[akira catchall]

[slobjection]

Comments

[slobjection]

[ good boy. ]

Get anything from the shop yet?

[survivaltricks]

. . . no?

[giving Nick a curious look]

I don't have any vouchers yet.

[slobjection]

Thought you'd be finished your tasks by now.

[survivaltricks]

[llllllightly amused]

I'm at two out of three, but I didn't think they'd be passing out vouchers that quickly.

[slobjection]

I assumed you'd be done and gone with all of them by now.

[ hee hee. ]

[ anyway they reach the devil shack, which is apparently his destination. ]

See this yet?

[survivaltricks]

[stopping in front of the devil shack, frowning at the. . . devil drawn on the front]

I have.

There's a jail cell inside.

[HE DOESN'T LIKE IT!!]

[slobjection]

Fog's thicker around here, too. Have you noticed?

[ this bodes well. ]

[survivaltricks]

I noticed.

It adds to the eerie atmosphere.

[slobjection]

[ sure does ]

What do you make our trio this time around?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . hm]

[a long, long pause as he stares at the shack. and then, finally]

They remind me a little bit of the sisters. Not in personality, but. . .

In sincerity.

[slobjection]

[ interesting. though he shouldn't have expected anything else with akira. ]

You think so? I think most are suspicious of them.

[survivaltricks]

. . . yeah. Understandably so, right?

[he has biases, really. he trusted the sisters and that worked out well for them, so. he wants to trust Shadows, Heart and Winter, too]

Are you suspicious of them?

[slobjection]

Looks like not everyone had as benign as hosts we had to begin with.

[ let alone all this happening again. ]

Good question.

[survivaltricks]

[gives Phoenix a sideways glance as he kicks at the ground]

Does it have an answer?

[slobjection]

It does have an answer.

[ thanks for sharing it!! ]

But I think it's too early to say, one way or another.

[survivaltricks]

[hah]

It is.

I think a lot of people here are just waiting to see what happens Friday. Waiting for. . . the other shoe to drop.

[slobjection]

We'll probably have a better idea of what we're dealing with come the end of the week.

[ so he agrees on that front ]

[survivaltricks]

Yeah. We will.

[ugh. . .]

So far things are as tame as the directors promised us they would be.

[slobjection]

Well, it is Monday.

[ just wait until friday ]

[survivaltricks]

[. . . he kind of hates that, even if he has given the same advice to other people]

Have you tried talking to any of the directors in private yet?

[slobjection]

Working on it. [ it requires pampering animals, which is his weakness ]

How about you?

[survivaltricks]

Also working on it.

[a nod]

Heart and Shadows are out and about in public, but Winter is hiding somewhere.

I'm going to look for them later.

[slobjection]

Try bringing a snack.

[ expert tip ]

[survivaltricks]

[blinks]

[then laughs]

That was my trick with the sisters. Don't worry.

[slobjection]

That's usually the best way to deal with teenage girls.

[ speaking from experience. ]

But I like to think it's good universal advice.