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August-September 2024 Test Drive Meme
August-September 2024 TDM
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.
All TDMs are game canon and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels ‘Current Character.’
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain a canon item from home, especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
🦊 New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore.
and then... you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.
🦊 Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.
Perhaps you follow the falling stars on your own, or perhaps the Fox simply teleports you there, but it appears you too will be part of this.
Content Warnings: Potential Wilderness Survival, Potential Death
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
- All new Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy.
- Star Children are greeted by a fox who prompts them to write a list of what they need to survive. These lists cannot be changed once made.
- Star Children search for tiny cubes with survival supplies, especially ones on their lists.
- Star Children must work together to catch & open the cubes.
- Come mid-September, Amrita Academy is surrounded by a Lore-rich molasses moat—Lorasses. Thou shalt not pass.
- Once the moat arrives, most cubes are in the moat. Shower to get clean afterward with beer for shampoo.
Content Warnings: Forced Close Contact, Coerced Behavior
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
- When Star Children get in a fight of any kind, not just physical, they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt.
- The shirt says “This is our get along shirt” front and back in characters’ own handwriting (or imagined handwriting).
- As written on the tin, Star Children are stuck until they figure out how to get along
- When they separate, both partners will get a copy of the t-shirt that fits them. They can choose to get back into said t-shirt together to figure out how to get along easier in the future.
- One time only, Star Children receive an item from their home universe or their partner’s.
Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter | MCU | Myth
Of course he followed the fox. Dex had absolutely nothing left for him in his own world, not after he'd so thoroughly lit his own life on fire. Not that he didn't have some help there with Kingpin tossing gasoline on him the whole time but in the end, he'd made his own decisions and had stuck by them even until the very end when he'd ended up paralyzed and then arrested. All that was waiting for him after his operation was done was a trial that would end up with him serving life in prison. Well, screw that. Anywhere was better than where he currently was at the moment, so the choice was simple.
Even after he started walking after Thirteen, he still was half convinced he'd just died on the operating table and this was some weird dream his oxygen-deprived brain was coming up with in his last few seconds of life. It didn't take long to fall and end up in Folkmore. He stood up and looked around him before becoming aware there had been some physical changes that had happened.
He felt around and discovered there was two small devil-like horns now right at the edge of his hairline. "I see this place has a sense of humor," he muttered to himself. He also had some fangs as he discovered running his tongue around the inside of his mouth and a set of claws. He was going to have to trim those significantly back to keep his aim as sharp as it had ever been.
When the tattered-looking fox told him to create a survival list, Dex got right down to business. His list came from the mind of someone who had spent significant amount of time in the military and was used to violent situations.
Glock 17, three clips
OKC-3S bayonet
Canteen of water
Combat boots
Three pairs of socks
Pants
Shirt
Jacket
First aid kit
Backpack
He was gnawing thoughtfully on one of his new claws whenever he paused to figure out something else he needed. Perhaps he should have put some nail clippers on it? Though he knew enough about blades to just cut them with a knife if he was able to find one.
Once the list was done, he was off to find the cubes. Being dressed in a hospital gown and pants, he looked like he'd quite possibly escaped a mental asylum. Well, if anyone guessed that, they wouldn't be entirely wrong. Dex knew very well how crazy he was. He really hoped one of these cubes contained clothes or at least some shoes. His feet were taking a beating. Whoever stumbled across him would find him looking up thoughtfully at a cube up at tree-level before he picked up a good-sized rock. Throwing it, the stone made an impressive amount of ricochets off various objects without losing speed or altering course before it finally hit the cube. Alas, it didn't knock it down to the ground as Dex had been hoping.
"Damn," he growled out. The sound of someone approaching made him pick up another stone. Sure, he'd put weapons on his list, but that was more for the comfort factor he felt around them than anything else. With Dex, any object was a lethal one once it got into his hands.
B. Showering
Public showers were no problem for Dex, not after serving in the Army where modesty was one of the first things knocked out of new recruits. He had no marks of note on his body save one: a very large, thick scar that ran almost the entire length of his spine. The raw, red look of it made it apparent that whatever had been done to cause it had been very recent. If asked about it, the person would find a bar of soap thrown and smacking them hard enough to leave a bruise on their arm accompanied by the snapped words "None of your business."
Once he figured out the showers had beer shampoo, well, with all the weird shit going around here it honestly wasn't all that surprising. Though he could have done without smelling a bit like a brewery afterwards once he was dressed.
