The Seventeeth Trial

[catcophonous]

Who: trialgoers
When: Day 39, evening
Where: The Cat's Zone

[Have you enjoyed your day playing in your new train cars? Great! Because now it's Trial Time.

With the usual alert, the Cat's bar appears in the clearing. There's no "come hither" -- instead, just the pounding of bass from the speakers as the door cracks open. Inside there's flashing party lights, upbeat club music, and high-top tables surrounding a wide dance floor. The stage in the corner is empty except for a single microphone.

At the bar you can get free drinks, but you'll have to contend with the bartender -- a black cat curled up on the shelf between the bottles.

On the bar, and on every table, is a sign showing the rules of this game, titled:

Kiss or Dare

If you want to dress up for the club, or want costumes for daring purposes, there's a dressing room behind the stage with a magic closet. You'll find whatever you like in it, but when the trial ends you can only take home what you're wearing!

Good luck!]

RULES | TURN-IN | THE CAT / DISQUALIFICATION

Comments

[schrodingerscockroach]

Some people can be a little oblivious, huh?

[bad_crowmance]

Yep, pretty much. But that can be charming, too.

[schrodingerscockroach]

It does make the sudden realization hilarious.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow grins at that. ]

Yep, and that's always the best part!

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He chuckles.]

Well, while you're on hold for the confession, I can take another dare?

[bad_crowmance]

Stealing's not creative, but I'm giving you the same dare anyway. Do a dramatic love confession to someone that's not me.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I can do that.

[And you're gonna get dipped for this dance because it's fun and dramatic.]

[bad_crowmance]

Whoa!

[ He grips Dusk's arms a bit tighter, caught off-guard. ]

Having fun with it, huh?

[schrodingerscockroach]

If you're gonna dance, might as well, right? [Winks.]

[bad_crowmance]

Of course! Though usually I'm the one doing the dipping.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....can you actually dip me without falling over?

[This is a very legitimate question.]

[And straightening back up.]

[bad_crowmance]

....Yeah?

[ He gives him a puzzled look like, "How is this even a question?" ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Heavier than I look. Rean complained about it.

[bad_crowmance]

Well maybe I'm stronger than you think. And I'd bet Rean was just complaining for the sake of it, he's a hell of a lot stronger than he lets on.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....wanna try?

[He's curious now.]

[bad_crowmance]

Yeah, why not?

[ Now it's a CHALLENGE, after all. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Give it a shot. [Will hold onto his shoulders though.]

[And he is a brickhouse 6'1 dude whose got poly carbide ceramic stuff fused to his bones so definitely heavier than he looks.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ DEFINITELY HEAVIER THAN HE LOOKS, THEN. But Crow was ready for that, even if not quite how much, and he really is stronger than he looks. So he manages to hold Dusk up even as he's dipping him, and he laughs. ]

You weren't kidding, huh?

[schrodingerscockroach]

The fate of being an experimentally augmented human. I do appreciate not hitting my head on the floor though.

[bad_crowmance]

Figured you might.

[ His tone's clearly amused, but he lifts Dusk back up. Best not to risk it. ]

Experimentally augmented, huh?

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Really for the best that.]

Yeah. Though I think I mentioned that before during the Secrets game. Stronger, better reaction time, take hits better. Stuff implanted in my head. Probably why I'm not dead.

[bad_crowmance]

Right, I think I remember some of that stuff. Did you remember anything about it?

[schrodingerscockroach]

A little bit. Part of it is to help operate the power armor, I think. A lot of the stuff about it would probably break a normal human body. It's at least several hundred pounds directly on the body, upped strength, upped speed, take higher impact. Armors no good if the organs rupture from shock of impact alone.

I also had an AI implanted in my head at some point. A lot of wires in my head.

[bad_crowmance]

That... sounds like a lot.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I was in a war where the only options were to win or the human race goes extinct. People were a little desperate.

[Also confessing to your boy.]