowmance]

Whatever works, I guess. It's easier to pull off than anything I keep coming up with.