C. Get-Along Shirt cw: Mention of mental health deterioration
It was bound to happen eventually. Dex was not the most stable of individuals to put it mildly. He'd spent years trying to control his worst impulses with only a limited amount of success. With how his life had been going lately, his mind felt like a much more fractured place. It was like there was a buzzing inside, the sound of a thousand insects all whirring around at once, and voices from the past mixed in as well. When he got like that, it was near impossible for him to regain stability on his own.
He'd felt his hand move almost of its own volition, reaching for something, anything that was close by for him to pick up. People were ridiculously fragile. All it took was being hit in the right spot and they dropped dead immediately. Fortunately for the safety of everyone, right before things could escalate Dex got transported into the get-along shirt with whoever he'd been about to attack. He looked around in surprise and bewilderment for a few moments. All he could say was "What the fuck is this?"
D. Wildcard!
[Would you like a custom starter or something else with one of the prompts? Give me a poke at
A
With a sigh, she finally pulled her attention away from the torn hem of her dress and noticed a man standing nearby, gripping a rock tightly in his hand. He had the look of someone who’d wandered away from a hospital bed, pale and disoriented. "Oh dear," Rose muttered. She was no stranger to lost souls; when she wasn’t busy running the Oh Deer Diner, she spent her time caring for the elderly at Valhalla Nursing Home in Bright Falls. Whether physically or mentally lost, patients were part of her world.
"Are you lost? Do you need me to take you back to the hospital?" she asked, though she didn’t give him much time to respond. Her eyes fell to his bare, battered feet, and a wave of concern washed over her. Without thinking, she moved closer, her worry for him outweighed any caution.
"Your feet must be killing you! We need to take care of them before we do anything else."
cw: mentions of stalking
The former FBI agent was wary of people by nature. Most were just looking out for themselves. There was nothing wrong with that, he did the same thing, but it meant they weren't the kind of people that were good for him to interact with. But there was something, a note he could hear in her voice as she spoke to him, an emotion that reminded him of his former 'North Star' Julie. Compassion, a trait he didn't possess but could at least see in others. Julie had been able to show it even to him, which spoke volumes about her kind nature, and why he'd become obsessed with her. He'd hoped by stalking her that eventually he could learn to be more like her, though it hadn't quite worked out that way.
"I've had way worse," Dex said regarding his feet. That didn't mean Rose wasn't right. They were pretty bruised and scraped up by now after walking for so long. He didn't drop the stone but the tight grip he had on it began to relax.
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When Dex made his remark, Rose’s expression shifted into subtle disappointment. She planted her hands firmly on her hips. "That's nothing to brag about, mister. We need to get them taken care of." Her tone was warm, but with a hint of chiding, like a mother gently scolding a child. It didn’t seem to faze her that this man was a stranger or that he gripped that rock like he might use it as a weapon. To Rose Marigold, he was just another part of the unfolding story, someone Alan sent her to help. He might not be Saga, the hero of the story, but he must be important!
"Go on, take a seat," she instructed, already untying the bow of her apron. His feet needed to be wrapped and padded before they got any worse. Sure, it pained her a little to think of tearing up her apron (she’d tucked away more than a few good tips in those folds) but it was a small price to pay. Some sacrifices were worth making.
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It made her approach work well. "Yes, ma'am," he said, much more subservient than most people would have ever seen the cold-blooded killer.
Dex began to relax a little more as he sat down on a boulder nearby and let her minister to his poor feet, though he still held onto the rock, more as a form of security than anything else. Anyone who was willing to tear up their own clothes to help a stranger registered as a good person in his mind. "Thanks for helping," he told her. Poorly socialized as he was, Dex figured he should at least know the name of the woman helping. "What's your name?"
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“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s what anybody would do!” she chirped, though it wasn’t true. Most people wouldn’t go out of their way like this, but Rose lived in her own world. If she met someone who wouldn’t help, well, she’d just have to change their mind! She worked with quick, practiced hands, her touch both gentle and firm. It was clear she’d done this sort of thing before. As she wrapped his feet, she glanced up, flashing a bright, toothy smile. Her eyes seemed to twinkle, and in that moment, she appeared to glow from within, a light that hinted at her Legend status.
"My name's Rose Marigold, so pretty I got named after two flowers." She joked so easily. That was a common one in the diner, though it usually only got a polite chuckle (not that it bothered her any). "And you are?"
Even as she asked, Rose couldn’t help but wonder what role he played in Alan’s story. She could recognize a damaged soul when she saw one, his battered feet were just the surface. But there was also strength in him, a quiet capability. Something severe. Someone like that could be invaluable in the fight against the Darkness.
