The Sixteenth Trial

[advisories]

Who: trialgoers
When: Day 37, afternoon
Where: The Hermit's Tent

[With the usual jostle of the train, the Hermit’s tent appears in the clearing. His deep, cheerful voice rings out:]

That last Trial was a bit of a mess, wasn’t it? Well, rest assured our dear Vampire friend is very sorry about it.

Of course that doesn’t make you feel better, but how about a mood booster? “Come hither”, and let’s think positive!

[Upon entering the tent, you’ll find yourself on a round, black-tiled platform at the bottom of a clear glass elevator. Look outside and you'll spot the other two groups in their own elevators, facing you on the other walls of a triangular pit. You can't reach or hear them at the moment, but they look safe enough.

In your own elevator, you’ll find a podium with a speaker and a push-to-talk microphone. Taped next to them is a laminated paper containing the rules, titled:

Raise Eachother Up

Time for some cheer and positivity!]

Comments

[awakenerd]

So are most planets just... Easy for people to live on? I thought they wouldn't be because of, I don't know, something to do with physics.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Oh no. Most planets humans would die pretty quickly.

But you've seen the night sky. Each star is at least a sun, if not multiples, and each sun has a bunch of planets around it. And the stars you see in the night sky are a small fraction of how many their are.

With those kind of numbers, just having one planet out of ten thousand habitable still provides a lot of planets to work with. And that's just planets we can naturally survive on, let alone the ones we're willing to make dome cities on or try to terraform.

And there are....some planets that have been terraformed. [He pauses, thinking on it a few moments.] Planets with ancient alien technology that have also been made habitable. Which ups our numbers.

[awakenerd]

That's really incredible. Do you meet a lot of aliens then? Is there like, an alien alliance with humanity?

[schrodingerscockroach]

.....

[He looks down.]

Okay, the weaponry in that vault was definitely alien.

But I'm drawing a complete blank which probably says....something.

[awakenerd]

But what... I guess you'll remember eventually.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I'll take more tonight. Get some idea.

[He's gonna get a hell of an idea.]

[awakenerd]

Yeah. Well rest first. Listen to your elders young man.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I'm gonna nap, that's why we're going to Clover.

[Which they're probably getting to right now.]

[awakenerd]

Yep. I'm just reiterating.

[They are probably here yeah.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

I'll change into comfortable pajamas and everything.

[You're also getting another cheek kiss, you mother hen.]

[awakenerd]

[Huffs, though he's pink.]

Good. See that you do.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Finally pulling away, heading for the door]

[Pause a moment as he opens it.]

[Then looks back with a wink.] I'll try to dream of you.

[And gonna go into Clover now for sleep.]

1/2

[awakenerd]

[Stands there stunned for a moment.]

[awakenerd]

[Did. Did he just get flirted at even harder?


????]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Yes]

[Yes he did]