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Dex had sharp eyes after spending half his life as a sniper and he saw that glow. For a moment, he wondered if he was going crazy and his hallucinations had started to become visual as well as auditory. But after following a talking fox here, he also wasn't about to question anything he saw with his own two eyes for very long.
There was a soft snort of amusement from Dex when she mentioned her name. That joke was corny but it seemed to suit Rose's personality. She had the same kind of energy surrounding her like that a Golden Retriever had. Then he introduced himself. "Benjamin Poindexter. But everyone calls me Dex."
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Benjamin Poindexter. Now that was a name straight out of a book if Rose had ever heard one. "Dex! Oh, you’re definitely a Dex, I can tell!" Rose could not tell but she's never been entirely grounded in reality. Some called her a space case, a little odd or the town weirdo, but her heart was always in the right place.
After carefully padding and wrapping his feet with strips of her torn apron, she gave his toes a playful little fwap before standing up. With a bright smile, she extended her hand to help him to his feet.
"Did you follow the strange little fox, too?" she asked, her tone light as if she were asking about the weather, her mind already skipping ahead to whatever peculiar little adventure lay ahead
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"Yeah. It was either that or stay in a ruined life." He didn't elaborate on what he meant by that. Even though it was a short story that could be summed up as 'A piece of shit gangster deliberately destroyed my life so I'd become his personal attack dog and it worked really well because I'm nuts', that definitely wasn't something he was about to tell people right off the bat. "Figured following the fox was a better option." He glanced around them and the bizarre situation they had found themselves in. "Though I'm still not sure I didn't die on the operating table and this is all in my head in the last few seconds of my life." Then again, Dex was also half-convinced he'd woken up during that hellish back surgery, which he knew had to be impossible.
He took a few experimental steps and noted how well she'd bandaged his feet. "So what are you in your off time? An Army medic?" A small, dry joke but he was impressed a waitress would be able to make such an efficient job of it with nothing more than some improvised bandages.
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“Oh, you’re not dead! I’d know. I’m not dead, after all,” she said, her voice carrying an odd certainty. Alan was going to save everyone, save Bright Falls. She couldn't be dead.
“Army medic?” she chuckled, clearly delighted by his assumption, though perhaps not realizing he might have been joking. “Oh, no, I’ve never even left Bright Falls! I work part-time at the nursing home. It’s a small town, and we’re short on doctors, so I’ve learned what I can!” Her voice bubbled with that unmistakable sweetness she was known for, almost too sweet, like the kind of innocence that might make some suspicious. But Rose was genuine, even if her bright exterior masked something darker lurking beneath.
She leaned in close. "You would be amazed at what kind of trouble our seniors can get into. Gotta be prepared!"
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The fact Rose was from a small town did not surprise Dex one bit. It would have been a weird attitude to encounter on the New York City streets but if she was from the middle of nowhere and had never left it, small wonder she had such an upbeat and rather innocent personality. It was sickeningly sweet, like biting into a candy that was 100% pure sugar.
What did surprise him was hearing she’d had to help take care of multiple seniors with injuries at her job. Huh. That sounded a bit strange. “Those octogenarians must be getting up to some pretty weird shit if you keep having to patch them up.”
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"Some of our seniors are former rockstars," she said with a bright smile. "I’m afraid a few of them just don’t know when to hang up the leathers." She spoke with such warmth, as though all the mischief they caused was just part of the charm of working with the elderly. Sure, Mandy May wasn’t disappearing into the creek like Tor had, but that woman managed to stir up more trouble than most would ever guess. If Rose didn’t keep a close eye on her, she’d knit until her fingers were raw!
"Why, just the other day, Tor wrecked his entire bedroom," she added, her tone still light, almost amused. "You’d be surprised by the strength some of them still have!" She didn’t blame Tor, though. He wasn’t acting on his own; he was likely being manipulated—probably by Cynthia, who had tragically become a Taken. Rose had always liked Cynthia. It was a shame.
"Honestly," Rose continued, her eyes twinkling, "I hope I get into as much trouble when I’m their age. Most of the time, I think it’s a good sign. Means they’re still young at heart."
In Rose’s world, just living to that age was already a victory. Anything beyond that was a bonus.
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“Thanks for helping me out with my feet,” he told Rose in a sincere manner. Dex knew after a lifetime of serving with a squad or team that you had to trust the people around you sometimes, even if it was only just a little bit.
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A!
He doesn't advance on the other man immediately and for good reason. The stone in his hand clearly shows intention to make use of its wielder's aim. Arthur holds up a single hand, palms-out and at chest level. His tone remains cool but firm.
"That's not necessary. I'm not here to take anything from you-- we're meant to work together to get the item from one of our lists."
No reason not to throw a compliment in there to disarm the other man a little faster.
"Great aim though."
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He was highly suspicious of anyone offering compliments on his skills after Fisk had used such a method to get into his head. He still heard that oily voice in there sometimes, echoes of the things he'd told Dex, like how he'd never seen a talent like his before. At least right now his head was clear and focused, nothing on the inside distracting him like before.
His posture didn't relax but the former sniper seemed willing to listen since Arthur clearly had more experience regarding this sort of thing than he did. "Okay. How do we get it down?"
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What he can do is look up at the box and think about how far he can reach. With certainty he knows collaborative efforts will bring the boxes down. Not looking to climb any trees anytime soon Arthur offers up his cane.
"Think you can hit it with this? It's mine-- that might be enough to consider things a joint effort. I'd prefer if you didn't break it."
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He held the improvised projectile for a second or two to estimate the weight, length, and the material it was made of before he made another throw. What flowed through his head was a half-second made up of calculations and instinct that he couldn’t have explained even if he tried. Dex’s next effort was just as accurate as the first, though with less ricocheting on the second try made, and this time his efforts were more successful. When it hit the box, it was knocked to the ground, though floating slowly through the air as if falling through molasses.
The last angle the cane hit also brought it directly back to Dex’s hand. He reflexively caught it and passed it back over to Arthur. “That seems to have done it.”
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The thoughts go out of his head immediately when he watches the spectacle of Dex bringing the box down. This is a person who has not only landed on their feet but has a strong will to survive-- a strong asset in a situation like this.
Taking back his cane he gives the other man a nod of thanks before settling and looking back at the box.
"You just arrived here, yes? You're probably more in-need of whatever's inside there. I've been here for a bit longer-- I have enough."
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When the cube drew near, he saw Arthur reaching to touch it and figured this had to be part of the process of getting whatever was inside. When he touched it at the same time, the cube disappeared and finally saw what it had been holding. The knife he'd mentioned on his survival list, complete with a sheath to carrying it. He picked it up, spinning the blade around on his palm in a careless motion to test the weight of it before it grabbed it by the handle while it still had a fair bit of motion to it. "Not bad. This'll work."
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The knife earns a long, assessing stare before his eyes return to the new arrival.
"Where are you from, friend?"
Last time he checked any sort of medical facility doesn't exactly endorse keeping knives.
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"And you?" Did he actually care? Not really. But some social norms had to be performed if he didn't want people to find him unnerving and realize just how terrifying he could be just below the surface.
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"All over. I'm a big fan of seeing the world in its entirety."
"Not trusting people here won't get you far. The spirit that presides over this place wants us to be open and transparent with each other. If you don't play by her rules she has her ways of making things come to the surface one way or another."
He's not resigned to this place by any means or the whims of Thirteen, but Arthur is starting to learn her game.
"Some people you meet might not even know what New York is."
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Dex looked very unhappy at the thought of having to open up to people. Not only because he was always reluctant to open up to people about anything personal but also because he knew that the way certain one-on-one situations were presented made for a very effective method of getting him to open up. It was like a Pavlovian response that had been ingrained into him after ten years of intense therapy in his youth. "Sounds like some weird group therapy session. What's she getting out of it?"
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He's thankful for any bit of honesty from the newcomer. It isn't easy to be so transparent with strangers, he knows, but vague is better than nothing. If the man was shipped out to destinations he must have had some sort of harsh reality where he came from.
"She's like a child with a storybook, really. Choose how to tell your own story instead of making her write it for you."
There doesn't appear to be any other cubes nearby. They're few and far between-- what the other man needs is likely found back in town rather than out here.
"I was in an institute myself before coming here. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I can get you some real clothes if you'd like. I doubt we're going to get that lucky and find them in another one of those cubes."
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Then he listened as Arthur assumed he’d been in an institute before coming here. “I wasn’t–” Dex cut himself off, running a hand down his face as he sighed. “--Never mind.” Arthur wasn’t wrong, he had spent time in an institution. It was just that it had been many years ago and not recently. But he couldn’t bring himself to correct the mistake, given it was still partially accurate about his background. Arthur wasn’t wrong, he was ashamed to have spent over half his childhood in the psychiatric institute.
“I could use some clothes,” he admitted as he changed the subject. He glanced down at his poor battered feet. Walking around out here without proper footwear had been more aggravating than all the rest of it put together. “And some good shoes.”
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